Compression devices for joining tissue and methods for using and fabricating the same.

Bone fractures and other bone disorders are regularly treated by fusion. Bones are currently fused with the assistance of implants, such as, pins, rods, plates and screws which are designed to hold the bones or bone fragments in place while healing occurs and the bones or bone pieces are fused together. Compression can be used to join or stabilize two bone fragments and assists in the healing of the bone fragments. Examples of compression bone screws are known in the art, each having varying degrees of efficacy.
The goal of joint arthrodesis is to create a stable union between the intended fusion surfaces. Although a compressive force from a standard screw placement is dynamic during its application, once the screw is tightened down, it functions as a static device unable to maintain the compressive load as the bone remodels. A compressive load maintained across the fusion surface and a decrease in the stress shielding could aide healing. The stability from screw compression may also be affected by several factors such as bone density, bone resorption, and fixation orientation. It may be desirable to have a device that delivers an active or dynamic compression across the desired fusion site for an extended period of time to promote healing. Details of such benefits are further described by Bottlang, Michael PhD; Tsai, Stanley MS; Bliven, Emily K. BS; von Rechenberg, Brigitte DVM; Kindt, Philipp DVM; Augat, Peter PhD; Henschel, Julia BS; Fitzpatrick, Daniel C. MD; Madey, Steven M. MD, Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma: February 2017—Volume 31—Issue 2—p 71-77, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
There exist active compression screw concepts. The term "active" being defined as having some axial tension capability over a change in length of the member. However, these concepts have complicated surgical procedures. The current active compression screw concepts are limited in their ability to change length per the ratio of screw length, and they are limited in the amount of axial force per the ratio of screw length. The current active compression screw concepts do not have the ability to adjust compression or have adjustable compression over time. The current active compression screws concepts do not have simple construction, making manufacturing complicated and expensive, and finally the current platforms cannot scale down to a therapeutic diameter for small bones. Therefore, improved devices and methods for fusing bones together are needed.

Active compression apparatus, methods of assembly and methods of use


Insulated paper products are disclosed. Methods of making and using insulated paper products are also disclosed.

With the advent of on-line shopping, many goods are now delivered directly to the consumer's front door from distributors such as Amazon and others. Food and other temperature sensitive materials are typically shipped inside an insulated box. The insulation is typically some kind of polymeric closed-cell foam or a poly(ethylene) bubble-wrap type material and perhaps a metalized reflective film, which is inserted into the cardboard box prior to shipping.
While cheap to produce, manufacture, and highly insulating, expanded polystyrene has many disadvantages. Expanded polystyrene (1) is persistent in the environment, contributing to ocean pollution and long term landfills, (2) is frequently litter that is unsightly and may cause obstruction in the guts of smaller animals when ingested, (3) is not recyclable in most municipalities, (4) has to be separated from the box prior to recycling, (5) has to be inserted inside the box, and (6) does not nest, meaning that it is expensive to ship, and bulky to store.
The economic impact of using incompatible materials in a production environment is often underappreciated. FIG. 42 shows how a stack of freshly made corrugated cardboard sheets are cut into an unfolded box by a rotary die/roller, ready to be inspected by quality control and shipped off to the customer. Card cuttings and trimmings from this process, along with any reject box, are shredded and then fed directly back into the repulping process (FIG. 7) as pre-consumer scrap card. This is made back into furnish. Introducing treatments, coatings, liners, and other materials into the cardboard box that cannot be fed directly back into the re-pulping process complicates the production process and risks increasing paper machine (FIG. 8) down-time if mistakes are made. Using an incompatible material means that the scrap, and any trimmings from that cardboard material must be segregated, and handled separately from the usual cardboard.
Presently, frozen or chilled food is shipped in cardboard containers with thermally insulating inserts. Such inserts are either expanded poly(styrene) foam (sold under the tradename Styrofoam), and or poly(olefin) bubble wrap which may or may not be metalized to decrease radiative heat transfer. Occasionally, expanded polyurethane foam is used in combination with a plastic film liner. None of these materials can be used in a cardboard box manufacturing line because any scrap containing these synthetic polymers would have to be segregated from the regular pulp. For this reason, cardboard boxes are made separately from the insulating material. Furthermore, the insulating material has to be removed prior to recycling the box as many municipalities do not recycle plastic films or expanded polystyrene.
For similar reasons, some paper beverage cups are also difficult to recycle. They are coated with a low molecular weight polyethylene, which causes problems when introduced into the pulp.
What is needed is a highly thermally insulating paper structure that provides one or more of the following benefits: (1) is non-toxic and safe for use with food, (2) maintains frozen or chilled food temperatures for the time needed to ship foods, (3) is curb-side ready—that is recyclable by municipal recycling services without separation or segregation from other papers in the waste stream, (4) trimmings generated during the paper product (e.g., cardboard box) manufacture are able to be repulped and directly sent back into the paper product (e.g., cardboard box) production stream without having to be segregated, (5) is able to withstand crushing by stacking, (6) is able to maintain integrity with condensation formation after being placed in a freezer then exposed to humid air, and (7) is biodegradable or biodestructable.

Re-pulpable insulated paper products and methods of making and using the same


There is provided a method for accessing at least one audio file from a collection comprising more than one audio file stored within or accessible with an electronic device. The method includes generating one index comprising of information entries obtained from each of the more than one audio file in the collection, with each audio file in the collection information being linked to at least one information entry; receiving an input during an input reception mode; converting the input into a digital signal using an analog-digital converter; analyzing the digital signal using either frequency spectrum analysis or melody contour analysis into discrete portions; and comparing the discrete portions with the entries in the index. It is advantageous that the audio file is accessed when the discrete portions substantially coincide with at least one of the information entries in the index. The discrete portions may be musical notes, melody contours or waveforms. The at least one information entry may also be musical notes, melody contours or waveforms. An apparatus employing the aforementioned method is also disclosed.

The advent of the age of affordable digital entertainment has given rise to a sharp increase in the adoption of personal digital entertainment devices by consumers. Such personal digital entertainment devices are usually equipped with storage capacities of a range of sizes. Given the falling prices of storage devices like hard drives and flash memory, an increasing number of personal digital entertainment devices come with storage capacities exceeding 1 Gigabyte (GB). Storage capacities of such sizes in personal digital entertainment devices used for audio files enable the storage of hundreds and even thousands of files.
While the audio files may be stored and categorisable according to their song titles, artistes, genre or the like, there may be instances where a user may forget the title or artiste of a song, rendering a search for the pertinent audio file akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. In many instances, the user may only be able to remember a portion of the song or its tune. At the present moment, this does not aid in the search for the pertinent audio file in any way. This is a problem when attempting to access audio files in a large collection of audio files where certain information like title or artiste of a song is unknown. This problem also arises when the visually impaired attempts to access audio files in a collection of audio files where they are unable to select the audio files through the use of sight.
It is also rather difficult to improve one's vocal prowess without engaging expensive vocal coaches. It is currently difficult to improve one's vocal prowess independently besides using karaoke machines with "scoring" functionalities incorporated in them. There are currently few devices available which are able to determine the quality of one's vocal prowess easily and conveniently.

Method and apparatus for accessing an audio file from a collection of audio files using tonal matching


Cutters for a drill bit wherein the cutters have at least one groove in a face of a superabrasive table of the cutters. The cutters may also include ribs adjacent to the at least one groove.

There are three types of bits which are generally used to drill through subterranean formations. These bit types are: (a) percussion bits (also called impact bits); (b) rolling cone bits, including tri-cone bits; and (c) drag bits or fixed-cutter rotary bits (including core bits so configured), the majority of which currently employ diamond or other superabrasive cutters, polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) cutters being most prevalent.
In addition, there are other structures employed downhole, generically termed "tools" herein, which are employed to cut or enlarge a borehole or which may employ superabrasive cutters, inserts or plugs on the surface thereof as cutters or wear-prevention elements. Such tools might include, merely by way of example, reamers, stabilizers, tool joints, wear knots and steering tools. There are also formation cutting tools employed in subterranean mining, such as drills and boring tools.
Percussion bits are used with boring apparatus known in the art that move through a geologic formation by a series of successive impacts against the formation, causing a breaking and loosening of the material of the formation. It is expected that the cutter of the invention will have use in the field of percussion bits.
Bits referred to in the art as rock bits, tri-cone bits or rolling cone bits (hereinafter "rolling cone bits") are used to bore through a variety of geologic formations, and demonstrate high efficiency in firmer rock types. Prior art rolling cone bits tend to be somewhat less expensive than PDC drag bits, with limited performance in comparison. However, they have good durability in many hard-to-drill formations. An exemplary prior art rolling cone bit is shown in FIG. 2. A typical rolling cone bit operates by the use of three rotatable cones oriented substantially transversely to the bit axis in a triangular arrangement, with the narrow cone ends facing a point in the center of the triangle which they form. The cones have cutters formed or placed on their surfaces. Rolling of the cones in use due to rotation of the bit about its axis causes the cutters to imbed into hard rock formations and remove formation material by a crushing action. Prior art rolling cone bits may achieve a rate-of-penetration (ROP) through a hard rock formation ranging from less than one foot per hour up to about thirty feet per hour. It is expected that the cutter of the invention will have use in the field of rolling cone bits as a cone insert for a rolling cone, as a gage cutter or trimmer, and on wear pads on the gage.
A third type of bit used in the prior art is a drag bit or fixed-cutter bit. An exemplary drag bit is shown in FIG. 1. The drag bit of FIG. 1 is designed to be turned in a clockwise direction (looking downward at a bit being used in a hole, or counterclockwise if looking at the drag bit from its cutting end as shown in FIG. 1) about its longitudinal axis. The majority of current drag bit designs employ diamond cutters comprising polycrystalline diamond compacts (PDCs) mounted to a substrate, typically of cemented tungsten carbide (WC). State-of-the-art drag bits may achieve an ROP ranging from about one foot per hour to in excess of one thousand feet per hour. A disadvantage of state-of-the-art PDC drag bits is that they may prematurely wear due to impact failure of the PDC cutters, as such cutters may be damaged very quickly if used in highly stressed or tougher formations composed of limestones, dolomites, anhydrites, cemented sandstones interbedded formations such as shale with sequences of sandstone, limestone and dolomites, or formations containing hard "stringers." It is expected that the cutter of the invention will have use in the field of drag bits as a cutter, as a gage cutter or trimmer, and on wear pads on the gage.
As noted above, there are additional categories of structures or "tools" employed in boreholes, which tools employ superabrasive elements for cutting or wear prevention purposes, including reamers, stabilizers, tool joints, wear knots and steering tools. It is expected that the cutter of the present invention will have use in the field of such downhole tools for such purposes, as well as in drilling and boring tools employed in subterranean mining.
It has been known in the art for many years that PDC cutters perform well on drag bits. A PDC cutter typically has a diamond layer or table formed under high temperature and pressure conditions to a cemented carbide substrate (such as cemented tungsten carbide) containing a metal binder or catalyst such as cobalt. The substrate may be brazed or otherwise joined to an attachment member such as a stud or to a cylindrical backing element to enhance its affixation to the bit face. The cutting element may be mounted to a drill bit either by press-fitting or otherwise locking the stud into a receptacle on a steel-body drag bit, or by brazing the cutter substrate (with or without cylindrical backing) directly into a preformed pocket, socket or other receptacle on the face of a bit body, as on a matrix-type bit formed of WC particles cast in a solidified, usually copper-based, binder as known in the art.
A PDC is normally fabricated by placing a disk-shaped cemented carbide substrate into a container or cartridge with a layer of diamond crystals or grains loaded into the cartridge adjacent one face of the substrate. A number of such cartridges are typically loaded into an ultra-high pressure press. The substrates and adjacent diamond crystal layers are then compressed under ultra-high temperature and pressure conditions. The ultra-high pressure and temperature conditions cause the metal binder from the substrate body to become liquid and sweep from the region behind the substrate face next to the diamond layer through the diamond grains and act as a reactive liquid phase to promote a sintering of the diamond grains to form the polycrystalline diamond structure. As a result, the diamond grains become mutually bonded to form a diamond table over the substrate face, which diamond table is also bonded to the substrate face. The metal binder may remain in the diamond layer within the pores existing between the diamond grains or may be removed and optionally replaced by another material, as known in the art, to form a so-called thermally stable diamond ("TSD"). The binder is removed by leaching or the diamond table is formed with silicon, a material having a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) similar to that of diamond. Variations of this general process exist in the art, but this detail is provided so that the reader will understand the concept of sintering a diamond layer onto a substrate in order to form a PDC cutter. For more background information concerning processes used to form polycrystalline diamond cutters, the reader is directed to U.S. Pat. No. 3,745,623, issued on Jul. 17, 1973, in the name of Wentorf, Jr. et al.
The cutting action in drag bits is primarily performed by the outer semi-circular portion of the cutters. As the drill bit is rotated and downwardly advanced by the drill string, the cutting edges of the cutters will cut a helical groove of a generally semicircular cross-sectional configuration into the formation.
Vibration of the drill bit is a significant problem both to overall performance of the drill bit and drill bit wear life, particularly in drag-type drill bits. The vibration problem of a drill bit becomes more significant when the well bore is drilled at a substantial angle to the vertical, such as in horizontal and directional well drilling. In such drilling the drill bit and the adjacent drill string to the drill bit are acted on by the downward force of gravity and the varying weight on the drill bit. Such conditions produce unbalanced loading of the cutters of the drill bit resulting in radial vibration, typically described as "bit whirl."
One cause of drill bit vibration is imbalanced cutting forces on the drill bit. Circumferential drilling imbalance forces are always present on drill bits. Such forces tend to push the drill bit towards the side of the well bore. Where the drill bit is provided with a typical cutting structure, gauge cutters on the drill bit are used to cut the edge of the well bore. In this instance, the effective friction between the cutters of the drill bit near the gauge area increases causing the instantaneous center of rotation of the drill bit to translate to a point other than the geometric center of the drill bit resulting in the drill bit to whirl in a reverse or backward rotation motion in the well bore. Whirling of the drill bit continues because the drill bit generates insufficient friction with the well bore by the gauge of the drill bit and the wall of the well bore independent of drill bit orientation in the well bore. The continual change of the center of rotation of the drill bit during whirling causes the cutters of the drill bit to travel faster in a sideways direction and in a backward direction in the well bore, causing increased impact loads on the drill bit.
Gravity also causes vibration of the drill bit when drilling a directional well bore at an angle with respect to the vertical by the radial forces on the drill bit inducing a vertical deflection resulting in drill bit whirl.
Drill bit steering tools further cause drill bit vibration from the steering tool having a bent housing or steering tools connected to the drill bit simulating a bent housing. Vibration of the drill bit results when the bent housing or steering tools simulation of a bent housing are rotated in the well bore causing an off-center rotation of the drill bit and drill bit whirl. Drill bit tilt also creates bit whirl when the drill string is not oriented in the center of the well bore. When this occurs, the end of the drill string and the drill bit are slightly tilted in the well bore.
Surface formation stratification also causes drill bit whirl. When drilling, as the drill bit passes through a comparatively soft formation striking a much harder formation with hard stringers in the formation, the drill bit will whirl because not all the cutters on the drill bit strike the much harder formation or hard stringers at the same time. The uneven striking of the much harder formation or hard stringers by the cutters on the drill bit causes impact forces to be incurred on some of the cutters while locally loading the drill bit, resulting in vibration and drill bit whirl.
All vibration of the drill bit and resulting drill bit whirl shortens drill bit life.
Potential solutions to drill bit vibration and drill bit whirl use various geometries of the cutters of the drill bit to improve their resistance to chipping, while other solutions have been directed at the use of gauge pads and protrusions placed behind the cutters of the drill bit. Other potential solutions to drill bit vibration and drill bit whirl involve the use of shaped cutters on the drill bit with the thinking that the shaped cutter will serve as a stabilizing element on the drill bit. However effective a shaped cutter may be as a stabilizing element on the drill bit, as the shaped cutter wears, any stabilizing force it may create on the drill bit in the well bore decreases.
Improved drill bit stability provided by a cutting element on the drill bit that exhibits minimal change of shape during the drilling of the well bore is desired over the prior art solutions to drill bit vibration and drill bit whirl.

Superabrasive cutters with grooves on the cutting face, and drill bits and drilling tools so equipped


An integrated circuit has a first voltage generator, which is connected via a first switching element to a contact-making point for external contact making with the circuit. In addition, it has a first digital control device, via which the contact-making point is connected to a control input of the first switching element. In this case, the first control device switches the first switching element on or turns the latter off by a first digital control signal, the level of which is dependent on the potential of the contact-making point. Furthermore, the contact-making point is connected to the input of a second digital control device, which supplies a digital operating mode signal at its output, the level of which operating mode signal is dependent on the potential of the contact-making point.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an integrated circuit having a contact-making point for selecting an operating mode of the integrated circuit.
An integrated circuit of this type is described in Published, European Patent Application EP 0 570 158 A2, for example. The contact-making point can optionally be connected to one of two different supply potentials of the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit has a control device that is connected to the contact-making point, identifies the supply potentials to which the contact-making point is connected, and generates a corresponding operating mode signal.
Furthermore, it is known to provide, for test purposes, contact-making points on integrated circuits which are connected to test circuits via which signals supplied from the test circuits can be monitored in the context of a test. The fact of whether specific voltages generated on the integrated circuit are actually present in the desired manner is often of interest here.
Since each contact-making point occupies a specific area on the integrated circuit and, in general, the area of an integrated circuit is intended to be kept as small as possible for reasons of cost, it is desirable to keep the number of contact-making points of the integrated circuit as small as possible.

Integrated circuit having a contact-making point for selecting an operating mode of the integrated circuit


The present method and apparatus detects the position with an accuracy of .pi./m electrical radians (where m=the number of motor phases) within one electrical period, and provides enough information to be able to start in the correct direction with certainty. After starting the motor in an open loop mode of one or two steps, starting the rotor in the correct direction, the closed loop mode may be switched on, using a dynamic indirect position detection as is already well known in the technology.. More specifically, the position at start is determined by the injection of short current pulses in different motor phases, each phase or pair of phases being energized first by a pulse of one polarity and of the opposite polarity. The sign of the difference between the induced voltages is detected. By performing a succession of these tests on different phases or pairs of phases of the standing motor, a table of results is established which clearly defines the position of the rotor relative to the motor phases. The same table then defines when polarity currents should be applied to each phase to reliably and certainly start the motor in the proper direction.

Briefly stated, a brushless motor is a motor in which the position of magnetic poles of a rotor are detected by means of a detector directly coupled to the shaft of the rotor. In response to the detected position, semiconductor switching elements such as transistors, thyristors or the like are turn on and off so as to continuously generate torque in the motor. Field windings or a multi-segment permanent magnet is used for the rotor.
The torque is created by application of currents to stator or field windings in sequential order to produce a torque-inducing flux for moving a rotor. The DC currents are alternately switched about the field windings to create various current paths that produce magnetic flux orientations in a synchronized fashion. The magnetic flux so produced results in a torque on the motor that causes the desired rotational movement. In order to ensure that current is applied to the proper motor phase, sensing devices are used to provide information about the position of the rotor. Typically, this information is derived through systems such as Hall sensors, optical sensors or resolvers. These different systems do not give an absolute position, but enough information in order to know the relative position of the rotor in one electrical period. Therefore, it is possible using these devices to energize the motor in such a way that it starts in every case in the correct direction.
Of these, the best known and most commonly used, especially in motors where economy and small size are of significant importance is Hall sensors. However, the position of the Hall elements must be very precisely fixed. Further, the heat resisting temperature of a Hall element is limited, so that deterioration of the characteristics of the motor can occur if the motor is heavily loaded. Another problem with these sensing device is that they are more prone to failure than most of the devices in which they are used. Thus, the Hall device significantly affects the overall reliability of the apparatus that incorporates the sensing device. Also, incorporating these sensing devices in the motor structure itself increases the motor size, cost, complexity and power consumption. A number of wire leads must also be provided to each Hall effect device to bring out the information detected by the Hall device to a microprocessor or the like external to the motor shell.
A number of different solutions to indirect position detection which does not require sensors have been developed. For example, methods disclosed to date include direct or indirect back EMF detection as disclosed in V. D. Hair "direct detection of back EMF in permanent magnet step motors," Incremental Motion Control Systems and Devices, Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, 1983, pp. 219-221, and K. M. King, "Stepping motor control," U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,308, Jan. 23, 1979; current analysis as disclosed in B. C. Kuo, A. Cassat "On current detection in variable-reluctance step motors," Incremental Motion Control Systems and Devices, 6th Annual Symposium, Urbana-Champaign, 1977, pp. 205-220; or third harmonic analysis as disclosed in P. Ferraris, A. Vagati, F. Villata, "PM brushless motor: Self commutating prerogatives with magnetically anisotropic rotor," Instituto di Elettriche, Politecnico di Torino, Italia, and R. Osseni, "Modelisation et auto-commutation des moteurs synchrones," These EPFL No. 767, 1989. However, these methods do not give any information about the position of the rotor at standstill. If the electrical drive system has been switched off and the rotor is not turning, it is not possible to know the actual position as related to the stator phases. Thus, at switch on, the motor may start in either the correct or incorrect direction. This may not matter for many applications, but in the many applications such as in driving the spindle motor in a disc drive this incorrect starting direction is not acceptable.
One known effort to determine the starting position without the use of sensors is disclosed in British Patent Publication EPA 251,785. According to this method, a short current pulse is applied to each power phase of the motor, and the resulting motor current is measured to determine the positional information of the rotor based on the return pulse of greatest amplitude. However, the difference between the pulses returned from the different phases may be very small, and may be affected by temperature, differences between the phase inductances, phase resistances, or the use of a relatively high frequency which can create eddy currents.

Position detection for a brushless DC motor


The invention relates to a light fixture (1) comprising an elongated carrier element (5), a number of lighting modules (20), which can be detachably secured to the carrier element (5), and means for supplying power to the lighting module (20), said means comprising an operating device (100) and contacting means (40, 41) which are connected to said operating device (100) and to which the lighting modules (20) can be electrically connected. In said light fixture, the operating device (100) and the contacting means (40, 41) are arranged on a device carrier (50) that can be detachably secured to the carrier element (5).

The idea of arranging lighting modules on a carrier element such that they are interchangeable is known in particular from so-called strip light systems. These are lighting systems having an elongated carrier element, e.g. a U-shaped mounting rail open toward the bottom, running in or on the electrical lines for supplying electrical current, as well as for signal transmission, if applicable. Depending on the design of the system, lighting modules can then be arranged at specific, predefined positions, or freely at arbitrary locations of the mounting rail. Each lighting module has special contact elements—e.g. in the form of so-called rotary toggles—which produce a mechanical attachment to the mounting rail on one hand, and also ensure contact to the electrical lines on the other hand. Furthermore, the lighting modules normally each have their own operating device, which converts the network supply voltage, provided via the electrical lines running along the mounting rail, into a suitable operating voltage for operating the light sources of the lighting modules.
A detachable arrangement of individual modules, each of which contain light sources, would also make sense with individual light fixtures, in particular when the light sources that are to be used are LEDs. In comparison with conventional light sources such as incandescent bulbs or fluorescent lamps, the replacement of defective LEDs or defective LED boards is normally difficult to carry out for the end user, such that in the event of such a defect, either the light fixture must be replaced or sent to the manufacturer, or repairs must be made by a trained electrician. This is because, for safety reasons, LED boards are normally incorporated in light fixtures such that they are difficult to access. One reason for this is that the danger of electric shocks is eliminated or at least reduced. Furthermore, an unintentional touching of an LED board may lead to so-called ESD damage, i.e., damage attributable to an undesired electrical discharge. As a result, LED light sources in light fixtures are normally arranged in specially protected or encapsulated ways, and access to the boards can frequently only be obtained by destroying certain components, which comprise such a protection.
There are ways to avoid the problems described above, in which the LEDs are provided in special encapsulated modules that are detachably secured to the light fixture, and are electrically coupled thereto using appropriate means for providing current. In the case of a defective LED, instead of replacing the specific board on an individual basis, the entire module is replaced, which normally can also be relatively easily carried out by the end user.

Light fixture comprising interchangeable lighting modules


A process is provided for preparing kahalalide F and which leads to other kahalalide mimic compounds having useful biological activity.

Kahalalide F is a bioactive cyclic depsipeptide isolated from the sarcoglossan mollusc Elysia rufescens and its diet, the green alga Bryopsis sp. Kahalalide F was first isolated by Hamann and Scheuer, see Hamann, M. T.; Scheuer, P. J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1993, 115, 5825-5826. In this publication, the absolute stereochemistry of individual valines (3 D-Val and 2 L-Val) and of threonines (L-Thr and D-allo-Thr) was not determined. In a later publication, Scheuer et al. (Goetz, G.; Yoshida, W. Y.; Scheuer, P. J. Tetrahedron 1999, 55, 7739-7746) assigned a position in the molecule for the 5 Val and the 2 Thr.
Thus, the structure for Kahalalide F according to Scheuer et al. was:

In the meantime, Prof. Reinhart also assigned the individual position of the 5-Val and the 2-Thr (K. L. Rinehart, personal communication) While for the 2 Thr and 3 Val, his assignation concords with that of Prof. Scheuer, for the last 2 Val there is a discrepancy. Thus, in the Rinehart assignment, the two consecutive Val in the side chain are switched and the structure is of the formula (I):

It is now accepted, and demonstrated again in this text, that the correct formula for kahalalide F is the formula (I).
The structure is complex, comprising six amino acids as a cyclic part, and an exocyclic chain of seven amino acids with a terminal acyl group. Kahalalide F (I) is an exceedingly potent and rare marine-derived antitumour agent, though the absence of adequate quantities has slowed plans for clinical trials.
Other kahalalide compounds are known, and for example we refer to Hamann, M. T., et al., J. Org. Chem., 1996, "Kahalalides: Bioactive Peptides from Marine Mollusk Elysia rufescens and its Algal Diet Bryopsis sp.", vol. 61, pp. 6594-6660. As well as kahalalide F, this article gives structures for kahalalides A to E. Kahalalide K was reported in J Nat. Prod. 1999, 62, 1169, and kahalalide O was reported in J Nat Prod 2000, 63, 152.
The structures for these further kahalalide compounds are shown in the following formulae:

The cyclic kahalalides have a ring of amino acids, and a side chain which terminates in an acyl group.
Kahalalides have a range of biological activities, notably antitumour and antituberculosis activity.


An apparatus and method for providing electrostatic discharge protection for a disc drive read head. A pair of depletion mode MOSFETS, and a fuse associated with each are disposed between the read head output terminals. The MOSFETS are controlled to an “off” state for testing the preamplifier prior to assembly of the read head. After assembly of the head, a second pair of MOSFETS is gated to an “on” state to open the fuses and thus permit normal operation of the read head.

Disk drives are popular and cost effective data storage systems for a computer or other data processing device. As shown in FIG. 1, a disk drive 10 comprises a magnetic recording medium, in the form of a disk or platter 12 having a hub 13 and a magnetic read/write transducer 14, commonly referred to as a read/write head. The read/write head 14 is attached to, or formed integrally with, a suspension arm 15 suspended over the platter 12 and affixed to a rotary actuator arm 16. A structural arm 18 is fixed to a platform 20 and pivotably connected to the actuator arm 16 at a pivot joint 22. A voice coil motor 24 drives the actuator arm 16 to position the head 14 over a selected location on the disk 12 for reading data from or writing data to the disk 12.
As the disk 12 is rotated by a spindle motor (not shown) at an operating speed, air flow generated by the rotating disk, in conjunction with the physical features of the suspension arm 15, produces lift for displacing the read/write head 14 above the platter 12, allowing the head to glide on a cushion of air slightly above an upper surface of the platter 12. The flying height of the read/write head over the disk surface is typically less than a micron. A preamplifier 30, electrically connected to the head 14 by flexible conductive leads 32, amplifies signals generated in the head 14 during a read operation to improve a signal-to-noise ratio of a read signal. In addition to the preamplifier 30, an arm electronics module (not shown in FIG. 1 but mounted proximate the preamplifier) may include circuits that switch the head function between read and write operations and write drivers that supply a write current to the head 14 during the write operation to store data on the platter 12. In one embodiment, the preamplifier is one element of the electronics module. The configuration and components of the arm electronics module and the preamplifier 30 may vary according to the system design as understood by persons familiar with such technology.
Data bits supplied to the disk drive 10 are stored on the platter 12 in sectors 40 of concentric tracks 42. Typically, a sector contains a fixed number of bytes (for example, 256 or 512). A plurality of sectors are commonly grouped into a duster.
FIG. 2 illustrates the platter 12 comprising a substrate 50 and a thin film 52 disposed thereover. The magnetic transducer or head 14 comprises a write head 14A for writing data bits to the disk 12 by altering magnetic domains of ferromagnetic material in the film 52, thereby creating magnetic transitions in the magnetic domains. A read head 14B reads the magnetic transitions to determine the stored data bit.
In other embodiments, the write head 14A and the read head 14B operate with other storage media (not shown) comprising a rigid magnetic disk, a flexible magnetic disk, magnetic tape and a magneto-optical disk.
The read head 14B is biased by a DC (direct current) voltage of about 0.3V supplied by the preamplifier 30 to read head terminals 54A and 54B via the conductive leads 32. The magnetic domains in the thin film 52 passing under the read head 14B alter a resistance of the magneto-resistive material, imposing an AC (alternating current) component in the DC bias voltage, wherein the AC component represents the read data bits. The AC component is supplied to the preamplifier 30 via the conductive leads 32. The AC component of the head output signal is relatively small (e.g., several millivolts) with respect to the DC bias voltage.
The susceptibility of certain integrated circuits to electrostatic discharge events is well known. An ESD event occurs when a charged object (e.g., a finger of a person handling the integrated circuit or a device for capturing and installing the integrated circuit into a printed circuit board) is disposed proximate an integrated circuit pin having a different potential than the charged object. If the potential difference is sufficient to breakdown insulating material separating the charged object and the pin (e.g., air) an electrostatic discharge is produced. Such discharges may generate a current exceeding one ampere during a period of less than 200 nanoseconds. The discharge current magnitude and waveform depend on the effective resistance, capacitance and inductance in the discharge path and the charge intensity present on the surfaces before the static discharge. The ESD event can destroy the integrated circuit by damaging substrate material or conductive interconnects in the integrated circuit. It is common practice to include ESD-protection components within the integrated circuit for directing the ESD current away from static-discharge sensitive components.
The disk drive read head 14B typically comprises either a magneto-resistive (MR) sensor or an inductive sensor. The MR sensor is more commonly used, especially in high-density disk drives, because the MR sensor generates a larger amplitude output signal than the inductive sensor, resulting in a higher signal-to-noise ratio in the read mode and a higher areal data storage density for the disk drive 10. However, when exposed to an ESD event or an electrical overstress (EOS) condition (i.e., an input voltage or current greater than expected under normal operating conditions), the MR sensor tends to be more susceptible to damage than its inductive counterpart due to the relatively small physical size of the MR sensing material. For example, a typical cross-section for an MR read sensor used for extremely high recording densities is about 100 Angstroms by 1.0 micrometer. An ESD event producing a discharge voltage of only a few hundred millivolts across such a small resistance is sufficient to produce currents capable of severely damaging or destroying the MR read head.
The read head 14B typically operates as a differential device, i.e., during a read operation the differential voltage across the signal terminals 54A and 54B represents the read data bits, with a voltage of a first polarity indicating a stored first logic level and a voltage of a second polarity indicating a stored second logic level. The read head 14B is thus extremely sensitive to ESD damage caused by a high differential voltage applied between the signal terminals 54A and 54B. A differential voltage as low as 0.5 volts can damage a state-of-the-art MR head due when ESD current flows through the head. A single relatively low magnitude ESD event or a series of relatively low magnitude events can degrade the magneto-resistive element, changing the resistance of the MR head and thus the head response during read operations, possibly causing data read errors. A relatively large ESD event can melt or evaporate the magneto-resistive element.
Given their high-ESD sensitivity, to prevent ESD/EOS damage, the MR sensor must be carefully handled during manufacture/assembly of the disk drive 10 and the read head 14B. Such ESD events are especially likely during manufacturing stages when the terminals 54A and 54B are exposed. For example, in a manufacturing process employing a rubber or plastic conveyor belt for transporting the head and associated components between manufacturing stations, ionized gas is dispersed over the conveyor belt to discharge electrostatic charges generated in the belt material.
During the disk drive assembly process the preamplifier 30 is connected to the head terminals 54A and 54B via the conductors 32A and 32B. To provide additional ESD protection for the read head 14B, it is advantageous for the preamplifier 30 to include one or more components to direct the ESD charge away from the MR read head 14B during the remainder of the assembly process. Since no power is supplied to the preamplifier 30 during the assembly operation, such components operate passively, i.e. they do not require the application of an external voltage. However, it is known that during disk drive operation parasitic capacitances produced by these passive components tend to degrade the read signal quality. This signal degradation becomes an increasingly troublesomeproblem as read data rates increase, it is therefore desired to employ ESD protection components that protect the read head 14B during assembly, without degrading preamplifier/head performance during operation.
One prior art technique for providing ESD protection for the differential signal terminals 54A and 54B (connected respectively to conductive leads 32A and 32B of the flexible conductive leads 32) is illustrated in FIG. 3. Diodes 70 and 72 are connected back-to-back (i.e., a cathode of a first diode is connected to anode of a second diode and an anode of the first diode is connected to a cathode of the second diode; also referred to as an anti-parallel configuration) to short or clamp the signal terminals 54A and 54B together in response to application of either a negative or a positive ESD voltage to either the terminal 54A or 54B. The diodes 70 and 72 provide adequate protection if the read head 14B can withstand a differential voltage greater than a diode turn-on voltage of about 0.8V, i.e., the voltage at which the diode becomes conductive and shorts the differential signal terminals 54A and 54B. Unfortunately, newer generation heads can fail at differential voltages below 0.8V. Although it may be possible to identify diodes fabricated from material providing a turn-on voltage below 0.8V, disadvantageously such a low turn-on voltage clips the differential head output signal if the diodes are driven into conduction during a read operation.
Another prior art technique as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,552,879 is illustrated in FIG. 4. A MOSFET (metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) 80, connected between the terminals 54A and 54B, is triggered to a conductive state, i.e., a low resistance path between a drain D and a source S, by a static charge sensing circuit 56 that triggers a gate G in response to the ESD voltage. The low resistance source-drain path effectively shorts the terminals 54A and 54B, preventing a voltage differential from developing therebetween.
The sensing circuit 56 adds cost and a space penalty to the disk drive 10 and requires a power source for operation. During disk drive assembly, power is not applied to the sensing circuit 56 and thus the circuit cannot provide ESD protection. To overcome the lack of a power source, in another embodiment the sensing circuit 56 is powered by the applied static pulse. But this embodiment requires a pulse amplitude larger than about 0.5V, in contravention of the requirement that the discharge protection circuit maintain the differential input voltage at less than about 0.5V.
Yet another prior art technique, illustrated in FIG. 5, comprises a fuse 84 connected across the terminals 54A and 54B. During disk drive assembly the fuse 84 shorts ESD current between the terminals 54A and 54B. After the head 14B is assembled by the disc drive manufacturer the fuse is opened. However, with the fuse short circuit precludes testing of the read head 14B when the head is in the form of an integrated circuit on a semiconductor wafer. Also, the fuse 84 does not provide a ground path for common mode charges induced across the terminals 54A and 54B.
According to another prior art technique, a depletion mode MOSFET 88 (see FIG. 6) is connected between the terminals 54A and 54B. It is known that a channel of the MOSFET 88 must be relatively large to minimize its "on" resistance and thereby reduce the ESD voltage (i.e., bleed the ESD charge) that is developed across the terminals 54A and 54B during an ESD event. If the "on" resistance is excessive then the voltage developed across the resistance can damage the read head 14B. However, as the MOSFET channel size increases, the parasitic capacitance introduced into the signal path between the read head 14B and the preamplifier 30 also increases. The parasitic capacitance reduces the operating bandwidth, a potential problem as disc drive heads are required to operate at higher data rates when reading data from the disk 12.

Method and apparatus for protecting magnetoresistive heads from electrostatic discharge


An ammunition cartridge comprises a tubular case having a head end and an open mount end, at least two propellant charges contained within said case, and a hermetic barrier means installed between the charges for separating the charges from one another and preventing premature crossflow of gases. One embodiment of the barrier means comprises a formed-in-place solid layer of polymeric resin material. This layer is formed in place on top of a first propellant charge, conforms to the surface contour of the first charge and extends radially across the charge to the tubular case.. Another preferred barrier means comprises a collapsible flexible polymeric disk extending radially across the case between the charges. This disk has a diameter at least equal to that of the inside of said case and a tubular outer rim operably engaged with said tubular case to provide a circumferential seal between the charges.

The present invention is generally related to cartridges having at least two stratified propellant charges and more particularly to a cartridge having a hermetic barrier or seal between these charges.
There have been many efforts over the years to reduce peak chamber pressures and improve ballistic performance of cartridges by providing stratified propellant charges in the cartridge case. Providing a spacer wad or diaphragm to maintain separation of the charges in these cases is also well known. Ammunition cartridges for small arms have been known to have perforated barriers between the propellant charges since the 1800's. These barriers helped to delay the ignition sequence and the pressure rise within the weapon chamber and therefore reduced recoil.
One such early cartridge is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 34,615 to A. Shannon in 1862. This cartridge had three black powder charges and two perforated diaphragms separating the charges from one another. The perforations permitted flame propagation between the charges and the size of the perforations determined the speed of such propagation from one charge to the other.
Another early cartridge, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 751,519, disclosed a metal, paper or felt diaphragm with a perforation therethrough to facilitate flame propagation and sequential charge ignition. The sequential charge ignition was designed to increase the velocity of the projectile without increasing the pressure in the gun.
An ordnance cartridge having separated charges is described in U.S. Pat. No. 1,920,075. This cartridge has a plurality of charges each separated from the other by an elastic lacquer spherical layer or a salt disk with a central bore therethrough through which the priming flame is directed to the forward most charge so as to ignite the forward charge first.
More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,671 issued to W. B. Foulke, disclosed a cartridge having a first loose propellent in the case and a second propellant encapsulated within cellulose capsules randomly positioned within the loose powder charge.
Another recent U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,622 to Fibranz, discloses a cartridge having a gas permeable barrier of a material such as felt or fabric between two propellants having different burn rates and a tube through the base charge and the barrier to cause the primer to ignite the top charge first. The gas permeable barrier separates the charges while permitting propagation of the flame front between the charges.
Each of the designs in these patents requires a direct communication path between the charges for the sequential ignition of the charges to properly occur. This direct communication between the charges is not believed to be necessary, and in fact may reduce the ignition delay and the pressure reducing effect of the sequential charge ignition.
A study of several non-communicative barriers was conducted and summarized for the US Army in Report No. R-1885 entitled "Sequential Ignition of Small Arms Propellants by Means of Scheduling Coatings", by Ludwig Stiefel. Various barriers were tested such as nitrocellulose sheet, cellulose acetate sheet, Saran film, rubber sheet, etc. These barriers were disks positioned in the case after the first propellant charge was installed. In addition, a bag made of a rubber glove finger was used to contain the second charge. These trials indicated, as did the above patents, that the peak pressure could be reduced.
However, all of these patents and the report just discussed, do not suggest utilizing a hermetic barrier between the charges to delay the ignition by maintaining charge separation until a preselected pressure is reached. We have found that a hermetic barrier placed between the charges is particularly advantageous in that it both delays and reduces the peak pressure experienced during propellant ignition or burning.
The present invention is particularly directed to cartridges having a reduced neck diameter such that a full diameter solid barrier would be difficult if not impractical to install. The cartridge of present invention comprises a tubular case having a conventional head end and a reduced diameter open mouth end, at least two propellant charges contained within said case, and a hermetic barrier means installed for separating the charges from one another and preventing premature crossflow of ignition gasses.
One preferred embodiment of the barrier means comprises a formed in place layer of polymeric resin material which conforms to the surface of a first charge loaded into a cartridge case. The self-leveling liquid resin must be viscous enough to stay primarily on the surface of the charge during the time it takes for the resin to cure into a solid layer.
An alternative is to use a very viscous fluid resin and then forcefully spread it over the charge surface.
If a less viscous liquid resin is used, a support disk must be used to prevent the resin from seeping into the propellant column. The layer may be formed by first installing a disk of kevlar fabric (could also use glass and other fabrics/fibers) or nitrocellulose against the first charge and then applying the liquid resin so as to coat the surface and edges of the disk to form the seal between the case wall and the charges. The resin must be fairly quick curing to form an impermeable barrier over the first charge without seeping through the first charge and prior to loading the next charge.
Another form of barrier in accordance with the invention is a flexible, elastically collapsible disk made of polyethylene or other flexible plastic material. The disk may be dish shaped or preferably may take the form of an umbrella which has a plurality of radial pleats to facilitate the collapse of the disk into a generally conical shape for insertion through the narrow case mouth. The elastically collapsed disk is inserted with the apex pointed toward the case mouth, i.e. the base end first. When the collapsed disk is fully inserted past the neck, it spreads to the inside diameter of the case. At this stage of insertion, the disk is still convex toward the mouth end. Upon seating the disk against the charge, the center of the disk is flexed and inverted so as to present a concave surface toward the case mouth and a convex surface toward the head end. The installed disk is thus placed in compression against the case to provide a flexible, resilient seal biased against the case to maintain the charge in position.
The disk may also have a tubular rim to provide a greater contact surface against the case wall when in the installed position. This rim presents a flat surface against the wall. The rim also can permit a tighter seal than simply the disk itself.
Another envisioned alternative preferred embodiment of the invention takes the form of a disk made of a shape memory material. The disk is formed into a curved shape below its transition temperature allowing it to be inserted through the core mouth. Following insertion, when the disk is heated above its transition temperature, it recovers to the flat disk shape. In this embodiment, the disk is slightly larger in diameter than the inner diameter of the cartridge case so that when the temperature exceeds the transition temperature, the disk will flatten out, pushing against the case wall, placing it in compression against the case wall.

Stratified propellant charge barriers for small and medium caliber ammunition


Two types of antibodies (35-1 antibody and 292 antibody) capable of binding to phenylalanine at position 115, isoleucine at position 117, glycine at position 140, glutamic acid at position 141, and arginine at position 142 of a human HB-EGF protein were successfully obtained. Then, it was also found that these antibodies had an activity of suppressing cleavage of the human HB-EGF protein, and an activity of suppressing EGFR phosphorylation that would occur when the human HB-EGF bound to the EGFR. Further, determined were amino acid sequences of light chain and heavy chain variable regions of these antibodies and sequences of CDRs of each of the variable regions.

A heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is a protein belonging to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family. It has been revealed that this protein promotes cell proliferation, differentiation, chemotaxis, and so forth by binding to an EGF receptor (EGFR/ErbB1 or ErbB4) (NPLs 1 to 3).
Moreover, it has been revealed that HB-EGF in vivo contributes to myogenesis, heart development, and wound healing. This suggests that HB-EGF is an important factor in organogenesis (NPLs 4 to 6).
Further, there have been reports that HB-EGF is involved in cancer proliferation and progression at a variety of aspects such as the proliferation of pancreatic cancer (NPL 7), the proliferation of stomach cancer (NPL 8), the association with skin cancer (NPL 9), the association with drug resistance in head and neck cancers (NPL 10), and angiogenesis to cancer tissues (NPL 11). It has been revealed that HB-EGF is an important factor also in various cancers.
Moreover, it has been revealed that HB-EGF is first synthesized in the form of a type I transmembrane protein (transmembrane HB-EGF), and then an extracellular region immediately above a cell transmembrane portion in the cell membrane is cleaved by a protease and subsequently released in the form of 14- to 22-kilodalton soluble HB-EGF (NPLs 12 and 13). Further, it is also known that soluble HB-EGF formed by such cleavage functions as a growth factor which activates EGFR/ErbB1 of its own HB-EGF expressing cell in an autocrine manner, or which activates EGFR/ErbB1 of the other cells in a paracrine manner.
On the other hand, it is known that transmembrane HB-EGF itself also functions as a growth factor which activates EGFR/ErbB1 of other nearby cells in a juxtacrine manner (NPL 14). However, it has been shown that the cell proliferating activity of transmembrane HB-EGF is weaker than that of soluble HB-EGF (NPL 11). These results suggest the process of forming soluble HB-EGF by protease cleavage is important in making HB-EGF exhibit the function as a growth factor.
Meanwhile, mutant mice prepared to express transmembrane HB-EGF but not to express soluble HB-EGF have been produced by introducing an amino acid mutation into a cleavage site of HB-EGF. Then, in the analysis of the mutant mice, abnormal heart organogenesis has been observed as in the case of knockout mice which express no HB-EGF at all (NPLs 5 and 15). Further, it has also been shown that suppressing the HB-EGF cleavage by a protease inhibitor suppresses cardiac hypertrophy due to soluble HB-EGF (NPL 16). This suggests that soluble HB-EGF plays a role in the aforementioned important physiological function of HB-EGF in the organogenesis.
Moreover, it is also known that, in a cancer, a cleaved intracellular region (HB-EGF-CTF) of HB-EGF is translocated to the nucleus and functions to promote the cell division (NPL 17). Further, it has been shown that suppressing the HB-EGF cleavage by a protease inhibitor can inhibit the proliferation and invasion of stomach cancer (NPL 18). Hence, it has been revealed that the HB-EGF cleaving process is an important factor in the proliferation and so forth of cancer cells, too.
Based on the above-described findings, researches and developments have been in progress for treatment methods against various diseases (such as heart failure, nerve diseases, lung diseases), particularly cancers, in which HB-EGF is presumably involved. For example, the anti-tumor effect of an anti-HB-EGF antibody or the like has been confirmed in a xenograft mouse model obtained by transplanting ovarian cancer cells (NPLs 19 and 20). Further, it has also been shown that the proliferation of cancer cells can be inhibited by inhibiting the HB-EGF cleavage using an antibody to suppress soluble HB-EGF formation (NPL 21). As such, antibodies have been developed which are capable of binding to HB-EGF and exhibiting such activities as anti-tumor activity and cleavage inhibitory activity.
As described above, in order for an antibody against HB-EGF to have sufficient activities in the treatments against cancers or the like, in other words, to completely block signal transduction in cell proliferation or the like in which HB-EGF is involved, it is presumably necessary that such an antibody should have both of two activities: (1) strongly inhibiting the cleavage that would lead to the formation of soluble HB-EGF and HB-EGF-CTF functioning as a growth factor or the like (cleavage inhibitory activity); and (2) inhibit binding of soluble HB-EGF and transmembrane HB-EGF to an EGF receptor (EGFR/ErbB1 or ErbB4), consequently strongly inhibiting the activation and so forth of the EGF receptor (neutralizing activity).
Nevertheless, for example, the antibody described in NPL 21 has a cleavage inhibitory activity as described above, but this literature has also revealed that the antibody does not have a neutralizing activity. Judging from the foregoing, under current situations, no antibody against HB-EGF has been developed which has sufficient activities in the treatments of diseases, particularly cancers, in which HB-EGF is involved.

Functional monoclonal antibody against heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor

MEDICAL & BIOLOGICAL LABORATIVES CO., LTD.


A method for properly locating a flexible fixture on a CNC machine comprises probing a plurality of locators on a flexible fixture to determine a locator position on a coordinate system for the CNC machine. The position for each of the plurality of locators is analyzed to determine if all of the plurality of locators are within a predetermined offset limit from a nominal position. A controller is programmed with an offset compensation amount based upon the probed position for each locator when each of the plurality of locators is within the predetermined offset limit. The locator positions are adjusted if one of the probed locations is not within the predetermined offset limit. The CNC probing programs are generated by a computer language to accommodate various fixture configurations.

Computed numerically controlled (CNC) machines are frequently used to manufacture items that require machining processes to be used. In order to maximize CNC machining productivity, fixtures may be employed to align each part with the machine table. A fixture allows parts with different locating and clamping arrangements to be machined at the same machine table. When the fixture is installed on the table, it is possible that the fixture will not be perfectly aligned with the table, due to debris or other locating errors. To prevent the installation errors from compromising machined part quality, the flexible fixture must be aligned within a predetermined tolerance to the CNC machine. Several methods for minimizing the fixtures errors to the CNC machine are currently used. However, each method requires the effort of skilled maintenance personnel to perform precise calculations and complex procedures. Therefore, alignment of the flexible fixture using these methods requires several hours of machine downtime.

Automatic probing, compensation, and adjustment of a flexible fixture for a CNC machine


A method of reporting channel state information (CSI) with reduced feedback overhead in a MIMO-OFDM system is provided. A receiver first estimates CSI of a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel based on a sounding signal transmitted from a transmitter. The CSI comprises L channel response matrices, and each matrix corresponds to an OFDM tone in the MIMO channel. Each channel response matrix is then decomposed into a first CSI component and a second CSI component. The receiver selects a first subset of the first CSI component based on a first tone group size and a second subset of the second CSI component based on a second tone group size. Finally, the receiver transmits the selected subsets of the first and the second CSI components to the transmitter. The reduced feedback does not have significant loss in the information content of CSI because of the coherent bandwidth in typical OFDM systems.

The use of multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver of a wireless communication system along with related baseband signal processing is referred to as Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology. MIMO can provide two forms of gains: multiplexing gain and diversity gain. Spatial multiplexing gain is more suited for the high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) scenario. In this case, multiple independent data streams are separated only in the spatial domain, but otherwise occupying the same temporal and frequency resources. The receiver employs multiple receive antennas and baseband signal processing to separate these data streams, which are combined by the radio channel. Diversity gain, on the other hand, is realized by transmitting identical information separated in the spatial domain (e.g. on different transmit antenna) which improves the robustness of the transmission. Diversity gains are beneficial when the receiver experiences low Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) due to severe propagation loss, multi-user interference etc.
MIMO technology can be applied to transmit from a single transmitting station to a single receiving station. This scenario is known as Single-User (SU) MIMO. Alternatively, MIMO technology may be applied to transmit from one transmitting station to multiple receiving stations. This application is known as Multi-User (MU) MIMO or MIMO Broadcast. In a MU-MIMO system, precoding is applied at the transmitter in order to suppress mutual interference experienced by each receiving station caused by transmissions to other receiving stations. To those skilled in the art, MU-MIMO precoding, refers to spatial encoding of the transmitted signal based on propagation channel.
In order to apply MU-MIMO precoding, the transmitting station is required to know the Channel State Information (CSI) of the radio channels connecting it to each of the receiving stations for transmission. It is possible, in theory, for the transmitting station to directly measure required CSIs in Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems. Due to practical limitations, however, such as the lack of calibration between transmitting and receiving RF chains, the transmitting station is generally unable to directly measure the CSIs. Consequently, it is common to require the receiving stations to measure the CSIs and feed this information back to the transmitting station via a feedback channel. The content of the CSI feedback information is related to the amount of multipath dispersion of the channel relative to the transmission bandwidth. In addition, the CSI feedback information varies continually due to relative motion between the transmitting and receiving stations and other environmental changes such as human movement. Therefore, the CSI feedback information needs to be updated regularly. In a typical wireless system consisting of multiple stations, this CSI feedback requirement amounts to very significant signaling overhead.

MIMO channel matrix feedback in OFDM systems


A technique is disclosed for protecting a file. In one embodiment, the technique comprises requesting access to a file, accessing a vnode associated with the file; and executing a substitute routine associated with the vnode.

Using a file protection system to prevent unauthorized access to a file is highly desirable in today's computer environments. For example, a file protection system may be used to stop a file containing sensitive information from being opened or closed. File protection systems include systems such as intrusion detection systems (IDS), host intrusion prevention systems (HIPS), or host intrusion detection systems (HIDS).
Existing file protection systems exhibit many inefficiencies. File protection systems typically require a large amount of processing and overhead. For example, large databases are typically checked to compare files each time a file is accessed, which is CPU intensive and slows the system down considerably. Therefore, there is a need for a way to more efficiently implement a file protection system that decreases overhead processing and more efficiently uses CPU power.


A method of fabricating thin film structures on the surface of a transparent substrate (10) in which a light shielding pattern (20, 54) is provided adjacent the opposing substrate surface and in which deposited thin film layers are photolithographically patterned by directing radiation onto the light shielding pattern and by varying the angle of the exposing radiation for respective layers whereby the thin film layers are patterned differently while using the same light shielding pattern. Various thin film structures can be fabricated inexpensively and reliably using this approach together with standard processing techniques such as the use of temporary layers and lift-off procedures. In particular, by appropriate design of the light shielding pattern and selection of deposited materials, active matrix arrays, e.g. comprising MIMs or TFTs with associated conductors, for use in liquid crystal display devices can be produced. The light shielding pattern can be formed directly on the substrate enabling pliable substrates to be used.

This invention relates to a method of fabricating on one surface of a transparent substrate a thin film structure comprising a plurality of thin film layers in predetermined patterns, which method comprises the steps of providing a light shielding pattern adjacent the opposing surface of the substrate and photolithographically patterning a first thin film layer deposited over the one surface according to the light shielding pattern using radiation directed onto the light shielding pattern.
The invention relates also to thin film structures fabricated thereby and display devices incorporating such structures.
Thin film structures fabricated on transparent substrates are used in a variety of products such as display devices, solar cells, light sensing devices, memory devices, and printing devices. The invention is concerned with fabricating thin film structures suitable for such products and particularly, although not exclusively, with fabricating arrays of thin film switching elements for use in active matrix display devices, together with associated address conductors and picture element electrodes. Typically, the thin film switching elements comprise two or three terminal devices such as MIM devices and TFTs respectively which are connected between address conductors and picture element electrodes on a common transparent substrate.
A method of the kind described in the opening paragraph for fabricating thin film MIM devices on a transparent substrate for use in an active matrix liquid crystal display device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,683,183. In this method, metal strips constituting a set of address conductors are defined on the substrate using a mask. Thereafter successive layers of insulating and conducting materials are deposited over the substrate surface and these layers are patterned by means of a photolithographic process which involves depositing a photoresist layer over the layers to be defined, applying a photomask to the rear surface of the substrate and illuminating the substrate from behind whereby the pattern of the superimposed insulating and conducting layers obtained is determined in part using a self alignment technique in which the metal strips serve as a mask to define a MIM structure and also in part by the photomask to define the length of the MIM structure and the area of the picture element electrode. Thus, the fabrication of the MIM device and its associated picture element electrodes entails using a mask to define the metal strips, those strips then themselves being used as a mask, and also a photomask.
In the English language abstract of Japanese Patent Application No. 62-132367 there is disclosed a method of fabricating TFTs on a transparent substrate for use in a liquid crystal display device which involves disposing a light shielding film layer on the rear surface of the substrate and photolithographically patterning a layer deposited on the upper surface by illuminating the substrate from behind with the light shielding film serving as a mask defining regions of the deposited layer which constitute source and drain terminals of the TFT. Further layers are then deposited which would require additional patterning processes using further masks to complete the TFT.
In requiring a plurality of patterning processes involving separate masks, these known methods suffer from disadvantages similar to those experienced with more common methods of fabricating of TFTs or MIMs for display devices or the like entailing a series of conventional photolithographic processes needing a set of several photo masks to define patterns in layers of different materials. To increase the display area of a display device, for example, it is necessary to produce correspondingly sized arrays of TFTs or MIMs. However, as the size of the array is enlarged it becomes increasingly more difficult and more expensive to provide substrates that remain sufficiently rigid through the thermal cycles in the fabrication processes to ensure accurate alignment between successive photomasks and the substrate. A similar problem exists when fabricating smaller sized but higher density arrays. Of course, such known methods are not well suited to fabricating thin film structures on flexible substrates.

Methods of fabricating thin film structures by imaging through the substrate in different directions


A free floating fairing comprising an outer ring fairing, an inner ring fairing and a three piece replaceable strut fairing define an aerodynamic contour and heat shield for the turbine exhaust case of a gas turbine engine. The material fo the fairing can be selected to optimize heat transfer characteristics to enhance the structural integrity of the supporting structure while assuring the lubrication in the lubricating passages in the struts does not coke and the preload on the support rods is not lost during engine operation. The inner ring fairing serves to hold in place the nose piece of the three piece strut fairing for ease of replacement.

As is generally well-known, gas turbine engines are continually undergoing changes with goals of improving performance, decreasing size and weight for a given thrust rating, while reducing cost and enhancing durability, producibility and repairability. To improve performance, it is typical to increase the operation temperature of the engine since increased turbine temperatures is tantamount to improved engine performance. Of course, these increased temperatures necessitate other changes in the engine to handle the increased thermals so as to maintain structural integrity of the engine's components.
In heretofore known engines, the turbine exhaust case and its struts that are disposed in the gas path are typically unshielded from the environment and hence, its durability would be predicated on the material selected. Some attempts have been made to encapsulate the struts with an aerodynamic fairing that would also serve as a heat shield for the strut by welding the fairing in situ. Obviously, since the welding is performed manually, one would expect to find variations from assembly to assembly and quality would be highly dependant on the skill of the welder. And, of course, the weldment, if not done properly, is susceptible to malfunction. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the welded fairing presents a difficult fabrication, requiring much fit up at assembly and results in undesirable weld distortion with potential stress risers at the weld joints. Also, repair of locally cracked, eroded or otherwise damaged areas require "patch" welding or complete refabrication. This type of construction and consequent repair is therefore difficult and costly. Furthermore, the strut fairing is essentially a "one piece" welded construction and is life limited by inherent thermal stresses due to both radial and axial temperature gradients.
Further, with the use of a welded fairing the leading edge or "nose" which first sees the gas path flow stream is subjected to the major abuse and hence susceptible to a limited life. The hot gases in the gas path impinge on the nose, the nose is subjected to a high temperature profile since the hotter gas temperatures are toward the middle of the hot gas flow path and additionally it incurs potential hot streaks owing to circumferential unevenness of the temperature profile in the gas flow path.
Since the struts are designed to allow passage of the support rods and service lines that feed lubricating oil to the bearings, it is abundantly important that the heat shield protect those components of the engines. To this end, the lubrication lines must be sufficiently cool to prevent oil from coking. The support rods, likewise, must be sufficiently cool to prevent loss of preload which is set at assembly caused by temperature differences between the inner bearing compartment, the rods and the outer duct support/mount ring that may occur during engine operations.
We have found that we can obviate the problem noted above by providing a replaceable multi-piece fairing to the exhaust case. It is contemplated that the strut fairing will be fabricated in three parts wherein the nose is made from a separate single piece that is capable of being removed from the remaining portion of the assembly. Since the nose is first to see the hottest portion of the gas path and is susceptible to foreign object damage, it can be made of materials that resists these hazards which may be different from the material used in the other pieces.
Likewise, the material of the fairing can be different from the material of the structural parts of the turbine exhaust case. In this manner, the fairing can be made from materials that exhibit good thermal characteristics at elevated temperatures while the structural frame can be made from materials that exhibit higher strength with lower temperature capabilities.
Since the fairing is made from a number of pieces, these pieces can be readily removed so as to enhance the repairability of the assembly. Nor would the entire casing have to be removed to repair the fairing assembly.
It is further contemplated that the fairing not only serves to keep the structure at lower temperatures, it is radially free floating relative to the structural frame so as to minimize, if not eliminate, thermal stresses that would otherwise occur.

Replaceable fairing for a turbine exhaust case


The stylus support (10) has a center consonant with an origin of a plurality of axes, a stylus (13) on a side thereof and a vibrating/detecting element (12) disposed outside a surface perpendicular to an axis. A fitting portion (14) for fitting a probe body (15) is formed to the stylus support (10) and an aperture (17) is penetrated around the fitting portion (14) along the axis, so that the vibration of the stylus support (10) is isolated from a periphery of a fitted position of the probe body (15). Accordingly, an outer portion of the stylus support (10) outside the aperture (17) can be vibrated freely from the probe body (15) to allow the stylus (13) to vibrate sufficiently for improving accuracy.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a touch-signal probe adapted to be used in a coordinate measuring machine, a machine tool and the like for measuring a configuration of a workpiece. More specifically, it relates to a vibrating touch-signal probe having improved sensitivity.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, a height-gauge (linear measuring machine), a coordinate measuring machine, a contour measuring machine and the like are known as a measuring machine for measuring a configuration and a dimension of a workpiece. A touch-signal probe which detects a contact to a workpiece is employed in respective machines for detecting a coordinate and a position of the workpiece.
One simple way for detecting the touch of the touch-signal probe is to provide a contact portion for touching the workpiece at a tip end of an approximately cylindrical stylus to detect an opposing force caused by the touch. On the other hand, a vibrating touch-signal probe is also used, where a vibrating/detecting element is provided to the stylus to vibrate the stylus in advance and to detect a change of the vibration according to the touch. In the vibrating touch-signal probe, the vibration is changed, restrained for example, by the workpiece when the contact portion touches the workpiece. Accordingly, the contact can be detected by monitoring the vibration of the stylus to detect the change of the vibration.
The stylus of the vibrating touch-signal probe is preferably arranged radially. Especially, the stylus is most preferably arranged crosswise.
FIG. 4 shows a conventional vibrating touch-signal probe having styluses arranged crosswise. The touch-signal probe has a pair of stylus support 3 combined in X and Y-axis direction having a stylus 2 protruded thereon, a piezoelectric element 4 provided on an upper side of the respective stylus support 3 and a probe body 5 as a probe axis having the respective stylus supports 3 attached at a tip end thereof. A contact ball 2a provided at a tip end of the respective styluses 2 is abutted to the workpiece while the styluses 2 are vibrated by the piezoelectric element 4 to detect vibration change.
However, the contact ball 2a at the tip end of the stylus 2 is provided at a different height and can not be arranged at an identical level, since the stylus 2 is combined crosswise by stacking a pair of stylus 2. Accordingly, the vibrating touch-signal probe is difficult to use and is difficult to reduce size thereof.
In view of above disadvantage, a vibrating touch-signal probe having a contact ball at the tip end of the stylus arranged coplanar has been strongly desired. In response, the applicant has proposed a structure in which the stylus support of the touch-signal probe is vibrated on an identical level in a radial direction (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 8-336986).
FIGS. 5(a), (b) and FIG. 6(a) shows a specific structure of the touch-signal probe proposed by the applicant.
A center of the stylus support 10 corresponds to the origin of X, Y and Z-axis. The stylus support 10 has a square X-Y plane and is a flat block. A pair of vibrating/detecting element 12 composed of a piezoelectric element is bonded to a locating projection 11 protruded on four corners of an upper and a lower surface of the stylus support 10. A total of four styluses 13 are provided on a center of respective sides of the stylussupport, the styluses being symmetrical and corresponding to X and Y-axis directions respectively.
The stylus support 10 is supported by fitting a tip end 15a of a probe body 15 extending in Z-axis direction to a fitting hole 14 penetrating through the plane center of the stylus support 10.
An insert hole 16 having sufficiently larger inner diameter than an outer diameter of the tip end 15a is formed at a center of respective vibrating/detecting element 12 to prevent the vibrating/detecting element 12 from being interfering with the probe body 15.
According to the above arrangement, a cross-shaped touch sensor having the ball-shaped contact portion 13a at the tip end of the respective styluses 13 disposed coplanar can be obtained, of which mechanism is simple and is adapted to size reduction.
However, according to the touch-signal probe structure shown in FIGS. 5(a), (b) and FIG. 6(a), the stylus support 10 deforms to be stretched and contracted in a radial direction (diametral direction relative to a central axis line of the probe body 15) as shown in FIGS. 6(b) and 6(c) when the vibrating/detecting element 12 is vibrated.
Accordingly, when the stylus support 10 is attached by fitting the probe body 15 to the fitting hole 14, the deformation of the stylus support 10 is hindered by the fitted probe body 15 and sufficient vibration can not be maintained. In other words, though the stylus support 10 has to be sufficiently vibrated for sharply sensing the contact to the workpiece, the stylus support 10 can not be vibrated for being fitted to the probe body 15 as mentioned above. Therefore, sensing accuracy can be deteriorated.


A double clutch transmission with two clutches (K1, K2) having input sides connected to a drive shaft (w_an) and output side connected to one of two coaxially arranged transmission input shafts (w_k1, w_k2). At least two countershafts (w_v1, w_v2) are provided on which toothed idler gearwheels (7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15) are situated in a rotatable manner. Toothed idler gearwheels (1, 2, 3, 4) are provided in a rotationally fixed manner on the two transmission input shafts (w_k1, w_k2). At least a plurality of forward gears which are power shiftable (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) and at least one reverse gear (R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8) are shiftable. A maximum of five gear planes (7-13, 8-14, 9-15, 10-4) are provided so that at least one power shiftable winding path gear (G1, G8, R4) is shiftable by at least one shift element (P).

A six-speed or seven-speed double clutch transmission is known from published patent DE 103 05 241 A1. The double clutch transmission comprises two clutches which are each connected by their input sides with the drive shaft and by their output sides with one of the two transmission input shafts. The two transmission input shafts are arranged coaxially relative to each other. Furthermore, two countershafts are arranged parallel to the axis of the two transmission input shafts, of which the idler gears engage with fixed gears of the transmission input shafts. In addition, coupling devices are held in a rotationally fixed manner and movable on the countershafts to be able to shift the corresponding toothed gearwheels. Each chosen transmission ratio is transmitted to a differential by means of the output gears. To realize the desired transmission ratio stages in the known double clutch transmission, a multiplicity of gear planes is necessary so that a not insignificant amount of construction space is needed for installation.
Furthermore, a spur-gear multi-speed transmission is known from published patent DE 38 22 330 A1. The spur-gear multi-speed transmission comprises a power shiftable double clutch of which one part is connected to a drive shaft and of which another part is connected to a hollow drive shaft which is fixed in a rotational manner on the drive shaft. The drive shaft can be coupled with the hollow drive shaft by means of a shift element for certain transmission ratios.
A power-shift transmission with two clutches is known from published patent DE 10 2004 001 961 A1, in which the clutches are assigned to a subtransmission. The transmission input shafts of the two subtransmissions are arranged coaxially relative to each other and mesh with idler gears of the assigned countershafts by means of fixed gears. Each idler gear of the countershafts can be connected in a rotationally fixed manner to one of the countershafts by means of assigned shift elements. From this published patent, an eight-speed transmission is also known for which another shift element is provided for coupling the two transmission input shafts for the realization of a further transmission ratio stage. Even the seven-geared transmission requires at least six gear planes in the two subtransmissions in this embodiment to be able to realize the transmission ratio stages. This leads to an undesirable lengthening of the construction length in the axial direction so that the possibility of installation in a vehicle is significantly limited.
Furthermore, another power shiftable transmission is known from published patent DE 10 2005 028 532 A1, which comprises two input shafts and only one countershaft. An eight-speed transmission in this embodiment, for example, requires more than seven gear planes to be able to realize the transmission ratio stages, especially the reverse gear transmission ratios. This leads to an undesirable lengthening of the construction length in the axial direction.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Operating power converters. At least some of the example embodiments are methods including: storing energy in a field of a transformer arranged for flyback operation, the storing by making conductive a primary switch coupled to a primary winding of the transformer; ceasing the storing of energy when a primary current through the primary winding reaches a predetermined value; measuring on time of the primary switch, the measuring creates a value indicative of on time; transferring energy from the field of the transformer; measuring discharge time of the energy from the field of the transformer during the transferring, the measuring of the discharge time creates a value indicative of discharge time; calculating a value indicative of input voltage of the power converter using the value indicative of on time and the value indicative of discharge time; and then compensating the predetermined value used in a subsequent storing energy step.

Switched power converters convert an input voltage to an output voltage. In some cases, the power converter implements a feedback or regulation loop used to enable a stable and accurate output voltage or output current. Changes in magnitude of the input voltage create difficulties in maintaining an accurate output current.

Methods and systems of operating power converters

SEMICONDUCTOR COMPONENTS INDUSTRIES, LLC


The invention relates to a device for accumulating flat material in flexible strip form, the device comprising an accumulator box having a bottom on which the strip accumulates, at least during accumulation stages, between two end walls and between two side walls that extend so as to face edges of the strip. The accumulator device includes at least one of the following means:                rollers mounted idle close to the bottom and on which the strip rests during accumulation stages;        air-flow means for establishing a flow of air within the box towards the bottom of the accumulator box;        vibrator means for vibrating at least one of the side walls; and        adjuster means for adjusting spacing between the side walls.

In installations for covering containers or other articles in heat-shrink sleeves, it is useful to interpose an accumulator device between the reel carrying a heat-shrink sheath and the station where the sheath is used, with said accumulator device performing several roles. It enables variations in production rates to be absorbed, by avoiding the sheath being pulled too hard. It also enables the reel to be changed while leaving enough time for connecting a new sheath to the end of the old sheath.
Devices are known for accumulating flat material in flexible strip form, which devices comprise an accumulator box into which the strip penetrates and inside which it is laid flat to form a plurality of go-and-return plies. Such an accumulator device nevertheless suffers from certain drawbacks. Some flat materials tend to twist and do not take up spontaneously an arrangement in superposed plies, thereby leading to a shapeless jumble forming inside the box which can jam or damage the strip.

Device for accumulating flat material in flexible strip form


An emissions control system for rich-burn internal combustion engines, includes a reaction chamber for thermal oxidation of exhaust gas fuel values. A passive means utilizes exhaust flow energy for induction of air into engine exhaust gas, and a duct transfers the exhaust gas together with the inducted air into the reaction chamber for thermal oxidation. To achieve a high degree of efficiency the thermal oxidation is facilitated by through mixing of air and exhaust gas to insure gas phase thermal reaction.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improved systems for control of exhaust emissions from gases containing fuel values. In one specific aspect the invention relates to catalytic systems for control of exhaust emissions from internal combustion engines. This invention also relates to passive emissions control devices for fuel-rich internal combustion engines.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Exhaust emissions from small internal combustion engines, such as are used for lawn mowers and small generator sets, are a significant source of atmospheric pollution by hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. Such engines typically operate fuel-rich and therefore are particularly dirty as compared to an automotive engine without a catalytic converter. Although automotive emissions are now controlled by use of catalytic converters, such conventional devices are not considered feasible for small engine use because of inherently large size, high cost and system complexity relating to the need for air addition. Effective means of suitable size and simplicity are required not only for the reactor itself but also for the addition and mixing of the air needed for oxidation of the exhaust fuel values to carbon dioxide and water.
The present invention meets these needs by providing a passive system for the combustion of the fuel values in the exhaust gases from engines which operate fuel-rich. The system is simple and relatively inexpensive.