A method for optimizing the link plates of a plate-link chain drive chain for use in a variable speed unit of a belt-driven conical-pulley transmission. The chain includes plate links formed from pairs of plates that have openings through which pairs of rocker members extend. The plates include longitudinally-extending legs that extend in the chain movement direction and vertical legs that extend perpendicular to the chain movement direction. The method is directed to minimizing bending stresses in the longitudinal and vertical legs of the plates as the chain passes around a pulley, and as the rocker members and the chain tension impose forces on the plates. The stress minimization results in minimal material usage and minimal weight of the chain.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for optimizing link plates in a plate-link chain for use in a variable speed unit of a belt-driven conical-pulley transmission. The invention furthermore relates to a link plate configuration for such a plate-link chain.
2. Description of the Related Art
Belt-driven conical-pulley transmissions with continuously variable transmission ratios are used increasingly in modern motor vehicles, not only because of the driving comfort that can be achieved with them, but also for possible fuel consumption savings.
One component that is decisive for the durability and the torque transmission ability of the variable speed unit of such a belt-driven conical-pulley transmission is the endless torque-transmitting means itself, which can be designed as a plate-link chain, for example, as illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 5 in a small section. Such a plate-link chain is composed of plate-links 10, which are connected with each other by means of rocker members 12. The plate-links 10 are arranged behind one another in several rows that extend in the direction of movement of the plate-link chain and that are arranged adjacent to each other. In FIG. 5 the plate 101 is part of the front row in the viewing direction, the plate 102 is part of a row adjacent to the front row, and plate 103 is part of another row. To connect the plates, rocker members 12 are provided, which extend through the respective plate openings 14 transversely to the direction of chain movement. In doing so, two rocker member pairs 161 and 162 extend through each plate opening, wherein the rocker members 121 and 122 are part of the rocker member pair 161 and the rocker members 123 and 124 are part of the rocker member pair 162. As can be seen, the exterior sides of the rocker members 121 and 124, which face away from each other, of the rocker member pairs 161 or 162 are supported on the inner surface of the plate opening 14, either on the front or the rear inner surface in relation to the direction of movement of the plate-link chain. The rocker members 122 and 123 that face each other are supported on the inner surfaces of plate openings of plates arranged in adjacent rows. The surfaces of the rocker members of each rocker member pair facing each other form rolling surfaces, on which the rocker members roll against each other when the radius R, at which the respective region of the plate-link chain is curved, changes.
Such a plate-link chain, as well as the corresponding variable speed unit with two conical disk pairs, around which the plate-link chain runs, are known as such and will therefore not be described in detail.
FIG. 6 shows a plate 10 and a rocker member 12 in an enlarged scale.
The plate 10 has two longitudinal legs 18 and two vertical legs 20, which jointly enclose the plate opening 14. According to FIG. 6, the rocker member 12, the rolling surface of which has been designated with the reference number 21, lies with its right side against the inner surface of the plate opening 14, wherein the contact surfaces have been adjusted with each other such that contact only occurs in the region of the transition between the longitudinal legs 18 to the vertical legs 20, and that in the region of the center of the vertical leg 20 no contact occurs between rocker member 20 and opening 14 of plate 10. When the plate 10 according to FIG. 6 is moved from right to left, forces are transmitted at the contact regions through the force transmitted by the plate-link chain, as represented in the figures with the arrows F indicating the load centers of the force and the force directions. Due to the offset design of the application points of the force in relation to the center of the longitudinal legs, tensile as well as bending stresses act within the longitudinal legs 18. Likewise, bending and tensile stresses act within the vertical legs 20.
Naturally, with given materials and given geometrical boundary conditions of the respective variable speed unit, i.e., its spacing, minimal and maximum revolution radius of the plate-link chain, etc., as well as the torque to be transmitted, the dimensions required for a plate depend upon the stresses that are active within the plate.
An object of the present invention is to design plates such that with given boundary conditions the plate is optimized with the goal of minimal material usage and hence minimal weight.

Method for optimizing plates of a plate link chain, and plate for a plate link chain

LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG


To accurately cut a ply for a tire. It is a cutting device 1 for cutting a ply 10 for a tire in which a plurality of cords 12 parallelly arranged at fixed pitches are coated with an unvulcanized topping rubber 10. It has a pitch increasing means 2 for increasing the pitches of the cords 12 by pressing the ply 10 from a second surface 10b side to a first surface 10b side of the ply 10 so as to stretch the ply 10 toward the first surface 10a side; and a ply cutting means 3 disposed on the first surface 10a side of the ply 10, for cutting the stretched portion of the ply 10 along the cords 12.

As shown in FIG. 7 (a), a cutting device t for cutting a ply p for a tire in which a plurality of cords c are covered with an unvulcanized topping rubber g has been known. The cutting device t has a pair of holding tools h, h for holding the ply p at two positions separated in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the cords c, and a cutting tool k for cutting the ply p between the holding tools h and h. Each holding tool h has a main part d which presses and holds the ply p, and a moving part i for further separating each main part d along the orthogonal direction.
In the method for cutting the ply p using the cutting device t, firstly, the ply p is held by the separated main parts d and d. Secondly, the respective main parts d are further separated by being moved by the same distance with the moving parts i.
Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7 (b), the pitches of the cords c in the ply p between the main parts d and d are uniformly increased. Then, at a substantially intermediate position between the main parts d and d, the ply p is cut with the cutting tool k.
Thus, a ply piece p1 formed by cutting the ply p as shown in FIG. 8 (a) has a portion in each of the end parts f, f where the pitches of the cords c are wider, and a portion between both of the end parts f, f where the pitches of the cords c are smaller.
Such ply piece p1 is, for example as shown in FIG. 8 (b), wound one turn in a circumferential direction around and on a drum da, and then the end parts f, f thereof in the circumferential direction are connected to each other to form a cylindrical rubber member (a).
In the rubber member (a), as the pitches of the cords c are equalized between the joint portion j of the ply piece p1 and the portion other than the joint portion j, their rigidity difference becomes small, and the joint portion j and the other portion uniformly expand when the internal pressure is applied. Thereby, the occurrence of a so-called dent in which the joint portion j is recessed in a band-like shape is suppressed.
In the above described cutting device t, however, as the main parts d and d move in opposite directions to each other, if any one of the moving parts i fails for example, then the moving distances of both main parts d, d become different, therefore, the pitches of the cords c do not increase uniformly. Thus, there is a problem such that the ply piece p1 cannot be formed with high accuracy.


The instant invention is a skin diving snorkel having a conduit with an open end above the water surface, and an underwater end which terminates in a collapsible chamber. A mouthpiece adjacent and above the chamber provides a flow path between the conduit and the interior of the diver's mouth. A check valve in the opening between the conduit and the chamber allows water to flow from the conduit into the chamber, but not in the reverse direction. The chamber also has a purge valve which allows water in the chamber to flow to ambient. When the hydrostatic pressure within the snorkel is greater than ambient, water will flow sequentially through the check valve, chamber and purge valve to ambient. Consequently, water in the snorkel which extends above the ambient water surface will ultimately drain through the purge valve, decreasing the amount of water remaining within the snorkel to be purged. The chamber volume and double valve arrangement inhibit the flow of air through the purge valve during a purging exhalation, minimizing the wasteful loss of purging air. The chamber can be manually or mechanically collapsed, which reduces the chamber's internal volume. Collapsing the chamber will force air or water within to flow out the purge valve. When the collapsing force is removed, a spring, or alternately, the resilient construction of the chamber itself, will cause the chamber to expand back to its original internal volume. The expanding chamber will pull water from the conduit through the check valve into the chamber. Alternately collapsing and expanding the chamber will pump water from the conduit to ambient without resorting to an explosive exhalation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to snorkels used by skin divers. More particularly, this invention is concerned with purging water from a flooded snorkel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Skin divers use the snorkel as a means to breathe while swimming face down the water surface. The snorkel functions as a conduit between the diver's mouth and the overhead air. Typically, when in use, the open end of the snorkel conduit extends a short distance above the water surface. Occasionally, due to swimming movements or wave action, small amounts of water flow into the open end of the snorkel and partially flood the conduit. Also, water will flood the snorkel when the diver swims or dives below the water surface. An experienced skin diver can sense when water enters the snorkel and responds by immediately stopping inhalation. Respiration is resumed after the snorkel has been purged of water.
Inexperienced skin divers find occasional flooding especially troublesome because, undetected, water can be inhaled resulting in coughing and extreme discomfort. Consequently, several configurations have been proposed to restrict or block the normally open end of the snorkel and thereby prevent water from entering.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,317,236 entitled Breathing Apparatus for Swimmers, issued to C. H. Wilen, et al, on Apr. 20, 1943, teaches a valve with a buoyant ball arranged to block the above water end of the snorkel whenever water starts to enter. Such valves are bulky, often fail to seal, and, also, significantly increase respiratory effort. Although once popular, such devices are now considered unreliable and obsolete.
A recent invention functionally similar to the snorkel of Wilen, U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,817 entitled Vertical Co-Axial Multi-Tubular Diving Snorkel, issued to Hsin-Nan Lin on Jun. 2, 1992 teaches an annular float arrangement which blocks the above water end of the snorkel whenever water starts to enter. To assist in purging, the Lin snorkel also incorporates a secondary purge tube within the breathing conduit. The Hsin-Nan Lin snorkel suffers from the same problems as the Wilen snorkel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,024 entitled Snorkel, issued to Max A. Blanc on Jan. 31, 1978, teaches an air entrapping cap which is mounted on the above water opening of the snorkel. A tortuous passage in the cap retards water flow into the snorkel. Although such a cap is somewhat effective in blocking the occasional flow of surface water into the snorkel, it also retards expulsion of water which enters the snorkel during a dive or swim below the water surface. The significant increase in respiratory and purging effort limits its utility and subsequent popularity.
Similar to Blanc, U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,422 entitled Modular Snorkel, issued to Stan Rasocha on Apr. 6, 1993, teaches an exhaust valve mounted on a cap which covers the upper end of the snorkel. The cap restricts the entry of splashed water into the snorkel. The exhaust valve on the cap permits the expulsion of water from within the snorkel during a purging exhalation. Rasocha's snorkel increases respiratory effort and does not noticeably reduce purging effort.
The open snorkel conduit will be completely flooded with water when a skin diver returns to the surface after swimming or diving underwater. The open end of the snorkel is above the water when the skin diver swims face down on the water surface. With the open end of the snorkel above the water, the conduit is purged for respiration by exhaling an explosive blast of air into the mouthpiece.
Surface tension forms the purging blast of air into a bubble which spans the cross section of the conduit. Pressure within the bubble expands the bubble toward the open end of the snorkel conduit. As the leading surface of the bubble moves away from the mouthpiece, the bulk of the water within the conduit is pushed ahead of the bubble and out the open end.
The purging bubble of air will slip past water which adheres to the inside surface of the conduit. After the purging air bubble is spent, residual water will flow down the inside surface toward the mouthpiece. Also, water which splashes into the open end of the snorkel conduit due to swimming movements or wave action will typically strike and adhere to the inside surface of the conduit and thereafter flow toward the mouthpiece. Water accumulates at the lowermost portion of the snorkel conduit, typically adjacent the mouthpiece, and soon obstructs the conduit. Unless the conduit is completely blocked, a slow and cautious inhalation is possible after which another purging exhalation can be made.
The respiratory effort needed to purge a snorkel is significant. Many skin divers lack the respiratory strength needed to completely purge a flooded snorkel with a single exhalation, and must repeat the purging procedure several times. Also, water will sometimes enter the snorkel just as the diver has completed an exhalation, leaving very little air in the lungs to satisfactorily complete a purge. Consequently, a means which decreases the respiratory effort and the amount of air required to purge a snorkel will be very beneficial.
A popular solution places an externally directed purge valve in the wall of the snorkel conduit at a location near the snorkel mouthpiece. Water in the flooded conduit which extends above the ambient water surface will drain through the purge valve. Because the total volume of water in the flooded snorkel is reduced by water flow through the purge valve, the respiratory effort required to purge the remaining water is also reduced.
Unfortunately, a purge valve also provides an alternate path for forcefully exhaled air. A purge valve located close to the mouthpiece will quickly and wastefully dissipate the explosive blast of purging air. One solution to this problem places the purge valve at a location approximately midway between the mouth opening and the open end of the snorkel conduit.
At mid-length of the snorkel conduit, the purge valve will be close to the ambient water surface when the skin diver is swimming face down on the water surface. At such a location, the purge valve will drain that portion of the snorkel conduit which extends above the water surface, but will not initially interfere with the purging blast of air. Even at this location, the purge valve will dissipate the forcefully exhaled air and the amount of residual water adhering to the inner surface of the conduit between the purge valve and the open end will be substantial. The residual water subsequently accumulates at the lowermost portion of the snorkel conduit and obstructs the conduit. Consequently, the purge valve by itself, even when located mid-length of the snorkel conduit, is of limited benefit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,278,080 entitled Diving Snorkel, issued to Joseph N. Schuch on Jul. 14, 1981, teaches a purge valve located at the bottom of a branch conduit which joins the snorkel conduit at a location approximately midway between the mouthpiece and the open end. The purge valve drains the snorkel conduit until the water level within the conduit matches the ambient water level. Part of the purging air will divert into the branch conduit and force water within the branch conduit out the purge valve. Schuch teaches that the branch conduit must have sufficient length to provide the transient resistance necessary to allow purging of the snorkel conduit before the purging air reaches and is dissipated by the purge valve.
Water within the snorkel conduit of Schuch is pushed out the open end before the purging air clears the branch conduit of water and reaches the purge valve. Nevertheless, diverting part of the purging bubble of air into a branch conduit abates the driving pressure within the purging bubble and allows significant residual water to adhere to the upper portion of the snorkel conduit. Consequently, although the snorkel configuration of Schuch somewhat reduces the effort required to purge a flooded snorkel, it does not decrease the amount of purging air required, and it does not reduce residual water which adheres to the snorkel conduit wall and soon flows down the wall to obstruct the snorkel conduit near the mouthpiece. Also, the branch conduit adds significantly to the size of the snorkel, making the snorkel unwieldy in use.
As another approach, U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,059 entitled Water Trap for a Snorkel, issued to John Delphia on Sep. 1, 1992, teaches a water trap adjacent a purge valve located approximately mid-length on the snorkel. Water flowing within the snorkel is deflected and retained until discharged through the exhaust valve. The trap means of Delphia is a complex combination of baffles, lips and openings which inherently restrict respiratory flow and require relatively complex tooling for manufacturing.
In view of the foregoing factors, conduits and problems which are characteristic of the prior art, the applicant has invented and patented several improved snorkels.
The first improved snorkel is taught by the applicant's application Ser. No. 107,987 filed Oct. 13, 1987 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,995 which issued Nov. 14, 1989. The improved snorkel includes a conduit whose length is divided by a chamber located above the water surface when the snorkel is in the approximate position of use by a skin diver swimming face down on the water surface. A flared transition from the inside cross section of the upper conduit to the larger inside cross section of the chamber is smooth and continuous. A chamber purge valve initially drains the chamber and upper conduit of water when the skin diver returns to the surface after swimming or diving underwater. The lower conduit is purged for respiration by exhaling a forceful blast of air into the mouthpiece which pushes the water upward. The effort required to purge the improved snorkel is reduced because the bulk of the ascending water flows out the chamber purge valve, without the need to overflow the snorkel top. After a purging procedure, or after splashing into the open end of the upper conduit due to swimming movements or wave action or the like, the forces of molecular cohesion and adhesion cause water to flow down the inside surface of the upper conduit and chamber to the chamber purge valve. The purge valve opens under slight hydrostatic pressure and drains the water to ambient at a rate sufficient to prevent overflow into the lower conduit. In an alternate configuration, taught by the applicant's application Ser. No. 420,278 filed Oct. 12, 1989 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,324 which issued Mar. 3, 1992, initial drainage is facilitated by a second purge valve located at the bottom of a second chamber below the mouthpiece. The second chamber also serves to capture drainage from the mouthpiece and water which overflows from the upper conduit.
A third improved snorkel is taught by the applicant's application Ser. No. 292,224 filed Dec. 30, 1988 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,453 which issued Oct. 10, 1989. The improved snorkel features a chamber that intersects the conduit at a location that is at approximately mid-length. The chamber houses a float member. When water fills the snorkel, the float member is buoyed out of the chamber into the conduit and blocks upward flow therein. The flooded snorkel is purged by exhaling into the mouthpiece. Because the float member blocks upward flow when the conduit is flooded, the upwardly expanding exhaled air is trapped beneath the float member. The trapped air displaces the water in the conduit, forcing the water down and out the purge valve. As a consequence, the effort and amount of air required to purge the Christianson snorkel are significantly reduced.
A fourth improved snorkel is taught by the applicant's application Ser. No. 292,225 filed Dec. 30, 1988 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,022 which issued Oct. 31, 1989. The improved skin diving snorkel has a conduit with an unobstructed, open end above water and an underwater end which terminates in a chamber. The chamber houses a normally closed float valve in series with an outwardly directed purge valve. The purge valve allows water in the snorkel to flow to ambient when hydrostatic pressure within the snorkel is greater than ambient. The chamber also serves to accumulate water which drains down the conduit after a purging exhalation or after splashing in the open end. A mouthpiece adjacent and above the chamber provides a flow path from the conduit to the interior of the diver's mouth. The float valve opens when the chamber is flooded with water. Consequently, water in the snorkel which extends above the ambient water surface will drain through the purge valve, decreasing the amount of water remaining within the snorkel to be purged. The float valve blocks flow through the purge valve when the chamber is emptied of water during a purging exhalation, preventing the wasteful loss of purging air. Water which accumulates in the chamber between purges is eliminated when the snorkel is next purged.
The instant invention is yet another improved snorkel. The instant snorkel provides a means to pump residual water from the interior of the snorkel without the need for a purging exhalation. In addition, the pump hinders the wasteful loss of purging air through the purge valve.


In a method for assigning test numbers, current testflow context information is maintained during execution of a testflow. Upon execution of a subtest in the testflow, a database of test numbers is indexed using index information comprising 1) an identifier of the subtest, and 2) the current testflow context information. If a test number corresponding to the index information exists in the database, the test number is assigned to a result of the subtest. If a test number corresponding to the index information does not exist in the database, a new test number is assigned to the result of the subtest, and the index information and new test number are associated in the database. A test number engine for satisfying calls for test numbers is also disclosed.

Some forms of circuit test provide an engineer with large volumes of test results. To assist the engineer in managing and referring to these test results, each test result may be associated with a test number. Test numbers aid the engineer in distinguishing one test result from another, and may sometimes assist the engineer in identifying the test that generated the result. Sometimes, an engineer may use test numbers to categorize or group particular test results, such as by assigning "500 series" test numbers to all Leakage tests. Typically, however, such categorized or grouped test numbers have to be assigned manually.
Sometimes, test numbers may be generated automatically, with each new test result being assigned a next sequential test number. However, if the same set of tests is executed multiple times, but certain tests are skipped on some runs because, for example, different test conditions are met, then it is possible that different executions of the same test will result in different test numbers being associated with the test results of that test. In addition, it is sometimes possible that a test control (e.g., a test method, test function or user procedure) will produce a plurality of test results. It is desirable to be able to identify which "subtest" produced which result, since the different results may have been generated under different conditions. However, past test numbering systems have typically assigned the same test number to each of these results, or have assigned different "automatic" test numbers, which have not possessed any implied informational value, and have sometimes skewed the relationships between later generated test results and their test numbers.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for assigning test numbers


Disclosed is an improved electrochemical sensor for the detection of an analyte in a fluid test sample. The electrochemical sensor is of the type in which the fluid test sample is drawn into a capillary space and the improvement to the sensor involves an arrangement where a portion of the sensor's counter electrode is placed on the edge of the capillary space in a relationship to the sensor's working electrode such that if the capillary space is not completely filled there will be generated only a very weak current. When the sensor is connected to a properly programmed current detector, the weak current caused by the underfilling of the capillary space will be detected as an error and will notify the user of the sensor that the test should not be continued.

The present invention relates to an electrochemical biosensor which can be used for the determination of a specific component (analyte) in a fluid test sample. Electrochemical biosensors of the type under consideration are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,120,420 and 5,264,103. These devices have an insulating base upon which carbon electrodes are printed and are then covered with a reagent layer comprising a hydrophilic polymer in combination with an oxidoreductase specific for the analyte. These devices typically involve a base and a cover which are separated by a generally U-shaped piece as a spacer element, so that when the base and cover are mated there is created a capillary space containing the electrodes covered by the reagent layer. In an alternative structure, the cover is embossed so as to form the capillary space when it is mated with the base thereby eliminating the need for the spacer element. A hydrophilic polymer, e.g. carboxymethyl cellulose or poly (ethylene oxide) is used to facilitate the drawing of the aqueous test fluid into the capillary space.
In either embodiment, working and counter electrodes are screen printed onto the base so that an electrochemically created current can flow when these electrodes are electrically connected and a potential is created between them. Touching the opening in the end of the sensor to a drop of test fluid such as blood results in the fluid being drawn into the capillary space, so that it covers the reaction layer on the surface of the electrode. An enzymatic reaction between the oxidoreductase and the analyte creates a flow of electrons which are carried to the working electrode by a mediator such as ferricyanide and flow through the working electrode to a meter which measures the magnitude of the current flow. The counter electrode serves dual purposes. First, it provides a fixed potential against which the working electrode is controlled. Second, for a two electrode system, such as that depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the counter electrode is used to complete the electrical circuit. In this mode, each electron that is transferred to the working electrode is returned to the test fluid at the counter electrode side of the cell. The device's software is programmed to correlate the magnitude of this flow with the concentration of analyte in the test sample. In order for this current to flow, a complete circuit is formed by covering both electrodes with the conductive test sample fluid and applying a potential therebetween.
A problem which is sometimes associated with this type of sensor occurs when an insufficient amount of blood is applied to the opening, so that the counter and working electrodes are not completely covered with the sample. This results in an incomplete current flowing across the electrodes. Since the amount of analyte detected is directly proportional to the current flowing through the detection meter, failure to completely cover the sensor's electrodes can result in an artificially low reading of the sample's analyte concentration. One technique for dealing with this under filling problem is claimed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,890 which involves a mechanism for preventing any response from being detected when the sample volume is too low to provide an accurate reading. This design involves a strip comprising an elongated electrode support defining a sample transfer path for directional flow of the sample from a sample application point. A working electrode is placed in the sample transfer path and a counter or reference electrode down stream from the working electrode in the sample transfer path. Failure of the test sample to totally cover the working electrode will result in no response from the reading mechanism due to the absence of a closed circuit through which current can flow.
In co-pending application Ser. No. 09/731,943 there is disclosed an electrochemical sensor of the type described above in which a small sub-element of the non-working electrode is positioned upstream from the working electrode, so that when there is insufficient flow of electrical current through the detector to constitute a valid test for the concentration of analyte in the fluid test sample, the pre-programmed detector causes the emission of an error signal to alert the user of the device that the test result should be disregarded. This is achievable because there is generated an altered current profile in the event the capillary space of the sensor is underfilled. It has been discovered, however, that the use of the sub-element of the counter electrode, sometimes referred to as the trigger electrode, can result in a delayed response in terms of activating the system which delay adds unnecessary time to the duration of the analyte assay. This may be due to the lower initial current being generated by the partially covered working electrode and the small trigger electrode in underfilled sensors.


An isotherm sensor tracks space vehicle temperatures by a thermal protection system (TPS) material during vehicle re-entry as a function of time, and surface recession through calibration, calculation, analysis and exposed surface modeling. Sensor design includes: two resistive conductors, wound around a tube, with a first end of each conductor connected to a constant current source, and second ends electrically insulated from each other by a selected material that becomes an electrically conductive char at higher temperatures to thereby complete an electrical circuit. The sensor conductors become shorter as ablation proceeds and reduced resistance in the completed electrical circuit (proportional to conductor length) is continually monitored, using measured end-to-end voltage change or current in the circuit. Thermocouple and/or piezoelectric measurements provide consistency checks on local temperatures.

Many different designs of surface recession sensors have been fabricated and tested in entry vehicle applications for the Department of Defense, ranging from simple thermocouples and "breakwire" arrangements to more complicated devices such as radiation sensors. In a breakwire sensor arrangement, multiple thermocouples or pairs of wires are embedded in a thermal protection system (TPS) plug with their junctions located at different depths that will sense different local temperatures, as shown in FIG. 1.
Theoretically, as the TPS surface recedes and/or chars, the increasing heat progressively melts each wire and breaks the circuit. However, in practice it is found that the receding char layer becomes conductive and serves as an electrical contact between the melted wires which leads to erroneous conclusions that the circuit has not yet broken. In radiation transducer recession sensors, radioactive particles are embedded in a TPS material at selected depths. The strength of the radiation measured by a Geiger counter decreases as more radioactive particles are removed due to surface recession.
One of the more successful efforts in the development of a surface recession sensor is the quartz-based Analog Resistance Ablation Detector (ARAD), originally developed by General Electric. ARAD had been tested in three-dimensional quartz phenolic. The NASA probe heat shield was instrumented with ARADs to monitor the probe's heat shield shape and mass loss during its entry into Jupiter's atmosphere. The ARAD design implemented for used the same operating principal as the quartz-based ARAD but with different materials. Though there were some issues in the measured data, a NASA version of ARAD met scientific objectives because it provided the valuable information that the ablation was substantially axisymmetric, and the returned data allowed the final heat shield shape to be reconstructed.
Several improvements in accuracy and flexibility of the system are needed. One or more methods for checking consistency of the recession measurements is needed, and an increase in resolution of these measurement is needed to identify anomalies that may occur in the measurement process.

Thermal protection system ablation sensor

The United States of America as represented by the Administrator of the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA)


The present invention describes site-specific biomolecular complexes comprising a therapeutic, prophylactic and diagnostic agent, called also biologically active molecule and an omega-3 fatty acid and derivatives thereof. The complexes are further covalently bonded with cationic carriers and permeabilizer peptides for delivery across the blood-brain barrier and with targeting moieties for uptake by target brain cells. Said complexes are particularly useful for delivery of a biologically active agent to the glial tissue of the brain as well as to the cortical, cholinergic and adrenergic neurons. The preferred therapeutic complexes or conjugates comprise an omega-3 fatty acid such as alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid or docosahexaenoic acid and derivatives thereof.

During the last two decades, various drug delivery systems have been designed by using carriers such as proteins, peptides, polysaccharides, synthetic polymers, colloidal particles (i.e., liposomes, vesicles or micelles), microemulsions, microspheres and nanoparticles. These carriers, which contain entrapped pharmaceutically useful agents, are intended to achieve controlled cell-specific or tissue-specific drug release.
Further efforts and research are being directed to develop and design novel systems of specific delivery to a target cell or tissue for the agents that cross biological barriers at relatively low rates. The purpose of this invention is to present a method that improves the transport and delivery characteristics of an agent molecule to a desired location, in the central nervous system,thus increasing its bioavailability.
The term "agent" as used herein relates to therapeutic, prophylactic and diagnostic compounds. These compounds are biologically active with beneficial effects in both animals and humans. Agents include lysosomal enzymes such as ceramidase, glucocerebrosidase, beta-galactosidase, beta-hexosaminidase A, beta-hexosaminidase A & B, galactosylceramidase, arylsulfatase A, sphingomyelinase, alpha-galactosidase B, aspartylglycosaminidase, alpha-L-fucosidase, iduronate sulfatase, alpha-L-iduronidase, glcNAc-6-sulfatase, beta-glucuronidase, their recombinant analogs and their derivatives. Also included are serum proteins namely immunoglobulins, interleukins, interferons, hormones, such as insulin, parathyroid hormone, pigmentary hormone, thyroid-stimulating hormones, tissue plasminogen activator, nerve growth factors, peptidases or proteases, nucleic acids and derivatives thereof, nucleotides, oligonucleotides, antisense oligonucleotide analogs, genes, transfected cells, biological vectors, cloning vectors and expression vectors. Neurotoxins or their non-toxic peptide fragments, diagnostic and research reagents are also included.
Complexes or conjugates of the above macromolecular agents with omega-3 fatty acid molecules and their derivatives are synthesized to improve transport properties, rates of distribution throughout the brain and targeted delivery of the agent to certain specific sites.
In order to exert desired therapeutic or prophylactic effects, agents must reach brain cells and tissue. Intravenous administration will require their passage from the blood to the brain by crossing the microcapillary membranes of the cerebrovascular endothelium also called the blood-brain barrier or BBB.
Briefly, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) [Johansson, Progress in Brain Research, 91: 171-175 (1992); Ermisch, Progress in Brain Research, 91: 155-161 (1992); Schlosshauer, BioEssays, 15(5): 341-346 (1993)] is formed by a monolayer of tightly connected microvascular endothelial cells with anionic charges. This layer separates two fluid-containing compartments: the blood plasma (BP) and extracellular fluid (ECF) of the brain parenchyma, and is surrounded by astroglial cells of the brain. One of the main functions of the BBB is to regulate the transfer of components between the BP and the ECF. The BBB limits free passage of most agent molecules from the blood to the brain cells.
In general, large molecules of high polarity, such as peptides, proteins, (e.g. enzymes, growth factors and their conjugates, oligonucleotides, genetic vectors and others) do not cross the BBB. Therefore poor agent delivery to the CNS limits the applicability of such macromolecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders and neurological diseases.
Several delivery approaches of therapeutic agents to the brain circumvent the BBB. Such approaches utilize intrathecal injections, surgical implants [Ommaya, Cancer Drug Delivery, 1(2): 169-178 (1984) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,982,] and interstitial infusion [Bobo et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 91: 2076-2080 (1994)]. These strategies deliver an agent to the CNS by direct administration into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or into the brain parenchyma (ECF).
Drug delivery to the central nervous system through the cerebrospinal fluid is achieved by means of a subdurally implantable device named after its inventor the "Ommaya reservoir". The reservoir is used mostly for localized post-operative delivery of chemotherapeutic agents in cancers. The drug is injected into the device and subsequently released into the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain. It can be directed toward specific areas of exposed brain tissue which then adsorb the drug. This adsorption is limited since the drug does not travel freely. A modified device developed by Ayub Ommaya, whereby the reservoir is implanted in the abdominal cavity and the injected drug is transported by cerebrospinal fluid (taken from and returned to the spine) all the way to the ventricular space of the brain, is used for agent administration. Through omega-3 derivatization, site-specific biomolecular complexes of this invention are overcoming the limited adsorption and movement of the agent through brain tissue. Prior art is silent on agents capable of site-directed penetration of brain tissue from the cerebrospinal fluid.
Diffusion of macromolecules to various areas of the brain by convection-enhanced delivery is another method of administration circumventing the BBB. This method consists of: a) Creating a pressure gradient during interstitial infusion into white matter to generate increased flow through the brain interstitium (convection supplementing simple diffusion); b) Maintaining the pressure gradient over a lengthy period of time (24 hours to 48 hours) to allow radial penetration of the migrating compounds (such as: neurotrophic factors, antibodies, growth factors, genetic vectors, enzymes, etc.) into the gray matter; and c) Increasing drug concentrations by orders of magnitude over systemic levels. Through their direct infusion into the brain parenchyma, the site-specific biomolecular complexes of this invention are instrumental in delivering the agent to neuronal or glial cells, as needed, and be retained by these cells. Moreover, the site-specific complexes containing neuronal targeting or internalization moieties are capable of penetrating the neuronal membrane and internalizing the agent. Prior art is silent on such site-specific delivery of macromolecular agents to specific sites in the central nervous system such as cortical and hippocampal neurons.
Another strategy to improve agent delivery to the CNS is by increasing the agent absorption (adsorption and transport) through the BBB and their uptake by the cells [Broadwell, Acta Neuropathol., 79: 117-128 (1989); Pardridge et al., J. Pharmacol. Experim. Therapeutics, 255(2): 893-899 (1990); Banks et al., Progress in Brain Research, 91: 139-148 (1992); Pardridge, Fuel Homeostasis and the Nervous System, Edited by Vranic et al., Plenum Press, New York, 43-53 (1991)]. The passage of agents through the BBB to the brain can be enhanced by improving either the permeability of the agent itself or by altering the characteristics of the BBB. Thus, the passage of the agent can be facilitated by increasing its lipid solubility through chemical modification, and/or by its coupling to a cationic carrier, or still by its covalent coupling to a peptide vector capable of transporting the agent through the BBB. Peptide transport vectors are also known as BBB permeabilizer compounds [U.S. Pat. No. 5,268,164].
Therefore, another major objective of this invention is to synthesize a site-specific macromolecule with lipophilic properties. The resulting complex or conjugate, which comprises an agent, one or more lipophilic moieties and a directing moiety, is targeted to specific cells in the brain. The lipophilic moiety is either alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) or docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or derivatives thereof (e.g., alpha-linolenoyl-aminoethanol, N-eicosapentaenoyl-aminoethanol, N-docosahexaenoyl-amino ethanol, or alpha linolenoyl-ethanolamine, eicosapentaenoyl-ethanolamine, docosahexaenoyl-ethanolamine, or lipids of all three omega-3 acids).
There is significant transport of poly-unsaturated fatty acids of the omega-3 series (PUFA, omega-3) across the BBB that is possibly mediated by a specific transporter and/or a receptor or simply by the transcytosis process. Prior art discloses that the BBB can target the release of omega-3 fatty acids into the brain and thus aid in the enrichment of these essential fatty acids in the brain [Yerram et al., J. Lipid Research, 30: 1747-1757 (1989); Moore et al., J. Neurochem., 55(2): 391-402 (1990); Moore et al. J. Neurochem., 56(2):518-524 (1991)]. Also, prior art indicates that the microvascular endothelium (the BBB) and astrocytes, and not neurons, are responsible for the elongation and desaturation of alpha-linolenic acid and eicosapentaenoic acids respectively in the rodent brain (Moore et al., ibid). Moreover, astrocytes are apparently responsible for the elongation and desaturation of EPA into docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, or C22:6, omega-3), the release of the latter into the extracellular space or transfer to neurons. Whichever the mechanism, the DHA ends up in the neuronal membrane in form of phospholipids. If the DHA is synthesised in the liver or administered intravenously, then it apparently crosses the BBB to the brain. Therefore, the DHA enrichment in the brain may result from three important roles of the BBB: (1) to take up ALA from the blood, transform it into EPA and eliminate the latter into the perivascular glial cells of the brain, (2) take up DHA from the blood and release it into the brain and (3) to block the egress of DHA from the brain. The latter is probably responsible for the relatively high DHA content of brain phosphotriglycerides when compared to other polyunsaturated fatty acids (N. Salem et al., in Health Effects of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Seafoods. A. P. Simopoulos, ed. Academic Press, New York, 1986, p. 263-317 and G. Y. Sun and L. L. Foudin, in "Phospholipids in Nervous Tissue", J. E. Eichenberg, ed. John Wiley & Sons, New York 1985, p. 95-115. Therefore, EPA directs the agent to the glia and DHA directs the agent to cortical, cholinergic and adrenergic neurons. ALA will reach the microvascular endothelium where it will be transformed into EPA. The use of lipophilic moieties could further protect the agent from enzymatic degradation during its passage across the BBB.
Prior art shows, for example, conjugates of proteins with water soluble polymers which have been manufactured and used for pharmaceutical purposes. U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,465 teaches the attachment of one or more polymer molecules to a protein. However, attachment of polymers to proteins, particularly to enzymes which act on low molecular weight substrates, retards enzyme clearance and decreases enzyme antigenicity. When the enzyme acts on a macromolecular substrate or on a cell-bound substrate, the enzyme activity of the conjugate could be diminished.
Other examples [U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,521, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,240] describe a method of covalently bonding an agent to a cationic macromolecular carrier which enters into the cells at relatively higher rates. These patents teach enhancement in cellular uptake of bio-molecules into the cells when covalently bonded to cationic resins.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,722 discloses anti-cancer drugs covalently bonded to cationic polymers for the purpose of directing them to cells bearing specific antigens. The polymeric carriers have molecular weights of about 5,000 to 500,000.
Further work involving covalent bonding of an agent to a cationic polymer through an acid-sensitive intermediate (called also spacer) molecule, is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,190 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,011. Various spacer molecules, such as cis-aconitic acid, are covalently linked to the agent and to the polymeric carrier. They control the release of the agent from the macromolecular carrier when subjected to a mild increase in acidity, such as probably occurs within a lysosome of the cell. The drug can be selectively hydrolyzed from the molecular conjugate and released in the cell in its unmodified and active form. Molecular conjugates are transported to lysosomes, where they are metabolised under the action of lysosomal enzymes at a substantially more acidic pH than other compartments or fluids within a cell or body. The pH of a lysosome is shown to be about 4.8, while during the initial stage of the conjugate digestion is possibly 3.8.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,308,701 discloses a method for encapsulating proteins within a synthetic cationic poly-L-lysine, crosslinked with multivalent ions of the opposite charge, to form a hydrolytically stable gel.
In general, both natural and synthetic polymers have been used as drug carriers. Synthetic cationic polymers are more suitable drug carriers than natural polymers because their structure can be systematically altered in a defined way and therefore, it is possible to design them to suit biological requirements such as penetration through the blood-brain barrier.
In the present invention, the polymeric cationic carrier system used to facilitate the crossing of the blood-brain barrier comprises poly-L-lysine (PLL). PLL is a bio-compatible, hydrophilic polymer with very thoroughly studied chemical and biological properties. Other cationic polyamino acids such as polyarginine and polyornithine are within the scope of this invention. These polyamino acids are covalently attached to a biopolymeric agent conjugated with omega-3 fatty acid molecules or other polymeric protecting groups (e.g. polyethylene glycol). In addition, we have such complexes/conjugates covalently attached to omega-3 molecules for improved binding by the microvasular endothelial cell membrane and targeting to specific areas of the brain. A nontoxic fragment of a neurotoxin is further attached to assure targeting and internalization by neurons once the neuronal target is reached. Spacers can be inserted between the components of the vehicle as shown in the description of the preferred embodiments.
When the biopolymeric agent is an enzyme molecule, one or more fatty acid moieties (e.g. ALA, EPA or DHA) can be attached to the enzyme by reacting an imidate activated enzyme with the respective fatty acid. The number of attached moieties is limited only by the number of available --NH.sub.2 groups of the enzyme.
The prior art is silent on lipophilic macromolecular conjugates, potentially containing polycationic amino acids (targeting lipophilic macromolecular vehicles), used to deliver therapeutic or diagnostic agents across the BBB selectively to specific areas of the brain.

Molecular / Structural Biotechnologies, Inc.


A synonymous expression assessment device includes: synonymy assessment means for receiving input of binary relations each of which includes a nominal and a predicate, and assessing whether or not the input binary relations are synonymous using a similarity between input nominals and a similarity between input predicates; and inter-predicate similarity computation means for, when computing the similarity between the input predicates based on a distribution of occurrence frequencies of nominals that are in binary relations to the input predicate in a document set, performing the computation using a distribution of only nominals that are used in the same type of concept as the input nominal.

A synonymous expression dictionary is one of the language resources necessary for conducting accurate search in response to a query with a complex syntactic structure such as a natural sentence. Synonymous expressions typically need to be organized for each field of documents to be searched. Securing experts with special knowledge for a long time, however, requires significant manpower cost. Hence, there is demand for a technique of automatically organizing the synonymous expression dictionary.
Consider, in particular, automatic extraction of synonymous expressions of binary relations each of which is represented by a combination of a nominal and a predicate. For example, "dengen o ireru (activate the power)" and "dengen suitchi o tonyu suru (turn on the power switch)" are synonymous expressions of binary relations each of which is represented by a combination of a nominal and a predicate. A predicate included in an input binary relation is hereafter referred to as "input predicate", and a nominal included in the input binary relation as "input nominal".
As a technique of extracting synonymous expressions of binary relations, there is a method in which surrounding contexts of binary relations are collected from a document set as feature values and binary relations having similar feature values are extracted as synonymous expressions, as described in Non Patent Literature (NPL) 1. The surrounding contexts used here include a predicate modified by the input predicate and a nominal, other than the input nominal, that is in a case relation to the input predicate in the document set. For instance, from a sentence "daigaku o shuseki de sotsugyo shi kaisha ni shushoku suru (graduate from the university with top honors and enter the company)", "shuseki de (with top honors)" and "shushoku suru (enter)" are acquired as feature values of a binary relation "daigaku o sotsugyo suru (graduate from the university)".
As another technique of extracting synonymous expressions of binary relations, there is a method in which, for each of an input predicate pair and an input nominal pair, whether or not the pair are in a synonymous relation is separately assessed and, in the case of assessing that both the input predicate pair and the input nominal pair are synonymous, they are extracted as synonymous expressions. This can be done simply by applying a technique of extracting synonymous expressions of nominals described in NPL 2. NPL 2 describes a technique of collecting, as a feature value of each input nominal, a distribution of occurrence frequencies of predicates that are in binary relations to the input nominal in a document set, and extracting input nominals having similar feature values as synonymous expressions.

Device, method and program for assessing synonymous expressions


The present invention relates to anti-idiotypic antibodies directed against Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This invention also relates to methods and compositions using such anti-idiotypic antibodies for the prophylaxis, treatment and diagnosis of gonorrheal infections.

The sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhea, poses a worldwide risk as one of the most commonly reported communicable diseases. Gonorrhea is caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a gram negative diplococcus. Although the pathogen primarily infects mucous membranes, it is capable of invading tissues and evading host defenses. N. gonorrhoeae is the causative agent of a spectrum of sequelae. These range from asymptomatic mucosal infection to significant disease syndromes in both men and women. The more serious of such syndromes include, for example, disseminated gonococcal infection (DGI) in men and women, as well as salpingitis or pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women. Either salpingitis or PID may themselves lead to long-term sequelae, including ectopic pregnancy and infertility. Other important sequelae, sometimes requiring surgical intervention, include recurrent infection, chronic pelvic pain, dyspareunia, pelvic adhesions and other inflammatory residua.
It has been estimated that in the United States, the direct and indirect costs of treating PID and associated ectopic pregnancy and infertility were 2.6 billion dollars in 1984 (65). The total direct costs were estimated to be 2.18 billion dollars in 1990, with indirect costs of 1.54 billion dollars. Assuming constant inflation and incidence rates of PID, the total cost of this disease is projected to reach 8 billion dollars by the year 2000 (6).
Despite public health efforts to control gonococcal infections and the availability of effective antibiotic therapies in the United States, there are approximately one million cases of gonorrhea reported annually to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (9). A substantial proportion of all cases of gonorrhea occur in asymptomatically infected individuals who are the source of most new cases within a community (4). The increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant strains has complicated treatment of the infection. (7, 8, 64).
N. gonorrhoeae has multiple virulence factors. The surface components of this pathogen play an important role in attaching to and invading host cells, while providing potential targets for the host immune response. Gonococcal infections elicit local and systemic humoral and cellular immune responses to several components which are exhibited as surface exposed antigens of the bacterium, particularly pili, porin (Por) or protein I (PI), opacity associated proteins (Opas) or protein IIs, Rmp or protein III, and lipooligosaccharides (LOSs) (5). Pili, Opa, Por and LOS are all implicated in attachment to and invasion of the host and all display considerable variation on their surface exposed regions (33, 56, 57). The intra- and inter-strain variations of gonococcal surface components have led to hypotheses regarding tissue specificity at different sites and the organism's potential for reinfection and continued virulence.
In both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, gonococcal infections have been shown to stimulate increased levels of anti-gonococcal serum immunoglobulins. The peripheral humoral response is predominately IgG (mostly subclass IgG3), with lesser amounts of IgM and IgA (11). Quantitatively, the antibody response is primarily directed against the pili, Opa proteins and LOS. Local antibodies are present in genital secretions, but in reduced amounts (59), and may be directed against different antigenic targets than those in serum (34). The predominant class of antibodies present in secretions is also IgG (mostly IgG3) and not secretory IgA (sIgA) (5). Antibodies against LOS are present as well, but in lesser amounts than those against pili, Por and Opa. Although patients infected with N. gonorrhoeae may show an antibody response to many gonococcal antigens, N. gonorrhoeae isolated from patients with disseminated infection (DGI) are resistant to the bactericidal action of normal human serum (NHS) and of most convalescent sera (46). This serum-resistant phenotype, termed stable serum resistance (SR), may enable the organism to evade local defenses, penetrate mucosal barriers and disseminate via the bloodstream.
Upon subculture, many strains of gonococci become phenotypically sensitive to killing by NHS or serum sensitive (46). These organisms are termed serum sensitive (SS) (or unstably serum-resistant SR!). Such organisms are frequently isolated from women with severe manifestations of local inflammation or clinically evident PID. Acute salpingitis, the pathologic counterpart of PID (caused by SS gonococci), rarely progresses to bacteremic illness or DGI. This suggests that the intense local inflammatory response, generated by SS gonococci, may serve to contain the infection and prevent bacteremia, although at the cost of damaging the local tissues. SS gonococci generate significantly greater amounts of the complement derived chemotactic peptide, C5a, than do SR gonococci (12). This may be responsible for the polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) mediated inflammatory response that is produced by SS gonococci.
The development of antibiotic-resistant strains of N. gonorrhoeae, has rendered control of this infection increasingly difficult. The potential to undertreat gonococcal infection has accelerated the need for an anti-gonococcal vaccine. The prevention of gonococcal infection, particularly the severe complications of PID, has been the goal of many investigators. Ongoing attempts to develop an effective anti-gonococcal vaccine, however, have been plagued with several difficulties.
Attempts to use individual surface components of the pathogen as targets for conventional vaccines have been unsuccessful because of their antigenic variability. Pilus vaccines have been protective only against infection with the homologous strain (used to make the pilus vaccine) and Por vaccination has been unsuccessful even in human experimental challenge. In addition, N. gonorrhoeae express marked phenotypic heterogeneity, typically shifting from one antigenic form to another at a frequency of >1 in 10.sup.3 organisms (60, 61) making the surface of this organism a moving target for most vaccine strategies. Although the vaccine candidates have provoked antibody responses, the antibodies and immune responses produced have not been broadly protective.
LOS is an important virulence determinant of N. gonorrhoeae. Considerable evidence supports the role of LOS as a major target of bactericidal antibody directed to the surface of N. gonorrhoeae (1, 12, 17, 43, 58). Antibodies to LOS have several important functions: bactericidal activity, complement activation through the classical or alternative complement pathways (1), and opsonic activity (12). Additionally, LOS has been shown to be the most effective gonococcal antigen to induce a functional antibody response to homologous and heterologous gonococci (63).
The monoclonal antibody (mAb) 2C7 (36), detects a LOS derived oligosaccharide (OS) epitope that appears to be widely conserved and expressed amongst clinical isolates of gonococci. Typically, saccharides are T-cell independent antigens. When administered alone as immunogens, they generally elicit only a primary antibody response. In addition, oligosaccharides are small (<10 saccharide units) (20), and would likely require additional biochemical derivitization to render them immunogenic. The use of such oligosaccharides as vaccine candidates, therefore, is limited in several respects.
Internal image determinants have been proposed for use in vaccines (42). By means of mAb technology, a protective antibody (Abi) to an epitope of interest on the pathogen can be produced. The particular antibody (Ab1) can be purified and subsequently used as an immunogen to elicit an anti-idiotypic antibody (Ab2) which may be an internal image of the original epitope on the pathogen.
As predicted by the Jerne "network" theory (24), immunization with an anti-idiotypic antibody (Ab2) that is directed against antigen combining sites of primary antibody (Ab1), may elicit a humoral immune response specific for the nominal antigen. The resulting anti-anti-idiotypic antibody (or Ab3) should react with the original primary antigen. If the primary antigen is an oligosaccharide (and therefore expected to give a T-cell independent immune response), then immunization with Ab2 (the protein equivalent) may elicit a T-cell dependent response.
Anti-idiotype antibodies have been employed to successfully raise protective antibodies against various pathogens in animal systems (28, 29, 40, 51 52, 53, 66). An anti-idiotypic antibody will not contain the nominal antigen (as is the case with saccharide antigens), thus avoiding any undesirable adverse effects associated with use of that antigen as an immunogen. Anti-idiotypic antibodies are protein antigens that often (but not always) act as a T-cell dependent immunogen (30).
The need exists for an agent useful for the prevention or treatment of gonorrhea targeted to the prevention of gonococcal salpingitis, an infection that may be associated with debilitating and chronic pelvic pain, infertility and ectopic pregnancy (50). Another important objective is to prevent transmission of the organism from an infected but asymptomatic host to an otherwise immune sexual consort. This is important because a substantial fraction of all cases of gonorrhea in both men and women are asymptomatic, and asymptomatically infected, sexually active persons are probably the major source of most new infections. Accordingly, a gonococcal vaccine that only attenuates the severity of symptomatic gonorrhea could result in a higher ratio of asymptomatic/symptomatic cases and as a result, such a vaccine might promote the spread of gonorrhea, unless it also prevents transmission (49).

Gonococcal anti-idiotypic antibodies and methods and compositions using them


Disclosed herein are a system, method and apparatus for reporting, making alerts and predicting fault codes generated by machines in a line. Historical fault code data is received and filtered according to particular criteria to generate filtered fault code data. Classification of the filtered fault code data into physical groups and into logical groups is followed by sorting the groups to produce fault trend data. Processing the fault trend data with a plurality of analyzers generates output including reports, alerts, and predictions of future fault code occurrences.

In large scale manufacturing and assembly plants, such as those used in automobile manufacturing, hundreds of machines and their machine operators may work simultaneously. In a large production environment, the production line may include miles of conveyors. The plant itself may be millions of square feet. An increase in the precision of production timing and/or control may provide better resource allocation. Accordingly, processes and controls that keep the line moving may increase production and reduce expenses.
In a single shift, a machine station, for example at an automotive plant, may process up to hundreds, even thousands, of products. The conveyor belt may move at several feet per second. The line moves fast and operations are complex. In large assembly or manufacturing plants, thousands of machines may be grouped into more than one hundred stations. Many plants are substantially automated, where machines on the production line may be equipped with programmable logic controllers (PLCs) or industrial PCs to control machine operations, and monitor machine state.
For many different reasons, a machine may malfunction or change state and generate a fault or event code. There may be as many as one thousand fault codes associated per machine. A fault code is an industry term to indicate a symptom and sometimes the cause of a problem with a machine. Much like in a modern automobile, sensors are disposed in a machine to detect when out of the ordinary situations occur. In the case of an automobile, for example, if a door is left ajar, a fault or event code will be generated to alert the occupant that a door is ajar. Fault or event codes, when generated, may be electronically sent to a central location when a machine stops operating. Fault codes are typically stored for a short period and then discarded.
In general the machines do not generate fault codes but event codes. Most event codes do not reflect any abnormal behavior of the machine. They merely inform about the status of the machine. For example, if a machine does not receive a part in n seconds then it generates an event code to indicate that a time-out has occurred and that it may require human intervention. A fault code or event code does not necessarily mean that the machine is down. Actually many event codes are generated while the machine still runs, e.g., a machine may generate an event code saying that 10,000 cycles have passed since a tool change was done and that likely it will need a new tool soon. However such an event code may not stop operations.
In a large plant, when one machine fails, its entire station or zone may stop operating, and thus the impact of the failure may be high. Parts to be processed by the machine or station may accumulate, with machines that are feeding the halted machine becoming blocked because the buffer upstream of the halted machine has filled. Moreover, parts discharged for further processing by a downstream machine may drain from the buffer downstream of the halted machine, with machines that are drawing from that buffer becoming starved. The impact of a downed machine or station can quickly spread to other machines and stations of the production line.
The maintenance staff is best utilized carrying out its primary task of maintaining the machines with preventative maintenance. Maintenance staff's primary task also includes repairing significant equipment failures. While routine maintenance may be planned, faults are not predicted in a dynamic way. Thus, maintenance and repair resources may at times be overwhelmed in the number of fault codes received from the line. Different algorithms and analyzers have been developed using real-time sensing data from machine key parts or subsystems to estimate machine performance. Real-time processing requires many sensors embedded in machines and their signals cause a large amount of data traffic for real-time production systems (especially in the automotive industry).

System and method for production system performance prediction


An angle adjusting mechanism includes a base seat, a driving assembly, a guiding assembly and an adjusting member. The driving assembly is mounted on the base seat. The driving assembly includes a driving member, a screw rod rotated by the driving member and a screw nut sleeved on the screw rod. The driving member is mounted on the base seat. The screw nut engages with the screw rod and is capable of moving along an axial direction of the screw rod. The guiding assembly is mounted on the base seat and guides the screw nut. The adjusting member is sleeved on the guiding assembly and rotated by the screw nut to a predetermined angle.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to adjusting mechanisms, and more particularly, to an angle adjusting mechanism.
2. Description of Related Art
In industrial area, two workpieces are commonly combined with each other. An angle adjusting mechanism may be employed here to adjust the two workpieces before combining them. When working, the angle adjusting mechanism rotates a workpiece and aligns the workpiece to the other workpiece. The angle adjusting mechanism includes a driving member, a reducer and an output shaft located at an end of the reducer. The driving member drives the output shaft to rotate via the reducer, and then the output shaft rotates the workpiece. The reducer includes a plurality of gears engaging with each other in order. However, the adjusting mechanism transfers torsion to the output shaft via the plurality of gears. The transmission accuracy may be low due to engaging clearances between the gears. In addition, a relative greater torsion loss may occur in the transmission process because of the plurality of gears.
Therefore, there is room for improvement in the art.

HONG FU JIN PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.


In the composition according to the embodiment, the content of an unreacted diisocyanate monomer in a urethane-based prepolymer may be controlled to control the physical properties thereof such as gelation time. Thus, since the micropore characteristics, polishing rate, and pad cut rate of a polishing pad obtained by curing the composition according to the embodiment may be controlled, it is possible to efficiently manufacture high-quality semiconductor devices using the polishing pad.

The chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) process in a process for preparing semiconductors refers to a step in which a semiconductor substrate such as a wafer is fixed to a head and in contact with the surface of a polishing pad mounted on a platen, and the wafer is then chemically treated by supplying a slurry while the platen and the head are relatively moved, to thereby mechanically planarize the irregularities on the semiconductor substrate.
A polishing pad is an essential member that plays an important role in such a CMP process. In general, a polishing pad is composed of a polyurethane resin, which comprises a prepolymer obtained by reacting a diisocyanate monomer and a polyol, a curing agent, a foaming agent, and the like.
In addition, a polishing pad is provided on its surface with grooves for a large flow of a slurry and pores for supporting a fine flow thereof. The pores may be formed by using a solid phase foaming agent having voids, an inert gas, a liquid phase material, a fiber, or the like, or by generating a gas by a chemical reaction (see Korean Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2016-0027075).

Composition for a polishing pad, polishing pad, and process for preparing the same


A two piece suction strainer for use with a centrifugal pump is provided. The strainer includes a cage having the form of a basket and a cover having an integral hub formed as a hose shank fitting. The cover is securely placed in the open end of the cage basket. The hose is directly attached onto the hub. The cage and the cover preferably are injection molded from a high impact plastic.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to straining and filtering devices, and more particularly to a suction strainer for use with a centrifugal pump for pumping a fluid from a source to another location.
2. Background of the Invention
Centrifugal pumps are widely used for pumping fluids, such as environmental water, from a body of fluid (source) at one location to another location for a variety of purposes including irrigation of crops, flood control, land drainage, etc. Typically, a suction hose is positioned in a body of water with the strainer connected to the hose end. The strainer permits water to pass therethrough with very little resistance but inhibits the passage of debris greater than a desired size. Such debris can restrict or block the fluid line reducing pumping performance and potentially leading to pump seizure and/or damage.
In the prior art, suction strainers generally comprise a basket-shaped cage having an open end and a threaded connection at the other end for connecting thereto a hose fitting. A removable cover is securely placed on the open end. The cage and the cover have openings or passages which allow the fluid to flow into the cage. To use the strainer, a hose fitting having threads at its one end that compliment the threads in the cage is screwed into the cage. One end of the hose is connected to the second end of the hose fitting while the other end of the hose is fitted onto the centrifugal pump. To transfer fluid from a source to another location, the strainer is placed in the body of fluid and the pump is operated. The fluid enters the strainer and is passed into the hose and thus the pump. The openings in the cage and the cover prevent debris of sizes greater than the openings from entering the strainer and thus the pump.
Various hose sizes are used for different applications. To provide strainers for different hose sizes, the strainer manufacturers make a separate cage having a threaded hose fitting connection for each hose size. Hose diameters vary in size depending upon the pump size and the hose used. Hoses are generally available from sizes smaller than one inch in diameter to greater than four inches. The cages and the covers are typically injection-molded parts. Thus, the strainer manufacturers make a separate cage mold having a threaded connection therein for each hose size. The manufacturers and distributors also must inventory a strainer and a separate hose fitting for each hose size.
Applicant has noticed significant drawbacks in such prior art strainer design: specifically, the use of a threaded connection for attachment of the hose fitting and the use of a separate hose fitting. The use of a threaded connector increases the cost of building the injection molds and the cost of manufacturing the cage due to increased molding discontinuities at the threaded end. In addition, such prior art strainers consist of three separate parts which must be made and inventoried. Clearly, a strainer design which has fewer parts and which is less expensive to make by eliminating the threaded connector would be economical and, thus, desirable.
The present invention addresses the above-noted problems and provides a strainer having two parts: a cage that may be used with multiple hose sizes and a cover that has a hose connection thereon.

Suction strainer for use with a centrifugal pump


A thermoelectric conversion module includes: a first substrate having water permeability and thermal conductivity; a thermoelectric conversion element provided on the first substrate; a heat insulator having water permeability provided around the thermoelectric conversion element on the first substrate; and a second substrate disposed on the thermoelectric conversion element and the heat insulator and having water permeability and thermal conductivity.

In recent years, thermoelectric conversion elements have drawn attention from the viewpoint of a reduction in CO2 and environmental protection. The use of the thermoelectric conversion elements allows conversion of thermal energy, which has been discarded until now to electric energy for reuse thereof. With one thermoelectric conversion element, the output voltage is low. Therefore, a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements are usually connected in series to be used as the thermoelectric conversion module.
A general thermoelectric conversion module has a structure in which a large number of semiconductor blocks containing a p-type thermoelectric conversion material (hereinafter p-type semiconductor blocks) and a large number of semiconductor blocks containing an n-type thermoelectric conversion material (hereinafter n-type semiconductor blocks) are sandwiched between two heat exchanger plates. The p-type semiconductor blocks and the n-type semiconductor blocks are alternately arranged in the in-plane direction of the heat exchanger plates, and are connected in series with metal terminals disposed between the semiconductor blocks. Extraction electrodes are connected to both the ends of the semiconductor blocks connected in series.
The thermoelectric conversion module having such a structure has a structure such that a plurality of thermoelectric conversion elements each contains one p-type semiconductor block, one n-type semiconductor block, and terminals connecting the same are connected in series. The thermoelectric conversion element constituted by one p-type semiconductor block, one n-type semiconductor block, and terminals connect the same are connected in series is referred to as a π type thermoelectric conversion element in terms of the form.
In the above-described thermoelectric conversion module, when a temperature difference is given to the two heat exchanger plates, a potential difference occurs in each of the p-type semiconductor blocks and the n-type semiconductor blocks due to the Seebeck effect, and electric power may be extracted from the extraction electrode. The thermoelectric conversion module has been expected to be applied as, for example, wireless sensor nodes constituting sensor networks or the power supply source of various kinds of micro electric power electronic devices. As one of such applications, it has been considered to utilize the thermoelectric conversion module as the power supply of wearable electronic devices by attaching the thermoelectric conversion module to a human body, and generating electricity by differences in the body temperature and the outside air temperature. However, in such a use, there is a problem that when a temperature difference is small and particularly when the outside air temperature is high, sufficient output is not obtained.
A thermoelectric conversion module is known which utilizes the heat of vaporization of sweat supposing that the thermoelectric conversion module is attached to a human body. In such a thermoelectric conversion module, a film-like thermoelectric material is disposed on a plane, sweat is led to the front surface of the thermoelectric conversion module from the back surface thereof through a penetration hole formed in the bottom of an electrode portion, and the sweat is evaporated in the electrode portion, whereby a temperature difference is given to the thermoelectric material by a cooling effect due to the evaporation latent heat to generate electricity.
The followings are reference documents.    [Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 07-111345


A mechanical gearbox for an aircraft turbomachine includes a sun gear having an axis (X) of rotation, a ring gear around the sun gear, and planet gears meshed with the sun gear and the ring gear. Each planet gear has a first toothing meshed with the sun gear and a second loathing meshed with the ring gear. The first toothing includes a series of upstream teeth and a series of downstream teeth located on either side of a plane (H) perpendicular to the axis (X) of rotation of the sun gear. The second toothing includes a series of upstream teeth and a series of downstream teeth located on either side of the plane (H) and separated from one another by the first toothing, these teeth being parallel to one another and to the axis (Y) of rotation of the planet gear.

The prior art comprises documents WO-A1-2010/092263, FR-A1-2 987 416, FR-A1-3 008 462, FR-A1-3 008 463, FR-A1-3 041 054, EP-A1-3 726 031 and U.S. Pat. No. 3,307,433.
The role of a mechanical gearbox is to modify the speed and torque ratio between the input shaft and the output shaft of a mechanical system.
The new generations of multi-flow turbomachines, especially those with a high bypass ratio, comprise a mechanical gearbox to drive the shaft of a propeller, for example a fan. Typically, the purpose of the gearbox is to transform the so-called fast rotational speed of the shaft of a power turbine into a slower rotational speed for the shaft driving the fan.
Such a gearbox comprises a central gear, called the sun gear, a ring gear and gears called planet gears, which are engaged between the sun gear and the ring gear. The planet gears are held by a frame called a planet carrier. The sun gear, the ring gear and the planet carrier are planetary gears because their axes of revolution coincide with the longitudinal axis X of the turbomachine. The planet gears have different axes of revolution evenly distributed on the same operating diameter around the axis of the planetaries. These axes are parallel to the longitudinal axis X.
There are several gearbox architectures. In the prior art of multi-flow turbomachines, the gearboxes are of the planetary or epicyclic type. In other similar applications, there are so-called differential or "compound" architectures.                On a planetary gearbox, the planet carrier is fixed and the ring gear is the output shaft of the device which rotates in the opposite direction to the sun gear.        On an epicyclic gearbox, the ring gear is fixed and the planet carrier is the output shaft of the device which rotates in the same direction as the sun gear.        On a compound gearbox, no element is fixed in rotation. The ring gear rotates in the opposite direction to the sun gear and the planet carrier.
The gearboxes can be composed of one or more meshing stages. This meshing is achieved in different ways such as by contact, friction or magnetic fields. There are several types of contact meshing, such as straight, helical and herringbone toothing.
The increase in the reduction ratios of the architectures of the target engines leads to the use of so-called "double stage" gearboxes. Indeed, beyond a ratio of the order of 6 or 7, the so-called "single stage" technology loses its interest because it is no longer compact enough. In such applications, so-called "double stage" gearboxes are used.
In a single stage technology, the same toothing of a planet gear cooperates with the sun gear and the ring gear. In a double stage technology, the toothing of the planet gear that cooperates with the sun gear is different from the toothing of the planet gear that cooperates with the ring gear. In general, the toothing of a planet gear cooperating with the sun gear and the ring gear respectively have different average diameters.
The main problem with double stage gearboxes (each stage or toothing comprising a single set of teeth) lies in the fact that they are asymmetrical with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis X. Thus, the power entering downstream from the inside and exiting upstream from the outside generates significant moments at the planet gears (the expressions "upstream" and "downstream" referring to the general flow of gases in the turbomachine).
One solution to this problem is to provide a symmetrical arrangement of the two toothing with respect to a plane perpendicular to the axis X (each stage or toothing comprising a double set of teeth). These two toothing are herringbone, i.e. they each comprise a series of upstream teeth separated axially from a series of downstream teeth. The upstream teeth are substantially parallel to each other and inclined with respect to the axis X. The downstream teeth are also substantially parallel to each other and inclined with respect to the axis X and with respect to the upstream teeth so that the upstream and downstream teeth form herringbones all around the planet gear. In a herringbone toothing, the helix angle of the two sets of teeth has the same value (and an opposite inclination), so that these sets of teeth generate opposite axial forces of the same value.
The upstream and downstream teeth of the toothing that cooperates with the sun gear are separated from each other by an annular groove. In the present technique, the upstream and downstream teeth of this toothing are symmetrical with respect to the aforementioned plane, which means that the imaginary lines passing through the apex of the upstream and downstream teeth and running along these apex intersect at points located in the plane of symmetry. This also means that an imaginary line passing through the apex of one of the upstream or downstream teeth respectively, passes through the apex of one of the downstream or upstream teeth respectively.
This configuration presents a disadvantage during the manufacture of the planet gear and in particular during the grinding of the teeth of its meshing toothing with the sun gear. This is because the grinding tool is moved over and/or between the teeth, in directions parallel to the teeth, and over the entire axial extent of the teeth. In order to prevent the tool from coming into contact with the downstream or upstream teeth respectively and damaging them when grinding the upstream teeth (or vice versa), it is necessary to oversize the axial groove between the teeth in order to allow the end of travel and the removal of the tool. This axial oversizing results in an increase in the axial dimensions of the planet gear and therefore of the gearbox, which is detrimental.
Another disadvantage of this symmetrical herringbone toothing technology is that an axial positioning is fixed by each of the teeth series pair, which has the effect of:                either introducing potential overstressing into the gearbox, and thus to have to oversize it and thus end up with a larger and heavier gearbox; this has a major impact, especially when the number of planet gears is greater than 3, since the load distribution is then by nature less homogeneous between the planet gears, and there is therefore already a major overstressing factor to be taken into account linked to this phenomenon;        or imposing to leave the sun gear axially free, since at this point the axial position of the first stage is free, and the planet gears can align themselves axially with the position of the meshing toothing with the ring gear, which is itself fixed by the position of the ring gear; this is usually achieved by the use of splines able to axially slide to link the sun gear to its driving shaft; this connection presents risks of wear and can also introduce damping on the shaft for driving the sun gear, which has a negative effect on the dynamic behavior of the gearbox and the engine.

Mechanical gearbox for aircraft turbomachine


A digital circuit arrangement for transforming an input digital picture signal onto a reference horizontal synchronizing signal raster derived from the system clock, which input digital picture signal is present at a system clock rate not locked with the input digital picture signal, which includes a correction memory (1), an interpolator/decimator (2), and a control member for the purpose of a transformation which is as insensitive to interference as possible. The control member receives a control deviation signal (d) obtained with the aid of a discriminator (4) by comparing a horizontal synchronizing signal in the input digital picture signal with the reference horizontal synchronizing signal, and the control member applies a first correcting variable (i) to the correction memory (1), the first correcting variable (i) indicating transformation of the input digital picture signal by integral multiples of the system clock period to be performed by the correction memory (1), and the control member also applies a second correcting variable (.alpha..sub.s) to the interpolator/decimator (2), the second correcting variable (.alpha..sub.s) indicating the transformation by fractions of the system clock period to be performed by the interpolator/decimator (2).

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a digital circuit arrangement for transforming an input digital picture signal onto a reference horizontal synchronizing signal raster derived from the system clock, the input digital picture signal being present at a system clock rate not locked with said input digital picture signal, said arrangement comprising a correction memory and an interpolator/decimator.
2. Description of the Related Art
If a digital picture signal is scanned at a system clock rate which is not locked with the picture signal or if this picture signal is already present at such a clock rate, this means that the digital picture signal, on the one hand, and the scanning raster, on the other hand, can be freely displaced with respect to each other. This particularly holds for phase shifts possibly occurring in the picture signal, for example, when the signal is displayed by a video recorder. It is often desirable to have the digital picture signal in an orthogonal raster, enabling it to be more easily processed, for example, in picture memories. To this end, the digital picture signal may be transformed onto a reference horizontal synchronizing signal raster which is derived from the system clock and is independent of the picture signal. Circuit arrangements which are capable of doing this are known from the prepublication "Fernseh und Kinotechnik" Vol. 40, no. 3/1986, pp. 105 to 111 and from prior German Patent Application 39 35 453 (PHD 89186), corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/599,336 , filed Oct. 17, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,207. In these two circuit arrangements, a correction memory and an interpolator/decimator are used for transforming the picture signal. In the arrangement according to the prior patent application they are controlled by means of a forward control.
Such a control particularly does not lead to a desired transformation of the digital picture signal when there is interference in this signal. Examples of interference are particularly, amplitude errors, noise superpositions or the flattening of the signal edges produced by limitations of the transmission bandwidth. Such interferences principally lead to a distortion of the correction value provided by the control and hence to a false transformation of the picture signal.

Circuit arrangement for time base transformation of a digital picture signal


A system comprises active magnetic emitters positioned within an area, passive magnetic emitters configured to be moved within the area, a magnetic field detector configured to measure a strength and direction of a magnetic field within the area, and a processor in communication with the magnetic field detector. The passive magnetic emitters are configured to be integrated in, coupled to, or secured to at least one tracked object or tracked subject within the area. The processor is configured to evaluate at least one change in the measured strength and direction of the magnetic field end send a signal to a visual effect actuator or visual effects display to initiate a visual effect based on the at least one change. A method and computer program product relating to the system is also provided.

In today's technological environment, visual effects can provide entertainment. For example, physical effects, such as fireworks and explosions can be engaging aspects of live shows and recorded content. In other examples, virtual content can be rendered and displayed in real-time to provide desired visuals. As such, visual effects immerse viewers into a content creators world and deliver an exciting and engaging experience. However, triggering events should be timed carefully to dive the proper effect, such as in the case of a fast-paced action sequence. Various systems and methods have been tested for use in detecting trigger events, but due to flaws inherent in such systems, including unacceptable degrees of latency, delay, inaccuracy, and unreliability in certain settings, they are unsuitable for achieving the level of realism desired.
Embodiments described herein address these problems and others, individually and, collectively.

Tracking system for visual effect triggering using induced magnetic field and predictive analysis


A U-shaped pulse-tube refrigerator includes a regenerative tube and a pulse-tube that are juxtaposed with each other; a communicating path that connects a low-temperature end of the regenerative tube and a low-temperature end of the pulse-tube; a heat exchanger that is provided at the low-temperature end of at least one of the regenerative tube and the pulse-tube; and a flow smoothing member that is provided between a first exit of the communicating path at a side where the heat exchanger is provided and the heat exchanger.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pulse-tube refrigerator and more specifically, to a U-shaped stirling pulse-tube refrigerator.
2. Description of the Related Art
An in-line pulse-tube refrigerator in which a compressor, a regenerator and a pulse-tube are serially placed, or a U-shaped pulse-tube refrigerator in which a regenerator and a pulse-tube are juxtaposed with each other is known as a so-called stirling pulse-tube refrigerator (Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2001-289523, for example).
In such a stirling pulse-tube refrigerator, working frequency of working gas is on the order of a few dozen kHz and the working gas reciprocates in the refrigerator at an extremely high-speed. This feature is largely different from those of a so-called Gifford-McMahon pulse-tube refrigerator whose working frequency of working gas is about 1 to 2 Hz.
However, even for such a stirling pulse-tube refrigerator, it is still highly required to further improve the cooling efficiency.