The disclosure relates data protection management (e.g. data recovery) for distributed storage systems. Specifically, the systems (and methods) of the disclosure provide an advanced mechanism for data recovery based on a notion of a data fragment's peer group, which may be used for “peer” recovery. Peer recovery allows a data fragment to be recovered when all the data fragments from its peer group are available. Accordingly, the described mechanism leverages the power of erasure coding and XOR operations to support recovery of data in situations where such data would previously be considered unrecoverable.

In data storage systems space is allocated for storing a primary set of user data. Additional storage space is allocated for providing data protection for the primary set of data. For example, data protection can include generating a backup copy of the primary data. The backup copy provides protection against data loss in the event of primary data failure.
In geographically distributed data storage systems such as "cloud" storage systems, data protection can include replication to generate copies of primary and backup data and stored independently to provide additional protection. As distributed data storage systems grow in size (e.g. hundreds of zones and clusters), the need to recover from complex failures is critical because the statistical probability of a dual, triple and n zone failures increases as the number of zones increases within a single distributed storage system. Accordingly, there is a continued need to provide efficient mechanisms for recovering data in large-scale distributed data storage systems.

System and method for recovery of unrecoverable data with erasure coding and geo XOR


An electronically commutated motor for dust exhausters with a stator with excitation windings and with a rotor positioned to rotate in an air gap. The rotor has bundled laminations and permanent magnets around its circumference corresponding to the number of poles of the stator. A fan rotor of a ventilator is also provided on the rotor shaft, with the fan rotor connected downstream from the motor in the intake direction of the cooling air. The rotor shaft is connected with a turbine for generation of an intake air current, wherein the fan rotor is positioned in the upper bearing plate of the turbine. The bearing plate is designed in one piece in immediate vicinity of the turbine rotor and has indentations and cutouts in a radially outward direction, whereby air currents of the fan rotor and the turbine rotor flow each from its respective side, with the exit slots for cooling air from the fan rotor and the outlets for the exhaust from the turbine going out from the bearing plate.

The invention concerns an electronically commutated motor for dust exhausters, vacuum cleaners or similar devices having a stator with excitation windings and a rotor positioned to rotate in an air gap. The rotor has bundled laminations and permanent magnets around its circumference matching the number of poles of the stator. Furthermore, a fan rotor is also provided on the rotor shaft as a ventilator and the rotor shaft is connected to a turbine to generate an intake air current.
In electrical motors, and especially in dust exhausters and contaminant removal systems or similar devices, commutated or brushless motors which operate with high performance are already known, but have the disadvantage, particularly in the high-speed ranges, of not having the necessary operational safety. The prior art motors definitely do have high starting torque; however, they disadvantageously have a relatively unfavorable performance volume ratio and require a lot of space, particularly in devices designed for manual use.
The designs of prior art motors also have the disadvantage that the motor or bearings will run hot, particularly when a turbine must also be driven, as a result of high motor performance and the resultant heat which is released. In particular, prior art motors have an inadequate introduction of cooling air for the motor and for the bearings of an associated turbine.
The objective of the present invention is therefore to design an electronically commutated motor in such way that achieves an increased speed, with a particularly safe design of the motor and the turbine, regardless of the starting torque at high performance levels, and with no danger of the motor, the motor bearings, or the turbine bearings running hot.

Electronically commutated motor for dust exhausters, vacuum cleaners and similar devices


A method and system for filtering texture map data for improved image quality in a graphics computer system. The present invention is directed to a method and system for performing texture map filtering for reducing "flickering" and "sparkling" when rendering a relatively small graphics primitives using a texel map of relatively larger area and low color frequency. A footprint area is defined as the area of texel map space that is mapped into one pixel coordinate of display space. One embodiment of the present invention is particularly useful in texture mapping where the footprint area is larger than one. In this instance, during rendering, the change in texel map coordinates (e.g., du, dv) is large for a unit change in screen coordinates (e.g., dx, dy). When obtaining a texel at location (u, v), the present invention performs a color filtering of texels located at distances du and dv away from the texel at location (u, v). If texel wrap is not allowed, edge pinning is used to obtain the required texels for color filtering. The texels which are rendered in adjacent pixels on the display screen become more colored filtered with respect to each other rather than filtering nearest neighbor texels which often leads to flickering and sparkling in texture mapping cases of large footprint areas. The present invention reduces flickering and sparkling without requiring multiple texture maps (and therefore additional memory), as required using mipmapping.

Computer controlled graphics systems are used for displaying graphics objects on a display. These graphics objects are composed of graphics primitive elements ("graphics primitives") that include points, lines, polygons, etc. The graphics primitives can be used to render a 2 dimensional (2D) image of a three dimensional (3D) object on a display screen. In the process of rendering 3D graphics, many techniques are used to create realistic 3D effects. Some of these techniques involve Gouruad shading, texture mapping, bilinear filtering, specular lighting and fogging effects. Texture mapping refers to techniques for adding surface detail to areas or surfaces of these 3D graphics objects displayed on a 2D display. Often texture map information is added to displayed polygons.
Generally, texture mapping occurs by accessing encoded surface detail points or "texels" from a texel map memory space ("texel map") which stores the surface detail and transferring the surface detail texels to predetermined points of the graphics primitive to be texture mapped. The process of determining the texels that correspond to pixels is called sampling the texture map. The texture image within a texture map is represented in computer memory as a bitmap or other raster-based encoded format. Texels reside in a (u, v) texture coordinate space. However, the display screen includes point elements (pixels) which reside in an (x, y) display coordinate space. Therefore, texture mapping applies color or visual attributes of texels of the (u, v) texture map to corresponding pixels of the graphics object (primitive) on the display screen. Color values for pixels in (x, y) display coordinate space are determined based on sampled texture map values.
After texture mapping, a version of the texture image is visible on surfaces of the graphics primitive. Because the original graphics object is 3D, texture mapping often involves maintaining certain perspective attributes with respect to the surface detail added to the object. Therefore, the manner in which a texture map is sampled, e.g., by du and dv values, is different depending on the perspective and size of the polygon.
FIG. 1A illustrates a rendering situation in which a relatively large area texel map memory space 10 is used to provide surface detail to a relatively small area polygon 20 of a display screen. In this example, the texel map 10 is in a raster format and contains 512 texels by 512 texels while polygon 20 may contain as few as 10 pixels total. During rendering, because the polygon 20 is relatively small, the texels of the texel map 10 are sampled over large distances to provide the color for the pixels of the displayed polygon 20. This rendering situation typically causes "flickering," also called "sparkling," within the polygon which is shown as lines 25. Sparkling is caused because the rendering process samples different sets of texels from the texel map 10 for successive update frames of the display screen as the polygon 20 may slightly change its perspective between frames. Because the texels are sampled at large distances from each other, any small change in the sample process can cause very differently colored texels to be obtained from frame to frame; this is especially true for texel maps having high color frequency. Displaying the different texel sets causes an animated effect of sparkling within the polygon 20. It is desirable to reduce sparkling within graphics systems to provide more realistic 3D effects. As described further below, mipmapping has been used to reduce sparkling.
FIG. 1B illustrates a rendering situation in which a relatively small area texel map memory space 30 is used to provide surface detail to a larger area polygon 40 of a display screen. In this example, the texel map 30 is in a raster format and contains 10 texels by 10 texels while polygon 40 may have 10 times the area of the texel map 30. Although this situation does not lead to sparkling, as described above, it does lead to "blocky" image quality within polygon 40 reducing its realism. During rendering, because the polygon 40 is so much larger than the texel map 30, the texels of the texel map 30 are subsampled and the result is blocky surface detail 42 displayed within the large polygon 40. As described further below, bilinear filtering has been used to reduce the blocky image quality described above.
In the prior art, the technique of mipmapping has been used to address the problem of sparkling when rendering a polygon in the rendering situation of FIG. 1A. An example of mipmapping is shown in FIG. 2. In effect, mipmapping requires that several different texel maps (called "mipmaps") 51-54 be associated for each texel map 50. The mipmap used depends on the size of the polygon to be rendered. The #0 or original mipmap 50 is the original texel map. Each successive mipmap is then 1/4 the size of its predecessor mipmap. Therefore, #1 mipmap 51 is 1/4 the area of mipmap 50; #2 mipmap 52 is 1/4 the area of mipmap 51; #3 mipmap 53 is 1/4 the area of mipmap 52; and #4 mipmap 54 is 1/4 the area of mipmap 53. As such, mipmap 52 is 1/16 the size of original mipmap 50, mipmap 53 is 1/64 the size of original mipmap 50, and mipmap 54 is 1/256 the size of original mipmap 50. In mipmapping, depending on the relative size of the polygon to be rendered, a different mipmap of 50-54 is selected to perform texel mapping for the polygon. By using a smaller sized mipmap for a small polygon, the distance over which texels are sampled during rendering is reduced thereby reducing sparkling.
Although effective for reducing sparkling in the rendering situation of FIG. 1A, mipmapping has disadvantages. Each mipmap of 50-54 needs to be separately generated by a designer and this generation process is typically manual and/or involves complex and time consuming generation procedures. The mipmaps have to be generated for each original texel map. Further, because multiple mipmaps are required for each original texel map, additional computer memory is consumed (e.g., 33% more memory is required for each texel map) when implementing mipmapping techniques. Therefore, mipmapping restricts the number of unique texel maps that can reside within a graphics computer system. It would be advantageous to provide a technique for reducing or eliminating sparkling without the increased memory consumed by mipmapping techniques.
Bilinear filtering has been used in the past to reduce the blocky appearances of surface detail as described with reference to the rendering situation of FIG. 1B. Bilinear filtering is used as a step in the process of applying texture to polygons. As described below, bilinear filtering involves an average of the nearest neighbor texels of the sampled texels before rendering the polygon. By performing color averaging, the sharp boundaries with blocky appearances, as shown in FIG. 1 B, are reduced or eliminated. Bilinear filtering has not been applied to reduce sparkling in the rendering situation of FIG. 1A.
FIG. 3 illustrates bilinear filtering with an exemplary texel map 60 having a red color portion 60a, a green color portion 60b and a blue color portion 60c. Within texel map 60, three texels are sampled, texel 61, texel 64 and texel 66, to be used in the rendering of respective pixels 73a, 73b and 73c of displayed polygon 71. In bilinear filtering, the color of texel 61 and its nearest neighbors (e.g., adjacent texels) 62a-62d are averaged together to obtain the texel color for respective pixel 73a. Next, the color of texel 66 and its nearest neighbors 65a-65d are averaged to obtain the texel color for respective pixel 73b and the color of texel 66 and its nearest neighbors 67a-67d are averaged to obtain the texel color for respective pixel 73c. In the instance of FIG. 1B where the texel map is subsampled, bilinear filtering is effective at reducing sharp boundaries and blocky appearances.
However, with respect to the rendering situation of FIG. 1A where a large texel map is used for a small polygon, bilinear filtering still causes sparkling because, as shown in FIG. 3, large distances are covered in the texel samples and averaging is performed only with respect to nearest neighbors of the sampled texels. For instance, the red texel 61 is averaged with just reds, the blue texel 66 is averaged with just blue texels and the green texel 64 is averaged with just green texels. Therefore, using bilinear filtering, the high color frequency, that is imposed by the small polygon, is not effectively removed from the polygon and bilinear filtering still leads to a rather high probability of having different texel sets from frame to frame when a low color frequency texel map is used in the rendering situation of FIG. 1A. Therefore, bilinear filtering has not proven to be effective at eliminating sparking effects with respect to the rendering situation of FIG. 1A.

Method and system for filtering texture map data for improved image quality in a graphics computer system


Described is a temporary roof anchor for fitment to a roof support structure, the roof anchor comprising: first attachment means for temporary fitment to the roof support structure; second attachment means remote from the first attachment means for attaching safety equipment; and shock-absorbing means having a deformable region extending between the first and second attachment means in a first length when not subject to a deformation force corresponding to a critical sudden load, the shock-absorbing means lying substantially in a single plane and comprising a substantially rigid structure that, when subject to the critical sudden load, deforms, elongating to a greater length than the first length.

Several solutions have been proposed for providing anchor points on a roof, but these are normally intended for permanent fitment. Such anchor points are made available so that a person working on the roof, for example, can attach himself to the anchor point by means of a rope or cable, etc., so that in the event of a fall, he will be constrained from falling off the roof.
Thus, conventional roof-anchoring devices for permanent fitment require access to the roof support structure such as a batten or rafter. Direct access to the support structure is generally required and involves mounting the roof anchor prior to the application of the external covering of the roof such as tiles, sarking, sheeting or other cladding so that upon application of the external covering to the support structure, the roof anchor extends beyond the external covering. The anchor will, of course, need to be suitably flashed to provide a weather-proofed fitment.
On the other hand, if the external covering has already been applied to the roof support structure, then at least one unit of the external covering, e.g., a single sheet of covering, must be removed to provide access to the roof support structure. Thus, for example, where large units of sheeting form the external covering of the roof, considerable time and effort may have to be expended to remove a single unit to gain access to the roof support structure. Furthermore, there is also a risk that damage to the covering may occur or, more particularly, once it is re-laid, the covering might not properly seal against the elements.
However, the removal of the covering as described above may be impractical or inconvenient. Alternatively, so-called retro-fit systems have been developed that provide a solution for securing a permanent anchor point by using a tool through an access facility, i.e., a relatively small opening, for example, which is then later sealed.
In any event, all of the foregoing solutions have as their basic premise that the anchor is left permanently in place once fitted. This, however, may not be convenient or even desirable having regard to aesthetic considerations and may be unnecessarily wasteful as there may be little need for an anchor point at any time in at least the foreseeable future. Furthermore, anchor points may be desired at various locations, particularly as work progresses on a site, once again adding to the total cost if several permanent anchors are utilized.

Temporary roof anchor having shock absorbing means


The present disclosure describes systems and methods that utilize a multi-lumen tube with an integral visualization apparatus, such as a camera. The multi-lumen tracheal tube system may include a camera apparatus that is positioned to facilitate left or right bronchial intubation. In addition, the camera apparatus may be a unitary assembly that functions to hold and position the camera relative to the tube and provides an acceptable profile for comfortable intubation. The camera apparatus may include additional components, such as integral light sources and flushing or cleaning devices to remove any buildup from the camera or optical components.

The present disclosure relates generally to medical devices and, more particularly, to multi-lumen tracheal tubes that may accommodate an integral visualization device, such as a camera.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
In the course of treating a patient, a tracheal tube (e.g endotracheal, endobronchial, nasotracheal, or transtracheal device) may be used to control the flow of gases into the trachea of a patient. Often, a seal between the outside of the tube and the interior wall of the tracheal lumen is required, allowing for generation of positive intrathoracic pressure distal to the seal and prevention of ingress of solid or liquid matter into the lungs from proximal to the seal.
Depending on the clinical condition of the patient, a tracheal tube may be inserted that is capable of ventilating one lung to the exclusion or independently of the other. For example, during thoracic surgery, surgeons may wish to isolate and perform surgery on an affected lung while simultaneously ventilating the healthy lung in order to optimize the surgical field and/or avoid cross-contamination.
Endobronchial tubes that allow independent control of each lung through dual lumens are typically used for this purpose. One lumen is opened to ambient pressure to isolate the desired lung, while respiratory and anesthetic gases are delivered via positive pressure ventilation through the other lumen. Placement of an endobronchial tube not only requires corroboration of correct insertion and positioning within the trachea, but also additional corroboration of correct insertion and positioning within the desired main-stem bronchus. Placement must be reassessed frequently after patient position changes for surgical indications (e.g. lateral decubitus positioning), during surgical manipulations and after tube manipulations. This corroboration of placement requires bronchoscopic evaluation through the tracheal and/or bronchial lumen to visualize whether the bronchial lumen has been correctly cannulated and whether the tip of the bronchial lumen is correctly positioned. However, bronchoscopy is time consuming, can interrupt ventilation, and requires additional skills on the part of the provider. In addition, bronchoscopes are bulky, expensive, prone to damage, and difficult to operate within the relatively small diameter of the bronchial lumen.

Multi-lumen tracheal tube with visualization device


A vane pump includes at least one vane, a pump housing with a bottom and a lid, and a rotor rotatably mounted in the pump housing, with the at least one vane being slidingly mounted in a groove in the rotor and having at least one vane tip which protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the rotor and rests upon the inner peripheral surface of the pump housing so that the vane defines with the bottom and the lid an intake chamber and a pressure chamber to respectively interact with a radially outer inlet opening and outlet opening in the bottom and/or in the lid, wherein the rotor is provided on the peripheral edge with a chamfer in facing relationship to the housing bottom and/or the housing lid having the inlet opening and/or outlet opening.

The invention relates to a vane pump with at least one vane, a pump housing with a bottom and lid and a rotor rotatably mounted in the pump housing, with the at least one vane being slidingly mounted in a groove in the rotor and having at least one vane tip which protrudes from the outer peripheral surface of the rotor and bears upon the inner peripheral surface of the pump housing so that the vane defines with the bottom and the lid an intake chamber and a pressure chamber to respectively interact with a radially outer inlet opening and outlet opening in the bottom and/or in the lid.
DE 10 2008 036 327 A1 discloses a vane pump having a pump housing in which a rotor is arranged. This rotor supports several vanes which bear against the inner peripheral side of the housing and divides the pump chamber into work spaces. The bottom of the pump housing has inlet and outlet openings which are swept by the vanes. ft has been shown that the inlet and outlet openings have to be spaced sufficiently far apart to prevent the rotor, in which the vanes are mounted, from extending over the openings or a part of the openings so as to cover this part. This means, however, that the openings are always spaced at a distance to the optimum intake and discharge point. The latter theoretically lies at an area where the rotor contacts the inner peripheral surface of the pump housing.


An object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL panel having a display pattern that allows low power consumption, high emission uniformity, and high emission luminance ratio and makes it possible to reduce the manufacturing process time and provide high productivity, a method for manufacturing the organic EL panel, an organic EL module, and an information device. The organic EL panel of the present invention includes an organic EL device including an organic EL element having a pattern A including at least a light-emitting part and a non-light-emitting part; and at least one auxiliary member, wherein the organic EL element has an emission luminance ratio of the light-emitting part to the non-light-emitting part of 5:1 to 50:1, and the at least one auxiliary member has a pattern B being geometrically similar to the pattern A and including a light-transmitting part and a light-blocking part.

Conventional planar light sources include light guiding panel-equipped light emitting diodes (hereinafter abbreviated as LEDs) and organic light emitting diodes (hereinafter also referred to as organic electroluminescence elements, organic EL elements, or OLEDs).
Light guiding panel-equipped LED light sources have rapidly come into use as general lights and, for example, from around 2008, as major components for smart devices (such as smartphones and tablets), which gain widespread use. Principal applications are backlights of main displays (such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs)). Other applications include increasing cases where a light guiding panel-equipped LED light source is incorporated as a backlight for common function key buttons arranged at the lower part of a smart device or any other device or as a backlight for a logo on the backside.
In some cases, for example, three marks "home" (indicated by a square or other mark), "return" (indicated by an arrow mark or other mark), and "search" (indicated by a magnifier mark or other mark) are provided on common function key buttons, respectively.
In order to have improved visibility, such a common function key button includes a light guiding panel; a deflection pattern having dot shapes that are previously formed in the light guiding panel depending on the pattern of the mark to be displayed; and an LED light source for applying light to the side end face of the light guiding panel.
Specifically, a known method includes printing a pattern (for the mark to be displayed) on a surface cover glass and placing a light guide panel LED under the cover glass so that light can be emitted from the LED in response to necessary situations, then transmitted through the light guiding panel (film), and then extracted to the display side through a diffusion member having dot shapes printed at the patterned part.
For example, a structure is disclosed in which light emitted from an LED light source is incident on the side end face of a light guiding panel, and the incident light is totally reflected to the front face of the light guiding panel by the deflective reflection surface of the deflection pattern and then output in a certain pattern from the front face of the light guiding panel, so that the emitted light appears in the pattern when the light guiding panel is viewed from the front side (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
Unfortunately, the problems described below will occur when a backlight based on an LED light guide system is to be installed in a smart device. A first problem is that a thinner light guiding panel (e.g., film base material) is necessary because the smart device has a narrow installation space and a significant limitation on the thickness or size of the backlight to be installed. However, a thinner light guiding panel as a display member can reduce the luminous efficiency of LED light sources.
A second problem is that since light is guided from the side of an icon display part including a plurality of common function key buttons, the emission luminance distribution can be uneven depending on the pattern or shape of each common function key button. As a countermeasure against the uneven emission luminance distribution, the number of arranged LED light sources should be increased. However, this method can lead to an increase in cost and power consumption.
In view of the above problems, techniques for forming planar emission patterns using organic EL elements have been increasingly studied as an alternative to the light guide systems using LEDs. Organic EL elements are thin film-type, completely solid elements capable of emitting light at a low voltage of several to several tens V and have many superior properties such as low power consumption, high luminance, high luminous efficiency, emission uniformity, slimness, and light weight. In recent years, therefore, organic EL elements have been attracting attention as surface light emitters for various display backlights, display boards such as signboards and emergency lights, and illumination light sources.
Such organic EL elements have a structure in which organic functional layers including a light-emitting layer made of an organic material are stacked between two electrodes. In such elements, light is emitted from the light-emitting layer, transmitted through the electrode, and extracted to the outside. Therefore, at least one of the two electrodes is a transparent electrode, and the emitted light is extracted from the transparent electrode side. Organic EL elements can also produce high luminance at low electric power and also have superior properties in terms of visibility, response speed, life, and power consumption.
Various methods can be used to define the light-emitting area on the substrate of organic EL elements. Examples of such methods include a method of defining the light-emitting area by the shape of electrodes sandwiching a group of organic functional layers; a method of defining the light-emitting area by the shape of an insulating material formed on the electrode; a method of defining the light-emitting area by the area at which a hole or electron injection layer is deposited; a method of defining the light-emitting area by the area at which a light-emitting layer is deposited; and a method of defining the light-emitting area by carefully forming the area at which an intermediate connector for connecting light-emitting units is deposited, in the case of what is called a tandem element having a plurality of light-emitting units.
Methods for defining the shape of the light-emitting area by each of these methods include a method of defining the area shape by the shape of a mask during vapor deposition; a method of defining the area shape by physically deleting the organic layer and the electrode after the deposition; a method of defining the area shape by chemically altering the organic layer and the electrode; a photolithographic method; and a method of defining the area shape by damaging the organic layer by applying electron beams or electromagnetic waves to the organic layer.
In particular, there is known a method of patterning a light-emitting area by applying electron beams or electromagnetic waves such as ultraviolet rays to a group of organic functional layers to damage a light-emitting layer and other organic functional layers. This method attracts attention because when this method is performed using a mask, complicated shapes can be easily formed, which would otherwise be difficult to achieve by conventional techniques in view of manufacturing cost or complicated manufacturing process.
For example, there is disclosed a method of patterning a light-emitting area by applying electron beams or ultraviolet rays to a certain region so that the organic material constituting a group of organic functional layers is degraded (deactivated) in the region (see, for example, Patent Literature 2). There is also disclosed a similar method of patterning a light-emitting area by damaging the light-emitting layer of an organic EL element by applying ultraviolet rays (see, for example, Patent Literature 3).
There is also proposed an organic light-emitting element having a specific light-emitting pattern that is formed by applying ultraviolet light to at least one organic functional layer or constituent electrode layer through a photomask in the process of manufacturing an organic EL element so that the function of a predetermined pattern region is altered (see, for example, Patent Literature 4).
Unfortunately, the proposed methods have the problems described below, when used in the process of forming an icon or a logo pattern in an organic electroluminescence panel (hereinafter referred to as an organic EL panel) by applying electron beams or ultraviolet rays.
Specifically, a light-emitting part and a non-light-emitting part for a display pattern should be formed so as to achieve an emission luminance ratio of the former to the latter of about 200:1. In order to meet such conditions, the time of irradiation with ultraviolet rays or the like during the patterning should be long, which requires the ultraviolet irradiation system to have a high power and increases the size of the facility and the lead term during the manufacture, so that the economic burden increases.
Thus, there has been a demand for the development of a light-emitting panel that allows electric power to be supplied only to the light-emitting part with no need to guide light to unnecessary parts in a display method based on an LED light guide system, and also has low power consumption and improved display uniformity. There has also been a demand for a light emitting panel-forming method that has a short lead time for a patterning step using ultraviolet rays in the process of forming a display pattern in an organic EL panel, and also has low facility load and high cost-effectiveness.

Organic electroluminescence panel, method for manufacturing the same, organic electroluminescence module, and information device


Methods treat neurological disorders, for example neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and stroke. Particularly although not exclusively, GIP/GLP-1 co-agonist peptide is used in the treatment of such neurological disorders. Pharmaceutical compositions include a GIP/GLP-1 co-agonist peptide for use in treatment of such disorders.

Field of the Invention
Aspects and embodiments of the present invention relate to the treatment of neurological disorders, for example neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and stroke. Particularly although not exclusively, the present invention relates at least in part to a GIP/GLP1 co-agonist peptide for use in the treatment of such neurological disorders. Also included in the present invention are inter alia pharmaceutical compositions comprising a GIP/GLP1 co-agonist peptide for use in treatment of such disorders, together with methods of treating such disorders as well as other subject matter.
Description of the Related Art
Alzheimer's disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder for which there is no cure. Currently prescribed medication only temporarily relieves some of the symptoms. The main hallmarks of the disease are disorientation, loss of memory, loss of neurons and synapses in the brain, the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein in the brain (amyloid plaques), and intracellular aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein (tangles) (LaFerla and Oddo, 2005; Blennow et al., 2006).
Parkinson′ disease is also a chronic neurodegenerative disease for which only delaying medication is available. The main hallmarks are tremor, rigor, and a loss of ability to move, the degeneration of neurons in the basal brain (substantia nigra) and the loss of release of the neurotransmitter, dopamine (Shen, 2010).
Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) has been identified as a risk factor for AD and PD (Hölscher, 2014), indicating that insulin signalling impairment may be a factor in initiating or accelerating the development of AD. Epidemiological studies found a clear correlation between T2DM and the risk of developing AD or other neurodegenerative disorders at a later stage (Luchsinger et al., 2004; Ristow, 2004; Ohara et al., 2011). It was also shown that insulin signalling in the brain is desensitised in AD patients. Recent studies demonstrated that brains of AD patients had increased levels of inactivated phosphorylated insulin receptors and IRS-1 second messengers, which are both indicative of insulin desensitisation (Moloney et al., 2010; Bomfim et al., 2012; Talbot et al., 2012). In PD, insulin signalling was also found to be impaired and linked to disease progression (Morris et al., 2011; Cereda et al., 2012).
Glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) is an endogenous 31-amino acid peptide incretin hormone (Baggio and Drucker, 2007). GLP-1 receptor stimulation enhances beta-cell proliferation in the pancreas by activating stem cell proliferation, facilitates glucose-dependent insulin secretion and lowers blood glucose in patients with T2DM (Lovshin and Drucker, 2009). Three GLP-1 analogues are currently on the market as a treatment for diabetes, exendin-4 (Byetta®), lixisenatide (Lyxumia®) and liraglutide (SEQ ID No. 10) (Victoza®) (Campbell and Drucker, 2013; Elkinson and Keating, 2013).
Glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP), also known as gastric inhibitory polypeptide, is a 42-amino acid incretin hormone which activates pancreatic islets to enhance insulin secretion and to help reduce postprandial hyperglycaemia, similar to GLP-1 (Gault et al., 2003). GIP is a member of the seretin/glucagon family of neuroregulatory polypeptides which also include the growth hormone releasing factor. It is expressed in pancreatic alpha cells, endocrine cells, and also in neurons in the brain (Nyberg et al., 2007; Campbell and Drucker, 2013). GIP has also been shown to promote pancreatic beta-cell growth, differentiation, proliferation and cell survival, documenting its growth-hormone properties (Gault et al., 2003). Therefore, research is on-going to develop GIP as a therapeutic tool for T2DM treatment (Irwin et al., 2006). There are currently no GIP analogues authorised for the treatment of T2D.
Dual agonist peptides which target more than one receptor are being considered for the treatment of T2D. Several GIP/GLP-1 co-agonist peptides are currently in development for the treatment of T2D. However, there are currently no GIP/GLP-1 dual agonists authorised for use to treat T2D.
Recent investigations of the neuroproperties of GLP-1 and GIP have indicated that these peptides may play a role in preventing neurodegenerative hallmarks in several mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and also in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD).
Insulin as well as the incretins not only have growth-factor like properties in the brain, but also modulate synaptic activity (Hölscher, 2014). Synapses are the contacts between neurons, and they are important for memory formation and information processing in the brain. Direct injection of GLP-1 or long-lasting GLP-1 analogues into the brain markedly enhanced long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission (LTP) in the hippocampus, a brain area that is involved in memory formation. LTP is considered a cellular correlate of memory formation (Bliss and Collingridge, 1993). The GLP-1 analogue, liraglutide, has been shown to upregulate LTP in the rat brain (McClean et al., 2010).
In addition, GLP-1 analogues were able to prevent the impairment of LTP that was induced by beta-amyloid fragments (Gault and Hölscher, 2008a; McClean et al., 2011; Gengler et al., 2012; Han et al., 2013). This impairment of LTP by amyloid protein may be the mechanism by which amyloid causes memory loss (Cleary et al., 2005). A study testing liraglutide (SEQ ID No. 10) in an APP/PS1 mouse model of AD showed that the drug can prevent the impairment in memory formation and synaptic plasticity, the reduction of total numbers of synapses, normalise stem cell proliferation and neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus, reduce the inflammation response, and furthermore reduce amyloid plaque load in the cortex and total amyloid levels in the brain (McClean et al., 2011). In another study, liraglutide (SEQ ID No. 10) also had protective and regenerative effects in very old transgenic mice, demonstrating that even at an advanced stage of disease progression, memory can be improved and plaque load be reduced to some degree (McClean and Holscher, 2013).
Based on these findings in animal models, a clinical trial of liraglutide (SEQ ID No. 10) in AD patients has started.
Furthermore, one prior art study has investigated the effects of exendin-4 in the 6-hydroxydopamine model of PD. After the lesion was induced, rats were treated with exendin-4 and a protection of motor activity was observed. Histological analysis showed that exendin-4 significantly increased the number of both tyrosine hydroxylase- and vesicular monoamine transporter 2-positive neurons in the substantia nigra (Bertilsson et al., 2008). In a second study, two rodent models of PD, 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) and lipopolysaccaride (LPS), were used to test the effects of exendin-4. Motor control was much improved in the drug group, and striatal tissue concentrations of dopamine were markedly higher. In addition, exendin-4 reversed the loss of extracellular DA in the striatum (Harkavyi et al., 2008).
Based on these studies, a clinical trial of exendin-4 in PD patients has been initiated. This study reported that in several motor assessments and in a cognitive test patients had improved, and the improvements were maintained even after the drug had been discontinued for 12 months (Aviles-Olmos et al., 2013; Aviles-Olmos et al., 2014).
Studies have also been carried out to determine whether GIP or GIP analogues have an effect in AD. It has been found that GIP analogues can prevent the LTP impairment that beta-amyloid fragments induce on synaptic transmission in the brain (Gault and Hölscher, 2008b). In a GIP receptor-deletion mouse strain, LTP was also impaired, and paired-pulse facilitation was reduced, indicating that the release of synaptic vesicles is reduced (Faivre et al., 2011). The long-lasting GIP analogue D-Ala2-GIP also had neuroprotective effects in an APP/PS1 mouse model of AD. In 12 months old mice, synaptic plasticity in area CA1 of the hippocampus and spatial memory formation was impaired in APP/PS1 mice but was unimpaired in D-Ala2-GIP treated APP/PS1 mice. In addition, the amyloid plaque load was much reduced, showing impressive effects in reducing the main hallmarks of AD (Faivre and Hölscher, 2013b).
In aged 19 month old AD mice, the drug was still able to reverse some of the AD symptoms such as synapse loss (Faivre and Hölscher, 2013a). In a longitudinal study, oxidative stress and the inflammation response in the brain was much reduced in APP/PS1 mice (Duffy and Hölscher, 2013b). This suggests that these analogues have neuroprotective properties in AD and protect synapses from the detrimental effects of beta-amyloid.
There remains a need to identify treatments for neurological disorders such as for example the neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease.

Lancaster University Business Enterprises Limited


Techniques, systems, and devices are described for implementing a portable and affordable 3D printer. One portable 3D printer includes a material supply system to supply printing material to a print engine. The print engine includes an extrusion system that comprises a heating block, which includes a top portion coupled to the material supply system to receive the printing material, a heating body to heat up the printing material, and a heat break portion positioned between the top portion and the heating body. The printer further includes a movement system to allow a horizontal movement of the extruder carriage, a build platform positioned below the movement system to receive the printing material from the extrusion system, and a printer body positioned to enclose the extrusion system, the movement system, and the build platform.

3D printing, also known as additive manufacture, has an ever increasing presence in manufacturing. Agile tooling using 3D printing is a cost effective and high quality method to quickly respond to customer and market needs. However, traditional 3D printers are typically bulky and expensive. Many of them occupy a large amount of space, and are priced from at least $2,000. Accordingly, there remains a need for improved techniques and system for providing a portable and affordable 3D printer that can be used in homes, offices, or classrooms.


In a fuel cell system (10), an anode exhaust gas discharge pipe (50) is full of hydrogen at the start of operation of a fuel cell (20). As time passes when the fuel cell (20) is operating, the concentration of impurities within the anode exhaust gas discharge pipe (50) increases. When the hydrogen concentration is less than a reference concentration for opening a valve, an upstream cut-off valve (61) closes and a downstream cut off valve (62) opens. As a result, the impurity concentration in the anode gas discharge pipe (50) quickly drops and is restored to the level that it was at the start of operation of the fuel cell (20). This sudden drop in the impurity concentration is caused by a pressure difference between the pressure in the anode exhaust gas pipe (50) and the pressure of the outside air, and the concentration gradient.

In a fuel cell that operates without discharging fuel gas that is in the fuel cell (such as the fuel cell disclosed in JP(A) 9-312167, for example), the electrode catalyst becomes covered with impurities such as nitrogen and moisture that accumulate in the fuel cell as time passes when the fuel cell is operating. As a result, electromotive reaction in the electrode catalyst is impaired, resulting in a decrease in output voltage.
To combat this problem, in a fuel cell of related art that operates without discharging fuel gas that is in the fuel cell, when the output voltage becomes equal to, or less than, a predetermined reference voltage, anode exhaust gas containing impurities (on the anode side) in the fuel cell is discharged outside the fuel cell in an attempt to recover the output voltage.
In the fuel cell of the related art that operates without discharging fuel gas that is in the fuel cell, however, there is almost no flow or diffusion of fuel gas particularly at the ends of each cell in the fuel cell stack so impurities tend to accumulate there, making it difficult to generate sufficient power. As a result, the output voltage of the fuel cell frequently drops so unless the impurities that accumulate in the fuel cell are discharged more frequently, the necessary output voltage is unable to be obtained. In this case, because fuel gas in the fuel cell is also discharged when the impurities are discharged, the fuel efficiency performance of the fuel cell decreases.

Fuel cell system and control method for an open/close mechanism thereof


The flattened strand rope of the invention comprises wedge-shaped strands, each made up of wires wound on a core. At least a portion of the strand wires are fashioned as twisted wire groups in which the wires are sector-shaped and in contact with each other over helical surfaces. With such a structural embodiment of the flattened strand wire, use can be made of thin and, consequently, stronger and more flexible wires, thereby increasing the strength and flexibility of the rope and making for the use of the rope in the various branches of industry, including lifting mechanisms with large or small drum diameters.

In many load-lifting mechanisms and systems, the lifting rope is expected to possess a combination of physically contradictory properties such as high flexibility and wear resistance. The former is attained through the use of a large number of thin wires while the latter calls for a small number of thick wires. Therefore, none of the prior art ropes are known to possess a combination of the foregoing properties.
Known in the art is a great number of structural varieties of flattened strand ropes and cables whose strands consist of round wires wound on a core (cf., German Patent No. 567,004, F.R.G. Patent No. 830,015, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,018,461 and 3,457,718, U.S.S.R. Inventor's Certificates Nos. 89,792 and 500,305, etc.) or of non-round shaped wires wound on a core (cf., German Patent No. 656,123, U.S. Pat. No. 2,122,911, etc.).
While featuring an increased wear resistance, prior art flattened strand ropes have a high flexural rigidity. Because of this reason, they are mostly used in mines, lifting mechanisms and other systems utilizing pulley blocks and drums of large diameter. Attempts at using such ropes in lifting mechanisms having pulleys and drums of relatively small diameters revealed their inadequacy due to low efficiency. This can be attributed, mainly, to the fact that the flattened strand ropes, especially those of large diameters, require relatively thick and, consequently, less flexible wires (in comparison with the underlying layer wires) for forming the outer layer of strands. Moreover, large-size wires manufactured in the conventional manner have a lower ultimate strength than thin ones, which results in a lower summary tensile strength of the rope.
Wires in ropes of the former structural group, due to their round profile, are in contact with the adjacent wires in the layer over helical lines, thus leaving the strands with considerable spaces free of metal. Wires in the rope strands in the former structural group are subject to rapid wear. The tensile strength of the ropes as such is limited by a relatively low degree of filling the cross-sectional area of the strands with metal and by a relatively low strength of the wires due to the large size of the diameter.
The shaped profile of wires in ropes of the latter structural group makes for the contact of adjacent wires over helical surfaces, a high degree of wear resistance and a high degree of filling the strand cross-sectional area with metal and, at the same time, it results in a lower flexibility and the lowest possible wire strength, all other things equal, inasmuch as thick wires are required for making up rope strands of the latter structural group.
Therefore, prior art flattened strand rope structures fail to ensure the combination of high flexibility, wear resistance and strength in a single rope.


A cathode-ray tube comprises an evacuated envelope having a faceplate panel with a mold-match line. A luminescent screen is disposed on an inner surface of the panel. The envelope further includes a funnel and a neck portion. The funnel is joined to the panel. An electron gun, for generating and directing at least one electron beam toward the screen, is located in the neck portion. A shrinkfit implosion protection band is fitted on the periphery of the panel to apply a compressive force thereto as a result of the tension of the band. The band includes a double thickness of material, a section of which extends forward of the mold-match line. The band is improved over prior bands by adjusting the effective sectional area of the double thickness portion to a value appropriate to provide deformation compensation to the faceplate panel, thereby maintaining register of the electron beam on the screen.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,802, issued to Omae et al. on Oct. 20, 1987, describes a CRT having an explosion-proof, shrinkfit band fitted on the periphery of the panel of the CRT to apply a compressive force to the panel, as a result of tension in the band. The band has recesses formed therein to adjust the effective sectional area of the band to a value appropriate to correct the deformation of the panel caused by the evacuation of the tube. Such deformation causes misalignment, or misregister, of the electron beams on the surface of the screen. The size of the recesses is determined on the basis of a misalignment correction estimated theoretically by using measured data of deformation of the panel, so that deformation of the panel surface is corrected approximately, and thereby misregister of electron beams is minimized.
A drawback of the patented band is that a plurality of prefabricated explosion-proof bands, differing from each other in the length of the recesses, are required to provide a range of tensions which, in turn, provide differing amounts of panel deformation. This presents a problem of maintaining an extensive inventory of bands and also raises the possibility that the wrong band may be installed on a tube, thereby either undercorrecting or overcorrecting the panel deformation.

Cathode-ray tube having a shrinkfit implosion protection band with faceplate panel compensating means


A C-plane GaN substrate only mildly restricts the shape and dimension of a nitride semiconductor device formed on the substrate. The variation of an off-angle on the main surface of the substrate is suppressed. In the C-plane GaN substrate: the substrate comprises a plurality of facet growth areas each having a closed ring outline-shape on the main surface; the number density of the facet growth area accompanied by a core among the plurality of facet growth areas is less than 5 cm−2 on the main surface; and, when any circular area of 4 cm diameter is selected from an area which is on the main surface and is distant by 5 mm or more from the outer peripheral edge of the substrate, the variation widths of an a-axis direction component and an m-axis direction component of an off-angle within the circular area is each 0.25 degrees or less.

GaN (gallium nitride) is one of Group III-V compound semiconductors and has a wurtzite-type crystal structure belonging to a hexagonal system.
In recent years, a GaN substrate being a single crystal substrate configured by only a GaN crystal has attracted attention as a substrate for a nitride semiconductor device.
A nitride semiconductor is also called a "III nitride-based compound semiconductor", "nitride-based Group III-V compound semiconductor", "GaN-based semiconductor" or the like, and includes, besides GaN, compound(s) where gallium in GaN is partially or fully substituted with other Group 13 elements (B, Al, In, or the like) in the periodic table.
One particularly useful GaN substrate is a C-plane GaN substrate having a main surface parallel to or substantially parallel to the C-plane.
The C-plane GaN substrate has a gallium polar surface being a main surface on the [0001] side and a nitrogen polar surface being a main surface on the [000-1] side. The gallium polar surface is currently mainly used for formation of nitride semiconductor devices.
A GaN crystal grown by an HVPE (Hydride Vapor Phase Epitaxy) method is used for a commercially produced C-plane GaN substrate.
A seed used in the growth of a GaN crystal by an HVPE method is a GaN template obtained by growing a c-axis-oriented GaN film on a single crystal substrate different in composition from GaN, such as a sapphire substrate or a GaAs substrate, by an MOVPE (Metal Organic Vapor Phase Epitaxy) method. A GaN crystal is grown on the GaN template in the c-axis direction.
Examples of dopants used for imparting conductivity to a GaN crystal include oxygen (O). GaN is strongly facet-dependent with respect to the uptake of oxygen, and a sufficient amount of oxygen cannot be added to a GaN crystal in a growth mode where a growth surface is covered with C-plane facets. In the method described in JP-A-2002-373864 (Patent Document 1), pits are generated on the growth surface of GaN (the surface of a growing GaN crystal) growing in the c-axis direction, to expose facets other than the C-plane facets. The pits are generated by controlling growth conditions.
JP-A-2003-165799 (Patent Document 2) and JP-A-2006-66496 (Patent Document 3) disclose a method in which a dot pattern is formed on the surface of a GaN template with a growth mask in order to generate a surface pit accompanied by a core ("closed defect accumulating region").
The core is an area having no continuity with the surrounding area in terms of a crystal structure, and the typical example is a domain where the polarity of a GaN crystal is locally inverted (an inversion domain). While the growth direction of the GaN crystal is the [0001] direction (+c direction) in areas other than the inversion domain, it is the [000-1] direction (−c direction) in the inversion domain.
In Patent Document 2, a polycrystalline area, and also a crystal area partitioned from the surrounding area with grain boundaries, plane defects, aggregates of line defects, or the like, are exemplified as the cores other than the inversion domain.


A data processing method and apparatus, wherein control-plane data of a communication system is processed in a multicore processing element and user-plane data of the communication system is processed in the same multicore processing element.

The network controllers in present communications networks, such as RNCs (Radio Network Controllers) in 3G networks, have highly specialized data processing arrangements, dedicated for the processing of specific types of software processes. In RNC, such dedicated data processing arrangements have been designed for efficient processing of the user-plane and control-plane data. One key to the efficient processing of user and control-plane software processes in RNC is that they are processed in separate plug-in units within RNC, employing different processing technology and different operating systems. The different technologies also involve multiple programming, debugging and packaging environments.
One approach in further improving the processing capacity of the user-plane and control-plane processing in RNC is to increase the separation of user and control-plane processing into further dedicated plug-in units. However, improving the processing capacity by increasing the separation in the data processing arrangements increases the control traffic between the separate units. Due to the different technologies used in the plug-in units, the increased amount of control traffic introduces a need for fast connections between the plug-in units and conversions between the technologies of the plug-in units. Also, with the increased separation, it becomes increasingly difficult to achieve good utilization rates in all the different plug-in units designed for processing specific types of software processes.
Therefore, a new solution is needed to improve the processing efficiency and to increase the capacity of the data processing arrangement of a network controller of a communications network.


A conferencing system facilitating interactive video and audio communication between an individual (such as a criminal, defendant, or a witness in a court proceeding) at a remote station, and a group of individuals at a local station (such as a judge, defense counsel, and a prosecutor or plaintiff's counsel in a courtroom). The system preferably includes a recording unit for producing a permanent, combined video and audio conference record. Preferably, the system includes a local module, a remote module, and a control module. The local module includes a loudspeaker, and a video camera, a video monitor unit, and a microphone for each conferee. It is contemplated that the local module equipment may be disposed in a courtroom, for use by a judge, two attorneys, and a witness. The remote module includes a video camera, a video monitor unit, a microphone, and a loudspeaker. Where the remote module is intended for use by a criminal defendant in police custody (i.e., at a jail), its video monitor unit preferably includes a monitor including a two-way mirror behind its screen, and its video camera is preferably mounted behind the mirror so that the defendant may maintain direct eye contact with both an image on the screen and the video camera.

Civil and criminal caseloads for courts in the United States are large and rapidly increasing. In Los Angeles alone, it is estimated that over two thousand criminal defendants are arraigned each day. The cost of transporting criminal defendants, under guard, between detention facilities and courtrooms is enormous. The process of transporting prisoners, often in shackles, is not only demeaning to the prisoners and expensive, but it is time consuming and presents the risk of prisoner escape and violence directed at court officials and the public.
Another serious and longstanding problem with current court procedure is the need for great numbers of witnesses to travel to courtrooms to attend criminal and civil court proceedings. This represents a tremendous inconvenience and an enormous collective financial burden to the witnesses themselves, and to their employers and families. Furthermore, the witnesses are often victims of rape, child abuse, or other crimes, and must undergo a traumatic courtroom experience when testifying in person in criminal proceedings.
Yet another major, longstanding problem with present day court procedure is that huge volumes of court proceedings must be transcribed by human court reporters. This not only represents an enormous cost, but results in numerous transcription errors.
It would be desirable to eliminate these serious, longstanding procedural problems by allowing witnesses and criminal defendants to participate interactively in court proceedings (by video and audio signals) from locations remote from the courtroom, and by generating permanent, combined video and audio records of court proceedings. However, it has not been known until the present invention how this may be accomplished in a convenient manner, and without prejudicing criminal defendants or diminishing the value of witness testimony.
It would also be desirable to facilitate audiovisual interaction between individuals at local and remote stations (including, but not limited to courtrooms) without distraction by obtrusive video cameras, and in a manner permitting simultaneous observation of the passive as well as the active participants in the interactive process. However, it has not been known until the present invention how this may be accomplished.
Video conferencing systems have been developed, as described for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,908, issued Oct. 18, 1977 to Poirier, et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,724, issued Aug. 23, 1983 to Fields; U.S. Pat. No. 3,725,587, issued Apr. 3, 1973 to Klein; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,563, issued Nov. 27, 1973 to Klein. However, these systems have a number of limitations which diminish their usefulness in general, and their suitability for courtroom purposes in particular.
The video conferencing system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,908 includes a video image display unit for each conferee and a video camera for each conferee or group of conferees. However, although many conferees may participate in a conference, each display unit displays only one conferee image at a time. Such image represents the individual conferee speaking in the loudest voice at a given instant, or a group of conferees in the field of view of a single video camera whom are collectively speaking in the loudest voice at a given instant. This limits the visual information available to each conferee. For example, a conferee delivering a statement to one or more of the others cannot view the reactions of each recipient while the statement is being delivered.
The video conferencing system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,400,724 includes N conferee stations, with at least (N-1) video cameras and at least (N-1) video image display units at each conferee station. This system is undesirably complicated and expensive since it requires three or more video cameras at each station for conferences including four or more participants. Further, all conferee stations in this system are identical (there is no provision for a hierarchy of stations having different control capabilities), and the video cameras at each station are separated from the image display units, so that no conferee could simultaneously maintain eye contact with both a camera and an image displayed on an image display unit.
The systems of U.S. Pats. No. 3,725,587 and 3,775,563 include a video camera and a video receiver at each of N conferee stations, and a means for displaying the output of each of these video cameras on a different one of N monitors. An additional ("N +1"th) video camera is then focussed on the set of N monitors to generate a single combined video image which may be transmitted to the conferee stations for display on a single video receiver at each station. U.S. Pat. No. 3,775,563 suggests, at column 3, that the combined video image may include a special location (for example, in the center of the receiver screen) for each conferee assigned as a "privileged" conferee. However, the video camera at each station is separated from the video receiver at such station so that no conferee could simultaneously maintain eye contact with both the camera and an image displayed on the screen.
The present invention overcomes these and other limitations of conventional video conferencing systems, and in a preferred embodiment, includes features specially designed for courtroom applications.

Video conferencing system for courtroom and other applications


A Jacobs type curved clamping or dissector element for a disposable laparoscopic instrument is provided. The Jacobs' type end effectors generally comprises first and second pivotally mounted elongate, opposed clamp members each of which has a straight base portion, an intermediate portion extending away from the axis of the base portion and a curved distal portion which angles 70 to 90 degrees relative to the intermediate portion and which extends back toward and slightly beyond the longitudinal projection of the base portion. The clamp members mate when pivotally rotated to a closed-clamp position.

The present invention broadly relates to laparoscopic surgical instruments. More particularly, the invention relates to disposable laparoscopic clamps useful in a laparoscopy procedure which involves spreading, separating and dividing tissue (i.e., dissection).
The laparoscopy procedure has recently become a widely practiced surgical procedure. A laparoscopy procedure typically involves incising through the navel and through the abdominal wall for viewing and/or operating on the ovaries, uterus, gall bladder, bowels, appendix, although more recently, incisions and insertion of trocar tubes have been made in different areas of the abdomen and even in the chest cavity. Typically, trocars are utilized for creating the incisions. Trocar tubes are left in place in the abdominal wall so that laparoscopic surgical tools may be inserted through the tube. A camera or magnifying lens is often inserted through the largest diameter trocar tube (e.g. 10 mm diameter) which is generally located at the navel incision, while a cutter, dissector, or other surgical instrument is inserted through a similarly sized or smaller diameter trocar tube (e.g. 5 mm diameter) for purposed of manipulating and/or cutting the internal organ. Sometimes it is desirable to have several trocar tubes in place at once in order to receive several surgical instruments. In this manner, organ or tissue may be grasped with one surgical instrument, and simultaneously may be cut or stitched with another surgical instrument; all under view of the surgeon via the camera in place in the navel trocar tube.
Previous to the present invention, laparoscopic tools have utilized curved Kelly type clamps with dissectors having a curved distal portion which was necessarily of limited transverse length (i.e., the length perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the trocar tube) to permit its passage through a trocar tube. However, because of the limited transverse length of the dissector members, laparoscopic Kelly type clamps have found limited applicability, as they cannot readily reach otherwise inaccessible areas for dissection and/or clamping.


An organic EL light-emitting device including: a light-emitting layer capable of generating light; a light-scattering structure capable of scattering the light; a first light-scattering layer containing first light-scattering particles having an average particle diameter of 0.1 μm to 2 μm and a first binder; and a concavo-convex structure in a streak array pattern, the light emitting layer, the light-scattering structure, the first light-scattering layer, and the concavo-convex structure being disposed in this order, wherein a mean free path L1 of light scattering in the first light-scattering layer and a thickness D1 of the first light-scattering layer satisfy D1/L1<15.

An organic EL light-emitting device having a plurality of electrode layers and a light-emitting layer disposed therebetween to generate electrical light has been studied for its use as a display device that can be a substitute for a liquid crystal cell. The organic EL light-emitting device has also been studied as to its use for a surface light source device such as planar lighting and a backlight for a liquid crystal display device, taking advantages of its characteristics such as high light-emitting efficiency, low-voltage drive, lightweight, and low cost.
When the organic EL light-emitting device is used as a light source of a surface light source device, there is a demand for extracting light in a useful state with high efficiency from an element. For example, although the light-emitting layer of the organic EL light-emitting device has high light-emitting efficiency, the layers constituting the device may incur a large amount of loss of light while the light is passing through the layer before the light emission, depending on conditions such as a refractive index difference between the layers. Therefore, there is a demand for keeping the loss of light as small as possible.
As a method for increasing light extraction efficiency, for example, provision of many concave portions or convex portions on a light-emitting surface of the organic EL light-emitting device has been known. For example, Patent Literature 1 proposes that pyramidal concave portions are formed on a light-emitting surface of an organic EL light-emitting device, by which improvement in the light extraction efficiency is expected.

Light scattering layer having particles for an organic EL light emitting device


The present invention is related to development of the improved cell-permeable (CP)-ΔSOCS3 recombinant protein which disrupt the interaction of leptin receptor (ObR) and suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), as protein-based anti-obesity or anti-diabetes agent by utilizing the platform technology for macromolecule intracellular transduction.

The global prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically worldwide including Korea over the last decades and has now reached epidemic proportions (16). According to the World Health Organization, 35% of adults worldwide aged >20 years were overweight (34% men and 35% women) in 2008.
Obesity is a metabolic disease and characterized as the accumulation of excessive body fat by hypertrophy and hyperplasia of adipocytes (17). Many factors that can cause obesity include an intake of high calorice meals, genetic defects, disorders of hormonale secretions and a lack of activity. Obesity is involved in the onset of various diseases, including coronary heart disease, hypertension type II diabetes, stroke, gallbladder disease, and osteoarthritis (18-22).
Adipose tissue is an endocrine organ that secretes adipokines to regulate nutrient homeostasis (23, 24). Leptin is an adipokine and a multi-functional cytokine. It is an endocrine hormone and suppresses appetite. It induces the expression of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) via binding to leptin receptor expressed on the neuronal cells in the hypothalamus. Serum leptin levels are regulated by fat mass, if weight is reduced, concentration of leptin is decreased that increases appetites and decreases energy expenditure. Reversely, increased fat more secrets leptin which reduces appetites. Adipose tissue-released leptin binds to the leptin receptor (ObR) which is expressed on the surface of neuronal cells through the blood-brain barrier (BBB). ObR is expressed most cells and contains extracellular domain including leptin binding site and intracellular domain associated with janus kinase2 (JAK2). Several signal transducers and activators of transcriptions (STATs) including STAT1, STATS, and STATS can bind to ObR. In addition, Src homology 2 domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP2) also binds to ObR. When leptin binds to ObR, JAK2 is activated and phosphorylated. The activated JAK2 phosphorylates tyrosine residues positioned at 985, 1077, 1138 on ObR and recruits and phosphorylates down-stream signaling molecules. Phosphorylated STATs are dimerized and translocated from cytosol to the nucleus and induces the expression of target genes. This signaling ultimately decreases food intake and weight loss (25-27). Previously, leptin was developed as anti-obesity drug but this trial was failed due to existence of leptin resistance in obese humans. In the obese environment, serum leptin levels increase, and promote leptin resistance that leads to more severe obesity (28). Leptin resistance has been the main reason behind the unsuccessful application of leptin as an anti-obesity agent. Leptin signaling induces the expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), which is an endogenous negative feedback inhibitor (29-31). SOCS3 binds to an intracellular domain of ObR via SH2 domain and suppresses leptin signaling through inhibition of JAK activity and degradation of ObR. According to the previous studies, neuronal deletion of SOCS3 prevented leptin resistance in animal on high fat diet (32, 33).

Cell-permeable (CP)-Δ SOCS3 recombinant protein and uses thereof


An improved basketball goal assembly that combines buttressed side support arms, an L-brace, and at least one center plate brace to provide greater structural integrity to the goal. A horizontal section of the L-brace is attached at one end to the hoop, and a vertical section extends from the opposite end. Each side support is attached to the hoop on one end and to the vertical section of the L-brace on the other end. Each arm may have a bend proximate its attachment end to the hoop, allowing the arms to avoid obstruction of the aperture defined by the hoop. The basketball goal is mounted to a backboard along a back side of the vertical section of the L-brace. Each part of the goal provides enhanced support to the others for overall synergistic integrity. Deformation and failure of the goal as a whole is drastically reduced under conditions of strenuous use.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to basketball goal assemblies. More particularly, the invention is an improvement in goal support structures.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The game of basketball is one of the major sports in the United States. It is played at professional and amateur levels both in organized leagues and as a recreational activity. Variations such as half court, one-on-one, free throw contests, and dunking contests are also enjoyed at all levels. The constant in all basketball games and contests is the game ball, from which basketball derives its name, and at least one goal. Each goal typically includes a hoop, a net suspended from the hoop, and a hoop support for attachment to a vertically planar surface. The hoop is positioned in a horizontal plane. The support spaces the hoop from the vertically planar surface. The vertically planar surface may be provided as part of an independent structure such as a backboard on a post, or may be a wall of a building.
Due to the popularity of basketball, goal structures must withstand a great amount of use and abuse once installed. Some practitioners routinely "slam dunk" baskets, placing direct pressure on the hoop's ring structure. Worse still, others hang their entire weight from the hoop. Further, outdoor installations must also weather environmental stresses. Under these strenuous conditions, prior art goals become disfigured or break, thereby depriving everyone of their use.
The concept of providing support in the form of bracing arms disposed on either side of a hoop has been explored in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,308,831, issued Jul. 8, 1919 to Frank Albach describes a basketball goal with a horizontal support arm integral with the hoop and a pair of angularly disposed brace members. French Patent No. 2,596,996, published Oct. 16, 1987 and assigned to Etablissements Villeroy describes a multi-part hoop support that includes a horizontal portion integral with the hoop, a pair of brackets, and a pair of extensible support arms. The horizontal portion is pivotally mounted over the brackets through a pin, and each arm secures to one side of the hoop. U.S. Pat. No. 1,218,204, issued Mar. 6, 1917 to Henry C. Ohlson describes a portable goal of knockdown construction that includes a ring, a bracket member, and screw type fasteners. The pictured goal includes three support arms, a short horizontal arm and two longer diagonal arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,603,588, issued Sep. 7, 1971 to John W. Ebstein et al. describes a basketball goal with brace rods to the hoop at circumferentially spaced points to form a unitary bail member that pivots upon a horizontal axis. A second pivotally mounted mail member disposed above the hoop engages the hoop to lock it in a horizontal position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,642, issued Jan. 29, 1974 to Earl L. Matras et al. describes a similar device.
Other bracing members including plate structures have also been used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,583,011, issued May 4, 1926 to Everett W. Roe describes the use of webbed angle irons as auxiliary supports for a basketball goal. Design U.S. Pat. Nos. 101,090, issued Sep. 1, 1936 to Alvie E. Dandeberg; and 238,284, issued Dec. 30, 1975 to William C. Toedter show supports that include a pair of vertically aligned triangular bracing members that engage the sides of the hoop. PCT Application WO 94/16779, published Aug. 4, 1994, assigned to Gerard Van Ruymbeke, describes a spring biased deformable support structure for attaching a backboard to a vertical receiver surface. French Patent N. 2,694,506, published Feb. 11, 1994 and assigned to Etablissements Villeroy describes a telescoping support structure for basketball goals operated through pulleys. U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,910, issued Oct. 26, 1993 to John Simonseth describes a hoop support having a spring biased joint to provide a movable basketball goal assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,193,024, issued Aug. 1, 1916 to Joseph P. Kennedy describes basketball goal having a hoop formed from a ring of varying circular cross-section. The ring is thickest at the back of the hoop where it is attached to a hoop support.
French Patent No. 1,313,021, published Nov. 12, 1962 and assigned to M. Robert Sion describes various removable and/or collapsible hoop support structures for basketball goals.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.


A wiper blade includes a lever assembly that has several types of levers. The levers of each type are efficiently manufactured in the following manner. First, a lever unit, which has a frame bar and several levers integrated with the frame bar, is pressed. Each lever has a hole. Then, a wire is fed through the holes of the levers. The frame bar is separated from the levers to form a hanging unit, which includes the wire and the levers hanging from the wire. In this state, the lever is coated with paint. After the paint is dried, the wire is removed form the levers.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for simultaneously coating a number of parts that form a hanging unit.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-118200 discloses an apparatus that automatically presses a number of wiper levers, forms a hanging unit of the levers and coats the levers in the hanging unit.
In the pressing step, a pressing device presses a plate to form an integral lever unit having a number of wiper blades, coupling loops and two frame bars. Each lever has sleeves for holding a rubber blade at the ends. Each sleeve has a rectangular cross section. The coupling loops extend from one of the frame bars. Each loop is coupled to an end of the corresponding lever by a tab. The other ends of the levers are coupled to the other frame bar by tabs.
In a subsequent step, the tabs are cut by a tab cutting device, which separates the levers from the frames. The separated levers are held by a lever holding device. The coupling loops, which extend from one of the frame bars, are twisted by a twisting device. Then, a coupling device inserts the coupler loops into the corresponding sleeves of the levers. As a result, a hanging unit, in which the levers are hung from the frame bar having the coupling loops, is formed.
Thereafter, the levers in the hanging unit are simultaneously coated. Then, the levers are detached from the coupling loops of the frame bar. Unlike prior procedures, in which hanging unit of levers are manually assembled, the apparatus of the publication automatically forms hanging units of levers, which improves efficiency.
However, in the hanging unit forming step, the levers are separated from the frame bars. Then, the levers are temporarily held by the lever holding device. Thereafter, one of the sleeves of each lever is fitted to one of the coupling loops of one of the frame bars. Thus, there is significant inefficiency in the process.
Further, the hanging unit is formed by fitting each coupling loop into one of the sleeves of the corresponding lever. In other words, the levers are prevented from falling only by friction between the coupling loop and the sleeves. Thus, when the hanging unit is carried or coated, the levers may fall off the frame bar.
Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing wiper levers that prevent levers from falling off a frame bar and improve the efficiency of the manufacture.
To achieve the foregoing and other objectives and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, a method for manufacturing levers used in lever assemblies of wiper blades is provided. The method includes forming a lever unit, wherein the lever unit includes a coupler frame and a plurality of parallel levers integrated with the coupler frame and each lever has a hole, feeding a wire through the holes of the levers, separating the coupler frame from the levers for forming a hanging unit that includes the wire and the levers hanging from the wire, coating the hanging levers with paint and removing the wire from the levers after the paint is dried.
The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing parts. The method includes forming a unit of parts, wherein the unit includes a coupler frame and a plurality of parallel parts integrated with the coupler frame and each part has a hole, feeding a wire through the holes of the parts, separating the coupler frame from the parts for forming a hanging unit that includes the wire and the parts hanging from the wire, coating the hanging parts with paint and removing the wire from the parts after the paint is dried.
Further, the present invention provides an apparatus for manufacturing parts. The apparatus includes a forming station, a wire feeding station, a separating station, a coating station and a removing station. The forming station forms a unit of parts. The unit includes a coupler frame and a plurality of parallel parts integrated with the coupler frame. Each part has a hole. The wire feeding station feeds a wire through the holes of the parts. The separating station separates the coupler frame from the parts for forming a hanging unit that includes the wire and the parts hanging from the wire. The coating station coats the hanging parts with paint. The removing station removes the wire from the parts after the paint is dried.
The present invention also provides an apparatus for forming a hanging unit that includes a wire and a plurality of parts hanging from the wire. Prior to forming the hanging unit, a unit that includes a coupler frame and the parallel parts integrated with the coupler frame is prepared. Each part has a hole. The apparatus includes a wire feeding device, a spacer forming device and a separating device. The wire feeding device feeds a wire through the holes of the parts. The spacer forming device for forming a spacer with the wire between each adjacent pair of the parts. Each spacer prevents the parts of the corresponding pair from contacting one another. The separating device separates the coupler frame from the parts for forming the hanging unit.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing wiper levers


A cache memory configured to access stored instructions according to basic blocks is disclosed. Basic blocks are natural divisions in instruction streams resulting from branch instructions. The start of a basic block is a target of a branch, and the end is another branch instruction. A microprocessor configured to use a basic block oriented cache may comprise a basic block cache and a basic block sequence buffer. The basic block cache may have a plurality of storage locations configured to store basic blocks. The basic block sequence buffer also has a plurality of storage locations, each configured to store a block sequence entry. The block sequence entry may comprise an address tag and one or more basic block pointers. The address tag corresponds to the fetch address of a particular basic block, and the pointers point to basic blocks that follow the particular basic block in a predicted order. A system using the microprocessor and a method for caching instructions in a block oriented manner rather than conventional power-of-two memory blocks are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to caching instructions in microprocessors, and more particularly to caching instructions using basic blocks.
2. Description of the Relevant Art
In their continuing effort to improve the performance of microprocessors, designers have increased operating frequencies while also increasing the number of instructions executed per clock cycle. As used herein, the term "clock cycle" refers to an interval of time during which each pipeline stage of a microprocessor performs its intended functions. At the end of each clock cycle, the resulting values are moved to the next pipeline stage. These higher frequencies and increases in concurrently executed instructions have caused designers to seek methods for simplifying the tasks performed during each pipeline stage. One way designers have achieved the desired simplification is to limit the number and variation of instructions the microprocessor must execute. These microprocessors are referred to as Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) processors.
Despite the apparent advantages of RISC architectures, the widespread acceptance of the x86 family of microprocessors has forced manufacturers to continue to develop higher operating frequency, multiple-issue microprocessors capable of executing the more complex x86 instruction set. Designers have had reasonable success in increasing the performance of x86 compatible microprocessors by aggressively implementing features such as pipelining, out-of-order execution, branch prediction, and issuing multiple instructions for concurrent execution. Such "superscalar" microprocessors achieve relatively high performance characteristics while advantageously maintaining backwards compatibility with the vast amount of existing software developed for previous microprocessor generations such as the 8086, 80286, 80386, and 80486.
As previously noted, the x86 instruction set is relatively complex and is characterized by a plurality of variable length instructions. A generic format illustrative of the x86 instruction set is shown in FIG. 1. As the figure illustrates, an x86 instruction consists of from one to five optional prefix bytes 202, followed by an operation code (opcode) field 204, an optional addressing mode (Mod R/M) byte 206, an optional scale-index-base (SIB) byte 208, an optional displacement field 210, and an optional immediate data field 212.
The opcode field 204 defines the basic operation for a particular instruction. The default operation of a particular opcode may be modified by one or more prefix bytes. For example, a prefix byte may be used to change the address or operand size for an instruction, to override the default segment used in memory addressing, or to instruct the processor to repeat the operation a number of times. The opcode field 204 follows the prefix bytes 202, if any, and may be one or two bytes in length. The addressing mode (Mod R/M) byte 206 specifies the registers used as well as memory addressing modes. The scale-index-base (SIB) byte 208 is used only in 32-bit base-relative addressing using scale and index factors. A base field of the SIB byte specifies which register contains the base value for the address calculation, and an index field specifies which register contains the index value. A scale field specifies the power of two by which the index value will be multiplied before being added, along with any displacement, to the base value. The next instruction field is the optional displacement field 210, which may be from one to four bytes in length. The displacement field 210 contains a constant used in address calculations. The optional immediate field 212, which may also be from one to four bytes in length, contains a constant used as an instruction operand. The shortest x86 instructions are only one byte long and comprise a single opcode byte. The 80286 sets a maximum length for an instruction at 10 bytes, while the 80386 and 80486 both allow instruction lengths of up to 15 bytes.
The complexity of the x86 instruction set poses many difficulties in implementing high performance x86-compatible superscalar microprocessors. One particular difficulty arising from the variable-length nature of the x86 instruction set is fetching instructions from an instruction cache. The term "fetching" refers to reading an instruction from a cache (or if it is not in the cache, then from main memory) and routing the instruction to the appropriate decode and or functional unit within the microprocessor for decoding and execution. Caches are low-latency, high-bandwidth memories either on the same monolithic chip as the microprocessor or on a separate chip mounted in close proximity to the microprocessor. Caches are typically structured as an array of storage locations, wherein each storage location is configured to store a predetermined number of instruction bytes. For example, a typical instruction cache may store 32 kilobytes and may be configured with individual storage locations each capable of storing 32 bytes. Each storage location is typically referred to as a "cache line".
Caches may be configured in a number of different ways. For example, many caches are set-associative, meaning that a particular line of instruction bytes may be stored in a number of different locations within the array. In a set-associative structure, the cache is configured into two parts, a data array and a tag array. Both arrays are two-dimensional and are organized into rows and columns. The column is typically referred to as the "way." Thus a four-way set-associative cache would be configured with four columns. A set-associative cache is accessed by specifying a row in the data array and then examining the tags in the corresponding row of the tag array. For example, when a prefetch unit searches its instruction cache for instructions residing at a particular address, a number of bits from the address are used as an "index" into the cache. The index selects a particular row within the data array and a corresponding row within the tag array. The number of address bits required for the index are thus determined by the number of rows configured into the cache. The tags addresses within the selected row are examined to determine if any match the requested address. If a match is found, the access is said to be a "hit" and the data cache provides the associated instruction bytes from the data array. If a match is not found, the access is said to be a "miss." When a miss is detected, the prefetch unit causes the requested instruction bytes to be transferred from the memory system into the data array. The address associated with the instruction bytes is then stored in the tag array.
Instruction bytes are read from main memory and then stored in the instruction cache until they are needed. In some embodiments, microprocessors may "predecode" the instruction bytes before they are stored in the instruction cache. Predecoding typically involves identifying the boundaries between consecutive instructions and possibly identifying the opcode bytes within the instruction. This predecode information is typically stored with the instruction bytes in the instruction cache. When instructions are fetched from the instruction cache, the predecode information is used to speed the alignment and decoding of the instructions.
After a requested instruction address is output to main memory, a predetermined number of sequential instruction bytes beginning at the requested address are read from main memory, predecoded, and then conveyed to the instruction cache for storage. The instruction bytes are stored into storage locations ("cache lines") according to their address, typically without regard to what types of instructions are contained within the sequence of instruction bytes.
One drawback, however, of traditional caches is that they suffer from inefficiencies because branch instructions and branch targets do not naturally occur at cache line boundaries. This may deleteriously affect performance because taken branch instructions residing in the middle of a cache line may cause the end portion of the cache line to be discarded when it is fetched. Furthermore, branch targets that are not located at the start of a cache line may similarly cause the beginning portion of the cache line to be discarded. For example, upon receiving a fetch address, the typical instruction cache reads the entire corresponding cache line, and then selection logic (either internal or external to the instruction cache) selects the desired instructions and discards instruction bytes before the target address and or after a branch instruction.
In addition to discarding fetched instruction bytes, an additional performance penalty results from the alignment required before the instruction bytes can be properly decoded. While the cache-related problems highlighted above may occur in both RISC and x86 instruction sets, the problems are typically aggravated by the variable-length nature of x86 instructions.
Thus, a method and apparatus for more easily accessing instruction bytes stored in a cache is desired. In addition, a method that would improve the cache performance of both RISC microprocessors and x86 compatible microprocessors would be particularly desirable.

Basic block oriented trace cache utilizing a basic block sequence buffer to indicate program order of cached basic blocks


A steady beam is focused upon a target member located on a building structure. The target member moves with the deflection of the building structure and the movement of the target is communicated to a programmed controller which responds to the movement indicated by actuating tension adjusting members which are connected to an array of elastic steel rod-like tendons disposed adjacent the structure's main support members. The tension adjusting members are caused to apply tensile force to the tendons to counter the force causing the deflection of the structure and to inhibit the effect of the force on the structure's support members, thus diminishing the extent of deflection and dampening the oscillation of the structure which is incident to the restoration of the structure to a condition of equilibrium.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a system to counter the effect of the wind to sway a high rise structure and to dampen oscillation in restoring equilibrium to the structure.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
There is a good deal of interest in the construction of supertall or high rise structures, such as office buildings, to heights as from 150 to 200 stores or more and considerable attention is focused upon the control of wind sway of such structures and of the dampening of the resulting oscillation.
With reference to the prior art, E. A. Proctor in his U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,232,012 discloses the use of a slack cable across the side of a building which carries a weight which will be caused to fall by a severe wind until the slack in the cable is taken up and the cable becomes a taut brace.
J. F. McDermott in his U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,538,659 shows the use of steel columns about a building supporting horizontal struts to cause the building to resist bending and swaying.
Milton Meckler in his U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,796,017 shows the use of tubular structural elements filled with fluid under hydraulic distributions to absorb lateral and vertical shocks and to stiffen the structure elements.
F. E. Langford in his U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,011,694 discloses a guy wire supported tower using a hydraulic assembly to operate pistons to alter the length of the guys to prevent tension from exceeding the load bearing strength of a guy.
E. M. Runquist in his U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,713 relates to a tubular mast held steady by guy wires from its mast-top and played out by a take up reel remotely controlled. A tilt of the mast is indicated by surrounding photo sensitive materials which indicate direction of tilt and when vertical a central cell generates a signal. A remote operator mans a remote winch to adjust the guys to make the mast erect.
S. F. Masri in his U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,429,496 relates to reducing the vibration of a structure when subjected to transient forces by use of a sensor in circuit with a pulse generator which produces a unilateral directional thrust to limit vibration stress in reaction to shock to disorganize or dampen harmonic motion.
The above listed patents appear to be representative of the patented art in regard to the wind sway control of structures.

Live tendon system inhibiting sway of high rise structures and method