The optical reception apparatus of the invention branches into two an RZ-DQPSK optical signal input from an optical transmission path via an optical amplifier, respectively sends this to delay interferometers and photoelectric converters on a pair of arms, separately detects a number of generated errors for the signals propagating through the arms in an error-number detection circuit, obtains a difference in the respective number of generated errors in an error-number detector, and controls phase shift in the delay interferometers so that the difference is within a preset tolerance. By so doing, it is possible to realize excellent reception performance by suppressing the occurrence of the burst error.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical reception apparatus that receives an optical signal of a multivalue phase modulating format used for an optical transmission system, and a controlling method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a need for introduction of an optical transmission system corresponding to next-generation 40 gigabit per second (Gbps) is increasing, while transmission distance and frequency availability equivalent to those of an existing 10 Gbps system are required. As a means for realizing this, for example, there has been developed an optical transmission system that applies a multivalue phase modulating format such as Return to Zero-Differential Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (RZ-DQPSK) having excellent Optical Signal Noise Ratio (OSNR) tolerance and nonlinearity tolerance as compared with a Non Return to Zero (NRZ) modulating format, which has been applied in a conventional system corresponding to 10 Gbps or less. Moreover, in addition to the application of the above multivalue phase modulating format, there has been also adopted a technique for improving performance such as long distance transmission and high noise tolerance by performing error correction in an electric stage after an optical signal having an error due to transmission deterioration is photoelectrically converted according to a conventional error correction method by Reed-Solomon code or a new error correction coding method.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a known 40 Gbps optical transmission system. In this optical transmission system, a plurality of base stations 110 are connected to each other via an optical transmission line 100, and each base station 110 includes a 40 Gbps router 111 connected with a client (not shown), and an optical transmission device 112 connected to the optical transmission line 100. Between the router 111 and the optical transmission device 112 in each base station 110, a 40 Gbps optical signal having a relatively wide optical spectrum width is transmitted in both directions. Moreover, between the optical transmission devices 112 in opposite base stations 110, a 43 Gbps optical signal having a narrow optical spectrum width with an error correction code is transmitted for a long distance in both directions.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the optical transmission device 112 in FIG. 6. In this configuration example, a known framing process by a framer LSI 122 and an error correction code-adding process are executed with respect to the signal that has been photoelectrically converted by a 40 Gbps broadband module 121 that transmits and receives the optical signal to and from the router 111 on the client side. Moreover, a narrow-band optical signal for long distance transmission generated by a 43 Gbps RZ-DQPSK module 123 that performs RZ-DQPSK modulation processing according to the signal processed by the framer LSI 122, is amplified to a required level by an optical amplifier 124 and then transmitted to the optical transmission line 100. The narrow-band optical signal propagated through the optical transmission line 100 and received by the optical transmission device 112 is amplified to the required level by the optical amplifier 124, and is then input to the 43 Gbps RZ-DQPSK module 123 and demodulated, and the error correction process of the received signal is performed by the framer LSI 122. A broadband optical signal generated by the 40 Gbps broadband module 121 according to the signal processed by the framer LSI 122 is output to the router 111 on the client side.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a transmission unit in the RZ-DQPSK module 123 in FIG. 7. In the transmission unit, a continuous wave (CW) output from a light source 131 is provided to a phase modulator 132 and an intensity modulator 133, and the phase modulator 132 and the intensity modulator 133 are driven based on an electric signal output from the framer LSI 122, to thereby output an optical signal of an RZ-DQPSK modulating format. Specifically, parallel electric signals output from the framer LSI 122 are subjected to serial signal processing by a serializer 134, and then separated into two flows of data signals DA and DB in a separation circuit 135. By driving the phase modulator 132 by a drive signal generated by driving circuits 136A and 136B according to the respective data signals DA and DB, a DQPSK modulated optical signal is output from the phase modulator 132. Moreover, a clock signal CLK having a frequency corresponding to the data signals DA and DB is output from the serializer 134, and the intensity modulator 133 is driven by a drive signal generated by a driving circuit 137 according to the clock signal CLK, to thereby output the RZ-DQPSK modulated optical signal from the intensity modulator 133.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a reception unit in the RZ-DQPSK module 123 in FIG. 7. In the reception unit, the RZ-DQPSK optical signal received from the optical transmission line 100 via the optical amplifier 124 is branched into two, and respectively transmitted to an arm A where a delay interferometer 141A is formed and an arm B where a delay interferometer 141B is formed. The delay interferometer 141A makes a 1-bit time delay component and a π/4 rad phase-controlled component interfere with each other (delay interference), and outputs the interference result as two outputs. Moreover, the delay interferometer 141B makes a 1-bit time delay component and a −π/4 rad phase-controlled component (the phase is shifted from that of the component in the delay interferometer 141A by π/2 rad) interfere with each other (delay interference), and outputs the interference result as two outputs. Output beams from the respective delay interferometers 141A and 141B are received by photoelectric conversion circuits 142A and 142B having a pair of a photodiode and an amplifier, to thereby perform differential photoelectric conversion detection. Then, after output signals from the photoelectric conversion circuits 142A and 142B are provided to a multiplex circuit 143 and multiplexed, the multiplexed signals are provided to a deserializer 144 and subjected to parallel signal processing, and signal-processed signals are transmitted to the framer LSI 122 in the subsequent stage. Moreover, the output signals from the photoelectric conversion circuits 142A and 142B are also respectively provided to mixers 145A and 145B, and phase shift amounts in the respective delay interferometers 141A and 141B are controlled by control circuits 146A and 146B, respectively, so that an opening of an eye pattern in an output waveform of the respective mixers 145A and 145B becomes an optimum state.
As a technique associated with the optical reception apparatus corresponding to the reception unit shown in FIG. 9, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-80304 is known. In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-80304, it is proposed, as one method for adjusting a relative delay in the delay interferometer, to monitor a bit error rate (BER) of the signal based on an interference signal generated by the delay interferometer, and adjust the relative delay based on the BER.
However, in the conventional technique for receiving the multivalue phase modulated optical signal such as the above RZ-DQPSK optical signal, there is a problem in that it becomes difficult to perform the error correction precisely by the framer LSI 122 in the subsequent stage, due to a burst error occurring in the reception unit in the RZ-DQPSK module 123.
In other words, the optical signal received by the reception unit in the RZ-DQPSK module 123 is amplified by the optical amplifier 124 (FIG. 7) for compensating a loss caused by the long distance transmission. Therefore, amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) occurring in the optical amplifier 124 is added as broadband optical noise. In the RZ-DQPSK signal added with the optical noise, for example, as shown in a conceptual diagram of FIG. 10, noise is carried on a light emission side corresponding to level "1", and hence, the signal waveform largely collapses.
As in the configuration example shown in FIG. 9, when the mixers 145A and 145B are used to control the phase shift amount in the delay interferometers 141A and 141B, the control largely depends on the signal waveform, and there is an influence of manufacturing variations of the delay interferometers 141A and 141B. Therefore, the relative delay added to between the optical signals propagating through the arms A and B is not in an optimum state. Accordingly, for example, as shown in a conceptual diagram of FIG. 11, an error rate of the signal before error correction corresponding to the optical signal on the arm A side and an error rate of the signal before error correction corresponding to the optical signal on the arm B side are largely different from each other. The broken line in FIG. 11 indicates an error rate (ideal value) when the relative delay is controlled in the optimum state, and the error rates on the arm A side and on the arm B side agree with each other.
Since the error rates on the arm A side and on the arm B side are different, a burst error in which frequent errors arise intermittently, occurs in the signal multiplexed in the multiplex circuit 143 (FIG. 9). In a general error correction method it is difficult to handle such a burst error, and as a result, for example, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 12, error correction cannot be performed precisely by the framer LSI 122 in the subsequent stage, thereby causing degradation of reception performance.

Optical reception apparatus and controlling method thereof


A document processing apparatus which is capable of retrieving an object to be searched quickly and accurately. A target document is divided into a plurality of text blocks according to each of a plurality of search engines. An index of the target document based on a character string included in each of the text blocks is created according to each of the search engines.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a document processing apparatus for searching documents, a control method therefor, a program for implementing the method, and a storage medium storing the program, and more particularly to a document processing apparatus for searching documents based on a plurality of search methods, a control method therefor, a program for implementing the method, and a storage medium storing the program.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a basic search method for searching a desired document (document data), there is conventionally known a keyword-based search which performs a search based on whether or not a given keyword or keywords (search query) is contained in the document. However, with the keyword-based search, it is difficult to quickly retrieve a desired document. Therefore, various other search methods and search engines have been devised.
The devised search engines for searching a desired document include a search engine which uses the relation between keywords or a degree of similarity in syntax information, and a search engine which uses a document vector characterizing the content of a document. As the search engine which uses the document vector, a search engine has been proposed, which uses a vector representation in terms of feature amounts corresponding to respective dimensions (classes) classified by meaning, field, or word of the content of a document, to determine a degree of similarity between documents by using an inner product (scalar product) of vectors of the respective documents, and retrieves a desired document based on the degree of similarity. Further, a document searching apparatus has been proposed, which has a plurality of search engines using various search methods installed therein, performs searches by switching over the plurality of search engines, and/or performs a comprehensive search based on results of search by the plurality of search engines.
Moreover, a search method has been proposed, which divides a given keyword into partial character strings each having n characters, and searches a document which includes all the partial character strings, to thereby narrows the scope of search (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H05-174064).
Also, a technique has been proposed, which merges a last sentence of a first text block and a head (first) sentence of a second text block, which is likely to be a continuation part of the last sentence of the first text block, into a merged character string for each pair of text blocks taken from a document with layout information, performs a morphological analysis on the merged character string, evaluates naturalness of the merged character string, to thereby determine the most natural connection order of the text blocks, and rearrange the text blocks according to the determined connection order (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H11-015826).
However, according to the above proposed document searching apparatus which searches documents based on a plurality of search methods, in spite of the fact that documents (document contents, kind of document, etc.) that can be retrieved efficiently and accurately are varied depending on individual search engines or search methods, an index for search is created based the entire document as a single object to be searched, regardless of which search engine or method is used for the search.
Therefore, when the object to be searched is a document containing a plurality of topics, the conventional document vector-based search engine cannot accurately retrieve that object, using the index created from the entire document as a single object to be searched. Further, none of the conventional keyword-based, keyword relation-based, and syntax information-based search engines can quickly retrieve documents containing large amounts of information.

Document processing apparatus for searching documents, control method therefor, program for implementing the method, and storage medium storing the program


A sheet aligning device may include a sheet conveyance path; a detecting unit configured to detect a side edge of a sheet being conveyed in the sheet conveyance path; a stopper on an upstream side of the detecting unit and configured to open/close so as to allow/prevent passage of the sheet and to position a leading edge of the sheet; a first conveying unit on an upstream side of the stopper, the first conveying unit including a pair of first rollers configured to come in contact with/separate from each other; a second conveying unit on an upstream side of the first conveying unit, the second conveying unit including a pair of second rollers configured to come in contact with/separate from each other; and a horizontal movement unit configured to move the pair of first rollers in an axial direction based on a detection result output by the detecting unit.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to sheet conveying mechanisms in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, and more particularly to improving precision in correcting the sheet position in the main scanning direction and correcting a skewed condition of a sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
In image forming apparatuses such as laser printers, sheets such as transfer sheets stacked on a sheet feeder are conveyed one by one. Then, a toner image formed on a photoconductive drum or a photoconductive belt is transferred onto each sheet at a transfer position. Finally, the toner image is fixed onto the sheet, thereby obtaining a recorded sheet.
In such an image forming apparatus, a registration mechanism including a stopper and a pair of rollers is provided just before the transfer position. The registration mechanism corrects the position of a sheet so that the toner image is transferred onto the correct position.
In this image forming apparatus, the stopper is provided on the sheet conveyance path, which stopper determines the position of a sheet in a direction perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. The leading edge of a sheet abuts the stopper, and while the leading edge is being stopped, a conveying unit positioned on the upstream side conveys the sheet, so that the sheet forms a loop. Then, the stopper is released, so that the leading edge of the sheet is nipped and conveyed by the pair of rollers situated downstream of the stopper. A detecting unit is arranged near a downstream position of the stopper for detecting side portions of the sheet. A moving unit includes a pair of rollers that is movable in a direction orthogonal to the sheet conveying direction. The detecting unit and the moving unit function to correct the sheet position so that the sheet is positioned along a sheet scanning reference position (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a conventional sheet conveying mechanism.
In FIG. 7, the reference numeral 32 denotes a pair of horizontal registration rollers, 33 denotes a stopper, 34 denotes a pair of feed rollers, 35 denotes a sheet edge detecting sensor, 36 denotes a pair of conveying rollers, 37 and 38 denote sheet conveyance paths, 39 denotes a sheet, 40 and 41 denote sheet trays, C denotes a buffer, and D denotes a sheet conveyance path junction.
The stopper 33 is arranged at a stage immediately before the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32. The stopper can be switched between a position for closing the sheet conveyance path and a position for opening the sheet conveyance path. The sheet conveyance path is configured in such a manner that the distance between the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32 and the pair of feed rollers 34 is wide enough for a small-sized sheet to be conveyed. Furthermore, there are two sheet conveyance paths at the stage before the pair of feed rollers 34; i.e., the conveyance path 38 extending from the sheet tray 40 provided in the main unit of an image forming apparatus (e.g., a printer) and the conveyance path 37 extending from the sheet tray 41 outside the image forming apparatus. Each of these conveyance paths 37 and 38 is provided with one of the pairs of conveying rollers 36 for sending the sheet 39 toward the pair of feed rollers 34. Furthermore, these two conveyance paths 37 and 38 merge at the junction D located on the upstream side of the pair of feed rollers 34.
Operations of correcting the sheet conveying position and correcting a skewed condition of the sheet 39 are described. The sheet 39 being conveyed by the pair of feed rollers 34 is stopped as the leading edge of the sheet 39 abuts the stopper 33, which stopper 33 is previously situated at a position for closing the sheet conveyance path. At this point, the leading edge of the sheet 39 abuts along the stopper 33, and therefore, a skewed condition of the sheet 39 is corrected. Then, the pair of feed rollers 34 conveys the sheet 39 for a certain amount of time, so that the buffer C is formed between the stopper 33 and the pair of feed rollers 34. Subsequently, the stopper 33 is lowered, thus releasing the leading edge of the sheet 39 from the stopped status. Consequently, due to the rigidity of the buffer C formed in the sheet 39, the leading edge of the sheet 39 is forced to stick out and wedge into the nip portion of the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32. At this point, the sheet 39 is released from the nip of the pair of feed rollers 34, a position of the edge (side edge) of the sheet 39 in the sheet main scanning direction is detected by the sheet edge detecting sensor 35, and the correction amount in the sheet main scanning direction is calculated. Then, the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32 is caused to horizontally move in the roller axial direction in accordance with the calculated correction amount. Accordingly, by performing the operation of correcting the sheet position in the main scanning direction (horizontal registration) with the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32, it is possible to align the position of the sheet 39 with the main scanning direction without affecting the pair of feed rollers 34.
In this sheet conveying mechanism, to correct the sheet conveying position and to correct a skewed condition of a sheet that is longer than the distance between the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32 and the pair of conveying rollers 36, the following situation may occur. That is, the trailing edge of the sheet 39 may still be sandwiched (held with pressure) by the pair of conveying rollers 36 when the leading edge of the sheet 39 has wedged into the nip portion of the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32. In such a condition, if the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32 is horizontally moved to correct the sheet position in the main scanning direction, the nip portion of the pair of conveying rollers 36 will act as a resistance. As a result, the sheet 39 may become twisted and wrinkled, or the skew of the sheet 39 that has been corrected at the stopper 33 may reappear. For these reasons, in this case, the nip portion of the pair of conveying rollers 36 is opened.
Incidentally, when the leading edge of the sheet 39 is released from the stopped status by lowering the stopper 33 after the buffer C has been formed between the stopper 33 and the pair of feed rollers 34, the following situation may occur if the sheet 39 is curled or if the sheet 39 has low rigidity. That is, the sheet 39 may become buckled or skewed before being nipped by the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32, so that the position of the sheet 39 is shifted or a paper jam occurs. Meanwhile, if the sheet 39 is highly rigid, the skew of the sheet 39 corrected at the stopper 33 may reappear before the sheet 39 wedges into the nip portion of the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32. If this happens, it would be meaningless to correct the skew at the stopper 33. To solve these problems, there is a configuration in which the stopper 33 is arranged on the downstream side of the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32 (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
In the above configuration, both the stopper and the conveying unit need to be provided with a driving unit, which leads to an increase in the size of the apparatus as well as higher manufacturing costs.
Even if the above problems are solved, when conveying a thick sheet that has body and that is longer than the distance between the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32 and the sheet conveyance path junction D, a problem arises if the curvature radius of each of the sheet conveyance paths between the corresponding sheet tray and the pair of feed rollers 34 is too small. Specifically, the trailing edge of the sheet remaining in the sheet conveyance path receives a large conveyance resistance that is caused by the small curvature radius of the sheet conveyance path. As a result, the resistance caused by the small curvature radius of the sheet conveyance path obstructs the movement of conveying the sheet 39 in the main scanning direction when correcting the position of the sheet 39 in the main scanning direction with the pair of horizontal registration rollers 32. This decreases the precision of conveying and aligning the sheet.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 2893540
Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. H10-203690

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Sheet aligning device and image forming apparatus including the same


A method, test strip and method of manufacturing a test strip useful for detecting one or more analytes, such as an antibiotic, in a test sample such as a milk sample. The test strip and method include a labeled specific binder and test capture agent for the specific binder that increases test sensitivity to the analyte for which the specific binder has affinity while decreasing test sensitivity to an analyte for which a multianalyte binder has affinity.

Antibiotic residues in foods are a major food safety concern. Health issues include bacterial resistance to drugs and allergic reactions. Food is tested worldwide for antibiotics and other contaminants. Immunochromatographic test devices, such as lateral flow test strips, are often used to perform such testing and are well known in the art. Examples of such devices and related methods are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. U.S. Pat. No. 7,410,808, issued Aug. 12, 2008 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,675, issued Nov. 16, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,466, issued Nov. 20, 2001, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/289,089, filed Nov. 6, 2002 (based on U.S. Provisional Application 60/332,877, filed Nov. 6, 2001); and U.S. patent application, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
Lateral-flow test strips can be configured to detect one or more analytes in a fluid sample such as a milk sample. Such strips typically include a capture agent immobilized within a defined region of the test strip, variously referred to as a test line or a test zone and/or a control zone or control line. The capture agent of choice has binding affinity for a reagent that is in a mobile phase of the test strip. If the mobile-phase reagent is detectably labeled, a detectable signal can be generated within the region of the test strip in which the mobile-phase reagent binds to the capture agent.
The sensitivity and specificity of a test device or method relative to a particular analyte relates to the binding affinity between the analyte and a binder. If the binder and analyte have good affinity, analyte-binder complex will form readily. In the case of a multianalyte binder—a binder that has affinity to more than one analyte—the affinity of certain analytes to the binder may be different than others. In addition, the particular affinity of a particular analyte to a chosen binder may not reflect the desired detection level for that analyte. In those cases, it is desired to adjust the test sensitivity to the particular analyte. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,319,466 describes a test device and method for detecting an analyte at reduced sensitivity levels.
We describe herein a method and device for decreasing test sensitivity to one or more analytes for which a multianalyte binder is overly affinitive relative to the desired detection level for one or multiple analytes. If there is too much affinity, the test will be overly sensitive. By reducing the test sensitivity to such analytes, while either maintaining or increasing test sensitivity to another analyte to which the multianalyte binder has affinity, the test can be adapted to detect analytes at desired levels, such as desired regulatory levels.

Method and test strip for detection of residues


A radio communications system includes a communication radio and an antenna module positioned external to the communication radio. An antenna cable connects the radio and the antenna module. The radio superposes a power voltage for operating the antenna module on a signal line of the antenna cable and transmits to the antenna module through the antenna cable a control signal that controls a gain of a transmission amplifier and duplexers while the transmission signal is not transmitted therethrough. In such manner, a control of the antenna module is enabled without affecting the transmission signal.

The radio communication system disclosed in a patent document 1 (i.e., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-244018) includes a communication radio, such as a burst modem, and an antenna side device, such as an outdoor device, for performing amplification, etc., at the time of transmission and reception positioned at distant positions from each other. The communication radio and the antenna side device are connected by a single coaxial cable. Through the coaxial cable, a transmission signal is sent to the antenna side device from the communication radio and a reception signal is sent to the communication radio from the antenna side device.
In addition, a signal detection circuit is provided in the antenna side device. When the level of a transmission signal is higher than a threshold, a transmission amplifier is connected to an antenna. When the level of a transmission signal is equal to or lower than the threshold, a reception amplifier is connected to the antenna. In such configuration, the switching of amplifiers, that is, between the transmission amplifier and the reception amplifier at the time of switching between signal transmission and signal reception, is performed only with the single coaxial cable that is used for both transmission and reception of the signal.
In the above-described configuration for the switching of amplifiers based on the level of the transmission signal, a certain period of time is required between the rise of the level of the transmission signal and a desired amplification of the signal because time is required for the switching of a switch that switches amplifiers and a starting of the transmission amplifier. Therefore, a front portion (i.e., front edge) of a waveform of the transmission signal may be dropped or deformed. In other words, the waveform may be deteriorated. If the degree of such waveform deformation is severe, the receiving side may not be capable of demodulating the transmission signal.


A surgical cutting instrument includes a hollow hub 15 that has a working portion 16 which terminates at a working end 17 and a connection portion 18 which terminates at a connection end. The connection portion 18 defines a cavity 20 and a lock member 22, which projects from an outer surface 21 of the connection portion 18. A surgical cutting element extends from the working end 17 and is operationally connected to a source of motion. A hollow hub connector 60 has a cylindrical wall 61 with a hand-piece connection portion 62 and a hub engagement portion 65. The hub engagement portion defines a chamber 70 for receiving the connection portion 18 of the hub 15. The chamber 70 has a longitudinal axis A1 parallel to the length of the hub connector 60. The hub engagement portion 65 further defines a channel 75 through the cylindrical wall 61 for receiving the lock member 22. The channel is in communication with the chamber 70 and has a longitudinal section 76 defined along the length L of the connector. The channel also has a second transverse section 77 communicating with the longitudinal section 76 at a first end 78 and having a second opposite end 79. Further, the channel has a locking recess 81 defined in the wall 62 perpendicularly to the transverse section 77 and in communication with the opposite end 79 of the transverse section 77. The locking recess 81 is sized to receive the lock member 22. A spring element 100 urges the lock member 22 into the locking recess 81 when the locking member 22 is rotated into the opposite end 79 of the transverse section 77 of the channel 75.

The present invention relates to minimally invasive surgical instruments for the incision and removable of a wide range of tissues. Specifically, the invention concerns disposable surgical cutting assemblies for operative engagement with powered hand-pieces.
Many medical treatments involve the removal of body tissues. In recent years, it has become standard to employ automated systems and less invasive surgical methods in order to achieve the best surgical outcome. Automated systems improve efficiency and effectiveness, particularly when the procedure requires cutting and removal of fibrous tissues that are difficult to completely sever. Minimally invasive surgical techniques avoid the trauma and expense of traditional surgical approaches because the site of pathology is accessed through portals rather than through a significant incision, thus preserving the integrity of intervening tissues. In some cases, these minimally invasive techniques require only local anesthesia, reducing post-operative recovery time and the risk of complications.
These recent improvements are particularly beneficial in the intricate, micro-surgical fields such as surgical ophthalmology and neurosurgery where extreme precision is essential, yet many of the tissues encountered can be fibrous. In these fields, surgical cutting probes are used to separate and remove pathologies from delicate structures. Fine discrimination and manipulation is required to avoid damaging healthy tissue. For example, certain conditions require the removal of tissue, such as vitreous, from the eye to preserve vision or maintain eye health. Removal of the vitreous is difficult due to the presence of fibers and the risk of serious complications, such as detachment of the inflexible, yet delicate, retina.
Since some of the fibers contained within the vitreous are attached to the retina, any incomplete cutting of the fibers could create retinal traction which could lead to retinal detachment. Incomplete cutting may result from a dull cutting blade, wherein the blade would merely pull the fibers and increase the retinal traction, or from a poor interface of the cutting edges of the outer needle and the cutting blade wherein the shearing effect of the edges passing across one another is reduced. In addition, imperfect alignment of the cutting blade within the outer tube could cause the shearing action to be localized at the center of the cutting edges and prevent the outer portion of the cutting edges from interfacing sufficiently close enough for a clean shearing action to occur.
Many of the known surgical tissue cutting instruments, for ophthalmology and other applications, employ the xe2x80x9ctube within a tubexe2x80x9d technology. These devices combine constant suction with a repeated cutting motion of a blade. Typically, an inner cutting sleeve is operated within the central bore of an outer cutting sleeve. The outer sleeve defines one or more apertures for receiving tissue when suction is applied. The inner sleeve can be reciprocated or rotated within the outer sleeve to pass a cutting edge past the aperture to cut tissue.
Although such automated cutters are a mayor advance in the art, several problems have been identified, such as incomplete cutting, clogging and the inability to cut harder tissues. Some of these problems arise from dull cutting blades or imperfect alignment of the blade within the outer tube. Over the years, many improvements to the basic tube within a tube design have been developed in an attempt to address these functional problems. While it has been a formidable challenge to address these problems while maintaining the minimally invasive features of the devices, some have been successful. An example of such an improvement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,782,849 issued to Miller.
In addition to these functional issues, the risk of the transmission of infective agents must also be addressed. Disposable devices and/or sterilization procedures are employed. For example, disposable blades can be coupled with reusable, sterilizable hand-pieces. In some commercially available systems, the disposable surgical blades are connectable to a hand-piece through a locking collar, spring, and key and groove arrangement. Unfortunately, these arrangements are complicated and cumbersome, increasing the fiddle factor and risk of malfunction. Moreover, the locking collars and other components can become contaminated with tissue, preventing proper function of the connection mechanism.
Therefore, one problem that has remained unsatisfied in the art is the need for disposable surgical cutter components that provide convenient reasonable cost. Accordingly a need has remained for disposable surgical cutting components that can be easily and efficiently assembled and yet provide precision operation.
Briefly describing certain aspects of the invention, a surgical cutting instrument is disclosed. The instrument includes a hollow hub having a working portion, which terminates at a working end and a connection portion, which terminates at a connection end. The connection portion defines a cavity and a lock member which projects from an outer surface of the connection portion. An outer tubular member extends from the working end and is sized for insertion into an anatomical space. The outer tubular member defines a central bore along the length I of the outer tubular member. The outer tubular member has a proximal end attached to the working end of the hub and a distal end. The outer tubular member further defines a cutting opening adjacent the distal end and sized to receive tissue therethrough.
A cutting member is slidably disposed within the central bore of the outer tubular member. The cutting member has a first operational end, which defines a cutting head, and a second engagement end disposed within the cavity of the hub. A drive element is also disposed within the cavity and has a drive mount portion connected to the engagement end of the cutting member. The drive element further has a mating portion operationally connectable to a source of motion. The drive element translates motion from the source of motion to the cutting member to move the cutting member relative to the outer tubular member so the cutting head traverses the cutting opening. The instrument includes a powered hand-piece having a source of motion and an outer shell, which defines an outer gripping portion.
A hollow hub connector is provided within the handpiece. The connector has a cylindrical wall with a hand-piece connection portion and a hub engagement portion. The connection portion is disposed within and is connected to the hand-piece. The hub engagement portion defines a chamber for receiving the connection portion of the hub. The chamber has a longitudinal axis AL parallel to the length of the hub connector. The hub engagement portion further defines a channel through the cylindrical wall for receiving the lock member. The channel is in communication with the chamber. The channel has a longitudinal section defined in the wall parallel to the length L of the connector. The channel also has a second transverse section communicating with the longitudinal section. A locking recess is defined in the wall perpendicularly to the transverse section, and in communication with the opposite end of the transverse section. The locking recess is sized to receive the lock member.
Thus, the connection portion of the hub is slidable within the chamber along the longitudinal axis when the lock member is disposed within the longitudinal section of the channel. The connection portion of the hub is rotatable within the chamber when the lock member is disposed within the transverse section of the channel. The connection portion of the hub is fixed within the chamber when the lock member is disposed within the locking recess.
In another embodiment, the invention includes a spring element disposed on the connection portion of the hub. The spring element urges the lock member into the locking recess wherein the locking member is rotated into the opposite end of the transverse section of the channel. The spring element has a squeezed position when the lock member is in the transverse section of the channel and a rest position when the lock member is in the locking recess. In preferred embodiments, the spring element is a beam spring disposed at the connection end of the hub. The beam spring includes a beam having a first face adjacent the connection end and a second opposite face with a boss projecting from the opposite face.
In still another aspect of the invention, the instrument includes a drive connector disposed within the chamber of the hub connector. The drive connector is operably engageable to the source of motion and releasably matable to the mating portion of the drive element when the hub is engaged to the hub connector. In some embodiments, the mating portion includes a transverse bar disposed within the cavity of the hub and the drive connector includes a bayonet element matable to the transverse bar. The bayonet element has a pair of spaced arms each terminating in a hook. The bayonet element is configured to releasably receive the transverse bar when the hub is disposed within the chamber and the lock members received within the longitudinal channel. When the hub is rotated the locking member is disposed within the locking recess, the transverse bar is captured by the hooks to thereby operatively engage the inner tubular member to the source of motion.
Accordingly, it is one object of the invention to provide disposable surgical cutter assemblies for operative engagement with powered hand-pieces. These and other objects, advantages and features are accomplished according to the devices and methods of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of one embodiment of a cutter assembly according to this invention.
FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view of a surgical cutter including the hub assembly shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hub according to one embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of a cutter assembly of this invention.
FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a cutter assembly of this invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a hub connector.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of a hub and connector assembly according to one embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 8 is a side perspective view of a cutter assembly of this invention with the locking member of the hub at the junction of the longitudinal and transverse sections of the channel of the hub connector.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a hub according to one embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 10 is a partial sectional exploded view of the cutter assembly shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a drive connector according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Disposable hub for a surgical cutting instrument


The present invention relates to a high pressure homogenizing apparatus and a method thereof for finely dividing a fine solid material or fibrous cellulose of chemical, medical, and resin products in a suspension as a dispersion or emulsification, or finely dividing by crushing cell membranes of fungi with high efficiency. The apparatus of the present invention is free from damage of valves so that its maintenance and control become easy. The high pressure homogenizing apparatus to finely divide a raw material in the suspension includes a high pressure homogenizing device having an orifice, a raw material receiving passage connected to the high pressure homogenizing device, a processing piston, and a processing recess disposed in a receiver. A front end of the processing piston is inserted into the processing recess with a pressure intensifier and a volume compression inside the processing recess pressurizes the suspension in the processing recess to lead the suspension into the raw material receiving passage for finely dividing the raw material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispersion and an emulsification of suspensions containing fine solid raw materials in food, chemical products, medical products, various resins and also of suspension containing fibrous cellulose in paper manufacturing field. The present invention relates to a fine division of raw materials, such as crushing cell membranes of fungi of coliform bacillus and yeast cells contained in liquid. The present invention provides a high efficiency of dispersion and emulsification of solids in the suspensions, and a high efficiency crushing of the cell membranes. The present invention has a high process capacity and a possibility for automation. In the present invention, valves are not damaged so that a maintenance and control become easy.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional high pressure homogenizing apparatus in the paper manufacturing field (JP,S60-19921,A), a suspension containing fibrous cellulose is passed through a small orifice with a high pressure and the fibrous cellulose is finely divided.
The conventional apparatus employs a reciprocating movement of a piston in a cylinder with a motor to flow the suspension of the fibrous cellulose through the small orifice with high pressure. Since the fibrous cellulose is viscous, the conventional apparatus can not flow the fibrous cellulose quickly through the orifice, causing a low productivity of fine division.
Furthermore, the fibrous cellulose sticks to an inlet and outlet valve seats of the piston, causing a trouble in an open and close of the valve, a leakage of the raw material under the high pressure, and accordingly the low productivity.
Since the conventional apparatus is operated under high pressure, the piston and the inlet and outlet valves wear rapidly and are damaged easily. For this reason, the maintenance and control of the apparatus is required and cause an increasing cost.

High pressure homogenizing apparatus and method thereof


A fluid distribution head of this invention includes a chamber for fluid flow including a perforated plate. The perforated plate is internally supported by a structural support to avoid deformation of the plate.

Integrated circuits are made using silicon wafers. The silicon wafers are processed into integrated circuits using a variety of techniques to form transistors and other circuit elements upon the silicon wafer. These processes involve multiple steps in which layers of materials are selectively deposited and/or selectively etched away. One of the steps commonly used is Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), in which a very thin layer of a metal or other material is deposited upon the surface of the silicon wafer. Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) is a process in which chemical vapor deposition takes place under a vacuum or a partial vacuum.
CVD machines generally include multiple stations at which sequential depositions or other actions are performed. Because of the small size of the traces needed for integrated circuits, proper and consistent alignment and registration, and the uniform deposition of materials, are crucial to the quality of the finished product.
CVD devices must carefully control the distribution and flow characteristics of the fluid which includes the metal or other material deposited. In silicon wafer technology, the fluid is generally admitted into the chamber of a fluid distribution head through an opening which terminates an inlet tube. The fluid stream encounters a deflector plate within the chamber which acts to disperse the fluid stream throughout the distribution head. The dispersed fluid then exits the distribution head through a multiplicity of openings in a perforated plate. The axis of the perforated plate is generally perpendicular to the axis of the inlet tube.
Temperature within the distribution head and at the surface of the wafer must be carefully controlled. For example, when a metal oxide film is deposited onto a silicon wafer using a Novellus Concept One (Novellus Systems, Inc, San Jose, Calif.) LPCVD machine, the temperature at the wafer is maintained at 400.degree. C. .+-.8.degree. C. Extreme temperatures such as these can cause the perforated plate to deform, and to deflect from the planar configuration. When the perforated plate becomes deformed it alters the distribution pattern of the fluid distribution head, causing the fluid to be unevenly applied to the silicon wafer. When deformation becomes excessive it can also disrupt the wafer registration, so that the silicon wafer misfeeds across the fluid distribution head. Either of these occurrences can cause the completed integrated circuit to fail.
Maintaining fluid distribution heads in an undeformed configuration has proven to be a problem which has been difficult and expensive to solve. For example, the eight fluid distribution heads which were original equipment in a commercially available LPCVD device demonstrated deformation after only three months of use. All eight heads must be replaced as a set, at a cost of $10,000 to $12,000 per set. The LPCVD machine must be shut down while the replacement takes place, with attendant repair and down-time costs.
One approach to prolonging the useful life of the fluid distribution heads has been to thicken the perforated plate. While this has prolonged the useful life of the heads somewhat (bowing takes place after four to six months rather than after three months) it has not solved the deformation problem, or reduced the expense of frequent replacement of the fluid distribution heads.


A software system and method that allows web site operators to adapt web pages for posting of public and private user comments. An administrator accesses a web site to enter data for creating reader comment areas. HTML code for the reader comment areas is generated for insertion into web pages. When the web page containing the code is posted to a web site, the code results in a reader comment display page where web site visitors can comment on the content of the particular web page where the reader comment area appears. Comments are saved at a remote web site accessible to the administrator. The administrator may review and manage the reader comments. A reader who makes a comment on a web page has the option of creating a personal journal comprising all comments entered by the reader at any web page enabled according to the invention.

Although web site blogs that provide commentary on a variety of topics are very popular, they typically emphasize the web site owner's or blogger's comments. Many bloggers do not allow readers to comment on posts for fear of the readers submitting inappropriate comments. As a result, reader interaction with blogs and other web sites is limited. If readers were permitted to post private rather than public comments, bloggers could allow readers to comment on posts without the fear that inappropriate comments will be read by other readers. However, blogs and web sites typically do not support posting of private comments.
Another problem with current web technology is that adapting blogs and other web pages for annotations and comments is very cumbersome and difficult. Even if a blogger would like to invite his or her readers to comment on the blogger's posts, adapting the blog or other web site content to allow such interactivity is difficult and requires programming skills. Details related to web page layout and content can also make it difficult to adapt pages for comments. Because of the difficulties in facilitating comments on individual web pages, many web site operators maintain a single blog for the entire site. Comments regarding unrelated content appear in the same area of the web site simply because a blog is supported in only one area of the site that users can visit to post. If a blogger would like to support private as well as public comments, additional programming is required to allow such postings on web pages. There is a need for a software system and method that allows web site operators to easily adapt web pages to facilitate posting of comments at web sites. There is also a need for a system and method that supports posting of private as well as public user comments at sites.

System and method for facilitating posting of public and private user comments at a web site


The present invention provides an integrity monitoring method and/or system for collecting and monitoring wagering information on at least one selected event, e.g., the actual stakes, odds and potential payouts, and accordingly determine the probability of suspicious betting behavior. The integrity monitoring method and/or system collects wagering information via a communication link from bookmaker operators. The collected wagering information is normalized and converted to a standardized format and subsequently is aggregated and stored in a centralized database, where it is subjected to statistical analysis to determine suspicious betting behavior.

It is an unfortunate side effect of the sports betting industry that financial gains can be made through corruption in sports. Individual sports athletes are regularly approached and paid (or coerced) to manipulate the outcome of games. Criminals make money by wagering on these events knowing the pre-determined (fixed) outcome.
Integrity monitoring services are being sold to sports organizing bodies who are concerned about keeping corruption out of their sport, but these existing integrity monitoring services are severely flawed. The current state-of-the-art in integrity monitoring today is focussed on looking at the odds that bookmakers are offering on a sporting event and monitoring these odds for significant movements as bookmakers react to corrupt money being wagered on these events. Unfortunately, odds move for various reasons, and most of these reasons have nothing to do with corruption. For example, player injuries or changes in the weather may unexpectedly move the odds offered, thus leading to false positives, whereby clean events look corrupt because the odds have moved.
The current methods for integrity monitoring are also ineffective across in-play betting, where odds monitoring is more difficult to capture in real time, or across any betting markets where bookmakers might offer different betting terms; for example, the number of places that are paid out on an each-way bet. It is often the case that money originating from corrupt activities is wagered in smaller amounts across many bookmakers to help make sure the odds are not moved. This practice leads to a great number of false negatives, whereby corrupt events are treated as clean bets by the current integrity monitoring methods.
Therefore, there is a need for providing an integrity monitoring method and system thereof, which is capable of accurately monitoring wagering activity.

Method for integrity monitoring of wagering information and a system therefor


A system and method for purposing a computing device is disclosed. A management controller system is used to copy a system image from a library of system images to a target partition of the computer to be repurposed. The system image may include a configured copy of an operating system and an application program. The system image may also include logic for generating and assigning a unique security identifier to the computer. The invention includes a managed node service for monitoring the status of the computer and for performing some of the necessary steps in purposing the computer. Additionally, the invention includes facilities for loading a default operating system on the computer when the computer is first connected to a network.

Typically a computing device is capable of serving one or more purposes defined by the operating system used by the computing device and one or more application programs that are installed on the computing device. To purpose a computing device, a user typically has to sequentially and manually install an operating system, install one or more application programs, and configure the operating system and application program to work with each other. Additionally, in some but not all operating system environments, such as the WINDOWS® NT and WINDOWS® 2000 operating system environments, when the computing device is added as a node in a secure network environment, the user has to ensure that a unique security identifier is properly generated and assigned to the computing device. This process can be very time consuming depending on the complexity of the operating system and application program in question, and more typically requires complex scripts and custom development. Moreover, it is not uncommon in a corporate or commercial setting that this process has to be repeated for hundreds or thousands of computing devices.
One situation in which there is a need to purpose hundreds or thousands of computing devices is an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or Application Service Provider (ASP). As one example, an ISP may have contracts with hundreds or thousands of customers to design, implement and/or operate the clients' web sites. For each customer, the ISP will purpose one or more web servers to provide the client's web site needs. Each customer, however, is likely to have varying amounts of traffic to its web site, depending on numerous factors including the time of year, or special occasions or events. Each customer needs to be assigned a sufficient number of servers to cope with reasonably expected peak traffic to the web site, although it is unlikely that every customer will experience peak traffic to its web site at the same time.
This arrangement is expensive for both the customer and the ISP because, except during periods of peak use, the computing devices are likely to be underutilized. Thus, the ISP has to maintain computing devices that are underutilized most of the time. Similarly, the customer has to pay for computing devices that are not efficiently used at all times. Because repurposing a computing device is such a difficult and time consuming procedure, once a computing device is purposed for a particular customer the ISP is unlikely to repurpose the computing device during periods when it is underutilized. It is difficult, therefore, for an ISP to reallocate computing devices based on a customer's current computing needs.
The time consuming nature of purposing computing devices is also troublesome to an ISP when a particular computing device experiences a failure or error. For example, if the computing device has to be replaced, the ISP has to manually install an operating system, an application program and configure a new computing device to replace the one that failed. This process may take hours to complete, and in the meantime a customer web site may experience problems such as being completely down, being unduly slow, losing sales, etc.
Another situation in which there is a need to purpose hundreds or thousands of computers is when, for example, a large corporation purchases many computing devices and needs to purpose those computers for its employees. Every computer will have to be individually configured after manually installing an operating system and any desired application programs. There are methods to somewhat automate this process by "burning" the system image on the hard drives of the computers in an assembly line fashion. The process is still onerous and time consuming however, because the hard drives will have to be physically removed and reinserted into the computers.

Method and system for dynamically purposing a computing device


Provided is a load-based method for moving carried out by a terminal in a wireless communication system. The method comprises obtaining a load level of a serving network and/or a neighboring network, scaling a mobility parameter by applying a scaling factor according to the load level of the serving network and/or a scaling factor according to the load level of the neighboring network, and performing a mobility evaluation of the serving network and the neighboring network based on the scaled mobility parameter.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to a method for moving carried out in a wireless communication system and an apparatus supporting the same.
2. Related Art
3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) LTE (long term evolution) which is improvement of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) has been introduced as 3GPP release 8. The 3GPP LTE uses OFDMA (orthogonal frequency division multiple access) in a downlink, and uses SC-FDMA (Single Carrier-frequency division multiple access) in an uplink. The 3GPP LTE adopts MIMO (multiple input multiple output) having maximum four antennas. Recently, a discussion of 3GPP LTE-A (LTE-Advanced) which is the evolution of the 3GPP LTE is in progress.
The wireless communication system can support providing a service through a plurality of access networks to the terminal. The terminal can receive the service from a 3GPP based access network such as a mobile wireless communication system and further, receive a service from non-3GPP based access networks such as Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), and the like.
In a wireless communication system, a terminal can change an access network providing a service according to a wireless environment such as the quality of the service which can be provided from the access network or a load of the access network and this is referred to as movement of the terminal. The terminal can receive the service through movement such as changing a serving cell on a 3GPP access network or newly accessing a non-3GPP access network.
In an area whether the terminal receives the service, the load exerts very many influences on user quality of service (QoS). That is, in an environment in which a specific service area is congested, the quality of the service provided to the terminal can deteriorate. That is, this means that the load of the service area needs to be considered in controlling mobility of the terminal.

Method for moving in wireless communication system and apparatus supporting same


A water heater comprising a tank for holding water, a jacket surrounding the tank, foam insulation between the tank and the jacket, a heating element for heating water in the tank, and a thermostat mounted on the tank for controlling the heating element in response to the temperature of water in the tank. The thermostat includes electrically active terminals, leadwires connected to the terminals, an electric circuit reset, and a temperature adjustment dial. The water heater also comprises a protective shield for covering the terminal and preventing foam contact with the terminal. The shield includes a face portion covering the thermostat in spaced relation to the tank. The face portion comprises a first access port for providing operator access to the circuit reset cutoff, and a second access port spaced from the first access port for providing operator access to the temperature adjustment dial. The shield also includes sidewall portions extending between the face portion and the tank. Each sidewall portion has a rearward tapered surface sealingly engaging the tank, and a leadwire access port which provides an opening for routing a leadwire and which provides strain relief for the leadwire.

The invention relates to water heaters, and more particularly to water heaters having foam insulation injected between the tank and the outer jacket. Still more particularly, the invention relates to a protective shield for protecting the electrical components of the water heater from contact with the injected foam insulation.
It is known to provide a dam which surrounds the electrical components and which extends between the tank and the outer jacket in order to protect the electrical components from contact with the foam insulation. It is also known to provide a protective shield to cover the electrical components of the water heater to prevent accidental contact between the operator and the electrical components and yet provide access to the water heater controls.

Protective shield for the electrical components of a water heater


A system for providing an electrical steering assist for a materials handling vehicle includes a drive housing; a steerable wheel coupled to the drive housing; a steering arm pivotally mounted to the drive housing; a steer drive unit coupled to the steerable wheel; an input sensing device; and a controller. The steering arm is operatively configured to determine a steering direction of the steerable wheel. The input sensing device is arranged to detect a turning force applied to the steering arm by an operator, wherein the turning force is provided to change the angle of travel of the vehicle. The input sensing device includes a strain measuring assembly defining a strain sensitive region between the steering arm and the steer drive unit. The controller is operatively configured to control the steer drive unit to turn the steerable wheel based upon a signal from the input sensing device.

The present invention relates in general to materials handling vehicles such as walkie/rider pallet trucks commonly used for picking stock in large warehouses and, more particularly, to systems and methods for providing steering assistance on such vehicles.
A walkie/rider pallet truck includes generally, a set of load carrying forks, a power unit having at least one motor to power the truck, a steerable wheel and corresponding steering control mechanism to effect the direction of travel of the truck when in motion, and a platform onto which an operator may step and ride while controlling the truck. The steering control mechanism normally includes a movable steering arm, referred to as a tiller handle, which is mechanically coupled to the steerable wheel. The tiller handle includes the operational controls necessary for operating the truck, such as controls for raising and lowering the forks and rotatable twist grips or comparable devices for controlling the speed and direction (forward or reverse) of the truck.
To drive the truck, the operator steps onto the platform and grasps the handle, moving the steering arm into a truck operating range of positions between a generally vertical (up) braking position and a generally horizontal (down) braking position. The operator then actuates the appropriate controls to select a direction (if necessary) and twists one of the rotatable twist grips to accelerate the truck. Steering is effected by transitioning the tiller handle side to side in a generally horizontal plane. If the operator releases the handle, a deadman brake mechanism forces the arm to the up braking position, which actuates a spring-loaded brake to stop the truck. The operator can also actuate the brake manually by moving the steering arm to either of the up or down braking positions. Thus, the walkie/rider pallet truck may be in either a braking or non-braking mode, depending on the position of the steering arm within specified braking and operating arcs.
Due to the mechanical coupling arrangement of the steering arm to the steerable wheel, the steering force required to turn the truck varies during operation. When the truck is traveling, especially at relatively higher speeds, the steering force required by an operator to turn the truck is relatively low. However, a considerable amount of steering force is required to turn the steerable wheel when the truck is either at a standstill or traveling at slow speeds. In addition to the speed of the truck, the required steering force depends upon a number of other factors including, for example, the type and condition of the floor, the length of the forks, the load on the forks, and the tire type. As an example, given a typical material handling truck with 96 inch (2.44 meter) long forks and a poly drive tire, such as is used in many warehouse picking applications, the torque required to turn the steerable wheel of a stationary truck may vary from about 100 lbf-ft (135 N m) for no load conditions, to over 400 lbf-ft (542 N m) for loads of 8,000 Lbs. (3,629 kg.) when operating on a brushed concrete floor. The torque required to turn the steerable wheel of a stationary truck on smooth concrete can range from about 75 lbf-ft (102 N) for no load conditions up to about 300 lbf-ft (407 N) for loads of 8000 Lb. (3,629 kg).
The above-described exemplary steering torque requirements assume that the truck is not moving. The lowest force required to turn the tiller handle typically occurs when the tiller handle is positioned in a normal operating position, e.g., 2 ft (61 cm) from the centerline of the steerable wheel when the handle is in a horizontal position. However, as the handle is moved into a more vertical position, such as when turning in tight spaces, the radius of the arc defined by the handle with respect to the steerable wheel becomes much smaller, which results in increasing the required turning force. Accordingly, an operator operating a truck for a full day may become tired, which may cause productivity issues.

Electrical steering assist features for materials handling vehicles


A process for the optical resolution of a pyranobenzoxadiazole compound represented by the formula [(.+-.)I]: ##STR1## which comprises reacting the compound [(.+-.)I] with an optically active carboxylic acid represented by the formula [II]: ##STR2## and separating the diastereomeric salt thus formed is disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an optically active pyranobenzoxadiazole compound, which is an important intermediate in the synthesis of an optically active pyranobenzoxadiazole derivative useful for the treatment of hypertension and asthma, and a process for the optical resolution of a pyranobenzoxadiazole compound.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A pyranobenzoxadiazole derivative represented by the formula [III] (which will be briefly referred to as the compound [III] hereinafter): ##STR3## wherein A represents a hydroxyl group or an OC(O)CH.sub.3-n X.sub.n group in which X represents a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom, a bromine atom, a methyl group or a methoxy group and n represents 0 or an integer of 1 to 3;
when R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom, R.sup.2 represents a hydrogen atom, C(Z)CH.sub.3-n X.sub.n group, in which Z represents an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom and X and n is as defined above, or C(Z)NHCH.sub.3-n X.sub.n group, in which Z and n are defined above; and
when R.sup.1 does not represent a hydrogen atom, R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 together represent (CH.sub.2).sub.m-1 C(Z) group, in which m represent an integer of 4 or 5 and Z is as defined above, (CH.sub.2).sub.m-2 NHC(Z) group or a (CH.sub.2).sub.m-2 OC(Z) group, in which Z and m are as defined above,
is obtained in the form of a racemic mixture as described in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 2-49788 (49788/1990) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,752. The compound [III] exerts intense vasodilatory and hypotensive activities and thus is expected to be useful as a medicine for treating hypertension, angina pectoris, arrhythmia, cerebral circulation disorders and asthma.
As described in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 2-49788 (49788/1990), the compound [III] can be synthesized in the following manner:

Process for the optical resolution of pyranobenzoxadiazole compounds


A key control system comprises the generation of a first set of keys which are then used for a plurality of respective postage meters. The keys are then related to a respective meter in accordance with a map or algorithm. The keys may be changed by entering the second key via an encryption using the first key.

Recent advances in digital printing technology have made it possible to implement digital, i.e., bit map addressable, printing for the purpose of evidencing payment of postage by a postage-meter-like device. Where necessary in order to distinguish such postage-meter-like devices from the typical postage meter, such devices will be called herein Postage Evidencing Devices or PED's. In such devices, the printer may be a typical stand-alone printer. The computer driven printer of such a PED can print the postal indicia in a desired location on the face of a mail piece. Further, as used herein the postal indicia will be defined as the Postal Revenue Block or PRB. The PRB typically contains data such as the postage value, a unique PED identification number, the date and in some applications the name of the place where the mail is originating. It must be noted, however, that the term postage meter as used herein will be understood to cover the various types of postage accounting systems including such PED's and is not to be limited by the type of printer used.
From the Post Office's point of view, it will be appreciated that a serious problem associated with PED's is that the digital printing makes it fairly easy to counterfeit the PRB since any suitable computer and printer may be used to generate multiple images. In fact, many of these new PED systems may be using printers that are able to print legitimate indicias which are indistinguishable from those printed by others that are printed without any attempt to purchase postage.
In order to validate a mailpiece, that is to assure that accounting for the postage amount printed on a mailpiece has been properly done, it is known that one may include as a part of the franking an encrypted number such that, for instance, the value of the franking may be determined from the encryption to learn whether the value as printed on the mailpiece is correct. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,757,537 and 4,775,246 to Edelmann et al. as well as U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,266 to Eckert. It is also known to authenticate a mailpiece by including the address as a further part of the encryption as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,725,718 to Sansone et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,747 to Fougere et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,044 to Pastor describes a system wherein include a binary array and the actual arrays of pixels are scanned in order to identify the provider of the mailpiece and to recover other encrypted plaintext information. U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,577 to Pastor describes various alternatives to the DES encoding for encrypting a message and for comparing the decrypted postal information to the plaintext information on the mailpiece.
U.K. 2,251,210A to Gilham describes a meter that contains an electronic calendar to inhibit operation of the franking machine on a periodic basis to ensure that the user conveys accounting information to the postal authorities. U.S. Pat. No. 5,008,827 to Sansone et al. describes a system for updating rates and regulation parameters at each meter via a communication network between the meter and a data center. While the meter is on-line status registers in the meter are checked and an alarm condition raised if an anomaly is detected.
It will be appreciated that in order to verify the information in the PRB using the encrypted message, the verifier must first be able to obtain the key used by the particular meter. In trying to deal with mailing systems which may incorporate such encryption systems, it must be recognized that the meter population is large and subject to constant fluctuation as meters are added and removed from service. If the same key were to be used for all meters, the key distribution is simple but the system is not secure. Once the code is broken by anyone, the key may be made available to others using the system and the entire operation is compromised. However, if separate keys are used respectively for each meter then key management potentially becomes extremely difficult considering the fluctuations in such a large population.

Encryption key control system for mail processing system having data center verification


An imaging device of the present invention comprises a storage section for holding an initial white point of a display panel, a calculation section for calculating target white point of the display panel based on light source information for the shooting environment, a determination section for making a white point range corresponding to an adaptive light source range, and determining whether or not the initial white point or the target white point are outside the adaptive tracking range, and a display control section for carrying out controls so as to change white point of the display panel over time from the initial white point to the target white point, wherein, in the event that the initial white point or the target white point is outside the adaptive tracking range, a new initial white point or a new target white point is calculated so as to be within the adaptive range.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging device having an electronic viewfinder, to an electronic viewfinder for such an imaging device, and to a display control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An imaging device fitted with an electronic viewfinder (hereafter abbreviated to "EVF") is provided. A major feature of an EVF that has appeared in imaging devices with an EVF is that it is possible to confirm a photographic image beforehand. As a result, it has been possible to satisfy a user's need to get a rough idea of image brightness and color cast.
However, in recent years there has been more demand for an EVF and the need for much easier shooting has increased, such that with an EVF it is possible to perform playback of a photographic image with greater accuracy, it is possible to carry out various image adjustments on the EVF before shooting, and it is possible to confirm an image beforehand regardless of the environment.
As well as more accurate playback of taking images, color is an extremely important factor. However, color can be subject to change for various reasons. One of these reasons is the environment in which an image is confirmed. For example, for even a single printed image, in the case of viewing under a clear sky, white will appear white, while in the case of viewing under electric lighting white will take on something of a red hue. Specifically, even if the same image is viewed, the color cast of the image the person actually perceives on viewing will differ depending on the environment in which the image is viewed.
As a factor in reproducing color, there are differences depending on color adaptation of a person's eyes. For example, even for the same image, color cast in the case of viewing immediately after entering a dark room lit with electric light, and color cast in the case of viewing after a sufficient time has elapsed after entering a dark room, appear different. This is due to what extent the eyes become accustomed or acclimatized to the environment, and shows that in actual fact the color cast a person perceives may be different.
Also, as factors for reproducing color, besides the above factors the way in which color is seen also differs depending on an adaptive range (tracking range). For example, even for the same taken image, in the case of viewing under a clear sky on the case of viewing under a cloudy sky, there will not be too big a difference in how the color cast is perceived, but in the case of viewing under alight source of comparatively strong color cast, such as an electric light, differences in color cast will be perceived. This means that simultaneously with differences in environment in which an image is confirmed, there will be differences in the color cast that is actually perceived, depending on individuals and in what light source range a person's eyes perceive white as white.
Japanese patent laid open number 2002-290979 (hereinafter referred to as patent document 1) mentions color adaptation. In this patent document 1, there is disclosure of an idea for, regarding color fogging of a taken image arising in the case of shooting in a state where a white balance of a film that is used or white balance setting of a digital camera does not conform with the light source in which the image has been shot, confirming the extent of that color fogging in-situ. With patent document 1, inverse white balance processing is applied to image data for confirmation that is displayed on a rear surface liquid crystal display, based on light source information of the light source the image has been shot in and white balance setting, taking into consideration color adaptation for the shooting environment. Also, Japanese patent laid open number 2004-140736 (hereafter referred to as patent document 2) discloses changing the display color temperature so that in a case where a user has looked away from the subject and into the EVF, the user's eyes gradually become accustomed to the EVF display.
In patent document 1 described previously, at least color adaptation is dealt with, but in a case where the color of a taken image is confirmed on a rear surface liquid crystal display, simply reflecting color adaptation in the shooting environment in the color of image data used for confirmation is insufficient, and color will also vary depending on what white point has been set for the liquid crystal display that the image is displayed on.
To give a specific example, if it is assumed that shooting light source and white balance settings match, and a confirmation image is generated so as to match the taken image, the taken image white and the confirmation image white will match. However, if that confirmation image is displayed on a liquid crystal display panel having a red tinge (a display having a white point with a low color temperature), white of the confirmation image will be displayed with a red tinge. Also, if the confirmation image is displayed on a liquid crystal panel having a blue tinge (a display having a white point with a high color temperature), white of the confirmation image will be displayed with a blue tinge. Accordingly, the technology disclosed in patent document 1 cannot provide sufficient solution to the current problem with an EVF.
Also, the above described differences in the way color cast is perceived have a significant effect on reproduction of color of a taken image on an EVF. However, current EVFs have not taken this point into consideration, and as a result, while it is possible to reproduce color comparatively close to that of the taken image under particular confirmation conditions, there may be situations where the image appears tinged with blue or tinged red depending on the environment. This is disruptive to the photographer, and impairs the image of the photographer, and impedes them in shooting comfortably. Accordingly, with the conventional EVF accurate reproduction of a taken image regardless of the environment was not possible, and also it was not possible to perform various image adjustments to enable accurate shooting while viewing on the EVF to shoot accurately, and the taking of a photograph could not be performed accurately.
This can be solved to a certain extent by gradually changing display color temperature, as in patent document 2 described above. However, since a person's eyes can only adapt to color temperature of the environment to a certain extent, variation in display color temperature is preferably not performed without considering that color adaptation range.

Imaging device, electronic viewfinder, and display control method


Methods and assays for treating a subject with a filovirus infection using an agent that inhibits Niemann-Pick CI (NPCI), VPSII, VPSI6, VPSI8, VPS33A, VPS39, VPS41, BLOCISI, BLOCIS2, GNPTAB, PIKFYVE, ARHGAP23 or FIG4. Methods for screening for an agent that treats and/or prevents infection of a subject with a filovirus, where the methods comprise determining whether the agent inhibits one or more of Niemann-Pick CI (NPCI), VPSII, VPSI6, VPSI8, VPS33A, VPS39, VPS41. BLOCISI, BLOCIS2, GNPTAB, PIKFYVE, ARHGAP23 or FIG4, wherein an agent that inhibits one or more of NPCI, VPSII, VPSI6, VPSI8, VPS33A, VPS39, VPS41, BLOCISI, BLOCIS2, GNPTAB, PIKFYVE, ARHGAP23 or FIG4 is a candidate for treating and/or preventing an infection with a filovirus and wherein an agent that does not inhibit NPCI, VPSII, VPSI6, VPSI8, VPS33A. VPS39, VPS41, BLOCISI, BLOCIS2, GNPTAB, PIKFYVE, ARHGAP23 or FIG4 is not a candidate for treating and/or preventing an infection with a filovirus.

Throughout this application various publications are referred to in superscripts. Full citations for these references may be found at the end of the specification. The disclosures of these publications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety into the subject application to more fully describe the art to which the subject invention pertains.
Infections by the Ebola (EboV) and Marburg (MarV) filoviruses cause a rapidly fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans for which no approved vaccines or antivirals are available1. Filovirus entry into cells is mediated by the viral spike glycoprotein (GP), which attaches viral particles to the cell surface, delivers them to endosomes, and catalyzes fusion between viral and endosomal membranes2. Additional host factors in the endosomal compartment, including a putative entry receptor, are likely required for viral membrane fusion. However, despite considerable efforts, these critical host factors have defied molecular identification3-5.
The present invention addresses the need for methods and assays for treating subjects infected with filoviruses or who are at risk for infection with filoviruses.

Methods and assays for treating filoviridae infections

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Inc.

President and Fellows of Harvard College

Whitehead Institute For Biomedical Research


A syringe having structure to isolate fluid from the distal end of the syringe includes a barrel with a chamber therein. A stopper is slidingly disposed in the chamber and is provided with an aperture extending axially therethrough. A plug includes a head releasably engaged in a sealing portion of the aperture of the stopper. A rigid tail extends distally from the head and through the aperture in the stopper and projects outwardly from the distal end of the stopper. The tail is long enough so that it can be used to move the head out of the sealing portion of the aperture by applying force to the distal end of the tail. The tail has a cross-sectional shape which defines at least one fluid channel between the tail and the sealing portion of the stopper to allow fluid to flow from the chamber through the aperture in the stopper and out of the distal end of the barrel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to syringes and more particularly concerns a syringe suitable for prefilling including structure for preventing the contents of the syringe from exiting the needle end of the syringe barrel during storage.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Prior art hypodermic syringes include an elongated barrel having opposed proximal and distal ends and a chamber therebetween for receiving a fluid. A passageway extends through the distal end of the syringe barrel and communicates with the chamber. The distal end of the prior art syringe barrel is connected to a sharp needle cannula for delivering fluid from the chamber and passageway. The proximal end of the prior art syringe barrel slidably receives a plunger, such that movement of the plunger urges fluid through the needle cannula.
Many prior art hypodermic syringes are prefilled with fluid prior to shipment to health care facilities or other end users. Prefilling of a hypodermic syringe offers several advantages. In particular, handling of the hypodermic syringe after removal of the protective needle shield is substantially reduced. Additionally, required dosages can be carefully controlled to avoid misuse of the fluid being injected. Still further, inventory management at the health care facility can be simplified.
Contact between the prefilled fluid and the needle cannula or the passageway through the distal end of the prior art syringe barrel can cause clogging, leakage, and in some areas, possible chemical interaction between the needle and the fluid. Thus, in some cases it is desirable to isolate the prefilled fluid from the distal end of the syringe barrel and from the needle.
The prior art has included several structures for isolating the fluid in the prefilled hypodermic syringe and the distal end of the barrel. One prior art approach has included a rupturable membrane mounted at a distal location within the syringe barrel to separate the prefilled fluid from the needle and syringe tip. Slidable movement of the plunger in this prior art syringe barrel causes the prefilled fluid to increase pressure on the membrane. Sufficient pressure causes the membrane to either rupture or to deform into an inner needle which pierces the membrane. Further slidable movement of the plunger into the prior art syringe barrel causes the prefilled fluid to pass through the ruptured or pierced membrane and into the needle cannula. This prior art approach, however, creates the potential that a portion of the membrane could disengage and either block the needle cannula or pass entirely therethrough.
Other prior art prefilled hypodermic syringes have included a syringe barrel with an enlarged cross section near the distal end. A stopper is slidably disposed in the syringe barrel proximally of the enlarged cross-section to isolate the prefilled fluid from both the needle and the enlarged cross-sectional region of the barrel. Slidable movement of the plunger into this prior art syringe barrel moves the stopper distally and into the region of enlarged cross-section. The fluid then bypasses the stopper and flows into the needle cannula. The non-uniform cross-section along the length of this prior art syringe barrel can complicate manufacturing processes and increase manufacturing costs.
Still other prior art syringes have included isolation stoppers which deform, when they reach the distal end of the barrel, in response to the increased pressure of the fluid generated by the slidable movement of the plunger. Prior art devices of this type may require uncertain or excessive pressure on the plunger and require a higher pressure throughout the injection process because they close the fluid path to the needle when the pressure is reduced.

Syringe having needle isolation features


Spacers arranged on opposite sides of an article to be processed into an EUV pellicle support the article. Plates on opposite ends of the spacer-article combination include respective electrodes. The plates, article, and spacers can be held together with a vacuum retention system. A center hole of each spacer forms a chamber with surfaces engaged by the spacer. A fluid entry extending from an outer surface of each spacer to its center hole allows delivery of fluid to each chamber. Additional spacers can be used to support additional articles. Additional plates and electrodes can also be used.

The present invention relates to photolithography used in the microfabrication of semiconductor devices, and, more specifically, to methods of forming a porous silicon film, particularly for use as a pellicle to protect an extreme ultraviolet radiation photomask or reticle.
It is common to employ ultraviolet (UV) radiation in photolithography to transfer a pattern onto an article to be processed, such as a semiconductor wafer. As semiconductor devices continue to be reduced in scale, shorter wavelengths of radiation are preferred. As a result, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation can be used in the microfabrication of semiconductor devices to form components and/or patterns at even smaller scales than more conventional UV photolithography allows, such as features with dimensions in the order of 20 nanometers (nm) or smaller. EUV is often regarded as including wavelengths of from about 4 nm to about 40 nm, which roughly corresponds to frequencies of about 75 petaHertz (PHz) to about 7.5 PHz and/or photon energies of from about 310 electron-volts (eV) to about 31 eV. However, EUV light is highly absorbed by most known materials, which can result in flaws in pattern transfer should undesired particles lay between the EUV radiation source and the photomask and/or the article to be patterned. This is exaggerated in EUV photolithography since radiation is reflected off the photomask instead of shone from behind the photomask, potentially creating twice as much risk of a particle entering the path of the radiation. To reduce introduction of such particles, a shield or the like called a pellicle can be placed in front of a photomask, but such a pellicle can result in significant reduction in EUV radiation transmittance to the photomask and article.
One approach to avoid EUV radiation transmittance reduction is to create a thermal gradient over an article to be processed and/or the photomask, which can avoid use of a pellicle at all. The article, photomask, and/or support structure is heated so that convection currents can form and flow away from the photomask, carrying undesirable particles away, as well. However, this approach may not be as effective in processes in which vacuum is employed. In addition, should gas or particles surround the photomask, the convection currents could draw particles to the photomask.
A related approach is to place an electrostatic charge on the photomask, the article to be processed, and/or support structure. By using a charge similar to that possessed by undesirable particles, the particles can be repelled. This approach may not be as effective where particles of mixed charges are present and/or where a charge could damage the photomask, support structure, and/or article.
Another approach is to use a pellicle, but to remove the pellicle just before exposing the photomask. The photomask in this example is typically in a box sealed by a removable pellicle. The box is inserted into a vacuum chamber in which the article is to be exposed to EUV radiation, the pellicle is removed, the article is exposed, the pellicle is replaced, and the box is withdrawn. This approach may not be effective against particles produced from rubbing parts of the box or elsewhere in the vacuum chamber during exposure.
A further approach is to form a permanent pellicle on the box from a highly EUV transmissive material. For example, a very thin layer or film of a material, such as silicon, can be highly transmissive of EUV radiation and used as a pellicle to cover a photomask box. Similarly, an aerogel membrane of a material, such as silicon, can be formed as a highly EUV transmissive pellicle for a photomask box. Such pellicles typically are very thin and/or of very low density, however, which can result in undesirable deflection and/or breakage.

Extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV) pellicle formation apparatus


There is provided an angular velocity sensor element which, even when a sudden vibration is given from the outside, can absorb the vibration to prevent the vibration from being transmitted to an element section thereof. An angular velocity sensor element 1 according to the present embodiment includes: sensor units 10a to 10c with driven-related and detection-related vibrating arms; a base section 4 which couples the sensor units 10a to 10c; a first fixed section 6 which is frame-shaped and which surrounds the base section 4 and the sensor units 10a to 10c; first coupling arms 5a to 5c which couple the base section 4 to the first fixed section 6; a second fixed section 8 which is disposed in at least a part of the area around the first fixed section 6; and second coupling arms 7a to 7c which couple the first fixed section 6 to the second fixed section 8.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an angular velocity sensor element that detects an angular velocity of an object.
2. Description of the Related Art
Angular velocity sensor element's have hitherto been used for a technique of autonomously controlling the posture of ship, airplane, rocket or the like. Recently, they are also mounted in small-sized electronic apparatuses such as car navigation systems, digital cameras, video camcorders and mobile telephones. Consequently, there are demands for further miniaturization and thickness reduction of the angular velocity sensor elements.
However, vibrating arms of vibration-type angular velocity sensor are usually manufactured by means of cutting and forming performed by piezoelectric material machining. And since the machining accuracy is limited, it is difficult to meet the above demands for further miniaturization and thickness reduction.
Thus a technique has been proposed which, in order to achieve further miniaturization and thickness reduction of an angular velocity sensor element, performs a fine processing on a single crystal thin plate to form a vibrating arm. For example, in FIG. 21 of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-72334, an angular velocity sensor element has been disclosed which includes an element section with a vibrating arm and a frame-shaped fixed section secured to the element.
However, when a sudden shock is given from the outside to such angular velocity sensor element, a vibration caused by this shock is transmitted from the fixed section to the element section and detected as noise by the detection-related vibrating arm of the element section.
Thus, to address the above problem, the present invention has been devised, and an object thereof is to provide an angular velocity sensor element which, even when a sudden vibration is given from the outside, can absorb the vibration to prevent the vibration from being transmitted to an element section thereof.