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A cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere. If requested data is contained in the cache (i.e., cache hit), this request can be served by simply reading the cache, which is comparatively faster. Otherwise (i.e., cache miss), the data must be fetched from its original storage location, which is comparatively slower. Prefetching is the operation of loading data or instructions in cache in anticipation of their need. Thus, the greater the number of requests that can be served from the cache, the faster the overall system performance.

The present embodiments relate in general to power semiconductor technology, and more particularly to accumulation-mode and enhancement-mode trenched-gate field effect transistors (FETs) and their methods of manufacture. The key component in power electronic applications is the solid state switch. From ignition control in automotive applications to battery-operated consumer electronic devices, to power converters in industrial applications, there is a need for a power switch that optimally meets the demands of the particular application. Solid state switches including, for example, the power metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (power MOSFET), the insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and various types of thyristors have continued to evolve to meet this demand. In the case of the power MOSFET, for example, double-diffused structures (DMOS) with lateral channel (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,405 to Blanchard et al.), trenched gate structures (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,429,481 to Mo et al.), and various techniques for charge balancing in the transistor drift region (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,026 to Temple, U.S. Pat. No. 5,216,275 to Chen, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,081,009 to Neilson) have been developed, among many other technologies, to address the differing and often competing performance requirements. Some of the defining performance characteristics for the power switch are its on-resistance, breakdown voltage and switching speed. Depending on the requirements of a particular application, a different emphasis is placed on each of these performance criteria. For example, for power applications greater than about 300-400 volts, the IGBT exhibits an inherently lower on-resistance as compared to the power MOSFET, but its switching speed is lower due to its slower turn off characteristics. Therefore, for applications greater than 400 volts with low switching frequencies requiring low on-resistance, the IGBT is the preferred switch while the power MOSFET is often the device of choice for relatively higher frequency applications. If the frequency requirements of a given application dictate the type of switch that is used, the voltage requirements determine the structural makeup of the particular switch. For example, in the case of the power MOSFET, because of the proportional relationship between the drain-to-source on-resistance RDSon and the breakdown voltage, improving the voltage performance of the transistor while maintaining a low RDSon poses a challenge. Various charge balancing structures in the transistor drift region have been developed to address this challenge with differing degrees of success. Two varieties of field effect transistors are accumulation mode FET and enhancement mode FET. In conventional accumulation FETs because no inversion channel is formed, the channel resistance is eliminated thus improving the transistor power handling capability and its efficiency. Further, with no pn body diode, the losses in synchronous rectification circuits attributable to the pn diode are reduced. A drawback of conventional accumulation transistors is that the drift region needs to be lightly doped to support a high enough reverse bias voltage. However, a lightly doped drift region results in a higher on-resistance and lower efficiency. Similarly, in enhancement mode FETs, improving the transistor break down voltage often comes at the price of higher on-resistance or vice versa. Device performance parameters are also impacted by the fabrication process. Attempts have been made to address some of these challenges by developing a variety of improved processing techniques. Whether it is in ultra-portable consumer electronic devices or routers and hubs in communication systems, the varieties of applications for the power switch continue to grow with the expansion of the electronic industry. The power switch therefore remains a semiconductor device with high development potential.

It is known in art to control access to a device via arbitration. In a typical system-on-chip (SoC), a system resource, such as a memory or peripherial, is shared by multiple accessors. In the field of this invention requesting devices typically have priorities relative to other requesting devices. The device with the higher priority is granted access. In many systems this priority is dynamically allocated. For example, the last requester to be granted access may be given the highest priority. On the other hand, priority may be statically assigned to permit a high priority requester to have its needed access. One of these may be given ultra high priority, meaning that the arbiter always gives this accessor priority over all others. In this case some control over the grant and masking of the ultra high priority request is typical to meet the bandwidth requirements of the ultra high priority accessor as well as for all the remaining accessors. A common solution to this problem is periodically allocating a time slot for the ultra high priority requester. During this time period, no other requester is granted access to the resource. However, such a scheme is sensitive to the time alignment of the request and thus may not help in meeting the real time requirements. For the same reason, it may also waste bandwidth for the remaining requesters. Other solutions grant access to the ultra high priority accessor each time another requester completes one access. Thus the ultra high priority requester is sure to get access on a regular basis. This may not be sufficient to meet the real time requirements of the high priority requester and it may hurt the bandwidth requirements of other accessors. However, the user does not have control over resource allocation in both the above cases. Thus there is a need in the art for a flexible scheme to control arbitration to allocate accesses to a shared resource by plural requesting devices.

This section introduces aspects that may be helpful to facilitating a better understanding of the inventions. Accordingly, the statements of this section are to be read in this light and are not to be understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art. MulteFire™ Alliance (MFA) is an organization dedicated to developing a Long Term Evolution (LTE) based communication technology for small cells operating exclusively in unlicensed spectrum, e.g., the global 5 Gigahertz (GHz) unlicensed band known as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) radio band. MFA defines a Neutral Host Network (NHN) access mode. The NHN access mode is provided to mobile devices (mobiles) based on authorization from the mobile subscriber's preferred Participating Service Provider (PSP) that may or may not be a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) type Mobile Network Operator. As a consequence, the mobile subscriber may or may not be provisioned with identity typical for the 3GPP subscriptions, e.g., the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), in a licensed radio band network such as a 3GPP Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network. The IMSI is used to identify the user (mobile subscriber device) of a cellular network and is a unique identification associated with all cellular networks.

The present invention relates to the field beverages or other liquid comestibles (soups, of producing etc.) on the basis of ingredients which are contained in a capsule. The capsule is inserted into the beverage production module of a beverage production machine (coffee machine, etc.). The module is designed to inject a liquid such as for example hot water under pressure into the capsule in order to have the liquid interact with the ingredients contained in the capsule. Note that some beverage production techniques ask for a pressurized injection, others such as e.g. brewing tea can be made at ambient pressure. The invention can find application in both scenarios. The result of the interaction, i.e. the produced beverage or liquid comestible is then drained from the capsule and fed to a receptacle such as e.g. a coffee cup placed below an outlet for the beverage.

Several publications and patent documents are referenced in this application in order to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains. The disclosure of each of these publications is incorporated by reference herein. Several research groups have reported that immunization with negatively charged transition state analogs (TSAs) results in the synthesis of antibodies (Abs) with esterase activity (1,2). These attempts to prepare transacylase Abs relied on creating catalytic sites de novo over the course of somatic diversification of antibody (Ab) genes. In this strategy, induction of noncovalent shape complementary between Ab combining sites and a negatively charged oxygen atom in tetrahedral TSAs was proposed to be sufficient to achieve catalytic activity (Table 1). However, there are no examples of proteolytic Abs identified by this strategy in the peer-reviewed literature, although patents claiming peptide bond hydrolysis by Abs raised to negatively charged TSAs have been granted (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,462). One report describes a side-by-side examination of esterase and proteolytic activities in antibodies raised to a TSA (3). The former activity was readily detected, but no peptide bond cleaving activity was observed. The failure to prepare proteolytic Abs by this approach is generally attributed to the greater energetic demands of peptide bond hydrolysis and the more complex reaction pathways for this reaction, including formation of multiple transition states in which the catalyst must form transient covalent complexes with the peptide substrates for the reaction to proceed to completion. A breakthrough has emerged from observations that naturally occurring Abs can express proteolytic activities. Observations that vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is cleaved by Abs from asthma patients provided early evidence that Abs may possess peptidase activity (4). The generality of this observation is supported by additional reports showing cleavage of thyroglobulin by auto antibodies in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (5). Further evidence for the bias towards catalytic Ab synthesis in autoimmune disease is supported by observations of DNase activity in Abs from lupus patients (6) and mouse strains with a genetic predisposition to autoimmune disease (7). More recently antibodies isolated from certain hemophilia patients were observed to hydrolyze Factor VIII, a cofactor in blood coagulation (8). Certain antibody fragments to the HIV protein gp41 are also described to hydrolyze this protein (9). Disclosed in the present invention are data indicating that the potential for cleaving peptide bonds by a covalent catalytic mechanisms is distributed broadly in most naturally occurring Abs. Covalent catalytic mechanisms reminiscent of those utilized by non-Ab serine proteases are a distinguishing feature of the naturally occurring proteolytic Abs (10). In comparison, Abs raised to TSAs utilize noncovalent binding of the transition state, and the emergence of covalent catalytic pathways is not predicted, expect by accident. One aspect of the present invention is to strengthen the covalent reactivity of naturally occurring Abs. This results in two outcomes: (a) the increased covalent reactivity allows emergence of Abs that can form stable bonds with polypeptides, due to the covalent character of the bonding reaction; and (b) When a water molecule is properly accommodated in the Ab active sites, the covalent Ab-polypeptide complexes can be hydrolyzed to complete the reaction cycle. To favor the latter outcome, immunization is done using polypeptide analogs that contain a bound water molecule, allowing induction of Ab active sites with sufficient room to accommodate the desired water molecule. Proteolytic Abs can not be identified using traditional binding assays, as the catalytic cleavage of polypeptides does not allow formation of stable Ab-antigen complexes. Analogs of antigens employed previously to identify catalytic Abs have assumed that the chemical reaction center in the analogs must simulate precisely the location of the bond in polypeptide antigens that is cleaved by catalytic Abs. Disclosed in the present invention are data that the covalently reactive groups in proteolytic Abs, the serine protease-like nucleophiles, enjoys considerable conformational flexibility relative to the noncovalent binding forces responsible for the specificity of Abs for individual polypeptide epitopes. This discovery has resulted in another major aspect of the present invention, that is, the development of polypeptide analogs in which a covalently reactive electrophile can readily be located in side chains of the amino acids instead of the polypeptide backbone. Disclosed in this invention are methods using these analogs for coordination of the Ab nucleophilic reactivity with specificity for the linear and discontinuous epitopes expressed by polypeptides, allowing the occurrence of epitope-specific nucleophilic reactions between Abs and antigens. These methods remove an important bottle-neck in development of covalent and catalytic Abs, because preparation of such antibodies to large polypeptides is presently not possible by conventional methods. Synthesis of large polypeptides with electrophiles incorporated with the backbone is outside the scope of current chemical synthesis technology, whereas the electrophiles can readily be placed on the amino acid side chains by chemical conjugation without unduly disturbing the native antigenic structure of proteins. An alternative approach to preparing electrophilic polypeptides within the backbone is the utilization of unnatural electrophilic amino acid analogs for protein synthesis by natural synthetic procedures, for example by correct recognition of the electrophilic amino acid analog by the appropriate tRNA species during the translation of mRNA in the polyribosome complex. The proteolytic activity of naturally occurring Abs is reported to derive heritable germline lines encoding serine protease-like nucleophilic sites (11). The first Abs made by B cells over the course of their differentiation into cells that synthesize specific Abs to individual antigenic epitopes belong to the IgM class, with class switching to IgG Abs occurring at a later stage, concomitant with ongoing somatic diversification of the Ab variable domains. Disclosed in the present invention are observations indicating that IgM Abs are superior catalysts compared to IgG Abs. Also disclosed are methods to identify and induce the synthesis of antigen-specific Abs of the IgM with proteolytic activity.

This invention relates to load conveying systems, and specifically to a type of load conveying system which is known as a moving floor. Moving floors are used in a variety of material handling environments, such as warehouses and in over-the-road trailers which are used in the trucking industry. A basic concept of a moving floor or reciprocating conveyor is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,143,760, for RECIPROCATING CONVEYOR, which describes a moving floor system having a plurality of groups of elongated slats. In that system, a hydraulic drive is operable to move all of the slats of each group from a start position simultaneously in a load-conveying direction, and then to move the slats of each group sequentially in the opposite direction from the advanced position back to the start position. In this fashion a load is conveyed in a predetermined direction. Known reciprocating conveyor systems utilize rigid slats which are normally formed of extruded aluminum. The hydraulic drive system typically takes the form of a plurality of hydraulic cylinders, each of which is mounted to a transversely extending drive beam or cross drive, to which are mounted each of the slats of that group. Other forms which the drive system may take include a reciprocating rod extending between a pair of fixed cylinders, or a single cylinder mounted to reciprocate on a fixed shaft. With these systems the cross drives are mounted to the reciprocating rod or to the reciprocating cylinder, respectively, and the slats of each group are mounted to one of the cross drives. Slat type conveyor systems have been extremely successful in providing a trailer-mounted loading and unloading capability for a reasonable expense, while taking up little space in the trailer. However, because the slats must extend the entire length of the trailer, and cover most of the floor thereof, even when a light weight material such as aluminum is used, the weight of the conveyor system is substantial. Also, because the load to be carried is often dropped onto the slats in the trailer, the slats will on occasion be damaged, thereby rendering the system inoperable. Also, when consideration is given to the amount of aluminum which must be used, the expense of the slats comprises a substantial percentage of the cost of the conveyor system. Finally, in order to render the conveyor system watertight, seals must be positioned between the various slats. These seals need to be replaced from time to time and thus increase the maintenance which is required to the system. It is an object of the invention to overcome the limitations with the prior art proposals. Other more specific objects are as follows: (1) to develop a trailer-mounted reciprocating conveyor system which does not require the use of expensive slats with seals mounted therebetween; (2) the provision of a reciprocating conveyor system which can lend itself to watertight operation; (3) to provide a conveyor system which is similar to conventional slat type conveyors except that flexible bands are used in place of the slats, such bands being less susceptible to damage during loading operations; (4) to develop a reciprocating floor conveyor system in which slats may be operating in purely a pulling rather than a pushing mode, thereby reducing structural requirements for the slats; (5) the provision of a trailer-mounted conveyor system which uses less space and weighs less than conventional slat type conveyor systems; and (6) to develop a conveyor system which permits drive components to be mounted at various positions in or under the trailer, thereby providing a conveyor system which is usable in many different applications.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor apparatus, and, more particularly, to a semiconductor apparatus including input signal terminals provided for each electrode so that a control signal is applied to a plurality of semiconductor apparatuses connected in parallel with each other. 2. Description of the Prior Art This kind of semiconductor apparatus comprises a semiconductor power module. By way of an example, such semiconductor power module will be described in the following. FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a conventional semiconductor power module. The power module 1 contains two transistor devices therein. A common collector-emitter electrode terminal 2, an emitter electrode terminal 3 and a collector electrode terminal 4 are provided, as main electrode terminals, on the upper surface of the power module 1. An input signal terminal comprises a base signal terminal 5 and emitter signal terminal 6 for one transistor device, and a base signal terminal 8 and an emitter signal terminal 7 for the other transistor device, as shown in FIG. 1. A single input signal terminal is provided for each electrode. In general, a plurality of semiconductor power modules have been often used in a parallel connected manner so that the plurality of semiconductor power modules are operated in response to a single control signal. FIG. 2 shows a conventional parallel connection of the plurality of power modules 1, 1, . . . in which each signal terminal is connected in parallel with each other. More particularly, a control signal generating apparatus 9 is connected to the base signal terminal 5 in the first power module 1 through a wire 11a. The base signal terminal 5 in the first power module 1 is also connected to the base signal terminal 5 in the second power module 1, which is, in turn, connected to the base signal terminal 5 in the third power module, and so on. Similarly, as shown in a dotted line, each of emitter signal terminals 6, 6, . . . of the power modules 1, 1, . . . is connected in parallel with each other. The signal terminals 7 and 8 in each power module are also connected in parallel in the same manner. As described in the foregoing, each semiconductor power module 1 comprises a single signal terminal for each electrode and thus, a wiring apparatus 10 for parallel connection for transmitting a control signal from the control signal generating apparatus 9 is structured as shown in FIG. 3. The wiring apparatus 10 comprises a plurality of contacts 12, wires 11 connected therebetween and a wire 11a connected between the control signal generating apparatus and the first contact corresponding to the first power module. The number of contacts 12 corresponds to the number of the power modules to be connected in parallel. A serial connection of the plurality of contacts and the wires 11 and 11a constitutes a single continuous wiring apparatus 10 for parallel connection. By using such wiring apparatus 10, more particularly, by inserting each connecting contact 12 into a corresponding signal terminal, a plurality of power modules are connected in parallel with each other. However, in the above described conventional power module 1, a continuous wiring apparatus structured as shown in FIG. 3 is required for connecting the signal terminals in the plurality of power modules in parallel with each other and, in addition, if the number of the parallel connections that is, the number of the power modules changes, the wiring apparatus 10 must be correspondingly reconstructed.

A number of methods and systems have been proposed for providing assistance in operating a device, system or machine, such as a vehicle. For example, several driving assistance systems were disclosed in U.S. Published Patent Application Nos. 20030060936 A1, published Mar. 27, 2003, and 20040172185 A1, published Sep. 2, 2004. In order to enhance performance, some driving assistance systems may require estimation of a driver's intention in driving a vehicle. A system for estimating a driver's intention may collect estimates of the driver's intention using movement of the driver's eyeballs. For example, directions to which the driver's eyeballs turn are projected onto a plane divided into a number of regions, for calculating a distribution of projected directions over the divided regions to estimate the driver's intention. However, such type of systems lacks accuracy because the driver's eyeballs move all the time and do not always relate to a “driving” intention of the driver. Therefore, there is a need for reliable intention estimation systems that can estimate an operator's intention with satisfactory accuracy. There is also a need for determining how reliable or how strong an estimated intention is, such that operation assistance can be provided accordingly.

1. Technical Field Aspects of the present disclosure relate to electrical receptacles and electrical cords that selectively prevent and permit objects to engage electrical contacts within the receptacle and electrical cord to reduce the risk of electrocution. 2. Background Art Electrical devices, and specifically electrical receptacles capable of receiving electrical plugs to provide electricity to the electrical plug are well known. In the United States, electrical receptacles generally include two or three prongs, with each set arranged to receive an electrical plug. Electrical receptacles, with the exception of Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters (GFCI) are generally always active, meaning they provide electricity to the electrical receptacle contacts at all times. GFCI devices function similarly, except they can restrict electrical current in the event that a short or current imbalance is detected in the circuit. After a fault is detected, the GFCI cuts off power to the electrical receptacle contacts until a user resets the GFCI. Nevertheless, children in particular are susceptible to being shocked in the event that the child inserts a conductive object into an electrical receptacle opening. Conductive objects may include knives, paper clips, screw drivers, or the like that a child inserts into the opening and receives an electrical shock, electrocution, or a burn. One attempt to alleviate the potential for electrocution has been to incorporate doors in the electrical device that must be overcome before the object can reach the electrical contacts. Each of these attempts includes complex mechanisms which are unnecessary or difficult to manufacture. Other attempts may be less complex, but are very cumbersome to operate or are inefficient. Finally, some tamper resistant electrical devices wear out quickly and no longer protect the consumer, and particularly children, from electrical shock hazards. Electrical cords have long been a danger when plugged into an active outlet. Once the electrical cord is connected to an active receptacle, a child may be injured by inserting a conductive object into the opposite end of the electrical cord that is free.

The present invention relates to an information managing apparatus for providing an external apparatus with requested information in response to an instruction from the external apparatus and/or recording information onto a given recording medium. Recording media used in a computer system include magnetic disks (a hard disk, a flexible disk, and the like) and a magnetic tape. And information managing apparatuses are known which are equipped with a plurality of drive units for such recording media and are capable of managing information by recording and/or reproducing a large amount of information. For example, in an apparatus using magnetic tapes as recording media (hereinafter referred to as "tape library apparatus"), a number of tape cassettes each incorporating a magnetic tape are accommodated in a prescribed accommodation rack. A desired one of the tape cassettes is taken out by a transfer mechanism and then mounted in a selected one of a plurality of tape drive units. Data recording/reproduction is then performed. A control means in the tape library apparatus exchanges information with an external apparatus such as a host computer. The tape library apparatus manages information such that it provides the external apparatus with requested information in response to an instruction from the external apparatus by reproducing that information from a magnetic tape through a tape drive unit, or it records information onto a magnetic tape. Incidentally, in the above type of information managing apparatus, the supply of power to the entire system including a host computer and a tape library apparatus needs to be stopped during replacement of a tape drive unit. That is, at the occurrence of some trouble in the system, in a periodical maintenance/inspection operation, or in like events, it is necessary to remove a tape drive unit from the apparatus or replace a tape drive unit. In such a case, the main power needs to be turned off to stop the system. However, such a system stop is unfavorable to users. Where a tape library apparatus operates as a data server in a large-scale system, a system down possibly causes serious damage. Therefore, a stop of power supply to the system is not permitted or should be avoided by taking any measures available. It is desired that replacement or the like of a tape drive unit be conducted with the power supply to the system continued, i.e., with the apparatus kept online. However, if a drive unit is replaced without opening a transmission path between the apparatus and the external apparatus, there is a possibility that electrically adverse effects occur in the drive unit or the transmission path (a bus, for instance), resulting in damage of the drive unit, occurrence of a data error due to introduction of noise, unstable behavior of the system, and other problems.

(1) Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication method in a point-to-multipoint communication system and a subsidiary transmission apparatus for the same system. The invention relates to a communication method and a subsidiary transmission apparatus suitable for use in SONET (Synchronous Optical Network)/SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) transmission systems. (2) Description of the Related Art At present, as a user network interface for realizing the B-ISDN (Broadband Aspects of Integrated Services Digital Network), the SONET (Synchronous Optical Network)/SDH (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) is standardized as international standards for the purpose of standardization of existing digital hierarchies of countries world-wide. As a mode of communication network using the SONET/SDH, there is a point-to-multipoint communication system as shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the previous point-to-multipoint communication system 600 includes: one main transmission apparatus (hereinafter will be also called the “main station”) 100; and N-number (N is an integer greater than 1) (in the present example, three) of subsidiary transmission apparatuses (hereinafter will be also called the “subsidiary station”) 200A, 200B, and 200C (simply called the “subsidiary station 200” when individual apparatuses are not distinguished). In the point-to-multipoint communication system 600, when one-to-N inter-transmission apparatus communication (that is, communication from the main station 100 to the subsidiary station 200) is performed, the main station 100 broadcasts (or multicasts) the same signal to be transmitted to the subsidiary stations 200 through a sending line (downstream line) 120, whereby the signal reaches the signal terminal unit 400. As a result, the main station 100 is capable of communicating (transmitting) with all the subsidiary stations 200 without any trouble. On the other hand, in the point-to-multipoint communication system 600, when N-to-1 inter-transmission apparatus communication (that is, communication from the subsidiary stations 200 to the main station 100) is performed, exclusive control needs to be carried out for communication (transmission) because the subsidiary stations 200 share a returning line (upstream line) 210. To realize such exclusive control, at present, a maintenance engineer needs to manually perform a switch operation of the switch unit 500 of each of the subsidiary stations 200, thereby controlling the line connection state between the main station 100 and the subsidiary stations 200, so that a signal to be sent from the subsidiary stations 200 can reach the signal terminal unit 300 of the main station 100. With the above-described method, for manually controlling a switch state of the switch unit 500 of each of the subsidiary stations 200, the maintenance engineer must spend a lot of time and effort. Thus, when a number of subsidiary stations 200 need to be managed, the manual management is not a down-to-earth control method. In addition, in the above-described method, when a transmission request to the main station 100 is generated in any of the subsidiary stations 200, it is impossible to perform lines witch control (switch control of the switch unit 500) immediately, so that the usability of the lines can be affected. Thus, to resolve the above problem, an automatic line control method performed in cases where N-to-1 inter-transmission apparatus communication is carried out is considered. For example, the following patent document 1 discloses a communication method in which a signal from each subsidiary station is super imposed using an OR circuit to be sent to the main station. If only one subsidiary station is sending significant information, transmission information of the subsidiary station is inevitably received by the main station. [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. SHO 61-161843 According to the above-described previous art, when exclusive control is performed among the subsidiary transmission apparatuses, dedicated lines, which are necessary for the exclusive control, need to be installed. Hence, if the scale of the communication system is increased due to an increase in the number of subsidiary stations, not only the subsidiary stations and the main signal transmission path but also such dedicated lines need to be installed, so costs are increased. In addition, the number of lines needed is also increased, and the reliability of the above communication system and the convenience of maintenance may deteriorate.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to the hookup between multipurpose vehicles which may be either manned or unmanned and more particularly to such a hookup which may be but not necessarily for the purpose of refueling one of said air vehicles from the other. 2. Description of the Related Art The capability of continuous operation of autonomous air vehicles (“UAVs”) is limited by their onboard fuel capacity. The desired capability for continuous operation 24 hours a day every day of the week of such air vehicles, which are limited by their fixed onboard fuel capacity raises a need to routinely air-refuel these vehicles. This in turn gives rise to the need for integrating a high precision navigation technology with an appropriately designed aerial refueling system which is compatible with the navigation system . . . A typical airborne refueling system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,052 issued Jul. 5, 1994 to Krispin et al. Such systems often employ hose and drogue connections between the fueling aircraft and the aircraft being fueled. To connect the hose to the drogue requires a control system such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,266,142 issued Jul. 24, 2001 to Junkins, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,052 issued Jul. 5, 1994 to Krispin et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,650 issued Jun. 25, 1996 to Biferno, et al. The joining of two vehicles together far various purposes such as the joining of a manned aircraft with an unmanned aircraft for refueling requires a precision navigation system which is integrated with the refueling system. Prior art systems have shortcomings in that they fail to provide the combination of a precision navigation system with a precision refueling system with the accuracy and reliability to be desired. These shortcomings lie particularly in the design of the probe on the aircraft being refueled and the drogue on the refueling aircraft where the coupling between these elements and the reliable and firm retention of these two units to each other is essential for proper operation. In addition, when the probe is being brought into contact with the drogue, it is important that there be good control of the movement of the probe so that it does not improperly strike against either aircraft.

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard for Digital Television (DTV) in the United States requires an 8-Vestigial Sideband (VSB) transmission system which includes Forward Error Correction (FEC) as a means of improving the system performance. The FEC system consists of a Reed-Solomon encoder, followed by a byte interleaver, and a trellis encoder on the transmitter side. At the receiver end, there is a corresponding trellis decoder, byte deinterleaver and Reed-Solomon decoder. The ATSC-DTV standard is document A53.doc, dated Sep. 16, 1995 produced by the United States Advanced Television Systems Committee. FIG. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of the DTV transmitter and receiver, emphasizing the FEC system. The ATSC has started a study group to create a new M/H (mobile/handheld) DTV standard that is backwards compatible with the current DTV standard (A/53), more robust, more flexible, and provides expanded services to customers utilizing mobile and handheld devices. The new proposals have added a new layer of FEC coding and more powerful decoding algorithms to decrease the Threshold of Visibility (TOV). The added layer of FEC coding requires decoding techniques such as turbo decoding discussed in an article by C. Berrou, A. Glavieux and P. Thitimajshima, entitled “Near Shannon Limit Error—Correcting Coding and Decoding: Turbo-Codes,” found in Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Communications—ICC'93, May 23-26, 1993, Geneva, Switzerland, pp. 1064-1070. A discussion of turbo coding can be found in the article by M. R. Soleymani, Y. Gao and U. Vilaipornsawai, entitled “Turbo Coding for Satellite and Wireless Communications,” Kluwer Academic Publishers, USA, 2002. Decoding of signals encoded for ATSC DTV with an added FEC layer can also involve trellis decoding algorithms like maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoders as described by L. R. Bahl, K. Cocke, F. Jelinek and J. Rariv, in an article entitled “Optimal Decoding of Linear Codes for Minimizing Symbol Error Rate,” found in IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, Vol. IT-20, No. 2, March 19 74, pp. 284-287. Another discussion of trellis coders and a MAP decoder is found in an article written by A. J. Viterbi, entitled “An Intuitive Justification and a Simplified Implementation of the Map Decoder for Convolutional Codes,” found in IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 16, No. 2, February 1998, pp. 260-264. In addition, the FEC system may allow for transmission with time diversity as described by International Patent Applications WO 2008/144004 and 2009/064468. Time diversity may advantageously be used in digital communication systems to minimize the effect of error bursts due to various transmission channel conditions. Error bursts are typically caused by fading from a moving receiver, an obstacle, or electromagnetic interference. Although the proposed systems attempt to provide backwards compatibility with the current DTV standard, no other known system permit diversity within their coding structure. This arrangement proposes a transmitter signaling scheme and receiver architecture for taking advantage of a time diversity system.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a fitted mattress cover that has a woven or knitted skirt. More particularly, the invention concerns a process for making such a fitted mattress cover, wherein the woven or knitted skirt fabric has an edge comprising strong elastic yarns that are woven or knit integrally with the skirt fabric. The elastic yarns of the edge form a band that provides sufficient tension to pull the skirt material under the mattress when the mattress cover is fit onto a mattress. 2. Description of the Prior Art Fitted mattress covers comprise a flat top panel of substantially inextensible material and a skirt that depends from the periphery of the top panel. In use, the top panel covers the top of surface of the mattress and the skirt covers the sides of the mattress. Mattresses to which the covers are fitted typically have a thickness in the range of about 7 to about 15 inches. As used herein, the term "longitudinal direction" refers to the direction that follows around the long dimension of the sides of a mattress and the term "transverse direction" refers to the direction that is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and is parallel to the thickness dimension of the mattress. Known fitted mattress covers have often included skirts that had specially constructed corners or an elastic tape attached to the bottom edge of the skirt, to help hold the fitted mattress cover in place. For example, May, U.S. Pat. No. 2,942,280, disclosed a fitted mattress cover having an inwardly sloping skirt made of a cotton fabric commonly used in undergarments, the end and side walls of the skirt being connected at each corner to form progressively tapered corners, and the bottom edge of one end wall containing an attached elastic tape. Other early fitted mattress covers were disclosed by Anderson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,175, column 1, lines 15-37, which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. Anderson et al also disclosed elastic tapes enclosed within a folded and stitched entire bottom edge of the skirt of a fitted mattress cover. Each of the early fitted mattress covers had skirts that lacked substantial elastic retractive power in the longitudinal direction of the skirt. As a result, the skirts seldom had a neat, snug fit on the mattress. Furthermore, the elastic tapes had to be manufactured separately and then sewn in or otherwise attached to the skirt edge. To overcome some of these shortcomings, particularly the lack of longitudinal elastic retractive power, various fitted mattress covers having stretchable skirts of stitchbonded fabrics have been suggested. Some such stitchbonded fabric skirts have substantial elastic stretchability and retractive power in the longitudinal direction, as well as some stretchability in the transverse direction. Mattress covers with skirts having transverse stretchability accommodate the different thicknesses of commercial mattresses. For example, Williams et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,115, discloses a mattress cover that has a stitchbonded fabric skirt that is stretchable in the longitudinal and transverse directions, and has an elastic band attached to the bottom edge of the skirt fabric Zafiroglu, the present inventor, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,187,952 and 5,247,893, discloses a fitted mattress cover having an elastic skirt formed from a stitchbonded fabric comprising a substantially nonbonded fibrous layer in which elastic yarns, such as spandex elastomeric yarns, are stitched to create lanes of different longitudinal stretchability and equal transverse stretchability. A heavy elastic band is attached to the bottom edge of the skirt fabric. Zafiroglu et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,393, discloses another fitted mattress cover having another stitchbonded fabric skirt that has a greater stretchability in the transverse direction than in the longitudinal direction. Zafiroglu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,132, discloses still another fitted mattress cover having another stitchbonded skirt that does not have a banded appearance. Although fitted mattress covers with such stitchbonded fabric skirts have met with some success in the bedding market, further improvements are desired. The present inventor has found that some mattress covers made with skirts of stitchbonded fabrics that incorporate nonwoven layers of substantially non-bonded or non-entangled fibers, sometimes are prone to mechanical failure and to pilling, especially when the covers are laundered. The present inventor also found that mattress covers made with skirts of stitchbonded fabrics that incorporate nonwoven layers of strongly bonded or highly entangled fibers, though stronger and less prone to pilling, usually do not have sufficient flexibility or softness desired for the skirt fabric. An aim of the present invention is to provide a fitted mattress cover having a skirt which can be fitted neatly and snugly onto mattresses of different thicknesses, can retain its desirable characteristics even after several launderings and does not suffer the shortcomings of mattress covers made with skirts of stitchbonded fabrics. Another aim of the present invention is to provide an economical process for making a fitted mattress cover wherein the skirt fabric has an elastic edge formed integrally within the skirt during the knitting or weaving of the skirt.

A wide variety of computer systems employ an ability to write data to and read from a remote storage medium, which can provide a number of system advantages. For example, in a distributed client/server storage environment, the ability to write data to a remote storage medium allows an application program to use hardware that is associated with processors other than the one the application program is running on. One difficulty in accessing data from a storage medium arises from the difference between blocks which comprise a physical expression of data in the storage medium and records which are a logical expression of the data. Within a given block, there be may only comprise a part of a record (herein referred to as a "segment"), an entire record or multiple records. The ability to access storage medium data by moving backward through the blocks of a tape is readily provided because blocks are the physical storage unit on the storage medium, such as a direct access storage device (DASD). If, however, an application program on a computing node coupled to the storage medium wishes to skip access records of the file rather than blocks, there is no convenient technique for accomplishing this. Again, there may be several records per block, or in the case of variable blocked spanned (VBS) format records, a logical record may be spread out over several physical blocks. Thus, an enhanced approach to skipping through the physical blocks of a storage medium based upon logical records contained therein is desired, and in particular, a capability for skipping backwards using logical records is needed.

In recent years, with the sophistication of information technology, there have been significant advancements in information recording techniques, in particular, magnetic recording techniques. Magnetic recording media, such as HDDs (hard disk drives), have rapidly decreased in size, decreased in thickness, increased in recording density, and increased in access speed. In a magnetic recording medium, a magnetic disk, which includes a magnetic layer disposed on a disk-shaped substrate, is rotated at high speed, and recording and reproduction are performed while making a magnetic head afloat over the magnetic disk. With an increase in access speed, the rotation speed of substrates also increases. Therefore, higher strength is required for substrates. Furthermore, with an increase in recording density, there has been a transition in magnetic heads from thin-film heads to magnetoresistive heads (MR heads) or giant magnetoresistive heads (GMR heads). The flying height of a magnetic head above a substrate has decreased to about 8 nm. Under these circumstances, if an irregular shape is present on the surface of magnetic disks, in some cases, crash failures resulting from magnetic head crash or thermal asperity failures, in which read errors are caused by heating due to adiabatic compression of air or contact, may occur. Consequently, nowadays, as a substrate for a magnetic recording medium, in place of conventional aluminum substrates, glass substrates have been used. The reason for this is that, compared with aluminum substrates composed of metal which is a soft material, glass substrates composed of glass which a hard material are excellent in flatness of the substrate surface, substrate strength, and rigidity. However, in another aspect, glass substrates are composed of a brittle material. Therefore, various methods for strengthening glass substrates have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 (JP-A-2002-121051) describes a structure in which by immersing a glass substrate in a chemically strengthening salt solution heated to about 400° C., lithium ions and sodium ions in a surface layer of the glass substrate are ion-exchanged with sodium ions and potassium ions in the chemically strengthening salt solution, respectively, thereby forming a compressive stress layer on the surface layer of the glass substrate to perform strengthening. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 (JP-A-2001-192239) describes a structure in which a chemically strengthening process is performed using a chemically strengthening salt solution that contains potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate as main components and less than 1% by weight of a cation component other than potassium and sodium and that has a completely freezing point of 130° C. or lower. According to Patent Document 2, although solidification of some components starts at about 230° C., the solution has sherbet-like flowability until it completely solidifies at about 110° C. Thus, stress/strain can be decreased, and warpage of the glass substrate in the chemically strengthening process can be prevented. Patent Document 1: JP-A-2002-121051 Patent Document 2: JP-A-2001-192239

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to targeted magnetic therapeutic systems and methods, and specifically, to systems and methods for using a dynamic magnetic field to focus magnetizable therapeutic, diagnostic or prophylactic agents to deep tumors within a patient's body. 2. Description of Related Art Cancer is a major cause of death in the United States, claiming more than 500,000 lives each year according to American Cancer Society estimates. The primary treatment options for cancer are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. Although surgical removal of a tumor is usually the favored option, some tumors are inoperable, for example because they are inaccessible or have ill-defined borders. Thus, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are often used to treat cancer in conjunction with, or instead of, surgery. Radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy can achieve some success in treating many cancers, but these treatments have disadvantages as well. For example, radiation therapy has limited success because hypoxic cancer cells in solid tumors are able to fix the DNA damage caused by radiation, and therefore are resistant to radiation therapy. Immunotherapy also has disadvantages, in that non-tumor cells can be damaged, delivery to tumor cells may be inefficient, and toxicity may be unacceptably high. Chemotherapy remains a primary treatment for cancer, but also has disadvantages, including poor delivery and cellular uptake of chemotherapeutic agents into malignant tissue, drug resistance and non-specific toxicity. Further, the dosage of chemotherapeutic agents is usually limited to a dosage that is low enough not to kill the patient, however such a dosage may not be high enough to kill all malignant cells. Poor delivery of therapeutic agents to diseased cells is a difficult problem in cancer treatment, especially treatment of cancers deep within the body. Even when the agents are delivered to the locale of the tumor mass, poor penetrability into the tumor mass may require prolonged high dose treatment, and subsequent severe systemic adverse effects. For these reasons, it is desirable to provide improved and alternative techniques for treating disease, particularly techniques that are less invasive and traumatic to the patient than the existing techniques, and are able to be targeted to diseased tissue in the body. The promise of targeted drug delivery is that therapeutic agents can be targeted to diseased tissue, thereby enabling high concentrations at the tumor, with lower concentrations elsewhere in the body. The ability to focus therapeutic agents to specific locations is useful not only for cancer treatment, but also for the treatment of diseases or disorders that are localized in the body, for example a localized infection such as a spinal abscess or restenosis in a coronary artery. Targeted delivery techniques are being explored for the treatment of cancers and other diseases, and include three primary approaches: passive targeting, active targeting, and physical targeting. Passive targeting techniques rely on selective accumulation of drugs at the tumor site due to differences between healthy and tumor cells, for example the Enhanced Permeability and Retention (EPR) effect, or on localized delivery, for example direct intratumoral delivery in prostate cancer treatment. Active targeting techniques include conjugating the therapeutic agent to a targeting ligand, such as RGD peptides, and tumor-specific antibodies. Physical targeting techniques include stimulating tumor tissue with ultrasonic waves, which promotes intracellular drug uptake. Magnetic drug delivery has also been attempted, in which drugs are attached to magnetic particles, and then externally applied magnetic fields from stationary magnets outside the body are used to focus the drugs to specific locations near the surface of the body. Magnetic drug particles for treatment of shallow tumors have been tested for safety and efficacy in animal and human clinical trials, where particles are injected into a vein, distributed throughout the body by the circulatory system, and then captured and concentrated at the desired shallow tumor location by a strong stationary magnet held near the tumor. Direct injection of magnetic particles into a tumor, followed by thermal excitation of the magnetic particles, has also been attempted with some success in the treatment of prostate cancers. However, non-invasive magnetic drug delivery to deep tissue such as the lungs, intestines, and liver, has not been successful because the magnetic fields necessary to overcome blood flow rates in the arteries, and to target the nanoparticles more than about 5 centimeters inside the body, generally exceed the threshold (˜1-2 Tesla) of what is considered safe for human application. Thus, conventional means of magnetic drug targeting has not proven successful with deep tissue tumors. What is needed are improved magnetic drug delivery methods and systems that overcome these difficulties and results in improved focusing of magnetic therapeutic agents, particularly for the treatment of deep tissue tumors.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to exercise apparatuses. More particularly, the invention relates to an exercise apparatus designed for performing squats in a convenient, safe and effective manner. 2. Description of the Prior Art The squat is a free-weight exercise in which a barbell is placed on a user's shoulders directly behind the neck and is supported by the arms while the user first lowers his or her body by bending the legs and then raises his or her body by restraightening the legs. This exercise is probably the most effective exercise for building lower body muscles and often is used by experienced weight lifters. However, this exercise can be one of the most painful and traumatic exercises since the legs are capable of lifting a large amount of weight and yet the weight must be supported by the lifter's arms and shoulders. In addition, it is one of the most dangerous exercises since it typically is terminated by placing the barbell on a rack when the lifter's legs are fully extended. As the lifter approaches his or her limit, it becomes difficult to obtain this position. Furthermore, the weight tends to throw lifters forward and cause them to lose their balance. It is, therefore, usually necessary to have two spotters when performing the squat. With the foregoing in mind, a variety of prior art squat type exercise apparatuses have been developed to provide a safer environment for performing squats. Most of these apparatuses require that an individual partially squat into position such that his or her back and/or shoulders engage a user support member coupled to a source of resistance. Once the user is properly positioned relative to the user support member, he or she may move through an exercise routine. The user then moves from the user support member and steps away from the exercise apparatuses. Considering these simple steps, the prior art is surprisingly filled with squat type exercise apparatuses which are difficult to use. For example, many squat type exercise apparatuses require users of different sizes to adapt to the apparatus itself rather than readily adjust for different size users. Where the squat type exercise apparatus does provide a mechanism for adjusting to suit users of differing sizes, prior art mechanisms are invariably difficult to use. While prior art squat type exercise apparatuses offer many set up challenges for users wishing to take advantages of the apparatuses, these prior art squat type exercise apparatuses are even more difficult to get out of once a user's exercise routine is completed. With this in mind, the inventor has studied the prior squat type exercise apparatuses and determined that a need overwhelmingly exists for a squat type exercise apparatus offering users a convenient, adaptable and easy to use apparatus for performing squat type exercises. The inventor has, therefore, developed the present exercise apparatus overcoming the shortcomings of prior art devices.

(1) Field of the Invention This invention relates to a mask, more particularly relates to a mask for sequential lateral solidification (SLS) process. (2) Description of the Prior Art Liquid crystal displays (LCDs), with the advantages of slim size, low power consumption and radiation damage, has become a preferred choice in various displaying products including traditional CRT displays. For the same reason, LCDs have been widely used in various electronic devices such as desk top computers, personal digital assistants, note books, digital cameras, cell phones, and etc. FIG. 1 shows a typical active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) panel 10 with a plurality of pixel devices 12 arrayed in matrix. Each pixel device 12 is connected with a thin film transistor (TFT) 14 operating as a switch for charging or discharging the pixel device 12. The source electrode of the TFT 14 is electrically connected with a source driver (not shown) through a signal line 16. The gate electrode of the TFT 14 is electrically connected to a scan driver (not shown) through a gate line 18. The displaying signal is transformed into source driving voltage (Vs) and gate driving voltage (Vg) applied to the source electrode and gate electrode respectively to generate images. Due to the temperature limit for the glass substrate, in the traditional manner, the TFTs 14 formed on the LCD panel 10 must be amorphous silicon TFTs. However, the switching speed, the electric characters, and the reliability of the amorphous silicon TFTs are not qualified as being applied in the drivers for controlling the display of the pixel devices 12. Instead, polysilicon TFTs are suggested to be applied in the drivers to achieve a high operation speed. Therefore, the drivers must be formed on the silicon chips and connected to the LCD panel 10 through some pipelines. There are two reasons why polysilicon TFTs fabricated on the glass substrate are demanded in present. First, the pixel devices need a higher switching speed for a larger LCD panel. Second, the drivers must be formed on the glass substrate for a slimmer display panel. Therefore, the demand of forming high quality polysilicon layers on the glass substrate has become urgent. FIG. 2 shows a traditional low temperature polysilicon (LTPS) fabrication process. First, an amorphous silicon layer 120 is formed atop a substrate 100, and then laser illumination is utilized to form a melted layer 122 near the top surface of the amorphous silicon layer 120. The amorphous silicon material right under the melted layer 122 is utilized as seeds for growing upward to create grains 126. Due to the limitation of the thickness of the melted layer 122, the grain size is usually less than 1 micron. Thus, the promotion of the electric ability of the resultant TFTs is limited. In order to access larger grain size, as shown in FIG. 3, the lateral solidification process is developed by using laser illumination to melt a predetermined region A within the amorphous layer 120 through a mask 200. Since a lateral temperature gradient is generated in the region A, the amorphous silicon material close to the edge of the melting region A is utilized as seeds for growing toward the center of the melting region A to generate grains 128 with larger size. As shown in FIG. 4, which shows a typical mask 300 utilized in the sequential lateral solidification (SLS) process. As shown, the mask 300 has a plurality of first rectangular windows 310 lined in row on the mask, and a plurality of second rectangular windows 320 lined in row on the mask. Each first rectangular window 310 is aligned to the shielded region between neighboring two second rectangular windows 320. FIG. 5 depicts the SLS process using the mask 300 of FIG. 4. In the first illumination step, laser illumination melts the amorphous silicon layer through the first windows 310 and the second windows 320 on the mask 300. Since the density of silicon in liquid state, 2.53 g/cm3, is greater than in solid state, 2.33 g/cm3, the top surface a of the melted region of the amorphous silicon layer is located below the top surface b of the unmelted region as shown in FIG. 6A. In addition, since the silicon grains are grown along the temperature gradient, that is from the both edges of the melted region A1 toward the center thereof, as shown in FIG. 6B, a protrusion c must be formed at the center of the melted region A1 after the crystallization. In the second illumination step, as shown in FIG. 5, the mask 300 is moved rightward with a distance substantially identical to the length of the second window 320 to have the first window 310′ focusing on the unmelted region between the melted regions A1 in the first illumination step. Also referring to FIG. 6C, in the present illumination step, the portion of the amorphous silicon layer (the melted regions A1 of FIG. 6A) with respect to the second windows 320 is shielded by the mask 300, the portion of the amorphous silicon layer A2 shielded by the mask 300 in the first illumination step is melted. Since the density of silicon in liquid state is greater than in solid state, some valley-like portion d must be formed close to the edges of the melted region A2, and a protrusion c is formed at the center of the second region A2. The protrusion c atop the resultant polysilicon layer may affect the coverage of the dielectric layer in the following steps to induce abnormal increasing of leakage current and even the breakthrough of the dielectric layer. In order to reduce the height of the protrusion c, a typical method is to re-flow the polysilicon layer by laser illuminating the polysilicon layer as a whole. However, the valley-like portion d is also melted by using this method and the probability of agglomeration to break the polysilicon layer increases. Accordingly, a mask utilized in sequential lateral solidification (SLS) processes is provided in the present invention to flatten the protrusion and to prevent the breakage of the resultant polysilicon layer.

1. Field The invention relates generally to handheld electronic devices and, more particularly, to a handheld electronic device having a reduced keyboard and a compound word input disambiguation function, and also relates to an associated method. 2. Background Information Numerous types of handheld electronic devices are known. Examples of such handheld electronic devices include, for instance, personal data assistants (PDAs), handheld computers, two-way pagers, cellular telephones, and the like. Many handheld electronic devices also feature wireless communication capability, although many such handheld electronic devices are stand-alone devices that are functional without communication with other devices. Such handheld electronic devices are generally intended to be portable, and thus are of a relatively compact configuration in which keys and other input structures often perform multiple functions under certain circumstances or may otherwise have multiple aspects or features assigned thereto. With advances in technology, handheld electronic devices are built to have progressively smaller form factors yet have progressively greater numbers of applications and features resident thereon. As a practical matter, the keys of a keypad can only be reduced to a certain small size before the keys become relatively unusable. In order to enable text entry, however, a keypad must be capable of entering all twenty-six letters of the Latin alphabet, for instance, as well as appropriate punctuation and other symbols. One way of providing numerous letters in a small space has been to provide a “reduced keyboard” in which multiple letters, symbols, and/or digits, and the like, are assigned to any given key. For example, a touch-tone telephone includes a reduced keypad by providing twelve keys, of which ten have digits thereon, and of these ten keys eight have Latin letters assigned thereto. For instance, one of the keys includes the digit “2” as well as the letters “A”, “B”, and “C”. Other known reduced keyboards have included other arrangements of keys, letters, symbols, digits, and the like. Since a single actuation of such a key potentially could be intended by the user to refer to any of the letters “A”, “B”, and “C”, and potentially could also be intended to refer to the digit “2”, the input generally is an ambiguous input and is in need of some type of disambiguation in order to be useful for text entry purposes. In order to enable a user to make use of the multiple letters, digits, and the like on any given key, numerous keystroke interpretation systems have been provided. For instance, a “multi-tap” system allows a user to substantially unambiguously specify a particular character on a key by pressing the same key a number of times equivalent to the position of the desired character on the key. For example, on the aforementioned telephone key that includes the letters “ABC”, and the user desires to specify the letter “C”, the user will press the key three times. While such multi-tap systems have been generally effective for their intended purposes, they nevertheless can require a relatively large number of key inputs compared with the number of characters that ultimately are output. Another exemplary keystroke interpretation system would include key chording, of which various types exist. For instance, a particular character can be entered by pressing two keys in succession or by pressing and holding first key while pressing a second key. Still another exemplary keystroke interpretation system would be a “press-and-hold/press-and-release” interpretation function in which a given key provides a first result if the key is pressed and immediately released, and provides a second result if the key is pressed and held for a short period of time. While they systems have likewise been generally effective for their intended purposes, such systems also have their own unique drawbacks. Another keystroke interpretation system that has been employed is a software-based text disambiguation function. In such a system, a user typically presses keys to which one or more characters have been assigned, generally pressing each key one time for each desired letter, and the disambiguation software attempt to predict the intended input. Numerous such systems have been proposed, and while many have been generally effective for their intended purposes, shortcomings still exist. It would be desirable to provide an improved handheld electronic device with a reduced keyboard that seeks to mimic a QWERTY keyboard experience or other particular keyboard experience. Such an improved handheld electronic device might also desirably be configured with enough features to enable text entry and other tasks with relative ease.

The oil and gas industries have used “drilling muds” or drilling fluids for a considerable number of years to tap subterranean deposits of natural resources. These drilling fluids are pumped under pressure, from tanks at the wellhead, through the inside of the drill pipe. At the bottom of the bore hole, the fluid exits through openings in the drill bit. The fluid then returns to the surface through the annular space between the drill string and wall of the bore hole (or wall of the casing, where it has been put in place). Upon reaching the wellhead, the fluid is usually subjected to a number of treatments to remove gases and/or solids (e.g., drill cuttings, sand, and colloidal material), prior to recirculation of some or all of the drilling fluid. Drilling fluids provide several important functions, including cooling and lubricating the drill bit, establishing a fluid counterpressure to prevent high-pressure oil, gas, and/or water formation fluids from entering the well prematurely, and hindering the collapse of the uncased wellbore. Drilling muds also remove drill cuttings from the drilling area and transport them to the surface where they can be separated. As the total reserves of oil diminish, it has become necessary to drill in areas which were previously inaccessible due to technological or economic difficulties. This has led to the widespread use of oil based drilling fluids, which offer greater thermal and chemical stability than water based fluids and therefore allow drilling at extended depths and in other demanding services, such as those involving exposure to high electrolyte concentrations and soluble gases. For example, oil based drilling fluids have been used successfully in drilling hot (e.g., greater than about 150° C. (300° F.)) formations as well as those containing hydrogen sulfide. Also, to maximize recovery from each platform in offshore drilling, oil based fluids are favored due to their effectiveness for drilling deviated (i.e., angled) wells. In particular, the high lubricity of oil based fluids is necessary because of the increased torques required in deviated drilling. The nature of oil based muds (and particularly emulsion muds) and their use to minimize high temperature gellation, contamination (e.g., by gypsum and cement), and other problems have been described, for example, by Simpson, et al. J. PET. TECH., p. 1177 (December 1961). Oil based fluids are also applicable to the drilling of clays and shales (such as those found in Western Canada) for which water-based drilling fluids are unsuitable due to heaving or sloughing caused by water imbibition into these permeable formations. In general, oil based drilling fluids are adaptable to a wide variety of formation types and wellbore conditions. Low maintenance costs as well as the ability to recycle oil-based muds contribute to their economic justification. In contrast to true oil muds, which contain only a small amount of water, invert emulsion drilling fluids commonly contain at least 5%, up to as much as 50%, by volume of water. The water is dispersed in invert emulsions as aqueous droplets throughout a continuous (i.e., external) oil or synthetic oil phase, which may contain diesel fuel or other liquid hydrocarbon mixtures (e.g., olefinic and/or paraffinic species in the C16-C18 range). The aqueous dispersed (i.e., internal) phase is normally a saline, aqueous solution (e.g., a chloride containing brine solution, such as a 30% calcium chloride brine). Invert emulsion drilling fluids typically result from the blending of a hydrocarbon oil with water or brine under high shear conditions and in the presence of a suitable emulsifier. Emulsification is complete when there is no distinct layer of water in the fluid. The emulsifier is required not only to form a stable dispersion of water droplets in the oil phase, but also to maintain any solids such as weighting material additives (e.g., barites) or drill cuttings in an oil-wet state. Besides these weighting materials, solid additives that are often incorporated into invert emulsion systems include organoclays and other materials that increase fluid viscosity, reduce fluid loss to the surrounding formation, and/or help suspend drill cuttings. Other additives include those which improve filtration control, hinder wellbore collapse, increase oil-wetting of solids, provide temperature stability, develop gel strength, and/or control rheology. With respect to emulsifiers and other additives used in invert emulsion drilling fluids, various liquid and solid formulations are described in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,946,746 describes water-in-oil type emulsions comprising a polyamide emulsifying agent which may be prepared by reacting a polyethylene polyamine with a monobasic fatty acid in sufficient quantity to react with all of the amino groups of the polyethylene polyamine, thereby converting them to fatty acid amide groups. U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,162 describes an emulsifier composition comprising a fatty acid amide, oleic acid, dimerized oleic acid, and a surfactant dispersant that may be a mixture of a second type of fatty acid amide and a waste lignin liquor derived from pulping wood. U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,737 describes a drilling fluid composition that uses a nonpolluting oil (e.g., vegetable or mineral oil) and a concentrate that is added in an amount of about 3% by weight. The concentrate consists essentially of a diethanolamide, a tall oil fatty acid, and an imidazoline/amide mixture. Water may be added to the composition to provide an invert emulsion system. U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,628 describes an invert oil emulsion drilling fluid containing a non-toxic biodegradable oil, an aqueous phase, and an emulsifier. The drilling fluid has defined characteristics which provide low viscosity at the high shear rates imparted to the fluid during drilling. WO 89/11516 describes an oil based well working fluid comprising a hydrocarbon drilling oil in combination with a sodium, calcium, or magnesium brine. The emulsifier used comprises the reaction product of an amide-amine or a hydroxyalkyl amide with a dicarboxylic acid or an acid anhydride. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,956,104; 5,045,593; and related patents describe the use of organophilic derivatives of water soluble polymers, prepared by reacting the polymer with a phosphatide such as lecithin, as fluid loss additives for oil based well working fluids. U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,883 describes a non-toxic drilling fluid which can be an emulsion of a base oil, an aqueous phase, and an emulsifying agent. The base oil consists essentially of branched-chain paraffins, which may contain ester functionalities, and has a number of defined properties. The drilling fluid avoids the use of aromatics, which are said to have potential environmental consequences. U.S. Pat. No. 6,461,999 describes the use of lubricating additives for drilling fluids which avoid the need for certain undesirable emulsifiers, surfactants, solvents, or dispersants. The additives are prepared by steam jet cooking a mixture of starch, water, and a lubricant such as a polyalkylene. U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,770 and related U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004/0171498; 2005/0137093; and 2005/0037929 describe emulsion stability and filtration control additives for invert emulsion drilling fluids. The additives are prepared by blending a carboxylic acid terminated polyamide with the Diels-Alder reaction product of dienophiles (e.g., carboxylic acids, polycarboxylic acids, or acid anhydrides) and a mixture of fatty acids and resin acids. There is an ongoing need in the art for emulsifier compositions having desirable emulsifying properties for invert emulsions used for oil well drilling. With space at some well sites limited, such as on offshore platforms, and with increasing costs of transport of materials to a well site, there is industry wide interest particularly in drilling fluid compositions which can be formulated and maintained (i.e., stored) with minimal or fewer quantities of solvent and other additives, compared to prior art compositions.

Timer subsystems for use with microcomputers are well known in the art, both as integrated and as stand-along units. In every case, prior art timer subsystems reflect a manufacturer's attempt to manage the trade-offs between increased size of an integrated circuit and the maximum possible functionality. An illustrative example is the MC68HC11A8 microcomputer available from Motorola, Inc. of Austin, Tex. This sophisticated 8-bit microcomputer has an integrated programmable timer subsystem which can perform up to three independent input (capture) function and five independent output (match) functions, all of which are referenced to a single timer reference signal derived from a free-running counter. However, if a customer needs four captures and only one match, or a match and capture referenced to different references, this device will not be adequate. Another example is the 8096 microcomputer available from Intel Corp. of Santa Clara, Calif. This is a very sophisticated 16-bit microcomputer which includes a timer subsystem. The timer has two separate counters to which events may be referenced, one of which is clocked internally and one of which may be externally clocked. Four input lines are available and may be used to perform as many as eight capture functions, but all capture functions must be related to the first of the two counters. Similarly, six output lines are available and each may perform an independent match function referenced to either of the counters. However, two of the six output pins are shared with the input functions, making them available only for one or the other function, but not for both. Another common feature of prior art integrated circuit timers is their dependence on a host CPU for initialization, configuration and response to timer-related interrupts. For example, in the MC68HC11A8 mentioned above, the CPU of the microcomputer is solely responsible for servicing the needs of the timer subsystem. For instance, if a capture event occurs from upon the results of which a subsequent match function is to be based, the host CPU must read the captured timer value, perform any necessary calculations, and set up the match event. At some point, the demands of the timer subsystem overwhelm the capacity of the CPU and exclude the performance of any other functions.

Collaboration applications allow participants who are at different locations to establish and participate in a collaborative conference. Participants often present and exchange information during the conference. Typically, a presenting participant in the conference uses a video or slide projector or software to present information on a screen for viewing by the other participants at the same location as the presenting participant. But, the participants who are at the other locations are typically provided paper copies of the presentation. The advent of computer networking has made it possible for the participants at the various locations to communicate with each other during the conference. For example, the participants of the conference at the different locations can establish network connections using their computing devices, such as laptop computers or handheld devices, and use their computing devices to share information during the conference using their computing devices. Even though the participants are able to connect to each other, the process of sharing information is not very easy. Typically, a participant wanting to share an item of information uses a file transfer application to transmit the information to another participant. If the sharing participant wants to share the information with more than one participant, the sharing participant typically attaches the information to an email message addressed to the participants who are to receive the information and sends the email message to the addressed participants. While the information can be sent to the participants prior to the conference, often times, there will arise a need to send information during the conference, in which case the addressed participants will receive the transmitted information or email message and the attached information sometime during the conference, and will need to retrieve the shared information also during the conference. Consequently, sharing information during a conference is a source of distraction to the participants. Furthermore, sharing information amongst the conference participants during a conference is difficult and cumbersome.

1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to computer security and more specifically to wireless low energy double authentication (such as Bluetooth low energy) between a mobile device and a server node. 2. Introduction Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances, designed for low-power consumption. Applications of the Bluetooth technology include wireless communication between a mobile phone and a hands-free headset or a compatible car stereo system, wireless networking between PCs and wireless communication between PCs and I/O devices such as a mouse, keyboard and printer. Bluetooth low energy is a subset of classic Bluetooth and runs low energy applications off a coin (button) cell, allowing for the lowest possible cost. Bluetooth low energy uses AES encryption to protect data packets in transit after device authentication. Traditional device authentication is performed by scanning for a Bluetooth low energy device and reading a Bluetooth low energy device unique identifier. When the unique identifier is not considered trusted, a valid password is required to establish a connection. When the unique identifier is considered trusted, a connection is established between devices. Because Bluetooth low energy is a form of wireless communication, security throughout the authentication process is a major concern.

In current wireless networks, a terminal needs to perform network discovery and physical connection establishment in a number of operation modes/states, such as, in initial network access state for getting initial network access, in power-saving mode (e.g., idle mode) for continuously monitoring the tracking area for location update, or in connection mode (e.g., active mode) for handover. The search includes carrier/channel search, time synchronization, frame boundary search, etc. Current network discovery/search generally is based on a blind physical layer (PHY) search and measurement by the user equipment (UE). The complexity of this operation depends on the size of search space. The blind search and measurement approach is both time and battery power consuming for the UE or mobile terminal. In evolving wireless networks such as fifth generation (5G) dense heterogeneous network (HetNet) deployment, UE discovery of a small cell may be difficult using strictly PHY measurement by the UE, for example due to a strong macro signal. Similarly, in a 5G multi-interface/multi-carrier band co-existing network, network discovery/search is difficult using only PHY measurements due the much larger search space. This approach can be problematic for mobile terminal handover (HO) in active state and for tracking area (TA) tracking in power saving mode in 5G implementation, for example. The problems above become more severe in dense wireless network implementation. There is a need for an improved wireless network discovery/search and physical connection establishment method that overcomes such issues.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an inkjet print head and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to an inkjet print head and a method of manufacturing the same that can prevent the ingress of foreign bodies, generated when nozzles are opened and inkjet print heads are cut into chip units, into the nozzles when side shooting type inkjet print heads are manufactured. 2. Description of the Related Art In general, an inkjet print head is a structure that converts an electrical signal into a physical force so that ink is ejected in droplets through small nozzles. Inkjet print heads are divided into side shooting type inkjet print heads and roof shooting type inkjet print heads according to the direction in which pressure is exerted upon ink and the direction in which ink droplets are ejected. As for a side shooting type inkjet print head, the direction in which pressure is exerted upon ink is perpendicular to the direction in which ink droplets are ejected. As for a roof shooting type inkjet print head, a direction in which pressure is exerted on ink is the same as a direction in which ink droplets are ejected. As for the above-described side shooting type inkjet print head, various types of inkjet print heads can be manufactured in large quantities by increasing the integration of heads on a silicon wafer. However, since nozzles are formed by using a dicing process such as blade dicing, laser dicing or laser cutting, the ingress of foreign bodies, such as silicon particles produced during dicing, into the nozzles may occur. Besides, blades may cause physical damage to the nozzles. As such, if nozzles are blocked due to the ingress of foreign bodies or the shape of the nozzles undergoes physical damage, a directional failure or wetting may be caused when an inkjet print head ejects ink, thereby deteriorating the performance of inkjet print heads.

Anaerobic adhesives are well known and widely available. Although typically described as being composed of acrylic ester monomers and peroxy polymerization initiators, anaerobic adhesive and sealants are actually extremely complex curable systems: systems reliant upon a delicate balance of number of critical constituents, namely the peroxy initiator; certain cure accelerators, with or without co-accelerators; and stabilizers, as well as access to transition metal ions at the time of use. As known to those skilled in the art, this delicate balance affects not only storage stability but also cure speed. The former relates to how long the composition may be stored in a bottle or other vessel before viscosity build-up resulting from unintended or “background” polymerization increases to a point where it is no longer useful. The latter refers to the time needed to effectuate a bond or bring about the cure or solidification of the composition once oxygen is removed or no longer accessible to the liquid curable composition. Though critical for ensuring a commercially viable cure speed, accelerators and co-accelerators have little, if any, effect on the initiation of polymerization. Instead, initiation of polymerization is contingent upon the generation or build-up of a sufficient level of free radicals in the curable composition—said free radicals generally resulting from the decomposition of the peroxy initiator, a process that is vastly increased by the presence of transition metal ions—and the subsequent activation of the polymerizable monomer, i.e., the reaction of the peroxy free radical with the monomer to form the radical species of the monomer. Once initiated, free radical polymerization proceeds quickly and is further accelerated by the presence of various accelerator and co-accelerator species. Storage stability, on the other hand, is contingent upon the avoidance or minimization of free radical generation combined with the presence of sufficient levels of oxygen, through absorption, aeration and/or diffusion, to inhibit polymerization of the activated monomer. Most peroxy species are inherently unstable and will slowly decompose over time; however, this decomposition is markedly increased by the presence of transition metal ions. Though not intentionally added, trace levels of transition metal ions are essentially inherent, if not natural, contaminants of anaerobic compositions owing to the fact that such compositions and their constituents are produced in, flowed through, and/or stored in metal vessels, the surfaces of which are subject to oxidation resulting in the generation of metal salts and/or ions which are then picked up by and/or dissolved in the anaerobic composition or its constituents. Despite the presence of such free radicals and free radical monomers, so long as sufficient levels of oxygen are present and accessible, polymerization is inhibited due to the preference of the latter for oxygen with which it forms a stable liquid, similar to the original monomer. The undesirable consequence of this is that the peroxy initiator, which is critical to effective polymerization, is depleted over time: thus, necessitating higher loadings to account for anticipated storage life. Such higher loadings, however, increase the amount of free radical generation; thus, straining oxygen inhibition, especially if oxygen diffusion through the liquid composition is slow. Consequently, the further addition of stabilizers has been employed to scavenge such free radicals before cure initiation can arise. While such efforts control and limit the extent of free radical generation and build-up, it is best to avoid their unintended generation to begin with. To that end, efforts have been employed to remove or bind the transition metals through the use of chelators and the like. Thus, historically, it has been vital to the commercial success of anaerobic adhesives to prevent and/or remove transition metals from these systems in the storage phase. Another factor that has greatly limited and impeded the commercial use and broad application of anaerobic adhesives and sealants is their sensitivity to the substrates upon which they are to be employed. Specifically, as noted above, transition metals are critical to effective cure speeds: thus, transition metal substrates, or those containing transition metals, such as those manufactured from steel, brass, bronze, copper and iron, have long enjoyed success with anaerobic adhesives and sealants. That is why anaerobic adhesive and sealants have found such success in threadlocking and retaining applications, especially in machine and equipment assembly, pipe fittings and the like. However, even with such active substrates, a wide variability in performance, especially cure speed, arises due to the differing levels of such transition metal species and/or their evolution prior to or during bonding. Furthermore, certain surface treatments and conditions, such as rust inhibitors or oily surfaces, greatly affect the activation of the peroxy initiator by inherent transition metal species. Thus, even on transition metal substrates, there is still a need to provide more uniformity and predictability in anaerobic adhesives and sealants. While the aforementioned materials and substrates have benefited from anaerobic adhesives and sealants, they represent only a small percentage of the myriad of materials and substrates for which anaerobic adhesives and sealants could prove useful if sufficient cure and cure speed could be affected. Unfortunately, passive materials, such as aluminum, nickel, zinc, tin, oxide films, anodic coatings, stainless steel, ceramics, plastics, and the like, are free or essentially free of transition metal ions and, thus, are incapable of generating sufficient free radicals to effectuate cure of anaerobic adhesives and sealants, at least at a commercially viable rate. Whatever cure is found is too slow for most any application, industrially or to the consumer. Thus, efforts were subsequently directed toward the use of primers and other surface pretreatments to treat one or both surfaces with an activator that, upon interaction with the peroxy initiator, readily brought about the generation of free radicals. For example, Malofsky (U.S. Pat. No. 3,855,040) describes various ferrocene moiety containing activators for anaerobic polymerization and, in use, employs them together with a strong acid in a two-part system. Toback et. al. (U.S. Pat. No. 3,591,438) describe reducing activators selected from sulfur-containing free radical accelerators, such as thioureas, and compounds containing an oxidizable transition metal, which are used in combination with the condensation product of an aldehyde and a primary or secondary amine as pretreatments and primers for anaerobic adhesives. Other two-part systems include those described in, e.g., Bich et. al.—U.S. Pat. No. 4,442,138; Lees—U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,624; Toback—U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,930; and Hauser et. al.—U.S. Pat. No. 3,970,505. Such use of primers and pretreatments have proven successful, but have added another layer of costs and expense to the use of these systems, not only in materials costs but also in time, equipment, processing and applications costs. Since many primers and pretreatments employ solvent carriers, the selection and use of such solvents adds yet additional concerns, environmentally as well as with respect to its impact on the substrate itself. Furthermore, not all applications, from a processing or from a substrate standpoint, are all that amenable to the use and/or application of primers and/or pretreatments. For example, it may be impossible or difficult to limit the pretreatment to the intended bond interface. Furthermore, certain carriers or solvents may adversely affect the substrate and, hence, the ultimate bond strength or appearance thereof. Similarly, the failure to ensure complete coverage of the intended bond interface with the pretreatment may result in areas where no cure takes place and/or in the production of weak bonds which may fail altogether under use conditions. Thus, despite decades of development and the lure of millions of dollars of new potential applications, there is still a need for a single package, storage stable, surface insensitive, anaerobic adhesive and sealant composition. In particular, there is a need and desire for such anaerobic curable adhesives and sealants that may be used on most any substrate without the need for primers or pretreatments. Similarly, there is a need and desire for such anaerobic adhesives and sealants that are capable of cure within a commercially reasonable period of time, preferably within twenty-four hours, and, more preferably, whose cure speed is substantially unchanged, irrespective of the substrate upon which they are used. Additionally, with the growing concern from an environmental and toxicological standpoint of many amines, especially aromatic and tertiary amines, and imides, there is a growing need and desire for anaerobic adhesives and sealants that do not require the use of amine and/or imide accelerators and co-accelerators, especially aromatic or tertiary amines or sulfimides, such as saccharine, for effecting a commercially viable cure speed.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a clothes dryer, and in particular to a method and an apparatus for detecting a residual drying time of a clothes dryer. 2. Description of the Related Art In general, a clothes dryer rotates clothes in a drum by rotating the drum and generates heat by using a heater, and low temperature-little moisture air is converted into high temperature-little moisture air while passing the heater according to rotation of a drying fan. The clothes dryer heats the clothes by making the high temperature-little moisture air flow into the drum. Herein, the high temperature-little moisture air is converted into high temperature-much moisture air by steam generated while the clothes are heated. The high temperature-much moisture air is converted into low temperature-little moisture air by being condensed by an internal condenser, and it is converted into high temperature-little moisture air while passing the heater according to the rotation of the drying fan. In more detail, the clothes dryer dries clothes in the drum by performing the clothes heating process repeatedly. In addition, when clothes drying is finished, the clothes dryer stops the operation of the heater and cools the dried clothes by operating only a motor in order to make a user take out the clothes easily. Herein, a time required for heating clothes in the drum of the clothes dryer and cooling the clothes thereafter is called a clothes drying time. In addition, in the conventional clothes dryer, in order to display a residual drying time, a drying time and a cooling time are preset, the set drying time is reduced in drying with the passage of time, and the set cooling time is reduced in cooling with the passage of time. In the meantime, detailed description about the clothes dryer was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,449,876. However, in the conventional clothes dryer, because a preset residual drying time is displayed regardless of a quantity of moisture contained in clothes in the drum of the clothes dryer, there may be error between an actual residual drying time and a displayed residual drying time, and accordingly reliability of the clothes dryer may be lowered due to that error.

Various types of aerobic exercise devices exist for developing different muscles. One form of device includes the use of adjustable steps to provide the user with the ability to alter the height of the exercise platform in accordance with the user's particular needs. Other types of aerobic exercises are also known including, for example, treadmills, steppers and stairmasters. It would be desirable to provide a device which is inexpensive and easy to use, yet which permits the development of, for example, the chest, arms, back, shoulders, legs, abdominal and aerobic training in a simple and easy manner so as to enhance cardiovascular and strength gains. It would also be desirable to provide such a device which could be conveniently stored during periods of non-use by sliding the device under a bed or sofa. It would further be desirable if such a device could be provided which permits different types of exercises taking place while the user is off the device but the user pulls cords on the device to enhance the exercises. It would further be desirable if such devices could also be used by persons having physical impairments such as being confined to wheelchairs.

The invention relates to producing smoothed clock and data signals from gapped clock and data signals. In many modern communication systems, timing information, in the form of clock signals, plays a critical role in system performance. In these applications, the clock signals are used to drive circuitry such as mixers and sampling circuits for which consistency in the sampling instant is an important performance parameter. Minimizing timing errors requires minimizing the noise introduced during the distribution and buffering of clock signals in the system. Some communication devices, such as cable modems, derive clock signals from timestamps embedded in data streams. In addition to timestamps, these data streams usually include error correction and synchronization information to ensure integrity and synchronization. In processing the data stream, the cable modem removes the error correction and synchronization bits, leaving a reference clock that is gapped or jittered where the error correction and other information were located. In general, these communication systems must smooth the reference clock for accurate data recovery. Many systems use phase-locked loops (PLLs), or other similar circuits, to smooth the reference clock and the incoming data signal. A PLL uses a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) to produce an output frequency that is proportional to the voltage at the PLL output. As a result, PLLs require signal feedback and filtering. A PLL also requires careful attention to all sources of noise in the system and overall interaction of system components to minimize timing errors. Therefore, attaining high performance levels with PLLs may contribute considerable expense and complexity to the systems in which PLLs are used. Direct digital synthesizers (DDSs) also are used to produce clock signals by accumulating phase changes at one clock frequency to generate highly accurate waveforms at a lower frequency. The DDS allows high resolution frequency and phase control, producing frequency steps on the order of mHz and phase increments on the order of nHz. To produce a particular frequency, an associated phase increment value is loaded into an input frequency register. The generated frequency and the DDS reference frequency are related to the phase increment value by the following equation: Fgen=N/2kxc2x7Fref k=number of bits in phase accumulator N=phase increment value A desired frequency is generated by programming the phase change within the bit resolution of the phase accumulator. However, a conventional k-bit DDS has a resolution limited by the number of bits, k. Furthermore, sampling theory limits the generated frequency to no more than one-half the frequency of the incoming reference clock (the Nyquist rate). The inventors have developed a clock and data smoothing technique that allows generation of a clock of virtually any frequency up to the frequency of a reference clock. This technique is capable of generating exact frequencies and thus does not require approximations that normally involve the monitoring of feedback. Elimination of feedback obviates the need for a PLL circuit in many cases. This, in turn, allows the use of lower cost materials and fewer gate elements than are required for standard DDS clocks. This clock and data smoothing technique provides fully deterministic and pre-calculated phase errors of a given ratio N/M. In addition, this technique produces a smooth clock up to the reference frequency, with a timing jitter less than the period of the reference clock. This technique also eliminates the need to maintain jitter statistics, acquisition times, and bandwidth for statistical performance analysis. In one aspect, the invention involves the generation of a smoothed clock signal from a gapped clock signal having unevenly spaced pulses separated by gaps that result from the removal of data bits and from a reference clock signal having evenly spaced pulses that create a predetermined reference frequency. The smoothed clock signal includes one pulse for each of the pulses in the gapped clock signal and has a frequency that is greater than one-half of the predetermined reference frequency. Each pulse in the smoothed clock signal is synchronized with a pulse in the reference clock signal. In some embodiments, the smoothed clock signal has a frequency equal to (Mxe2x88x92N)/M of the predetermined reference frequency, where M represents the total number of pulses of the reference clock signal during a period of predetermined length, and where N equals the total number of these pulses that coincide with the gaps in the gapped clock signal. In other embodiments, an accumulator counts the pulses of the reference clock signal, and a modulo element resets the accumulator to a particular reset value when a predetermined number of pulses is reached. An output element produces one pulse of the smoothed clock signal for each pulse of the reference clock signal on which the modulo element does not reset the accumulator. In another aspect of the invention, the smoothed clock signal is generated from the gapped clock signal and the reference clock signal by using an accumulator to count the pulses of the reference clock signal and by resetting the accumulator to a particular reset value when a predetermined number of pulses M is reached. One pulse of the smoothed clock signal is produced for each pulse of the reference clock signal on which the accumulator is not reset. In some embodiments, the particular reset value equals a number of counted pulses minus the predetermined number. In other embodiments, resetting the accumulator involves comparing a number of counted pulses to the predetermined number N and asserting a modulo signal when the number of counted pulses reaches the predetermined number M. An output element produces a pulse of the smoothed clock signal at each pulse of the reference clock signal when enabled. The output element is disabled when the modulo signal is asserted. In other embodiments, the accumulator increments by a predetermined number N at each pulse of the reference clock signal, such that N/M equals a proportion of the gapped clock signal that is consumed by the gaps. In another aspect, the invention features a system for use in removing jitter from a signal having gaps that result from the removal of error correction and synchronization information. The system includes a reference signal having a plurality of periodic pulses and a counting mechanism configured to count the periodic pulses in the reference signal by incrementing a count value by a first predetermined number. A reset mechanism resets the count value to a particular reset value when the count reaches a second predetermined number such that the ratio of the second predetermined number to the first predetermined number represents the ratio of the total amount of information in the input signal before removal of the error correction and synchronization information to the amount of error correction and synchronization information removed from the input signal. A pulse generating mechanism generates an output signal pulse on each pulse of the reference signal for which the count value has not reached the second predetermined number and leaves a gap in the output signal on pulses for which the reset mechanism resets the count value, where each pulse of the output signal is synchronized with one of the pulses of the reference signal.

The present invention relates to polymeric blends comprising crosslinking oligomer(s) and polymer(s) wherein the backbones of the oligomer(s) and polymer(s) are from different chemical families. Recently, chemists have sought to synthesize oligomers for high performance advanced composites suitable for aerospace applications. These composites should exhibit solvent resistance; be tough, impact resistant, and strong; be easy to process; and be thermoplastic. Oligomers and composites that have thermo-oxidative stability and, accordingly, can be used at elevated temperatures are particularly desirable. While epoxy-based composites are suitable for many applications, their brittle nature and susceptibility to thermal and hydrolytic degradation make them inadequate for many aerospace applications, especially those applications which require thermally stable, tough composites or service in harsh conditions. Accordingly, research has recently focused on polyimide composites to achieve an acceptable balance between thermal or hydrolytic stability, solvent resistance, and toughness. Still the maximum temperatures for use of the polyimide composites, such as PMR-15, are about 600-625xc2x0 F., since they have glass transition temperatures of about 690xc2x0 F. PMR-15 also suffers from brittleness. There has been a progression of polyimide sulfone compounds synthesized to provide unique properties or combinations of properties. For example, Kwiatkowski and Brode synthesized maleic-capped linear polyarylimides as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,287. Holub and Evans synthesized maleic- or nadic-capped, imido-substituted polyester compositions as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,729,446. We synthesized thermally stable polysulfone oligomers as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,476,184 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,559, and have continued to make advances with polyetherimidesulfones, polybenzoxazolesulfones, polybutadienesulfones, and xe2x80x9cstarxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstar-burstxe2x80x9d multidimensional oligomers. We have shown surprisingly high glass transition temperatures yet reasonable processing and desirable physical properties in many of these oligomers and their composites. Polybenzoxazoles, such as those disclosed in our U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,336 (to Lubowitz and Sheppard) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,270 (to Lubowitz, Sheppard, and Stephenson), may be used at temperatures up to about 750-775xc2x0 F., since these composites have glass transition temperatures of about 840xc2x0 F. Some aerospace applications need composites which have even higher use temperatures while maintaining toughness, solvent resistance, ease of processing, formability, strength, and impact resistance. Multidimensional oligomers, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,213, are easier to process than some advanced composite oligomers since they can be handled at lower temperatures. Upon curing, however, the oligomers chemically crosslink through their end caps in addition polymerization so that the thermal resistance of the resulting composite is markedly increased with only a minor loss of stiffness, matrix stress transfer (impact resistance), toughness, elasticity, and other mechanical properties. Glass transition temperatures above 950xc2x0 F. are achievable. Commercial polyesters, when combined with well-known diluents, such as styrene, do not exhibit satisfactory thermal and oxidative resistance to be useful for aircraft or aerospace applications. Polyarylesters (i.e., arylates) are often unsatisfactory, also, since the resins often are semi-crystalline which may makes them insoluble in laminating solvents, intractable in fusion, and subject to shrinking or warping during composite fabrication. Those polyarylesters that are soluble in conventional laminating solvents remain so in composite form, thereby limiting their usefulness in structural composites. The high concentration of ester groups contributes to resin strength and tenacity, but also makes the resin susceptible to the damaging effects of water absorption. High moisture absorption by commercial polyesters can lead to distortion of the composite when it is loaded at elevated temperature. High performance, aerospace, polyester advanced composites, however, can be prepared using crosslinkable, end capped polyester imide ether sulfone oligomers that have an acceptable combination of solvent resistance, toughness, impact resistance, strength, ease of processing, formability, and thermal resistance. By including Schiff base (xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94), imidazole, thiazole, or oxazole linkages in the oligomer chain, the linear, advanced composites formed with polyester oligomers of our copending application U.S. Ser. No. 07/137,493, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,598, can have semiconductive or conductive properties when appropriately doped. Conductive and semiconductive plastics have been extensively studied (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,375,427; 4,338,222; 3,966,987; 4,344,869; and 4,344,870), but these polymers do not possess the blend of properties which are essential for aerospace applications. That is, the conductive polymers do not possess the blend of (1) toughness, (2) stiffness, (3) elasticity, (4) ease of processing, (5) impact resistance (and other matrix stress transfer capabilities), (6) retention of properties over a broad range of temperatures, and (7) high temperature resistance that is desirable on aerospace advanced composites. The prior art composites are often too brittle. Thermally stable multidimensional oligomers having semiconductive or conductive properties when doped with suitable dopants are also known and are described in our copending applications (including U.S. Ser. No. 07/212,404, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,817,738, to Lubowitz, Sheppard, and Torre). The linear arms of the oligomers contain conductive linkages, such as Schiff base (xe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94) linkages, between aromatic groups. Sulfone and ether linkages are interspersed in the arms. Each arm is terminated with a mono- or difunctional end cap (i.e. an end cap having one or two crosslinking functionalities) to allow controlled crosslinking upon heat-induced or chemically-induced curing. Other xe2x80x9csemiconductivexe2x80x9d oligomers are described in our other copending applications. Polyamide oligomers and blends are described in our U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,935,523; 4,847,333; and 4,876,328, and polyetherimide oligomers and blends are described in our U.S. Pat. No. 4,851,495. Polyamideimides are generally injection-moldable, amorphous, engineering thermoplastics which absorb water (swell) when subjected to humid environments or immersed in water. Polyamideimides are generally described in the following patents: U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,658,938; 4,628,079; 4,599,383; 4,574,144; or 3,988,344. The thermal integrity and solvent-resistance can be greatly enhanced by capping amideimide backbones with monomers that present one or two crosslinking functionalities at each end of the oligomer, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,967. Blends of these oligomers are described in many of our earlier applications and comprising a mixture of an oligomer and a compatible polymer, generally of the same family, of substantially the same backbone. The polymer is formed by an analogous condensation generally substituting a noncrosslinking end-cap monomer (such as phenol, benzoic acid chloride, or aniline) for the crosslinking end cap used in the oligomers. Interpenetrating or semi-interpenetrating networks are also known, such as those described by Egli et al. in xe2x80x9cSemi-Interpenetrating Networks of LARC-TPIxe2x80x9d available from NASA-Langley Research Center. Mixed polymer blends, such as an amideimide/phenoxyphenylsulfone blend, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,939. Blends present promise for tailoring the mechanical properties of composites while retaining ease of processing. The present invention comprises advanced composite blends that are mixed chemical blends of a linear or; multi-dimensional crosslinking oligomer(s) of one chemical family, such as a heterocycle, and corresponding linear or multidimensional polymer(s), unable to crosslink, from a different chemical family, such as ethersulfone. Generally the polymer has an average formula weight that is initially higher than that of the oligomer, but the formula weight of the oligomeric portion of the blend will increase appreciably during curing through addition (i.e. homo-) polymerization between the crosslinking functionalities. The ratio of oligomer(s) to polymer(s) can be varied to achieve the desired combination of physical properties. Usually the ratio is such that the addition polymer formed during curing constitutes no more than about 50 mol % of the composite. Briefly, therefore, the present invention is directed to an advanced composite blend comprising a mixture of at least one crosslinkable oligomer and at least one compatible, noncrosslinking polymer from a different chemical family. The oligomer comprises two ends, each of which comprises two unsaturated, crosslinkable end-cap moieties. In addition, prior to curing, the oligomer has an average formula weight which is less than that of the polymer. While two component blends are preferred, the blends can be more complex mixtures of oligomers or polymers with coreactants, if desired. The blends may even include coreactive oligomers as will be explained. The linear oligomers generally have the formula: Yixe2x80x94Axe2x80x94Yi wherein i=1 or 2; A=an aromatic, aliphatic, or aromatic/aliphatic hydrocarbon backbone; Y=an unsaturated hydrocarbon residue including a segment selected from the group consisting of: R1=lower alkyl, aryl, substituted alkyl, substituted aryl (including hydroxyl or halo-substituents), lower alkoxy, aryloxy, halogen, or mixtures thereof (preferably lower alkyl); G=xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SOxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94CR2xe2x80x94 (preferably xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94); j=0, 1, or 2; T=methallyl or allyl; R=hydrogen, lower alkyl, or phenyl; and Me=methyl. The backbone (A) is preferably selected from imidesulfone; ethersulfone; amide; imide; ether; ester; estersulfone; etherimide; amideimide; oxazole, thiazole, imidazole (i.e. heterocycles); or heterocycle sulfone. In coreactive oligomer blends, Y preferably is selected from the group consisting of: wherein G=xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, and R=hydrogen, lower alkyl, or phenyl, and the blend includes a second (coreactive) oligomer of the general formula: Zixe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Zi wherein i=1 or 2; B=a hydrocarbon backbone that is the same or different from A; Z=a hydrocarbon residue including a segment selected from the group consisting of: xe2x80x83-xcfx86-NH2, or -xcfx86-XH; xcfx86=phenyl; and X=xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94 Generally, the hydrocarbons (A or B) in these coreactive oligomer blends are entirely aromatic with phenyl radicals between the linkages, although aliphatic radicals can be used. The coreactive oligomer blends, which can be cured, to form block copolymers, comprise any ratio of the coreactive oligomers. Changing the ratio changes the physical properties in the final composites. Curing the coreactive oligomers involves mutual (interlinking) polymerization and addition polymerization. Therefore, generally equimolar mixtures are used in the blends. The individual oligomers should initially have relatively low average formula weights and, accordingly, should remain relatively easy to process until the curing reaction when the extended chain and block copolymers are formed to produce the composite. A complex mixture of at least three types of addition polymer are formed upon curing. In the present invention, the oligomers or the coreactive oligomer blends are further blended with a noncrosslinking polymer having a backbone from a different chemical family. The polymer can be from any one of the families described for the oligomers, but the oligomeric and polymeric backbones must be different to form what we elect to call an advanced composite (i.e. mixed chemical) blend. The resulting blend may yield IPN,or semi-IPN morphology in the consolidated resin (composite) state. Preferably the polymer has an average formula weight initially greater than that of the oligomer, because the formula weight of the oligomer in the cured composite will increase through addition polymerization. The cured composite will have a blend of two, xe2x80x9clongxe2x80x9d molecules, and will not suffer from a broad distribution of formula weights that reduce the physical properties obtainable in some prior art blends, such as suggested by Kwiatkowski in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,939. Preferred oligomer/polymer combinations in the advanced composites blends of the present invention include: amideimide/imide; amideimide/heterocycle:; amideimide/heterocycle sulfone; imide/heterocycle; imide/heterocycle sulfone; imide/amide; ester/amide; and ester/imide. Multidimensional oligomers have an aromatic hub and three or more chains or arms radiating from the hub. The chains include backbones similar to those for the linear oligomers and are capped with the crosslinking end cap monomers previously described. Corresponding polymers are quenched with noncrosslinking radicals, as will be described. These oligomers can also be used to form advanced composite blends. Advanced composite (mixed chemical) blends of the present invention comprise a mixture of a crosslinking oligomer from one chemical family, generally selected from the group consisting of: imidesulfone; ether; ethersulfone; amide; imide; ester; estersulfone; etherimide; amideimide; oxazole; oxazole sulfone; thiazole; thiazole sulfone; imidazole; and imidazole sulfone, and a noncrosslinking polymer from a different chemical family. Coreactants may be included in the blends, or they may comprise mixtures of three or more oligomers/polymers, as will be explained. Because the oligomer""s average formula weight will appreciably increase upon curing, generally the average formula weight of the polymer in the uncured blend will be greater than that of the oligomer. For example, a linear oligomer may have an average formula weight of about 500-5000 while the corresponding polymer has an average formula weight of about 20,000-40,000. Upon curing, the oligomer and polymer will generally have average formula weights that are closer because of addition polymerization of the oligomer. Therefore, the problems sometimes encountered with blends having components of widely different average formula weight are not as pronounced in composites formed from the advanced composite blends of the present invention. Advanced composite blends allow tailoring of the properties of high performance composites. They allow averaging of the properties of resins from different families to provide composites that do not have as severe shortcomings as the pure compounds. For example, the rigid nature of heterocycles (oxazole, thiazole, or imidazole) can be reduced by an advanced composite blend comprising a heterocycle oligomer and an ethersulfone polymer. The resulting composite will have a use temperature (thermo-oxidative stability) higher than pure ethersulfone and a flexibility greater than the pure heterocycle. Accordingly, the resulting composites have a blending or averaging of physical properties, which makes them candidates for particularly harsh conditions. Particularly preferred oligomer/polymer combinations include: amideimide/imide; amideimide/imidesulfone; amideimide/heterocycle:; amideimide/heterocycle sulfone; imide/heterocycle; imidesulfone/heterocycle; imide/heterocycle sulfone; imide/amide; imidesulfone/amide; ester/amide; estersulfone/amide; ester/imide; ester/imidesulfone; estersulfone/imide; or estersulfone/imidesulfone. In each case the oligomer can be either component in the mixture. Linear oligomers have the general formula: Dixe2x80x94Axe2x80x94Di wherein i=1 or 2; A=a hydrocarbon residue, preferably from one of the families previously described and having an aromatic, aliphatic, or aromatic and aliphatic backbone; and D=an unsaturated hydrocarbon radical that is suitable for crosslinking. The oligomeric component may itself be a coreactive oligomer blend rather than a single oligomeric component. That is, the oligomer may include two precursors that polymerize to form block copolymers upon curing through mutually reactive end caps on the respective precursors. The resulting composites include a mix of addition polymers created by crosslinking chain extension and block copolymers formed through a resin interlinking reaction. The coreactive oligomer blends generally include at least one oligomer of the general formula: Dixe2x80x94Axe2x80x94Di wherein D preferably is selected from the group consisting of: G=xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94; and R=hydrogen, lower alkyl, or phenyl and another oligomer of the general formula: Zixe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Zi wherein i=1 or 2; B=a hydrocarbon backbone that is in the same or from a different chemical family as A; and Z=a hydrocarbon residue including an end cap radical selected from the group consisting of: X=xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94. The backbones (A or B) in this circumstance, as with the pure component oligomers, are generally individually selected from the group consisting of: imidesulfones; ethersulfones; amides; ethers; esters; estersulfones; imides; etherimides; amideimides; oxazoles; thiazoles; imidazoles, or heterocycle (i.e.oxazole, thiazole imidazole) sulfones; and generally include only aromatic (typically phenyl) radicals between linkages, although they may have other aromatic, aliphatic, or aromatic and aliphatic radicals. Although this description will primarily describe para isomers of these backbones, other isomers (particularly meta) can be used. The aromatic radicals in the backbones may also include nonreactive substituents in some cases, such as aryl, lower alkyl, or lower alkoxy. Oligomers of the general formula: Dixe2x80x94Axe2x80x94Di or Zixe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Zi are prepared by reacting suitable end cap monomers with the monomer reactants (polymer precursors) that are commonly used to form the desired backbones. For example, an imide or an imidesulfone is prepared by reacting an end cap monomer with a diamine with a dianhydride in accordance with the method described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,364. Ethersulfones or ethers can be prepared on reacting an end cap monomer with a suitable dialcohol (i.e. diol, bisphenol, or dihydric phenol) with a dihalogen as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,269 or other ether condensation reactions. The crosslinking end cap monomers are readily prepared by the condensation of the corresponding anhydride and a suitable amine, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,437 with respect to the allyl-substituted or methallyl-substituted methylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboximides. For the coreactive oligomers, the end cap monomers generally are selected from the group consisting of: wherein i=1 or 2; G=xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SOxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94CR2xe2x80x94; R=hydrogen, lower alkyl, or phenyl; W=xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NH2, or xe2x80x94COX; and; X=halogen. Similarly, the end cap monomers for the Zixe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Zi oligomers generally are selected from the group consisting of aminophenol, aminobenzoic acid halide, H2N-xcfx86-SH, or the like, wherein xcfx86=phenyl and W=xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NH2, or xe2x80x94COX. Upon curing, the oligomers in coreactive oligomer blends addition polymerize by crosslinking and form block copolymers through the Michaels addition reaction between the hydrocarbon unsaturation of one oligomer and the amine, hydroxyl, or sulfhydryl group of the other. The reaction of the hydrocarbon unsaturation of one oligomer with the functionality of the other follows the mechanism described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,283 to form a cyclohexane linkage by bridging across the double bond. With the acetylene (triple) unsaturation, a cyclohexene linkage would result. The Michaels addition reaction is illustrated as follows: wherein V=xe2x80x94NHxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94. For the other end caps, we believe a reverse Diels-Alder decomposition reaction (induced by heating the oligomers) results in the formation of a reactive maleic moiety and the off-gassing of a cyclopentadiene. The methylene bridge: decomposes to the maleic compound at about 625-670xc2x0 F. (330-355xc2x0 C.) while the xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 bridge decomposes at the lower temperature of about 450xc2x0 F. (230xc2x0 C.) The reactive group might also be xe2x80x94CNO instead of the amine, but we do not recommend use of this compound. Thus, the linear oligomers in the present invention have the general formula: Dixe2x80x94Axe2x80x94Di; wherein A and i are as previously defined and R1=lower alkyl, aryl, substituted alkyl or substituted aryl (including hydroxyl or halo-substituents), lower alkoxy, aryloxy, halogen, or mixtures thereof (preferably lower alkyl); G=xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SOxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94CHRxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94CR2xe2x80x94; i=1 or 2; j=0, 1, or 2; T=methallyl or allyl; Me=methyl; and R=hydrogen, lower alkyl, or phenyl. All reactions used in the preparation of the oligomers should be carried out in suitable solvents and under an inert atmosphere. To prepare imide or imidesulfones, then, of the general formula Dixe2x80x94Axe2x80x94Di or Zixe2x80x94Bxe2x80x94Zi, the respective amine end cap preferably is mixed with a diamine and a dianhydride. To prepare ethers or ethersulfones, the respective hydroxy (i.e., phenol) end cap is mixed with suitable dialcohols (i.e., diols) and dihalogens or dinitrohydrocarbons. To prepare amides, the respective amide or acid halide end cap is mixed with suitable dicarboxylic acid halides and diamines. To prepare esters or estersulfones, the respective hydroxy or acid halide end cap is mixed with suitable dialcohols and dicarboxylic acid halides. To prepare etherimides, the respective amine end caps are reacted with: wherein Y=nitro- or halo-(i.e. nitrophthalic anhydride or halophthalic anhydride) to form an imide while leaving an active nitro- or halo-functionality. This intermediate is then mixed with suitable nitro/anhydrides and compounds of the formula: H2Nxe2x80x94Rxe2x80x94XH, as suggested in our U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,847,869, 4,107,147 or 4,851,495. To prepare amideimides, the method of U.S. Ser. No. 07/092,740, now abandoned, is used, which comprises condensing simultaneously an amine or acid halide end cap with suitable dicarboxylic acid halides (i.e. dibasic acid halides) and diamines, wherein either or both of the diamines or diacid halides include intermediate imide linkages. Alternatively, the amideimides can be prepared by condensing the respective amine end cap with suitable dianhydrides and diamines, wherein either or both of the dianhydrides or diamines include amide linkages. Heterocycle or heterocycle sulfone oligomers (i.e. oxazole, thiazoles, or imidazoles) are prepared by condensing acid halide end caps with four-functional compounds, like diaminodihydroxybenzene, and dicarboxylic acid halides (or the acids). The synthesis of these oligomers and the representative classes of reactants will now be presented in greater detail to illustrate the scope of the invention and to describe the nature of the preferred reactants. Amideimides are characterized by backbones of two general types, namely: wherein R3=an aromatic, aliphatic, or alicyclic radical, and preferably a phenoxyphenyl sulfone; and R2=a trivalent organic radical, and preferably phenyl. Accordingly, linear polyamideimides include oligomers of the general formula: wherein Y=an end cap residue of either type; R2=a trivalent organic radical, and preferably phenyl; R3=an aromatic, aliphatic, or alicyclic radical, and preferably a phenoxyphenyl sulfone. R4=a divalent organic radical; m=a small integer, usually from 0-5, but generally sufficiently large to impart thermoplastic properties in the oligomer; xcfx86=phenyl; and i=1 or 2. The amideimides are generally made by condensing suitable end cap monomers, diacid halides, diamines, and dianhydrides. The dianhydrides can be prepared by condensing 2 moles of an acid halide anhydride of the formula: with a diamine of the formula: H2Nxe2x80x94R3xe2x80x94NH2. The diamine, in this case, can be selected from the group consisting of: q=xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94; Me=methyl; m=a small integer; and D=xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94 or mixtures thereof. Other diamines that may be used, but that are not preferred, include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,504,632; 4,058,505; 4,576,857; 4,251,417; and 4,215,418. The aryl or polyaryl xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d diamines previously described are preferred, since these diamines are soluble in conventional synthetic solvents and provide high thermal stability to the resulting oligomers and composites. Diamines may include xe2x80x9cSchiff basexe2x80x9d conductive linkages (particularly xe2x80x94Nxe2x95x90CHxe2x80x94), analogous to diacid halides which will be described. Particularly preferred ethersulfone (i.e. phenoxyphenyl sulfone) diamines are those in which R1 is so that the phenoxyphenyl sulfone diamines include: The molecular weights of these diamines varies from about 500 to about 2000. Using lower molecular weight diamines seems to enhance the mechanical properties of the difunctional polyamideimide oligomers, each of which has alternating ether xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d segments in the backbone. Phenoxyphenyl sulfone diamines of this general nature can be prepared by reacting two moles of aminophenol with (n+1) moles of an aryl radical having terminal, reactive halo-functional groups (dihalogens), such as 4,4xe2x80x2-dichlorodiphenylsulfone, and a suitable bisphenol (i.e., dialcohol, dihydric phenol, or diol). The bisphenol is preferably selected from the group consisting of: 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane (i.e., bisphenol-A); bis-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-methane; bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-methane; 1,1-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethane; 1,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethane; 1,1-bis-(3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethane; 1,1-bis-(3,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethane; 2,2-bis-(3-phenyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane; 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxynaphthyl)-propane 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-pentane; 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-hexane; bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-phenylmethane; bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-cyclohexylmethane; 1,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,2-bis-(phenyl)-ethane; 2,2-bis-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-phenylpropane; bis-(3-nitro-4-hydrophenyl)-methane; bis-(4-hydroxy-2,6-dimethyl-3-methoxyphenyl)-methane; 2,2-bis-(3,5-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane; 2,2-bis-(3-bromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane; or mixtures thereof, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,914. Bisphenols having aromatic character (i.e., absence of aliphatic segments), such as bisphenol-A, are preferred. The dihalogens in this circumstance preferably are selected from the group consisting of: wherein X=halogen, preferably chlorine; and q=xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CH)2Cxe2x80x94, and xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94, and preferably either xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94. The condensation reaction creates ether diamines that ordinarily include intermediate xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d linkages. The condensation generally occurs through a phenate mechanism in the presence of K2CO3 or another base in a DMSO/toluene solvent. The grain size of the K2CO3(s) should fall within the 100-250 ANSI mesh range. Additional methods for preparing phenoxyphenysulfones of this general type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,839,287 and 3,988,374. The diacid halide or dicarboxylic acid (i.e. dibasic acid) may include an aromatic chain segment selected from the group consisting of: (a) phenyl; (b) naphthyl; (c) biphenyl; (d) a polyaryl xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d divalent radical of the general formula: wherein D=xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CH3)2Cxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CF,)2Cxe2x80x94, or mixtures thereof throughout the chain; or (e) a divalent radical having conductive linkages, illustrated by Schiff base compounds selected from the group consisting of: wherein R is selected from the group consisting of: phenyl; biphenyl; naphthyl; or a divalent radical of the general formula: wherein W=xe2x80x94SOxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94; and q=0-4; or (f) a divalent radical of the general formula: wherein R1=a C2 to C12 divalent aliphatic alicyclic, or aromatic radical, and, preferably, phenyl (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,697). Thiazole, oxazole, or imidazole linkages, especially between aryl groups, may also be used as the conductive linkages to form the conductive or semiconductive oligomers. The preferred diacid halides include: Schiff base dicarboxylic acids and diacid halides can be prepared by the condensation of aldehydes and aminobenzoic acid (or other amine acids) in the general reaction scheme: or similar syntheses. Other diacid halides that can be used, but that are not preferred, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,504,632, and include: adipylchloride, malonyl chloride, succinyl chloride, glutaryl chloride, pimelic acid dichloride, suberic acid dichloride, azelaic acid dichloride, sebacic acid dichloride, dodecandioic acid dichloride, phthaloyl chloride, isophthaloyl chloride, terephthaloyl chloride, 1,4-naphthalene dicarboxylic ;acid dichloride, and 4,4xe2x80x2-diphenylether dicarboxylic acid dichloride. Polyaryl or aryl diacid halides are preferred to achieve the highest thermal stabilities in the resulting oligomers and composites insofar as aliphatic bonds are not as thermally stable as aromatic bonds. Particularly preferred compounds include intermediate electronegative (i.e., xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d) linkages (such as xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, and xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94) to improve toughness of the resulting oligomers. The corresponding amideimide of the formula: can be prepared if the acid anhydride: is used instead of the acid halide anhydride. The resulting intermediate products are dicarboxylic acids rather than dianhydrides. These dicarboxylic acids (or their diacid halides) can be used with the diamines previously described. Dianhydrides useful for the synthesis of amideimides also include: (a) pyromellitic dianhydride, (b) benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA), and (c) 5-(2,5-diketotetrahydrofuryl)-3-methyl-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylic anhydride (MCTC), and may be any aromatic or aliphatic dianhydride, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,933,862; 4,504,632; 4,577,034; 4,197,397; 4,251,417; 4,251,418; or U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,420. Mixtures of dianhydrides might be used. Lower molecular weight dianhydrides are preferred, and MCTC or other aliphatic dianhydrides are the most preferred for the lower curing polyamideimides having caps with two crosslinking functionalities. Of course, the dianhydrides also include those intermediates resulting from the condensation of the acid halide anhydride with any of the diamines previously described. Similarly, the dicarboxylic acids and diacid halides include those intermediates prepared by the condensation of the acid anhydride with any of the diamines previously described. The corresponding dicarboxylic acid is converted to the diacid halide (i.e. chloride) in the presence of SOCl2 (i.e. thionyl chloride) The amideimides of the present invention can be synthesized by several schemes, as previously described. To obtain repeating units of the general formula: an acid halide anhydride particularly can be mixed with a diamine and with an amine end cap in the ratio of n:n:2 wherein n an integer greater than or equal to 1. In this reaction, the acid halide anhydride will react with the diamine to form an intermediate dianhydride which will condense with the diamine and amine end cap. The reaction may be carried out in two distinct stages under which the dianhydride is first prepared by mixing substantially stoichiometric amounts (or excess diamine) of the acid halide anhydride and diamine followed by the addition of a mixture of more diamine and the end cap. Of course, the diamine used to form the dianhydride may differ from that used in the second stage of the reaction, or it may be a mixture of diamines from the outset. The related amideimide having repeating units of the general formula: can be synthesized by reacting the acid anhydride with the diamine to form intermediate dicarboxylic acids, which can then react with more diamine or an amine end cap to complete the oligomer. Again, the reaction can be separated into steps. The amideimide oligomers (as with all oligomers) appear to possess greater solvent resistance if the condensation of the dianhydride/dicarboxylic acid with the diamine and end cap is done simultaneously rather than sequentially. While use of an amine end cap has been described above, corresponding oligomers can be formed by using an acid halide end cap, if the diamine is provided in excess. In this case the reaction mixture generally comprises the acid halide anhydride or the acid anhydride, the end cap, and the diamine and the synthesis is completed generally in one step. All reactions should be conducted under an inert atmosphere and at elevated temperatures, if the reaction rate needs to be increased. The reaction mixture should be well stirred throughout the synthesis. Chilling the reaction mixture can slow the reaction rate and can assist in controlling the oligomeric product. As suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,383, the diamine may be in the form of its derivative OCNxe2x80x94Rxe2x80x94NCO, if desired. The amideimides described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,599,383; 3,988,374; 4,628,079; 3,658,938; and 4,574,144 can all be capped with the crosslinking monomers to convert the polymers to oligomers that are suitable for forming advanced composite blends. Polyetherimides and polysulfoneimides are capped to form oligomers that are suitable for use in the coreactive oligomer blends. Preferred compounds have the general formula: wherein X=xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94; n=1 or 2; Z1=D or Z, as previously defined; R=a trivalent C(6-13) aromatic organic radical; and Rxe2x80x2=a divalent C(6-30) aromatic organic radical. The polyetherimide oligomers can be prepared by several reaction schemes. One such method comprises the simultaneous condensation of: in the ratio of I:II:III:IV=1:1:m:m+1, wherein m is an integer greater than or equal to one, and Y1=halo- or nitro-. The product has the general formula previously described. The reaction occurs in a suitable solvent under an inert atmosphere. If necessary, the reaction mixture can be heated to facilitate the reaction. The reaction conditions are generally comparable to those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,847,869 and 4,107,147. Alternatively, the polyetherimides can be prepared by reacting a polyetherimide polymer made by the self-condensation of a phthalimide salt of the formula: with crosslinking end cap moieties of the formulae: wherein X=xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94; A1= nxe2x88x921 or 2; Z1=D or Z, as previously described; Y1=halo- or nitro-; Rxe2x80x2=a divalent C(6-30) aromatic organic radical, and M=an alkali metal ion or ammonium salt or hydrogen. The self-condensation proceeds as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,474 in a dipolar aprotic solvent. The end cap moieties can be introduced during the self-condensation to quench the polymerization, or they might be added following completion of the polymerization and recovery of the polyetherimide polymer from methanol. Improved solvent resistance in the cured composites is best achieved, however, by the quenching sequence rather than by the capping sequence which follows polymerization. Yet another preferred method for synthesizing the polyetherimides of the present invention involves the simultaneous condensation of about 2m+2 moles of nitrophthalic anhydride with about m+1 moles of diamine, about m moles of dialcohol (i.e., bisphenol, diol, or dihydric phenol), and 2 moles of A1xe2x80x94OH in a suitable solvent under an inert atmosphere. Here, the dialcohol may actually be in the form of a phenate. In this reaction, the diamines (which preferably have aromatic ethersulfone backbones) react with the anhydride to form intermediates of thereof following nature in the backbone: wherein R2=a residue of the diamine. Similarly, the dialcohol reacts with the nitro-functionality to form an ether linkage of the general formula: wherein R3=a residue of the dialcohol. The A1xe2x80x94OH end caps quench the polymerization. The resulting polyetherimides have the general formula: Another preferred synthesis comprises the simultaneous condensation of about 2m+2 moles of nitrophthalic anhydride with about m+1 moles of dialcohol, m moles of diamine, and 2 moles A1xe2x80x94NH2 in a suitable solvent under an inert atmosphere. Again, the dialcohol may be in the phenate form. The resulting oligomer has a general formula: Yet another preferred synthesis comprises the simultaneous condensation of 2m moles of nitrophthalic anhydride with about m+1 moles of dialcohol, m moles of diamine, and 2 moles of A1xe2x80x94NO2 (a nitro terminated end cap) in a suitable solvent under an inert atmosphere. Again, the dialcohol may be in the phenate form or a corresponding sulfhydryl (thio) can be used to form a thioether. The resulting oligomer has the general formula: In any of the syntheses, the dialcohol can be replaced by a comparable disulfhydryl of the formula: HSxe2x80x94R2xe2x80x94SH. Mixtures of dialcohols, or disulfhydryls, or dialcohols and disulfhydryls can be used. Although the bisphenols previously described can be used, for etherimides, the dialcohol is generally a polyaryl compound and preferably is selected from the group consisting of: HOxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94OH; HOxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94Lxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x2xe2x80x94Lxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94OH; HOxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x2xe2x80x94Lxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94Lxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x2xe2x80x94OH; xe2x80x83wherein L=xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CH3)2Cxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94; Arxe2x80x2= T and T1=lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, aryl, aryloxy, substituted alkyl, substituted aryl, halogen, or mixtures thereof; q=0-4; k=0-3; and j=0, 1, or 2. The dialcohols also include hydroquinone; bisphenol-A; p,pxe2x80x2-biphenol; 4,4xe2x80x2-dihydroxydiphenylsulfide; 4,4xe2x80x2-dihydroxy-diphenylether; 4,4xe2x80x2-dihydroxydiphenylisopropane; 4,4xe2x80x2-dihydroxydiphenylhexafluoropropane; a dialcohol having a Schiff base segment, the radical being selected from the group consisting of: wherein R is selected from the group consisting of: phenyl; biphenyl; naphthyl; or a radical of the general formula: xe2x80x83wherein W=xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94; or a dialcohol selected from the group: xe2x80x83wherein L is as previously defined; Me=methyl; m=an integer, generally less than 5, and preferably 0 or 1; and D=any of xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94. While bisphenol-A is preferred in the etherimide synthesis (because of cost and availability), the other dialcohols can be used to add rigidity to the oligomer without significantly increasing the average formula weight, and, therefore, can increase the solvent resistance. Random or a block copolymers are possible. Furthermore, the dialcohols may also be selected from the those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,584,364; 3,262,914; or U.S. Pat. NO. 4,611,048. The hydroxy-terminated etherimides of U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,048 can be reacted with A1xe2x80x94NO2 to provide crosslinking etherimides of the present invention. Dialcohols of this nature are commercially available. Some may be easily synthesized by reacting halide intermediates with bis-phenates, such as by the reaction of 4,4xe2x80x2-dichlorodiphenylsulfone with bis(disodium biphenolate). The oligomers can be synthesized in a homogeneous reaction scheme wherein all the reactants are mixed at one time (and this scheme is preferred), or in a stepwise reaction. The diamine and dialcohols can be mixed, for example, followed by addition of the nitrophthalic anhydride to initiate the polymerization and thereafter the end caps to quench it. Those skilled in the art will recognize the different methods that might be used. To the extent possible, undesirable competitive reactions should be minimized by controlling the reaction steps (i.e., addition of reactants) and the reaction conditions. Suitable diamines include those diamines described with reference to the amideimide synthesis. Anhydrides of the formula: wherein X=xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94; R=a trivalent C(6-13) aromatic organic radical; A1= n=1 or 2; and Z1=D or Z, as previously defined, are useful in the synthesis of the etherimides of the present invention, and are prepared by the condensation of the corresponding end cap phenol or thiol (xe2x80x94XH) with a nitro- or halo-anhydride that contains the R moiety. In at least one synthesis of the etherimides, a compound of the formula: is an intermediate or reactant, wherein: R=a trivalent C(6-13) aromatic organic radical A1= Y1=halo or nitro; n=1 or 2; and Z1=D, Y, or Z. This intermediate if formed by reacting Axe2x80x94NH2 with a substituted phthalic anhydride of the formula: These substituted anhydrides are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,297,474 and 3,847,869. Polysulfoneimide oligomers corresponding to the etherimides can be prepared by reacting about m+1 moles of a dianhydride with about m moles of a diamine and about 2 moles of an amine end cap (A1xe2x80x94NH2). The resulting oligomer has the general formula: wherein R and Rxe2x80x2 are divalent aromatic organic radicals having from 2-20 carbon atoms. R and Rxe2x80x2 may include halogenated aromatic C(6-20) hydrocarbon derivatives; alkylene radicals and cycloalkylene radicals having from 2-20 carbon atoms; C(2-8) alkylene terminated polydiorganosiloxanes; and radicals of the formula: wherein q=xe2x80x94CyH2yxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94; and y=1 to 5. Comparable polymers, usable in blends of the sulfoneimides, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,147, which is incorporated by reference. Other aromatic dithiodianhydrides are described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,862. Heterocycle or heterocycle sulfone oligomers can be prepared by the condensation of: (a) 2 moles of an amine, phenol, or sulfhydryl end-cap monomer; (b) n moles of a four-functional compound, and (c) (n+1) moles of a suitable dicarboxylic acid halide, or by the condensation of: (a) 2 moles of an acid halide end-cap monomer; (b) (n+1) moles of a four-functional compound; and (c) n moles of a dicarboxylic acid halide. Suitable diacid halides include those compounds described with the reference to the amideimide syntheses. The four-functional compound has the general formula: wherein R is an hydrocarbon radical (preferably, an aromatic radical, if the highest thermal stability is sought); Y=xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94NH2, or xe2x80x94SH; and the amine functionalities (xe2x80x94NH2) are not substituted on the same carbon atom as the Y substituents. The four-functional compound generally is selected from the group consisting of: dihydroxybenzidine, dimercaptobenzidine, dihydroxydiaminobenzene, dimercaptodiaminobenzene, diaminobenzidine, or a compound having the general formula: wherein M=xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94SO2, xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94; and Y=xe2x80x94OH, xe2x80x94SH, or xe2x80x94NH2. Isomers of the four-functional compound may also be used so long as the isomers include two pairs of an amine and a xe2x80x9cYxe2x80x9d functionality on adjacent carbons on an aromatic radical. The resulting oligomers include oxazole, thiazole, or imidazole linkages. Capped polyimides are prepared by reacting diamines and dianhydrides, often having one crosslinking functionality on each end and ethersulfone segments alternating with segments formed from unsaturated, aliphatic dianhydrides, like MCTC, as described in U.S. Ser. No. 07/046,376, now abandoned. These polyimides having one crosslinking site are prepared by reacting: (1) 2 moles of a monoanhydride end cap; (2) n+1 moles of the diamine; and, (3) n moles of the dianhydride; wherein n is a small integer. The monoanhydride end caps in this case have the general formula: wherein P= wherein R1, i, j, G, R, Me, and T are as previously defined. Corresponding polyimide oligomers can be prepared using 2 moles of an amine end cap with n moles of diamine and (n+1) moles of dianhydride. These polyimides can have one or two crosslinking sites at each end of the molecules. Of course, aminophenol or its thio counterpart can be used to provide a monofunctional, capped oligomer that includes an active xe2x80x94OH or xe2x80x94SH functionality. Preferred diamines for the polyimide condensation include ethersulfone diamines of the general formula: wherein R and Rxe2x80x2 are aromatic radicals, at least one of R and Rxe2x80x2 being a diaryl radical wherein the aryl rings are joined by a xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d (i.e. electronegative) linkage, and q is an integer from 0 to 27 inclusive. Preferably R is selected from the group consisting of: wherein L=xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94. Rxe2x80x2 is preferably selected from the group consisting of: wherein M=xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94(CH3)2Cxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94. Preferred diamines are those in which R is and Rxe2x80x2 is Accordingly, the diamines generally contain at least one phenoxyphenylsulfone group, such as: These diamines have alternating ether and xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d linkages, wherein xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d designates an electronegative linkage (xe2x80x94Mxe2x80x94) as previously defined. In the monofunctional, thermoplastic, crosslinkable, polyimide oligomers, the dianhydride preferably is 5-(2,5-diketotetrahydrofuryl)-3-methyl-3-cyclohexene-1,2-dicarboxylic anhydride (MCTC), an unsaturated, aliphatic dianhydride. The diamines and dianhydrides react to form repeating imide linkages along the generally linear backbone of the oligomers. Preferred properties in the oligomer are obtained when the backbone is periodically disrupted by the inclusion of an aliphatic moiety, especially an MCTC residue. Diamines which include phenoxyphenylsulfone moieties are preferred, since these diamines provide the blend of physical properties in the oligomers which are desired. Impact resistance and toughness is afforded with the electronegative xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d linkages which act as joints or swivels between the aryl groups. The aliphatic residues, such as those from MCTC, provide lower melt temperatures, and allow the use of lower temperature end caps, such as oxynadic and dimethyl oxynadic (DONA) end caps. The resulting oligomers cure at lower temperatures than other solvent-resistant oligomers, have the desirable features of polyimides, and have better solvent-resistance than conventional polyimides, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,998,786 or U.S. Pat. No. 3,897,395 (D""Alelio). These polyimide oligomers may be used to form prepregs by the conventional method of impregnating a suitable fabric with a mixture of the oligomer and a solvent. Suitable coreactants, such as p-phenylenediamine, benzidine, and 4,4xe2x80x2-methylenedianiline, may be added to the solvent when preparing prepregs. The difunctional crosslinking polyimides constitute a broader class of oligomers than the corresponding class of monofunctional polyimides. That is, the diamines and dianhydrides for this difunctional class can be drawn from a broader list, and can include, typically, any aromatic or aliphatic diamine or dianhydride. Lower molecular weight aromatic diamines and dianhydrides are preferred. To prepare the difunctional crosslinking polyimides the suitable diamines include all those previously described with respect to the amideimide condensation and those with respect to the monofunctional imide condensation. The dianhydridesihclude any or a mixture of the dianhydrides previously described. The most preferred linear polyimides are prepared with dianhydrides selected from para- and meta-dianhydrides of the general formula: wherein M=xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94 or xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, reacted with or Thermal stabilities in excess of 800xc2x0 F. are believed to be achievable with these oligomers. Solvent resistant, thermoplastic aromatic poly(imidesulfone) oligomers are also described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,398,021 and 4,489,027. Melt-fusible polyimides made by the condensation of dianhydrides and diamines are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,485,140. Polyamides are prepared by condensing dicarboxylic acid halides with diamines and acid halide or amine end caps. There polyamides are generally formed from the diacid halides and diamines that have previously been described. Polyesters or polyestersulfones are prepared by condensing the diacid halides and dialcohols (i.e., bisphenols, dihydric phenols, or diols) previously described. Polyethers or ethersulfones are prepared by condensing dinitro compounds or dihalogens and dialcohols or by other conventional syntheses wherein suitable end-cap monomers are added to quench the synthesis and to provide one or more coreactive functionalities at each end of the oligomers. The dihalogens is generally a compound selected from those described previously with respect to the synthesis of diamines. Dinitro compounds are generally prepared by reacting nitrophthalic anhydride with the diamines. Of course, dihalogens can be prepared in the same way by replacing the nitrophthalic anhydride with halophthalic anhydride. Nitroaniline, nitrobenzoic acid, or nitrophenol may also be condensed with dianhydrides, dicarboxylic acid halides, diamines, dialcohols, or dihalogeus to prepare other dinitro compounds that include amide, imide, ether, or ester linkages between the terminal phenyl radicals and the precursor backbones. The synthesis of the dinitro compounds or dihalogens can occur prior to mixing the other reactants with these compounds or the steps can be combined in suitable circumstances to directly react all the precursors into the oligomers. For example, a polyether oligomer can be prepared by simultaneously condensing a mixture of an end cap imidophenol (such as a compound described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,604), nitrophthalic anhydride, phenylene diamine, and HO-xcfx86-O-xcfx86-O-xcfx86-O-xcfx86-OH, wherein xcfx86=phenyl. While other common resin backbones may be capped in a corresponding manner and used in advanced composite blends of the present invention, the linear backbones described above are the most directly suited for aerospace applications. Although the concept of advanced composite blends is probably best suited to linear morphology, the advanced composite blends of the present invention also include multidimensional oligomers and polymers. Linear morphology is preferred because the resulting composites have mixtures of polymers of relatively large and roughly equivalent average formula weight. The individual polymers are similar in structure. We have found it difficult in many circumstances to process multidimensional oligomers that have appreciable average formula weights, so the properties of composites made from multidimensional advanced composite blends might suffer because of diversity of formula weights. Furthermore, the addition polymerization reaction for multidimensional oligomers results in formation of a complex, 3-dimensional network of crosslinked oligomers that is difficult or impossible to match with the multidimensional polymers, because these polymers simply have extended chains or short chains. That is, upon curing, the multidimensional oligomers crosslink to chemically interconnect the arms or chains through the end caps, thereby forming a network of interconnected hubs with intermediate connecting chains. The connecting chains have moderate formula weight, although the cured oligomer can have appreciable formula weight. In contrast, the polymer (which does not crosslink) simply has a hub with arms of moderate formula weight. While, for linear morphology, the disadvantages of blended composites that have a wide diversity of average formula weight polymers as constituents can be overcome by curing relatively low formula weight oligomers into relatively high average formula weight cured polymers that are roughly equivalent to the polymer constituents, the polymers in the multidimensional morphology are likely to have average formula weights lower than the oligomeric component. Therefore, we believe that the best results for the present invention may be achieved with systems having linear morphology. Although we have yet to verify our theory experimentally, it may be possible and desirable to synthesize the polymeric component of the multidimensional advanced composite blend when curing the oligomer, and, in that way, forming relatively comparable oligomeric and polymeric networks. To achieve this effect; we would mix, for example, a multidimensional oligomer with comparable polymeric precursors, such as triamines and tricarboxylic acid halides. Upon curing, the precursors would condense to form amide linkages to form bridges between hubs in a manner comparable to the oligomeric connecting chains. The potential problem of structural mismatch and the proposed solution for achieving comparable average formula weights in multidimensional advanced composite blends will probably be better understood after the oligomers and blends are described in greater detail. A multidimensional oligomer includes an aromatic hub and three or more radiating chains or arms, each chain terminating with a crosslinking end cap segment. Each chain includes the resin linkages previously described. Each chain is substantially the same. For example, a multidimensional ether can be prepared by the simultaneous condensation of phloroglucinol with a dihalogen and an imidophenol end cap monomer. In multidimensional oligomers the higher density of crosslinking functionalities in a multidimensional array provides increased thermo-oxidative stability to the cured composites. Usually the hub will have three radiating chains to form a xe2x80x9cYxe2x80x9d pattern. In some cases, four chains may be used. Including more chains leads to steric hindrance as the hub is too small to accommodate the radiating chains. A trisubstituted phenyl hub is highly preferred with the chains being symmetrically placed about the hub. Biphenyl, naphthyl, azaline (e.g., melamine), or other aromatic moieties may also be used as the hub radical. Details of the several preferred multidimensional oligomers will now be described in a manner similar to that used for the linear oligomers. Multidimensional polyamideimide oligomers include oligomers of the general formula: wherein Y, R2, R3, R4, and m are as previously defined with respect to the linear amideimides, Ar=an organic radical of valency w; xcfx86=phenyl, and w=3 or 4. Preferably, Ar is an aromatic radical (generally phenyl) generally selected from phenyl, naphthyl, biphenyl, azalinyl (such as melamine), or triazine derivatives of the general formula: wherein R5=a divalent hydrocarbon residue containing 1-12 carbon atoms, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,574,154. The hub may also be a residue of an etheranhydride of the formula: or an etheramine of the formula: xe2x80x83Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94O-xcfx86-NH2]w The best results are likely to occur when the arm length of the oligomers is as short as possible (to allow ease of processing) and the oligomer has six crosslinking sites (to allow the highest density of crosslinking). The most preferred hub includes the phenyl radical, since these compounds are relatively inexpensive, are more readily obtained, and provide oligomers with high thermal stability. The chains of the oligomers include crosslinking end caps which improve the solvent-resistance of the cured composites. These end caps may be thermally or chemically activated during the curing step to provide a strongly crosslinked, complex, multi-dimensional array of interconnected oligomers. When the goal is an advanced composite having a glass transition temperature above 900xc2x0 F. (and preferably above 950xc2x0 F.) each end cap should have high thermal stability and a high thermal activation temperature. End caps with two crosslinking functionalities (difunctional end caps) are expected to yield the highest crosslinked arrays, which may be the most stable. The oligomers may be formed by the attachment of arms to the hub followed by chain extension and chain termination. For example, trihydroxybenzene may be mixed with p-aminophenol and 4,4xe2x80x2-dibromodiphenylsulfone and reacted under an inert atmosphere at an elevated temperature to achieve an amino-terminated xe2x80x9cstarxe2x80x9d of the general formula: that can be reacted with suitable diacid halides, diamines, and end caps to yield a polyamideimide oligomer. The etheranhydride hub can be synthesized by reacting nitrophthalic anhydride or halophthalic anhydride with Ar(xe2x80x94OH)w in a suitable solvent under an inert atmosphere, as described generally in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,933,862 and 4,851,495 (thio-analogs). The oligomers of course, might be made by reacting nitrophthalic anhydride with an amine end cap followed by the condensation with the hydroxy hub or in similar reaction schemes that will be understood by those of ordinary skill. The oligomers can be synthesized in a homogeneous reaction scheme wherein all the reactants are mixed at one time, or in a stepwise reaction scheme wherein the radiating chains are affixed to the hub and the product of the first reaction is subsequently reacted with the end cap groups. Of course, the hub may be reacted with end-capped arms that include one reactive, terminal functionality for linking the arm to the hub. Homogeneous reaction is preferred, resulting undoubtedly in a mixture of oligomers because of the complexity of the reactions. The products of the processes (even without distillation or isolation of individual species) are preferred oligomer mixtures which can be used without further separation to form the desired advanced composites. Linear or multidimensional oligomers can be synthesized from a mixture of four or more reactants so that extended chains may be formed. Adding components, however, adds to the complexity of the reaction and of its control. Undesirable competitive reactions may result or complex mixtures of macromolecules having widely different properties may be formed, because the chain extenders and chain terminators are mixed, and compete with one another. Multidimensional etherimides can be made by reacting the etheranhydride hub with compounds of the formulae II, III, and IV previously described. Multidimensional amides are prepared by condensing a nitro, amine, or acid halide hub with suitable diamines, dicarboxylic acid halides, and amine or acid halide end cap monomers to form oligomers of the general formulae: Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94CONHxe2x80x94Pxe2x80x94NHCOxe2x80x94Qxe2x80x94CONH-xcfx86-Di]w; Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94NHCOxe2x80x94Qxe2x80x94CONHxe2x80x94Pxe2x80x94NHCO-xcfx86-Di]w; Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94CONH-xcfx86-Di]w; Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94NHCO-xcfx86-Di]w; Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94CONHxe2x80x94Pxe2x80x94NHCO-xcfx86-Di]w; or Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94NHCOxe2x80x94Qxe2x80x94CONH-xcfx86-Di]w, wherein Ar, w, -xcfx86-, i, and D are as previously defined, P=a residue of a diamine, and Q=a residue a dicarboxylic acid halide. If made using anhydride end cap monomers, such as one selected from: the multidimensional oligomers include those of the formulae: wherein E=a residue of the above identified anhydrides, and P and Q as previously described. Multidimensional imides can be made using the amine, etheranhydride, or etheramine hubs with suitable diamines, dianhydrides, and amine or anhydride end caps, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill. Particularly preferred multidimensional imides include those prepared by condensing anhydride end caps directly with the amine hubs. Multidimensional polyesters can be made using hydroxy or carboxylic acid hubs (particularly cyuranic acid) with suitable diols and diacid halides. Carboxylic acid hubs include those compounds described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,390 and compounds prepared by reacting polyols, such as phloroglucinol, with nitrobenzoic acid or nitrophthalic acid to form ether linkages and active, terminal carboxylic acid funtionalities. The nitrobenzoic acid products would have three active sites while the nitrophthalic acid products would have six; each having the respective formula: xcfx86-[xe2x80x94O-xcfx86-COOH]3 or xcfx86-[xe2x80x94O-xcfx86-(COOH)2]3 wherein xcfx86=phenyl. Of course other nitro/acids can be used. Hubs can also be formed by reacting the corresponding halo-hub (such a tribromobenzene) with aminophenol to form triamine compounds represented by the formula: which can then be reacted with an acid anhydride to form a polycarboxylic acid of the formula: wherein xcfx86=phenyl; the hub being characterized by an intermediate ether and imide linkage connecting aromatic groups. Thio-analogs are also contemplated, in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,862. The hub may also be a polyol such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,008 to tris(hydroxy-phenyl)alkanes of the general formula: wherein R=hydrogen or methyl and can be the same or different. The polyols are made by reacting, for example, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde or 4-hydroxyacetophenone with an excess of phenol under acid conditions (as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,709,008; 3,579,542; and 4,394,469). The polyols may also be reacted with nitrophthalic anhydride, nitroaniline, nitrophenol, or nitrobenzoic acids to form other compounds suitable as hubs as will be understood by those of ordinary skill. Phenoxyphenyl sulfone arms radiating from a hub with a terminal amine, carboxylic acid, or hydroxyl group are also precursors for making multidimensional polyester oligomers of the present invention. The best results are likely to occur when the hub is phloroglucinol or cyuranic acid. In either case a suitable end-cap monomer (phenol or acid halide) can be reacted with the hub to form xe2x80x9cshort-armed,xe2x80x9d multidimensional oligomers having three or six crosslinking sites. These compounds are the simplest multidimensional oligomers and are relatively inexpensive to synthesize. Multidimensional amides, amide imides, heterocycles, and heterocycle sulfones can be prepared using these carboxylic acid hubs, as will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. Multidimensional oligomers of the formula: can also be synthesized with an Ullmann aromatic ether synthesis followed by a Friedel-Crafts reaction, as will be further explained. Here, Q= q=xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94, xe2x80x94Sxe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94(CF3)2Cxe2x80x94, and preferably xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, or xe2x80x94COxe2x80x94; and Y1=a crosslinking end cap as previously defined (i.e. Di-xcfx86-) To form the Arxe2x80x94O-xcfx86-COxe2x80x94Y1]w oligomers, preferably a halosubstituted hub is reacted with phenol in DMAC with a base (NaOH) over a Cu Ullmann catalyst to produce an ether xe2x80x9cstarxe2x80x9d with active hydrogens para- to the ether linkages. End caps terminated with acid halide functionalities can react with these active aryl groups in a Friedel-Crafts reaction to yield the desired product. For example, 1 mole of trichlorobenzene can be reacted with about 3 moles of phenol in the Ullmann ether reaction to yield an intermediate of the general formula: xcfx86-(xe2x80x94O-xcfx86)3, which can be reacted with about 3 moles of (Y1)xe2x80x94COCl to produce the final, crosslinkable, ether/carbonyl oligomer. Similarly, to form the Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94O-xcfx86-COxe2x80x94Qxe2x80x94COxe2x80x94Y1]w oligomers, the hub is extended preferably by reacting a halo-substituted hub with phenol in the Ullmann ether synthesis to yield the ether intermediate of the Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94O-xcfx86-COxe2x80x94Y1]w compounds. This intermediate is mixed with the appropriate stoichiometric amounts of a diacid halide of the formula XOCxe2x80x94Qxe2x80x94COX and an end cap of the formula Di-xcfx86 in the Friedel-Crafts reaction to yield the desired, chain-extended ether/carbonyl star and star-burst oligomers. The end caps crosslink at different temperatures (i.e. their unsaturation is activated at different curing temperatures), so the cap should be selected to provide cured composites of the desired thermal stability. That is, the backbone of the oligomer should be stable to at least the cure temperature of the caps. The multidimensional morphology allows the oligomers to be cured at a temperature far below the use temperature of the resulting composite, so completely aromatic backbones connected by heteroatoms are preferred to enhance the thermal stability. Blends can improve impact resistance of pure oligomer composites without causing a significant loss of solvent resistance. The advanced composite (i.e. mixed chemical) blends of the present invention comprise mixtures of one or more crosslinkable oligomer and one or more polymer from a different chemical family. The polymers are incapable of crosslinking. The crosslinkable oligomer and the compatible polymer can be blended together by mixing mutually soluble solutions of each. While the blend is often equimolar in the oligomer and polymer, the ratio of the oligomer and polymer can be adjusted to achieve the desired physical properties. The properties of the composite formed from the advanced composite blend can be adjusted by altering the ratio of formula weights for the polymer and oligomer. In synthesizing the polymers, quenching compounds can be employed, if desired, to regulate the polymerization of the comparable polymer, so that, especially for linear systems, the polymer has an average formula weight initially substantially greater than the crosslinkable oligomer. For thermal stability, an aromatic quenching compound, such as aniline, phenol, or benzoic acid chloride is preferred. The noncrosslinking polymer can be made by the same synthetic method as the oligomer with the substitution of a quenching cap for the crosslinking end cap. While the best advanced composite blends are probably those of modest formula weight and those in which the oligomer and polymer are in equimolar proportions, other compositions may be prepared, as will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. Solvent resistance of the cured composite may decrease markedly if the polymer is provided in large excess to the oligomer in the blend. The advanced composite blends may, in the case of coreactive oligomers and in other cases, include multiple oligomers or multiple polymers, such as a mixture of an amideimide oligomer, an amide oligomer, and an imide polymer or a mixture of an amideimide oligomer, an amideimide polymer, and an imide polymer (i.e. blended amideimide further blended with imide). When polyimide oligomers are used, the advanced composite blend can include a coreactant, such as P-phenylenediamine, benzidine, or 4,4xe2x80x2-methylene-dianiline. Ethersulfone oligomers can include these imide coreactants or anhydride or anhydride-derivative coreactants, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,269. Other combinations of oligomers, polymers, and coreactants can be used, as will be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art. As discussed above, the oligomeric component of the advanced composite blend may itself be a blend of the oligomer and a compatible polymer from the same chemical family, further blended with the compatible polymer from the different family. The advanced composite blends, also, can simply be made from three or more oligomeric or polymeric components. They generally include only one oligomeric component unless coreactive oligomers are used. The advanced composite blends may yield semi-interpenetrating networks of the general type described by Egli et al., xe2x80x9cSemi-Interpenetrating Networks of LARC-TPIxe2x80x9d available from NASA-Langley Research Center. The coreactive oligomer blends used in the advanced composite blends of the present invention are prepared by mixing mutually soluble mixtures of the two (or more) resins, as with making oligomer-polymer blends. As suggested at the outset of the discussion of multidimensional morphology, formula weight matching in the cured composite poses a problem. We have found it difficult to process high average formula weight multi-dimensional oligomers, so we suspect that it will be difficult to prepare an advanced composite blend that includes a polymer of relatively high average formula weight. To overcome this potential problem, we theorize that it may be possible to prepare a blend that includes the oligomer and polymeric precursors. For example, a polyether oligomer of the general formula: might be mixed with polyamide polymeric precursors of the general formulae: Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94CONH-xcfx86-SO2-xcfx86-O-xcfx86-NH2]3 and Arxe2x80x94[xe2x80x94NHCOxe2x80x94Qxe2x80x94COOH]3 wherein Ar=an aromatic hub, xcfx86=phenyl, and Q=a residue of a dicarboxylic acid, so that, upon curing, the oligomer crosslinks and the polymeric precursors condense through the amine and acid to form a polyamide polymer. This approach may be best suited for the lower curing oligomers. The product may include addition polymers and block copolymers of the oligomer and one or both of the polymeric precursors. Generally the coreactive oligomer blends are selected to tailor the physical properties of the resulting block copolymer composites. For example, stiffening can be achieved for a composite made from an ethersulfone oligomer by adding a benzoxazole oligomer as a coreactant. Those skilled in the art will recognize the benefits to be gained through coreactive oligomer blends. The relatively stiff and rigid heterocycle oligomers can be toughened in this way. Dopants for creating semiconductive or conductive composites with xe2x80x9cSchiff basexe2x80x9d oligomers are preferably selected from compounds commonly used to dope other polymers, namely, (1) dispersions of alkali metals (for high activity) or (2) strong chemical oxidizers, particularly alkali perchlorates (for lower activity). Arsenic compounds and elemental halogens, while active dopants, are too dangerous for general usage, and are not recommended. The dopants react with the oligomers or polymers to form charge transfer complexes. N-type semiconductors result from doping with alkali metal dispersions. P-type semi-conductors result from doping with elemental iodine or perchlorates. Dopant should be added to the oligomer or blend prior to forming the prepreg. While research into conductive or semiconductive polymers has been active, the resulting compounds (mainly polyacetylenes, polyphenylenes, and polyvinylacetylenes) are unsatisfactory for aerospace applications because the polymers are: (a) unstable in air; (b) unstable at high temperatures; (c) brittle after doping; (d) toxic because of the dopants; or (e) intractable. These problems are overcome or significantly reduced with the conductive oligomers of the present invention. As used in describing the suitable diacid halides and diamines, xe2x80x9cSchiff basexe2x80x9d is used throughout this specification in a generic way rather than in its typical chemical way, and is used to represent conductive linkages, such as xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94, oxazoles, thiazoles, imidazoles, or mixtures thereof. The heterocycle oligomers may simply need to be doped to exhibit semiconductive properties, and xe2x80x94CHxe2x95x90Nxe2x80x94 bonds may be unnecessary. While conventional theory holds that semiconductive polymers should have (1) low ionization potentials, (2) long conjugation lengths, and (3) planar backbones, there is an inherent trade-off between conductivity and toughness or processibility, if these constraints are followed. To overcome the processing and toughness shortcomings common with Schiff base, oxazole, imidazole, or thiazole polymers, the oligomers of the present invention, include xe2x80x9csulfonexe2x80x9d (i.e., electronegative) linkages interspersed along the backbone providing a mechanical swivel for the rigid, conductive segments of the arms. Phenoxyphenylsulfone or phenoxyphenylketone moieties are preferred to provide added toughness. The advanced composite blends of the present invention can be combined with reinforcing materials and cured to composite materials using heat or chemicals to activate crosslinking or interlinking between end caps. Prepregs can be prepared by conventional prepregging techniques. While woven fabrics are the typical reinforcement, the fibers can be continuous or discontinuous (in chopped or whisker form) and may be ceramic, organic, carbon (graphite), or glass, as suited for the desired application. Curing generally is conducted in conventional vacuum bagging techniques at elevated temperatures. The curing temperature varies with the choice of end cap. If desired, mixtures of end caps might be used. The advanced composite blends of the present invention can also be used as adhesives, varnishes, films, and coatings. Although polyaryl compounds are generally described, aliphatic moieties can be included in the backbones, in some cases, although the ultimate use temperatures of these oligomers or composites may be lower than those oligomers that have entirely polyaryl backbones. While para isomerization has primarily been shown, other isomers are possible. Furthermore, the aryl groups can have substituents, if desired, such as halogen, lower alkyl up to about 4 carbon atoms, lower alkoxy up to about 4 carbon atoms, or aryl. Substituents may create steric hindrance problems in synthesizing the oligomers or in crosslinking the oligomers into the final composites.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a slurry recycling apparatus and method for a chemical-mechanical polishing technique (hereinafter referred to as a CMP technique). 2. Description of the Related Art A CMP technique is employed for polishing semiconductor wafers and for obtaining planer surfaces thereof. To polish an object (particularly, the semiconductor wafer, etc.) with the CMP technique, the object is pressed against a polishing pad, and the object and the polishing pad are rotated and moved relatively. A chemical solution, that is, slurry for polishing is supplied onto the polishing pad so as the object to be polished. A by-product, and changes in a chemical composition and a pH of the slurry which are produced and caused during the polishing process entail a drawback that the object is not satisfactorily polished. Therefore, slurry which has optimum chemical properties such as concentration, pH, etc. needs to be supplied onto the polishing pad. For the above-described reasons, new slurry is always supplied onto the polishing pad, resulting in consuming a large amount of slurry. However, slurry is expensive, therefore, various techniques have been proposed for recycling used slurry. In the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application No. H2-257627, the slurry is recycled by an apparatus having a structure shown in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, slurry used in a polisher 101 is collected into a tank 103 via a tube 102. After silica contained in the used slurry is removed therefrom by a centrifugal separator 104 connected to the tank 103, the slurry is supplied back to the tank 103. In order to recycle the used slurry, undiluted slurry having a high concentration is supplied into the tank 103 from an undiluted slurry tank 105, whereas water, etc., is supplied from a solvent tank 106 into the tank 103. An amount of undiluted slurry and water, etc., to be supplied is controlled based on a concentration of the slurry in the tank 103. The concentration of the slurry in the tank 103 is measured by a ultrasonic propagation speed measuring device 107. The slurry recycled within the tank 103 is supplied to the polisher 101 via a tube 109 by a pump 108. In the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Application KOKAI Publication No. H5-49257, the used slurry is collected into a recycled fluid storage tank. In this case, a flow rate and a concentration of the used slurry are measured. Based on this measured result, an amount of coolant (a surface-active agent, a rustproof agent, a fluid addition agent, etc.) is supplied into the recycled fluid storage tank. Hence, the used slurry is recycled in the recycled fluid storage tank, and the recycled slurry is supplied therefrom to a polisher. In the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. H10-58314, the slurry is recycled by an apparatus having the structure shown in FIG. 6. A semiconductor wafer is placed with force on a polishing pad 201 and is made to rotate by a carrier 203 which is mounted with a shaft 202. Slurry 204 is supplied onto the polishing pad 201 from a tube 205 and is applied to polish the semiconductor wafer so as to be caught by a catch ring 206. The used slurry caught by the catch ring 206 is collected in a manifold 208 via a tube 207. New slurry is supplied into the manifold 208 via a tube 209, chemical components for recycling is supplied via a tube 210 and nonionic water is supplied via a tube 211. The new slurry, chemical components and nonionic water are added to the used slurry in the manifold 208 so as the slurry to be recycled. The recycled slurry heats up or cools down at a predetermined temperature by a heat switcher 212. Afterward, the recycled slurry is measured and analyzed by sensors 213 to 215. An amount of new slurry, chemical components and nonionic water to be supplied is controlled by the measured and analyzed results of the sensors 213 to 215. Further, the recycled slurry is filtered by a filter 216 and supplied onto the polishing pad 201 via the tube 205. In the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H10-118899, the used slurry is concentrated by means of a ultrafiltration (UF) unit employing a ultrafilter. In such a case, a concentration of the concentrated slurry is measured, and if the concentration thereof is equal to or above a predetermined value, an alkali agent or an acid is added to the concentrated slurry. The used slurry which has been recycled in such a manner is once stored in a polishing agent bath and supplied to a polishing apparatus. However, the above-described techniques entail problems described below. According to the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H2-257627, there is provided a single tank (tank 103) for collecting the used slurry. Thus, while the used slurry is being recycled, more used slurry is continuously supplied into the tank 103. That is, collection of the used slurry and adjusting (recycling) the concentration of the slurry are parallelly and continuously performed. Accordingly, the used slurry and the centrifuged slurry each having various concentrations exist within the tank 103. This causes a drawback that adjusting the concentration of the slurry delays and the concentration thereof is hardly stable. In addition to the above, the slurry is supplied to the polisher 101 from the tank 103 containing the used slurry together with the recycled slurry, that is, adjusting the concentration of the slurry (recycling the slurry) and supplying the slurry are parallelly and continuously performed. Hence, the slurry which has not been satisfactorily recycled may be supplied to the polisher 101, therefore, the to-be-polished object is polished with a low degree of accuracy. In the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Utility Model Application KOKAI Publication No. H5-49257, the flow rate and the concentration of the slurry to be supplied into the recycled fluid storage tank are measured, however, the concentration of the slurry recycled in the recycled storage tank is not measured. As a result of this, the concentration of the recycled slurry is not recognized. That is, even if the concentration of the recycled slurry does not satisfy a predetermined value, the slurry concentration value is not detected. Therefore, the concentration of the slurry may become unstable. In the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H10-58314, each amount of new slurry, chemical components and nonionic water to be supplied into the manifold 208 is adjusted on the basis of the chemical properties and the concentration of the already-recycled slurry. However, the concentration of the slurry to be collected into the manifold 208 from the catch ring 206 is not constant, so that the concentration and the chemical properties of the to-be-recycled slurry are not stable. Accordingly, the to-be-polished object may not be preferably polished. In the technique disclosed in Unexamined Japanese Patent Application KOKAI Publication No. H10-118899, the used slurry is concentrated by means of the ultrafiltration unit, thus, the alkali agent contained in the slurry is removed. Thus, the alkali agent needs to be added to the concentrated slurry, and it is required to arrange an apparatus for monitoring the addition amount, etc. This entails a problem that the structure of the recycling apparatus becomes comnplicated. The recycled slurry is once collected in the polishing agent bath, and its concentration is not checked therein. The concentration of the slurry supplied to the polisher changes, without being detected. Therefore, the to-be-polished object may not preferably be polished.

A thread wound golf ball is generally produced by winding thread rubber around a center in a highly drawn condition to form a thread wound core and then providing a covering on the cover. The thread rubber requires a high strength sufficient for tightly winding it on a center and also a high impact rubber resilience at a highly drawn condition sufficient for enhancing the flight distance. In order to satisfy the above mentioned requirement for thread rubber, the thread rubber is conventionally formed from a mixture of natural rubber or a high-cis polyisoprene rubber with a low-cis polyisoprene rubber, because the natural rubber or high-cis polyisoprene rubber provides a high strength and the low-cis polyisoprene rubber a high impact resilience. Japanese Kokoku Publication 54 (1979)-4733 proposes that a disulfide compound is mixed with natural rubber, because the disulfide compound improves the impact resilience of the natural rubber while maintaining the strength of the natural rubber. The above publication considerably improves strength and impact resilience, but further improvement is desired.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a communication system. 2. Description of the Related Art A technique has been known such that, for connecting a device to an ad-hoc network that is formed of a radio network, such as a wireless local area network (LAN), authentication is automatically executed so as to obtain connection permission by using short-range radio communication with a communication area that is smaller than that of the ad-hoc network. As a technique for establishing communications among devices, a technique has been know such that a device that has already participated in a radio network provides permission via proximity communication (cf. Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2013-242925), for example).

There are a variety of known computer input devices. The most popular and commonly used computer input device is the keyboard. The recent development and increased use of graphical user interface products, however, have served to highlight the inherent limitations of the conventional computer keyboard as an input device. For example, the conventional keyboard is designed primarily for textual input and allows control of-cursor movement in only a limited number of directions and at a fixed speed. Unfortunately, data input and cursor control of such a limited nature often fails to take full advantage of the wide range of graphical functions provided in current graphical user interface products and thus frustrates the efficient and effective use of such products. The functional and operational limitations of the conventional keyboard as a computer input device led to the development of alternative, more graphically oriented and user friendly computer input devices such as the joystick, mouse and trackball. Such alternative input devices require less direct attention, for example, eye contact, thus allowing the user to concentrate on the computer screen and the task at hand. These devices are specially designed to facilitate precision cursor movements, at varying speeds, and in virtually any desired direction, thus allowing the user to easily take full advantage of the enhanced graphical functions provided in current graphical user interface products. However, common graphically oriented computer input devices typically retain an important keyboard limitation; the input devices are tied to the computer by means of a cable and thus do not allow the computer user freedom of movement while simultaneously operating the computer. Such movement is most often necessary when the computer is being utilized for a group presentation, such as in training, business presentation, entertainment and demonstration purposes. Such flexibility and convenience in controlling the operation of the computer is not possible with current tethered computer input devices.

The present invention improves wire terminal connectors of the related art by improving the clamping force of a terminal for clamping an aluminum wire and reducing a weight of a vehicle by improving connection strength between an aluminum wire and a terminal. Technical subjects of the present disclosure are not limited to the foregoing technical subjects and any other technical subjects not mentioned will be clearly understood by a skilled person in the art from the following description.

In semiconductor manufacturing, a low K dielectric is a material with a small dielectric constant relative to silicon dioxide. Low K dielectric material implementation is one of several strategies used to allow continued scaling of microelectronic devices. In integrated circuits, insulating dielectrics separate the conducting parts (i.e., wire interconnects) from one another. As components have scaled and transistors have got closer together, the insulating dielectrics have thinned to the point where charge build up and crosstalk may, in some instance, adversely affect the performance of the device. Replacing the traditional silicon dioxide dielectric layers with a low K dielectric of the same thickness reduces parasitic capacitance, thus enabling faster switching speeds and lower heat dissipation.

1. Technical Field A substitute for a conventional light bulb is disclosed which combines the emission of white light, colored light in the form of changing colored light shows through the use of RGB LED clusters and a microcontroller and active ingredient vapor emission. The disclosed device screws into a conventional light socket and the active ingredient is dispensed from replaceable cartridges. The specific active ingredient emitted may be coordinated with the specific light show performed. A plurality of light shows may be programmed into the memory of the device and memory chips containing new light shows may be provided or the active ingredient cartridges may be equipped with a chip containing one or more light shows that are designed with the active ingredient in mind. 2. Description of the Related Art Creating a pleasant ambience is a popular aspect of home decor. This is often achieved through one or more combinations of pleasant fragrances, proper lighting, lighting to enhance or create a certain mood. Lighting can also be combined with other functions such as air sanitization, air deodorization, and the controlled release of insect repellent, insect attractant and insecticide. Conventional products such as scented candles, citronella candles, mood lighting devices, fragrance dispensers, and the like, are commonly used to create a pleasant environment in the home. While those conventional products help to create a pleasant living environment and ambiance, they have their drawbacks. For example, scented candles create soft light and fragrance, which creates a pleasant mood. However candles are a potential fire hazard and often produce unwanted smoke and wax drippings. Citronella candles can emit an unpleasant odor and may be limited in their effectiveness and controlling insects. Traditional light fixtures and lamps do not provide the color effects, fragrance emission or other active emission that users often desire. Other than existing lamps, stand-alone aesthetic devices are available for providing desired lighting effects (such as color changing and the like). However, these devices take up space around the home, and could add to the clutter that many are trying to avoid. Also, because such stand-alone devices are typically placed in highly visible locations, they need to be aesthetically designed to suit the personal tastes of different categories of buyers, requiring additional design costs. Conventional fragrance dispensers, such as plug-in diffusers, can provide pleasing aromas in a relatively inexpensive, compact package. However, such conventional fragrance dispensers generally take up outlets and are often located out of sight causing a user to forget to adjust or refill the device. While these fragrance dispensers may also provide light, because the devices are used in existing electrical outlets, they are generally positioned too low to provide effective lighting features, other than to operate as a nightlight. Conventional nightlights include only white light emission in combination with fragrance emission. While a single scent may be provided in the form of a decorative diffuser, colored nightlights are not generally available and there is no coordination between the color of the light emitted in the particular fragrance emitted. Further, sophisticated multi-colored lights that change color and that are aesthetically pleasing in combination with fragrance emission are not currently available. Further, numerous needs exist for the combination of white light and/or colored light with other volatile active emission other than fragrances such as air sanitization, air deodorization, the controlled release of insect repellent, insect attractant, insecticide, aromatherapy volatiles or other non-fragrant materials (any of which may be combined with flagrant materials if necessary to make the ambient environment more tolerable). There is no currently-available combination of white light and/or colored light, insect repellent and fragrance for an outdoor patio or deck. There is also no currently-available combination of outdoor lights that emit insect attractant to keep insects away from a certain area, such the patio or deck. The combination of white light in a closet with a material that kills moths is not currently available. Therefore, multiple needs exist for devices that combine one or more of the following functions: white light emission; colored light emission; colored light shows; fragrance emission; air sanitization; air deodorization; insecticide emission; insect repellent emission; insect attractant emission; aromatherapy material emission; light emission that repels insects; light emission that attracts insects; and any combinations thereof.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an OLED panel in which an organic light emitting element formed on a substrate is enclosed between the substrate and a cover member. Also, the present invention relates to an OLED module in which an IC or the like is mounted on the OLED panel. Note that, in this specification, the OLED panel and the OLED module are generically called light emitting devices. The present invention further relates to a method of driving the light emitting device and an electronic appliance using the light emitting device. 2. Description of the Related Art A light-emitting element emits light by itself, and thus, has high visibility. The light-emitting element does not need a backlight necessary for a liquid crystal display device (LCD), which is suitable for a reduction of a light-emitting device in thickness. Also, the light-emitting element has no limitation on a viewing angle. Therefore, the light-emitting device using the light-emitting element has recently been attracting attention as a display device that substitutes for a CRT or the LCD. Incidentally, the light-emitting element means an element of which a luminance is controlled by electric current or voltage in this specification. The light emitting element includes an OLED (organic light emitting diode), an MIM type electron source element (electron emitting elements) used to a FED (field emission display) and the like. The OLED includes a layer containing an organic compound in which luminescence generated by application of an electric field (electroluminescence) is obtained (organic light emitting material) (hereinafter, referred to as organic light emitting layer), an anode layer and a cathode layer. A light emission in returning to a base state from a singlet excitation state (fluorescence) and a light emission in returning to a base state from a triplet excitation state (phosphorescence) exist as the luminescence in the organic compound. The light-emitting device of the present invention may use one or both of the above described light emissions. Note that, in this specification, all the layers provided between an anode and a cathode of the OLED are defined as the organic light emitting layers. The organic light emitting layers specifically include a light emitting layer, a hole injecting layer, an electron injecting layer, a hole transporting layer, an electron transporting layer and the like. These layers may have an inorganic compound therein. The OLED basically has a structure in which an anode, a light emitting layer, a cathode are laminated in order. Besides this structure, the OLED may take a structure in which an anode, a hole injecting layer, a light emitting layer, a cathode are laminated in order or a structure in which an anode, a hole injecting layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, a cathode are laminated in order. FIG. 23 exemplifies the constitution of an individual pixel of a conventional light emitting device. The conventional pixel shown in FIG. 23 includes TFTs (thin-film transistors) 50 and 51, a storage capacitor 52, and a light emitting element 53. A gate of the TFT 50 is connected to a scanning line 55. Either of a source and a drain of the TFT 50 is connected to a signal line 54, and the other is connected to the gate of the TFT 51. The source of the TFT 51 is connected to a power supply 56, and the drain is connected to an anode of a light emitting element 53. A cathode of the light emitting element 53 is connected to a power supply 57. The storage capacitor 52 is provided in order to preserve a predetermined voltage between the gate and the source of the TFT 51. When the TFT 50 is turned ON by a predetermined voltage of the scanning line 55, a video signal fed to the signal line 54 is delivered to the gate of the TFT 51. Upon the input of video signal, based on the voltage of the input video signal, the gate voltage (i.e., the potential difference between the gate and the source) of the TFT 51 is determined. Then, the drain current of the TFT 51 driven by the gate voltage thereof is fed to the light emitting element 53, thereby enabling the light emitting element 53 to emit light with the input current. The TFT composed of polysilicon exerts a field-effect mobility higher than that of the TFTs composed of amorphous silicon, and it has a large amount of an ON current. Because of the above reasons, the TFT composed of polysilicon is better suited for forming the transistor components of a light emitting element panel. However, even when forming the TFT by applying polysilicon, its electrical characteristics are by no means comparable to the electrical characteristics of a MOS transistor formed on a monocrystalline silicon substrate. For example, field-effect mobility of the TFT composed of polysilicon is rated to be equal to or lower than one tenth the field-effect mobility of monocrystalline silicon. Further, because of a certain defect generated in crystal grain boundaries, the characteristics of the TFT composed of polysilicon is easily subject to variation, which is a problem. Referring to FIG. 23, when electrical characteristics such as a threshold value and the ON current of the TFT 51 are variable per pixel, even though a voltage of the video signal is the same, a magnitude of the drain current in the TFT 51 varies between individual pixels, thus resulting in the uneven luminance of the light emitting element 53. When industrially and commercially providing such a light emitting device utilizing an OLED (organic light-emitting display), there was such a critical problem in terms of the short service duration of the OLED caused by degradation of organic light-emitting layers. Generally, an organic light-emitting material is vulnerable to water, oxygen, light, and heat, which expedite possible degradation of the organic light-emitting layers. More particularly, the degrading rate is dependent on the constitution of a device for driving a light emitting device, electrical characteristics of the organic light-emitting material, a material of electrodes, a condition in the manufacturing processes, and the method of driving the light-emitting device. Even though the voltage applied to the organic light-emitting layers is constant, once degradation occurs in the organic light-emitting layers, the luminance of the OLED is lowered to result in an obscure image on a display panel. Further, a temperature of the organic light-emitting layers is variable by the outside temperature and heat generated by an OLED panel itself. However, generally, actual value of current flowing through the OLED is variable by the temperature. More particularly, when the temperature of organic light-emitting layers rises while the voltage is constant, a greater amount of current flows into the OLED. Further, inasmuch as the current flowing into the OLED and the luminance of the OLED are in the proportional relationship, the greater the amount of current flowing into the OLED, the brighter the luminance of the OLED. In this way, the luminance of the OLED is variable by the temperature of organic light-emitting layers, and thus, it is quite difficult to display desired gradation. In consequence, relative to the rise of the temperature, a greater amount of current is consumed by the light-emitting device.

Several focussing detectors have been proposed in which, for example, a non-linear characteristic of cadmium sulfide (CdS) exposed to light is utilized where a plurality of minor photoconductive elements are arranged to extract a contrast of images on the surfaces of these elements from an object to be photographed. In using any one of these proposed photoelectric focussing detectors for a single lens reflex camera, the photoelectric focussing detector has usually been located at a position optically equivalent to the film defined plane with respect to the reflective mirror disposed in the path of light coming through an objective lens from an object to be photographed. With such arrangement for a photoelectric focussing detector, the detector is responsive only to the movement of the objective lens for generating a focussing signal so that the mechanical structure of the lens system suffers from several disadvantages. Namely, when the objective lens is out of focus, the image of an object to be photographed is also out of focus, and no signal indicating such out of focus is generated by the focussing detector. Additionally, a slight movement of the objective lens from this state causes no variation in the output of the focussing detector. Accordingly, it is impossible to determine the direction in which the objective lens should be moved in order to obtain proper focussing. Typically, photoconductive elements arranged for use in a focussing detector provide a response characteristic as a function of the position of the objective lens that defines non-responsive zones about either side of a responsive zone within which the point of proper focussing exists. It is possible within the responsive zone to move the objective lens to the focussing position based upon determination of the direction in which the output of the focussing detector varies as the objective lens is moved, whereas, it is impossible within the non-responsive zones to determine the direction in which the objective lens may be moved in order to bring the lens to the focussing position since no variation occurs in the output of the focussing detector. With the photographic camera of the automatic focussing type utilzing the photoelectric focussing detector as mentioned above, there occurs a probabilty of 50% at which the objective lens is moved in the direction opposite to the proper focussing position when the objective lens lies initially within any one of the non-responsive zones. An object of the present invention is to realize a photographic camera of automatic focussing type utilizing a photoelectric focussing detector in which a simplified mechanical structure is utilized and the foregoing described problems are minimized. In accordance with the present invention, the objective lens lying initially within any one of the non-responsive zones is moved at a high velocity to move the objective lens out of the non-responsive zone within a relatively short period of time even if the objective lens has been moved in the direction opposite to the focussing position. A switch associated with focussing an object at the infinite distance or a switch associated with focussing an object at the minimum distance reverses an objective lens moving focussing motor upon arrival of the objective lens at the position for photographing an object at infinity or the minimum distance so as to reverse the movement of the objective lens into the proper direction. When the objective lens being moved at such high velocity enters into the responsive zone, the speed of moving the objective lens is reduced in order to provide focussing position and to prevent the objective lens from moving beyond the focussing position due to its inertia. Thus, hunting or oscillation of the objective lens relative to the focussing position is prevented and the objective lens stops at the focussing position.

Home automation systems are becoming increasingly prevalent. Such systems may incorporate a variety of electronic devices, such as “smart” electronics that allow end-users to control and/or view status information of those devices, and non-smart electronics. Such systems may further be used to enhance home security, for instance by detecting and responding to emergency situations, such as fire, burglary, accidents, and other crisis. This disclosure is intended to enhance home automation systems and to provide related advantages.

The invention relates to a bicycle frame having a front fork, a back fork, a steering head sleeve and a pedal shaft sleeve. Such a frame is generally known. The known frame comprises tubes which are mutually secured, mainly into triangles, by means of so called lugs (insert sleeves). In order to guarantee sufficient rigidity and strength against compression, flexing and torsional forces, which act in combination, this frame has to be manufactured of relatively thick and therefore heavy material. The invention aims at obtaining a decrease of the weight and simultaneously a more rigid frame.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a nail print apparatus and a print controlling method. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a nail print apparatus in order to print a design image such as character or picture on a finger nail of a person as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2003-534083. A nail print apparatus is an apparatus which photographs a nail on which printing is performed with a photographing section to detect a nail area which is to be a print target and a design image selected by a user is printed using a print head, etc. of an ink jet method on the detected nail area. By using such apparatus, nail print can be easily enjoyed without going to a nail salon, etc. However, there is a problem that, as in conventional nail print apparatuses where printing is performed by spraying ink directly on an upper surface of a nail of a person, the user needs to wait with the finger fixed without movement during the print operation, and this is a heavy burden on the user. Moreover, when printing is performed using a print head of an ink jet method, there is a possibility that ink mist spreads around the nail, and there is a possibility that the ink attaches to the finger and the finger becomes dirty when printing is performed. Further, when printing is performed directly on the nail, when the user desires to change the printed design image to a different design image, the user needs to erase the printed image using a nail polish remover, etc. and this is troublesome. Therefore, there is a problem that the user cannot easily change nail print according to the user's fashion or mood to enjoy different styles. In a conventional nail print apparatus, the printable nail design can be selected from a range set in advance in the apparatus, and it is difficult for the user (hereinafter referred to as “self” or “oneself”) to choose the design freely. Even if the user can set the nail design freely, process such as the user making the desired design is necessary, and this is troublesome for the user. There is a desire of the user to apply a nail design of other person such as celebrities, friends, etc. with nail section on which excellent nail design is applied on their own nail section. However, even if a user has a desire to copy the nail design of other person, in order to set the nail design of other person to reproduce the design on the user's nail section, the user needs to perform complicated operation of switches, etc. Therefore, there is a problem that nail design cannot be easily enjoyed without performing complicated operation.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to heat exchangers and, more particularly, to special reinforcing structure for thin plate-and-fin heat exchangers. 2. Description of the Prior Art Many different approaches are known in the prior art to dealing with the problem of pressure containment and structural reinforcement in thin plate heat exchangers. External framework such as the heat exchanger strongback described above is disclosed in the Flurschutz et al U.S. Pat. No. 2,997,279. Internal spacing and reinforcing structure is also well known, as exemplified by the disclosures of the Ladd U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,445 and Rosenbald U.S. Pat. No. 3,229,763. The use of side bars as reinforcing and spacing members for a thin plate-and-fin heat exchanger structure is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,006,776 of Pfouts et al. The Flower U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,800 discloses separate bands extending about a heat exchanger core in planes perpendicular to the direction of gas flow which permit the core to expand without thermal restraint. The Jacobsen et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,581 discloses self reinforcement in a formed plate heat exchanger wherein overlapping manifold sections are provided to develop reinforcement of the abutting juncture lines and flange portions of the manifold sections. Finally, the aforementioned Ladd patent discloses special leading edge fins in a plate type heat exchanger which are of specially strengthened material and are positioned at the entrance end of a duct for resisting damage from entrained particles in a high velocity ambient air stream. None of the known arrangements disclosed in the prior art relates to the provision of reinforcing members of the type involved in the present invention for the formed plate heat exchangers to which it is applied.

In recent years, with the proliferation of sources of television (TV) programming including conventional terrestrially broadcast TV, cable TV, and satellite-delivered TV, numerous programming choices exist for a consumer. Consumers often desire to have a guide which shows the programming choices available at various times. The magazine, TV Guide, is one well-known example of a printed programming guide. More recently, electronic program guides (EPGs) have become available for viewing on screen by a television audience. While printed program guides have enjoyed success over the years, they have some drawbacks. First of all, with the large number of programming choices at any given time, it becomes increasingly difficult for a consumer to make a selection. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that a typical printed guide is usually printed for a designated marketing area (DMA), which, in a very crude approximation, is generally an area of about a 100-mile radius from the location of the broadcast towers. Numerous independent municipalities are located within every DMA. This can result in a programming guide which contains programs which are not available to a particular customer. For example, since there are often several independent cable TV providers servicing the various communities in a DMA, with each cable TV company providing different services, any one viewer may need to sift through programming which is not accessible to them. Moreover, certain programs are not available because the programs are blacked out with a certain radius of the event. For example, a football game may be blacked out in a city where it is being played to encourage viewers to buy tickets and actually attend the game rather than watching the game on television.

In the treatment of chronic wounds (e.g., diabetic foot ulcers) electrosurgical procedures may be used to promote healing. In particular, electrosurgical procedures may be used for debriding the wound, inducing blood flow to the wound, coagulating blood flow from the wound, removing necrotic tissue, and/or removing bacterial films which may form (the bacterial films sometimes referred to as “biofilm”). In many cases wounds are considered “dry” in the sense that there is insufficient conductive fluid present to support plasma creation for electrosurgical procedures. In such cases a conductive fluid (e.g., saline) is provided to help support plasma creation. However, in providing a conductive fluid to a wound to help support plasma creation, the location of the wound and/or the orientation of the patient may adversely impact how the conductive fluid is distributed. For example, gravity may cause the conductive fluid to flow in such a way as to not fully “wet” one or more of the electrodes involved in the plasma creation, thus limiting or preventing plasma creation. Any advance that better controls distribution of conductive fluid in and around the electrodes of an electrosurgical system would provide a competitive advantage.

1. Technical Field The present invention is related to integrated circuits. More particularly, the present invention provides inspection methods and structures for visualizing and/or detecting specific chip structures. 2. Related Art Many back-end-of-the-line (BEOL) semiconductor process layers and structures are optically transparent when planar. The optical transparency of such layers/structures makes undesired planar residual chip structures difficult to detect. For example, inadequate removal of a Cu BEOL TaN liner can result in low yields due to conductive shorts formed by the liner itself. An example of this problem is illustrated in FIG. 1. In this example, chemical-mechanical polishing (CMP) failed to completely remove the TaN liner 12 in the area 18 between Cu metal conductors 14 and 16. This can result in low yield due to shorts between the Cu metal conductors 14, 16 caused by the residual conductive TaN liner 12. It can be hard to detect such underpolishing of the TaN liner 12, since the TaN liner 12 is planar and therefore difficult to detect because of its optical transparency. A physical cross-section is often the only sure way to determine if such a structure is missing, not located where it should be, or present where it should not be. However, physical cross-sections are destructive, time and resource consuming, and must be provided off-line. Physical cross-sections also need to be directed to specific location(s) on the wafer or chip, unless the problem is very gross. There is a need, therefore, for inspection methods and structures for visualizing and/or detecting specific chip structures.

Various apparatus have been devised for dry-docking boats. Pleasure boats of the kind to which the present invention is particularly adapted are thought of, for purpose of the present description, as being generally within the range of about fifteen feet to twenty-four feet in length and within the range of about 800 pounds to 6000 pounds in weight. Apparatus for docking pleasure boats has been associated with both non-floating as well as floating docks. The use of such apparatus is intended to facilitate removal of a boat from the water, maintaining the boat in a stored position elevated above the water, and for launching of the boat into the water. Among the many methods known and used for lifting boats for dry docking, floating lifts (such as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 7,021,861, issued Apr. 4, 2006 to the inventor of the present invention) are known to have particular advantages. Secured or anchored in some fashion, such lifts can provide dry docking for boats in areas which were formerly open water. Floating upon the body of water, such lifts provide convenient dry docking at a constant level above the surface, in contrast with fixed lifts whose use may at times be rendered difficult or impractical due to varying seasonal depth of the body of water. Floating lifts can provide dry docking in bodies of water in which securing a fixed boat lift is difficult, as in deep muddy or sandy bottoms. Floating lifts may also be relocated with considerably greater ease than fixed boat lifts. An improved form of floating boat lift apparatus is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,022 to Wilkins, incorporated herein by reference, in which a tilting apparatus, installed in a floating boat well, receives a boat driven by its operator. The apparatus is then tilted about a pivot point, thereby elevating the boat in dry dock. In some embodiments, the lift mechanism, responsive to the change in weight distribution on the apparatus caused by the receipt of the boat, pivots on its own and elevates the boat. In other embodiments, after the boat has been received by the apparatus, it is necessary to use a winch or other mechanical assist to tilt the mechanism to elevate the boat. Advantageously over the prior art, Wilkins provides an apparatus that incorporates a single pivotal frame onto which a boat can be driven and positioned ready for storage using only the motive power of the boat itself and which can be pivoted so as to either elevate the boat above the water for storage or discharge the boat into the water for further use. However, the operation of Wilkins boat lift is subject to several shortcomings. First, the elevation of the pivot point relative to the boat well (and therefore its elevation relative to the surface of the water) is fixed in Wilkins lift. It is desirable to allow adjustment of the elevation of the pivot point relative to the surface of the water in order both to optimize the tilting operation of the lift and to provide adequate clearance of the boat from the water for dry dock purposes when the lift is in the elevated position. Second, no additional mechanical advantage is employed by Wilkins to augment the leverage provided by the change in weight distribution caused by receipt of the boat. Indeed, in embodiments elevating the boat above a relatively low height above the water (approximately six inches) or when elevating heavier boats, the Wilkins lift does not tilt on its own, instead requiring the use of the aforesaid winch or other mechanical means to effect tilting of the mechanism to elevate the boat. It is desirable to provide augmentation of the leverage provided by the weight of the boat, in order to allow the lift to be pivoted to the elevated position with greater ease and to provide for embodiments in which boats may be elevated above relatively low heights by operation of the apparatus on its own without the need for additional mechanical means to effect tilting. Third, Wilkins does not provide a damping functionality for his tilting apparatus: in embodiments relying on change in weight distribution to effect tilting, as the apparatus is tilted to elevate the boat and the center of gravity of the mechanism passes over-center of the pivot point, the lift apparatus settles to the elevated position in an abrupt fashion which can be jarring for the boat operator and tends to cause wear and fatigue of the lift mechanism. What is needed is an improved floating boat lift, having a pivoting lift mechanism onto which a boat can be driven and positioned ready for storage using only the motive power of the boat itself, but which also further provides mechanical advantage to augment the leverage provided by the change in weight distribution caused by receipt of the boat while providing a damping functionality to mitigate abrupt pivoting of the apparatus. What is needed further is such a floating boat lift that affords a means of adjusting the elevation of the lifting pivot point relative to the body of water.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a DC high voltage supply system designed to supply a highly efficient and stable DC voltage to a load by providing a high voltage transformer circuit with a feedback control circuit, which transformer circuit is made up, in combination, of a variable magnetic leak transformer (VLT) driven under resonant conditions and a capacitor type multiple boosting circuit, and by controlling the current of the control winding of the VLT by the feedback control circuit. 2. Prior Art In recent years a combination of a boosting transformer and a capacitor type multiple boosting circuit represented by a Cockcroft-Walton circuit has been in wide use so as to reduce the size and weight of a DC power source unit used for supplying DC high voltage power to an X-ray diagnostic apparatus, an electron microscope, sputtering apparatus and which constitutes a greater part of the volume and weight of both the boosting transformer and the multiple boosting circuit instead of the conventional method in which commercial frequency is boosted by a high voltage transformer and is then rectified. But according to this combined use of the transformer and the circuit, it often happened that, viewed from the principle of the capacitor type multiple boosting circuit, the diodes used in the capacitor type multiple boosting circuit are damaged by the surge current generated during a sudden increase in load or during initial charging of the capacitor multiple boosting circuit. Also, it is possible to think of using the capacitor type multiple boosting circuit by connecting large resistors in series with load for preventing the surge current generated in this case; but this way of tackling the problem causes a decrease in voltage regulation and an increase in power loss, with the result that efficiency of the system is greatly reduced. Furthermore, slowing charging is also employed by providing a soft start circuit for preventing surge current when the power is on but it inevitably results in increased cost of the system because of the circuit being complicated.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the field of sonar signal processing and more particularly, to detecting the presence or absence of spatial random processes in physical phenomena. 2. Description of the Prior Art In some cases, it can be important or critical to know with a high probability whether data received by a sonar system is simply random noise (which may be a false alarm) or is more likely due to the detection of a vessel of interest. In either situation, it is critical to make a determination as quickly as possible. Naval sonar systems require that signals be categorized according to structure (i.e., periodic, transient, random or chaotic). A variety of large sample data processing methods such as spectral analysis, correlogram plots, and the like are available. However, a number of scenarios may also or only comprise small samples. These small samples include loss, or intermittent contact, transients, equipment failure, own ship maneuver, and the like. The existence of such sparse data sets requires methods that are appropriate for reliable and valid processing. As such, there is a need for sparse data set methods in which the methods are separate from those methods which evaluate large sample distributions. It is well known in the art that large sample methods often fail when applied to small sample data sets. The term “randomness” in regard to random noise has different meanings in science and engineering. Random (or randomness) is herein defined in terms of a “random process” as measured by a probability distribution model—namely a stochastic (Poisson) process. In naval engineering applications, waveform distributions in the time domain may be considered purely random if the distributions conform to a noise structure such as WGN (White Gaussian Noise). This determination is made regardless of the underlying generating mechanism that produced the “noise.” Pure randomness may be considered a data distribution for which no mathematical function, relation, or mapping can be constructed that provides an insight into the underlying structure. For example: no prediction model can be generated from the noise/time waveform in order to derive estimates of a target range, course, speed, depth, etc. Also, one must distinguish the term “stochastic” randomness from “deterministic” randomness (chaos) as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,781,460. The theoretical and practical considerations relevant to the inventive process are contained in the following publications, which are incorporated herein by reference: Abramowitz, Milton and Irene Stegun. Handbook of Mathematical Functions with Formulas, Graphs, and Mathematical Tables. Washington, D.C. United States Government Printing Office: (1964). Feller, William. Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Its Applications. 2nd ed. Vol. I., NY: John Wiley and Sons (1957). Ruhkin, A. L. “Testing Randomness: A Suite of Statistical Procedures.” Theory of Probability and its Applications, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 111-132 (2000). Preparata, Franco P. and Michael I. Shamos, Computational Geometry—An Introduction, Springer Verlag (1985). Swed, F. S. and C. Eisenhart. “Tables for testing randomness of grouping in a sequence of alternatives.” The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 14(1), pp. 66-87 (March 1943). Wald, A. and J. Wolfowitz. “On a test whether two samples are from the same population.” The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, Vol. 11, pp 147-162 (1940) Wilks, S. S. “Order statistics.” Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society. Volume 54, Number 1, Part 1, pp. 6-50 (1948). The standard approach for assessing the hypothesis of spatial randomness for large samples is outlined in the known work on probability theory by W. Feller (Ch. 6, “The Binomial and Poisson Distributions”) [Feller, William. Introduction to the Theory of Probability and Its Applications. 2nd ed. Vol. I., NY: John Wiley and Sons. 1957]. Typically, from a frequency table derived from counts of spatial data in a partitioned subspace, a Chi-square test for homogeneity of Poisson frequency levels is computed and compared to a level of statistical certainty. The Feller reference (pp. 149-154), demonstrates the utility of this procedure for several large samples of naturalistic data analyzed in finite rectangular and circular space. The noted data sets include radioactive decay measurements, micro-organism distribution on a Petri dish, and others. However, the Feller reference provides little guidance on the matter of subspace partitioning including how many partitions should be used and what should be done about non-whole subset partitions. Furthermore, most prior art randomness assessment methods are one time tests designed for one-dimensional or two-dimensional space. The methods are primarily applicable for truly random distributions. However, these quantitative techniques sometimes even fail to correctly label truly nonrandom distributions—as pointed out by Ruhkin (A. L. Ruhkin, “Testing Randomness: A Suite of Statistical Procedures”, Theory of Probability and its Applications, 2000, Vol. 45, No. 1, pp. 111-132). The following United States patents significantly improve the above-noted situation. U.S. Pat. No. 7,277,573 provides a multi-stage method for automatically characterizing data sets containing data points in which are each defined by measurements of three variables as either random or non-random. A three-dimensional Cartesian volume is sized to contain a total number N of data points in the data set which is to be characterized. The Cartesian volume is partitioned into equal-sized cubes, wherein each cube may or may not contain a data point. A predetermined route is defined that goes through every cube one time and scores each cube as a one or a zero; thereby, producing a stream of ones and zeros. The number of runs is counted and utilized to provide a Runs test which predicts if the N data points in any data set are random or non-random. Additional tests are used in conjunction with the Runs test to increase the accuracy of characterization of each data set as random or non-random. U.S. Pat. No. 7,409,323 provides a method for automatically characterizing data sets containing data points, which may be produced by measurements such as with sonar arrays, as either random or non-random. The data points for each data set are located within a Cartesian space and a polygon envelope is constructed which contains the data points. The polygon is divided into grid cells by constructing a grid over the polygon. A prediction is then made as to how many grid cells would be occupied if the data were merely a random process. The prediction becomes one of two forms depending on the sample size. For small sample sizes, an exact Poisson probability method is utilized. For large sample sizes, an approximation to the exact Poisson probability is utilized. A third test is utilized to test whether the Poisson based model is adequate to assess the data set as either random or non-random. As evidenced and in summary, the prior art does not disclose a method to provide a faster solution with greater reliability and for widely varying sizes of three-dimensional data sets. The solutions to the above-described and/or related problems have been long sought without success. Consequently, those skilled in the art will appreciate the present invention that addresses the above-described and other related problems.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including an inspection process of a semiconductor element that uses semiconductor characteristics (e.g., a transistor, in particular, a field-effect transistor; typically, a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor and a thin film transistor (TFT)). More specifically, the present invention relates to a non-contact type inspection apparatus and an inspection method using the same. The present invention also relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device including an inspection process of such a semiconductor element. 2. Description of the Related Art In an active matrix type liquid crystal display and an electroluminescence (EL) display, a TFT is generally provided in each pixel. In the case of a liquid crystal display, one TFT formed in each pixel functions as a switching element. In the case of an EL display, among a plurality of TFT formed in each pixel, some TFTs function as switching elements, while others control a current. It is very effective in terms of reduction in cost that an inspection process of identifying a defective product is included in an early stage in the course of manufacturing a display in which a number of TFTs is are formed before a product is completed. The reasons for this are as follows: it is not required to conduct the succeeding steps with respect to a defective product; it is easy to repair a defective product due to early finding thereof, etc. For example, in an EL display, one electrode (pixel electrode) of an EL element and a capacitor may be connected to each other with a transistor formed therebetween. It is difficult to confirm the presence of a defect until an EL display is completed and a display is actually conducted, even if there is some inconvenience in circuits or circuit elements for controlling light emission of a light-emitting element. Regarding even an EL panel that will not actually become a product, in order to be distinguished from a satisfactory product, a light-emitting element is formed, packaging is conducted, and a connector is attached to complete an EL display, whereby an inspection is conducted to the EL display. In this case, the processes of forming a light-emitting element, packaging, and attaching a connector become useless, so that time and cost cannot be reduced. Furthermore, even in the case of forming an EL panel using a multiple-chamfered substrate, the processes of packaging and attaching a connector become useless, so that time and cost cannot be also reduced. In order to detect a portion where a malfunction is caused due to the variation in pattern width of a semiconductor film, an insulating film, or a wiring (hereinafter, merely referred to as a “pattern”) and a portion where wiring is disconnected or short-circuited due to dust or defective film formation, and to confirm if circuit or circuit elements to be inspected are operated normally, an inspection is conducted. Such a defect inspection is mainly classified into an optical inspection method and a probe inspection method. According to the optical inspection method, a pattern formed on a substrate is read by a CCD or the like, and the read pattern is compared with a reference pattern to identify a defect. According to the probe inspection method, minute pins (probes) are put up at terminals on a substrate side, and a defect is identified based on the magnitude of a current or a voltage between the probes. In general, the former method is called a non-contact type inspection method, and the latter is called a stylus type inspection method. A good TFT substrate that can be used for a product is discriminated from a defective TFT substrate that cannot be used for a product by the above-mentioned inspection method in which wiring is directly connected (contact) to a TFT substrate. However, according to this method, dust is likely to adhere to a substrate during attachment and removal of connection wiring. Furthermore, according to the method of detecting a defective portion by directly bringing minute pins (probes) into contact with wiring, wiring may be damaged. This inspection method may unnecessarily increase defective products during an inspection process. Also, according to the optical inspection method, a long time is required to inspect many times.

This invention relates to improvement in gear assemblies, and in particular to electrical power assisted steering assemblies which incorporate a worm and wheel gear assembly for transferring torque from an electric motor to a steering column or output shaft operatively connected thereto. It is known to provide a power steering system for a vehicle comprising an electric motor having a stator and a rotor, an input shaft operatively connected to the rotor and adapted to rotate therewith, an output shaft associated with a steering column, and a gearbox adapted to transfer torque from the input shaft to the output shaft in response to a measure of torque in the output shaft produced by a torque sensor. The motor is typically operated to apply an increasing torque to the output shaft as the measured torque increases, thus applying an assistance torque which helps to steer the vehicle. In a simple arrangement, the input shaft defines a worm gear, and the output shaft is provided with a wheel gear which is adapted to mesh with the worm gear. Whilst such a system is relatively effective, there exists a problem with noise and vibration due to incorrect meshing between the worm and gear wheel. This incorrect meshing may arise due to manufacturing tolerances, thermal changes in dimensions, distortion due to torsional loads and wear during service. According to a first aspect, the invention provides an electric power assisted steering system comprising a housing, an electric motor fixed relative to the housing having a stator and a rotor, an input shaft operatively connected to the rotor, an output shaft operatively connected to a steering column, and a torque sensor adapted to produce an output signal indicative of the torque in the output shaft, the motor being adapted to apply a torque to the output shaft dependent upon the output signal from the torque sensor through a worm gear provided on the input shaft which is adapted to mesh with a wheel gear on the output shaft, the steering system being characterised by further comprising a first bearing means which supports the input shaft relative to the housing at its end distal from the motor and a resilient biasing means adapted to act upon the first bearing means to bias the input shaft towards the wheel gear. Preferably, the input shaft is biased in a tilting movement which is centred at a second bearing means which supports the input shaft relative to the housing at its end adjacent to the motor. The biasing means may be adapted to apply a sufficient biasing force to the first bearing means to maintain a fully meshed engagement between the teeth of the worm gear and the teeth of the wheel gear over a predetermined range of torque values carried by the wheel gear. This helps to prevent gear rattle when driving straight ahead or on rough roads by ensuring both sides of the engaging teeth on the worm and wheel are in contact at substantially all times over this range of torques. Because the arrangement increases quiescent friction in the gearbox it is important to maintain control of the force applied by the biasing means over the full range of the input shaft that is required. Therefore the biasing means must have a low spring rate. The provision of the biasing means allows a controlled biasing force to be applied whilst permitting sufficient tilting movement of the input shaft to compensate for changes in dimensions due to manufacturing variations and temperature changes etc. The maximum torque value up to which the fully meshed engagement is effective is carefully chosen (by compromise) to avoid excessive friction. The biasing means may comprise a resilient spring of any type adapted to act between a portion of the housing and the first bearing means. In some configurations, it is preferred that the resilient spring comprises a leaf spring which may be attached to the housing at a first end and act upon the first bearing means at its second end. This may engage the first bearing means at the opposite side of the input shaft to the wheel gear so as to bias the worm into contact with the wheel gear. The leaf spring may be provided outside of the housing and the second end of the leaf spring may pass through an opening in the housing to engage with the first bearing means. The second end of the leaf spring may carry a seal which seals with the opening through which it passes. The input shaft may be directly connected to the motor rotor. It may extend continuously through the rotor. The input shaft may be operatively connected to the rotor through a flexible coupling which allows the worm to tilt without movement of the rotor. The flexible coupling may comprise a resilient element, for example of rubber. The motor rotor may be adapted to apply a drive force to the resilient element through one or more circumferentially spaced radially extending surfaces of the resilient element. The resilient element may in turn be adapted to apply a drive force to the input shaft through one or more other circumferentially spaced radially extending surfaces of the element. The element may comprise a spider shape having a multiple of arms presenting a number of radially extending, circumferentially spaced drive surfaces. Where the input shaft is connected to the motor rotor by a flexible coupling, a first compression means may be provided between the housing and the first bearing means at the end of the input shaft distal from the motor which applies a compressive force onto the input shaft to bias it towards the motor rotor. It may comprise a coil spring. Its function is to prevent noise and vibration due to axial free play in the second bearing means. In its compressed state, there should be free space between adjacent coils in order to avoid frictional resistance to tees tilting motion of the input shaft. A second compression means (such as a coil spring) may also be provided between the end of the input shaft adjacent the motor rotor and the motor rotor. This may be provided in a cup formed on an end of the input shaft whilst a pin extending about the rotational axis of the motor rotor and forming a part of the rotor projects into the cup to engage the spring. Thus, whilst the first compression means biases the second bearing means through the flexible coupling, the second compression means biases the rotor directly through the pin. There must be a difference between the forces provided respectively by the first and second compression means which is sufficient to bias the second bearing means in the direction of the input shaft axis by the desired amount. In an alternative, the biasing means may comprise an annular O-ring provided between the first bearing means and the housing. The O-ring may be of rubber, and may contact an outer circumference of the first bearing means and a portion of the housing. The first bearing means may therefore move relative to the housing against a resistant force applied by the O-ring as at least part of the O-ring is compressed. In such an arrangement, the wheeled gear or the worm gear may deliberately be made slightly oversize relative to the dimensions which are calculated according to the distance between their respective shaft axes. This ensures the O-ring is always under a small amount of residual compression. In an alternative to an O-ring, the resilient biasing means may comprise a resilient element which is accommodated between the first bearing means and the housing, such as a rubber spacer block. The element may be disposed between the first bearing means and the housing, opposite to the side of the input shaft which engages the gear wheel. The biasing means may act in compression or tension. The second bearing means may comprise a ball bearing which is adapted to prevent radial and axial movement of the input shaft relative to the housing whilst permitting tilting movement of the input shaft against the bias force provided by the biasing means. The second bearing means may be selected to comprise a high tolerance ball bearing assembly which is adapted by virtue of the shape of the groove in which the balls are located to substantially prevent any radial displacement of the input shaft relative to the housing as it passes through the second bearing whilst permitting the input shaft to pivot about a point on its axis which passes through a point in the plane of the second bearing means. In a preferred arrangement, the housing defines a first portion and a second portion, the first portion comprising a housing for the input shaft having at least one pair of opposed walls, and having an opening in each wall into which the first and second bearing means are respectively provided, and the second portion comprising a housing for at least part of the output shaft having at least one pair of opposed walls, an opening being provided in each wall for receiving one or more bearings adapted to secure the output shaft relative to the housing. The output shaft is preferably mounted orthogonal to the input shaft and substantially prevented from moving radially relative to the housing. A plastic lining portion may be provided around a circumferential outer face of the first bearing means which prevents contact between the first bearing means and the housing at excessive displacement. This helps to eliminate vibration noise due to metalxe2x80x94metal contact between the first bearing means and the housing. The first opening defined in the first portion of the housing (which receives the first bearing means) may comprise an elongated slot through which the input shaft passes having semicircular end portions and a central pair of parallel sides. The spacing between the parallel sides may be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the firs, bearing means. The radius of the semicircular end portions of the slot may be substantially the same as the outer radius of the first bearing means. Thus, the first bearing means may be adapted to move axially along the slot but may be prevented from moving radially perpendicular to the slot. The first opening of the first portion may comprise an annular bore having an inner surface with a diameter greater than the diameter of the first bearing means. The outer surface of the first bearing means may thus be spaced from the inner wall. The O-ring element forming the biasing means may be accommodated in this space. A groove may be provided around a circumference of the inner wall which locates the O-ring in a predetermined position relative to the wall, the depth of the groove being less then the radial thickness of the O-ring element. In this case, the first bearing means may be displaced from its rest position against the biasing force provided by the O-ring through a distance equal to the difference between the O-ring radial thickness and the depth of the groove. Thereafter, the first bearing means is prevented from further radial displacement within the opening as it engages the inner wall of the first opening. In a yet further alternative arrangement, the biasing means; may comprise a torsion bar having a first end acting upon the first bearing means and a second end fixed relative to a portion of the housing so that the torsion bar applies a biasing force against the first bearing means. The torsion bar may comprise a substantially U-shaped elongate rod having a terminal end portion on a first end of the roll which is bent through an angle of approximately ninety degrees relative to the remaining part of the first end and relative to the centre portion of the rod to engage with a portion of the first bearing means. Preferably, the terminal end portion acts directly on an outer surface of the first bearing means opposed to the wheel gear of the output shaft by pas sing through an opening channel in the housing extending radially away from the inner wall of the first opening of the first portion of the housing. The central portion of the torsion bar may be secured to a portion of the housing through one or more clamps or shackles. The second end of the torsion bar may rest upon an end face of a threaded bolt which engages with the housing. Rotation of the bolt within the threaded bore displaces the second end of the torsion bar relative to the housing. As the first end is engaged with the first bearing means this acts to increase or decrease torsion in the bar in a known manner, in turn to alter the biasing force applied to the first bearing means (i.e. for use when setting up). In a preferred arrangement, a terminal portion of the second end of the torsion bar is bent through approximately ninety degrees relative to the remaining part of the second end portion and engages within a recess in the end face of the bolt. This provides a positive location for the second end portion. In yet a further alternative arrangement, where space in the vehicle permits, the biasing means may comprise a coil spring leaving its axis substantially perpendicular to that of the wormshaft. The coil spring could be installed in a hole in the housing. A first end of the spring could apply force to the outer race of the first bearing means via a formed end of the spring or via a separate component placed between the spring and the first bearing means. A closure plug or plate at the end of the hole distal from the bearing means would provide a support to the coil spring and a means of sealing. In a most preferred arrangement, the terminal portion of the second end of the torsion bar engages with a recess in the housing. This renders the arrangement non-adjustable and tamper proof which is preferable for production versions. In a refinement, where the biasing means comprises an O-ring seal acting between the first bearing means and the housing, the centre axis of the O-ring may be offset relative to the central axis of the input shaft. This provides a different relationship between biasing force and displacement of the bearing means compared to the case where the central axes of the O-ring and shaft coincide. It is preferred that the axis of the O-ring is closer to the wheel gear than that of the input shaft where is passes through the first bearing means. To further refine the relationship between the biasing force and displacement of the first bearing means, the shape of the O-ring groove (where provided) relative to the cross-section of the O-ring may be chosen so that the compressed portion of the O-ring just completely fills the groove at a predetermined displacement corresponding to a predetermined biasing force, whereafter the rate of increase of biasing force with full displacement is significantly greater than the rate of increase of biasing force with displacement at displacements below the predetermined displacement. When the O-ring is in its normal position corresponding to zero torque on the gear wheel, the O-ring may therefore only partially fill the groove at this point. According to a second aspect, the invention provides an electric power assisted steering system comprising a housing, an electric motor fixed relative to the housing having a stator and a rotor, and input shaft operatively connected to the rotor, an output shaft operatively connected to a steering column, and a torque sensor adapted to produce an output signal indicative of the torque in the output shaft, the motor being adapted to apply a torque to the output shaft dependent upon the output signal from the torque sensor through a worm gear provided on the input shaft which is adapted to mesh with a wheel gear on the output shaft, the steering system being characterised in that the input shaft is operatively connected to the motor rotor by a flexible coupling. By providing a flexible coupling, it is possible for the input shaft to tilt relative to the motor rotor. This enables the position of the worm relative to the wheel to be adjusted to remove gear rattle without having to move the rotor. Preferably, the flexible coupling comprises a resilient element. It may be a rubber element. The element may have a plurality of substantially radially extending drive faces. One or more of the drive faces may co-operate with one or more radial drive faces defined on the rotor. One or more of the drive faces may co-operate with drive faces defined on the input shaft. The motor rotor thus can apply torque to the input shaft through these faces. Preferably, the element comprises a spider having a plurality of radially extending arms defining the drive surfaces. The input shaft may have a cup formed on its end adjacent the motor rotor. A pin located along the axis of rotation of the rotor may be adapted to be received within the cup. The flexible coupling may be provided between an end face of the cup and the rotor, perhaps around the pin. The cup may be adapted to receive a first resilient biasing element such as a spring which acts between the end of the pin and the bast of the cup to bias the rotor away from the input shaft. A second compression means may be provided which is adapted to bias the input shaft towards the rotor. This may comprise a spring located between the housing and a bearing means which supports the input shaft.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus having an input device capable of searching for a plurality of designated points, and to a method and storage medium thereof. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, computer devices having touch panels have become widespread. Amongst these kinds of computer devices, there are some that can perform processing having simultaneously detected a plurality of points that a user designated with his or her fingers or the like on the touch panel. Furthermore, amongst these kinds of computer devices, processing for changing an enlargement factor of an image that is being displayed in accordance with a distance between two points, when the two points having been designated by the user, are simultaneously detected, has become common. Amongst these, there exist examples in which when the user touches the touch panel using two fingers (his or her index finger and his or her thumb) simultaneously, and reduces the distance between the two points by performing an operation, with the two fingers, as though he or she were pinching the surface of the touch panel, a display image is reduced, and when the two fingers are spread apart, the display image is enlarged. This kind of operation in which it is as though two fingers pinch the screen is commonly known as a pinch operation. This pinch operation is a very intuitive and easy to understand interface operation for the user because it is an operation in which an object is magnified by grabbing it with his or her fingers and spreading it apart, or in which an object is reduced by reducing a space between his or her fingers, as though he or she were handling a physical flexible object. Also, because the center point between the two points pinched by the fingers is treated at the center point for the enlargement or reduction, the user can easily and intuitively designate which part of the image on the screen he or she wishes to perform an enlargement or reduction on with the pinch operation. Also, it is possible to change a scaling factor of the screen in real-time in accordance with a movement amount of the movement of the fingers when the pinch operation is performed. For this reason, there is also an advantage in that the user can quickly set his or her desired scaling factor, without switching to a special setting screen for setting the display scaling factor. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. H04-222063, though not the pinch operation, a user designating in order two points and an enlargement or reduction being performed on a rectangle image similar to a rectangle that passes through the two points is described as a method for designating a plurality of points in a display screen and performing an enlargement/reduction of the screen. Normally, with a pinch operation in which a plurality of points are designated on such as screen, an enlargement or reduction of the whole image being displayed is performed. In a case where, due to the enlargement operation, the image cannot be displayed on the screen in its entirety, a part of the image is hidden. In this case, an operation such as a scroll becomes necessary in order to display the image of the part that was hidden. Also, in a case where displayed characters on the screen are small and difficult to read, when enlargement of an image is performed by a pinch operation, because the whole image is enlarged, there are problems such as the essential character part protruding from the screen. For this reason, in a case where displayed characters on the screen are small and difficult to read, there is a desire to enlarge only the character size and not the whole image. However, because normally an enlargement or reduction of the character size is performed from a separate setting screen, an intuitive and immediate operation, such as the enlargement or reduction of the image with a pinch operation cannot be performed with an operation of enlargement or reduction of the character size using the setting screen. In this case, a method can be considered in which a target of the enlargement or reduction due to the pinch operation is switched in accordance with a mode, for example, between being made to be the whole image and being made to be the character size. However, in this case, there is a problem in that because an operation is necessary to switch the mode and so arrangements of operations increase, operability is worsened.

The present invention relates generally to equipment utilized and operations performed in conjunction with subterranean wells and, in embodiments described herein, more particularly provides well tools with actuators utilizing swellable materials. Many well tools are commercially available which are actuated by manipulation of a tubular string from the surface. Packers, liner hangers, jars, etc. are some examples of these. Other well tools may be actuated by intervention into a well, such as by using a wireline, slickline, coiled tubing, etc. Still other well tools may be actuated utilizing lines extending to the surface, such as electrical, hydraulic, fiber optic and other types of lines. Telemetry-controlled well tools are also available which are actuated in response to electromagnetic, acoustic, pressure pulse and other forms of telemetry. However, each of these actuation methods has its drawbacks. Manipulation of tubular strings from the surface is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and many well operations cannot be performed during manipulation of a tubing string. Intervention into a well with wireline, slickline, coiled tubing, etc., typically obstructs the wellbore, impedes flow, requires a through-bore for the intervention, requires specialized equipment and presents other difficulties. Electrical, hydraulic and fiber optic lines are relatively easily damaged and require special procedures and equipment during installation. Telemetry requires expensive sophisticated signal transmitting, receiving and processing equipment and is limited by factors such as distance, noise, etc. It will, thus, be readily appreciated that improvements are needed in the art of actuating well tools.

1. The Field of the Invention The present invention relates to direct access storage drives having a rotating media. More specifically, the present invention relates to manners of improving data access in a direct access storage drive using knowledge of the particular values of off-track read capability of the heads within the drive. 2. The Relevant Technology Computer systems generally utilize auxiliary storage devices on which data can be written and from which data can be read for later use. A direct access storage device (DASD) is a common auxiliary storage device which incorporates rotating magnetic disks for storing data in magnetic form on concentric, radially spaced tracks on the disk surfaces. Transducer heads driven in a path generally perpendicular to the drive axis are used to write data to the disks and read data from the disks. Current DASDs typically utilize a head for reading or writing data onto the various tracks and an actuator connected by a support arm assembly to the head for moving the head to the desired track and maintaining it over the track centerline during read or write operations. The movement of the head to a desired track is referred to as data seeking, or merely xe2x80x9cseeking.xe2x80x9d Maintaining the head over the center line of the desired track during a read or write operation is referred to as track following or xe2x80x9ctracking.xe2x80x9d DASD systems are required to position each data head over the proper radial location for writing a track and return the data head very close to the same location when reading the track. Current DASD systems, such as hard disk drives, use a voice coil type of actuator and a control device with a feedback response to locate and consistently maintain the head over a given track. Typically, seeking and tracking are enabled by magnetically written patterns on the disk surface. The patterns generally take the form of prerecorded tracking servo marks. The servo marks are read by the transducer head and transmitted to a control unit, which utilizes the servo marks to set and correct the trajectory of the transducer head. The actuator is typically a voice coil motor (VCM) which comprises a coil movable throughout the magnetic field of a permanent magnetic stator. The application of current to the VCM causes the coil and thus the attached head to move radially. In the absence of bias forces, the acceleration of the coil is proportional to the applied current. This current is applied by a power amplifier in response to a control input. If the input control is small enough, then the applied current is proportional to the control input and the power amplifier is nonsaturated; if the control input is too large, the applied current reaches a maximum possible value, and the power amplifier is saturated. In disk files which have a relatively high density of data tracks on the disk, it is necessary to incorporate a servo control system to efficiently move the head between tracks and to maintain the head precisely over the centerline of the desired track during read or write operations. This is accomplished by utilizing prerecorded servo information either on a dedicated servo disk or on sectors angularly spaced and interspersed among the data on a data disk. The servo information sensed by the read/write head (or the dedicated servo head if a dedicated servo disk is used) is demodulated to generate a position error signal (PES) which is an indication of the position error of the head away from the nearest track centerline and to detect the track number or position sample. In a DASD digital servo control system, a microprocessor utilizes a control signal algorithm to calculate a digital control signal based upon the digital values of certain state variables such as head position, VCM current, and head velocity. The digital control signal is converted to an analog signal and amplified to provide input current to the VCM. Such a digital servo control system is described in assignee""s U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,103, incorporated by reference herein. The described system, as a part of the computation of the control signal to the actuator, makes use of the state estimator algorithm to estimate the state (i.e., position, velocity, and acceleration or current input to the VCM) of the head. In this type of system, a microprocessor receives, at discrete sample times, digital values corresponding to the PES, position sample, and the VCM input current, and computes through the use of the state estimator algorithm, a digital control signal. The digital control signal is then converted to an analog signal to provide a power amplifier control signal. A power amplifier then generates a new VCM input current. One area of system performance in which there is room for improvement is in dealing with the off-track read capability (OTRC) of a head. As the track pitch of a DASD becomes smaller, manufacturing variations of the head manifests itself as a larger relative distribution of read and write performance. Coupled with other factors, such as servo positioning or channel robustness, this distribution can be an important component of the overall system performance. Variations in head sizes that result from the manufacturing of a DASD can yield OTRC values that range from 15 to 30 percent of the track pitch. Head width is the primary variable in the OTRC of a head. Other variables, including head composition and sensitivity, spindle rotational speed, track pitch, and fly height of the head. While these latter variables must be considered, they generally do not vary within a DASD design. Also, in order to improve the overall performance of the drive, seek order scheduling is conducted to improve throughput. That is, the seeks are not performed in the order received, but the order is rearranged so that more seeks can be conducted in a given time. To best rearrange the order, the microprocessor is generally provided with a table of read and write times versus seek length to predict how long a seek will take. The prior art currently selects a single OTRC and incorporates that OTRC into its table of seek time versus seek length estimates. Only a single preselected OTRC is used for each head in a DASD and for each DASD of a given design. Generally, the OTRC value used must be a worst case or near worst case OTRC for all heads of all DASDs of the given design. Such methods have been found by the inventors to leave much room for improving seek latency. Accordingly, a need exists for an apparatus and method for applying the head-specific OTRC to seeking and tracking operations within a DASD, such that seek latency may be improved and tracking may be optimized. The apparatus of the present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available direct access storage devices. Thus, it is an overall objective of the present invention to provide a system and method for employing off-track read capability in data access operations in a direct access storage device. To achieve the foregoing object, and in accordance with the invention as embodied and broadly described herein in the preferred embodiments, a DASD system and method for employing customized off-track read capability (OTRC) in accessing data on a direct access storage device (DASD) is provided. In one embodiment, the DASD comprises a rotating data storage medium; a read head positionable for interaction with the data storage medium; and a control unit for positioning the read head with respect to the data storage medium. Preferably, the control unit comprises an off-track read capability (OTRC) storage module configured to store an indicator of an OTRC particular to the read head and an access module configured to apply the OTRC in accessing data from the data storage medium. The data access module is, in one embodiment, configured to apply the OTRC to generate an improved read time estimate for optimal scheduling of data operations. The OTRC is preferably measured during manufacturing of the DASD. In one embodiment, the access module comprises a seek module configured to apply the OTRC dynamically during a data seeking operation, while in another embodiment, the access module comprises a tracking module configured to apply the OTRC dynamically during a data tracking operation. In applying the OTRC in the data seeking operation, it is used to calculate an improved estimate of read time. This estimate can then be employed directly in conducting the seek operations, or may be employed in queuing seeks in random queued data access operations. The control unit may comprise a servo control loop that uses the OTRC to determine a seeking control and/or a tracking control law. The parameters of the servo control in one embodiment are changed by applying the OTRC. In one embodiment, the control unit comprises a data seek algorithm and is configured to apply the OTRC to the data seek algorithm to determine an optimal trajectory of the head to the target data. A queuing module may be provided within the control unit and may be configured to apply the OTRC in ordering a random queued seek operation. In one embodiment, the OTRC storage module comprises a table of time-to-data values for various numbers of tracks traversed, the table incorporating the OTRC specific to the head. In an alternative embodiment, the OTRC storage module comprises a standard table of time-to-data values for various numbers of tracks traversed and an adder corresponding to the OTRC. In yet another embodiment, the OTRC storage module comprises a plurality of tables of time-to-data for various numbers of tracks traversed, each of the plurality of tables specific to an OTRC or range of OTRC. The DASD may, in one embodiment, also be provided with a buffer memory in communication with the control unit, an OTRC indicator particular to each read head, the OTRCs stored in the buffer memory, and a queuing module disposed within the control unit. Preferably, the queuing module is configured to receive a queue of target data to be accessed from the data storage medium into the control unit, determine the physical locations of the target data, access the specific OTRCs for one or more heads involved, determine, using the one or more OTRCs and the physical target location and the physical starting location, which of the target data can be accessed most quickly, and access said target data that can be accessed most quickly prior to the other target data. The OTRC indicator particular to each read head may comprise a table specific to the head, the table containing access times for various amounts of tracks to be traversed in accessing target data. Alternatively, the OTRC indicator particular to each read head may comprise an adder specific to the head stored within buffer memory. Accordingly, the queuing module is, in this embodiment, configured to consult a table containing nominal access times for various amounts of tracks to be traversed in accessing target data, extract a time-to-data value from the table, reference the adder, and add the adder to the time-to-data value. The access module may comprise a seeking module disposed within the control unit. In one embodiment, the seeking module is configured to receive a physical address of target data, receive the OTRC of the head involved in accessing the target data, and apply the OTRC to pick the optimal seek and/or tracking parameters for that OTRC. The seek is then performed to access the data at the target location. An attendant method for employing customized off-track read capability (OTRC) in accessing data on a direct access storage device (DASD) comprises providing a DASD having a rotating data storage medium and a read head positionable for interaction with the data storage medium, determining the OTRC particular to the read head, and applying the OTRC in accessing data from the data storage medium. Applying knowledge of the OTRC in accessing data from the DASD may comprise applying the OTRC dynamically during a seek operation and may also comprise applying the OTRC dynamically during a tracking operation. In one embodiment, determining the OTRC comprises measuring the OTRC of the read head during manufacturing of the DASD. The method may further comprise providing a servo control loop within the DASD, and applying the OTRC in accessing data from the data storage medium may comprise applying the OTRC within the servo control loop. Preferably, the OTRC is applied to determine an optimal servo loop for seeking and/or tracking. In one embodiment, applying the OTRC comprises applying the OTRC to a data seek algorithm to determine an optimal trajectory of the head to the target data. In yet another embodiment, applying the OTRC comprises applying the OTRC to a seek queuing algorithm to determine the order of seeking a plurality of blocks of target data by improving the read time estimates. Applying the OTRC may also comprise referencing a table of time-to-data for various numbers of tracks traversed, the table incorporating the OTRC specific to the head. Additionally, applying the OTRC may comprise referencing a standard table of time-to-data values for various numbers of tracks traversed and applying an adder corresponding to the OTRC. Applying the OTRC may also comprise referencing from among a plurality of tables of time-to-data for various numbers of tracks traversed, each of the plurality of tables specific to a OTRC, a table with an OTRC specific to the head. Under an additional embodiment, the DASD comprises a plurality of read heads and determining the OTRC particular to the read head comprises measuring the OTRC of each of the plurality of read heads and recording the OTRCs on a reserved area on the data storage medium. In this embodiment, applying the OTRC in accessing data from the data storage medium comprises providing a control unit having access to a buffer memory within the DASD, transferring the OTRCs from the reserved area to the buffer memory, receiving a queue of target data to be accessed from the data storage medium into the control unit, determining the physical locations of the target data, accessing the specific OTRCs for one or more heads involved, determining, using the one or more OTRCs, which of the target data can be accessed most quickly, and accessing said target data that can be accessed most quickly prior to the other target data. In one embodiment, the transfer of data to the buffer area from the reserved area happens only at the spin up of the drive. Under this embodiment, accessing the specific OTRCs for one or more heads involved comprises consulting a table specific to the head, the table containing access times for various amounts of tracks to be traversed in accessing target data. Alternatively, accessing the specific OTRCs for one or more heads involved may comprise consulting a table containing nominal access times for various amounts of tracks to be traversed in accessing target data, extracting a time-to-data value from the table, referencing an adder specific to the head stored within buffer memory, and adding the adder to the time-to-data value. In another embodiment, the DASD comprises a plurality of read heads. Determining the OTRC particular to the read head comprises measuring the OTRC of each of the plurality of read heads and recording the OTRCs on a reserved area on the data storage medium. Applying the OTRC in accessing data from the data storage medium comprises providing a control unit having access to a buffer memory within the DASD, an actuator arm for transporting the head across the data storage medium, and a voice coil motor for powering the arm. The method in this embodiment further comprises transferring the OTRCs from the reserved area to the buffer memory, receiving a block of target data to be accessed from the data storage medium into the control unit, determining the physical locations of the target data, accessing the specific OTRC for a head involved in accessing the target data, and calculating, using the OTRC of the involved head, an amount of current to transmit to the arm to transport the head to the target data with an optimized trajectory.

Devices for removing at least the crop from slaughtered poultry, also known as crop removers or (de)croppers, are known among others from the applicant's firm and from European patent application 0.162.254 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,578, for example. A suchlike crop remover is installed downstream from an eviscerating machine. In the crop remover, with the help of a rotating crop probe which passes into the poultry carcass via the vent, the whole crop and the trachea as well as everything else attached to the neck is removed. The crop remover is subsequently removed through the opposite neck opening of the carcass in order to permit delivery of the loosened parts to a tray placed under that and to be cleaned, after which the crop remover can be retracted again to an out-of-operation position. In slaughter lines, in particular in the so-called eviscerating lines, a number of stations are arranged after the crop remover, such as station where the neck is broken, a station where the inside of the carcass is cleaned and a station where the outside of the carcass is cleaned. Applicant already offers for sale a neck breaker, which breaks the neck and in one embodiment removes it without unnecessarily damaging the skin of the neck and in another embodiment removing the neck together with the skin of the neck. For this reference can be made to the applicant's Dutch patent application 79.04779. In addition, a combination neck breaker/final control machine is part of the applicant's delivery programme, in which not only the neck is broken but also the inside of the carcass is sucked clean. With the help of a pipe provided with a slanting end introduced from above, the lungs and other parts not suitable for consumption, which remained behind after evisceration, are removed. In addition, the applicant has an automatic inside-outside washer, in which the outside of the carcasses is cleaned with sprayers, while the inside is washed by means of a water tube with a special mouth piece. Finally, a combined crop remover/inside-outside washer can be mentioned, in which the inside of the carcasses is washed with the help of spray water supplied via the crop probe.

The present invention relates to a vehicle door open-limiting device in which a door can be held at any open angle. If a swinging door of a vehicle is carelessly opened nearly to a fully-open position close to another vehicle or a wall, not only the door but also the other is likely to be damaged by hitting the other. A liftgate of a vehicle is likely to hit the ceiling. To prevent such accident, a device for preventing the door from opening all the way is proposed. In JP3461986B2, a locking device for preventing a door from opening comprises a rack which moves with opening of the door; a pinion which engages with the rack; a ratchet elastically fixed to the pinion; a locking member which engages with and disengages from the ratchet for locking and unlocking respectively; and a solenoid for actuating the locking member. The locking device comprises a lot of elements such as the locking member, rack and pinion for keeping the door from opening, so that the structure is complicated and becomes larger.

The present invention is directed to an improvement in computing systems and in particular to computer systems for managing deadlocks in demultiplexed connection database management system environments. In database management systems (DBMSs) it is possible to provide concurrent connections to a database by using demultiplexed connection environments. In such DBMSs, worker agents carry out processes in response to requests made by applications (or clients). Often agents are associated with applications by an application scheduler or manager for the life of a transaction. To handle the potentially large number of inbound connections being demultiplexed across a smaller number of worker agents, DBMSs use schedulers and wait queues. In DBMSs such as relational DBMSs, applications are able to obtain locks on portions of a database. A row, a page or a table, for example, may be locked by an application, depending on the operation that the application is carrying out on the database in an RDBMS. Typically such locks are held on data representations in the DBMS but more generally are considered to be locks on database resources. Where locks are held and other applications seek to obtain locks, deadlocks may occur. In the prior art, such deadlocks may be detected by a deadlock detector in the DBMS. The deadlock detector may identify an application that will be required to release a held lock to break the deadlock. Prior art systems have been developed to detect and recover from deadlocks as described above. For example, deadlock detectors are described in each of the following U.S. Pat. No. 5,095,421 (Freund, Mar. 10, 1992), U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,117 (Fujita, Dec. 1, 1998), U.S. Pat. No. 5,459,871 (Van Den Berg, Oct. 17, 1995), U.S. Pat. No. 5,440,743 (Yokota, Aug. 8, 1995), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,537 (Davies et al., Oct. 28, 1997). In U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,484 (Sankaran et al., Nov. 3, 1998), a deadlock detector and a method to avoid potential deadlock detection by deferring the deadlock detection steps is described. These prior art methods are generally concerned with systems that do not include a demultiplexing component for the processes which seek to acquire locks on resources. In a demultiplexed connection DBMS, where there are worker agents assigned to applications, it is possible for an application to become inactive but to retain locks on portions of the database. In this case, the application will be disassociated from a worker agent and yet the application may retain locks on data in the DBMS. Where this occurs, and where both the inactive application is unable to acquire a worker agent and other applications are waiting for the inactive application to relinquish its lock, it is possible to have deadlocks in the DBMS. In the prior art it is known that such deadlocks may occur in a DBMS and users of such systems must restart the system and make modifications to the number of worker agents available to permit processing in the database to continue. Such a disruption to the database system is undesirable where the database is required to be continually available. It is therefore desirable to provide a computer system for the detection and management of deadlocks in a demultiplexed connection environment DBMS. A system and method for managing deadlocks in a database management system (DBMS) for a demultiplexed database system having worker agents and applications associated with, and disassociated from, the worker agents is disclosed. The DBMS of the present invention supports applications that are capable of holding and retaining locks on database resources while disassociated from worker agents. The system and method of the present invention includes an application scheduler for managing requests for access to the database, and a deadlock detector for identifying a deadlock According to one embodiment of the present invention, the application scheduler assigns one worker agent to an application requesting access to a database resource, assigns a flag to an application holding a lock on the database resource while disassociated from a worker agent, and in cooperation with the deadlock detector, resolves the deadlock between the application requesting access and the flagged application holding the lock. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a deadlock management system for a database system, the database system including a set of applications selectively requesting and holding locks on database resources, a pool of worker agents including normal worker agents and overflow worker agents, an application scheduler, a wait queue, a priority queue, and a deadlock detector, the database system supporting an application holding a lock while disassociated from a worker agent, the deadlock management system including: means for marking an application with a flag value based on the existing application flag value and on the state of applications requesting and holding locks on database resources, including, means for marking an application with a flag value W where the application becomes disassociated from a worker agent, means for marking an application with a flag value H where the application has a flag value W and where the application holds a lock on a database resource requested by another application, means for marking an application with a flag value D where the application requests a worker agent, has a flag value H and there is no normal worker agent or overflow worker agent available for the application, means for marking an application with the flag value Q where the application has a flag value W and a worker agent is not available, wherein the application is placed on the wait queue, and means for marking an application with the flag value D where the application has the flag value Q and a worker agent associated with another application requests a lock held by the application having the flag value Q, means for the application scheduler to respond to an application request for a worker agent and to selectively provide a normal worker agent, an overflow worker agent, or place the application on the wait queue or on the priority queue, based on the application flag value, including means for responding to a request for a worker agent from an application with flag value H by obtaining a normal worker agent if available and alternatively providing an overflow worker agent, further including means for placing the application on the priority queue where no overflow worker agent is available, and means for responding to a request for a worker agent from an application with flag value W by obtaining a normal worker agent if available and alternatively by placing the application on the wait queue, means for clearing the application flag value when an application is provided with a worker agent, means for the deadlock detector to poll an application and means for the deadlock detector to declare a deadlock where the application has a specified flag value and the application holds a lock on a database resource requested by another application, including, means for declaring a deadlock where an application has a flag value D and the application holds a lock on a database resource that is requested by another application, the deadlock detector further including a lock wait deadlock graph and a resource representation, the lock wait deadlock graph including means to represent applications requesting and holding locks on database resources whereby the deadlock detector determines if an application holds a lock requested by another application, and means for selecting an application holding a lock and for requiring the application to release the lock, following detection of a deadlock on the lock. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of deadlock management for a database system, the database system including a set of applications selectively requesting and holding locks on database resources, a pool of worker agents including normal worker agents and overflow worker agents, a wait queue, and a priority queue, the database system supporting an application holding a lock while disassociated from a worker agent, the method of deadlock management including the steps of: 1. marking an application with a flag value based on the existing application flag value and on the state of applications requesting and holding locks on database resources, including the steps of: i) marking an application with a flag value W where the application becomes disassociated from a worker agent, ii) marking an application with a flag value H where the application has a flag value W and where the application holds a lock on a database resource requested by another application, iii) marking an application with a flag value D where the application requests a worker agent, has a flag value H and there is no normal worker agent or overflow worker agent available for the application, iv) marking an application with the flag value Q where the application has a flag value W and a worker agent is not available, wherein the application is placed on the wait queue, and v) marking an application with the flag value D where the application has the flag value Q and a worker agent associated with another application requests a lock held by the application having the flag value Q, 2. responding to an application request for a worker agent from the pool and selectively providing a normal worker agent, an overflow worker agent, or placing the application on the wait queue or on the priority queue, based on the application flag value, including the steps of: i) responding to a request for a worker agent from an application with flag value H by obtaining a normal worker agent if available and alternatively by providing an overflow worker agent, further including the step of placing the application on the priority queue where no overflow worker agent is available, and ii) responding to a request for a worker agent from an application with flag value W by obtaining a normal worker agent if available and alternatively by placing the application on the wait queue, 3. clearing the application flag value when an application is provided with a worker agent, 4. polling an application and declaring a deadlock where the application has a specified flag value and the application holds a lock on a database resource requested by another application, including the step of declaring a deadlock where an application has a flag value D and the application holds a lock on a database resource that is requested by another application, the database system further including a lock wait deadlock graph and a resource representation, the lock wait deadlock graph including means to represent applications requesting and holding locks on database resources whereby the step of declaring a deadlock comprises the step of determining if an application holds a lock requested by another application by accessing the lock wait graph, and 5. selecting an application holding a lock and requiring the application to release the lock, following detection of a deadlock on the lock. According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product for deadlock management in a database system, the computer program product including a computer usable medium having computer readable code means embodied in the medium, including computer readable program code means for carrying out the above method. Advantages of the present invention include the improved detection and management of deadlocks in DBMSs and include detection and elimination of a deadlock without requiring the DBMS to become unavailable to users.

Technical Field of the Invention Embodiments described herein relate to the field of network authentication for user devices and provides methods, systems and computer program products for facilitating authenticated communication with a service. Description of the Related Technology Access to services provided by a secure network is typically restricted to authorized users and/or user devices (or user terminals), which may include wireless transmit/receive units. In this regard, an authentication server associated with a secure network, or more specifically an authentication domain or realm, authenticates user devices on the basis of an authentication protocol, such as Kerberos authentication protocol developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States of America, and selectively authorizes these devices to access one or more services provided by the secure network. For example, in accordance with the Kerberos authentication protocol, upon receiving an authentication request from a user device, a Key Distribution Centre (KDC) component of the authentication server verifies whether the user device is authorized to access services provided by the network. If so, the KDC provisions an authentication credential, such as a Ticket Granting Ticket (TGT), for use in obtaining a service credential, such as a service ticket, from a Ticket Granting Service (TGS) component of the authentication server for use in accessing a service provided by the network. Increasingly, user devices are able to access services from a plurality of domains, each of which independently authenticates user devices before allowing access to a service. Each of these domains is referred to herein as an “authentication domain.” Typically, a user will connect to an authentication server in an authentication domain via their user device, whereupon the user is authenticated on the basis of an authentication protocol by the authentication server and thereafter selectively authorized to obtain a service credential for use in accessing a service provided by the corresponding domain. However, these mechanisms require users to separately authenticate in each authentication domain, and can be cumbersome for users. To alleviate this problem, authentication protocols such as the Kerberos authentication protocol include a constrained delegation mechanism (so-called “Kerberos Constrained Delegation” (KCD)), in which a first authentication server of a first authentication domain, subsequent to authenticating the user device, is permitted to obtain a TGS from a second authentication server of a second authentication domain. This enables the first authentication server to obtain a service ticket corresponding to a service associated with the second domain on behalf of the user device. Specifically, the second authentication server provides a TGS to the first authentication server that allows it to obtain a service ticket on behalf of the user device for use in establishing authenticated communication between the user device and the service associated with the second authentication domain. Subsequent to obtaining the service ticket, the first authentication server transmits the service ticket to the user device, which then uses it to authenticate to the service and the service selectively permits the user device to communicate therewith. One drawback of the KCD based cross-domain authentication mechanism is that it cannot be used to access services that are not configured to authenticate user devices on the basis of the KCD based cross-domain authentication mechanism.

Antrodia camphorata, which is equal to Taiwanofungus camphorata, is native to Taiwan. Its fruiting body is a very rare and expensive mushroom that grows slowly in the wild and it is difficult to cultivate in the greenhouse. The fruiting body of A. camphorata has traditionally been used as an herbal medicine in Taiwan and is commonly known by name “jang-jy” or “niu-chang-chih” (Shen C. C. et al., J. Chin. Med. 2003, 14, 247-258). Naturally, it grows on the inner heartwood wall of Cinnamomun kanehirai Hay (Lauraceae), an endemic and endangered species in Taiwan. The wild-type fruiting body contains fatty acids, lignans, phenyl derivatives, sesquiterpenes, steroids, and triterpenoids (Shen C. C. et al., ut supra). In traditional herbal medicine, A. camphorata fruiting bodies have been utilized as treatment for food and drug intoxications, diarrhea, abnormal pains, hypertension, itchy skin and liver cancer.

The embodiments herein relate generally to subterranean formation operations and, more particularly, to magnetic proppant particulates. Subterranean wells (such as hydrocarbon producing wells, water producing wells, and the like) are often stimulated by hydraulic fracturing treatments. In hydraulic fracturing treatments, a treatment fluid is pumped into a portion of a subterranean formation at a rate and pressure such that the subterranean formation breaks down and one or more fractures are formed. Typically, particulate solids are then deposited in the fractures. These particulate solids, or “proppant particulates” or “proppant,” serve to prevent the fractures from fully closing once the hydraulic pressure is removed by forming a proppant pack. As used herein, the term “proppant pack” refers to a collection of proppant particulates in a fracture. By keeping the fracture from fully closing, the proppant particulates aid in forming conductive paths through which fluids may flow. The degree of success of a fracturing operation depends, at least in part, upon fracture porosity and conductivity once the fracturing operation is stopped and production is begun. Traditional fracturing operations place a large volume of proppant particulates into a fracture and the porosity of the resultant packed propped fracture is then related to the interconnected interstitial spaces between the abutting proppant particulates. Thus, the resultant fracture porosity from a traditional fracturing operation is closely related to the strength of the placed proppant particulates (if the placed proppant crushes, then the pieces of broken proppant may plug the interstitial spaces) and the size and shape of the placed proppant (larger, more spherical proppant particulates generally yield increased interstitial spaces between the particulates). Unfortunately, when fractures close upon the proppant particulates they can crush or become compacted, potentially forming non-permeable or low permeability masses within the fracture rather than desirable high permeability masses. Such low permeability masses may choke the flow path of the fluids within the formation. Furthermore, the proppant particulates may become embedded in particularly soft formations, negatively impacting production. One way to increase conductivity of proppant packs involves the placement of proppant aggregates comprised of multiple individual proppant particulates. The larger size of the proppant aggregates allows a reduced volume of proppant to be placed into the fracture while maintaining the structural integrity required to keep the fracture from closing and crushing the proppant aggregates. Additionally, the spaces between the proppant aggregates through which produced fluids flow may be larger than the interstitial spaces that would be present between individual proppant particulates. Typical proppant aggregates are formed by agglomerating proppant particulates using a resin or tackifying agent that may, or may not, remain tacky after the aggregates have formed. This method relies on the proppant particulates colliding in a treatment fluid downhole during an operation and may in some instances lead to inefficient agglomeration or smaller formed aggregates than desirable. Another method proposed to combat problems inherent in tight spaces is to pump a substantially solids free fluid intermittently between pumping proppant particulates and/or proppant aggregates. The solids free fluid forms spaces within the proppant pack by preventing individual proppant particulates and/or proppant aggregates from gathering particularly close to one another. These spaces, or “proppant free channels,” form conductive channels through which produced fluids may flow. However, such intermittent pumping may be deleterious to operational equipment, as it requires the constant turning on and off of the equipment. Additionally, the intermittent pumping may cause additives in either the solids free fluid or other treatment fluids to settle out during the constant pressure changes (i.e., as the pumping equipment is stopped and begun again) and/or deposition of the additives in undesired locations in the subterranean formation.

The present invention relates to techniques for configuring printed circuit (PC) boards. One common type of integrated circuit (IC) device packaging technique provides pins around a rectangular package perimeter. The pins may be bent perpendicular to the plane of the chip and soldered into holes in the PC board (referred to as through-hole mount), or may be bent with the ends of the pins parallel to the plane of the chip and soldered to pads on the board surface (referred to as surface-mount). However, IC devices are constantly evolving, and may it may be desirable for a later generation of an IC device to include additional circuitry for new features, diagnostics, or perhaps operation in multiple modes. In many such cases, the new IC device will require more pins than the old IC device. This creates problems for a board manufacturer who wishes to offer products based on both versions of the IC device. Clearly, the existing board that was designed to accommodate the old version will not accommodate the new version. Equally serious, however, is the problem that a new circuit board, designed for the new version, will not accommodate the old version. Thus the manufacturer is confronted with having to maintain two boards in inventory, which is undesirable.

Acoustic resonators may rely on resonance of materials, such as piezoelectric materials, to provide electrical signals, and as a result resonators may be able to provide signals with stable frequencies and predicable temperature characteristics. Accordingly, resonators are regularly used to implement electrical frequency control applications, such as clock signal generation in digital circuits, frequency stabilization in wireless devices, and signal filtering. Typically, resonators are configured to resonate at a frequency known as a center frequency. The center frequency of a resonator is predominantly determined based on factors such as the physical dimensions of the resonator and materials used to make it. Manufacturing variations in the thickness and other dimensions of the material used to make the resonator often result in poor center frequency accuracy, however. In order to compensate for these errors, center frequencies may be passively tuned by coupling resonators to reactive circuit components, such as capacitors and inductors. In this manner, center frequencies may be increased or decreased such that a desired center frequency is achieved. Tuning center frequencies in this manner, however, can lead to increases in motional impedance of the resonator and/or degradation in overall performance. For example, tuning center frequencies may accelerate the rate at which center frequencies drift over time. Moreover, passively tuning center frequencies may provide a limited range over which tuning center frequencies may be tuned.

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. For example, one network may be a 3G (the third generation of mobile phone standards and technology), 4G, 5G, or later system, which may provide network service via any one of various radio access technologies (RATs) including EVDO (Evolution-Data Optimized), 1×RTT (1 times Radio Transmission Technology, or simply 1×), W-CDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), UMTS-TDD (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System-Time Division Duplexing), HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), or EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for Global Evolution). Such multiple access networks may also 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 FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks, and Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-A) networks. Other examples of wireless communication networks may include WiFi (in accordance with IEEE 802.11), WiMAX (in accordance with IEEE 802.16), and Bluetooth® networks. A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations that can support communication for a number of mobile stations. A mobile station (MS) may communicate with a base station (BS) via a downlink and an uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the mobile station, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the mobile station to the base station. A base station may transmit data and control information on the downlink to a mobile station and/or may receive data and control information on the uplink from the mobile station. Amplifiers (e.g., transimpedance amplifiers, inverting amplifiers, etc.) may be used in a variety of systems (which may be referred to as amplification systems) to increase the power of an input signal, including for wireless communication systems. For example, amplifiers may be used in radio frequency (RF) systems, to increase the power of a signal for transmission, or increase the power of a received signal. Such RF systems may implement envelope tracking, which is an approach to amplifier design where the power supply voltage to the amplifier is adjusted so as to track the instant transmission power required for transmitting a signal. Accordingly, the amplifier may operate efficiently according to the varying required power level. Amplifiers used in amplification systems may have an undesired output error. In particular, the actual output from the amplifier deviates from the desired output by the undesired output error.

Electrical submersible pump systems (ESPs) are utilized in hydrocarbon exploration to assist in the removal of hydrocarbon-containing fluid from a formation and/or reservoir. Such ESP systems are disposed downhole in a wellbore, and are consequently exposed to harsh conditions and operating parameters that can have a significant effect on system performance and useful life of the ESP. It is important to monitor the flow of an ESP close to the ESP (rather than at the surface) for many reasons. One important reason is to get an immediate indication if fluid is not flowing through the ESP. As the ESP is cooled by the fluid that it pumps, it is essential to determine low or absent flow quickly if it occurs, so the ESP can be stopped before the ESP burns out due to overheating. Another reason is if there are several ESPs that are in the same well, producing from multiple producing zones. In this case a downhole flowmeter is required if allocation of produced fluid is required between zones. A further reason for monitoring flow downhole is if a surface or subsea flowmeter is not possible, or expensive. During fluid removal or other processes, flow contributions are typically monitored at various depths in a well. Such monitoring can be provided by wireline-conveyed downhole flowmeters that are temporarily installed in the well for a period of time such as hours or days. More recently, permanently installed downhole flowmeters have been deployed in certain wells, where surface or subsea flow measurement is difficult. Such permanently installed flowmeters typically use the venturi principle, measuring the reduction of pressure at the throat of the venturi to determine flowrate. One disadvantage of venturi flowmeters is the need to restrict the flow at the venturi. This will cause a certain amount of pressure loss, even in a well designed venturi. Any pressure loss in the flowmeter results in reduced oil flow, and/or increased pumping costs. Other flowmeters, such as turbine flowmeters, are less popular in permanent installations, primarily due to the unreliability of downhole moving parts and bearings. For surface flow measurement, particularly for the measurement of the flow of low flowrate gases, energy-balance, or “thermal flowmeters” are well known. One type first measures the temperature of a fluid flowing along a pipe. The fluid is then heated, and finally the temperature of the fluid is measured again after flowing through the heated section. The flowrate in the pipe can be calculated from the increase in fluid temperature, provided the volumetric heat capacity of the fluid is known, and the power of the heater.Flowrate=Heater_Power/[(Tout−Tin)*Cv]. “Heater_Power” is measured in Watts (W), “Tout” is the fluid temperature after flowing through the heated section in degrees Celsius (C), “Tin” is the fluid temperature prior to heating in degrees Celsius (C), “Cv” is the volumetric heat capacity of the fluid measured in Watts/meters3*C (W/m^3/C), and the Flowrate is measured in m^3/sec This formula is an energy-balance equation. For any given time, for a stable flowrate, the electrical energy delivered to the heater must equal the increase in heat energy in the fluid flowing through the heated section of the pipe, assuming the heater is externally well insulated, so that all the electrical energy supplied to the heater is delivered to the flowing fluid, with negligible amount leaking to the surrounding environment.

This disclosure relates in general to content delivery and, more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to domain name service (DNS) resolution. A content delivery network (CDN) is used by many web sites to deliver content more efficiently. The CDN may host, mirror and/or cache the content as well as deliver it to a requesting party. A web site or origin server is linked to the CDN such that some or all content can be sourced from the CDN rather than the web site. This process of fulfilling a link through a CDN is usually transparent to the user. Singlecasting of large events can be difficult for CDNs to deliver efficiently. CDNs deliver content objects such as files or streams to tens of thousands of recipients in a short period of time. Serving resources can be overwhelmed by these large events. Where a point of presence (POP) or individual servers saturate, a user can experience inadequate quality of service (QoS). To avoid these bottlenecks, CDNs generally overbuild their serving resources and POPs. Overbuilding is undesirable, as it is inefficient and can result in increased expense and complexity that is not needed during normal operating conditions. A domain name service (DNS) is used to resolve the IP address or group of IP addresses from where an object or stream should be sourced for delivery to a recipient. Users' local DNS recursors participate in a series of delegations to resolve the actual IP address of the server that will source the data. Through the delegation process, the request for data is routed to the server, which could be one of a number of servers that could source the data. One or more alternative server addresses can be provided during the DNS resolution process. Any of the alternative servers can be used to provide the data associated with the requested domain. Where a small number of server addresses is provided, and/or where each user DNS recursor is given a DNS solution with the same server listed first, servers can overload and provide poor QoS. One solution to this problem is “round-robin DNS”, where IP addresses given in each DNS resolution are the same, but the order of the IP addresses could be varied for each DNS solution, with the goal of more evenly distributing the content requests across the servers. Where a larger number of server addresses is desirable, there are limits, typically encountered at user-network firewalls and other security boundaries, on the size of a DNS solution packet, and therefore on the number of IP addresses that can be included in such a solution. A typical limit could be in the range of 16 to 20 IP addresses. There are two method known in the art that are usually deployed to work around this limit and enable utilization of more servers than the limit of the DNS solution packet size. One method is to use a load balancing switch to virtualize the IP addresses. In this method, a small number of logical IP addresses is returned in the DNS solution packet; content requests are intercepted by the load balancing switch; and the switch maps those requests to a greater (often far greater) number of physical IP addresses corresponding to physical servers. The switch is a “load balancing” switch because another of its functions, besides enabling the virtualization of server addresses, is to balance loads across servers, which among other effects, normally makes round-robin DNS unnecessary (because even if all content requests came to a single logical IP address, the switch can distribute the load among the physical IP addresses). Thus, in one example of this scenario, 16 logical IP addresses are returned in each DNS solution; all content requests are directed to one of these 16 logical IP addresses; the load balancing switch translates the 16 logical IP addresses to 60 physical server IP addresses; and the switch balances the loads across the 60 servers. A second method of solving this DNS solution packet limit problem is to divide the content site into multiple, smaller logical sites, by using hostnames for each portion of the site (a “hostname” is the portion of the URL to the left of the website name, e.g., in the URL img.foo.com, “img” would be the hostname). As an example, if foo.com requires more than the limited number of servers that could be returned in a DNS solution packet, it could be divided into part-A.foo.com, part-B.foo.com, and part-C.foo.com. When DNS resolutions are requested, different server addresses can be provided for each hostname, thereby (in this example), tripling the number of servers that can be used to serve the content. When using this method, round-robin DNS is still useful, because changing the order of the IP addresses presented in the DNS solution for part-A.foo.com can help to more evenly distribute the content requests across the servers. Both of these methods, however, have limitations. In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If only the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an illumination compensation method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for compensating for illumination for image encoding and decoding. 2. Description of the Related Art In multi-view coding (MVC) for 3-dimensional (3D) display applications, when prediction between neighboring views is performed, illumination changes between the neighboring views occur due to an incorrectly calibrated camera, different perspective projection directions, and different reflection effects, and as a result, encoding efficiency is lowered. In addition, in the case of a single view, the encoding efficiency is lowered due to illumination changes caused by screen switching and the like. In order to solve these problems, the H.264 standard uses a weighted prediction technique. This weighted prediction technique is applied to motion compensation at a slice level, and illumination is compensated for according to an appropriate weighted factor W and an additional offset O. An improved method for this weighted prediction technique is illumination change-adaptive motion estimation/compensation (ICA ME/MC). According to ICA ME/MC, in the case of a Y component in the YUV color format, ICA ME/MC is performed in units of 16×16 blocks, and a difference value of illumination change (DVIC) in relation to each macroblock is obtained. In ICA ME/MC, there are two modes. One is an IC-inter 16×16 mode which uses ICA ME/MC, and is used in a P or B slice. The other mode is an IC-direct 16×16 mode which does not use ICA ME/MC and is used only in a B slice. In order to compensate for local illumination change, a 1-bit flag, i.e., mb_ic_flag, is required for each of the inter 16×16 block mode and the direct 16×16 block mode. Since there are very high correlations between the DVIC of a current block and the DVICs of neighboring blocks, the DVIC of the current block is transmitted by obtaining and encoding the difference between the DVIC of the current block and the DVICs of the neighboring blocks. The ICA ME/MC in units of macroblocks for an inter 16×16 mode will now be explained. For ICA ME/MC, a new sum of absolute differences (SAD) should be defined. Assuming that a pixel at coordinates (i,j) of a current frame is f(i,j), and a pixel at coordinates (i,j) of a reference frame is r(i,j), the SAD of blocks of a size of S×T is calculated according to Equation 1 below. Here, S×T may be 16×16, 16×8, 8×16, 8×8, 8×4, 4×8, and 4×4. SAD ⁡ ( x , y ) = ∑ i = m m + S - 1 ⁢ ∑ j = n n + T - 1 ⁢  f ⁡ ( i , j ) - r ⁡ ( i + x , j + y )  ( Equation ⁢ ⁢ 1 ) Here, (x,y) is a candidate motion vector, and (m,n) is the position of a current block. In order to compensate for illumination change, a new SAD is required. The new SAD is obtained according to Equations 2 and 3 below: M cur = 1 S × T ⁢ ∑ i = m m + S - 1 ⁢ ∑ j = n n + T - 1 ⁢ f ⁡ ( i , j ) ⁢ ⁢ M ref ⁡ ( p , q ) = 1 S × T ⁢ ∑ i = p p + S - 1 ⁢ ∑ j = q q + T - 1 ⁢ r ⁡ ( i , j ) ( Equation ⁢ ⁢ 2 ) Here, Mcur is the mean value of pixels of a current block, and Mref is the mean value of pixels in a reference block. Also, (p,q) is the position of the reference block. The new SAD, i.e., NewSAD(x,y) is obtained according to Equation 3 below: NewSAD ⁡ ( x , y ) = ∑ i = m m + S - 1 ⁢ ∑ j = n n + T - 1 ⁢  { f ⁡ ( i , j ) - M cur } - { r ⁡ ( i + x , j + y ) - M ref ⁡ ( m + x , n + y ) }  ( Equation ⁢ ⁢ 3 ) In ICA ME/MC, a block which minimizes the NewSAD(x,y), for example, a 16×16 block, is searched for based on Equation 3, and a motion vector (MV) corresponding to the block is found. If the motion vector MV(x′,y′) minimizing the NewSAD(x,y) is determined, an illumination compensation residual signal NewR(i,j) is determined according to Equation 4 below: NewR ⁡ ( i , j ) = ⁢ { f ⁡ ( i , j ) - M cur } - { r ⁡ ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) - ⁢ M ref ⁡ ( m + x ′ , n + y ′ ) } = ⁢ { f ⁡ ( i , j ) - r ⁡ ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) } - ⁢ { M cur - M ref ⁢ ( m + x ′ , n + y ′ ) } = ⁢ { f ⁡ ( i , j ) - r ⁡ ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) } - DVIC ( Equation ⁢ ⁢ 4 ) In this case, the mb_ic_flag that is the 1-bit flag is stored in a syntax in order to indicate whether or not ICA ME/MC is used. The DPCM value of the DVIC is also included in the syntax. In the current example, if the mb_ic_flag is 0, it indicates that ICA MC for a current block has not been performed. If the mb_ic_flag is 1, it indicates that ICA MC for the current block has been performed. Also, if the mb_ic_flag is 1, the ICA ME/MC unit of a decoding apparatus obtains a restored pixel by using Equation 5 below: f ′ ⁡ ( i , j ) = ⁢ { NewR ″ ⁡ ( x ′ , y ′ , i , j ) + r ⁡ ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) } + ⁢ { M cur - M ref ⁡ ( m + x ′ , n + y ′ ) } = ⁢ { NewR ″ ⁡ ( x ′ , y ′ , i , j ) + r ⁡ ( i + x ′ , j + y ′ ) } + ⁢ DVIC ( Equation ⁢ ⁢ 5 ) Here, NewR″(i,j) is a restored illumination compensation residual signal, and f′(i,j) is a restored pixel in a current frame. In this conventional ICA ME/MC method, DVIC information should be transmitted, and as a result, the encoding efficiency is lowered. A method of compensating for illumination capable of omitting DVIC information by improving the conventional illumination method has been suggested. In order to omit the DVIC information, an illumination-compensated reference block is generated by using Equation 6 below:f(i,j)=ax,y·r′x,y(i,j)+bx,y  (Equation 6) In Equation 6, ax,y and bx,y have values varying with respect to a motion vector (x,y), and have constant values in relation to each motion vector. Also, r′x,y(i,j) is a motion compensated reference block, and {circumflex over (f)}(i,j) is an illumination-compensated reference block. In the illumination compensation method using Equation 6, calculation of ax,y and bx,y is performed by using restored pixels neighboring a current block according to a linear regression method, an average of difference based prediction method, and a difference of average based prediction method. Accordingly, the DVIC information can be omitted. However, the illumination compensation method omitting the DVIC information calculates ax,y and bx,y from the restored pixels neighboring the current block, and therefore the performance of illumination change prediction by the method is lower than the performance by a method of calculating ax,y and bx,y by using the current block.

This invention relates to a ground-based system to locate perpetrators of aircraft laser strikes. Laser strikes against commercial aircraft are a growing problem in the United States. In the last decade there has been a large increase in the number of incidents reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, likely driven by the increasing availability of high power, low cost laser pointers. Reports increased rapidly in 2015, with 7,703 incidents compared to 3,894 in 2014. Impacts to the pilot include distraction, loss of night vision, temporary flash blindness and retinal burning. These effects generally happen during the most critical takeoff and landing phases of flight when the aircraft are closest to the ground, and as a result they pose a serious safety hazard that has many public officials very concerned. Current responses to these incidents are limited. For persistent incidents in a given location, air traffic controllers may change departure and landing patterns to avoid areas where laser strikes have been reported. For more egregious incidents, police helicopters may be deployed to try to find the perpetrator on the ground using the helicopter's onboard infrared sensors. Currently, this is the only way for law enforcement to locate and stop a perpetrator from future incidents, but very few perpetrators have been apprehended to date. An object of the present invention is a ground-based system to automatically detect laser streaks and geolocate their origin, with coupling to an alerting system to allow a rapid law enforcement response and a post-event analysis system to support prosecution. The system disclosed herein holds the promise of persistent protection of high criticality air space around an airport which will lead to significantly greater potential for perpetrator apprehension and prosecution, with associated strong deterrent effects.

Various connectors are known for the connection of external components to medico-technical apparatuses. The access to the medico-technical apparatuses generally takes place by means of plugs, which are inserted into matching sockets of the medico-technical apparatuses. In this regard, the medico-technical apparatuses, which will be referred to generally below as medical apparatuses, comprise a corresponding socket unit, whilst the external components comprise a plug unit. For the treatment of patients with kidney disease, use is made of blood treatment apparatuses, which include in particular the known extracorporeal dialysis apparatuses or apparatuses for peritoneal dialysis. The preparation of medical treatment fluids is required for cleaning the patient's blood. These include, for example, dialysing fluid or substitution fluid. In so-called automatic peritoneal dialysis (APD) or acute dialysis, the medical treatment fluids are automatically processed in the blood treatment apparatuses. The treatment fluids are prepared in fluid reservoirs, which are connected to the blood treatment apparatuses. The fresh dialysing fluid is pumped from the fluid reservoir into the blood treatment apparatus. The fluid reservoir can already contain a concentrate which is diluted with water. In this case, the fluid reservoir only has to be filled with water. In this connection, therefore, water is understood to mean a medical fluid. It is also possible for a plurality of fluid reservoirs to be connected to a blood treatment apparatus, if a treatment fluid ready for use is produced in the treatment apparatus by mixing a plurality of fluids. The connection of the fluid reservoir to the blood treatment apparatuses again takes place with a plug unit, which is inserted into a socket unit of the blood treatment apparatus. For the filling of devices for supplying dialysing fluid, apparatuses are known to which the devices for supplying dialysing fluid can be connected. The apparatuses for the filling therefore in turn comprise a socket unit which can be connected to the plug unit of the device for supplying dialysing fluid. A device for supplying a treatment fluid is described for example in European Application No. EP 0 575 970 A2. The known device for supplying dialysing fluid comprises a bag for accommodating the fluid, to which a hose line is connected, which at its free end is connected to a plug. The dialysis apparatus comprises a socket into which the plug is inserted. Two flow connections can be produced with the plug and the socket, in order to convey fresh dialysing fluid from the bag into the dialysis apparatus and used dialysing fluid back into the bag. To secure the plug in the socket against slipping out, the plug comprises latching noses which engage in the recesses of the socket when the plug is fully inserted into the socket. The connection of the device for supplying medical fluids to the blood treatment apparatus or an apparatus for the filling of the device for supplying medical fluids should be as straightforward and reliable as possible for the medical personnel. The socket unit should be able to be rinsed with a rinsing fluid for the purpose of disinfection. A socket unit for a dialysis apparatus is described in International Patent Publication No. WO 2009/074588 A1, said socket unit being able to be rinsed with a rinsing fluid. The socket of the socket unit comprises a cylindrical housing body, in which a connection piece for a connector of a plug unit is disposed. For the purpose of rinsing, the housing body of the socket unit is closed by a closure piece, so that the cylindrical recess in the housing body forms a rinsing chamber through which the rinsing fluid flows. The closure piece is guided displaceably on the housing body of the socket unit between a first position in which the rinsing chamber is closed and a second position in which the rinsing chamber is open.

It would be desirable to provide anhydrous self-warming hair care compositions. These rinse-out compositions are first applied to the hair, and then when contacted with water they generate heat and give a perception of warmth, to the user. The perception of warmth is desirable, because it serves as a signal or cue to the user, that the composition works, and provides warmth and relation. Alternately, water could be applied to hair first and then the rinse-out compositions could be applied, or water and rinse-out compositions could be simultaneously applied to the hair. All of these methods would generate heat. Such, rinse-out compositions can take the form of shampoos, conditioners, or 2 in 1 products that is compositions that are; both shampoos and conditioners. Known anhydrous self-warming rinse-out hair care compositions have deficiencies in rheology and conditioning ability. It would be desirable to overcome these deficiencies in rheology and conditioning ability. Publication and products which relate to the field of the invention are as follows: The Product: Lux Self-Warming Conditioner Treatmentxe2x80x941998 Product Label from the Andrew Jergens Company, for the Biore Facial Muskxe2x80x94copyright 1998. The Biore Self-Heating Mask is a facial mask which contains sodium silicoaluminate. On contact with water, this mask heats up. U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,685xe2x80x94July, 1994 (incorporated by reference) describes a clear conditioning composition comprising an amidoamine salt, said amidoamine salt comprising an amidoamine compound of a specified formula that is neutralized with a suitable acid. The invention relates to an anhydrous, self-warming rinse-out hair care composition which comprises: a) at least one glycol; b) at least one quaternary ammonium compound; c) at least one amidoamine; and d) at least one silicone. Compositions of the invention can take the form of conditioners, shampoos, or 2 in 1 products. The invention also relates to a method for deep conditioning the hair with self-warning and/or cleansing the hair with self-warming, which comprises contacting the hair with a composition of the invention and with water. The invention also relates to a process for preparing a composition of the invention.

Generally, an existing child's tricycle includes a front fork, a front wheel arranged at a lower part of the front fork, a handlebar arranged on the front fork and being capable of controlling a steering of the front wheel, a frame body extending in a front-rear direction, a seat arranged on the frame body, rear brackets respectively arranged on two sides of the frame body, and rear wheels respectively arranged on the corresponding rear brackets. However, the frame body of an existing child's tricycle is generally fixed together with a frame head tube which is sleeved on the outside of the handle bar, in such a way that the bracket can not be folded, and can only be presented in a riding state. When the tricycle is carried in outgoing, needs to be deposited or transported, it is inconvenient since the volume of the tricycle is too large, and the cost is high during the transportation.

Cell-signaling processes mediated by ubiquitinylation, the post-translational covalent conjugation of ubiquitin molecules, are of prime importance for cellular activity and particularly for protein turnover. Ubiquitin-ligase enzymes, E3s, are responsible for the last step of the ubiquitinylation reaction. The E3 cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs) represent the main ubiquitin ligase family. Among several factors that regulate CRL activity, cullin neddylation/deneddylation cycles are central (1). The COP9 signalosome (CSN), a large multiprotein complex that resembles the 19S lid of the 26S proteasome, plays a central role in the regulation of the E3-cullin RING ubiquitin ligases (CRLs). Due to the fact that a large number of proteins are ubiquitinylated by CRLs, the COP9 signalosome (CSN) is implicated in the control of a significant proportion of the proteome, including pro-oncogenes (for example Myc), tumor suppressors (for example p53) and other important cellular protagonists. Different biological and biochemical functions of the CSN complex have been studied over the years, but by far the most studied is its role as a CRL deneddylase. The catalytic activity of the CSN complex, carried by subunit 5 (CSN5/Jab1), resides in the deneddylation of the CRLs, that is the hydrolysis of the cullin-Nedd8 isopeptide bond. Structurally, the CSN is an eight-subunit complex of about 320 kDa (six PCI (proteasome COP9 eIF3)-based subunits and two Mpr1-Pad1-N-terminal [MPN]-containing subunits). Subunit 5 (CSN5), one of the MPN-containing subunits, carries a zinc-dependent isopeptidase catalytic centre that contains a JAMM (Jab1/MPN/Mov34) motif (also known as MPN+ motif; (2)). Recent detailed studies suggested that the organization of the CSN complex resembles that of the 26S proteasome lid (3), with the deubiquitinase enzyme Rpn11 being the equivalent of the deneddylating subunit CSN5 (2, 4). The CSN, implicated in various cellular functions, ranging from cell cycles, to circadian rhythm, to immunity, is a very well conserved multi-protein complex in eukaryotes, from plants to mammalian cells. Its importance in cellular functions has been highlighted by genetic studies (5). The physiology of the CSN in normal cells has been well researched, and many studies have found a strong link between the CSN and cancers (6). Intriguingly, the CSN cancer implication is attributable to mainly CSN5, which is located on human chromosome 8q—itself often amplified in cancers. Smaller forms of the holo-CSN complex, with variable compositions, have been found in vivo (7-11). Although important in cell cycle progression, these sub-CSN complexes have not yet been fully functionally characterized (12). It is interesting that, as alluded to for Rpn11 in the context of the proteasome lid (4), CSN5 is found in two forms, a holo-CSN-associated form that is catalytically active and a holo-CSN-independent state void of isopeptidase activity (2, 3). The modularity and topology of the CSN complex have been explored in vitro by non-denaturing mass spectrometry (MS), which revealed that CSN5 is a peripheral subunit that can homo-dimerize outside of the CSN complex and interacts mostly with the other MPN-containing subunit, CSN6, in the context of the CSN complex (3). The potential interactions of CSN5 with other CSN subunits, namely CSN1, CSN2, CSN4 and CSN7, have been highlighted in earlier reports (1, 8, 13, 14). Whereas CSN-dependent CSN5 displays isopeptidase activity, it is intrinsically inactive in other physiologically relevant forms. To elucidate the molecular regulation of CSN5 activity, the inventors structurally and functionally characterized it in its CSN-independent form by X-ray crystallography, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, and in vitro studies. Furthermore, the invention provides a preliminary glimpse into the rational screening of small molecules, antibodies, peptides, pseudopeptide, and polypeptides inhibitors of CSN5 isopeptidase activity.

The demand for xylitol, which is a sugar alcohol existing in nature, is expected to increase from now on. Xylitol has a lower caloric value than that of sucrose but is sweet as comparable to sucrose. Thus, it is promising as a low caloric sweetener. Furthermore, xylitol is anticariogenic and can be a dental caries-preventing sweetener. Since xylitol does not raise the blood glucose level, it has been used for infusion liquids for treating diabetes. At present, xylitol is mainly produced in an industrial scale by hydrogenation of D-xylose as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,008,825. The raw material, D-xylose, can be obtained by hydrolyzing a starting material such as hardwoods, straws, ear stems of corns, crusts of oats, or the other plant-derived materials rich in xylan. However, D-xylose that is obtained by hydrolyzing the plant materials is disadvantageously expensive because of the high production cost. For example, the yield of the plant material-hydrolyzed product is low, which makes purity of produced D-xylitol low. After the hydrolysis, it is thus necessary to remove the acid used in the hydrolysis and the pigment by the ion exchange treatment. Furthermore, D-xylitol is crystallized to remove other hemicelluloses. Further purification is required to obtain D-xylose that can be used for food. The ion exchange treatment and crystallization results in an increase of the production cost. In order to solve the above problems, a method of producing xylitol that uses a readily available starting material and that produces a reduced amount of waste matters has been desired. For example, a method of producing xylitol using pentitol as a starting material has been developed. One of the readily available pentitols is D-arabitol that can be produced using yeast (Can. J. Microbiol. 31, 1985, 467-471, J. Gen. Microbiol. 139, 1993, 1047-1054). Several methods have been developed for producing xylitol using D-arabitol as a starting material. Applied Microbiology, 18, 1969, 1031-1035 reported a method that comprises producing D-arabitol from glucose by fermentation using Debaryomyces hansenii ATCC20121, converting D-arabitol thus obtained to D-xylulose using Acetobacter suboxydans, and converting D-xylulose to xylitol using Candida guilliermondii var. Soya. EP-A-403392 (applicant: Roquette Freres) and EP-A-421882(applicant: Roquette Freres) each discloses a method which comprises producing D-arabitol by fermentation using an osmotic pressure-resistant yeast, converting D-arabitol thus produced to D-xylulose using a microorganism belonging to the genus Acetobacter, Gluconobacter, or Klebsiella, reacting xylulose thus obtained with glucose (xylose) isomerase to produce a mixture of xylose and xylulose, and converting the thus-formed xylose/xylulose to xylitol by hydrogenation. These publications also disclose a method of preliminarily concentrating xylose in the xylose/xylulose mixture and converting concentrated xylose to xylitol by hydrogenation. The above-described method of producing xylitol using the D-arabitol above as a starting material enables a high yield production of xylitol. However, it is disadvantageous in requiring plural reaction steps, which makes the process complicated. Thus, the method is not economically satisfactory.

The present invention relates to the field of components for optical telecommunications and more particularly concerns a method and a corresponding apparatus for recording optical gratings in a photosensitive medium with an enhanced control of the characteristics of the grating. Phase masks are widely used for the fabrication of UV-induced fiber Bragg gratings since their first reports (see for example K. O. Hill, B. Malo, F. Bilodeau, D. C. Johnson, and J. Albert, xe2x80x9cBragg gratings fabricated in monomode photosensitive optical fiber by UV exposure through a phase maskxe2x80x9d Appl. Phys. Lett., pp.1035-1037 (1993); U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,588 (Hill et al.); D. Z. Anderson, V. Mizrahi, T. Erdogan, and A. E. White, xe2x80x9cProduction of in-fibre gratings using a diffractive optical elementxe2x80x9d Electron. Lett., pp.566-568 (1993); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,515 (Anderson et al.). The use of such a diffractive element renders easy the mass production of fiber Bragg gratings as the mask acts somewhat as a master replicated onto a large number of fiber Bragg gratings. However, a typical writing setup with a phase mask is not flexible and allows the fabrication of only one type of fiber Bragg gratings, that is, the one with the specifications prescribed by the phase mask. The fiber is characterized by an effective index neff that is modified by the UV radiation. A fiber Bragg grating is mainly characterized by the period p of the index modulation in the core of the fiber, along its axis. The fiber Bragg grating reflects light having a wavelength xcexB (the Bragg wavelength) given by: xcexB(z)=2p(z)xc3x1eff(z),xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(1) Where xc3x1eff is the slowly varying effective index of the fiber inside the grating, z is the position along the grating and the dependence of the parameters over z indicates that both the period and the slowly varying effective index are not necessarily uniform along the grating. There is an interest in the control of the Bragg wavelength along a grating. This can be done by controlling the period of the grating along the fiber. Translating a UV-beam along the phase mask is a convenient way to achieve long gratings (J. Martin, and F. Ouellette, xe2x80x9cNovel writing technique of long and highly reflective in-fibre gratingsxe2x80x9d Electron. Lett., pp.911-812 (1994)). In particular, it allows a fine control of the apodisation, that is the strength of the grating, along the fiber axis. Several techniques based on a phase mask but with enhanced flexibility have been proposed over the past few years. One of the most straightforward way to modify the grating period is by stretching the fiber, such as taught in K. C. Byron, and H. N. Rourke, xe2x80x9cFabrication of chirped fibre gratings by novel stretch and write techniquexe2x80x9d Electron. Lett., pp.60-61 (1995) and K. Sugden, I. Bennion, A. Molony, and N. J. Copner, xe2x80x9cChirped gratings produced in photosensitive optical fibres by fibre deformation during exposurexe2x80x9d Electron. Lett., pp.440-442 (1994). There is also suggested in Y. Painchaud, A. Chandonnet, and J. Lauzon, xe2x80x9cChirped fibre gratings produced by tilting the fibrexe2x80x9d Electron. Lett., pp.171-172 (1995) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,903,689 (PAINCHAUD et al.) to adjust the period by controlling the angles of both the phase mask and the fiber with respect to the UV-beam axis. Referring to U.S. Pat. No. 6,072,926 (COLE et al.) and M. J. Cole, W. H. Loh, R. I. Laming, M. N. Zervas, and S. Barcelos, xe2x80x9cMoving fibre/phase mask-scanning beam technique for enhanced flexibility in producing fibre gratings with uniform phase maskxe2x80x9d Electron. Lett., pp.1488-1490 (1995), it is known to adjust the period by moving the phase mask. For the fine tuning of the Bragg wavelength, Cole proposed a lateral displacement of the phase mask during a writing process involving a scan of the UV beam. Excellent results have been obtained but the adjustment range is limited to about 1 nm. FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART) shows the limit of the grating period adjustment when the UV beam diameter is 350 xcexcm: the reflectivity decreases as a function of the detuning which corresponds to a decrease in the writing efficiency. The adjustment range increases as the UV beam size decreases. Cole also proposed a displacement of the phase mask at variable velocity for the adjustment of a chirp in the grating period. On another hand, Prohaska, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,351,321 (SNITZER) and J. D. Prohaska, E. Snitzer, S. Rishton, and V. Boegli, xe2x80x9cMagnification of mask fabricated fibre Bragg gratingsxe2x80x9d Electron. Lett., pp.1614-1615 (1993) a technique for controlling the period of a Bragg grating over a large range (several nanometers) by using a magnifying lens along the UV beam axis. The right side of FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART) shows the interference fringes at the output of a phase mask when a convergent UV beam is incident at the input surface. By placing a fiber at a distance q from the output surface of the phase mask, a grating will be photo-imprinted having a period p given by: p=xcex9/2xc2x7M,xe2x80x83xe2x80x83(2) where M = 1 - q z f , ( 3 ) is the magnification factor, xcex9 is the phase mask period, q is the distance between the output surface of the phase mask and the fiber core and zf is the distance between the output surface of the phase mask and the focal plane, that is the plane where the beam would be focalized. The distance zf also corresponds to the radius of curvature of the wavefront at the phase mask. Oppositely, the left side of FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART) illustrates the interference fringes at the output of a phase mask when a collimated beam is incident. In this case, the period of the grating is independent of the distance between the phase mask and the fiber. The technique described by Prohaska allows an adjustment of the Bragg wavelength over a large range (several nanometers). However, the optical characteristics of the resulting grating are degraded: the photo-induced grating is slanted (blazed) in a spatially-dependent manner. Such a slanted fringes inside the grating causes a spatial dependence of the diffraction efficiency and increases significantly the polarization dependent loss and polarization mode dispersion. Another drawback is the need for uncommonly large lenses when a long grating is to be photo-induced, making the method more costly and unpractical. There is therefore a need for a fabrication techniques for Bragg gratings or the like alleviating the above mentioned drawbacks of the prior art. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of recording optical gratings in a photosensitive medium that is versatile and commercially practical. It is another object of the present invention to provide an apparatus adapted to carry out such a method. It is a preferable object of the invention to provide such a method that enables the recording of long gratings over a large wavelength range. It is another preferable object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for recording superimposed grating components in a photosensitive medium. Accordingly, the present invention provides a method for recording an optical grating along a waveguiding axis in a photosensitive medium. The method includes: a) providing a phase mask proximate the photosensitive medium along the waveguiding axis; b) projecting a light beam through a portion of the phase mask to generate a light beam with a modulated intensity profile. The light beam with a modulated intensity profile impinges on the photosensitive medium to locally record therein a portion of the optical grating, having a characteristic period; c) moving the light beam along the waveguiding axis of the photosensitive medium to successively record portions of the optical grating therealong; and d) concurrently to the moving of the light beam: i) moving the phase mask in a direction parallel to the moving of the light beam. The moving of the phase mask is adjusted relative to the moving of the light beam to locally tune the characteristic period of each portion of the optical grating; and ii) providing a curvature in the light beam wavefront along the direction of the waveguiding axis, this curvature having a wavefront radius of curvature at a phase mask plane selected to generally optimize an efficiency of the recording of the optical grating for this characteristic period. In the alternative, the present invention provides another method for recording an optical grating along a waveguiding axis in a photosensitive medium, the method comprising: a) providing a phase mask proximate to the photosensitive medium along the waveguiding axis; b) projecting a light beam through a portion of said phase mask to generate a light beam with a modulated intensity profile, said light beam with a modulated intensity profile impinging on the photosensitive medium to locally record therein a portion of the optical grating having a characteristic period; c) moving the light beam along the waveguiding axis of the photosensitive medium to successively record portions of the optical grating therealong; and d) concurrently to said moving of the light beam: i) moving the photosensitive medium in a direction parallel to the moving of the light beam, said moving of the photosensitive medium being adjusted relative to the moving of the light beam to locally tune the characteristic period of each portion of the optical grating; and ii) providing a wavefront curvature in said light beam along the direction of the waveguiding axis, said curvature having a wavefront radius of curvature in a plane of the phase mask selected to generally optimize an efficiency of the recording of the optical grating for said characteristic period. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, there is also provided an apparatus for recording an optical grating along a waveguiding axis in a photosensitive medium. The apparatus includes a phase mask provided proximate the photosensitive medium along the waveguiding axis. A light source is also provided, generating a light beam for projection through a portion of the phase mask to generate a light beam with a modulated intensity profile. The light beam with a modulated intensity profile impinges on the photosensitive medium to locally record therein a portion of the optical grating having a characteristic period. Light beam moving means are provided for moving the light beam along the waveguiding axis of the photosensitive medium to successively record portions of the optical grating therealong, and phase mask moving means are also included for moving the phase mask in a direction parallel to the moving of the light beam and concurrently thereto. The moving of the phase mask is adjusted relative to the moving of the light beam to locally tune the characteristic period of each portion of the optical grating. The apparatus finally includes curvature means for providing a curvature in the light beam along the direction of the waveguiding axis. The curvature has a wavefront radius of curvature in a plane of the phase mask selected to generally optimize an efficiency of the recording of the optical grating for the characteristic period of each portion of the optical grating. Finally, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for recording an optical grating along a waveguiding axis in a photosensitive medium, the optical grating comprising a plurality of superimposed grating components each having a characteristic period profile, the method comprising: a) providing a phase mask proximate the photosensitive medium along the waveguiding axis; b) for each of the superimposed grating component: i) projecting a light beam through a portion of said phase mask to generate a light beam with a modulated intensity profile, said light beam with a modulated intensity profile impinging on the photosensitive medium to locally record therein a portion of the optical grating component having a characteristic period; ii) moving the light beam along the waveguiding axis of the photosensitive medium to successively record portions of the optical grating component therealong; and iii) concurrently to said moving of the light beam: 1) moving the phase mask in a direction parallel to the moving of the light beam, said moving of the phase mask being adjusted relative to the moving of the light beam to locally tune the characteristic period of each portion of the optical grating component; and 2) providing a curvature in said light beam along the direction of the waveguiding axis, said curvature having a wavefront radius of curvature in a plane of the phase mask selected to generally optimize an efficiency of the recording of the optical grating for said characteristic period. Advantageously, the present invention allows to locally control the period of an optical grating over a large range (about xc2x12% of the nominal period) while keeping the optical quality of the grating unaffected. Other techniques have been proposed but result in a degradation of the optical performances. Other aspects and advantages of the present invention will be better understood upon reading a preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the appended drawings.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention pertains generally to microfluidic flow devices and specifically to mixers and splitters of microfluidic flow. 2. Description of the Background The application of microfluidic analytical devices to chemical or biological assays has developed rapidly over the last decade. Although microfluidic devices have been highly successful, several performance limitations exist, notably reagent mixing. Most mixing devices rely on diffusive mixing, wherein the natural laminar flow effects and the reagent's inherent diffusion coefficient cause the reagents to mix. Therefore, the mixing chamber/channel is usually extended to lengths that will ensure a completely mixed outlet stream. This approach may be acceptable for low flowrates, but high flowrates (>1 cm/s) or low analyte diffusion coefficients (<10−7 cm/s2) will require excessively long mixing channels. The difficulty in rapidly mixing reagents results from the fact that the system is restricted to the laminar flow regime (Re<2000) and also because the feature sizes are too small (typically <100 μm) to incorporate conventional mixing mechanisms. The lack of turbulence in microfluidic systems has led to device designs that utilize multi-laminate, or flow splitting techniques to accomplish mixing in channels of shorter length. These designs split the incoming streams into several narrower confluent streams to reduce the mixing equilibrium time. Once mixing is complete, the narrow channels are then brought back together into a larger main channel for further transport, processing, and/or detection. The effectiveness of the flow splitting concept is based on the fact that the equilibrium time scales quadratically with the width of the channel. For example, if the width of the channel decreases by two, then the equilibrium time and the channel length decreased by a factor of four, or 25% of the original length. However, even a mixing length of 25% may still be unsuitable for some applications. Other techniques for mixing may rely on active mechanical mixing, such as stirring paddles and the like. For very small fluidic passages, such devices are extremely fragile and difficult to manufacture. It would therefore be advantageous to provide a device and method of mixing two confluent microfluidic laminar flows that did not require an excessively long channel to effectively mix the flows. Further, it would be advantageous to provide a splitting mechanism that may be able to split a stream of reagents into two streams of differing concentrations.

The present invention relates generally to optical limiting devices and more particularly to a solid-state optical limiting device and to a method for preparing the device. Optical sensors are important, light sensitive devices that are used in light detection. They can, however, be damaged if they are exposed to a high enough intensity of light. Dynamic and passive forms of optical sensor protection are known. One form of sensor protection may include, for example, special glasses that a welder uses to protect the welder""s eyes from the high intensity light generated by the welder""s arc. Another form of sensor protection may include an optical sensor that can sense high intensity light and communicate electronically to an actuator to block at least some of the light, thereby reducing its intensity and minimizing damage to the sensor. Optical limiting devices placed between the light source and the sensor can provide the sensor with protection from high intensity light. These protective devices absorb or scatter high intensity light while transmitting low intensity light from the light source to the sensor. Since no communication from the sensor or from any other device is required for optical limiting devices to become active, they provide a type of xe2x80x9csmartxe2x80x9d protection; they are always active, and they respond almost instantly to high intensity light. The increased speed is particularly important for applications where the sensor may be exposed to sudden bursts of high intensity light. Optical limiting devices are used, for example, to protect optical sensors in pulsed laser systems. Optical limiting devices have been recently reviewed by Lee W. Tutt, et. al. in xe2x80x9cA Review of Optical Limiting Mechanisms and Devices Using Organics, Fullerenes, Semiconductors, and Other Materials, Prog. Quant. Electr, 1993, vol. 17, pp. 299-338, hereby incorporated by reference. A subset of devices described therein employ optically sensitive materials that exhibit an accumulative optical absorption effect known as xe2x80x9creverse saturable absorptionxe2x80x9d (RSA). The RSA effect, first reported by C. R. Guiliano and L. D. Hess in IEEE Journal of Quantum Electronics, 1967, vol. 3, p. 358, was discovered when various dye molecules did not bleach, i.e. become more transparent, when exposed to high intensity light but instead became less transparent. The RSA effect for dye molecules arises when the excited state absorption cross-sections for the molecules are larger than the ground state absorption cross-sections. As these types of molecules absorb light, their first excited state populations increase and contribute to the total absorption cross-section. Since the first excited state cross-section is larger than the ground state cross-section for an RSA absorber, the total absorption increases as the excited state becomes more populated and the molecules become less transparent as they absorb light. In contrast, xe2x80x9csaturable absorbersxe2x80x9d are molecules having a first excited state cross-section that is smaller than the ground state cross-section. When these types of molecules absorb light, they bleach, i.e. they become more transparent to light. A wide variety of materials potentially usable as optical limiting materials have been tested. These materials include transition metal cluster compounds, such as iron carbonyl cluster compounds reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,697 to L. W. Tutt et al., which were blended into a polymer to provide an optical limiting device. They also include fullerenes, described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,329 to T. K. Dougherty et al. in xe2x80x9cProcess for Making a Solid Optical Limiter Containing a Graded Distribution of Reverse Saturable Materialxe2x80x9d, and in U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,442 to D. W. McBranch et al. entitled xe2x80x9cOptical Limiting Materialsxe2x80x9d. The strongest RSA effects to date have been observed for metalloporphyrin and metallophthalocyanine complexes, e.g. lead tetrakis(4-cumylphenoxy) phthalocyanine. For example, see J. S. Shirk et al., xe2x80x9cOptical Limiter Using a Lead Phthalocyaninexe2x80x9d, Appl. Phys. Lett. (63)14, 1993, pp. 1880-1882; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,326 to A. W. Snow et al. entitled xe2x80x9cOptical Limiter Structure and Methodxe2x80x9d. Some of these complexes were dissolved in (poly(methylmethacrylate)) (PMMA) and in polystyrene to provide xe2x80x9coptical limiter structuresxe2x80x9d. While these structures can be used as high intensity light attenuators, they are also subject to damage from high intensity light. Thus, there remains a need for optical limiting devices with superior properties. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing optical limiting devices that exhibit a strong RSA effect and less subject to damage from high intensity light than known devices. Yet another object of the invention is to provide an optical limiting device with a strong RSA effect and less subject to damage from high intensity light than known devices. Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. In accordance with the purposes of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention includes a method of preparing an optical limiting device, comprising the steps of dissolving an RSA material having reverse saturable absorption properties in a first solvent to produce a first solution; dissolving polyvinylbutyral into a second solvent to produce a second solution; mixing the solutions together to produce a third solution and stirring the third solution to remove air bubbles therefrom; layering the third solution onto one side of a transparent substrate; and evaporating the solvent from the third solution to produce a solid layer of polyvinylbutyral/RSA material that is adhered to the substrate and thereby form the optical limiting device. The invention also includes a method of forming an optical limiting device, comprising the steps of dissolving an RSA material having reversible saturable absorption properties in a first solvent to produce a first solution; dissolving polyvinylbutyral into a second solvent to produce a second solution; mixing the solutions together to produce a third solution and stirring the third solution to remove air bubbles therefrom; layering a portion of the third solution onto one side of a transparent substrate; evaporating the evaporating the solvent from the third solution produce a first solid layer of polymer/material that is adhered to the substrate; layering another portion of the third solution onto another side of the substrate plate; and evaporating the solvent from-other portion to produce a second solid layer of polymer/RSA material having reversible saturable absorption properties that is adhered to the substrate and thereby form the optical limiting device. The invention also includes an optical-limiting device produced by the method of preparing an optical limiting device, comprising the steps of dissolving an RSA material having reverse saturable absorption properties in a first solvent to produce a first solution; dissolving polyvinylbutyral into a second solvent to produce a second solution; mixing the solutions together to produce a third solution and stirring the third solution to remove air bubbles therefrom; layering the third solution onto one side of a transparent substrate; and evaporating the solvent from the third solution to produce a solid layer of polyvinylbutyral/RSA material that is adhered to the substrate and thereby form the optical limiting device. The invention also includes optical limiting device comprising a transparent substrate and a layer comprising a homogeneous mixture of an RSA material and polyvinylbutyral, the layer being attached to the substrate. The invention also includes an optical limiting device comprising a transparent substrate comprising a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface; a first layer comprising a homogeneous mixture of an RSA material and polyvinylbutyral, the.first layer being attached to the first substrate surface; and a second layer comprising a second homogeneous mixture of a second an RSA material and polyvinylbutyral, the second layer being attached to the second substrate surface.

This invention relates to a cooling system for an engine and more particularly to an improved cooling system of the type wherein the cylinders of the engine are parallel with the associated heat exchanger for the engine. In many types of motor vehicles, the engine is placed transversely in the engine compartment and closely adjacent the axles which it drives. Normally this means that the cylinders are parallel with the associated heat exchanger which may be positioned either ahead of or to the rear of the engine within the engine compartment. Conventionally engines are provided with a cooling system wherein water is introduced to the engine at one end of the engine and discharged from the opposite end of the engine. This tends to give rise to uneven temperatures in the engine from one end to the other. That is, the cylinders disposed closer to the water inlet will operate at a lower temperature than those disposed remotely from the water inlet and adjacent the water outlet. Also, in conjunction with transverse placement of the engine, there are certain difficulties in connection with transferring the coolant between the engine and the heat exchanger. It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved cooling system for an engine wherein the temperature of the cylinders will be more uniform. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved cooling system arrangement for an engine which is disposed so that it extends parallel to the associated heat exchanger. It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved cooling system for an engine wherein the engine has its water delivery and water exit ports between the ends of the engine. In many forms of engine cooling systems, the coolant is delivered to the engine first to the cylinder block and then to the cylinder head. Of course, the cylinder head is the more highly heated area. This type of arrangement may not provide adequate cooling for the cylinder head. Also, it is the normal practice to mount: the water pump relatively low in the cylinder block and this further makes it difficult to introduce coolant first to the cylinder head rather than to the cylinder block. It is, therefore, a still further object of this invention to provide an improved cooling system for an engine wherein the water pump can be positioned more closely to the cylinder head so as to facilitate delivery of the cooling water to the cylinder head before the cylinder block.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a body implantable pressure sensor, particularly attached to an endocardial lead for implantation in a right heart chamber, for responding to blood and atmospheric pressure and blood temperature and providing modulated pressure and temperature related signals to an implanted or external hemodynamic monitor and/or cardiac pacemaker or pacemaker/cardioverter/defibrillator. 2. Description of the Background Art Efforts have been underway for many years to develop implantable pressure transducers and sensors for temporary or chronic use in a body organ or vessel. Many different designs and operating systems have been proposed and placed into temporary or chronic use with patients. Indwelling pressure sensors for temporary use of a few days or weeks are available, and many designs of chronically or permanently implantable pressure sensors have been placed in clinical use. Piezoelectric crystal or piezoresistive pressure transducers mounted at or near the distal tips of pacing leads, for pacing applications, or catheters for monitoring applications, are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,407,296, 4,432,372, 4,485,813, 4,858,615, 4,967,755, and 5,324,326, and PCT Publication No. WO 94/13200, for example. The desirable characteristics and applications for patient use of such lead or catheter bearing, indwelling pressure sensors are described in these and other patents and the literature in the field. Generally, the piezoelectric or piezoresistive transducers have to be sealed hermetically from blood. Certain of these patents, e.g. the '296 patent, disclose sealing the piezoresistive bridge elements within an oil filled chamber. U.S. Pat. No. 4,023,562 describes a piezoresistive bridge of four, orthogonally disposed, semiconductor strain gauges formed interiorly on a single crystal silicon diaphragm area of a silicon base. A protective silicon cover is bonded to the base around the periphery of the diaphragm area to form a sealed, evacuated chamber. Deflection of the diaphragm due to ambient pressure changes is detected by the changes in resistance of the strain gauges. Because the change in resistance is so small, a high current is required to detect the voltage change due to the resistance change. The high current requirements render the piezoresistive bridge unsuitable for long term use with an implanted power source. High gain amplifiers that are subject to drift over time are also required to amplify the resistance-related voltage change. Other semiconductor sensors employ CMOS IC technology in the fabrication of pressure responsive silicon diaphragm bearing capacitive plates that are spaced from stationary plates. The change in capacitance due to pressure waves acting on the diaphragm is measured, typically through a bridge circuit, as disclosed, for example, in the article "A Design of Capacitive Pressure Transducer" by Ko et al., in IEEE Proc. Symp. Biosensors, 1984, p.32. Again, fabrication for long term implantation and stability is complicated. In addition, differential capacitive plate, fluid filled pressure transducers employing thin metal or ceramic diaphragms have also been proposed for large scale industrial process control applications as disclosed, for example, in the article "A ceramic differential-pressure transducer" by Graeger et al., Philips Tech. Rev., 43:4:8693, Feb. 1987. The large scale of such pressure transducers does not lend itself to miniaturization for chronic implantation. Despite the considerable effort that has been expended in designing such pressure sensors, a need exists for a body implantable, durable, long-lived and low power pressure sensor for accurately sensing absolute pressure waves and related parameters in the body over many years.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to automotive vehicles, more particularly to, fluid flow through a throttle body on an engine for automotive vehicles. 2. Description of Related Art Currently, a throttle body on an engine has a throttle plate for controlling the amount of air that flows to the cylinders of the engine. During engine operation, the amount of air desired to perform idle speed conditions is typically controlled electronically. The path of the air must travel from above the throttle plate, bypassing the throttle plate via a drilling from inside the throttle body, to an orifice that meters the air by means of an electronically controlled stepper motor. The air metered from the orifice is finally dumped below the throttle plate to be mixed within fuel downstream. One problem with the above circuitry is that a separate casting is used to house the stepper motor, resulting in extra machining and parts to secure the stepper motor to the throttle body. Another problem is that the path for idle speed air is interrupted by externally machined communication drillings and plugs. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an automatic idle speed circuitry which eliminates the us of unnecessary drillings and external plugs to complete the circuitry. It is another object of the present invention to provide a path for idle speed air that is uninterrupted by externally machined communication drillings and plugs. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a low cost automatic idle speed circuitry.

The present invention relates generally to black ink compositions for use in ink jet printers. More particularly, the present invention relates to black ink compositions having improved properties such as neutral color, light fastness, optical density, and gray scaling. An ink jet image is formed when a precise pattern of dots is ejected from a drop generating device known as a xe2x80x9cprint headxe2x80x9d onto a printing medium. The typical ink jet print head has an array of precisely formed nozzles located on a nozzle plate and attached to an ink jet print head substrate. The substrate incorporates an array of firing chambers that receive liquid ink (colorants dissolved or disbursed in a solvent) through fluid communication with one or more ink reservoirs. Each chamber has a thin film resistor, known as xe2x80x9cfiring resistorxe2x80x9d, located opposite the nozzle so ink can collect between the firing resistor and the nozzle. In particular, each resistor element, which is typically a pad of a resistive material, measures about 35 umxc3x9735 um. The print head is held and protected by an outer packaging referred to as a print cartridge, i.e., ink jet pen. Upon energizing of a particular resistor element, a droplet of ink is expelled through the nozzle toward the print medium. The firing of ink droplets is typically under the control of a microprocessor, which conveys signals through electrical traces to the resistor elements. Thus the formation of alpha numeric and other characters on the print medium is possible. The tight tolerances of the nozzles, typically 30 to 40 um diameter require that the ink not clog the nozzles. Further, repeating firings of the resistor elements, which must withstand many millions of firings over the life of the ink cartridge to be commercially practical, can result in fouling of the resistor elements and degradation of pen performance. This buildup of residue on the resistor element is unique to ink jet printers and is known as kogation. The ink composition must be capable of interacting with the print medium in a manner sufficient to penetrate the print medium without undo spreading and a subsequent decrease in print quality. Furthermore, in order to maintain the integrity of the printed image over time, it is important that the colorant be light fast and not degrade with exposure to light over time. In general, the light fastness of ink jet images still falls short of that produced by other technologies, such as electro-photography or gravure printing. Therefore, a continued demand in ink jet printing has resulted in the need to develop reliable printers capable of producing high quality light fast images at a reasonable cost. Other properties that are required for black ink jet ink compositions, to effectively compete with other imaging technology include neutral black color, neutral gray scale, and good optical density. Good optical density, or fullness and intensity of color, is required in order to produce images, which are full in tone and not washed out. Further, as optical density range increases, so does the ability to produce sharp transitions between different shades of black. The shades of black, ranging from black to white, are known as gray scale. Generally speaking, black inks that display a higher optical density are capable of producing a greater number of transitory gray shades between black and white, and therefore produce higher quality images. Moreover, a large gray scale having a wide range of gray shades with crisp shade transition capacity is needed when producing complex images, such as photographs, in order to achieve the same quality of other imaging techniques. In addition to good optical density and gray scaling properties, the production of high quality complex images requires that the black color be as neutral as possible. Because the color black is a combination of many colors, often, the black will have a colored hue. Hues of red, green, yellow, and blue are the most common, and may be due to a variety of factors, including the amount or concentration of each color. Black ink with no hue would be considered neutral, however, because of the human eye""s inability to detect very slight hues, black ink may still have a certain amount of hue and appear neutral. One method for attempting to achieve a neutral black color is an inefficient process known as under printing. When black ink with a known hue is used for printing, other colors that have been selected to neutralize the colored hue in the black ink may be first printed on a print medium. The black ink is then printed over these colors. For example, when black ink with a blue hue is used, magenta or yellow inks, are applied to the print medium in a first pass of the ink jet nozzle, and then the black ink applied over the top of the magenta or yellow inks in a second pass of the inkjet nozzle. The neutrality of the black ink affects the quality of gray scale. Particularly, when black ink with a significant hue is used, the visibility of the hue color becomes increasingly apparent with each lighter shade of black in the transition from black to white. Therefore, complex images requiring a large gray scale will be of poor quality when produced by black ink with a significant hue and appear as brown, tan, or another intermediate color. Further, the sharpness and detail of the image may be compromised. Accordingly, investigations continue into developing ink formulations which have improved properties and which do not improve one property at the expense of the others. Thus, the challenge remains to further improve the light fastness, optical density, color neutrality, gray scale quality, and pen performance of black ink jet inks. It has been recognized that inkjet ink, which has an improved light fastness and optical density is highly desirable. It has further been recognized that inkjet ink, which has an improved neutral color, or hue, and an improved gray scale is highly desirable. It has been also recognized that inkjet ink, which possesses the above-recited improvements while maintaining or improving printability performance is very desirable. Accordingly, the present invention provides a black ink composition for inkjet printing which includes a mixture of pacified Reactive Black (pRB) 31 and Direct Black (DB) 168 dyes, in an inkjet ink vehicle. Additionally, the present invention provides a black ink composition for inkjet printing which consists essentially of a mixture of pRB 31 and DB 168 dyes in an inkjet ink vehicle. In one aspect, the dyes may be present in a salt form. In another aspect, the salt form of the dyes may be a salt form selected from the group consisting of: sodium salts, lithium salts, TMA salts, potassium salts, and mixtures thereof. In one aspect of the invention, the pRB 31 may be a hydroxyl form. In another aspect of the invention, the pRB 31 may be a vinyl form. In yet another aspect, the pRB 31 may be a mixture of hydroxyl and vinyl forms. In one aspect of the invention, the dyes may be present in a ratio of from about 1:10 to about 10:1. In another aspect, the dyes may be present in a ratio of about 1:4 to about 4:1. In yet another aspect, the dyes may be present in a ration of about 1:1. In a further aspect, the dyes may be cumulatively present in an amount of from about 1 to about 10 percent by weight of the ink composition. In yet another aspect of the invention, the dyes may be cumulatively present in an amount of from about 3.5 to about 4.5 percent by weight of the ink composition. In addition to the inkjet ink composition recited above, the present invention encompasses a method for making black inkjet ink. In one aspect, such a method may include the step of combining a pacified reactive black 31 dye with a direct black 168 dye in an inkjet ink vehicle. There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention so that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and so that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. Other features of the present invention will become clearer from the following detailed description of the invention, taken with the accompanying claims, or may be learned by the practice of the invention.

The present invention relates generally to photography apparatus and more particularly to an assembly for performing close-up and copy photography of an object. Until the present time, close-up and copy photography of the type contemplated herein has required the use of a bellows device. Because such a bellows device is normally used in conventional apparatus, it is difficult to achieve an operative association between an exposure control signal from a camera which is utilized with the device, and which is mounted on a side of the bellows device, and a diaphragm device of the photography apparatus located on a side of the bellows device. Because of the shortcomings involved with the utilization of a bellows device it is difficult to effect the desired photography operations with automatic exposure control such as automatic control of the aperture of the lens by means of an exposure control signal from the camera. Furthermore, in apparatus utilizing a bellows device, when the magnification ratio is to be varied, the total length of the photography apparatus including the camera, the bellows and the lens system, must be varied. As a result, the copy stand which supports the photography apparatus must be constructed to be sufficiently rigid to enable the required adjustment. Thus, in order to effect magnification adjustment there will arise troublesome adjusting procedures and the framing and focusing operations can only be effected by incurring significant inconvenience. In a photography assembly of the type described utilized for close-up or copy photography the camera and the photographing lens are arranged respectively upon opposite sides of the bellows body and the entire apparatus is mounted on a support pole or stanchion of a copy stand with the total length of the photography apparatus being varied depending upon the magnification ratio which must be achieved to produce an adjusted image of the object to be photographed. Thus, in the case of such a bellows device, the overall procedure, including especially the change in magnification ratio, tend to involve troublesome efforts and inefficient operations. A primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a close-up and copy photography system which may be operated more efficiently and with greater ease of operation.

Electrical devices containing multiple regions for the performance of different electrical functions are common in the field of automotive sensors. Typically, a region containing a sensing element is exposed to some type of corrosive environment. For example, pressure sensors incorporated in automotive subsystems can be exposed to corrosive gases within, for example, an exhaust manifold. In other applications, sensors can be exposed to corrosive liquid environments. For example, sensors can be submerged in automotive fluids, such as power steering fluid, engine lubricating oils, and the like. While the electronic device must function in a corrosive environment, it is also necessary that the electrical device be connected to external electronic circuitry. The external circuitry sends and receives electrical signals to and from the electrical device. To avoid corrosion of electrical connections, the portion of the device exposed to the corrosive environment must be effectively isolated from the portion of the device in which external electrical connections are made. In addition to the need for internal isolation of the various regions of an electrical device, during fabrication thermal processing steps are carried out to form electrical connections within the electrical device. For example, sensing elements are usually wire bonded to a leadframe position within the electrical device. The formation of reliable wire bond connections requires that the electrical device be subjected to elevated temperatures during the bonding operation. Typically, the elevated temperatures necessary to form the wirebonds are achieved by heating the entire electrical device, including the housing and internal components. Because of the large thermal mass, the heating of the housing and internal components is costly and takes an extended period of time in order to reach the desired temperature. The elevated temperatures can soften the molded plastic material used to fabricate structural components of the electronic device. Additionally, at high temperature the plastic housing material can flow. The flow of plastic can coat bonding areas of the leadframe with an insulative plastic layer. The plastic layer hinders the formation of electrical connections to the leadframe. In addition, the flow of plastic can result in undesirable deformation of the electrical device housing. Existing electrical devices require multiple sealing locations in order to achieve sufficient environmental protection required for applications in corrosive environments. To form the multiple seals, custom dispensing operations are necessary to provide sealant at several locations within the device housing. Accordingly, a need existed for an electrical device having an improved means for sealing and atmospherically isolating various regions within the device housing. Additionally, a need existed for an improved electrical device design, in which electrical connections can be reliably formed without compromising the integrity of the electrical device.

Conventionally, there have been known Adaptive Front-Lighting Systems (AFSs) that control the directions of optical axes of headlamps according to the steering direction, so as to improve the safety of vehicles during nighttime driving. Further, in addition to the above, there have also been known high-beam variable headlamp systems (or Adaptive Driving Beam Systems) that use a light distribution pattern called “intermediate high beam”. This light distribution pattern shades a portion corresponding to a forward vehicle (a preceding vehicle or an oncoming vehicle) while illuminating the other portions with a high beam. Moreover, those systems detect the position of the forward vehicle by image-processing information from an in-vehicle camera and make the shaded portion track the forward vehicle, thereby securing the forward field of vision in a wide range and making it easy to find a pedestrian without causing glare to a driver of the forward vehicle. Moreover, in Patent Document 1, there is disclosed a headlamp apparatus that calculates the coordinate information about a preceding vehicle based on information captured by a camera and swivels headlamps with an actuator to move the illumination range left or right, thereby making the shaded portion track the preceding vehicle. PATENT DOCUMENT 1 Japanese Patent Application Publication No JP2012020715A

The present invention relates to a method for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, and more in detail, to a method for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, comprising administering to a patient a pharmaceutical composition for inflammatory bowel diseases, which comprises a spherical activated carbon as active ingredient. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a general term for the intestinal troubles with an inflammation. The representative cases of inflammatory bowel diseases are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease of unknown etiology. No effective therapeutic method is available for either of these diseases. Ulcerative colitis is an unaccountable disease of diffuse nonspecific inflammation of the colon which attacks the mucous membrane and often forms an erosion or ulcer. The lesion is chiefly submucosal. The clinical symptoms of this disease are viscous-hemafecia, celialgia, hemafecia, watery stool, fervescence, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting. Also, ulcerative colitis may be attended by such troubles as arthritis, stricture of the large intestine and copious bleeding, but their incidence is not high. Salazosulfapyridine (Salazopyrin.RTM.), adrenocortical steroids, immuno-suppressants and the like are used as therapeutic agents for ulcerative colitis, but these medicines are unsatisfactory in these therapeutic effect therefor. Crohn's disease is an idiopathic chronic enteritis of unknown etiology. This disease occurs most frequently in human beings of both sexes in their twenties and becomes chronic. It is a granulomatous lesion with fibrosis or ulceration and may be attacked with in the whole alimentary tract from mouth to anus. The clinical symptoms of Crohn's disease are celialgia, general malaise, diarrhea, melena and occult bleeding positive, fervescence, loss of body weight, anemia, ileus, abdominal tumor and peritonitis. Crohn's disease tends to cause trophic disturbance and various other serious digestive and extra intestinal complications such as intestinal stenosis, abdominal abscess, copious bleeding, intestinal perforation, etc., which usually necessitate an enteric operation. Relapse of the disease after the operation occurs at a high percentage. Therefore, no surgical treatment is conducted unless the irreversible imperforation is combined therewith or curative excision is required. For this reason, the treatment by medication is being tried. For medication, there are used salazosulfapyridine (Salazopyrin.RTM.), metronidazole (Flagyl.RTM.), adrenocortical steroids, immuno-suppressants and the like. These medicines, however, are unsatisfactory in their therapeutic effect for Crohn's disease. Treatments based on nutrition therapies are now applied for Crohn's disease, and the methods are employed that can heighten the "quality of life" (QOL) of the patient, which includes rehabilitation, and can facilitate remission of the disease. Salazosulfapyridine used as the medicine for inflammatory bowel diseases is liable to cause adverse reactions or side effects such as abdominal fullness, headache, exanthema, hepatic disorder, leukopenia, agranulocytosis, male sterility, etc. It is also unclear whether this salazosulfapyridine has sufficient relapse suppressive effect in the patient after resection of the affected part of the intestine or in the patient in remission. As for metronidazole, although its potency is admitted in the data on antiphlogistic effect in the reports of control tests, its utility for the clinical improvement is unclear. Adrenocortical steroids, although their short-time effect has been admitted, are unable to improve long-time prognosis, and it is considered that they should be used for the acute cases only, in view of their side effects such as induced infectious diseases, secondary adrenocortical insufficiency, peptic ulcer, diabetes, mental disorder, steroidal renal trouble, etc. Also, when adrenocortical steroids are administered to the patient having a fistula or abscess, it is liable to cause worsening of infection or delay cure of the lesion to complicate the disease. Immunosuppressants are used for the cases where the side effects of adrenocortical steroids were produced, but the effect of the immuno-suppressants is skeptical and also they have a possibility of inviting a horrific side effect such as carcinogenesis. As viewed above, no reliable therapy is yet available for the inflammatory bowel diseases, and the development of an effective therapeutic agent for these diseases has been desired. Especially in the case of Crohn's disease, the complicated cases of anal lesion such as anal fistula and hemorrhoids, which develop symptoms at an early stage and may impair QOL in the long process, have a high percentage of occurrence (about 90%) and defy the internal therapies, so that the frequent surgical treatments are necessitated, which gives a great deal of discomfort to the patient. Also, when the affected part of the intestine is resected and a stoma is provided, there may take place such troubles as contact dermatitis, itching, redness, ulceration and other types of inflammation on the skin around preternatural anus, which are complicated diseases, to give great discomfort to the patient. Under these circumstances, development of an effective therapeutic agent for the inflammatory bowel diseases has been demanded. As the result of the present inventors' pursued researches on the effective therapeutic agents for inflammatory bowel diseases, especially Crohn's diseases, which are different from the conventionally used medicines, it has been found that a prominent therapeutic effect for inflammatory bowel diseases is produced by oral administration of a spherical activated carbon. Spherical activated carbons have been generally used as an oral therapeutic agent for chronic renal failure, but no report has ever been made on use of such spherical activated carbon as a therapeutic agent for the inflammatory bowel diseases, especially Crohn's disease. In view of this circumstance, the above finding by the present inventors is deemed an unexpected fact based on a novel conception. The present invention has been attained on the basis of the above finding.

Various publications, including patents, published applications, accession numbers, technical articles and scholarly articles are cited throughout the specification. Each cited publication is incorporated by reference herein, in its entirety and for all purposes. The tumor suppressor p16lnk4a mediates cell cycle arrest and senescence in vitro, constrains proliferation of some aging progenitors cells, and is widely used as a marker of cellular senescence and aging in vivo. However, whether p16 expression is sufficient to confer cell cycle arrest, senescence, or aging features in vivo is unknown. Induction of p16 in tumors arising in situ can test whether inhibition of its target cyclin dependent kinases (cdk) can block growth of such tumors. Cdk inhibitors are being broadly developed by the pharmaceutical industry for cancer chemotherapy. However, whether inhibition of cdks can block tumor growth is unknown. p16lnk4a has been known to the research community for nearly 20 years, but a p16-inducible mouse has not previously been generated. On the one hand, some published data questions whether p16 would block growth of cells in the animal. On the other hand, prior to the experiments described herein, it might have been expected that mice with p16 induction would die promptly, making them unsuitable for many experiments. There is a need to produce p16 transgenes with an inducible activator expressed in a tissue-specific fashion to avoid potential morbidity and mortality from p16 expression.

Technical Field Exemplary aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to a light guide, a virtual image display device, and a light guide unit. Related Art There has been known a virtual image display device including a light guide to enlarge a two-dimensional image with a virtual image optical system and display the enlarged image to an observer. As an example of the light guide for use in the virtual image display device, a head mounted display (HMD) is beginning to be widely used. The HMD is categorized into a transmissive and a non-transmissive display. Examples of a transmissive HMD include Google Glass (registered trademark) manufactured by Google Ltd. A desired transmissive HMD is compact and portable to be used in combination with an information terminal or used to provide Augmented Reality (AR). A desired non-transmissive HMD, which is used for watching movies, playing games, or providing Virtual Reality (VR), has a wide viewing angle to provide a sense of immersion to users. In recent years, there is a demand for the transmissive HMD to be thin and compact with a wide viewing angle.

1. Field of the Invention Forming the subject of the present invention are a control system and a control method for “sensorless” drives with a.c. motors. Currently, vector-controlled electric drives with a.c. motors are widely used in various industrial applications, in machine tools, pumps, conveyor belts, and the like, where they are progressively supplanting traditional d.c. electric drives, thanks also to their greater sturdiness, their reduced maintenance requirements, and their lower production costs. 2. Description of the Prior Art The principle of vector control is based on the independent regulation of the components of the stator-current vector defined with respect to a reference system synchronous with the rotor flux. The instantaneous position of the rotor flux, which is necessary for vector control, can be measured directly using Hall-effect flux sensors or, in the case of synchronous machines, by measuring the position of the rotor by means of electro-optical or magneto-electric position sensors. Installation of said sensors causes an increase in the overall dimensions of the drive, renders necessary supplementary wiring and contributes considerably to increasing the cost of the drive. Furthermore, in particular operating conditions, the delicacy of such sensors can adversely affect the reliability of the drive. The disadvantages linked to installation of the aforesaid sensors have been an impulse to the development of a series of vector-control techniques, referred to as “sensorless” techniques, which are able to reconstruct the position of the rotor flux without using a position transducer. The above vector-control techniques are based upon different principles. In simpler sensorless vector-control techniques, said reconstruction is obtained by measuring the induced electromotive force. The techniques based upon said principle can be implemented simply and at a low cost; however, they do not function at low or zero rotor speeds. More sophisticated techniques of a sensorless type are based upon injection of appropriate reference signals and upon measurement of current and/or voltage harmonics. Said techniques enable a considerable reduction in the minimum speed enabled by the control. However, they also prove extremely expensive in terms of computing power required and/or in terms of processing times and, in many cases, do not provide a complete solution to the problem of vector control of a.c. electric machines at very low or zero speeds. Control of a drive at a very low or zero speed is required in many applications of electric drives in the industrial framework and in the transport field and, in particular, in electric-driven means, in robotics and in many new-generation machine tools.

This relates to electronic devices and more particularly to methods and apparatus for connecting together two electrical devices in which the mating connectors on each device are of different sizes. Portable electronic devices, such as wireless and cellular telephones, digital media players (e.g., music players and video players), and hybrid devices that combine telephone and media playing functionality are known. These devices are typically configured to provide communications to a user in one or more modes. In some of those modes, the communications can be wireless, such as via a cellular telephone network, a Wi-Fi network, or Bluetooth communications. In those instances, the user interacts with another device or location to receive information in the form of audio, video or both. The transmission of the received audio signals to the user (from the person on the other end of the call), as well as the receipt and transmission of the audio signals from the user that are captured by the phone's microphone can be accomplished wirelessly or through the use of a wired device. While wireless communication headsets often communicate with the cellphone via the Bluetooth standard, the present invention does not address such technology. The present invention addresses problems which exist through the use of wired connections. There are great number of accessories that are available for portable electronic devices, and particularly for hybrid devices which combine the functions of a cellular telephone with one or more additional functions, such as the storing and playback of music files. In most instances, the portable electronic devices have a connector that is one of a limited number of standard sizes for audio communications. For example, many cellular telephones have an audio jack that accepts 2.5 millimeter plugs, while many multimedia devices, such as iPods and DVD players, have an audio jack that accepts 3.5 millimeter plugs. One potential reason for this variation is that conventional audio headsets typically include a microphone signal, a monaural audio signal and a ground signal. As such, those connectors often are limited to three contacts. The 3.5 millimeter connectors, on the other hand, rarely, if ever, include a microphone input, and instead, are often capable of providing stereo audio signals to the user. These devices include the family of products knows as “ear buds,” which are small devices placed in the external cavity of a user's ears, as well as full-sized sets of headphones, such as the Bose™ QuietComfort™ headphones. One problem with this scenario, occurs when a user wants to use a device having one sized jack with another device having a different sized-plug. In addition to the size difference, there are often problems with a mismatching of signals between the two devices. This leaves the user with few, if any, options. This problem becomes even larger with the further development of multi-use, hybrid devices, such as Apple's iPhone™, which includes a 3.5 millimeter jack for mating with devices such as the Bose™ QuietComfort™ headphones. For example, in the instance where a user is using the iPhone™ to watch a movie, the user may want to use high quality, noise cancellation headphones to try and maximize his/her experience. In another instance, the user may want to place a call using a wired headset, which is typically a monaural 2.5 millimeter device. Another type of electronic device where the size mismatch occurs is in the use of electronic equipment to aid the deaf in telephonic communications. These devices are often referred to as “TTY” devices. One such device is, for example, the Ameriphone Q90D Digital Cell Phone Compatible Combination TTY/VCO device. The Q90D enables a hearing-impaired individual to make cellular telephone calls by converting the audio signals to written form and displaying them to the user. These devices, however, uniformly require the use of a 2.5 millimeter plug. Thus, it would not be possible to use such devices with portable hybrid electronic devices having other sized connectors. Accordingly, what is needed are methods and apparatus for providing users with the ability to use portable electronic devices having different sized connectors. In addition, it is also a need to provide users with the ability to use together portable electronic devices which offer the user otherwise incompatible electronic signal interfaces.

Many types of input devices are available for performing operations in a computing system, such as buttons or keys, mice, trackballs, joysticks, touch sensor panels, touch screens, and the like. Touch screens, in particular, are becoming increasingly popular because of their ease and versatility of operation as well as their declining price. Touch screens can include a touch sensor panel, which can be a clear panel with a touch-sensitive surface, and a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) that can be positioned partially or fully behind the panel so that the touch-sensitive surface can cover at least a portion of the viewable area of the display device. Touch screens generally allow a user to perform various functions by touching (e.g., physical contact or near-field proximity) the touch sensor panel using a finger, stylus or other object at a location often dictated by a user interface (UI) being displayed by the display device. In general, touch screens can recognize a touch event and the position of the touch event on the touch sensor panel, and the computing system can then interpret the touch event in accordance with the display appearing at the time of the touch event, and thereafter can perform one or more actions based on the touch event. Mutual capacitance touch sensor panels can be formed from a matrix of drive and sense lines of a substantially transparent conductive material such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). The lines are often arranged orthogonally on a substantially transparent substrate. Mutual capacitance touch sensor panels not only have the ability to detect touch events on the touch sensor panels, but also have the ability to detect proximity events, in which an object is not touching the panel but is in close proximity to the panel. However, mutual capacitance touch pads are constrained in their ability to sense proximity events, and thus only provide proximity detection over a limited range of distances from the touch sensor panel.

Curing of coatings through ultraviolet (UV) radiation, thereby resulting in a coating for use as a gel (e.g. a hydrogel), requires efficient methods of initiating the chemical reaction responsible for the curing process. Cross-linking of polymeric material through generation of radical species upon irradiation with UV light is widely used to produce hydrogels for medical device coatings. Coating compositions with polyvinylpyrrolidone and a photoinitiator as the main constituents, which are cured with UV irradiation, are often used for producing hydrogels. The photoinitiators used in these processes can be either oligomeric or polymeric. Oligomeric photoinitiators are partially free to diffuse to the surface of the cured material, thereby rendering these substances exposed to the environment. Polymeric photoinitiators are disclosed in EP 0 849 300, WO 2008/012325 and Wei et al. Polymers for Advanced Technologies, 2008, vol. 18, no. 12, p. 1763-1770.

In cellular radio communication systems, it is desired to control uplink load in cells of the radio communication system in order to achieve desired coverage and stability of the cells. The uplink load is often measured in terms of power received by a radio base station of the cellular communication system. In a known High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) system, uplink load control is managed by a Node B. In an exemplifying configuration, the Node B comprises one or more rake receivers. On the HSPA uplink, user equipments share the same time and frequency resource. Therefore, when the Node B detects a signal from a specific user equipment, the received power of other user equipments at the Node B is regarded as interference to the specific user equipment. In other words, the total received power at the Node B is regarded as a cell load. When the total received power is high, the cell load is high. In practice, when the Node B performs uplink load control for coverage and stability, the Node B estimates a rise over thermal for coverage and a noise rise for stability to obtain measures of the cell load. The rise over thermal (RoT) of the cell, which is the total received power over the thermal noise floor power is given by: η = I tot N ( A ) The total received power, Itot, in a cell consists of uplink power from users in the own cell, Iown, uplink Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) radio link power from users in the neighbour cells, Inei, as well as the thermal noise floor power N, thus,Itot=Iown+Inei+N  (B) Considering a user equipment at the cell border attempting to connect to the cell, the total received power from all of the users at the Node B is interference to this user equipment. If the interference is too high, the limited power of the user equipment may not be able to ensure a successful connection to the Node B. This results in a coverage problem. Therefore, a purpose of load control of High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) is to control the total received power at the Node B to be below a coverage limit such that the user equipment at the cell border is able to connect to the cell when desired. The limit depends on which size, it is desired that the cell has: a lower limit for a larger cell size, and vice versa. The noise rise for stability, λ, is determined by subtracting the neighbour cell interference contribution from Itot. The following equation thus applies: λ = I tot - I nei N . ( C ) The noise rise for stability is compared to a stability limit. The reason is that if the load in the cell is too high the interference between users will cause power rushes in the system. The power rushes occurs when user equipments increase their transmit power in an uncontrolled manner. In more detail, consider a user equipment which increases its power, which then causes Signal-and-Interference-to-Noise-Ratio (SINR) of other user equipments to be reduced. These user equipments will then increase their transmit power in response to the reduced SINR. This causes SINR for all other user equipments to be further reduced. Again, all these other user equipments will increase their transmit power in response to the reduced SINR. As a result, the uncontrolled power rushes occur in situations where it is not feasible to maintain all scheduled communication resources. Referring back to the cell load, a difference between the cell load and the limits for coverage and stability is referred to as a power headroom. See FIG. 1. The power headroom, or load headroom, is measured at an air interface of the receiver of the Node B. The Node B comprises a scheduler that aims at filling the load headroom of the air interface such that requests, from user equipments, for different bit rates are met. As stated above, the air-interface load in WCDMA is typically determined in terms of the rise over thermal for coverage and the noise rise for stability. The scheduler performs scheduling decisions, e.g. determines uplink grants for each user equipment requesting a certain bit rate in order to perform uplink load control, referred to as an uplink load control procedure herein, as initially mentioned. In the uplink load control procedure, the scheduler distributes resources among the user equipments. When evaluating scheduling decisions, the scheduler predicts the load that results from uplink grants scheduled to the user equipments in the cell. Then, the scheduler assures that the scheduled load does not exceed the limits for coverage and stability (or load thresholds for coverage and stability). Now consider a known Node B comprising multi-stage receiver for cancelling interference in multiple stages. A problem in relation to Node Bs comprising multi-stage receivers, such as an interference cancelling turbo receiver (Turbo-IC receiver), is then that uplink load control is not sufficiently efficient.

1. Field of the Invention The present general inventive concept relates to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, and a scanning method thereof, and more particularly, to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a light scanning device to scan a plurality of light beams, and a scanning method thereof. 2. Description of the Related Art A conventional image forming apparatus such as a laser printer forms an image by scanning a light beam onto a photosensitive drum by using a light scanning device to form an electrostatic latent image thereupon, developing the electrostatic latent image by using toner, and transferring the developed toner image onto a printing medium. In order for a light scanning device to scan a light beam onto a photosensitive drum with a correct timing, a synchronization signal detection unit to detect a horizontal synchronization signal of a scanned light beam is required. Conventionally, in order to produce a color image, a light scanning device scans a plurality of light beams by using one or two polygonal rotating mirrors. In this case, light sources are arranged in such a way that light beams are incident on a polygonal rotating mirror in a vertically symmetrical manner with respect to a center of the polygonal rotating mirror. For example, when a single polygonal rotating mirror is used, light sources are arranged in such a way that light beams of two colors are incident on each of right and left portions of the polygonal rotating mirror with respect to a center of the polygonal rotating mirror. When two polygonal rotating mirrors are used, light sources are arranged in such a way that light beams of a single color are incident on each of right and left portions of the polygonal rotating mirrors with respect to centers of the polygonal rotating mirrors. In a light scanning device including a single polygonal rotating mirror, a conventional synchronization signal detection unit detects a horizontal synchronization signal by using two beam detecting sensors. In a light scanning device including two polygonal rotating mirrors, a conventional synchronization signal detection unit detects a horizontal synchronization signal by using four beam detecting sensors. Such detected horizontal synchronization signals are transferred to a printer video controller (PVC). A PVC transmits video data to a laser diode drive (LDD) in a light scanning apparatus according to a transferred horizontal synchronization signal, and a light source driver controls a power on and/or off of light sources according to the video data so as to emit a light beam. When a plurality of beam detecting sensors corresponding to a plurality of light beams are present, material costs and likelihood of failure are increased due to the relatively large number of components, and sensitivities of the beam detecting sensors are differently changed due to a changed in temperature, or detection surfaces of the beam detecting sensors may be non-uniformly changed, (e.g., contaminated). Thus, synchronization signal detecting timings of the beam detecting sensors become slightly different from each other, and image quality may deteriorate.

(a) Field of the Invention Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to liquid crystal displays. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to liquid crystal displays having reduced distortion and improved response speed. (b) Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal display is one of the types of flat panel display devices that has found wide use. The liquid crystal display commonly includes two display panels where field generating electrodes such as a pixel electrode and a common electrode are formed, and a liquid crystal layer is interposed therebetween. The liquid crystal display generates an electric field in the liquid crystal layer by applying a voltage to the field generating electrodes, to determine orientations of liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer and control polarization of incident light, thereby displaying an image. The liquid crystal display also includes a switching element connected to each pixel electrode, and a plurality of signal lines, including gate lines and data lines, for applying the voltage to the pixel electrode by controlling the switching element. In one type of liquid crystal display, the vertically aligned mode liquid crystal display, long axes of the liquid crystal molecules are arranged to be vertical to a display panel when no electric field is applied. This configuration results in relatively high contrast ratio and wide reference viewing angle. Particularly, in vertical alignment (VA) mode liquid crystal displays, a lower panel is formed with an electrode that has a minute slit, and an upper panel is formed with one continuous electrode body thereon, so that a common voltage can be applied to the entire panel. However, as the width of the minute slit is designed to be small, distortion of the electric field is increased. Therefore, the degree that the liquid crystal molecules are slanted is different at a portion where the electrodes are positioned, a portion corresponding to the edge of the electrode, and a portion where the electrodes do not exist, thereby generating a deterioration of transmittance and a deterioration of response time. The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information not in the prior art.

Arrangements described herein relate to regression testing of software that uses structured query language (SQL) statements. SQL is a special-purpose programming language designed for managing data held in a relational database management system, and has become the most widely used programming language used for this purpose. SQL includes both a data definition language and a data manipulation language. The scope of SQL includes data insert, query, update and delete, schema creation and modification, and data access control. Although SQL is often described as, and to a large extent is, a declarative language, it also includes procedural elements.

Bioelectrochemical (BEC) systems (e.g., microbial fuel cells, biofuel cells, electrolysis) may have been used in the past for power generation. In the form of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), these systems may have enhanced biodegradation of hydrocarbons, phenol, and other contaminants perhaps while also generating energy. Bioelectrochemical systems may have also been tested in groundwater and sediments for organic carbon removal while generating electricity. A bioelectrochemical system may include an anode, a cathode, and a circuit (perhaps with or without external resistor). For example, in a 2-chambered MFC, microorganisms in the anoxic/anaerobic zone can transfer electrons to the anode, which are then transferred to the cathode. Oxygen may be reduced to water at the cathode, which may produce a current. These types of BECs may separate the anode and cathode by a cation, proton exchange membrane, a salt bridge, or the like to allow protons to transfer between the anode and cathode while minimizing contact of oxygen with the anode. It has been recognized that a floating type cathode combined with an anode system exposing a cathode to air can be used and the water column can complete the circuit. None of the past BEC systems have provided a sustainable and “green” method with perhaps little to no load, in the presence or even absence of microorganisms, which may focus solely on enhancing degradation of waste compounds, perhaps organic waste compounds from environments such as water/wastewater, groundwater, and soils/sediments.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device (LCD) using switching elements, for example amorphous silicon thin film transistors (hereinafter simply referred to as a-Si TFTs) or polycrystalline silicon thin film transistors (hereinafter, p-Si TFTs), which is particularly effective for use as an optical shutter of a projector and a method for repairing the defective portions thereof. 2. Description of the Related Art An active matrix type LCD includes pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix fashion on a substrate and switching elements formed so as to correspond to the respective pixel electrodes. An LCD drives the liquid crystal by charging/discharging the necessary charges to/from the pixel electrodes in accordance with the operation of the switching elements. In general, an enormous number, i.e. from several tens of thousand to several hundreds of thousand, of switching elements and pixel electrodes, are formed on the substrate of the LCD in order to accomplish satisfactory display quality. In a process for forming such elements and electrodes on the substrate, some pixels will not operate even when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal, mainly because the switching elements cannot operate or because the pixel electrodes are abnormally formed. The existence of non-operating pixels when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal prevents the LCD from accomplishing satisfactory display quality. An active matrix type LCD has two display modes. One of them is a Normally-Black mode in which light is shielded when no voltage is applied and light is transmitted when a voltage is applied. The other is a Normally-White mode in which light is transmitted when no voltage is applied and light is shielded when a voltage is applied. FIG. 3 diagrammatically shows a conventional active matrix type LCD in a Normally-White mode. The LCD 1 includes glass substrates 3 and 2 which are spaced apart from each other. On the internal surface of the glass substrate 3, p-Si TFTs 5 are formed, and on the internal surface of the glass substrate 2, a black mask pattern (B/M) 4 is formed. The configuration of the LCD 1 will be described in detail below. On the glass substrate 3, pixel electrodes 6 made of ITO (In.sub.2 O--SnO.sub.2 based) are arranged in a matrix fashion by performing a sputtering step, a photolithography step, and an ITO etching step. Switching elements, i.e. p-Si TFTs 5 are formed on the glass substrate 3 so as to correspond to the respective pixel electrodes 6 arranged in a matrix fashion. Over the glass substrate 3, a polyimide-based alignment film 18 is formed by an offset printing method. On the B/M 4 on the other glass substrate 2, pixel electrodes 16 made of ITO and a polyimide-based alignment film 17 are respectively formed. Each of the alignment films 18 and 17 is subjected to a rubbing treatment so as to obtain a twisted-nematic orientation. Polarizing plates 7 and 8 in a crossed-Nicols state are respectively attached to the external surfaces of the substrates 2 and 3. The LCD 1 in the Normally-White mode is configured as described above. Next, a method for repairing the defective pixels of an active matrix type LCD in a Normally-White mode will be described. When a sufficiently high voltage is applied to the liquid crystal 9 of the LCD 1, as indicated by the case C in FIG. 3, an incident light ray 13 transmitted through the polarizing plate 8 is shielded by the polarizing plate 7 if the pixels operate normally. This is because the polarizing direction of the incident light 13 is not changed by the liquid crystal 9. In a defective pixel, the polarizing direction of the incident light 13 transmitted through the polarizing plate 8 is rotated by the liquid crystal 10 by 90 degrees, so the incident light 13 is transmitted also by the polarizing plate 7. As a result, a leaking light ray 13' is observed so as to form a bright point, as indicated by the case E in FIG. 3. If a plurality of such defects exist, the defects are observed among the pixels as a group of bright points or line defects. Methods for repairing such a pixel exhibiting the above-mentioned defect (hereinafter, referred to as a defective pixel) are described, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 60-243635 and 3-243917. According to the technique described in the former, as indicated by the case F in FIG. 3, a laser beam is irradiated onto a portion of an alignment film on the defective pixel so as to burn off the portion of the alignment film; and an orientation condition of the liquid crystal 11 over the defective pixel is disturbed so as to scatter the transmitted light, thereby repairing the defective pixel. According to the technique described in the latter, as indicated by the case D in FIG. 3, a resin, ink, or the like into which a colorant including a black dye or a black pigment is mixed is applied to the position on the external surface of the glass substrate 2 which corresponds to that of the defective pixel by using a cotton needle, a pin of a nylon fiber, or the like and then the colorant is dried so as to form a light-shielding layer 12 including a light-shielding portion 12a and thereby repairing the defective pixel. However, conventional repairing methods such as those described above for the defective pixel of the LCD in the Normally-White mode have the following problems. According to the repairing method described in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 60-243635, the defective pixel is repaired by irradiating the laser beam so as to burn off the portion of the alignment film. As a result, deterioration, decomposition or alteration of the liquid crystal occurs in the defective pixel. In addition, the laser beam irradiation damages the switching elements. An active matrix type LCD is required to exhibit particularly high reliability. Therefore, such a repairing method which affects the display quality of the LCD is not preferable. Furthermore, an expensive laser repairing apparatus for repairing the defective pixel, and a detection apparatus for accurately detecting the position of the defective pixel are also required. According to the repairing method described in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 3-243917, after the positions of the defective portions have been identified, the light-shielding layer 12, including a plurality of light-shielding portions 12a, is formed by applying a black resin, ink, or the like to the defective pixel portions with a pin, so that the area of each light-shielding portion 12a generally becomes larger than that of each defective pixel portion. Consequently, the light-shielding portions 12a inconveniently cover normal pixels adjacent to the defective pixels. Such a problem is particularly likely to occur in a super high-definition LCD having approximately a million and several hundreds of thousands of pixels with a pixel pitch of about 30 .mu.m. In addition, a detection apparatus for accurately detecting the positions of the defective pixels, and an apparatus for accurately applying a black resin, or the like onto the positions of the substrate corresponding to those of the defective pixel portions are required. Moreover, according to the repairing methods described in the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication Nos. 60-243635 and 3-243917, in the situation where the LCD is used as an optical shutter for a projector, bright points are likely to occur because of the following reasons: specifically, the light rays emitted from an external light source are not incident at a right angle against the surface of the substrate of the LCD, but at a certain angle against the surface, so that the deviation occurs between the positions of the defective pixels and those of the bright points. Namely, the positions of the bright points on the substrate on the light-outgoing side deviate from those of the defective pixels on the substrate on the light-incoming side. Therefore, according to the above methods, bright points still occur.

(1) Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for installation of a material having discrete elements, and, more particularly, to a transporter system including a high speed, inline blower, a material agitator upstream of the inline blower, and a planetary transmission connected to the shaft of the blower for providing a lower speed mechanical output to the material agitator (2) Description of the Prior Art Insulation is used in residential and commercial dwellings both to conserve energy and to reduce noise. The two most common types of insulation are blown and batt. Loose fill insulation, unlike batt insulation, requires the use of a machine to open the product in baled or compressed form. Opening in the industry commonly refers to modifying a product of a relatively high packaged density to a much lower installed density, perhaps as much as only 5-10% of the initial packaged density. The opened insulation is then conveyed to the final installation location through an air conveyance system. The finished installation is accomplished in several ways depending on final product needs. One method for opening and conveying the product is to provide a rotational insulation opening device in a hopper in the machine to prepare the product for further transport. The semi-opened insulation materials is then gravity fed into the top cavity of an airlock, a horizontally rotating device that segregates portions of the material, and then rotates it into contact with a air stream created by a air blower pump. Typically, these devices are run by separate motors, creating added weight machine weight both for the motors, and for all the support brackets, control electrical controls and other associated hardware. The airlock also adds significant weight to the machine. Airlock based machines have a horizontally oriented cylinder with a longitudinal opening in the top for the gravity fed and/or mechanical introduction of insulation material. The cylinder is divided longitudinally into a plurality of chambers by a rotating series of blades or paddles. The blades or paddles seal off the inner dimensions of the airlock cylinder creating discrete chambers that are sealed from each other during rotation. The lower chamber of the cylinder has an opening at either end such that air from an air pump can be introduced into one end of the cylinder and can exit the other end, carrying with it any insulation material that is in that particular chamber. The effect of the airlock is to create a series of rotating chambers that sequentially accept insulation material that is gravity or force fed into the top chamber. As the material drops into the top chamber, the rotation of the blades or paddles carries the material away from the opening and seals the cavity in which the insulation now resides. When the chamber rotates to the other side of the cylinder, it comes into contact with the air stream provided by the air pump, and the insulation in just that cavity is blown out into the conveying hose to the installation location. A problem with airlock-based insulation blowing machines is that material is gravity or mechanically fed into the top chamber of the cylinder, and then is conveyed directly into the conveying stream. If the product is not fully opened prior to entering the conveying stream, only the additional turbulence of the conveying hose can be used to further open the product to its design density. Thus, many if not all insulation hoses are internally ribbed to force increased agitation post-blower. Yet another method is to provide for insulation opening and introduction into the conveying air stream, and use a through blower device where the insulation passes through the pumping vanes of the blower itself. Such machines are thought to increase the opening ratio of the density of the opened product as installed to the density of the packaged product. However, the available machines use two motors as well, either both enclosed in the machine housing, or with one motor detached from the machine during transit, and then reattached at the installation site. Either method increases the total machine weight, complexity, and electrical demands. Also, through blower devices force the machine designer to compensate for the relatively smaller introduction cross section leading to the conveying stream of the pump by attempting to force increased product opening prior to air stream entrance of the insulation. This has created a limitation in standard practices such that only the very smallest of insulation machines currently use the through blower concept. Medium and large sized blowing machines use the airlock device and two or more motors to provide a high rate of material flow, but with a resulting sacrifice in achieving full product value. Thus, there remains a need for an apparatus for installation of insulation materials that uses a through blower concept, is very light weight, and also fully opens the insulation materials so that the full value as created in the insulation manufacturing plant can be achieved.

The production of ice as previously practiced requires apparatus involving a variety of moving parts and devices for establishing a solid product, to harvest, and its transport to storage. Mechanical refrigeration is usually involved, by which gas is compressed, liquified and then expanded; in which the principles of evaporation are utilized to absorb heat from water and thereby transforming it into ice. The water to be frozen must be supplied in measured quantity and contained within vessels from which it is extracted as ice; a time schedule must be established for the heat absorption period, extraction period, and the vessel refill period, and all of which requires time and temperature control of the water supply and coordinated operation of the refrigeration equipment. In practice, unforeseeable variables enter into ice production in the form of atmospheric conditions, inlet water temperatures, and variations in plant efficiencies; all of which are unpredictable and require complex sensing and control means. Therefore, it is a general object of this invention to provide for minimal complexity in the process and/or operation of apparatus producing ice, and a system therefor which is inherently operable continuously at optimum efficiencies dependent upon prevailing conditions. The present invention employs mechanical refrigeration in its basic form and combined therewith the fewest number of elements, and excepting the refrigeration means per se this invention virtually eliminates moving parts and relies upon the thermo control of refrigerant flow and product water supply. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an apparatus that operates in reliance upon the principles of freezing, thawing and ejection of the product. With the present invention, the product cycle involves applied heat absorption to a stall filled with water and applied until iced, followed by applied heating of the stall filled with ice until the ice-to-stall interfaces are thawed and accompanied by application of water under pressure to refill said stall by floating the ice as a product therefrom, and the product cycle repeated by reinstating the applied heat absorption in place of said heating. Floatation water is recovered and reapplied as refill water to this "freeze-thaw-ejection cycle". Quantity production of ice, regardless of size, on an economical basis is an object of this invention, and to this end the aforementioned freeze-thaw ejection cycle is progressively applied to a series of stalls for the efficient and continuous production of ice. With the preferred form of the present invention, the product cycle involves progressively applied heat absorption through a series of stalls filled with water and applied until all stalls are iced, followed by progressively applied heating through said series of stalls filled with ice until the ice-to-stall interfaces are thawed and accompanied by application of water pressure to refill said stalls by progressively floating the ice as a product therefrom, and the product cycle repeated by reinstating the progressively applied heat absorption in place of said progressive heating. The progressive application of the aforementioned freeze-thaw-ejection cycle involves the heat conductive capability of a series of ice stalls cooperatively related to heat absorption and heating applied sequentially thereto. It is an object of this invention to provide apparatus for carrying out the method referred to, and to this end there is a stall filled with water from a pressure supply thereof and means alternately absorbing heat from and applying heat thereto, the water supply and said means being responsive to a stall temperature sensor and a control therefrom responsive to thawing and operating said means to absorb heat until the stall is iced and responsive to freezing and operating said pressure supply to apply water and simultaneously operating said means to apply heat until the stall is thawed. It is also an object of this invention to provide apparatus for continuously carrying out the method referred to, and to this end there is a series of stalls filled with water from a common pressure supply thereof and means alternately absorbing heat progressively from and progressively applying heat thereto, the water supply and said means being responsive to a selectively positioned stall temperature sensor and a control therefrom responsive to thawing and operating said means to absorb heat until the stalls are iced and responsive to freezing and operating said pressure supply to apply water and simultaneously operating said means to apply heat until the stalls are thawed. It is still another object of this invention to provide an ice stall and water filling manifold therefor combined so as to discharge product ice by means of floatation. With the present invention the ice stall is displaced from vertical and the product ice discharged therefrom by hydraulic floatation. In addition to floatation in the strict sense, the hydraulic action involves displacement whereby the ice is ejected as a piston. It is a further object of this invention to provide apparatus of the character thus far referred to that is self-sufficient and entirely automatic, with means to conserve floatation water, and to conserve operating energy when a full harvest is obtained. The harvest bin is a cold-sink for storage, while the floatation water is maintained at a constant level for accurate pressure application by means of a pump. Control is entirely by thermal response, there being a single thermostatic switch to automatically control refrigerant flow and supply water to the stalls. The harvest switch operates independently in response to the temperature of ice reaching the brim of the storage bin.

The present invention relates to frequency synthesizers in general, and more particularly, to a frequency synthesizer that produces an output pulse based upon a mathematical calculation with the output pulse synchronized to an input pulse train on a pulse-by-pulse basis. In image processing applications it is often desirable to alter the size of a scanned image on a real-time basis. Generally such a process is referred to as image magnification. However, the actual theory and hardware described herein functions in a manner to provide changes from 1X to some fraction of 1X in the size of the original copy. Thus, the concept of changing the size of an image becomes a demagnification exercise. The problem of adjusting the size of an image to a value greater than 1X is accomplished by employing an additional pre-processing step of 2X, or greater, enlargement, and then de-magnifying that intermediate result to obtain the desired output size. The concept of demagnification is related to deriving a preselectable output frequency from a given input frequency. Basic demagnification can be accomplished by employing a standard phase locked loop (PLL) design that contains a feedback counter functioning as a programmable divider. Commercial radio equipment employs this technique to derive different transmit and/or receive frequencies. The problem, however, is that in a PLL system with divide by N counter feedback, only a very limited (relatively speaking) number of output frequencies can be realized. The PLL technique requires that the feedback counter be some integer value. This integer value constructs the new output frequency, as a function of the designed channel spacing. Some image processing applications require that extremely small, and in some cases, non-integer value channel step sizes, be employed to process real time picture information and to reduce this copy in increments of 0.1 percent. A conventional PLL cannot be used in these applications. Furthermore, in addition to the limited number of output frequencies available from a PLL, the output pulse inaccuracies present when a PLL system is searching for lock, are intolerable in such applications. It is accordingly a general object of the invention to provide an improved frequency synthesizer. It is a specific object of the invention to provide a frequency synthesizer that produces an output pulse based upon a mathematical calculation that is synchronized to an input pulse train on a pulse-by-pulse basis. It is a feature of the invention that the frequency synthesizer produces an output pulse train having a frequency that is a selected fractional percent of the frequency of the input pulse train. It is another feature of the invention that the invention can be implemented with conventional and readily available electronic components.