A process and system for distributed garbage collection in a distributed network includes transmission of a root request message tagged with a unique identifier from a suspect node to all nodes of the suspect node's inverse reference graph looking for a rooted (persistent) object. Objects respond to the root request message with an affirmative or disregard response (indicating a root or coupling to a root) tagged with the same identifier or that no relevant garbage collecting information is available from a particular branch. The suspect node, in the absence of any affirmative responses, is identified as obsolete (garbage) and may be collected. Other objects having the same identifier are identified and/or collected as garbage as well.

The present invention relates generally to distributed computer systems in which multiple processes are able to access network objects, and particularly to a method for garbage collecting cycles of distributed network objects.
The term garbage collection describes a process implemented on one or more interconnected general purpose machines (real or virtual) for effectively deleting obsolete data from a memory associated with the machines. Problems and solutions to garbage collection are well known. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,241,673 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,901, hereby expressly incorporated by reference for all purposes, describe general background information as well as conventional solutions to Distributed Garbage Collection.
An object is a construct of a computing machine. To instantiate an object, a machine allocates a portion of its memory in order to define and make use of the object. During operation of a machine, objects are continually created, used and obsoleted. As memory is limited, it is desirable to identify and collect obsolete objects (objects no longer required by any existing object) so that memory previously allocated to obsolete objects may be used by the machine, such as to create new objects. Sometimes collection of these obsolete objects lags behind their obsolescence and the operation of the machine may begin to be degraded as a consequence.
Conventional solutions for garbage collection, such as those described in the patents incorporated above, include methods for checking each object to determine whether it is obsolete and should be collected. In a method of this type, referred to as a mark and sweep process, an analysis begins at all root objects stored in the memory of all of the machines making up the distributed system. A forward reference graph defines a relationship between a root object and all the secondary objects that the root object references. The secondary objects may include references to tertiary objects, which may include further references to other objects. Objects may be instantiated in different portions of the collective memory of all of the concurrent processes in all of the different machines. Mark and sweep requires that several messages be sent to and received from every object. As a consequence, mark and sweep solutions to distributed garbage collection are expensive in terms of time and message overhead.
In addition to these incorporated patents, another reference describing a conventional solution to Distributed Garbage Collection is Garbage Collection on an Open Network, International Work on Memory Management, Spring Verlag LNCS 986, 1985 by Matthew Fuchs, also hereby expressly incorporated by reference for all purposes. Garbage Collection on an Open Network describes a total solution to Distributed Garbage Collection that makes use of inverse reference graphs. Construction, maintenance and use of inverse reference graphs is well known and will not be described in detail herein. An inverse reference graph includes objects represented as nodes with edges between pairs of nodes defining a referential relationship between the pairs of objects represented by the nodes.
Cyclical garbage is a special class of garbage that requires special processing for identification so that it may be collected. FIG. 1 is an inverse reference graph for a cycle 100 including a collection of three objects (first object 102, second object 104, and third object 106). In cycle 100, object 102 has a first reference arrow 108 pointing to object 104. The direction of reference arrow 108 reflects that object 104 references object 102. In other words, reference arrow 108 starting from object 102 and extending to object 104 means that object 102 is referenced by object 104. Arrows directed away from a node represented on an inverse reference graph define the branches of the node.
In cycle 100, object 104 has a second reference arrow 110 pointing to object 106. Object 106 has a third reference arrow 112 pointing to object 102. The references between the objects are cyclical. Unless one of the objects represents a rooted object, either a local root, or a remote root, cycle 100 is garbage. A locally rooted object is an object that is being referenced by a rooted (persistent, non-collectable object) in the same machine as the object. A remotely rooted object is an object referenced by only objects in remote machines, and all references originate from one or more locally rooted objects.
In the case where cycle 100 resides in a single simple machine with few objects, it is straightforward and inexpensive (in terms of time and a number of message exchanges among the objects) to identify cycles. When cycle 100 becomes distributed across two or more machines and the distributed machines have large numbers of objects to create, use and to identify as obsolete, prior art solutions become expensive to adequately deal with collecting cycles.

Process for distributed garbage collection


A system and method for electronically displaying real-time data pertaining to scores and wagering information of live sporting activities includes a score board with electronically adaptable cells displaying alphanumeric values. The cells are grouped into corresponding columns and rows associated with unique predetermined parameters, and are displayed in a central region of the score board. Data input ports are formed about a periphery of the score board for establishing an internet connection. A mechanism displays real-time data pertaining to sports scores and sports wagering activities within the cells such that the real-time data is categorized into a plurality of groups based upon the predetermined parameters so that the real-time data is easily read and understood by the user.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to score boards and, more particularly, to a system and method for keeping track of real-time data pertaining to scores and wagering information of sporting activities.
2. Prior Art
Much like the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, championship sporting events tend to be popular occasions for friends, family, and even strangers to come together in camaraderie and celebration. Whether hosting a party on Super Bowl Sunday, gathering after a midday meal to watch the big race, or converging on the local sports bar to catch the final game of the World Series, people are inspired to join together to cheer their favorite athletes or teams to victory.
Rooting for the odds-on favorite or hoping for a thrilling upset, sports enthusiasts look forward to the excitement and surprises that are sure to occur during championship events. To add to the fun, many sports fans engage in friendly, high spirited wagering. From broad pontifications such as which team will win the game to more challenging guesses such as point spreads, sports betting encompasses a wide range of factors, from the statistics of each event to the number of bettors and amount of wagers, that can be quite challenging to track when organizing a large betting pool. Having recognized the potential for a technologically advanced, interactive means of keeping track of statistics and betting information during championship sporting events, the present invention was developed.
One prior art example shows a score board specifically suited by design for accumulating and displaying points during the play of games like cribbage, rummy or five hundred euchre but not limited to these. The present inventions are very "pocket-able" or conveniently portable score boards. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide a means of tracking scores and wagers for sporting events shown on television. In addition, this prior art example does have the capability of connecting to the internet for obtaining real-time scores and statistics.
Another prior art example shows an apparatus and an associated method for ensuring accurate scoring at a sporting event by associating controls of a score board with the colors worn by the teams, or the positions of the goals (e.g., goals in a basketball tournament). In one implementation, the apparatus alerts a scorekeeper when a play condition reaches a threshold. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not allow a user to display multiple scores and wagers simultaneously, and also does not have the capability of connecting to the internet for obtaining real-time scores and statistics.
Accordingly, a need remains for a system and method for keeping track of real-time data pertaining to scores and wagering information of sporting activities in order to overcome the above-noted shortcomings. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing a device that is convenient and easy to use, is lightweight yet durable in design, and allows a user to easily track scores and wagers of sporting activities. Such a system and method provides sports enthusiasts with an exciting and effective means of keeping track of information during sporting events. The device easily organizes and maintains a plethora of important statistics, such as scores, betting participants, and wagers. The device is accurate, and also provides all users with information at a glance. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.

System and method for keeping track of real-time data pertaining to scores and wagering information of sporting activities


A semiconductor device exploiting a quantum interference effect is disclosed. The device comprises: a channel region connected multiply with multiplicity of n (n.gtoreq.3) and having (n-1)-fold rotational symmetry around an axis of the channel region; a gate electrode surrounding a side wall of the channel region; and source and drain electrodes electrically connected to one and another end of the channel region along the axis. Electrons move in an effective channel region along or around the axis from the source toward the drain. Electron interference in the effective channel region is controlled by a magnetic field applied in the axis direction and/or the gate electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a semiconductor device exploiting a quantum interference effect.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Channels in existing semiconductor devices such as MOSFET, MESFET and JFET have a simply connected structure from a topological viewpoint. Since such semiconductor devices effect on-off actions by controlling conduction and non-conduction of the channel, they are available only for simple operations.
Recently, various quantum interference devices utilizing an interference effect of electrons have been proposed for realizing more complicated and advanced operations (see, for example, Technical Digest of IEDM 86, pp. 76-79). However, major part of quantum interference devices heretofore proposed uses a channel of a doubly connected structure. Therefore, they do not provide an advanced interference effect, and their interference modes are limited.
In addition, to the best of the knowledge of the present inventors, there has been no indication or suggestion about realization of a quantum interference device using a channel of a high multiplicity not less than three.

Method for making a semiconductor device exploiting a quantum interferences effect

The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois


According to the present invention, two hydroxyl groups can be introduced into the 1-position and the 4-position of the benzene ring of an aromatic compound highly efficiently and highly selectively by a one step process to give the corresponding aromatic hydroxide.

It is well known that aromatic hydroxides represented by phenol, catechol, resorcinol and hydroquinone are important chemical products used for various applications such as photographic reagents, antioxidants and the like. Ideally, synthesis of aromatic hydroxides is performed in one step by oxidation of the corresponding aromatic hydrocarbon; however, selective oxidation of aromatic compound is difficult. To synthesize hydroxide from the corresponding hydrocarbon by one step oxidation, use of a highly dangerous peroxide such as hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid is required (patent document 1, non-patent document 1). Thus, the development of a reaction to safely convert aromatic hydrocarbon to the corresponding aromatic hydroxide has been desired. Particularly, since control of reactivity is extremely difficult during selective introduction of plural hydroxyl groups and the synthesis requires multistep reactions, the development of a superior production method has been desired. Heretofore, direct hydroxylation of aromatics using photocatalyst powder particles such as titanium oxide and the like has also been considered, and it is known that hydroxide is in fact produced. However, since hydroxide produced is sequentially oxidized to allow cleavage of aromatic ring and peroxidation up to carbon dioxide, both the reaction yield and the selectivity are extremely low. In general, when a photocatalyst powder such as titanium oxide and the like is utilized for the reaction, an oxygen molecule is used as an electron acceptor that efficiently reacts with the electron produced by photoexcitation. When an oxygen molecule is present, however, peroxidation reaction by radical chain reaction is promoted, which markedly decreases the yield and the selectivity of the object product. Moreover, when ultraviolet rays are irradiated to excite titanium oxide, photochemical reaction of aromatic compounds progresses to further decrease the selectivity of the object hydroxide (non-patent documents 2, 3, 4).    patent document 1: WO 2006-043075    non-patent document 1: Acc. Chem. Res., vol. 8, page 125 (1975)    non-patent document 2: J. Electroanal. Chem. vol. 126, page 277 (1981)    non-patent document 3: Catalysis Today, vol. 101, page 291 (2005)    non-patent document 4: Chemistry Letters, page 1691 (1983)

Abstract: The present invention provides a production method of an aromatic hydroxide represented by the formula (2)

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, and, R4 are each independently a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having a carbon atom number of 1-20, and R1, R2 and/or R3 and R4 are optionally bonded to each other to form a ring, which comprises irradiating light to a photoelectrode comprised of metal oxide while applying a given potential in the presence of an aromatic compound represented by the formula (1)

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 are as defined above.

National University Corporation Hokkaido University


A bi-directional cable assembly for use with a fiber optic cable that includes at least one cable optical fiber that can carry bi-directional optical signals. The cable assembly is connected to the fiber optic cable at a mid-span location, where the cable fiber is preterminated to form upstream and downstream cable fiber sections. A tether having an upstream and/or a downstream tether fiber is spliced to corresponding preterminated upstream and/or downstream cable fibers at respective one or more splice locations. At least one of the tether fibers is a bend-resistant optical fiber that includes a bend angle equal to or about 180 degrees so that the tether extends in one direction from the mid-span access point along the fiber optic cable. A low-profile protective cover covers the mid-span access point and an end-portion of the tether. A protective tube may be used to house the bend-improved fiber and the splices that connect the cable fiber sections to the tether fibers.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to fiber optic cables used in telecommunication systems, and in particular relates to cable assemblies for fiber optic cables, and more particularly relates to bi-directional cable assemblies arranged at mid-span access locations and that have one or more optical fiber tethers.
2. Technical Background
Optical fiber is used for a variety of broadband telecommunication applications that involve voice, video and/or data transmissions. Such fiber-based telecommunication systems utilize fiber optic cables (e.g., "distribution cables") that include a number of mid-span access locations at which one or more optical fibers are terminated and interconnected with a branch cable or a drop cable. The mid-span access locations provide an interconnection point, also referred to as "access point" or "tap point" (or just "tap" for short) from the distribution cable. The interconnection point can include a cable assembly that connects optical fibers in the distribution cable to another location, such as another network distribution cable or termination point, or directly to an end user, commonly referred to as a "subscriber," thereby extending an "all optical" communications network closer to the subscriber. In this regard, fiber optic networks are being developed that deliver "fiber-to-the-curb" (FTTC), "fiber-to-the-business" (FTTB), "fiber-to-the-home" (FTTH), or "fiber-to-the-premises" (FTTP), referred to generically as "FTTx."
An example application of a fiber-based telecommunication system is an intelligent transportation system (ITS) that utilizes sensors and video cameras to monitor traffic conditions. The data from such monitoring are transmitted to a centralized data gathering facility via a fiber optic cable. The typical data gathering network architecture for the ITS is a ring or loop topology that provides bi-directional connectivity to the monitoring equipment. The present approach to connecting the monitoring equipment to the fiber optic cable is to use two taps, each tap having its own separate tether and connector. This arrangement has the disadvantage of requiring that a tether be on both the upstream and downstream directions of the fiber optic cable. The tether facing the direction in which the fiber optic cable is pulled while being installed requires special protection to prevent it from being torn from the fiber optic cable during installation. To date, using a single connector has not been a practical alternative to the two-connector approach because it would require the fiber in the downstream side of the cable access point to be bent back 180 degrees to allow it to fit into the tether of the cable assembly. Conventional optical fiber technology restricts the bending diameter of the fibers in the fiber optic cable to no less than 30 mm to 40 mm to prevent bend-induced attenuation loss in the fiber. Unfortunately, having to preserve large bend radii at the tap point renders the tap point too large to deploy without damaging the tether.

Bi-directional cable assembly with bend-improved fiber tether


A canopy for overhanging a door or window and the method of assembling the canopy to the wall. The assembly including a pair of channel assemblies mounted in a spaced relation between the structural girts of the wall over the door or window, a frame assembly having an angle member on each side for connecting the assembly to the channel assemblies, a roof-trim assembly mounted on the frame assembly and a soffit sheet mounted on the bottom of the roof-trim assembly to enclose the roof-trim assembly.

A canopy or awning typically includes a frame having an upright back or rear portion which is used to secure the awning or canopy to a vertical wall. The awning or canopy is generally preassembled and then mounted on the wall by any convenient means.
Various forms of canopies or awnings are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,697 to Andrew J. Toti, et al., issued February 1966, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,393, to Andrew J. Toti, issued Jan. 10, 1989. Both of these patents contemplate a kit approach wherein various configured metal pieces are interconnected or snapped together to form the canopy or awning. This requires the structural components to be accurately formed in order to achieve a tight fit between the metal pieces. The assembled awning is supported on the face of the wall by a fastener mounted on the face of the building or structure.


A unipivot tone arm assembly wherein the tone arm is supported by a single point is balanced in such a way as to have neutral stability providing constant tracking force over the peaks and valleys of phonograph records. Lateral stability lacking in a neutral balanced unipivot tone arm is provided by magnetic coupling between magnets on the tone arm housing assembly and a freely rotating platform. Anti-skate is accomplished through a pulley mechanism between the rotating platform and the tone arm gantry, with the pulley on a counterweighted rotating pivot arm.

The present invention generally relates to tone arm assemblies of the type employed with sound reproduction equipment, such as phonograph assemblies and the like. In particular, the present invention is directed to a novel stabilization and damping system to provide correct geometric stabilization of unipivot tone arm assemblies such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,646, Tone Arm Assembly, issued May 6, 1986 to this applicant.
A unipivot tone arm assembly is supported on a single pivot bearing assembly having a pivot point coinciding with an imaginary horizontal line extending through a center of gravity of the tone arm assembly, with the horizontal line extending perpendicular to a longitudinal axis extending through the tone arm assembly from a pick-up cartridge position at one end to a counterweight positioned at an opposite end thereof.
Phonograph records, also referred to as Long Playing (LP) records, are cut with a tangential cutting stylus which traverses the recording disk at precisely right angles to the grooves. Ideally, this is also the path that the reproducing tone arm will follow. However, with tangential tone arms, there are related problems regarding mechanical difficulties such as freedom from sticking and adequate energy dissipation in a low-mass system such as is dictated by the typical tangential tracking system.
When playing a warped phonograph record, the tracking force (stylus contact pressure) changes with the vertical position of the tone arm. The effect of these changes is that the stylus tip tracing the phonograph record groove walls changes. This causes an immediate change in the reproduced sound negatively affecting such parameters as frequency response, channel separation and other spatial characteristics etched into the phonograph record groove.
There are three types of balance for a unipivot tone arm assembly: unstable balance; stable balance; and neutral balance. Unstable balance positions the pivot fulcrum below the center of gravity and is unsuitable for any tone arm application. A tone arm with unstable balance will never track properly in the vertical plane. A tone arm with unstable balance will have a decreasing tracking force as the arm is lifted as when playing a warped record. The tone arm will have a tendency to continue traveling upwards at the peak of the warp, possibly even leaving the phonograph record surface entirely, rather than staying in the proper playing position.
Stable balance positions the pivot fulcrum above the center of gravity of the moving system. This kind of balance is useful in scales or other weight measuring systems. With this system any deflection of the moving system creates an immediate and equally strong opposing force with tries to right the assembly to its original rest position. When playing a warped record, the tracking force will constantly change with the vertical position of the tone arm. This in turn will change the stylus rake angle (the angle defined by a vertical line from the centerline of the stylus tip relative to the phonograph record groove) as the suspension mechanism of the cartridge is flexed due to these changing forces. The net effect of this will be that the micro-dimensions of the stylus tip tracing the phonograph record groove walls will also change angle. This will cause an immediate change in the reproduced sound, negatively affecting such functions as frequency response, channel separation and other spatial characteristics etched into the record groove. Unipivot tone arm assemblies are traditionally set to stable balance by adjustment of the counterweights.
Neutral balance, where the pivot point and the center of gravity share a common line, is the preferred method of balance for a tone arm. The up and down motion from the stylus riding over warped phonograph records will not create a strong restoring force with neutral balance. Instead, only the constant, downward tracking gravity-applied force by displacement of the balancing weight will be observed. The stylus contact pressure remains constant regardless of whether the tone arm is tracking a flat phonograph record or one with warps which raises the tone are upward. The stylus rake angle will remain unaffected resulting in more accurate tracking of the grooves. However, with neutral balance there is no restoring force around the lateral axis to maintain proper stylus position with respect to the phonograph record. The lack of lateral stabilization and damping has been the drawback to setting unipivot tone arms in the preferential neutral balance configuration. The present version of this invention provides the lacking lateral stabilization and damping through a novel magnetic stabilization system.
A tone arm with an angled (offset) head shell will exhibit a tendency to swing toward the center of a rotating record. This is caused by the vectors of the rotating forces involved in the overhang (distance of the stylus tip extending past the center of the record) combined with the offset angle. Anti-skate systems are devices which apply a countering force to the tone arm effectively canceling out the natural forces tending to "skate" the arm toward the center. The goal of an anti-skate system is to apply the correct amount of continually changing force at any position on the phonograph record. The magnetic stabilization system provides a unique method of applying anti-skating forces that vary according to the position of the stylus over the phonograph record.
As will become evident from a reading of the following specification and claims, the novel tone arm magnetic stabilization and damping system achieves a method of lateral stabilization achieving neutral balance, as well as anti-skating, and thus avoiding the undesirable effects associated with stable balance.

Method and apparatus for tone arm magnetic stabilization and damping system


A universal charity card system having a universal charity card which identifies a customer-benefactor and a charity by coded information. A merchant computer system which reads the universal charity card's coded information and computes charitable contribution as a percent of sales to the customer-benefactor and stores in a merchant database data on the customer-benefactor identification, the charity identification, merchant identification and charitable contribution. A central computer system which pre-stores merchant's bank electronic fund transfer identification, charity's bank electronic fund transfer identification, and links to the merchant computer system for the purpose of downloading the merchant database, whereby, it downloads the merchant database and initiates a debit electronic fund transfer to the merchant's bank for an amount equal to the charitable contribution and a credit electronic fund transfer to charity's bank for an amount equal to the charitable contribution.

Merchants, as part of their business strategy of keeping customers and fostering customer loyalty, make contributions to local charities based on the specific needs of their customers as a percentage of sales to those customers. This charitable contribution is made possible by the merchant selling to the charity bearer certificates for redemption at the merchant's store for the merchant's goods. These bearer certificates are sold at a discount from the face value to the charity. The charity in turn sells those bearer certificates to its benefactors at full face value. The benefactors then use the bearer certificates at that specific merchant that issued the certificates.
This approach to raising charitable funds involves fund raisers' effort and has effort and inconveniences on the part of others built into it. For example, the benefactors have to buy these bearer certificates in bulk by paying cash to the charity and thus laying out funds in advance. The charity acts as a middle man and has to find and convince benefactors to buy these certificates to help the charity. The merchant has to print the bearer charity certificates and track them from selling to charity to until they are cashed by the benefactor.
An objective of the present invention is to eliminate the charity's role as a middle man in buying certificates from the merchant and selling them to the benefactor.
Another objective is to eliminate a benefactor's need to buy the certificates in advance and shell out large cash in advance.
Yet another objective is to eliminate the merchant's effort in having to print, sell and redeem and thus track the certificates.
Yet another objective is to enable those charities that do not participate in this approach of fund raising to participate in this approach by eliminating the effort on the charity's part of buying and selling charity certificates of a merchant.
Yet another objective is to achieve substantial reduction in effort and cost for the benefactor, the charity and the merchant by automating the system at the local and national level.


Methods and pharmaceutical compositions in unit dosage form for treating neurodegeneration in a human or non-human animal afflicted therewith wherein the active agent is a therapeutically effective amount of a polyamine having the formula: ##STR1## or a salt thereof with a pharmaceutically acceptable acid wherein: R.sub.1 and R.sub.6 may be the same or different and are hydrogen, alkyl, hydrocarbyl aryl, hydrocarbyl aryl alkyl, cycloalkyl, or any of the foregoing wherein the alkyl chain is interrupted by at least one etheric oxygen atom;. N.sup.1, N.sup.2, N.sup.3 and N.sup.4 are nitrogen atoms capable of protonation at physiological pH's; PA1 a and b may be the same or different and are integers from 1 to 4; PA1 A, B and C may be the same or different and are bridging groups of variable length.

Disorders of cognition are generally characterized by one or more mental symptoms such as forgetfulness, confusion, memory loss, attentional deficits or affective or emotional disturbances. These symptoms may arise as a result of the natural aging process or from organic brain disease, cerebrovascular disease, head injury or developmental or genetic defects. Although cognitive disorders often accompany the general aging process, presenile and senile primary degenerative dementia are the most commonly accepted causes of mental deterioration in the elderly.
Excessive excitation by neurotransmitters can cause the degeneration and death of neurons at any age. The N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) sub-type of the glutamate receptor is a ligand-gated ion channel involved in excitatory neurotransmission in the mammalian central nervous system. For example, over-stimulation of the NMDA receptor results in the neuronal excitotoxicity important in the pathophysiology of epilepsy and ischemia-induced neuron death. Separate regulatory sites on the NMDA receptor-channel complex include the binding site for the agonist L-glutamate, a high-affinity binding site for the obligatory co-agonist glycine, a site where Zn ions act to allosterically inhibit the agonist-induced response independently of membrane potential, a site(s) within the channel wherein Mg ions and phencyclidines such as (+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzoa,d!cyclohepten-5,10-imine (MK-801) bind to produce a voltage-dependent open channel block and a distinct binding site for the naturally occurring polyamines, spermine and spermidine.
The polyamine site may exert either agonistic or antagonistic modulatory activity depending on the polyamine concentration, as well as on the chemical structure of the polyamine Williams et al., Neuron., Vol. 5, pp. 199-208 (1990); Williams et al., Life Sci., Vol. 48, pp. 469-498 (1991)!. Agonists like spermine allosterically facilitate functioning of the L-glutamate and glycine sites resulting in increased binding of .sup.3 H!MK-801 compared to that seen in the presence of maximal amounts of L-glutamate and glycine alone. Several compounds that protect neurons from excitotoxicity appear to act as antagonists at the polyamine site Carter et al., J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther., Vol. 253, pp. 475-482 (1990); Zeevalk et al., Brain Res., Vol. 522, pp. 135-139 (1990)!.
One hypothesis regarding the mechanism of the memory impairment seen in cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease (AD), the "glutamate hypothesis," suggests that loss of neurotransmission in a glutamatergic system accounts for memory impairment Greenamyre et al., Neurobiol. Aging, Vol. 10, pp. 593-602 (1989)!. While the exact etiology of AD is not clear, both the level of naturally occurring polyamines and the activity of S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase, an enzyme important in the biosynthesis of the polyamines, is increased in the brains of AD patients when compared with matched, normal controls Morrison and Kish, "Brain Polyamine Levels Are Altered in Alzheimer's Disease," Neurosci. Lett., (November 1995); Morrison et al., Neurosci. Lett., Vol. 154, pp. 141-144 (1993)!. Since the natural polyamines can enhance NMDA-mediated excitatory damage by action at the NMDA receptor-channel complex, this increased brain polyamine concentration may be one of the causes of AD.
A major pathological characteristic of AD within the brain is the increased number of amyloid-containing senile plaques having dense cores composed primarily of highly insoluble aggregates of .beta.-amyloid peptide (.beta.A). Transglutaminase enzymes facilitate the formation of insoluble polymers of the .beta.-amyloid peptide Dudek et al., Brain Res., Vol. 651, pp. 129-133 (1994)!. The naturally occurring polyamines, spermine, spermidine and putrescine, have been shown to be essential to protein cross-linking by transglutaminases in other mammalian systems Romijn, Andrologia, Vol. 22, Suppl. 1, pp. 83-91 (1990)!. Unusual concentrations of the naturally occurring polyamines in the brains of AD patients may also influence the formation of the senile plaques characteristic of AD and similar dementias.
Only one pharmaceutical composition is currently licensed in the United States as a treatment for Alzheimer's Disease, 9-amino-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroacridine (tacrine). The therapeutic use of tacrine is based upon its activity as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, which can increase the availability of acetylcholine as a neurotransmitter. Use of this drug suffers from several drawbacks including limited efficacy and hepatotoxicity Kaul, J. Pharm. Pharmacol., Vol. 14, pp. 237-242 (1962); Summers et al., New Engl. J. Med., Vol. 315, pp. 1241-1245 (1986)!. Thus, it is of interest to develop novel compositions and methods that are useful for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative conditions.

Methods and compositions for the treatment of neurodegeneration

University Of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.


The invention generally relates to the packaging of compressible material into compressed rolls and in particular, to a method and apparatus for packaging fibreglass insulation and similarly compressible materials, into highly compressed, consistently uniform, rolls. Such rolls are easier and less expensive to handle, store and ship. The main design of the invention is for a roll-up machine which has three continuous belts defining a circular cavity and establishing generally circumferential contact with the compressible material so that the compressible material is under compressive pressure as it is being rolled; means for putting the three continuous belts under tension; means for driving the three continuous belts; and means for feeding the compressible material into the circular cavity.

In many industries, large quantities of compressible materials must be stored and transported around. Compressing these materials into smaller volumes often results in significant cost savings. Fibreglass thermal/acoustical insulation (glass wool), mineral wool products (rock wool, slag wool), fabrics or mats of organic or inorganic materials, and compressible foam materials such as polyurethane foam blankets are just a few examples of materials which are more efficiently handled in a compressed form.
The need for substantially reducing the volume of light density thermal/acoustical fibreglass insulation products for shipping and storing is clear. Common fibreglass insulation products such as types R-11, R-13 and R-19, have densities ranging from 0.52 to 0.60-pcf (pounds per cubic foot). Because the density of the glasses used to make this insulation lies roughly in the range of 2,600 to 2,800 kg/m3, it can be determined that the actual volume occupied by the glass is often less than 0.5% of the total product volume. Handling such a bulky product without any compression is clearly impractical, particularly from an economic point of view. It is therefore common practice to substantially reduce the product volume by roll winding and other packaging processes. However, compression cannot be allowed to damage the product to the point that it does not recover its nominal thickness and performance levels after unpacking. Lack of thickness and performance recovery directly translate into some loss in product utility and value, defeating the purpose of the exercise.
Compression of fibreglass products is typically performed in either a one-stage process or a two-stage process. The leading one-stage technique is winding of the compressible material into a compressed roll. In some processes a second stage is performed to compress the already rolled material, either by applying direct mechanical force or a vacuum. During the final stage of bundling rolls together, typically in units of four, some additional pressure may also be exerted, for example, using a stretch wrap.
Over the years a large variety of roll-up machine designs have been developed, but in principle, they can be grouped into just a few general categories. Of particular interest are the following:    1. mandrel-based designs;    2. single-belt, "free-loop" designs;    3. triangular cavity designs;    4. rigid arcuate jaw designs; and    5. circular cavity designs.
An exemplary mandrel-based design is presented in FIG. 1. Mandrel-based designs employ a mandrel 110 against which the leading edge of the insulation blanket 112 is held for rolling-up. The mandrel 110 is then rotated and the compressible material rolled up on the mandrel 110, meanwhile being compressed using some system of continuous belts (in this case, first by continuous belt 114, and then by belt 116). In the case of FIG. 1, the position of rollers 118 and 120 are adjusted as the roll grows, as are rollers 122 and 124.
These machines typically overcompress the leading portion of the blanket, causing some loss in thermal insulation value for this portion due to lack of product thickness recovery after unpacking. U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,696 discloses an exemplary version of such a mandrel-type roll-up machine.
A mandrel-type roll-up machine with automatic, rather than manual, tucking and starting of the compressible sheet material on a mandrel is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,419. While this design operates more quickly and efficiently than that of the '696 patent, it still suffers from the deficiency of over-compressing the leading edge of the material being rolled. Typically, roll-up machines of this type are used for rolling relatively thin compressible sheet material ranging in thickness from 0.5 inch to 2 inches. It is desirable that roll-up machines be able to handle much thicker materials, for example, in the range of about 1.5-inches up to 9-inches.
Another class of roll-up machines uses a continuous, single-belt loop in a "free-loop" configuration. An exemplary "free-loop" design is shown in FIG. 2. The compressible material 112 is transported by a belt conveyor, and enters a cavity or loop 132 formed by a single continuous belt 134. The single continuous belt 134 is held at the entry point for the compressible material by a combination of a fixed roller 136 and a series of rollers 138 or a properly shaped belt conveyor, which also serves to support the rolled product weight. This is referred to as a "free-loop" design because there are no guides which cause the free-loop to take on any particular shape; hence, the roll will take on a generally circular or oval cross-section.
Over the years, numerous improvements were made to this single-belt concept, details of which can be found in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,133,386; 3,911,641; 3,964,235; 4,114,530; 4,163,353; 4,164,177; 4,602,471; 4,653,397; 4,896,476 and 6,321,507. While roll-up machines of the single-belt "free-loop" design offer some advantages over mandrel-based designs, they still suffer from several major operational deficiencies.
As explained in U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,507, the conventional, single-belt "free-loop" design, with a fixed belt width, has a limited ability to efficiently package compressible materials of various widths. Attempts to operate this roll-up machine with less than a full belt width of compressible material results in what is referred to as "telescoping" or "coning", that is, a relative axial shift or displacement of subsequent concentric layers of the rolled strips of material with respect to each other. Telescoping complicates the wrapping of the roll product with a sheet material (such as a plastic film) as overall, the roll is now longer than it should be. As well, the ends of the roll are conical instead of flat, making stacking in a warehouse or storage facility difficult.
To avoid telescoping during the roll forming process one has to operate with the full belt width filled with insulation. If a narrower width is desired, then a full belt width must still be used in the single belt machine. A full width of insulation material coming out of the curing oven is longitudinally slit, but the full width is rolled up. After rolling, the surplus material can be removed from the rest of the roll. While the surplus material may be recycled as loose fill insulation or admix, this process is both an inconvenience and economically inefficient.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,507 addresses the telescoping issue by using at least two endless belts, partially overlapping in the loop forming area as well as the belt take-up area. With this design, the overall belt width can be adjusted by changing the degree to which the two belts overlap, to exactly match the product width needed. This is a complicated approach to the telescoping problem, and of course, does nothing to address other problems with the "free-loop" designs. These other problems include the following:    1. dealing with tremendous slack on the continuous belt when the rolled material is released (i.e. slack is the difference between the circular segment of belt encircling the roll, and the corresponding straight-line length of belt between the rollers, after the finished roll has been ejected). This slack often causes the belt to leave its guides; and    2. lack of control over the actual shape and quality of the roll. As the material typically takes on an irregular and inconsistent cross-section, handling and storage are difficult and inefficient. As well, the irregular shape will result in uneven compression which may damage the compressible material.
Another major class of roll-up machines employs a system of horizontal 150 and inclined belt 152 conveyors, and moveable forming rollers 154 to define a generally "triangular" roll forming space 156. An exemplary triangular cavity design is presented in FIG. 3.
An early design in this class of roll-up machines, based on a combined use of two belt conveyors and a forming or compression roller forming a triangular geometry is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,991,538. Further improvements are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,583,697; 4,608,807; 4,765,554; 4,928,898; 5,305,963; and 6,109,560 and in patents DE 296 04 901 U1; EP 0 941 952 A1 and EP 0 949 172 A1. These designs have various arrangements of driving and idle rollers, sensing devices (pressure and roll diameter, for example), position control devices and control algorithmsAll roll-up machines based on a triangular geometry offer, in principle, just a three-point contact between the product being rolled and the rigid, roll-shaping members over the whole roll circumference. Any compressive pressure that is applied, can only be exerted at three distinct contact points, or to be more precise, three contact zones or areas rather than points, since the material being handled is compressible and deforms under load. This does not change the basic fact, however, that the compressive force can only be applied to a limited area, instead of being distributed more or less uniformly over the whole roll circumference, as in the single-belt, "free-loop" roll-up machines. If one squeezes too much, in an attempt to end up with a tight roll with a high overall compression ratio, fibre breakage and/or binder bond loss is likely to occur in the compression zones, resulting in poor thickness recovery after unrolling.
As the roll diameter increases, so does the distance between the three pressure points along the roll circumference, and the travel time between subsequent pressure points. After leaving a given pressure point, the compressed material is no longer under pressure and will expand, at least to some degree, before reaching the next compression point, where it is compressed again. This cycle of compression and de-compression is repeated many times as the roll is formed, the repetitive loading damaging fibres and causing binder fatigue.
Triangular cavity roll-up machines are capable of forming rather loosely wound rolls of fibrous insulation material with an overall compression ratio of about 3.5:1, and therefore a second compression step is usually performed. This second compression step typically employs vacuum compression or mechanical pressure, and may result in a final compression ratio between 6:1 and 8:1. It is not that convenient or economical to have this two-stage operation; quite often the process is not fully automatic and requires additional manpower compared to one-step processes. This second-stage compression also causes further damage to the material because the material is in a fixed roll when the second compression is applied. It is therefore desirable to obtain similar compression ratios, in a single-stage operation.
The next group of roll-up machines of interest are those which employ rigid arcuate jaws. Two of such roll-up machines are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,808,771 and 3,964,232. An exemplary schematic of such a design is presented in FIG. 4, employing two such arcuate jaws 160, 162. In both cases, open centre, loose rolls are formed, which yield about a 2:1 compression ratio.
The intention with the '771 and '232 designs is only to obtain a small degree of compression with the rolling stage (2:1), obtaining the balance of the desired compression in a second, vertical compression stage to obtain an overall compression of about 8:1. Limited compression can be obtained in the rolling stage because the arcuate jaws 160, 162 have a rigid shape and the shape of the cavity they define 164 does not stay circular as the roll grows.
After forming loose, oval-shaped rolls in the first stage, a number of rolls are stacked in a tall compression chamber, and are then compressed further by mechanical means.
This two-stage technique is slow, requires two machines, requires manual labour between the two stages, and damages the compressed material because of the tight compressed turns in the material, formed during the second stage.
Recently, "circular cavity" roll-up machines have begun to appear, which overcome various problems with the earlier designs, using two endless belts to define a generally circular roll-up cavity. An exemplary schematic diagram is presented in FIG. 5.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,512 for example, discloses two designs where separate endless belt systems 170, 172 are combined to form two arcuate belt lengths, almost entirely enveloping the roll of the compressible material 112 during the roll forming process.
The cavity 174 in which the winding of the compressed fibrous material takes place is defined by five rollers and two belt conveyors, one roller 176 being part of the bottom conveyor 178, and two downstream rollers 180, 182 which are not fixed in place, but moving away along rectilinear paths; their movement or travel being computer controlled. Two other rollers 184 and 186 are generally fixed in place. A variant of this circular cavity design in the '512 patent employs a complicated two carousel system to reduce the non-productive time between subsequent winding operations, the start of a new roll winding, taking place immediately after the ejection of an earlier roll of product. Each carousel has a set of three rollers mounted on 120-degree spaced arms, and only one roller at a time is used to make a given roll of product. A rather involved algorithm is required to control all the aspects of the roll winding and roll ejection process.
There are a number of major problems with two-belt roll-up machines in general. For example:    1. with a two-belt design it is quite difficult to start the formation of a new roll. If the two belts are held tight at the beginning of the process (which is necessary, to an extent, to compress the material being rolled), then the two belts do not define a cavity which aids in the rolling up of the material being compressed. Rather than having a circular or triangular cavity, the cavity is defined by two belts which are parallel to one another and travelling in opposite directions. Thus, the two-belt roll-up machine cannot start rolling the compressible material in a neat and uniform way. Typically, some extra mechanical means (apart from the two belts themselves), is employed to assist the starting of the roll.            One could start up the roll without any external means as shown in FIGS. 29A through 29C, but one would have to rely entirely on some taper added to the initial belt geometry in the roll forming zone, combined with the appropriate compressed mat thickness with respect to the entry gap height between the forming rollers of each belt segment. This concept could be used to start the roll satisfactorily but only at the expense of substantially enlarging the entry gap between the forming rollers.        Alternatively, FIGS. 30 through 33 present diagrams of a design where the process of the roll startup is mechanically aided by an external mechanical system.        Additional mechanical complication, extra cost, more maintenance, high dynamics of top belt configuration change and belt tracking are some of the issues which must be dealt with if one uses this design; while the two-belt designs have to deal with less slack than the "free loop" designs, the amount of slack on the continuous belts when the rolled material is released, is still a very significant problem. This slack can cause the belts to leave their guides during the operational cycle, so many designs used take up cylinders to absorb this slack. The more slack that has to be absorbed, the longer the travel of the take up cylinder system.        A more detailed discussion of slack is described hereinafter;            2. the two-belt designs known in the art also require a very quick and drastic change in the positions of the rollers for a speedy ejection of the roll of product; and    3. also similar to the "free loop" systems, two belt roll up machines do not maintain cross-section symmetry very well. This often results in geometrical distortion of the completed roll, commonly known as coning or telescoping.
There is therefore a need for a high-compression roll-up machine and method of rolling that results in consistent and uniformly shaped rolls, with minium damage to the material being rolled. This design must be mechanically straightforward and reliable, ideally using a simple control algorithm and control system.


Methods and systems are provided for validating a signature in a multi-tenant environment. A server or other computing device that is part of a distributed network may request a certificate collection from an identified tenant store. The requested certificate collection may be loaded in a virtual store that is accessible by the server or other computing device. The sever or other computing device may then access one or more certificates from the virtual store to validate a signature.

The deployment topologies of servers and services that are distributed across online environments are becoming increasingly complex. Applications require secure access across these servers and services regardless of their deployment characteristics or location. Public key infrastructure (PKI) operations are often tied to using content that is stored in a database. For example, trusted root certificates may be stored on a company's server and used for certificate validation. Based on this structure, tenants in a multi-tenant environment store their specific PKI data on a public machine store that is accessible to other tenants to perform certificate validation.
It is with respect to these and other general considerations that embodiments have been made. Also, although relatively specific problems have been discussed, it should be understood that the embodiments should not be limited to solving the specific problems identified in the background.


A self-sourcing exercise bike with a linear digital control magnetic resistance braking apparatus comprises a generator, a power converter, a digital control system, a magnetic braking resistance and a LED control panel. This apparatus uses a linear control method to control the change of the magnetic resistance, and the magnetic resistance braking apparatus uses a method of changing inductance and a controlling way thereof to achieve the goal of controlling the variation of the magnetic resistance braking force. This bike makes the user or rehabilitant to linearly adjust the resistance force or torque according to the speed of the exercise bike and the presetting resistance force, and easily start up the power system in the initial stage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a self-sourcing exercise bike with a linear digital control magnetic resistance braking apparatus. In particular, this invention provides a linear control method to control the change of the magnetic resistance, and the magnetic resistance braking apparatus uses a method of changing inductance and a controlling way thereof to achieve the goal of controlling the variation of the magnetic resistance braking force.
2. Description of the Related Art
The exercise bike is a very popular product for exercise or rehabilitation in the house, gymnasium, and hospital. The resistance or brake apparatus in a self-sourcing exercise bike could be divided into friction brake, oil-pressure brake, electric-magnetic brake and eddy-current brake. To sort them by force, the friction brake and oil-pressure brake are belong to contact force, the electric-magnetic brake and eddy-current brake are belong to surpass-distance force. The brake using the contact force has the shortcomings of wearing due to friction, noise, high temperature and the resistance effect is unstable. So, there are so many researches focusing on the brake using the surpass-distance force.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,794 titled "Load Applying Device For An Exercise Bicycle" provides a device for applying a load to a rotating shaft of an exercise bicycle that receives the load. When a user places his feet on the pedals of the exercise bicycle and bends and stretches his legs, the transmission gear of a speed increasing mechanism of the exercise bicycle is rotated by the paddles and thereby, a rotor coupled by a bearing to a fixed main shaft of the load applying device is rotated with respect to the main shaft. The rotor is a magnetic conductor. A magnetic field is provided so that the rotor is passing through a beam-like magnetic flux path produced thereby. When the rotor is rotated, the rotor cuts the magnetic field and thereby produces an induced eddy current, causing an eddy current break effect to the rotor. The drawback is that it needs a man-made effort to adjust the distance of the magnet to control the magnetic braking force.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,083 titled "Magnetic Brake" provides a magnetic brake having a combined collar and flywheel with a braking disc and a fan that are all rotatably mounted on a shaft fixed between a pair of frames. The magnetic brake further includes an electro-magnetic coil wound on an electromagnetic ferrite core, a plurality of permanent magnets mounted on an inner surface of the collar, and a stator coil wound on a stator ferrite core disposed in a stator ferrite core seat. An electrical circuit is provided having a rectifying circuit coupled to a first voltage regulating circuit for power the stator winding and the other circuitry. A digital-to-analog converter is included for converting an input digital control signal to an analog control signal. The output of the converter is coupled to a second voltage regulator, the output of which is coupled to a current regulating circuit for driving the stator winding. The drawbacks are that the resistance force of the brake is not enough, and the control and the performance of the resistance force are not good.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,084,325 titled "Brake Device With A Combination Of Power-Generating And Eddy-Current Magnetic Resistance" provides a brake device with a combination of power-generating and eddy-current magnetic resistance having an outer ]-shaped fly wheel fastened on a central axis of a frame and fitted with a permanent magnet on the inner circular edge to form a rotor type, and the fly wheel is connected with a stator core fastened on the frame. Moreover, one end of the central axle is stretching out of the frame and fitted with a belt wheel. The front end the frame is fitted with a brake core adjacent to the outer edge of the flywheel to supply a planned eddy current magnetic resistance to the flywheel. The drawbacks are that the resistance force is still not good, the user cannot change the resistance force linearly with the speed and the presetting force, and it is difficult for the user or the rehabilitant to start up in the initial stage.

Self-sourcing exercise bike with a linear digital control magnetic resistance braking apparatus


An operation for restricting an operation for an application of a mobile information terminal by a user other than an authorized user of the mobile information terminal is received. Whether or not the user is the authorized user of the mobile information terminal is authenticated. When the user is authenticated to be the authorized user, the operation for the application of the mobile information terminal is allowed. When the user is not authenticated to be the authorized user, the operation for the application of the mobile information terminal is restricted.

The spread of mobile information terminals such as smart phones and tablet terminals has been advanced. The mobile information terminal is capable of storing a lot of personal information and also has functions such as money transactions and various settlement processing. For this reason, when a mobile information terminal is used without permission by a third party, personal information leakage damage, financial damage, etc. may occur.
In order to prevent the damage, the mobile information terminal has a terminal lock function of restricting a terminal function. It is common that after authenticating an authorized user at power-on or in returning from a sleep state or the like, the restriction of the terminal function is temporarily released to enable its operation. Further, as in Patent Literature 1 described below, there is also a technique in which even after authenticating an authorized user by fingerprint authentication processing and then logging on to a computer, the confirmation of the authorized user is repeated by periodical face authentication processing, and logging off from a computer is automatically done when the collation does not indicate a match, thereby restricting operations by other than the authorized user to improve security.

Mobile information terminal and control method thereof


Techniques for correlating and load balancing IMS traffic in a visibility network are provided. According to one set of embodiments, a packet broker of the visibility network can receive IMS traffic replicated from an IMS core network and identify control/data packets in the IMS traffic that are part of the same IMS session based on FROM and TO user identities included in the packets. The packet broker can then generate a unique session identifier for the IMS session and add the generated session identifier to the packets. In certain embodiments, the packet broker can further provide the generated session identifier as input to a load balancing algorithm or rule set. The load balancing algorithm or rule set can output an egress port of the packet broker through which the control/data packets should be forwarded based on the session identifier.

In the field of computer networking, a visibility network (also known as a "visibility fabric") is a type of network that facilitates the monitoring and analysis of traffic flowing through another, "core" network (e.g., a production network). The reasons for deploying a visibility network are varied and can include network management and optimization, business intelligence/reporting, compliance validation, service assurance, security monitoring, and so on.
FIG. 1 depicts an example visibility network 100 according to an embodiment. As shown, visibility network 100 includes a number of taps 102 that are deployed within a core network 104. Taps 102 are configured to replicate control and data traffic that is exchanged between network elements in core network 104 and forward the replicated traffic to a packet broker 106 (note that, in addition to or in lieu of taps 102, one or more routers or switches in core network 104 can be tasked to replicate and forward data/control traffic to packet broker 106 using their respective SPAN or mirror functions). Packet broker 106 can perform various packet processing functions on the replicated traffic, such as removing protocol headers, filtering/classifying packets based on configured rules, and so on. Packet broker 106 can then forward the processed traffic to one or more analytic probes/tools 108, which can carry out various calculations and analyses on the traffic in accordance with the business goals/purposes of visibility network 100 (e.g., calculation of key performance indicators (KPIs), detection of traffic anomalies, generation of reports, etc.).
Two functions that are commonly performed by packet broker 106 in cases where core network 104 is a mobile (e.g., 3G or LTE) network that makes use of GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP) are (1) correlation and (2) load balancing of GTP traffic. The correlation function involves correlating GTP-C control traffic and GTP-U data traffic replicated from core network 104 on a per-GTP session basis, which allows all of the GTP-C and GTP-U traffic for a given GTP session to be associated with each other for analysis. Packet broker 106 typically performs this correlation by identifying GTP-C and GTP-U packets that include a common, unique user identifier (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) or user device identifier (e.g., International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI)) signifying that they are part of a single GTP session, and forwarding these correlated packets through a particular egress port that has been determined for the GTP session.
The load balancing function involves distributing the GTP-C and GTP-U traffic replicated from core network 104 across analytic probes/tools 108 in a relatively uniform manner, which equalizes the processing load on probes/tools 108. Packet broker 106 typically performs this load balancing by inputting the user or device identifier associated with a particular GTP session into a hash function that outputs, based on the user/device identifier, an ID of an egress port from among all of the egress ports of packet broker 106. Packet broker 106 then sends the GTP-C and GTP-U traffic for that GTP session (which has been correlated using the correlation function above) through the egress port output by the hash function (and thus, to a particular analytic probe/tool 108).
As more and more mobile users are using their smart phones, tablets, smart watches, and so on to access data content and services (e.g., email, social network applications, media streaming, voice over LTE (VoLTE), etc.), mobile network operators are increasingly moving towards implementing IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), which is a standardized framework and set of protocols for delivering IP multimedia services, in their network deployments. Accordingly, it would be useful for these network operators to have a visibility network like network 100 of FIG. 1 that is specifically configured to monitor and analyze IMS traffic passing through their IMS core networks. Unfortunately, designing a visibility network, and in particular a packet broker, for enabling the monitoring and analysis of IMS traffic poses a number of challenges.
First, like GTP traffic, IMS traffic includes control (i.e., Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)) traffic and data (i.e., Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP)) traffic that ideally should be correlated on a per-session basis in order to facilitate analysis of the traffic. However, unlike GTP, an IMS session (which may be, e.g., a VoLTE call or some other IP multimedia session) can involve multiple users, and can be identified by multiple different "call-IDs" as the session traffic passes through different IMS network interfaces. Further, each IMS user in an IMS session can have multiple public identities that are shared with other users. Taken together, this means that there is no unique user, device, or session identifier in IMS (as there is in GTP) that can be used to easily correlate SIP and RTP traffic for a given IMS session to each other.
Second, as mentioned above, GTP traffic is typically load balanced across analytic probes/tools by computing a hash function that takes as input a unique user/device identifier associated with a given GTP session and outputs an egress port ID for that session. However, since there no unique user, device, or session identifier in IMS, there is currently no way to load balance IMS traffic on a per-session basis across analytic probes/tools in the same manner as GTP traffic.

Correlating and load balancing IMS traffic in a visibility network


The problem of the invention is to provide a drug-containing patch which is very favorable in percutaneous absorbability and is excellent in sustainability of the drug efficacy, that is, the drug-containing patch having a sufficient percutaneous absorbability and effect sustainability in a degree to be actually used for therapy of patients. The problem is solved by a patch comprising a drug, a melting point lowering agent and an adhesive base.

Risperidone is a benzoisoxazole derivative developed by Janssen Pharmaceutical (Belgium) (see patent document 1). As pharmacological actions of risperidone, the anti-dopaminergic action, the anti-serotonergic action and the catalepsy inducing action have been confirmed. At present besides being widely used in clinical practice as an antischizophrenia drug, use in treatment for hyperphagia, a cosmetic composition for treatment of a sensitive skin and the like have been proposed (see Patent Documents 2 and 3).
It is considered that the effect of risperidone against schizophrenia is due to adjustment of the central nervous system mainly based on dopamine D2 receptor antagonistic action and serotonin 5-HT2 receptor antagonistic action. In addition, risperidone shows an excellent effect against positive symptoms such as hallucination and delusion as well as a strong effect against negative symptoms such as an emotional social withdrawal and a blunted affect, while it has characteristics that it shows relatively few side effects of the pyramidal tract (chill, stiffness, etc.) compared with a conventional typical antipsychotic agent, and therefore, it is considered to be an extremely useful antischizophrenia drug which can tremendously improve the QOL (quality of life) of patients.
As an administration method for risperidone, an oral administration method using tablets, fine granules, a liquid preparation for internal use has been used. However, the oral administration has some drawbacks such as susceptibility to a first-pass effect in the liver after absorption of the drug and an observation of a temporary and unnecessary high blood concentration after the administration. In addition, in the oral administration many side effects such as a gastrointestinal tract disorder, a vomiting feeling and a loss of appetite have been reported. Further, in schizophrenia patients, it is said that actually about 75% of them have difficulties to take an oral preparation regularly. Therefore, with the aim of solving such problems in the oral administration and making a preparation which patients can easily take with safety and persistence, administration methods using patches have been examined in recent years. An administration method using a patch can dissolve the above various problems in oral administration methods and has advantages such as reduction of administration frequency, improvement in compliance, and easiness of administration and discontinuation, therefore, it has been expected as an useful administration method.
However, because, in the horny layer, keratin-containing cells and an intercellular lipid are laminated in layers, permeability of a drug is generally extremely low, and in addition to this, because the horny layer of a normal skin has a barrier function to prevent invasion of foreign substances into the body, only blending risperidone in an adhesive layer composition of the conventional patch could not give a risperidone-containing patch having a sufficient skin absorbability.
Therefore, to increase the skin absorbability of risperidone in a percutaneous administration method using a patch, a patch containing a skin permeation enhancer such as fatty acids or solvent such as propylene glycol together with risperidone has been proposed (see patent document 4). However, even with these attempts, the skin absorbability of risperidone blended in a patch is not sufficient, and actually, a patch containing risperidone has not yet been on the market. Therefore, development of a preparation, which has an excellent percutaneous absorbability and sustainability to the possible extent for therapeutic use, has been desired.
On the other hand, in a percutaneous absorption preparation containing a basic drug, it was already proposed that a skin permeability of the basic drug was improved by blending an organic acid salt or an organic acid with the basic drug (see patent documents 5-7). However, in these documents, although hypnotic-sedative agents, psychotropic agents and the like are exemplified as the basic drugs, there was no suggestion whether a drug-containing patch could actually be prepared as an effective preparation having a sufficient skin absorbability to the possible extent for therapeutic use for patients. In addition, an external preparation whose skin absorbability was enhanced by formation of an ionic liquid between an ionic drug and a substance to be an counter ion was already proposed (see patent document 8); as ionic drugs, only indomethacin, diclofenac sodium, sodium cromoglycate, tramadol hydrochloride and piroxicam were exemplified. Further, the literature described that the melting point of the ionic liquid, which was prepared with indomethacin or diclofenac sodium as the ionic drug and lidocaine or lidocaine hydrochloride as a substance to be the counter ion, lowered. However, the lowering of basic drugs is not specifically disclosed since both indomethacin and diclofenac are acid drugs. Additionaly, although an ointment containing indomethacin or diclofenac sodium as the ionic drug and being blended with lidocaine or lidocaine hydrochloride as a substance to be the counter ion is disclosed, there is no suggestion in any way whether a patch containing such ionic liquid of the drug can achieve a sufficient skin absorbability and sustainability.
Patent document 1: JP, B, 6-13511
Patent document 2: JP, A, 2003-525865
Patent document 3: JP, A, 2001-511782
Patent document 4: JP, A, 11-503138
Patent document 5: JP, A, 11-302161
Patent document 6: WO00/61120
Patent document 7: WO01/007018
Patent document 8: JP, A, 2005-82512


The present invention provides novel compounds (e.g., compounds of Formula I) which activate the Kv7 potassium channels. Separate aspects of the invention are directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising said compounds and uses of the compounds to treat disorders responsive to the activation of Kv7 potassium channels.

Voltage-dependent potassium (Kv) channels conduct potassium ions (K+) across cell membranes in response to changes in the membrane potential and can thereby regulate cellular excitability by modulating (increasing or decreasing) the electrical activity of the cell. Functional Kv channels exist as multimeric structures formed by the association of four alpha and four beta subunits. The alpha subunits comprise six transmembrane domains, a pore-forming loop and a voltage-sensor and are arranged symmetrically around a central pore. The beta or auxiliary subunits interact with the alpha subunits and can modify the properties of the channel complex to include, but not be limited to, alterations in the channel's electrophysiological or biophysical properties, expression levels or expression patterns.
Nine Kv channel alpha subunit families have been identified and are termed Kv1-Kv9. As such, there is an enormous diversity in Kv channel function that arises as a consequence of the multiplicity of sub-families, the formation of both homomeric and heteromeric subunits within sub-families and the additional effects of association with beta subunits (Christie, 25 Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, 1995, 22, 944-951).
The Kv7 channel family consists of at least five members which include one or more of the following mammalian channels: Kv7.1, Kv7.2, Kv7.3, Kv7.4, Kv7.5 and any mammalian or non-mammalian equivalent or variant (including splice variants) thereof. Alternatively, the members of this family are termed by the gene name KCNQ1, KCNQ2, KCNQ3, KCNQ4 and KCNQ5 respectively (Dalby-Brown, et al., Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, 2006, 6, 9991023).
As mentioned above, the neuronal Kv7 potassium channels play roles in controlling neuronal excitation. Kv7 channels, in particular Kv7.2/Kv7.3 heterodimers, underlie the M-current (Wang et al Science. 1998 Dec. 4; 282(5395):1890-3). The M-current has a characteristic time- and voltage-dependence that results in stabilisation of the membrane potential in response to multiple excitatory stimuli.
In this way, the M-current is involved in controlling neuronal excitability (Delmas & Brown, Nature, 2005, 6, 850-862). The M-current is a non-inactivating potassium current found in many neuronal cell types. In each cell type, it is dominant in controlling membrane excitability by being the only sustained current in the range of action potential initiation (Marrion, Annual Review Physiology 1997, 59, 483-504).
Retigabine (N-(2-amino-4-(4-fluorobenzylamino)-phenyl) carbamic acid ethyl ester) is a compound which binds to the Kv7 potassium channels (Wuttke, et al., Molecular Pharmacology, 2005, 67, 1009-1017). Retigabine activates K+ current in neuronal cells and the pharmacology of this induced current displays concordance with the published pharmacology of the M-channel that has been correlated to the Kv7.2/3 K+ channel heteromultimer which suggests that activation of Kv7.2/3 channels is responsible for at least some of the anticonvulsant activity of this agent (Wickenden, et al., Molecular Pharmacology 2000, 58, 591-600). Retigabine is effective in reducing the incidence of seizures in epileptic patients (Bialer, et al., Epilepsy Research 2002, 51, 31-71). Retigabine has a broad spectrum and potent anticonvulsant properties. It is active after oral and intraperitoneal administration in rats and mice in a range of anticonvulsant tests (Rostock, et al., Epilepsy Research 1996, 23, 211-223).
The five members of this family of ion channels differ in their expression patterns. The expression of Kv7.1 is restricted to the heart, peripheral epithelial and smooth muscle, whereas the expression of Kv7.2, Kv7.3, Kv7.4 and Kv7.5 appear to be dominant in the nervous system which includes the hippocampus, cortex, ventral tegmental area, and dorsal root ganglion neurons (for a review see Greene & Hoshi, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 2017, 74(3), 495-508).
The KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 genes appear to be mutated in an inherited form of epilepsy known as benign familial neonatal convulsions (Rogawski, Trends in Neurosciences 2000, 23, 393-398). The proteins encoded by the KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 genes are localised in the pyramidal neurons of the human cortex and hippocampus, regions of the brain associated with seizure generation and propagation (Cooper et al., Proceedings National Academy of Science USA 2000, 97, 4914-4919).
Furthermore, mRNA for Kv7.3 and 5, in addition to that for Kv7.2, are expressed in astrocytes and glial cells. Thus Kv7.2, Kv7.3 and Kv7.5 channels may help modulate synaptic activity in the CNS and contribute to the neuroprotective effects of KCNQ channel openers (Noda, et al., Society for Neuroscience Abstracts 2003, 53.9), which would be relevant for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as but not limited to Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's chorea.
mRNA for Kv7.2 and Kv7.3 subunits are found in brain regions associated with anxiety and emotional behaviours such as depression and bipolar disorder e.g. hippocampus, ventral tegmental area and amygdala (Saganich, et al. Journal of Neuroscience 2001, 21, 4609-4624; Friedman et al., Nat Commun. 2016; 7: 11671), and retigabine is reportedly active in animal models of anxiety-like behaviour (Korsgaard et al J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2005 July; 314(1):282-92. Epub 2005 Apr. 6). As such Kv7 channels are relevant for the treatment of emotional related disorders such as but not limited to bipolar depression, major depressive disorder, anxiety, suicide, panic attacks, social phobia.
Kv7.2/3 channels have also been reported to be upregulated in models of neuropathic pain (Wickenden, et al., Society for Neuroscience Abstracts 2002, 454.7), and potassium channel modulators have been hypothesised to be active in both neuropathic pain and epilepsy (Schroder, et al., Neuropharmacology 2001, 40, 888-898). In addition to a role in neuropathic pain, the expression of mRNA for Kv7.2-5 in the trigeminal and dorsal root ganglia and in the trigeminal nucleus caudalis implies that openers of these channels may also affect the sensory processing of migraine pain (Goldstein, et al. Society for Neuroscience Abstracts 2003, 53.8). Taken together, this evidence points to the relevance of KCNQ channel openers for the treatment of chronic pain and neuropathy related disorders.
WO 07/90409 relates to the use of Kv7 channel openers for the treatment of schizophrenia. Kv7 channel openers modulate the function of the dopaminergic system (Friedman et al., Nat Commun. 2016; Scotty et al J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2009 March; 328(3):951-62. doi: 10.1124/jpet.108.146944. Epub 2008 Dec. 19; Koyama et al., J Neurophysiol. 2006 August; 96(2):535-43. Epub 2006 Jan. 4; Li et al Br J Pharmacol. 2017 December; 174(23):4277-4294. doi: 10.1111/bph.14026. Epub 2017 Oct. 19; Hansen et al J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2006 September; 318(3):1006-19. Epub 2006 Jun. 14) which would be relevant for the treatment of psychiatric disorders such as but not limited to psychosis, mania, stress-related disorders, acute stress reactions, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, impulsivity disorders, personality disorders, schizotypical disorder, aggression, autism spectrum disorders. WO 01/96540 discloses the use of modulators of the M-current formed by expression of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 genes for insomnia, while WO 01/092526 discloses that modulators of Kv7.5 can be utilized for the treatment of sleep disorders. WO 09/015667 discloses the use of Kv7 openers in the treatment of sexual dysfunction.
Although patients suffering from the above-mentioned disorders may have available treatment options, many of these options lack the desired efficacy and are accompanied by undesired side effects. Therefore, an unmet need exists for novel therapies for the treatment of said disorders.
In an attempt to identify new therapies, the inventors have identified a series of novel compounds as represented by Formula I. Accordingly, the present invention provides novel compounds as medicaments for the treatment of disorders which are modulated by the KCNQ potassium channels.

Alcohol derivatives as KV7 potassium channel openers


A method and apparatus for facilitating transfer of packets from communication hardware to a host computing device or software. After receiving s set of packets at a communication interface, the system writes in a hybrid buffer a type II completion line configured to identify a payload buffer in which payloads of packets are stored. For each packet, the system writes a type I completion line configured to indicate the length of a packet's header in the hybrid buffer and the length and/or offset of the packet's payload in the payload buffer. A type 0 completion line indicates that no more packets are stored in the payload buffer. The system then signals the host computing device by configuring a single completion descriptor to identify the hybrid buffer in which the completion lines are stored. The host computing device reads the single completion descriptor to process the packets.

This invention relates to the field of computer systems. More particularly, a method and apparatus are provided for transferring multiple packets from hardware to software.
Traditionally, packets are forwarded from the hardware that receives them, such as a network interface or channel adapter, to a host computing device with the assistance of descriptors. For each packet, one or more completion descriptors are configured to describe the packet (e.g., storage location, size, type) so that the host device could retrieve and process it. Thus, for each packet received at the hardware, the host device would receive an interrupt from the hardware, read the associated descriptor(s), then go and retrieve the packet for further processing before turning to the next one.
However, communication rates have increased exponentially in recent history, and have out-paced increases in processor speed. As a result, it is becoming more and more difficult, if not impossible, for a host device to keep up with incoming packets. Part of the problem is the amount of processor time that is needed to consume a completion descriptor for each packet.
Methods have been developed for interrupt blanking or coalescing, in which a single interrupt may be signaled for multiple packets being transferred from hardware to software. However, even with these methods, the host computing device still must process a separate completion descriptor for each packet.
Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus for describing or forwarding multiple packets to a host device using a single descriptor and/or for simplifying the form of such a descriptor so that they can be processed faster.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and apparatus for transferring multiple packets from hardware


Performance data for a musical instrument having note designating keys are provided representing a sequence of notes which constitute a length of musical performance. The performance data are analyzed, and based on the analyzed performance data, fingering data are then created representing fingers to be used for operating keys among the note designating keys to designate the respective ones of the sequence of notes. Fingering hand image data are then created representing fingering hand images including fingers to be used for operating keys for the sequence of notes. Finally, a display screen exhibits the fingers to be used for the sequence of notes based on the fingering image data. The screen displays a musical score, a range of keyboard and fingering hand profiles. The size of the fingering hand is preferably made different between the indication of key depressions and the indication of key release.

This application claims priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-270690, filed Sep. 6, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated hereinto by this reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for creating fingering guidance in playing musical instrument, and a machine readable medium containing program instructions for realizing such an apparatus and a method, and more particularly to an apparatus and a method for creating fingering data based on the performance data to exhibit fingering hand images and fingering numbers on the display screen as a guidance for a musical instrument player telling which keys to play i.e. to actuate and which fingers to use therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In an electronic musical instrument such as of a keyboard type, it is convenient for the player, if a guidance is exhibited or presented on a display screen as to which keys to actuate and which fingers to use. In this connection, there have been proposed various ideas and devices for presenting fingering instructions. For example, unexamined JP patent publication No. H7-261750 discloses an idea of creating fingering data with respect to a plurality of keys to be actuated sequentially according to the note pitch differences between the consecutively actuated keys and the types (white or black) of the consecutively actuated keys, and displaying fingering instructions based on the created fingering data. The fingering instructions are presented by, for instance, exhibiting finger numbers on the indicators provided in the vicinity of the respective keys or by lighting lamps in colors corresponding to the fingering indications. Further, unexamined JP patent publication No. H10-39739 discloses an idea of preparing fingering data beforehand, creating finger motion data based on the fingering data, and displaying animated finger images on the screen.
Among the prior art devices, a device such as shown in the above-mentioned unexamined JP patent publication No. H7-261750 presents the fingering instructions by simple indications like numerals or colored lamps, which may not be intuitive for the user to grasp the fingering. A device such as shown in the above-mentioned unexamined JP patent publication No. H10-39739 presents the fingering instructions by complicated images and may not be suitable for exhibiting fingering images in real time based on performance data having no fingering date therein.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to solve the prior art disadvantages and to provide a fingering guidance creating device and method which will present fingering instructions by intuitive indications for the user through uncomplicated processing. The invention is to further provide a storage medium storing a program that is executable by a computer to configure such a device and method.
According to the present invention, the object is accomplished by providing an apparatus for creating fingering guidance in playing a musical instrument having note designating keys, the apparatus comprising: a performance data providing module which provides performance data representing a sequence of notes which constitute a length of musical performance; a fingering data creating module which analyzes the performance data and creates fingering data representing fingers to be used for operating keys among the note designating keys to designate the respective ones of the sequence of notes; a fingering image creating module which creates image data representing fingering images which include the fingers to be used for operating keys for the sequence of notes; and a display device which exhibits the images of the fingers to be used for the sequence of notes based on the image data.
According to an aspect of the present invention, each of the fingering images includes: a key range image depicting a range of the note designating keys; a hand image depicting a shape of a hand to be located at a position as determined based on the performance data representing a note to be played among the sequence of notes and on the fingering data; and a finger image depicting a shape of a finger to be placed between the note designating a key corresponding to a note to be played in the range of the keys and the shape of the hand based on the fingering data.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the fingering guidance creating apparatus may further comprise a performance data advancing module which advances the performance data for analysis according to progression of the performance.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, the fingering data creating module analyzes the performance data fraction by fraction of the length of musical performance and creates the fingering data for every fractional length of the musical performance, the analysis and creation needing a certain length of time for the fractional length of the musical performance; and the fingering guidance creating apparatus further comprises: a delaying module which delays the performance data for the fractional length of the musical performance by an amount of time equal to the certain length of time needed; and a tone signal generating module which generates tone signals for the fractional length of the musical performance based on the delayed performance data.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the fingering image creating module creates a first type of fingering data which represents a first type of finger image having a first length and not having a nail mark to be exhibited for indicating a note designating key to be depressed, while the fingering image creating module further creates a second type of fingering data which represents a second type of finger image having a second length which is greater than the first length and having a nail mark to be exhibited for indicating a note designating key to be released.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the fingering image creating module further creates a third type of fingering data which represents a third type of finger image having a third length which is greater than the first length and is less than the second length to be exhibited a predetermined time length in advance to the exhibition of the first type of finger image and to the exhibition of the second type of finger image.
According to the present invention, the object is further accomplished by providing a method for creating fingering guidance in playing a musical instrument having note designating keys, the method comprising: a step of providing performance data representing a sequence of notes which constitute a length of musical performance; a step of creating fingering data representing fingers to be used for operating keys among the note designating keys to designate the respective ones of the sequence of notes based on analysis of the performance data; a step of creating image data representing fingering images which include the fingers to be used for operating keys for the sequence of notes; and a step of displaying the images of the fingers to be used for the sequence of notes based on the image data.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the fingering guidance creating method may further comprise a step of advancing the performance data for analysis according to progression of the performance.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the step of creating fingering data analyzes the performance data fraction by fraction of the length of musical performance and creates the fingering data for every fractional length of the musical performance, the analysis and creation needing a certain length of time for the fractional length of the musical performance; and the method further comprises: a step of delaying the performance data for the fractional length of the musical performance by an amount of time equal to the certain length of time needed; and a step of generating tone signals for the fractional length of the musical performance based on the delayed performance data.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the step of creating image data creates a first type of fingering data which represents a first type of finger image having a first length and not having a nail mark to be exhibited for indicating a note designating key to be depressed, while the step of creating image data further creates a second type of fingering data which represents a second type of finger image having a second length which is greater than the first length and having a nail mark to be exhibited for indicating a note designating key to be released.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the step of creating image data further creates a third type of fingering data which represents a third type of finger image having a third length which is greater than the first length and is less than the second length to be exhibited a predetermined time length in advance to the exhibition of the first type of finger image and to the exhibition of the second type of finger image.
According to the present invention, the object is still further accomplished by providing a storage medium storing a program that is executable by a computer for creating fingering guidance in playing a musical instrument having note designating keys, the program comprising: a module for providing performance data representing a sequence of notes which constitute a length of musical performance; a module for creating fingering data representing fingers to be used for operating keys among the note designating keys to designate the respective ones of the sequence of notes based on analysis of the performance data; a module for creating image data representing fingering images which include the fingers to be used for operating keys for the sequence of notes; and a module for displaying the images of the fingers to be used for the sequence of notes based on the image data.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the program may further comprise a module for advancing the performance data for analysis according to progression of the performance.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the module for creating fingering data is to analyze the performance data fraction by fraction of the length of musical performance and to create the fingering data for every fractional length of the musical performance, the analysis and creation needing a certain length of time for the fractional length of the musical performance; and wherein the program further comprises: a module for delaying the performance data for the fractional length of the musical performance by an amount of time equal to the certain length of time needed; and a module for generating tone signals for the fractional length of the musical performance based on the delayed performance data.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the module for creating image data is to create a first type of fingering data which represents a first type of finger image having a first length and not having a nail mark to be exhibited for indicating a note designating key to be depressed, while the module for creating image data is to further create a second type of fingering data which represents a second type of finger image having a second length which is greater than the first length and having a nail mark to be exhibited for indicating a note designating key to be released.
According to a still further aspect of the present invention, the module for creating image data is to further create a third type of fingering data which represents a third type of finger image having a third length which is greater than the first length and is less than the second length to be exhibited a predetermined time length in advance to the exhibition of the first type of finger image and to the exhibition of the second type of finger image.
According to the present invention, the performance data may be provided by a recorded medium, or by an apparatus automatically generating performance data of a musical piece according to some application software containing a music composing algorithm, or further may be downloaded from a server computer via a communication network.
According to the present invention, therefore, a clear fingering guidance for the player will be created for the user intending to play the musical instrument.

Apparatus and method for creating fingering guidance in playing musical instrument from performance data