Compounds, compositions and methods are provided which are useful in the treatment of diseases through the modulation of potassium ion flux through voltage-dependent potassium channels. More particularly, the invention provides sulfonamides, and compositions and methods utilizing sulfonamides that are useful in the treatment of diseases by blocking potassium channels associated with the onset or recurrence of the indicated conditions. Exemplary diseases treatable with the compounds, compositions and methods of the invention include sickle cell disease and glaucoma.

Ion channels are cellular proteins that regulate the flow of ions, including calcium, potassium, sodium and chloride into and out of cells. These channels are present in all human cells and affect such physiological processes as nerve transmission, muscle contraction, cellular secretion, regulation of heartbeat, dilation of arteries, release of insulin, and regulation of renal electrolyte transport. Among the ion channels, potassium channels are the most ubiquitous and diverse, being found in a variety of animal cells such as nervous, muscular, glandular, immune, reproductive, and epithelial tissue. These channels allow the flow of potassium in and/or out of the cell under certain conditions. For example, the outward flow of potassium ions upon opening of these channels makes the interior of the cell more negative, counteracting depolarizing voltages applied to the cell. These channels are regulated, e.g., by calcium sensitivity, voltage-gating, second messengers, extracellular ligands, and ATP-sensitivity.
Potassium channels are made by alpha subunits that fall into at least 8 families, based on predicted structural and functional similarities (Wei et al., Neuropharmacology 35(7): 805–829 (1997)). Three of these families (Kv, eag-related, and KQT) share a common motif of six transmembrane domains and are primarily gated by voltage. Two other families/ also contain this motif but are gated by cyclic nucleotides (CNG) and calcium (small conductance and intermediate conductance potassium channels), respectively. The small conductance and intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels comprise a family of calcium activated potassium channels gated solely by calcium, with a unit conductance of 2-20 and 20-85 pS, respectively. Macroscopic and unitary intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channel currents show inward rectification (see, e.g., Ishii et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA 94: 11651–11656 (1997). The three other families of potassium channel alpha subunits have distinct patterns of transmembrane domains. Slo family potassium channels, or BK channels have seven transmembrane domains (Meera et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94(25): 14066–71 (1997)) and are gated by both voltage and calcium or pH (Schreiber et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273: 3509–16 (1998)). Another family, the inward rectifier potassium channels (Kir), belongs to a structural family containing two transmembrane domains, and an eighth functionally diverse family (TP, or "two-pore") contains two tandem repeats of this inward rectifier motif.
Potassium channels are typically formed by four alpha subunits, and can be homomeric (made of identical alpha subunits) or heteromeric (made of two or more distinct types of alpha subunits). In addition, potassium channels made from Kv, KQT and Slo or BK subunits have often been found to contain additional, structurally distinct auxiliary, or beta, subunits. These subunits do not form potassium channels themselves, but instead they act as auxiliary subunits to modify the functional properties of channels formed by alpha subunits. For example, the Kv beta subunits are cytoplasmic and are known to increase the surface expression of Kv channels and/or modify inactivation kinetics of the channel (Heinemann et al., J. Physiol. 493: 625–633 (1996); Shi et al., Neuron 16(4): 843–852 (1996)). In another example, the KQT family beta subunit, minK, primarily changes activation kinetics (Sanguinetti et al., Nature 384: 80–83 (1996)).
The intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channel is also called SK4, KCa4, IKCa, SMIK, and Gardos. Intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels have been previously described in the literature by their electrophysiology. For example, the Gardos channel, a well-known intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channel, is opened by submicromolar concentrations of internal calcium and has a rectifying unit conductance, ranging from 50 pS at −120 mV to 13 pS at 120 mV (symmetrical 120 mM K+; Christopherson, J. Membrane Biol. 119: 75–83 (1991)). Intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels are blocked by charybdotoxin (CTX) but not the structurally related peptide iberiotoxin (IBX), both of which block BK channels (Brugnara et al., J. Membr. Biol. 147: 71–82 (1995)). Intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels are also blocked by maurotoxin. Apamin, a potent blocker of certain native (Vincent et al., J. Biochem. 14: 2521 (1975); Blatz & Magleby, Nature 323: 718–720 (1986)) and cloned SK channels does not block intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels (de-Allie et al., Br. J. Pharm. 117: 479–487 (1996)). The Gardos channel is also blocked by some imidazole compounds, such as clotrimazole, but not ketoconazole (Brugnara et al, J. Clin. Invest., 92: 520–526 (1993)). Intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels can therefore be distinguished from the other calcium activated potassium channels by their biophysical and pharmacological profiles. Intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels from different tissues have been reported to possess a wide range of unit conductance values.
Human intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels have been cloned and characterized (see, e.g., Ishii et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 11651–11656 (1997); Genbank Accession No. AF0225150; Joiner et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 11013–11018 (1997); Genbank Accession No. AF000972; Lodsdon et al., J. Biol. Chem. 272: 32723–32726 (1997); Genbank Accession No. AF022797; and Jensen et al., Am. J. Physiol. 275: C848–856 (1998); see also WO 98/11139; WO 99/03882; WO 99/25347; and WO 00/12711). Non-human intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels have also been cloned, e.g., from mouse and rats (see, e.g., Vandorpe et al., J. Biol. Chem. 273: 21542–21553 (1998); Genbank Accession No. NM—032397; Warth et al., Pflugers Arch. 438: 437–444 (1999); Genbank Accession No. AJ133438; and Neylon et al., Circ. Res. (online)85: E33–E43 (1999); Genbank Accession No. AF190458). The gene for the intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channels is named KCNN4 and it is located on chromosome 19q13.2 (Ghanshani et al., Genomics 51: 160–161 (1998)).
The intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channel is implicated in the regulation of mammalian cell proliferation (see, for example, Wulff et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 8151–8156 (2000)) and the dehydration and sickling of erythrocytes in sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease has been recognized within West Africa for several centuries. Sickle cell anemia and the existence of sickle hemoglobin (Hb S) was the first genetic disease to be understood at the molecular level. It is recognized today as the morphological and clinical result of a glycine to valine substitution at the No. 6 position of the beta-globin chain (Ingram, Nature 178: 792–794 (1956)). The origin of the amino acid change and of the disease state is the consequence of a single nucleotide substitution (Marotta et al., J. Biol. Chem. 252: 5040–5053 (1977)).
Normal erythrocytes are comprised of approximately 70% water. Water crosses a normal erythrocyte membrane in milliseconds. Loss of cell water causes an exponential increase in cytoplasmic viscosity as the mean cell hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) rises above about 32 g/dl. Since cytoplasmic viscosity is a major determinate of erythrocyte deformability and sickling, the dehydration of the erythrocyte has substantial rheological and pathological consequences. Regulation of erythrocyte dehydration is recognized as an important therapeutic approach for treating sickle cell disease. Since cell water follows any osmotic change in intracellular ion concentration, maintaining the red cell's potassium concentration is of particular importance (Stuart et al., Brit J. Haematol. 69: 1–4 (1988)).
An approach towards therapeutically treating dehydrated sickle cells involves altering erythrocyte potassium flux by targeting a calcium-dependent potassium channel. This calcium activated potassium channel is also referred to as the Gardos channel (Brugnara et al, J. Clin. Invest. 92: 520–526 (1993)). Recently, a cloned human intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channel, was shown to be substantially similar to the Gardos channel in terms of both its biophysical and pharmacological properties (Ishii et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94: 11651–11656 (1997)).
In vitro studies have shown that clotrimazole, an imidazole-containing antimycotic agent, blocks Ca2+-activated K+ flux and cell dehydration in sickle erythrocytes (Brugnara et al., J. Clin. Invest. 92: 520–526 (1993)). Studies in a transgenic mouse model for sickle cell disease, SAD-1 mouse (Trudel et al., EMBO J. 11: 3157–3165 (1991)), show that oral administration of clotrimazole leads to inhibition of the red cell Gardos channel, increased red cell K+ content, a decreased mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and decreased cell density (De Franceschi et al., J. Clin. Invest. 93: 1670–1676 (1994)). Moreover, therapy with oral clotrimazole induces inhibition of the Gardos channel and reduces erythrocyte dehydration in patients with sickle cell disease (Brugnara et al., J. Clin. Invest. 97: 1227–1234 (1996)). Other antimycotic agents, which inhibit the Gardos channel in vitro, include miconazole, econazole, butoconazole, oxiconazole and sulconazole (U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,992 to Brugnara et al.). All of these compounds contain an imidazole-like ring. i.e., a heteroaryl ring containing two or more nitrogens.
Although of demonstrable efficacy, the imidazole-based Gardos channel inhibitors that have been explored to date are hampered by several shortcomings including a well-documented potential for hepatotoxicity. This toxicity is exacerbated by the inhibitors' low potencies, non-specific interactions with potassium channels other than the Gardos channel and low bioavailabilities, each of which motivate for the administration of higher and more frequent dosages of the inhibitors.
Glaucoma is a disease characterized by increased intraocular pressure. Increased intraocular pressure is associated with many diseases including, but not limited to, primary open-angle glaucoma, normal tension glaucoma, angle-closure glaucoma, acute glaucoma, pigmentary glaucoma, neovascular glaucoma, or trauma related glaucoma, Sturge-Weber syndrome, uveitis, and exfoliation syndrome.
Currently, there are a variety of drugs available that employ different mechanisms to lower intraocular pressure, e.g., timolol, betaxolol, levobunolol, acetazolamide, methazolamide, dichlorphenamide, dorzolamide, brinzolamide, latanoprost, brimonidine, and rescula (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,172,054, 6,172,109, and 5,652,236). Miotics, beta blockers, alpha-2 agonists, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, beta adrenergic blockers, prostaglandins and docosanoid are all currently used alone or in combination to treat glaucoma. Miotics and prostaglandins are believed to lower intraocular pressure by increasing drainage of the intraocular fluid, while beta blockers, alpha-2 agonists and carbonic anhydrase are believed to lower intraocular pressure by decreasing production of intraocular fluid thereby reducing the flow of fluid into the eye. All are characterized by side effects ranging from red eye and blurring of vision to decreased blood pressure and breathing difficulties.
In view of the above-described shortcomings of currently known methods of treating diseases in which the intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channel is implicated, a substantial advance in the treatment of diseases related to potassium flux is expected from the discovery of new intermediate conductance, calcium activated potassium channel inhibitors. The present invention provides a new genus of such ion channel inhibitors based on a sulfonamide-containing scaffold.

Sulfonamides as potassium channel blockers


A forming station comprises first and second forming die members. A closing station comprises first and second closing die members. A lift operatively couples at least three of the members together such that operation of the lift moves the three members together. The closing station is located downstream of the loading station and is for closing a pocket in a first web of packaging material with a second web of packaging material. The second web of packaging material is oriented in the closing station so as to engage with the first web of packaging material and fold a foldable flap downwardly with respect to a conveyor as the conveyor moves from upstream to downstream.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,170,611 and 5,205,110, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, disclose indexing motion apparatuses and methods for vacuum packaging of articles such as hot dogs, sliced luncheon meat, cheese or pharmaceuticals.
U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/605,101 and 12/605,171, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference, disclose packaging machines including web transport conveyors transporting webs of flexible packaging material from upstream to downstream locations through a series of stations; and packaging apparatuses including a forming station and a closing station, each having a movable die member that is counterbalanced.


Methods and systems for estimating multi-phase fluid rates in a subterranean well (10). Stored and measured static (40) and transient (44) well conditions are used to model well conditions for comparison against additional transient data (42) relating to temperature, pressure, and flow. Multi-phase fluid rates are estimated by iteratively comparing well conditions with the model (30) for the well (10). Multi-phase fluid flow estimates may be obtained for the various liquid and gaseous fluids in the well (10) at multiple well locations (24).

In subterranean oil and gas wells, rates and volumes of fluids and gases are typically measured by meters and other physical means at the surface. Multi-phase fluid flow is a term used in the industry to indicate that gas, oil and water may be flowing in various combinations. For example, it is known to use a capacitance-probe technique or turbine flow meter or a combination of multiple techniques to measure the amount of free water and oil or gas passing through the well-head. Such measurements may be used to continuously monitor total oil production, to measure co-mingled production streams, and to determine total water, oil and gas production for the well. It is also known in the art to obtain data from downhole with remote sensors such as temperature or pressure transducers or flow meters. Such data is stored in downhole memory and replayed after the tools are retrieved from the well. Such measurements may also be obtained and transmitted to the surface in real time.
Production estimation is generally performed by direct measurements of production rates, over time, at the surface of the well. Pressure and temperature conditions are sometimes used to adjust metered gas or liquid per volume measured at the surface. Problems arise, however, due to an inability of current systems and methodology to obtain measurements of downhole multi-phase flow rates near where fluids first enter the wellbore. Problems associated with the inability to determine multi-phase fluid rates include, but are not limited to, limitations on assessing the efficiency of production and injection operations, incomplete information for planning remedial operations, and inaccuracies in logging production from the various production zones within the well.
Improvements in the ability to determine downhole multi-phase fluid rates would result in better monitoring of the various production streams within the well despite their becoming co-mingled at the surface and in making decisions concerning well management, such as injection and stimulation decisions. Methods and systems capable of providing timely and accurate estimates of multi-phase fluid rates would be useful and desirable in the arts for enhancing multi-phase flow profiling, improving production, improving monitoring of production and injection operations, and making workover and stimulation decisions.

System and method for estimating multi-phase fluid rates in a subterranean well


In a sealing arrangement, in particular for the connection of a manifold to a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine, a flat support (1, 3) has at least one sealing element in the form of a ring element (17) that forms a mold seal. The support (1, 3) and ring element (17) form a unit that holds the ring element captively on the support (1, 3).

Sealing arrangements of this type are widely used for the connection of exhaust-gas-carrying pipes to cylinder heads of internal combustion engines. Based on the high exhaust gas temperatures that occur, both flat supports of the sealing arrangement and the respective ring element are metallic components with smaller wall thickness in each case. The ring element usually has a profiled configuration.
In a disadvantageous way, the assembly process of such multi-part sealing arrangements is configured in a comparatively complicated manner. During production of the connection with the cylinder head, care must be taken that the ring element is actually present and correctly positioned between the respective connecting parts.


A quick change insert system for a microfinishing machine comprising an insert body having a connection side and a finishing side, the connection side including a keyway defined by a central wall and a pair of oppositely disposed sidewalls, the finishing side including at least one finishing support surface; and a finishing arm having an extending key including a central shoulder and a pair of oppositely disposed side walls wherein the insert body keyway and finishing key are correspondingly matingly shaped in a press fit relationship whereby the insert body is retained on the finishing arm during finishing.

This invention relates generally to a quick change insert for a finishing arm and more particularly to a quick change insert system for a microfinishing arm on a microfinishing machine.
xe2x80x9cMicrofinishingxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9csuperfinishingxe2x80x9d, as it is known in the art, is a surface finishing process wherein a grinding means is brought to bear against a workpiece which has been previously rough ground. Microfinishing is a low velocity abrading process which generally follows rough grinding. Because microfinishing incorporates lower cutting speeds than grinding, heat and pressure variants may be minimized to provide improved size and geometry control. Those skilled in the art recognize that surface quality or roughness is measured in roughness average values (Ra) wherein Ra is the arithmetical average deviation of minute surface irregularities from hypothetical perfect surfaces. Microfinishing can provide surface quality of approximately 1 to 10 xcexcin. (0.025 to 0.25 xcexcm). Bearing surfaces of crankshafts, cam shafts, power transmission shafts in similar machine components that rotate on journal bearing surfaces generally require this surface finish for satisfactory operation.
Conventional mass production microfinishing machines have the ability to finish all the bearing surfaces on a workpiece in one operation. These machines contain a plurality of abrasive tape segments which are aligned with respect to the bearing surfaces. In operation, the workpieces are rotated as the microfinishing machine causes abrasive tape segments to contact and thus finish the bearing surfaces. These large multi-abrading machines are capable of successive steps in one operation including rough grinding, grinding and microfinishing.
As is common in large scale production, failures may occur at one or more of the grinding areas or abrasive tape positions. As a result, workpieces may be produced with one or more bearing surfaces (but less than all bearing surfaces) which are not finished to the required surface quality specifications. In such cases, the grinding machine operator must then remove and scrap the defective workpiece. Because microfinishing is the final stage in surface treatment operations, i.e. after rough grinding and grinding, the scrapping of microfinished parts results in a substantial loss of both material and labor to the machinist.
Microfinishing processes are used in automotive applications in the manufacture, repair and rebuilding of internal combustion (IC) engines. Such engines not only require finely finished bearing surfaces for engine efficiency, but also for increased durability and longevity. In the initial manufacturing stage, crankshaft and camshaft bearing surfaces are microfinished to particular roughness specifications by previously mentioned, conventional mass production microfinishing machines.
In the repair or rebuilding stages, engine components such as crankshafts and cam shafts from faulty engines or older engines, are removed and reground to remove ten to thirty-thousandths of an inch of stock from the existing bearing surfaces. The bearing surfaces of these components are then polished or microfinished by placing the respective workpieces on a lathe and manually bringing a microfinishing material in contact with the rotating bearing surfaces. This microfinishing material is often a section of abrasive material mounted on a support correspondingly shaped to the bearing surface. It is generally recognized in the industry that these manual finishing operations are inadequate for achieving finished surfaces of standard quality.
Automotive repair and rebuilding operations reclaim and refinish workpieces from hundreds of various internal combustion engines with different designs. Programmably controlling a finishing machine to accept each individual workpiece that requires microfinishing from different internal combustion engines is uneconomical and inefficient.
The quick change insert system of the present invention has been developed to meet the need for a quick change in finishing inserts to decrease maintenance and repair down of microfinishing machines. and well as add greater flexibility and speed in insert type changes.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a quick change insert system for a finishing arm which allows insert change without the use of tools.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a provide a quick change insert system for a finishing arm which allows insert change using a press fit connection system.
A further object of the present invention is to provide quick change insert system for a finishing arm using different hardness qualities of polymers and metals to allow for a press fit connection that is manually operated.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a provide a quick change insert system for a finishing arm which uses various correspondly mated key and keyway shapes to allow for the press fit connection
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a provide a quick change insert system for a finishing arm which uses various correspondly mated key and keyway shapes to allow for the press fit connection without the use external fasteners.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a quick change insert system for a microfinishing machine comprising an insert body having a connection side and a finishing side, the connection side including a keyway defined by a central wall and a pair of oppositely disposed sidewalls, the finishing side including at least one finishing support surface; and a finishing arm having an extending key including a central shoulder and a pair of oppositely disposed side walls wherein the insert body keyway and finishing key are correspondingly matingly shaped in a press fit relationship whereby the insert body is retained on the finishing arm during finishing.
Another more specific object of the present invention is to provide A microfinishing machine comprising a support table having a means for rotating a workpiece about an axis and a slide rail adjacent the axis, a base including a bore for slidably receiving the slide rail and movable with respect to the workpiece, a body affixed to the base defining a track adapted to be positioned adjacent the workpiece and having a pair of pivot pins spaced from the track, a slide movable on the track, a first arm and a second arm pivotable on the pivot pins, the arms having a first end adapted to receive a quick change insert system for finishing the workpiece and a second end, link means connecting the slide to the second end of the arms for moving the arms about the pivot pins to extend the arms from a treatment enabling position adjacent the workpiece to a treatment position wherein the surface grinding means engages the workpiece, actuating means for movably engaging the slide and the arms, the actuating means operative to move the arms between the treatment enabling position and the treatment position, and a sleeve affixed to the body for receiving and guiding the actuating means, and a support means affixable to the base for pivotally supporting the body with respect to the workpiece whereby the quick change insert includes a an insert body having a connection side and a finishing side, the connection side including a keyway defined by a central wall and a pair of oppositely disposed sidewalls, the finishing side including at least one finishing support surface, and a finishing arm having an extending key including a central shoulder and a pair of oppositely disposed side walls wherein the insert body keyway and finishing key are correspondingly matingly shaped in a press fit relationship whereby the insert body is retained on the finishing arm during finishing.
The above objects and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention to be taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Quick change insert system for a finishing arm


A food delivery enclosure for delivering groceries includes a low insulation zone and a high insulation zone. The low insulation zone includes energy packs, such as chill packs or hot packs and food items suitable for contact with the energy packs. The high insulation zone is above the low insulation zone and includes food items that are not suitable for contact with the energy packs.

The present invention relates to packaging food products, and more particularly to packaging food products for hot or cold retail delivery.
Home delivery of groceries to an end customer often includes transporting the groceries in insulated bags or totes directly to a consumer's home. The bags or totes are designed to maintain temperatures of products below a critical temperature or reduce the rate of increase in temperature, or in the case of hot food to maintain temperatures of products above a critical temperature. Typically insulated bags are used in conjunction with chill packs, such as ice packs of water, or a water and alcohol mixture, or the like. In this regard, the term "chill pack" is used to refer to any type of enclosed energy sink, regardless whether latent or sensible energy is employed and regardless whether the packs are reusable or disposable, and in some circumstances refers to frozen containers of the food itself, as explained more fully below. Often, several chill packs are used in the enclosure irrespective of outside temperature, time to delivery and payload.
Alternatively, some products are delivered hot, in which case insulated bags are sometimes used with a hot pack. In this regard, the term "energy source" is used herein to encompass both a chill pack (such as an ice pack or like cold source) pack and a hot pack (such as water heated to 120 to 130 degrees or like heat source).

Heterogeneous insulated bag for food delivery to end consumers


The present invention provides a new antibody against ECSA type Chikungunya virus, WA type Chikungunya virus, and Asian type Chikungunya virus or an antigen-binding fragment of the antibody. The antibody against Chikungunya virus or the antigen-binding fragment of the antibody of the present invention includes a heavy chain variable region or a heavy chain (1), (2), or (3) and a light chain variable region or a light chain (4).

In Southeast Asia and elsewhere, epidemic diseases are transmitted by mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The epidemic diseases include dengue fever, Chikungunya fever, and Zika fever.
If the epidemic disease is suspected, it is necessary to determine which epidemic disease the patient has prior to treatment. For this reason, the causative virus test is performed.

Broad-spectrum monoclonal antibodies against chikungunya virus E1 structural protein


A method and apparatus are provided for operating a transmission amplifier, particularly a mobile communications terminal, with the transmission amplifier being fed with a supply voltage and with any nonlinearity of the transmission amplifier being substantially compensated for via a predistortion unit for data values in an input data stream, wherein, at least at the start of transmission operation or after a considerable change in the operating parameters, the transmission amplifier is operated with a supply voltage which is of such a magnitude that the transmission amplifier operates in the linear region, and the supply voltage for the transmission amplifier is reduced to the extent to which a quality factor for the compensation for the nonlinearity of the transmission amplifier is increased by the predistortion unit.

The present invention relates to a method for operating a transmission amplifier, such as a communications terminal, with the transmission amplifier being fed with a supply voltage, and with any nonlinearity of the transmission amplifier being substantially compensated for via a predistortion unit for data values in an input data stream, and to an apparatus for operating the transmission amplifier.
A transmission spectrum of a communications terminal, such as a mobile telephone, has to satisfy relevant requirements which are included in Standards that have to be complied with. These include the fact that the output power of the transmission spectrum in adjacent radio channels must not exceed limit values which can be found in the Standards. As such, depending on the respective type of modulation which is used by the communications terminal and which may, for example, be QPSK for (W)CDMA, it is necessary to use a transmission amplifier for the communications terminal whose linearity is subject to very stringent demands.
Transmission amplifiers such as these are costly and have a rather low energy efficiency.
For this reason, lower-cost transmission amplifiers are widely used, particularly for mobile radio base stations, and are driven well into the nonlinear region of their characteristic, which leads to high power efficiency. The pronounced nonlinearity which occurs as a consequence is compensated for by a linearization technique, wherein the incoming raw digital data is modified via a digital predistortion unit such that, overall, the actually desired linear gain is produced at an output of the transmission amplifier.
The predistortion unit thus compensates for the nonlinearity of the transmission amplifier and, if necessary, of further electronic components which influence the data values via suitable predistortion values for the digital data values.
Against this background, the present invention is directed toward providing a method and an apparatus which allow energy-efficient transmission amplifiers, which themselves satisfy stringent requirements for their linearization, to be used in communications terminals.

Method and apparatus for operating a transmission amplifier


A vehicular, powered slider drive interface and drive assembly are provided. The interface has a driver bracket, which includes contact surfaces, mounted on a regulator, a driver receiver, which includes contact surfaces, mounted on a slider panel, and separate bumpers disposed on each driver surface. When the regulator is caused to move in an open direction, a first driver contact surface is brought into selectively non-attached pushing or pulling mechanical contact with a first driver bumper to smoothly open the slider-panel. When the regulator is caused to move in a closed direction, a second driver contact surface is brought into selectively non-attached pushing or pulling mechanical contact with a second receiver bumper to smoothly close the slider panel. Since the driver bracket and the driver receiver are not rigidly/directly mechanically attached, the slider panel slides freely without binding and requiring precise alignment of the drive interface.

The present invention generally relates to a vehicular, powered slider drive assembly and, in particular, to a vehicular, powered slider drive interface.
Pickup trucks and other related vehicles have a rear window, or backlite, that is mounted in a vehicle body aperture, immediately behind the seats in the vehicle passenger compartment. Many of the backlites are built with one or two sliding panels that ride in slider tracks, while opening or closing across a portion of a window aperture.
The sliding panels may be moved manually or automatically across the window aperture. When automatically driven, the sliding panels may be moved by, for example, a powered slider drive assembly that includes a cable having a regulator attached to at least one cable end, wherein the regulator may have brackets that are rigidly mounted to mating braces that are attached to the sliding panel's bottom corners (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,401 to Lin et al.)
Another automatic powered slider drive assembly utilized to slide sliding panels requires a bracket that is attached to the regulator, to rigidly mount the regulator to the bottom of the panel (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,324,788 to Koneval et al.) These rigidly mounted brackets and braces comprise at least a portion of the vehicular, powered slider drive interface.
Because of the above-stated rigid mounting, these known interfaces require that the alignment between the panel in the slider tracks and the regulator, the cable, the cable brackets, and/or the panel braces be precise. If this precision is not attained initially, and then maintained after installation, the panel will become "cocked" which causes the sliding panel to bind in the slider tracks.
Thus, those skilled in the art continued to seek a solution to the problem of how to provide a better vehicular, powered slider drive interface and drive assembly.

Powered slider drive interface and drive assembly


A cable and hose carrier support framework or walker is engaged by and independently driven by the carrier at an arcuate bend thereof for transferring a portion of a carrier load from the bend to a support surface beneath the lower run of the carrier in a manner which will prevent cogging and undue wear of the carrier.

Plastic and metal cable and hose carriers for supporting cables, hoses and other flexible conduits extending from one location to another and movable in a relatively straight line are well known. Commonly, cable and hose carriers are constructed of a pair of parallel chains of links interconnected end-to-end which permit pivoting of the links in only one direction from a straight or slightly cambered extended position. The links may be designed to have limiting members of differing size and configurations to create carriers with a variety of pivot radii. A set of crossbars laterally unite the chain pair to define a cargo space in which the cables, hoses and other flexible conduits are carried.
Each link is typically formed with an arcuate or peanut-shaped slot on one end and a stop post on an opposed end. Adjacent links are pivotally connected together such that the stop post on one link will travel back and forth relative to the ends on the arcuate slot in another link. This occurs during relative pivotal movement of the adjacent links as the carrier moves through an arcuate bend between a lower run connected to a fixed point and an upper run joined to a movable member, such as a machine tool or crane. The arrangement of the arcuate slots and the stop posts is such that the links can only pivot in one direction from a straight line. As a result, when the links reach the horizontal position in the upper run, they support themselves in a straight line because they cannot pivot in the other direction.
A problem occurs in heavily weighted plastic and metal carriers moving at higher speeds during which the stop posts on the links tend to hammer or impact against the ends of the arcuate slots formed in the links. Since the link sections are straight segments that rotate through an arc, a cogging effect occurs as the carrier travels through its intended motion. As the load mass is transferred from one link to another at the transition point from the arcuate bend to the straight upper run, the impact of the stop posts on the ends of the arcuate slots in the links leads to vibration and accelerated wear and deformation of the links. Prolonged wear and deformation of the links can lead to carrier sag that negatively affects carrier performance and ultimately failure of the system. The problem is intensified when the carrier is fully extended. In this position, one half of the load is borne at the distal end of the upper run attached to the movable machine tool, crane or the like. The remaining half of the load is directed downwardly at the proximal end of the upper run leading into the arcuate bend. Because the load is unsupported as the carrier moves through the bend, the cogging effect is exaggerated where increased and severe wear of the links is incurred.
The prior art includes rolling carriage support systems used in high speed, extended carrier travel. Such systems require various support beams or channels, and a cable arrangement attached between movable and fixed ends of the carrier. These prior art carriage systems however, are primarily concerned with preserving high speed, long distance travel of the carrier.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a support system for reducing vibration and preventing impacting of the stop posts with the ends of the arcuate slots in the pivotally interconnected links of a cable and hose carrier so as to allow use of the carrier in faster or more sensitive applications where steel cable carrier typically would be limited.


An apparatus and method for melting polymer is provided. In at least one embodiment, the apparatus includes a housing, two or more rotatable members at least partially contained within the housing, where each rotatable member having a shaft coupled thereto. The apparatus also includes a motor having a drive shaft directly coupled to the shaft of the rotatable members such that the rotatable members rotate at a speed of the motor drive shaft. The rotatable members are preferably non-intermeshing and counter-rotating.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to apparatus and methods for producing polymer. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to apparatus and methods for extruding polyolefin using high speed, directly driven rotating equipment.
2. Description of the Related Art
Continuous mixers are the mainstay of many commercial polyolefin pelletizing production lines. A continuous mixer is different from an extruder in that continuous mixers are generally used only to melt and mix the resin, while extruders further provide pressure generation to force the molten resin through a die. Like extruders, continuous mixers can have one or multiple screws.
General features that distinguish various twin-screw mixers from other mixers are the relative direction of rotation and the degree of intermeshing of the rotors. Twin-screw mixers having rotors that rotate in the same direction are co-rotating twin-screw mixers. When the rotors rotate in opposite directions the machine is a counter-rotating mixer. The degree of intermeshing can vary from fully intermeshing to partially intermeshing to non-intermeshing, or tangential. Continuous mixers with rotating screws fully supported by external, oil lubricated bearings can be considered a more reliable and robust mixer compared to twin-screw extruders having rotating screws supported by the twin-screw extruder barrel(s) and lubricated by the polymer.
Continuous mixers are especially common for polyolefin production, and are typically used in conjunction with gear pumps to reach pressure requirements for forcing the molten polymer through the die. As such, the rates through the mixer and the gear pump must be compatible. Typically, gear reducers are attached to the mixer motor and/or gear pump motor to control the respective motor speeds and throughput so that the machines can operate at cooperative rates. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,032,391; 4,336,213; 4,452,750; 5,458,474; and 5,728,335. Such additional components are expensive, require maintenance time and expense, consume energy, and often lack in efficiency. Also, such components have large space requirements within the fabrication facility.
Direct driven extruders have been described in the literature. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,249,877; 4,741,264; and 2003/0012838 A1. However, direct driven continuous mixers have not been introduced nor have pelletizing systems that utilize direct driven mixers and gear pumps. As mentioned above, designers of continuous mixers are faced with all different design criteria and operating requirements than extruders. There is a need, therefore, for a reliable continuous mixer and gear pump that can operate without gear reduction to decrease capital, maintenance and operating costs.

High speed and direct driven rotating equipment for polyolefin manufacturing


A system for adjusting a graphical element, such as a widget, a menu, and/or an icon of a graphical user interface (GUI) associated with one or more user actions, applications, and/or electronic media. The adjusting of the graphical element may be based at least partially on data regarding frequency, duration, and/or time of the one or more actions and/or use of the applications or the electronic media by a user. Additionally or alternatively, the adjusting of the graphical element may be based on a routine of the user.

1. Priority Claim
This application claims the benefit of priority from Indian Patent Application No. 3853/CHE/2012, filed Sep. 17, 2012, which is incorporated by reference.
2. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to graphical systems for sizing and arranging one or more elements of a graphical user interface (GUI), such as menus, icons, and/or widgets.
3. Related Art
A GUI is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices using images, such as pointers, menus, icons, and/or widgets rather than text commands. Elements of a GUI may represent actions, controls, and information available to a user. Besides images, elements of a GUI may also include text. GUIs can be used with desktop and laptop computers, hand-held devices such as smartphones and tablet computers, portable media players and gaming devices, household appliances, office equipment, set-top boxes, and automotive electronics such as head units and navigation systems.

Graphical user interface sizing and arrangement system

Harman International Industries, Incorporated


A self-contained entry device for use with a bottle for preferably trapping roaches and similar crawling insects. The entry device comprises a mesh material shaped to form a truncated cone having a narrow strip extending from the larger opening of the cone. The smaller opening of the cone, preferably having an oval cross section, is inserted firmly into the mouth of a bottle or other receptacle containing bait for the insects. The narrow strip, extending from the larger, non-inserted opening, functions as a ramp allowing insects to crawl into the entry device and subsequently gain entrance into the bottle. Once inside the bottle, insects cannot maneuver themselves back through the smaller opening due to its size, shape and position within the bottle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for trapping roaches and other insects. More particularly, the present invention relates to a passive device for use with a bottle for trapping roaches.
2. Discussion of Background
Devices for trapping crawling insects, such as roaches and the like, have been well known for some time. For instance, prior to 1958, U.S. patents were issued to Kea (U.S. Pat. No. 2,796,696), Nelson (U.S. Pat. No. 2,552,997), Crigler (U.S. Pat. No. 1,867,252), Phillips (U.S. Pat. No. 1,250,007) and Pipenhagen (U.S. Pat. No. 1,139,717) specifically for roach traps. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 1,822,302, issued to Nettekoven, U.S. Pat. No. 1,085,329, issued to Gabel, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,629,402, issued to March, all disclose traps for roaches and other crawling insects.
All of the insect traps described in the prior art use some type of receptacle, including milk bottles and glass fruit jars, having means for allowing crawling insects to gain entrance into the receptacle. Various entry means are described, including conical tubes, attachable ramps, canvas strips and wire mesh tunnels.
For example, Crigler (U.S. Pat. No. 1,867,252), March (U.S. Pat. No. 1,085,329) and Pipenhagen (U.S. Pat. No. 1,139,717) all disclose a frusto-conical member, attached to the mouth of a glass jar, extending into the interior of the jar. In operation, insects crawling into the conical member, fall into the jar, and are unable to exit the jar through the member.
Nelson and Gabel both disclose ramps for allowing crawling insects to gain entry into trapping receptacles from ground level. In Gabel (U.S. Pat. No. 1,085,329), a conical member, similar to those previously described, is equipped with a wide plate that provides a ramp between ground level and the mouth of the conical member, which begins at the mouth of the receptacle jar. In Nelson (U.S. Pat. No. 2,552,997), a ramp with a tubular port attached at one end attaches to the lip of a milk bottle so that the port extends into the interior of the bottle.
Although roach traps have been well known for years, there is a need for an effective trap that is simple, inexpensive, easily assembled, and disposable.


A propulsion assembly including a primary structure of a pylon having right and left extensions projecting with respect to right and left lateral panels of the primary structure and also right and left brackets, each having a first flank connected to the right or left lateral panel of the primary structure and a second flank pressed against the right or left extension, a front engine mount having first and second links, each connected to an engine and directly to the front transverse reinforcement by a first or second reinforcement connection pin passing through the right or left extension and the second flank of the right or left bracket.

According to one embodiment which can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, an aircraft 10 comprises a plurality of propulsion assemblies 12 positioned under each of the wings 14 of the aircraft. Each propulsion assembly 12 comprises an engine 16, a nacelle (not shown in FIG. 2) positioned around the engine 16 and also a pylon 18 connecting the engine 16 and the wing 14. The pylon 18 comprises a primary structure 20 which is connected to the engine 16 by an engine mount 22 and to the wing 14 by a wing mount 24.
For the present document, a longitudinal direction X is parallel to the axis of rotation A16 of the engine 16, a horizontal transverse direction Y is horizontal and perpendicular to the axis of rotation A16 of the engine 16, a vertical transverse direction Z is vertical and perpendicular to the axis of rotation A16 of the engine 16. A transverse plane is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction X. The notions of front and rear make reference to the direction of flow of the gases, the front corresponding to the intake of the gases (air) into the engine and the rear corresponding to the exhaust of the gases (combustion gases).
The engine mount 22 comprises a front engine mount 26, a rear engine mount 28 and a pair of thrust links 30 which provide for taking up the thrust forces.
According to one configuration which can be seen in FIG. 3, the primary structure 20 comprises upper and lower spars 20.1, right and left lateral panels 20.2 and also a plurality of transverse reinforcements connecting the upper and lower spars 20.1 and also the right and left lateral panels 20.2. A front transverse reinforcement 20.3 is positioned in front of the primary structure 20 of the pylon. According to one configuration which can be seen in FIGS. 3 to 6, the front transverse reinforcement 20.3 has a bearing surface F20 in order to fix the front engine mount 26, positioned in a horizontal plane, under the front transverse reinforcement 20.3.
According to one embodiment, the front transverse reinforcement 20.3 is obtained from a forged raw part and then machined.
According to one embodiment which can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 6, the front engine mount 26 comprises:
a transverse beam 32 connected to the front transverse reinforcement 20.3 of the primary structure 20 by vertical connection elements 34 and to the engine 16 by a safety connection pin 36,
a first link 38 connected to the engine 16 by a first engine connection pin 40 and to the transverse beam 32 by a first beam connection pin 42,
a second link 44 connected to the engine 16 by a second engine connection pin 46 and to the transverse beam 32 by a second beam connection pin 48.
For each beam connection pin 42, 48, the transverse beam 32 comprises a clevis having two flanges 32.1, 32.2, which can be seen in FIGS. 3 and 5, between which there is positioned the first or second link 38, 44.
For each engine connection pin 40, 46, the engine 16 comprises a clevis having a two flanges 16.1, 16.2 between which there is positioned the first or second link 38, 44.
Each link 38, 44 comprises a ball joint for each engine connection pin 40, 46 or beam connection pin 42, 48.
When mounting the engine 16, the links 38, 44 are mounted on the engine 16 and then the transverse beam 32 is connected to the links 38, 44. The engine 16 is then raised or hoisted in order to press the transverse beam 32 against the bearing surface F20 of the front transverse reinforcement 20.3 of the primary structure 20 of the pylon and then the vertical connection elements 34 are put in place.
According to one configuration illustrated by document FR3073204, the bearing surface F20 of the front transverse reinforcement 20.3 of the primary structure 20 of the pylon is vertical and positioned in front of the front transverse reinforcement 20.3. According to this configuration, as above, the engine 16 equipped with the links 38, 44 and also with the transverse beam 32 is raised or hoisted until the latter is positioned in front of the front transverse reinforcement 20.3, and then horizontal connection elements are put in place in order to connect the transverse beam 32 and the front transverse reinforcement 20.3.
Whatever the configuration, the transverse beam 32 is a solid part, obtained from a forged raw part, which requires long and complex machining Moreover, the transverse beam 32 is a bulky part which has to be positioned in a confined space which is difficult to access.
The present invention aims to overcome all or some of the disadvantages of the prior art.
Accordingly, the invention relates to a propulsion assembly comprising a primary structure of a pylon, an engine and also a front engine mount connecting the primary structure and the engine, the primary structure having upper and lower spars, right and left lateral panels and also a front transverse reinforcement, the front engine mount having a first link connected to the engine by a first engine connection pin and also a second link connected to the engine by a second engine connection pin.
According to the invention, the front transverse reinforcement comprises right and left extensions projecting with respect to the right and left lateral panels, a right bracket having a first flank connected to the right lateral panel of the primary structure and a second flank pressed against the right extension and also a left bracket having a first flank connected to the left lateral panel of the primary structure and a second flank pressed against the left extension, the front engine mount comprising a first reinforcement connection pin connecting the first link and the front transverse reinforcement and passing through the right extension and the second flank of the right bracket and also a second reinforcement connection pin connecting the second link and the front transverse reinforcement and passing through the left extension and the second flank of the left bracket.
According to one particular feature of the invention, the first and second links of the front engine mount are directly connected to the front transverse reinforcement of the primary structure of the pylon, with the result that the transverse beam is dispensed with.
According to another feature, the front engine mount comprises at least one safety connection pin connecting the front transverse reinforcement and the engine, the front transverse reinforcement comprising a lower extension projecting with respect to the lower spar of the primary structure having the safety connection pin passing through it.
According to another feature, the front engine mount comprises two safety connection pins, each of the right and left extensions comprising a region projecting with respect to the lower spar in order to form a lower extension.
According to another feature, the second flank of the right bracket and the right extension comprise a first reinforcement bore intended for the first reinforcement connection pin of the first link and also a second reinforcement bore intended for a first safety connection pin. In addition, the second flank of the left bracket and the left extension comprise a first reinforcement bore intended for the second reinforcement connection pin of the second link and also a second reinforcement bore intended for a second safety connection pin.
According to another feature, the second flanks of the right and left brackets have the same geometry as the right and left extensions.
According to another feature, the front engine mount is symmetrical.
According to another feature, each of the first and second links has a Y shape and comprises a single branch at a first end cooperating with a clevis of the engine and also two branches parallel to one another at a second end between which there are positioned the right or left extension and the second flank of the right or left bracket.
According to another feature, the upper and lower spars and also the right and left lateral panels delimit a front opening. In addition, the front transverse reinforcement comprises a plate comprising the right and left extensions and also a projecting shape projecting with respect to the plate and configured to fit into the front opening, the first flank of the right bracket being interposed between the projecting shape and the right lateral panel, the first flank of the left bracket being interposed between the projecting shape and the left lateral panel.
According to one feature, the first flank of the right bracket is connected to an inner face of the right lateral panel of the primary structure, and the first flank of the left bracket is connected to an inner face of the left lateral panel of the primary structure.
According to another feature, the right bracket is made in one piece and the left bracket is made in one piece.
The invention also relates to an aircraft having at least one propulsion assembly according to one of the above features.

Aircraft propulsion assembly comprising links of a front engine mount that are directly connected to a front transverse reinforcement of a primary structure of an aircraft pylon


A process of eviscerating an inverted animal carcass (10) inclined at 35.degree. to 40.degree. includes pushing the viscera (30) comprising both the thoracic viscera (31) and abdominal viscera (32) in a direction (B) from the cranial end (11) of the carcass (10) towards the caudal end (12) so as to pass between the hind legs (13) and fall from the carcass. Connecting tissues including the aorta (35) and external iliac arteries (36) are partially severed prior to pushing the viscera from the carcass so that the viscera detaches completely from the carcass after being pushed between the hind legs (13). The diaphragm (25) may be pierced at its periphery so that the force of the pushing operation causes the diaphragm to tear around its peripheral edges from the walls of the thoracic cavity. The pubic symphysis (60) is split before the pushing operation whereby the viscera (30) can pass both above and below and through the split in the pubic symphysis (60). Alternatively, the pubic symphysis ( 60) need not be split prior to the pushing operation whereby the viscera (30) travels over the pubic symphysis (60). A pushing member (41) commences to push on the thoracic viscera (31) at about the fifth rib and travels at 0.5 to 0.6 meters per second.

In Patent Specification No. WO89/05584 there is described a process and apparatus for evisceration of an animal carcass such as beef carcass. The process described in that specification includes steps such as cutting of the pubic symphysis or "aitch bone", cutting of the sternum or "brisket", and, while the carcass is suspended by the legs and with the head or cranial end of the carcass higher than the rump or caudal end, moving an apparatus into the abdominal cavity to cut away the diaphragm by contouring up the inside of the walls of the abdominal cavity. While the carcass is oriented head up, a mechanical scoop enters the thoracic cavity at the neck and is moved down along the spine inside the carcass to clear the thoracic viscera (the "pluck") and finally push the complete viscera including the paunch and kidneys between the hind legs. The complete viscera remains attached by the external iliac arteries on opposite sides of the spine and/or by the aorta and to detach the viscera, a mechanical gripper is advanced to clamp and pull or cut the remaining attachments.

Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Organisation


A system for lashing a tender assist drilling unit (TADU) to a floating production platform includes a plurality of winches on the forward end of the TADU, a plurality of sheaves on the upper portion of the hull of the platform, a plurality of connection devices on the lower portion of the hull of the platform, and a set of lashing lines, each of which extends from one of the winches, through a corresponding one of the sheaves, and vertically down alongside the platform hull to a corresponding one of the connection devices to which it is attached. The winches are operable to reel in and to pay out the lashing lines to control the separation distance so as to maintain an optimal operational separation distance during normal environmental conditions, while allowing the separation distance to be increased in severe conditions.

The present invention relates to the field of floating offshore structures for the drilling and production of offshore deposits of petroleum and natural gas. In particular, it relates to a system for securing two floating structures together, one of which is a floating production facility kept in position by its own mooring/station-keeping system, and the other being a tender-assist drilling unit (TADU) partly moored to the seabed by at least four aft mooring lines, with the forward part thereof being coupled to the production unit by a set of lashing lines. The result is a coupled station-keeping system for the two floating structures.
In many deepwater drilling and production installations, a floating tender assist drilling unit (TADU) is tied to an adjacent offshore production facility or platform to assist in the drilling and production operations. The TADU can be any type of semi-submersible or barge hull form. Both the TADU and the platform are typically moored to the seabed, and they are lashed to each other so as to restrict relative movement between the two structures, thereby to facilitate the transfer of drilling consumables and personnel from one structure to the other and hook-up of control and fluid lines between the two structures. In the current state of the art, a semi-submersible TADU is moored with a minimum of eight mooring lines in addition to the mooring/station-keeping system of the production facility, which may be a Spar or tensions-leg platform (TLP). Current lashing systems are based on connecting the two floating structures with a pair of lashing lines to control the separation distance and the low and average frequency motions. In a typical coupling system, a number of mooring lines will cross, complicating the seabed layout. Furthermore, meeting critical performance criteria, as explained below, has proven difficult in practice.
In a practical TADU-to-production facility coupling or lashing system, the lashing mechanism must be capable of maintaining the relative movement within predefined limits that allow normal operation throughout environmental conditions that can be expected during the course of a normal year (a "one-year environment"), and that allow limited operations, including the maintenance of drilling circulation and control, throughout worst-case conditions to be expected during a typical ten-year period (a "ten-year environment"). In a 100-year extreme weather condition, the system must be capable of increasing the separation between the structures to a storm-safe distance, and at the same time function as 100-year storm-safe coupled mooring system.
The lashing system must also be capable of maintaining an optimum distance between the two structures during normal operations, while relative motions between them are absorbed. When necessary, the lashing system must allow distance between the two structures to be controllably increased, while maintaining the linkage between them. Thus, it is important, that the lashing system have a relatively low stiffness, so that there is relatively little coupling of the motions between TADU and the platform. Optimally, the lashing system will act as a pre-tensioned spring between the two structures, wherein the spring constant is such that the combination of maximum tension load and restriction in relative motion can assure drilling operability for a one-year environment, and at least a limited operability for a ten-year environment. Furthermore, the lashing system should minimize yaw.
To date, there is an unfulfilled need for a system for lashing together two floating structures that satisfactorily meets criteria set forth above.

Lashing of tender assist drilling unit to a floating production facility


A waveform analyzing section analyzes the waveform of a detector signal pulse. A calculation section calculates a count rate from the addition-subtraction accumulated value of an up-down counter, and detects noise intrusion, based on the output from the waveform analyzing section. When noise intrusion has been detected, the addition-subtraction accumulated value for the present calculation cycle is replaced with the value for the previous calculation cycle. When the noise intrusion has stopped, the addition-subtraction accumulated value of the up-down counter is set at the value for a calculation cycle just before the noise intrusion, by an accumulated value setting circuit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation measuring apparatus used for emission control or radiation control in a nuclear reactor facility, a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facility, or the like.
2. Description of the Background Art
A radiation measuring apparatus used in a nuclear reactor facility, a spent nuclear fuel reprocessing facility, or the like is required to perform measurement so as to cover a wide range, from about 10 cpm to about 107 cpm, of the repetitive frequency of a signal pulse inputted as a result of detection of radiation. Therefore, in order to eliminate discontinuity due to range switching, a count rate measurement is performed using an up-down counter that operates at a high speed over a wide range without range switching.
The above measuring method calculates a count rate by a calculation section reading in a constant cycle an addition-subtraction accumulated value when addition input and subtraction input are balanced, and particularly, has a feature of being able to measure over a range up to a high count rate. In addition, as compared to a method of calculating a count rate based on a count value measured by a counter, the above measuring method also has a feature of being able to measure with high resolution and high accuracy over the entire measurement range from a low count rate to a high count rate.
However, the counting method using an up-down counter takes a long time for recovery once noise has intruded, because the indication value returns to its original value through response by a time constant. Therefore, there is a problem that the measurement missing time until the indication has recovered to the normal state needs to be minimized.
In order to solve the problem, the following invention is disclosed. That is, noise intrusion is detected, and the last count rate is held when noise has intruded. When the noise intrusion has stopped, a backup count rate is calculated based on the count value of a counter provided in parallel with an up-down counter and the last count rate just before the entry and the backup count rate is outputted. Then, when the regular count rate based on the up-down counter has recovered to the backup count rate, the output count rate is returned to the regular count rate. Thus, increase in the indication due to noise intrusion is prevented (for example, see Patent Document 1).
In addition, the radiation measuring apparatus used in the above facilities is required to measure with constant accuracy against statistic variation unique to radiation, and to rapidly respond to the increase in the count rate. Therefore, the up-down counter operates such that a standard deviation of the count rate becomes constant over the entire measurement range and that the time constant becomes inversely proportional to the count rate, thereby balancing an addition-subtraction accumulated value. The calculation section calculates the count rate based on the addition-subtraction accumulated value.
In order to confirm that this calculation processing normally functions, the radiation measuring apparatus has a switch and a test pulse generation section. Thus, at one point equal to or higher than a high-alarm point in the entire measurement range, a test pulse having the corresponding repetitive frequency is automatically inputted, thereby enabling soundness confirmation (operation test). However, there is a problem that it takes a long time to recover from a test mode to a measurement mode.
According to this problem, the following invention is disclosed. That is, when the switch is returned from the test mode to the measurement mode, the indication value is automatically made to respond by a fast time constant until the indication value recovers to an allowable range of the stored indication value just before the test. Also in the case where the soundness confirmation is performed at a plurality of alarm set points by connecting a dedicated testing apparatus to the radiation measuring apparatus, the recovery time from the test mode to the measurement mode is reduced in the same manner (for example, see Patent Document 2).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2008-215907 (Paragraphs [0040] to [0047] and FIG. 4)
Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2009-63351 (Paragraphs [0029] to [0033] and FIG. 2)
In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, during recovery time of the addition-subtraction accumulated value of the up-down counter after noise intrusion, a backup count rate is calculated by using a count value of the counter obtained in a constant cycle and the backup count rate is outputted. Then, when the regular count rate based on the addition-subtraction accumulated value of the up-down counter has recovered to the backup count rate, the output count rate is returned from the backup count rate to the regular count rate. However, since the count rate responds exponentially, it takes a long time to recover to the regular count rate. Although this period is not a measurement missing time but measurement can be performed, there is a problem of temporarily losing the original feature of the up-down counter that measurement can be performed with favorable resolution and high accuracy over the entire measurement range from a low count rate to a high count rate.
In addition, in the invention disclosed in Patent Document 2, when the test mode is switched to the measurement mode to recover the indication, the recovery time is reduced by automatically switching the time constant to a fast one. However, there is a similar problem that it takes a long time for recovery because of response in an exponential manner.


An electrical assembly for a motor vehicle transmission includes a printed circuit board (PCB), at least two contact surfaces, at least two contact elements, and a potting compound. The PCB has a component side and the two contact surfaces are arranged on the component side. The contact elements are each electrically connected by a PCB-side first end portion to one of the contact surfaces. The potting compound is arranged on the component side of the PCB, and the contact elements are partly embedded therein. The potting compound directly contacts the contact surfaces and the PCB-side end portions of the contact elements and covers the same. The contact elements protrude from the potting compound by second end portions facing away from the PCB. The electrical assembly includes a chip protection frame that protrudes outward from the potting compound and forms contact chambers for the second end portions of the contact elements.

In motor vehicle engineering, electronic modules for controlling a transmission are integrated on or in the transmission. The electronic modules may be designed, for example, as transmission control modules and, apart from a control circuit arranged on a printed circuit board, may also additionally comprise, for example, connector parts, sensors and contacting interfaces to actuators. Such electronic modules have electrical assemblies, which have to be integrated in an oil-filled transmission interior. For example, the electronic control circuit must be protected from the aggressive transmission fluid. For this purpose, potting compounds are also used, which are applied to the printed circuit board in order to protect the electronic control circuit. For example, known from DE 10 2011 085 629 Al is an electronic transmission control module, which has a metallic cup-type housing and has a circuit carrier that is arranged in the cup-type housing and equipped with electronic components. For the purpose of protection against the aggressive transmission and metal chips contained therein, the circuit carrier is potted with a potting compound in the cup-type housing. Contact elements project out of the potting compound and serve partly for connection to the voltage supply, to an EC motor, to sensors and/or to a LIN or CAN bus.


A catchment header allowing a plurality of membrane modules to be connected thereto, having a tubular catchment part with a Young's modulus of 4.0 GPa or less for collecting and taking out filtrated liquid from the membrane modules, wherein at least a part of the tubular catchment part is covered with a reinforcement member with a Young's modulus of 4.0 to 250 GPa, the tubular catchment part of the catchment header is preferably formed of a synthetic resin, and the cross sectional area thereof perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the tubular catchment part is preferably 4 to 36 cm2.

Various methods have been studied to carry out a solid-liquid separation for liquid to be treated using membrane modules provided with a separation membrane, such as a microfiltration membrane and an ultrafiltration membrane, in water treatment of sewage, drainage, etc. It is possible to obtain treated water of high quality when a filtration process of liquid to be treated is carried out using a separation membrane.
When a solid-liquid separation of liquid to be treated is carried out using a filtration membrane, since clogging of separation membrane due to suspended substances (SS) progresses as the filtration process continues, problems, such as reduction of filtration rate and increase in pressure difference between membranes, occur. In order to recover from such state, a technique is known in which a diffuser is disposed below a membrane separation device and air is diffused during a filtration process or when a filtration process is stopped.
A method for carrying out a stable solid-liquid separation using a hollow fiber membrane module in which a hollow fiber membrane of a sheet shape is fixed to a rectangular housing using a resin so as to maintain a constant distance between adjacent membrane modules and air is bubbled from a diffuser so that flow of liquid to be treated is uniformly directed to the membrane modules, is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, No. Hei 5-261253, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, No. Hei 6-342, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application, No. Hei 6-340, etc.
A method is known in which a plurality of membrane modules are fluid-tightly connected to a tubular catchment header having holes for connecting to the membranes modules so that a constant distance is maintained between adjacent membrane modules and filtered liquid is collected and taken out from the membrane modules.
Various catchment headers have been proposed, such as one in which a resin flat plate having holes for connecting to modules is welded to resin pipes, one in which a metal thick plate having holes for connecting to modules is welded to a metal thin plate which is bent to be in a U-shape, and one in which a metal thick plate having holes for connecting to modules is combined with a resin water passage part.
Although one in which a resin flat plate having holes for connecting to modules is welded to resin pipes can be easily processed as compared with a metallic one, the mechanical strength of a resin pipe which forms a catchment part is weaker than that of a metallic pipe of the same shape.
For this reason, when a catchment header is formed using a resin pipe, the outer diameter of a catchment header has to be made large in order to resist bending stress applied to the catchment header during a bubble washing, etc., for a long period of time. Accordingly, a portion of the header which is not directly involved with a filtration process becomes large, and hence it is difficult to improve the catchment efficiency of a membrane.
Also, when sludge attaches to the surface of a membrane due to some kind of problem and a membrane separation device is pulled out of water in order to solve the problem, a bending stress which is larger than normal may be applied to the catchment header and the header may be broken. Accordingly, it is necessary to increase the diameter of the catchment header so as to withstand a stress which is larger than normal to avoid the breakage, and this leads to further decrease in the catchment efficiency.
Moreover, although there are a catchment header in which a metal thick plate having holes for connecting to modules is welded to a metal thin plate which is bent to be in a U-shape, and in which a metal thick plate having holes for connecting to modules is combined with a resin water passage part, it is necessary to carry out a process for continuously forming a plurality of holes for connecting to modules in a metal thick plate for these catchment headers and such a process is quite difficult to perform. Furthermore, as for welding to a metallic thin plate, it is not easy to perform continuous welding without causing distortion in a longitudinal direction and, for example, 5 to 6 mm flexure would be generated in both horizontal and vertical directions due to thermal distortion of welding when a 70 cm catchment header is produced by welding. Accordingly, it is difficult to orderly arrange a plurality of membrane modules with a distorted catchment header.
In addition, there is a danger that welding will become insufficient and the welded portions may be separated during use of a long period of time, causing leakage of liquid.
The present invention has been achieved in consideration of solving the above-mentioned problems, and objects thereof include to provide a light-weight and compact catchment header which is excellent in workability and is capable of carrying out a solid-liquid separation process using a separation membrane in a stable manner for a long period of time.

Catchment header and membrane module unit


A method, apparatus, and system are provided for use in performing a limited channel mapping. In some embodiments a method can select an input of a plurality of inputs, select a single modulation scheme of a plurality modulation schemes delivered through the selected input, tune in a plurality of channels for the single modulation scheme, determine if a broadcast is received on each of the channels, record channels that are determined to receive broadcasts in a channel map, and not performing a full auto-program. Some embodiments further scan a signal associated with the first modulation scheme, identify channels carrying broadcast information, comparing previously defined channel assignments of the channel map with the identified channels during the scan, and initiate the tuning, the determining and the recording when a difference is detected when comparing the channel assignments.

Many televisions have the capability of running an auto-program that searches received signals to identify channels on which broadcast information is delivered. Identified channels are recorded into a channel map. The channel map allows a television to limit the channels that the television automatically accesses so that a user does not have to pass through those channels that do not have broadcast information.
Identifying whether a channel does or does not carry broadcast information can take a second or two per channel. Further, televisions that perform auto-programs generally require a full auto-program to be run where all of the potentially available channels for all available signals are evaluated. Evaluating each available channel can take a significant amount of time. Additionally, while the television is performing an auto-program a user is typically unable to watch any of the channels.
As the number of available channels continues to increase, the running of an auto-program can take prohibitively excessive amounts of time. Further, some channels, such as channels received over digital terrestrial signals, can be more difficult and/or time consuming to acquire, resulting in still longer auto-programs. Additionally, it is common for television signal providers (e.g., cable providers, terrestrial signal providers and other signal providers) to reallocate channel assignments.
In many instances the reallocation of channels by the provider is transparent to the user because the provider supplies the channel allocation changes to provider's set-top-box. Televisions that do not use set-to-boxes, however, cannot utilize the proprietary information and thus the channel reallocation can be very confusing and frustrating to a user. As a result, it can be beneficial to perform an auto-program at frequent intervals. Because televisions generally require that a full auto-program be run searching all available channels on all available signals from all available input, the time to perform the auto-program is extensive. Thus, users are inhibited from performing auto-programming, and as such fail to maintain current channel mapping.

Apparatus and method for use in television channel mapping


A packaged, pre-pasted orthodontic bracket includes a container having an open well therein and a top surface surrounding the well. A cover film with a central hole is disposed over the top opening of the well and secured to the top surface of the container with a layer of adhesive. An orthodontic bracket mounted in the central hole of the cover film has a base, a central portion extending from the base, at least two opposed tie wings extending from the central portion of the bracket, and a layer of light-curable adhesive disposed on the base of the bracket. The bracket is mounted in the central hole of the cover film such that the cover film contacts the central portion of the bracket and supports the bracket with the adhesive layer and base inside the well and the tie wings outside the well. Preferably, the bracket is supported such that the layer of light-curable adhesive is spaced from a bottom wall of the well, and the cover film and the container are opaque to light in the wavelength range used to cure the light-curable adhesive.

Modern orthodontic techniques include repositioning teeth that are misaligned, too close together or otherwise mis-positioned. In order to reposition the teeth, the teeth are connected to an arch wire that serves as a guide, urging the teeth into the desired position and orientation. In order to connect the teeth to the arch wire, small brackets with slots for receiving the arch wire are attached to the teeth. The ends of the arch wire are normally attached to the molars with another orthodontic appliance known as a buccal tube. In some cases, the bracket or tube is brazed or welded or brazed to a metal band placed around the patient's tooth. However, the preferred method of attaching brackets to a patient's teeth is by means of an adhesive. Bonding brackets to a patient's teeth is more comfortable for the patient, cosmetically more appealing and faster in practice than the use of metal bands.
Applying an appropriate amount of adhesive to the base of an orthodontic appliance such as a bracket or buccal tube can be a time consuming and tedious task for the orthodontist or his or her assistant. Too little adhesive may result in the bracket coming loose from the tooth after installation while an excessive amount of adhesive will be pushed out from between the bracket and tooth, requiring removal. Further, while two-part chemically curing adhesive systems are available for bonding orthodontic brackets to a patient's teeth, many practitioners prefer photo sensitive adhesives that are cured upon exposure to light in the visible spectrum for a relatively short period. Consequently, time is also a factor insofar as the adhesive applied to the bracket can only be exposed to visible light for a limited period before the bracket is positioned on the tooth.
In order to address these issues, pre-pasted orthodontic appliances were developed. Pre-pasted orthodontic appliances have an adhesive, normally a photo sensitive, light curing adhesive, applied to the base of the bracket before the bracket is packaged. Pre-pasted brackets reduce the amount of time required to install brackets on the patient's teeth by eliminating the need for the orthodontist to apply the adhesive to the bracket. Pre-pasted brackets also reduce the amount of wasted adhesive as the manufacturer can precisely control the amount and placement of the adhesive on the base of the bracket.
Packaging for brackets with a pre-applied light curing adhesive must protect the adhesive from exposure to light, as well as from contamination and evaporation. Further, if the adhesive adheres to the package, the adhesive coating may be disturbed when the bracket is removed from the package. Thus, in some cases, the pre-pasted portion of the orthodontic appliance is isolated from the package material with a release coating or layer. In addition, the package should present the bracket to the orthodontist in a fashion that facilitates quick and convenient removal of the bracket from the package.

Packaging system for pre-pasted orthodontic bracket


An organic photoconductor including a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer on a conductive base, wherein crossing angleθ of two tangent lines is 70° or more, two tangent lines which border on a curve drawn by plotting integrated values of detected current versus time in measurement of transient photocurrent (TOF), at a field intensity of 10V/μm; and film thickness of the charge transport layer is 8 to 15 μm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relate to an organic photoconductor used in a field of copying machines and printers (hereinafter simply referred to as a photoconductor) and a process cartridge, an image forming apparatus and an image forming method using the organic photoconductor.
2. Description of Related Art
In earlier technology, in order to improve quality of photoelectorographic image, a technology forming a microscopic dot image in which a fine latent image is formed on an organic photoconductor using exposure light source of small spot diameter has been developed. For example, JP Tokukaihei-8-272197A and U.S. Pat. No. 5,818,489 disclose a method of forming a latent image of high definition on an organic photoconductor using a light source having spot diameter of 4000 μm or less. In order to form an accurate latent image in such spot exposure method of small spot diameter, it is important to reduce the diffusion of charge carrier generated by an exposure in a latent image formation by the image exposure to an organic photoconductor.
That is, in order to reproduce image information faithfully as an electrostatic latent image, it is necessary to keep enough contrast of electric potential between exposed and unexposed part. Thus, it is important to reduce the diffusion of carrier which takes place while the carrier is generated and reach surface charge. For example, Journal of the Imaging Society of Japan 38 (4), in page 296, discloses that the effect of diffusion in electric latent image formation can not ignore about a high density image of such like 1200 dpi, when the ratio of diffusion constant (D) to drift mobility (μ) in charge transport layer D/μ become large, and thus, thicker charge transport layer results larger degradation of a latent image.
Furthermore, as described in Fuji Jihou 75 (3), page 194, the larger drift mobility (μ) in charge transport layer results larger diffusion of a latent image according to an analysis result of single dot latent image. As disclosed in JP Tokukaihei-5-119503A, in a process with high resolution, an organic photoconductor has already proposed, in which thinner charge transport layer is applied and diffusion of electrostatic latent image is prevented.
However, the above-proposed organic photoconductors can not be an enough closure of the problem with respect to durability of photoconductor. That is, tear and wear of the film involved in a repeat use easily cause increase of image defects such as fog, small black spot and the like, because potential stability, sensitivity and the like of organic photoconductor largely depend on the film thickness. In particular, an organic photoconductor having thin photoconductive layer has a tendency that field intensity per film thickness included in conditions of charging potential in electrostatic latent image formation is large, and problems such as degradation of a dot image and elevation of residual potential easily occur.
Photoelectrical apparatuses such as a digital coping machine, a printer and the like in recent years are downsized speeded up as well as high image quality is required. As a result, both higher sensitivity corresponding to speeding up and longer lifetime according to improvement of abrasion resistance are required.
In order to fulfill the above requirement of high image quality, downsizing and speeding up, it is required to enhance time response property in sensitivity of organic photoconductor. In order to fulfill the requirement, a development of electrical charge generation material has been made. As a result, as described in Journal of the Electrophotography Society of Japan 29 (3), page 250 (1990), phthalocyanine pigment such as Y type phthalocyanine (titanil phthalocyanine pigments having a maximum peak at 27.2° in Bragg angle 2θ in character X ray spectrum of Cu—Kα) is developed, and a photoelectrical photoconductor using the pigment thereof is in practical use.
However, charging potential of these photoelectrical photoconductor is not stable in high-speed image forming process in which a line speed of photoconductor is fast and charged time and moving time from exposure process to developing process are short, which cause degradation of a dot image and elevation of residual potential. As a result, fog or degradation of image density easily turns up.
Consequently, in a organic photoconductor required high image quality and high speed property, it has been problematic that change of film thickness of photoconductor involved in repeat use affect size of a electrostatic latent image of dot image and formation of potential contrast, both of which cause degradation of a dot image and elevation of residual potential. As a result, fog or degradation of image density easily turns up. In particular, degradation of a dot image caused by wear and tear of photoconductor easily turn up in a print image of photographic image and the like where a dot image of 1200 dpi or more (dpi is referred to the number of dot in 2.54 cm) is required and reproducibility of gradation is valued. It is necessary to prevent that.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Organic photoconductor, process cartridge, image forming apparatus and image forming method

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


An engine air intake duct includes a duct wall and an orifice cap. The duct wall extends between an air inlet and an air outlet and has at least one orifice disposed therethrough. The duct wall has an integrally-formed closure mechanism adjacent the orifice. The orifice cap is moveable relative to and securable to the closure mechanism to substantially cover the orifice.

Internal combustion engines employed to power vehicles generally operate with air intake systems that include an air intake duct to direct the air flow into the engine. Air intake ducts often present acoustic resonances. Various approaches have been implemented to mitigate such acoustic resonances. However, some approaches provide an ingress through which engine-heated air may enter the intake duct, which may reduce engine thermal efficiency. Furthermore, some approaches provide an ingress through which water may enter the intake duct.

Engine air intake duct with orifice cap and manufacture thereof


A product including potassium monopersulfate and a halogen is presented. The product is useful for treatment of aquatic facilities such as swimming pools. While it was known that using a combination of potassium monopersulfate and halogen is effective for sanitizing water, a product that includes both components could not be made because of the incompatibility between the two components. The product overcomes the incompatibility by use of a barrier film between the two components. The barrier film, which includes one or more of inorganic salt, silicate, borosilicate, and organic polymer, is coated onto one of the components prior to being combined with the second component. The product may be extruded and molded into a desired shape and added to the water to be treated, as needed.

Aquatic facilities, such as swimming pools, become contaminated from various components in the environment such as dust, bacteria, and viruses, as well as from waste products produced by the bathers. To ensure that the pools can be enjoyed safely, the pool water is treated to reduce or eliminate chemical oxygen demand (COD) and/or total organic carbon (TOC) in the water. Typically, chlorine or bromine is used to disinfect the water and prevent viruses and bacteria from being transmitted among the bathers. Halogen donor compounds such as chlorine or bromine are also used to sanitize/oxidize waste products produced by the bathers.
To achieve an effective level of antimicrobial and viricidal activity, the oxidation potential of water must be sustained above a threshold value. Sustaining the oxidation potential is an uphill battle, as the oxidation potential is continuously reduced by contaminants' consumption of the sanitizing/oxidizing agent. Studies have confirmed that the effectiveness of chlorine/bromine-based sanitizers is significantly reduced with increased contaminant level. As used herein, the "contaminant" is any substance that reacts with and consumes the sanitizing/oxidizing agent. In swimming pool and other waters, contaminants often come in the form of organic compounds.
Sanitizing water would be relatively easy if the only type of contaminants were inorganic nitrogen waste products (e.g., ammonia, ammonium), as chlorine can convert the ammonia to inert nitrogen gas using the well known breakpoint chlorination process. However, when the water also contains organic nitrogen waste products, the breakpoint chlorination process is significantly impaired. This impairment is at least partly due to the fact that organic nitrogen reacts with the sanitizing agent in a less desirable competing reaction. The competing reaction entails chlorine's reaction with the organic nitrogen to produce a volatile and irritating byproduct known as chloramine (NH2Cl, NHCl2, NCl3, R2NCl, RHNCl, where R represents organic constituent). Because some of the chlorine is turned into chloramines by the organic nitrogen (instead of being turned into inert nitrogen by the inorganic nitrogen), the ability of chlorine (or other halogen)-based sanitizing/oxidizing agent to rid the water of inorganic nitrogen such as mono- and di-chloroamines is significantly impaired.
In applications such as swimming pool water, where both organic and inorganic nitrogen are present, organic nitrogen that forms chloramines competes for chlorine against inorganic nitrogen that forms inert nitrogen. Chloramines accumulate because chlorine is consumed more readily by the organic byproducts than the already partially oxidized chloramines. Accumulation of chloramines is undesirable for a number of reasons. First, chloramines are less effective as oxidizers than chlorine. Second, incomplete oxidation of the Total Organic Carbon (TOC) by reaction with chlorine produces trihalomethane (THM), which are known carcinogens. Furthermore, chloramines and THM induce corrosion of metals and impose mild to severe irritation to bathers' eyes, skin, and respiratory systems.
To control disinfection rates and prevent the accumulation of chloramines, the organic byproducts must be effectively oxidized independently of chlorine, leaving chlorine free to react with the inorganic nitrogen. This way, the chlorine is free to disinfect the water by converting the inorganic nitrogen to inert nitrogen gas. Also, when the TOC is diminished, the potential for formation of THM by reaction between chlorine and the TOC is reduced. Thus, a method and composition for achieving breakpoint chlorination without accumulation of chloramines and formation of incomplete oxidation products is desired.

Composition including potassium monopersulfate and a halogen