The disclosure pertains to the field of electromagnetic exploration, and in particular relates to a device and method for ground source transient electromagnetic near-field detection and related device, with the purpose of solving the problems that the method for loop source transient electromagnetic detection has a relatively small detection depth and weak signals. The device of the disclosure includes an excitation source emitting device and a receiving device for signal detection. The excitation source emitting device includes an emission source, the emission source is a grounded conductor wire; the grounded conductor wire is used to convert a bipolar pulsed current into an electromagnetic field to be emitted underground; and the receiving device is configured for detecting a magnetic field and/or electric field signal in a survey line segment of an observation range of the grounded conductor wire using the method of areal sideline scanning survey.

The transient electromagnetic field (TEM) is a time-domain artificial source electromagnetic detection method which is established based on the principle of electromagnetic induction. The operation principle of TEM is shown in FIG. 1A. It is a geophysical exploration method, in which a step wave electromagnetic pulse is used for excitation (see FIG. 1B), and an ungrounded loop is used to emit a primary field underground; after the primary field is shut down, a variation of induced secondary field, generated by underground medium, with time is measured so as to find various geological targets.
The transient electromagnetism device in the form of ground surface central loop was widely used previously. Since the device is very simple and is easy to interpret, it has received widespread applications. The formerly used electrical exploration instruments such as V-5, V8, GDP-32, ROTEM, SIROTEM, PEM or the like are mostly implemented with the ground surface central loop device.
However, since the fields have a cancelling-out effect on each other due to the symmetry of rectangular loop, energy is attenuated quickly in the stratum, the depth of detection is shallow, and it is difficult to lay the loop when the side length is large. In addition, the magnetic loop source only has a horizontal electric field component, making it easy to excite the induction current in the low-resistance layer and presenting a good transverse resolution capability, which is very advantageous for detecting the low-resistance layer. The longitudinal resolution capability is poor. However, in detecting the high-resistance layer, the loop source device on the surface of the earth often fails to achieve good effect. Moreover, due to the structural characteristics of the field itself, the delamination effect of the transient magnetic data of the loop source is not ideal.
The grounded conductor wire source not only has a horizontal component of electric field, but also has a vertical component of electric field. The induced current excited by the horizontal component is advantageous for the detection of low-resistance body. The charges induced by the vertical component in the electrical interface of the stratum facilitate the detection of high-resistance body. All the six components of the electromagnetic field in an orthogonal coordinate system are related to the electrical structure of the stratum, and provides more possibilities for the information exploration and extraction of deep large-scale ore deposits (reserves). In the electrical source transient electromagnetic method, a grounded point electrode is powered with a pulse current to establish a pulsed primary magnetic field underground.
It was discovered that observations can be performed in the near field, which was studied in the former Soviet Union in the 1960s. The so-called near field refers to the case where the offset distance (r) is less than the buried depth (H) of the target layer. The difference of the depth measurement curve in the case of r/H≤0.7 from that in the case of r→0 is less than 5%. Theoretically, it has proven that the near-field method has better reflection of the underground conductor than the far-field method, both the vertical and horizontal resolutions are improved, and the volume effect is greatly reduced. Moreover, the near-field method has a series of advantages over the far-field method in terms of detection depth and work efficiency or the like. However, the application of near-field depth measurement of electrical sources is not widespread.
As can be seen from the above analysis, while the near-field observation is achieved with the loop source, the exploration depth is limited and cannot meet the requirements under the existing conditions. The long-offset and long time window transient electromagnetic depth measurement method (LOWTEM) is mainly used for searching oil deposit, for which the theoretical research is still in the exploratory stage in China and is not suitable for exploration of metallic ores. The electrical source transient electromagnetic theory and method need to be developed, with which the observation can be carried out in near-field zone and middle-field zone. Unlike the far-field method, the late stage data observed in the near-field and middle-field areas have a better delamination capability, thus making it suitable for exploration of metallic ores. One technical problem that needs to be urgently solved by those skilled in the art is how to accurately explore deep geological targets by adopting a novel transient electromagnetic depth measurement method to obtain the accurate and detailed geological information of deep geological targets.

Device and method for ground source transient electromagnetic near-field detection and related device

Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences


The present invention relates to a system for use in rehabilitation and/or physical therapy for the treatment of injury or disease. The system can overcome gravity-induced dysfunction in extremity paresis following stroke or other neurological disorders.

Disturbances in movement coordination are the least well understood but often the most debilitating with respect to functional recovery following brain injury. These deficits in coordination are expressed in the form of abnormal muscle synergies and result in limited and stereotypic movement patterns that are functionally disabling. The result of these constraints in muscle synergies is an abnormal coupling between shoulder abduction and elbow flexion in the arm, which significantly reduces a stroke survivor's reaching space when he/she lifts up the weight of the impaired arm against gravity. Current neurotherapeutic approaches to mitigate these abnormal synergies have produced, at best, limited functional recovery.
In the leg the expression of abnormal synergies results in coupling between hip/knee extension with hip adduction. The result of this is a reduced ability of activating hip abductor muscles in the impaired leg during stance.
Disturbances of Voluntary Movement in Hemiparetic Stroke
A detailed qualitative description of the abnormal movement patterns in the impaired limb, and the natural history of the evolution of the various components of these abnormal clinical signs was first provided by Twitchell in 1951, in which he delineated both the major features of the movement disturbance, and the time course of recovery from stroke (Twitchell (1951) Brain 74: 443–480). A prominent feature of the disturbed movement patterns was the emergence of "stereotypic" movements, in which there appeared to be a relatively tight coupling of motion at adjacent joints in the upper and lower limbs.
Brunnstrom subsequently classified these abnormal stereotypic movement patterns into so called "synergies" which were broadly of either flexor or extensor type (Brunnstrom (1970) In: "Movement therapy in hemiplegia: a neurophysiological approach" Harper & Row, Publishers Inc., Hagerstown Md.). This qualitative classification of abnormal synergies, summarized in Table 1, has received limited modification or study by other investigators.
TABLE 1Upper Limb synergies in hemiparetic strokeafter Brunnstrom (1970, supra)Extension synergyFlexion synergyArmArmShoulder GirdleShoulder GirdleprotractionRetractionadductionabduction to 90°internal rotationexternal rotationElbowElbowextensionFlexionpronationSupinationLegLegHipHipextensionextensionadductionadductioninternal rotationinternal rotationKneeKneeextensionextension
Recent treatment approaches for hemiparetic upper extremity such as "motor relearning program", electromyographic (EMG)-triggered/functional electrical stimulation, repeated mental practice, constraint-induced movement therapy, robot-aided sensory-motor training and bilateral arm training focus on task-specific repetition, increased intensity, and/or exercise in a real-world context. (See, for example, Langhammer and Stanghelle (2000) Clin. Rehabil. 14: 361–369; Cauraugh et al. (2000) Stroke 31: 1360–1364; Page et al. (2001) Phys. Ther. 81: 1455–1462; Miltner et al. (1999) Stroke 30: 586–592; van der Lee et al. (1999) Stroke 30: 2369–2375; Volpe et al. (2000) Neurology 54: 1938–1944; Volpe et al. (1999) Neurology 53: 1874–1876; Whitall et al. (2000) Stroke 31: 2390–2395; and Richards and Pohl (1999) Clin Geriatr Med 15: 819–832; Woldag and Hummelsheim (2002) J. Neurol. 249: 518–528) Despite favorable mounting evidence for the newer treatment models, none of the current neurorehabilitation techniques directly address the presence of abnormal synergistic patterns that constrain functional reaching (Dewald et al. (200 1) Topics in Stroke Rehabilitation 8: 1–11). Interventions that target abnormal synergistic movement patterns may ameliorate functional reaching and greatly benefit individuals with chronic stroke-induced movement discoordination.
In the lower limb recent findings from basic science provide preliminary evidence that functional locomotor recovery is possible after stroke or spinal cord injury when intense and accurate afferent input is provided in a task-specific and repetitive manner, Treadmill training is an example of a therapeutic modality that is derived from studies of adult cats with a low thoracic spinal transection who recovered the ability to step on a moving treadmill belt after they were trained on the treadmill and provided with truncal support, stimulation to recover extensor activity, and assistance in paw placement (Barbeau and Rossignol (1987) Brain Res. 412: 84–95; de Leon et al. (1998a) J. Neurophysiol. 80: 83–91; de Leon et al. (1998b) J. Neurophysiol. 79: 1329–1340; Lovely, et al., (1986) Exp. Neurol. 92: 421–435). Investigators have found that the spinal locomotor pools, which include a central pattern generator for automatic, alternating flexor and extensor leg muscle activity, are highly responsive to phasic segmental sensory inputs associated with walking and demonstrate evidence of learning during step training (Edgerton et al. (1997a) Adv Neurol. 72: 233–247; Edgerton et al. (1997b). Repetitive practice of the task was essential to the learning.
Barbeau and colleagues were the first investigators to translate this paradigm to human application for re-training walking after spinal cord injury and stroke (Barbeau et al., (1987) Brain Res. 437: 83–96; Finch et al. (1991) Phys. Ther. 71: 842–855; Visintin and Barbeau (1989) Can. J. Neurol. Sci. 16: 315–325; Visintin and Barbeau (1994) Paraplegia 32: 540–553). In their initial work, Barbeau et al. (Barbeau et al., (1987) supra) suspended the consumer over a treadmill using an overhead lift for body-weight support and clinician-provided assistance to the legs.
Task-specific training appears to be critical to the success of a locomotor training intervention post-stroke (Richards et al. (1993) Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 74: 612–620). Treadmill training is a method of locomotor training that closely simulates the sensory elements specific to walking such as load on the lower extremities, upright trunk posture, proper lower limb kinematics, and normal walking speeds to generate effective lower limb stepping (Edgerton et al. (1997) supra; Behrman and Harkema (2000) Phys. Ther. 80: 688–700).
Within the past 10 years, there have been many studies that have specifically investigated the effects of treadmill training with or without body weight support (BWS) on post-stroke locomotor recovery. Treadmill training (with or without BWS) appears to be more effective than conventional therapy alone in locomotor recovery after stroke (Richards et al. (1993) supra; Hesse et al. (1995a) Stroke 26: 976–981; Hesse et al. (1995b); Laufer et al. (2001) J. Rehabil. Res. Dev. 38: 69–78; Pohl (2002) Stroke 33: 553–558; Sullivan et al. (2002) Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 83: 683–691). While there is building evidence that this therapeutic modality may be beneficial in improving locomotor ability after stroke, there is little agreement or systematic study of the optimal training parameters to maximize functional outcomes (Tuszynski, Edgerton, and Dobkin (1999) J. Spinal Cord Med. 22: 143). None of the current studies have incorporated abnormal muscle coactivation patterns and associated joint toques in the lower extremity. We have quantitative evidence that abnormal coupling between hip and knee extension and hip adduction exists. Furthermore, we have preliminary data that this abnormal coupling reduces the ability to generate hip abduction while stading on the paretic leg. This results then in the inability to keep the pelvis horizontal and could result in the stroke subject falling towards the affected side. As in the case of the arm, interventions that target abnormal synergistic movement patterns may ameliorate balance and greatly benefit individuals with chronic stroke-induced movement discoordination.
Implementation of current treatment philosophies is more dependent on the therapist's background and training rather than clear clinical indications or objective and quantitative measures. Furthermore, there is no consensus in the literature to support one approach over the other or even a gold standard objective measure of their effectiveness in increasing functional recovery. Heinemann et al. reported on the relationship between functional status at discharge and intensities of therapies received during the patient's in-patient medical rehabilitation (Heinemann et al. (1995) Am. J. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 74: 315–326). The results for a group of 140 patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) identified no significant correlation between functional outcome and the intensity of therapies. The apparent lack of benefit related to intensity of therapies may be due to such factors as spontaneous recovery, lack of adequate level of intensity based on the stroke patient's absolute tolerance, and most importantly, to inadequate measurement tools, which are subjective and non-quantitative, and do not possess the discrimination power required to detect meaningful functional change. Furthermore, most current approaches may not be effective in promoting the use of more functional elbow-shoulder torque combinations because of the implementation of limited, poorly controlled exercise sequences. None of the current neurorehabilitation techniques encourage movements outside abnormal synergic patterns in a rigorous and quantifiable way.
Evidence for Motor Learning and Strength Training Capabilities Following Stroke
We have evidence from previous work that, depending on the lesion location, hemiparetic stroke subjects are able to adapt to novel force perturbations applied to their impaired arms during reaching and retrieval movements (see Krebs et al. (1996) 18th Annual Conference of IEEE-EMBS; Raasch et al. (1997) Society for Neuroscience Abstracts 23). These findings demonstrate that a considerable level of motor learning capability persists in relation to the impaired arm. We also have evidence that chronic stroke subjects are able to use the residual motor learning capability to partially regain functional elbow/shoulder torque combinations (for example, shoulder abduction/external rotation combined with elbow extension) during an eight-week training protocol (see Ellis et al. (2002a) Program No. 169.2 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington, D.C.: Society for Neuroscience Abstracts; Ellis et al. (2002b) Neurology Report 26: 191, Abstract; and Ellis et al. (2003) Program No. 714 Abstract Viewer/Itinerary Planner. Washington, D.C.: Society for Neuroscience Abstracts).
The Use of Robotics in Stroke-rehabilitation
At present, very little technology exists to support the recovery phase of stroke rehabilitation. However, there has been a surge of academic research on this topic in recent years (see, for example, Proceedings of the ICORR International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics, 2001 and 2005). Of the academic research in progress, most research centers have elected to attempt to adapt or re-configure industrial robots for use in this application (Lum et al. (1995) Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 83: 952–959). While this appears to be a reasonable approach it suffers from a critical drawback: twenty years of experience with industrial robots has shown that low impedance comparable to the human arm cannot be achieved with these machines. Because of their electromechanical design and control architecture, commercial robots are intrinsically position-controlled machines that do not yield easily under the action of external forces. Active force feedback can be used to enhance robot responsiveness but it is not sufficient to produce the "back-drivability" (low mechanical impedance) required to move smoothly and rapidly in compliance with a patient's actions (Lawrence (1988) Proc. IEEE Int. Conf. Robotics & Automation 1185–1191).
In contrast to commercial robotic technology, the MIT-MANUS robotic device was specifically designed for clinical neurological applications (Hogan et al. (1995) J. Interactive Robotic Therapist). The MIT-MANUS robotic device is configured for safe, stable and compliant operation in close physical contact with humans. Its computer impedance control (synonymous with position control) system modulates the way the robot reacts to mechanical perturbation from a patient or clinician and ensures a gentle compliant behavior (technically, a low and controllable impedance) (Hogan (1985) ASME J. Dynamic Systems Measurement and Control 107: 1–24). Operationally, a low impedance means that the robot can "get out of the way" as needed. However, due to the impedance control system, there is a moderate level of resistance due to inertia that the user must overcome to produce movement. This attribute limits the applicability of the MIT-MANUS to subjects who are able to exert enough force to overcome the inertial resistance of the device.
To test the feasibility of robot-aided neuro-rehabilitation, MIT investigators have used the MIT-MANUS robotic device in pilot studies on a daily basis for over seven years with CVA (cerebral vasculary incidence resulting in a stroke), Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and Guillain-Barré (GB) patients at the Burke Rehabilitation Hospital. The key research objective in these pilot studies was to validate the concept of robot-aided exercise therapy and assess whether: (a) robot-aided therapy had adverse effects, (b) patients would tolerate the procedure, and (c) manipulation of the impaired limb influenced motor recovery. The results in these pilot clinical trials with 96 stroke patients showed that robot-aided neuro-rehabilitation did not impede recovery or exacerbate joint or tendon pain, and no adverse events occurred in an estimated 2000 hours of operation involving close contact with patients. A questionnaire administered during the bi-weekly standard assessment by the therapists showed that robot-assisted therapy was well accepted and tolerated by the patients. Most important, results indicated that patients in the experimental group improved further and faster, outranking the control group in the clinical assessments of the motor impairment involving shoulder and elbow. (See, for example, Aisen et al. (1997) Arch. Neurol. 54: 443–446; Krebs et al. (1998) IEEE Transact. Rehab. Engineer. 6: 75–87; Krebs et al. (2000) VA J. Rehab. Res. Dev. 37: 639–652; Volpe et al. (2001) Curr. Opin. Neurol. 14: 745–752; Volpe et al. (2000) Neurology 54: 1938–1944, and Ibid. (1999) Neurology 53: 1874–1876). However, a shortcoming of the MIT-MANUS obviating its usefulness for application in the evaluation and rehabilitation of gravity-induced discoordination is that it only works in a horizontal plane unable to provide various levels of limb support or operate in all directions of movement. In addition, impedance control technology must use a very light structure which may contain mechanical shortcomings such as friction or mechanical compliance. Even though forces may be measured at the patient interface, no compensation can be made for such non-linearities since they occur between the force control device, the motor, and the patient introducing errors that cannot be compensated.
Several similar US Patents have been issued to the above technology. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,466,213 to Hogan et al. is directed to an interactive robotic therapist that guides a patient's limb along a desired path through a desired series of exercises. The robotic therapist incorporates sensors that provide position, velocity, and force information at the patient's hand. The reference, however, does not teach using-force and position information in both real and virtual environments to measure, treat, or self-rehabilitate impaired movement performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,798 to Bond et al. is directed to an apparatus for evaluation of a limb of a test subject. The distal end of the limb is secured to the apparatus. The test subject moves the limb along a linear track. At least two components of the forces generated by the limb against the track are sensed. The force components are used to calculate the forces applied at each limb joint contributing to movement. The reference, however, does not teach using force and position information in both real and virtual environments to measure, treat, or self-rehabilitate impaired movement performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,830,160 to Reinkensmeyer is directed to a movement guiding system for quantifying, diagnosing, and treating impaired movement performance. The guiding system guides movement of a limb along a linear path and can quantify movement performance by measurting constrqaint forces generated during the movement. The reference does not teach force and position information in both real and virtual environments to measure, treat, or self-rehabilitate impaired movement performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,413,190 to Wood and Koval is directed to a rehabilitation apparatus and method that monitors patient rehabilitation thaearapy activity, the apparatus detecting sequential muscle contractions thereby operating a computer game that reflects the movement upon a screen. The patient is therefore encouraged to ensure that two muscles move in a temporal sequence to "play" the game. The reference does not teach using force and position information in both real and virtual environments to measure, treat, or self-rehabilitate impaired movement performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,299 to Erlandson discloses a rehabilitation apparatus having a robotic arm controlled by application software and a control board of a CPU. The patent also discloses a viewing screen and that the rehabilitation is initiated and under direction of a therapist. The reference does not teach using force and position information in both real and virtual environments to measure, treat, or self-rehabilitate impaired movement performance.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,000 to Reinkensmeyer discloses a system providing arm movement therapy for patients with sensory motor impairments having a joystick controlled by application software of a CPU over the World Wide Web using client-side applets. The patent also discloses a viewing screen and that the rehabilitation is performed without the direction or supervision of a therapist but in response to a predetermined desired therapeutic exercise. The reference does not teach using force and position information in both real and virtual environments to measure, treat, or self-rehabilitate impaired movement performance.
Admittance control technology uses a force measurement device (loadcell) placed at the patient interface. The loadcell functions as the force feedback device in a closed loop force control system. Therefore the forces are always controlled at the patient's interface, and system non-linearities mentioned before are minimized because they occur inside the force control loop and can therefore be compensated to a large degree.
A commercial robot that uses admittance control is the HAPTICMASTER (HM) from FCS Control Systems. The FCS Control Systems' control technology originated and was patented in the late 1970s in the field of flight training and simulation to generate aircraft control forces for the pilot. It has matured over the years from a patented to a company proprietary technology. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,889, herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The HAPTICMASTER, which was designed with rehabilitation applications in mind, has low inertia such that the user doesn't feel much resistance when attempting to move the device. The low level inertial properties of the HM enable application to individuals with all levels of impairment severity including individuals with severe impairment who would otherwise be unable to move against the inertial resistance of other robotic devices. Work done at the University of Reading, England has shown that the robot is safe and can assist reaching movements to various targets in the workspace of the paretic arm following stroke (Coote and Stokes (2003) Technol. Disabil. 15: 27–34; Harwin and Hillman (2003) Robotica 21; Marinncek et al (2001) Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe AAATE '01. Amsterdam; Washington, D.C.: IOS Press,). However, it has been employed to assist subjects in reaching movements with the upper extremity constantly supported by an external device.
Each of the robotic devices described above demonstrate the ability to use robotics as a device for implementing therapeutic training post-stroke. In addition, each of these devices is capable of measuring motion and tracking progress during training. With this current patent, we propose to generate virtual mechanical/visual environments that can simulate weightlessness or make the body or limb progressively heavier to beyond its actual weight. Using these realistic simulated environments generated by a combination of multi degree of freedom robotics and visual feedback we can measure the effect of abnormal joint torque coupling in the upper and lower extremities as well as train individuals to slowly relearn to deal with the weight of their limb or body while reaching (arm) or walking (leg).
Virtual Reality
Haptics is the science of applying tactile or force sensation to human interaction with computers. A haptic device is one that involves physical contact between the computer and the-user, usually through an input/output device, such as a joystick or data gloves, that senses the body's movements. By using haptic devices, the user can not only feed information to the computer but can receive information from the computer in the form of a felt sensation on some part of the body. This is referred to as a haptic interface. For example, in a virtual reality environment, a user can pick up a virtual tennis ball using a data glove. The computer senses the movement and moves the virtual ball on the display. However, because of the nature of a haptic interface, the user will feel the tennis ball in his hand through tactile sensations that the computer sends through the data glove, mimicking the feel of the tennis ball in the user's hand. Typical uses a haptic interface are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,161 (Rosenberg, issued Oct. 21, 2003) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,697,043 (Shahoian, issued Feb. 24, 2004).

System and methods to overcome gravity-induced dysfunction in extremity paresis


An input device includes: an input detector that detects a portion of a detection surface pressed by a position specifying object via a sheet placed on the detection surface; a correction information acquisitor that acquires correction information to correct a difference between a shape of a contact portion of the position specifying object in contact with the sheet and a shape of a portion pressed by the contact portion detected by the input detector; and a corrector that corrects a value detected by the input detector on the basis of the correction information acquired by the correction information acquisitor.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to input devices and the like configured to receive inputs entered using a pen and the like through sheets such as paper placed on a detection surface.
Description of the Related Art
There are input devices configured to detect the pressure of a writing material by a pad-like touch panel laid immediately under paper to write on to receive inputs of character information (refer to JP 2006-172230 A, for example).
When an input entered by a writing material such as a pen is received via sheets placed on a touch panel, the pressure applied by the writing material is dispersed by the sheets and there is thus a difference between the area (width and thickness) of the pen nib of the writing material and the area of the pen nib detected by the touch panel via the sheets. For example, when a single thin sheet 201 is placed on a touch panel 200 as shown in FIG. 13A, the difference between the area S1 of a pen nib of a writing material 202 and the area S2 of the pen nib detected by the touch panel 200 via the sheet 201 is small, which is not often a problem. When, however, multiple sheets 203 are placed or a sheet 203 is thick or hard as shown in FIG. 13B, the difference between the area S1 of the pen nib of the writing material 202 and the area S3 of the pen nib detected by the touch panel 200 is larger, which may result in that a character or the like is input with such a thickness that is not intended by the user.
Furthermore, the area S3 of the pen nib detected when an input is entered by the pen 202 via multiple sheets 203 becomes close to the area (thickness of finger) S4 detected by the touch panel 200 when input is entered by a finger 204 via a single sheet (see FIG. 13C). Thus, if whether an input is entered by a finger or a pen is determined on the basis of the detected size of the area, an input entered by a pen may be erroneously detected to be an input entered by a finger.

Input device, input value correction method, and program


A foldable surface for supporting a user relative to a support surface during an activity includes at least three surface panels that are movably coupled to one another with one or more panel connectors. Each of the surface panels includes (i) a rigid base layer having a base layer first surface that faces in a first direction, and (ii) a resilient layer that is adjacent to the base layer, the resilient layer having a resilient layer second surface that faces in a second direction that is substantially opposite the first direction. The surface panels are movable between an open configuration wherein the surface panels cooperate to form a substantially planar surface that can be positioned adjacent to the support surface, and a stacked configuration wherein the surface panels are positioned substantially side-by-side with the base layer first surface of one surface panel directly facing the base layer first surface of an adjacent surface panel.

Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. Realized physical benefits from yoga include, but are not limited to, increased flexibility, improved respiration, energy and vitality, increased muscle strength and tone, weight reduction, protection from injury, improved cardio and circulatory health, enhanced metabolism balance, and improved athletic performance. Additionally, regular practice of yoga can help a person manage stress, which is known to have devastating effects on the mind and body.
Yoga has been practiced more and more broadly in the modern, western world since the late 1800's. Recently, there has been increased interest among yoga practitioners (as well as other types of exercise or meditation practitioners) for participating in yoga in an outdoor setting. It has been said by some that natural uneven surfaces such as sand, grass or the woodland floor can intensify a yoga posture and its physical benefits. For example, slight variance in terrain can focus balance more than a flat floor and can build the secondary muscles of the practitioner's feet, hips, knees, spine, and shoulders. Unfortunately, such outdoor settings can also have certain drawbacks or limitations, such as lack of stability in the support surface for the practitioner, as well as a lack of protection from the weather that may be experienced in the outdoor setting.


A large round baler includes a combined tensioning and ejecting arrangement comprising a tensioning arm assembly mounted to an upper front region of the baler sidewalls. The tensioning arm assembly operates such that, after formation of a bale in the baling chamber and the discharge gate has been swung to its raised discharge position, the tensioning arm assembly pivots into a region occupied by the completed bale so as to positively eject the bale. The combined tensioning and ejecting arrangement includes front and rear arm assemblies which define a compact assembly and share a pair of double-acting tensioning actuators and a single-acting ejection actuator. The tensioning arm assembly may be used with a baler having a light weight bale discharge gate or with a baler having a discharge gate formed in part by rear sections of sidewalls forming opposite sides of the baling chamber. In an alternate embodiment, the ejection actuator is replaced with a coil extension spring.

The bale-forming belts in known variable chamber balers are supported by a combination of fixed and movable belt support rolls, with some of the movable belt support rolls being carried by tensioning arms mounted for vertical pivotal movement, so as to control loops of excess lengths of bale-forming belts, at a start of a bale, with the tensioning arms being biased so as to yieldably resist movement in a direction permitting lengths of belting to be pulled out from the loops as the bale expands in size. The density of the formed bale depends upon the resistance to the belt expansion during formation of the bale. Once formation of the bale is completed, a discharge of the bale from the baling chamber is accomplished by opening a bale discharge gate which elevates a section of the bale-forming belts away from the lower rear portion of the bale so as to release it for discharge. U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,619 discloses a baler of this type. The baling process sometimes results in the formed bale becoming wedged between fixed sidewalls of the baling chamber. To overcome this problem, designers of some of these known balers have supported the bale-forming belts such that the belts tighten during the ejection process and help push the bale from the baling chamber. An example of a baler of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,699.
Various embodiments of particularly useful tensioning arm arrangements are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/109,079 and 11/109,585, which were each filed on Apr. 19, 2005. The tensioning arm arrangements of all of these embodiments are associated with a baler having a so-called light weight discharge gate comprising a triangular gate member having opposite triangular ends including respective first corners respectively pivotally mounted to opposite sidewalls of the baling chamber for pivoting about an axis located so as to be approximately at the central axis of a full sized bale formed in the baling chamber, with the triangular discharge gate member being located in a lowered position with rolls at front and rear corners guiding a lower run of the bale-forming belts during baling operation, and being swung to a raised discharge position permitting a formed bale to pass beneath the bale-forming belts and exit the baling chamber.
A drawback associated with the tensioning arm arrangement disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,699 and with the tensioning arm arrangements disclosed in the above-identified patent applications is that bale ejection is not positive enough to consistently effect the discharge of a wedged bale. A further drawback associated with the tensioning arm arrangements disclosed in the above-identified patent applications is that the tensioning arm arrangements are not readily adaptable for being used with a baler that, instead of having a light weight discharge gate, has a baling chamber including a discharge gate comprising rear sidewall portions which carry baling belt support rolls and are pivotally mounted to upper rear corner regions of fixed front sections of the sidewalls for moving between a lowered baling position and a raised bale discharge position.
The problem to be solved with the present invention is that of providing a tensioning arm arrangement which provides positive bale ejection while being easily adaptable for use with balers having either a light weight discharge gate, or the more conventional discharge gate including pivotable baling chamber sidewall portions.


A method of organizing electronic document-related information at least includes generating a collection of electronic documents, forming from the collection, at least one cluster of documents based upon a user's selection of a subject, and determining for each author of documents in the cluster, the number of times each the author is an author of a document corresponding to the subject. The authors are ranked and presented to the user in the form of an index. The ranked index can be interpreted as a ranking of subject matter experts.

The continued proliferation of information and information documents in the Information Age requires ever improved methods for the effective management, categorization and document retrieval. The ever-increasing size and complexity of information that can be retrieved through sources such as the World Wide Web, while bringing an amount of information to a user's fingertips previously unimagined, also brings a unique challenge to organizing the information in a useful way. Using the World Wide Web, an ordinary user may have the ability to, in some form or another, access a number approaching one billion documents.
Search engines exist to search Internet based information, as well as Intranet based information. Among the tasks often performed by such search engines, is to search a collection of documents (whether relatively small or gigantic) using key words or phrases or information categories. Forms of artificial intelligence may also be used to look for appropriate variations on the key words' or phrases relied upon by the user. Because there is no all-encompassing database that includes every document accessible via the World Wide Web, and because there is a great deal of linked information, the effective grouping of documents of interest to a particular user at a particular time is the subject of vigorous development efforts.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,038,574 issued to James E. Pitkow et al., and assigned to Xerox Corporation (the assignee of this Letters Patent) discloses methods and apparatuses for clustering documents and related subsets of documents (such as those which are accessed via hyperlinks) using co-citation analysis. The general approach of the Pitkow patent, which can be administered through search engines, is to:                [generate] a document collection; for each document, determine the frequency of linkage, i.e. the number of times it is linked to by another document in the collection[;] threshold the documents based on some minimum frequency of linkage[;] create a list of pairs of documents that are linked to by the same document so that each of the pairs of documents has a count of the number of times (the co-citation frequency) that they were both linked to by another document[;] and cluster pairs using a suitable co-citation clustering technique.The aforementioned patent is hereby incorporated by reference.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,091 issued to James E. Pitkow and Peter L. Pirolli, and also assigned to Xerox Corporation discloses a method of clustering related documents by studying the link structure of the documents in a document collection. The approaches of the aforementioned patents are often used to form indexes presented to a user to help organize the information. For example, the index might purport to relay a degree of confidence that a particular document or a group of particular documents is related to the topic of information sought. The index might indicate how often the retrieved documents have been previously retrieved or accessed, giving a measure of the importance others have placed on particular documents.
A number of other techniques have been used to cluster related documents. Additional discussion and background appears in, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/922,700 filed Aug. 7, 2001 by Gary M. Oosta for "Methods for Document Indexing and Analysis."
In addition to finding documents on a particular subject, there is also sometimes a need to find commentators or authorities on particular subjects. For example, research paper and dissertation writers may wish to find articles of those eminent in particular fields, and further, may wish to discover some degree of information about the relative eminence of one author compared with another. As a further example, those seeking to employ expert witnesses may wish to do so at least partially based on the extend to which potential expert witnesses have published articles, books, papers, etc.
Notwithstanding the many approaches to clustering related documents, there currently exists no mechanized prior art approach to rank authors of documents so as to indicate from a search of documents, the degree to which particular authors may be considered subject matter experts (SMEs).

Scheme for creating a ranked subject matter expert index


A method for producing an alloy in atomized form, wherein the alloy includes between about 10% to about 100% of a silicon based alloy, including obtaining a base silicon-iron alloy mixture and an atomization unit having an atomization chamber and a plurality of nozzles, injecting an atomizing fluid into the atomization chamber via the plurality of nozzles, introducing the base silicon-iron alloy mixture into the atomization chamber such that the atomizing fluid impinges on the base silicon-iron alloy mixture to produce the alloy in atomized form, cooling the alloy in atomized form using a pool of water so as to produce a cooled alloy product, retrieving the cooled alloy product and drying the cooled alloy product to produce the alloy in atomized form.

Silicon and Silicon based alloys are well known and are used in a variety of applications. Currently, these alloys are created by melting a predetermined amount of silicon and a combination of metals together into a molten metal liquid. The molten metal liquid is then disposed in a cast or cast iron chill and cooled to form a resultant ingot, which is then crushed via a mechanical means to produce a silicon or silicon-based alloy product. The product is then screened and sized to obtain a desired screen distribution.
Unfortunately, however, these current production methods have a number of problems and produce a product having a number of undesirable characteristics. For example, because these methods include slowly cooling the cast containing the molten metal liquid, the individual grains of the inoculants are typically full of porosity and gas holes. Moreover, the microstructure also tends to reveal that the different metallurgical phases into which the alloying elements are distributed are not very well distributed, resulting in a coarse segregation of the alloying elements. Additionally, the planes of material fracture appear to be richer in impurities and the shape of the product is irregular and often consists of splintered pieces. Lastly, an appreciable amount of dust is created during the crushing and sizing process.
One method that may be used to increase the quality of the product relates to the use of atomization. Atomization is a well-known process that involves introducing a pressurized volume of gas and/or liquid with a liquid molten stream to cause the formation of droplets that are usually smaller than 100-mesh in size. Currently, conventional water and gas atomization processes are the most popular methods and presently account for the bulk of existing atomized materials, where materials produced using water atomization have a high surface oxygen content and materials produced using inert gas atomization have a low surface oxygen content. The high surface oxygen content resulting from the water atomization process is mainly due to the oxygen content in water. This is why the gas atomization process, which uses a gas without oxygen or with a very low oxygen content, is preferred. A low surface oxygen content advantageously allows for the element to be better dispersed throughout the product which results in a more efficient grain distribution structure and thus an improved reactivity.
Typically, the major components of an atomization facility include a melter, an atomization chamber and a dryer (for water atomization). The melter is used to melt a metal or combination of metals into a molten metal liquid that is poured into a tundish, which acts as a reservoir. The metal may be melted following standard protocols where induction melting, smelting or fuel-heating are suitable procedures. The molten metal is then funneled from the tundish, through a metered nozzle having a size that is responsive to the freezing characteristics of the molten metal and into the atomization chamber where a high or low-pressure atomizing nozzle impinges upon the molten metal stream. This causes the formation of molten metal droplets having various sizes, wherein the droplet size is dependent upon the pressure and volume of the impinging stream of gas and/or liquid. Thus, by regulating the parameters of the atomization process, such as the pressure and molten flow rates, the particle size, the particle size distribution, the particle shape, the chemical composition and the microstructure of the particles may be controlled and varied as desired.
The molten metal stream is then cooled by falling vertically through the atomization chamber, wherein the atomization chamber is filled with an inert gas, an inert liquid and/or a combination thereof. The cooled droplets of molten metal may then be sent to a wet screening system or to a drying system, where if the drying system is a gas drying system, horizontal cooling tubes may also be used to cool the molten metal droplets.
However, although the atomization process has existed since approximately 1945, applying the process with different alloys while regulating the atomization process parameters to control the resulting composition (such as producing 40% to 80% by weight silicon alloys) has not been tried until recently and may be particularly advantageous when trying to produce a product whose content requires a controlled distribution of an element, or elements, by weight. The advantage of using the atomization process to produce silicon based alloys may be seen by recognizing that conventional water atomization processes typically have high pressure ranges from 600 to 5000 psi depending on the size of particles desired. Whereas, a much lower-pressure atomizing stream may be used to make silicon or silicon based alloys in the desired size range of 5-mesh to 500-mesh.
Thus, there is a need for a method for producing silicon and silicon based alloys in atomized form.

Method for producing silicon based alloys in atomized form


A laser-pointing device includes a housing having a front opening, a laser-generating mechanism for generation of a pointing light beam through the front opening, a support member movably supporting the laser-generating mechanism in the housing, a controller, and a drive mechanism connected with the laser-generating mechanism and used for driving the laser-generating mechanism to move along a predetermined track in the housing under control of the controller.

In occasion such as speech/lecture where there are a lot of audiences, a speaker usually needs to project the content of the speech/lecture on a screen or present it on a blackboard. Moreover, the speaker also needs a pointing device to point at the content of the speech/lecture and draw the audience's attention.
Laser-pointing devices have been invented to assist speakers to point at content of a speech/lecture. A laser pointer is a common laser-pointing device. A laser pointer has an outer appearance of a ball-point pen. A light-emitting diode is provided on the laser pointer. When electricity is supplied, the light-emitting diode will emit light, such as a red pointing beam from a front end of the laser pointer. A speaker can point the content of the speech/lecture to the attention of the audience.
However, the pointing mode of the currently existing laser-pointing device is rather simple. The pointing mode of a laser pointer is usually a single dot of light. When a speaker needs to point at a content that covers a region, the speaker usually needs to continuously move the laser-pointing device. This is inconvenient to the speaker. Since the dot of light would disappear immediately, the pointing effect is quite limited.

LICC Manufacturing Company (Far East) Ltd.


The purpose of the present invention is to provide micro- or mili-capsules and film preparations having not only sustained-release function but also targeting and adhesive functions with approximately 100% loading efficiency of the objective substance. The present invention provides a parenteral preparation having three layers structure of; basement layer composed of polymer; carrying layer that contains objective substances selected from drugs, aroma chemicals, mosquito propellant, dyes, cells or antigens; and surface layer, and in which the carrying layer is sandwiched between the basement layer and the surface layer.

In the conventional methods to prepare microcapsules such as solvent evaporation method from W/O type, O/W type or W/O/W type emulsions for the purpose of stabilizing unstable compounds or releasing the incorporated compounds at a constant rate, only almost spheric and symmetric microcapsules can be produced.
The present inventor previously innovated the asymmetric (hemisperical) micro- or mili-capsules having three-layers structure as pharmaceutical preparation (Kanji Takada, International Application No. PCT/JP99/06602, An oral formulation for gastrointestinal drug delivery). By means of the conventional preparation methods of microcapsules, those micro- or mili-capslues cannot be produced in large scale. In addition, it is impossible to attain the complete loading efficieny (almost 100%) of the objective substance inside the micro-capsules. The conventional preparing methods of micro-capsules have a low loading efficiency of the objective substance inside the micro-capsules, and have a low recovery due to the wide variation of the particles size of the obtained micro-capsules.
Many preparation methods of micro-capsules including solvent evaporation method from W/O/W emulsions have been developed up to now. However, the micro-capsules obtained by these techniques have spherical shapes. Also, in the conventional methods, it was extremely difficult to load the objective substance into the micro-capsules with loadimg efficiency of 100%.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Nonoral preparation having three-layer structure


The present invention relates to a chip inductor including: a metal-polymer composite in which metal particles and polymer are mixed; a wiring pattern provided inside the metal-polymer composite to form a coil; an external electrode provided in a portion of an outer peripheral surface of the metal-polymer composite; and an insulating portion provided between the metal-polymer composite and the wiring pattern and between the metal-polymer composite and the external electrode, and a method for manufacturing the same.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chip inductor and a method for manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a chip inductor capable of removing noises by being provided in IT devices, and a method for manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent times, miniaturization and thinning of IT devices such as various communication devices or display devices have been accelerated, and researches for miniaturization and thinning of various devices employed in these IT devices, such as inductors, capacitors, and transistors, also have been continuously carried out.
Among these devices, a chip inductor has been widely used to remove noises generated from IT devices. A conventional chip inductor could be mass-produced by laminating a plurality of layers, each of which is formed by forming a wiring pattern on a magnetic sheet, pressing the laminate in a high temperature environment to sinter the laminate, and connecting wiring of each layer through a via hole.
In Patent Document 1, a technology related to the above-described multilayer chip inductor is disclosed.
Meanwhile, a demand for inductors with a high allowable current value has been increased according to high performance of IT devices such as smartphones and tablet PCs. Accordingly, efforts to develop inductors that have improved DC bias characteristics as well as implementing high inductance and low DC resistance characteristics have been continuously made.
However, in the conventional inductor as disclosed in the Patent Document 1, since the wiring pattern is formed on the magnetic sheet, there is a need for wiring spacing above a predetermined level due to limitations in securing insulation and processing.
Further, DC resistance of the wiring pattern is increased when a cross section of the wiring pattern is reduced.
Therefore, the conventional inductor had limits to the number of windings formed on one layer and miniaturization and thinning since the number of layers on which the wiring patterns are formed should be increased in order to implement high inductance.
In addition, in the conventional inductors, magnetic saturation occurred due to a limitation on a material that implements a magnetic substance, and this magnetic saturation was an obstacle to improvement of characteristics of the inductor.

Chip inductor and method for manufacturing the same


A display apparatus is disclosed herein for dispensing a quantity of literature sheets or brochures stored in an ordered stack so that a portion of the uppermost piece of literature is visually displayed. Mechanism is provided for advancing the stack of literature within a housing so that the uppermost piece of literature bears against an advancement mechanism including rollers which advances the uppermost piece of literature so as to be partially exposed externally of a dispensing slot whereby a user may readily grasp the exposed portion and withdraw the literature. The stack of literature is carried on a spring-biased platform normally urging the stack upward against the underside of the advancement mechanism. An adjustable tension and system maintains the platform in a centered disposition with respect to the storage housing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of literature display and dispensing means, and more particularly, to a novel combined display and dispensing apparatus having a storage compartment for holding a quantity of pieces of literature and which includes an adjustable and controllable means for forcibly urging the stack upward so that the topmost piece of literature is available for viewing and exposing a portion of the literature for dispensement through a slot in the housing by automatic advancement mechanism.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In the past, it has been the conventional practice to distribute literature, such as brochures or information sheets, by placing them in a stack held in a rack, basket or the like. In some instances, wire or plastic racks are employed so that the outside or topmost piece of literature in the stack is available for perusal by potential customers or the like. Should the consumer or interested party desire the literature, the uppermost or outermost piece is lifted from the stack and manually separated from the holder or rack on which the stack is held.
Furthermore, most storage means for the stack of literature hold less than four inches of literature (thus, a problem to keep full) and if the holding means holds more, such as in a large stand, the potential customer must bend over as the stack is depleted in order to manually take a piece of the literature.
Further difficulties and problems are encountered with such conventional holding means for a stack of literature, which stem largely from the fact that the stack is not protected from dirt, gum, trash or other foreign matter which may collect and distort the view of the literature as it is being perused by a potential or interested customer. Often, more than one piece is taken by mistake as when the customer takes one piece, friction between adjacent literature piece faces often causes another piece to leave the stack and thus causes unnecessary waste, or frequently it is difficult for the customer to separate one piece of literature with his or her fingers. Other problems occur since the stack of literature may not be completely balanced, so that a tendency to topple or become completely separated oftentimes occurs. Lack of balance in conventional literature racks also frequently causes literature to become bent, curled and/or otherwise damaged and unsightly.
Therefore, a long-standing need has existed to provide a novel dispenser for holding a large stack of pieces of literature so that the uppermost piece is available for perusal and at the same time the rest of the stack is completely covered, so that dirt and other foreign matter cannot penetrate the stack or obliterate the literature. Thus, it is desirable to have a storage and dispensing means for literature which comprises a combination of an advertising area and literature dispensing apparatus. The ability to hold, protect and dispense a wide range of literature sizes and weights is also of importance in the same display-dispenser apparatus.


The semiconductor package includes a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. A circuit portion is formed on the first surface of the substrate, wherein the circuit portion includes a wave guiding slot and a microstrip line overlapping the wave guiding slot. A chip is disposed on the circuit portion. An antenna is formed on the second surface of the substrate, wherein the antenna overlaps the wave guiding slot.

1. Technical Field
The present embodiments relate in general to a semiconductor structure, and more particularly to a semiconductor structure with an aperture antenna.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication devices, such as cell phones, require antennas for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals. Conventionally, a wireless communication device includes an antenna and a communication module (e.g., a semiconductor package with RF communication capability), each disposed on different parts of a circuit board. Under one conventional approach, the antenna and the communication module are separately manufactured and electrically connected after being placed on the circuit board. Accordingly, higher manufacturing costs are incurred and a compact product design as well as reduced device size are difficult to achieve.
Additionally, with increasing use of sensors, radar, high data rate links, and focused power, applications at millimeter-wave frequencies have become more critical. Among the advantages of working with short wavelengths are the related characteristics of size and resolution. That is, a physically small antenna structure is desirable. However, circuits for small antennas can be difficult to fabricate, since interconnections can easily be an appreciable fraction of a wavelength.

Semiconductor structure having aperture antenna

ADVANCED SEMICONDUCTOR ENGINEERING, INC.


A capacitive switch of an electric/electronic device is provided. The capacitive switch includes a plurality of contacts which are disposed at a front of a control panel; a plurality of capacitive sensors which are disposed at a rear of the control panel, respectively face the contacts, and detect capacitance variations caused by static electricity that affects the contacts; and a plurality of void removal elements which are respectively disposed between the capacitive sensors and the contacts, remove a plurality of voids between the capacitive sensors and the contacts, and are formed of an elastic material so as to be able to compensate for various sized voids. Therefore, it is possible to easily remove various sized voids between the contacts and the capacitive sensors using the void removal elements, to prevent malfunction of the capacitive sensors due to the existence of voids, and to provide various shapes of control panels and various shapes of printed circuit boards.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capacitive switch of an electric/electronic device, and more particularly, to a capacitive switch of an electric/electronic device which can easily remove a plurality of voids between a plurality of contacts and a plurality of capacitive sensors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric/electronic devices are generally equipped with a controller which can control an electric/electronic device to perform an operation desired by a user. A controller of an electric/electronic device generally includes a manipulation unit which manipulates an operation of the electric/electronic device according to user manipulation, a display unit which displays information regarding an operating state of the electric/electronic device, and a control unit which controls the operation of the electric/electronic device.
The manipulation unit is used to manipulate the operation of the electric/electronic device or to modify a control algorithm of the controller. The manipulation unit may include a plurality of manipulation switches which can receive various signals from a user. The manipulation switches may include press switches, slide switches, rotation switches, and touch switches.
Touch switches determine whether they are touched by a user, and operate according to the result of the determination. Examples of the touch switches include capacitive switches. Capacitive switches detect a capacitance variation caused by the static electricity of an object, and operate based on the result of the detection. Capacitive switches may include a plurality of contacts which are formed of a dielectric material at the exterior of a controller of an electric/electronic device and a plurality of capacitive sensors which are respectively attached onto the rear surfaces of the contacts. When a contact is touched by a user, the capacitance of the contact varies due to the static electricity of the user, and a capacitive sensor corresponding to the contact detects the variation in the capacitance of the contact. In this manner, the controller may control the electric/electronic device based on the result of detection performed by the capacitive sensors.
However, in the case of conventional capacitive switches, voids may be formed when either contacts or capacitive sensors are not uniformly arranged. In this case, the capacitive switches may malfunction due to the voids. In other words, if the controller has an uneven surface or the capacitive sensors have different heights, the capacitive sensors may not be properly attached onto the rear surfaces of the contacts, thereby generating voids between the contacts and the capacitive sensors.
In order to address this, the arrangement of the capacitive sensors may be altered according to the locations of the contacts. In this case, however, it is difficult to assemble a capacitive switch, and the amount of time required to assemble a capacitive switch may increase. If the capacitive sensors are formed have different heights, it is difficult to standardize elements for various capacitive sensors.

Capacitive switch of electric/electronic device


The present invention discloses a method of inter-frame Y/C separation. The method first samples a composite video signal for temporarily storing a plurality of sampled data FmPx,y, wherein the FmPx,y represents data of the y pixel at the x line of the m frame, and the m, x and y are integers larger than, or equal to, 0. Then the method measures a plurality of luma data Yx,y by the Fm+1Px,y, the FmPx,y, the Fm−1Px,y and the Fm−2Px,y, wherein Yx,y represents luma data of the y pixel of the x line. Finally, the method measures a plurality of chroma data Cx,y by the Fm+1Px,y, the FmPx,y, the Fm−1Px,y and the Fm−2Px,y, wherein Cx,y represents luma data of the y pixel of the x line.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a 3-D video decoding method, and more particularly to a method of inter-frame Y/C separation.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the advance of technology, electronic devices, such as television, have been widely used to transmit news, information or distant images. Moreover, monitor systems are used to monitor the situations around houses. The systems or devices can transmit video signals from the senders to the receivers.
Light is composed of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) colors. Video signals to be transmitted can be transformed into the signals thereof for transmission. Due to the limitation of the transmission bandwidth, the video signals are transformed into luma data (Y) and chroma data (U and V) for solving the issue of bandwidth. For example, the relationships between R, G and B, and Y, U and V are: Y=0.299R+0.587G+0.114B; U=0.493(BY); V=0.877(R Y). The weightings to R, G and B of the Y formula represent the sensitivities of naked eye to different colors. U and V represent blue and red after the luma is removed. For natural light, U and V are 0, which means that there is no chromatic aberration.
During signal transmission, the chroma data are carried by sub-carrier signals and then mixed with luma data. Under the standard of National Television Standards Committee (NTSC), the signals are modulated into composite video signals with the relationship of Y+U*sin(ωt)+V*cos(ωt), wherein ω is equal to 2π*Fsc, and Fsc represents the frequency of sub-carrier signal. Under the standard of Phase alternating Line (PAL), the signals are modulated with 180-degrees phase difference. When PAL system modulates the lines of Y, U and V of the frames, the method of Y+U*sin(ωt)+V*cos(ωt), or Y+U*sin(ωt)−V*cos(ωt) is alternatively applied thereto. It means that when a line is modulated by Y+U*sin(ωt)+V*cos(ωt), the next line is modulated by Y+U*sin(wt)V*cos(wt).
After the receiver receives the composite video signals, the signals should be sampled first. A comb filter samples the signals in four folds frequency of Fsc. Therefore, each line of NTSC comprises 910 sample points; each line of PAL has 1135 sample points. Each frame of NTSC has 525 lines. Accordingly, each frame of NTSC has 477,750 sample points. Each frame of PAL has 625 lines and 709,379 sample points. Because the sample points are not multiples of the lines, different phase errors exist depending on the sample positions.
Generally, the essential part of the video decoding technology is the separation of luma and chroma. The Y/C separation affects the image quality. For the high quality of image, 3-D comb filter has been widely used.
When the 3-D comb filter processes the composite video signals, the signals are sampled by 90-degree phase difference. For NTSC, the signals are Y+V, Y+U, Y−V and Y−U when the sample phases are 0, 0.5π, π and 1.5π, respectively. FIG. 1 is a sampling result of the frame of NTSC. Referring to FIG. 1, the vertical axis represents the position x of the line in the frame, and the horizontal axis represents the position y of the pixel in the line. When two sampled data are in the neighboring frames and in the same position, the phase difference between the two data is 180 degree. The sampling relationship of the neighboring frames can also be interpreted by FIG. 1 by replacing the vertical axis with the serial number m of the frame.
Different from NTSC, PAL has 709,379 sample points having remainder 3 if divided by 4. Even if having the same position, the data in the first frame is Y+U, the data in the second frame is Y+V, and the data in the third frame is Y-U. FIG. 2A is the sampling results of PAL at the sample phase 0, 0.5π, π and 1.5π. Referring to FIG. 2A, the vertical axis represents the position x of the line in the frame or in the neighboring frame, and the horizontal axis represents the position y of the pixel in the line. To reduce the complexity for comb filter, a 45-degree phase shift is applied thereto, i.e., 0.25π, 0.75π, 1.25π and 1.75π. FIG. 2B is the sampling results of PAL at the sample phase 0.25π, 0.75π, 1.25π and 1.75π. Referring to FIG. 2B, the vertical axis represents the position x of the line in the frame or in the neighboring frame, and the horizontal axis represents the position y of the pixel in the line, wherein A=0.707(U+V) and B=0.707(U−V).
When a TV decoder samples the PAL signals in 4 times Fsc, each frame has 1135*625+4 sample points, not multiple of 625 or 1135. Therefore, when the sampling process is performed with 1135 sample points, phase errors occur. After 625 lines are sampled, the error is four pixels. Usually, the 4-pixel error is equally shared by the 625 lines. Accordingly, each line has 4/625 pixels phase shift, and the sample phase is not 0.25π, 0.75π, 1.25π and 1.75π. The modulation method of PAL is Y+U*sin(ωt)+V*cos(ωt), or Y+U*sin(ωt)−V*cos(ωt). When ωt is (0.25π+δ), (0.75π+δ), (1.25π+δ) and (1.75π+δ), wherein δ represents phase error, sin(0.25π+δ)=sin(0.25π)cos(δ)+cos(0.25π)sin(δ)=0.707(cosδ+sinδ)=0.707(1+e0); and cos(0.25π+δ)=cos(0.25π)cos(δ)sin(0.25π)sin(δ)=0.707(cosδ−sinδ)=0.707(1−e0). Therefore, Y+U*sin(ω)+V*cos(ωt)=Y+0.707(U+V+e0(U−V))=Y+A+eB. The other phase could be inferred with the method similar thereto, and the actual sampling results are shown in FIG. 2C, wherein the phase errors eA=e0A and eB=e0B. FIG. 2C is the actual sampling results of PAL at the sample phase 0.25π+δ, 0.75π+δ, 1.25π+δ and 1.75π+δ. Referring to FIG. 2C, the vertical axis represents the position x of the line in the frame or in the neighboring frame, and the horizontal axis represents the position y of the pixel in the line.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a prior art 3-D comb filter. Referring to FIG. 3, the prior art comb filter comprises an inter-frame Y/C separator 310, a 2-D intra-filed Y/C separator, i.e., 2-D comb filter, 320, a motion detector 330, a memory 340 and a mixer 350. The composite video signal 301 is a sampled signal, and the Fm+1 represents the composite video signal of the m+1 frame. The memory 340 temporarily stores the composite video signal 301 and provides the composite video signal 305 of the frame m. The 2-D comb filter 320 receives the composite video signal 305 and performs Y/C separation by the relationship between the pixels, outputting the separated video signal 321.
The Y/C separation of the motion video signal is completed by the 2-D comb filter 320. However, the 2-D comb filter 320 results in edge obscure for still video signal. In order to improve the image quality, the still video signal is processed by the inter-frame Y/C separator 310. The prior art inter-frame Y/C separator 310 receives the sampled data of the Fm+1 and Fm simultaneously, and uses the inter-frame Y/C separation method of the present invention, outputting the separated video signal 311. The motion detector 330 determines whether the composite video signal 301 is a motion or a still signal. The prior art motion detector 330 is adapted to receive the composite video signal 301 and the separated video signal 321 and measures the luma difference and chroma difference of the neighboring frames, outputting the selected signal 331 thereby. The mixer 350 selects the separated video signals 321 or 311, or mixes them according to the selected signal 331, outputting the separated video signal 351.
Following are the descriptions of the prior art method of intra-frame Y/C separation as to NTSC. Referring to FIG. 1, the prior art method adds and averages the composite video signals of the pixels with the same position, such as y, of the neighboring frames for measuring the luma data; if one subtracts another, the chroma data can be obtained. If noises are added during the modulation or signal transmission, the noises reduce the quality of the images.
Following are the descriptions of the prior art method of intra-frame Y/C separation as to PAL. Referring to FIG. 2C, the prior art method adds and averages the composite video signals of the pixels with the same position, such as y, of the frames, such as m−1, m and m+1, for removing the chroma data A or B, and the phase error eB or eA, and measuring the luma data Y. If the signals of the frames subtract each other, the luma data Y can be removed, but the phase error eB or eA cannot be avoided. Therefore, stripes happen on the separated signals.


Disclosed are methods for identifying nematodes having enhanced susceptibility to a pathogen; for identifying pathogen defense response genes; and for identifying compounds that enhances a host's defense response to a pathogen.

The invention relates to screening methods for identifying host pathogen defense genes and their regulating pathways, and for identifying drugs that enhance or stimulate the resistance of a host to pathogen infection or that block pathogen virulence.
Microbial pathogens use a variety of complex strategies to subvert host cellular functions to ensure their multiplication and survival. Some pathogens that have co-evolved or have had a long-standing association with their hosts utilize finely tuned host-specific strategies to establish a pathogenic relationship. During infection, pathogens encounter different conditions, and respond by expressing virulence factors that are appropriate for the particular environment, host, or both.
Although antibiotics have been effective tools in treating infectious disease, the emergence of drug resistant pathogens is becoming problematic in the clinical setting. New antibiotics or antipathogenic molecules are therefore needed to combat such drug resistant pathogens. Similarly, the discovery of drugs that maximize host pathogen defense responses is also warranted. Moreover, a need in the art exists for screening methods aimed at identifying and characterizing the host defense response, including the genes regulating the pathogen defense pathway that enable hosts to combat infecting pathogens.

Methods for screening and identifying host pathogen defense genes


An antistatic coating composition, a manufacturing process thereof, and an antistatic and non-glare picture display screen are disclosed. The manufacturing process for the antistatic coating composition comprises steps of forming a silicate solution by partially hydrolysing a silicate substance, forming a conductive solution containing a conductive material which is formed by doping a molecular water-containing oxide or hydroxide of a soluble inorganic compound with an inorganic second compound, the second inorganic compound and the soluble inorganic compound being different, mixing the silicate solution and the conductive solution, and subjecting the mixture to a hydrolysis and to a polycondensation. According to the present invention, the antistatic and non-glare effects are greatly promoted.

Glass or plastic is usually used as the transparent material for picture display screens such as CRT, LCD, and show window screens. However, because glass and plastic are insulating materials, their surface resistance is very high, and, therefore, electrostatic charges are liable to be accumulated thereon. If such electrostatic charges are accumulated, foreign material such as dust from the external air adheres to the surface of the screen. As a result, the screen is contaminated, the resolution of the displayed picture is lowered, and a person who touches the screen may experience an electric shock. In particular, if electrostatic charges are accumulated on the base plate of an LCD, false operations may occur in such a form that a segment is driven at a location where a driving voltage is not applied. Recently, in CRTs used as computer monitors, a user's likelihood of contacting the screen has become more frequent with the adoption of the screen contact data input system, for example. Accordingly, the problems of false operations and electric shock have become more serious.
Furthermore, when a flat glass or plastic panel is used as a screen, the surface of the screen reflects the ambient light in the normal direction, and, as a result, the picture on the screen becomes unrecognizable. This phenomenon becomes proportionately more severe with increased intensity of the ambient light, and therefore, the low luminance display devices such as LCD and the like produce a less clear or recognizable picture when the display device is operated with high luminance. Furthermore, CRTs used in televisions and monitors produce unclear pictures in such cases, and therefore, if they are watched for a long time, the eyes of the user become tired. Because of these problems, there is a need for eliminating or reducing glare on the surface of the picture display screen.
Under such a circumstance, various proposals have been made in order to reduce the glare of the screen.
For example, there has been proposed a method of forming a rough surface on a screen using a mechanical grinding process, or a selective etching process employing fluoric acid and the like. However, these methods are disadvantageous in that contamination and damage to the screens can occur during processing to an extent that regeneration of the screens is not possible. Further, the transparency of the screen can deteriorate due to the attraction of dust, which lowers the resolution of the picture.
Another proposal is to spread a plastic film or aqueous alkali silicate solution (the so-called water glass) on the surface of the screen. However, this is disadvantageous in that damage to the coating is likely to occur, and the organic solvent or the alkaline substance is likely to be eluted, thereby causing white opaqueness and deterioration in the resolution of the screen.
Still another proposal is to deposit a layer of conductive metal on the surface of the screen using a vapor deposition or sputtering method so that the antistatic and non-glare characteristics are provided simultaneously. However, this is disadvantageous in that the strength of the coating layer is weak, its durability is poor and a very large complicated deposition apparatus is needed. Therefore, it would be impractical in an industrial application.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 86-118932 discloses a method in which an alcohol solution of alkyl silicate having the chemical formula Si(OR).sub.4, where R is an alkyl group, is spread and polycondensated to that a SiO.sub.2 coating having tiny pockmarks is formed. According to this method, not only non-glare but also antistatic characteristics can be obtained by grounding the coating, because the silanol group (.tbd.Si--OH) reacts with the moisture of the atmosphere and, as a result, has conductibility.
However, according to the method of Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 86-118932, high temperature baking at 200.degree. C. or more has to be carried out to obtain a sufficient coating strength. Furthermore, this method cannot be used with a transparent material such as plastic, and sufficient conductivity cannot be obtained because the silanol base is polycondensated during the baking process.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 86-118946 discloses a method in which an alcohol solution of alkyl silicate is spread and is baked at a low temperature. However, in this method, as well as the methods mentioned above, ionic conduction which is obtained depends on the moisture of the external air, and therefore they cannot provide sufficient antistatic qualities in a dry region or in a dry season. Further, since the initial coating strength is very unstable, damage is likely to occur and degradation occurs with the lapse of time.
Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 86-16452 discloses a method in which an inorganic metal compound is put into silicate in order to improve conductivity. In this case, if the coating layer does not contain a conductive compound such as SiO.sub.2, the electric resistance of the coating layer cannot be reduced. Further, the coating layer which contains an absorptive inorganic metallic compound such as PdCl.sub.2 reduces its surface resistance by utilizing the absorbing property so that an antistatic property is obtained. If the humidity of the external air is not high enough, the antistatic effect cannot be obtained. The durability of the coating layer, particularly in terms of moisture resistance and chemical resistance, is very weak.
Japanese Patent Publication Laid-open No. 88-131408 discloses a composition in which the conductive oxide particles are dispersed and used in a matrix with the zirconia obtained from a zirconium salt. However, this requires complicated processes such as hydrolysis, filtering, cleaning, baking, crushing, dealkalinizing and the like in order to form the particles of the conductive oxide. Further, in preparing the composition, a crushing device and a dispersing device for uniformly distributing the ingredients are needed, as well as an additive such as a growth retardant. The resultant coated layer is porous, and therefore the transparency of the screen is lowered.

Antistatic coating composition for non-glaring picture displaying screen


The present invention provides crystals of 2-(4-methoxybenzyl)phenyl 6-O-ethoxycarbonyl-β-D-glucopyranoside, pharmaceutical compositions containing the same and their uses, which exhibit excellent SGLT2 inhibitory activities, and are useful for treating or preventing diseases associated with hyperglycemia.

2-(4-Methoxybenzyl)phenyl 6-O-ethoxycarbonyl-β-D-glucopyranoside represented by formula (I):
is a novel compound not known in literatures, which has been found by the present applicant. This compound is converted to an active form of 2-(4-methoxybenzyl)phenyl β-D-gluco-pyranoside in vivo, which exhibits excellent inhibitory activities against SGLT2 and is useful for the treatment or prevention of diseases associated with hyperglycemia such as diabetes mellitus, diabetic complication, obesity and the like. None of crystalline form of this compound has been known so far.

Crystals of glucopyranosyloxybenzyl benzene derivative


A wire harness includes a first circuit group and a second circuit group. The first circuit group has one end connected to a first connector and another end connected to a second connector. The second circuit group has one end connected to the first connector and another end connected to a third connector. The second circuit group branches from the first circuit group at a position of the second connector or at a position of a connection target connected by the second connector.

In a wire harness including a branch part, the branch part is in some cases taped in a crossing manner, or subjected to waterproof treatment separately from a connector. In this case, man-hours may be increased for the above processes, and thus manufacturing of a wire harness may require more time and efforts.
Patent Document 1 relates to a wire harness including a branch part, and describes the following: in a plurality of wire groups whose ends are connected to one connector, a protective member is provided for each wire group whose other ends are connected to another connector. Patent Document 1 therefore discloses a technology of easily manufacturing of a wire harness including a branch part, without the necessity of the processes as described above.

Wire harness including branching circuit groups


An automated exchange for determining the availability of mobile assets that are shareable among mobile asset users. The automated exchange includes a plurality of mobile asset sources for providing mobile assets of one or more types, a data center for providing the availability status of each mobile asset, and asset status and availability inputs having communication connection to the data center. The asset status and availability inputs include mobile asset sensors, asset monitoring sensors, manual inputs, and asset status and availability record. A processor located at the data center determines the availability of each mobile asset using the status and availability input data. The processor also receives and processes requests for available mobile assets. A user computer having a communication link to the data center provides user access to information relating to the availability of the mobile assets and user interface to request for available mobile assets. The data center may be connected to an intermediary business entity. The intermediary business entity also facilitates and automates recurring rental transactions and exchanges among long-term users and mobile asset sources. The intermediary business entity also may form a contractual relationship with the users and mobile asset sources to broker transactions using the asset status and availability information from the data center and provide periodic transaction balance and billing statements.

The present invention has particular application to shareable mobile assets such as tractor-trailers. However, the invention is also applicable to other types of mobile assets such as railroad cars, buses, boats and any other types of mobile assets that are shareable among entities wherein it is desirable to monitor their location and status, such as to determine the availability thereof.
Mobile asset management is a major concern in various industries such as trucking, railroad and rental cars. The asset manager must keep track of the status and location of each mobile asset. The asset manager also must be able to determine the availability of each mobile asset to assess whether there is a shortage or excess of mobile assets at a particular location at present or in the future. To maximize asset utilization, the asset manager must be able to easily share his excess mobile assets and to borrow mobile assets when there is a need.
Systems for tracking and monitoring of mobile assets for fleet management are generally known. In general, a trucking company can use these systems to track the status and location of each tractor-trailer in a fleet to check for proper operating conditions, any misuse, and to monitor the progress of each vehicle for scheduling and security purposes.
Car rental companies have used monitoring and tracking systems for similar purposes. In general, the known systems are used to check status, determine availability, locate each vehicle in the fleet, and automate pick up and drop off.
In the railroad industry sharing railroad cars among companies is generally known. When a railroad company has excess railroad cars that are not in use and available for a certain period of time, the company then tries to rent them out to other railroad companies needing railroad cars during that time. The companies try to best match their needs, based on the period of use, location of railroad cars, and type of railroad cars. Due to the size of the industry, the sharing of railroad cars is limited to a few companies in the industry. In addition, railroad cars are geographically limited to the rail lines.
A rental system typically includes a company that owns a fleet of mobile assets, and users who need access to additional mobile assets for a short or long term period. A user detects the need for additional mobile assets, and then communicates with different companies regarding availability of mobile assets in a desired location. When the user finds a mobile asset that meets his needs, he requests permission to rent the mobile asset. The company and user enter into an agreement that permits the user to use the mobile asset. At the end of the rental term, the user returns the mobile asset and final charges are assessed according to the agreement. These rental systems include only one source of mobile assets that is in the business of renting mobile assets and users needing additional mobile assets. These rental systems do not permit an entity that is not in the business of renting to rent its available mobile assets. So, an entity with excess mobile assets may not rent them out to other users in need of additional mobile assets. Similarly, the user must deal with one rental source of mobile assets at a time. The user cannot view all available mobile assets from different rental sources according to his needs at the same time.

Automated exchange for determining availability of assets shareable among entities


A high-power RF feedback resistor assembly includes a flat film resistor or other flat device mounted in thermal communication onto a bushing which is, in turn, mounted directly onto a cooling flange of an associated power transistor. A bushing has a vertical bolt hole through it to receive a threaded screw. The bushing can have a cutout beneath the flat vertical surface on which the resistor is mounted to provide clearance for a printed circuit board.

This invention relates to high power electronic components, such as resistors, and is more particularly concerned with an assembly comprising the component and a bushing on which it is mounted that couples the component thermally to a conducting surface, such as a transistor flange mounted onto a heat sink.
In RF power systems, such as transistorized amplifiers and RF frequency generators, it is often required to dissipate large amounts of power through a feedback resistor, resistive termination, or other suitable device.
At the present time, many high powered radio frequency amplifiers employ high power feed back resistors associated with their power transistors. These are of two basic types, Parallel and Series Feedback resistors. Parallel Feedback resistors are typically 25 to 100 ohms in value and dissipate power up to 25-50 watts. Consequently, reliability considerations require power dissipation ratings up to 100 watts or more. Series Feedback resistors are typically 0.5 to 5 ohms in value and require similar high power dissipation levels and associated high power ratings. Ceramic resistors are often employed for this purpose. Ceramic resistors rely on convective air cooling. These resistors are typically very large, and even then the largest are only rated at about ten watts. Thus, the ceramic power resistors can be over driven, and in operation can become quite hot, often red-hot. At elevated temperatures, the resistive value changes, which, in turn, changes the gain characteristic and the impedance of the amplifier. This, in turn, can destabilize the amplifier, resulting in RF instability and spurious output and even catastrophic destruction of the transistor.
It has been proposed to employ flanged or "half-flange" resistors of the type in which a flat film resistor or other device is formed on a flat metal plate, with one end of the plate serving as both a carrier for the resistor or other device and a heat spreader type mounting base. This type of device can be configured similar to a TO-220 device. In this configuration the flat metal flange is in the same plane as the flat resistive or other type of circuit element, and the flange lies secured to the chassis or other suitable heat sink through a hole in the flange. The problem for devices of this configuration is that they are both geometrically incorrect and physically too large for mounting on a transistor's cooling flange. Thus, if half-flange or "full" flange resistors are employed, it is necessary to redesign and reconfigure the circuit board or chassis to accommodate them. This can involve completely revising the circuit architecture, which is already quite dense and very compact and may even be prohibited altogether by size constraints.

High-power RF device with heat spreader bushing


A method of promoting drainage of congested mucous secretions in the sinuses of a subject in need of such treatment is disclosed. The method comprises administering to the sinuses of the subject a uridine phosphate such as uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP) or P.sup.1,P.sup.4 -di(uridine-5') tetraphosphate (U.sub.2 P.sub.4), an analog of UTP, or any other analog, in an amount effective to promote drainage of congested fluid in the sinuses by hydrating mucous secretions or by stimulating ciliary beat frequency in the sinuses. Pharmaceutical formulations and methods of making the same are also disclosed. Methods of administering the same would include any liquid suspension (including nasal drops or spray), oral form (liquid or pill), aerosol inhalation, powder form, topical, injected, intra-operative instillation or suppository form.

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses typically Associated with an upper respiratory infection. Sinusitis is this country's most common health-care complaint, affecting an estimated 31 million people. (A. Moss and V. Parsons, National Center for Health Statistics, 1986: 66-7, DHHS Publication No. (PHS)86-1588 (1985)). Other less common causes include allergies, air pollution, diving and swimming under water, structural defects of the nose (deviated septum), and as a complication of dental work. A common complication of sinusitis is a related middle ear infection (otitis media) due to the close proximity of the sinuses and eustachian tube. (M. Revonta and A. Blokmanis, Can. Fam. Physician 40, 1969-72, 1975-76 (1994)). In addition, most patients with primary ciliary diskinesia experience chronic or recurrent episodes of sinusitis.
As the sinus inflammation progresses, mucus from the sinuses becomes trapped within the sinus passages. This blockage of mucus contributes to the headache, pain, fever, and difficulty in breathing commonly reported in this disorder. Common symptoms are headache, tenderness or discomfort over the forehead and sinus area of the face, nasal discharge, slight increase in temperature, and general malaise.
At the present time, current treatment for sinusitis consists of antibiotics for the infection, antihistamine/decongestant agents (typically nasal spray or drops) or saline nasal sprays to relieve congestion, mucolytic agents, steam inhalation, warm compresses applied over the sinus area, analgesics, and anti-inflammatory agents to relieve discomfort. (D. Kennedy, Otolaryngol. Head Neck Surg. 103, 845-46 (1990)). In addition, exposure to environmental irritants, such as pollution, smoke, and dust should be eliminated or reduced. If the sinusitis becomes a chronic problem, surgical enlargement and drainage of the sinus passages may be considered.
An additional patient population at risk for development of sinusitis is patients who are intubated with a nasotracheal tube. (J. Reuler, West J. Med. 163(1), 40-8 (1995)). The tube irritates the lining of the nasopharyngeal airways, and because of the close proximity to the sinuses and the large number of microorganisms present in the nasopharyngeal airways, severe sinusitis may result. At present, treatment measures remain similar to those described above, induding antibiotics, analgesics, warm compresses, and surgical drainage, but also require removal of the nasotracheal tube and reintubation by tracheostomy, or, in fewer cases, by the oropharyngeal route. The symptoms of this type of sinusitis are intense discomfort and tenderness over the sinus area, increased drainage from the naso-sinus airways, fever, and potentially other, more severe infections and complications.
Uridine 5'-triphosphate (UTP) and adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) have been shown to affect the ion transport activity of human airway epithelial cells, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,498. Specifically, UTP and ATP induce chloride and water secretion in the lung epithelial cells of cystic fibrosis patients, helping to liquify and facilitate transport of the highly viscous airway surface mucus that characterizes this disease. It has also been found that UTP and ATP stimulate the ciliary beat frequency in lung epithelial cells, further facilitating the transport of mucus from the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, pneumonia patients, or normal individuals. (R. Boucher, et al., Adenosine and Adenine Nudeotides: From Molecular Biology to Integrative Physiology, p. 525-32 entitled "Mechanisms and Therapeutic Actions of Uridine Triphosphates in the Lung" (L. Belardinelli, et al. ed., Alumwer Academic Publishers, Boston 1995); (L. Gheber, et al. J. Membrane Biol. 147, 83-93 (1995)). A French biotechnology company, Laboratoires SYNTHELABO FRANCE, has developed a method of treating nasal mucous fluid congestion under the trademark name rhinATP.TM. which uses adenosine triphosphate (ATP) as the active compound. This technology for rhinATP.TM. was licensed under U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,116 (applicant intends the disclosure of this and all other patent references and publications cited herein be incorporated herein by reference). Their method of treatment comprises administering ATP to the nasal cavity via nasal spray or nasal drops.
Applicant has discovered that the clearance of the retained mucous fluid in sinusitis patients can be facilitated by administering UTP and its related compounds as well as other nucleoside phosphates such as: P.sup.1,P.sup.4 -di(uridine-5') tetraphosphate (U.sub.2 P.sub.4); adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP); cytidine 5'-triphosphate (CTP); 1,N.sup.6 -ethenoadenosine 5'-triphosphate; adenosine 1-oxide 5'-triphosphate; 3,N.sup.4 -ethenocytidine 5'-triphosphate; or P.sup.1,P.sup.4 -di(adenosine-5') tetraphosphate (A.sub.2 P.sub.4) to the site of fluid blockage. UTP and U.sub.2 P.sub.4 are the preferred embodiments of the present invention. By administering UTP or U.sub.2 P.sub.4 soon after symptoms first appear, total blockage of the sinuses and the resulting symptoms may be avoided.

Method of treating sinusitis with uridine triphosphates and related compounds