An apparatus and method for dispensing incendiary projectiles is provided. The apparatus includes an injector for injecting the projectiles with a reactant at a dispensing rate, and a controller operable to control the dispensing rate. The controller is operable to control solenoids of a dispenser gate and a shuttle motor, and to prevent jam conditions of the apparatus. The apparatus can detect and automatically correct jam conditions that do occur. The apparatus can count the number of incendiary projectiles dispensed during a current operation and during the lifetime of the apparatus. The apparatus is dimensioned to minimize the number of incendiary projectiles purged from the apparatus after an operator has indicated to stop dispensing.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to intentional burning for land and forestry management and, in particular, to an apparatus, method and system for dispensing incendiary projectiles.
2. Description of Related Art
Prescribed burning is the intentional burning of typically forested areas to meet specific land management objectives, such as to reduce flammable fuels, restore ecosystem health, recycle nutrients, or prepare an area for new trees or vegetation.
Devices for igniting prescribed fires include conventional hand-held and aerial ignition devices. Conventional aerial ignition devices are typically mounted on a helicopter; receive plastic spheres containing an incendiary material, such as potassium permanganate; inject the received spheres with a reactant, such as ethylene glycol; and then expel the injected spheres to fall from the helicopter. A delayed exothermic reaction between the incendiary material and the reactant within the spheres can produce a prescribed fire where the spheres land. The delay of the exothermic reaction is typically 25 to 30 seconds.
Conventional hand-held ignition devices typically operate by dripping or throwing flaming fuel onto flammable materials such as ground vegetation. However, such conventional hand-held devices require an operator to be present on the ground at the prescribed fire, and are not suitable for aerial use due to their restricted size and output and safety concerns.
Some conventional aerial ignition devices dispense incendiary capsules obtained from capsule belts stored in magazines. However, such conventional aerial ignition devices require the use of capsule belts of specific and restricted dimensions, and are not suitable for dispensing spheres or other free flowing projectiles. Also, the belts and magazines become unusable waste after the capsules have been removed therefrom.
Some conventional aerial ignition devices permit adjustment of the desired rate of operation of the device. However, such conventional aerial ignition devices do not regulate the rate of operation. Thus, such conventional aerial ignition devices cannot correlate the rate of operation with a desired rate of operation.
Some conventional aerial ignition devices inject varying amounts of reactant into the spheres depending on the selected desired rate of operation of the device, thereby reducing the incendiary effectiveness of the injected spheres.
Some conventional aerial ignition devices include an electrically powered fire extinguisher for extinguishing fires located within the device. However, the fire extinguishers of such conventional devices do not operate when power to the device fails or becomes otherwise disconnected.
Aerial ignition devices typically require spheres to be expelled from the device after the user has stopped the flow of received spheres, thereby requiring the user to judge when to stop the flow of received spheres in order to consequently stop spheres from being expelled at a desired time. Thus, it would be desirable in the art to minimize the number of spheres expelled from the device after the flow of received spheres has been stopped. Conventional aerial ignition devices do not minimize the number of spheres expelled from the device after the flow of received spheres has been stopped.
Aerial ignition devices typically jam and/or break spheres in the device under conditions of misalignment. Thus, it would be desirable in the art to minimize the effect of jamming and breaking of spheres within the device. Conventional aerial ignition devices do not effectively address the problem of jamming and breaking of spheres within the device.
Some conventional aerial ignition devices cannot count the number of spheres being expelled.
However, such conventional aerial ignition devices may exhibit abnormal behavior when the solenoid or similar device de-energizes as a result of a failure or other disconnection of power to the device.
Some conventional aerial ignition devices do not have a removable base, thereby hindering installation of the device on the helicopter.
Prior art projectiles lack multi-coloured exteriors, thereby hindering their visibility, and are large and bulky.

Apparatus and method for dispensing incendiary projectiles


Of the type designed to be attached to the propeller-shaped bases or heads of a concrete grinder, to enhance the grinding effect of said propeller-shaped bases after the latter are used without disks, it is shaped like a cross, with four equal arms which are equiangularly distributed, in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid, each of which has a curved-convex end (1), forming part of the imaginary circumferential outline corresponding to the theoretical disk, and curved-concave side edges (2-2xe2x80x2), which are joined to each other without a break in continuity between adjoining arms and which define a deep concave indentation (3), whose path is circumferential and whose radius appreciably coincides with the theoretical radius of the disk, so that a pair of disks may be used in a concrete grinder with two heads, working on the same plane without touching each other, by means of offsetting them angularly from each other by 45xc2x0.

This invention refers to a disk for grinding concrete, specially designed to be applied to a concrete grinder, and more specifically, to allow the use of this type of disks on grinders with two propeller-shaped bases.
The application of this invention is in the construction area, especially in obtaining concrete floors with a perfect surface finish.
When preparing concrete pavement, the pouring of the raw material and its complementary vibrating are not sufficient to achieve a smooth enough surface, so when necessary, concrete grinders are used, based on a propeller-shaped base mechanism starting with rotating arms, generally four radial arms, so that the rotating action of these arms and their friction on the surface of the concrete grind this surface, to obtain the desired improved surface finish. In this sense, there are grinders with a single head and grinders with two, duly synchronized heads, whose arms cross each other, in other words, the distance between their rotational axes is substantially smaller than the sum of the radial dimension of two arms, to perform a joint function where the effect of one head partially overlaps the effect of the other. Obviously, to achieve this, the arms of one head must be angularly offset with respect to those of the other, which, in combination with their synchronized rotating motion, prevents these arms from interfering with each other.
A use of grinding disks is also known where, once the grinder has first been used with the disks, said disks are detached and the propeller-shaped bases alone are used, which helps give the concrete a better surface finish.
The grinding disks that are currently on the market are circular in shape, so that they can only be used on grinders with a single head, as on machines that have two heads these would interfere with each other since the disks have to work on the same plane, making normal operation of the machine impossible.
The disk that the invention proposes resolved the aforementioned problem in a fully satisfactory manner, so that, while performing satisfactorily as a grinding element, it can be used on grinders with either one or two heads.
More specifically, to achieve this, the disk that the invention proposes, starting with an imaginary circle, has four ample indentations, equiangularly distributed and curved-concave, which convert it into a type of xe2x80x9ccross,xe2x80x9d with equal arms, in the shape of an isosceles trapezoid with slanting, curved-concave sides, so that the curvature and radius of these indentations roughly coincides with the radius of the disk itself, which, by means of proper angular offsetting between the two disks mounted on a grinder with two heads, prevents said disks from touching each other, as each arm of one of them fits into the respective indentation of the other, and vice-versa.


Systems and methods are described herein for producing a model of a biological tissue, comprising a primary elastic material formed in the shape of an organ, and a secondary stiffener material embedded in the primary elastic material, wherein the secondary stiffener material is formed into a metamaterial design that increases the elastic modulus of the model in at least one predetermined direction. Models in accordance with embodiments mimic both the shape and mechanical properties of the organ they depict.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has emerged as a treatment option for patients with severe symptomatic aortic stenosis at high risk for surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). In order to select appropriate TAVR prosthesis for optimal outcome, non-invasive imaging techniques, such as CT and 3D echocardiography, are routinely performed to characterize the aortic root anatomy and ensure accurate annulus sizing. However, due to the sutureless nature of TAVR procedure, the occurrence of mild or more paravalvular leak (PVL) after TAVR is higher than after surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR), affecting 26-67% patients. Multicenter studies have found moderate to severe post-TAVR PVL to be an independent risk factor for increased short- and long-term mortality. Although a number of PVL predictors have been proposed, there is no broad consensus on how the current practice of patient screening and prosthesis selection can be refined in order to reduce PVL.
3D printing, or additive manufacturing (AM), refers to the layer-by-layer fabrication of objects in an additive process from CAD models. It features a high ability for customization, high geometrical complexity and cost effectiveness in some cases with low production volume, which is perfectly suited for biomedical applications like prosthetics.
Although the uniaxial tensile properties of phantom materials can be close to soft tissues at small strain (<3%) range, the creep tendency, an inherent characteristic of polymers, makes them behave quite differently than the soft tissues under larger deformation. For tissue-mimicking phantoms, the strain range-of-interest is normally the working strain range of the tissue. Soft tissues typically exhibit a strain-stiffening behavior initially, which is represented by a convex stress-strain curve in the beginning. As the strain increases, the curve changes from convex to concave, which indicates yielding of the material. In contrast, the stress-strain curve of a polymer material is usually concave from the beginning, indicating a strain-softening feature. Even though the initial Young's modulus (elastic modulus) of a polymeric phantom can be designed to match the Young's modulus of the real tissue, the mechanical behavior of the phantom will deviate from the real tissue at higher strain levels.
Since creep is an intrinsic property of polymeric materials, single-material polymer 3D printing is generally not capable of generating phantoms that are mechanically accurate in the strain range-of-interest. Recent advances in 3D printed metamaterials provides new insight to this challenge. Metamaterials were first introduced as novel electromagnetic (EM) materials and their characteristic structural length is one or more orders smaller than the EM wavelengths. Since then, the concept of metamaterials has been extended to include any materials whose effective properties are delivered by its structure rather than the bulk behavior of the base materials that composed it. In other words, the geometry, size, orientation and arrangement of the unit cells of metamaterials grant them the desired properties. Here, the value of the "metamaterial" concept is the idea of constructing artificial models of tissue with heterogeneous microstructures that, although difficult to do conventionally, can be printed using additive manufacturing.
To improve patient outcomes following TAVR procedures, an improved modeling technique is needed to better predict the interaction of the TAVR prosthesis with the human aorta, and thereby predict surgical outcomes, such as the occurrence of PVL. However, as would be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, the present disclosed technology is not so limited. Indeed, the techniques described herein can be applied to other biological tissues and organs, both human and animal.

3D printed metamaterial tissue-mimicking phantoms


Embodiments described herein may provide a method for providing a local hazard warning to vehicles or devices at locations near an observed weather condition. Methods may include: receiving an indication of an observed weather condition from a probe; receiving an indication of a location of the observed weather condition from the probe; generating an estimation of a local hazard at a plurality of locations proximate the location of the observed weather condition; generating a confidence level of the local hazard at each of the plurality of locations proximate the location of the observed weather condition; and generating a local hazard warning for at least one of the plurality of locations in response to the confidence level for the at least one of the plurality of locations satisfying a predefined measure.

Weather stations may be used to gather information regarding weather-related information at geographically dispersed locations, such that the weather information may be used for historical trend data, current weather reporting, and future weather prediction. Weather stations may include various sensors to gather weather-related information and report an abundance of weather attributes, such as temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, visibility, precipitation, wind speed, wind direction, etc. Weather stations traditionally have included stationary apparatus that included various types of specifically configured sensors to gather weather-related data. These traditional weather stations are conventionally located at airports, military bases, remote outposts, etc. However, certain regions may lack weather stations close by such that weather for an area may not be readily available and of questionable accuracy.
One drawback of using location-based weather data from weather stations is that the weather data may only approximate the weather at a location in which a user is interested. Further, the ubiquity of weather stations may result in an abundance of weather-related information, much of which may not be material to the desired weather information.

Method, apparatus and computer program product for providing local hazard warnings


A method of driving a main rotor of a rotorcraft in rotation while implementing an in-flight simulation mode that simulates failure of one of the engines of the rotorcraft. In simulation mode, and when a current speed of rotation (NR) of the main rotor is detected as being lower than a predetermined threshold speed of rotation (S), the simulation mode is kept active and a regulation command is generated in order to perform a controlled operation (A) of gradually increasing the power delivered by the engines by authorizing the limit imposed by a setpoint (OEI/2) for regulating operation of the engine in simulation mode to be exceeded. Said gradually increasing power is interrupted by the pilot staying under training and operating a collective pitch manoeuver of the blade of the main rotor providing a rotation of main rotor at the predetermined threshold speed in rotation.

(1) Filed of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of simulations performed on board a rotorcraft in order to train a pilot. The present invention relates more particularly to such a simulation relating to training a pilot for the event of a failure of one of the engines of a rotorcraft having a plurality of engines, in particular a twin-engine rotorcraft.
(2) Description of Related Art
Rotorcraft are rotary wing aircraft in which at least lift is obtained by means of at least one main rotor with a substantially vertical axis. Specifically in helicopters, the main rotor provides the rotorcraft not only with lift, but also with propulsion and/or guidance in pitching and in roll. Rotorcraft are also fitted with anti-torque devices providing guidance in yaw, such as at least one auxiliary rotor with an axis that is substantially horizontal. By way of example, such an auxiliary rotor is a tail rotor or a propulsive propeller for a helicopter with high-speed propulsion.
The rotor(s) are driven in rotation by a power plant of the rotorcraft. It is common for such a power plant to comprise at least two engines, gas turbines in particular. The engines are engaged on a power transmission train interposed between the power plant and the members of the rotorcraft that consume mechanical power, in particular the rotor(s).
Typically, operation of the engine members depends on a regulation unit. Regulation of the current operation of engine members is performed by the regulation unit in compliance with a nominal mode of operation commonly referred to as all engines operative (AEO) mode.
The problem of a failure of one of the engines in a power plant needs to be taken into account in the field of aviation. In the event of such a failure, the number of engines available to deliver the required mechanical power to the rotorcraft is reduced.
That is why so-called one engine inoperative (OEI) modes have been established for regulating operation of the engines in the event of one of them failing. In the event of failure of one engine, at least one other available engine operating in OEI mode delivers a setpoint power for a predefined duration, in order to enable the rotorcraft to fly temporarily despite one of the engines being unavailable.
Various OEI modes are usually established for various flight stages of the rotorcraft, such as for example, the following current OEI modes:
OEI mode of very short duration, in which the setpoint power is delivered for a short duration of the order of 30 seconds while the rotorcraft is in a takeoff stage;
OEI mode of short duration, in which the setpoint power is delivered for a short duration of the order of two to three minutes while the rotorcraft is in the advanced stages of takeoff; and
OEI mode of long duration, in which the setpoint power is delivered for a potentially unlimited duration.
The ability of engines to deliver the setpoint power on their own in OEI mode implies that they are overdimensioned, depending on the structure of the rotorcraft and on the operating capacities of the engines. It may be observed that it is economically useful to restrict such overdimensioning, the advantage of which is confined to the exceptional event of a failure of one of the engines.
In addition, it may be considered that piloting a rotorcraft in the event of a failure of one of the engines is difficult and requires the pilot to have specific knowledge. That is why there is a need to train pilots for such a failure.
Pilot training is frequently performed by simulation carried out in real flight on board a rotorcraft under the constraints of favorable flying conditions. To this end, a failure of one of the engines is simulated without, however, making the engines inoperative so as to keep all of the engines available and enable any one of them to be used individually in the event of a real failure of another one of them.
In the context of such a simulation, it is preferable to avoid operating an individual engine in compliance with the constraints imposed by the OEI modes. Operation of an engine in OEI mode is damaging to the engine and it is useful to preserve the engine in order to avoid costly maintenance operations. That is why in the context of a said simulation it is common practice to modify the limits imposed by the OEI modes and/or to modify the values of the criteria taken into account in order to define those limits, such as the weight of the rotorcraft.
A training mode referred to as a "single-engine" training mode is known, in which a first engine is used to deliver the setpoint power. At least one second engine is kept in operation and engaged on the power transmission train, but in desynchronized manner such that its use is reserved for maintaining drive of the main rotor to avoid it dropping below a threshold minimum speed of rotation.
If need be, and in particular if the first engine is incapable of delivering the power necessary for driving the main rotor, the second engine is available to deliver power in addition to and/or as a substitute for use of the first engine.
Such an approach is hardly satisfying as regards the speed with which the second engine can be put into use in the event of an emergency, such as in the event of a real failure of the first engine.
The desynchronization of the second engine leads to an unsatisfactory response time for resynchronizing it with the power transmission train, where such synchronization is necessary for driving the main rotor in order to enable the rotorcraft to continue flying under favorable flying conditions. Furthermore and as mentioned above, in order to avoid damage, it is not desirable in the context of a simulation to stress an engine to the limits set by an OEI mode.
Thus, another approach has been proposed in which all of the engines are used simultaneously in order to simulate a failure of one of the engines. In the context of execution of a simulated OEI mode for training purposes, the setpoint power to be delivered is shared evenly between all of the engines, which are kept synchronized with the power transmission train. Under such circumstances, each of the engines delivers mechanical power at a level corresponding to the setpoint power divided by the number of engines.
This other approach presents the advantage of keeping each of the engines in operation and in synchronous engagement with the power transmission train. In the event of a real failure of one of the engines, the reactivity of another engine to delivering all of the power needed is satisfactory. Performing simulation in this way is preferable for preserving the engines and for enabling a pilot to be trained in favorable flying conditions.
In addition, display means indicate the speed of rotation of the main rotor to the pilot so as to enable the pilot to maintain drive to the rotor so as to comply with a setpoint speed of rotation.
In the event of a reduction in the speed of rotation of the main rotor, the pilot varies the collective pitch of the blades of the main rotor so as to reduce the load on the rotor and re-establish rotor drive in compliance with the setpoint speed of rotation.
In order to understand known approaches relating to various in-flight simulations of an engine failure on-board a rotorcraft fitted with a plurality of engines, reference may be made for example to documents US 2005/234689 (PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,546 (SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORP.). More specifically, relating to delivery of a setpoint power by a plurality of engines together in the context of an in-flight simulation of a failure of one of the engines, reference may be made to documents U.S. Pat. No. 4,831,567 (PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,917,908 (BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON Inc et al.).
Consideration should also be given to a potential drop in the speed of rotation of the main rotor caused by the inability of the trainee to manage a sudden simulation of a failure of one of the engines or caused under the effect of certain rotorcraft maneuvers performed by the pilot under training. As an indication, it is generally accepted that such a drop in the speed of rotation is of the order of 95% of the setpoint speed of rotation and/or by analogy is of the order of 5% per revolution of the main rotor.
In such flight, a safety device spontaneously interrupts the in-flight simulation, and each of the engines is returned to operating at its nominal power by being regulated in the AEO nominal mode of operation. Reference may also be made to documents US 2009/186320 (RUCCI J. et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,366 (NELSON R. E.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,948,023 (SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORP.), or also to document U.S. Pat. No. 5,873,546 (EVANS C. W. et al.).
However, it is observed that such a solution tends to generate "jolt" phenomena in yaw, thereby making it difficult for the inexperienced trainee to pilot the rotorcraft subjected to such "jolts". It is more particularly observed that interrupting the simulation causes a sudden surge in the mechanical power delivered by the power plant, which tends to destabilize the yaw behavior of the rotorcraft.
The pilot faced with an unexpected interruption of the simulation may be surprised and unable to stabilize the rotorcraft quickly. In addition, the "jolt" phenomenon should be avoided in order to preserve the rotorcraft. It should also be considered that such a situation in which the rotorcraft is destabilized is a consequence of the unrealistic flying behavior induced by the unexpected interruption of the simulation, which goes against the educational purpose of providing a pilot with engine-failure training.
Still concerning educational purpose, it is not appropriate for the trainee to be suddenly confronted with a feeling of failure.
In addition, such a loss of stability of the rotorcraft in yaw depends on values defined by the OEI modes and on the inertia of the tail rotor. Consequently, it is usually necessary to define specific manners of operating the engines in pilot training mode corresponding to the specific structures of rotorcraft in respective families. Consequently, it appears useful to define manners of carrying out the OEI modes in the context of simulating a failure of one of the engines, which manners are suitable for use with rotorcraft of any family.
In conclusion, it appears to be useful to perfect the manners of operating the engines in order to train a pilot for a failure of an engine of a rotorcraft fitted with a plurality of engines, by taking into account as far as possible all of the constraints and requirements and/or advantages as mentioned above.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of driving a main rotor of a rotorcraft in the context of simulating a failure of one of the engnes of the rotorcraft


The present invention provides a radio communication system which includes a plurality of radio base station apparatuses that transmit reference signals orthogonal to each other among a plurality of transmitting antennas and a mobile terminal apparatus that performs channel estimation based on the reference signals transmitted from the plurality of radio base station apparatuses, sets priority among a plurality of neighboring radio base station apparatuses and introduces a bias in the number of reference signals that can be allocated to each radio base station apparatus according to the priority from the radio resources shared among the plurality of neighboring radio base station apparatuses.

The standardization organization 3GPP is studying Long Term Evolution (LTE), which is a communication scheme as a successor to a wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA) scheme, high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) scheme, high-speed uplink packet access (HSDPA) scheme or the like (Release-8, 9). Release-8, 9 LTE (hereinafter referred to as "REL8, 9-LTE") defines an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access (OFDMA) scheme as a radio access scheme for improving frequency utilization efficiency on a downlink.
Furthermore, REL8, 9-LTE defines a radio transmission method (MIMO: Multiple-Input Multiple-Output) for improving communication quality by providing a transmitter and a receiver with a plurality of antennas respectively (e.g., 3GPP TR 25.913[1]). MIMO transmission improves a transmission rate by transmitting different pieces of information from respective transmitting antennas at the same frequency and at the same timing. Furthermore, REL8, 9-LTE defines a reference signal configuration for channel estimation corresponding to a radio base station apparatus having a maximum of four transmitting antennas.
However, for LTE, a simultaneous channel estimation method for a plurality of radio base station apparatuses remains as a problem yet to be solved. A conventional reference signal configuration does not support MIMO transmission covering a plurality of radio base station apparatuses, and therefore reference signal are not orthogonalized to each other among the radio base station apparatuses. For this reason, when channel estimation is performed among the plurality of radio base station apparatuses simultaneously, there is a problem that the estimation accuracy deteriorates due to interference.

Radio communication system, radio base station apparatus and communication control method


The present invention discloses a ventilator mounting bracket, belonging to device installation brackets. Existing ventilator mounting brackets are smaller in adjustable distance range, difficult in installation and fixation and low in efficiency. The ventilator mounting bracket of the present invention is provided with two telescoping rod components which can extend and shorten and two folding rod components which are connected between the two telescoping rod components and can be folded and unfolded; the two folding rod components are unfolded to stretch the two telescoping rod components such that the two telescoping rod components and the two folding rod components form a mounting hole for mounting a ventilator; the two folding components are folded to withdraw the two telescoping rod components for packaging and transportation; moreover, the two ends of each one of the two telescoping rod components can be fixed at corresponding fixed parts by adjusting the length of the telescoping rod components. The mounting bracket can be conveniently and efficiently installed in new and hold houses, has a relatively large adjustable distance range, and can ensure that ventilators are installed in any position and reduce the installation time and installation cost of the ventilators.

Technical Field
The present invention belongs to device mounting brackets, and specifically relates to a mounting bracket for ceiling ventilators.
Description of the Related Art
Ventilators commercially available on the market can be mounted by many ways, and mounting brackets for ventilators vary with mounting methods. Through analysis on the usage and efficiency of existing mounting brackets, it is found that some mounting brackets have defects such as difficult installation and fixation, that some mounting brackets can be used during decoration of only new houses or can be used only after the existing ceiling opening sizes are changed during renovation of old houses, and that some mounting brackets apply to certain fixed positions or are small in adjustable distance range during installation. The flexibility of use of the mounting brackets is affected.


A swivel caster (1) for suitcases, items of luggage, transport containers or the like has at least one wheel (8) which is rotatably received about an axis of rotation (14), and a steering axle (6) which is arranged approximately at a right angle to the axis of rotation (14) of the at least one wheel (8) and about which the at least one wheel (8) can be steered. The aim of the invention is to reduce the transmission of vibrations, running noises and jolts and bumps onto the suitcase, the item of luggage, the transport container or the like. The swivel caster (1) comprises an elastic damping element (7) which is mounted between the wheel (8) of the swivel caster (1) and a fastening element (3) of the swivel caster (1) on the suitcase side.

Suitcases are provided relatively often with such casters in order to allow simple and comfortable movability of the suitcase, particularly when it is completely filled.
From EP 0 874 564, a suitcase having such casters is known in which the axle around which a wheel support with a wheel turns, is firmly anchored in an axle support that itself is firmly attached by means of appropriate attachment elements to the suitcase shell.
Both the axle support and also the axle firmly anchored therein are made from a hard and rigid material, so that the wheels, particularly when loaded transversely with respect to the axle of the swiveling roller, do not slide against the suitcase-side housing portion that holds or receives the swiveling roller. In the case of such casters, due to the rigid connection between the axle, on the one hand, and the axle support, on the other hand, and due to the hard and stiff materials from which the mentioned components are made, vibrations and running noises of the wheels are easily transmitted to the suitcases and amplified there.

Swivel caster for suitcases, items of luggage, transport containers or the like


A lash adjuster is provided which can keep a constant valve lifting amount. An adjust screw is brought into threaded engagement in a threaded hole formed in the bottom surface of an end plate of a lifter body. The adjust screw is biased in the axial direction by an elastic member. The threads of female threads of the threaded hole and the male threads on the adjust screw are serrated. The surface roughness of the pressure flanks of the serrated threads is set to 0.4 or over to prevent the adjust screw from retracting while turning when push-in loads are applied to the adjust screw from the valve stem, thereby stabilizing the valve lifting amount. Also, a slide member is mounted between the adjust screw and the valve stem and a retaining device is provided to prevent the slide member from turning relative to the nut member while supporting it so as to be movable in the axial direction.

This invention relates to a lash adjuster for automatically adjusting the valve clearance of a valve gear in an internal combustion engine.
In a valve gear for opening and closing an intake valve or an exhaust valve (hereinafter simply referred to as a valve) by rotating a cam, a valve clearance is automatically adjusted by means of a lash adjuster.
As a lash adjuster of this type, the present applicant has already proposed a thread type lash adjuster which can reduce the axial length of the valve gear, is small in the number of parts and easy to assemble (JP patent publication 11-62519).
With the lash adjuster of this publication, as shown in FIG. 14, a nut member 8 is fixed e.g. by brazing to the bottom surface of an end plate 2 of a lifter body 1. A threaded hole 3 is formed in the nut member 8. An adjust screw 4 threadedly engaging in the threaded hole 3 is axially biased by an elastic member 5 mounted in a closed end of the threaded hole 3. Female threads 3a of the threaded hole 3 and male threads 4a formed on the adjust screw 4 are serration-shaped so that the flank angle of pressure flanks 6, which bear push-in loads applied to the adjust screw 4, is larger than the flank angle of clearance flanks 7. The serrated threads have such a lead angle that under the bias of the elastic member 5, the adjust screw 4 will move in the axial direction while turning.
The lash adjuster having such a structure is, as shown in FIG. 14, mounted between a cam 10 and a valve stem 12 provided on a valve 11 to press the end face of the valve stem 12 against the end face of the adjust screw 4 by the bias of a valve spring 13 for biasing the valve stem 12 toward the cam 10 and serves to transmit the pressing force to the cam 10 through the lifter body 1 so that the valve 11 will be opened and closed as the cam 10 rotates.
In mounting such a lash adjuster, if a valve clearance is produced between the valve stem 12 and the adjust screw 4, by the biasing force of the elastic member 5, the adjust screw 4 will move in the axial direction along the clearance flanks 7 while turning, thus absorbing the valve clearance.
Also, when the adjust screw 4 receives a push-in force from the valve stem 12, it will retract until axial clearances formed between the female threads 3a and the male threads 4a disappear. When a further push-in force is applied, it will be borne by the pressure flanks 6, which prevent the adjust screw 4 from retracting while turning.
If the push-in load applied from the valve stem 12 to the adjust screw 4 is a continuously acting varying load, the adjust screw 4 will retract axially while turning to a position where the minimum value of the varying load becomes zero, thereby keeping uniform the valve clearance.
With the already proposed lash adjuster, when the push-in force is applied to the adjust screw 4, the circumferential component of the vertical resistance produced between the thread surfaces gives the adjust screw 4 a turning force.
At this time, if the frictional force working between the thread surfaces is large enough to give a sufficient turning resistance, the adjust screw 4 is prevented from retracting. But if the frictional force is insufficient, the adjust screw 4 will retract while turning, so that the valve lifting amount decreases. If the retracting amount exceeds the ramp of the cam 10, the valve 11 will get impulsively seated on the valve seat 18, producing an abnormal sound.
The surface roughness of the pressure flanks 6 of the female threads 3a and the male threads 4a greatly influences the frictional force between the thread surfaces. Generally, for oil-lubricated frictional surfaces, the larger the surface roughness, the higher the friction coefficient. Thus, with a lash adjuster as described above, it is preferable that the surface roughness of the female threads 3a and the male threads 4a is large.
Mass-produced screws are typically manufactured by rolling in view of lower cost and high strength. The surface roughness of flanks (thread surfaces) of screws formed by rolling is relatively small.
The inventors of the present invention formed the male threads 4a of the adjust screw 4 of the lash adjuster by rolling, and measured the valve lifting amount in a revolving number sweeping test for a lash adjuster in which is mounted this adjust screw 4. The test results are shown in FIG. 5. The surface roughness Ra of the flanks 6 and 7 of the male threads 4a of the adjust screw 4 was 0.1.
In the graph of FIG. 5, the bent line A1 at the lower part of the graph shows the number of revolutions of the crankshaft. It linearly increases from the idling revolution 800 (r/min) to MAX 6000 (r/min) and linearly decreases back to 800 (r/min).
The upper part of the graph shows a lifting curve B1 of the valve 11. In the graph, only one lifting curve is shown enlarged. But actually, such lifting curves appear continuously in the direction of the horizontal axis (that is, time axis) of the graph. The density of lifting curves are coarse in a region where the number of revolutions of the crankshaft is low and it increases as the number of revolutions of the crankshaft increases. Displaying such lifting curves is difficult. Thus, they are shown with the valve closed positions and the valve open positions connected by lines. In the graph of FIG. 5, the upper line C shows the valve closed position and the lower line D shows the valve open position.
As is apparent from the test results, if the surface roughness of the threaded surfaces of the male threads 4a of the adjust screw 4 is relatively smooth, under some conditions of the lubricating oil, a sufficient frictional force would not be obtained between the flank surfaces, so that stoppage upon loading is delayed momentarily, thus reducing the valve lifting amount.
An object of this invention is to provide a lash adjuster in which the valve clearance is automatically adjusted by axial movement of the adjust screw having serrated male threads, and the valve lifting amount is kept constant by providing a sufficient frictional resistance between the thread surfaces during loading for the adjust screw to stop.
With the lash adjuster mounted in a direct type valve gear shown in FIG. 11, due to displacement of the relative position of the cam 10 and the lifter body 1 the lifter body tends to turn under a turning force by contact with the cam 10. Also, the valve 11, too, tends to turn according to operating conditions. These rotations are not constant in the rotating direction and rotating speed. When such a rotation occurs, the thread engagement portions between the threaded hole 3a and the adjust screw 4 are acted by torsional moment produced due to a relative turning between the lifter body 1 and the valve 11.
If such a torsional moment is relatively small, even if it is a turning force in such a direction as to push in the adjust screw 4, frictional force between the pressure flanks 6 will prevent the adjust screw from slip-turning.
On the other hand, the torsional moment applied to the thread engagement portions between the adjust screw 4 and the threaded hole 3a depends on the relative turning speed of the lifter body 1 and the valve 11 and the frictional force between the end faces of the valve stem 12 and the adjust screw 4, so that its intensity and direction vary according to conditions such as the kind of engine, the number of cylinders or the number of revolutions.
If the torsional moment should be inputted at such an intensity as to overcome the frictional force between the pressure flanks 6 in such a direction as to push in the adjust screw 4, the adjust screw would retract, thereby varying the valve lifting amount. If the retracting amount exceeds the ramp height of the cam 10, the valve 11 may be impulsively seated on the valve seat 18, thus producing abnormal sound.
The second object of this invention is to provide a lash adjuster which can maintain a stable valve lifting amount under any conditions, irrespective of the relative turning speed between the lifter body and the valve stem or the frictional coefficient of the abutting portions, and which can be easily mounted in a valve gear.
To achieve the first object, according to this invention, there is provided a lash adjuster for use in a valve gear, comprising a lifter body having an end plate, mounted between a cam and a valve stem and supported so as to be slidable in the axial direction, an adjust screw in threaded engagement with a threaded hole formed in the bottom surface of the end plate of the lifter body, and an elastic member biasing the adjust screw toward the top end of the valve stem, wherein threads of female threads of the threaded hole and male threads formed on the outer periphery of the adjust screw are serrated so that the flank angle of pressure flanks of the male threads and the female threads, which receive axial push-in force applied to the adjust screw, is larger than the flank angle of clearance flanks of the male threads and the female threads, wherein the surface roughness Ra of the pressure flanks of at least one of the female threads and the male threads is set to 0.4 or over.
With this arrangement, it is possible to obtain a sufficient frictional force between the pressure flanks of the female threads of the threaded hole and the male threads of the adjust screw. Thus, even when an axial push-in load is applied from the valve stem to the adjust screw, the adjust screw will not retract while turning. Thus, the valve lifting amount varies little, so that it is possible to obtain stable valve lifting properties.
The pressure flank having the surface roughness Ra of 0.4 or over may be at least one of the pressure flanks of the male threads of the adjust screw and the pressure flanks of the female threads of the threaded hole, or both of them.
As a method of obtaining pressure flanks having a surface roughness Ra of 0.4 or over, the threads may be formed by cutting, knurling after forming the threads by rolling, or shot-peening after forming the threads by rolling.
By employing these methods, the surface roughness Ra of 0.4 or over will be obtained not only on the pressure flanks but on the clearance flanks. But, if the surfaces of the female threads and of the male threads are rougher than necessary, movement of the adjust screw toward the protruding side would worsen. While the valve clearance is increasing, trouble may occur that even when the axial load from the valve stem becomes zero, and even after the adjust screw has contacted the clearance flanks, it would not begin slip turning. In order to prevent such a problem, the surface roughness Ra of the clearance flanks is set to less than 25.
By setting the clearance flanks to less than 25, the adjust screw will move smoothly in the protruding direction. Thus it is possible to obtain smooth operating properties.
To achieve the second object, according to this invention, there is provided a lash adjuster for use in a valve gear, comprising a lifter body having an end plate and mounted between a cam and a valve stem so as to be slidable in the axial direction, a nut member fixedly mounted on the bottom surface of the end plate of the lifter body, an adjust screw in threaded engagement with a threaded hole formed in the nut member, and an elastic member mounted in the threaded hole to bias the adjust screw in the axial direction, wherein threads of female threads of the threaded hole and male threads formed on the outer periphery of the adjust screw are serrated so that the flank angle of pressure flanks of the male threads and the female threads, which receive axial push-in force applied to the adjust screw, is larger than the flank angle of clearance flanks of the male threads and the female threads, wherein a slide member is mounted between the adjust screw and the valve stem and a retaining means is provided to prevent the slide member from turning relative to the nut member while supporting the slide member so as to be movable in the axial direction.
By mounting the slide member between the adjust screw and the valve stem and preventing the slide member from turning relative to the nut member while allowing the slide member to move in the axial direction, even if the valve stem turns relative to the lifter body, no turning moment will be transmitted to the adjust screw, so that only axial push-in force is transmitted. The axial push-in force is borne by the pressure flanks at the thread engagement portions between the threaded hole and the adjust screw, so that the adjust screw is prevented from retracting while turning. As a result, it is possible to maintain a stable valve lifting amount.
By retaining the slide member by means of the retaining means, in the stage before the lash adjuster is mounted in a valve gear, it is possible to prevent the slide member from falling off the lifter body, so that it is possible to make it easy to mount the lash adjuster.
As a method of preventing the slide member from turning and making it inseparable, it is conceivable to provide a cylindrical portion on the outer peripheral portion of the nut member, form an axial groove at the bottom end of the cylindrical portion, fit a turn-preventive piece provided on the outer periphery of the slide member in this groove so that the slide member is prevented from turning but is axially movable, and prevent the slide member from turning by mounting a snap ring on the inner periphery of the lifter body.
But in this case, a problem arises that the outer peripheral wall of the nut member would be thick, thus increasing the weight of the lash adjuster.
In order to solve this problem, according to the present invention, the retaining means comprises an elastic ring having its outer peripheral portion fitted in a groove formed in the inner periphery of the lifter body, and a ring-shaped turn-preventive member pressed against the bottom surface of the nut member by the elastic ring, a plurality of guide pieces formed to extend downwardly from the inner periphery of the turn-preventive member, the guide pieces each being formed with a guide hole, the slide member having a plurality of turn-preventive pieces formed on the outer periphery thereof, the turn-preventive pieces being inserted in the guide holes to prevent the slide member from turning and support the slide member so as to be movable in the axial direction.
By employing the retaining means, it is possible to form the turn-preventive member by pressing a thin metal plate. Thus it is possible to suppress increase in the weight of the lash adjuster to a minimum and to provide a lightweight, low-cost lash adjuster.
As the elastic ring, a disc spring having a cut-off portion in its circumference may be used. This elastic ring is easy to mount and has not only the function as a spring, but also the function as a snap ring. Thus, it is not necessary to use a separate snap ring to prevent the elastic ring from coming off. Thus it is possible to reduce the number of parts, thereby reducing the cost.
By forming a plurality of protrusions on the outer periphery of the turn-preventive member and coupling the turn-preventive member to the nut member by caulking the protrusions, it is possible to reliably prevent the turn-preventive member from turning. Thus it is possible to more reliably prevent the slide member from turning.
Further, by mounting the nut member in contact with the bottom surface of the end plate of the lifter body and pressing it against the bottom surface of the end plate with the elastic ring, it is possible to prevent the nut member from turning by the bias of the elastic ring. Thus, compared with the case in which the nut member is fixed to the bottom surface of the end plate of the lifter body by brazing, it is possible to reduce the cost of the lash adjuster.
In the lash adjuster of the present invention, the retaining means may comprise an elastic ring mounted in a groove formed in the inner periphery of the lifter body for pressing the nut member against the bottom surface of the end plate of the lifter body, the nut member being formed with cutouts in an outer periphery thereof at opposed positions, the slide member having L-shaped turn-preventive pieces adapted to be fitted into the cutouts formed in the nut member and prevented by the elastic ring from coming out of the cutouts.
By adopting such a retaining means, the turn-preventive member of the abovesaid embodiment is not needed any more. This reduces the number of the parts of the lash adjuster and its cost and weight.
Other features and objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description made with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:


Plants are disclosed that contain a recombinant nucleic acid construct comprising a nucleic acid encoding a cytosolic acetyl coA-carboxylase (ACCase) operably linked to a promoter. Seeds produced from such plants exhibit statistically significantly increased oil content as compared to seeds produced by a corresponding plant lacking the nucleic acid encoding the ACCase. Methods of producing seeds exhibiting statistically significantly increased oil content are also disclosed.

This invention relates to oilseed plants, and more particularly to plants containing a nucleic acid encoding a cytosolic acetyl coA-carboxylase (ACCase) enzyme.
Acetyl-CoA carboxylase [ACCase; EC 184.108.40.206] catalyzes the first committed step in fatty acid biosynthesis by converting acetyl-CoA to malonyl-CoA. In plants, a multisubunit (MS) form and a multifunctional (MF) form of ACCase have been identified. The MS form is composed of dissociable subunits of different sizes, including a biotin carboxyl carrier protein (BCCP), xcex1- and xcex2-carboxyltransferases (xcex1-CT and xcex2-CT, respectively), and a biotin carboxylase (BC). The MS form is present in plastids of dicotyledenous and of non-Gramineae monocotyledenous plants and is primarily involved in the biosynthesis of fatty acids.
The MF form of a plant ACCase is similar to mammalian ACCase (and is sometimes designated xe2x80x9ceukaryoticxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccytosolicxe2x80x9d ACCase), in that it is a MF polypeptide with a molecular weight of more than 200 kDa. The MF form of ACCase from plants contains BCCP, BC, xcex1-CT and xcex2-CT functional domains in a single polypeptide. MF ACCase is most likely present in the cytosol of all plant species and in the chloroplasts of Gramineae plants. Plant MF ACCase is involved in the biosynthesis of very long chain fatty acids, flavonoids, and in the malonation of amino acids and aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (a precursor to ethylene).
Antisense nucleic acids against an ME ACCase have been introduced into Brassica napus (White et al., 1998, in Adv. in Plant Lipid Res., pp. 62-66, eds., Sxc3xa1nchez, J., Cerdxc3xa1-Olmedo, E. and Martinez-Horce, E., Universidad De Sevilla, Spain) and an Arabidopsis genomic DNA encoding an MF ACCase under the control of a napin seed-specific promoter and linked to a small subunit (ss) Rubisco transit peptide was introduced into B. napus (Roesler et al., 1997, Plant Physiol., 113:75-81; U.S. Pat. No. 5,925,805).
Plants have been engineered to express a nucleic acid encoding an MF acetyl coA-carboxylase (ACCase), hereinafter referred to as cytosolic ACCase. Oil content was significantly increased in plants containing the cytosolic ACCase coding sequences.
In general, the invention feature plants containing a nucleic acid construct carrying a nucleic acid encoding a cytosolic ACCase operably linked to a promoter and lacking a transit peptide. This plant produces seeds that exhibit a statistically significant increase in oil content as compared to seeds produced by a corresponding plant lacking such a construct.
The invention additionally features plants containing a nucleic acid construct carrying a nucleic acid encoding a cytosolic ACCase lacking introns operably linked to a promoter. This plant produces seeds that exhibit a statistically significant increase in oil content as compared to seeds produced by a corresponding plant lacking such a construct.
The invention also features methods of producing a transgenic plant. This method includes selecting progeny transgenic plants of a plant containing a nucleic acid construct carrying a nucleic acid encoding a cytosolic ACCase operably linked to a promoter. Following at least one generation of selection, one or more of the progeny transgenic plants produce seeds exhibiting a statistically significant increase in oil content as compared to seeds produced by a corresponding plant lacking such a construct.
The invention further features methods of producing a plant by introducing a construct carrying a nucleic acid encoding a cytosolic ACCase operably linked to a promoter into one or more plants. Progeny of these plants, following at least one generation of selection, produce seeds that exhibit a statistically significant increase in oil content when compared to seeds produced by a corresponding plant lacking such a construct.
Yet another feature of the invention are methods of increasing the oil content in seeds by creating a plant containing a nucleic acid construct carrying a gene encoding a cytosolic ACCase operably linked to a promoter, and selecting progeny of the plant that exhibit a statistically significant increase in oil content in seeds as compared to seeds produced by a corresponding plant lacking such a construct.
Additionally featured in the invention are seeds produced by the above-described plants, and progeny of those plants, wherein the progeny produce seeds that exhibit a statistically significant increase in oil content when compared to seeds produced by the progeny of plants lacking such a construct.
Typically, the increase in oil content is from about 5% to about 25% on a dry weight basis. The above-described selection steps can include selecting progeny that contain the nucleic acid construct. Generally, soybean plants or Brassica plants, for example, Brassica napus, B. rapa, B. juncea, B. carinata, B. nigra and B. oleracea are useful in the invention.
Still yet another feature of the invention is a nucleic acid construct carrying a cytosolic ACCase coding sequence operably linked to a promoter but lacking a transit peptide and a nucleic acid construct carrying a cytosolic ACCase coding sequence lacking introns operably linked to a promoter.
A promoter included in a construct of the invention can be a cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter. Unless otherwise indicated, the ACCase constructs described herein may or may not include nucleic acid sequences encoding a transit peptide operably linked to the nucleic acid sequences encoding the cytosolic ACCase. An example of a transit peptide is a tobacco small subunit Rubisco transit peptide. In addition, a nucleic acid encoding a cytosolic ACCase can encode a plant cytosolic ACCase, for example, an alfalfa cytosolic ACCase. Further and unless otherwise indicated, a nucleic acid encoding the ACCase can lack introns.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The materials methods, and examples are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting. Suitable methods and materials are described below, although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention. All publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. In case of conflict, the present specification, including definitions, will control.

Plants containing a cytosolic acetyl CoA-carboxylase nucleic acid


The use of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) in combination with superoxide dismutase (SOD) for the preparation of medicaments for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a very widespread neurodegenerative form of dementia which affects a high percentage of the world's population over 70 years old, with a ratio of 1:2 between men and women. The incidence of AD is constantly increasing, as the more common non-genetic form begins at around the age of 70-75, and life expectancy is increasing due to higher standards of living combined with the progress of medicine and pharmacology. The disease also exists as a genetically transmitted form associated with mutations in some loci of chromosomes 14, 19 and 21 (typical of persons suffering from Down's syndrome). Early onset of the familial form of AD takes place at around 50 years old, and causes brain degeneration followed by death in 2-3 years. The late-onset form of the disease also gives rise to brain degeneration and death, but in a period of 10 or more years.
The brain presents a large number of plaques in the interneuronal spaces and typical neurofibrillary tangles in the neurons, especially those of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and amygdala, and in other parts of the brain with cognitive functions. Amyloid plaques, also known as senile plaques, are polymers of the peptide beta-amyloid (Aβ), which derives from a larger protein: beta-amyloid precursor protein (APP). APP is a member of the highly conserved superfamily of transmembrane glycoproteins.
In the last decade, numerous studies have been conducted by scientists engaged in research into AD with a view to understanding its etiology, especially as regards the molecular mechanisms. Research into the molecular components and their regulation can clarify their therapeutic and diagnostic prospects. Attention has focused on presenilins, whose role in processing APP, and therefore in producing Aβ, appears to be highly significant. It has been demonstrated that these proteins, presenilin 1 (PS1) and presenilin 2 (PS2), present an enzymatic activity or regulate the activities of other enzymes, namely secretases, which cleave APP into normally degradable catabolites (alpha-secretase) or into peptide Aβ (beta- and gamma-secretase). In familial AD, mutations of the genes coding for PS1 and PS2 lead to excessive production of Aβ and accumulation of isoform Aβ-42 in particular, which is highly amyloidogenic. Recently, experiments on PS1 knockout mice evidenced a great reduction in gamma-secretase activity, demonstrating that PS1, as well as belonging to the gamma-secretase complex, is also mainly responsible for the production and accumulation of Aβ. As regards beta-secretase, it is believed that the product of the BACE gene can perform beta-secretase cleavage alone.
The development of clinically useful gamma- and beta-secretase inhibitors could become a crucial weapon against Alzheimer's disease, and is currently one of the most exciting competitions in neuroscience. It has been clearly demonstrated that the activity of PS1 cannot be wholly suppressed, because this protein is needed to process transduction factor Notch-1, a crucial factor for the maturity of many stem cells, such as those involved in erythropoiesis.
Regulation of gene expression by means of DNA methylation can be successfully studied in a cell culture system able to express the genes involved in AD. As a result of our studies, a very interesting indication has been found in the regulatory mechanisms involved in aging, which consists of a gradual, global increase in DNA hypomethylation in the elderly, and homocysteine accumulation observed in patients suffering from senile dementia. Homocysteine accumulation and DNA hypomethylation are metabolically correlated, because the failure of homocysteine to be converted to methionine reverses the metabolism towards synthesis of S-adenosylhomocysteine, which is known to be a strong DNA-methyltransferase inhibitor, and therefore induces DNA hypomethylation. In accordance with the well-established theory that many genes are expressed when the cytosines of specific sequences are demethylated, this biochemical pattern can lead to expression of unexpressed genes and overexpression of normally expressed genes. This may be the case with AD, because the overexpression of PS1, namely gamma-secretase, may discontinuously exceed alpha-secretase activity, and therefore produce the peptide Aβ, which accumulates, and can cause the disease after many years. A further indication of the possible role of DNA methylation in AD is the finding that AD patients present much lower post mortem levels of methyl donors in the brain. Lower availability of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) could easily lead to altered or increased expression of the genes involved in APP metabolism, eventually producing an accumulation of peptide Aβ in the senile plaques.
Preliminary experiments have been performed on a neuroblastoma line (SK-N-SH) which expresses APP, PS1, PS2, BACE, alpha-secretase, the other components of gamma-secretase, and Notchl. The cultures were treated with a culture medium deprived of folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 (in order to alter the metabolism of homocysteine), to which SAM was added at various concentrations (to balance the effects of vitamin deprivation). We found an increase in PS1 and BACE expression in the vitamin B-deprived medium, and a marked reduction in PS1 and BACE expression after the administration of SAM. In experiments conducted with HpaII/PCR on APP and PS1 promoters, we found a major difference in the methylation of one of the CpG sites of the PS1 promoter. We concluded that the PS1 gene can be partly silenced by administration of exogenous SAM. The administration of SAM can reduce PS1 expression, restoring the metabolic balance in favour of alpha-secretase. Experiments have also been conducted with transgenic mice of the strain TgCRND8, and corresponding controls; these mice are characterised by the presence of the human mutated APP gene, and can therefore develop amyloid plaques in a short time. These animals were fed on a complete diet or a diet lacking in the vitamins of the B group; once again, as in the cells, an increase in PS1 and BACE expression was observed.
In both the experimental models, the alteration of gene expression had the effect of increasing gamma- and beta-secretase activities with consequent overproduction of Aβ, which accumulated to form senile plaques more rapidly than in the animals treated with the control diet.
The data summarised above have been reported in the following publications:    Fuso A., Nicolia V., Cavallaro R. A., Ricceri L., D'Anselmi F., Coluccia P., Calamandrei G. and Scarpa S. 2008. B-Vitamin Deprivation Induces Hyperhomocysteinemia and Brain S-adenosylhomocsyteine, Depletes Brain S-adenosylmethionine, and Enhances PS1 and BACE Expression and Amyloid-β Deposition in Mice. Mol. Cell. Neurosci. 37: 731-746.    Fuso A., Cavallaro R. A., Zampelli A., D'Anselmi F., Piscopo P., Confaloni A. and Scarpa S. 2007. γ-secretase is differentially modulated by alterations of Homocysteine cycle in neuroblastoma and glioblastoma cells. J. Alz. Dis. 11: 275-290.    Cavallaro R. A., Fuso A., D'Anselmi F. and Scarpa S. 2006. The effect of S-adenosylmethyonine on CNS gene expression studied by cDNA mycroarrays analysis. J. Alz. Disease. 9: 415-419.    Scarpa S., Cavallaro R. A., D'Anselmi F. and Fuso A. 2006. Gene silencing through methylation: an epigenetic intervention on Alzheimer Disease. J. Alz. Disease. 9: 407-414.    Fuso A., Seminara L., Cavallaro R. A., D'Anselmi F. and Scarpa S. 2004. Homocysteine/S-adenosylmethionine Cycle Alterations Unbalance DNA Methylation Status with Consequent Up-regulation of Beta-amyloid Prmnotinn. Mnl. cell. Nelirnri. 28(1):195-204.    Scarpa S., Fuso A., D'Anselmi F., Cavallaro R. A. 2003. Presenilin 1 gene silencing by S-adenosylmethionine: a treatment for Alzheimer disease? FEBS Letters 541 (1-3):145-148.    Fuso A., Cavallaro R. A., Orrù L., Buttarelli F. R. and Scarpa S. 2001. Gene silencing by S-adenosylmethionine in muscle differentiation. FEBS Letters 508 (3): 337-340.
The use of SAM to treat AD was also proposed in US 2002/025926 and US 2004/0048827. The latter document demonstrated the ability of SAM to interfere with beta-secretase, presenilin 1 and 2 and beta-amyloid protein precursor gene expression. Studies conducted with labelled (tritiated) SAMe after said patent application demonstrated the ability of the molecule to reach the central nervous system after oral administration, as reported below.
The beneficial effect of SOD in the treatment of AD is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,058 and in CN 1099224.
Pharmaceutical compositions comprising SAM and SOD together with a number of active ingredients, for use in conditions other than AD, are disclosed in US 2003/129261 and in WO 2005/041996.

Use of S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) for the preparation of medicaments for the treatment of alzheimer's disease


A method of evaluating follicular biopsy specimens (skin samples) in order to count the number of comedones (25) present in the specimen involving the steps of applying an adhesive, in vivo, to a subject's skin; applying a microscopic slide to the adhesive covered skin; allowing the adhesive to set adhering to the slide; removing the slide with the adhesive and the skin attached thereto, thus yielding a follicular biopsy specimen; examining the specimen under a stereoscopic microscope under cross-polarized light then evaluating the specimen using image analysis hardware and software to determine the number of sebaceous plugs or comedones existing in the specimen.

Comedogenic products clog pores and follicles and inhibit the skin's natural cleansing of sebaceous materials. Sebaceous materials found in the skin are composed of fats, cellular debris and keratin. These sebaceous materials, if trapped within pores or follicles, become a site for the growth of corynebacterium acnes. In a short time these sites also accumulate dirt causing the pore or follicle to become a blackhead or comedone. Such comedones, over time, may become infected and contribute to the onset of acne.
The use of image analysis in conjunction with UV light to evaluate facial comedones is known and is described in Analysis of Facial Comedos by Porphyrin Fluorescence and Image Analysis by G. Sauermann, Ph.D, B. Ebens, Ph.D and U. Hoppe, Ph.D. Porphyrin, which is a class of red pigmented compounds which form the active nucleus of hemoglobin in blood, are synthesized by corynebacterium acnes and are present in the material composing the comedones. The porphyrins fluoresce under ultraviolet light causing the comedones to glow so that they can be either manually counted or analyzed by the use of image analysis software. However, the use of porphyrin fluorescence under UV light has a number of drawbacks: The porphyrin synthesized by the corynebacterium acnes present in the sebaceous glands will fluoresce under UV light only while the bacteria is actively synthesizing porphyrin. Thus, the most reliable UV testing method is to shine the ultraviolet light directly on the subject's skin, in vivo, in order to cause the porphyrins to fluoresce so that the number of comedones on the skin area being analyzed can be more easily seen and counted. However, it is well-known that ultraviolet light emits radiation and overexposure can be hazardous to the skin of the subject as well as to the retinas of the scientist conducting the analysis. Further, using the same UV method upon a removed skin sample is unreliable due to the fact that the corynebacterium acnes only synthesize porphyrins for a very short time in dying skin giving erratic and erroneous comedone counts because porphyrins fluoresce only during synthesis. Another drawback is that not all comedones contain porphyrin which, therefore, would not fluoresce under the UV light resulting in an erroneous comedone count.
Prior to the use of image analysis, follicular biopsy samples were evaluated manually under a stereo microscope. The comedones were counted, sized and each were assigned a number grade global evaluation to the follicular biopsy sample. Global evaluations were based on a standard four-point scale with zero being noncomedogenic and three being comedogenic. However, manual evaluation of follicular biopsy samples is very slow, painstaking and tedious and there may be large differences between evaluation of the same sample depending upon the scientist performing the evaluation.

Method of using image analysis under cross-polarized light to evaluate follicular biopsy slides


An aspiration and irrigation system, in particular for performing surgical operations on an eye of a living being to maintain the intraocular pressure, includes a pressure unit for supplying gaseous fluid to the eye via a first fluid passageway and communicating with an infusion unit comprised of successively arranged first and second infusion bottles, both containing a liquid fluid. An irrigation unit is connected with the second infusion bottle for conducting liquid fluid from said second infusion bottle to the eye via a second fluid passageway; with the liquid fluid in the second infusion bottle being pressurized by gaseous fluid supplied from the pressure unit. A multiport valve selectively controls the flow between the first and second fluid passageways to the eye. Tissue and/or gaseous and liquid fluids are removed from the eye by an aspiration unit.

The present invention refers to an aspiration and irrigation system, especially for performing surgical operations on the eye of a living being to maintain the intraocular pressure, and in particular relates to an aspiration and irrigation system of the type having a pressure unit for supplying a gaseous fluid, an irrigation unit which is in communication with an infusion bottle with dropper for conducting liquid fluid to the eye, and with an aspiration unit for removing tissue and/or fluid from the eye.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,005 discloses an ophthalmic fluid flow control system for use with a surgical irrigation and aspiration instrument which is connected with an ultrasonic device and a peristaltic pump. The ultrasonic device is supplied with a liquid irrigation fluid from a container via a fluid conduit including a first valve and a successively arranged control valve in order to attain an ophthalmic irrigation. Subsequently, tissue-containing fluid is removed from the surgical site by the peristaltic pump via an aspiration conduit, which is connected to the ultrasonic device and to a pressure-sensitive transducer, for discharge into a collector. The transducer monitors the suction capacity of the peristaltic pump and thus senses a vacuum rise in the aspiration conduit so that the supply of irrigation fluid can be interrupted when e.g. the selected suction capacity is exceeded through blockage caused by tissue-enriched fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,301 discloses an ocular perfusion device in communication with an ophthalmological irrigation and aspiration system in which a pressure-generating pump supplies e.g. an air/gas mixture at a certain output pressure to the infusion instrument via a first conduit of a dropper which is provided with a liquid container adjustable to the level of the eye and via a second conduit which is connected to a multiport valve. A third conduit is linked to the multiport valve for supplying infusion fluid from the dropper to the infusion instrument.
Common to these prior art systems is the drawback that the intraocular pressure is determined by the infusion level of the container which is arranged e.g. on a stand or the like, or on the infusion level of the dropper. In the event, the intraocular pressure should be modified because of e.g. hemorrhaging during a surgical procedure, the change can be accomplished only through a cumbersome and instinctive adjustment of the height of the container or the dropper.

Ophthalmological aspiration and irrigation system


The present invention is a laser system including a DFB laser 10 emitting a laser light 50, a semiconductor optical amplifier 20 that modulates an intensity of the laser light, and a harmonic generation element 30 that converts the laser light modulated to a visible light 54 that is a harmonic of the laser light. According to the present invention, it is possible to employ the highly efficient harmonic generation element capable of modulating the intensity of the laser light and to reduce power consumption.

Recently, laser systems that emit laser beams have been used in various fields. Particularly, a less-expensive laser system is equipped with a semiconductor laser. However, a semiconductor laser that emits green light has not yet been realized.
Patent Document 1 describes a laser system that emits green light by converting laser light emitted by a semiconductor laser to a secondary harmonic by a non-linear optical element.
Patent Document
    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-132595


A solid-state image sensing element (1) has a main face provided with an imaging region (1a) in which unit pixels containing photoelectric conversion elements are formed in matrix. Peripheral circuit elements (3, 4) are configured to control imaging operation of the solid-state image sensing element (1) or to perform signal processing of an image output of the solid-state image sensing element (1). The imaging region (1a) is covered with a transparent material (2). The peripheral circuit elements (3, 4) are mounted to a region of the main face of the solid-state image sensing element (1) except for the imaging region (1a) such that main faces of the peripheral circuit elements (3, 4) face the main face of the solid-state image sensing element (1).

The present disclosure relates to small-size, low-cost solid-state image sensing devices, and to methods for fabricating the same.
In recent years, as a solid-state image sensing device, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2000-224495 has disclosed a solid state image sensor as illustrated in FIG. 10 in which a sensor block 151 and a signal processing block 152 are integrated into a same semiconductor substrate in order to reduce the size and the power consumption and to increase the signal processing speed of the solid state image sensor. Moreover, based on the configuration, in order to further reduce the size and to further increase the speed, a configuration referred to as system in package (SIP) has been reported, wherein a solid-state image sensing element and a plurality of chips serving as peripheral circuits of the solid-state image sensing element are integrally mounted as a semiconductor module.
For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-261044 (page 7, FIG. 1) discloses a configuration as illustrated in FIG. 11 in which a solid-state image sensing element 112 and a peripheral circuit element 111 are mounted by being stacked, and the solid-state image sensing element 112 is electrically connected to the peripheral circuit element 111 via a multilayer substrate 110.
Moreover, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-49361 discloses a configuration as illustrated in FIG. 12 in which a back face irradiation type CMOS image sensor chip 154 is mounted by being stacked on a signal processing chip 153 via microbumps 155, where signals are input/output via the signal processing chip 153.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-146728 (page 9, FIG. 1) discloses a configuration of a general semiconductor device which is not a solid-state image sensing device, the size of the general semiconductor device being reduced by the chip on chip (COC) technology of connecting main faces of different semiconductor elements to each other with the main faces facing each other.

Solid-state image sensing device having a reduced size and method for fabricating the same


The invention provides a drainage bag assembly for receiving bodily waste; the drainage bag assembly comprising outer (6) and inner (12) bags secured to one side of a flange (2), the flange (2) being provided with means defining an orifice to 5 enable bodily waste to be received by the inner bag (12), and the flange (2) having connected to an opposite side thereof means for securing the drainage bag assembly to the body of a patient; the outer bag (6) being detachably secured by means of a peelable but non-repositionable adhesive to a first attachment zone (4) on the flange and the inner bag being detachably secured by means of a peelable adhesive to a 0 second attachment zone (16) on the flange, wherein the first attachment zone (4) surrounds the second attachment zone (16) and is non-overlapping therewith; and the second attachment zone (16) surrounds the means defining the orifice; and wherein the outer bag (6) can be removed or opened to permit access to the interior thereof and removal of the inner bag (12).

Ostomy bags for receiving bodily waste from colostomy and ileostomy patients are well known. One of the problems faced by users of ostomy bags, particularly colostomy bags, is how to dispose of the contents of the bag.
Many known forms of ostomy bag are made from materials that are not biodegradable and are not easily flushed down a W.C. because of, for example, the buoyancy and relative bulk of the bags. With non-flushable bags, it has been common practice to cut an edge of the bag and then deposit the contents of the bag in the W.C. for flushing away, leaving the soiled bag for separate disposal, e.g. by incineration or by wrapping and placing in a waste bin.
One solution to this problem has been to provide ostomy bags made from materials that are capable of being flushed down a W.C. and examples of such bags are disclosed in WO 94/12128, EP 0259184, US 2004/0059306, EP 0320895, U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,235, GB 2083762, EP 388924, GB 2227668 and GB 2193925.
In many cases, the flushable ostomy bag comprises an inner bag which is formed from a material that disintegrates or dissolves in water or is otherwise disposable and a protective outer bag formed from a material that is resistant to water. The outer bag can be constructed so as to be reusable several times, means being provided for opening the outer bag to permit removal and replacement of the inner bag or liner. The outer and inner bags may both be attached, directly or indirectly, to an adhesive flange which comprises a layer of a bio-compatible adhesive such as a hydrocolloid adhesive to secure the ostomy bag to the body of the patient about the stomal opening.
US 2004/0059306 in particular describes several forms of construction of two piece ostomy bags in which the inner bag or liner is replaceable and a re-fastenable opening is provided in the outer bag to give access to the inner bag so that it can be replaced.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,695 (Alcare) discloses ostomy appliances comprising inner and outer bags that are releasably attached to an adhesive flange by means of mechanical couplings comprising coupling rings having annular grooves that engage corresponding annular rims on the adhesive flange to form snap-fit connections.
US 2003/0153883 (Hansen) discloses ostomy appliances comprising an adhesive flange to which is secured a first mechanical coupling ring for the attachment of an outer bag. An inner bag or liner can also be secured to the first mechanical coupling ring by means of a second mechanical coupling ring which encircles the mouth of the inner bag and which forms a snap-fit connection against the radially inner surface of the first mechanical coupling ring.
A problem with ostomy appliances employing coupling rings to connect the inner and outer bags to an adhesive flange is that the coupling rings almost invariably make the appliance stiffer and less flexible and hence less comfortable to wear. In addition, where the coupling rings for the inner and outer bags are placed relatively close together, this can make separation and replacement of the bags difficult, particularly for people with impaired or reduced manual dexterity. A further problem with using coupling rings is that they will need to be removed prior to disposal of an inner bag down a WC. Not only does this add an additional potentially awkward step to the removal and disposal process but it may also result in the user's hands coming into contact with faecal waste at the mouth of the bag.
As an alternative to using mechanical couplings, adhesive bonding has been used to secure the inner and outer bags to the adhesive flange. Examples of ostomy bags making use of adhesive bonding can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,819 (Hollister) and WO 2004/082452 (Coloplast).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,865,819 discloses an arrangement in which the inner and outer bags each have their own separate adhesive flange for direct connection to the body of the patient.
WO 2004/082452 discloses ostomy bags comprising an adhesive flange for attachment to the body of a patient, and inner and outer bags. The inner and outer bags are each provided with adhesive rings for attachment to the adhesive flange. In the preferred ostomy bag constructions disclosed in WO 2004/082452, the outer diameter of the adhesive ring of the inner bag is larger than the inner diameter of the adhesive ring of the outer bag and hence there is overlap between the two adhesive rings.


A device for providing a controlled maximum rate of descent down a rope and fall arrest. The device includes a movable cam that in response to tension on a rope pivots into a closed position, jamming the rope within the device and arresting a fall. Force applied to a torque arm coupled to the cam allows the cam to be pivoted to its open position, which allows rope travel. As cam is opened, the rope travels a more sharply angular path through the device, which creates a frictional force on the rope sufficient to limit the maximum rate of descent.

Individuals engaged in many different types of activities above the ground use ropes or safety lines to secure and protect themselves from a fall. Such activities may include utility workers working atop poles or other equipment; firefighters or other rescue personnel working atop or alongside a building; and construction workers working on tall buildings. The use of safety lines is not limited to work applications. The safety of various recreational activities is dramatically increased by the use of ropes or safety lines. These activities include, for example, rock climbing and spelunking. In addition, hunters who hunt from elevated platforms also can benefit from the use of safety ropes.
A rope alone, however, does not provide a complete solution. The rope should be secured to the person in a manner that allows the person to adjust his position on the rope (such as by when climbing or descending) but still protects the person from a fall. A variety of devices to provide fall protection have been developed, which typically operate as follows. A rope threads through the device, and the device is securely attached to a harness worn by a person with a carabineer. The rope slides through the device so long as the rope is relatively slack. Tension upon the rope usually causes a movable cam in the device to rotate into a position that binds the rope and thereby halts the passage of the rope through the device. If the tension is caused by a person falling, the device jams the rope and arrests the fall.
Some devices also include a lever attached to the cam that can be used to open the cam and release the rope. With the cam in open position on such devices, however, there is no appreciable friction on the rope, such that the rate of descent is quite rapid. If the operator were to panic and hold the lever such that the cam in the open position while descending, the rapid rate of descent could result in injury.
Another shortcoming of existing devices is that they cannot be operated remotely. If a person were to become unconscious and fall, or become unconscious as a result of the fall, or otherwise be injured such that he could not operate the device, his fall may be arrested. However, it may be impossible to lower him in a controlled manner without requiring a rescuer to go to the same perilous situation as the incapacitated person.
Thus, there exists a need for a safety device that provides automatic fall arrest, but allows for a safe, maximum rate of descent as an anti-panic feature. It would be further advantageous if such a device could be operated by remotely.

Descender with fall arrest and controlled rate of descent


Provided is a compound useful as a therapeutic drug for pain and inflammation caused by various pathological conditions such as neuropathic pain and rheumatoid arthritis. The compound of the formula (I) or a salt thereof [wherein R1 is a methyl group or a hydrogen atom, R2 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group, an alkylcarbonyl group or an aryl carbonyl group, A represents a cycloalkyl group, a cycloalkenyl group, an aryl group or a heteroaryl group (each group may be substituted with a substituent selected from the group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl and halogen), n and m each represent an integer of 1, 2 or 3, and p represents an integer of 0, 1, 2 or 3].

At present, narcotic analgesics such as morphine and non-narcotic analgesics such as NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) are primarily used as analgesics. However, narcotic analgesics express tolerance, addiction or other severe side-effects, and use thereof is hence heavily restricted. Also, NSAIDs are not effective for an severe pain and pose additional problems of causing the upper gastrointestinal tract disorder and liver disorder at a high rate when administered for an extended period of time. For these reasons, analgesics with a higher analgesic effect and fewer adverse reactions are demanded. Further, a highly satisfactory analgesic is not yet found for neuropathic pains such as diabetic neuropathy pain, postherpetic neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, HIV-polyneuropathy pain, and therapeutic drugs effective against these pains are also expected to be developed.
Capsaicin; (E)-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide is contained in the juice of plants belonging to the genus Capsicum, and is not only used as spices but also known to have analgesic effect and anti-inflammatory effect. Also, civamide, a geometrical isomer of capsaicin; (Z)-8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide is also known to have an analgesic effect. Capsaicin expresses the analgesic effect and anti-inflammatory effect by specifically acting on the particular receptor present in the primary afferent sensory nerve (chiefly C fiber: capsaicin sensitive nerve) but is also known to have intense pungency (pain). Recently, this receptor was cloned and named as vanilloid receptor sub-type 1 (VR1) [Non Patent Literature 1]. Thereafter, the receptor was classified as TRPV in the TRP (transient receptor potential) super family and is called TRPV1 [Non Patent Literature 2].
TRPV1, based on the amino acid sequence thereof, is thought to be a highly Ca2+ permeable cation channel having 6 transmembrane domains, and is activated by not only a capsaicin-like compound but also stimulations such as heat or acids, suggesting the possibility of the association with pains caused by various pathological conditions. When capsaicin acts on TRPV1 on the primary afferent sensory nerve, the cation channel of TRPV1 opens, a membrane is depolarized, neuropeptide such as substance P is released, etc. whereby pain is caused. The reason why capsaicin, such a pain stimulant, is practically used for treating pains of such as diabetic neuropathy, rheumatoid arthritis, or the like, is understood that the sensory nerve becomes unresponsive (desensitization) to pain stimulation as a result of the continuous TRPV1 cation channel opening by capsaicin [Non Patent Literature 3].
Under such circumstances, a capsaicin-like compound (TRPV1 agonist) is considered to express an analgesic effect based on the pharmacological mechanism (desensitization of capsaicin sensitive sensory nerve) totally different from that of the existing analgesics, and the effectiveness thereof as a therapeutic drug for various pathological pain conditions such as neuropathic pain to begin with, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis, against which the existing analgesics do not work sufficiently, is highly anticipated.
In the U.S., capsaicin is sold as an analgesic in the form of cream. However, this cream has the problem of causing intense painful pungency after initial application. For this reason, it is demanded to develop a compound having the capsaicin-like pharmacological mechanism and sufficient analgesic effect with low pungency as a therapeutic drug against pains caused by various pathological conditions, in particular, such as neuropathic pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis.
Further, the compound having the capsaicin-like pharmacological mechanism is considered to be also useful as a therapeutic drug for pruritus, allergic and non-allergic rhinitis, overactive bladder, stroke, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and like respiratory diseases, dermatitis, mucositis, gastroduodenal ulcer and inflammatory bowel syndrome which are the pathological conditions associated with the primary afferent sensory nerve (C fiber).
Furthermore, since it is reported that capsaicin promotes adrenaline secretion and exhibits antiobesity effect [Non Patent Literature 4], the compound having the capsaicin like pharmacological mechanism is considered to be useful as a therapeutic drug against obesity. Still furthermore, since it is reported that the insulin tolerance of a diabetic rat is alleviated by the treatment of capsaicin [Non Patent Literature 5], the compound is thought to be also useful as a therapeutic drug for diabetes.
Citation List
Non Patent Literature
    Non Patent Literature 1: Nature, 389, 816 (1997)    Non Patent Literature 2: Annu. Rev. Neurosci., 24, 487 (2001)    Non Patent Literature 3: Pharmacol. Rev., 51, 159 (1999)    Non Patent Literature 4: Pharmacol. Rev., 38, 179 (1986)    Non Patent Literature 5: Eur. J. Endocrinol., 153, 963, (2005)

Cyclic amine-1-carboxylic acid ester derivative and pharmaceutical composition containing the same


Providers and sourcing locations for recommended optimization processes of operational processes are evaluated based on provider metrics and sourcing metrics. Providers and sourcing locations for the optimization processes are recommended based on the provider and sourcing evaluations.

This document generally relates to operations modeling, and in particular relates to optimizing operational processes by identifying operational processes eligible for centralization, reengineer, and/or outsourcing, and identifying sourcing locations and providers for the operational processes.
A company may analyze its operational processes in an attempt to optimize the processes to achieve cost savings, improved scalability, or some other optimization objective. For example, a company may analyze the operational process involved in manufacturing an engine, and may determine that significant cost savings may be generated if the process of machining the engine block was reengineered and outsourced while the process of building the engine from the machined block remained unchanged.
The operational processes may be optimized by either keeping the process in-house or outsourcing the process, by reengineering the process, out-tasking the process, or by implementing some other optimization process. Additionally, the operational process may be further optimized by identifying sourcing locations to locate the performance of the operational process and providers to perform the operational process. Choosing an optimization process for an operational process, however, is difficult in the absence of a systematic and objective evaluation.
Disclosed herein is a process modeling system and method to evaluate which operational processes should be centralized, reengineered, outsourced, or out-tasked, and for selecting locations for the operational processes.