A pressurized water closet operating system comprises a water vessel, an external manifold mounted directly on said vessel, and an internally mounted flush valve assembly. The manifold comprises a water pressure regulator, an air induction system, and a manually operable flush valve actuator. The manually operable flush valve actuator controls the discharge of water under pressure from the water vessel into the toilet bowl.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved pressurized water closet that minimizes water usage incident to flushing yet maximizes waste extraction propulsion energy and reliability of the system.
2. Related Art
The herein disclosed pressurized water closet is an improvement over the systems disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,233,698 issued Nov. 18, 1980 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,426 issued Nov. 8, 1994, as well as over the system disclosed in application Ser. No. 08/457,162 filed Jun. 1, 1995.
The basic components of a pressurized water closet are a water vessel, a flush valve and a flush valve actuator. The aforesaid components are generally installed internally of a conventional water closet. The pressurized water closet is energized by water pressure from a conventional fresh water supply system.
In operation, as the water level rises in the water vessel after flush, air internally of the water vessel is compressed. When water pressure in the vessel equals the supply line pressure or when it causes the pressure regulator valve to shut, in the event of supply line pressure greater than that allowed by the regulator, flow of water into the water vessel ceases and the system is conditioned for operation. When the flush valve actuator is actuated, the flush valve opens whereafter the compressed air in the water vessel pushes the water stored therein into the water closet bowl at relatively high discharge pressure and velocity, flushing waste therefrom with minimum water consumption.
Known pressurized water closet flushing systems have proved to be successful in the marketplace but generally exhibit one or more operating characteristics that can be improved upon. Specifically, propulsion energy that effects waste extraction from the toilet bowl is relatively inefficient; high or low pressure in the fresh water system may result in inconsistent operation; the volume of water discharged is inconsistent; there is no provision for internal release of water system pressure above design pressure; flush action is not independent of duration of flush valve actuator depression; closure of the flush valve upon the occurrence of low supply line pressure is not positive; the actuator valve is not self cleaning; there is no provision for varying toilet bowl refill volume, and there is no provision for the addition of disinfectant to the toilet bowl without compromise of flushing system integrity.
The pressurized water closet flushing system of the present invention solves the aforesaid problems. Specifically, the system exhibits a substantial improvement in waste extraction energy and in the consistency and reliability of the flushing action. The system uses a minimum volume of water upon discharge; provides internal pressure relief upon the occurrence of water system pressure above design pressure; has a flush action that is not a function of time of actuator depression; exhibits positive closure upon the occurrence of low supply line pressure; has a self cleaning actuator valve; and toilet bowl refill volume can be customized to meet application specifications. Moreover, the system exhibits minimal differences in water consumption at high and low water pressures; utilizes two internal back checks, a built in drain, an internal discharge port, and provides for the addition of disinfectant to the toilet bowl without compromise of flushing system integrity.
Yet another feature of the invention is that a water flow path is opened through the actuator directly above the flush valve cylinder to a disinfectant reservoir thence to the toilet bowl when the toilet""s manual flush valve actuator is depressed thereby injecting disinfectant into the toilet bowl.
The aforesaid features of the pressurized flush system of the present invention result in stronger and more effective extraction and drain line carry, cleaner bowls, fewer drain line clogs, no hidden leakage of water between flushes, and smaller sized pipe systems. The system of invention produces a flushing action which clears and cleans a toilet bowl while consuming less than one and six tenths gallons of water while meeting the highest municipal codes. The toilet bowl is emptied by one flush without drain line xe2x80x9cdrop-offxe2x80x9d common to many low water volume, or gravity-flow type toilets.
In operation, actuation of the manual operator creates a pressure differential across a flush valve piston disposed in a flush valve cylinder. The flush valve piston and a flush valve thereas move upwardly at a controlled rate.
Upward or opening movement of the flush valve permits water to be ejected into the toilet bowl from the water vessel under relatively high pressure effecting extraction of the contents of the toilet bowl. Flush commences simultaneously with manual depression of the flush valve actuator and is time controlled so as to produce a prolonged high energy surge of water which carries bowl waste into the sewer.
Closure of the flush valve is timed by the distribution ratio of incoming water to the upper chamber of the flush valve cylinder and the water vessel. When the manual flush valve actuator is released, the fluid flow path from the upper chamber of the flush valve cylinder to ambient is closed. At this point, a predetermined portion of the water supplied under pressure from the water supply system flows directly to the upper chamber of the flush valve cylinder. The remaining portion of water supplied by the system flows to the main chamber of the water vessel. Prior to closure of the flush valve, water and a predetermined amount of disinfectant flowing to the water vessel passes therethrough into the toilet bowl thereby to disinfect the bowl and restore the water seal in the bowl""s trap so as to prevent sewer gasses from exiting through the toilet bowl. When the upper chamber of the flush valve cylinder is filled, and the flush valve is closed, all incoming water is directed into the water vessel.
Water rising in the water vessel under regulated water system pressure compresses the air entrapped therein until it reaches either the line or regulated pressure of, as in a constructed embodiment of the invention, 30 psi, whichever occurs first. At this point, flow stops and the system is ready to be flushed again.
In accordance with one feature of the present invention, both the water vessel and the upper chamber of the flush valve cylinder are connected at all times, through the water pressure regulator, to the pressurized fresh water supply. Another feature of the present invention is that a minimum of 75% of the water stored in the water vessel is discharged at a flow velocity in excess of 20 gpm when supply line pressure is equal to or greater than supply line pressure. This feature results in superior bowl extraction and drain line carry of waste.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the flush valve actuator is hydraulically coupled to the upper chamber of the flush valve cylinder. Thus, when the flush valve actuator opens a flow path to ambient pressure, water pressure in the upper chamber of the cylinder is instantaneously but silently relieved creating a pressure differential across the piston allowing pressure on the lower face of the piston to immediately bias the piston and flush valve upwardly to the open condition. The flow of water outwardly of the upper chamber of the flush valve is metered, so as to positively control upward movement of the flush valve piston. Noise is attenuated because the system is hydraulic as opposed to pneumatic.

Pressurized water closet flushing system


A motorized coin bank for sorting and storing coins of varying diameters comprising a coin receiver hopper for receiving unsorted coins; a plurality of coin storage containers for storing sorted coins; a straight ramped coin path located between the coin storage containers and the coin receiver, a drum-shaped separator, located in a plane which is perpendicular to the horizontal base of the coin bank and adjacent to the coin receiver hopper, for sorting individual coins one at a time from the receiver and depositing each coin in the straight ramped coin path such that each coin rolls edgewise along the ramped coin path; a plurality of coin apertures of varying size, each being sized to permit passage of only coins having a size less than or equal to a predetermined diameter.

There exists in the market place a number of motorized coin banks having coin sorters each of which is designed to accomplish the task of receiving, sorting and storing coins with greater or lesser degree of effectiveness and using a variety of configurations to carry out the required functions.
In one motorized coin bank disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,496, which issued to Pekitney on Dec. 12, 1995, coins are deposited in a coin receiver, and pass through a separator into a helical coin path located between the receiver and the coin storage containers, each of which is located adjacent to an aperture in the helical coin path.
The Applicant is not presently aware of any prior art reference which teaches or speaks to the totality of the invention disclosed and claimed in the present application.


A method of forming synthetic diamond on a substrate. The method involves providing a substrate surface covered with a fullerene or diamond coating, positioning a fullerene in an ionization source, creating a fullerene vapor, ionizing fullerene molecules, accelerating the fullerene ions to energies above 250 eV to form a fullerene ion beam, impinging the fullerene ion beam on the substrate surface and continuing these steps to obtain a diamond film thickness on the substrate.

The present invention relates generally to methods for the conversion of fullerenes to diamond or diamond films. More particularly, the invention is concerned with the manufacture of nonhydrogenic fullerenes as precursors for the synthesis of diamond or diamond-like films. Because of their thermodynamic instability with respect to diamond, the conversion of fullerenes to diamond has significant advantages over presently used methods for producing synthetic diamonds.
The prior art methods of manufacturing diamond can be divided into two maid approaches. In the first or high-pressure method, graphite powder is heated to about 1500.degree. C. under 60 kbar of pressure in the presence of an iron catalyst. Under this extreme, but equilibrium, condition of pressure and temperature, graphite can be converted to diamond. About 75 tons of diamond are produced industrially each year in this way. The second or low pressure method of producing diamond artificially involves producing a mixture usually of a few percent of methane in hydrogen gas. A hot filament or a microwave discharge is used to dissociate the methane molecule to form the methyl radical, CH.sub.3, and the hydrogen molecule is dissociated to form hydrogen atoms. Diamond or diamond-like films can be grown this way epitaxially on diamond nuclei. Such films, however, always contain small contaminating amounts (0.1-1%) of hydrogen which are undesirable for many applications.
The usefulness and novelty of fullerene precursors for diamond synthesis stem from several of their properties: Fullerene precursors are thermodynamically unstable with respect to diamond and, therefore, stable only in a kinetic sense. In addition, since the fullerenes are molecular entities, they are volatile with C.sub.60 having a vapor pressure of 10.sup.-4 Torr at 500.degree. C. Fullerenes are also allotropes of carbon; that is, they contain no hydrogen; and therefore, diamonds produced from fullerene precursors are hydrogen-defect free. Another useful characteristic of fullerene is the chemical bond in C.sub.60 is intermediate between graphite (sp.sup.2) and diamond (sp.sup.3). Furthermore, fragmentation involving carbon-carbon bond breakage occurs via the elimination of C.sub.2 groups. Recent scanning tunneling microscope studies have shown C.sub.2 groups to be intimately involved in the growth of epitaxial diamond films, particularly of the "dimer rows" of the 2.times.1 reconstructed <100> surface. It has also been determined both the positive C.sub.60.sup.+ and negative C.sub.60.sup.- ions are stable entities that can be accelerated to kilovolt energies under an applied electrostatic potential. The so-called LUMO (lowest unoccupied molecular orbital) of the fullerenes also is an antibonding three-fold degenerate orbital that can accept up to six electrons from electron donors such as the alkali metals. The resultant repulsion between the delocalized electrons weakens the carbon-carbon bonds of the C.sub.60 cage and provides a mechanism for the fullerene to undergo diamond transformation.


There is provided a small-size time counting circuit which measures time with high accuracy and low power consumption. Around a differential inverter ring composed of an odd number of differential inverters of identical structure connected in a ring configuration, signal transition is caused to circulate by oscillation. A first signal group is composed of normal output signals from the odd-numbered differential inverters and inverted output signals from the even-numbered differential inverters, which rise and fall sequentially at equal time intervals corresponding to delay times in the individual differential inverters. A second signal group is composed of inverted output signals from the odd-numbered differential inverters and normal output signals from the even-numbered differential inverters, which similarly rise and fall sequentially at equal time intervals. Accordingly, even when the rise time of an output signal from each of the differential inverters composing the differential inverter ring is different from the fall time thereof, the use of the first and second signal groups provides equal increments of time for time measurement.

The present invention relates to a time counting circuit for measuring such time as the pulse spacing of a pulse signal and to a method of generating a plurality of pulse signals.
There have been rising hopes for the use of time counting circuits for measuring such time as the pulse spacing of a pulse signal in the field of digital communication and the like. In recent years, it has become possible to mount a time counting circuit composed of a CMOS transistor in conjunction with other digital circuits on a single chip, which has accomplished a significant reduction in the cost of manufacturing semiconductor devices.
A time counting circuit which exhibits further stabilized operation with higher accuracy may also find extensive application in various fields including the demodulation of FM signals and the demodulation of bus signals in an LSI. Because of its capability of measuring extremely short time with accuracy and stability, the use of the time counting circuit for greatly reducing the number of buses in the LSI is particularly awaited.
FIG. 18 illustrates a structure of a conventional time counting circuit, in which are shown: an inverter ring 51; a row of holding circuits 52; signal converting means 53; time-difference operating circuit 54; a counter 55a; and a counter-output holding circuit 55b. A pulse signal to be measured is inputted to a pulse-signal input terminal and data representing the pulse spacing of the inputted pulse signal is outputted from an operation-result output terminal.
The time counting circuit shown in FIG. 18 includes the inverter ring 51 composed of a plurality of delay circuits each consisting of two inverters and one delay circuit consisting of three inverters (the final delay circuit in FIG. 18), which are connected in a ring configuration. Since the inverter ring 51 is composed of an odd number of inverters, so-called oscillation is observed whereby one signal transition occurs after another as though seemingly moving along the inverter ring 51 with the passage of time, resulting in circulations around the inverter ring 51. Therefore, time can be measured by examining variations in the output voltages from the individual delay circuits.
On the rising edge of the pulse signal to be measured, output signals from the individual delay circuits composing the inverter ring 51 are held in flip-flops (FFs) composing the row of holding circuits 52 and outputted to the signal converting means 53, which converts the output signals from the row of holding circuits 52 to data and outputs it to the time-difference operating circuit 54. The counter 55a counts the number of circulations of signal transition around the inverter ring 51 and outputs count data to the time-difference operating circuit 54 via the counter-output holding circuit 55b (see "Time-to-Digital Converter LSI" Technical Report of IEICE, ICD93-77 (1993-08)).
However, the conventional time counting circuit has the following disadvantages.
To cause oscillation in the inverter ring, an odd number of inverters should necessarily be provided therein. To implement a signal processing circuit of simple structure, a power-of-two number of delay circuits are preferably included in the inverter ring. Accordingly, the inverter ring comprises delay circuits of different structures in the conventional time counting circuit, as shown in FIG. 18.
In this case, however, it is difficult to equalize signal delay times in the individual delay circuits composing the inverter ring. Even if the inverter ring is designed so that signal delay times in the individual delay circuits become equal, signal delay times may vary differently in the delay circuits of different structures when a power-source voltage varies.
To eliminate the disadvantages, there can be proposed a method wherein time counting is performed by regarding one inverter as one delay circuit. In accordance with the method, holding circuits are connected to the respective output terminals of the inverters composing the inverter ring and output signals from the individual holding circuits are used to perform time counting.
FIG. 19(a) shows transitions of respective output signals from an odd number of identical inverters composing an inverter ring. In the drawing, it is assumed that the output signal from the 2nd inverter falls after the time t.sub.1 elapsed from the rising edge of the output signal from the 1st inverter. In short, a delay time in the 2nd inverter is indicated by t.sub.1. Likewise, respective delay times in the 3rd to 7th inverters are indicated by t.sub.2 to t.sub.6.
It is assumed here that a pulse signal to be measured rises at the time T.sub.1. At that time, the logic levels of the output signals from the 1st and 2nd inverters are HIGH successively. It is also assumed that the pulse signal to be measured rises again at the time T.sub.2. At that time, the logic levels of the output signals from the 6th and 7th inverters are LOW successively. From the foregoing description, it will be understood that signal transition circulating around the inverter ring has advanced from the 1st inverter to the 6th inverter during the period between the times T.sub.1 and T.sub.2.
The time required by signal transition to advance from the 1st inverter to the 6th inverter can be obtained by adding up respective delay times in the 2nd to 6th inverters, which is given by (t.sub.1 +t.sub.2 +t.sub.3 +t.sub.4 +t.sub.5). Hence, the time (T.sub.2 -T.sub.1) representing the pulse width is given by (t.sub.1 +t.sub.2 +t.sub.3 +t.sub.4 +t.sub.5). If each of the delay times in the individual inverters is assumed to be 1 ns, t.sub.1 =t.sub.2 =t.sub.3 =t.sub.4 =t.sub.5 =1 ns are satisfied so that the time (T.sub.2 -T.sub.1)=5 ns is satisfied.
The duration of time recognized as the time T.sub.1 by the inverter ring is equal to the delay time t.sub.1 in the 2nd inverter. The duration of time recognized as the time T.sub.2 by the inverter ring is equal to the delay time t.sub.6 in the 7th inverter. When the delay times in the individual inverters are equal, therefore, the pulse width can be measured by using the delay times as increments of time.
In practice, however, it is not necessarily easy to equalize the delay times in the individual inverters partly because the rise time of the output signal from the inverter is not necessarily equal to the fall time thereof.
If the inverter is composed of a CMOS inverter, the adjustment of the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor and the adjustment of the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor are performed in different processes. On the other hand, the rise time of the output voltage from the inverter is mainly determined by the threshold voltage of the PMOS transistor, while the fall time of the output voltage from the inverter is mainly determined by the threshold voltage of the NMOS transistor. Thus, different rise and fall times of the output voltage from the inverter, which is a common phenomenon, results from the manufacturing process.
FIG. 19(b) illustrates different delay times in the individual inverters when the rise time of the output signal from the inverter is different from the fall time thereof. In the drawing, the horizontal axis indicates time, the vertical axis indicates voltage, the voltage V.sub.DD indicates power-source voltage, and the voltage V.sub.T indicates the threshold voltage of each of the holding circuits connected to the individual inverters. The solid lines on the graph indicate transitions of the output signals from the individual inverters composing the inverter ring. The numeric characters accompanying the rising and falling edges on the graph indicate the stages of the inverters. The holding circuit holds an input voltage higher than the threshold voltage V.sub.T as a logic level "1", while holding an input voltage lower than the threshold voltage V.sub.T as a logic level "0".
As shown in FIG. 19(b), when the fall time of the output signal from the inverter is longer than the rise time thereof, the delay times t.sub.1, t.sub.3, and t.sub.5 are longer than 1 ns and the delay times t.sub.2, t.sub.4, and t.sub.6 are shorter than 1 ns.
If t.sub.1 =t.sub.3 =t.sub.5 =1.5 ns and t.sub.2 =t.sub.4 =t.sub.6 =0.5 ns are assumed to be satisfied, the duration of time recognized as the time T.sub.1 is 1.5 ns and the duration of time recognized as the time T.sub.2 is 0.5 ns, which indicates that the accuracy of time measurement is not constant.
Even if an inverter ring with equal rise time and fall time can be manufactured, the threshold voltage of the holding circuit varies with variations in power-source voltage and in temperature, so that the delay times in the individual inverters are not equal. To eliminate the problem, means for controlling the inverter ring by detecting variations in power-source voltage and in temperature should be provided in a time counting circuit, which increases circuit size and power consumption accordingly.

Time counting circuit and pulse signal generating method

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


A substance possessing physiological activity is coupled to a styrene-glycidyl methacrylate polymer through a spacer, and is used to isolate from a mixture a substance that can adhere to the substance possessing physiological activity. Preferably the polymer is in the form of a microsphere, the substance possessing physiological activity is 3-[(5-(2,3-dimethoxy-6-methyl-1,4-benzoquinonyl)]-2-nonyl-2-propionic acid or derivative thereof, and the spacer is an ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether derivative. The mixture may be a cell extract and the substance isolated a protein that is a receptor to the substance possessing physiological activity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microsphere which is prepared by coupling a substance possessing physiological activities to a styrene-glycidyl methacrylate polymer through a spacer as well as a process of isolating an objective or targeted substance by using the microsphere of the invention. In addition, the present invention relates to a receptor to a 3-[(5-(2,3-dimethoxy-6-methyl-1,4-benzoquinonyl)]-2-nonyl-2-propionic acid derivative and with a novel protein consisting of an active moiety of the concerned receptor.
2. Background
Cells constituting a living body are exposed to various kinds of stimulation from the external environment all the time. To respond to such stimulation the cells lead some gene groups to expression. As a result, various living phenomena can occur, such as induction of cell growth and/or cell differentiation and maintenance of physiological homeostasis. Extracellular stimulation is transformed into an intracellular signal, which activates a specific proteinous transcription factor. The functionally activated transcription factor binds to a specific base sequence on a chromosome to induce a gene group under its regulation to expression. The product of the induced gene expression primarily functions to respond to the stimulation in some cases. In the other cases, the product of the induced gene expression further activates another transcription factor that induces another gene group under its regulation to expression to secondarily respond to the stimulation. In either case, cellular response to the stimulation from the external environment is concluded to be functional transformation of transcription factors.
In recent years, an extremely interesting fact was revealed. That is, mechanisms of action of cyclosporin A (CysA) and FK506, immunosuppressive drugs, have been revealed. See J. Lin et al., Cell, 66:807-815 (1991); S. J. O'Keefe et al., Nature, 357:692 (1992); and N. A. Clipstone et al., Nature, 357:695 (1992). The first opportunity for revealing the mechanisms is the identification of intracellular receptors to these drugs. See R. E. Handschumacher et al., Science, 226, 554; and J. J. Sekierka et al., J. Immunol., 143:1580-1583 (1989). On the basis of these findings, a series of signaling pathway following stimulation by antigen was revealed in T-cell that is immunocompetent cell.
Accordingly, investigation and identification of intracellular receptors to drugs, as well as elucidation of signaling pathway, are expected to be further developed into developmental research of new drugs targeting the signaling pathway and research for novel drug designs.
Conventional methods of isolation and purification of intracellular receptors to drugs are fractionation of crude cell extracts by using various columns, followed by detection of factors binding to labeled drugs in each fraction. Therefore, two steps of procedure, the first one was isolation and purification using columns and the second one was assay for binding activity against drugs, have been necessarily performed until now.
Accordingly, for the purpose of purification, identification and functional analysis of receptors to a specific drug, located within cells or on cellular membrane, certain drug-immobilized microspheres have been designed and constituted.

Isolating substances with 3-[(5-(2,3-dimethoxy-6-methyl-1,4-benzoquinonyl)]-2-nonyl-2-propionic acid coupled to a microsphere


A stable composition useful for myocardial perfusion imaging contains one or more 2-alkynyladenosine derivatives; and a solvent which is made up of water and hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin.

Adequate coronary vasodilation is essential to myocardial perfusion imaging. Coronary vasodilation increases coronary blood flow. This increase creates differences in the distribution of the imaging agent great enough to identify regions supplied by stenosed coronary vessels and to distinguish problem areas from healthy tissue.
Exercise stress testing often is employed for dilating coronary vessels, hence increasing coronary blood flow. However, maximum exercise levels are often required for sufficient vasodilation, and exercise capacity varies greatly among patients. Many patients absolutely cannot exercise to any satisfactory level, due to peripheral vascular disease, medications, poor patient motivation, and a variety of other coexisting conditions. Therefore, exercise may not always be an option.
The compound adenosine, having the formula C10H13N5O4, is known to be highly efficacious as a pharmacologic stress agent for myocardial imaging in patients which are unable to exercise adequately. This compound has consistently produced maximum vasodilation of coronary arteries, with relatively minimal side effects. Adenosine is typically administered intravenously to a patient at rest, and its pharmacological action then mimics some degree of physical assertion. The short half-life of adenosine is responsible for its short-acting pharmacological effects, making it extremely useful for diagnostic evaluation and risk assessment in coronary artery disease. The attending physician can quickly image the diseased coronary area, and thereafter the adenosine and any adjunct compounds are broken down or evacuated from the body.
Other adenosine-based analogs and derivatives have now shown great potential as possible coronary vasodilators for use in medical imaging. Many of these compounds have been set forth and identified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,232,297. This patent sets forth a new class of 2-alkynyladenosine derivatives.
Unfortunately, many adenosine derivatives can be very difficult to solubilize in aqueous media. There are also long-range stability issues associated with adenosine-based formulations. To address this issue, the skilled artisan has often turned to solvents like glycerol, propylene glycol and other polar additives when preparing injection solutions. Alternatively, β-cyclodextrin, because of its unique donut-shape, has been shown to form inclusion complexes with sparingly soluble and unstable drugs. The action of β-cyclodextrin significantly stabilizes and increases the water-solubility of many pharmacological compounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,079 describes many β-cyclodextrin derivatives which are set forth as being particularly useful as complex forming agents to solubilize and stabilize active compounds. These include hydroxyethyl, hydroxypropyl and dihydroxypropyl ether, their corresponding mixed ethers, and further mixed ethers with methyl or ethyl groups, such as methyl-hydroxyethyl, methyl-hydroxypropyl, ethyl-hydroxyethyl and ethyl-hydroxypropyl ether of β-cyclodextrin.
However, stability issues may still persist with one or more of these compounds. What is therefore needed in the art is an improved composition containing one or more adenosine derivatives, together with a suitable solvent, that is highly useful in myocardial perfusion imaging, and is also storage stable for extended periods. Also needed in the art is a method for enhancing cardiovascular imaging by administering an improved cardiovascular stress formulation to a patient.

Adenosine derivative formulations for medical imaging


A lighting device includes a heat sink for dissipating heat from a light source. The heat sink is located between an inner case and an outer case, and a power controller is located in the inner case. The light source may include one or more light emitting diodes.

Field
This embodiment relates to a lighting device.
Description of the Related Art
A light emitting diode (hereinafter, referred to as LED) is a semiconductor element for converting electric energy into light. An electric bulb has a short life span. A longer time for use of the electric bulb causes the life span to be shorter. For this reason, the electric bulb is required to check and change cyclically. Therefore, there has been a problem of paying for the additional cost of changing and managing the electric bulb. As compared with existing light sources such as a fluorescent lamp and an incandescent electric lamp and so on, the LED has advantages of low power consumption, a semi-permanent span of life, a rapid response speed, safety and an environment-friendliness. Therefore, many researches are devoted to substitution of the existing light sources with the LED. The LED is used as a light source for lighting devices, for example, various lamps used interiorly and exteriorly, a liquid crystal display device, an electric sign and a street lamp and the like, as a result, is now increasingly taking the place of the electric bulb. However, since the LED tends to be vulnerable to heat generated from its operation, most of LED lighting devices are employing various means for efficiently radiating heat. In the publication of Korean patent application No. 10-2009-0130473, a power LED module for a street lamp is disclosed, which radiates high heat through a heat radiating plate and so on. A heat radiating body having a heat radiating fin formed therein is used in the conventional technology disclosed in the publication of Korean patent application No. 10-2009-009831.


By a lithographic printing plate precursor including a support having provided thereon an image-recording layer capable of forming an image by supplying at least any of printing ink and dampening water on a printing machine after image exposure to remove an unexposed area thereof, wherein the image-recording layer contains an infrared absorbing agent, a polymerization initiator, a polymerizable compound and a polysaccharide having a sulfonic acid group or a group made by a salt thereof and a plate making method of a lithographic printing plate using the same, a lithographic printing plate precursor which exhibits good development property while maintaining printing durability of a lithographic printing plate after development and a plate making method of a lithographic printing plate using the same can be provided.

In general, a lithographic printing plate is composed of an oleophilic image area accepting ink and a hydrophilic non-image area accepting dampening water in the process of printing. Lithographic printing is a printing method utilizing the nature of water and oily ink to repel with each other and comprising rendering the oleophilic image area of the lithographic printing plate to an ink-receptive area and the hydrophilic non-image area thereof to a dampening water-receptive area (ink-unreceptive area), thereby making a difference in adherence of the ink on the surface of the lithographic printing plate, depositing the ink only to the image area, and then transferring the ink to a printing material, for example, paper.
In order to produce the lithographic printing plate, a lithographic printing plate precursor (PS plate) comprising a hydrophilic support having provided thereon an oleophilic photosensitive resin layer (image-recording layer) is heretofore used. Specifically, the PS plate is exposed through a mask, for example, a lith film, and then subjected to development processing, for example, with an alkaline developer to remove the unnecessary image-recording layer corresponding to the non-image area by dissolving while leaving the image-recording layer corresponding to the image area, thereby obtaining the lithographic printing plate.
Due to the recent progress in the technical field, nowadays the lithographic printing plate can be obtained by a CTP (computer-to-plate) technology. Specifically, a lithographic printing plate precursor is directly subjected to scanning exposure using laser or laser diode without using a lith film and developed to obtain a lithographic printing plate.
With the progress described above, the issue on the lithographic printing plate precursor has transferred to improvements, for example, in image-forming property corresponding to the CTP technology, printing property or physical property. Also, with the increasing concern about global environment, as another issue on the lithographic printing plate precursor, an environmental problem on waste liquid discharged accompanying the wet treatment, for example, development processing comes to the front.
In response to the environmental problem, simplification of development or plate making or non-processing has been pursued. As one method of simple plate making, a method referred to as an "on-press development" is practiced. Specifically, according to the method after exposure of a lithographic printing plate precursor, the lithographic printing plate precursor is mounted as it is on a printing machine without conducting conventional development and removal of the unnecessary area of image-recording layer is performed at an early stage of printing process.
Also, as a method of simple development, a method referred to as a "gum development" is practiced in which removal of the unnecessary area of image-recording layer is performed using not a conventional highly alkaline developer but a finisher or gum solution having pH near neutral.
In the simplification of plate making operation as described above, a system using a lithographic printing plate precursor capable of being handled in a bright room or under a yellow lamp and a light source is preferred from the standpoint of workability. Thus, as the light source, a semiconductor laser emitting an infrared ray having a wavelength of 760 to 1,200 or a solid laser, for example, YAG laser, is used.
As the lithographic printing plate precursor capable of undergoing on-press development, for instance, a lithographic printing plate precursor having provided on a hydrophilic support, an image-recording layer (heat-sensitive layer) containing microcapsules having a polymerizable compound encapsulated therein is described in Patent Document 1 or 2. A lithographic printing plate precursor having provided on a support, an image-recording layer (photosensitive layer) containing an infrared absorbing agent, a radical polymerization initiator and a polymerizable compound is described in Patent Document 3. A lithographic printing plate precursor capable of undergoing on-press development having provided on a support, an image-recording layer containing a polymerizable compound and a graft polymer having a polyethylene oxide chain in its side chain or a block polymer having a polyethylene oxide block is described in Patent Document 4. A lithographic printing plate precursor capable of undergoing on-press development provided with an image-recording layer containing a specific development accelerating agent is described in Patent Document 5. A lithographic printing plate precursor capable of undergoing on-press development provided with an image-recording layer containing a specific acid group or a salt thereof is described in Patent Document 6.

Lithographic printing plate precursor and plate making method of lithographic printing plate


A method for diagnosing an aftertreatment component, wherein nitrogen oxide is reduced using a first catalytic converter upstream said aftertreatment component and a second catalytic converter downstream said aftertreatment component, said aftertreatment component oxidizing nitric oxide into nitrogen dioxide. A first sensor measure nitrogen oxide downstream said first catalytic converter but upstream said aftertreatment component, and a second sensor measure nitrogen oxide downstream said aftertreatment component. The method includes: supplying additive upstream said first catalytic converter; using said first and second sensors, performing a first measurement at a first temperature of said first aftertreatment component; using said first and second sensors, performing a second measurement at a second temperature of said first aftertreatment component; and diagnosing oxidation of nitric oxide into nitrogen dioxide in said aftertreatment component using said first and second measurements.

With regard to vehicles in general, and at least to some extent heavy/commercial vehicles such as trucks, buses and the like, there is constantly ongoing research and development with regard to increasing fuel efficiency and reducing exhaust emissions.
This is often at least partly due to growing governmental concern in pollution and air quality, e.g. in urban areas, which has also led to the adoption of various emission standards and rules in many jurisdictions.
These emission standards often consist of requirements that define acceptable limits for exhaust emissions of vehicles being provided with internal combustion engines. For example, the exhaust levels of e.g. nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO) and particles are regulated for most kinds of vehicles in these standards.
The undesired emission of substances can be reduced by reducing fuel consumption and/or through the use of aftertreatment (purifying) of the exhaust gases that results from the combustion process.
Exhaust gases from the internal combustion engine can, for example, be treated through the use of one or more catalytic processes. There exist various kinds of catalytic converters, where different types can be used for different kinds of fuel and/or for treatment of different kinds of substances occurring in the exhaust gas stream. With regard to at least nitrogen oxides NOx (such as nitric oxide NO and nitrogen dioxide NO2) heavy vehicles often comprises a method where an additive is supplied to the exhaust gas stream. The additive is supplied in order to, usually through the use of a catalytic converter, reduce the presence of nitrogen oxides NOx to less pollutive substances (mainly nitrogen and water vapour). The additive can be injected into the exhaust gas stream resulting from combustion in the internal combustion engine upstream the catalytic converter, and one common type of catalytic converter that is used in nitrogen oxide NOx reduction of this kind is Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalytic converters.
Such systems oftentimes also rely on oxidation of nitric oxides into nitrogen oxides in order to reduce the presence of nitrogen oxides NOx to a desired extent.

Method and system for diagnosing an aftertreatment component subjected to an exhaust gas stream


Compounds of Formula I have been shown to enhance the release of the neurotransmitters acetylcholine, dopamine and serotonin; and thus may be useful in the treatment of diseases of man where subnormal levels of this neurochemical are found such as in Alzheimer's disease and other conditions involving learning and cognition; and Parkinson's disease.. The compounds of this invention can be described as shown in Formula I ##STR1## where A is a heteroaromatic system.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to disubstituted polycyclic compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, processes for preparation, and methods of use in mammals to treat cognitive disorders and/or neurological dysfunction and/or mood disturbances such as, but not limited to degenerative nervous system diseases. Additionally, these compounds can be used as reagents in studies on the biochemical mechanism of neurotransmitter based diseases.
2. Background Including Prior Art
Increasingly there is a need for effective treatments for nervous system disorders and neurological deficiencies. Many of these diseases correlate with increasing age, due mainly to degenerative changes in the nervous systems. Although in early stages of some diseases certain systems are rather specifically affected (e.g. cholinergic systems in Alzheimer's Disease and Myasthenia Gravis, the dopaminergic system in Parkinson's Disease, etc.), multiple neurotransmitter system deficiencies (acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin) is generally found at later stages of disease such as senile dementia, multi-infarct dementia, Huntington's Disease, mental retardation, etc. This explains the generally observed multiple symptomatology that includes cognitive, neurological, and effective/psychotic components (see Gottfries, Psychopharmacol, 1985, 86, 245). Deficits in the synthesis and release of acetylcholine in the brain are generally thought to be related to cognitive impairment (see Francis, et al., New England J. Med., 1985, 7, 313) whereas neurological deficits (e.g. Parkinsonian symptoms) and mood/mental changes may be related to impairment of dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, respectively. Other neurological deficits (e.g. Myasthenia Gravis) are related to cholinergic deficiencies in the peripheral nervous system.
Treatment strategies employed previously encompass vasoactive drugs like vincamine and pentoxifylline; metabolic enhancers like ergoloid mesylates, piracetam, and naftidrofuryl; neurotransmitter precursors like 1-DOPA, choline, and 5-hydroxytryptamine; transmitter metabolizing enzyme inhibitors such as physostigmine; and neuropeptides like adrenocorticotropic hormone and vasopressin-related peptides. Except for 1-DOPA treatment for Parkinson's Disease and cholinesterase inhibitor treatment for Myasthenia Gravis, these treatment strategies have generally failed to enhance the residual function of the affected systems by enhancing the stimulus-induced release of neurotransmitters. Theoretically, such an enhancement would improve the signal-to noise ratio during chemical transmission of information, thereby reducing deficits in processes related to cognition, neurological function, and mood regulation.
The most pertinent literature citations and patent references related to this invention can be found in DeNoble, et al., Pharmacol. Biochem. Behavior, 1990, 36, 957; Cook, et al., 1990, 19, 301; Nickolson, et al., 1990, 19, 285; and Myers and Nickolson U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,083 (1988), and the references therein. These references describe and teach that a,a-disubstituted aromatic or heteroaromatic of the formula: ##STR2## or a salt thereof wherein X and Y are taken together to form a saturated or unsaturated carbocyclic or heterocyclic first ring and the shown carbon in said ring is a to
at least one additional aromatic ring or heteroaromatic ring fused to the first ring; PA1 one of Het.sup.1 or Het.sup.2 is 2, 3 or 4-pyridyl; or 2, 4 or 5-pyrimidinyl, and the other is selected from PA1 are useful as cognition enhancers. PA1 X and Y=H, halo, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, NO.sub.2, NH.sub.2, or CF.sub.3 ; PA1 m and n=1-3; PA1 lower=1-6 carbon PA1 R.sup.3 is H, alkyl of 1-6 carbons, halogen, CN, OR.sup.7, N(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), S(O)pR.sup.7, NO.sub.2, or CF.sub.3 ; PA1 R.sup.4 is CO.sub.2 R.sup.7, CON(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), CN, OR.sup.7, N(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), S(O)pR.sup.7, F, Cl, Br, NO.sub.2, or COR.sup.7 ; PA1 R.sup.5 is CO.sub.2 R.sup.7, CON(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), CN, OR.sup.7, N(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), S(O)pR.sup.7, F, Cl, Br, NO.sub.2, COR.sup.7, or CF.sub.3 ; PA1 R.sup.6 is H, alkyl of 1-4 carbons, phenyl, or benzyl; PA1 R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 independently are H, or alkyl of 1-6 carbons; PA1 W is pyridyl, pyrimidinyl, pyrazinyl, pyridazinyl, pyrazolyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, thienyl, or phenyl optionally substituted with 0-2 R.sup.5 ; PA1 m is 1 to 4; PA1 n is 1 to 6; and PA1 p is 0 to 2; PA1 A is ##STR8## R.sup.1 is (CH.sub.2)m-W or (CH.sub.2)n-R.sup.4 ; R.sup.2 is alkyl of 1-7 carbons, benzyl substituted with 0-3 R.sup.4, or phenyl substituted with 0-3 R.sup.5 ; PA1 R.sup.3 is H, alkyl of 1-4 carbons, halogen, CN, OR.sup.7, N(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), S(O)pR.sup.7, NO.sub.2, or CF.sub.3 ; PA1 R.sup.4 is CO.sub.2 R.sup.7, CON(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), CN, S(O)pR.sup.7, or COR.sup.7 ; PA1 R.sup.5 is CO.sub.2 R.sup.7, CON(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), CN, OR.sup.7, N(R.sup.7 R.sup.8), S(O)pR.sup.7, F, Cl, Br, NO.sub.2, COR.sup.7, or CF.sub.3 ; PA1 R.sup.6 is H, alkyl of 1-4 carbons, phenyl, or benzyl; PA1 R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 independently are H, or alkyl of 1-6 carbons; PA1 W is pyridyl, pyrimidinyl, tetrahydrofuranyl; PA1 m is 1 to 4; PA1 n is 1 to 6; and PA1 p is 1 or 2. PA1 a. 1,3-Dihydro-1-phenyl-3,3-bis(4-pyridinylmethyl)-H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-2- one Dihydrochloride, PA1 b. 1,3-Dihydro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3,3-bis(4-pyridinylmethyl)-2H-pyrrolo[2,3-b ]pyridin-2-one Dihydrochloride, PA1 c. 1,3-Dihydro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(3-cyanophenyl)-3-(4-pyridinylmethyl)-2H- pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-2-one Dihydrochloride, PA1 d. 1,3-Dihydro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(3-pyridinylmethyl)-3-(4-pyridinylmethyl) -2H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-2-one Dihydrochloride, PA1 e. 1,3-Dihydro-1-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(phenylmethyl)-3-(4-pyridinylmethyl)-2H-p yrrolo[2,3-b]pyridin-2-one, PA1 a. Marfat, et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 1987, 8(35); 4027-4030 PA1 b. R. P. Robinson and K. M. Donahue, J. Org. Chem., 1991, 56, 4805-4806 PA1 c. Ting, et al., J. Med. Chem., 1990, 33, 2697-2706; PA1 d. Stingach, et al., Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds, 1981, 1, 54-56 PA1 e. Royer, et al., Tetrahedron, 1980, 36, 2499-2465 PA1 f. Schafer and Gewald, Monatsh. Chem., 1989, 120(4), 315-322 PA1 g. Wolfe, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1980, 102(10), 3646-3647 PA1 h. By using a combination of the method described by Taylor, et al., Tetrahedron, 1987, 43(21), 5145-5158, "Intramolecular Diels-Alder Reactions of 1,2,4-Triazines. A General Synthesis of Furo [2,3-b]-Dihydrppyrano[2,3-b]Pyridines, and Pyrrol[2,3]Pyridines", and the method described by Stingach, et al., Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, 1981, 1, 54-56, "Thiosemicarbozones of 7-Azaisatin Derivatives" or the method described by Robinson and Donahue, J. Org. Chem., 1991, 56, 4805-4806, "Synthesis of 5-Azaoxindole", the desired starting materials could be made. PA1 i. Fortunak, U.S. Pat. No. 4997954, 05 Mar 1992 PA1 j. Ting, et at., in EP 0347698 Al, and references therein. PA1 k. Beugelmans and Roussi, Chem. Commun., 1979, 950 PA1 l. Goehring, Wolfe, et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1985, 107, 435 PA1 m. Clark, et al., Synthesis (1991), 10, 871-878.
(a) 2, 3 or 4-pyridyl PA2 (b) 2, 4 or 5-pyrimidinyl PA2 (c) 2-pyrazinyl PA2 (d) 3 or 4-pyridazinyl, PA2 (e) 3 or 4-pyrazolyl, PA2 (f) 2 or 3-tetrahydrofuranyl, and PA2 (g) 3-thienyl
Patent WO 91/01/306, Feb. 7, 1991 discloses oxoindole derivatives of formula: ##STR3## useful for treating senile dementia, i.e. improving brain functions and activating and protecting brain metabolism. In the above formula, R.sup.1 represents hydrogen, halogen lower alkyl, or lower alkoxy; R.sup.2 represents hydrogen or lower alkyl; R.sup.3 represents --CH.sub.2 -- R.sup.5, wherein R.sup.5 represents alkyl which maybe cyclic, benzodioxanyl, or phenyl which may be substituted with a plurality of hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, hydroxy, diethylamino, trifluromethyl, nitrile, nitro, or benzyloxy; alternatively R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 may be combined together to form .dbd.CH--R.sup.5, wherein R.sup.5 is defined above; and R.sup.4 represents 1-propylbutyl, pyridyl, or phenyl or substituted phenyl.
EP 415102-A discloses a series of 1,3-dihydro-1-(pyridinylamino)-2H-indol-2-ones as having analgesic, anticonvulsant, and/or memory enhancing activity and are useful in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. ##STR4## where R.sup.1 -R.sup.3 =H, lower alkyl (opt. substd. by aryl); methyl or ethyl substituted by pyridyl of thienyl; or aryl; or R.sup.2 +R.sub.3 completes 4-6 carbon cycloalkane or spiro fused arene, piperidine or tetrahydropyran;
Ting, et al., in EP 0347698 Al, described a series of heterobicyclic compounds having antiinflammatory activity with formula ##STR5## where A represents a fused 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic aromatic ring containing 1 to 3 heteroatoms in the ring, each heteroatom independently represents O, S, N or NR.sup.6 where R.sup.6 is the group NR.sup.6 is H or C.sub.1 to C.sub.4 alkyl; the double lines represent optional double bond, such that when the bond to X is double, X is O or S; and when the bond to X is a single bond, X is OR.sup.10 where R.sup.10 is alkyl of aralkyl; T.sup.2 and T.sup.3 independently represent S, SO or SO.sub.2 ; m and n independently represent 0 or 1; and R.sup.1 is H, alkyl, aryl, or aralkyl; R.sup.2 and R.sup.3 independently represent H, alkyl, halogen, aryl or aralkyl, etc.

3,3'-disubstituted-1,3-dihydro-2H-pyrrolo[2,3-b]heterocyclic-2-one useful in the treatment of cognitive disorders of man

The Du Pont Merck Pharmaceutical Company


The present invention relates to a system and method for device management security, and more particularly to a system and method for device management security of a trap management object (Trap MO), which can prevent a non-authorized device management server from indirectly controlling device management of a mobile terminal through use of the Trap MO defined in Open Mobile Alliance Device Management (OMA DM). To this end, when a DM client receives a request to register a notification target MO as a recipient node registration from a DM server, the DM client determines if the DM server has authority for both addition and execution and allows only an authorized DM server to register a recipient node in the Trap MO, so that only a DM server having authority for execution of an MO can execute the MO and control the device management of a mobile terminal. Accordingly, it is possible to enhance device management security of the mobile terminal against non-authorized DM servers.

The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), a mobile standard organization, includes a plurality of working groups according to technologies, one of which is a device management (DM) working group. The DM working group is in the process of establishing a service standard using a DM protocol between a device management server (DM server) and a device management client (DM client) in order to provide optimum service to mobile terminals in a wireless environment. That is, the DM working group is in the process of developing a device management standard by which a wireless operator or service provider can manage firmware, software, parameters, schedules, etc. of a mobile terminal while wirelessly communicating with the mobile terminal.
A DM server and a DM client have data to be shared between them, wherein the data is called a management object (MO). The MO defines parameters which must be shared between a DM server and a DM client, in a tree-type data structure. There are various MOs, one of which is a Trap MO.
When a specific event or trap is issued from a DM client, the Trap MO functions to inform such an event issue to a DM server or to other MOs in the mobile terminal. Accordingly, when a specific event is issued, the DM server or other MOs in the mobile terminal are notified of the event issue through the Trap MO, and perform operations established in themselves.
The Trap MO includes either an ID of the DM server or an MO identifier (hereinafter, referred to as an "MO URI") of a different MO, which is to be notified of the event issue, wherein the operation of registering a DM server ID or an MO URI in the Trap MO may be performed by the DM server.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart illustrating a conventional procedure for registering a notification target MO in a Trap MO of a DM client.
As shown in FIG. 1, when a DM server 100 requests a DM client 200 to register a notification target MO (hereinafter, referred to as an "MO1") in step 1, the DM client 200 determines if the DM server 100, which has made the request, has registration request authority in step 2. When the DM server 100 has no registration request authority, the DM client 200 transmits a registration error message to the DM server 100 in step 4. When the DM server 100 has registration request authority, the DM client 200 registers an MO1 URI in a Trap MO in step 3, and transmits a registration confirmation message to the DM server 100 in step 5.

System and method for device management security of trap management object


When “buffer under run” (BUR) occurs during recording of a visible image on an optical disk, recording operation is interrupted. As in the case of type A, when BUR1 occurs after data have been transferred through an integral multiple of one revolution, data are recorded continuously from a reference angle position without host device discarding data. As in the case of type B, when BUR2 occurs after data have been transferred in a value which is other than the integral multiple of one revolution, data corresponding to a duration from the position where BUR occurs to the start of the next revolution are discarded, data are continuously recorded from the reference angle position. Thereby, rendering can be spliced in a visually-smooth manner. Further, as in the case of type C, when the volume of data remaining in a buffer has become equal to or less than a “buffer under run” threshold value, subsequent transfer of data from the host device may be interrupted, and rendering may be resumed without the host device discarding data.

The present invention relates to an optical disk recording system which forms a visible image on a disk surface of an optical disk, such as a CR-R/RW, a DVD+R/RW, or a DVD-R/RW, by use of a laser.
Recording a visible image, such as characters or graphics, on a recording surface of an optical disk or a label surface (a surface opposite the recording surface) of the same by use of a laser has been known.
For instance, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique of providing a visible light characteristic changing layer at a position which is viewable from a label surface side of an optical disk; and exposing the visible light characteristic changing layer to a laser beam to thus change a visible light characteristic of the layer and render a visible image.
Patent Document 2 proposes a technique of using a reversible phase change material for a recording film of an optical disk, which enables recording of a visible image by use of a laser, and rewriting recorded graphics.
Patent Document 3 proposes a technique of newly writing a visible image on a recording surface of an optical disk on which a visible image has already been recorded.
Patent Document 4 proposes a visible image recorder capable of preventing occurrence of a failure of adjacent pixels in a visible image to be recorded at separated positions to thus record a visible image, differing from the original image, which would otherwise be caused when the visible image has been brought out of focus by a servo during recording of a visible image.
Patent Document 4 also describes, as a way to determine an angle position θ, a technique of determining a single rotation from a predetermined number of cycles; generating a pulse signal every predetermined number of cycles; and determining an angle position by means of the number of pulses (FIG. 6).
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2002-203321
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2003-016649
Patent Document 3: JP-A-2004-039019
Patent Document 4: JP-A-2004-030832
The invention described in Patent Document 4 describes out-of-focus but provides no description about "buffer under run."
"Buffer under run" is an interruption of recording which can arise irrespective of focus control. An interruption of recording attributable to out-of-focus and an interruption of recording attributable to "buffer under run" are totally different from each other in terms of the amount of data which remain in a buffer of an optical disk drive unit at the time of occurrence of the interruption. As above, "buffer under run" is a phenomenon which cannot be predicted from out-of-focus, and hence out-of-focus and "buffer under run" cannot be discussed in the same terms.

Optical disk recording system for recording visible images capable of handling “buffer under run” errors


An infrared (IR) communication system is described in which a base unit for a cell can communicate with a plurality of infrared portable devices through distributed infrared receiver/transmitter (RT) modules over a plurality of channels using IR carrier signals. A call or signal processor, referred to as a radio exchange unit, and controlling communication of a cell, communicates with the base unit to place or receive calls with the IR portable devices. The communication occurs in standard communication frames divided into transmission and receiving segments with each segment further divided into slots and with the slots containing digital data, with each communication-channel formed by a slot. Each transmission segment to an RT module is immediately followed by a responsive receiving segment. As an IR portable device moves from the vicinity of one RT module to another, the base unit automatically and seamlessly and in a robust manner hands over control to the nearer RT module by monitoring signal strength signals from various RT modules coupled to the base unit. When an IR portable device moves from one cell to another, the call processor hands over control to another base unit using standard protocols. Since an IR portable device may receive IR communication signals from several RT modules, care is taken to avoid signal interference by effectively controlling signal propagation lengths between the base unit and RT modules so that signals arriving from nearby RT modules at a common IR portable device do not have a phase difference more than a predetermined amount. The path lengths can be controlled by selecting cable lengths or by insertion of delays between the base unit and the RT modules to assure that IR signals arrive at portable devices with a minimum amount of interference.

Several systems for digital communication with portable devices have been described. For example in an article entitled Cordless Personal Communications by a Dr W. Tuttlebee and published in the IEEE Communications Magazine of December 1992 at pages 42-53, various systems for digital cordless telephony are discussed. Much of such activity has taken place in Europe where several wireless data standards have emerged in recent years, such as the CT2, CT3 and DECT standards.
The principal function of such standards is to enable digital communication from a central control connected to telephone company lines to transfer calls to and from portable devices that may be at any location within a building. Standard cellular systems cannot adequately serve such function because of the long distance range of cellular RF signals and the need to accommodate a large number of simultaneous communications within a relatively small volume such as a building.
These wireless standards have been adopted so that both data and speech signals can be sent over RF frequencies between a central radio exchange and a large number of portable devices. These standards employ a time division multiple access/time division duplex/multiple carrier (TDMA/TDD/MC) approach. More simply put, digital signals to or from the radio exchange unit are sent in time slots. The communication thus occurs in frame signals of say twenty milliseconds long, with the time frame divided into say ten uplink or transmit slots followed by the same number of ten down link or receive slots. Each slot being one millisecond long. Each portable unit must respond to a signal addressed to it in one of the uplink slots in a corresponding downlink slot in the same frame signal.
In a radio frequency application of such a cordless digital communication system the number of simultaneous communications is limited by the number of available slots. If there are say ten slots, then for any one particular carrier frequency only ten telephone signals can be carried. In order to increase the capacity of the system additional carrier frequencies are employed typically about eight. Hence, for each cell, formed of a radio exchange unit, a total of eighty active telephone communications can be carried out.
These standard systems are designed to accommodate higher transmission requirements to and from any one portable unit by assigning additional slots, in which case the number of available slots for other portable devices is reduced. Furthermore, the RF communications are difficult to limit to specific areas within a particular building so that care must be taken that carrier frequencies in one cell do not interfere with those in another cell. For example, if such RF system is set up to operate communications on adjacent floors of a multistoried building, then a similar system on other floors must use sufficiently different carrier frequencies to avoid RF interference problems. Since the available RF carrier bandwidths tend to be limited, because of FCC or other governmental spectrum allocations, a need exists to enable practically unlimited digital cordless communications without interference problems.
Infrared communication systems are well known, see for example the U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,553,267; 4,757,553; 4,977,619; 5,103,108; 5,319,191 and 5,351,149 to Crimmins. In the '619 patent a communication system is described wherein a base unit is hard wire connected to a plurality of stationary infrared transmitter and receiver (R/T) units distributed in an enclosure. An infrared portable unit can communicate with anyone of the RFT units to establish a two way communication link with the base unit.
A need exists to accommodate standards for RF or cordless telephone communications to infrared communications so that a large number of telephone connections can be made at the same time within a cell without interference problems in a reliable manner.

Method and apparatus for cordless infrared communication


A dry powder that contains carotenoids produced by grinding a mixture of carotenoids and oil to reduce the carotenoid particle size, emulsifying the mixture with an encapsulating mixture, and drying the emulsification. The encapsulating mixture includes a starch encapsulating agent, a sugar, and an anti-oxidant. The resulting water-dispersible powder contains a high concentration of carotenoids, yet is protected from oxidation.

The present invention relates to carotenoid compounds, and more particularly to carotenoid-oil dispersions encapsulated within protective starch encasements.
Carotenoids are a class of organic pigments that are often used to provide safe coloration of food. Carotenoids include carotenes (e.g., beta-carotene and lycopene), which are C.sub.40 carotenoids containing 11 or fewer conjugated carbon-carbon double bonds, and xanthophylls (e.g., lutein and astaxanthin), which are oxygen-containing carotenoids. Carotenoids are moderately soluble in oil and are insoluble in water.
In addition to the use of carotenoids as pigments, some carotenoids also have nutritional value. For example, beta-carotene is widely used as a vitamin A precursor (i.e., provitamin A) since beta-carotene is metabolically oxidized to vitamin A (retinol) in most animals.
One problem associated with carotenoids is their susceptibility to oxidation. For example, beta-carotene will react with oxygen from the air, resulting in an inactive, colorless oxidation product. Thus, over time, a carotenoid that is exposed to air without the protection of encapsulation and/or antioxidants will lose its pigmentation and nutritional attributes.
Carotenoids are often supplied in oil dispersions rather than in crystalline form in order to "stabilize" the carotenoids, that is, reduce the amount of the degradation caused by exposure to oxygen, heat, or light. Further, carotenoids supplied in an oil dispersion are less susceptible to damage from handling during transportation. Additionally, it is believed that carotenoids in an oil dispersion are more readily absorbed or ingested, and thus have better nutritional attributes.
It is known that liquid and solid chemical agents that are "sensitive" (i.e., subject to degradation when exposed to external elements) can be protected by encapsulating them within a dry starch matrix. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,160 to Schoch et al teaches the protection of agents (e.g., insecticides, flavoring oils, fatty acids, medicinals, and beta-carotene) from physical and chemical deterioration by encapsulating the agent within a starch matrix. In that method, a liquid or solid agent is gradually added with vigorous agitation, which may include agitation by use of a mechanical emulsifier or pressure homogenizer, to an aqueous starch solution, which may contain plasticizers such as glucose syrup. The resulting emulsion or dispersion is dried using methods such as spray-drying. If a solid agent is to be protected, it may be "powdered" prior to adding it to the starch solution.
Other examples of starch encapsulation of sensitive agents are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,276,312 to Merritt (teaching the protection of vitamins and flavor agents from oxidation or sunlight deterioration by spray-drying a mixture of the agent and starch mixture to form rod-like particles) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,827,452 to Schlenk et al (teaching the use of a starch matrix to protect an agent such as vitamin A acetate from oxidation).
Several variations of the dry starch-coating method have been used to protect sensitive agents, such as flavorings, oils, and vitamins, from sunlight and oxygen. For example, a starch/agent mixture can be partially dried and then ground into a powder (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,230,687 to Sair et al and 4,911,952 to Doane et al), or the starch/agent mixture can be quenched in oil and then dehydrated to form beadlets (U.S. Pat. No. 3,666,557 to Jensen et al).
While it is important to encapsulate a carotenoid dispersion with a sufficient amount of coating to protect the carotenoids from degradation, it is advantageous to minimize the amount of coating relative to the amount of carotenoid in order to minimize the amount of inactive ingredients that merely add to the bulk of a product containing the encapsulated carotenoid-oil dispersion. For example, if a dry-powder carotenoid dispersion is to be used in a tablet, a bulky coating of unnecessary ingredients can interfere with the tableting process. If the dry-powder carotenoid is to be used in a powdered drink mix, a bulky coating of unnecessary ingredients can needlessly increase the volume and weight of the drink mix. Thus, it is preferable to maximize the "potency" (i.e., the concentration of carotenoid) of the encapsulated carotenoid-oil dispersion in order to limit the amount of inactive ingredients.
The art discloses methods of increasing the stability of dry-powder carotenoid products. However, the potency of the carotenoid products is relatively low; and stability is achieved by utilizing synthetic (i.e., not produced by nature) ingredients.

Dry carotenoid-oil powder and process for making same


An implantable ischemia detecting devices generates a plurality of electrograms for analysis. A processor integrates the ST segment and T wave of each electrogram and normalizes the resulting integral by a normalizing factor to provide a ST segment score and T wave score, respectively. The ST segment and T wave scores are then utilized to compute a total ST segment and T wave score for analysis in detecting or monitoring ischemia of a patient's heart.

Patients who suffer what is commonly called a heart attack most often experience an episode of ischemia or myocardial infarction. Myocardial infarction is a necrosis of cardiac tissue brought on by a reduction in blood flow to the infarcted area caused by either a chronic obstruction in an artery or an acute obstruction such as a thrombus in the artery.
To monitor patients for myocardial infarction, physicians may rely upon periodic EKGs (electrocardiograms) which generally require as many as ten leads to be attached to the patient. In addition, after the EKG, physicians then generally require the patient to take a stress test wherein the patient is caused to run on a treadmill until the patient is essentially exhausted to stress the heart. During and after the treadmill exercise the twelve lead EKG is used to determine if the heart continues to receive adequate blood supply while under the stress conditions. Obviously such monitoring is inconvenient to the patient. Physicians may also rely upon Holtor monitoring recordings which may last from 24 to 48 hours. These additional monitoring techniques are equally as inconvenient and in addition, are also annoying. Since all of these monitoring techniques can, at best, only be administered periodically as a practical matter, and because restenosis and thus future episodes of myocardial infarction are unpredictable events, all too often, a myocardial infarction or restenosis problem may not be detected until the patient experiences pain or suffers an episode of myocardial infarction. Unfortunately, research has shown that pain is not a reliable indicator of ischemia.
Patients who have a myocardial infarction are generally treated with drugs and angioplasty to open the artery. Each of the above-mentioned therapeutic techniques is effective in reestablishing blood flow through the effected artery. However, for each therapy, there is a percentage of patients that experience restenosis (reclosure of the artery) after therapy. Restenosis is largely an unpredictable event and the time required for the reclosure to occur may range from a matter of hours to years.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that for some patients, it is very desirable to monitor for ischemia or the presence of a myocardial infarction. Many of these patients will already have an implanted cardiac stimulation device such as a pacemaker or a combined pacemaker and defibrillator.
Implantable cardiac devices have been proposed in the art for detecting for and monitoring ischemia. Many of these devices may be solely for monitoring or incorporated into pacemakers and defibrillators. With modern day storage technology and telemetry, these devices are capable of collecting and communicating large amounts of ischemia data. Dealing with this prolific data in a meaningful way remains a challenge. The present invention addresses these issues.

Implantable ischemia and myocardial infarction monitor and method


Gas turbine engines and rotor arms thereof are described. The gas turbine engines include a first disk, a second disk, and a rotor arm arranged between and connecting the first disk to the second disk, wherein a cavity is defined at least between the rotor arm and the first disk. The rotor arm includes a radial portion having an inner diameter end and an outer diameter end, an axial portion having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the axial portion is connected to the outer diameter end of the radial portion, at least one entrance flow path defined within the radial portion extending from the inner diameter end to the outer diameter end, and at least one exit aperture arranged proximate the second end of the axial portion.

The subject matter disclosed herein generally relates to aircraft engines and, more particularly, to cooling flow and pressure gains thereof for cooling components of aircraft engines.
One type of aircraft engine is a gas turbine engine that include various sections that are subject to high temperatures. Ensuring cooling of such components and sections is a goal of gas turbine engine systems. Cooling of cavities within such engines is important to ensure part life and efficient operation. However, using secondary flows of cooling air from a common source to cool multiple cavities and then recombining such flows in a common sink typically requires metering locations along such flow paths. These metering locations result in pressure drops. The pressure drops can result in insufficient cooling or may require boosted pressure at certain locations to ensure that downstream maintains sufficiently high pressure. As such, losses may be realized.

Pressure gain for cooling flow in aircraft engines


A brake master cylinder with a plunger piston is acted upon by a brake linkage. A floating piston is arranged between two working spaces and separates the first and the second working space fluidically from one another. Each of the two working spaces opens into a main brake circuit, and the floating piston is axially movable in the brake master cylinder. A sleeve is axially movable in the brake master cylinder and is provided at least between the floating piston and the wall of the brake master cylinder. The sleeve and the wall of the brake master cylinder each have an opening which, in interaction, connect the first working space, formed by the floating piston and the plunger piston, to a displacement passage at least in the case of a movement of the floating piston into a first position in the direction of a brake actuation. With a movement of the floating piston beyond the first position, the sleeve is moved axially and separates the first working space from the displacement passage.

This application claims the priority of 196 30 219.6, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to a brake master cylinder with a plunger piston acted upon by a brake linkage, with a floating piston which is arranged between two working spaces and separates the first and the second working space fluidically from one another.
Various configurations of a brake master cylinder are described in unpublished application Ser. No. P 195 43 698.9-21. In normal brake operation, these configurations permit decoupling of the brake pressure built up in the vehicle brake circuits by the actuation of the brake pedal. On one hand, the driver is provided with a sense of braking by way of a so-called pedal-travel simulator, in that the brake pedal operates against a corresponding counterpressure, and, on the other hand, a safety function is ensured in that, namely, in the event of failure of the electrics or hydraulics which provide the brake pressure in normal operation, the brake pressure built up by the brake pedal can flow out of the brake master cylinder into the brake circuits of the vehicle.
Such a brake master cylinder has a plunger piston which is acted upon by a brake linkage. A floating piston is arranged between two working spaces and separates the first and the second working space fluidically from one another. Each of the two working spaces open into a main brake circuit, and the floating piston is axially movable in the brake master cylinder.
German Offenlegungsschrift 2,026,756 provides, between the floating piston and the wall of the brake master cylinder, a sleeve which is axially movable in the brake master cylinder for the purpose of achieving a different object. The sleeve and the wall of the brake master cylinder each have an opening. This arrangement represents a multi-circuit brake system whose brake circuits are constructed independently of one another in order to allow the other brake circuit to function unimpaired thereby in the event of a failure of one brake circuit. The conditions and prerequisites for the movement of this sleeve and for the state in which the openings in the sleeve and the wall lie one above the other are fundamentally different from those described below in connection with the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for the improved functioning of a pedal-travel simulator.
To achieve this object, the present invention provides a brake master cylinder in which a sleeve is axially movable in the brake master cylinder and is provided at least between the floating piston and the wall of the brake master cylinder. The sleeve and the wall of the brake master cylinder each have an opening which, in interaction, connect the first working space, formed by the floating piston and the plunger piston, to a displacement passage at least in the case of a movement of the floating piston into a first position in the direction of a brake actuation. In the event of a movement of the floating piston beyond the first position, the sleeve is moved axially and separates the first working space from the displacement passage.
Given normal functioning of the brake system, the connection between the first working space and the displacement passage can be permanent or can be established only, when the brake is actuated, i.e. when the floating piston is moved into the first position, in accordance in that case with the normal functioning of the brake system.
An advantage of the present invention is that functioning can be achieved with comparatively little expenditure on components by using the sleeve in the brake master cylinder with corresponding seals.
In one advantageous configuration of a brake master cylinder, the sleeve is pressed against an abutment by a spring force, with the openings in the sleeve and the wall of the brake master cylinder interacting in this position. Furthermore, the sleeve and the floating piston are configured such that the sleeve is taken along by the floating, piston counter to the spring force when the floating piston is moved beyond the first position in a brake actuation direction.
With normal functioning of the brake system, the main brake circuits are separated from the brake master cylinder by controllable valves or the like in the closed position of the latter. Because of the volume (then closed off) of the second working space of the brake master cylinder, the second space being formed by the floating piston and the wall of the brake master cylinder, a comparatively high. pressure is built up in the second working space given a certain movement of the floating piston in the direction of a brake actuation when the brake is actuated. This pressure prevents a further movement of the floating piston in the direction of a brake actuation. In this situation, the first working space of the brake master cylinder, with the first working space being formed by the floating piston and the plunger piston, is connected to the displacement passage via the interacting openings in the sleeve and the wall of the brake master cylinder.
If there is a disturbance in the normal brake functioning, due, for example, to an electrical failure, the controllable valves between the brake master cylinder and the main brake circuits are in the open position. As a result, the pressure build-up in the second working space of the magnitude encountered with a closed controllable valve is prevented. The floating piston can thus move further and take the sleeve along in the process. This is achieved, for example, by positive engagement between the floating piston and the sleeve, with this positive engagement existing when the floating piston moves to a corresponding extent. The present invention also contemplates, however, that a spring with a suitably selected spring constant can be used to achieve this function. Because of the movement of the sleeve, the opening in the sleeve and the opening in the wall of the brake master cylinder then no longer interact. The result is that the first working space is no longer connected to the displacement passage. Thus, a brake pressure built up in the first working space with the movement of the plunger piston then propagates via the opened controllable valve into the main brake circuit assigned to this first working space.
In another embodiment according to the invention of a brake master cylinder, a sleeve which is axially movable in the brake master cylinder is provided at least between the floating piston and the wall of the brake master cylinder. The sleeve and the wall of the brake master cylinder each have an opening which, in interaction, connect the first working space formed by the floating piston and the plunger piston to a displacement passage at least in the case of a movement of the floating piston into a first position in the direction of a brake actuation. The sleeve is acted upon by a spring force, with the result that it is moved axially when the pressure in the second working space falls as a result of the opening of the valve of the main brake circuit assigned to this second working space. The first working space is separated from the displacement passage as a result of the sleeve movement.
With normal functioning of the brake system, the connection between the first working space and the displacement passage can be permanent or be established only when the brake is actuated, i.e. when the floating piston is moved into the first position, this then being in accordance with the normal functioning of the brake system. Control of the movement of the sleeve is performed directly by the pressure conditions in the second working space of the brake master cylinder. When the pressure in the second working space falls because of the opening of the controllable valve which connects this second working space to the associated main brake circuit, the sleeve is then moved as a result of the spring force, so that the first working space of the brake master cylinder is separated from the displacement passage.
In another advantageous configuration of a brake master cylinder of the above-mentioned type, the spring force to which the sleeve is subjected is supported on the plunger piston. This approach ensures that a movement of the sleeve in the sense of a separation of the first working space from the displacement passage takes place only when the brake is actuated. This proves particularly advantageous when the sleeve has at least one further opening, whereby one of the working chambers is connected to a brake fluid container via a corresponding opening in the wall of the brake master cylinder. Thereby, it can be ensured that the snifter opening is open when the brake is unactuated, allowing brake fluid to be balanced.
In another configuration of the present invention, a brake fluid container is connected to the displacement passage via a nonreturn valve. The nonreturn valve closes in the direction of the brake fluid container, and the opening in the sleeve is connected to the second working space in the position of the floating piston which corresponds to an unactuated brake. The opening in the sleeve then is sealed off from the first working space, and the opening in the sleeve is connected to the first working space in the first position of the floating piston, with the opening in the sleeve then being sealed off from the second working space.
Such a configuration is advantageous in that the opening in the sleeve and the opening in the wall of the brake master cylinder interact such that, with the brake unactuated, a connection is established between the second working space of the brake master cylinder and the brake fluid container. That is, the openings then act as a snifter opening for the second working space and, with the brake actuated, the first working space is connected to the displacement passage via the openings. These openings thereby exercise a twin function. Thereby, the present invention minimizes expenditure as regards sealing the openings.
In yet another configuration of the present invention, at least one further brake fluid container is connected to one of the two working chambers by at least one further opening in the sleeve, which interacts with at least one further opening in the wall of the brake master cylinder. The sleeve can be advantageously configured in a corresponding manner, so that the connection between the working spaces of the brake master cylinder and the brake fluid containers can likewise be established via openings in the sleeve.

Brake master cylinder with axially movable sleeve


There is provided a system having a memory for storing a software application, where the software application includes a product database. The product database includes a product history for a plurality of products. A processor is configured to execute the software application. The software application receives product requirements for a new product, determines at least one related product from the plurality of products based on the product requirements for the new product, evaluates the product history of the at least one related product to determine a linguistic corpus for the new product, and creates the linguistic corpus for the new product.

Products that utilize a linguistic corpus enter the marketplace each and every day. Usually, the companies creating the products have to guess as to what linguistic, translation, and social rules will work best with a given product. In addition, many current translation and linguistic memory banks implemented in products are unspecific and general, and thus do not take into account the many potential uses and understandings of words or phrases. For example, a word or phrase may come across one way to a child and another to an adult, or may come across one way to a fan of animated films.
Furthermore, social interactions occur in online environments constantly, and many of these social interactions occur between users not only from different countries, but also who speak entirely different languages. However, modern translation softwares, especially translation softwares that translate gender and socially neutral languages, fail to account for necessary translational changes for languages that are dependent on social hierarchies and gender, for example.

Systems and methods for using a product history to create a linguistic corpus for a product