Deoxynojirimycin derivatives containing a large hydrophobic moiety, such as cholesterol or adamantame-methanol, linked through a spacer, such as pentamethylene, to the nitrogen atom of deoxynojirimycin, and salts thereof, inhibit glucosylceramidase and may be useful in the treatment of diseases involving a ceramide-mediated signaling process, such as Gaucher disease.

CERAMIDE, A SECOND MESSENGER
In recent years the importance of ceramide as second messenger in signal transduction has been recognized. It has become clear that the signalling induced by a number of cytokines is mediated by changes in the intracellular concentration of this lipid [1,2]. For example, crucial for the transduction of the signal exerted by TNF-.alpha. (tumor necrosis factor alpha) upon binding to its receptor are local changes in ceramide concentration in specific regions, or invaginations, of the plasma membrane. Upon binding of the cytokine to its receptor, a sphingomyelinase catalyzes the conversion of sphingomyelin into phosphorylcholine and ceramide. The ceramide that is generated in this manner propagates the signal by activating specific protein kinases and phosphatases, resulting in a cellular response. FIG. 1 gives an overview of the signalling mechanism of TNF-.alpha. and other cytokines such as interferon gamma and interleukin 6.
There is now convincing experimental evidence for the role of ceramide in signalling. It has been shown that the effects of TNF-.alpha. can be experimentally mimicked by administration of a permeable ceramide with truncated fatty acyl moiety or, alternatively, by the generation of ceramide at the cell surface by the treatment of cells with a bacterial sphingomyelinase (see e.g. ref. 2).
The above described signal transduction process is most likely a highly local event, occurring near the cytokine receptor. The concentration of ceramide in the plasma membrane is believed to be very low under normal conditions. However, considerable amounts of ceramide are present in the plasma membrane as a building block in sphingomyelin. The hydrolysis of sphingomyelin would allow a considerable local change in ceramide concentration and subsequent signal propagation.
Via action of a specific transferase, ceramide can be reconverted to sphingomyelin by transfer of the phosphorylcholine moiety from phosphatidylcholine (PC), resulting in the concomitant formation of diacylglycerol. The total pathway, resulting in the netto hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine to phosphorylcholine and diacylglycerol, is named the sphingomyelin cycle [2].
CERAMIDE AND SPHINGOLIPID METABOLISM
Obviously, not all fluctuations in intracellular ceramide concentrations are affecting signal transduction. Ceramide is extensively metabolized in cells. The lipid is synthesized at the membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum from acylCoA and sphingosine. It may be converted at the level of the Golgi apparatus into sphingomyelin, glucosylceramide and related complex gangliosides, or galactosylceramide and related globosides and sulfatides. Sphingomnyelin and glycosphingolipids are also catabolized into ceramide and other components in the lysosomal compartment of cells. The intralysosomally formed ceramide may be locally hydrolyzed into sphingosine and fatty acid by the action of the lysosomal ceramidase or it may be exported to the cytosol and re-used for synthesis of sphingolipids. A schematic overview of the ceramide metabolism is presented in FIG. 2.
SPHINGOLIPIDOSES: GAUCHER DISEASE
In man a number of inherited disorders in lysosomal sphingolipid catabolism occur, the so called sphingolipidoses (see Table 1). For example, an inherited deficiency of the lysosomal sphingomyelinase underlies Niemann-Pick disease, and defective activity of the lysosomal ceramidase causes Farber disease. The most frequently encountered sphingolipidosis is Gaucher disease [3]. The metabolic basis of this disorder is a deficiency of the lysosomal beta-glucosidase, glucocerebrosidase (E.C.220.127.116.11). This enzyme catalyzes the hydrolysis of glucosylceramide (glucocerebroside) to glucose and ceramide. In patients with Gaucher disease glucosylceramide accumulates in tubular aggregates, in particular in lysosomes of macrophages. The lipid-laden macrophages have a typical morphology and are usually referred to as `Gaucher cells`. In the course of clinical manifestation of Gaucher disease the abnormal macrophages may accumulate in large quantities in various body locations, such as the bone marrow compartment, spleen, liver, kidney, and lungs. The most pronounced clinical symptoms associated with Gaucher disease are progressive splenomegaly, hepatomegaly, and skeletal deterioration. Most Gaucher disease patients do not develop neurological complications. The common non-neuronopathic form of the disease is called Type 1 Gaucher disease. In very severe cases of Gaucher disease characteristic neurological abnormalities may also occur, resulting in lethal complications at infantile (Type 2) or juvenile (Type 3) age [3].
GAUCHER CELLS
The glucosylceramide-laden Gaucher cells are believed to play a crucial role in the pathophysiology. Their massive presence in various body locations is thought to lead to local pathology.
Gaucher cells should not be viewed as inert containers of glycosphingolipid. The storage cells are viable and actually, being activated macrophages, secrete large amounts of specific proteins such as hydrolases and cytokines. These factors in turn act as pathogenetic agents that cause local tissue damage and turnover. Moreover, Gaucher-cell derived factors such as cytokines promote the recruitment of additional activated macrophages (see FIG. 3 for a schematic overview).
Recently a sensitive marker for Gaucher cells has been discovered by us [4]. Using the technique of in situ hybridization we observed that Gaucher cells synthesize large quantities of the secretory enzyme chitotriosidase, the human analogue of chitinases present in various species. This explains the dramatic elevation in plasma chitotriosidase levels in clinically affected Gaucher patients. On the average chitotriosidase levels are about 1000 fold higher in plasma of these patients as compared to corresponding normal subjects. In presymptomatic or asymptomatic individuals with an inherited glucocerebrosidase deficiency plasma chitotriosidase levels are (almost) within the normal range (see Table 2). Interestingly, elevated levels of plasma chitotriosidase have also been noted for patients with other sphingolipidoses, in particular Niemann-Pick disease [5].
It has been observed that in cultured macrophages, derived from peripheral blood monocytes, the concentration of glucosylceramide gradually increases. The increase in glycolipid is more pronounced when cells are grown in the presence of conduritol B-epoxide, a potent irreversible inhibitor of glucocerebrosidase. After approximately 7 days of culture the macrophages start to produce chitotriosidase mRNA and secrete the enzyme [4,6]. The expression of the chitotriosidase gene subsequently dramatically increases: after about three weeks chitotriosidase constitutes almost 1% of the total synthesized protein, as revealed by the incorporation of radioactively labeled methionine [7]. The continuous presence in the culture medium of glucosylceramide, or of conduritol B-epoxide (an irreversible inhibitor of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase), promotes chitotriosidase expression.
THERAPEUTIC INTERVENTION FOR GAUCHER DISEASE
The sparse and anecdotal information on the natural history of Gaucher disease indicates that although clinical symptoms develop progressively, the disease manifestation is usually not a gradual proces. In the case of most patients abnormalities develop rapidly at a particular age in a specific tissue, may subsequently stabilize for considerable time, to become next rapidly progressive again. In other words, disease progression has a local and chaotic feature. Most likely, Gaucher cells play a critical role in these local pathogenetic processes. The presence of the activated storage cells will locally induce tissue damage and turnover, and promote recruitment of activated macrophages at these sites, initiating a chaotic cascade of pathological events (see FIG. 3). According to this concept, a major beneficial effect should be exerted by a disruption or prevention of the pathological cascade. The various therapeutic approaches for Gaucher disease that have been considered are discussed here below.
ENZYME SUPPLEMENTATION THERAPY
For more than thirty years supplementation of macrophages of Gaucher patients with human glucocerebrosidase has been seriously considered as a therapeutic option. Efforts to develop a therapy for Gaucher disease have been largely unsuccessful for many years due to the unavailability of sufficient amounts of pure human glucocerebrosidase and the poor targeting of intravenously administered enzyme to lysosomes of tissue macrophages. Only since 1990 an effective therapeutic intervention for Gaucher disease is available that is based on the chronic supplementation of patients with human glucocerebrosidase [8]. Administered by intravenous infusion is a human glucocerebrosidase that is modified in its N-linked glycans such that mannose-residues are terminally exposed. The modification favours uptake via mannose receptors. Improved targeting of the modified (`mannose-terminated`) enzyme to lysosomes of tissue macrophages occurs via mannose-receptor mediated endocytosis. Different dosing regimens that vary with respect to total dose (15-240 U/kg body weight.month) and frequency of administration (three times weekly to biweekly) are presently used (see e.g. ref. 9). Glucocerebrosidase isolated from human placenta (Ceredase; alglucerase) and enzyme recombinantly produced in CHO-cells (Cerezyme; imiglucerase) have been found to be equally potent in reversing some of the clinical signs associated with the disease [10].
The most pronounced beneficial effects of enzyme replacement therapy are the reductions in liver and spleen volumes, and the improvements in hematological parameters such as hemoglobulin concentration and thrombocyte and leukocyte counts. Marked interindividual differences exist in the rate and extent of clinical response, even among related patients that are treated with the same dosing regimen [9]. In general, the most marked clinical improvements occur within the first year of treatment, accompanied by a pronounced correction of biochemical serum abnormalities. A complete reversal of clinical signs and complete normalization of serum abnormalities, such as elevated levels of angiotensin converting enzyme, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and chitotriosidase, is not accomplished by enzyme therapy, not even in the case of patients that receive a high dose of glucocerebrosidase for a number of years [11]. The partial correction following enzyme therapy is in contrast to the complete correction that is noted for patients that underwent a successful bone marrow transplantation.
Conflicting views still exist with respect to the optimal dosing regimen for enzyme therapy. Whereas low dosing regimens may be (almost) equally successful to high dosing regimens in generating hematological improvements, this is still questionable with respect to intervention of the bone disease.
Presently more than 1500 patients are receiving enzyme therapy. This recent development has attracted considerable scientific and public attention, also due to the high costs and potential risks that are involved. The costs associated with successful therapy have hitherto been exceptionally high ($100,000 to $400,000 annually per patient); leading to the belief that the enzyme therapy of Gaucher disease is the most expensive drug treatment for any disease. Although the alglucerase preparation is known to contain minor amounts of HCG and other impurities, the experience so far indicates that enzyme therapy is safe.
The enzyme therapy for Gaucher disease is considered to be a model case for the future development of treatments for other rare genetic disorders--a point perhaps best illustrated by the organisation in February/March 1995 of a Technology Assessment Conference at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA, that was specifically devoted to Gaucher disease. This type of conference is only organised when there is an exceptionally pressing health care need. During the conduct of the conference, a panel of 12 independent experts took evidence from leading scientists and clinicians in the field of Gaucher disease; the panel concluded that enzyme therapy is effective in reversing a number of clinical signs associated with Gaucher disease. Furthermore, it was stressed that reduction of the costs and the associated potential risks of human protein replacement therapy are critical issues both from the point of view of patient care and health care economics [12].
OTHER THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES
A successful treatment of Gaucher disease by bone marrow transplantation has been accomplished for a limited number of juvenile Gaucher patients. The introduction of the normal genetic information for glucocerebrosidase in hematopoietic stem cells results in the formation of blood cells that are able to hydrolyze glucosylceramide at normal rates. The fact that clinical abnormalities disappear in Gaucher patients following a successful bone marrow transplantation indicates that the presence of blood cells with normal glucocerebrosidase activity is sufficient for prevention of disease symptoms. Unfortunately, the applicability of bone marrow transplantation as treatment for Gaucher disease is quite restricted due to the limited availability of bone marrow from matched donors and the considerable morbidity associated with this intervention, particularly in the case of adults.
In recent years the option of gene therapy of Gaucher disease is intensively studied. In general, the following approach is envisioned. Pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells are isolated and transduced with a vector containing human glucocerebrosidase cDNA. After successful transduction the stem cells are re-introduced in the patient. Although data obtained with animal studies suggest that Gaucher disease is an attractive candidate for gene therapy, a number of serious problems still have to be solved before efficient intervention in this manner can be expected. A major disadvantage is that the `genetically corrected` stem cells and their progeny most likely have no selective advantage. It is therefore assumed that in order to be effective gene therapy has to result in a stable correction of a major proportion of the pluripotent stem cells. For a critical evaluation of the state of the art concerning gene therapy see ref. 13.
A distinct therapeutic approach that has been proposed for Gaucher disease is the so called `substrate deprevation therapy` [14-16]. It is argued that a marked reduction of the synthesis of glucosylceramide may have a beneficial effect because the amount of glucosylceramide that has to be degraded by macrophages would be lower. Several inhibitors of glucosylceramide synthase have been developed, e.g. 1-phenyl-decanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PDMP) and its analogue 1-phenyl-2-hexadecanoylamino-3-morpholino-1-propanol (PPMP) [14], butyl-deoxynojirimycin [15] and butyl-deoxygalactonojirimycin [16].
A disadvantage of the `substrate deprevation` approach is that a priori not only the synthesis of glucosylceramide but also that of more complex glycosphingolipids is inhibited. Moreover, the presently available inhibitors of glucosylceramide synthase are known to exert a number of important biological effects that may limit their applicability as therapeutic agent. For example, PDMP is known to induce apoptosis in some cell types. Butyl-deoxynojirimycin is known to inhibit also the lysosomal glucocerebrosidase and the a-glucosidase I, an ER enzyme that plays a critical role in trimming of N-linked glycans in newly formed glycoproteins and as such in quality control of protein folding. The antiviral action of butyl-deoxynojirimycin is thought to be caused by its inhibitory effect on glycoprotein modification. Moreover, it was recently reported that glucosylceramide synthase inhibitors induce the synthesis of the enzyme. Consequently, these inhibitors would need to be chronically administered to Gaucher patients since their withdrawal would be followed by an abnormally high level of glucosylceramide synthase activity and increased load on glucosylceramide [14].

Deoxynojirimycin derivatives and their uses as glucosylceramidase inhibitors


The present electric power generation control device includes: an event detection unit which detects an event attributable to a deterioration in the balance between a torque input to a generator and an effective power output by the generator, the deterioration being caused by a reduction in a set value of the effective power received from the generator by an electric power converter when the electric power converter has detected a failure necessitating interruption of electric power transmission from the generator by a direct-current (DC) power transmission unit, the DC power transmission unit transmitting DC power, the electric power converter connecting a generator to the DC power transmission unit; and a torque command reduction unit which causes a reduction in a torque command to a motor when the event detection unit has detected the event attributable to the deterioration in the balance, the motor outputting the torque input to the generator.

Employment of high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission for transmitting a large amount of electric power over a long distance is progressing. For example, in an offshore wind turbine, AC power transmission is generally performed when an offshore distance is short (equal to or shorter than several km), whereas DC power transmission is used when the offshore distance is long.
In a case in which DC power transmission from electric power generation equipment such as an offshore wind turbine to an electric power system is performed, when an incident such as a short-circuit, grounding or the like is generated at a point of interconnection with the electric power system and thus the voltage of the interconnection point decreases, it may not be possible to transmit electric power to the electric power system. Meanwhile, when no countermeasures are taken in the electric power generation equipment such as a wind turbine, the electric power generation equipment continues electric power generation because the electric power generation equipment cannot detect the incident. As a result, the electric power of a DC power transmission unit becomes excessive and the voltage of the DC power transmission unit increases. Due to such voltage increase, faults such as device breakage may be generated.
To prevent such voltage increase, a method for installing a damping resistor and a semiconductor switch in the DC power transmission unit to dissipate excessive electric power may be conceived. However, to dissipate all excessive electric power, the capacities of the damping resistor and the semiconductor switch also become significantly high resulting in increases in the costs, weights and sizes thereof. This causes an increase in the electric power generation costs of the whole electric power generation system including the DC power transmission unit.
In view of this, Patent Literature 1 discloses a method for decreasing an AC voltage of an offshore converter in order to limit electric power from an offshore wind turbine which flows into an offshore AC/DC converter as a method for decreasing the capacities of a damping resistor and a semiconductor switch for the offshore wind turbine.

Electric power generation control device for causing a reduction in a torque command, electric power generation control method and program


There is provided a 3D virtual environment interaction system comprising: a processing unit for generating a 3D virtual environment comprising a planar reference frame for allowing a user to perform a user interaction with the 3D virtual environment; a display unit for displaying the generated 3D virtual environment; a portable input device for allowing the user to control the position and orientation of the planar reference frame within the generated 3D virtual environment, the portable input device comprising a planar input surface; a position and orientation sensor for monitoring the position and orientation of the planar input surface in a real-world space, the position and orientation sensor allowing the processing unit to modify at least one of the position and the orientation of the planar reference frame in response to a change in a corresponding one of the position and orientation of the planar input surface.

Three-dimensional (3D or 3d) virtual environments are used in a variety of applications. They have become a mainstay in computer-aided design (CAD) by reducing or even eliminating the need to produce costly prototypes when designing a new object, part or machine. 3D virtual environments can also be used to visualize existing objects and environments, for example in immersive displays or flight simulators, or to create new environments such as those found in video games or animated movies.
To create new content for a 3D virtual environment, edit existing content of the environment or simply to navigate through the environment, it is necessary for the user to perform interactions (i.e. to interact) with the environment. User interaction in these 3D virtual environments can be achieved in a variety of ways. A first method consists in inputting commands to a program generating the 3D virtual environment through a keyboard. The program will usually have a preprogrammed set of instructions to which it will respond. The user may input a particular command corresponding to a certain interaction and may also input a particular set of coordinates corresponding to the location where the interaction is to take place. The interaction could comprise drawing lines, vertices, solid objects, etc. within the 3D environment, or selecting one or more objects within the 3D environment to set or change properties of said object or to change its state within the 3D environment.
Unfortunately, this method is fastidious and time-consuming, and requires from the user a precise knowledge of the location where the interaction will be performed.
This method has been largely superseded by the use of a pointer or cursor which allows the user to indicate where in the 3D virtual environment a certain interaction is to take place. The cursor is typically controlled by a computer mouse which is moved on a planar surface. Unfortunately, this configuration only allows the cursor to be moved in a static two-dimensional workplane which is generally coplanar with the screen of a display unit. To select an object or a surface, the user must bring said object or surface within the workplane, which may involve manipulations within the 3D environment such as hiding other objects, modifying the point of view, etc., all of which are relatively complex and time-consuming.
There is therefore a need for a new system which would enable simple and efficient interactions within a 3D virtual environment.


A method of achieving a workpiece material property change using a horn with a set of activation teeth as a source of ultrasonic energy and an anvil with a second set of activation teeth. The workpiece is engaged in tension between the two sets of activation teeth.

The present invention is a method and ultrasonic device for modifying the physical properties of various workpiece materials through the use of ultrasonic energy.
Garments such as disposable diapers include elastic waist or leg bands. The bands are often constructed of an elastomeric material bonded to a backing material. The backing material is commonly referred to as a web or nonwoven fibrous material. The bonds are typically ultrasonic bonds or adhesive. One problem with a bonded elastomeric and web approach is that the web material is relatively inelastic compared to the elastomeric. As a result the elasticity of the material combination is limited.
The term xe2x80x9cUltrasonicxe2x80x9d generally refers to vibrations beyond the human audible sound frequencies. As employed herein, ultrasonic energy is defined as vibration energy above 16 kHz. Ultrasonic devices have been used for nondestructive testing, welding, cutting, and metal component cleaning. A sandwich type transducer driven by an electronic power supply, which is then amplified through a horn, is a common source of ultrasonic energy.
Ultrasonic energy is used to bond numerous materials. One example for bonding an elastomeric material to a web backing material is U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,542, Oshefsky et al. Oshefsky attempts to solve the problem of decreased laminate elasticity by stretching the elastomeric prior to bonding it with an inelastic web. The Oshefsky method has limitations that remain unresolved. One limitation is the bunching up of the web material when the elastic retracts. Bunching occurs when a non-elastic web material is partially bonded to a stretched elastic. When the stretched elastomeric is released, it contracts. The bonded non-elastic web material is forced to contract with the elastomeric causing the unbonded web to bunch together.
A similar reduction in elasticity occurs when a web and elastic are adhesively laminated. For example, diapers use an elastic laminated between two other web materials, which greatly reduces the elastic capability of the underlying elastic. Various means have been used to recapture this elasticity including ring rolling the web prior to laminating, or, ultrasonically cutting the elastic. However, the recovery of the lost elasticity has remained relatively small. Ring rolling can also result in other undesirable manifestations including cuts in the laminated web structure, partial damage to the elastic, and degradation of the appearance of the laminate finish.
There is a need for a method for regaining the elasticity of an elastic and web laminate. Improvements in the physical properties for materials such as breathable films are also needed. An ultrasonic device that allows continuous ultrasonic treatment of a workpiece without the use of rotary ultrasonic equipment may also be desirable in certain applications.
The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the prior art by providing a method and apparatus to achieve material property changes in a workpiece with ultrasonic energy. The method includes providing a horn with a first set of activation teeth having a pitch. The horn is adapted to produce ultrasonic energy with a frequency and amplitude. An anvil is provided with a second set of activation teeth having a pitch. The second set of activation teeth is disposed opposite the first set of activation teeth. The workpiece is placed between the first set of activation teeth and the second set of activation teeth. The first set of activation teeth and the second set of activation teeth mesh with each other, thereby engaging the workpiece with a depth of engagement and a clearance. The clearance combined with the depth of engagement between opposing sets of activation teeth allows the workpiece to be placed in tension between adjacent tooth tips. Ultrasonic energy is applied to the first set of activation teeth.
The ultrasonic device includes a horn with a first set of activation teeth having a pitch, height and length. The horn is adapted to produce ultrasonic energy with a frequency and amplitude. The ultrasonic device also includes an anvil with a second set of activation teeth having a pitch, height and length. The second set of activation teeth is disposed opposite and parallel to the first set of activation teeth. The two sets of activation teeth have an increasing tooth depth of engagement that progressively increases in a longitudinal direction creating a region of lesser tooth engagement and a region of greater tooth engagement.

Method of material property modification with ultrasonic energy


An integrated circuit package having an internal cooling device. The integrated circuit package includes a thermoelectric device that operates according to the Peltier cooling effect. The thermoelectric device includes a first plate and a second plate that are thermally connected by a plurality of conducting elements. A package substrate is attached to the first plate such that a chamber is formed. The second plate is disposed within the chamber apart from the package substrate. The second plate is cooled when power is supplied to the thermoelectric device. By disposing an integrated circuit chip on the second plate and evaluating the chamber, the integrated circuit chip may be cooled to a sub-ambient temperature without internal or external condensation.

Integrated circuit (IC) chips dissipate heat that must be transferred away from the IC chip to better ensure that the operating temperature of the IC chip remains at or below a maximum safe operating temperature, which is typically defined by the IC chip manufacturer. The maximum safe operating temperature of many IC chips is equal to or greater than the ambient temperature of the environment in which the IC chips operate. Heat sinks and/or air cooling systems may be used to transfer excess heat away from the IC so that the operating temperature of the IC chip is maintained at a safe level.
FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art IC chip package design. IC chip 101 has an operating temperature that is greater than or equal to the ambient temperature. The IC chip package 100 includes a substrate 103 to which IC chip 101 is attached. Bond wires 102 are connected between IC chip 101 and conductors (not shown) disposed in the substrate 103 that lead to the I/O pins 105. Lid 104 covers the cavity in which IC chip 101 is placed and hermetically seals the cavity from the ambient air. Flow arrows 106 indicate that heat flows from IC chip 101 to the ambient air outside of the IC chip package 100. When the operating temperature of IC chip 101 is greater than the ambient temperature of the surrounding environment, it is desirable to have as many thermal paths away from IC chip 101 such that sufficient heat transfer may take place.
For some IC chips it is desirable to reduce the operating temperature below the ambient temperature using some sort of cooling system. When the operating temperature is reduced below the ambient temperature, the direction of flow arrows 106 reverses such that the heat of the ambient air acts to heat IC chip 101. Therefore, a reduction in the number of thermal paths between IC chip 101 and the ambient air is desirable to improve the efficiency of the cooling system.
The prior art discloses that one method for reducing the number of thermal paths between IC chip 101 and the ambient environment outside of IC chip package 100 is to create a vacuum between IC chip 101 and the ambient environment, which isolates IC chip 101 from the ambient environment. However, a typical prior art method for creating a vacuum requires surrounding the entire IC chip package 100 with an evacuated chamber. This solution requires a large amount of printed circuit board space in a computer system. Further, prior cooling systems also typically require a significant amount of printed circuit board space. It would be desirable to provide an integrated circuit package that thermally isolates the IC chip from the ambient and that has an internal cooling device for cooling the integrated circuit so that the amount of printed circuit board space required to cool the IC chip is reduced.

Sub-ambient temperature electronic package


A continuous flow, rotary processing apparatus for horizontal transport of material at a predetermined rate. Material from an infeed conveyor enters a continuous system including at least one rotary drum operating about a horizontal axis. Each drum has a perforated circumferential wall with lateral lifters to induce flow and tumbling motion to the enclosed material. A flow control mechanism at the discharge end of each drum controls residence time of the material being processed. Material is fed and discharges from each drum through axial openings in which the flow control devices are mounted.

This invention relates to continuous flow rotary material processing systems, and particularly to a continuous feed apparatus for cleaning, drying and grinding waste plastic. The apparatus is particularly useful for processing post consumer plastic waste material in a recycling operation.
In the past, various devices and/or methods have been used and proposed to process waste plastic for recycling. However, these devices and methods are generally complex, difficult to construct and utilize, and are inefficient to use. Specifically, such devices require batch as opposed to continuous feed. Also, those continuous feed systems which do exist have shown an inability to control flow and residence time, resulting in jamming, and incomplete washing and drying.
Despite the need for a materials processing apparatus and method in the art which overcome the limitations and problems of the prior art, none insofar as is known has been proposed or developed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an economical, efficient materials processing system which provides continuous feed and controlled flow for economical, consistent and complete washing, drying and shredding of waste materials, particularly plastic. The apparatus offers the following advantages over prior art recycling devices and methods: 1) Continuous feed rather than a batch feed; 2) complete cleaning and sanitizing of waste plastics; 3) low moisture and high purity end product; 4) scaleablity to various sizes, volumes and processing rates; and 5) adaptability to full automation.

Continuous flow rotary materials processing apparatus


A family of high performance logic circuits. Each circuit uses one or more NMOS transistors characterized by controlled threshold voltages. The threshold voltage is determined by changing the doping profile of the gate of that transistor. When each circuit is at its stable state, the current through its controlled-threshold NMOS transistor is limited by a characteristic leakage current of that transistor if its input signal is at a low logic level. The invention is demonstrated in an inverter, a ring-oscillator, an NAND circuit, an NOR circuit, and tri-state logic circuits.

The present invention relates generally to a semiconductor circuit and more particularly to a family of high performance logic circuits.
Progress in computers and digital electronics constantly demands logic circuits that can manipulate digital signals at higher speed, lower signal levels and with less power consumption. Most such logic circuits are formed by combining simple building blocks such as gates and inverters.
FIG. 1 shows an inverter that uses NMOS transistors. F.sub.1 is a depletion-mode transistor and F.sub.3 is a zero-threshold transistor; both are placed in a conducting state by a zero or positive gate voltage. F.sub.2 and F.sub.4 are enhancement-mode transistors that are placed in a conducting state by a positive gate voltage.
When V.sub.i is at a high logic level, F.sub.2 and F.sub.4 will be conducting. This couples the ground potential to V.sub.j and V.sub.o, placing both F.sub.1 and F.sub.3 into a conducting state. With all four transistors conducting, significant currents flow through all the transistors. This leads to an undesirable amount of DC power consumption. Moreover, when V.sub.i is at a high logic level, the output voltage V.sub.o should be at the ground potential, but the actual value of V.sub.o depends on the ratio of the drain-to-source resistances through F.sub.3 and F.sub.4. This type of circuit is known as ratio design circuit.
FIG. 2 depicts a "ratioless" CMOS inverter circuit. When the input voltage V.sub.i is at a steady-state logic level (either high or low), the circuit will be in a stable condition and one of the two output transistors F.sub.5 and F.sub.6 will be in a non-conducting state. This results in much lower power consumption than in the circuit of FIG. 1. In addition, because one of the output transistors carries no significant current, the output voltage V.sub.o is either equal to zero or V.sub.1 depending on whether the input is high or low, respectively. Thus the output voltage swings all the way between the minimum and maximum power supply voltage. A drawback of the circuit is that it is relatively slow because the switching speed of the PMOS output transistor F.sub.5 is two or three times slower than the speed of the corresponding NMOS output transistor F.sub.3 in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows a BiCMOS inverter in which the MOS pull-up and pull-down transistors F.sub.5 and F.sub.6 in FIG. 2 have been replaced with bipolar transistors F.sub.7 and F.sub.8. The logic levels of the circuit are still controlled by MOS transistors. Similar to the circuit in FIG. 2, only leakage current flows through the bipolar transistors when the inverter is in a stable condition. However, the bipolar transistors have greater current-handling capacity than the MOS output transistors and therefore they usually provide much faster switching speed when driving a capacitive load C.sub.L.
A drawback of the BiCMOS circuit is that the output voltage cannot swing all the way between the minimum and maximum power supply voltage. This is because a bipolar transistor has a minimum forward-bias diode-voltage drop that is determined by the material of the transistor; for silicon transistors, this forward voltage drop is about 0.7 volts. Thus, in the inverter circuit of FIG. 3, a low input voltage results in an output voltage of (V.sub.1 -0.7) rather than V.sub.1, and a high input voltage results in an output voltage of 0.7 volts rather than zero.
FIG. 4 shows a BiNMOS inverter circuit that is similar to the circuit shown in FIG. 3 except that the bipolar pull-down transistor F.sub.8 has been replaced with an NMOS transistor F.sub.10. The NMOS transistor does not have a forward-bias diode-voltage drop. Thus, in the circuit of FIG. 4 the output can go to zero with a "high" input. But, it still cannot go to a higher level than (V.sub.1 -0.7) with a "low" input.
The trend in modern circuit design, especially for hand-held and other battery-powered devices, is toward lower supply voltages. Because of the forward-bias diode-voltage drop that is inherent in a bipolar transistor, the circuits of FIGS. 3 and 4 cannot be scaled with the supply voltage. As the supply voltage decreases, the forward-bias diode-voltage drop becomes a larger percentage of the supply voltage. This reduces the relative range of the output voltage of the circuit and results in a correspondingly increased susceptibility to noise.
In addition, bipolar transistors are subject to saturation, which slows down the circuit. Also, the process technology required to manufacture a BiCMOS or BiNMOS circuit is more complex than that required to manufacture an MOS circuit; for example, at least four additional masks are required.
From the foregoing it will be apparent that there is a need for a logic circuit that offers the switching speed of bipolar transistors but that avoids the drawbacks of reduced voltage swing, manufacturing complexity, and slow recovery from inadvertent saturation.

NCMOS - a high performance logic circuit


Provided are a micelle composition for nucleic acid delivery using a temperature-sensitive polymer, and a method for producing the micelle. For example, provided is a polyion complex comprising a temperature-sensitive copolymer and a nucleic acid, wherein the temperature-sensitive copolymer comprises a cationic block and a temperature-sensitive block, the cationic block optionally carrying a hydrophilic block linked thereto, and the polyion complex is obtained by mixing the temperature-sensitive copolymer with the nucleic acid under temperature conditions equal to or lower than the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the temperature-sensitive copolymer.

A micelle obtained through formation of a polyion complex of a copolymer containing PEG and cationic polyamino acid and nucleic acid is known as a micelle for nucleic acid delivery (Patent Literature 1). The micelle has a certain degree of practical utility in delivering a biochemically stable molecule such as DNA. However, the micelle has low stability in the living body, for example, and thus still has a drawback in delivery efficiency for a molecule having low stability such as RNA.

Micelle composition for nucleic acid delivery using temperature-sensitive polymer and method for producing same


A remained roving bobbin exchanging device for making all the roving bobbins to be transported to a roving frame into vacant bobbins and discloses the remained roving bobbin exchanging device comprising a fixing or removal device for detecting the bobbins having the remained rovings adhered thereto on the bobbin transporting line and exchanging them with vacant bobbins and a tray transporting device for receiving the remained roving bobbins from the fixing or removal device and supplying the vacant bobbins to the fixing or removal device, in which the tray transporting device is made such that a tray can be circulated and at the same time the remained roving cutter device and the remained roving removal device are arranged to remove the remained roving from the remained roving bobbin.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a remained roving bobbin exchanging device for completely removing the remained rovings left and adhered to roving bobbins to be utilized in a spinning frame or a roving frame in a spinning plant and at the same time for preventing the roving bobbins having some residual rovings adhered thereto from being placed in some vacant bobbins.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In order to supply rovings of raw material to a spinning frame, some roving bobbins are utilized and in case of a roving frame, an automatic doffing apparatus is used for replacing plurality of full can roving bobbins with some vacant roving bobbins in the roving frame in all. As a transporting means for the aforesaid roving bobbins, an over-head type transporting means is widely used, some bobbin hangers are arranged on guide rails in every spaced-apart relation, the roving bobbins are hung at the bobbin hangers and then transported. As the bobbin hanger, a system having a structure in which engaging claw pieces are opened or closed in response to an insertion of the roving bobbins or an upward movement of the roving bobbins is applied, in which the roving bobbins may freely be fixed or removed in response to an engagement between some steps at the inner circumferences of the roving bobbins and the aforesaid engagement claw pieces or a releasing of the engagement.
Remained rovings are adhered to almost of all the used roving bobbins replaced at the creel of the roving frame and it is impossible to utilize the roving frame again while the remained rovings being adhered to the bobbins and due to this fact a transporting line for the roving bobbins is provided with a remained roving removal device.
As the remained roving removal device, a system in which the roving bobbins are contacted with and rotated with the felt belts or the like while the roving bobbins being hung at the bobbin hangers so as to remove the remained rovings on the surfaces of the bobbins is utilized and this system is constructed such that the remained rovings are removed at a high speed without damaging the roving bobbins. However, in case that the remained rovings adhered to the roving bobbins are cut in the midway part thereof or the rovings may not be completely removed within a predetermined processing time when a large amount of remained rovings are wound, some of the roving bobbins having the remained rovings left in the roving bobbins passed through the aforesaid remained roving removal device are yet mixed while the remained rovings are being left and adhered, resulting in that an automatic operation for supplying the vacant roving bobbins to the roving frame is prohibited.
Due to this fact, in the prior art, an operator was set at a position before the roving frame, the roving bobbins having the remained rovings adhered are removed from the transporting line and at the same time the already processed and prepared vacant bobbins were fixed.

Remained roving bobbin exchanging device


A photocopy machine is provided comprising an exposure roller for exposing a sensitized copy sheet to an original document to be copied and an applicator roller for applying a developer to the exposed copy sheet to produce a visible image. A drive means is provided for selectively operating the rollers in a first or a second mode of operation. In the first mode of operation, the rollers are positively driven in one direction for making copies and in the second mode of operation the rollers are free wheeling in either direction to facilitate removal of a sheet jam and servicing of the machine.

The invention relates generally to a photocopy machine for exposing and developing diazotype copy materials wherein a liquid developer in metered quantities is applied to the exposed copy material to produce dry to the touch developed copies.
More specifically, the invention relates to a drive means for selectively operating the exposure and applicator rollers in a first mode in which the rollers are positively driven in one direction during normal machine operation when copies are being made, and a second mode in which the rollers are freely rotatable in either direction to facilitate removal of a sheet jam at either of the rollers and servicing of the machine.
In some instances a copy sheet may, instead of existing from the developer section of the machine in the normal manner, tend to cling to the applicator roller and become wrapped around the roller under blades or other developer dispenser and wiper means normally provided for applying and metering the liquid developer on the applicator roller surface. Also, a copy sheet or an original to be copied may, instead of exiting from the exposure section of the machine in the normal manner, tend to cling to the exposure roller. Although an occurrence of this kind is rare, when it does occur it is difficult to remove the wrapped-up copy sheet or original without extensive time and effort. Therefore, it is desirable and an object of the present invention to provide a means to facilitate removal of a sheet jam at either the exposure or the applicator roller.
One arrangement to aid in the removal of a copy sheet jam at the applicator roller only is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,096 assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. This patent discloses a copy apparatus employing an over-running slip clutch provided in a drive train between the applicator roller and a motor for driving the roller. The motor is selectively energized to operate in either a forward or a reverse direction, and the clutch normally drives the roller in one direction when the motor is energized in an operating mode. When the motor is energized for reversing the direction of driving torque applied to the roller, the roller may be rotated in either direction for relieving a copy sheet jam. When the motor is operating in the reverse direction in the prior art patent, the roller may be manually rotated in either direction as a result of the reverse drive and the action of the over-running clutch.
The prior art device requires special and costly circuitry for reversing the drive of the motor and roller, and insuring that the blades which provide the contact pressures for copying are not brought to bear on the applicator roller, and to insure that the developer fluid is not further applied to the roller. All of the foregoing must be accomplished prior to clearing any sheet jam. This special circuitry adds substantially to the cost of the apparatus.
Still further, the prior art does not provide for operating the apparatus directly to the free wheeling mode when the applicator roller is being driven in a forward direction or when the machine is shut off. Rather, the apparatus can be operated to the free wheeling mode only when the forward drive of the applicator roller is arrested and the motor is energized to operate in a reverse direction, after the machine has shut off. Unlike the present invention which provides for free wheeling of both the exposure and the applicator roller to facilitate servicing of the machine and removal of a sheet jam at either of the rollers, the prior device provides for free wheeling of the applicator roller only.


A bone fracture stabilization apparatus includes a cable positioning insert for a bone plate of the type having a series of apertures therein for receiving bone screws for attaching the bone plate to the bone. The cable positioning insert has a body shaped for at least partial insertion into at least one of the apertures of the bone plate. The insert further includes a flange extending from the body for engaging either the outer or inward surface of the bone plate. A boss extends from the body in a direction away from the bone when the bone plate is mounted thereon. The boss has at least one opening and preferably two openings therein for accommodating a cerclage cable and positioning it relative to the apertures in the bone. The boss may be made of a malleable material that deforms under pressure to flatten the openings therein and capture the cable.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of bone fracture fixation utilizing compression plates. More particularly, it relates to a method of fracture fixation in which cerclage wiring is used in conjunction with bone plates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, many types of bone plates have been applied to bones, some by screws and others with the help of wire loops. These plates may be of any size or shape, but are usually L-shaped or straight. These plates are placed on the tension side of the non-union (convex side) with the compression plate acting as a tension band which provides dynamic rather than static compression. In the last 20 years bone plates having a self-compressing effect caused by eccentric screw placement was combined with the gliding or sliding effect between the screw head and the plate hole to allow for a greater force transmission within the bone during weight bearing period. Furthermore, due to the spherical configuration of both screw heads and plate holes, the compression instituted initially, is maintained throughout the healing process, even if the screws are not placed at right angles to the plate.
It has also been well known to use wires or cables such as Kirschner wires to fix fractures. Cerclage wiring techniques have been used for fixing long bone fractures, usually in combination with other fixation devices such as bone plates. The wires are passed at a 90.degree. angle to the long axis of the bone in an attempt to prevent slipping in a longitudinal direction and hence loosening.
It is also known in the prior art that when fractures of the femur occur after a prosthetic implant is implanted, that a combination of the use of a bone plate including bone screws in the distal section of a fractured femur may be utilized, but such screws cannot be easily utilized in the proximal section of the fractured femur due to the stem of the implanted, for example, femoral prosthesis. Clearly, for fractures in which the entire medullary canal is filled with a prosthetic stem with or without bone cement, placement of a new internal pin or a new prosthesis with a longer stem is not a viable means of intramedullary fixation.
An alternate method has been used to fix the fracture in which a bone plate is secured by cortical screws in the femur distal to the prosthesis and to secure the plate proximally with the use of cerclage wires. In the past this has required the use of a special bone plate. It is in this situation that the wire or cable positioning insert of the present invention is intended to be used. It has been found that the cerclage wiring around the bone plate tends to migrate longitudinally and can also migrate circumferentially about the bone even after the ends of the wire are clipped together using a standard trochanteric cable crimp sleeve.
By use of the present invention, cerclage wire or cable may be positioned with respect to any desired hole in a bone plate with the positioning insert also acting as a crimp sleeve so that once the wire has been crimped to the positioning insert, longitudinal and circumferential movement is prevented.
In addition, the insert is sized to fit partially within the screw apertures of standard bone plates so that the special bone plates of the prior art are unnecessary.


An electrical contact including stainless steel material is disclosed with advantages of good fusing resistance, good abrasion resistance and low contact electrical resistance. The electrical contact includes silver-based material and the stainless steel material. The stainless steel material is dispersed in the silver-based material and weight percentage thereof accounting to the electrical contact is 0.01% to 35%.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical contact, more particularly, to an electrical contact having good fusing resistance, good abrasion resistance and low contact resistance.
2. Related Prior Art
An electrical contact is an important component used in various switches in daily life. The selection of materials of the electrical contact is critical as it has direct influence on the electrical life and reliability of the switch having the electrical contact. The following are common materials of the electrical contact currently used in the market.
AgCdO has good temperature rising property, and is both abrasion resistant and fusing resistant, but Cadmium therein is a toxic material which has now been replaced by other environmental protective contact materials.
AgSnO2 has good fusing resistance. However, it has high contact resistance and therefore is hard to be produced.
AgZnO has advantages of short arc time and high thermal stability under medium-low loading condition, but the extensibility and formability thereof is poor and hard to be produced.
AgW has good fusing resistance, but has problem of high contact resistance under non-protective atmosphere.
AgNi is applied to low-voltage switch and has advantages of low contact resistance and easily welded, but fusing resistance ability thereof is poor.
AgFe has advantageous characteristics as good arc-proof and fusing resistance, but AgFe will form iron oxide under high temperature and the iron oxide will deposit on surface thereof and results in a sudden deterioration of the temperature rise, thus the operation of the switch used an electrical contact made of AgFe will be affected.
Stainless steel is an alloy of chromium and nickel materials such that an electrical contact made by the stainless steel has advantages of good corrosion resistance and good wear resistance. However, compare to an electrical contact including silver-based material, the stainless steel electrical contact has the disadvantage of high contact resistance.
An electrical contact having multi-layer structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,015,406. The electrical contact has a main body made of copper or stainless steel, a middle layer made of silver or nickel and disposed on the main body, and a contact layer made of platinum group metal and disposed on the middle layer.
Another electrical contact is disclosed in Japan Pat. 2007-138237A. The electrical contact includes a stainless steel body having a surface which is coated with a silver layer by electroplating process. In more detail, before electroplating the silver layer to the stainless steel body, the stainless steel body must be previously coated a nickel layer with thickness from 0.01 to 0.1 μm and a copper or copper alloy layer with thickness from 0.05 to 0.2 μm, and then subjected the two layers to activation treatment in order to improve the bonding strength between the stainless steel body and the silver surface layer. However, the stainless steel body still has problems of poor processability and high contact resistance, and not suitable to be applied to a switch under low or middle loading conditions.

Electrical contact including stainless steel material


A socket for mounting an electrical part 30 in a freely detachable manner in which the electrical part 30 has a plurality of terminal leads 30a of a prescribed pitch P between the leads 30a has socket terminals 52 fixed in the socket and flexible electroconductive parts 38 corresponding to the pitch of the terminal leads on an insulating substrate 40 for making electrical contact with the terminal leads 30a of the electrical part 30 and the fixed socket terminals 52.

This invention relates to sockets for the mounting of electrical parts such as an IC package and obtaining an electrical connection with the electrical parts.
In the production of semiconductor parts, it is generally the case that the IC package prepared by resin sealing semiconductor integrated circuit chips (IC chips) are subjected to a reliability test called "burn-in" prior to their shipment. This "burn-in test is a functional test subjecting the chip to a temperature and voltage condition for the purpose of separating the good product from the bad product.
The construction of a conventional socket which has been used for such IC package mounting in the burn-in test is shown in FIGS. 8 through 11. FIG. 8 shows the plane view and FIG. 9 shows the side view of this conventional socket and FIGS. 10 and 11 are expanded partial cross-section views.
As shown in FIG. 9, this socket comprises a base 100 as the main socket body to be mounted on a substrate (which is not shown in the drawing) and a cover 102 which is mounted in a freely reciprocating manner with respect to this base 100. As shown in FIG. 8, a square opening 106 is provided on the cover 102 for taking out and inserting IC package 104 (reference should be made to FIGS. 10 and 11) in the main socket body. When the cover 102 moves vertically in relation to the base 100, the angular parts 106a at the four corners of this opening 106 are guided by the two sides 108a outside of four guides 108 that are erected on the base 100.
The upper surface of the base 100 as shown in these figures is constructed to mount an IC package 104 of the QFP (Quad-in-line Flat Package) type. Two sides 108b inside each of the guides 108 constitute an inclined surface, with a tapered groove 108c which expands downward forming an angular part. A corresponding angular part of IC package 104 is to be guided by these grooves 108c upon mounting and removing IC package 104 from the socket. In addition, an L-shaped rib 110 is provided close to the base of each groove 108 on the base 100. The IC package 104 is positioned on the upper surface of the base by these ribs 110. On the base 100, a plurality of contacts 112 corresponding to the row of lead terminals on each side of the IC package 104 are provided in a row.
The construction and action of each of the contacts 112 will be explained below by referring to FIGS. 10 and 11. The contacts 112 may be prepared by blanking them out of a thin sheet of an electrically conductive material such as beryllium copper or the like. The contacts comprise a base part 112a which is buried in the base 100, an arc spring part 112b that extends in a curved manner upward from the upper end of this base part 112a, a lever part 112c that extends upward in a generally straight line from the upper edge of this arc spring part 112b, a lead holding part 112d that extends horizontally from the upper edge of the arc spring part 112b toward the center of the socket and a hook-shaped contact 112e which is formed at the tip of this lead holding part 112d. Additionally, a socket terminal pin 112f of the contacts protrudes vertically downward from the lower end of the base end 112a.
Lever part 112c has a tip portion 112g which is constantly in contact with an inclined sliding surface 114a of a cam part 114 which is provided in a protuberant manner from the lower surface of the cover 102. At the time when the cover 102 makes a vertical movement as compared with the base 100, the tip 112g of the lever part 112c follows the inclined sliding surface 114a of the cam part 114, with a consequence that the lever part 112c moves changing its position. On the inclined sliding surface 114a, there is provided partition walls 114b which guide both of the sides of the lever 112c so as to prevent the neighboring contacts 112 from contacting each other. On base 100 there is provided a lead mounting surface 116. On lead mounting surface 116 of the base 100, there is also erected a set of partition walls 118 so that the contact part of each contact 112 will not touch the neighboring contact 112.
The operation and action of the socket at the time when an IC package is mounted will be explained below.
In a state when the IC package 104 is not mounted, the cover 102 is pushed down from the position shown in FIG. 10 to the position shown in FIG. 11. As a result of this downward movement of the cover the lever part 112c which slidingly contacts the inclined sliding surface 114a of the cover changes its position in a generally clockwise direction. Along with this lever part 112c, the arc spring 112b also changes it position, with a result that the arc is compressed and that the upper edge of the arc spring 112b or the lower edge of the lever part 112c moves downward.
Likewise, the contact part 112e at the tip of the lead holding part 112d changes its position moving in a clockwise direction.
In this state, contact part 112e of the contact 112 is rotated upward from the lead mounted surface 116 so that the IC package 104 can be inserted into the main socket through an opening 106 from above the cover 102. At this juncture, the IC package 104 is guided to the base 100 by the groove 108c on the inside angular part of the guide 108 and positioned on the base 100 by the rib 110. Upon insertion, the bent tip of each lead 104a of the IC package 104 is placed on the lead mounting surface 116 at a prescribed location on the side of the base 100.
FIG. 11 shows the state in which the IC package has been inserted into the main socket in this manner.
Next, the downward force of the cover 102 is released. Thereupon, the cover 102 rises to its original position due to recovering force of the arc spring part 112b of the contact 112. The contact 112 is restored approximately to the original shape with the tip contact part 112e of the lead holding part 112d compressively engaging the bent tip part of the lead 104a of the IC package 104, thereby establishing contact with the bent tip part.
FIG. 10 shows the state in which an electric connection has been established in this manner between the IC package 104 and the contact members of the main socket.
In order to remove the IC package 104 from the main socket, the cover 102 is once again pushed toward the base 100 and the tip contact part 112e of the contact 112 is lifted from engagement with the lead 104a of the IC package 104 with a result that the IC package 104 can be removed from the socket.
In the prior art socket, the contact 112 is moved from the original position in connection with the forward movement of the cover 102, thereby making it possible for the IC package 104 to be charged into or extracted from the base 102. Upon restoring the contact 112 to its original position in connection with the return movement of the cover 102, the contacting of the contact 112 with the lead 104a of the IC package 104 is obtained. In order to prevent each of the plurality contacts 112 from touching the neighboring contact 112, partition walls 118 and 114b are provided at an interval corresponding to the pitch of the leads 104a on the inclined sliding surface 114a of the cover 102 as well as the lead mounted surface 116 of the base 100.
With an increase in the degree of integration of the IC chips, the number of leads (pins) of the IC package have increased and thus the pitch between the leads has become narrower (smaller). This results in the partition walls 118 and 114b needing to be thinner and thinner. For example, for an IC package wherein the width of the lead 104a is 0.15 mm and the pitch between the leads is 0.3 mm, the gap between the contacts is approximately 0.15 mm with the partition walls 118 and 114b having to be formed in this gap. Since each contact 112 changes its position, a certain amount of clearance is also required. Thus, it becomes necessary to maintain the thickness of the partition walls 118 and 114b to less than approximately 0.11 mm. It is difficult to make these sockets with an ever decreasing thickness of the partition walls.


A plural-characteristic-measuring radial erectometer is described for use by a male user in connection with treatment for impotency. The erectometer includes elongate band-like structure positionable around the user's flaccid penis and constructed to form a closed loop having a desired circumference corresponding to such penis. Also described is first measurement structure such as a detachable tab formed as one end of the band-like structure, and being manually movable to a first configuration providing an indication that the penis is in the flaccid condition. The detachable tab is also radially changeable to a second configuration as a result of radial-penile forces that will occur when the penis becomes erect. Also described is second measurement structure such as an elongate strip formed as the other end of the band-like structure, and also being manually movable to a first configuration providing an indication that the penis is in the flaccid condition. Like the first measurement structure, the second one is also radially changeable to a second configuration as a result of the radial-penile forces. Correlation between the first and second configurations of the tab and the strip provides an indication that the penis changed from a flaccid condition to an erect condition, and provides a measurement of a plural, different characteristics of that erect condition. Preferred characteristics are penile rigidity and tumescence.

The invention relates generally to diagnostic devices that are positionable on a penis and usable to identify physiological male impotency from psychological male impotency. More particularly, the invention concerns a novel plural-characteristic-measuring radial erectometer that is constructed for radially measuring plural characteristics of a penile erection, such as penile rigidity and penile tumescence.
Male impotency may occur for either of two basic reasons, a physiological one, or a psychological one. In other words there are two types, "psychological impotency" and "physiological impotency". To treat impotency in a given patient, one must first determine which of the two reasons is the cause for that condition. For obvious reasons, it should be understood that following references to "patient" means a male one.
A known, convenient way to distinguish between the two types of impotency is to observe whether the patient has nocturnal erections in his sleep. Based on various research studies normal males regularly have such sleep erections. Certain research shows that they have approximately two to five such erections per night, depending on a variety of factors including age.
Males with psychological impotency also have such sleep erections. However, males with physiological impotency do not because, due to their particular condition, their bodies cannot achieve an erection at any time.
By reliably observing whether a patient has a sleep erection, one can determine whether he has psychological or physiological impotency. Essentially, if he has a sleep erection, the treating physician knows that the patient's impotency is of the psychological, not physiological type.
Various treatment methods have been developed for identifying whether a patient has a sleep erection. The essential problem is that a patient does not know he is having a sleep erection because it occurs in his sleep, usually his deepest sleep. Early on, conventional treatment involved expensive and undesirable direct observation of a patient during his sleep. The treatment was expensive because it involved hospital stay, and it was undesired because patients did not appreciate its non-private nature.
Some years ago, the first named inventor in the present application was involved with a substantial development in impotency treatment when he and certain colleagues invented the so-called stamp test which involved placing around a patient's flaccid penis a closed ring of stamps, like postage stamps, joined seriatim by perforated regions. The patient could wear such a device at home during his sleep. If he awoke to find the closed ring of stamps was broken open, he knew he had a sleep erection.
Since the invention of the stamp test, there have been numerous conventional proposals for improving and refining the basic test. One refinement involves constructing a device that provides more information than simply that a sleep erection has occurred. For example, the treating physician can also make use of information relating to the character of the sleep erection. There are at least two features of a sleep erection that are useful to the treating physician, one is known as the rigidity of the erection, and the other is known as the tumescence, or increase in circumference, of the penis.
Various conventional proposals have focused on either measuring rigidity or tumescence, but not both. For example, there is an impotency screening device sold by Dacomed Corporation under the trademark SNAP-GAUGE that measures penile rigidity. That device includes a plastic ring that is closed around a patient's flaccid penis. The device is formed with certain plastic elements, each of which will break if a sleep erection having a preselected degree of rigidity occurs.
Representative devices that measure penile tumescence are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,960,131 to Koss, 4,700,715 to Levine et al., and 4,428,385 to Morales. Each of these devices includes a closed ring fittable around a patient's flaccid penis, and each includes a particular mechanism for measuring tumescence. Those particular mechanisms include an expandable web portion of a ring (Levine et al.), a slider member constructed to allow a portion of a band to be pulled through it (Koss), and a plastic radially expansible loop made with a flexible tube open at ,me end for receiving a tail portion (Morales).
There has been one conventional proposal involving a device for measuring tumescence and rigidity, and it is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,108 to Goldstein. Goldstein shows a device that includes two radially expansible rings interconnected longitudinally in a spaced relationship by two blades positioned parallel to each other. Each blade is positioned adjacent diametrically opposing locations along the diameter of each ring. Goldstein shows to measure tumescence by the increased radial expansion of the rings, and to measure rigidity by the increase in longitudinal spacing between the rings. Apparently, a sleep erection will cause the rings to move apart as the length of the penis increases. A ratchet-like mechanism of the device maintains the increased spacing of the rings corresponding to the erection, and the radially expansible rings are also constructed to stay in their erection-caused, radially-expanded position.
There are certain drawbacks to the device proposed by Goldstein. For example, its design for measuring rigidity as a function of penile length results in a relatively unwieldy device that is uncomfortable to wear. This drawback is substantial because devices for determining the occurrence of a sleep erection must be extremely comfortable due to their use on an extremely sensitive area of the male body. It is also not clear that measuring penile rigidity as a function of penile length is as useful to the treating physician as by measuring rigidity based on radial-penile forces that act on a closed ring positioned around the penis. Additional patient discomfort may be caused because the device proposed by Goldstein requires that most of the length of the penis will be covered, at least partially, by the device. Further patient-discomfort may be caused when and if the device falls off the patient when his penis returns to a flaccid condition after the sleep erection. The increased, fixed, cylinder-approximating size of the device corresponding to the erect penis will present further patient discomfort because it will be in the patient's way during his sleep. For example, it is likely the patient will roll on the device. When that happens, the device will cause patient discomfort because it will not collapse due to the device's fixed and enlarged condition.
Nowhere has there been shown or suggested to provide a comfortable, reliable device for determining the occurrence of a sleep erection that measures plural characteristics of that erection. Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide such a device that overcomes the drawbacks of prior-art devices.
Another object is to provide such a device that provides for reliable, accepted methods of measuring both the rigidity and tumescence of an erect penis.
Yet another object is to provide such a device that is extremely comfortable to wear.
Another important object of the invention is to provide such a device that does not require positioning on a relatively large portion of the penis.
Yet another object is to provide such a device that measures both penile rigidity and tumescence as a function of radial-penile forces caused by the sleep erection.
Still another object is to provide such a device that is easily detachable from the penis after the latter returns to a flaccid condition following a sleep erection.
Yet another object is to provide such a device that is unobtrusive to the patient should it detach during sleep, either inadvertently or because it falls off after the penis returns to its post-sleep-erection, flaccid condition.
It is also an object of the invention to provide such a device that can be easily and cost-effectively manufactured.
In brief summary, one aspect of the invention includes a plural-characteristic-measuring radial erectometer to be worn by a male user. The erectometer includes elongate band-like structure positionable around the user's flaccid penis and constructed to form a closed loop having a desired circumference corresponding to such flaccid penis. Also included is first measurement structure associated with the band-like structure and being manually movable to a first configuration providing an indication that the penis is in a flaccid condition. The first measurement structure is also radially movable to a second configuration as a result of radial-penile forces that will occur when the penis becomes erect. Correlation between the first and second configuration provides an indication that the penis changed from a flaccid condition to an erect condition, and provides a measurement of a first characteristic of that erect condition. That first characteristic is preferably penile rigidity.
The erectometer of the present invention also includes second measurement structure associated with the band-like structure that is manually movable to a first configuration providing an indication that the penis is in the flaccid condition. Like the first measurement structure, the second one is also radially movable to a second configuration as a result of the radial-penile forces. Correlation between the first and second configuration provides an indication that the penis changed from such flaccid condition to an erect condition, and provides a measurement of a second characteristic of that condition. That second characteristic is preferably tumescence.
These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from a consideration of the accompanying drawings and the following description of the preferred embodiment.


This invention relates to the shape of a skirt below the piston head of a piston in an engine cylinder and continuous with it. The skirt has a basic configuration comprising at least two type of elliptical horizontal cross-section with a short axis parallel to said piston pin, and a barrel-shaped vertical cross-section smaller at its top and bottom. A T-shaped projection is also provided on the lateral surfaces of the skirt corresponding to the two ends of the long axis of said ellipse, this projection consisting of a vertical piece and two side pieces situated on either side of the vertical piece. When the engine is running, the skirt comes into contact with the inner surface of the cylinder via this projection. The vertical section of the lower part of the skirt from below the lower edge of the two side pieces to the lower edge of the skirt is inclined toward the inside of said barrel-shaped vertical section so that the skirt is joined smoothly to the projection below the two side pieces. Accumulation of pressure on the edge of the projection is thereby prevented, which reduces frictional resistance and prevents wear between the piston and the cylinder.

The piston of a reciprocated engine generally has a skirt formed underneath the piston head, this skirt being connected to a connecting rod via a piston pin passing through the skirt. This skirt has the function of supporting the piston so as to prevent it from inclining under the force of the combustion energy acting upon it, and it slides on the inner circumference of the cylinder.
As the skirt suffers considerable thermal expansion in a direction of the piston pin due to the combustion heat of the engine, it may for example be formed with an elliptical cross-section having the short axis on the direction of the piston pin, and the long axis on the direction perpendicular to the piston pin.
Although the skirt supports the piston, it should not increase the frictional resistance of the piston. For this reason, it is desirable that the area of contact between the skirt and the cylinder is kept small to the extent that the necessary support is not lost.
For this purpose, Tokkai Sho 58-38357 published by the Japanese Patent Office discloses a piston having a projection to promote contact between the skirt and the piston.
Further, in Japanese Patent Applications Tokugan Hei 1-250527 and Tokugan Hei 1-335753, this Applicant has proposed varying the shape on one side of the piston pin, and a piston having a T-shaped projection.
However, if the skirt is given a projection in this way, contact pressure with the cylinder tends to concentrate on the edge of the projection. As a result, the thin film of lubricating oil on the inner surface of the cylinder breaks easily, and there is a risk of increasing frictional resistance between the piston and cylinder or of increasing local wear. Further, if the pressure is unevenly distributed on the edge, the piston may seize up if it slides slowly when the contact pressure with the cylinder is large as when the engine is running under low speed, high load conditions.


A partial forced induction system is provided that has one or more combustion engine cylinders with each engine cylinder having a first and a second intake valve with individual ports. A source of forced induction in fluid communication with the one or more combustion engine cylinders and urging air into the one or more combustion engine cylinders. A naturally aspirated intake manifold path connecting to each of the first intake valves at each of said one or more engine cylinders. A forced induction intake manifold path connects the source of forced induction to each of said second intake valves at each of the one or more engine cylinders.

Recent developments in internal combustion engine technology have simultaneously increased specific power, reduced fuel consumption, and reduced emissions. The performance improvements have been accomplished with the development of multi-valve engines, variable valve timing, direct fuel injection and application of forced induction (either supercharging, turbocharging, turbo-compounding, or a combination of supercharging and turbocharging).
Forced induction is used to increase engine power and efficiency. A forced induction engine is essentially two compressors in series. The compression stroke of the engine is the main compression that every engine has, and an additional compressor feeding into the intake of the engine makes it a forced induction engine. A compressor supplying a pressurized induction charge into the engine greatly increases the total compression ratio of the entire system, and this additional intake pressure is commonly referred to in the industry as boost.
A turbocharger relies on the volume and velocity of exhaust gases to spin (referred to herein synonymously as spool) a turbine wheel, which is connected to a compressor wheel via a common shaft. The boost pressure produced can be regulated by a system of release valves and electronic controllers. The chief benefit of a turbocharger is that it consumes less power from the engine than a supercharger; while the main drawback of a turbocharger is that engine response suffers greatly because it takes time for the turbocharger to come up to speed (referred to herein synonymously as spool up). The delay in power delivery from the turbocharger is referred to as turbo lag. Turbocharger design is inherently one of compromise in which a smaller turbocharger will spool quickly and deliver full boost pressure at low engine speeds, but boost efficiency will suffer at high engine revolutions per minute (RPM). It is appreciated that high and low values of RPM with respect to given engine are relative, with high RPM range typically being associated with acceleration of the vehicle. By way of example 3000 RPM is exemplary of a high RPM value for a conventional mid-size 6 cylinder sedan. A larger turbocharger, on the other hand, will provide improved high-RPM performance at the expense of lower RPM response. Other common design issues related to turbochargers include limited turbine lifespan, due to the high exhaust temperatures it must withstand, and the restrictive effect the turbine has upon exhaust flow. Superchargers, in contrast to turbochargers, have almost no lag time to build pressure because the compressor is always spinning proportionally to the engine speed. Superchargers are not as common as turbochargers because superchargers use the torque produced from the engine to operate; and, the torque utilized by the supercharger results in some loss in power and efficiency obtained from the engine.
An electric forced induction system utilizes an electric motor driven compressor to pressurize the intake air. By pressurizing the air available to the engine intake system, the air becomes denser, and is matched with more fuel, thereby producing increased horsepower. However, the power requirements and costs associated with electrically powering a compressor have limited commercial application of electric forced induction to-date.
Existing implementations of turbocharging, supercharging, and electric forced induction have met with growing acceptance but have limitations. For example, in turbocharging implementations, it is difficult to optimize compressor efficiency throughout the engine speed range, and that requires a compromise that accepts either lower efficiency and responsiveness at low RPMs to achieve higher efficiency at high rpm; or lower efficiency at high RPM to achieve better responsiveness and efficiency at low rpm. Turbocharging also suffers from turbo lag due to the inertial delay associated with accelerating the turbine wheels. The packaging of hot turbocharger components in the engine compartment is challenging, and there is heat transfer from the compressor to the intake charge under all operating conditions. There is also an undesirable back pressure associated with extracting exhaust heat energy with the turbocharger. In supercharging implementations the power required to drive the supercharger—even when boost is not required (assumes a typical internal compressor by-pass) is a drain on the engine, as well as the power required to overcome supercharger inertia upon acceleration. There is unwanted heat transfer from the supercharger housing to the intake charge under all operating conditions, and additional packaging requirements for the supercharger. In addition, supercharging efficiency decreases at higher engine speeds and airflow. Electric forced induction implementations suffer from high power requirements and high costs associated with electrically powering a forced induction compressor and have limited commercial application to date.
While there have been many advances in forced induction, further improvements in combustion engine performance and efficiency are needed to meet mileage and performance requirements, while mitigating the problems and design limitations of existing implementations of forced induction. Thus, there exists a need for improved forced induction systems for improving combustion engine performance and efficiency.


A support cushion for medical use, especially during surgery, to support the patient's head and neck in convenient positions without patient damage includes two portions made of polyurethane foam separably joined by hook and loop fasteners or the like. The portion normally on top when the two are used together has a hemispherical depression in the top, a groove extending outwardly from the depression, dihedral plane surfaces extending out from the groove and a rectangular bottom surface. The bottom portion has a rectangular top surface, a V-shaped groove in the bottom and planar surfaces on either side of the V-groove lying in a plane which makes an acute angle of about 7.degree. with the plane containing the top.

It is well known to provide headrests for various purposes and to form such headrests using resilient material such as polymeric foams. Examples of headrests for various specific purposes, including medical and dental, are found in the following patents:
______________________________________ 2,940,087 Kiefer 3,139,631 Kiefer 3,694,831 Treace 3,981,032 Brooks 3,987,507 Hall 4,017,118 Cawley ______________________________________
However, in various circumstances during medical procedures, and particularly during those procedures involving anesthesia, certain problems can arise as a result of anesthetization of the patient with the patient in a supine or lateral position for extended intervals of time. For example, localized occipital pressure with the patient supine can result in ischemic alopecia, and such pressure on the ear in the lateral position can result in necrosis of the ear in varying degrees. As will be apparent, special measures are necessary to avoid such conditions.
It is also important to maintain the patient's head in the proper position for the procedure to be undertaken, depending upon the need for endotracheal intubation, and in ENT procedures a lower and differently shaped rest is needed to limit head rotation and for cervical support. Yet another shape and height of headrest is required for pediatric procedures.
While certain specific headrests have been designed for certain of these objectives, neither the specially designed headrests nor those of general utility have satisfied the needs of the medical profession in this area.


An operator identification system utilizes "dead" switches, such as window actuating switches which have no control function until such time as a vehicle ignition is turned on, for identifying a particular vehicle operator. The inactive switch contact closure is detected by an electrical circuit which also tests to determine whether the ignition is off and if it is, the window switch closure provides an operator identification signal to a vehicle microprocessor for identifying a particular driver and preset option functions associated with that driver.

The present invention pertains to vehicle electrical control systems and particularly to a system using existing switches to perform a dual function for the identification of a vehicle operator to a vehicle microprocessor system for the selection of operator dependent preset options.
There exists a variety of manners in which vehicle operators are identified in modern vehicles containing somewhat sophisticated electrical systems in which preset options such as seat position, rearview mirror adjustment position and the like are preset for a particular driver. Initially this was achieved by driver A, driver B switches, which were separate switches dedicated to the identification of a particular driver. With this system, when a driver enters a vehicle, he or she would activate the appropriate identification switch to effectuate options selected by that particular driver. With the popularity of keyless entry systems, a code transmitted by a transmitter for a particular vehicle operator included an identification code for the particular operator such that upon receipt of the code the preset options can be set as the vehicle is unlocked using the keyless entry transmitter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,182 discloses such a system.
With the downsizing of vehicles and the increasing control functions available for vehicle electronic systems installed in modern vehicles, the control of such vehicle options is becoming increasingly complicated and the addition of separate switches for vehicle operator identification in vehicle's which do not include a somewhat more sophisticated keyless entry system is undesirable. Accordingly, there exists a need for vehicle operators to identify themselves to the vehicle's computer without the use of additional and costly control switches or in connection with keyless entry systems where personal identification codes are not provided to identify each operator.

Dead switch vehicle operator identification


A mill roll balance system for incorporation within a rolling mill is provided. The balance system includes a rigid beam assembly for guiding a portion of the mechanism utilized to stabilize the top roll and for preventing any resultant horizontal forces due to an unbalanced counterweight apparatus utilized to provide an upward force to the upper roll in the mill. A plurality of steelyard rods are provided and are continuous in their length from a point below the bottom of the roll housing through the housing to their upper terminus switches proximate the upper roll for providing the necessary counter-balancing upward force to the screw-down mechanism's downward force on the upper roll.

Rolling mills are basically formed of at least two vertically displaced rolls positioned within a relatively large housing for containing the roll at their ends. In general, the lower roll is stationary within the housing, while the upper roll is vertically displaceable both toward and away from the lower roll so as to provide for a variable gap between the rolls, thereby producing a product to desired dimensions. Movement of the upper roll is affected through its chock supports through either hydraulic means or a screw-down mechanism operable to bias and move the upper roll toward the lower roll. The forces necessary to move the upper roll downward toward the lower roll and retain the same during the rolling process are enormous in size. Moreover, the forces necessary to counteract the large downwardly directed upper roll forces in order to keep the upper roll in a given position for any period of rolling time are also relatively large and are effected through the use of steelyard rods and support mechanisms to be described below.
The support structure for the upper roll includes steelyard rods which pass from below the housing structure upwardly to engagement with a portion of the chock on either side of the roll. Positioned below the housing and acting as a terminus for each of the steelyard rods is a separator assembly which extends from one set of steelyard rods across to the other set. The separator acts as a rigid support mechanism for the four steelyard rods and as a linkage mechanism for two large counterweight balances positioned below the roll mill housing. The counterweights act through the separator assembly and the steelyard rods to provide an upward counter-balancing force against the downward force upon the upper roll to retain the upper roll in a given desired position. The counterweights are unbalanced due to the fact that there is provided a drive side for the rolls as well as a non-drive side. The drive side incorporates the drive spindles and, accordingly, the counterweight on the drive side of the rolls is either heavier or has a larger moment arm than the non-drive or operator side of the rolls. This unbalanced counterweight situation results in a varying horizontal thrust through the separator assembly as the separator assembly is moved from its low position to its upper position corresponding to the lower position of the roll (its closed position) and the fully open position of the rolls. This horizontal thrust may vary excessively so that there is a resultant horizontal thrust of between .+-.5,000 to 8,000 pounds in either direction. It is obvious that this resultant horizontal thrust will cause undesireable stresses and forces to the mill housing, to the steelyard rods, the separator, and ultimately, affect the rolling power of the two vertically displaced rolls themselves.
The horizontal thrust noted above also causes undesirable wear in the mill housing holes through which the steelyard rods are passed in their extension from below the mill housing to the roll chock of the upper roll. Due to the horizontal loading of the roll balance system noted above, the steelyard rods wear out in the cast hole of the housing and cause an interference problem inasmuch as they are two piece sections. This interference problem causes the steelyard rods to wear out and necessitates their replacement or may cause a jamming effect which may cause the mill housing to fracture thereby resulting in mill down time.