New methods for the treatment of cancer are provided. Null IGF (IGF variants with reduced receptor binding) is administered to subjects having cancer, thereby alleviating the symptoms of the cancer.

Growth factors are polypeptides which stimulate a wide variety of biological responses (e.g. DNA synthesis, cell division, expression of specific genes, etc.) in a defined population of target cells. A variety of growth factors have been identified, including the transforming growth factor beta family (TGF-βs), epidermal growth factor and transforming growth factor alpha (the TGF-αs), the platelet-derived growth factors (PDGFs), the fibroblast growth factor family (FGFs) and the insulin-like growth factor family (IGFs), which includes IGF-I and IGF-II. Many growth factors have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer.
IGF-I and IGF-II (the "IGFs")are related in amino acid sequence and structure, with each polypeptide having a molecular weight of approximately 7.5 kilodaltons (kDa). IGF-I mediates the major effects of growth hormone, and is thus the primary mediator of growth after birth. IGF-I has also been implicated in the actions of various other growth factors, since the treatment of cells with such growth factors leads to increased production of IGF-I. In contrast, IGF-II is believed to have a major role in fetal growth. Both IGF-I and IGF-II have insulin-like activities (hence their names), and are mitogenic (stimulate cell division).
IGF-I has been found to stimulate the growth of cells from a number of different types of cancer (Butler et al., 1998 Cancer Res. 58(14):3021-3027; Favoni R E, et al., 1998, Br. J. Cancer 77(12): 2138-2147). Additionally, IGF-I has additionally been found to exert anti-apoptotic effects on a number of different cell types, including tumor cells (Giuliano M, et al., 1998 Invest Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 39(8): 1300-1311; Zawada W M, et al., 1998, Brain Res. 786(1-2): 96-103; Kelley K W, et al., 1998, Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 840: 518-524; Toms S A, et al., 1998, J. Neurosurg. 88(5): 884-889; Xu F, et al., 1997, Br. J. Haematol. 97(2): 429-440). U.S. Pat. No. 5,681,818 claims the administration of IGFBP-3 for the treatment of cancer.
A number of variant forms of IGF-I have been created which have altered binding characteristics for the IGF receptors, the insulin receptor, or IGFBP's (Cascieri et al. (1988) Biochemistry 27:3229-3233 and (1989) Jr. Biol. Chem. 264:2199-2202; Bayne et al. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265:15648-15652); Baxter et al. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267:60-65). Additionally, International Patent Application No. WO 97/39032 discloses the use of certain variant forms of IGF-I for the treatment of conditions where increased IGF-I activity is desired, such as diabetes, osteoporosis, and the like. The variant forms of IGF-I are proposed to displace IGF-I from IGFBP, resulting in increased IGF-I activity.
Almost all IGF circulates in a non-covalently associated complex of IGF-I, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP-3) and a larger protein subunit termed the acid labile subunit (ALS), such that very little free IGF-I is detectable. The ternary complex is composed of equimolar amounts of each of the three components. ALS has no direct IGF-binding activity and appears to bind only to the IGF/IGFBP-3 complex (Baxter et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264(20):11843-11848, 1989), although some reports suggest that IGFBP-3 can bind to rat ALS in the absence of IGF (Lee et al., Endocrinology 136:4982-4989, 1995). The ternary complex of IGF/IGFBP-3/ALS has a molecular weight of approximately 150 kDa and has a substantially increased half-life in circulation when compared to binary IGF/IGFBP-3 complex or IGF alone (Adams et al., Prog. Growth Factor Res. 6(24):347-356; presented October 1995, published 1996). This ternary complex is thought to act "as a reservoir and a buffer for IGF-I and IGF-II preventing rapid changes in the concentration of free IGF" (Blum et al (1991), "Plasma IGFBP-3 Levels as Clinical Indicators" in MODERN CONCEPTS OF INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTORS, pp. 381-393, E. M. Spencer, ed., Elsevier, N.Y.). While there is essentially no excess (unbound) IGFBP-3 in circulation, a substantial excess of free ALS does exist (Baxter, J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 67:265-272, 1988).
It should be noted that, while IGFBP-3 is the most abundant of the IGF binding proteins ("IGFBPs"), at least five other distinct IGFBPs have been identified in various tissues and body fluids. Although these proteins bind IGFs, they originate from separate genes and have distinct amino acid sequences. Unlike IGFBP-3, other circulating IGFBPs are not saturated with IGFs. IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-5 are the only known IGFBPs which can form the 150 kDa ternary complex with IGF and ALS. The IGF and ALS binding domains of IGFBP-3 are thought to be in the N-terminal portion of the protein, as N-terminal fragments of the protein isolated from serum retain these binding activities. However, some of the other IGFBPs have also been suggested for use in combination with IGF-I as therapeutics.
In addition to its role as the major carrier protein for IGF in serum, IGFBP-3 has been recently shown to have a number of different activities. IGFBP-3 can bind to an as-yet unidentified molecule on the cell surface, where it can inhibit the activity of exogenously-added IGF-I (Karas et al., 1997, J. Biol. Chem. 272(26):16514-16520). Although the binding of IGFBP-3 to cell surfaces can be inhibited by heparin, the unidentified cell surface binding molecule is unlikely to be a heparin-like cell surface glycosaminoglycan, because enzymatic removal of heparin glycosaminoglycans has no effect on IGFBP-3 cell surface binding (Yang et al., 1996, Endocrinology 137(10):4363-4371). It is not clear if the cell surface binding molecule is the same or different than the IGFBP-3 receptor that was identified by Leal et al. (1997, J. Biol. Chem. 272(33):20572-20576), which is identical to the type V transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) receptor.
IGFBP-3 has also been found to promote apoptosis. Interestingly, IGFBP-3 has been shown to promote apoptosis in cells with and without functional type 1 IGF receptors (Nickerson et al., 1997, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 237(3):690-693; Rajah et al., 1997, J. Biol. Chem. 272(18):12181-12188). However, there are conflicting reports as to whether apoptosis is induced by full length IGFBP-3 or a proteolytic fragment of IGFBP-3 (Rajah et al., ibid; Zadeh et al., 1997, Endocrinology 138(7):3069-3072).
IGF-I and IGFBP-3 may be purified from natural sources or produced by recombinant means. For instance, purification of IGF-I from human serum is well known in the art (Rinderknecht et al. (1976) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 73:2365-2369). Production of IGF-I by recombinant processes is shown in EP 0 128 733, published in December of 1984. IGFBP-3 may be purified from natural sources using a process such as that shown in Baxter et al. (1986, Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 139:1256-1261). Alternatively, IGFBP-3 may be synthesized by recombinantly as discussed in Sommer et al., pp. 715-728, MODERN CONCEPTS OF INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTORS (E. M. Spencer, ed., Elsevier, N.Y., 1991). Recombinant IGFBP-3 binds IGF-I in a 1:1 molar ratio.
Topical administration of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 complex to rat and pig wounds is significantly more effective than administration of IGF-I alone (Id.). Subcutaneous administration of IGF-I/IGFBP-3 complex to hypophysectomized, ovariectomized, and normal rats, as well as intravenous administration to cynomolgus monkeys, "substantially prevents the hypoglycemic effects" of IGF-I administered alone (Id.).
The use of IGF/IGFBP-3 complex has been suggested for the treatment of a wide variety of disorders (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,187,151, 5,527,776, 5,407,913, 5,643,867, 5,681,818 and 5,723,441, as well as International Patent Applications Nos. WO 95/03817, WO 95/13823, and WO 96/02565. IGF-I/IGOFBP-3 complex is also under development by Celtrix Pharmaceuticals, Inc., as a treatment for several indications, including recovery from burns and recovery from hip fracture surgery.
While there are a large number of cytotoxic drugs available for the treatment cancer, these drugs are generally associated with a variety of serious side effects, including alopecia, leukopenia, mucositis. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for cancer therapies that do not induce the serious side effects associated with conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy.


An insulated glass unit formed from a pair of glass sheets, one of which has an electroconductive coating, i.e. a first sheet, is fabricated by positioning the first sheet on a vacuum support and the other sheet, i.e. second sheet, spaced above the first sheet a sufficient distance therefrom to prevent arcing during electrical heating of the marginal edges of the second sheet. After the marginal edges of the second sheet are heated to a temperature sufficient to cause sagging of the marginal edges, the two sheets are brought together to join the marginal edges by fusion. A strip heater heats the edges of the sheet to a temperature sufficient to prevent chilling of the marginal edges of the upper sheet when contacting the marginal edges of the lower sheet. Thereafter, the sheets are separated from one another and air moved between the sheets to bloom the edes. After blooming the edges, the joined glass sheets are annealed, and an insulating gas moved into the airspace through a pore hole. Thereafter the pore hole is sealed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a glass edge insulating unit and a method of and apparatus for making same by welding edges of glass sheets and, more particularly, joining by fusion edges of a pair of glass sheets, at least one of which has an electroconductive coating.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art and Technical Limitations of Present Technology
Insulated glass units include a pair of glass sheets spaced from one another to provide an airspace therebetween. The edges of the glass sheets are sealed using a moisture-resistant adhesive, or by welding the edges of glass sheets together. To enhance the insulating value of the units, in many instances, one of the glass sheets has a coating applied to one of the surfaces to reflect energy in selected wavelengths, for example, reflective coatings of the type taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,610,771; 4,113,599 and 4,512,864. A characteristic of such coatings is that they are electroconductive. Insulated glazed units having an electroconductive coating on a sheet are easily made using processes that include the use of an adhesive to seal the space between the glass sheets, e.g. as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,249. However, such units are not easily made using processes that include moving electrical current along the sheets during fusing of the edges of the glass sheets together.
More particularly, in the process of manufacturing glass edge insulating units, for example, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,132,539, which teachings are hereby incorporated by reference, a pair of glass sheets are washed and dried. In general, an electrically conductive stripe is deposited on the upper surface of the upper sheet to form a continuous electrical path around the marginal edge portions of the sheet. The sheets are assembled one on top of the other, preheated and moved into a welding chamber. A plurality of electrodes, preferably placed at the corners of a rectangular glass sheet, direct the flow of electric heating currents through selected portions of the stripe. The Portions of the upper sheet underlying the continuous stripe are heated by the current flowing through the stripe until the glass obtains a temperature at which the stripe burns off, and the glass becomes electrically conductive. The heating currents now flow through the heated marginal edges of the upper sheet.
The corresponding marginal edges of the lower sheet are heated by their close association with the heated marginal edges of the upper sheet to temperature at which the marginal edge of the lower sheet becomes electrically conductive. Heating by passing electrical currents through the heated marginal edges of the sheets is continued until the marginal edges of both sheets are softened and run together to form a continuous peripheral weld uniting the assembled sheets. Thereafter, the sheets are pulled apart while air is moved in a known manner through a hole in one of the sheets, i.e., a pore hole, into the airspace between the sheets to bloom the edges of the unit.
The unit is annealed, an insulating gas is moved into the airspace through the pore hole, and the pore hole is sealed.
The process described above for joining marginal edges of glass sheets is acceptable provided neither of the glass sheets has an electroconductive coating. In the instance where one or both of the sheets has an electroconductive coating, the current moves through the stripe, through the electroconductive coating to heat the body of the sheet. The heat is not concentrated at the marginal edges of the glass sheets; the entire sheet is heated and at high temperatures fuses to the sheets together. Further, the electroconductive coating may be damaged due to carrying the high currents needed to soften glass.
It would be advantageous therefore, to provide a process of and apparatus for welding the edges of glass sheets together when at least one of the sheets has an electroconductive coating.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,350,515 teaches a technique for making a glass edge insulating unit having an airspace of 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeter) or greater. In general, the marginal edges of a pair of glass sheets, are heated as previously discussed. After the edges are joined to form a continuous weld and electric heating discontinued, the sheets are pulled apart and held in a fixed spacial position for a period of time. Thereafter the sheets are drawn further apart until the unit has an airspace of about 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeter). The delay in the draw is practiced to obtain sidewalls of substantially uniform thickness.
As can be appreciated, it would be advantageous to provide another technique, not taught by the practice of the presently available processes, for making a glass edge insulating unit having an airspace of about 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeter) or greater and sidewalls of substantially uniform thickness.

Method of and apparatus for joining edges of glass sheets, one of which has an electroconductive coating and the article made thereby


The inventor has recognized that industrial controllers may be updated after they are deployed in the field, while actively controlling an industrial process and without costly downtime, by storing a replacement machine-readable component in an allocated program space, locating and modifying one or more dependent machine-readable components copied in the allocated program space to instead depend on the replacement machine-readable component, re-linking a copy of the control program in the allocated program space, and redirecting execution to the control program in the allocated program space. Replacement machine-readable components could be instructions, libraries, or subroutines of the control program, and are not limited to user logic. The control program in the allocated program space may optimally be tested by verifying an operation before redirecting execution to the control program in the allocated program space.

Industrial controllers are specialized computer systems used for the control of industrial processes or machinery, for example, in a factory environment. Generally, an industrial controller executes a stored control program that reads inputs from a variety of sensors associated with the controlled process or machine and, sensing the conditions of the process or machine, and based on those inputs and a stored control program, calculates a set of outputs used to control actuators controlling the process or machine. The Logix5000 Controllers from Rockwell Automation, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis. are exemplar of such industrial controllers.
Industrial controllers differ from conventional computers in a number of ways. Physically, they are constructed to be substantially more robust against shock and damage and to better resist external contaminants and extreme environmental conditions than conventional computers. The processors and operating systems are optimized for real-time control and are programmed with languages designed to permit rapid development of control programs tailored to a constantly varying set of machine control or process control applications.
Generally, industrial controllers have a highly modular architecture, for example, that allows different numbers and types of input and output modules to be used to connect the controller to the process or machinery to be controlled. This modularity is facilitated through the use of special "control networks" suitable for highly reliable and available real-time communication. Such control networks (for example, EtherNet/IP. DeviceNet and ControlNet) differ from standard communication networks (such as Ethernet) by guaranteeing maximum communication delays by pre-scheduling the communication capacity of the network, and/or providing redundant communication capabilities for high-availability.
As part of their enhanced modularity, industrial controllers may employ I/O modules or devices dedicated to a particular type of electrical signal and function, for example, detecting input AC or DC signals or controlling output AC or DC signals. Each of these I/O modules or devices may have a connector system allowing them to be installed in different combinations in a housing or rack along with other selected I/O modules or devices to match the demands of the particular application. Multiple or individual I/O modules or devices may be located at convenient control points near the controlled process or machine to communicate with a central industrial controller via the control network.
After industrial controllers are deployed in the field and operating to actively control industrial processes or machines, subsequently updating the industrial controllers can be difficult. Updates might be recommended or required by vendors to address any number of issues, such as correcting an instruction or library having an anomaly first noticed in the field, or extending an instruction or library to provide greater functionality as later determined in the field. Installing such updates typically requires updating (or re-flashing) firmware of the industrial controllers, and updating firmware typically requires temporary downtime for the industrial controllers.
However, interrupting control of an industrial process is oftentimes costly and therefore undesirable. For example, if an industrial controller is actively controlling an assembly line producing articles, every minute the industrial controller is taken down, the assembly line may lose production a quantifiable number of articles from production. Consequently, entities operating industrial controllers must often decide whether the benefits of industrial controller updates outweigh the costs, and if so, the optimal date/time for updating industrial controllers with the least impact on cost.
It some instances, it may be possible to update user logic of industrial controllers online, such as Online Editing or Partial Import Online. However, updating with such tools online is typically limited to only the logic created by the user.
What is needed is a mechanism by which industrial controllers may be conveniently updated after they are deployed in the field without requiring costly downtime and/or being limited to user logic.

System for updating a control program actively controlling an industrial process


An electron-emitting device is equipped with a pair of first electroconductive members arranged on a substrate with an interval between them, wherein the interval becomes narrower at an upper position distant from a surface of the substrate than at a position on the surface, and a peak of one of the pair of the first electroconductive members is higher than a peak of the other of the pair of the first electroconductive members, and further an electron scattering surface forming film including an element having an atomic number larger than those of elements constituting the first electroconductive members as a principal component is provided on a surface of the one of the first electroconductive members.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electron-emitting device which emits a large amount of electrons and can obtain a stable emission current, an electron source using the electron-emitting device, and a method for manufacturing an image displaying apparatus.
2. Related Background Art
A surface conduction electron-emitting device has been conventionally known as an electron-emitting device for constituting a flat display. The basic configuration of the surface conduction electron-emitting device is one in which a pair of device electrodes and an electroconductive thin film connecting both the device electrodes to each other are formed on a substrate and an electron-emitting region is formed by performing an energization processing of the electroconductive thin film.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-231872 discloses a configuration in which a film including carbon or a carbon compound as the principal component thereof is deposited on an electroconductive thin film at the circumference of the electron-emitting region in the electron-emitting device having the basic configuration described above in order to improve the electron emission efficiency of the electron-emitting device.
In the case where the surface conduction electron-emitting device is applied to a practical use, for example, a flat panel image displaying apparatus or the like, a demand of suppressing the power consumption thereof while securing the display quality thereof arises. According to the demand, increasing the electron emission efficiency of the device, i.e. a ratio of a current accompanying an electron emission (emission current Ie) to a current flowing through the device (device current If), is requested. In particular, in case of displaying an image having a high image quality, many pixels are accordingly needed, and it is necessary to arrange many electron-emitting devices correspondingly to respective pixels. For this reason, not only the power consumption of the whole device becomes large, but also the ratio of the area which wiring occupies on a substrate becomes large, which serves as restrictions on the designing of an apparatus. If the electron emission efficiency of each electron-emitting device is raised and the power consumption thereof can be suppressed in this case, the width of a wire can be made to be small to result the expansion of the degree of freedom of designing.
Moreover, not only the improvement of the electron emission efficiency, but also the improvement of the emission current Ie itself are still requested for the purpose of obtaining a brighter image or the like.
Furthermore, it is important without saying that the characteristics of the electron-emitting device is kept in a good state for a long time on the occasion of a practical use, and the suppression of the deterioration of the characteristics is successively requested.

Electron-emitting device, electron source, and method for manufacturing image displaying apparatus


A method for selecting an intraocular lens for an aphakic eye that has previously been subjected to refractive surgery by calculating the required power of an IOL to provide the desired refraction using a known formula, and then applying an adjustment based upon the spherical equivalence of the eye prior to refractive surgery.

Publications referred to throughout this application are hereby incorporated by reference into this application in their entireties to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.
With the popularity of refractive surgery rising, calculating intraocular lens (IOL) power after refractive surgery is becoming increasingly important. The calculation is often incorrect because of the difficulty in obtaining an accurate central corneal power in a post-refractive surgery patient. The measured keratometric values for previously myopic patients are usually higher than the actual power, leading to hyperopic results. Conversely, the measured keratometric values for previously hyperopic patients are usually lower than the actual power, leading to a myopic result. Both inaccuracies lead to an inability to meet our patient's rising expectations.
Intraocular lens power calculations in eyes with previous refractive surgery remains difficult largely due to the inaccuracy of traditional keratometry measurements. Keratometry readings which are steeper than actual values which occur in previously myopic eyes lead to underestimation of IOL power and a hyperopic result. Keratometry readings which are flatter than actual values which occur in previously hyperopic eyes lead to overestimation of IOL power and a myopic result. Traditional keratometers do not account for the asphericity of the cornea and after refractive surgery the asphericity of the cornea decreases. The anterior curvature changes while the posterior surface is not altered. Changes in this relationship account for errors in traditional keratometry readings and this error becomes increasingly significant with higher corrections (8, 13, 15, 22).
Our study supports both of these findings. For myopic eyes, both IOLflatK and IOLavgK are based on post-LASIK keratometry readings, and both result in under correction (−1.13 and −0.92 respectively). Also, each of these methods was further deviant for higher amounts of pre-LASIK myopia. These deviations were statistically significant (p=0.0036 and p=0.0094, respectively). Conversely, for hyperopic eyes IOLavgK and IOLsteepK resulted in overcorrection (1.36 and 0.75). Furthermore these 2 methods showed a tendency to further overcorrect for increasing amounts of pre-refractive surgery hyperopia, however this was not statistically significant.
Currently the most widely used method for keratometric calculation post refractive surgery is the clinical history method. Table 1 below shows a review of the current case series and reports in the literature. Most of these series used the clinical history method and found it the most accurate of the different methods of determining central corneal power. Accurately calculating this method can pose some challenges.
TABLE 1Review of Case Series/ReportsSummaries of case series of cataract surgeries following excimer refractive surgeryYearCasesMethod of calculationFindings/SuggestionsAuthorArgento et al.920037MultipleClinical history method most reliableOdenthal et al (12)200215MultipleClinical history method most reliable,combined with Hoffer QRandleman et al. (16)200210MultipleClinical history method, contact lensmethod, and average of 2Ladas et al. (17)20012TopographyHyperopic result, needing piggybacklensGimbel et al. (19)20016Clinical History, ManualClinical history method more reliablethan manual keratometryGimbel et al. (20)20005Clinical History, ManualClinical History method or use offlattest K most reliableKalski et al (21)19974MultipleClinical history method most reliableCase ReportsLesher, et al. (23)19941Manual keratometryHyperopic Result (+1.60)Morris, et al. (24)19981Manual keratometryHyperopic Result (+4.50)
The pre-cataract extraction SEQ is a value needed to determine the total change in SEQ caused by refractive surgery. Error can be encountered when myopia induced by nuclear sclerosis is incorporated into this value, leading to inaccurate change in SEQ and error in IOL power calculation. For example, in our study, after refractive surgery the difference in mean SEQ prior to cataract formation and after cataract formation was −1.09. Therefore, it is important to account for myopia induced by nuclear sclerosis. Variations in clinical history method include keeping the SE at the corneal versus the spectacle plane. Studies have shown that using the spectacle plane refractions in the clinical history method are more accurate (11, 12, 17). Our study also shows this for myopic patients, as the mean deviation of IOLHisK from IOLexact was −1.76D whereas the mean deviation of IOLHisKs from IOL exact was only −0.56D. For hyperopic patients the difference between IOLHisK and IOLHisKs from IOLexact was similar (0.70D and 0.84D, respectively). Finally, this method assumes that there is a one to one relationship between change in refraction and change in central corneal power, which may not hold for higher refractive corrections (13). Our study shows that there is a tendency for IOLHisK and IOLHisKs to be more inaccurate with increasing amounts of pre-refractive surgery myopia and hyperopia (FIGS. 2 and 3). However these deviations are not statistically significant.
Alternative methods for corneal power calculations include the contact lens method. This is determined by the difference in manifest refraction before and after insertion of a plano hard contact lens with a known base curve. The change in refraction is subtracted from the known base curve and this is assumed to be the curvature of the central cornea (2). This method was evaluated for patients with normal corneas with and without cataracts and was found to be accurate in patients with vision as low as 20/80 due to cataracts (3). The corneal power calculation becomes unreliable when visual acuity is less than 20/80. Other issues involved in the contact lens method in post refractive surgery patients include adequate hard contact lens fit.
Both of these above methods rely on either pre-refractive surgery measurements and/or pre-cataract surgery measurements. If these are unavailable the current options for measuring central corneal power include conventional keratometry (CK) (either automated or manual) or corneal topography (CT). Studies have shown that measurements obtained on post surgical patients with corneal topography are more accurate than conventional keratometry (4-7). This result is likely due to the fact that corneal topography measures over 1000 points in the central 3.0 mm zone, while conventional keratometry only measure 2 points located 3.2 mm and 2.6 mm from the corneal center.
Unfortunately, both CK and CT calculate the average corneal power using an effective index of refraction of 1.3375. This value assumes an almost spherical relationship of the cornea and a constant difference between the anterior and posterior curvature. In refractive surgery this value is not reliable as ablation changes curvature principally on the anterior surface and the posterior surface is changed to a lesser extent. Measurement of the posterior corneal curvature remains difficult. Also, how the posterior curvature changes after refractive surgery remains controversial. One study by Seitz, et al showed a mean increase in posterior curvature of 0.11D in 57 eyes following myopic LASIK. Furthermore, the higher the attempted correction, the more of an increase in posterior curvature (10).
Newer methods of measuring corneal topography are becoming available, which might make measuring keratometry post refractive surgery more reliable. These include pan corneal scanning slit-beam topography, stereoscopic topography (14). Once a more accurate measurement of posterior surface curvature is available, it would also be possible to use Gaussian optics formula to better estimate the total power of the central cornea.
The vertex IOL power is another method to estimate IOL calculations in post refractive surgery patients. A study by Feiz et al. examined this method, where the IOL power for emmetropia is based on pre-LASIK keratometry values (13). The spherical equivalent change due to LASIK was then used to modify the IOL power, assuming a diopter of change in IOL produced only 0.7 diopter change in refraction at the spectacle plane. This is based on the IOL position behind the iris and with a vertex distance of 12-13 mm. This method produced higher IOL powers post myopic LASIK and lower IOL powers post hyperopic LASIK. Further, the higher the amount of treatment the more inaccurate traditional keratometry readings would be. Based on their results, this study created a nomogram based on linear regression analysis.
A study by Hamed et al. showed that post refractive surgery keratometry readings (either conventional or topography) could be modified to estimate corneal power. Specifically, using the EyeSys Corneal Analysis system, the authors recommend that the corneal power should be reduced by 15% of the total refractive change induced by surgery. If standard keratometry is used, this value should be reduced by 24%. This study found that standard keratometry was less accurate than the value obtained by the EyeSys (8). Both of these studies present new theories on predicting IOL power post refractive surgery based on manual keratometry and/or topography readings. Actual clinical results have not been reported.
In our study the vertex IOL and a back calculated IOL methods were analyzed. For myopic eyes, both methods interestingly produced an IOL which was stronger on average than IOL exact (1.51D and 1.06D, respectively), unlike the other methods which produced under corrected IOL. Also, these two methods showed a trend toward increased overcorrection from the intended power for higher amounts of pre-refractive surgery myopia; however it did not achieve statistical significance. For the hyperopic group, these two methods calculated an overcorrected IOL as well (0.14D and 0.58D, respectively) and showed a tendency to further overcorrect for higher amount of hyperopia.
Overall, for the myopic group, IOLHisKs produced the most accurate results followed by IOLBC, IOLvertex, IOLflatK, IOLHisK and finally IOLAvgK when compared to IOLexact which would theoretically have given an emmetropic result. Of note there was no statistical difference between IOLHisKs and IOLexact for myopic eyes. For the hyperopic group, IOLvertex was most accurate, followed by IOLBC, IOLHisK, IOLHisKs, IOLSteepK, and finally IOLAvgK. For this group only IOLvertex and IOLBC showed no statistical difference to IOLexact. Based on these results we would recommend using IOLHisKs method for previously myopic eyes, and IOLBC or IOLvertex for previously hyperopic eyes.
When using IOLHisK, IOLHisKs, IOLvertex, and IOLBC it is necessary to obtain pre-refractive surgery data, which includes manifest refraction and keratometry. Unfortunately, this data is not always present. If not present, a practitioner would have to rely on the IOLavgK or IOLflatK (myopic eyes)/IOLsteepK (hyperopic eyes). Our study shows that using these values without an adjustment would produce a large under correction for myopic eyes and a large overcorrection for hyperopic eyes. In our study there was a statistically significant linear regression of deviation of IOLflatK (p=0.0036) and IOLavgK (p=0.0094) to pre-refractive surgery SEQm. Based on this regression a more accurate IOL power can be predicted. For IOLflatK a prediction for adjustment would be: −(0.47x+0.85) where x=pre-refractive surgery SEQm. In this situation only pre-refractive surgery SEQm needs to be known, which is usually easier to obtain from the patient (old pair of glasses) than the entire pre-refractive surgery data. Using paired t-test, the adjusted IOLflatK was found to have no statistical difference to IOLexact, and thus can be used an new formula to predict more accurate IOL powers. An adjustment to IOLavgK was found to be statistically significant as well, and this may prove to be useful once further prospective data can be used.
A Clinical Example would be as Follows:
    Pre-refractive surgery myopic spherical equivalent (SEQm): −6.50 D    Flattest keratometry reading: 42.18 D    Using flattest keratometry reading into SRK/T formula IOL for emmetropia calculated IOLFlatK: 17.76 D    Adjustment based on pre-refractive surgery SEQm:    Adjustment of IOLflatK=−(0.47x+0.85) (x=pre-refractive surgry SEQm)−(0.47(−6.5)+0.85)+2.20    Adjusted IOLflatK=17.76+2.20=19.96 D
Based on this example, the adjusted IOL would provide a more accurate result post-operatively.
For hyperopic eyes, linear regression was performed on all methods compared to pre-refractive surgery hyperopia. The only statistically significant relationship was IOLvertex (P=0.021). This data, however, requires pre-operative keratometry and manifest refraction is still needed for this method.
A clinical example of an adjustment to IOLvertex based on pre-refractive surgery SEQh is as follows:    Pre-refractive surgery SEQh: +2.00    IOLvertex: 20.00    Adjustment of IOLvertex: −(−0.80x+2.69) where x=pre-fractive surgery SEQh −(−0.80(2.00)+2.69−1.09    IOLvertex +Adjustment: 20.00 D−1.09 D 18.91D

Method, device and computer program for selecting an intraocular lens for an aphakic eye that has previously been subjected to refractive surgery


An electrode having the configuration: first active material/current collector/second active material is described. One of the electrode active materials in a cohesive form of active particles being firmly held together as part of the same mass is incapable of moving through the current collector to the other side thereof. However, in an un-cohesive form of active particles not being firmly held together as part of a mass, the one electrode active material is capable of communication through the current collector. The other or second active material is in a form in-capable of communication through the current collector, whether it is in a cohesive or un-cohesive powder form. Then, the assembly of first active material/current collector/second active material is pressed from either the direction of the first electrode active material to the second electrode active material, or visa versa.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the conversion of chemical energy to electrical energy. In particular, the current invention relates to a new sandwich electrode design and a process for manufacturing the same. Sandwich electrodes are useful as the cathode in primary lithium cells and as the positive electrode in secondary lithium ion cells. These designs make such cells particularly useful for powering implantable medical devices.
2. Prior Art
Early medical devices in many cases used at least two lithium electrochemical cells in series as their power source. However, the electronic circuits in these devices now consume less energy than before. This makes it currently possible to use a single lithium cell as a reliable power source. With a unitary cell design, the requirement for high power density in many applications is even greater as the result of lowered pulsing voltage. Thus, a large electrode surface area is needed to accomplish this requirement. However, as the electrode surface area increases, more inert materials (current collector, separator, etc.) are introduced into the system. As a result, the cell""s volumetric capacity is decreased. Another concern is medical device longevity, which is dependent on the cell""s capacity and power efficiency.
An attempt to use high capacity materials, such as CFx, by mixing it with a high rate cathode material, such as SVO, is reported in U.S. Pat. No. 5,180,642 to Weiss et. al. However, electrochemical cells made with these cathode composites have relatively lower rate capability. The benefit of increasing the cell theoretical capacity by using CFx as part of the cathode mix is balanced, in part, by lowering its power capability in a high rate discharge application, such as is encountered in an implantable cardiac defibrillator.
A significant solution to this problem is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 6,551,747 to Gan entitled Sandwich Cathode Design For Alkali Metal Electrochemical Cell With High Rate Capability by Gan et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the current invention and is incorporated herein by reference. This application describes a new sandwich electrode design using silver vanadium oxide (SVO) and a fluorinated carbon (CFx). An exemplary sandwich electrode has the following configuration:
SVO/current collector screen/CFx/current collector screen/SVO.
However, if the openings in the current collector screen are too large, there can be communication of one of the active materials to the other side of the current collector during the manufacturing process. This xe2x80x9ccontaminationxe2x80x9d is undesirable as it detracts from discharge performance. Specifically, SVO is of a higher rate capability, but a lower energy density than CFx. Therefore, contamination of the interface between the current collector and one of the active materials by the other is undesirable as it defeats the purpose of having the respective active materials segregated on opposite sides of the current collector in the first place.
To maintain the improved discharge capability of a cell containing a sandwich electrode, it is necessary to maintain direct contact of both the first and second electrode materials with the opposed sides of the current collector. A good contact or adhesion translates into good interfacial conductivity during discharge. Although it is clear in theory, in practice this interfacial conductivity is highly influenced by the manufacturing methods or processes. When the current collector is a screen, it is possible for some of one of the electrode materials to pass through the current collector openings and become trapped between the other electrode material and the current collector. This leads to decreased interfacial conductivity between the current collector and the xe2x80x9ccontaminatedxe2x80x9d first electrode material.
Thus, the present process consists of having one of the electrode active materials in a cohesive form incapable of moving through the current collector to the other side thereof. However, in an un-cohesive form, the one electrode active material is capable of communication through the current collector. The other or second active material is in a form in-capable of communication through the current collector, whether it is in a powder form, or not. Then, the assembly of first active material/current collector/second active material is pressed from either the direction of the first electrode active material to the second electrode active material, or visa versa.
In that respect, the present invention is directed to an electrochemical cell, comprising: an anode; a cathode, wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode is characterized as having been formed by a method consisting essentially of: positioning a first electrode active material into a pressing fixture; positioning a first current collector screen on top of the first electrode active material; positioning a second electrode active material on top of the first current collector screen; positioning a second current collector screen on top of the second electrode active material; positioning a third electrode active material on top of the second current collection screen, thereby forming an electrode assembly; and pressing the electrode assembly to form the electrode; and a separator electrically insulating the anode from the cathode; and an electrolyte activating the anode and the cathode, wherein when the first and third electrode active materials are in an un-cohesive state, they are of an un-cohesive size less than an opening size of at least one opening of the current collector screen and capable of moving through the at least one opening, and wherein the first and third electrode active materials are in a cohesive form incapable of moving through the at least one opening in the current collector screen and wherein the second electrode active material is in a form incapable of moving through the at least one opening in the current collector screen, and the electrode assembly is characterized as having been pressed from the direction of either the first electrode active material to the third electrode active material or from the direction of the third electrode active material to the first electrode active material.
These and other objects of the present invention will become increasingly more apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the following description.

Pellet process for double current collector screen cathode preparation


In an embodiment, an integrated circuit includes a direct memory access (DMA) controller configured to perform DMA operations between peripheral components of the integrated circuit and/or a memory to which the integrated circuit is configured to be coupled. Combinations of memory-to-memory, memory-to-peripheral, and peripheral-to-memory operations may be used. The DMA controller may be programmed to perform a number of DMA operations concurrently. The DMA operations may be programmed and performed as part of testing the integrated circuit during design and/or manufacture of the integrated circuit. The DMA operations may cause many of the components in the integrated circuit to be busy performing various operations. In some embodiments, programmed input/output (PIO) operations may also be performed while the DMA operations are in progress. In some embodiments, various parameters of the DMA operations and/or PIO operations may be randomized.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of integrated circuits and, more particularly, to testing integrated circuits.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the number of transistors that can be incorporated into an integrated circuit continues to increase, the complexity of the integrated circuit increases. For example, system-on-a-chip (SOC) implementations can include one or more processors and a variety of peripherals, all integrated onto one semiconductor substrate as an integrated circuit. The peripherals can be in various states of operation at the same time that the processor is performing numerous other operations. The number of possible states in the SOC, all of which must generally provide correct operation, increases exponentially with complexity. Such complexity must be tested during the design and manufacture of the integrated circuit to provide reasonable assurance that the integrated circuit will function as designed and that the design is correct.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Using central direct memory access (CDMA) controller to test integrated circuit


[Object] To estimate lens information with no change in photographing conditions. [Solution] An image processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a positional displacement estimation unit configured to estimate positional displacement between a plurality of input images obtained by photographing an identical photographic subject; an alignment processing unit configured to align positions of the plurality of input images on the basis of the estimated positional displacement; and a lens information estimation unit configured to estimate information of a lens used to photograph the input image depending on a model indicating a deterioration component of the lens on the basis of the aligned input images.

In related art, in one example, Patent Literatures 1 to 3 below disclose techniques of estimating an amount of lens shading using an image acquired by photographing a plurality of times while changing photographing conditions. Specifically, Patent Literature 1 discloses estimation of an amount of lens shading performed using an image having a difference in f-number, focal length, and presence or absence of flash light. In addition, Patent Literature 2 discloses estimation of an amount of lens shading performed using an image having a difference in F-number. In addition, Patent Literature 3 discloses estimation of an amount of lens shading performed using an image having a difference in exposure conditions.

Image processing apparatus and image processing method


Material transport systems including a radiation-resistant transport belt and methods of cutting substrates transported in the material transport systems are provided. An exemplary material transport system includes a continuous transport belt entrained on at least a first roll and a second roll. The transport belt includes at least a first layer and a second layer over the first layer. The first layer includes an inner surface of the transport belt and the second layer includes an outer surface of the transport belt. The second layer can be comprised of copper, copper-based alloys, aluminum, aluminum-based alloys or nickel.

Lasers can be used for cutting different types of materials, such as sheet metal, cloth and paper, with laser radiation. Lasers can provide precision cutting of these materials.
It would be desirable to provide material transport systems including a transport belt that is resistant to laser radiation damage and methods of cutting substrates in material transport systems with laser radiation.

Material transport systems including a transport belt having resistance to laser radiation damage and methods of cutting substrates in material transport systems with laser radiation


A wireless device and a method for controlling Discontinuous Reception (DRX) in the wireless device. The wireless device is capable of cellular and Device to Device (D2D) communication. The method comprises: when receiving a first uplink cellular communication grant, activating, for a first period of time (t1), a DRX-wake state for a cellular DRX configuration during which DRX-wake state the wireless device is configured to receive a second uplink cellular communication grant, and when receiving a first D2D communication grant, activating, for a second period of time (t2), the DRX-wake state for a D2D DRX configuration, wherein the D2D DRX configuration is separate from the cellular DRX configuration, and during which DRX-wake state the wireless device is configured to receive a second D2D communication grant. Thereby the wireless device is capable of controlling DRX using both the cellular DRX configuration and the D2D DRX configuration.

Communication devices such as wireless devices are enabled to communicate wirelessly in a radio communications system, sometimes also referred to as a radio communications network, a mobile communication system, a wireless communications network, a wireless communication system, a cellular radio system or a cellular system. The communication may be performed e.g. between two wireless devices, between a wireless device and a regular telephone and/or between a wireless device and a server via a Radio Access Network (RAN) and possibly one or more core networks, comprised within the wireless communications network.
Wireless devices are also known as e.g. User Equipments (UEs), mobile terminals, wireless terminals and/or mobile stations, mobile telephones, cellular telephones, or laptops with wireless capability, just to mention some examples. The wireless devices in the present context may be, for example, portable, pocket-storable, hand-held, computer-comprised, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices, enabled to communicate voice and/or data, via the RAN, with another entity.
The wireless communications network covers a geographical area which is divided into cell areas, wherein each cell area being served by a network node such as a Base Station (BS), e.g. a Radio Base Station (RBS), which sometimes may be referred to as e.g. eNB, eNodeB, NodeB, or BTS (Base Transceiver Station), depending on the technology and terminology used. The base stations may be of different classes such as e.g. macro eNodeB, home eNodeB or pico base station, based on transmission power and thereby also cell size. A cell is the geographical area where radio coverage is provided by the base station at a base station site. One base station, situated on the base station site, may serve one or several cells. Further, each base station may support one or several radio access and communication technologies. The base stations communicate over the radio interface operating on radio frequencies with the user equipments within range of the base stations.
In some RANs, several base stations may be connected, e.g. by landlines or microwave, to a radio network controller, e.g. a Radio Network Controller (RNC) in Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and/or to each other. The radio network controller, also sometimes termed a Base Station Controller (BSC) e.g. in GSM, may supervise and coordinate various activities of the plural base stations connected thereto. GSM is an abbreviation for Global System for Mobile Communications (originally: Groupe Spécial Mobile).
In the context of this disclosure, the expression Downlink (DL) is used for the transmission path from the base station to the wireless device. The expression Uplink (UL) is used for the transmission path in the opposite direction i.e. from wireless device to the base station.
In 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), base stations, which may be referred to as eNodeBs or even eNBs, may be directly connected to one or more core networks.
UMTS is a third generation mobile communication system, which evolved from the GSM, and is intended to provide improved mobile communication services based on Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) access technology. UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) is essentially a radio access network using wideband code division multiple access for user equipments. The 3GPP has undertaken to evolve further the UTRAN and GSM based radio access network technologies.
According to 3GPP/GERAN, a user equipment has a multi-slot class, which determines the maximum transfer rate in the uplink and downlink direction. GERAN is an abbreviation for GSM EDGE Radio Access Network. EDGE is further an abbreviation for Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution.
Recent developments of the 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) facilitate accessing local Internet Protocol (IP) based services in a home, an office, a public hot spot or even in outdoor environments. One of the important use cases for the local IP access and local connectivity involves direct communication between wireless devices arranged in close proximity of each other. By the expression "close proximity" is herein meant that the wireless devices are arranged less than a few tenths of meters from each other. However, sometimes the wireless devices may be arranged up to a few hundred meters from each other. Thus, the expression "close proximity" may mean that the wireless devices are arranged in the interval from less than a few tenths of meters up to a few hundred meters from each other.
When arranged in close proximity of each other, the two wireless devices may communicate directly with each other without interaction with a cellular access point, such as a base station. This is referred to as a direct mode communication or a device-to-device (D2D) communication, and the two wireless devices capable of D2D communication may be referred to as e.g. D2D devices, D2D capable devices and/or D2D capable wireless devices.

Wireless device, a radio network node and methods for discontinuous reception in device to device communications


The disclosure relates to the technical field of lifting mechanisms, and in particular to a voice control system and a method for moving columns, comprising a lifting mechanism, a controller, a storage module, and a voice collection module. The lifting mechanism, the storage module and the voice collection module are all electrically connected to the controller. A control word and at least two wake-up words are stored in the storage module. The system further includes a selection module for selecting the wake-up word and a display module for displaying the current wake-up word. Both the selection module and the display module are electrically connected to the controller. The likelihood of unwanted triggering can be decreased by the voice control system and method.

The lifting column is mainly used for lifting and lowering items. It is generally controlled by manual buttons, which are not a convenient way of doing so. The prior art also uses voice control so that it can be awakened by wake-up words and then controlled by control words. But because there may be multiple lifting columns in the same area and the wake-up words of the same type of lifting columns in the prior art would be the same, it is highly possible to cause unwanted triggering and inconvenient usage. The prior art requires semantic matching for voice control, so a control algorithm would be complicated and requires a processor with high computational power to perform the processing, which incurs high cost.

Voice control system and method for moving a column


A methodology of reducing process algebra to a language that facilitates modeling a business workflow process is provided. A process algebra is reduced to a model for business workflow processes. The model is then reduced to a scheduling programming language to allow users to create models of business process by selecting between features of the model and conventional modeling features. The scheduling programming language can be represented as a graphical user interface program that is convertible to a schedule language written in a programmable language. The present invention provides for explicitly representing parallelism within the business workflow process by separating interdependent transactions from independent transactions. The isolation of certain transactions are relaxed, such that users can define transactional boundaries in order to increase granularity of the transaction at an action level and provide visibility of transactions at intermediate steps.

Transaction processing systems have lead the way for many ideas in distributed computing and fault-tolerant computing. For example, transaction processing systems have introduced distributed data for reliability, availability, and performance, and fault tolerant storage and processes, in addition to contributing to a client-server model and remote procedure call for distributed computation. Importantly, transaction processing introduced the concept of transaction ACID properties—atomicity, consistency, isolation and durability that has emerged as a unifying concept for distributed computations. Atomicity refers to a transaction's change to a state of an overall system happening all at once or not at all. Consistency refers to a transaction being a correct transformation of the system state and essentially means that the transaction is a correct program. Although transactions execute concurrently, isolation ensures that transactions appear to execute before or after another transaction because intermediate states of transactions are not visible to other transactions (e.g., locked during execution). Durability refers to once a transaction completes successfully (commits) its activities or its changes to the state become permanent and survive failures.
Many applications for workflow tools are internal to a business or organization. With the advent of networked computers and modems, computer systems at remote locations can now easily communicate with one another. This allows computer system workflow applications to be used between remote facilities within a company. Workflow applications can also be of particular utility in processing business transactions between different companies. Automating such processes can result in significant improvements in efficiency, not otherwise possible. However, this inter-company application of workflow technology requires co-operation of the companies and proper interfacing of the individual company's existing computer systems.
A fundamental concept of workflow analysis is that any business process can be interpreted as a sequence of basic transactions called workflows. Every workflow has a customer, a performer, and conditions of satisfaction. The customer and performer are roles that participants can take in workflows. In addition, each workflow can have observers. In conventional business workflow systems, a transaction comprises a sequence of operations that change recoverable resources and data from one consistent state into another, and if a failure occurs before the transaction reaches normal termination those updates will be rolled back or undone. ACID transactions control concurrency by isolating atomic transitions against each other to create a serializable schedule by delaying updates until the commit of transactions. This isolation limits granularity viewed by an observer to the size of the parent transactions, until all child transactions commit within a parent transaction. Therefore, application specific programs cannot be invoked and monitoring of transactions by users cannot be performed based on any actions occurring within a transaction, until the transaction fails or commits.
Traditional transaction system models assume that transactions are concurrent and are related in such a manner that whether or not a transaction commitment has occurred needs to be communicated up a chain to a higher level parent transaction. Consequently, the fact that a transaction is an independent transaction is not fully considered. Additionally, concurrent transactions within a parent transaction must synchronize by communicating with one another, thus reducing overall system throughput. Furthermore, current business workflow software systems provide scheduling software that requires binding within scheduling to couple a schedule to real world applications and technologies. Such types of schedule software require sophisticated programmers to implement software for a given business workflow model. Furthermore, these types of schedule software often require modification of each schedule for different technologies.
Accordingly, there is a strong need in the art for a system and/or method for modeling a business workflow process that mitigates some of the aforementioned deficiencies associated with conventional modeling of business workflow processes.


An aliphatic polyester resin composition, useful for producing molded articles without causing deformation at the mold release time, has a non-copolymerized mixture of an aliphatic polyester resin including one or more polylactic acid resins and a crystallization nucleating agent including one or more metal salts of an aromatic sulfonate of Formula 1:

This invention relates to aliphatic polyester resin compositions, molded articles of aliphatic polyester resin and methods of their production.
From the point of view of protection of natural environment, biodegradable resins and molded articles produced from them are recently coming to be considered desirable, and aliphatic polyester resins such as polylactic acid resins and their molded articles are coming to be particularly noted. Although many of aliphatic polyester resins are essentially crystalline resins, they are slow to crystallize and behave nearly like a non-crystalline resin at the time of molding such that molded articles produced from them have many problems. In view of these problems, therefore, aliphatic polyester resins are usually presented in the form of aliphatic polyester resin compositions with a nucleating agent for crystallization or also some other additives, if necessary, when used for molding. This invention relates to improvements in the production method of such aliphatic polyester resin compositions.
Known prior art examples of nucleating agent to be contained in aliphatic polyester resin for producing an aliphatic polyester resin composition include: (1) compositions with melting point at 40-300° C. selected from amides of aliphatic carboxylic acid, amides of aliphatic bis-carboxylic acid, N-substituted bis-amides of aliphatic carboxylic acid and N-substituted ureas (as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication JP1997-278991); (2) aromatic amide compounds such as trimesic acid-tris-(t-butyl amide), 1,4-cyclohexane dicarboxylic acid dianilide, 2,6-nephthalene dicarboxylic acid dichlorohexyl amide, N,N′-dibenzoyl-1,4-diamino cyclohexane and N,N′-dicyclohexane carbonyl-1,5-diaminonaphthalene (as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication JP1998-87975); (3) organic compounds with melting point or softening point 80-300° C. and having specified melt-entropy (as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication JP1999-5849); (4) metal salts of organic phosphate ester and basic inorganic aluminum compounds (as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication JP2003-192883); (5) p-toluene sulfonic acid and its metallic salts (as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publications JP1996-120165 and JP1999-240962); (6) sodium sulfoisophthalate (as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication JP2003-240962); and (7) inorganic particles such as talc (as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Publication JP1996-3432). These prior art aliphatic polyester resin compositions, however, still have the same problems in that they are slow in crystallization and hence it takes a long time at a relatively high temperature for the molding process. Moreover, the molded products made from them are likely to undergo deformation at the time of mold releasing, and the physical characteristics of these molded products are inferior.

Aliphatic polyester resin compositions, molded articles of aliphatic polyester resin and method of producing same

Abstract: where X is a residual group obtained by removing three hydrogen atoms from benzene, R1 and R2 are each hydrocarbon group with 1-6 carbon atoms, M is one or more selected from the group of potassium atom, rubidium atom, barium atom, strontium atom and calcium atom, and n is 1 if M is alkali metal atom and 2 if M is alkali earth metal atom; the aliphatic polyester resin composition contains 0.01-5 weight parts of the one or more metal salts of aromatic sulfonate shown by Formula 1 for 100 weight parts of the aliphatic polyester resin.


One embodiment of the invention provides apparatus for manufacturing a smoking article. The apparatus includes an ecreteur having at least one trimming disk configured to trim a tobacco rod for a smoking article to have at least one end region of increased tobacco density. The at least one trimming disk is further configured to trim a body region of the tobacco rod such that the body region has a variable tobacco mass per unit length, where the body region is distinct from said at least one end region of increased density.

A known cigarette manufacturing technique, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,794, involves the use of a suction belt which takes tobacco from a hopper and forms a rod of tobacco that is fed into the garniture area of a cigarette manufacturing machine where the tobacco rod is wrapped in paper. The rod of tobacco that is formed in the suction belt area is not generally of a consistent enough weight or density to be used directly as a high quality cigarette. Accordingly, the tobacco rod is trimmed by an ecreteur to remove excess weight or density.
The removal processing is performed by a set of trimming disks. The trimming disks comprise two coplanar, rotating, disks adjacent to one another. The trimming disks shear off excess weight or density from a tobacco rod passing over or between them by the use of a paddle wheel or brush that rotates under the disks. The disks and brush may be moved up and down to remove more or less tobacco as required.
Cigarettes often have increased density of tobacco packing at either end of the cigarette to help prevent loose tobacco from falling out of the cigarette. Known trimming disks accommodate this by having pockets in the trimming disks that allow more tobacco to pass through the disk at either end of the tobacco rod and into the garniture area of the machine. In particular, the rotation of the two trimming disks is synchronised, so that the pockets form a symmetrical profile with respect to the cylindrical axis of the cigarette. Such an approach enables a dense end of tobacco to be formed at the open ends of the cigarette. The use of such dense ends has proved very effective for retaining tobacco within a cigarette.
In contrast, the remaining central portion (body) of cigarettes has generally been provided with a constant tobacco density, and the trimming disks for the manufacture of such cigarettes have been shaped accordingly.

Apparatus for the manufacture of smoking articles

British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited


A porous prosthesis for delivering a medication to the site of implantation is disclosed.

This invention generally relates to a medicated prosthesis or implant. More particularly, the invention relates to a medicated intra-vascular prosthesis, such as a stent, that is radially expandable in the vasculature of a patient and delivers a therapeutic agent to the site of implantation.
Stents are generally cylindrically shaped prosthetic implants which function to hold open and sometimes expand a segment of a blood vessel or other anatomical lumen. They are particularly suitable for supporting and preventing a torn or injured arterial lining from occluding a fluid passageway. Intravascular stents are very useful for treatment of coronary artery stenoses, and for reducing the likelihood of the development of restenosis or closure after balloon angioplasty.
The success of a stent can be assessed by evaluating a number of factors, such as the degree of development of thrombosis; degree of neointimal hyperplasia or smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation following implantation of the stent; severity of injury to the artery wall; overall loss of luminal patency; stent diameter in vivo; thickness of the stent; and leukocyte adhesion to the luminal lining of stented arteries. However, the chief areas of concern are early subacute thrombosis, and eventual restenosis of the blood vessel due to intimal hyperplasia.
Therapeutic pharmacological agents have been developed to improve successful placement of the stent and are delivered to the site of stent implantation. Stents that are of a common metallic structure were previously unable to deliver localized therapeutic pharmacological agents to a blood vessel at the location being treated with the stent. There are polymeric materials that can be loaded with and release therapeutic agents. However, these polymeric materials may not fulfill the structural and mechanical requirements of a stent, especially when the polymeric materials are loaded with a drug, since drug loading of a polymeric material can significantly reduce the structural and mechanical properties of the polymeric material.
It has been known in the art to coat a metallic stent with a polymeric material and load the polymeric material with a drug. Altematively, stents of polymeric materials have been reinforced with metal structure. These stent designs have the strength necessary to hold open the lumen of the vessel because of the reinforced strength of the metal. Stents made of both polymeric material and metal have a larger radial profile because the volume occupied by the metal portion of the stent cannot absorb and retain drugs. Reducing the profile of a stent is preferable because it increases the in vivo diameter of the lumen created by the stent. Thus it is desirable to configure a metallic stent to deliver drugs to the blood vessel walls without substantially increasing the profile of the stent. The present invention meets these needs.
In accordance with one embodiment, a stent is provided comprising a body wherein at least a part of the body includes a first porous region and a second porous region disposed beneath the first porous region, the second porous region containing a therapeutic substance for the local delivery of the substance when the stent has been implanted in a vessel, wherein the average pore size of the first porous region is less than the average pore size of the second porous region for reducing the rate of release of the therapeutic substance from the second porous region. A film layer, for example a polymeric layer, can be additionally disposed over the first porous region. The therapeutic substance can be for the treatment of restenosis. In one embodiment, the stent includes a third porous region, wherein the second porous region is disposed between the first and third porous regions and wherein the average pore size of the third porous region is less than the average pore size of the second porous region.
In accordance with another embodiment, a stent comprising a strut element is provided, wherein the strut element includes a inner core made from a first porous metallic material and an outer core surrounding the inner core made from a second porous metallic material. The average pore size of the second material can be less than the average pore size of the first material. The inner core can include a therapeutic substance for release of the substance when the stent has been implanted in a vessel. The outer core reduces the rate of release of the substance from the inner core.
In accordance with another embodiment, a stent is provided comprising a body wherein at least a part of the body is made from sintering elongated metallic fibers together to make a porous structure.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, a method of manufacturing a stent is provided, comprising sintering particles of a first size together to form a first porous network, and sintering particles of a second size together and to the first porous network to form a second porous network, wherein the first size is greater than the second size so that the first porous network has an average pore size that is greater than the average pore size of the second porous network. The method can additionally include depositing a therapeutic substance in the first porous network for the local delivery of the substance after the stent has been implanted in the body of a patient, wherein the second porous network reduces the rate of release of the substance from the stent. A polymeric film layer can be deposited on the second porous network. In one embodiment, the particles of the second size are sintered all the way around the first porous network such that the second porous network completely surrounds the first porous network.
In accordance with yet another embodiment, a method of manufacturing a stent is provided, comprising sintering elongated fibers together to form a component of the stent body.


Disclosed is a photopolymerizable holographic recording medium for data storage that comprises colloidal metal, and which exhibits a threshold for a second stage polymerization which is substantially insensitive to the light used for both forming holograms and interrogating the medium during servo and/or read events. Also disclosed is a method of preparing said photopolymerizable holographic recording medium. Also disclosed is a method for preparing a colloidal without additives in a viscous medium.

In prior art processes for formation of volume-phase holograms, data is stored as holograms resulting from the interference of signal and reference beams within a holographic recording medium comprising a homogenous mixture of at least one polymerizable monomer or oligomer and a polymeric binder; the polymerizable monomer or oligomer must of course be sensitive or sensitized to the radiation used to form the interference fringes. In the illuminated regions of the interference pattern, the monomer or oligomer undergoes polymerization to form a polymer that has a refractive index different from that of the binder. Diffusion of the monomer or oligomer into the illuminated regions, with consequent chemical segregation of binder from these areas and its concentration in the non-illuminated regions, produces spatial separation between the polymer formed from the monomer or oligomer and the binder, thereby providing the refractive index modulation needed to form a hologram. Typically, after the holographic exposure, a post-imaging blanket exposure of the medium to actinic radiation is required to complete the polymerization of the monomer or oligomer and fix the hologram. When holograms are multiplexed co-locationally, such as by multiple holographic exposures at different angle conditions, a post-imaging blanket exposure of the medium to actinic radiation may also be required to complete the polymerization of the monomer or oligomer and fix the multiplexed holograms.
One important potential use of volume holograms is in digital data storage; the three dimensional nature of a volume hologram, which refers to the storage of each bit as a hologram extending throughout the entire volume of the recording medium, renders volume holograms suitable for use in high capacity digital data storage. A group of bits can be encoded and decoded together as a two dimensional array of bits referred to as a page. Various multiplexing methods, such as angular, spatioangular, shift, wavelength, phase-code, and related methods, are used to store multiple pages co-locationally within the same volume or in partially overlapping volumes.
Microholograms, or bit-wise volume holograms, can be recorded independently in layers, such that each layer comprises a 2-dimensional array of bit-wise locations and the number of layers in the depth direction is related to the thickness of a layer relative to the overall thickness of the recording medium. Eichler et al. in IEEE, 4, 5, 840 (1998) describe a method for recording microscopic Bragg-reflectors, with a radius of 1.8 μm and 12 μm depth, in Dupont Omnidex HRF-800 photopolymer films with 20 micron thickness using lenses of a DVD pickup. The number of layers was limited to two by the thickness of the photopolymer recording medium and the beam waist used. In the z direction, or parallel to the counterpropagating direction of the writing beams, there is a periodic modulation with a strongly profiled envelope of the grating fringes, whereas in the orthogonal directions, x and y, the microholograms are characterized by a Gaussian refractive index modulation. Use of this method, however, for recording many such layers in thicker currently available photosensitized photopolymer recording media requires knowledge of the recording sensitivity of a region in the desired layer at the time of recording a particular microhologram, as the local recording sensitivity is affected by recording of previous microholograms in nearby regions of other layers and even by reading of data stored as holograms. A disk containing 10 or more such layers would be an attractive alternative to multilayer CD and/or DVD technology, as the density of data per layer would be similar to that obtained with CD and/or DVD disks and the overall area data density would scale linearly with thickness or number of layers. Strickler et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,407 describe a non-holographic, multi-layered, refractive index-perturbation optical storage system. Bits are stored at the high intensity focus of a single laser beam as localized perturbations in the index of refraction of a photopolymer.
Photopolymerizable holographic recording media for write-once-read-many (WORM) applications should ideally exhibit lengthy pre-recording shelf life and good recording sensitivity. This particular performance characteristic, however, remains as one of the most difficult to achieve for photopolymerizable holographic recording media that are designed for data storage applications. Typically initiator species form over time, as a result of thermal decomposition processes that take place at room temperature, and thus unintended polymerization occurs. A consequence of short prerecording shelf life is a monotonic and significant decline in recording sensitivity as exhibited by photopolymerizable recording media. The use of conventional photopolymerizable recording media for data storage therefore requires continual knowledge of recording sensitivity as a function of pre-recording time. Moreover, sensitivity may be different for one location on a disk versus another depending upon whether nearby locations were imaged at earlier times, and to what degree polymerization reactions persisted into the surrounding regions. Additionally, if recording has been carried out at a particular location, but in a way such that the entire recording ability of the material at that location has not been fully realized, then subsequent recording of data could be effected at this location by use of various multiplexing methods. This, of course, is only practical when the recording sensitivity is known at the onset of each recording event. The sensitivity in such cases depends on both the time of storage of the material and the shelf life characteristics of the material, as well as upon the extent of photopolymerization that has taken place during previous recording events at a location.
A photopolymerizable holographic recording medium comprising an initiator that creates the requirement of a threshold event for initiation of additional polymerization would be an attractive candidate for WORM data recording applications. The term "threshold" is used herein to refer to a nonlinear relationship between the intensity or energy delivered to the data storage medium and the number of initiated polymerization events that occur. The polymerization process that takes place subsequent to and as a result of the threshold event amplifies the effect of the threshold initiation process. A threshold event for recording of data is a particularly attractive performance characteristic when this event results in local variation of the refractive index modulation in a controlled manner, and if the energy requirements for the event are reasonable in comparison to intensities available from common laser sources. For example, in the case of microscopic Bragg-reflectors, known as microholograms [see for example Eichler et al. in SPIE Vol. 3109, 239 (1997) and in IEEE, 4, 5, 840 (1998)], the term local would refer to the focal region of light transmitted through an imaging lens, and which is defined by a certain radius and depth in the material. A localized non-holographic alteration of the index of refraction, such as by polymerization within the focal region of an imaging lens, alters the refractive index modulation of a hologram that exists in the same region. Hesselink et al. in PCT application WO 99/39248 describe a multi-depth, bit-wise optical data storage system whereby a format hologram is first stored in a holographic storage medium, and data are then stored as selective, microlocalized alterations of the format hologram.

Data storage medium comprising colloidal metal and preparation process thereof


A single use unit dosage dispensing closure includes a shell attached to a container, an axial movable cap attached to the shell, a dust cover preventing premature actuation of the cap, and a sealing member coupled to the cap. The shell has an inner guide in communication with the container and the cap is moveable along the guide. The cap has a chamber adapted to dispense material into the container. The chamber is sealed with the sealing member extending across a lower open end thereof, wherein axial movement of the cap along the inner guide member will open the chamber and dispense the contents of the chamber into the container. The axial movable cap is formed from a material with a higher oxygen and moisture barrier property than the material forming the shell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cap dispensing closures for a container, more particularly to closures having a chamber in the cap that can selectively store and dispense the contents there-of into the container.
2. Prior Art
The broad concept of a container closure including a compartment for storing material separate from the container for selectively mixing with the container is very old and well known.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,745 discloses a container with two compartments and a piercing member used to rupture the wall between the compartments to allow the material stored in one compartment to mix with the material in the other.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,469 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A reciprocating piercing member is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,189 discloses a container with a completely open top (i.e. no neck finish) with a top cover that includes an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A plunger is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,968,872 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A piercing member is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,731 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A piercing piston is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,291 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A plunger or rod is connected to the bottom wall of the reservoir and is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,437 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and further threading of the upper portion of the cap onto the bottle is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,760 discloses a container closure having a cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is ruptured by a piecing plunger to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,865 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and movement of a reciprocating plunger on the cap into the bottle is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,718 discloses a container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and movement of a reciprocating plunger on the cap into the bottle is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,951 discloses a container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and movement of a reciprocating plunger on the cap into the bottle is used to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,017 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is ruptured through movement of a threaded reciprocating piecing member on the cap to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,819 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. The reservoir is held in position by the bottle neck finish and movement of a top of the cap into the bottle is used to rupture the side walls of the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,523 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. The reservoir is collapsible and has a piecing member for piercing the bottom wall thereof during compression to rupture the reservoir to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,922 discloses a container closure or cap that forms multiple colorants reservoirs for selectively dispensing into the container to selectively color the beverage in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,576 discloses a threaded container closure or cap that forms an "aseptic" interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is pieced by a movement of a reciprocating piercing member to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,372,270 discloses a container closure or cap that forms an interior chamber or reservoir for storing a substance. A bottom wall of the reservoir is ruptured by movement of a reciprocating plunger on the cap into the bottle to allow the material stored in the reservoir to mix with the material in the container.
As noted above wide variety of cap dispensing, or cap ejecting, closures are known in the art. The prior art devices have certain drawbacks. Many of these earlier designs do not allow for the formation of the cap chamber out of a high moisture/oxygen barrier material. Materials that form a high moisture/oxygen barrier are generally too rigid to form undercuts that can be jumped out of a mold. Materials that can economically form the components do not yield the high moisture/oxygen barrier and limits the applicability of the closure (e.g. certain material in the chamber would have a low shelf life due to the material selection for the cap). Further, many of these prior art designs are impractical from a standpoint of filling the chamber or reservoir in the closure.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art and provide an economical unit dosage dispensing closure with high moisture/oxygen barrier characteristics for the chamber and which is easily filled having a long shelf life.

Single use unit dosage dispensing closure


Methods and systems for annotating objects and/or actions are provided. An example method includes receiving a selection of a content object via an interface of a wearable computing device. The wearable computing device may include a head-mounted display (HMD). The method may also include, but is not limited to, displaying the selected content object on the HMD. Additionally, the method may include obtaining facial-muscle information while the content object is being displayed on the HMD. A facial expression may also be determined based on the facial-muscle information. According to the method, the content object may be associated with an annotation comprising an indication of the facial expression.

Digital images are often annotated to support the use of browsing, searching, and retrieving features of an image retrieval system. For example, an image retrieval system may include a database of digital images having associated annotations. The annotations may include metadata such as captioning, keywords, or other descriptions associated with the digital images so that retrieval can be executed based on the annotations. In some examples, an image retrieval system may offer an automatic image annotation component.
Automatic image annotation or automatic image tagging offers the ability to automatically assign metadata to a digital image. In some instances, computer vision techniques are employed to organize or locate images of interest from a database. For example, a system may include training images having annotations associated with various feature vectors (classifications of colors, shapes, textures, patterns, etc. within an image). Machine learning may then be used to determine a correlation between the feature vectors and the associated annotations of the training images. Finally, annotations may be assigned to raw or un-annotated images based on feature vectors identified within the raw images and the correlations determined via machine learning.


A unit module compartment structure includes: a first unit module compartment, including a first partition board having connection means at one end, and a second partition board having connection means at two ends thereof, respectively, the connection means of the first partition board and the connection means at one end of the second partition board being connected so as to form a first angle less than 90°; and a second unit module compartment, including a third partition board having connection means at one end, and a fourth partition board having connection means at two ends thereof, respectively, wherein the connection means at one end of the third partition board, the connection means at one end of the fourth partition board and the connection means at another end of the second partition board are connected so as to form a second angle identical with the first angle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intergraded dialysis unit module and module compartment structure provided for hemodialysis centers or hospitals with concern of personal privacy, having merits in structural simplification and convenient care for patients.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally speaking, interior design for hemodialysis centers or hospitals' emergency rooms always adopts open type such that hospital beds are arrayed on a space without compartments. Therefore, medical personnel can observe situations of all patients in beds without obstructing sight lines from nursing stations so as to reduce manpower demand for nursing staff in care. Nevertheless, the beds are arranged in arrays and there is no individual privacy space, and very often disturbance comes from neighboring conversation and noise.
Currently, interior design for hemodialysis centers or hospitals' emergency rooms adopts open type so as to facilitate observation for patients. In order to care for patents' privacy, curtains or screens are supplied, if necessary, for shelter. This, however, is far away from provision of personal privacy space for every individual sick in hospital beds. In particular, lengthy working time needs to be consumed in completion of facilities for power and water supply, together with drainage, such are required for dialysis machines.
According to the present invention, an intergraded dialysis unit module is provided in response to convenient observation for patients at hemodialysis centers or hospitals. This not only satisfies the requirement for medical personnel in convenient care and manipulation, but also provides patients with individual privacy space. In the meantime, power and water supply required for medical equipment such as dialysis machines can be integrated altogether. These can be finished easily by fixed or detachable arrangement, so that not only working hours for compartment can be reduced, but also location of compartment can be changed as necessary.
To solve the above-mentioned problem, a well-designed "intergraded dialysis unit module," according to the present invention, has been accomplished. Such unit modules can be assembled, as desired, for necessities of compartment so as to provide patients with individual privacy space, and to provide with convenient observation for medical personnel at nursing stations. This also integrates power and water supply required for medical equipment, and facilitates medical care and manipulation for medical personnel. The structural design for intergraded assembly has merits not only in reducing working hours for assembly of compartment, but also in changes of styles and sizes of the compartment to meet the variation of locations.

Intergraded dialysis unit module and module compartment structure


A jewelry closure includes a pair of closure members for magnetically engaging together. One or both closure members includes a magnet. A first closure member of the pair is supported by a casing which extends outwardly to receive the second closure member when both closure members are magnetically engaged together. The closure is secured by a clip attached to the outer surface of the casing. A portion of the clip lies adjacent an outer end surface of the second closure member when the closure is secured. In closed position the clip prevents the closure members from being separated when the jewelry closure is secured.

Known jewelry closures may be hard to close, particularly for elderly and/or disabled users. Magnetic jewelry closures, such as are described in my co-pending design patent application, application Ser. No 385,914, filed July 21, 1989, are very simple to use, but do not bear sufficient weight, unless a heavy duty magnet is used. Such a heavy duty magnet may be uncomfortable to wear and/or of unsuitable design for use with delicate jewelry. Another known magnetic closure is that shown in Mizuno, U.S. Pat. No. 3,129,477. Particularly when used for heavy or valuable jewelry, there may be a perceived lack of strength of these known magnetic closures due to the absence of a conventional closure.