A drying device for a washing machine includes a rotatable drum configured to house laundry items; a tub having the drum therein; a driving unit on the tub and connected to the drum, configured to drive the drum; a drying unit configured to store liquid water and circulate air in the drum to remove moisture from the laundry; and a control unit configured to control operations of the drying unit.

The present invention relates to a drying device and method for a washing machine, and more particularly, to a drying device and method for a combined washing and drying machine that is capable of improving drying efficiency while suppressing the use of condensate water (e.g., liquid water) during a drying cycle.
In general, a drum washing machine includes a door at the front of the washing machine, through which laundry items are put into the washing machine. The drum washing machine may use a relatively small amount of wash water and detergent because laundry items are rubbed and washed while falling downward in the drum washing machine.
Furthermore, the drum washing machine includes a tub and a drum. The tub is in a case or cabinet forming the exterior of the drum washing machine and stores wash water therein, and the drum is in the tub and has one open side through which laundry items are put in the washing machine.
The tub is supported by one or more dampers to suppress vibrations, and the drum is rotated by a motor to mix the laundry items.
The drum has a cylindrical shape of which one side is open, and includes a plurality of holes therein to discharge wash water. Furthermore, the drum includes a plurality of lifters therein.
Thus, when the drum is rotated, laundry items are moved upward by the lifters, and then fall downward into the wash water and detergent. Thus, the laundry items may be rubbed and washed.
The drum washing machine may include a heater therein. As the heater supplies high-temperature air into the drum, the washed laundry items may be dried.
The related art of the present invention has been disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2004-0087522 published on Oct. 14, 2004 and titled "Drying device for drum washing machine and method for controlling the same".
In accordance with the conventional drum washing machine, condensate water (or liquid water) is continuously supplied (e.g., to the tub) while the drying process is performed. Thus, there are difficulties in reducing the amount of condensate water (or liquid water) to be used during drying.
Therefore, there is a demand for a structure capable of solving such problem(s).

Drying device and method for drying laundry


A mobile communication terminal comprising a display and a keypad having plural keys. The keypad comprises a frame surrounding the display and the keys are arranged at respective key positions on the frame. The terminal is further configured to display symbols at positions on the display corresponding to the key positions on the frame. Furthermore, said frame is arranged to be rotated between at least a first and a second position whereby each said key becomes associated with a respective first and second operation of the terminal.

Mobile communication terminals such as cellular phones that particularly require portability are widely used today. Most of these terminals comprise a user interface input device such as a keyboard of which many varieties exist. Until now, focus has mainly been on features and performance of these handheld units. Since users become more accustomed to operating these devices they demand more versatile and advanced, but at the same time user-friendly and efficient input interfaces.
One way in which this has been addressed is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,461, which discloses a communication device comprising a one-piece rotatable ring arranged in conjunction with push buttons. By rotating the ring and applying pressure on the ring the buttons are pushed and a user is able to choose and select operations for controlling the device.
However, although the user can select operations with this configuration, the number of operations available by controlling the one-piece rotatable ring is limited due to the construction. In fact, the arrangement described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,461 is configured to overcome problems related to small scale input means by reducing the number of keys while maintaining data entry capability.


A sensor container includes a container body having an opening portion, a lid that covers the opening portion of the container body, and a plurality of sensors for measuring biological information that are housed in the container body. The container body or the lid has a mark that includes information indicating the usable period of the sensors starting from a point in time when the lid is released from the container body. The mark is covered with a removable seal.

A sensor container in a conventional example includes a container and sensors, which are housed in the container, for measuring biological information. If, for example, it is a sensor container for housing sensors for measuring a blood glucose level, information related to the sensors housed in the sensor container (e.g., the number of initially housed sensors, the production management number of the sensors, information on the validity period of the sensors based on the manufacture date, etc.) is stored in an electronic tag attached to the container.
The sensors in the sensor container are managed by a blood glucose level measuring device reading the information related to the sensors (e.g., Patent Literature 1: JP 2012-78109A).

Sensor container, sensor information management method using the same, and sensor information management system for managing sensor housed in sensor container


A sealing member for a powder slush molding apparatus includes an elastomeric main body comprising a head portion, an anchor portion, and a neck portion extending between and joining the head portion and the anchor portion. The head portion of the sealing member defines at least one interior channel that is centered on a midline of the elastomeric main body and which has a polygonal sectional shape. The polygonal sectional shape of the at least one interior channel, and its location on the midline, permits the head portion of the sealing member to attain a measure of compressibility that helps limit the force needed to compress the head portion without rendering the sealing member too flexible that it cannot adequately retain its shape. The sealing member is useful in establishing a seal between a shell and a powder box of a powder slush molding apparatus.

Powder slush molding is a process that is capable of forming polymer skins for various purposes including, for example, to serve as decorative surface coverings for interior automobile components. Powder slush molding is practiced using a rotatable powder slush molding apparatus that includes a powder box and a mold. The powder box defines a powder reservoir that holds a charge of a powdered resin, and the mold includes a shell that is disposed over and covers an opening to the powder reservoir when the powder box and the mold are coupled together. The shell includes at least one forming surface that faces interiorly towards the powder reservoir. During powder slush molding, the shell is heated, and the powder slush molding apparatus is rotated to expose the forming surface of the shell to the powdered resin as the powdered resin falls out of the powder reservoir and into contact with the forming surface, and then falls back into the powder reservoir, over the course of multiple rotations of the apparatus. The powdered resin that contacts the forming surface of the heated shell melts and becomes adhered to the forming surface while the powdered resin that does not melt and adhere to the forming surface simply returns to the powder reservoir. Once the deposited polymer layer has reached a desired thickness, the rotation of the apparatus is ceased, the shell is cooled, and the resultant polymer skin is removed.
The powder box and the shell are urged together when the powder slush molding apparatus is in use to maintain the relationship between the two component parts and to prevent powdered resin from escaping the apparatus. To help in that regard, a sealing member is disposed between confronting sealing surfaces of the powder box and the shell and circumscribes the forming surface of the shell. Typically, an anchor portion of the sealing member is received into a seal retention groove defined in the sealing surface of the powder box. The anchor portion and its respective groove in the powder box may be correspondingly shaped so that some form of manipulation of the anchor portion is needed to forcibly extract the anchor portion of the sealing member from the groove. The sealing member also includes a head portion that projects above the sealing surface of the powder box and engages the sealing surface of the shell. The head portion and the anchor portion of the sealing member may be connected by a reduced-thickness neck portion that aids the ability of the sealing member to be retained in the powder box groove.
The shell of the mold needs to be heated and cooled rather quickly to support forming the polymer skin on the forming surface with consistent regularity and good process efficiency. The shell is typically thin—usually on the order of 1-5 mm thick—and is three-dimensionally shaped to provide the forming surface with a contour that elicits a complimentary profile in the polymer skin. The shell may be formed of various metals including nickel, a nickel-based alloy, or a nickel-plated base metal. Because the shell is constructed from a relatively thin metal and, during powder slush molding, is urged toward the powder box through the intervening sealing member, the compressibility and side-to-side flexibility of the sealing member are characteristics that warrant some consideration. If the sealing member and, in particular, the head portion is too rigid, the forces that must be applied to the shell to compress the sealing member may damage and crack the shell. A sealing member that lacks adequate compressibility may also require the powder box and the mold to be brought together with a more-exacting alignment under tight tolerances. However, if the sealing member is too compressible, the sealing member may easily deform off-center, which can lessen the reliability of the seal between the powder box and the shell and reduce the ability of the sealing member to stay anchored in the powder box groove. A sealing member that exhibits the appropriate degree of compressibility so that a satisfactory balance between sealing performance and shape retention can be achieved in the context of a powder slush molding apparatus is therefore needed.

Sealing member for a powder slush molding apparatus


An XY address scanning-type imaging apparatus, such as a CMOS imaging apparatus, having a high-speed shutter which is capable of reducing fluorescent-lamp flicker components and which enhances electronic camera-shake correction. When the vertical synchronization frequency is denoted as fv (Hz) and N is a positive integer, the shutter is set to N/120 seconds when 120/fv is an integer, and the shutter is set to N/100 seconds when 100/fv is an integer. In the NTSC system, when camera-shake correction is ON, the shutter speed is set to fraction ( 1/120) seconds, and when camera-shake correction is OFF, the shutter speed is set to fraction ( 1/60) seconds. In the PAL system, when camera-shake correction is ON, the shutter speed is set to fraction ( 1/100) seconds, and when camera-shake correction is OFF, the shutter speed is set to fraction ( 1/50) seconds.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus, such as a video camera or a digital still camera, in which an XY address scanning-type imaging device (imager, image sensor) such as a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) imaging device is used, and to a method for reducing fluorescent lamp flicker which occurs in a video signal obtained from the imaging device when a subject is photographed by the imaging apparatus under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a subject is photographed by a video camera under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp which is powered on by a commercial AC power-supply, an intensity change with respect to time, that is, so-called fluorescent lamp flicker, occurs in the video signal of the photographed output due to the difference between the frequency (twice the commercial AC power-supply frequency) of the luminance change (change in the amount of light) of the fluorescent lamp and the vertical synchronization frequency (imaging frequency) of the camera.
A description will now be given of a case in which, for example, in an area where the commercial AC power-supply frequency is 50 Hz, a subject is photographed by an NTSC CCD camera (the vertical synchronization frequency (the field frequency in this case) is 60 Hz) under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp of a non-inverter system (although it is not restricted to the case of a non-inverter-system fluorescent lamp because flicker occurs also in the case of an inverter-system fluorescent lamp when rectification is not sufficient). In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, whereas the period of one field is 1/60 seconds, the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp is 1/100 seconds. As a result, the exposure timing of each field is shifted with respect to the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp, and the amount of exposure in each pixel changes.
For this reason, for example, when the exposure time is 1/60 seconds, in periods a1, a2, and a3, the amount of exposure differs even with the same exposure time. Furthermore, when the exposure time is shorter than 1/60 seconds (when it is not 1/100 seconds, as will be described later), in periods b1, b2, and b3, the amount of exposure differs even with the same exposure time.
The exposure timing with respect to the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp returns to the original timing every three fields, and therefore, the intensity change due to flicker repeats every three fields. That is, the luminance ratio of each field changes depending on the exposure period, but the flicker period does not change.
However, in a progressive-system-type camera, such as a digital still camera, when the vertical synchronization frequency (the frame frequency in this case) is 30 Hz, the intensity change is repeated every three frames.
Furthermore, for the fluorescent lamp, usually, a plurality of fluorescent substances, for example, red, green, and blue fluorescent substances, are used to emit white light. However, each of these fluorescent substances has specific persistence characteristics and emits light in a decaying manner with individual persistence characteristics in the period from the stopping of discharge, which exists in the period of the luminance change, up to the start of the next discharge. For this reason, in this period, since the light, which is initially white light, gradually decays while changing its hue, if the exposure timing is shifted in the manner described above, not only does the intensity change but a hue change also occurs. Furthermore, since the fluorescent lamp has specific spectral characteristics such that a strong peak exists at a specific wavelength, variation components of the signal differs depending on the color.
Then, so-called color flicker occurs due to such a hue change and the difference in the variation components for each color.
In comparison, when the power-supply frequency is 50 Hz and the vertical synchronization frequency of the imaging apparatus is 60 Hz, as shown in FIG. 1, if the exposure time is set to 1/100 seconds, which is the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp, as shown in the bottommost portion of FIG. 1, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker does not occur.
Furthermore, a method for reducing fluorescent lamp flicker without specifying the shutter speed in this manner has been considered. In the case of an imaging apparatus, like a CCD imaging apparatus, in which all the pixels within one picture plane are exposed at the same exposure timing, since an intensity change and a color change due to flicker occur only between fields, a reduction in flicker can be realized comparatively easily.
For example, in the case of FIG. 1, if the exposure time is not 1/100 seconds, flicker occurs at the repetition period of three fields. Therefore, flicker can be suppressed to a level at which there is no problem in practical terms by predicting the current luminance and color changes from the video signal three fields before so that the average value of the video signals of each field becomes constant and by adjusting the gain of the video signal of each field according to the predicted result.
However, in an XY address scanning-type imaging device, such as a CMOS imaging device, the exposure timing for each pixel is shifted in sequence by an amount corresponding to one period of the reading clock (pixel clock) in the horizontal direction of the picture plane, and the exposure timing differs in all the pixels. As a result, in the above-described method, flicker cannot be suppressed sufficiently.
FIG. 2 shows this situation. As described above, also in the horizontal direction of the picture plane, the exposure timing of each pixel is shifted in sequence, but one horizontal period is sufficiently short when compared to the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp. Thus, assuming that the exposure timings of the pixels in the same line are the same time, the exposure timing of each line in the vertical direction of the picture plane is shown. In practical terms, the above assumption does not cause problems to occur.
As shown in FIG. 2, in an XY address scanning-type imaging apparatus, for example, a CMOS imaging apparatus, the exposure timing differs for each line (F0 indicates the situation for a particular field), and the amount of exposure differs in each line. As a result, an intensity change and a color change due to flicker occur not only between fields but also inside fields, and the changes appear as a stripe pattern (the direction of the stripes themselves is the horizontal direction, and the direction of the change of the stripe is the vertical direction) on the picture plane.
FIG. 3 shows the state of this in-plane (intra-picture plane) flicker when the subject is a uniform pattern. Since one period (one wavelength) of the stripe pattern is 1/100 seconds, stripe patterns for 1.666 periods occur in one picture plane. When the number of reading lines per field is denoted as M, one period of the stripe pattern corresponds to L=M* 60/100 at the number of reading lines. In the specification and the drawings, an asterisk (*) is used as a symbol for multiplication.
As shown in FIG. 4, this stripe pattern corresponds to five periods (five wavelengths) in three fields (three frames), and when viewed continuously, it appears to flow in the vertical direction.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show only the intensity change due to flicker. However, in practice, the above-described color change is added, and the image quality is deteriorated considerably. In particular, color flicker becomes more noticeable as the shutter speed becomes higher (the exposure time becomes shorter), and in the XY address scanning-type imaging apparatus, the influence of the color flicker appears within the picture plane. Consequently, the deterioration of the image quality becomes more pronounced.
Also, in the case of such an XY address scanning-type imaging apparatus, when the power-supply frequency is 50 Hz and the vertical synchronization frequency of the imaging apparatus is 60 Hz, as shown in FIG. 2, if the exposure time is set to 1/100 seconds, which is the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and fluorescent lamp flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur.
Furthermore, a method for reducing fluorescent lamp flicker that is specific to the XY address scanning-type imaging apparatus, such as a CMOS imaging apparatus, without specifying the shutter speed in this manner, has been proposed.
More specifically, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-350102 or 2000-23040, a method is disclosed in which flicker components are estimated by measuring the amount of light from the fluorescent lamp by using a photoreceiving device and a photometering device, and the gain of a video signal from the imaging device is controlled in accordance with the estimated result.
However, when a subject is photographed under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp by means of an XY address scanning-type imaging apparatus such as a CMOS imaging apparatus, the form of flicker which occurs in the video signal from the imaging apparatus is greatly changed according to the combination of the video system of the imaging apparatus (specifically, the vertical synchronization frequency), the frequency of the commercial AC power-supply for driving the fluorescent lamp, and the shutter speed (exposure time) of the electronic shutter.
More specifically, as the video system of the imaging apparatus, the NTSC system (the vertical synchronization frequency is 60 Hz) and the PAL system (the vertical synchronization frequency is 50 Hz), which correspond to a broadcasting system, are known. Most recent video cameras are compatible with both the NTSC system and the PAL system. It is common practice that, when video cameras are shipped from the factory, they are electrically set to either the NTSC system or the PAL system according to the shipment destination.
The commercial AC power-supply frequency is 50 Hz in some areas of Japan and in some countries or areas of the world, and it is 60 Hz in other areas of Japan and in other countries or areas of the world.
Case 1 of FIG. 5A shows a case in which a subject is photographed by a CMOS imaging apparatus of the NTSC system under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp in an area where the power-supply frequency is 50 Hz.
In this case, whereas one field is 1/60 seconds, the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp is 1/100 seconds. Consequently, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, during the normal shutter time, where the exposure time is 1/60 seconds, and also during the high-speed shutter time, where the exposure time is shorter than 1/60 seconds, flicker having continuity in the time axis, that is, flicker whose repetition period is three fields (three frames), occurs (when viewed continuously, it appears to flow in the vertical direction).
However, as shown in case 1 in FIG. 7, when the shutter is set to a high-speed shutter with an exposure time of 1/100 seconds, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur.
Case 2 of FIG. 5B shows a case in which a subject is photographed by a CMOS imaging apparatus of the PAL system under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp in an area where the power-supply frequency is 60 Hz.
In this case, whereas one field is 1/50 seconds, the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp is 1/120 seconds. Consequently, during the normal shutter time, where the exposure time is 1/50 seconds, and also during the high-speed shutter time, where the exposure time is shorter than 1/50 seconds, flicker having continuity in the time axis, that is, flicker whose repetition period is five fields (five frames), occurs (when viewed continuously, it appears to flow in the vertical direction).
However, as shown in case 2 in FIG. 7, when the shutter is set to a high-speed shutter with an exposure time of 1/120 seconds or 1/60 seconds, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur.
As in case 1 or case 2 of FIG. 7, when flicker having continuity in the time axis, that is, flicker whose repetition period is a plurality of vertical periods (a plurality of picture planes), occurs, flicker components can be reduced by the above-described conventional method or the method of the invention-of the earlier application (Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-173642) by the same inventors as those of the present application (to be described later), in which flicker components are estimated using the continuity of flicker, and the video signal from the imaging device is corrected in accordance with the estimated result, thereby reducing the flicker components.
In comparison, case 3 of FIG. 6A shows a case in which a subject is photographed by a CMOS imaging apparatus of the NTSC system under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp in an area where the power-supply frequency is 60 Hz.
In this case, whereas one field is 1/60 seconds, the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp is 1/120 seconds. Consequently, during the normal shutter time, where the exposure time is 1/60 seconds, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur. However, during a high-speed shutter time, where the exposure time is shorter than 1/60 seconds, as shown on the right side of FIG. 6A, flicker that completes in one field (one picture plane) and whose stripe pattern becomes the same in each field (each picture plane) occurs.
However, as shown in case 3 in FIG. 7, when the shutter is set to a high-speed shutter with an exposure time of 1/120 seconds, similarly to that during the normal shutter time with an exposure time of 1/60 seconds, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur.
Case 4 of FIG. 6B shows a case in which a subject is photographed by a CMOS imaging apparatus of the PAL system under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp in an area where the power-supply frequency is 50 Hz.
In this case, whereas one field is 1/50 seconds, the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp is 1/100 seconds. Consequently, during the normal shutter time, where the exposure time is 1/50 seconds, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur. However, during a high-speed shutter time, where the exposure time is shorter than 1/50 seconds, as shown on the right side of FIG. 6B, flicker that completes in one field (one picture plane) and whose stripe pattern becomes the same in each field (each picture plane) occurs.
However, as shown in case 4 in FIG. 7, when the shutter is set to a high-speed shutter with an exposure time of 1/100 seconds, similarly to that during the normal shutter time with an exposure time of 1/50 seconds, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur.
Then, when flicker, which is not continuous in the time axis, that completes in one field (one picture plane), occurs in case 3 or case 4 of FIG. 7, in which the shutter is set to a high-speed shutter, since a distinction between picture pattern components by the subject and fluorescent-lamp flicker components in the video signal from the imaging device cannot be made from the very beginning, it is not possible to reduce flicker components by the flicker reduction method using the above-described continuity of flicker.
FIG. 7 summarizes the foregoing. In FIG. 7, case 1, in which the vertical synchronization frequency is 60 Hz and the power-supply frequency is 50 Hz; case 2, in which the vertical synchronization frequency is 50 Hz and the power-supply frequency is 60 Hz; case 3, in which the vertical synchronization frequency is 60 Hz and the power-supply frequency is 60 Hz; and case 4, in which the vertical synchronization frequency is 50 Hz and the power-supply frequency is 50 Hz, are as described above.
FIG. 7 also shows a case in which the vertical synchronization frequency (the frame frequency in this case) is 30 Hz in the CMOS imaging apparatus of the progressive system.
As shown in case 5 in FIG. 7, when a subject is photographed under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp in an area in which the power-supply frequency is 50 Hz by using a CMOS imaging apparatus in which the vertical synchronization frequency is 30 Hz, whereas one vertical period is 1/30 seconds, the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp is 1/100 seconds. Consequently, during the normal shutter time, where the exposure time is 1/30 seconds, and also during the high-speed shutter time, where the exposure time is shorter than 1/30 seconds, flicker having continuity in the time axis, that is, flicker whose repetition period is three vertical periods (three picture planes), occurs (when viewed continuously, it appears to flow in the vertical direction).
However, when the shutter is set to a high-speed shutter with an exposure time of 1/100 seconds, 1/50 seconds, or 3/100 seconds, which is an integral multiple of the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur.
Furthermore, as shown in case 6 in FIG. 7, when a subject is photographed under the illumination of a fluorescent lamp in an area where the power-supply frequency is 60 Hz by using a CMOS imaging apparatus in which the vertical synchronization frequency is 30 Hz, whereas one vertical period is 1/30 seconds, the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp is 1/120 seconds. Consequently, during the normal shutter time, where the exposure time is 1/30 seconds, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur. However, during the high-speed shutter time, where the exposure time is shorter than 1/30 seconds, similarly to that during the high-speed shutter of case 3 and case 4, flicker that completes in one period (one frame in this case) and whose flicker stripe pattern becomes the same in each vertical period (each frame in this case) occurs.
However, when the shutter is set to a high-speed shutter with an exposure time of 1/120 seconds, 1/60 seconds, or 1/40 seconds, which is an integral multiple of the period of the luminance change of the fluorescent lamp, similarly to that during the normal shutter time with an exposure time of 1/30 seconds, the amount of exposure becomes constant regardless of the exposure timing, and flicker, including in-plane flicker, does not occur.
As described above, in case 3, case 4, or case 6, in which the shutter is set to a high-speed shutter, flicker that completes in one period (one picture plane) and whose stripe pattern becomes the same in each vertical period (each picture plane) occurs, excluding a case in which the shutter speed is set at a specific speed, and a distinction between picture pattern components and fluorescent lamp flicker components in the video signal from the imaging device cannot be made. As a result, it is not possible to reduce flicker components by the flicker reduction method using the above-described continuity of flicker.
For this reason, in these cases, the shutter speed (exposure time) of the high-speed shutter may be set to a speed at which flicker does not occur, that is, 1/120 seconds in case 4; 1/100 seconds in case 3; and 1/120 seconds, 1/60 seconds, or 1/40 seconds in case 6. Alternatively, rather than being set to a high-speed shutter, the shutter may be set to a normal shutter in which flicker does not occur. That is, in case 3, the shutter speed may be set to 1/60 seconds; in case 4, the shutter speed may be set to 1/50 seconds; and in case 6, the shutter speed may be set to 1/30 seconds.
However, in order to achieve the above, it is necessary to detect the power-supply frequency separately by some method.
For example, a method for detecting the power-supply frequency on the basis of the relationship between the period (wavelength) of a stripe pattern of the flicker and the vertical period (the reciprocal of the vertical synchronization frequency) of the imaging apparatus has been considered. However, when flicker that is not continuous in the time axis and that completes in one vertical period (one picture plane) occurs in the manner described above, since a distinction between picture pattern components and fluorescent lamp flicker components in the video signal from the imaging device cannot be made from the very beginning, it is not possible to detect the power-supply frequency.
Furthermore, there is a method for detecting the power-supply frequency by an external sensor. However, in this method, the size and the cost of the imaging apparatus system increase.
Furthermore, when the shutter is set to a normal shutter rather than being set to a high-speed shutter, there are problems in electronic camera-shake correction, as described below.
Most recent imaging apparatuses have a camera-shake correction function of an electronic image frame cutout type. In this camera-shake correction method, camera shake is detected by a camera shake sensor incorporated in the camera or by a motion vector which occurs in the image, and an area of an appropriate size at an appropriate position is cut out and output from the input image on the basis of the detected amount of camera shake, thereby correcting the image signal so that the output image is always seen as being stationary.
However, in such electronic camera-shake correction, camera shake between picture planes (between fields or between frames) can be corrected, but commonly called afterimage blur due to camera shake which occurs during an exposure period cannot be corrected from the viewpoint of principles. That is, although camera shake between picture planes can be reduced by camera-shake correction, since the afterimage blur remains as is, the image quality deteriorates by the unbalance thereof.
Then, in order to reduce this afterimage blur, it is recommended that the shutter be set to a high-speed shutter so as to decrease the exposure time. However, if the shutter speed is made too high, rough movement of the moving picture becomes conspicuous, and therefore, the shutter is set to a shutter speed with approximately 1/100 seconds at which the relationship of the above becomes just satisfactory.
As described above, the imaging apparatus having an electronic camera-shake correction function is set so that a high-speed shutter is realized automatically when camera-shake correction is ON. That is, in order to perform electronic camera-shake correction, a high-speed shutter is necessary, and-in order to solve the problem of the fluorescent-lamp flicker, the high-speed shutter cannot be omitted.

Imaging apparatus and flicker reduction method


An imaging lens includes first to sixth lens elements arranged from an object side to an image side in the given order. Through designs of surfaces of the lens elements and relevant lens parameters, a short system length of the imaging lens may be achieved while maintaining good optical performance.

In recent years, as portable electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones and digital cameras) become ubiquitous, much effort has been put into reducing dimensions of portable electronic devices. Moreover, as dimensions of charged coupled device (CCD) and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) based optical sensors are reduced, dimensions of imaging lenses for use with the optical sensors must be correspondingly reduced without significantly compromising optical performance. However, the most important characteristics of imaging lenses are imaging quality and size.
Each of U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,355,215 and 8,432,619, and Taiwanese Patent Application Publication No. 201337319 discloses a relatively long conventional imaging lens that includes six lens elements. These conventional imaging lenses have a system length of over 6 mm, which is not reducible to be within a range that would satisfy thin design requirements for mobile phones.
Therefore, greater technical difficulties are encountered for a miniaturized imaging lens than for traditional imaging lenses. Producing an imaging lens that meets requirements of consumer electronic products while having satisfactory optical performance is always a goal in the industry.

Imaging lens, and electronic apparatus including the same


A prism includes a prism base member having first and second faces intersecting with each other and including calcium fluoride, an antireflection film for oblique incidence formed on the first face of the prism base member, and an antireflection film for 0xc2x0 incidence formed on the second face of the prism base member. Each of the antireflection film for oblique incidence and the antireflection film for 0xc2x0 incidence includes a high-refractive-index layer with a relatively high refractive index, and a low-refractive-index layer with a relatively low refractive index. The high-refractive-index layer includes thorium fluoride and the low-refractive-index layer includes aluminum fluoride.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a prism and an optical device using the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to a prism used as an optical element for narrowing the wavelength band in an ultraviolet laser light source, and to an optical device such as a resonator using such a prism.
2. Description of the Background Art
In recent years, owing to improved resolution in photolithography using light, semiconductor devices have been provided with a higher degree of integration and performance. The development of submicron lithography with use of a reducing projection aligner is, in one aspect, directed to reduction in the wavelength of light employed.
Lithography using an excimer laser as a light source with a short wavelength has been employed. More specifically, as steppers using a KrF laser light source with a wavelength of 248 nm are put into practical use and resolution in lithography improves, the memory storage capacity of a semiconductor integrated circuit device and the clock frequency of a CPU (Central Processing Unit) are remarkably increased. Most recently, a stepper using an ArF laser light source with a wavelength of 193 nm is being developed. This type of stepper enables fine patterning allowing a line width of as small as 0.13-0.11 xcexcm. Accordingly, to enable the manufacture a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) having a storage capacity of 1-Gbit, the practical use of the stepper using the ArF laser light source is expected.
The stepper requires, as an exposure light source, a monochromatic laser beam with an extremely small line width and, more specifically a laser beam with a laser oscillation output of at most 20 W, laser oscillation frequency of 4 kHz, and laser oscillation spectrum with a full width at half maximum of at most 0.5 pm. To obtain this type of laser beam, an enlargement prism is inserted in a resonator of the exposure light source along with a diffraction grating as an optical element for narrowing the wavelength band. This enables selection of dispersed laser beams with different wavelengths and enlargement of laser beam, so that a monochromatic output laser beam is obtained.
Under the circumstance, there is a need for a prism with high transmittance which is capable of narrowing the wavelength band of a laser light source with a wavelength of at most 200 nm such as an ArF laser light source without decreasing laser energy efficiency.
A structure of an antireflection film having an antireflection effect against incident light in a deep ultraviolet region with respect to an optical element has been proposed in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 10-253802, No. 10-268106, and No. 11-64604. However, these laid-open applications merely disclose a structure of an antireflection film with reduced reflectance, but not with high transmittance. In addition, although the above laid-open applications have proposed a structure of an antireflection film used for an optical element such as a lens in an optical system including a stepper, for example, they do not disclose a structure of an antireflection film which is most suitable for a specific optical element, i.e., a prism.
An object of the present invention is to provide a prism provided with an antireflection film with high transmittance capable of narrowing the wavelength band of a laser light source with a wavelength of at most 200 nm without lowering laser energy efficiency, and to an optical device using the same.
First of all, the present inventor has noted that transmittance T(%) can be expressed by the equation T(%)=100xe2x88x92xcex1(%)=R(%) (xcex1: absorptance, R: reflectance). According to the equation, absorptance xcex1 must be reduced along with reflectance R to achieve high transmittance T. Then, the present inventor has studied the structure of an antireflection film which provides not only low reflectance but also low absorptance. In the course of study, the inventor has found not only a precise refractive index n(xcex) but also a precise extinction coefficient (xcex) in the region with a wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm as optical constants of a material for the antireflection film.
As a result, the present inventor has found that a prism with high transmittance can be obtained by forming an antireflection film, formed of a combination of a layer including thorium fluoride (ThF4) with relatively high refractive index and a layer including aluminum fluoride (AlF3) with relatively low refractive index, on a base member including calcium fluoride (CaF2).
In addition, the present inventor has found that thorium fluoride (ThF4) and aluminum fluoride (AlF3) exhibit relatively high affinity with respect to calcium fluoride (CaF2) as compared with other film materials, and hence exhibit relatively high adhesion with respect to a prism base member including calcium fluoride (CaF2).
Therefore, the prism according to the present invention has a base member including calcium fluoride with first and second faces intersecting with each other, a first antireflection film formed on the first face of the base member, and a second antireflection film formed on the second face of the base member. Each of the first and second antireflection films has a high-refractive-index layer with a relatively high refractive index, and a low-refractive-index layer with a relatively low refractive index. The high-refractive-index layer includes thorium fluoride, and the low-refractive-index layer includes aluminum fluoride.
In the above mentioned prism, in the case where a laser beam is incident upon the first face and emitted from the second face of the base member, there would not be a considerable decrease in laser energy efficiency when the laser beam passes through the first and second antireflection films because of high transmittance of the first and second antireflection films. Thus, the prism with high transmittance can be obtained.
In the above mentioned prism, the outermost surfaces of the first and second antireflection films preferably include aluminum fluoride. In this case, the outermost layer including aluminum fluoride serves as a protection layer against the moisture environment in which the prism is located. Thus, the prism with excellent environmental resistance can be obtained.
Further, in the above mentioned prism, each of the first and second antireflection films preferably include a high-refractive-index layer and low-refractive-index layer which are alternately layered.
In the prism of the present invention, the high-refractive-index layer and low-refractive-index layer preferably have optical film thicknesses of 0.29xcex/4-1.25xcex/4 and 0.29xcex/4-2.25xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
In the prism of the present invention, the first antireflection film may include an odd number of layers with the low-refractive-index layer arranged immediately on the first face of the base member and the low-refractive-index layer arranged as the outermost surface of the first antireflection film. Alternatively, the first antireflection may include an even number of layers with the high-refractive-index layer arranged immediately on the first face of the base member and the low-refractive-index layer as the outermost surface of the first antireflection film.
When the first antireflection film includes an even number of layers, preferably, it has any of the following structures to maximize transmittance.
(1) The first antireflection film includes first and second layers successively formed on the base member side. The first and second layers have optical film thicknesses of 0.88xcex/4-0.95xcex/4 and 0.29xcex/4-0.32xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
(2) The first antireflection film includes first to fourth layers successively formed on the base member side. The first to fourth layers have optical film thicknesses of 1.15xcex/4-1.22xcex/4, 1.37xcex/4-1.40xcex/4, 0.88xcex/4-0.96xcex/4, and 0.29xcex/4-0.32xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
(3) The first antireflection includes first to sixth layers successively formed on the base member side. The first to sixth layers have optical film thicknesses of 1.02xcex/4-1.22xcex/4, 1.39xcex/4-1.47xcex/4, 1.08xcex/4-1.22xcex/4, 1.39xcex/4-1.48xcex/4, 0.84xcex/4-0.95xcex/4, and 0.29xcex/4-0.32xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
(4) The first antireflection film includes first to eighth layers successively formed on the base member side. The first to eighth layers have optical film thicknesses of 0.34xcex/4-1.21xcex/4, 1.40xcex/4-1.70xcex/4, 0.80xcex/4-1.22xcex/4, 1.40xcex/4-1.80xcex/4, 0.79xcex/4-1.22xcex/4, 1.40xcex/4-1.81xcex/4, 0.70xcex/4-0.95xcex/4, and 0.29xcex/4-0.32xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
(5) The first antireflection film includes first to tenth layers successively formed on the base member side. The first to tenth layers have optical film thicknesses of 0.34xcex/4-1.20xcex/4, 1.41xcex/4-1.94xcex/4, 0.45xcex/4-1.21xcex/4, 1.41xcex/4-2.20xcex/4, 0.49xcex/4-1.21xcex/4, 1.42xcex/4-2.09xcex/4, 0.58xcex/4-1.20xcex/4, 1.42xcex/4-1.99xcex/4, 0.63xcex/4-0.94xcex/4, and 0.29xcex/4-0.32xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
In the prism of the present invention, the first antireflection film may include an odd number of layers with the low-refractive-index layer arranged immediately on the first face of the base member and the low-refractive-index layer arranged as the outermost surface of the first antireflection film. Alternatively, the first antireflection may include an even number of layers with the high-refractive-index layer arranged immediately on the first face of the base member and the low-refractive-index layer arranged as the outermost surface of the first antireflection film.
The second antireflection film preferably includes any of the following structures to maximize transmittance.
(a) The second antireflection film includes first and second layers successively formed on the base member side. The first and second layers have optical film thicknesses of 0.95xcex/4-1.01xcex/4 and 0.98xcex/4-1.04xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
(b) The second antireflection film includes first to third layers successively formed on the base member side. The first to third layers have optical film thicknesses of 1.38xcex/4-1.46xcex/4, 0.80xcex/4-0.84xcex/4, and 0.96xcex/4-1.02xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
(c) The second antireflection includes first to fourth layers successively formed on the base member side. The first to fourth layers have optical film thicknesses of 0.66xcex/4-0.70xcex/4, 0.79xcex/4-0.83xcex/4, 0.66xcex/4-0.70xcex/4, and 1.30xcex/4-1.35xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
(d) The second antireflection film includes first to fifth layers successively formed on the base member side. The first to fifth layers have optical film thicknesses of 2.07xcex/4-2.19xcex/4, 0.33xcex/4-0.35xcex/4, 1.55xcex/4-1.65xcex/4, 0.76xcex/4-0.80xcex/4, and 0.98xcex/4-1.04xcex/4 with respect to any design basis wavelength xcex of at most 200 nm, respectively.
Note that the above defined range for optical film thickness of each layer is determined taking into account a thickness controlling range for practical film formation with respect to optimum design thickness that may provide optimum transmittance.
According to a preferred embodiment of the prism of the present invention, the first antireflection film includes any number of layers selected from a group of two, four, six, eight, and ten layers with the high-refractive-index layer arranged immediately on the first face of the base member and the low-refractive-index layer arranged as the outermost surface of the first antireflection film. The second antireflection film includes any number of layers selected from a group of two, three, four, and five layers with the low-refractive-index layer arranged as the outermost surface of the second antireflection film.
To maximize the effect of the present invention, the prism of the present invention is preferably a right-angle prism.
Further, to maximize the effect of the present invention, the prism of the present invention is preferably used such that light with incident angle of 65-80xc2x0 is incident upon the first face of the base member and light with incident angle of 0xc2x0 is incident upon the second face of the base member.
An optical device according to another aspect of the present invention uses the above described prism as an optical element for narrowing an excimer laser beam with a wavelength of at most 200 nm. The optical device is preferably a laser resonator. Generally, at least three prisms are used for narrowing wavelength band in a grating method. Thus, if transmittance per prism is increased by 1-2%, efficiency (transmittance) of the narrowing unit increases by 3-6%, which would be a considerable contribution to a laser output. As a result, a laser input value can be decreased, whereby the useful life of components in the resonator, such as an optical component, electrode and laser gas, may be prolonged, and a laser beam may be effectively narrowed.
According to the present invention, the prism with higher transmittance than the conventional prism can be provided. By forming the outermost surface of the antireflection film with aluminum fluoride, the prism may be provided with excellent environmental resistance. Further, the optical device using the prism of the present invention restrains an output loss of light. For example, the use of the prism of the present invention in the resonator for narrowing the wavelength band of excimer laser beam enables effective narrowing of the band without lowering laser energy efficiency.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


An X-ray apparatus for digital radiography has a rotating arm where the X-ray source and X-ray sensor cassette are oppositely mounted. The source has a primary collimator to adjust the X-ray beam size according to the selected imaging modality. The sensor cassette encloses a first X-ray detector for a first imaging mode, while a second X-ray detector usable for a second imaging mode is detachably mounted on the external side of the sensor cassette. The sensor cassette accommodates a second collimator to create a fan shaped X-ray beam for a third imaging modality. The sensor cassette has a linear motorized movement which is used for: aligning the X-ray beam with respect to the first and second detector; positioning the first detector in the first imaging mode to achieve an extended view; and scanning movement during the third imaging modality synchronized with the horizontal movement of a third X-ray detector.

Combined X-ray imaging apparatuses, capable of performing according to multiple imaging modes, are well known in the state of the art.
A dual purpose X-ray imaging apparatus equipped with a single sensor and capable of multiple imaging modes, namely partial CT (computerized tomography) imaging additional to panoramic imaging, for use in dental and medical diagnosis, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,118,842.
Another apparatus providing at least one x-ray detector which can be positioned in multiple imaging positions, and accordingly exposed by a collimated x-ray beam, depending on a selected imaging mode, is known from U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,292. The embodiment of a single movable case containing two x-ray detectors which can be positioned depending on imaging mode is further known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,559,692 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,798,708.
EP 1752099 teaches about a combined panoramic and computed tomographic apparatus characterized by a X-ray sensor part equipped with dual X-ray detectors and rotatable around an eccentric axis, so that, depending on the selected imaging mode, a different X-ray detector is placed in the X-ray beam at a preferred distance from the source and is exposed to radiation.
EP 1752100 teaches about a combined panoramic and computed tomographic apparatus characterized by a X-ray sensor part equipped with dual X-ray detector mounts on the rotating arm, displaced at different distance from the source. The X-ray detector mount for panoramic imaging is located closer to the source and can slide out of the beam when CT imaging mode is selected.
EP 1752099 teaches about a combined panoramic, computed tomography and cephalometric apparatus characterized by a X-ray sensor part equipped with dual X-ray detectors either rotatable around an axis, or displaceable by sliding, so that, depending on the selected imaging mode, a different X-ray detector is placed in the X-ray beam at a preferred distance from the source and is exposed to radiation.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,783,002 teaches about a combined panoramic and computed tomographic apparatus characterized by a fixed CT X-ray detector and a movable panoramic X-ray detector having a pivoting movement to turn it out of the beam when CT imaging mode is selected.
WO 2010/128404 teaches about a combined panoramic, computed tomography and cephalometric apparatus having an extended rotary arm and providing various arrangements for detector positioning in and out of the x-ray beam at predefined distances from the source, either by translation of a movable platen, or by rotation around a pivot axis, including a third position where both a panoramic and a CT detector are out of beam and a third detector for cephalography is exposed.
Concerning the cephalometric imaging mode U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,106 teaches a method of scanning the patient skull by a secondary collimator located in proximity of the patient and translating with a linear movement synchronized with the movement of the detector.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,103,141 teaches a method of modulating the radiation intensity during the cephalometric scanning process, either by adjustment of the tube voltage, or the tube current, or the scanning speed.
US 2009/168966 teaches about a combined apparatus having multiple imaging modes, to among which computed tomography, where the irradiation field is changed according to the selected imaging mode by a primary and secondary collimation mechanism; in particular, various collimator arrangements are described where the secondary collimator is essentially mentioned for proximal limitation in front of the CT detector and it is not disclosed a movable secondary collimation for cephalographic scanning placed in an X-ray sensor cassette posterior to the detector with respect to the source.
EP 1752099 teaches about a combined apparatus for panoramic and CT imaging modes, having adjustable magnification ratio and about a mounting part for attaching and detaching the suitable X-ray detector; however, it does not disclose cephalographic imaging and secondary collimation for cephalography.
EP 2198783 teaches about a simplified x-ray apparatus having a fixed secondary collimator placed at the extremity of a rotating arm, utilized for X-ray scanning in cephalography by a roto-translation movement of the same rotating arm and does not teach about a method for X-ray scanning in cephalography where the rotating arm is steady and the secondary collimator is moved thanks to the translational movement of the detector cassette where said secondary collimator is located in a position posterior to the detector with respect to the source.
Concerning the cone beam CT image acquisition and reconstruction various publication teach the method and algorithms, among which:
Med Phys. 2003 October; 30(10):2758-61.
Liu V, Lariviere N R, Wang G.—CT/Micro-CT Lab, Department of Radiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242, USA.
X-ray micro-CT with a displaced detector array: application to helical cone-beam reconstruction. In x-ray micro-CT applications, it is useful to increase the field of view by offsetting a two-dimensional (2D) detector array. In this technical note, we briefly review the methods for image reconstruction with an asymmetric 2D detector array, elaborate on the use of an associated weighting scheme in the case of helical/spiral cone-beam scanning, and perform a series of numerical tests to demonstrate helical cone-beam image reconstruction with such an arrangement.
Med Phys. 2002 July; 29(7):1634-6.—Wang G.—Department of Radiology, University of Iowa, Iowa City 52242, USA. email@example.com
X-ray micro-CT with a displaced detector array.
Because the sizes of samples differ in x-ray micro-CT applications, it is desirable to have a mechanism to change the field of view of a micro-CT scanner. A well-known way to double the diameter of the field of view is to displace a detector array by 50%. In this paper, we propose to displace a detector array by an amount of greater than 0% but less than 50% for a continuously adjustable field of view, and formulate a weighting scheme for artifact-free reconstruction. Then, we perform numerical simulation with the Shepp-Logan phantom to demonstrate the feasibility in fan-beam and cone-beam geometry.
Yu, L. Pelizzari, C. Pan, X. Riem, H. Munro, P. Kaissl, W.—Dept. of Radiol., Chicago Univ., Ill., USA
This paper appears in: Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record, 2004 IEEE Publication Date: 16-22 Oct. 2004 Volume: 5—On page(s): 3249-3252 Vol. 5
ISSN: 1082-3654
E-ISBN: 0-7803-8701-5
Print ISBN: 0-7803-8700-7
INSPEC Accession Number: 8588605
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/NSSMIC.2004.1466376
Current Version Published: 1 Aug. 2005
Abstract
In many implementations of cone-beam CT in radiotherapy for target positioning, it is not uncommon that the maximum allowable field of view (FOV) cannot cover the patient because of the limited size of the flat-panel detector. In this situation, the measurements will contain truncated projections, leading to significant artifacts in reconstructed images. Asymmetric cone-beam configurations can be used for increasing the FOV size by displacing the detector panel to one side. From the data acquired with such an asymmetric configuration, the well-known algorithm developed by Feldkamp, Davis, and Kress (FDK) can be modified to reconstruct images. With increasing detector asymmetry, however, the modified FDK algorithm may produce significant aliasing artifacts. In this work, we develop a novel algorithm for image reconstruction in asymmetric cone-beam CT, which can generate images with improved numerical properties and allow for large detector asymmetry. We have employed the asymmetric configuration and the developed algorithm in a cone-beam CT system in radiotherapy to increase the FOV size. Preliminary phantom studies have been conducted to validate the asymmetric configuration and the proposed reconstruction algorithm.
Conebeam X-ray computed tomography with an offset detector array
Gregor, J.; Gleason, S. S.; Paulus, M. J.;
Dept. of Comput. Sci., Tennessee Univ., Knoxville, Tenn., USA
This paper appears in: Image Processing, 2003. ICIP 2003. Proceedings. 2003
International Conference on
On page(s): II-803-6 vol. 3
ISSN: 1522-4880
Print ISBN: 0-7803-7750-8
INSPEC Accession Number: 7978666
Digital Object Identifier: 10.1109/ICIP.2003.1246802
Current Version Published: 24 Nov. 2003
Abstract
Conventional X-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging is based on the assumption that the entire cross-section of an object is illuminated with X-rays at each view angle. When imaging a large object, a large detector array is thus needed. As an alternative, we propose to offset a normal sized detector array such that slightly more than one half of the required projection data is acquired. During reconstruction, the missing data is accounted for by means of an interpolation and weighting scheme. This algorithmic approach for extending the field of view, which we here present in the context of the popular Feldkamp algorithm, is simple but effective. Supportive experimental results are provided based on simulated phantom data as well as real data obtained from a MicroCAT™ which is a circular orbit microCT system for small animal imaging.
Comput Med Imaging Graph. 1996 January-February; 20(1):49-57.
Cone-beam CT from width-truncated projections.
Cho P S, Rudd A D, Johnson R H.
Source
Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98195-6043, USA.
Abstract
In this paper we report cone-beam CT techniques that permit reconstruction from width-truncated projections. These techniques are variants of Feldkamp's filtered backprojection algorithm and assume quasi-redundancy of ray integrals. Two methods are derived and compared. The first method involves the use of preconvolution weighting of the truncated data. The second technique performs post-convolution weighting preceded by non-zero estimation of the missing information. The algorithms were tested using the three-dimensional Shepp-Logan head phantom. The results indicate that given an appropriate amount of overscan, satisfactory reconstruction can be achieved. These techniques can be used to solve the problem of undersized detectors.
Phys Med Biol. 2005 Apr. 21; 50(8):1805-20. Epub 2005 Apr. 6.
Exact fan-beam image reconstruction algorithm for truncated projection data acquired from an asymmetric half-size detector.
Leng S, Zhuang T, Nett B E, Chen G H.
Source
Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 53704, USA.
Abstract
In this paper, we present a new algorithm designed for a specific data truncation problem in fan-beam CT. We consider a scanning configuration in which the fan-beam projection data are acquired from an asymmetrically positioned half-sized detector. Namely, the asymmetric detector only covers one half of the scanning field of view. Thus, the acquired fan-beam projection data are truncated at every view angle. If an explicit data rebinning process is not invoked, this data acquisition configuration will reek havoc on many known fan-beam image reconstruction schemes including the standard filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithm and the super-short-scan FBP reconstruction algorithms. However, we demonstrate that a recently developed fan-beam image reconstruction algorithm which reconstructs an image via filtering a backprojection image of differentiated projection data (FBPD) survives the above fan-beam data truncation problem. Namely, we may exactly reconstruct the whole image object using the truncated to data acquired in a full scan mode (2 pi angular range). We may also exactly reconstruct a small region of interest (ROI) using the truncated projection data acquired in a short-scan mode (less than 2 pi angular range). The most important characteristic of the proposed reconstruction scheme is that an explicit data rebinning process is not introduced. Numerical simulations were conducted to validate the new reconstruction algorithm.
A first problem not resolved from the prior art is to provide a solution that is at the same time protecting the CT detector, which is usually highly expensive and should not be equipped with manual detachment possibility, but allowing manual detachment of the panoramic detector, which is typically an area sensor with elongated size, and can be conveniently displaced in a position for Cephalography so allowing execution of panoramic and cephalometric imaging modes with a single sensor.
A second problem not adequately resolved from the prior art is that in order to achieve a flexibility of operation and an economic mechanical and electrical solution, it is preferable to have an arrangement provided with a single movement capable of performing all the necessary detector positioning as well as the scanning movement required for Cephalography.
Among the necessary detector positioning is included the partial offset positioning required to perform a particular CT imaging mode defined in literature as "extended view", where thanks to the acquisition of multiple images by an offset rotation around the object an extended portion of the region of interest of the patient is reconstructed.

Apparatus and method for digital radiography


A hydraulic operating device for a fluid of a cycle or of a motorcycle hydraulic system including a body, a first chamber carved in the body adapted to house an actuating piston, a second tank-chamber carved in the body and in fluid communication with said first chamber, a floating plug, a sphere, an elastic element, a rear sealing element and a rear plug.

Hydraulic operating devices for hydraulic bicycle brakes or for a motorcycle clutch are known in the state of the art.
For example, a hydraulic braking system for a bicycle comprises a brake caliper and a hydraulic operating device for brakes that comprises a brake lever adapted to rotate about a pin, a piston that slides in a main cylinder of a cartridge in conformity with the rotation of the brake lever. When the piston slides, the fluid (oil, for example) is ejected from the main cylinder to control the brake caliper.

Hydraulic operating device for a cycle or for a motorcycle comprising a float valve


An anti-drool mechanism suitable for use in an injection molding system is provided herein. An injection molding machine includes a retractable machine nozzle for injecting a melt stream into a manifold. Between the machine nozzle and the manifold is an anti-drool mechanism, which includes a melt passage and a fixed pin disposed within the melt passage. The fixed pin is sized so that the melt stream will flow around the pin. The fixed pin has a head portion configured to engage with the machine nozzle and includes a first sealing surface. An actuated shut-off collar is also disposed within the melt passage, surrounding the pin, and includes a second sealing surface configured to cut off the flow of the melt stream when in contact with the first sealing surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to injection molding systems and, more particularly, to the prevention of drool in an injection molding system.
2. Background of the Invention
In many injection molding systems available today, the systems comprise an injection molding machine having a machine nozzle making contact with a sprue bushing to transfer molten material to a mold via a runner system, such as a cold runner or a hot runner. In the event that the machine nozzle has to be disengaged from making contact with the sprue bushing molten plastic will drool backwards from the sprue bushing, and this will adversely affect the next shot of melt. This situation can happen in many applications, such as for example with shuttle molds, rotary molds, and stack molds.
Due to residual pressures in the system, molten material tends to leak, or "drool", from the sprue bushing at the end of the injection cycle, i.e., when the machine nozzle is retracted from the sprue bushing inlet. Not only does this drool waste material and increase production costs, but the drooled material may collect on the mold and prevent complete closing thereof or cause permanent damage thereto.
Many techniques and devices exist in the art that are designed to prevent or reduce drool in an injection molding system. Examples include various shut-off mechanisms located at the machine nozzle tip or spindle elements for use in a suck-back procedure. In many cases, the machine nozzle incorporates an anti-drool mechanism into its structure, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,626 to Hall, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference thereto.
However, there exists a need to have an anti-drool mechanism that can be added as a modular component to existing injection molding systems, including stack molding systems.


A gas turbine fuel nozzle head includes an outlet passage having a curved annular transitional surface extending smoothly to a substantially radial and annular surface relative to a central axis of the fuel nozzle head, for providing a low cost and compact structure with improved cold start and altitude re-light capabilities.

Efforts have been made to improve fuel injectors, particularly the fuel nozzle heads, to achieve better atomization of fuel and durability, as conventional gas turbine fuel nozzle heads have shortcomings. For example, carbon build-up or coking on the nozzle body is a problem. One solution to overcome coking is to provide an extremely smooth surface adjacent the nozzle head tip in order to reduce surface friction. However, this is an expensive and often unpractical solution.
Therefore, there is a continuing need for improved gas turbine fuel nozzle heads which control both the fuel spray pattern in an effective and economical manner, facilitating carbon free nozzle tips and efficient cold start operability and low pollutant emissions.


A work vehicle periphery monitoring system includes: an alarm range storage unit that stores an alarm range, in which an alarm output is required when an object is present, in a detection range of an object detection device that detects an object present in a periphery of a work vehicle; a work mode determination unit that determines a work mode of the work vehicle; an alarm range changing unit that changes the alarm range in the detection range when it is determined that the work mode is a specific work mode; and an alarm control unit that causes an alarm device to output an alarm when an object is present in the alarm range.

In the technical field related to a work vehicle, a periphery monitoring system that monitors a situation in the periphery of the work vehicle by using an object detection device has been known. Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology for monitoring the periphery of a work vehicle using a radar device which is a kind of object detection device.

Work vehicle periphery monitoring system and work vehicle periphery monitoring method


A method and system generate code capable of driving a digital signal processor in a communications system, operative in response to constraints of signal transmission protocol. The method and system employ a computer having a display presenting a series of blocks representative of elements of a message. Data entered into the computer includes identification of various message elements for inclusion in respective ones of the blocks on the display. This provides for a graphical representation of bit streams having the protocol and the syntax. The entered data further includes protocol and syntax constraints to be employed by the communications system for transmission of the messages. The computer is operative to convert the graphical representation to a set of declarations in accordance with a declarative form of Transfer Syntax Notation (TSN) language. Also included is a data processor which runs a TSN program to convert the declarative form of the TSN language to an imperative form of the TSN language. Thereupon, a compiler of the imperative form of the TSN language outputs a host language, the host language being convertible to machine language for operation of the digital signal processor.

This invention relates to protocols employed in the transmission of messages such as telephonic control signals of a communication system and, more particularly, to the generation of a set of instructions for operation of the digital signal processor of a radio telephone for encoding and decoding telephonic command signals in various protocols.
Communication via radiotelephone is in wide use today for both domestic and international communication. In order to enable telephones in various countries to communicate, international standards of communication protocols have been developed. The protocols establish the digitally formatted signals transmitted among radiotelephones and their respective base stations via control channels for various control purposes, such as for dialing a distant party and for initiating a conversation. Implementation of a protocol is accomplished by programming the digital signal processor (DSP) of a radio telephone to encode outgoing telephone control signals in accordance with the protocol and to decode incoming telephone control signals in accordance with the protocol. While the foregoing example is in terms of a radio or cellular telephone system, similar uses of protocol apply to other forms of communication systems.
A problem arises in that the programming of a computer, such as the computer in a DSP, to accomplish the encoding and decoding functions of a specific protocol is a long and cumbersome task involving many hours of a programmer's time. Thus, in the event that a proposed improvement to a communication system is to be accomplished by a change of the protocol, there is considerable expense and effort involved in the reprogramming of the DSP or other computer which performs the encoding and the decoding functions.

Generation of code by graphical representation


A method for adjusting noise in an imaging system is described. The method includes adjusting, by a processor, a noise within an image based on a patient size.

This invention relates generally to medical imaging systems and methods and more particularly to system and methods for adjusting noise in the medical imaging systems.
Typically, in computed tomography (CT) imaging systems, a gantry includes an X-ray source that emits a fan-shaped beam toward an object, such as a patient. The beam, after being attenuated by the patient, impinges upon an array of radiation detectors. The intensity of the attenuated beam radiation received at the detector array is typically dependent upon the attenuation of the X-ray beam by the patient. Each detector element of the detector array produces a separate electrical signal indicative of the attenuated beam received by each detector element. The electrical signals are transmitted to a data processing unit for analysis which ultimately results in a formation of an image.
Generally, the X-ray source and the detector array are rotated with a gantry within an imaging plane and around the patient. X-ray sources typically include X-ray tubes, which conduct a tube current and emit the X-ray beam at a focal point. X-ray detectors typically include a collimator for collimating X-ray beams received at the detector, a scintillator for converting X-rays to light energy adjacent the collimator, and photodiodes for receiving the light energy from the adjacent scintillator.
The CT imaging systems use a projection area or projection data from a scan acquisition, such as a scout scan, to determine a tube current per rotation of the gantry that maintains a constant noise independent of patient sizes of a first, second, and a third patient. For example, a CT scanner manufactured by a manufacturer A provides a first constant noise and a first tube current independent of the patient sizes scanned by the scanner. Another CT scanner manufactured by a manufacturer B provides a second constant noise and a second tube current independent of the patient sizes scanned by the scanner. However, if the CT imaging systems scan the second patient that may be larger than the first patient by applying the same amount of tube current as that applied to the first patient, quality of images of the second patient is degraded by image noise. On the other hand, if the CT imaging systems scan the third patient that may be smaller than the first patient by applying the same amount of tube current as that applied to the first patient, quality of images of the third patient may not be degraded but the third patient may be exposed to a higher x-ray dose than necessary.

Systems and methods for adjusting noise in a medical imaging system


A mechanism is added to a network support package to enable/allow the specification of additional boot discovery protocols and additional network address formats. The mechanism defines qualifier keywords that are added to the boot arguments and processed by the network support package. The qualifier keywords modify the boot arguments associated with a bootstrap method by specifying a way to acquire the arguments (i.e., a specific boot discovery protocol), the format of the arguments, and other parameters associated with the arguments. Multiple qualifier keywords may be added to the boot arguments at a time, and the keywords can be applied in their order within the arguments.

1. Technical Field
The present invention generally relates to computer network systems and in particular to use of network support packages within computer network systems. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to enhanced methods for utilizing a network support package to load a computer system's boot image from a boot server.
2. Description of the Related Art
Network computer systems are generally known in the art. Also known is the general method for loading a boot image of a computer system from a remote boot server over a network. When booting a computer system over a network, the computer system's firmware typically utilizes the Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) to obtain the boot file from a boot device across the network. A network support package is provided to assist this remote (network) boot operation by processing the boot arguments obtained from the computer system and establishing a connection with a remote server to obtain the boot file. The network support package utilizes the TFTP bootstrap method to retrieve and/or define specific boot arguments. General information about the utilization of the network support package to enable loading of boot image from a remote boot server may be found within Open Firmware Recommended Practice: TFTP Booting Extension Version 1.0, which is published by the Open Firmware Working Group.
The standard network support package utilizes the TFTP bootstrap method to boot a system over the network. The boot arguments for the TFTP bootstrap method offer the option of specifying the bootstrap protocol (BOOTP) protocol to find a boot server and the boot file. Thus current (existing) definitions of boot arguments provide the option of utilizing the BOOTP, as opposed to RARP/ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) for example, to find a boot server and obtain the boot file. If the BOOTP protocol is not specified, other protocols such as RARP/APR may be utilized to get the boot file. Also, with the conventional methods, all arguments representing network addresses are specified in IPv4 format (Internet Protocol version 4).
Continuing developments have led to creation of more advanced IP format, such as IPv6. However, the existing arguments and corresponding methods for enabling remote boot operations still utilize IPv4 format, since the IPv6 format had not been previously defined. Also, with the existing methods, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) was not considered an alternative boot discovery protocol for TFTP bootstrap. The present invention thus recognizes that a need exists for upgrading the existing methods of remote boot operations to enable use of IPv6 format and DHCP to acquire the information needed to boot a system using a boot file stored on a remote server.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method to add IPV6 and DHCP support to the network support package

International Business Machines Corporation


The present disclosure is generally directed to the manufacture and use of compounds described herein for preventing, inhibiting or treating cancer, AIDS and/or premature aging, or the manufacture and use of a pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one of the compounds, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier for preventing, inhibiting or treating cancer, AIDS and/or premature aging.

Cancer
In most cancers, mortality is not due to the primary tumor but rather to the derived metastases. This malignant progression is clinically defined by the appearance of metastatic cells. Tumor metastases are typically defined by a primary loss of cell adhesion and an increase of cell motility, which allows for invasive cell to leave the initial tumor site and colonize various target tissues.
Metastases are considered as a recurrent feature of uncontrolled malignant progression of cancer. During this process, tumor cells complete their malignant transformation by increasing their migratory capacity. Cancer cells can then disseminate and establish new tumor foci in far away sites. This event is termed "metastatic cascade," which, as indicated immediately above, is marked by invasion of tissues around the tumor, venous or lymphatic intravasation, migration and establishment of new tumors in distant places of an organism that may escape from all innate defense mechanisms.
Because no efficient therapeutic options presently exist for the treatment or prevention of metastatic tumors, metastatic invasion a major cause of death worldwide. Due to the frequency of cancers diagnosed at the metastatic stage and the lack of viable therapeutic options at this stage of the disease, the development of molecules that specifically target metastatic invasion is crucial for a major breakthrough in cancer treatments.
The compounds and methods of use as described herein are consistent with numerous published reports during the last twenty years that demonstrate a link between changes in RNA alternative splicing and metastatic invasion, which has opened new avenues for therapeutic strategies.
AIDS
Certain indole derivative compounds such as ellipticine derivatives and aza-ellipticine derivatives are already known as intercalating molecules for correcting dysfunctions in gene expression, notably in DNA replication. They have been more specifically described for treating diseases such as cancer, leukemia or AIDS (see in particular patents FR 2 627 493, FR 2 645 861, FR 2 436 786).
Concerning current treatments for AIDS, the various approaches aimed at reducing viral load in patients infected by HIV utilize molecules intended to inhibit the enzymatic activity of viral reverse transcriptase or of the protease involved in virus protein maturation. Regarding reverse transcriptase inhibitors, these can be nucleosidic (NRTIs), non-nucleosidic (NNRTIs) or nucleotidic in nature. The purpose of using these compounds is to prevent a DNA copy of the retroviral genome from being produced and, consequently, from being integrated into the genome of the host cell. Protease inhibitors (PIs) interfere with the proper maturation of viral proteins and cause the production of incomplete particles with altered infectious capacities. There is another type of anti-retroviral compound used for its ability to prevent viruses from entering the cell. These entry inhibitors can be either peptides that interfere with the fusion of viral glycoproteins gp41 or gp120 with the membrane of CD4 cells or molecules that target HIV cellular co-receptors CCR5 and CXCR4. The absence of cellular proteins resembling HIV integrase has also been exploited to develop novel anti-HIV molecules that inhibit this enzymatic activity. Although a number of integrase inhibitors are in the clinical trial phase, no molecule is yet available on the market.
The intracellular splicing process consists of eliminating introns in pre-messenger RNAs to produce mature messenger RNAs that can be used by the translation mechanism of the cell (SHARP, Cell, vol. 77, p. 805-815, 1994). In the case of alternative splicing, the same precursor can be the source of messenger RNAs coding for proteins with distinct functions (BLACK, Annu. Rev. Biochem. vol. 72, p. 291-336, 2003). The precise selection of 5′ and 3′ splicing sites is thus a mechanism that generates diversity and that can lead to the regulation of gene expression according to the type of tissue or during the development of an organism. The factors involved in this selection include a family of proteins called SR, characterized by the presence of one or two RNA recognition motifs (RRM) and a domain rich in arginine and serine residues called an RS domain (MANLEY & TACKE, Genes Dev., vol. 10, p. 1569-1579, 1996). By binding to short exon or intron sequences of the pre-mRNA, called ESE (exonic splicing enhancer) or ISE (intronic splicing enhancer), SR proteins are able to activate, in a dose-dependant manner, sub-optimal splicing sites and to enable the inclusion of exons (GRAVELEY, RNA, vol. 6, p. 1197-1211, 2000). The activity of an SR protein in alternative splicing is specific insofar as the inactivation of the corresponding gene is lethal (WANG et al., Mol. Cell, vol. 7, p. 331-342, 2001).
Sequencing of the human genome and analysis of EST (expressed sequence tag) banks has revealed that 65% of genes are expressed in the form of alternatively spliced variants (EWING & GREEN, Nat. Genet., vol. 25, p. 232-234, 2000; JOHNSON et al., Science, vol. 302, p. 2141-2144, 2003). This mechanism is thus a favored target of modifications that can affect the factors involved in regulating splicing and of mutations that affect the sequences necessary for this regulation. At present, it is estimated that roughly 50% of the point mutations responsible for genetic diseases induce aberrant splicing. These mutations can interfere with splicing by inactivating or creating splicing sites, but also by modifying or generating regulating elements such as splicing enhancers or splicing silencers in a particular gene (CARTEGNI et al., Nat. Rev. Genet., vol. 3, p. 285-298, 2002; TAZI et al., TIBS, vol. 40, p. 469-478, 2005).
The strategies currently developed to correct these splicing defects rest on the use of various types of molecules (TAZI et al., cited above, 2005).
One strategy aimed at developing novel molecules to correct or eliminate abnormal splicing, for example, rests on the overexpression of proteins that interfere with this type of splicing (NISSIM-RAFINIA et al., Hum. Mol. Genet., vol. 9, p. 1771-1778, 2000; HOFINANN et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., vol. 97, p. 9618-9623, 2000).
Other strategies rest on the use of antisense oligonucleotides (SAZANI et al., Nat. Biotechnol., vol. 20, p. 1228-1233, 2002; SAZANI & KOLE, Prog. Mol. Subcell. Biol., vol. 31, p. 217-239, 2003) or of PNA (CARTEGNI et al., Nat. Struct. Biol., vol. 10, p. 120-125, 2003) enabling, respectively, the inhibition or activation of a splicing event.
Yet another strategy rests on the identification of compounds that influence the splicing efficiency of the pre-mRNA of interest (ANDREASSI et al., Hum. Mol. Genet., vol. 10, p. 2841-2849, 2001).
Lastly, a strategy based on the use of trans-splicing to replace mutant exons has been described (LIU et al., Nat. Biotechnol., vol. 20, p. 47-52, 2002).
One of the disadvantages of the developed strategies cited above to correct or eliminate abnormal splicing is their production cost. Indeed, the cost of producing antisense oligonucleotides that must be modified to improve their stability, and that of PNA molecules, is high.
Another disadvantage of the developed strategies cited above is that they require the use of expression vectors, such as, for example, for the strategy based on the use of trans-splicing.
International application WO05023255, under French priority of applications FR0310460 and FR0400973, filed by the Applicant, disclosed the use of indole derivatives to treat diseases related to the pre-messenger RNA splicing process in the cell.
Thus it was recently shown that certain indole derivatives prove particularly effective in treating metastatic cancer and in treating AIDS (BAKKOUR et al., PLoS Pathogens, vol. 3, p. 1530-1539, 2007).
However, the compounds described have a flat structure with four rings that have the disadvantage of intercalating between DNA bases and can thus lead to cellular toxicity.
Premature Aging
Premature aging may be encountered in patients suffering from various diseases and in particular from the Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) and from the HIV infection.
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder phenotypically characterized by many features of premature aging. It is clinically characterized by postnatal growth retardation, midface hypoplasia, micrognathia, premature atherosclerosis, absence of subcutaneous fat, alopecia and generalized osteodysplasia (Khalifa, 1989—Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome: report of a Libyan family and evidence of autosomal recessive inheritance. Clin. Genet. 35, 125-132). At birth, the appearance of patients is generally normal, but by 1 year of age patients show severe growth retardation, balding and sclerodermatous skin changes. They average about Im in height and usually weigh less than 15 kg even as teenagers. The age at death ranges from 7 to 28 years, with a median of 13.4 years. Over 80% of deaths are due to heart attacks or congestive heart failure.
Premature aging syndrome has been observed in patients suffering from HIV infections. One mechanical pathway underlying said premature aging could be associated, as for the HGPS and as exposed beneath, with an aberrant splicing of the nuclear lamin A gene. Indeed it has recently been hypothesized that protease inhibitors against HIV also block the transformation of prelamin A into lamin A as it turned out in HGPS.
Most of the patients suffering from premature aging carry a heterozygous silent mutation that activates the use of a cryptic 5′ splice site in exon 11 of LMNA pre-mRNA. This aberrant splicing event leads to the production of a truncated protein (progerin) with a dominant negative effect which is responsible for the observed phenotype (De Sandre-Giovannoli et al., 2003—Lamin A truncation in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria. Science 300, 2055/Pendas et al., 2002a—Defective prelamin A processing and muscular and adipocyte alterations in Zmpste24 metalloproteinase-deficient mice. Nat. Genet. 31, 94-99).
Most of the premature aging syndromes in particular associated with Hutchinson-Gilford progeria and HIV infection are due to a recurrent, de novo point mutation in LMNA exon 11: c. 1824C>T. This mutation is localized in the part of the gene specifically encoding lamin A (De Sandre-Giovannoli et al., 2003/De Sandre-Giovannoli and Levy, 2006—Altered splicing in prelamin A-associated premature aging phenotypes. Prog. Mol. Subcell. Biol. 44, 199-232). Its predicted effect is a silent amino acid change at codon 608 (p.G608G). In fact, this sequence variation is not silent as it occurs in a probable exon splicing enhancer. As a result, a cryptic splice site is activated in transcripts issued from the mutated allele, which is located 5 nucleotides upstream of the mutation.
So far, therapeutic approaches have been mainly focused on progerin which is attached to a lipid anchor (a farnesyl lipid anchor). This lipid anchor is attached to progerin by a specific cellular enzyme, protein farnesyltransferase. Experiments in mouse models suggest that farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) may have beneficial effects in humans with progeria (Fong et al., 2006—A protein farnesyltransferase inhibitor ameliorates disease in a mouse model of progeria. Science 311, 1621-1623). More recently, Nicolas Levy's team has used a combination of a statin and an aminobisphosphonate to prevent the fixation of the fatty acid to the progerin, and thus reduce its toxicity (Varela et al., 2008—Combined treatment with statins and aminobisphosphonates extends longevity in a mouse model of human premature aging. Nat. Med. 14, 767-772).
In WO2006/081444 has been reported a method for reducing at least one cellular defect in a cell from a subject susceptible to a disease or condition characterized by farnesylation on an abnormally farnesylated form of a lamin, comprising administering to the cell a therapeutically effective dose of farnesylstransferase inhibitor.
It has been recently reported in WO2008/003864 the use of a hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibtor and a farnesyl-pyrophosphate synthase inhibitor, or one of their associated physiologically acceptable salts, in the preparation of a composition, for use in the treatment of human or animal, pathological or nonpathological situations related to the accumulation and/or the persistence of prenylated proteins in cells, such as during progeria, restrictive dermopathy or physiological aging.
In WO 2008/115870 substituted quinoline are described, which are useful for treating cancer.
In US 2008/0161353 other substituted quinoline are disclosed as agents to treat neurological conditions.

Compounds and pharmaceutical compositions containing at least one of the compounds

CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE


Foldable strollers and related methods are disclosed herein. An example frame for use with a stroller includes a first leg having a first wheel coupled thereto, a second leg having a second wheel coupled thereto, a first joint to couple the first leg and the second leg, a handle arm, and a second joint to couple the handle arm and the first leg. The handle arm is to rotate relative to the first leg via the second joint. The rotation of the handle via the second joint is to cause the second leg to rotate relative to the first leg via the first joint to fold the frame.

Known strollers include a frame to support one or more seats and/or accessories (e.g., a basket). The frames of some known strollers folds to, for example, reduce a footprint of the strollers when the strollers are not in use.
The figures are not to scale. Instead, to clarify multiple layers and regions, the thickness of the layers may be enlarged in the drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts.