An IAB node performs a method for determining a periodicity of a SSB and/or a RMSI for use in an IAB backhaul link. The method may comprise one or more of: using a predetermined periodicity value; determining a periodicity value based on at least one different parameter; receiving a signaling message indicating a periodicity value and using the indicated periodicity value for the IAB backhaul link; and selecting a periodicity value from a plurality of permitted periodicity values.

Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and/or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and/or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.
General Introduction of the Initial Access of IAB Node
In a multi-hop wireless relay network, some User Equipments (UEs) connect to the network via relay nodes over more than one hop. In FIG. 1, a multi-hop integrated access and backhaul (IAB) deployment is presented, where the IAB donor node (in short IAB donor) has a wired connection to the core network and the IAB relay nodes (in short IAB nodes) are wirelessly connected to the IAB donor as child nodes, either directly (single hop) or indirectly via other IAB nodes (multi-hop). The connection between IAB donor/node and UEs is called access link, whereas the connection between two IAB nodes or between an IAB donor and an IAB node is called backhaul link. For the IAB network, the backhaul links are realized as NR wireless links. The IAB donor and some of the IAB nodes serve not only the UE traffic within the serving range over the access link, but also the aggregated traffic from/to their child nodes over the backhaul link.
When an IAB node is turned on, its parent node, i.e. which node (for example, a donor node in case of single hop or another already connected IAB node in case of multi-hop) to eventually connect to, needs to be decided. For example, in the case of FIG. 1, the IAB node 2 (IAB-N2) can either connect to IAB-N1 or directly to the IAB donor (IAB-DN). The connection determination of each IAB node forms a certain topology between the IAB donor and IAB nodes that impacts on the achievable performance of the UEs.
For different reasons, an already connected IAB node may also, potentially, have to change its connection to a different parent node.
The Mobile-Termination (MT) function has been defined as a component of an IAB node. In the context of the IAB study, MT is referred to as a function residing on an IAB-node that terminates radio interface layers of the backhaul Uu interface toward the IAB-donor or other parent IAB-nodes.
FIG. 2 shows a reference diagram for IAB in standalone mode, which contains an IAB-donor and multiple IAB-nodes. The IAB-donor is treated as a single logical node that comprises a set of functions such as gNB-DU (where DU means Distribution Unit), gNB-CU-CP (where CU means Central Unit, and CP means Control Plane), gNB-CU-UP (where CU means Central Unit, and UP means User Plane), and potentially other functions. In a deployment, the IAB-donor can be split according to these functions, which can all be either collocated or non-collocated as allowed by 3GPP NG-RAN architecture. IAB-related aspects may arise when such split is exercised. Also, some of the functions presently associated with the IAB-donor may eventually be moved outside of the donor in case it becomes evident that they do not perform IAB-specific tasks. Note that besides an IAB donor, an IAB node also has its DU function.
Within 3GPP discussion on IAB, the related topic of IAB-node initial access (stage1) and IAB-node discovery and measurement (Stage 2) are discussed.
IAB-Node Initial Access (Stage 1):
In case of standalone (SA) deployments, initial IAB node discovery by the MT (Stage 1) function follows the same 3GPP Rel-15 initial access procedure as an UE, including cell search based on the same Synchronization Signal/Physical Broadcast Channel blocks (SS/PBCH blocks or SSBs) available for access UEs, SI (System Information) acquisition, and random access, in order to initially set up a connection to a parent IAB-node or a IAB-donor.
In case of a non-standalone (NSA) deployment, when MT function of an IAB-node performs initial access on NR carrier (however a UE performs initial access on LTE carrier), it follows the same Stage-1 initial access as an accessing UE in SA deployments. The periodicity of SSB set and/or RMSI (Remaining Minimum System Information) assumed by the MTs for initial access may be longer than 20 ms which is assumed by Rel-15 UEs, and a single value is to be selected from the following candidate values: 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, 160 ms.
Note: This implies that the candidate parent IAB-nodes/donors must support both NSA functionality for the UE and SA functionality for the MT on the NR carrier.
Inter-IAB-Node Discovery and Measurement (Stage 2):
For the purpose of backhaul link reference signal received power/reference signal received quality (RSRP/RSRQ) RRM measurements, IAB supports both SSB-based and CSI-RS (Channel State Information Reference Signal) based solutions.
For the purpose of inter-IAB-node and donor detection after the IAB-node DU becomes active (Stage 2), the inter IAB-node discovery procedure needs to take into account the half-duplex constraint at an IAB-node and multi-hop topologies. The following three solutions are supported:
SSB-Based Solutions (Solution 1-A and 1-B):                Solution 1-A) Reusing the same set of SSBs used for access UEs:        In this case, the SSBs for inter-IAB cell search in stage 2 are on the currently defined sync raster for a SA frequency layer, while for a NSA frequency layer the SSBs are transmitted inside of the SMTC (SSB Measurement Time Configuration) configured for access UEs.        Solution 1-B) Use of SSBs which are orthogonal (TDM and/or FDM) with SSBs used for access UEs:        In this case, the SSBs, that may get muted, for inter-IAB cell search and measurement in stage 2 are not on the currently defined sync raster for a SA frequency layer, while for a NSA frequency layer the SSBs are transmitted outside of the SMTC configured for access UEs.
An IAB-node should not mute its own SSB transmissions targeting UE cell search and measurement when doing inter-IAB cell search in stage 2:                For SA, this means that SSBs transmitted on the currently defined sync raster follow the currently defined periodicity for initial access;        In case of Solution 1-B, this implies SSBs, that may get muted, for inter-IAB stage 2 cell search is at least TDM with SSBs used for UE cell search and measurements.
CSI-RS Based Solutions (Solution 2):                CSI-RS can be used for inter-IAB detection in synchronous network
To support IAB-node initial access and Stage 2 inter-IAB-node discovery and measurement, enhancements to existing Re1.15 SMTC/CSI-RS/RACH configurations and RMSI (Remaining Minimum System Information) may need to be supported as well as coordination across IAB-nodes.
SSB/RMSI Periodicity in NR Release 15
A UE can be provided per serving cell by higher layer parameter ssb-periodicityServingCell a periodicity of a half frames for reception of a full set of SS/PBCH blocks (SSBs) of the serving cell. If the UE is not configured a periodicity of the half frames for receptions of the set of SS/PBCH blocks, the UE assumes a periodicity of the half frame on which a SSB set is carried. A UE assumes that the periodicity is same for all SS/PBCH block sets in the serving cell.
For initial cell selection, a UE may assume that half frames with SS/PBCH block sets occur with a periodicity of 2 frames, i.e. 20 ms.
The ssb-PeriodicityServingCell can be 5 ms, 10 ms, 20 ms, 40 ms, 80 ms, or 160 ms, which may be signaled in the IE ServingCellConfigCommon with which the network provides this information in dedicated signalling when configuring a UE with a SCells or with an additional cell group (SCG). It also provides it for SpecialCells (SpCells) in Master Cell Group (MCG) and SCG upon reconfiguration with sync.
It is also included in ServingCellConfigCommonSIB IE which is used to configure cell specific parameters of a UE's serving cell in SIB1.
-- ASN1START-- TAG-SERVINGCELLCONFIGCOMMONSIB-STARTServingCellConfigCommonSIB ::=SEQUENCE {dowlinkConfigCommonDownlinkConfigCommonSIB,uplinkConfigCommonUplinkConfigCommonSIBOPTIONAL,  -- Need RsupplementaryUplinkUplinkConfigCommonSIBOPTIONAL,  -- Need Rn-TimingAdvanceOffsetENUMERATED { n0, n25560, n39936 }OPTIONAL,  -- Need Sssb-PositionsInBurstSEQUENCE {inOneGroupBIT STRING (SIZE (8)),groupPresenceBIT STRING (SIZE (8))OPTIONAL -- Cond Above6GHzOnly},ssb-PeriodicityServingCellENUMERATED {ms5, ms10, ms20, ms40, ms80,ms160},tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommonTDD-UL-DL-ConfigCommonOPTIONAL, -- Cond TDDss-PBCH-BlockPowerINTEGER (−60..50),...}-- TAG-SERVINGCELLCONFIGCOMMONSIB-STOP-- ASN1STOP
There currently exist certain challenge(s). The SSB/RMSI periodicity assumed by the MTs for initial access and measurement may be different from the SSB/RMSI periodicity assumed by Rel-15 UEs, and methods on the determination of the SSB/RMSI periodicity are required.

Determination of SSB/RMSI periodicity for IAB node


The present invention discloses an enforcement system for controlling security in a territory including: (a) a multifunctional device having a plurality of device functionalities; (b) a disabling mechanism for reversibly disabling at least one device functionality; and (c) a gate controller, for enforcing security in the territory, having a restricting mechanism for activating the disabling mechanism. A method for controlling device functionalities of a device in a territory including the steps of: (a) sending a disable instruction to the device to disable at least one device functionality upon entry of the device into the territory; and (b) disabling at least one device functionality, by the device, upon receipt by the device of the disable instruction.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for selectively enforcing a temporary limitation on the use of certain functions of a portable device for the period that the device is within a specific territory.
People have grown accustomed to taking mobile phones with them almost everywhere they go. Modem mobile phones are becoming multi-functional devices which may include: a voice recorder, a still camera, a video camera, a portable data storage device, and a global-positioning system.
There are many territories (i.e. designated regions) where a local authority forbids the use of one or more of the functions mentioned above for reasons of security, safety, or commercial interest. A method in the prior art of deterring the use of such device functions is to forbid visitors to carry a mobile phone into the territory. Indeed, there are places where one is not allowed to enter with a mobile phone. Such a method deprives the visitor of the legitimate use of the mobile phone for answering calls, and also creates a risk of theft or loss of the mobile phone in cases where the device is left with a gatekeeper.
Another deterrence method in the prior art is to instruct visitors not to use these particular functions. In doing so, one relies solely on the visitor's cooperation for compliance. Thus, such a method is not reliable since visitors may, intentionally or unintentionally, use one of the forbidden device functions.
It would be desirable to have systems and methods for enforcing limitations on the functionality of portable devices in a designated territory, without the drawbacks of the prior art methods.

Territorial enforcement of device functionality


A brake disabling device for a vehicle includes an electronic control unit (ECU) for receiving a signal indicative of a direction of the vehicle. A control device communicates with the ECU for disabling brakes associated with a steer axle of the vehicle as a function of the direction of the vehicle.

The present invention relates to a brake control system. It finds particular application in conjunction with controlling brakes to assist a heavy vehicle backing down a slope and will be described with particular reference thereto. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is also amenable to other applications.
Heavy vehicles (e.g., trucks) are frequently used in heavy industry and for construction jobs. For example, trucks are commonly used at construction sites for carrying and delivering heavy materials. It is not uncommon that a truck is required to back down a steep sloped surface (e.g., a hill having a grade of 20% to 30%) for unloading the material.
When the truck is backed down a sloped surface, weight is transferred from the front axles to the rear axles. Furthermore, when backing down the slope, the truck is typically traveling at less than about 5 miles per hour (mph). An anti-lock braking system (ABS) is typically designed to be inoperative at speeds less than about 5-6 mph. Therefore, the ABS on a truck backing down a slope likely becomes inoperative or "cuts-out." Because the ground at a construction site on which a heavy vehicle operates often times includes mud or other substances that may increase the likelihood of wheel slippage, the wheels associated with the steering axle (e.g., the front wheels) tend to lock when the service brakes are applied if the ABS cuts-out. Once the wheels associated with the steering axle lock, the driver's ability to steer the vehicle is impeded. Therefore, it is not uncommon for a driver of a truck backing down a slippery slope at a low speed (e.g., less than about 5 mph) to experience difficulty steering because the wheels associated with the steering axle lock when the service brake is applied.
One method drivers of heavy vehicles currently employ for preventing the wheels associated with the steering axle from locking while backing down a surface having a steep grade includes using the vehicle's hand brake in place of the service brakes to slow down the vehicle. More specifically, the operator does not activate the service brakes by depressing the foot pedal but, instead, activates the hand brake to control the speed of the vehicle. Since hand brakes on heavy vehicles typically only control the rear brakes, the front (steering) wheels do not lock. Therefore, the steering capacity of the vehicle is not degraded by locked wheels on the steering axles.
Although the operator has more control over steering the vehicle, there are drawbacks when using the hand brake to control the vehicle speed under the circumstances described above. For example, high hysteresis associated with use of the hand brake makes it difficult to control the speed of the vehicle. Furthermore, while operating the hand brake, one of the operator's hands cannot be used for steering the vehicle. Therefore, the operator's ability to steer the vehicle is compromised.


Systems and methods for halting the execution of instructions in a microprocessor are disclosed. The halt instruction may have an operand which allows a programmer to specify which clock of a system is to be utilized in conjunction with the halt instruction. A specified number of clock cycles may then be counted using the clock identified in the instruction, after which dispatch of instructions may resume. These system and methods may also allow the execution of instructions to be halted with respect to one or more of a multiplicity of threads within a microprocessor while allowing the continued execution of instructions associated with the remaining threads.

Electronic systems are becoming a staple of modern life. These electronic systems may be very simple systems, such as individual logic gates that are used for simple control circuits, moderately complex systems, such as integrated logic circuits that are used for controllers and embedded processors, or much more complex systems utilized in powerful computing architectures.
Almost universally, the power requirements for these electronic systems have been increasing. This is especially true when referring to microprocessor based computing systems. Besides the display, the largest consumer of power in a computing system is the CPU microprocessor, and the higher the clock frequency of the microprocessor the greater that microprocessor's power consumption (all other aspects being equal). Prior techniques for reducing the power consumption of a microprocessor have reduced the speed of the system clock (or turned off the clock altogether) during periods of inactivity. These techniques, however, are costly because of the additional complicated circuitry needed for the storing and restoring of the state of the computer when the system clock is turned off.
Additionally, these techniques do not account for situations where an executing program must wait for an event, for example, while doing I/O polling or lock acquisition. In these cases, programs have traditionally executed a timing loop such as:
/*An example of a timing loop*/void delay(unsigned long loops) {  while (loops--)  ;}
In a timing loop such as this, the processor executing the program will execute a "nop" instruction during the timing loop, consuming power though in actuality the program is waiting for the completion of another task. For example, on a microprocessor which operates at a system clock speed of 10 GHz, waiting for an I/O instruction for 10 PCI bus cycles (33 MHz) while executing such a timing loop is equivalent to wasting 3,000 CPU clock cycles.
On a multi-threaded processor these problems become exacerbated. Timing loops not only waste processor power, they also consume unnecessary execution clock cycles which other threads could utilize. On a multi-threaded processor the actual time period of a timing loop may change depending on the activity of concurrently executing threads. This problem has traditionally been addressed by executing a timing loop utilizing a counter which changes in value. This counter is usually implemented using a special purpose register or memory mapped I/O. An example of such a timing loop is:
/* from linux-2.4.20/include/asm-ppc64/delay.h *//* define these here to prevent circular dependencies */#define ———HMT_low( )  asm volatile("1,1,1")#define ———HMT_medium( )  asm volatile("or 2,2,2")static inline unsigned long ——get_tb(void){  unsigned long rval;  asm volatile("mftb %0"=r" (rval));  return rval;}static inline void -delay(unsigned long loops){  unsigned long start = ——get_tb( )  while ((——get_tb( ) -start) <loops)  ———HMT_low( ):}
This timing loop is specific to the PowerPC architecture, as it uses the "mftb" instruction to access the TBL time stamp counter. Consequently, this loop may allow a program to approximate specific waiting times. However, these time periods may only be based on the system clock utilized in conjunction with the microprocessor, and, because such a loop must use processor specific instructions (mftb) the code is not portable across processor architectures.
Another methodology for queiscing processors during idle periods is to provide a halt instruction for the microprocessor. An example of a conventional halt instruction for the PowerPC architecture is depicted in FIG. 1. Halt instruction 100 has opcode 110 value of nineteen in bits 0-5 and extended opcode 120 value, resident in bits 21-30, of five hundred and thirty.
Usually a halt instruction of this type stops instruction execution on a processor until a timer or I/O interrupt occurs, and are used by operating systems when there is no process to execute. These instructions are usually required to set up interrupts. Setting up these interrupts may be expensive (requiring many instructions). Additionally, these halt instructions may only be executed by system (privileged) software, and do not allow the instruction to specify the amount of time for which the processor is to stop instruction execution.
Thus, a need exists for a method and system for a user to instruct a microprocessor to cease execution of instructions which can specify the clock to utilize, the number of clock cycles to halt, and which does not impede the execution of other threads on a multi-threaded microprocessor.


This G-PON network testing apparatus composes a network by connecting between an OLT, ONU or ONT by a optical fiber. This testing apparatus stores testing items and code numbers in a storing section by correlating them from each other. It obtains data receiving time and transmits the data to a delay buffer A when no test is implemented and generates testing data in which a code number is added to the data when a test is implemented. Then, this testing apparatus extracts the code number from the generated testing data to implement the testing item and obtains time when the testing item is finished. Then, it calculates a test time necessary for implementing the test from this time and the data receiving time and reads the data transmitted to the delay buffer A after an elapsed of the calculated test time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a network testing apparatus, a network testing method and a recording medium storing a network testing program for testing events occurring within a network installed between an OLT or an ONT and an ONU or the ONT and constructed by connecting one optical fiber between the OLT or the ONT and the ONU or the ONT.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, as one of technologies for realizing FTTH (Fiber To The Home) for transmitting optical signals transmitted from an accommodating station such as a common carrier to a plurality of subscriber's homes, PON (Passive Optical Network) for transmitting signals to the plurality of homes by splitting one optical fiber by a splitting device such as a splitter has been used. In the PON, an OLT (Optical Line Terminal) within the accommodating station and a plurality of ONU/ONT (Optical Network Unit/Optical Network Termination) are configured in a model of point-to-multi-points.
Lately, G-PON (Gigabit-passive Optical Networks) standardized by the ITU-T: Telecommunication-Standardization Sector, International Telecommunication Union) and that realizes a transmission speed of gigabits (Gbps) has come to be used. Because a transmission frame of the G-PON is set to be a fixed length frame of period of 125 microseconds that is the same period with a basic time unit of the conventional telecommunication services, it enables one to efficiently use existing services such as telephone and dedicated lines. For example, the G-PON can realize multi-channel broadcasting and access lines of 1 Gbps by putting communication and broadcasting into one optical fiber cable.
Then, in a G-PON type network structure as shown in FIG. 13, communication between a communication unit A, which is OLT or ONT, and communication units B1 through Bn, which are ONU and/or ONT, is in a relationship of 1:n. In order to prevent data (referred to as downstream data hereinafter) transmitted from the communication unit A from colliding with data (referred to as upstream data hereinafter) transmitted from the communication units B1 through Bn, the communication unit A continuously transmits the downstream data to the communication units B1 through Bn and the communication units B1 through Bn transmit the upstream data to the communication unit A in a time-division manner.
Specifically, the communication unit A measures communication time (Tb1 through Tbn) with the communication units B1 through Bn and instructs the communication units B1 through Bn to respond to the communication unit A corresponding to the measured time. Then, receiving the instruction, the communication units B1 through Bn transmit the upstream data by the specified time-division manner. It is noted that the series of processes described above is called as Ranging and the Ranging is always carried out once or more when the communication is physically established periodically or with a change of condition of the network as a momentum.
Because the communication between the communication unit A (OLT/ONT) and the communication units B1 through Bn (ONU/ONT) assumes the relationship of 1:n in the G-PON type network structure, it is essential for the communication units B1 through Bn to transmit the upstream data in the time-division manner. Still more, an occurrence of such collision of data may become a large trouble for a large-scale G-PON system in which a large number of communication units B (ONU/ONT) is connected to the communication unit A (OLT/ONT). Then, there have been disclosed various technologies for testing or verifying whether or not transmission/receiving of data between the communication unit A and the communication units B1 through Bn can be made correctly without collision by the Ranging described above.
For example, according to Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Application Laid-open No. 2005-20420), a testing apparatus for testing normal communication is composed of a standard OLT 1, an ONU-to-be-tested 2, a pseudo ONU 3 and a frame generator/tester 4 as shown in FIG. 14. The pseudo ONU 3 is an ONU that plays a pseudo role of simulating operations of a plurality of ONUs. When the frame generator/tester transmits data to the ONU-to-be-tested 2 in this structure, the ONU-to-be-tested 2 transmits the data to the standard OLT 1 with timing assigned (set) to the own unit. Then, the standard OLT 1 transmits the received data to the frame generator/tester 4 and the frame generator/tester 4 tests whether or not the data is transmitted with normal timing. The use of such testing apparatus allows the connected ONU to be tested one by one, the test of the complicated network to be readily carried out and troubles and problems to be readily detected as compared to a case of simultaneously testing all ONUs connected in the G-PON system.
However, the testing apparatus of Patent Document 1 described above merely tests only operations of the OLT and ONUs to the end and cannot test events occurring within the network, such as delayed insertion of input data, fluctuation or jitter of data arrival time, fall of part or all transmission data and reversal of sequence of data. When data arrival time to the ONU-to-be-tested 2 is late due to the event occurring within the network for example, the ONU-to-be-tested 2 cannot transmit data with timing (time-division) assigned to itself and may cause such a problem that data collision occurs between other ONUs and the OLT as a result. Therefore, it is necessary to test such events occurring within the network.
In general, a testing system in which testing apparatuses 1 through n and a testing apparatus 0 or a communication monitor are connected to the outside of the G-PON system (G-PON network) composed of a communication unit A (OLT/ONT) and communication units B1 through Bn (ONUs/ONTs) as shown in FIG. 15 is used. The testing apparatuses 0 through n used here are what test whether or not the units normally operate similarly to Patent Document 1 described above and the testing apparatus 0 tests events occurring within the network. When the communication monitor is used instead of the testing apparatus 0, the communication monitor detects the event occurring within the network by obtaining and analyzing data flowing within the G-PON system.
When the testing apparatus 0 is provided between the communication unit A (OLT/ONT) and the communication units B1 through Bn (ONUs/ONTs) in order to verify the event occurring within the network in the prior art technology described above, however, the data flowing within the G-PON system passes through the testing apparatus 0 and an error occurs in a data communication time within the system. Therefore, there has been a problem that data collision occurs even between the normally operating OLT and ONUs and that the testing apparatus 0 cannot test the event occurring within the network during the normal communication.
Specifically, all data within the G-PON system pass through the testing apparatus 0, fluctuating the communication time (Tb1 through Tbn) between the communication unit A and the communication units B1 through Bn. That is, when a test is being implemented between the communication unit A and the communication unit B1, the communication time between the communication unit A and the communication unit B1 fluctuates even though the communication is being normally implemented between the communication unit A and the communication unit B1 through Bn, causing such an event that data transmitted from the communication unit B1 collides against data transmitted from the communication unit B2. Therefore, the testing apparatus 0 cannot test the event occurring within the network in the normal communication.
The prior art technology described above has also had a problem that it requires an enormous amount of time because it obtains contents and result of test by obtaining and analyzing an enormous amount of data flowing within the G-PON system in testing the events occurring within the network.

Network testing apparatus, network testing method and recording medium thereof


The present invention relates to a communication system (SYS), a gateway apparatus (HiGA) and a method for allowing services of a first type provided by a communication server (IMS-S) to be provided to terminal devices (T1, T2, . . . Tn . . . TN) of a home network (CPN) independent of the fact whether the terminal devices are of a first type or a second type (IMS-based or non-IMS-based). The gateway apparatus (HiGA) comprises one or more service-specific mapping applications (AS) for adapting the control plane (SIP) used between the second type terminal devices (T2) to the control plane (HTTP) used between the gateway apparatus (HiGA) and the communication sever (IMS-S).

FIG. 1a shows a communication system SYS for illustrating the background and the problems to be solved by the invention. In FIG. 1a a home network (Customer Premises Network) CPN comprises a number of terminal devices T1, T2, . . . Tn . . . TN. The home network CPN may be connected to a service network which is denoted with IMS-N in FIG. 1a. In the home network CPN or the connected service network IMS-N there is arranged a service providing server IMS-S which provides specific services to the terminal devices T1, T2, . . . Tn . . . TN, e.g. in an IMS type communication system VoIP, video conferencing and IPTV.
The access procedure and delivery procedure is provided by a gateway apparatus which is denoted with HiGA in FIG. 1a. In response to an access message AC from a terminal device, e.g. T1, to the gateway apparatus HiGA, the service providing server IMS-S will deliver the requested service by means of a delivery message DL forwarded by the gateway apparatus HiGA. Normally, if the service providing server IMS-S and the terminal devices T1, T2, . . . Tn . . . TN are of the same "type", then there will be no problems in the accessing and provision (delivery) of the services of the service providing server IMS-S, even if the services also have application-specific attributes associated with them. However, if the service providing server IMS-S is of a first type and the terminal device is of a second type incapable to understand the specific first type control data (application-specific attributes) associated with the services, then only the services provided by the service providing server IMS-S can be delivered to the second type terminal device but there is no possibility that first type control data associated with the service is decoded and used in the second type terminal device. Hereinafter, to further illustrate this aspect, a more specific example relating to IMS services will be explained also to FIG. 1b, 1c.
The examples in FIG. 1c, 1b, 1c are for a case in which the gateway apparatus is formed by a HiGA (Home IMS GAteway) and the terminal device T1 (first type terminal device) is a SIP device (SIP: Session Initiation Protocol), and the terminal device T2 (second type terminal device) is a non-SIP device. As explained before, the HiGA is a functional block (gateway) residing in the home network CPN which thus enables SIP and non-SIP terminal devices to access IMS-based services provided from by the service providing server IMS-S. IMS-based services may include communication services such as VoIP (Voice over IP) and video conferencing, as well as other multimedia services, such as IPTV, as also indicated in FIG. 1a.
One of the characteristics of for example IPTV offered as an IMS service is that it allows a personalisation of TV content delivered to end users, for example the delivery of personalized advertisements based on user identity and preference. For this purpose, the HiGA maintains a user profile in a user profile memory UP-MEM shown in FIG. 1b. Such a user profile may for example be stored in the exchange portion EX of the gateway device HiGA shown in FIG. 1c. A user profile is maintained for every subscription which is linked to an IMS service identity. For example, as shown in FIG. 1b, each user identity (USER-ID) is associated with a specific preference (control information) and service identification IMS-ID. For example, different TV programs may be available to each individual user in their EPG (Electronic Program Guide) such as, as shown in FIG. 1b, ID1="dad"/control info="sports"; ID2="son"/control info="movies and kids programs" and IDn="mother"/control info="advertisements". IF such specific preferences (control info) are indicated, the HiGA will make sure that the requested service is delivered to the user (terminal device) in a personalised way by means of the control information.
For example, if a first type terminal device T1 sends a service delivery request including a user-ID=ID2, then HiGA will know that a personalized electronic program guide EPG2 is to be retrieved from the service providing server IMS-S and HiGA will send a request for EPG2 to the server IMS-S. Alternatively, if the server IMS-S includes a user-specific preference mapping table mapping between user identity ID and control information IMS-CTRL, as shown in FIG. 1c, it may be sufficient if the first type terminal device T1 merely sends its user-ID ID1 (first tape control information) to the server IMS-S through the HiGA and the server IMS-S will return the first type control information (control data) to the first type terminal device T1 which is capable of decoding and using the provided first type (personalized, i.e. user and service-specific) control information EPG1 In this way, personalised content can be delivered to a specific subscription and hence to a specific user, provided that the terminal device and the server run the same (first type) control protocol. Typically, in a communication system having an IMS server IMS-S, both the terminal device T1 and the server IMS-S run the same SIP control protocol and can therefore "talk" to each other using this protocol.
Whilst HiGA provides essentially an IMS-SIP proxy (exchange) functionality for providing IMS communication services to both SIP and non-SIP (e.g. UPnP (Universal Plug and Play)) home devices, the IMS system, i.e. the application server IMS-S in the home network CPN or in the interconnected services network IMS-N, provides a multitude of multimedia services, as shown in FIG. 1a, including IPTV, VoIP, video conferencing etc. and typically such IMS services could have application (service)-specific attributes (control information) which cannot be used and understood by standard terminal device T2 running a different second control protocol, as indicated in FIG. 1a. For example, the IPTV service might have application-specific attributes such as EPG (Electronic Program Guide) and service triggers. A voice over IP service may have specific attributes in terms of specific adverts or music. If the end terminal device is also an IMS-based terminal device, then of course there is no problem to deliver the application (service)-specific attributes associated with this service to a (first type SIP) terminal device T1. However, there is a problem if the terminal device is of a different type (second type), i.e. non-IMS-based, because in this case the application-specific attributes (control information) associated with this IMS-based service cannot be "understood" by the control protocol of a non-IMS-based first type terminal device T2. This problem does not only relate to the more sophisticated provision of personalized content from the server IMS-S but even to a simple request scenario.
For example, the first terminal device T1 may be capable of decoding a delivered MPEG2 stream by means of a service processor SP (MPEG2 decoder). However, it may use a HTTP (first type) control protocol for requesting this MPEG2 service from the server IMS-S. If the server IMS-S runs a second control protocol, for example SIP, then the first terminal device T1, not supporting IMS SIP, can not access media at the server IMS-S with the HTTP request. Another example is if the first terminal device T1 requests a service, e.g. a video streaming, requiring a certain bandwidth (certain resources) in the access network and the access network is incapable to provide the required resources. Since the first and second control protocols are different, the terminal device will not be capable e.g. to negotiate with the server IMS-S that a certain lower bandwidth is acceptable for a video streaming with e.g. lower quality.
Many off-the-shelf terminal devices T2, such as for example a simple standard Set-Top-Box STB, running simple request messages without having assigned to them specific user-IDs, are only capable to decode or run the service, but they are not capable to provide any user-specific features, i.e. they are "blind" and simply run the service in a user-unrelated fashion.


A sheet feeding device includes a housing, a conveyor roller, a first shaft, a second shaft, and drive units. The conveyor roller includes a first side portion and a second side portion. The first shaft has a first engaging portion. The second shaft has a second engaging portion. The drive units drive and rotate the first and second shafts. The first side portion has an engaged portion to be engaged with the first or second engaging portion. The second side portion is formed with a bearing portion configured to be supported by the first or second engaging portion in relatively rotatable manner. The conveyor roller is mountable in the housing in a first mounted state, in which the conveyor roller is integrally rotated with the first shaft, and in a second mounted state, in which the conveyor roller is integrally rotated with the second shaft.

The present disclosure relates to a sheet feeding device for feeding sheets, an image forming apparatus provided with the sheet feeding device, and an image reading device provided with the sheet feeding device.
Conventionally, there is known a sheet feeding device to be loaded in an image forming apparatus for feeding sheets. The sheet feeding device is provided with a sheet tray and a conveyor roller. A sheet of a sheet stack on the sheet tray comes into contact with the circumferential surface of the conveyor roller. When the conveyor roller is rotated, the sheet is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction. Further, there is known a technology, in which a conveyor roller is mountable and dismountable to and from a housing of a sheet feeding device.
The sheet feeding device having the above configuration is provided with a drive shaft, a support shaft, and the conveyor roller. The drive shaft is rotatably supported in the housing for transmitting a rotational driving force to the conveyor roller. When the conveyor roller is mounted on a mounting portion disposed in the housing, an engaging portion disposed at a distal end of the drive shaft is engaged with an engaged portion formed on one of the side surfaces of the conveyor roller. Further, the support shaft disposed in the housing is inserted in a bearing portion formed on the other of the side surfaces of the conveyor roller. The engaging portion of the drive shaft is engaged with the engaged portion of the conveyor roller, whereby the conveyor roller is driven and rotated.

Sheet feeding device, image forming apparatus provided with the same, and image reading device provided with the same


A system and method of cleaning up a full erase unit in a flash translation layer, including moving all valid blocks on the full erase unit to a corresponding address location on a predetermined transfer unit, and then erasing the contents of the full erase unit. After erasure, the formerly full erase unit is redesignated to become the next transfer unit to which the contents of the next full unit will be transferred. The method also includes determining whether a criterion has been met for cleanup to be undertaken. The criteria for undertaking cleanup includes determining whether the number of free blocks is greater than a threshold which is a function of twice the number of bad blocks in the transfer erase unit plus twice the number of flash translation layer structure blocks in the full erase unit.

Computers, including but not limited to personal computers (PCs) and personal digital assistants (PDAs) use operating systems having predetermined file structures. The file structures are adapted for interfacing with mechanical drives (e.g., hard drives and floppy drives). Data can be written directly over other data designated for deletion.
Flash memory cards are configured in erase blocks, which must be completely erased prior to any data being written within a particular erase block.
A flash translation layer has been developed to interface between flash memory card erase blocks and the file system used by a PC operating system. One such FTL is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,404,485 which issued in 1995. The FTL connects flash memory cards to the file system used by the operating system of a particular PC, not allowing more than one write without erase at the same address.
The conventional practice of background clean-up operations interspersing primary read and write activities creates complications and difficulties in maintaining updated FTL tables and other structures of the FTL essential to operation.

Flash translation layer cleanup system and method


An undercast liner for being applied to an anatomical shape of a patient and overlaid with a cast material. An elongate fabric has two opposing faces and an intermediate spacer area that both separates and interconnects the opposed faces. The liner is constructed at least in part of hydrophobic, water resistant monofilament yarn for providing enhanced water resistance, light weight, breathability and resistance to collapse and degradation due to moisture and bacteria during extended use to the liner. The liner has sufficient stretch in both a length-wise and width-wise direction to facilitate conforming the undercast liner around the anatomical shape without wrinkling during application.

This invention relates to an undercast liner of the type used to protect and cushion the skin of a patient from the relatively rigid material of a cast, such as constructed of plaster of Paris or synthetic cast tape. The liner allows the patient to carry out routine activities such as bathing, showering, swimming and the like without fear of the liner getting wet.
Traditional cast padding is constructed from a simple stockinette and padding material made from cotton or synthetic fibers, and offers poor or no water resistant capability. Cotton and some synthetic paddings actually absorb and retain large quantities of water. A cast is typically worn for a period of 6-8 weeks. During this period of time, traditional casts having a water-absorbent stockinette can promote skin maceration, discomfort and breed bacteria-causing odor as perspiration and water from washing and bathing migrates to and through the stockinette. The stockinette remains wet or damp for an extended period of time, causing the problems mentioned above.
The present invention provides a more conformable, water-resistant liner at a reduced cost as compared to water resistant products already available in the market. The present invention is directed to a construction that overcomes the drawbacks of water-resistant undercast liners such as that found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,102,711 and 5,277,954. For example, the monofilament structure of the liner has higher elongation in the width direction and provides a higher stretch during application that results in a better conforming liner which can be easily molded around a limb. Due to the improved padding/cushioning as compared to other liner and padding products known in the prior art, the undercast liner of the present invention requires fewer layers during application. The present invention may also have an adhesive coating incorporated on either or both surfaces. The tacky surface, when applied away from the skin, adheres to itself sufficiently to form a smoother underlayer for a cast. Additionally, it provides a non-slip effect under the cast tape and keeps the liner in position to facilitate easier application of the cast tape.
One of the problems with conventional cast padding as well as commercially available water resistant padding is that the padding collapses underneath a cast over the duration of 4-6 weeks as water and perspiration are absorbed into the structure. This reduction in thickness and resultant increase in density retards moisture transfer by both wicking and evaporation, and lessens the protection offered by the padding.
A water-resistant undercast liner such as disclosed and claimed in this application can help alleviate skin maceration problems which generally require additional treatment or therapy and eliminates the need for frequent cast changes. The present invention accommodates bathing, showering and contact with water without significant penetration of water into the padding, therefore keeping the skin relatively dry. In addition, the padding of the present invention provides improved conformability, cushioning, breathability, ease of application and a low profile as compared to water-resistant products currently in the market.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A vehicle electrical system includes at least one battery, at least one fan and a device for detecting a critical state in the vehicle electrical system. The fan is activated when a critical state of the vehicle electrical system is detected. In this context, use is made of the fan's ability to store mechanical energy in the form of inertias. The fan operates in a regenerative manner and electrically feeds the mechanically stored energy back into the on-board electrical system.

The number of electrical loads continues to increase in modern motor vehicles. The use of safety-relevant loads is increasing as well, so that it must be ensured by suitable measures that sufficient electrical energy is available at all times. To this end, various measures have been proposed. For instance, it is conventional to switch off comfort loads in a stepped manner when the vehicle electrical voltages are low. Furthermore, it is conventional to situate individual loads in galvanically decoupled partial on-board electrical systems and to assign additional energy stores to these in the form of emergency batteries or capacitors, so that the operation of these loads is ensured even when the vehicle electrical system malfunctions or encounters a rapid voltage drop. Disadvantageous in these conventional measures is that they are very complex and expensive.
Therefore, an aspect of the present invention is based on the technical problem of providing a method and a device by which a rapid drop in the vehicle electrical system may be prevented in a less complicated manner.

Method and device for stabilizing an on-board electrical system of a vehicle electrical system


An apparatus, such as a camera, including a first drive power transmission system for transmitting drive power to a finder in order to correct parallax, a second drive transmission system for transmitting drive power to an operating device for operating the device, and a drive power supplying device for selectively supplying drive power to the first drive power transmission system and the second drive power transmission system.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement in an apparatus, such as a camera, with a parallax correcting function, which is used to correct parallax of a finder for viewing an object through a light path which is different from the photographic light path.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, a camera, such as a compact camera, which comprises a finder optical system used for viewing an object through a light path which is different from the photographic optical system light path, has a problem that the actual photographic range on the film surface and the range viewed by the photographer using a finder do not exactly match. This phenomenon is called parallax, and various measures have been conventionally proposed to correct this problem.
Such measures include providing a plurality of field of view frames for correcting parallax within the finder field of view to provide an index of parallax to the photographer, moving the finder field of view mask in accordance with a distance to be photographed, and displaying the field of view pattern on a liquid crystal display. In Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 3-92831, parallax is corrected by using, as the finder optical system, a prism whose apex angle varies in accordance with a distance to be photographed.
In cameras which use a zoom optical system for the photographic lens, a zoom optical system is also commonly used for the finder in order to subject the finder to zooming with the zooming of the photographic lens. In such a case, parallax occurs not only when a distance to be photographed changes, but also when the finder optical system is subjected to zooming. Parallax becomes considerable, the higher the magnification of the zoom ratio. Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 7-86631 discloses a camera construction in which the magnification change-over optical system is mechanically shifted with changes in the finder magnification (focal length).
In the camera disclosed in the aforementioned Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 7-86631, parallax produced as the finder magnification changes can be corrected, but parallax produced as the distance to be photographed changes cannot be corrected. None of the conventionally proposed cameras are capable of correcting both the parallax produced with changes in the finder magnification and the parallax produced with changes in distance to the object to be photographed.
In view of the above-described problem, the applicant has disclosed, in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-35774, a camera which not only corrects parallax produced with changes in the finder magnification, but also parallax produced with changes in distance to the object to be photographed, which could not be corrected by the camera in the aforementioned Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 7-86631. More specifically, the proposed camera is capable of correcting parallax produced between near distance photography and far distance photography.
The camera proposed in Japanese Patent Application No. 8-35774 has the problem of being large and costly, since another drive source needs to be specially provided for parallax correction.

Camera with parallax correcting function


An odor collection station for a waste water lagoon with a buoyant housing having a top, open bottom, and opposite side and end walls. The housing having a U-shaped duct with an upper and lower passageway connected by a vertical passageway. Buoyant elements secured to the housing maintain the lower passageway at a level higher than the water surface. Compressed air forced through an inlet port of the lower passageway combines with odors that rise from the lagoon surface and are pumped through the vertical and upper passageway to an outlet port where odor components are contained, measured, and analyzed.

Processing of livestock wastes usually involves the collection and storage in deep above ground or pit holding sites. Unless an aeration system is used, the storage system becomes anaerobic and odors from the storage system and/or confinement building can become a problem. Over 200 different volatile compounds have been identified in air samples from livestock waste storage/treatment systems. Although several of these compounds are individually regulated by the federal law (i.e. Clean Air Act), taken as a group livestock odors are not regulated by federal laws. Air quality from livestock production facilities is controlled in many areas by state and local regulations such as providing minimum distance standards between anaerobic lagoons and residences or public lands.
To protect individuals living in the vicinity of livestock production facilities, as well as the owners of such facilities, odor emission guidelines at the state or local government level must be developed. However, before these guidelines can be enacted, standard methods of odor measurements must be developed. The lack of a standard method of odor measurement has also made evaluation of odor control methods/technologies impossible. The objective of this invention is to identify "indicator compounds" and develop a standard test for odor measurement. These indicator compounds will be used to develop a "Quantitative Chemical Odor Index".
Methods to monitor odors from livestock waste storage/treatment systems can be divided into three groups; (1) scentometric, (2) chemical analysis or (3) electronic methods. Scentometry is the standard method used to measure odors. Scentometric methods, such as olfactometry, determine odor levels by a forced-choice ascending concentration series, selecting the minimal or threshold concentration. Oflactometers work by dilution of air samples with clean filtered (charcoal filter) air. The odor threshold (initial detection concentration) is determined by a panel consisting of 3 to 10 individuals. Air samples (usually 32 liters) are taken from the target site in polyethylene or teflon bags. This method has the advantage of using the human nose as its detector. The nose is still the most sensitive detector to a number of the chemicals that constitute the characteristic odors associated with livestock wastes. However, the method is cumbersome and slow which makes field studies difficult. Olfactometry's reliance on the judgment of a panel also makes standardization difficult if not impossible.
Chemical analysis by gas chromatography techniques has the advantage of reproducibility, impartiality, and adaptability to field testing. The problem with this method is the variability in the concentration of individual compounds from one site to another. Other problems include: (1) the human nose is more sensitive than gas chromatography detectors, (2) the synergistic and antagonistic effects of different compounds are not considered; and (3) the initial equipment expense. Electronic detectors/sensors have the impartiality of chemical techniques and the ability to measure complex mixtures as a group, like the human olfactory system. Unfortunately, electronic methods require standardization by both olfactometry and by chemical analysis.
One object of this invention is to provide a method of measuring odor emissions to establish standardized guidelines from waste water lagoons.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means of notifying owners and individuals living in the vicinity of livestock production facilities of potentially harmful odor emission levels.
Another object of this invention is to provide an efficient, easy, and prompt method for determining odor emission compounds and levels.
Another object of this invention is to provide an impartial, adaptable, and reproducible method for determining odor emission compounds.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means of measuring the odor emission of complex mixtures in varying concentrations as a group, considering both the synergistic and antagonistic effects between multiple compounds.
Another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus that is economical to manufacture and resistant to environmental elements.
These and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying specification and claims.

Method and means for collecting odors from a waste water lagoon

Iowa State University Research Foundation, Inc.


In an inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube, a plurality of fins is formed on the inner surface thereof along a line forming a first predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tube, a plurality of notches is defined on the fins along a line forming a second predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal axis, and the depth Hf' of the notches is specified to be 20% or more and below 40% (0.2.ltoreq.Hf'/Hf<0.4) with respect to the height Hf of the fins, to provide an inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube which can suppress pressure loss of a refrigerant, and by which improvements in performance of condensation and evaporation are intended. In addition no increase of power consumption is required for the pump.

In heat exchangers such as air conditioners, refrigerators, etc., heat transfer tube is employed to convey a refrigerant which changes its phase between liquid and gas to create an exchange of heat relative to any fluid outside the tube. Continuous spiral grooves defined on the inner surface of the tube in, for example, a heat exchanger such as a room air conditioner promote the thermal conduction from the evaporation and condensation process in the tube. The continuous spiral grooves act to increase the heat transfer area, and the turbulent refrigerant elevates heat transfer rate. A cross grooved heat transfer tube is also available wherein two types of grooves set at different angles to each other with respect to the longitudinal axis are added. This intensifies fluid turbulence to improve the heat transfer properties.
Heat transfer tubes based on this cross grooved principle are described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Sho 57-58092, Sho 60-29593, Hei 6-221788, Hei 8-42987, Hei 8-61878, Hei 8-178547, Hei 8-42978, and Sho 56-59194.
Among them, cross grooved heat transfer tube (hereinafter referred to as "the first inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube") as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 57-58092 is constituted as having primary and secondary grooves rotating in opposite directions to each other defined on the inner wall surface thereof, with the secondary grooves shallower than the primary grooves. This means that a liquid film produced on the surfaces of protuberances (fins) forming on the primary grooves will drop to the bottom of the tube due to gravity all the while flowing over primary and secondary grooves by surface tension. Improvement in the heat transfer rate through condensation is intended.
A cross grooved heat transfer tube (hereinafter referred to as "a second inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube") described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 60-29593 is a tube wherein ribs (fins) are formed by defining the first grooves each of which has a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tube, and on which the secondary grooves being shallower than the primary grooves are defined on the ribs at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal axis going around towards the direction opposite to the primary grooves. Improvement in the heat transfer performance of single phase flow is intended on the basis of the above described constitution.
A cross grooved heat transfer tube (hereinafter referred to as "a third inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube") disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 5-221788 is a tube wherein a plurality of fins substantially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tube are provided on the inside wall of the tube so that primary grooves are constituted between each two fins and spiral notches are defined on the same fins at a predetermined angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the tube. These notches constitute secondary grooves. This heat transfer tube is manufactured in a manner where a strip of copper or a copper alloy is rolled to form the fins. Notches are then defined by rolling and embossing the same with accompanying formation of burr. Finally the materials thus processed, are subjected to seam welding to obtain a tubular structure. In this heat transfer tube, improvement in heat transfer performance is intended by specifying the depth of the notches to be at least 40% of the height of the fins.
A cross grooved heat transfer tube (hereinafter referred to as "a fourth inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube") disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-178574 is a tube wherein main grooves intersecting subsidiary grooves are provided on the inside of the tube, and three-dimensional projections involving burr in the front and rear thereof are formed on the fins constituting the main grooves.
A cross grooved heat transfer tube (hereinafter referred to as "a fifth inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube") disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-42987 is a tube wherein fins are formed on the inside of the tube, and notches to interrupt the fins at predetermined pitches, respectively, are defined on the fins.
A cross grooved heat transfer tube (hereinafter referred to as "a sixth inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube") disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-61878 is a tube wherein the depth of the notches has been increased to define grooves on the inner surface of the tube in the cross grooved heat transfer tube as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-42987.
A cross grooved heat transfer tube (hereinafter referred to as "a seventh inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube") disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Sho 56-59194 is a tube wherein fins involving notches defined thereon at a predetermined gap, are formed on the inside of the tube, and concave portions communicating with the inner space of the tube through fine openings are defined under the grooves defined between each two fins.
A heat exchanger utilized as in air conditioners, refrigerators or the like requires a condenser in which the fluid flowing through the interior of a tube will change from gas to liquid, and an evaporator in which the fluid will change from liquid to gas. Since condensers and evaporators are optimized to be in accordance with the environments to which they are applied, no sufficient performance is obtained in other environments. In this respect, the use of the heat transfer tube depends on the suitability of the condenser and evaporator to be applied.
In recent years, overcoming environmental problems such as global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer, acid-rain, and pollution of the oceans has become a significant challenge. One restriction is the use of CFCs as these deplete the ozone layer. 99.5% CFC-R22 (HCFC-22) which has until now been employed as a refrigerant for air conditioners will be also banned in 2020. The use of CFC-R22 has already been decreased. The selection of R407C for use in packaged air conditioners and R410A for use in room air conditioners is decisive.
The new refrigerants are mixed refrigerants of two or three types. R407C is a refrigerant prepared from three CFCs R32, R125, and R134a so as to achieve substantially the same physical properties as those in currently used R22 wherein respective refrigerants evaporate and condense at different temperatures to one another. The resulting R407C is referred to as a zeotropic mixed refrigerant. On the other hand, R410A is a refrigerant prepared by mixing R32 with R125 at a ratio of 1:1. The refrigerant exhibits a substantially azeotropic state, so there is no decrease in heat transfer performance, but its operating pressure is about 1.6 times higher than that of R22. In these circumstances, the heat transfer tube is used for both condensation and evaporation, so it requires a different constitution from that of conventional heat transfer tubes.
However, in accordance with the conditions outlined in the descriptions in the conventional first to seventh inner surface-grooved heat transfer tube patents, if the depth of the secondary grooves defined on the fins forming the primary grooves is not suitable, pressure loss in the refrigerant will increase with subsequent loss in performance of condensation and evaporation.
At the same time, an increase in pump power consumption to prevent boundary formation between the gas and liquid constituting the zeotropic mixed refrigerant is undesirable.
On top of this, in accordance with the third and fourth inner surface-grooved heat transfer tubes descriptions where the depth of the secondary grooves is specified to be at least 40% of a height of the fins, burr produced at the time of forming the secondary grooves leads to greater pressure loss.

Inner surface grooved heat transfer tube


The present invention concerns methods for joining flexible polymer workpieces using light energy. These methods, referred to as laser welding, can be used to join thermoplastic or thermoset polymers. The laser welding method of the invention is applicable to the creation or repair of any article requiring the bonding of two flexible polymer components or a flexible polymer component and an inflexible polymer component.

The robust bonding of plastic materials is useful in the manufacture of many devices. Many devices, for example, medical devices, can have challenging bond requirements in terms of strength, durability, flexure, and permeability. It has been a particular challenge to satisfy applications involving bonding of elastomers, which are conventionally defined as polymeric materials able to be elongated at least 100% without experiencing yield or other failure. In many instances the difficulty lies in forming a bond that has the strength, flexibility, and integrity of the material adjacent to the bonded area. In addition, it is important to provide a bonded area that exhibits resistance to fatigue and polymer fracture failure. Because of this, bonded elastomers in which the bonded area is the same as the components being bonded can outperform alternative bonding methods.
Elastomeric polymers can be bonded with adhesives. However, it can be difficult to identify an adhesive that provides a strong bond between components formed of elastomeric materials. Typical adhesives capable of bonding elastomeric polymers with sufficient strength often fail to form a lasting bond because the mechanical properties of the adhesives generally do not match the mechanical properties of the elastomeric components which they join.
In an alternative approach, elastomeric components can be bonded by application of conductive heat and pressure to the region to be bonded. Such bonding is commonly achieved by holding together the components to be bonded and pressing them between heated platens. The platens are typically metallic, and it is therefore difficult or impossible to monitor the position of the components or the completeness of the bond during bonding. Defects are common and difficult to avoid. Moreover, due to manufacturing requirements, there are often long periods during which the platens must be held at high temperature, but are not being actively used for bonding. This can consume considerable energy and can pose burn risks for personnel operating the bonding equipment.
Components formed of thermosetting polymers such as synthetic rubber can be bonded by placing uncured polymer material between the components and then vulcanizing the uncured polymer material. In many cases this vulcanization bonding process entails the use of heated platens and thus entails the difficulties outlined above. Moreover, where the composition of the uncured polymer material is not identical to that of the components being bonded, the dissimilarity in mechanical properties can lead to failure of the bond.
Ultrasound and RF bonding can be used to join polymeric components. However, like heat sealing and vulcanization bonding, these bonding methods generally employ opaque, metal platens that interfere with observation of the alignment and layout of the components during bonding.
Ultrasonic welding can be used to bond polymeric components. To be effective, the ultrasonic waves must be transmitted through a rigid plastic material to an energy director zone in contact with another rigid plastic material. Energy dissipation occurs through conversion of the ultrasound vibrational energy to heat at the interface, where bonding occurs.
Friction or spin bonding is sometimes used to bond polymeric components, but these techniques are not suitable where static positioning of the components is required for considerations such as proper fit, alignment, and orientation of the components.
Staking and similar attachment methods using fastening devices such as screws, bolts, rivets and the like generally do not provide hermetic seals without the addition of gasket materials which require frames, brackets or similar support, defeating the intent of bonding without the use of additional extraneous material. Moreover, the use of additional materials to either form or seal the joint can lead to failure arising from the dissimilar mechanical properties of the materials used.

Method for laser welding flexible polymers


A stable ophthalmic pharmaceutical composition for relief, treatment, control, alleviation, or prevention of a pathological ocular condition of the eye comprises: (a) a first polymer, a viscosity of which changes with a change in a concentration of an electrolyte, such as a salt, when added to said first polymer; (b) a second polymer that is different from the first polymer and can modify the viscosity of the first polymer; and (c) an oil. In some embodiments, the composition further comprises a non-ionic surfactant. The composition can form a stable oil-in-water emulsion on storage, but separate into an oil phase and a water phase when applied in the eye. The emulsion can comprises an ophthalmic active pharmaceutical ingredient dissolved in the oil or water phase. The emulsion can provide enhanced stability to said active pharmaceutical ingredient.

The present invention relates to ophthalmic pharmaceutical compositions and methods of making and using such compositions. The present invention also relates to enhanced delivery of ophthalmic pharmaceutical ingredients in ophthalmic compositions and methods of making and using such compositions. Some embodiments of the present invention relate to compositions and methods for reducing, ameliorating, treating, or preventing discomfort of dry eye condition.
Prior-art ophthalmic compositions often suffer from inefficient delivery of beneficial ingredients, including ophthalmic pharmaceutical active ingredients, to the eye. Disadvantages of these compositions include short duration of the composition on the eye due to continuous drainage or evaporation.
Dry eye, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca or dyslacrima, is a common ophthalmological disorder affecting millions of people. A patient with dry eye may experience burning, a feeling of dryness, and persistent irritation. In severe cases, dry eye can seriously impair a person's vision and hence handicap the sufferer in activities such as driving. Certain diseases such as Sjogren's disease manifest dry eye symptoms. Also, as people age, the lacrimal glands in the eye may produce less moisture, resulting in eyes that become dry, inflamed, itchy, and gritty.
Although it appears that dry eye may result from a variety of unrelated pathogenic causes, all presentations of the condition share a common feature, namely the breakdown of the precorneal tear film, which breakdown commonly results in dehydration of the exposed outer ocular surface and hence the symptoms described above.
A number of approaches exist for the treatment of dry eye. One common approach has been to supplement the ocular tear film using artificial tears instilled throughout the day. Examples of the tear substitute approach include the use of buffered, isotonic saline solutions and aqueous solutions containing water-soluble polymers that render the solutions more viscous and thus less easily shed by the eye by the washing action of the tear fluid. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,927 to Gressel et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,607 to Glonek et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,409,205 to Shively;
Although these approaches have met with some success in some cases, significant challenges in the treatment of dry eye nevertheless remain. Problems include the fact that the use of tear substitutes, while temporarily effective, generally requires repeated application over the course of a patient's waking hours, not uncommonly ten or more times over the course of a day to keep the ocular surface lubricated or moist. Such an approach is inconvenient to a patient. Although increasing the viscosity of the dry-eye product may extend the product's duration in the eye, increase in viscosity is effective at extending duration only to a limited extent. Viscous ophthalmic drops are sometimes undesirable because they feel sticky in the eye. Further, increases in the duration of the product would be highly desirable.
Therefore, in view of the shortcomings of prior-art compositions, there is a continued need to provide improved ophthalmic pharmaceutical compositions for enhanced delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients ("APIs") to the eye. For example, it is desirable to provide improved ophthalmic compositions for the reduction, amelioration, treatment, or prevention of the discomfort resulting from the dry eye condition. It is also desirable to provide such compositions that are gentle to the ocular surface.

Ophthalmic pharmaceutical compositions and methods of making and using same


The steroid enzyme 5.alpha.-reductase is responsible for the conversion of testosterone to the more-potent androgen dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The catalytic cleavage of nucleic acid encoding 5.alpha.-reductase by a ribozyme which selectively recognizes such nucleic acid reduces the level of expression of 5.alpha.-reductase by mammalian cells including human cells treated with such ribozyme. The reduction of nucleic acid (e.g. mRNA) levels leads to a corresponding reduction of enzyme levels and dihydrotestosterone levels in surrounding tissues, thus providing a therapeutic effect. The transformation of 5.alpha.-reductase producing cells with an expression vector containing a structural gene for a ribozyme is shown to decrease 5.alpha.-reductase expression. Pharmaceutical compositions and methods useful for topically administering effective amounts of such a ribozyme to hair follicle cells also are exemplified.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to the cleavage of mRNA directing the expression of the enzyme steroid 5.alpha.-reductase in mammalian cells, including human cells. More specifically, the present invention provides ribozymes capable of selectively cleaving such mRNA, thereby advantageously reducing the expression of 5.alpha.-reductase by cells exposed to such a ribozyme. The invention also provides methods and compositions for administering such ribozymes to cells, including methods and compositions for topically administering a 5.alpha.-reductase-mRNA-specific ribozyme to, inter alia, hair follicle cells for the treatment of androgenic alopecia.
2. Description of the Background Art
The microsomal enzyme steroid 5.alpha.-reductase (EC18.104.22.168) catalyzes the conversion of 4-ene-3-keto-steroids to the corresponding 5.alpha.-dihydro-3-keto steroids in human and other mammalian tissues. The conversion of testosterone to the more-potent androgen dihydrotestosterone ("DHT") is one of the best-characterized and best-known roles of this enzyme. DHT is considered to be the most potent androgen and to be responsible for differentiation of the male external genitalia and prostate as well as for virilization at puberty. See Labrie et al., Endocrinology 131:3, 1571-1573 (1992).
Of the several organs that produce androgens, the testes produce these hormones in the greatest amounts. Centers in the brain exert primary control over the level of androgen production and, as described in greater detail below, numerous physical manifestations and disease states result when ineffective production control results in excessive androgen hormone production.
The enzyme 5.dbd.-reductase plays a major role in a variety of androgen-specific diseases, dysfunctions and physical conditions including but not limited to prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, acne, seborrhea, hirsutism and androgenic alopecia including male pattern baldness. A variety of chemical inhibitors of this enzyme have been proposed for various therapeutic uses. See for example McConnell et al., J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 74:505-508, which describes the use of finasteride for suppressing prostatic DHT in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia. The development of inhibitors of 5.alpha.-reductase has been hampered, however, by the absence of sufficient knowledge of the structure of the protein and by the very low levels of expression even in androgen-responsive tissues. See Andersson, S. et al., PNAS USA 87:3640-3644 (May, 1990). Moreover, in the case of finasteride, development of impotence is an undesirable side effect of this agent. Thus, there remains a need for improved effective and specific means for suppressing the production of DHT in patients in need thereof.
Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is a common problem in elderly males due to increased conversion of testosterone to DHT via increased activity of 5-.alpha. reductase, with significant clinical morbidity including obstruction, urinary retention, and difficulty in initiating or terminating urinary stream. Management of BPH is predominantly surgical with the risk of inherent complications. Recently, finasteride, a specific inhibitor of 5.alpha.-reductase, has shown some promise in the treatment of BPH despite the development of impotence in some patients (McConnell et al. as above). Therefore, development of an improved effective and specific means for suppressing the production of DHT via the 5-reductase pathway will find utility beyond the treatment of androgenic alopecia.
It is well established that, in androgenic alopecia (including male pattern baldness), an accumulation of androgens, especially DHT, in hair follicle cells plays a significant role. See Hamilton, J. B., Am. J. Anat., 71:451-480 (1942); Mooradian et al., Endocr. Rev., 8:1-28 (1987); Cunha et al., Endocr. Rev., 8:338-362 (1987). Testosterone circulating in the bloodstream serves as a prohormone for the more-active DHT in certain tissues. Testosterone is converted to the more-potent androgen DHT in the epidermis (Harris et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:10787-10791 (1992)), this conversion being catalyzed by the 5.alpha.-reductase enzyme. Male pattern baldness is characterized by the shrinkage of hair follicles on the crown of the head, ultimately leading to such follicles becoming dormant. Such shrinkage of hair follicles is largely due to the action of testosterone and DHT on the hair follicle cells. Individuals showing male pattern baldness begin to lose their hair early in life--often in their twenties--and may employ a variety of techniques with hopes of reversing the condition, often at great expense but with minimal effect.
It had been postulated that the presence of accumulations of DHT in the skin gives rise to the symptoms of both acne and androgenic alopecia including male pattern baldness. The presence of increased levels of 5.alpha.-reductase in hair follicles of patients, both male and female, exhibiting androgenic alopecia has been demonstrated. M. E. Sawaya reported (Dermatology, Progress & Perspectives, Proceedings of the 18th World Congress of Dermatology, pp. 202-203 (1992), Parthenon Pub. Group) that frontal follicles of women exhibiting androgenic alopecia contained almost twice the 5.alpha.-reductase level of occipital follicles, and that frontal follicles of men exhibiting androgenic alopecia contained more than twice the 5.alpha.-reductase level of occipital follicles. Thus, there is today little question that the conversion of testosterone to DHT, catalyzed by the enzyme 5.alpha.-reductase, plays an important role in androgenic alopecia.
With respect to acne, sebum secretion is on average higher in patients with acne vulgaris than their normal counterparts. Therefore, compounds which reduce sebum production have therapeutic potential. Among such agents are anti-androgens, including 5.alpha.-reductase inhibitors (Cuncliffe and Schuster, Lancet, 1:685-687 (1969)).
Among the several functions of RNA within cells is its role of enzymatic catalysis. Ribozymes are catalytic RNA's that have the capacity to specifically base-pair with, cleave and thus functionally destroy a an RNA sequence. See, generally, Cech and Bass, Ann. Rev. Biochem. 55:599-629 (1986). In nature, these RNA catalysts function in cis, cleaving a portion of the same RNA strand upon which they reside. The isolation of the catalytic portions of such RNA's into discreet molecules, or "trans-acting" ribozymes, however, has provided useful reagents having riboendonuclease activity. See Haseloff & Gerlach, Nature 334:585-591 (1988).
The class of "hammerhead" ribozymes, for example, comprises such trans-acting reagents. Hammerhead ribozymes cleave an exogenous RNA template immediately 3' to a GUX sequence (wherein X is C, A or U). Hammerhead ribozymes are comprised of a conserved catalytic core flanked by sequences complementary to the desired target RNA sequence to confer target specificity (Haseloff et al., supra.). Even more recently, the ability to engineer ribozymes in a variety of ways, for improved cleavage specificity and enhanced catalytic turnover, for example, has been documented. Thus, catalytic RNA's (which may also contain one or more deoxyribonucleotide bases), generically referred to herein as "ribozymes," which are capable of site-specific cleavage of exogenous RNA (and sometimes DNA) strands present an important mechanism for the modulation of gene expression in mammalian cells.
Two human 5.alpha.-reductase enzymes have been identified, and their genes have been isolated and sequenced. The cDNA and amino acid sequences of human type I 5.alpha.-reductase appears in Andersson, S. et al., supra, which publication indicated that the amino acid sequence has been deposited in the GenBank data base under accession no. M32313. Andersson et al. reported the discovery of a second human (type II) 5.alpha.-reductase in Nature, 354:159-161 (1991), which, unlike the type I enzyme, is the major 5.alpha.-reductase found in prostatic tissues and is sensitive to finasteride. The isolation and structural characterization of the human type II 5.alpha.-reductase gene, including its sequence, were reported by Labrie et al. in Endocrinology 131:3, pp. 1571-1573 (1992).
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a means for reducing the production or accumulation of DHT in mammalian tissues, including human tissues.
Another object of the present invention is to reduce the production or accumulation of DHT in tissues, especially epidermal tissue, by reducing the expression of the microsomal steroid enzyme 5.alpha.-reductase in epidermal tissue.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a pharmaceutical composition for topical application which contains a ribozyme capable of cleaving mRNA coding for 5.alpha.-reductase.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a method for treating androgenic alopecia by the topical application of a ribozyme capable of cleaving mRNA coding for 5.alpha.-reductase.
A still further object of the invention is to provide reagents useful for the in vitro study of the biosynthesis of mammalian 5.alpha.-reductase enzymes, including the human type I and type II enzymes. Such reagents contain amounts of a 5.alpha.-reductase-mRNA-specific ribozyme effective to reduce or halt entirely the production of 5.alpha.-reductase by cells exposed to them.

Ribozyme cleavage of 5.alpha.-reductase mRNA

The Regents of the University of California


Road wheels of a vehicle are provided with a steering shaft for transmitting a steering force from a steering wheel. An electric power steering unit (accessory) is disposed to a lateral side of the steering shaft. A clutch pedal is disposed below the electric power steering unit and pivotally mounted to a dash panel. The electric power steering unit is provided with an anti-intrusion bracket extending to the vicinity of the rear of the clutch pedal so that the anti-intrusion bracket can abut on the clutch pedal pushed rearward in a collision.

(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to anti-intrusion pedal systems for preventing a pedal from being moved rearward in a vehicle collision.
(b) Description of the Related Art
As disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication (Kokai) No. 2003-54390, there is conventionally known an anti-intrusion pedal system in which a parking brake pedal is fixed at its front part to a dash panel and is connected at its upper part through a connecting member to an instrument panel member located to the rear of the dash panel and extending in the car width direction and a guide member for abutting on the connecting member upon rearward movement of the dash panel due to a vehicle collision to guide it is disposed on a floor brace standing from a cabin floor to the instrument panel member. According to such an anti-intrusion pedal system, when the dash panel moves rearward, the guide member allows the parking brake pedal to move towards avoiding the driver.
In the above known anti-intrusion pedal system, however, it is necessary that the car body members including the instrument panel member and the floor brace connected to the instrument panel member exist in the vicinity of the pedal. Therefore, in order that the above anti-intrusion pedal system is applied to car body structures in which car body members do not exist in the vicinity of the pedal, the guide member must be disposed through an additional bracket or must be upsized, which arises problems of increasing the mass and needing an additional space.


A snubber circuit is provided for a switching power source including a dc power source, a switching circuit and a transformer having a primary coil and a secondary coil in which the primary coil is connected to the dc power source through the switching circuit and an output is produced from the secondary coil by driving the switching element. The snubber circuit has a series circuit of a capacitor and a switching device connected in parallel to the primary coil of the transformer and in series to the switching element. The switching device is turned on substantially simultaneously with turning off of the switching element and thereby at this time causes resonance to be produced between the primary coil and the capacitor by energy which has been accumulated in the primary coil and causes the accumulated energy to be transferred to the secondary coil by the resonance. The switching device is turned off before turning on of the switching element.

This invention relates to a snubber circuit for a switching power source such as a switching regulator and, more particularly, to a snubber circuit of this type with an improved efficiency.
In a switching power source such as a switching regulator, energy accumulated in a coil of a transformer while a switching element is on causes resonance with ambient floating capacity when the switching element is turned off with resulting occurrence of ringing with an accompanying overshoot. Ringing waves thus caused impart considerable stress to the switching element as well as produce undesirable noise to the outside. For restraining this ringing and thereby preventing occurrence of disorder in the switching element and reducing noise, a snubber circuit is connected to the switching element.
A switching power source including a prior art snubber circuit is shown in FIG. 2. A dc power source 10 is connected to a primary coil 16 of a transformer 14 through a switching element 12 and an output is produced from a secondary coil 18. A snubber circuit 26 is constructed of a series circuit of a diode 20 and a capacitor 22 which is connected in parallel with the primary coil 16 and a resistor 24 which is connected to the terminals of the capacitor 22. When the switching element 12 is turned off, energy which has been accumulated in the primary coil 16 of the transformer 14 is transferred to the capacitor 22 and consumed by the resistor 24 whereby the amplitude of ringing waves is held at a relatively low level.
In the prior art snubber circuit shown in FIG. 2, voltage which is substantially equivalent to power voltage E of the dc power source 10 (e.g., in the case of an AC/DC converter, DC 140 v in an area where AC 100 V is used and DC 320 V in an area where AC 230 V is used) is constantly applied to the terminals of the capacitor 22 and, therefore, current flows continuously through the resistor 24 (about 10 kohm to 20 kohm). This causes a loss in the order of 1 W to 3 W for obtaining the benefit of the snubber circuit 26 and thereby reduces efficiency of the snubber circuit 26 to that extent. Moreover, the prior art snubber circuit is disadvantageous in that it requires space for providing the resistor.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a novel snubber circuit which has eliminated the above problem of the prior art snubber circuit and is capable of reducing a loss caused in the circuit.

Snubber circuit for a switching power source


The present invention relates to compounds of Formula (I),

Diabetes is a chronic disorder affecting carbohydrate, fat and protein metabolism in animals.
Type I diabetes mellitus, which comprises approximately 10% of all diabetes cases, was previously referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus ("IDDM") or juvenile-onset diabetes. This disease is characterized by a progressive loss of insulin secretory function by beta cells of the pancreas. This characteristic is also shared by non-idiopathic, or "secondary," diabetes having its origins in pancreatic disease. Type I diabetes mellitus is associated with the following clinical signs or symptoms: persistently elevated plasma glucose concentration or hyperglycemia; polyuria; polydipsia and/or hyperphagia; chronic microvascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy; and macrovascular complications such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension which can lead to blindness, end-stage renal disease, limb amputation and myocardial infarction.
Type II diabetes mellitus (non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus or NIDDM) is a metabolic disorder involving the dysregulation of glucose metabolism and impaired insulin sensitivity. Type II diabetes mellitus usually develops in adulthood and is associated with the body's inability to utilize or make sufficient insulin. In addition to the insulin resistance observed in the target tissues, patients suffering from type II diabetes mellitus have a relative insulin deficiency—that is, patients have lower than predicted insulin levels for a given plasma glucose concentration. Type II diabetes mellitus is characterized by the following clinical signs or symptoms: persistently elevated plasma glucose concentration or hyperglycemia; polyuria; polydipsia and/or hyperphagia; chronic microvascular complications such as retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy; and macrovascular complications such as hyperlipidemia and hypertension which can lead to blindness, end-stage renal disease, limb amputation and myocardial infarction.
Dyslipidemia, or dislipidemia, includes lipoprotein overproduction or deficiency; sometimes associated with diabetes, it is a common cause of lipidemia. For example, it is recommended for adults with diabetes to have their levels of LDL, HDL, total cholesterol, and triglyceride measured regularly. The desirable levels for such adults can be: LDL—less than 100 mg/dL (2.60 mmol/L), HDL—no less than 40 mg/dL (1.02 mmol/L), and triglyceride—less than 150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L). When blood cholesterol is too high, the condition is referred to as hypercholesterolemia. In one instance, dyslipidemia can include hypertriglyceridemia, and mixed hyperlipidemia. In terms of the above indices, dyslipidemia (including hyperlipidemia) may be one or more of the following conditions: low HDL (<35 or 40 mg/dl), high triglycerides (>200 mg/dl), and high LDL (>150 mg/dl).
Compounds having retinoid-like activity are useful for preventing, treating or at least alleviating the symptoms and conditions of numerous diseases and conditions. There are two main types of retinoid receptors: the Retinoid X Receptors (RXRs) including their subtypes RXRα, β, γ, and the Retinoic Acid Receptors (RARs), also including their subtypes RARα, β, γ. Retinoid receptor modulators are useful in a variety of conditions including, but not limited to, metabolic disorders, such as type II diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, and atherosclerosis, and various cancerous and precancerous conditions in the breast, skin, prostate, cervix, uterus, colon, bladder, esophagus, stomach, lung, larynx, oral cavity, blood and/or lymphatic systems. For example, RXRs belong to the nuclear receptor superfamily and consist of a large number of ligand-regulated transcription factors that mediate the diverse physiological functions of steroid hormones, retinoids, thyroid hormone, and vitamin D in embryonic development, growth, differentiation, apoptosis, and homeostasis (Mangelsdorf, D. J., et al., Cell 83, 841-850 (1995); Kastner, P., et al., Cell 83, 859-869 (1995)).
RXR modulators have been identified as insulin sensitizing drugs. All diabetics, regardless of their genetic and environmental backgrounds, have in common an apparent lack of insulin or inadequate insulin function. Because transfer of glucose from the blood into muscle and fatty tissue is insulin dependent, diabetics lack the ability to utilize glucose adequately, which leads to undesired accumulation of glucose in the blood, or hyperglycemia. Chronic hyperglycemia leads to decrease in insulin secretion and contributes to increased insulin resistance, and as a result, the blood glucose concentration is increased so that diabetes is self-exacerbated (Diabetologia, 1985, "Hyperglycaemia as an inducer as well as a consequence of impaired isle cell function and insulin resistance: implications for the management of diabetes", Vol. 28, p. 119); Diabetes Cares, 1990, Vol. 13, No. 6, "Glucose Toxicity", pp. 610-630). Therefore, by treating hyperglycemia, the aforementioned self-exacerbating cycle can be interrupted so that prophylaxis or treatment of diabetes is made possible.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,873 to Vasudevan et al. is directed to novel compounds having retinoid-like biological activity. More specifically, it is directed to compounds that include a substituted tetrahydroquinoline moiety and a 2,4-pentadienoic acid moiety and have selective activity for retinoid X receptors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,739,338 to Beard et al. is directed to novel compounds having retinoid-like, retinoid antagonist and/or retinoid inverse-agonist-like biological activity. More specifically, it is directed to aryl substituted tetrahydroquinoline derivatives which bind to retinoid receptors and have retinoid-like, retinoid antagonist or retinoid inverse agonist-like biological activity.
There is a continuing need for new RXR agonists. There is also a need for RXR agonists useful for the treatment of conditions including but not limited to cancer and metabolic disorders such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypercholesterolemia.

Heterocyclic amide derivatives as RXR agonists for the treatment of dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia and diabetes

Abstract: methods for preparing these compounds, compositions, intermediates and derivatives thereof and for treating RXR mediated disorders. More particularly, the compounds of the present invention are RXR agonists useful for treating RXR mediated disorders.


An ATV educational demonstration system includes an ATV and an animatronic rider coupled to the ATV. In an illustrative embodiment, the system also includes a control system adapted to control the ATV and the animatronic rider.

The successful operation of an ATV can be influenced by the level experience a rider has along with proper education related to ATV operation. New riders often benefit most from formal rider education and proper operation demonstrations. However, even experienced riders can benefit from demonstrations of proper ATV operation.
Live-action demonstrations of proper ATV operation can be more engaging, and therefore more effective, than video demonstrations or two-dimensional schematic demonstrations. Accordingly, there is a need for live-action ATV demonstration systems.


A protective housing for a camera comprising a pouch adapted to contain the camera, is characterized in that the pouch has at least one pivotable portion that can be pivoted about a pivot axis to open the pouch in order to allow the camera to be inserted into the pouch, and a manually depressible actuating button is supported on the pouch at the pivot axis to be able to be depressed along the pivot axis to similarly depress a shutter release button of the camera in order to initiate picture-taking.

It is known for a waterproof housing to be in the form of a generally rectangular collapsible bag or pouch made from a flexible waterproof material and which is shaped and dimensioned to enclose a camera. The flexible waterproof material has sufficient flexibility to allow the camera to be operated through the material when the camera is enclosed in the pouch. See prior art U.S. Pat. No. 3,036,506 issued May 29, 1962.