A disk recording apparatus for recording data such as information concerning a musical performance on a recording disk (1) to which absolute addresses have been imparted in advance. Vibration during the recording operation and unexpected track jumping due to defects in the recording disk are detected relying upon the discontinuity of absolute addresses reproduced from the recording disk (1). In case track jumping has taken place, the laser power of the optical head (12) is dropped to the reproduction level and the track jump control is actuated to access a desired track. The recording operation is then resumed for the track.

There has so far been marketed a disk player device dedicated to reproduction, such as a CD player designed to reproduce a so-called compact disk (CD), which is an optical disk on which audio signals such as voice or musical sounds are recorded in digitized form. While the conventional CD player is dedicated to reproduction, attempts have been made to develop a disk system which, through the use of a magneto-optical disk formed by a photo-magnetic recording medium allowing rewriting of information, is adapted for both recording and reproduction and able to maintain superior compatibility with respect to the compact disk.
As shown diagrammatically in FIG. 1, the recordable disk 1 employed in the above disk system is formed with spirally extending pregrooves 2 having a depth equal to .lambda./8, wherein .lambda. indicates the wavelength of the laser beam used for information recording. On a land 3 between the adjacent pregrooves 2, a prerecorded region 4 in which patterns of projections and recesses formed by pits each .lambda./4 deep are previously recorded and a data recording region 5 in which magneto-optical recording is performed, are formed alternately in the circumferential direction, each at an equal pitch. A lead-in region 7 is provided at the inner periphery of the program region 6 in which the performance information is recorded. In this lead-in region, there is recorded TOC or table of contents information indicating the record contents of the program region 6. In the prerecorded region 4 of the recordable disk 1, there are recorded 24 bits of sync signals and 14 bits or 1 symbol of subcode as patterns of projections and recesses formed in advance by a molding operation as indicated in FIG. 3. These subcodes represent the absolute time information or absolute addresses from the start position of the program region 6. The above 24 bit sync signals and 14 bit subcodes are a part of the 588 channel bit data making up one frame of the data format, as shown in FIG. 2, standardized for the compact disk (CD), and including, in addition to the above sync signals and subcodes, 14.times.32 bits (32 symbols) of the data such as the performance information and parities and margin bits, each of 3 bits, provided between adjacent symbols.
In a disk system employing the above described recordable disk 1, disk rotation control etc. is performed at a constant linear velocity (CLV), utilizing the aforementioned absolute addresses reproduced from the prerecorded region 4 of the recordable disk 1, so that the information is recorded in the data format standardized for the compact disk (CD).
It will be noted that, in the disk system employing the recordable disk, such as the magneto-optical disk formed by the magneto-optical recording medium, when a track jump takes place, that is, when the scanning beam from an optical head jumps from a presently recorded track or current track to another track due to vibrations caused during the recording operation or disk defects, the recorded performance information may be discontinuous or become discrete as a function of the amount of such track jump, such that the performance may be interrupted depending on the amount of the track jump during reproduction and, in the worst case, a performance information is over-written on the previously recorded track to destroy the previously recorded performance information.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a disk recording apparatus of a novel construction in which a track jump is detected during the recording operation and the mistaken recording of the information on the tracks other than the target track is avoided.

Disk recording apparatus for re-establishing a recording mode at a desired address


This application relates to lithium-ion batteries and related battery modules, battery packs and devices. Specifically, the lithium-ion battery includes a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, an electrolyte, and a separator, wherein the positive electrode plate includes aluminum foil as a positive electrode current collector, and a content of element copper atom as an impurity per unit area of the aluminum foil is from 0.009 g/m2 to 0.021 g/m2, and the electrolyte contains first lithium salt and additive A, and the first lithium salt is a fluorine-containing sulfonimide lithium salt, and relative to total molar amount of lithium salt in the electrolyte, the fluorine-containing sulfonimide lithium salt has a molar amount of 30 mol % or higher; and the additive A is at least one of a phosphate compound containing an unsaturated bond, a cyclic compound containing a —SO2— bond and a silicon-oxygen compound containing an unsaturated bond.

Lithium-ion batteries are widely used in electric vehicles and consumer products due to their high-voltage platform, low self-discharge, high output power, no memory effect, long cycle life and low environmental pollution.
With the expansion of the application range, especially with the popularization of smart phones and electric vehicles, the demand for high-energy density lithium-ion batteries is increasing. The energy density of the battery can be increased in the following two ways: (1) increasing nickel content in positive electrode material of battery, (2) increasing the charging voltage of battery. In recent years, high-nickel positive electrode materials have been widely used to replace traditional lithium cobalt positive electrode materials to increase the energy density of batteries in the industry.

Lithium-ion batteries and related battery modules, battery packs and devices

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited


An air freshener including a housing having a reservoir chamber, a dispenser, a pump intermediate the reservoir and the dispenser, a pad, at least one fan proximate the pad, and wherein the dispenser transfers a scented liquid onto the pad and the at least one fan directs air flow proximate the pad.

1. Technical Field
This invention generally relates to air fresheners and particularly refillable devices for freshening the air in a particular area.
2. Background Art
Air fresheners are known to come in a variety of forms, including chemical compositions which are activated by the air, fan operated devices which push or pull a scent into a room, and cardboard type materials which provide a scent in the air. The cardboard type materials are similar to an automotive tree air freshener which emits a scent and the freshener's effectiveness steadily decreases over time until the air freshener is nothing more than a decorative element. Chemical compositions may include gels or similar compositions which are absorbed into the air to mask any odors. The fan operated devices may be battery or outlet powered and pushes or pulls air across a scented portion of the device and into the surrounding area. The scented portion may be connected to a scented oil for absorption and the fan speed may be adjusted to vary the strength of the scent within the room.


The present invention provides an optical disk apparatus in which a first, second, third, and fourth optical disks are selectively installed, the first and second optical disks having different recording film characteristics and both having a single-layer recording layer, the third and fourth optical disks having different recording film characteristics and both having a double-layer recording layer. A control section determines which of the first to fourth optical disks has been installed, on the basis of the level of a reproduction signal from an optical head. Recording media serving as the optical disks are formed so that the light reflectances of a single-layer L-H medium in an initialized state, an L0 layer of a double-layer H-L medium in the initialized state, and an L0 layer of a double-layer L-H medium in an uninitialized state do not overlap the light reflectance of a single-layer H-L medium in the initialized state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus that records and reproduces information on and from an optical disk, as well as a method for controlling the optical disk apparatus, and in particular, to an optical disk apparatus that automatically determines a standard for the optical disk.
2. Description of the Related Art
As is well known, techniques for densely recording information have been promoted in recent years. Optical disks having a recording capacity of 4.7 GB (Giga Bytes) in one layer of one side have been put to practical use.
Optical disks of this kind include, for example, a reproduction-only DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disk-Read Only Memory), a rewritable DVD-RAM (Random Access Memory), a DVD-RW (Rewritable), a +RW, and a recordable DVD-R (Recordable), which conform to various standards.
An optical disk apparatus that can execute recording and reproduction on optical disks conforming to several types of standards comprises a function utilizing the fact that the light reflectance of the optical disk varies depending on the standard. This function automatically determines the standard for the optical disk installed to regulate each section of the optical disk apparatus and change settings on the basis of the result of the determination.
Even when conforming to the same standard, current rewritable optical disks are further classified into plural types on the basis of the characteristics of a recording film used in the disk.
Specifically, there are two types of rewritable optical disks. One of them has a high light reflectance and records data after inverting (initializing) a characteristic of a recording film so that the film, which otherwise photoelectrically converts reflected light into an H (High) level, photoelectrically converts the reflected light into a L (Low) level (this type of optical disk will hereinafter be referred to as an L-H medium). The other has a low light reflectance and records data after inverting (initializing) the characteristic of the recording film so that the film, which otherwise photoelectrically converts the reflected light into the L level, photoelectrically converts the reflected light into the H level (this type of optical disk will hereinafter be referred to as an H-L medium).
Thus, it is important to have a function for not only determining a basic standard such as the DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and +RW but also automatically determining whether each of the rewritable optical disks conforming to the same standard is an L-H or H-L medium to regulate each section of the optical disk apparatus, and change settings.
Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-266367 discloses a configuration that executes a focus search on an optical disk installed to measure the light reflectance of the optical disk on the basis of a focus error signal obtained. The configuration thus determines whether the disk is a CD (Compact Disk)-ROM, a CD-R, or a CD-RW to switch recording and reproducing circuits in accordance with the result of the determination.
This publication does not describe the automatic determination of the type of rewritable optical disk conforming to the same standard, the type of which is based on the characteristic of the recording film used.

Optical disk apparatus for distinguishing recording media including single-layer and double-layer H-L media and L-H medium


This embodiment relates generally to the Fire-Starter Apparatus (200) as a means to provide an instant fire in a safe, portable, time-saving, disposable, and convenient manner. The Fire-Starter Apparatus (200) contains both the fuel and reagents housed in a safe and convenient manner. The Fire-Starter Apparatus (200) relies on the user to cause the separated reagents to admix together, causing an exothermic reaction between reagents as a result of a chemical reaction between reagents.

The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant:
U.S. Pat.Pat. No.Kind CodeIssue DatePatenteeNo. U.S. 6,062,142May 16, 2000Atlantic ResearchCorp.No. U.S. 6,267,110Jul. 31, 2001ConvenienceHeating Tech. LTDNo. 20080115409May 22, 2008Tran Bo LNo. 20090025276Jan. 29, 2009Tran Bo LNon Patent LiteratureDocumentsNone
Fire has been an age's long requirement for comfort, safety, and security since the beginning of civilization. Earlier form of fire-starters has been in the form of converting a mechanical motion into heat generated by friction. Such examples are two flint stones striking each other, a fire bow drill whereby a stick is rotated rapidly in a hole using the bow to rotate it, and the modem matches. However, none of these mechanical motions would produce the necessary sparks or heat if friction was absent or was severely compromised. This friction based form of combustion, or more specifically the right level of Coefficient of Friction of two contacting surfaces, may not be available in the extreme environment the fire is being produced in, such as in high humidity places. Thus a self-contained fire-starter that bypasses the need for friction, that has almost all the necessary conditions for fire-starting, that has all these conditions contained in a portable unit that permits a long shelf life, is more conducive for fire-starting under unfavorable conditions.
One of the most visible forms of portable fire-starters bypassing friction is the chemical reaction between reagents. This chemical reaction is exothermic, providing sufficient heat release to raise the temperature of the exothermic activity so as to combust the fuel in the reagents and/or ancillary fuel adjacent to the exothermic activity.
It is common for exothermic reaction based fire to use a first group of reagents that includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of potassium permanganate, manganese oxide, potassium chlorate, barium peroxide and potassium nitrate. It is also common to exothermically pair this first group of reagent with a second group of reagent that includes at least one compound selected from the group consisting of ethanol, isopropanol, ethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol. When these two groups of reagents are in admixed with each other, they produce an exothermic reaction releasing sufficient energy to combust the reagents themselves and/or ancillary fuel adjacent to the exothermic activity.
It is from this spontaneous and volatile nature of combustion that creates the challenge to keep these two groups of reagents safely, properly, and conveniently housed close to—but separate from—each other, ensuring the absence of an accidental activation of the exothermic reaction; to provide a quick, portable, and inexpensive means to selectively admix them; and to ensure the byproducts of such combustion will not limit or impede the use of this combination in a narrow and restricted way. This challenge is further made bigger by the fact that the first group of reagents is granular and amorphous in nature, that it is a powerful oxidant that is harmful for human contact, and that its potency is rendered useless when wet. Additional challenges appear when the second group of reagents is liquid in nature, requiring a non permeable membrane or container to prevent accidental admixing/combustion.
Aside from the safety considerations above, there has been an increasing appeal to have a self-contained fire-starter that is inexpensive enough to be used in starting a cooking grill, in starting recreational campfires, and even in providing instant fire for survivalist training/kits. This growing ubiquitous application for such tire-starter places a high premium for it to be produced inexpensively, with high portability, of high shelf life, of high reliability, and with as little intrusive by products that would deter its use:—all this while having a quick and uncomplicated means to start a fire instantly on demand.
In reference to a FIG. 7 embodiment as shown in Patent US 2010/0252023 A1 issued on Oct. 7, 2010 to Coffey et al, this embodiment does not meet the challenges of reliability, cost effectiveness, and of the difficult handling nature of the glycerin during its introduction into the device. It fails to properly avoid any accidental exothermic admixing of the reagents as the integrated piercing member 750 is placed over the entire system, putting the piercing member directly in line with the pathway that allows this admixing. This direct line of fire thus must heavily rely on the stiffness of the malleable material cover 760 to prevent this accidental admixing. But this stiffness-in-the-name-of-safety cover property is coupled to—in a way that also opposes—the ease in which the user can selectively deform the cover in order for the plunger to pierce the barrier 730. In short, Reliability and Ease of Admixing competes directly with each other.
Also in reference to the above FIG. 7 embodiment, the difficult handling nature of glycerin is not addressed. Glycerin is liquid in nature and is prone to leak where there is a micro breach in containing it. The FIG. 7 embodiment does not provide any multi-barrier insurance in the event the single foil seal that separates the reagents is compromised during the assembly package or during the settling nature post assembly.
Additionally, the amorphous form of a liquid requires the barrier walls to be in place so as to contain the liquid glycerin during assembly. It is to my best understanding that during the deformation of the dome, the interior space in which the glycerin resides is reduced, causing a rise in internal pressure. This increase in pressure places additional stress to the foil sealant as well as to the dome sealing to the cylinder walls. This pressure increase can also be due to changes in storage temperature. Hence, the accidental admixing of the reagents can happen by the accidental deformation of the dome during handling as well as changes in storage temperature. Any avoidance of these accidental causal factors drives up the cost of the sealant design and manufacturing, as well as the cost to test their performance within an acceptable operating range. The cost of liability avoidance has just increased due to this complication.
In summary, FIG. 7 embodiment works well on paper but not in real life for it relies heavily on a single seal barrier, rather than a multi barrier seal, to prevent accidental admixing; it has only one last defense, versus multiple defenses, that can be easily and accidentally defeated when the piercing member is in line with the piercing path that pierces the seal; the sealing chamber for the glycerin is prone to leaks caused by an accidental deformation of the dome and by uncontrollable changes in the storage temperature; and the stiffness of the malleable cover stiff enough to prevent any accidental deformation would oppose the ease of piercing the foil barrier.
In reference to the embodiment of FIG. 2C of U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,110 BI issued to Tenenboum on Jul. 31, 2001, Tenenboum employs a different implementation, starting with a liquid reagent contained in storage cell 16 as a foil packet. To provide controlled tearing of the packet on demand, foil packet 16 encloses a specially formed spring element 46. As best seen in FIG. 2C, spring element 46 is formed with a piercing element 48 and a number of resilient spacers 50 biased to a position in spaced relation to piercing element 48. In a normal un-flexed state of spring element 46, resilient spacers 50 prevent contact between piercing element 48 and foil packet 16. When force is applied through one surface of foil packet 16, spring element 46 is deformed such that piercing element 48 comes into contact with the opposite surface of foil packet 16 so as to tear open the foil packet and release the liquid reagent onto the first reagent in second region 14. Here too, the force required for actuation is preferably provided by relative movement of heating unit 10 relative to container 18.
Tenenboum's art again suffers the same reliability and cost effectiveness problems as in Coffey. With respect to reliability, the only last line of defense preventing accidental admixing of the reagents is in the prevention of heating unit 10 relative movement to container 18. That is because the piercing element 48 is in a biased space relation to the foil packet containing the liquid reagent. However, an accidental movement of heating unit 10 relative to container 18 removes this biased space, causing the unintended admixing of the reagent. A prevention of this would require a locking and confirmation device that user wants to move heating unit 10 relative to container 18. This drives the design to be more complicated and costly, which is already driven up by the spring element and the plurality of dividing walls and devices to perform selective communication between reagents.


A radiation-emitting semiconductor with a radiation-emitting active layer having InxAlyGa1-x-yP (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1) is described. The active layer is arranged between a first confinement layer and a second confinement layer. The layers can contain InxAlyGa1-x-yPuN1-u (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦x+y≦1 and 0≦u<1), BzInxAlyGa1-x-y-zPuN1-u (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0<z≦1, 0≦x+y+z≦1 and 0≦u<1) or a II-VI semiconductor material.

This invention relates to radiation-emitting semiconductors.
Conventional semiconductor devices often have confinement layers of InAlGaP, between which an active layer is arranged. These confinement layers constitute barriers for charge carriers. The confinement layers serve to confine the charge carriers or at least increase their retention period within the active layer.
It is desirable that the charge carriers are as completely confined as possible or that their retention period within the active layer lasts as long as possible. Outside the active layer, charge carriers do not contribute significantly to the production of radiation.
Customarily, confinement layers and active layers are lattice matched, i.e., the adjacent layers have essentially the same lattice constant. An insufficient lattice match bears the possible risk of creating strain between the confinement layer and the active layer, as well as defects in the crystal lattice. Such defects can diminish the radiation effect, since they can favor the non-radiating recombination of charge carriers.
In lattice matched confinement layers of InAlGaP, the maximally achievable barrier height, i.e., the potential energy difference through which a charge carrier would need to travel to escape the active layer, e.g., the difference between the energy levels of the active and confinement layers is relatively low. Typically, the maximum barrier height, is attained with AlInP confinement layers. Because of the limited barrier height leakage currents of charge carriers can occur. Leaked currents of charge carriers do not contribute to the creation of radiation.
A closely related problem of the charge carrier confinement exists in radiation-emitting quantum well structures of InAlGaP. Confinement of the charge carrier here takes place in the quantum well or wells. A quantum well structure of InAlGaP contains multiple subsequent quantum well and barrier layers. As with the confinement layers, a potential problem is the limited height of the barriers in the case of lattice matched layers.

Radiation-emitting semiconducting body with confinement layer


An IR sensing device including a sensing element configured as a three terminal device, a differential signal processing circuit and an electrical connection to the conductive housing.

The present invention relates in general to infrared (IR) sensing devices and more particularly to IR sensing devices including circuitry configured to protect the operation of the IR sensing device in an electrically hostile environment.
IR sensors are used to measure temperatures of remote objects by detecting the infrared radiation emitted from the target object. In a typical configuration, IR radiation enters the housing in which the sensor element is located through an IR transparent window and impinges upon the sensing element. The temperature is typically measured by detecting the IR radiation and determining its effect on a thermally isolated radiation absorbing area of the sensing element. The sensing element produces an electrical signal representing the temperature of the target object and which varies with the impinging radiation. This electrical signal is processed and amplified by electronic processing circuitry. The signals are small in amplitude and the sensor is therefore susceptible to the effects of EMC and ESD and also to leakage in protection circuitry.
A typical arrangement of the electronic processing and protection circuitry coupled to a sensing element is shown in FIG. 1. A thermal sensing element 101 is connected to processing circuit 110 via connection lines 112 and 113 as shown. Processing circuit 110 amplifies and processes the signal from sensing element 101 so as to produce a temperature readout signal 107. Sensing element 101 is also connected to protection circuit elements 102, 103, 104 and 105 via connection lines 112 and 113 as shown. Typically, sensing element 101 has one end connected to a ground, or earth, terminal shown here as connection 106. Sensing element 101 typically includes a number of thermopile elements in series with a combined series impedance on the order of tens of [Kohm] kxcexa9. The connections 112 and 113 between the two ends of the series of thermopile elements and the processing circuit are normally protected at one or even both ends against static damage and incoming EMC radiation by protection circuits 102, 103, 104, and 105, which are arranged such as to limit the voltage excursions of the connections using diode structures connected to the power supply rails. The diodes are typically configured to conduct when the voltage on the pins exceeds the power rail voltage by the diode voltage.
Such protection structures, even when not operating, have an inherent leakage current, and when the external impedance is high, e.g., on the order of tens of [Kohm] kxcexa9, the leakage current generates an error voltage superimposed on the desired signal voltage generated by the sensor.
It is therefore desirable to provide IR sensing devices including circuitry that protects the sensing device from electrical interference in an electrically hostile environment and which has reduced leakage.
The present invention provides infrared (IR) sensing devices including circuitry configured to protect the sensing device from electrical interference in an electrically hostile environment and which has reduced leakage.
According to the invention, an IR sensing device includes a sensing element configured as a three terminal device, a differential signal processing circuit and an electrical connection to the conductive housing.
According to an aspect of the present invention, an Infra Red (IR) sensing device is provided that typically comprises an IR sensing element for detecting IR radiation, wherein the IR sensing element includes a plurality of thermopile elements with connections to both ends and to its center point, a processing circuit coupled to the IR sensing element configured to receive and analyze the electrical signals generated by the IR sensing element, wherein the processor connects the center point of the sensing element to a first potential and analyzes the signals from the ends of the sensing element as a differential pair of signals. The device also typically includes protection circuitry associated with the inputs to the processing circuit from the sensing element that connect only to the inputs and the first potential, and an electrically conducting housing connected to the first potential.
According to another aspect of the present invention, an Infra Red (IR) sensing device is provided that typically comprises an IR sensing element for detecting IR radiation, wherein the IR sensing element includes a plurality of serially connected thermopile elements, a processing circuit configured to receive and process the electrical signals generated by the thermopile elements, the processing circuit having first and second inputs coupled to the two ends of the series of thermopile elements and a third input coupled to a center point of the series of thermopile elements and to a first potential, and protection circuitry coupled to the two inputs and the first potential. In operation, the processing circuit typically processes the signals at the first and second inputs as a differential pair of signals relative to the first potential so as to produce a temperature readout signal.
Reference to the remaining portions of the specification, including the drawings and claims, will realize other features and advantages of the present invention. Further features and advantages of the present invention, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, are described in detail below with respect to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

IR sensor with enhanced electrical interference protection


A method of delivering an audio and/or visual media file including, for example, one or more of full or partial master recordings of songs, musical compositions, ringtones, videos, films, television shows, personal recordings, animation and combinations thereof, over the air wirelessly, from one or more servers to an electronic device with or without an Internet connection, said method comprising transmitting and audio and/or visual media file in compressed format to said electronic device, and wherein the electronic device is effective to receive said audio and/or visual file and playback said audio and/or visual content on demand by a user.

The general concept for delivery of sound recordings or clips and visual recordings or clips by way of the Internet is known and described in various U.S. patent applications. (See Bernard et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,213; Kaplan, U.S. Pat. No. 5,963,916; Barbara, U.S. Pat. No. 5,926,789; and Doerr et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,949,411.) Such methods are typically used to sell products to consumers. For example, a web page from Amazon.com allows a user to listen to samples of music for before purchasing compact discs (CD's) by mail.
Also, cell phones may be programmed to ring with a tune of a song or musical composition, and have become increasingly popular. However, cellular phones currently on the market can only be either programmed to only play music (such as conventional MP3 type phones) or to deliver "ring tones" with an electronic chime or ring tone rather than an actual recorded song, human voice, or musical composition. Additionally, these ring tones must be factory installed in the telephone or the delivery methods just directly interface with the Internet and require the consumer to be on line to access and download a particular mechanical ring tone.
At the same time, various methods have been developed and are being used to enable a phone user to make more effective use of the variety of telephone service now available. For example, "caller ID" function is one such feature which allows the recipient of an incoming call to identify the caller based on textual information provided on a telephone display panel. A patent to Borland, U.S. Pat. No. 6,178,230 discloses an improved telephone system and method that determines the identity of the person being called for a telephone having more than one user and can identify the person being called by sounding a distinctive ring associated with the person being called. A mechanical ring tone is played depending upon the caller ID signal received to orally alert the telephone user as to who is calling without reading the telephone's display panel.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


The invention provides a combination comprising:    (i) a compound of formula (Io):

Isoindoline Compounds
Isoindoline compounds are disclosed in our earlier international patent applications PCT/GB2016/053042 and PCT/GB2016/053041 filed 29 Sep. 2016 claiming priority from United Kingdom patent application numbers 1517216.6 and 1517217.4 filed 29 Sep. 2015, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In particular, the compound (2S,3S)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-[(1R)-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-fluoro-5-[(1S)-1-hydroxy-1-(oxan-4-yl)propyl]-1-methoxy-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-2-yl]-2-methylpropanoic acid is disclosed in our earlier international patent application PCT/GB2016/053042.
The transformation-related protein 53 (TP53) gene encodes a 53 KDa protein p53. The tumour suppressor protein p53 reacts to cellular stresses, such as hypoxia, DNA damage and oncogenic activation, via a number of posttranslational modifications including phosphorylation, acetylation and methylation, and acts as a signalling node in the diverse pathways that become activated. p53 has additional roles in other physiological processes, including autophagy, cell adhesion, cell metabolism, fertility, and stem cell aging and development. Phosphorylation of p53, resulting from activation of kinases including ATM, CHK1 and 2, and DNA-PK, results in a stabilised and transcriptionally active form of the protein, thus producing a range of gene products. The responses to p53 activation include apoptosis, survival, cell-cycle arrest, DNA-repair, angiogenesis, invasion and autoregulation. The specific combination of which, in concert with the cell's genetic background, gives rise to the observed cellular effect i.e. apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest or senescence. For tumour cells, the apoptotic pathway may be favoured due to the loss of tumour suppressor proteins and associated cell cycle checkpoint controls, coupled with oncogenic stress.
Under conditions of stress such as hypoxia and DNA damage it is known that the cellular level of the protein p53 increases. p53 is known to initiate transcription of a number of genes which govern progression through the cell cycle, the initiation of DNA repair and programmed cell death. This provides a mechanism for the tumour suppressor role of p53 evidenced through genetic studies.
The activity of p53 is negatively and tightly regulated by a binding interaction with the MDM2 protein, the transcription of which is itself directly regulated by p53. p53 is inactivated when its transactivation domain is bound by the MDM2 protein. Once inactivated the functions of p53 are repressed and the p53-MDM2 complex becomes a target for ubiquitinylation.
In normal cells the balance between active p53 and inactive MDM2-bound p53 is maintained in an autoregulatory negative feedback loop. That is to say that p53 can activate MDM2 expression, which in turn leads to the repression of p53.
It has been found that inactivation of p53 by mutation is common in around half of all common adult sporadic cancers. Furthermore, in around 10% of tumours, gene amplification and over-expression of MDM2 results in the loss of functional p53, thereby allowing malignant transformation and uncontrolled tumour growth.
Inactivation of p53 by a range of mechanisms is a frequent causal event in the development and progression of cancer. These include inactivation by mutation, targeting by oncogenic viruses and, in a significant proportion of cases, amplification and/or an elevated rate of transcription of the MDM2 gene resulting in overexpression or increased activation of the MDM2 protein. Gene amplification of MDM2 giving rise to overexpression of MDM2 protein has been observed in tumour samples taken from common sporadic cancers. Overall, around 10% of tumours had MDM2 amplification, with the highest incidence found in hepatocellular carcinoma (44%), lung (15%), sarcomas and osteosarcomas (28%), and Hodgkin disease (67%) (Danovi et al., Mol. Cell. Biol. 2004, 24, 5835-5843, Toledo et al., Nat Rev Cancer 2006, 6, 909-923, Gembarska et al., Nat Med 2012, 18, 1239-1247). Normally, transcriptional activation of MDM2 by activated p53 results in increased MDM2 protein levels, forming a negative feedback loop. The essential nature of p53 regulation by MDM2 and MDMX is demonstrated by gene knockout mouse models. MDM2−/− knockout mice are embryonically lethal around the time of implantation. Lethality is rescued in the double knockout for Mdm2 and Trp53. MDM2 inhibits the activity of p53 directly, by binding to and occluding the p53 transactivation domain, and by promoting the proteosomal destruction of the complex, through its E3-ubiquitin ligase activity. In addition, MDM2 is a transcriptional target of p53, and so the two proteins are linked in an autoregulatory feedback loop, ensuring that p53 activation is transient.
The induction of the p14ARF protein, the alternate reading frame (ARF) product of the p16INK4a locus, is also a mechanism of negatively regulating the p53-MDM2 interaction. p14ARF directly interacts with MDM2 and leads to up-regulation of p53 transcriptional response. Loss of p14ARF by a homozygous mutation in the CDKN2A (INK4A) gene will lead to elevated levels in MDM2 and, therefore, loss of p53 function and cell cycle control.
Although MDMX shows strong amino acid sequence and structural homology to MDM2, neither protein can substitute for loss of the other; MDMX null mice die in utero, whereas MDM2 knockout is lethal during early embryogenesis, however both can be rescued by p53 knockout, demonstrating p53-dependence of the lethality. MDMX also binds p53 and inhibits p53-dependent transcription, but unlike MDM2 it is not transcriptionally activated by p53 and so does not form the same autoregulatory loop. Furthermore, MDMX has neither E3 ubiquitin ligase activity nor a nuclear localisation signal, however it is believed to contribute to p53 degradation by forming heterodimers with MDM2 and contributing to MDM2 stabilisation.
The therapeutic rationale for MDM2-p53 inhibition is that a potent inhibitor of the protein-protein interaction will liberate p53 from the repressive control of MDM2, and activate p53 mediated cell death in the tumour. In tumours, selectivity is envisioned to result from p53 sensing preexisting DNA-damage or oncogenic activation signals that had previously been blocked by the action of MDM2 at normal or overexpressed levels. In normal cells, p53 activation is anticipated to result in activation of non-apoptotic pathways and if anything a protective growth inhibition response. In addition due to the non-genotoxic mechanism of action for MDM2-p53 inhibitors they are suitable for the treatment of cancer in particular in the pediatric population.
About 50% of cancers harbour cells in which TP53, the gene that encodes for p53, is mutated resulting in a loss of the protein's tumour suppressor function and sometimes even in p53 protein versions that gain novel oncogenic functions.
Cancers where there is a high level of MDM2 amplification include liposarcoma (88%), soft tissue sarcoma (20%), osteosarcoma (16%) oesophageal cancer (13%), and certain paediatric malignancies including B-cell malignancies.
Dinucleotide Compound
The dinucleotide compound SGI-110 (or 2′-deoxy-5-azacytidylyl-(3′→5′)-2′-deoxy-guanosine or guadecitabine) was disclosed in WO2007/041071:

SGI-110 is a next generation hypomethylating agent, which inhibits DNA methyltransferases.
Drug formulations containing SGI-110 are disclosed in WO2013/033176 and WO2017/004538, and combinations containing SGI-110 are disclosed in WO2014/134355. The contents of WO2007/041071, WO2013/033176, WO2014/134355 and WO2017/004538 are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
Epigenetic modification of the genome, and in particular DNA methylation, plays a major role in human malignancies by influencing crucial cellular pathways in cancer initiation and progression (including cell cycle control, apoptosis, invasive and metastatic potential and angiogenesis). DNA methylation is mediated by the enzyme DNA methyltransferase, and results in the addition of a methyl group to a cytosine when the cytosine occurs in the context of a CpG dinucleotide.
DNA methylation of promoter-associated CpG islands results in silencing of the corresponding gene—in general, promoter-associated CpG islands are unmethylated in nonmalignant cells. Aberrant DNA hypermethylation in tumour cells is therefore a functional equivalent to inactivation of tumour suppressor genes by mutation, and so promotes tumour escape from host immune recognition via the down-regulation of various components of the tumour recognition complex in neoplastic cells (including HLA class I antigens, CTA antigens and accessory/co-stimulatory molecules). This results in a reduction in clinical efficacy of immunotherapeutic approaches for cancer treatment.
DNA hypomethylating agents (HMAs) induce global and gene-specific DNA hypomethylation. This promotes re-expression of tumour-associated antigens and thereby boosts immune recognition. Examples include 5-azacytidine, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (decitabine) and Zebularine: 5-azacytidine and 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine are currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, and decitabine is currently being developed as a pharmaceutical for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), sickle-cell anaemia and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML).

Combination of isoindolinone derivatives with SGI-110

Abstract: or a tautomer or a solvate or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein the various substituents are as defined in the claims; and    (ii) a compound which is SGI-110

Abstract: or a tautomer or a solvate or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

Abstract: Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions containing the combinations and medical uses of the combinations.


Disclosed are a toner for developing an electrostatic latent image and a method of preparing the toner. The toner may include a latex, a colorant and a releasing agent, and may further include sulfur (S), iron (Fe) and silicon (Si). The [S]/[Fe] ratio may be within the range between about 5.0×10−4 and about 5.0×10−2. The [Si]/[Fe] ratio may be within the range of between about 5.0×10−4 and about 5.0×10−2. [S], [Fe] and [Si] are the amounts of S, Fe and Si measured by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry, respectively.

For electrophotographic processes or electrostatic recording process, developers that visualize electrostatic images or electrostatic latent images may be classified into two-component developers and one-component developers. Two-component developers are composed of toner and carrier particles; whereas one-component developers are substantially composed of only toner. That is, one-component developers do not use carrier particles. One-component developers may be further classified into magnetic developers and nonmagnetic developers, in which magnetic developers contain a magnetic component while nonmagnetic developers do not. In addition, fluiding agents may be added to nonmagnetic one-component developers in order to improve the fluidity of the toner. Examples of fluiding agents include, but are not limited to, colloidal silica and the like.
In general, toners contain colored particles, which may be obtained by dispersing a pigment such as carbon black or other additives in latex. These toner may be prepared using a grinding method (sometimes also referred to as a pulverizing method) or a polymerizing method. In the grinding method, a synthesized resin, a colorant and optionally other additives are dissolved and mixed together. The resulting mixture is ground. The particles resulting from the grinding or pulverization are classified or sorted in order to obtain particles having a desired diameter. In the polymerizing method, a polymerizable monomer, a colorant, a polymerization initiator and optionally other additives, such as, for example, a crosslinking agent or an antistatic agent, are homogeneously dissolved together or are dispersed to form a polymerizable monomer composition. The polymerizable monomer composition may be dispersed with an agitator in an aqueous dispersion medium containing a dispersion stabilizer so as to form droplet particles of the composition. The temperature of the composition may be increased and a suspension-polymerization process may be performed on the composition to obtain color polymerization particles having the desired particle diameters, that is, the desired polymerization toner.
Toner for developing an electrostatic latent image described above may contain impurities, which may be the source of an unpleasant odor. For example, aromatic impurities having low molecular weights may generate an unpleasant odor when the toner is used or when a packaged toner is open.
Toner may be fixed to a surface of a medium (e.g., a sheet of paper) through the use of a fixing method. For example, fixing methods include methods such as a compression fixing method, a heat fixing method, or a combination thereof. Examples of the heat fixing method include an oven fixing method, a flash fixing method, and a heating roller fixing method. The heating roller fixing method is widely used in electrophotographic copiers and printers. When a toner image on a medium is fused onto a surface of a the medium by using the heating roller fixing method, the toner image can be quickly fixed with high thermal efficiency. In particular, the heating roller fixing method is very useful for high-speed copying and printing.
Since the heating roller fixing method includes heating of the toner, small amounts of materials contained in the toner may also be discharged into the surrounding atmosphere resulting in an unpleasant odor. With the reductions in the sizes of copiers and printers, they use in an office or home setting has become more prevalent, increasing the likelihood of a user being exposed to the unpleasant odor generated from toner. The human sense of smell may be as low as 0.1 ppm or less.
The unpleasant odor induced from toner may be reduced by decreasing the impurities, for example, contained in the binder resin. For example, the unpleasant odor may be reduced by decreasing the monomer residue in the binder resin of the toner. The oxidation product of benzaldehyde contained in toner has also been reported as a source of an unpleasant odor. Accordingly, there have been many efforts made in an attempt to reduce the amount of benzaldehyde present in toner. In addition, much research has been conducted into the feasibility of adding to toner a material that reacts with or adsorbs the unpleasant odor. For example, these materials include but are not limited to an alkyl betaine compound, catechin, and metal phthalocyanine. However, there is still a need to develop toner that generates less of an unpleasant odor while maintaining the other desirable properties of the toner.

Toner for developing electrostatic latent image and method of preparing the toner


The present disclosure provides a driving device including a stator, a rotor, a housing, a controller, and a sealing member. The sealing member includes a base and protrusions. The protrusion includes a cylindrical portion, a cover portion, a first annular protrusion, and a second annular protrusion. The first and second annular protrusions outwardly protrude from the cylindrical portion. The first annular protrusion is fit in a fit region of the lead hole in a compressed state. The second annular protrusion is offset from the fit region toward the controller.

A driving device conventionally has a motor and a controller for controlling the motor, which are integrally disposed in the driving device. In such a driving device, a housing of a motor defines holes (hereinafter, referred to as "lead holes") into which leads extending from a coil of the motor to the controller are inserted. When the lead holes extend through the housing between an inside and an outside of the housing, foreign substances may be allowed to enter into the housing through the lead holes.
To address this concern, JP 2015-144507 A discloses a driving device including a sealing member to close the lead holes. The sealing member includes a base inside the housing and a plurality of protrusions protruding from the base into the lead holes. The protrusion includes a cylindrical portion in which the lead is loosely fitted and a cover portion that is disposed in one end of the cylindrical portion such that the lead is in tightly contact with the cover portion. The base is held between a bottom of a cylindrical case, which forms the housing, and a frame end. According to the sealing member, since there is a space between an outer circumferential side and an inner circumferential side of the cylindrical portion, the cylindrical portion is allowed to be flexed. Therefore, even if the lead slightly moves inside the lead hole, the cover portion can be prevented from being deformed because of the flexibility of the cylindrical portion.
In the above patent document, the sealing member is held in the axial direction. Thus, the housing needs to have a holder formed of the bottom of the case and the frame end, which are arranged in the axial direction. As a result, the configuration of the housing may be complicated.
In view of the above, it is an objective of the present disclosure to provide a driving device that is capable of suppressing deterioration of sealing function against lead holes, while allowing leads to slightly move, and that is also capable of making the structure of a housing simple.

Driving device having sealing member with first and second annular protrusions


The present disclosure relates to an engine-generator having an engine, an electrical generator and a control panel configured to control the engine-generator. The engine-generator includes a first electrical starter having a first battery, a first solenoid configured to receive a starting signal from the control panel and a first starter motor configured to crank the engine when the first solenoid receives the starting signal from the control panel. The engine generator also includes a second electrical starter including a second battery, a second solenoid configured to receive a starting signal from the control panel and a second starter motor configured to crank the engine when the second solenoid receives the starting signal from the control panel.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to engine starting systems for a generator. More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to an engine starting system that includes multiple starting systems to facilitate improved starting performance and redundant functionality to enhance engine starting reliability.
2. Background of the Related Art
Engine-powered electrical generators in fixed installations are used occasionally in emergency situations when the primary supply of electricity is disrupted as, for example, by storm or by high wind. These engine-powered electrical generators generate electricity in emergency situations, such as for hospitals, to supply light and power to emergency rooms. Other commercial properties such as malls, banks and office spaces depend upon such engine-powered electrical generators when the electricity is cut-off. At times the cut-off of electricity is long and businesses depending on computers can not afford to be shut down because of the loss of power.
Such engine-powered electrical generators typically include a generator, an engine, a fuel source (e.g., diesel fuel), a control panel and a starter for the engine. The starter cranks the engine to start the engine thereby causing the generator to supply power. However, if the starter is defective or malfunctioning, the engine can not be started and, as such, power can not be supplied in emergency situations. Therefore, there is a need to provide an engine-powered electrical generator that can overcome the defective or malfunctioning starter so that the engine-powered electrical generator can be relied upon to provide power when the primary supply of electricity is disrupted.

Redundant combustion engine starting systems for emergency generators


A prepackaged diaper changing kit which is compact and convenient to carry and use and which is capable of being both dispensed from a conventional vending machine, as well as being displayed on shelves and sold in conventional retail establishments. A preferred embodiment of this prepackaged diaper changing kit includes a disposable diaper, at least one (1), and more preferably two (2), prepackaged moist baby wipes, a prefolded baby liner, a prepackaged instant hand sanitizer and a prefolded disposable plastic bag. These items are preferably prepackaged together in a durable waterproof outer wrapper, such as an opaque plastic outer wrap film. The prepackaged diaper changing kit in accordance with the present invention provides all of the supplies needed to change a diaper for, for example, a newborn or infant, and, when finished, allows the user to secure and discard the dirty or wet diaper, as well as the used moist baby wipes and other left over packaging materials, in a safe and convenient manner.

The present invention relates generally to new and novel improvements in a prepackaged diaper changing kit. More particularly, the present invention relates to a prepackaged diaper changing kit which is compact and convenient to carry and use and which is capable of being both dispensed from conventional vending machines, as well as being displayed on shelves and sold in conventional retail establishments.
Having the necessary items to change a newborn or infant""s diaper, particularly when away from the home, is a recurring challenge for parents and others caring for newborns and infants. A diaper bag is often carried which includes supplies, such as a number of diapers, baby wipes, blankets and/or towels, as well as other items used in changing a newborn or infant""s diaper. Such diaper bags are often bulky and cumbersome and are particularly inconvenient to transport and store in crowded public facilities, such as, for example, shopping centers, airports, sport stadiums and arenas, amusement parts, museums and restaurants. Furthermore, when using such diaper bags, often one or more of the supplies are used up or missing and this complicates the task of changing the newborn or infant""s diaper. In addition, many people have the need to change a newborn or infant""s diaper only occasionally, such as when grandchildren visit their grandparents, or when newborns or infants visit other relatives and/or friends who do not have young children themselves. In such situations, diapers and other supplies must either be carried with the newborn or infant or the host must purchase diapers and other supplies, generally available only in relatively large quantities, for the visiting newborn or infant.
In addition to being convenient and easy to use, the prepackaged diaper changing kit in accordance with the present invention provides several sanitation and environmental advantages. In particular, the prepackaged diaper changing kit in accordance with the current invention minimizes the transfer of bacteria and germs from the caregiver to the newborn or infant, minimizes the transfer of bacteria and germs from the newborn or infant to the environment, minimizes the transfer of bacteria and germs from newborn or infant to newborn or infant on the changing table, is readily disposable in an environmentally friendly manner and provides all of the necessary supplies to carry out the diaper changing process.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is the provision of a prepackaged diaper changing kit which includes a disposable diaper, as well as the other supplies needed to change a diaper, and which is compact and convenient to carry and use.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a prepackaged diaper changing kit which includes a disposable diaper, as well as the other supplies needed to change a diaper, and which is capable of being both dispensed from conventional vending machines, as well as being displayed on shelves and sold at conventional retail establishments.
These and other objects of the present invention are attained by a prepackaged diaper changing kit which is compact and convenient to carry and use and which is capable of being both dispensed from conventional vending machines, as well as being displayed on shelves and sold in conventional retail establishments. A preferred embodiment of this prepackaged diaper changing kit includes a disposable diaper, one (1), or more preferably two (2), prepackaged moist baby wipes, a prefolded baby liner, a prepackaged instant hand sanitizer and a prefolded disposable plastic bag. These items are prepackaged together in a durable waterproof outer wrapper, such as an opaque plastic outer wrap film. The prepackaged diaper changing kit in accordance with the present invention provides all of the supplies needed to change a diaper for, for example, a newborn or infant, and, when finished, allows the user to secure and discard the dirty or wet diaper, as well as used moist baby wipes and other packaging materials, in a safe and convenient manner.


A system, method, and apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention uses a processor to transfer information from a first device to a common area. The information is then transferred from the common area to a second device, thereby bypassing restrictions that may impede a transfer of the information directly from the first device to the second device. In an exemplary implementation, a PCI card initiates the transfer of information from a video frame buffer of an AGP video card to a memory buffer on the PCI card, using an interrupt handler loaded during configuration of the PCI bus.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the transfer of information from one device to another. Specifically, this invention relates to the transfer of information from a first device to a second device, when access by the second device to the first device is restricted.
2. Description of Related Art and General Background
A computer 100a as shown in FIG. 1 comprises a processor 110 and memory 120. Processor 110 may comprise one or more microprocessors, for example, while memory 120 may comprise semiconductor memory (read-only memory (ROM) and/or random-access memory (RAM)) arranged in one or more hierarchical levels (e.g. Level 1 cache, Level 2 cache, main memory, Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)).
A computer supports input of information from and/or output of information to one or more peripheral hardware devices 200a, 200b, 200c. Examples of such devices include video displays; keyboards; devices for input and/or output of audio and/or video; and interfaces for networks, secondary storage media such as disk and/or tape drives, printers, and the like. Several such devices may be linked to the computer through a system bus 300, which may be a PCI (Peripheral Connect Interface) bus as defined by PCI Local Bus Specification, rev. 2.2, PCI Special Interest Group, Hillsboro, Oreg. These devices may be either integrated into the computer or may be removably connected to system bus 300 having a system bus controller 310 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) through a bus connector provided on the device.
It is desirable in many instances for a computer to operate as expected even when it is unattended (i.e. even when a user is not present to control the computer directly through its console). For example, a user may schedule a large computational task to execute overnight. Alternatively, the computer may be connected to a network as a server, operating largely unattended while it supports applications and/or communications for a number of client machines.
When an unattended computer fails to function as desired, it may be inconvenient or impossible for a technician to reach the console immediately in order to diagnose and correct the problem, and the resulting downtime may be costly. To enable timely and effective system management, it is desirable to be able to monitor the operation of a computer from a remote location. Specifically, it is desirable to be able to view the video output of a computer remotely.
One form of a peripheral device that supports a limited remote capability for a computer 100a as shown in FIG. 1 is a remote monitoring device (RMD) 200a. Such a device 200a connects to system bus 300 as shown in FIG. 1 and transmits information to a remote user over a telephone line (not shown). RMD 200a may be equipped with its own processor, allowing it to operate independently of host processor 110 and access information stored on video controller 200b directly over system bus 300.
It is desirable to use a local bus to support high-bandwidth transfers of information such as video output. One example of such a bus is the Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) bus as defined in AGP Specification, rev. 2.0, May 4, 1998, Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.). A local bus 500 may have a dedicated bus controller 510 as shown in the host computer 100b of FIG. 2, or control of the local and system buses may be integrated into a single bus controller 610 (where information exchanged between processor 110 and memory 120 does not pass through the bus controller) or 620 (where information may be exchanged between processor 110 and memory 120 via the bus controller) as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively. By way of example, controller 620 may be implemented using one among the 440BX, 440LX, 440EX, 440MX, 810, 820, or 840 chipsets manufactured by Intel Corp. (Santa Clara, Calif.), wherein system bus 300 is a PCI bus.
Because the local and system buses operate at different speeds, a device on system bus 300 (such as RMD 200a) cannot directly access a device on local bus 500. Moreover, in order to protect the performance of local bus 500, the bus controller may be designed to block requests for access to devices on the local bus by devices on system bus 300. Consequently, in a case where the host computer uses a local bus video controller 400 such as an AGP video card or an embedded AGP video device, remotely monitoring the video output of the host computer with a device on system bus 300 has been considered to be impossible without the support of the operating system of computer 100c, 100d. For example, such remote monitoring has been considered to be impossible (1) before an operating system of computer 100c, 100d boots and (2) after the operating system has crashed.
It is desirable for a remote monitoring device on a system bus to be able to access the memory of a video controller on a local bus during substantially all stages of operation of the host computer, including periods during which the host computer""s operating system has not yet loaded, has loaded incorrectly, or has crashed.

Transfer of information between devices on different buses


The present invention relates to a process for preparing 1,1,1-trifluoro-2,3-dichloropropane which comprises contacting chlorine with 3,3,3-trifluoropropene in the presence of a catalyst to form 1,1,1-trifluoro-2,3-dichloropropane, wherein the catalyst comprises at least one metal halide, where the metal is a metal from Group 13, 14 or 15 of the periodic table or a transition metal or combination thereof.

Many industries have been working for the past few decades to find replacements for the ozone depleting chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). The CFCs and HCFCs have been employed in a wide range of applications, including their use as aerosol propellants, refrigerants, cleaning agents, expansion agents for thermoplastic and thermoset foams, heat transfer media, gaseous dielectrics, fire extinguishing and suppression agents, power cycle working fluids, polymerization media, particulate removal fluids, carrier fluids, buffing abrasive agents, and displacement drying agents. In the search for replacements for these versatile compounds, many industries have turned to the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).
The HFCs do not contribute to the destruction of stratospheric ozone, but are of concern due to their contribution to the "greenhouse effect", i.e., they contribute to global warming. As a result of their contribution to global warming, the HFCs have come under scrutiny, and their widespread use may also be limited in the future. Thus, there is a need for chemical compounds that have both low ozone depleting potentials (ODPs) and low global warming potentials (GWPs).
One such useful HFC that has a low GWP is 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-propene (HFC-1234yf). It is useful as a refrigerant and blowing agent. It is prepared by many methods, one of which is from the following process:                (1) (CX2═CCl—CH2X or CX3—CCl═CH2 or CX3—CHCl—CH2X)+HF→2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HCFO-1233xf)+HCl in a vapor phase reactor charged with a solid catalyst;        (2) 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HCFO-1233xf)+HF→2-chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoropropane (HCFC-244bb) in a liquid phase reactor charged with a liquid hydrofluorination catalyst; and        (3) 2-chloro-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoropropane (HCFC-244bb) 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf) in a vapor phase reactor.
Thus, 2-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene (HCFO-1233xf) is an intermediate in the process of making 2,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234yf). HCFC-1233xf is obtained by the dehydrochlorination of HCFC-243db, the product of the present process.
There have been various methods for preparing HCFC-243db, such as chlorination of 3,3,3-trifluoro-1-propene (HFO-1243zf) with UV light or at high temperatures or in the liquid phase without catalyst. However, there are many problems associated with these methods. The approach with UV light is less selective and difficult to scale-up to a commercial process and the reaction in the liquid phase without a catalyst is very slow and needs to be run at high temperature. Nevertheless, even under these conditions, tar is also formed.
Thus there is a need in the art for a new process to prepare HCFC-243db that does not suffer from the inadequacies of the prior art. The present invention overcomes these problems.

Catalytic chlorination of 3,3,3-trifluoropropene to 2,3-dichloro-1,1,1-trifluoropropane


The present invention relates to a gripper device for transporting a rack (3) for microscope slides (4), in particular in systems for preparing tissue samples for histological examinations, the gripper device having a gripping mechanism including a pair of gripping arms (2), whose ends are configured as gripping sections (7) for gripping the rack. In order to provide a gripper device which can be used in a versatile manner in automated stainers and coverslippers and contributes to reducing the cost of manufacture, it is proposed that the gripping sections (7) be provided with first profiles (17) for gripping the rack (3) in a vertical position and second profiles (18) for gripping the rack (3) in a horizontal position.

Such devices are used, in particular, in systems where stained specimens or tissue samples, such as histological sections, placed on slides are provided with a cover slip for later analysis under a microscope. The staining of the specimens is performed in automated stainers, in which the slides carrying the tissue samples are sorted into racks or slide holders and immersed therewith in a staining container. During this process, the slides are arranged vertically side by side in the horizontally oriented rack. The racks mainly used for this purpose have a basket which is suspended from a hinged handle by which a gripping and transport device may grasp and transport the rack. This handle also serves as a closure mechanism which prevents accidental removal of the slides from the rack. After staining, the rack is transferred to an automated coverslipper where the coverslipping process takes place.
Prior to coverslipping, the slides are typically first deposited in input cuvettes containing solvent (xylene) in order to improve the flow properties of the mounting medium used during coverslipping. Then, the rack containing the slides is transported to a coverslipping station where, initially, the mounting medium, a glue, or the like, is applied to the slide, after which a cover slip is placed thereon to seal the tissue sample. In order to prevent the mounting medium from running off the slides, it is necessary to orient the slide horizontally. To this end, the entire rack is turned, thereby also tilting the slides into a horizontal orientation (a procedure referred to as "rack processing"). Subsequently, the rack may be moved to a coverslipping station by a gripping and transport device, and the coverslipping process may be started.
From German Patent Application DE 101 44 041 A1 there is known a transport device which transfers a rack from a stainer to a coverslipper and lowers the rack into the coverslipper. There, the rack, together with the slides, is lowered into a trough containing solvent. The coverslipper detects the rack and starts the coverslipping operation. Once all slides have been coverslipped and deposited into separate output racks in the coverslipper, the empty rack is transported away. The transport device is formed by a rail, parallel to the back wall of the loading station, on which a gripper for the racks is displaceable perpendicular to and parallel to the rail. The gripper has a groove that snaps into an angled piece of the rack, such that the rack is retained on one side only.
Another transport device for handling slides placed in a rack is described in German Patent Application DE 100 41 230 A1. This transport device is used for loading and removing racks into/from a processing station and for transferring the racks to a downstream apparatus. The transport device is embodied as a robot arm having a gripper at the end thereof. The robot arms are constituted by a plurality of partial arms and are arranged on a vertical shaft such that they are vertically adjustable and rotatable thereon. The transport device grasps the racks, lifts them and transports them to the next station. In this connection, the function of the gripper device is limited to lifting the racks and transporting them further on. However, this device is not suited for rack processing purposes and cannot be used in coverslippers where the entire rack is turned and subsequently transferred to the coverslipping station. Rather, an additional gripper device specifically tailored to the turned rack would be needed, making the entire system more costly and complex.


A wheel measuring machine includes juxtaposed first and second spindles relatively movable toward and away from one another for mounting a wheel to be measured therebetween. A first centering device is mounted on the first spindle to selectively center a first surface feature of the wheel on an axis. The second spindle includes a second centering device engageable with both the wheel and with the first spindle to selectively center a second surface feature on the axis when the first centering device disengages the wheel. A distance transducer sensingly engageable with a third surface feature of the wheel measures the distance between points along the surface feature and the spindle axis once when the first surface feature is centered on the axis and again when the second surface feature is so centered. From those measurements, parameter values describing dimensional relationships between the surface features are calculated.

Wheels are normally manufactured from two components: a central disk or "spider" which is press fitted and welded inside a tire-supporting rim. The rim and disk each possess a number of significant surface features which, in order to produce a satisfactory wheel, must be properly shaped and/or maintained in a desired positional relationship with other surface features of the same component or, in the case of an assembled wheel, positioned correctly with respect to certain surface features of its mating component.
For instance, the disk usually contains a central pilot hole adapted to receive the center flange of a vehicle hub. The pilot is usually surrounded by a so-called "bolt circle" which comprises an array of four or five mutually spaced smaller holes ringing the pilot hole. The holes in the bolt circle receive lug bolts for effectively securing the disk to the hub. The bolt circle must be maintained concentric with the pilot hole within controlled tolerances.
The rim component of a wheel also includes a number of surface features of significance including pairs of opposed bead seats and safety humps, respectively, each of which must be of a proper diameter and properly centered with respect to one another on the rim. When the wheel is assembled, it is important that bead seats on the rim also be positioned properly with respect to the pilot and/or bolt circle on the disk. It is ordinarily desired that the bead seat be either concentric with the pilot or maintained in some specified non-concentric relationship with the pilot. Therefore, it is necessary to measure wheel components in order to ensure compliance with specifications. A wheel manufacturer may use measurement data so obtained not only to reject unacceptable wheels but also to look for trends in tolerances in order to maintain control production using modern statistical process control (SPC) techniques.
A known machine for measuring wheels included a rotatable spindle adapted for mounting either an expandable collet centeringly engageable with the pilot or bolt circle fixturing centeringly engageable with the bolt circle holes. With the collet mounted on the spindle, the wheel was mounted upon the collet, and the collet expanded into engagement with the edge of the pilot to center the pilot on the spindle. By rotating the wheel with a distance measuring probe engaging its bead seat, the distance between points along the bead seat and the center of the pilot were then measured and the measurement data stored in a computer connected to the probe. The rotation of the wheel was then stopped, the wheel was demounted from the collet and the collet then demounted from the spindle. Bolt circle fixturing was then mounted on the spindle in place of the collet and the wheel then mounted on the bolt circle fixturing to center the bolt circle on the spindle. The distance between the points on the bead seat and the center of the bolt circle were then measured again. The runout between the bolt circle and the pilot was then calculated by the computer by algebraically combining vectors representing the first harmonics of the two sets of measurement data.
The need to stop rotation of the spindle, demount the wheel, exchange fixtures, remount the wheel on the new fixture and resume rotation of the spindle prior to commencing measurements with reference to the center of a different surface feature render the operation of such machines inefficient and therefore costly.
It has also been known to provide a machine having a rotatable spindle equipped with pilot tooling to center the pilot on the axis of rotation of the spindle. With the pilot so centered on the spindle, a separate bolt circle measuring fixture was mounted in engagement with the bolt circle. The measuring fixture took the form of a precisely circular disk having fingers extending perpendicularly from a face of the disk to center the disk on the bolt circle. A distance measuring probe engageable with the peripheral edge of the disk could be used to measure the runout of the bolt circle with respect to the pilot directly. Similarly, a second distance measuring probe engageable with the bead seat was provided for direct measurement of the runout between the pilot and the bead seat.
While eliminating the need to demount and remount the wheel and exchange fixturing during a measuring operation, the latter machine suffered from a significant drawback in that it proved difficult to consistently mount and maintain the measuring surface of the bolt circle fixture perpendicular to the spindle axis of the machine. As a result, the distance measurements made with the probe would often include an erroneous wobble component.


A system for treating tissue surrounding a resected cavity that is subject to a proliferative tissue disorder is provided. The system includes a tissue fixation device including a catheter body member having a proximal end, a distal end, an inner lumen, and an expandable surface element disposed proximate to the distal end of the body member, the expandable surface element sized and configured to reproducibly position tissue surrounding a resected tissue cavity in a predetermined geometry upon expansion. After expansion of the expandable surface element within a resected tissue cavity, an external radiation device positioned outside the resected cavity delivers a dose of radiation to the tissue surrounding the expandable surface element.

The invention relates generally to systems and methods for use in treating proliferative tissue disorders, and more particularly to systems and methods for the treatment of such disorders in the breast by positioning tissue and applying radiation.
Malignant tumors are often treated by surgical resection of the tumor to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Infiltration of the tumor cells into normal tissue surrounding the tumor, however, can limit the therapeutic value of surgical resection because the infiltration can be difficult or impossible to treat surgically. Radiation therapy can be used to supplement surgical resection by targeting the residual tumor margin after resection, with the goal of reducing its size or stabilizing it. Radiation therapy can be administered through one of several methods, or a combination of methods, including permanent or temporary interstitial brachytherapy, and external-beam radiation.
Brachytherapy refers to radiation therapy delivered by a spatially confined radioactive material inserted into the body at or near a tumor or other proliferative tissue disease site. For example, brachytherapy is performed by implanting radiation sources directly into the tissue to be treated. Brachytherapy is most appropriate where 1) malignant tumor regrowth occurs locally, within 2 or 3 cm of the original boundary of the primary tumor site; 2) radiation therapy is a proven treatment for controlling the growth of the malignant tumor; and 3) there is a radiation dose-response relationship for the malignant tumor, but the dose that can be given safely with conventional external beam radiotherapy is limited by the tolerance of normal tissue. In brachytherapy, radiation doses are highest in close proximity to the radiotherapeutic source, providing a high tumor dose while sparing surrounding normal tissue. Interstitial brachytherapy is useful for treating malignant brain and breast tumors, among others.
Williams U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,582, entitled "Tumor Treatment," describes a Brachytherapy method and apparatus for treating tissue surrounding a surgically excised tumor with radioactive emissions to kill any cancer cells that may be present in the tissue surrounding the excised tumor. In order to implement the radioactive emissions, Williams provides a catheter having an inflatable balloon at its distal end that defines a distensible reservoir. Following surgical removal of a tumor, the surgeon introduces the balloon catheter into the surgically created pocket left following removal of the tumor. The balloon is then inflated by injecting a fluid having one or more radionuclides into the distensible reservoir via a lumen in the catheter.
While brachytherapy procedures have successfully treated cancerous tissue, alternative radiation treatments are sometimes preferable, including radiation therapies which are delivered from a source external to the patient. For example, External Beam Radiation Therapy involves directing a "beam" of radiation from outside the patient's body, focused on the target tissue within a patient's body. The procedure is painless and often compared to the experience of having an x-ray.
As with any radiation therapy, the goal is to deliver a prescribed dose of radiation to the target tissue while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. More recent advances in radiation therapy such as Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy (3DCRT) and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) have increased the precision of external radiation therapy with sophisticated shaping and directing of therapeutic radiation beams. In addition, imaging techniques allow delineation of a more complex planning target volume ("PTV", PTV refers to the mass of tissue which includes both the residual malignancy as well as a margin of surrounding healthy tissue). These imaging procedures use cross-sectional imaging modalities including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and portal imaging to visualize target tissue. Treatment planning software combines the anatomical details from the imaging procedures and a PTV outlined by the physician, to optimize the number, size and shape of the radiotherapy beams used to treat the patient. The goal of the treatment plan is to deliver a conformal radiation dose to the PTV and minimize the radiation delivered to adjacent normal tissue outside the PTV.
In use, 3DCRT provides radiation beams shaped to "conform" to a target tissue volume, and with the ability to visualize and to arrange the radiation therapy beams, physicians can maximize coverage of the target tissue and minimize exposure to normal tissue. IMRT similarly conforms radiation beams to the size, shape and location of the target tissue by using hundreds to thousands of small, modulated radiation beams, striking the target tissue with varying intensities. The multitude of beams treats the target tissue and minimizes damage to healthy tissue. Yet, even the most advanced procedures require the patient and the target tissue to be properly positioned, and in some cases immobilized. Unfortunately, the irregular surface of a cavity created by the resection of tissue can make it difficult for the imaging techniques to determine the exact location of the target tissue, and even with the opportunity to completely map the target area, the unsupported tissue surrounding the resected cavity may shift during the procedure or between imaging and treatment, particularly where the treatment regimen involves radiation doses provided over the course of several days or weeks.
As a result, there is still a need for additional methods for delivering radiation from an external radiation source to tissue adjacent to a resected tissue cavity with a desired accuracy and without over-exposure of surrounding tissue.

Tissue positioning systems and methods for use with radiation therapy


A method including carrying out, by means of an underwater vehicle moving above a given zone of the sea bed, observations on the basis of which the positions of elements of relief and of objects present on the bed are estimated. These observations are associated with fictitious objects, tied together by fictitious elastic links so as to constitute a fictitious elastic network. The network is in equilibrium as long as no action is exerted on one or the other of the fictitious objects constituting the network. The objects then occupy fixed positions, positions assigned to the corresponding observations. On the other hand, when two observations assumed to correspond to one and the same object are fused into a single observation, the two corresponding fictitious objects are brought closer together. This bringing closer together induces the appearance of stresses in the fictitious elastic network. These stresses, transmitted by the fictitious elastic links, are resolved by the modification of the positions of the fictitious objects of the network, the modified positions being assigned to the corresponding observations. In this way, when the estimated position of an object having formed the subject of two fused observations is corrected, the measurement of the estimated position of each of the objects that has given rise to an observation represented in the fictitious elastic network benefits advantageously from this correction.

Carrying out the mapping of a zone of terrain consists mainly in pinpointing the geographical position of the prominent elements located over the zone considered, relief elements or fixed objects in particular. This mapping is generally carried out by means of detection systems mounted on an appropriate vehicle, the vehicle traversing the ground of the zone considered, or overflying this zone, as the case may be. In practice, the detection system determines the relative position of the prominent elements with respect to the vehicle and the absolute position of each element is determined by associating the measured relative position and the position, assumed known, of the vehicle at the instant of detection and which is for example determined by the navigation system of the vehicle.
Thus for example the mapping of an emerged zone of terrain may be carried out using a radar system having sufficient resolution, this radar being mounted on an aircraft, a remotely controlled aircraft or else an automatic system of Drone type. Hence the aircraft is deployed above the zone considered and performs the determination of the position of each prominent element by means of the measurements performed by the radar, which give the relative position of the element considered with respect to the aircraft and information about the geographical position of the aircraft, a position generally determined with the aid of a system of GPS receiver type located aboard the aircraft. Hence the position of the aircraft being known with precision, the position of the element considered may be determined with great precision, as long as the measurements provided by the radar have the desired precision.
However, there exist circumstances where the determination of the position of the prominent elements cannot be carried out in this way with sufficient precision.
Such is notably the case if the determination of the relative position of the prominent elements with respect to the vehicle tasked with carrying out the mapping is not carried out with the desired precision; because the measurements carried out by the detection system do not have the desired precision for example.
Such is also the case if the geographical position of the vehicle is known with insufficient precision. Such is for example the case if the vehicle is an aircraft which does not have any GPS system. Such is also the case if, for example, the zone to be mapped is a submerged, underwater zone. The mapping is then carried out with the aid of a sonar system carried by an autonomous or non-autonomous underwater vehicle, which cannot possibly determine its position with the aid of the GPS system, GPS information being, in a known manner, inaccessible to a vehicle being deployed under water.
In these last two cases, the determination of the position of the vehicle at each instant of its displacement is carried out by implementing conventional means, inertial means for example, which, commencing from a starting position, assumed to be known with precision, determine the relative displacement of the vehicle with respect to this origin.
This so-called dead reckoning navigation technique makes it possible to estimate the position of the vehicle at any instant. The measurements carried out with the aid of such means are then generally less precise. Moreover a drift is noted in the course of time of the determination of the absolute position of the vehicle with respect to its real position. Ultimately the absolute position of the prominent elements is estimated with lesser precision, a precision which is sometimes even insufficient.
As regards the mapping of an underwater zone, the latter is generally carried out by means of an underwater vehicle, an underwater drone for example, equipped with a lateral sonar and being deployed above the zone to be mapped, in proximity to the bed. The position measurements are generally carried out by grazing insonification of the seabed.
This type of insonification advantageously makes it possible to chart a prominent object not by the echo that it reflects but by the "acoustic" shadow that it casts on the bed. Detection based on acoustic shadow is particularly advantageous for charting certain objects, certain stealthy underwater mines in particular, which hardly reflect, if at all, the sound wave emitted by the sonar but which nonetheless act as a screen and therefore produce an acoustic shadow. It is recalled here that the acoustic shadow cast by an object can be defined here by the bed zone for which the object considered constitutes a screen preventing its insonification.
Hence by implementing any known appropriate processing, it is possible to determine the contours of the acoustic shadow cast by a prominent object, which contours make it possible to determine the position and the profile of the object itself and to carry out a classification of the located objects, in an easier manner than on the basis of the echoes reflected by the objects themselves, notably if this classification is carried out in an automatic manner.
However the determination of the exact position of an object, on the basis of the acoustic shadow that it produces, is sometimes difficult and in any event approximate. It depends in particular on the angle of insonification and the direction in which the object is insonified. Hence, even if the absolute position of the vehicle is known at any instant with precision, the relative position of the object with respect to the vehicle, and consequently its absolute position, can only be determined, estimated, with a bias due to the shift between the position of the acoustic shadow and that of the real object.
Furthermore, the zone to be mapped being insonified from various directions, on account of the displacements of the vehicle above this zone, it sometimes happens that one and the same prominent object is insonified several times in different directions. It then produces distinct acoustic shadows which give rise to the determination, for one and the same object, of several detections having different estimated positions, and which leads to several observations being identified for a single real object.
Hence it is then necessary to refine the mapping carried out by implementing appropriate means for associating the observations so as to determine whether two localized characteristic elements do or do not constitute one and the same element considered from different angles.
In the zones of low or mean density, the known solutions successfully carry out the pairing of the observations relating to one and the same object. Hence, the position of an object having formed the subject of multiple locations, these locations having been recognized as relating to this same object, can then be re-estimated with greater precision by techniques for calculating weighted averages.
On the other hand, no particular benefit is derived from this readjustment operation as regards the other prominent objects which have formed the subject of only a single detection. The resulting mapping therefore makes it possible only to fuse the observations representing one and the same object, and thus to improve the precision of the estimation of the position of this object. It does not make it possible to improve the global precision of the location of the other objects detected in the mapped zone.
Moreover, these known solutions are not concerned with the problem posed by the positioning errors pursuant to the vehicle's absolute positioning error, which error is due mainly to the precision and to the drift of the navigation system which estimates the absolute position of the vehicle.

Method for simultaneously locating and mapping via resilient non-linear filtering