A holder for medical/dental instruments and method of using the holder. The holder may include a body, including a first surface and a second surface. The holder may further include a ridge formed along a length of the first surface of the body; a wall portion formed along the length of the first surface of the body and extending vertically therefrom, wherein the wall portion may be parallel to and spaced apart from the ridge; and a plurality of grooves formed in the ridge.

Traditional holders for medical instruments, such as those used for holding dental burs, are configured to vertically store the dental burs close to one another with the sharp end faced up. When dental burs are stored vertically and close together, it is difficult to grab one without contacting the sharp ends of the other burs. Thus, there is an increased risk of injury from inadvertently puncturing one's finger on an adjacent bur when reaching to pull one out. Some dental bur holders can fold flat (horizontal) for sterilization, but open to a vertical position when in use, which makes them easy to sterilize, but still presents the risk of a stick injury since the burs are ultimately presented vertically for retrieval. Further, typical dental bur holders include a hard covers and/or folding guards to protect the sharp (working) end of the bur; however, these hard covers and/or folding guards do not allow for burs of various lengths to be stored in the same holder. Often short burs fall out of bur holders made for longer burs, or if the holder is designed for short burs, those holders do not allow longer burs to fit into the holder. Thus, multiple bur holders may be required to hold burs of various lengths.
Therefore, there is a need for a holder that reduces/eliminates the risk of injury from a user inadvertently being injured (e.g., puncturing a finger) when retrieving, for example, a dental bur from its holder. In addition, there is a need for a holder that can accommodate and securely hold instruments, such as dental burs of varying sizes.

Device for holding medical instruments and method of using same


After a reproduction program is installed on a PC, a key for CD ripping is furnished e.g., from an FD. With the key for CD ripping, the music contents in a CD can be copied to a PC, however, it is not possible to download music contents from an EMD server for copying on a PD. For storing the music contents distributed from the EMD server on the PD, the reproduction program first acquired a key for EMD different from the key for ripping over the network. By so doing, the contents data distributed over the network may be improved in safety.

Recently, on-line distribution of music contents employing a network, such as Internet or cable television, has come to be put to practical application.
In this distribution system for music contents, the contents distributors distributing the musical contents over the network furnish music contents over e.g., the Web. The user exploiting this music distribution system uses his or her own personal computer to access the Web furnished by the contents distributor to download the desired music contents. The user reproduces the so-acquired music contents by e.g., s player application provided within the personal computer or by e.g., a portable device connectable to the personal computer.
Meanwhile, the contents purveyor must supervise the copyright of the contents. So, the contents distributor recognizes the users, who have accessed the Web over the Internet, by the ID information or the secret identification code, to distribute the encrypted music contents only to an authorized user. The music contents are stored in a hard disc in the personal computer in a state in which they are key-managed by a secret key that cannot be freely referenced by a user. In transferring the music contents stored in the personal computer to a portable device, authorization processing is executed between a player application and a portable device before the music contents are stored on a recording medium owned by the portable device.
Meanwhile, in general, not only the music contents distributed from the network but also those from a recording medium, such as a CD, can be copied on the portable device.
However, in the conventional authentication system between the portable device and the personal computer, no distinction has been made between the player application handling only music contents copied from a recording medium, such as CD, and the player application handling music contents downloaded from the network.
So, if the authentication key between the portable device and the personal computer is broken by a person with a malignant intention, both the music contents copied from a recording medium, such as CD, and the music contents distributed over the network, are copied illicitly.
In the case of the recording medium, such as CD, in particular, charging is finished in a majority of cases at the time it is sold. However, the music contents distributed over the network are charged from time to time depending on the number of reproduction or duplication, so that more strong key management is desirable.


To provide a process for increasing the proportion of an optical isomer of not only a compound having a closed ring but also a compound not having a closed ring when an optical isomer mixture of a compound having both a formyl group and a double bond capable of causing a carbonyl-ene ring closing reaction in the same molecule is subjected to a ring closing reaction. A process for increasing the proportion of an optical isomer characterized by subjecting an optical isomer mixture of a compound having both a formyl group and a double bond capable of causing a carbonyl-ene ring closing reaction in the same molecule to a ring closing reaction in the presence of a predetermined aluminum complex represented by the general formula: [Al2(L1)n(L2)3-n]m.

Menthol, particularly, l-menthol, is conventionally a very important flavor or fragrance having a pleasant cooling sensation and is applied to a wide variety of uses. As a process for obtaining l-menthol, a process of optically resolving dl-menthol and an asymmetric synthesis process are known (Synthetic flavor, written by Motoichi Indo, The Chemical Daily Co., Ltd, pp. 106 to 114). In a production step for l-menthol by the asymmetric synthesis, l-isopulegol as a precursor is hydrogenated to obtain l-menthol. In a step of synthesizing the l-isopulegol, a selective ring closing reaction of d-citronellal is important.
As to the selective ring closing reaction of d-citronellal, various processes have long been known. As a highly selective reaction using an aluminum complex as a catalyst, a highly selective ring closing reaction using an aluminum complex having 2,6-diphenylphenoxy moiety as a catalyst has been recently found (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-212121). Other than this, a ring closing reaction using an aluminum complex having a phenoxy moiety as a catalyst (WO 2006/069659, WO 2006/092433, DE 102005023953) and a ring closing reaction using an aluminum complex having a siloxy moiety as a catalyst (WO 2007/039342) have been reported. However, there are no reports on a selective ring closing reaction of only one of the optical isomers of racemic citronellal by using an optically active aluminum complex. On the other hand, there are many reports on an aluminum catalyst having a biphenol skeleton as an axis-asymmetric ligand and a diol ligand having an asymmetric carbon (U.S. Pat. No. 6,090,950, U.S. Pat. No. 6,166,260, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed, 2001, 40, 92-138, Synlett, 1998, 1291-1293, Tetrahedron: Asymmetry 1991, Vol. 2, No. 12, 1295-1304, CROATIA CHEMICA ACTA, 1996, 69, 459-484 and Russian Chemical Bulletin, 2000, 49, 460-465). However, a catalyst having a ratio of aluminum:biphenol:diol of 2:2:1 or 2:1:2 has not yet been reported.

Aluminium complexes and use thereof as a catalyst in intramolecular ring closure reactions


An optoelectric switch is disclosed that utilizes a cylindrically shaped and contoured GaAs medium or other optically active semiconductor medium to couple two cylindrically shaped metal conductors with flat and flared termination points each having an ovoid prominence centrally extending there from. Coupling the truncated ovoid prominence of each conductor with the cylindrically shaped optically active semiconductor causes the semiconductor to cylindrically taper to a triple junction circular line at the base of each prominence where the metal conductor conjoins with the semiconductor and a third medium such as epoxy or air. Tapering the semiconductor at the triple junction inhibits carrier formation and injection at the triple junction and thereby enables greater current carrying capacity through and greater sensitivity of the bulk area of the optically active medium.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention lies in the disciplines of electronics, electromagnetic theory, and solid state physics. More specifically, the invention lies in the realm of photoconductive electronic switch devices, and in particular, discloses a preferred geometry or physical orientation of a photoconductive semiconductor medium, GaAs, coupled between two metallic contacts in a manner to obtain maximum electronic field concentration therebetween for maximum electron-hole generation and current flow in the semiconductor bulk area and away from multiple dielectric junction areas to yield a high power, fast, and low rise time switch of increased sensitivity.
2. Description Of Related Art
Until recently, pulser circuit generation of kilovolt level pulses with rise times in the 50 to 200 picosecond range and trigger time jitter in the range of less than 20 picoseconds was virtually impossible to accomplish. With the advent of avalanche diodes and transistors, pulser circuits operating in the above range became a reality; however, such pulser circuits have been somewhat complicated and unwieldy to make and use.
A laser triggered DC biased or pulse biased GaAs, optically active semiconductor, switch would be much easier to use, less expensive to make, and would be capable of achieving a much higher voltage level. By implementing such photoconductive switches, less expensive, more reliable, and longer lived pulsers could be achieved.
Photo conductive switches generally use some optically reactive medium disposed between two electrodes. The medium conventionally operates as a resistive barrier to current flow between the two electrodes until illuminated by light. Upon illumination by light, outer electron energy levels of atoms in the medium absorb a sufficient quantum of photon energy to permit orbiting electrons to be sufficiently energized to break free of their respective atoms creating free and independent negatively charged electrons and leaving behind ionized, positively charged atoms or ions. These positively charged ions, referred to as holes in the case of a solid semiconductor, and negatively charged free electrons, in the presence of an electric field, will cause a current to flow with the flow of electrons and holes thereby changing the medium from a good resistor to a good conductor. Briefly, in a photoconductive switch, light generates carriers in the photoreactive medium that effectively changes the medium from an area of high resistance to an area of low resistance. In making such a conduction change quickly, the medium functions like an electrical switch.
Certain photoconductive switches have been implemented in the past. One such device, generally referred to as a spark gap switch, consists of a pair of electrodes disposed in a medium or environment of inert gas such as Nitrogen. Nitrogen, of course, normally acts as an insulator between the electrodes; however, a few seed carriers normally exist in any gaseous state and with light illumination and concomitant photon energy imparted to the gas, their numbers are increased in sufficient quantity to enable generation of a spark across the contacts. When a spark is discharged across the contacts and through the medium, energy in the electrical discharge is imparted to the Nitrogen atoms and molecules causing further and substantial ionization of Nitrogen atoms yielding positive ions and freeing valence level negative electrons. With free mobility of charged particles, the insulator medium of high resistance changes to a conductor medium of low resistance, and in the presence of an electrical field conduction occurs in the manner of a photoconductive switch.
A spark gap photo conductor switch can switch a great deal of current and can react very fast with respect to a rapid pulse rise time, but it carries with it inherent timing error uncertainties with respect to jitter. Jitter is the time between light illumination and the spark gap generation, i.e. the moment of switching and current flow. Jitter in a spark gap switch can be substantial, and therefore, the exactness with which the photoelectric switch is to operate, i.e. to turn on and turn off, can vary a great deal.
Another prior art optically reactive electrical switch is a thyristor. A thyristor is a solid state type switch consisting of multiple layers of PNPN type junctions. Illumination of the PN junction imparts energy to the P and N doped semiconductor layers thereby generating more free electrons and leaving behind positive holes. A PN junction by its nature normally maintains seed carriers and a charge barrier with the alignment of positive holes on the P side and negative electrons on the N side of each PN junction. With the creation of excess electrons and holes by illumination, an overflow of charge occurs yielding a breakdown of each respective and successive charge barrier. The feedback of barrier breakdown to preceding junctions induces creation of even more charge carriers which rapidly creates an avalanche of charge carriers and effectively converts a nonconductive medium into a conductive medium with the flow of electrons and holes.
Photo conductive switch speed is dependent in large part on the existence of seed carriers and the growth of electron-hole pairs, and in a semiconductor, the switch process starts with thousands of electron hole pairs as seed carriers. As a result the thyristor solid state, photoconductive switch does have the advantage of faster switch reaction and decreased jitter, but it also has increased pulse rise time because carriers must travel from junction to junction for the required feedback before other carriers can inject in and multiply to cause the avalanche which changes the medium from a resistive element to a conductive element.
Other variations of solid state photoconductive devices exist in the art such as a photoconductive detector disclosed in Ashley, U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,228, an optical detector disclosed in Okabe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,510, and a high speed optoelectric switch disclosed in Leonberger, U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,285.
Ashley discloses an electrode embedded in an optically reactive semiconductor to accumulate carriers in the vicinity of an output; Okabe discloses a photoconductive contact geometry for carrying higher current; and Leonberger discloses electrodes disposed on the surface of a photoreactive semiconductor operating as a switch.
Although these devices utilize similar theoretical applications as the invention disclosed herein, the embodiment, application, and operation of each are such that they neither anticipate nor suggest the present invention. Indeed, none of the prior art has addressed the long standing problems encountered in the need to conduct and accurately switch a high current with low power illumination. In particular, there exists a need for higher concentration of electric lines of force in the bulk, optically active and illuminated portion of the semiconductor for greater electron-hole generation capability which inherently increases the optical switch sensitivity and thereby diminishes the amount illumination needed to activate the switch. In addition, there exists a need to attenuate lines of force at the semiconductor surface and at triple junctions of various media of different dielectric constants to diminish electron hole formation which thereby diminishes the tendency for electrical shorting or arcing at a triple dielectric junction.
The invention disclosed herein is a photoconductive switch that describes a unique geometry of a photoreactive semiconductor disposed between two metallic electrodes in such manner to increase the switch efficiency by concentrating the electric field through a smaller volume and area of the semiconductor than heretofore has been possible. In particular, the invention relates to a method and apparatus for diminishing the number of electric lines of force at the dielectric surface and at the triple junction where the dielectric constant of the semiconductor is caused to mesh with the dielectric constant of the metal contact and the dielectric constant of a third medium such as air or epoxy. Concentrating the electric field in the bulk area of the semiconductor and away from the triple junction is needed to increase switch sensitivity and in certain applications that require extremely high electric fields in the active bulkswitch area and to limit fields and related carrier injection in the triple junction area.
Laser diode triggered Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) photoconductive switches require extremely high electric fields in the active bulk switch area. With a proper GaAs, metal electrode, and dielectric design, the high bulk electric fields can be achieved without carrier injection at the triple junction and any residual carriers injected at the triple junction can easily be avalanche multiplied in the high electric field in the bulk material. Such carrier generation and avalanche multiplication usually prevents the achievement of suitable high enough electric field for DC biased switch devices. This invention indicates a design that prevents or eliminates carrier injection at the triple junction, and eliminates injected carrier multiplication by reducing the electric field along their travel path. The invention allows DC biased devices to be fabricated with extremely high bulk electric fields while concomitantly having very low triple junction fields that will not generate carriers.
By such means, pulse rise time and timing jitter are greatly diminished with the added benefit and need for less illumination power consumption. Switch speed is proportionately and desirably increased by faster electron-hole generation in an area of less illumination due to the effect of the concentrated electric field.

Semiconductor switch geometry with electric field shaping

The United States of America as represented by the United States Department of Energy


The present invention relates to a method for communicating between a primary station and at least one secondary station, comprising the steps of (a) at the primary station, requesting the secondary station to transmit channel quality information representative of the channel quality and, (b) at the secondary station, responsive to the request of step (a), transmitting to the primary station the channel quality information, wherein step (b) comprises sub-step (b1) wherein the secondary station further transmits with the channel quality information an indication of a secondary station buffer status.

Many communication systems operate using a centralised scheduler which is responsible for allocating transmission resources to different nodes so that they are able to communicate with one another.
A typical example is the uplink of the UMTS LTE (Long Term Evolution), where the uplink transmissions from different secondary stations, also named User Equipments (UEs), are scheduled in time and frequency by the primary station of the cell, also named the evolved Node B (eNB). The primary station transmits a "scheduling grant" message to a secondary station, indicating a particular time-frequency resource for the secondary station's uplink transmission, typically around 3 ms after the transmission of the grant message. The grant message also typically specifies other transmission parameters, e.g. the data rate or power to be used for the secondary station's transmission.
In order for the primary station to issue appropriate grants, it needs to have sufficient information about the amount and type of data awaiting transmission in the buffer of each secondary station. The status of the secondary station's buffer is typically indicated by the secondary station to the primary station by means of a Buffer Status Report (BSR) procedure.
In addition the primary station sends messages to secondary stations indicating the resources being used for downlink transmissions. For efficient choice of transmission parameters such power, data rate and pre-coding dedicated to each secondary station, the primary station requires channel state information, typically comprising an indication of the SINR at the receiver or receivable data rate, and information on the transfer function and spatial characteristics of the channel. For the purpose of discussion this information can be considered as "CQI" or Channel Quality Information. CQI can be beneficial for selecting transmission parameters for ACK/NACK signals transmitted on the downlink in response to uplink packets, as well as for selecting transmission parameters for downlink data transmissions.
A problem with the BSR procedure above is that a secondary station is only permitted to transmit a BSR if it has a granted resource in which to transmit. One solution to this problem is for the secondary station to transmit a low overhead signal (an SR), which is followed by a grant of resources for a BSR. But this procedure may take some time.
Similarly, a secondary station can only transmit a CQI report if it has been granted resources. Currently in LTE these could be made available periodically, or on a one-off basis. The primary station can request a CQI report by setting a bit in a control channel message carried by the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH). The same message also grants uplink resource.
As a consequence, the granting of uplink resources specifically for BSR or CQI carries an overhead. If the resources are granted using a signalling message (e.g. on a control channel such as PDCCH), then there is an overhead due to the resources used in the downlink transmission of every signalling message.

Method for communicating in a network and radio stations therefor


Disclosed is an electrochemical reactor for partially oxidizing methane and cogenerating electrical energy. A solid-state ionic reactor is described in which a solid electrolyte is provided with a cathode and a perovskite type anode having a wide range of oxygen nonstoichiometry. The cell generates electrical energy as a result of the chemical potential difference brought about by the catalytic oxidation of methane at the anode with oxygen that chemically diffuses from the cathode through the solid-state ionic conductor.

Natural gas which is mostly methane is an abundant and relatively inexpensive natural resource for fuel and chemical feed stock. Methane is a thermally stable molecule, and its partial oxidation is difficult because of the ease of complete oxidation of the partial oxidation products. The method of this invention makes it possible to partially oxidize methane to methanol, formaldehyde, and other useful chemical products. The availability of lattice oxygen of complex metal-oxide compounds is critical to such reactions.
In FIG. 1, there is shown a schematic diagram of a solid electrolyte cell for oxidation of methane. The cell includes a solid electrolyte member 11 with two porous film electrodes 12 and 13, deposited on the two surfaces of the solid electrolyte member 11. The electrode 12 is exposed to an oxygen-containing gas such as air or pure oxygen and serves as the cathode. The anode is in contact with a fuel; for example, methane. The cell generates an electrical potential in accordance with the Nernst equation, ##EQU1## where R is gas constant, T is temperature, F is Faraday's constant and P.sub.O.sbsb.2.sup.II is the partial oxygen pressure on the cathode side (0.214 for air) and P.sub.O.sbsb.2.sup.I is the partial oxygen pressure on the fuel side. The fuel is oxidized at the anode and provides the energy. An electrochemical cell of this type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,340.
Eng and Stoukides, Catal. Rev.-Sci. Eng., 33(3&4), 381 (1991) have reviewed the use of a solid electrolyte cell, such as that described above, for the cogeneration of electrical energy and useful chemicals. While noble metals have intrinsic catalytic activity for oxidation of methane, they favor complete oxidation to carbon dioxide and water.
In related research, Wise and McCarty have shown that complex oxides with perovskite structure can be used as a catalyst in the complete oxidation of methane. [Wise, H. and McCarty, J. G.; Perovskite Catalysts for Methane Combustion, Catalysis Today (1990) 231-248, Elsevier Science Publishers, B. V. Amsterdam.]

Method and apparatus for partial oxidation of methane and cogeneration of electrical energy

The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University


Novel benzazepines of the formula I: ##STR1## or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein R represents H, alkyl, allyl or ##STR2## A represents --[CR.sup.1 R.sup.2].sub.n --; n represents 3 or 4; R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may be the same or different and each independently represents H, OH, atkyl, alkoxy, phnenyl or substituted phenyl, with the proviso that R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 on the same carbon atom are not both OH, or R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 on the same carbon atom together represent=O;. G represents H, R.sup.3 (CO)-- or ArNHCO--; PA1 R.sup.3 represents H, alkyl, alkoxy, phenyl or substituted phenyl; PA1 Ar represents phenyl or substituted phenyl; and PA1 Y and Z may be the same or different and each is independently selected from H, halo, alkyl, alkoxy or halpalkyl; PA1 the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, and pharmaceutical compositions thereof, useful in the treatment of psychoses, drug dependence, D1 dependent neurological disorder or pain are disclosed.

This invention relates to 4,5-bridged-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine-7-ols and derivatives and compositions and method employing such compounds.
Substituted 1-phenyl-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepines have been described in the art. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,393,192, 3,609,138, 4,011,319, 4,284,555 and 4,477,378 well as British Patent 1,118,688. The activities discussed for the compounds disclosed in these patents include anti-bacterial effects, central nervous system effects and hypotensive effects.
British Patent Specification No. 1 221 324 discloses compounds of the formula: ##STR3## wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2, independently of each other, represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group containing maximally 6 carbon atoms, a cycloalkyl group having from 3 to 7 carbon atoms as ring members or a phenyl group optionally substituted by a chlorine, flourine or bromine atom and/or by an alkyl group containing maximally 6 carbon atoms,
R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 have the meanings given above for R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 or together they represent a trimethylene or tetramethylene radical,
R.sub.5 represents a hydrogen or a halogen atom, and
R.sub.6 represents a hydrogen, chlorine, flourine or bromine atom, an alkyl group containing maximally 6 carbon atoms or a triflouro methyl group,
provided that no more than two of the symbols R.sub.1, R.sub.2, R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 may simultaneously represent a cycloalkyl group or an optionally substituted phenyl group. These compounds are disclosed as intermediates for the production of N-guanidinoalkyl derivatives which have antihypertensive properties, and the unsubstituted 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine compound is disclosed as being useful as an intermediate for the production of arylsulphonyl ureas having a hypoglycaemic action. In addition, 7-chloro-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine and the salts thereof are said to have an anorexigenic action.
WO 87/04430 and WO 89/00561 disclose compounds of the formula: ##STR4## wherein R is hydrogen, alkyl, --CH.sub.2 CH=CH.sub.2 or ##STR5## R.sup.1, R.sup.11 and R.sup.12 may be the same or different and each is hydrogen or alkyl;
Q is methylene, --O-- or --S--;
m and n are independently variable and each may have a value of 0, 1 or 2, with the provisos that the sum of m and n is not greater than 3, that m may not equal zero when Q is --O-- or --S--;
X is hydrogen, halo, alkyl, alkylthio, alkylsulfinyi, alkylsulfonyl, hydroxy, alkoxy or triflouromethyl;
Y is hydrogen, hydroxy, alkoxy, ##STR6## where R.sup.1 is as defined above;
W is hydrogen, hydroxy or alkoxy;
ring t represents a fused thiophene or fused benzene ring, said fused benzene ring optionally being substituted with a substituent Z as defined below;
R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 are independently hydrogen (provided that both are not hydrogen), alkyl, aralkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, hydroxyalkyl, or alkoxyalkyl;
in addition, when one of R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 is as defined above, the other may be --R.sup.4 NR.sup.5 R.sup.6 {wherein R.sup.4 is alkanediyl, R.sup.5 is hydrogen or alkyl and R.sup.6 is alkyl, or R.sup.5 and R.sup.6 together with the nitrogen atom form a 1-azetidinyl, 1-pyrrolidinyl. 1-piperidinyl, 1-(4-alkylpiperazinyl), 4-morpholinyl or 1-(hexahydroazepinyl) group};
in further addition. R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 together with the nitrogen atom may form a 1-azetidinyl, 1-pyrrolidinyl, 1-piperidinyl, 4-morpholinyl, 1-(4-alkylpiperazinyl), 1-(4-alkoxyalkylpiperazinyl), 1-(4-hydroxyalkylpiperazinyl), 1-(3-hydroxyazetidinyl), 1-(3-alkoxyazetidinyl), 1-(3-hydroxypyrrolidinyl), 1-(3-alkoxypyrrolidinyl), 1-(3-or 4-hydroxypiperidinyl), 1-(3- or 4-alkoxypiperidinyl), 4-(4-oxopiperidinyl) or 1-(3-oxopyrrolidinyl) ring;
in still further addition, when R.sup.2 is hydrogen, R.sup.3 may be --CHR.sup.7 CO.sub.2 R.sup.8, wherein R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 are independently hydrogen, alkyl or aralkyl;
R.sup.9 is alkyl, aralkyl, aryl, alkoxyalkyl, aryloxyalkyl, aralkoxyalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, alkoxycarbonylalkyl. cycloalkyl, 1-adamantyl, cycloalkoxyalkyl. alkoxy, aralkoxy, cycloalkoxy, aryloxy or 'CHR.sup.7 NHR.sup.8 {wherein R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 are defined above}; and
Z is X as defined above, amino, alkylamino or ##STR7## wherein R.sup.10 is hydrogen, alkyl or aryl}. These compounds are disclosed as being useful in treating psychoses, depression, pain and hypertension.

4,5-bridged-2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-3-benzazepine-7-ols and derivatives and compositions and methods employing such compounds


Performing operations using quantum correlithm objects includes establishing real states, where each real state comprises an element of a real space, and encoding the real states as quantum objects representing a correlithm object. The correlithm object is projected to the real space using a measurement basis, and measurement values corresponding to the measurement basis are determined. The projected correlithm object is retrieved according to the measurement values.

Quantum computing involves simultaneously representing different states of quantum objects such as electrons. Known techniques for quantum computing involve building a quantum computer molecule by molecule, which may be difficult and time-consuming. Moreover, the various state combinations used during the calculations may be difficult to represent since the spin of individual electrons is often difficult to control. In addition, a quantum computer is typically very sensitive to noise and error. Consequently, known techniques for quantum computing are unsatisfactory in certain situations.

Representing and manipulating correlithm objects using quantum objects


An amplifier circuit having an emitter-grounded amplifying stage formed of a transistor Q1 and a load resistor R.sub.L and having an output stage including an emitter follower formed of transistors Q2 and Q3. The base of the transistor Q1 of the amplifying stage and the base of the transistor Q3 of the output stage are connected with each other for receiving input signals and biased by a bias circuitry 5. The input signals thus given to the base of transistor Q3 for the emitter follower of the output stage cause the transistors Q2 and Q3 to alternately turn on and off to provide a higher output driving power to the load connected to the output terminal than prior art amplifier circuits having conventional emitter followers and resistor feedback amplification networks.

A typical high frequency amplifier circuit operable in the frequency bands mentioned above has a circuit configuration comprising a bipolar semiconductor (hereinafter referred to as semiconductor) with its emitter grounded, its base connected with a signal line, and its collector connected with a load or impedance for generating an output signal.
In order no enhance its output power (i.e. electric power be supplied to the impedance connected to the output terminal of the amplifier circuit), a low-impedance emitter follower is often provided in the output stage of the circuit, yielding its output from the output terminal of the emitter follower, as shown in FIG. 1.
Such an amplifier circuit as illustrated in FIG. 1 includes an emitter-grounded amplifying stage comprising an NPN transistor Q1 whose emitter and base are connected with a grounded terminal 1 and a bias resistor RB, respectively, and a load resistor R.sub.L connected between the collector of the transistor Q1 and a high-voltage power source 2. An emitter follower of the output stage includes another NPN transistor Q2 having a collector connected with the high-voltage power source 2 and a base connected with the collector of the transistor Q1 of the amplifying stage, and a resistor R.sub.C connected between the emitter of the transistor Q2 and the grounded terminal 1. In this amplifier circuit a signal input to the input terminal 3 is amplified by the amplifying stage formed of the transistor Q1 and the load resistor R.sub.L, and amplified signal is output from the output terminal 4 via the emitter follower of the output stage formed of the transistor Q2 and a resistor R.sub.C.
Since such amplifier circuit has a low output impedance associated with the emitter follower serving as an output stage, the output driving power is improved greatly, thereby saving power consumption in the circuit.
Recently, there exists a further need of improvement in amplifier circuits for use with battery operated electronic circuits, such as portable wireless telephone systems, operable in high frequency bands. It is then necessary to further reduce power consumption in such electronic circuits.
However, such an amplifier circuit as shown in FIG. 1 has a disadvantage that, if its operational current is lowered to reduce energy consumption, output drive power available for a load is diminished and the output signal is distorted, though its output impedance is lowered by the emitter followers.
There have been known amplifier circuits, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, which may provide a fairly large output driving power while suppressing the energy consumption.
FIG. 2 is a circuit reported in NEC Technical Report, vol. 41, No. 14, PP. 260-263 (1988), which has a higher output driving power than the foregoing amplifier circuit. (It should be understood that components which are not relevant to basic amplifying operations are not shown in FIG. 2 for brevity.) This amplifier circuit has a resistor R1 connected between the emitter of a transistor Q1 in an amplifying stage and a grounded terminal 1, thereby forming an emitter follower. The signal retrieved from the emitter follower is then applied to the base of a transistor Q3 serving as a constant current source, so that a large output driving power may be obtained. Connected between the base of the transistor Q1 and an output terminal 4 is a resistor R.sub.B for providing a base bias voltage under self-biasing scheme. Also, connected between the emitter of the transistor Q3 and the grounded terminal 1 is a resistor R2 for determining the current through the transistor Q3.
In this amplifier circuit signals input to a terminal 3 is retrieved from the output terminal 4 through the transistors Q1 and Q2 on one hand, and, on the other hand, through the emitter follower formed of the transistor Q1 and the resistor R1 and via the transistor Q3. In order for the transistor Q1 to act as an emitter follower, it is necessary that the resistor R1 is fairly great. However, if R1 is great, high frequency characteristics of the amplifying stage consisting of the transistor Q1 and a load resistor R.sub.L are undesirably deteriorated in its fidelity in comparison to the emitter-grounded amplifier circuit shown in FIG. 1. In fact, as described in the above literature, the circuit shown in FIG. 2 is designed as an IF amplifier circuit for use in an output stage of a down converter for 100 MHz or below, with its nominal operational frequency at 1 GHz or below, so that it would not be suitable for amplification in frequency bands above 1 GHz.
The second example shown in FIG. 3 has a portion functioning as an emitter follower as of transistor Q1 of FIG. 2 and another portion functioning as a signal transfer circuitry, as of the transistor Q1 of FIG. 2, for transferring signals to a transistor Q3. Separation of the two functions results in improved high frequency characteristics when compared to the amplifier circuit shown in FIG. 2. (For brevity of representation elements irrelevant to basic amplifying operations are also abbreviated in FIG. 3.) This circuit is discussed in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 24, No. 1, 7-12 (February, 1989). In this amplifier circuit, the base of the transistor Q1 is self-biased by means of a bias circuitry formed of a resistor R.sub.B connected with the base of the transistor Q1 in a amplification stage and of a diode D connected with a constant current power source C and the emitter of the transistor Q1. The diode D is included in this manner so that the output of an emitter follower consisting of a transistor Q4 and a resistor R3 may be coupled directly to the base of a transistor Q3. The transistors Q2 and Q3 constitute an output emitter follower of the output stage of the circuit. Thus, the transistor Q3 is provided on its base with the signal having the same phase as the input signal.
Since the amplifier circuit shown in FIG. 3 has an amplifying stage (consisting of the transistor Q1 and a load resistor R.sub.L) separated from the emitter follower (consisting of the transistor Q4 and the resistor R3) for applying signals to the base of the transistor Q3 serving for driving the emitter follower of the output stage, the circuit has better high frequency characteristics than the one shown in FIG. 2. However, the high frequency characteristics of the circuit are inferior to those of the emitter-grounded circuit shown in FIG. 1. This is due to the fact that the diode D is connected between the emitter of the transistor Q1 of the amplifying stage and the grounded terminal 1 for equalizing the potential levels of the emitter and the terminal 1. Further, although the resistor R.sub.B provides self-biassing to the transistor Q1 in controlling the current through it, it is the resistor R2 that provide feedback to the transistor Q3 to control the current through the transistor Q3. Thus, as the current I.sub.Q3 through the transistor Q3 is increased by reducing the resistance of the resistor R2, energy consumption increases, while the output driving power is decreased as the current I.sub.Q3 is decreased by increasing the resistance of the resistor R2. In fact, as stated in the above literature, energy consumption in the circuit significantly increases as much as 540 mW under 12 Volts if its output driving power is to be maintained at a nominal level and output waveforms be maintained not distorted. Such energy consumption is not acceptable from the point of energy saving policy.
In short, when operated for nominal output driving power, prior art amplifier circuits disadvantageously have large energy consumption, much too complicated structures, or poor high frequency characteristics.


The present disclosure relates to transmitting data between a plurality of computing devices such as mobile telephones and other electronic communications devices, where a request is associated with placing a call to a contact, and where information associated with the request is stored and a request for a SIP proxy is made, and an IP address associated with the SIP proxy is transmitted to allow redirecting the call to a server via the SIP proxy.

Protocols often define ways in which computing devices connect to each other and to a network using Voice over IP ("VoIP"). Session Initiation Protocol ("SIP") is a popular VoIP protocol that allows a user to communicate with one or more other users via the Internet. SIP cans placed over a broadband Internet connection are often of digital quality and usually provide features, such as voicemail and email, that are not available through traditional telephone calling methods.
Methods of communicating between two or more SIP phones and two or more computers are known in the art. These methods usually involve the flow of real-time transfer protocol ("RTP") media, such as audio data, between two devices without the use of an intermediary. This communication is possible because both devices are configured to use RTP. However, if this is not possible, service providers may encounter difficulties in establishing communication between two or more devices.

Method and system for transmitting audio data between computing devices


Methods and systems for automated health assessment of fiber optic links of a fiber optic communication system are described. Tables are used to describe the fiber optic links, including access addresses to communication modules used in the links. Telemetry data representative of operation of the communication modules can be read via the access addresses into a central station. OTDR/OFDR measurement data of fiber optic segments used in the links can be read via the access addresses into the central station. The telemetry and/or OTDR/OFDR measurement data can be used by the central station for comparison against reference data to assess health of the links. The communication modules locally and continuously capture the telemetry data to detect transient events that may be the result of tampering of the links.

Fiber optics offer high data rate and electromagnetic interference immunity for data communication systems. While fiber optics were originally utilized for long distance links, fiber optics are now becoming prevalent in applications with short distance links, for example within data centers and fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks wherein high running duty cycles, high data integrity, and secure data are prerequisites. In addition, fiber optics may be used in applications that may operate in harsh environments, such as, for example, in communication systems and networks used in aircrafts, helicopters, unmanned vehicles, ship-boards, space-crafts and missiles, wherein the fiber optic links may be subjected to severe shock, vibration, exposure to liquid contaminates, and wide temperature ranges (such a −55 C to 125 C).
Such operating requirements may in turn cause stress and damage to hardware components of the communication systems, including to the fiber optic links, and accordingly necessitate maintenance and troubleshooting. However, the available diagnostic and analysis tools for troubleshooting of faults in the fiber optic links are often expensive, physically large and heavy, require system downtime and skilled operators/analysts, making their usage for efficient link analysis and fault diagnosis impractical. Furthermore, there are no tools available today that may allow detection of tampering and/or changes to the fiber optic links that may be necessary to guarantee link performance and data security of the communication system.
It follows that there is a need for an automated system for health assessment of fiber optic links of a communication system to address the above shortcomings. The present teachings disclose such automated system. In particular, any intelligence required for the network health assessment according to the present disclosure is captured as part of the network design and/or construction and subsequently used by function blocks of an automated system, thereby alleviating the need for a trained analyst.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Automated system for link health assessment in fiber optic networks


A bristle strip for rotary brushes comprising a supporting channel in which the closed ends of U-shaped bristles are clamped. The channel is provided with laterally-extending guide members mounted directly thereon that project laterally outwardly beyond its side flanges to guide the strip when it is inserted in a guide track on a rotary drum and to retain it therein.

Rotary brushes now commonly on the market and in use consist of a drum which carries bristle strips on its periphery. The strips are mounted in various ways on the drum and are usually removable so that they can be replaced after wear. It is important that the strip be of such a nature that it can be produced with simple tooling and at a low cost of time and material.
A present method of making a rotary sweeper includes forming a strip for sliding into a track secured on the drum periphery by double-joining, back-forming, etc. to provide an outwardly-opening, bristle-receiving channel with laterally-extending lower flanges adapted to slip in the laterally-extending grooves of the drum-mounted tracks. This method requires expensive tooling and produces a weak retaining arrangement that results in a leverage problem during rotation of the drum tending to cause the flanges of the outwardly-opening bristle-receiving channel to spring apart and thereby release the bristles.
This invention provides a strip which can slip in any guide track that provides laterally-opposed receiving guide grooves which extend longitudinally of the track.
The present invention further provides a strip brush for mounting on a rotary drum which is of simple construction and can be removably slipped into tracks of the type now conventionally provided on rotary drums. This bristle strip can be produced without high-cost materials, and expensive tooling and time-consuming operations resulting in a low cost strip. It can be inserted readily into the drum track, will be effectively retained therein and can be removed with ease when it is necessary to replace it. The bristle strip is stronger and easier to install and remove as compared to prior art strips and is less costly to produce.

Method of making a strip brush for mounting of a rotary drum


A computer system operating under software control to provide output to a printer for printing. The computer system sets printer parameters to accommodate different forms of output to the printer. A word processing program stored in the computer memory is executed to couple information for printing to the printer with the printer in a first set of printer states. A typewriter emulator program stored in the computer memory is executable to couple information for printing to the printer and to set the printer states. The word processing program is interrupted by a hot key depressed by an operator, and the typewriter emulator program is entered, with the printer states being set in dependence upon printer state information for the typewriter emulator. When the typewriter emulator is interrupted by a hot key, the then-current printer states are stored and a set of default printer states for the word processor are restored prior to returning to execution of the word processing software.

In computer systems such as personal computer systems, many programs for different applications (e.g., word processing, database management, development of spread sheets) can be executed. Typically, this is accomplished by loading the application software program from a storage medium, usually a disk, into the computer memory and executing the program. After completing some or all of a first application, data or documents may be printed by a printer or saved on a disk. To execute a second application, the first application is ended, and the software program for the second application is loaded into the computer memory in place of the first program.
In some cases, more than one application program is stored in memory at the same time, and provision is made for selectively executing a desired one of the two or more application programs. In such situations, the computer system usually includes software for terminating the execution of a first application program temporarily, permitting the execution of a second application program, with subsequent return to the operating point in the first application program at which execution was terminated.
This exit from, and return to, an application is often accomplished by the use of a "hot-key" approach in which the depression of a particular key or combination of keys at a keyboard results in the transfer of operation between the two applications. Ordinarily, in performing such direct hot-keying between programs, the primary application is "frozen" at a then-current execution point, during the hot-keying to a secondary application and the execution of that secondary application. There are difficulties in implementing the above-described hot-keying where both applications provide output to a printer, since the printer must be properly set to print the output from each application when that application is running.
As an example, and as will be discussed subsequently with regard to an exemplary embodiment, the invention to be described may be used advantageously where the primary application is a memory resident word processing program and a secondary application is a memory resident typewriter emulator program. Direct hot-keying is desirable in such a situation since it allows the operator to effectively switch back and forth between word processing and typewriter functions, without the need to exit from one program and to restart the other program each time a change is made between programs.
When operating within a word processing program, hot-keying out of the word processor is normally accomplished by memory resident task selection software which intercepts keystrokes to determine if the operator has depressed the hot key. This hot key software suspends the operation of the word processor in response to the hot key. When exiting the word processing application, the hot key software saves current parameters to permit a return to the same point in the word processor application when the microprocessor later exits the secondary application. Printer states for the word processing application software can be restored to the correct conditions upon return since the word processing software expects to find the printer in known default states.
The use of such hot key task selection software for controlling exiting from, and returning to, a secondary application such as a typewriter emulator is more difficult to implement because there are no "default values" to which to reset the printer. In addition, a typewriter emulator program must maintain changeable operating format information such as margins and tab stops.
It has been an objective of the present invention, therefore, to provide means for direct hot-keying between software applications which provide printer output, wherein the proper printer states, or parameters, are restored before each application provides output to the printer for printing.

Direct hot-keying with reset of printer parameters for a secondary application including a typewriter emulator


A disk centering system includes: a disk mount portion having a disk mount surface on which a disk form recording medium is to be mounted, the disk mount portion being provided with a predetermined reference point; and at least three disk centering portions for pressing the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium, the disk centering portions being located in radial directions with the reference point as a center, wherein each of the disk centering portions can be moved between a centering position at which the disk centering portion makes contact with the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium mounted on the disk mount surface to thereby center the disk form recording medium and a stand-by position located on the outer side relative to the centering position, and the centering positions are located at an equal distance from the reference point in the radial directions with the reference point as a center.

The present invention relates to a disk centering system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a technical field in which a disk form recording medium is centered by a plurality of disk centering members for pressing the outer circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium, whereby the disk form recording medium can be centered irrespectively of the size thereof and can be handled with enhanced ease.
Among disk drives capable of recording and/or reproduction of information signals onto and/or from a disk form recording medium such as an optical disk and a magneto-optical disk, there are those which are provided with a disk centering system for centering the disk form recording medium and which can perform recording and/or reproduction of information signals onto and/or from both the disk form recording media about 8 cm in diameter and the disk form recording media about 12 cm in diameter.
The disk centering systems provided in such disk drives include the following types.
A first type is a tray-type disk centering system including a disk tray which is supported on an outer casing of the disk drive so that it can be drawn out.
In the tray-type disk centering system, the disk tray is concentrically provided with a recessed portion for mounting a disk form recording medium about 8 cm in diameter and a recessed portion for mounting a disk form recording medium about 12 cm in diameter. When the disk tray with the disk form recording medium about 8 cm in diameter or the disk form recording medium about 12 cm in diameter being mounted in the relevant recessed portion is drawn into the inside of the outer casing and moved to a predetermined centering position, the disk form recording medium is mounted onto a disk table at the centering position. The recessed portions for mounting are formed to be slightly larger than the diameters of the respective disk form recording media.
A second type is a slot-in type disk centering system in which a disk form recording medium is inserted through a disk insertion port formed in the outer casing of the disk drive (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 10-255366).
In the slot-in type disk centering system, when a disk form recording medium is inserted through the disk insertion port and fed into the inside of the outer casing by feeding rollers, the disk form recording medium is centered by a disk centering mechanism, and the disk form recording medium thus centered is mounted onto a disk table.
However, the conventional disk centering systems involve the following problems.
In the tray-type disk centering system, it is necessary to provide the disk tray with the recessed portions corresponding respectively to the sizes of the disk form recording media. On the other hand, there is a limitation as to the number of the recessed portions which can be formed in the disk tray. Therefore, the sizes (diameters) of the disk form recording media which can be mounted onto the disk table are limited.
In the slot-in type disk centering system, the sizes of the disk form recording media which can be used with the system are predetermined, and the size of the disk form recording medium drawn into the inside of the outer casing is detected mechanically or electrically, before the disk form recording medium is mounted onto the disk table. Thus, again, the kinds (sizes) of the disk form recording media which can be mounted onto the disk table are limited.
However, in view of the enhancement of the recording density on disk form recording media and the progress of variety of disk form recording media in the future, it is highly possible that disk form recording media with various diameter values will be commercialized, in addition to the disk form recording media about 8 cm or about 12 cm in diameter. It is impossible to cope with the disk form recording media having various diameter values by use of the conventional disk centering systems.
In addition, in the tray-type disk centering system, the difference in size between the recessed portion and the corresponding disk form recording medium is slight. Therefore, it is necessary to mount the disk form recording medium into the recessed portion with highly accurate alignment, which leads to a troublesome handling of the disk form recording medium.
Further, in the slot-in type disk centering system, also, it is necessary to insert each disk form recording medium into the disk insertion port with no positional misalignment therebetween, which leads to a troublesome handling of the disk form recording medium. Besides, in the slot-in type disk centering system, both sides of the disk form recording medium are clamped between a pair of rollers when the disk form recording medium is fed into the inside of the disk drive, so that the disk form recording medium may be scratched or damaged due to the contact thereof with the rollers.
On the other hand, among the disk drives, there are those in which a disk table is provided with engagement claws capable of elastic deformation in radial directions, and the inner circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium is pressed against the engagement claws to elastically deform the engagement claws at the time of mounting the disk form recording medium onto the disk table. In such a disk drive, since the inner circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium is pressed against the engagement claws, there is the problem that the inner circumferential edge of the disk form recording medium may be damaged or the disk form recording medium may be deformed.


Systems and methods for a web event framework include receiving at a framework plugin an event from a web browser, wherein the framework plugin is coupled to the web browser, generating, by the framework plugin, a framework event based on the event, forwarding the framework event to a framework server coupled to the framework plugin, receiving at the framework server the framework event from the framework plugin, determining, at the framework server, a framework action based on the framework event and a framework policy, forwarding the framework action to the framework plugin, and executing the framework action by the framework plugin, wherein executing the framework action includes modifying one or more settings for the web browser, wherein the modified settings are based on the framework policy and sending an instruction to the web browser to cause the web browser to reload at least one web page under the modified settings.

Computer systems can provide user environment management and/or policy control for computing devices (e.g., Windows based PCs). A system policy can be defined within an enterprise computer network either: to respond to system events such as computer startup/shutdown, user login/logoff, process start/stop, and session changes, etc.; or to prevent or control user behavior in applications and the desktop environment. For example, a pre-defined script can run when a user logs in to a corporate network; a particular group of users can be prevented from using parts of an application. The conventional user environment and/or policy control mechanisms, however, are limited to handle application and system level events and policies, not events and policies related to web browsers. Some examples of web events include webpage loading, URL clicking, adding/deleting a tab within a web browser, etc. Typical policies include, for example, blocking of URLs and redirection and preventing use of particular buttons or menus inside an web page.


An electromagnetic coil drive device has a semiconductor switch connected in series with an electromagnetic coil for controlling a current supplied to the coil; a capacitor; a comparator for comparing a voltage to charge and discharge the capacitor with two different voltages, for generating a signal to operate on-off of the semiconductor switch in accordance with a result of a comparison; a first charging circuit to charge the capacitor based on a voltage applied to the coil; and a discharging circuit to discharge the capacitor. The first charging circuit has a first resistor and at least one compensating circuit connected in parallel with the first resistor; and a resistor and a Zener diode are connected in series in the compensating circuit.

Conventionally, a drive device described in Patent literature 1 has been known as this type of drive device in the background art.
This conventional drive device has a semiconductor switch which is connected in series with an electromagnetic coil so as to control a current supplied to the coil, a capacitor, a comparator with a hysteresis function, which compares a voltage applied to the capacitor with two voltages so as to generate a signal for operating on-off of the semiconductor switch in accordance with a result of the comparison, and a charging and discharging circuit to charge and discharge the capacitor.
In the drive device configured thus, the semiconductor switch is operated to be turned on-off in accordance with the signal outputted from the comparator. In this manner, a predetermined current is supplied to the electromagnetic coil so that the coil is excited.
Since the excitation force of the electromagnetic coil is determined based on the current supplied to the electromagnetic coil, it is desirable that the current applied to the coil is measured and set at a constant value. Therefore, conventionally, the current flowing into the coil is measured by a Hall Effect element, a current sensing resistor, etc., and control is made so that the measured current becomes constant.

FUJI ELECTRIC FA COMPONENTS & SYSTEMS CO., LTD.


In an apparatus for detecting condition of load connected to a general-purpose internal combustion engine, a first threshold value is compared with a sum obtained by adding a predetermined value to a detected throttle opening and changes the threshold value to the sum if the first threshold value is less than the sum and the engine is determined to be under first load condition if the throttle opening exceeds the threshold value. Next a second threshold value is compared with a difference obtained by subtracting change amounts of the engine speed and throttle opening and the engine is determined to be under second load condition if the difference exceeds the second threshold value, thereby enabling to accurately detect a condition of a load connected to the engine. Then the desired engine speed is changed in response to results of the determinations.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a load condition detection apparatus for a general-purpose internal combustion engine, particularly to an apparatus for detecting a condition of a load such as an operating machine, etc, which is connected to the general-purpose engine and consumes power of the engine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a general-purpose internal combustion engine is connected to a load such as an operating machine and outputs power to be supplied thereto. When the engine experiences no load condition where the load does not consume the power, if left as it is, it is disadvantageous in noise and fuel consumption. In order to solve the problem, there has been proposed a technique to detect no load condition and decrease the engine speed, as taught, for example, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2005-299519.
In the reference, the engine is connected to a pump of a high-pressure washing machine to operate the pump to discharge water through a washing gun. Water discharge, i.e., the load condition of the pump, is detected by comparing a detected throttle opening to a throttle opening (threshold value) set to increase with increasing engine speed.

Load condition detection apparatus for general-purpose engine


Compositions and methods of treatment or prophylaxis of fragile-X associated disorders are provided, as well as methods of screening compounds and kits to screen a library of compounds.

The CGG repeat expansion in the 5′-UTR of the fragile X mental retardation gene (FMR1) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of two distinct disorders, fragile X syndrome (FXS), a neurodevelopmental disorder and fragile X-associated tremor and ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that is usually late onset. While normal individuals generally possess between 5 and 54 CGG repeats, fully affected individuals have more than 200 CGG repeats on what are referred to as "full mutation alleles." "Pre-mutation alleles" (55-200 CGG repeats) of the FMR1 gene are known to contribute to the fragile X phenotype through genetic instability and could expand into full mutation during germline transmission.
FXTAS has been recognized among many male pre-mutation carriers in or beyond their fifth decade of life and is uncoupled from the FXS neurodevelopmental disorder. Although both disorders involve repeat expansions in the FMR1 gene, the clinical presentation and molecular mechanisms underlying each disease are distinct. The most common clinical feature of FXTAS is a progressive action tremor with ataxia. More advanced or severe cases may show a progressive cognitive decline that ranges from executive and memory deficits to dementia. Patients may also present with common psychiatric symptoms such as increased anxiety, mood liability and depression. Patients also complain of fluctuating muscle weakness and numbness and/or pain in the lower extremities, which suggests the disease may not be purely neurological.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of adult male patients affected with FXTAS demonstrated mild to moderate global brain atrophy, most common in the fontal and parietal regions as well as the pons and cerebellum. The most significant radiological findings were the increased T2 intensities of the middle cerebellar peduncle (MCP) and adjacent cerebellar white matter not seen in controls.
Nearly all case studies on autopsy brains of symptomatic premutation carriers demonstrated degeneration in the cerebellum, including Purkinje neuronal cell loss, Bergman gliosis, spongiosis of the deep cerebellar white matter and swollen axons. The major neuropathological hallmark and postmortem criterion for definitive FXTAS is eosinophilic, ubiquitin-positive intranuclear inclusions located in broad distribution throughout the brain in neurons, astrocytes, and in the spinal column. The inclusions are both tau and α-synuclein negative, which indicates that FXTAS is not a tauopathy or synucleinopathy. The FXTAS inclusions share the ubiquitin positive hallmark with several other inclusion disorders, such as polyglutamine disorders, although the inclusions do not stain with antibodies that recognize polyglutamine, which suggests a defect in the proteasomal degradation pathway. Unlike the polyglutamine disorders, there is no known structurally abnormal protein produced in FXTAS (the premutation is non-coding).
An RNA gain-of-function mechanism has been suggested for FXTAS based on the observation of increased levels of CGG-containing FMR1 mRNA, along with either reduced FMRP in premutation carriers. The absence of FXS, which results from the loss of function of the FMR1 gene product, in FXTAS patients along with absence of symptoms in older individuals with FXS also suggests a role for the expanded ribo-CGG (rCGG) repeat in FXTAS pathology. This type of RNA gain of function mechanism has been suggested as a mechanism for triplet repeat-related ataxias such as SCA8, SCA10, and SCA12 and in myotonic dystrophy (DM). The untranslated repeat expansion in DM has offered major insight into the underlying molecular mechanisms of FXTAS. DM1 is caused by a CTG repeat expansion in a region of transcribed RNA, but not translated into protein, the 3′UTR of the DMPK gene. The mutant transcripts sequester certain proteins, which form ribonuclear foci or inclusions.
Several additional lines of evidence further support an RNA-mediated gain-of-function toxicity model for FXTAS. First, in a "knock-in" mouse model designed with a ˜100 CGG repeat fragment, intranuclear inclusions were found to be present throughout the brain. An increase in both the number and size of the inclusions was observed during the life course, which correlates with the progressive character of the phenotype observed in humans. Neuropathological studies in humans have revealed a highly significant association between length of the CGG tract and frequency of intranuclear inclusions in both neurons and astrocytes, indicating that the CGG repeat length is a powerful predictor of neurological involvement and mortality. Intranuclear inclusions can be formed in both primary neural progenitor cells and established neural cell lines with premutation CGG repeat. A model of FXTAS using Drosophila has been described and it was demonstrated that premutation-length riboCGG (rCGG) repeats are both toxic and sufficient to cause neurodegeneration. These observations led to the proposal that transcription of the CGG90 repeats leads to an RNA-mediated neurodegenerative disease and that rCGG repeat-binding proteins (RBPs) become functionally limited by their sequestration to lengthy rCGG repeats, mechanistically similar to the pathophysiology of DM1.
Drosophila has emerged as a premiere model system for the study of human neurodegenerative diseases within the last decade due to the realization that flies and humans share many structurally and functionally related gene families. It has been shown that genes associated with neurodegeneration could be expressed in flies, causing phenotypes remarkably similar to those of the counterpart human diseases, including poly-glutamine disorders, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. These results indicate that the molecular mechanisms of neuronal toxicity and loss are conserved between human and flies. Development of such disease models in the fly allows genetic approaches to be applied to address specific hypotheses concerning disease progression and to test candidate modifier genes or therapeutic drug compounds.
Given the high prevalence of fragile X premutation carriers among the general population (˜1 in every 800 males and 250 females) and the high risk of developing FXTAS among the male carriers, it is important to develop new therapeutic interventions for FXTAS.

Compositions and methods for treating fragile X premutation RVGG repeats-mediated toxicity


A bad sector is detected by activating a bad sector detecting function of a recording apparatus at a predetermined interval. The bad sector is recovered, when the bad sector is detected at the detecting, by overwriting data on the bad sector with a duplication of the data, and when overwriting fails, by writing the duplication of the data on other sector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for recovering a failure in a recording apparatus having a bad-sector detecting function by executing a reading test in each sector.
2. Description of the Related Art
A magnetic disk apparatus having a diagnostic/monitoring function called SMART (Self Monitoring Analysis And Reporting Technology) has been known (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-233511). The SMART function obtains an error frequency indicating the number of errors occurred in a predetermined time on a stead basis, decides that a failure has occurred if the obtained value exceeds a threshold, and makes a report.
Use of the SMART function makes it possible to predict a fatal failure (unrecoverable failure) that will possibly occur to the magnetic disk apparatus, and thus to implement preventive measures such as backing up the magnetic disk apparatus.
The SMART function is also capable of executing so-called "self-test" of reading all the sectors and recording detected bad sectors in a pending list (bad sector list) during the off-time with less disk access.
However, it is difficult to decide the fault of the magnetic disk apparatus based on various information obtained by the SMART function and the result of the self-test. Namely, there are sectors that are temporarily unreadable due to vibration of the apparatus or mechanical wobbling among the sectors recorded in the bad sector list by the self test. On the other hand, there are also sectors that are permanently unusable due to a damage to a recording medium (disk) among the sectors recorded in the bad sector list.
Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish temporary failures from permanent failures on the side receiving a report of bad sectors from the SMART function (for example, an operating system). Therefore, there has been a problem that a recovery could not be appropriately implemented to the fault. For instance, phenomena have been often seen that despite the operating system was once being decided to be temporarily faulty, a permanent failure occurred with subsequent data access, and that despite replacement of the magnetic disk apparatus after decision of a permanent failure, the failure turned out to be temporary.
From this point of view, it is a major problem how to achieve a failure recovering method capable of an appropriate failure recovery using the result of implementation of the SMART function. This problem arises not only to a single magnetic disk apparatus but also to a disk array apparatus including a number of magnetic disk apparatuses.

Failure recovering method and recording apparatus


Articles of play for use with the game of catch including a ball covered with VELCRO material and a multi-layer catcher's mitt with a front layer also covered in mating VELCRO material. The multi-layer mitt includes a rigid concave rear layer, a first intermediate flexible layer, a second intermediate flexible layer, and said front layer of VELCRO material.

The game of catch has been played since antiquity, both as a form of play and, in more recent times, as part of a sport such as baseball, etc. As is well known, the game is played by tossing a ball (or any similar article) back and forth between two or more players, which players may catch the ball with their bare hands, or with the aid of a baseball glove, or the like.
Although throwing and catching an object, such as a ball, is enjoyable and quite easy for older children or adults, a surprising amount of coordination is required to successfully play the game, which coordination is sometimes lacking in younger children still in the early stages of physical development. Therefore, although younger children are generally quite eager to attempt playing the game of catch or related sports activities, they may soon become frustrated in their efforts due to their inability to successfully catch the ball.
It is, therefore, an object of the instant invention to simplify the game of catch so that the game is easily played by younger children.
It is another object of the instant invention to simplify the game of catch by providing play articles which permit a young child to easily catch a thrown object, such as a ball, through use of a unique catching aid.
In accordance with one aspect and feature of the instant invention, unique play articles are provided for playing the game of catch, which play articles include a catcher's aid, such as a glove type article, with a front surface covered in a hook and loop type fastening material such as VELCRO (registered trademark of The Velcro Manufacturing Co.), along with a ball whose entire surface area may also be covered in similar material whereby the ball is easily caught by the catcher's glove due to the attachment action of the hook and loop type fastening material.
Prior art patents exist in which mating sections of VELCRO, or VELCRO material, are used to facilitate adherence of an object to the front surface of a play article.
One of the earliest of said patents is U.S. Pat. No. 3,032,345, issued on May 1, 1962 to Jerome H. Lemelson. The '345 Lemelson patent was directed to a dart game in which the front surface of the dart, and the front surface of the target, were covered with VELCRO material. Therefore, when the dart was thrown at the target, the dart would attach to the target, simulating play as with an actual game of darts, but without the danger of using steel tipped darts.
A second Lemelson patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,566, was issued on Dec. 31, 1974, and is directed to solving the problem of the dart disengaging from the target area due to the inherent bounce of the dart upon impact on the target. The "bounce problem" was addressed in the '566 patent by stretching VELCRO material over a frame, which frame maintained a predetermined distance between the VELCRO material and the wall on which the frame was to be hung. Therefore, during the initial impact stage of the head of the dart against the flexible VELCRO material, the dart decelerates, without bounce, thereby preventing disengagement between the dart and the target.
Although the '566 patent addressed the "bounce problem", it did so by providing a frame structure over which the VELCRO material was stretched. Such a solution is clearly unsatisfactory for play articles to be used in the game of catch or other baseball like games.
A similar patent directed specifically to the game of catch is U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,748, issued to William A. Clarke on Dec. 28, 1976. This reference is directed to play articles useful in the game of catch, comprising a ball coated with VELCRO material, and a mitt or glove having an outer face also covered with VELCRO material. The mitt or glove is a multi-layer device, consisting of a facing layer of VELCRO material, a flexible textile backing layer, and an intermediate plastic foam layer sandwiched between the backing layer and the facing layer. The entire multi-layer device is flexible in nature, without rigid parts, which construction, although not mentioned in the '748 patent, might tend to somewhat reduce the "bounce problem". However, it is clear that the flimsy construction of the mitt described in the '748 patent would prohibit any "hard thrown" balls due to inadequate padding and, moreover, the flexible nature of the entire glove would result in constant movement on the hand, which would make the glove very difficult for use with young children.
It is, therefore, an object of the instant invention to provide articles of play for use with the game of catch, which articles are somewhat rigid and, thus, easily used with young children, while at the same time completely eliminating the "bounce problem".
It is a further object of the instant invention to provide articles of play for use in the game of catch, which articles of play can be used with young children, but also capable of absorbing the high energy of hard thrown balls without bounce or injury to the hand and, therefore, useful with adults as well.

Articles of play for use in the game of catch


A magnetic levitating transportation apparatus comprising a rail and a vehicle capable of travelling along the rails by a linear motor and caused to magnetically levitate by magnet units including permanent magnets and electro-magnets. The gap between the rail and each of the magnetic units is controlled by controlling the current supplied to the magnet units so that the current is substantially zero when the vehicle is in the levitated condition. One of the magnet units is movably mounted to the vehicle and moved by the piezoelectric actuator so that the gap between this magnet unit and the rail can be adjusted. The controller controls the piezoelectric actuator based on the current supplied to the magnet units.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic levitating transportation apparatus including a vehicle capable of travelling along a rail.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent semiconductor manufacturing industries, wafers are often automatically transported in wafer treatment processes so that the wafers are contaminated by as little dust as possible. A magnetic levitating transportation apparatus such as a linear motor car is suitable for an automatic transportation apparatus for wafers because there is no friction between the vehicle and the rail and thus dust is not generated, and it is possible to transport wafers quickly and reliably.
The magnetic levitating transportation apparatus includes a vehicle capable of being levitated relative to a rail installed along a predetermined path with a gap between the vehicle and the rail. The vehicle travels along the rail. The vehicle is driven along the rail by a linear motor and caused to magnetically levitate by magnet units which are arranged on the vehicle. Also, gap sensors are arranged on the vehicle for detecting the gap between the vehicle and the rail to control the current supplied to the magnet units to maintain the gap between the vehicle and the rail at a desired constant value.
Four magnet units, for example, are arranged on the vehicle. Each magnetic unit is of a composite structure comprising a permanent magnet and electro-magnets. A relatively large current is supplied to the coils of the electro-magnets at the initial stage of levitation of the vehicle so that the vehicle is quickly levitated by the sum of the magnetic forces of the permanent magnet and the electro-magnets, and the current supplied to the coils of the electro-magnets is gradually reduced as the vehicle levitates. The vehicle finally levitates with a constant gap between the vehicle and the rail. It is also possible to supply the current to the coils in the reverse direction, so that a difference between the magnetic forces of the permanent magnet and the electro-magnets acts on the vehicle and the vehicle so as to enlarge the gap between the vehicle and the rail.
It is desirable that the final gap between the vehicle and the rail be such that the current supplied to the electro-magnets of the magnet units is substantially zero and the vehicle is supported by the magnetic force of only the permanent magnets. That is, if the weight of the vehicle balances the magnetic force of the permanent magnets, it is possible to minimize the current supplied to the electro-magnets of the magnet units and thus to minimize power consumption from the battery mounted in the vehicle.
Four magnet units, for example, are arranged on the vehicle in a common plane. The current is controlled separately for each of the magnet units. The vehicle may not necessarily be parallel to the rail depending on the position of the vehicle and the position of the load on the vehicle. Therefore, the gap between one magnet unit and the rail when the current supplied to one magnet unit becomes substantially zero may differ from the gap between another magnet unit and the rail when the current supplied to the latter magnet unit becomes substantially zero. For example, the gap between one magnet unit and the rail when the current supplied to one magnet unit becomes substantially zero may be approximately 1.8 mm, while the gap between another magnet unit and the rail when the current supplied to the latter magnet unit becomes substantially zero may be approximately 1.9 mm.
In the case where four magnet units are arranged in a common plane, a problem arises that it is not possible to reduce the current supplied to all electro-magnets of the magnet units to substantially zero. For example, when the gaps of three magnet units are determined, the gap of the fourth magnet unit is automatically determined from the relationship of the plane. However, this determined gap of the fourth magnet may not necessarily correspond to the gap at which the current can be reduced to zero. Therefore, it is not possible to reduce the current supplied to the electro-magnets of the last magnet unit.

Magnetic levitating transporting apparatus with a movable magnetic unit


This invention relates to an improvement in a reduced gaseous phase growing method for compound semiconductor monocrystal formed from a plurality of elements such as GaAs.. A gas of compound containing each of constitutional elements is introduced into a reduced reaction pipe of which temperature distribution is controlled, without use of H.sub.2 or He as a carrier gas. Thereby it is possible to control the amount of introduction of each of the elements of the compound semiconductor subjected to epitaxial growth.. In addition, the temperature distribution within the reaction pipe is controlled and the temperature of the crystal substrate is maintained at a relatively low temperature to improve the quality of the growing crystal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for growing compound semiconductor monocrystal by reduced epitaxial growth in an open-pipe process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Gaseous phase growing methods for a compound semiconductor, for example, GaAs which is one of typical elements, so far known include chloride method, hydride method, organic metal gaseous phase growing method (MO-CVD method) and the like.
Both the chloride method and hydride method are methods not to feed gaseous components containing Ga from the exterior of a reaction pipe but normally to feed AsCl.sub.3 and HCl with H.sub.2 gas as a carrier gas into a reaction pipe to react with Ga within the reaction pipe and feed chloride of Ga onto the base plate to grow GaAs monocrystal.
However, both the chloride method and hydride method have the disadvantages that it is difficult to simultaneously vary a ratio between a gas component containing Ga and a gas component containing As and difficult to control the stoichiometry of GaAs crystal.
On the other hand, according to the MO-CVD method, an organic metal is used for a Ga source, and therefore, it is possible to simultaneously vary a ratio between a gas component containing Ga and a gas component containing As, as a result of which the MO-CVD method has an advantage that stoichiometry may be controlled but has a disadvantage in that the quality of crystal is inferior to that of the chloride method and hydride method.

Process for growing compound semiconductor monocrystal

Research Development Corporation of Japan