An anchoring device secures tendons formed of a filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic by inserting a male member into a female member to sandwich the tendons between them. Each of the female member and the male member is formed in a tapered shape inclined from one end toward the other end and the female member and the male member include a plurality of mount portions at predetermined intervals in a circumferential direction of an inclined tapered face between the female member and the male member, each of the plurality of tendons being placed on a different one of the mount portions. The length from the one end to the other end of each of the female member and the male member corresponding to a length direction of the tapered face in contact with the tendon is equal to or larger than 130 mm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anchoring device for a filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic.
2. Description of Related Art
A filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic (composite cable) is one of tendons conventionally used for prestressed concrete. The filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic is a composite material combining carbon fiber, aramid fiber, or glass fiber having high strength, high elasticity, and high heat resistance with epoxy resin, vinylester resin or the like. The filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic has higher corrosion resistance and higher tensile strength than those of a PC steel wire.
It is known, however, that the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic may be broken when it acts shearing force, local bending, lateral pressure or the like. This presents a problem in which it is difficult to secure the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic to an anchoring device with a sufficient tensile load maintained. International Publication WO 2011/019075 has disclosed an anchoring structure in which a buffering layer is provided around an anchoring portion of a filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic wedged on an anchoring device. In International Publication WO 2011/019075, the buffering layer reduces shearing force acting on the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic.
In International Publication WO 2011/019075, a buffer such as a braided net is placed on the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic wedged into a socket to provide the buffering layer between the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic which is weak against shearing force and the wedge. The buffering layer distributes (buffers) the shearing force applied by the wedge locally to the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic to reduce breaks of the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic at the position of the wedging.
The anchoring structure for the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic described in International Publication WO 2011/019075, however, does not distribute the shearing force applied by the wedge locally to the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic. In other words, International Publication WO 2011/019075 provides the structure in which the buffer independent of the anchoring structure distributes the shearing force applied locally to the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic.
For securing a plurality of tendons, the anchoring device described in International Publication WO 2011/019075 requires a plurality of male members (wedges) and a plurality of female members (sockets) associated with the plurality of tendons. The plurality of tendons is secured through individual wedge effects which apply lateral pressure to the respective tendons.
On the other hand, there is an anchoring structure in which a single anchoring device anchors a plurality of tendons in some of anchoring devices for PC steel wire. The anchoring device is formed of a male member of conical shape and a female member having a conical hollow into which the male member is inserted, and the plurality of tendons are placed at predetermined intervals around a tapered face of each of the male member and the female member. The plurality of tendons is anchored by the male member on the tapered circumferential face of the female member. In the anchoring device, each of the tendons is not secured through independent wedging of the male member and the female member, and the portion for anchoring the tendon is tapered and inclined relative to an axial direction. The anchoring device anchors the tendon by applying lateral pressure from the wedge effect to the tendon along the inclined tapered face. In such an anchoring structure, a higher pressure due to the wedge effect is applied to the tendon than in the anchoring device as described in International Publication WO 2011/019075 in which the lateral pressure is applied perpendicularly to the tendon against a tensile load applied in the axial direction of the anchoring device.
As a result, the anchoring device in which the plurality of tendons are placed at the predetermined intervals in the circumferential direction of the tapered face of each of the single male member and the single female member cannot appropriately anchor the tendons formed of the filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic which is weak against the shearing force and the like than the PC steel wire.

Anchoring device for filament body made of fiber reinforced plastic


A method of increasing food efficiency in both avians and mammals by using antibodies to gut peptides such as choleocystokinin to elicit a biological response which decreases gastrointestinal motility, reduces satiety or improves feed efficiency.

The immune system, based on several kinds of specialized blood white cells, is a highly specific defense system that recognizes, eliminates and remembers foreign macromolecules and cells. While functioning properly, it can distinguish between "self" and "non-self" (foreign) materials. For example, it views tumor cells as non-self and hence attacks them, protecting animals against cancer-causing tumor cells as it protects against other invading macromolecules.
An antigen is a foreign substance that when introduced into an animal with a functioning immune system, can elicit a specific immune response such as the one mentioned above. Once activated the immune response involves, among other things, production of antibodies in the circulation system specific to that antigen. There are five distinct classes of antibodies which are also called immunoglobulins. The most abundant is IgG. The other four are IgM, IgA, IgD, and IgE. These antibodies combine with the antigen and act to neutralize or counter the effects of the antigen introduced into the animal. They accomplish this result by binding to the antigen thereby neutralizing it and preventing it from binding to other specific cell receptors.
The immune system can be used not only to fight off pathogenic antigens or harmful foreign molecules, but can be manipulated in order to elicit favorable responses which are not naturally occurring. For example, naturally occurring proteins in an animal can be neutralized via introduction of antibodies specific to that protein thereby neutralizing that protein's normal physiological affect on the animal's system.
There are several ways in which an animal becomes immune responsive. For example, some antibodies are able to traverse the placenta from a mother's circulation to that of her fetus. As a result, the progeny of that mother receives natural immune protection by "inheriting" the mother's own antibodies before birth.
A second way to elicit an immune response is through introduction of an antigen into one animal, resulting in that animal developing specific antibodies to that antigen. These antibodies can then be isolated from the animal and introduced into a second animal resulting in the second animal having antibody that can bind the specific antigen.

CCK antibodies used to improve feed efficiency


Novel methods, tissues and compositions for increasing the pancreatic mass of a mammalian recipient including harvesting immature pancreatic tissue from a mammalian donor and transplanting said tissue into the peritoneal cavity of a mammalian recipient under conditions that allow the pancreatic tissue to become vascularized and mature, thereby developing a functioning chimeric, endocrine pancreas that produces at least insulin in the recipient. The invention also includes mammalian immature pancreatic tissue adapted for transplantation into the peritoneal cavity of a mammalian recipient for increasing the pancreatic mass of the mammalian recipient as well as methods and compositions for treatment of the pancreatic tissue, recipient immunosuppression and recipient co-stimulatory blockade.

Idiopathic or primary diabetes mellitus is a chronic disorder of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism characterized in its fully expressed form by an absolute or relative insulin deficiency, fasting hyperglycemia, glycosuria, and a striking tendency toward development of atherosclerosis, microangiopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. Underutilization of glucose is characteristic of all diabetic patients, but only some have a clearly defined severe insulin deficiency resulting from a loss of beta cells. The large remainder of diabetic patients suffers from some impairment of insulin secretory response associated with a marked resistance to insulin in the peripheral tissues.
The phrase "idiopathic diabetes mellitus" embraces a heterogeneous group of disorders having in common the above-described characteristics. At least two major as well as several less common variants of the disease have been identified. One major variant, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) (Type I), accounts for about 10% of diabetics. A second major variant,non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (Type II) represents the remaining 90% of all diabetic patients. Absent regular insulin replacement therapy using exogenously produced insulin and/or careful monitoring of the diet of diabetic patients, such patients experience a wide range of debilitating symptoms, some of which can progress into coma and ultimately death.
In mammals, the pancreas is the primary organ responsible for the maintenance of normoglycemia. Generally, the mature mammalian pancreas develops from 2 pancreatic buds (or anlagen) called the dorsal pancreas and the ventral pancreas. These anlagen will fuse during development to form the pancreas although the dorsal anlage arises first and generates most of the pancreas. The ventral anlage arises beside the bile duct and forms part of the head and uncinate process of the pancreas.
The mature pancreas has both exocrine (digestion) and endocrine (hormonal) functions. The exocrine function includes secreting enzymes to aid in digestion. The pancreatic hormonal function includes secreting at least insulin and glucagon, two hormones which together help regulate blood glucose levels. Within the endocrine pancreas, it is the beta cells, which are organized into areas called islets of Langerhans, that create and excrete insulin. Glucagon is secreted by alpha cells within the islets of Langerhans.
Many attempts have been made to replace pancreatic mass and/or function in diabetic recipients through surgical methods. For example, transplantation of digested and isolated islets of Langerhans derived from human cadaveric pancreas to immunosuppressed diabetic humans is an established but experimental means to treat diabetes mellitus. Given existing technology, a major limitation of this technique is the insufficient supply of human pancreatic tissue available for transplantation. In addition, islet tissue may be lost or degraded during the digestion and isolation procedures as well as after transplantation as only a fraction of the transplanted islets engraft in the host. Mass increase of the beta cells within the islets may also be sub-optimal as such transplants exhibit limited potential for expansion of the beta cell mass. Moreover, the immunosuppression and related issues involved in any cadeveric transplantation can be quite significant.
Isotransplantation of whole immature, fetal rat pancreas to rat subcapsular kidney space, anterior eye chamber, testis, subcutaneous pocket, third ventricle, and cheek pocket, are also known in the art. Such work also includes the effect of insulin treatments on the growth and differentiation of the transplanted tissue.
Transplantation of collagenase digested and isolated mature rat and hamster islets into hamster skin folds and striated muscle tissue wherein the isolated islets revascularize is also known. At least two immunosuppressive regimens, cyclosporineA (CsA) and 15-deoxyspergualin (DOS), are known to be useful for such xenografts. Similarly, it is known to inject dispersed developing rat pancreas (minced, disassociated and collagenase digested) into the peritoneal cavity or subcapsular site of the kidneys of alloxan diabetic rats, to reverse, at least temporarily, their diabetes.
Isolated islet clusters of fetal porcine pancreas have also been used as a xenogeneic transplant for human diabetic patients. Thus, it is known to isolate pancreatic islets from pig fetuses and inject the islets into a vein of a human diabetic patient. A notable problem with such procedures is the necessity for maintenance immunosuppression with cyclosporine, prednisolone and azathioprine. An additional problem is that such grafts do not help the recipient attain control for levels of circulating glucose.
The shortcomings of the prior methods are significant. Dispersed or cluster cell methods require large amounts of donor tissue and usually multiple donors per recipient. Strong immune suppression is also needed to help avoid acute rejection of the transplanted cells. Moreover, given the dispersed form of cellular and cluster transplants, the actual implantation may be difficult to control and no single, developing chimeric organ is ever created. Among other differences, prior transplantations of whole adult or immature pancreatic tissue have utilized tissue substantially more developed than that of the present invention and have not focused on the peritoneum as the transplant site. As a result, the prior techniques exhibit increased risk of hyperacute and/or acute vascular rejections as well as the potential for unwanted and unnecessary development of exocrine pancreatic function. Only the present invention provides for the development of a newly vascularized, chimeric pancreatic organ with endocrine, but not exocrine, function while substantially avoiding or reducing at least hyperacute and acute-vascular transplant rejection.
The chimeric pancreas of the present invention substantially increases or is at least capable of increasing in functional mass within the host to establish at least near normal levels of glycemia within the host. This is reflected by at least: 1) the absence of insulin in immature pancreatic tissue transplants at the time of implantation and the presence of such secreted insulin in developing islets two weeks after transplantation; and 2) the approximately 30 day delay between transplantation of immature pancreatic tissue in streptozotocin diabetic rats and the resulting euglycemia of the host as the tissue develops and matures.
Accordingly, and in light of the failure of any of the prior methods to lead to an effective treatment for diabetes mellitus in humans, there is a need to develop novel methods, tissues, and compositions for transplanting immature pancreatic tissue into mammalian recipients to increase the pancreatic mass of the recipient.


The present invention discloses a method for preventing short-term bifurcation and double-spend attack on a block chain network. The method includes the following steps: adding one CA certificate issuance and updating center to the blockchain network; transforming a block data structure and adding a CA certificate-based signature and a public key field; adding certificate effective verification of the signature and the public key to a consensus algorithm of a blockchain network node; improving the consensus algorithm; adding risk identification of a short-term bifurcation malicious double-spending attack to the improved consensus algorithm. The present invention makes minor changes to an original chain and is easy to implement. Because the method only adds the CA center and modifies and adds the necessary consensus algorithms, the method may effectively reduce the possibility of short-term bifurcation double-spending attack. A real-name system CA certificate provides an effective real-name system evidence for subsequently judicial investigation afterwards.

Block chain technology, also known as distributed ledger technology, is an Internet database technology characterized by decentralization, openness and transparency. Block chain technology was originally the underlying technology of Bitcoin and is currently widely used in finance and other fields. At present, BTG network is subject to short-term bifurcation and double-spend attack, which has caused a large number of digital token losses to securities exchanges, and has once again questioned the security of block chain.
The short-term double-spend attack refers to the following scenarios:
1) An attacker uses his own advantages of computing power (for a POW block chain network)/equity (for a POS block chain network) of controlling a node to bifurcate a target chain (a chain does not broadcast a chain 1 block of a bifurcation chain created by the chain during bifurcation), and ensures that the two chains are in isolation state;
2) A malicious user H initiates a transfer (Transaction T0) of a digital token held by the malicious user to a specific user A (usually a recharge of securities exchanges or a centralized wallet) on a main chain, and H transfers (Transaction T1) the same digital token on the bifurcation chain to another wallet address controlled by H, forming a conflicting transaction;
3) After waiting for X blocks, and after the user A on the main chain completes income confirmation (T0 is confirmed as effective), then the malicious user H withdraws (Transaction T2) from the centralized wallet to a wallet address controlled by the malicious user H on the block chain;
4) Then the malicious user H broadcasts the chain 1 block of the bifurcation chain to the chain network of the main chain. Because the bifurcation chain has the advantages of computing power/the equity, according to the consensus rules of block chain, a chain 1 eventually replaces the chain and realizes that the transaction T1 of the bifurcation chain covers T0 on the main chain, and T2 continues to be confirmed as an effective transaction, enabling theft of a digital token of a user of the main chain.
At present, there is no effective method in the block chain network (a POW consensus network/the POS consensus network) to prevent malicious individuals or organizations (generally mining pools) with a large amount of resources from conducting the short-term bifurcation and double-spend attack. The present invention provides a method for largely preventing the short-term double-spend attack on the block chain network.

Method for preventing short-term bifurcation and double-spend attack on block chain network


A portable modular sports equipment rack includes elongated telescoping tubular mounting members for accommodating a number of different types of hooks specifically adapted to receive different types of softball or baseball equipment, including at least fielding gloves, batting helmets and bats. Tubular spacer elements maintain a desired space between different pieces of equipment. A plurality of aligned apertures in a line along the tubular mounting members allow the length of the rack to be adjusted easily and is locked into the desired length by a snap button fastener engaged in two aligned apertures in the telescoping members. Aligned apertures through both side walls of the tubular members along a diameter of a cross section of the tubes adjacent to their ends allow the rack to be conveniently suspended from a chain link fence by a clevis pin through the apertures. The rack allows equipment to be stored at games, during travel to and from games, and at a remote storage cite, such as a locker room, if desired.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to an apparatus for storing sports equipment. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a sports equipment rack that is portable, easily assembled and disassembled and is especially well suited for transporting large amounts of softball or baseball equipment to a ball park and conveniently storing and displaying the equipment at the ball park to make it easily and readily available to the players.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 C.F.R. Sections 1.97-1.99
When a softball or baseball team assembles to play a game, a lot of equipment is required, including at least one fielding glove for each player, a number of batting helmets of difference sizes, a large number of bats of various sizes and a number of balls. Most amateur ball parks do not have adequate facilities for temporary and convenient storage of such equipment during games. Further, it is essential that such storage facility be capable of keeping the equipment in an organized and orderly fashion so that the players can quickly find the required piece of equipment. It is also very important that any such storage system can be readily assembled and disassembled or taken down because another team is usually ready to take the field for another game as soon as one game has concluded, and the teams that have just finished a game must leave the field and dugout area as quickly as possible.
Naturally, many different systems of shelves, racks and the like have been developed in the past, including some directed to this or a similar problem. Some of the patents issued in this art are discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,378, issued to Miller on Sep. 26, 1989, discloses a "Mounting Rail for Hospital Appliances and Bracket" comprising a rail for mounting horizontally on a wall. The rail has a longitudinal channel that can be used for retaining mating hooks and a longitudinal groove along the top of the rail, which can be used to retain specially shaped hooks. Heavier items can be held by a mating block having a locking thumb screw that clamps the hook onto the rail. The rail holds a plurality of differently shaped specialty hooks that can be slid along the rail for any desired horizontal spacing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,456, issued to Lee on Aug. 8, 1989, discloses a "Rack Structure for Balls and Related Equipment" comprising a frame for mounting on a solid, flat wall, a plurality of spaced parallel rods, each of which defines a space between an individual rod and the wall upon which the rack is mounted. Balls are stored between one of the rods and the wall. The rack further includes end plates having a plurality of notches for holding baseball bats in a vertical position by retaining the knob at the end of the bats. A plurality of fixed and moveable hooks depend from one or more of the rods. The illustrated hooks are modified S-hooks.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,812, issued to Demarest, Jr. on Apr. 11, 1989, discloses a "Self-Contained Portable Hanging Clothes Dryer" comprising a telescoping rod in the form of a shower curtain rod from which a plurality of folding clothes hangers is suspended.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,276, issued to Gochanour on Nov. 15, 1988, discloses a "Hanger" for hanging garments such as pants and skirts. Of greatest interest is the shape of the spacer elements, which maintain a space between adjacent garments and have a curved paddle-like shape.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,065, issued to Braaten on Dec. 16, 1986, discloses a "Baseball Equipment Holder" comprising an elongated large diameter tubular housing having a diameter sufficient to accommodate baseballs, which are inserted through large cut out portions in the side wall of the tube. Hangers extend downwardly from the housing for holding baseball equipment, such as gloves. Notches in the tubular members are adapted to hold bats vertically by the knobs on the ends of the bat handles. A plurality of hooks may be used to attach the equipment holder to a fence.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,415,093, issued to Livingston on Nov. 15, 1983, discloses a "Garment Hanger Spacing Apparatus" comprising a plurality of circularly shaped spaced collars having hanger receiving elements comprising an aperture in the bottom of the hanger receiving element or portion of the collars. The collars can slide along the rod or bar they are mounted on.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,193,495, issued to Keeley on Mar. 18, 1980, discloses a "Portable Sports Equipment Organizer" comprising a rigid board having a plurality of specialized shaped hangers for storing bats, balls, and helmets. The board can be designed to be folded in two for transport and may be used to carry equipment to the ball park, as well as to store it while at the ball park. The board can be attached to a chain-link fence or backstop by hooks that are mounted on the board. A plurality of U-shaped clamps hold the bats and a plurality of L-shaped clamps hold the helmets. This device is heavy, awkward and unwieldy.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,633, issued to Magnuson on Nov. 19, 1968, discloses a "Checking Apparatus for Garment Racks and the Like" comprising a plurality of spaced apart hook elements, each hook comprising a bar or sheet metal element having a straight portion that is fastened to a vertical mounting surface and a curved bent portion designed to receive a garment, hat, or the like. The hooks are relatively wide and thick.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,618,419, issued to Vanish on Nov. 18, 1952, discloses a "Hammer Holster" comprising a flexible circular loop of coiled wire attached to a vertical leg portion of a clip that fastens the Hammer Holster to the user's belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,077,513, issued to Eagleson on Nov. 4, 1913, discloses a "Tobacco Supporting Lath" comprising a rod having a plurality of sharp hooks suspended from it. The hooks comprise members that depend vertically from the rod and include a sharp barb aligned horizontally.
U.S. Pat. No. 699,971, issued to Poschmann on May 13, 1920, discloses a "Curtain Pole" comprising an elongated rod having ornamental balls on each end and a slot along the length of the pole for receiving a plurality or specially adapted hooks that slide along the slot. The hooks are secured inside the pole by a small ball that is too large to slip through the slot, except at the key way at one end of the slot.
The use of a rod, pole or the like to suspend a variety of hooks has naturally been used before, as disclosed in the references (Miller '378; Demarest, Jr. '812; Gochanour '276; Braaten '065; Livingston '093; Eagleson '513; and Poschmann '971) and specialized hooks of one sort or another have been developed for many purposes, as illustrated many of the references discussed above.
Not shown in the references discussed herein, however, is a portable modular sports equipment rack specially adapted for easy set up and break down into a convenient package if desired, and for securely storing and transporting softball or baseball equipment to, from, and at a ball park. Therefore, a need exists for a portable modular sports equipment rack that is easy to assemble and disassemble, that can readily accommodate a large number of pieces of equipment (for example, enough equipment for an entire team), that facilitates storage of equipment at a ball park and while traveling to and from the ball park if desired, and at remote permanent storage sites, if desired, and that is so convenient to use during a game that it advances the game and the task of leaving the field after a game.

Portable modular sports equipment rack especially suited for use at games


Disclosed herein is an apparatus that relates to a gear set. The apparatus includes, a housing, a first gear movable in the housing such that a first axis defined by the first gear is repositionable relative to the housing, a second gear in mesh with the first gear, and a second axis defined by the second gear. The apparatus constrains movement of the first axis to a plane containing both the first axis and a line commonly perpendicular to the first axis and the second axis, and a biasing member that urges the first gear toward the second gear.

Gear sets are useful devices for transmitting torque, and changing the direction of motion as well as changing the ratio of an input motion to that of an output motion. Clearance between the teeth of one gear and the teeth of a meshing gear is often referred to as backlash. At times, backlash may manifest itself as perceptible noise attributable to rattling of gear teeth as the teeth from one gear make contact with the teeth of a mating gear. The loudness and the annoyance associated with it are proportional to the amount of backlash present.
A certain amount of backlash is required and is intentionally built into gear systems to prevent energy loss due to friction. Much of the backlash is due to dimensional variations of the various components that make up the gear system. Additional backlash is created due to normal wear of components over time. As a result, the objectionable noise tends to increase as the parts wear and the clearances increase.
While gear play noise is not indicative of a defect in the gearing system, it often proves to be an annoyance and it is desirable to minimize it as much as practicable. Accordingly there is a need in the art for gear systems that automatically eliminate backlash due to build variations as well wear of the components.


The invention is related to a new kind of plasma display panel control. A known principle for PDP control is based on a combination of sub-field addressing and priming. Within the priming period all the plasma cells of the panel are pre-excited by a strong voltage pulse. This treatment of the cells produces a slight background luminance which is a drawback for picture quality aspects because the achievable contrast is reduced. According to the invention it is proposed to use self-priming sub-fields and refreshing sub-fields instead of this hard priming period. With these concepts it is assured that the cells which ought to be black remain black. Self-priming sub-fields reduce or eliminate the need for priming, thus making dark areas darker, while refreshing sub-fields, can be addressed faster. In practice, the number of refreshing sub-fields in a frame period is higher than the number of the self-priming sub-fields. Therefore, the total addressing time can be reduced with this new technique. The faster addressing leaves more time for sustain pulses, thus allowing bright areas that are brighter. This is especially advantageous for PDP monitors connected to 75Hz multimedia sources.

The Plasma technology now makes it possible to achieve flat colour panel of large size (out of the CRT limitations) and with very limited depth without any viewing angle constraints.
Referring to the last generation of European TV, a lot of work has been made to improve its picture quality. Consequently, a new technology like the Plasma one has to provide a picture quality as good or better than standard TV technology. On one hand, the Plasma technology gives the possibility of "unlimited" screen size, of attractive thickness . . . but on the other hand, it generates new kinds of artefacts which could degrade the picture quality.
Most of these artefacts are different as for CRT TV pictures and that makes them more visible since people are used to see the old TV artefacts unconsciously.
A Plasma Display Panel (PDP) utilizes a matrix array of discharge cells which could only be "ON" or "OFF". Also unlike a CRT or LCD in which grey levels are expressed by analogue control of the light emission, a PDP controls the grey level by modulating the number of light pulses per frame (sustain pulses). This time-modulation will be integrated by the eye over a period corresponding to the eye time response.
To achieve a good image quality, contrast is of paramount importance. On Plasma Display Panels (PDPs) contrast values are inferior to those achieved for CRTs due to following 2 reasons:                In PDPs a priming process which makes a pre-excitation of the plasma cells is required to prepare the cells for homogeneous light emission in sub-fields. This priming process has on the other hand the negative effect that a panel background light is generated.        Large time is used for addressing in PDPs, which reduces the level of achievable light output.

Method for processing video pictures for display on a display device using self-priming and refreshing sub-fields


A damper device has a sealed damper chamber defined by a flexible diaphragm and an upper cap. The damper chamber is filled with a pressurizing agent that creates a pressurized condition in the damper chamber by a phase transformation to the gaseous state from a solid or liquid state. To form the pressurized damper, the pressurizing agent is placed in the upper cap of the damper chamber in a solid or liquid state. The diaphragm is then positioned across the opening of the upper case and sealed in position, as for example by crimping the edges of the diaphragm between the upper cup and the lower base of the damper. As the solid or liquid pressurizing agent transforms to a gas, the pressure in the damper chamber increases to a predetermined level.

Various types of dampers have been proposed for use in the fuel lines of internal combustion engines for reducing pressure pulsations in the fuel rail. A common form of such dampers includes a diaphragm which separates the fuel from a compressible damper chamber. The compressive characteristic of the damper chamber is typically achieved by filling the damper chamber with a compressible gas. The compressible gas is generally either atmospheric air that is trapped when the damper chamber is sealed or is a gas introduced into the damper chamber through a valve prior to sealing the valve. When gas is introduced into the damper chamber through a valve, pressurized gas can be used to produce superatmospheric pressure in the damping chamber. Having pressurized gas in the damper chamber enables the damper to more effectively damp larger pulsations which may occur in the fuel line. However, the need for a pressure valve complicates the design and structure of the damper, making the device more expensive to manufacture and more complicated to use. These and other disadvantages of the prior art are overcome by the present invention described below.


The invention relates to a device for filling with high accuracy a finely divided powdered medicament having a particle size smaller than 10 .mu.m into cavities having a size corresponding to the volume of powder to be filled, wherein said device comprises oscillating and rotating means for breaking down aggregates formed in the finely divided powdered medicament and filling and for compacting it in said cavities. The invention also includes a method of filling with high accuracy of a finely divided powdered medicament having a particle size smaller than 10 .mu.m and to fill said finely divided powdered medicament into cavities, wherein the finely divided powdered medicament is transported and compacted in said cavities by oscillating and rotating means.

Powders consisting of very small particles are commonly used in the inhalation therapy where the size of the particles are of utmost importance. The diameter of particles which are to be inhaled must be less than 10 .mu.m, preferably between 6 to 1 .mu.m, to ensure adequate penetration of the particles into the bronchial area of the lungs.
Most finely divided powdered medicaments, such as micronized powders, are light, dusty and fluffy and they often create problems during handling, processing and storing. For particles having a diameter less than 10 .mu.m the van der Waals forces are generally greater than the force of gravity and consequently the material is cohesive and tends to form irregular agglomerates. Powders having such particle sizes are also very sensitive to electrostatic charges which readily arise in such powders during handling. These powders have very poor free-flowing properties and during handling bridges between the particles will be formed leading to the build up of the aggregates.
When finely divided powders are to be filled into reservoirs, compartments, cavities or depressions of different kind and sizes, such as cavities provided on an elongate carrier, for example a layer of foil, a piece of moulded plastic or similar, the aggregates must be broken down in order to make possible the filling of the powder into the cavities. One way of avoiding the build up of aggregates and to break down those that have been formed is to subject the finely divided powder to movement, e.g. agitation. This could be done by using mechanical devices, such as stirring means, or by using electronical means such as means creating ultra sound or similar.
This break-down of aggregates is especially important when small amounts, e.g. between 10 mg to 0.1 mg, in particular 5 mg to 0.5 mg, of finely divided powdered medicaments are to be filled into cavities formed to receive the required exact amount of the powder.
Another important factor when filling medicaments is the degree of compaction. This is especially important when filling finely divided medicaments into cavities which, in particular, are to be used for inhalation with breath-actuated, dry-powder inhalators, as the medicament must be lifted out of the cavities by the force created by the airstream produced by the patient during inhalation.
The powder present in the cavities must also be able to break down into the particles having a particle size smaller than 10 .mu.m during inhalation in order to provide a dose comprising high proportion of particles within the respiratory range of less than 10 .mu.m. The compaction may therefore not be too strong. On the other hand, in order to avoid the possibility that the medicament falls out of the cavity when it is positioned for inhalation but before it has been inhaled, the medicament must be compacted to a certain degree so that it is retained in the cavity until inhalation. A controlled compaction is therefore of utmost importance.

Process and apparatus for filling cohesive powders


A capacitor structure is provided. The capacitor structure comprises a plurality of parallel conductive line levels and a plurality of vias. Each conductive line level comprises first conductive lines parallel to each other and second conductive lines parallel to each other. Also, the first conductive lines on different conductive line levels are aligned to each other and the second conductive lines on different conductive line levels are aligned to each other so as to form first conductive line co-planes and second conductive line co-planes. The vias are located on the conductive line co-planes and between the conductive line levels for connecting the conductive lines on the neighboring conductive line levels. The vias, on a height level of each of the conductive line co-planes, are arranged only on one of the neighboring conductive line co-planes.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a capacitor structure. More particularly, the present invention relates to an interdigitated multilayer capacitor structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, the capacitor structure of the deep sub-micron complementary metal-oxide semiconductor comprises two parallel plate electrodes separated from each other by a dielectric layer. The plate electrodes typically are constructed by several layers of conductive material such as polysilicon or metal. In order to increase the capacitance of the capacitor structure, the extended structure or internal structure are added onto the original plate electrodes for further increasing the surface area of the plate electrodes. However, the major limitation of the parallel plate capacitor structure is that the minimum distance between the plate electrodes does not change as the size of the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor is scaled down. Therefore, even in the deep sub-micron generation of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor, the capacitance density of the plate capacitor structure is low.
Typically, the interdigitated capacitor structure is used in microwave applications. This kind of capacitor structure comprises closely arranged, interdigitated conductive structures. Therefore, the fringing capacitances and the crossover capacitances are produced between the interdigitated conductive structures to achieve high capacitance. Nevertheless, the crossover capacitances of the interdigitated capacitor structure is limited to a single conductor level. Hence, it is important to improve the capacitor structure of the deep sub-micron complementary metal-oxide semiconductor to increase the capacitance under the present specification.


Methods and systems are provided for accessing GPS signals in faded environments. Means are provided for predicting the nonlinear phase induced by the receiver's own clock, when there is at least one GPS satellite link strong enough to calculate a phase profile. In an embodiment, GPS signals are accessed in faded environments by increasing the sensitivity of a GPS receiver by increasing the processing gain of received GPS signals through increased integration time. Matching a near-baseband signal requires removing a nonlinear part of the phase which may arise from several sources, including: the phase drift of the GPS satellite's atomic clock, the phase drift due to the motion of the GPS receiver, the phase drift due to the motion of the GPS satellite, and the phase drift due to the GPS receiver's clock.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to GPS processing and more particularly to GPS processing of GPS positioning signals in faded environments.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a growing need for accessing GPS positioning signals in faded environments (e.g., indoors, below ground). The fades encountered can be more than 30 dB in some cases. The sensitivity of the GPS receiver must be increased commensurately to operate in these environments. Since high gain antennas cannot normally be used in these faded environments and lowering the noise figure can prove to be very expensive, the processing gain must be increased by increasing the integration time as much as possible. This requires that the phase profile of the near-baseband signal after GPS-message and code wipe-off will be matched. The linear part of the phase profile can be matched by trying multiple hypotheses, for phase rate, as with an FFT. With long coherent integration times, however, the nonlinear part of the phase profile will cause significant losses unless it is removed prior to inputting the signal to the FFT. The nonlinear part of the phase profile arises from several sources, the phase drift of the GPS satellite atomic clock, the phase drift due to the motion of the GPS satellite, the phase draft due to the motion of the GPS receiver and the phase drift due to the GPS receiver's clock. The non-linear phase caused by the phase drift of the GPS satellite's atomic clock is very small and does not become significant until the coherent integration time reaches about 10 seconds. For earth-fixed receivers, the nonlinear phase caused by the phase drift due to the motion of the GPS satellites is easy to remove given very approximate a-prior receiver position information. Several kilometers are adequate for integration times over one second. The requirement for this a-prior information can be eliminated by testing various hypotheses for receiver location. The nonlinear phase caused by phase drift due to the motion of the GPS receiver does not exist for receivers that are fixed or move at a constant velocity. There is usually no way to predict the nonlinear phase induced by the phase drift due to the GPS receiver's clock. The present invention addresses these concerns.

Cross-PRN phase correction for GPS processing


A system, method and article of manufacture for identification of mergeable data in a data processing system and, more particularly, for providing mechanisms for facilitating identification of correlated columns from one or more database tables. One embodiment provides a computer-implemented method for managing storage of data having an associated measurement unit in a database table. The method includes storing the data in a column of the database table and generating units metadata describing the measurement unit. The units metadata is associated with the column of the database table.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to identification of mergeable data in a data processing system and, more particularly, to providing mechanisms for facilitating identification of correlated columns from one or more database tables.
2. Description of the Related Art
Databases are computerized information storage and retrieval systems which can be organized in multiple different ways. The most prevalent type of database is the relational database, a tabular database in which data is defined so that it can be reorganized and accessed in a number of different ways. A distributed database is one that can be dispersed or replicated among different points in a network. An object-oriented programming database is one that is congruent with the data defined in object classes and subclasses.
An overall database organization is typically referred to as a schema for the database, such as a hierarchical or relational schema. A database schema is often compactly expressed using table names and names of columns in tables. Accordingly, a database may contain multiple tables, each containing a plurality of columns. The tables can be populated with data from different data sources. For instance, assume a pharmaceutical company having a database with a multiplicity of tables, each having a plurality of columns for storing data collected from different investigators. By way of example, the database includes two tables from two different investigators, i.e., a "Results Allergy A" table from a first investigator and a "Allergy A results" table from a second investigator. The two tables could be expressed as:                Results Allergy A (Patient Name, . . . , Address, . . . )        Allergy A Results (Patient, Location, . . . )
Both tables store information about an investigation concerning an allergy A which has been performed with respect to a multiplicity of individuals. The "Results Allergy A" table has been created by the first investigator for storing investigation results from the first investigator. Specifically, the "Results Allergy A" table contains personal information for the multiplicity of individuals, such as names and addresses, and additional information relevant to the allergy A and aspects of the investigation in a multiplicity of columns "PatientName", "Address" etc. Each row of the "Results Allergy A" table is associated with a specific individual. The "Allergy A Results "table has been created by the second investigator for storing investigation results from the second investigator. The "Allergy A Results" table contains personal information for the multiplicity of individuals and additional information relevant to the allergy A and aspects of the investigation in a multiplicity of columns "Patient", "Location", etc. Assume now that the pharmaceutical company wants to determine triggering factors for the allergy A. To this end, the pharmaceutical company would analyze all collected data from both tables. To efficiently analyze the collected data, it is desirable to merge both tables into a single table.
However, one difficulty when merging independently created database tables consists in identifying correlated columns in the database tables which are mergeable to create a meaningful merged result. For example, assume that each of the two distinct database tables "Results Allergy A" and "Allergy A results" has 175 columns. By joining these two tables, a new table having 350 columns is obtained. However, in order to determine how these tables can be merged efficiently, a database administrator would need to compare each column of the 175 columns of the "Results Allergy A" table to each column of the 175 columns of the "Allergy A results" table to determine mergeable columns. In the given example, the database administrator may accordingly determine that the "PatientName" and the "Patient" columns both contain names of individual patients and that the "Address" and "Location" columns both contain address information for the patients. Accordingly, the database administrator could merge the columns "PatientName" and "Patient" into a column "Patient Name" and the columns "Address" and "Location" into a column "Patient Address" in order to provide a single resultant table "Allergy A Investigation" which can be expressed as follows:                Allergy A Investigation(Patient Name, Patient Address, . . . )
However, even if the database administrator knows the exact meaning of each column in the two distinct database tables "Results Allergy A" and "Allergy A results", this is a tedious process depending on the number of columns to be compared.
Therefore, there is a need for an efficient technique for facilitating identification of correlated columns from one or more database tables.

Method, system and article of manufacturing for converting data values quantified using a first measurement unit into equivalent data values when quantified using a second measurement unit in order to receive query results including data values measured using at least one of the first and second measurement units

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods and apparatus are provided for receiving, detecting and transmitting geophysical data from a plurality of electrodes placed in the soil utilizing a dynamically reconfigurable wireless control unit that is located on each electrode. Data from the control units is transmitted by a wireless signal to a centralized data processor for analysis. Control data is provided from a central control processor to the control unit by wireless transmission. The control unit, which is positioned, includes a multi-channel radio frequency transmitter/receiver and a processor to actuate relays and record data returns from the measured substrate soil for transmission to the central data processor. The control unit incorporates a changeable code or address to unambiguously identify itself, and its spatial relationship to other electrodes, to the central data processor and the central control processor. The control units are equipped with a GPS positioning device to allow for automatic transmission of electrode location and for electrode placement without a manual survey being required.

Detecting and locating fluid leaks beneath slab-on-grade foundations is often a difficult and destructive task. Because the slab blocks access to the soil underneath, one must either break up the slab to inspect the subjacent soil or drill relatively large holes through the slab to bore soil samples. Further, these methods require a certain amount of guesswork because of the uncertain location of suspected leaks. Consequently, a number of holes must be drilled or even jack hammered through the slab before the actual leak is located.
A less destructive method of detecting and locating leaks beneath slab foundations involves directing a radar signal down through the slab and into the subjacent soil. Because the radar return from wet soil will differ from that of dry soil, using radar may allow one to approximate a leak location without partially destroying the slab. However, certain types of reinforced slab foundations may attenuate the radar signal sufficiently such that an accurate return from the subjacent soil is unobtainable. Moreover, radar is not well suited to detecting small leaks, nor for differentiating between small leaks and variations in soil composition or the presence of roots and other plant matter.
Methods currently exist for detecting and locating leaks from landfills, hazardous waste dumps, impoundments, and other outdoor fluid containment areas by measuring changes in the conductivity and/or resistivity of the adjacent soil. Daily et al. '406 discloses mise-a-la-masse and electrical resistance tomography leak location methods. Mise-a-la-masse involves driving an electrode within a fluid containment facility to an electrical potential with respect to another electrode placed at a distance from the facility. Voltage differences are then measured between various combinations of additional electrodes placed in the soil adjacent to the facility. The leak location is located by determining the coordinates of a current source pole that best fits the measured potentials within the constraints of the known or assumed resistivity distribution. Because the potentially leaking fluid must be driven to a potential, mise-a-la-masse methods can monitor for leaks in continuous fluid systems only, such as ponds, lined fluid containment areas, and tanks.
Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) involves placing electrodes around the periphery of, beneath, or, in the case of subsurface containment vessels, above the facility. A known current is applied to alternating pairs of electrodes, then the electrical potential is measured across other alternating pairs of electrodes. From this data the electrical resistivity at a plurality of points in the soil can be calculated. Disturbances in resistivity will correlate with migration of leaking fluid. However, Daily does not disclose a method or apparatus that allows the electrodes to be placed directly under the leak source, after construction of a building or other structure.
Henderson '202 and '045 both disclose directly monitoring the soil subjacent to a fluid containment area by burying electrodes directly beneath the containment. Both Henderson patents disclose a plurality of four-plate electrode systems. A voltage and a known current are applied across the outer pair of plates. The resulting potential difference is measured across the inner pair. Henderson '045 also discloses a system of individual electrodes that, by varying the spacing between the electrodes impressing a current into the ground and the spacing of the potential measurement electrodes, can indirectly measure the resistivity at a calculated depth. However, Henderson '045 does not disclose a method of directly monitoring the subgrade beneath a structure without permanently burying the electrodes or a method to place electrodes beneath an existing structure.
Woods et. al '244 discloses a leak detection system for radioactive waste storage tanks. The system comprises a metal tank, an AC generator connected between the tank and a reference electrode, and a plurality of reference electrodes. When the generator is energized, it creates an electric field in the ground between the tank and the reference electrode. A voltmeter measures the potential difference between the sensing electrodes and the tank. A significant change in the potential at one or more of the sensing electrodes indicates that the tank has developed a leak. Woods et al. has a number of disadvantages. First, it requires an electrically conductive fluid container. Second, it requires that the electrodes be permanently buried in the soil surrounding the tank. Finally, it requires the use of an AC generator, which is less convenient than a DC power source.
Bryant '625 discloses a method and apparatus for creating an electrical resistivity map of the volume beneath a slab foundation or other structure by placing electrodes through a foundation, and applying a current through them. Bryant '625 further discloses a method for converting the measured potential to a resistivity value, assigning the resistivity value to a spatial coordinate, and storing a plurality of values in computer files. The apparatus includes an array of electrodes that are used to impress a known current in the soil and measure the resulting electrical potential of electrodes. Typically, a pair of electrodes are used to impress a constant current, and another pair are used to measure a voltage potential.
The array of electrodes are interconnected by electrical conducting cables that connect to the various electrodes at predetermined intervals. The interconnecting cables transmit electrical current that passes though certain electrodes to create the electrical field within the underlying and subjacent soil, and return electrical signals from other measuring electrodes that detect the electrical field within the soil. However, Bryant does not disclose the ability to switch current between nodes or to conduct an orderly permutation of voltage measurements between nodes.
None of the prior art is entirely satisfactory to locate fluid leaks beneath an existing slab foundation and analyze them in near real time. For instance, it is not practical to electrify the potentially leaking fluid—typically a plumbing system—and because there may exist multiple sources of fluid, mise-a-la-masse is not a practical option. Nor is it practical to embed permanently a series of electrodes beneath the slab to monitor soil resistivity. Further, because some of the ERT methods—for example, the Henderson references—use multiple-plate electrodes, a large hole would have to be bored into the slab to insert the electrodes into the subjacent soil making the method impractical and destructive. In addition, placing the electrodes around the periphery of the foundation is less accurate compared to placing the electrodes directly beneath the potential leak source.
Some methods of employing wireless sensors are available in the art. For example, those shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,109 B1 to Sheard. Sheard discloses a data acquisition system for obtaining data from a geological surface at a plurality of equally spaced apart locations using nodes. FIG. 1 of that patent shows nodes which can wirelessly transmit information such as a characteristic voltage to a receiver. However, Sheard does not provide a method of distributing current to various nodes for systematically reading all the permutations of voltages provided pursuant to the distributed current to provide a complete and reliable data set. Also, Sheard does not provide a method to address each node dynamically so that the nodes are truably interchangeable.
Another example is U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,601 B1 to Longaker. Longaker provides a wireless seismic survey system that is structured as a hierarchy of cell network layers, the higher network layers covering a larger area and the lower network layers covering smaller areas. However, Longaker does not provide for multiple positions of injection current or the controlled monitoring of a permutation of voltages between nodes. Also, Longaker does not provide for dynamically addressable sensors to allow for easy interchangeability.
The current state of the art is unsatisfactory because it does not provide a method to remotely change injection current locations or to conduct an orderly progression through a permutation of voltages and currents between nodes. Moreover, the state of the art does not provide for dynamically addressable sensors whose location and address can be changed on the fly.
Furthermore, the present state of the art requires that the electrodes be placed in a linear, regularly spaced grid pattern that does not provide needed flexibility in the physical layout of arrays of electrodes in multiple, non-linear arrangements. The present state of the art presumes that the locations of the electrodes to one another. It may be necessary to arrange the electrodes in a non-linear grid if the physical layout of the foundation or underlying area to be measured prevents the layout of electrodes in a typical, linear grid arrangement. It may be necessary to locate certain electrodes in a non-linear pattern to accommodate obstructions or to conform the layout of the grid to a particular slab configuration or other geographic anomaly. Where a need arises to arrange the electrodes in a non-linear grid, it may be necessary to identify the spatial relationship of the electrodes. Likewise, it may be necessary to adjust the location of certain electrodes to accommodate obstructions and thus, it may be necessary to identify the new location.
Furthermore, the present state of the art requires that electrodes be placed according to a measured or surveyed pattern at the physical location. The requirement of physically measuring and placing electrodes is hampered by structures which include walls or other obstructions which makes placing the electrodes accurately difficult. The inaccurate placement of electrodes leads to errors in the mathematical calculations required to analyze the locations of the anomalies and therefore reduces the overall efficiency and accuracy of the system.
The present state of the art is further unsatisfactory because the sensors are affixed to the interconnecting cables and to the electrodes at predetermined intervals. A sensor or a part of the interconnecting cable or an electrode may become damaged or cease to function and require replacement. Physical damage to or failure of a given sensor within a long strand of conducting cable requires replacement of the sensor or substitution of a conducting cable, frequently associated with a substantial downtime for repair or replacement. In order to repair a part of the interconnecting cable, sensor and electrode combination, if may be necessary to remove the entire section of cable with a plurality of sensors and electrodes, from service and effect expensive and time-consuming repairs.
Moreover, the state of the art does not provide for interchangeability of sensors. The uniqueness of sensors required by the prior art creates a need for specific sensors uniquely identified by their order in a specific grid. This limitation requires extensive time in setting up a grid and replacing defective sensors.
Furthermore, the sensors are typically arranged on long sections of interconnecting conductive cabling used to transmit control signals, measurement signals and impressing current. The voltage loses in such cabling are substantial and require corrective and potentially inaccurate algorithms in the analytical software used to generate the subterranean mapping.
Accordingly, a need exists for a method for locating fluid leaks and other anomalies beneath slab-on-grade foundations without the need for destroying the slab or permanently burying electrodes beneath the slab. Additionally, a need exists for a method and apparatus to map a three-dimensional subjacent volume's electrical resistivity with both static and dynamic electrodes. A further need exists for a method to accurately place electrodes in a grid.
A need further exists in the art for a method of wirelessly reconfiguring the position of current sources and voltage meters among electrodes. A need further exists for a non-unique sensor attached to the electrodes which is addressable and reconfigurable so that expensive and time consuming cable and sensor unit replacement is unnecessary. A need further exists for real time three-dimensional movies of anomaly movements which are subsurface. Further, a need exists for accurate measurement of voltage offsets to accurately calibrate voltage readings among sensors.

Remotely reconfigurable system for mapping structure subsurface geological anomalies


An angle tracking radar system particularly for a missile with a steerable antenna and gyros strapped down to the missile body—a ‘partially strapdown’ system. The body rate signals, body acceleration signals where provided, and target position signals are converted into an electronic reference frame which is controlled to align with the target sightline, the above body and target signals being employed to produce estimates of target direction, sightline rate and sightline acceleration for use in controlling the missile.

This invention relates to tracking systems for radar guided homing missiles. While it is applicable to systems having fixed antennas with electronic beam steering, it is primarily intended for partially strapdown systems, i.e., systems in which a gimbal mounted antenna is stabilised in space by means of gyroscopes strapped down, i.e., fixed, to the body of the missile, as compared to the more conventional gimbal systems where gyros are mounted directly on the antenna.


A desiccant container (2) which comprises a generally cylindrically cross-sectioned cup, two dual-density fiberglass discs (6, 8), desiccant material (4), and a cap (16). The cup includes an outer annular portion, an inner tubular portion, and a bottom which connect together to define a space within. The cap (16) has a planar portion with an aperture for receiving the inner wall portion of the cup and is designed for receipt in the chamber to cover the opening. The cap further includes an outer annular rim portion extending transversely from the planar portion. The peripheral flange portion having tabs with an edge portion which permit the cap to cooperate with the outer wall portion having tabs with an edge portion which permit the cap to cooperate with the outer wall portion so that the cap can be retained within the chamber in one of a number of axially spaced positions to prevent shifting of, and escape of the desiccant.

This invention relates to desiccant containers for use in air or fluid dryers of automotive air conditioning systems. More specifically, it relates to desiccant cartridge fiberglass filter and bead cage ends for desiccant retention.
Desiccants are commonly used in automotive air conditioning systems for dehydrating air and refrigerants. Desiccant particles are common in such systems because the high surface area to volume ratios of the particles facilitates their interaction with surrounding air or fluid. Since the desiccant particles must be held in the air or fluid stream and prevented from contaminating other parts of the system, the particles must be held in a container which is permeable to the air or fluid but impermeable to the particles. One form of dryer used in automotive air conditioning systems includes an elongated receiver or accumulator canister having inlet and outlet ports communicating with the interior of the canister. A desiccant container is positioned in the interior of the canister and allows for air and/or fluid through the desiccant material.
One form of package-type desiccant container for use in accumulator or receiver dryers is constructed from synthetic felted wool or polyester which is filled with desiccant and then sealed by stitching or fusing. One drawback to this form of package is that the felted bag may not conform to the shape of the canister so that air or fluid may bypass the desiccant. Another drawback is that the bag may be non-uniform in shape, thereby making automatic assembly of the dryer difficult.
If felted polyester is used as a less expensive substitute for felted wool, the seams of the bag may be formed by ultrasonic welding. Unfortunately, the reliability of such ultrasonic weld is questionable and the bag may open allowing absorbent material to escape from the bag and potentially contaminating the system. In addition, the felted polyester bag is vulnerable to burn-through when the dryer is welded shut.
In another proposed form of an accumulator or receiver dryer, the desiccant particles are trapped between a pair of grids or plates which are welded or pressed inside the canister. According to one embodiment, the desiccant is charged by pouring the desiccant particles into the canister once a first of the grids or plates is positioned. A pipe extends through holes in the grids or plates to exhaust dried air to an outlet port. A dryer of this form is likely to be difficult to assemble because the grids or plates must be slid into position and, in some cases, welded inside the canister. Further, since the desiccant particles are manually poured into the container, the desiccant must be pre-measured due to the difficulty of controlling the amount of desiccant poured into the canister based on visual observation alone. The pouring of the desiccant creates a risk of accidental contamination outside the accumulator since desiccant particles may fall into the pipe communicating with the outlet port. Nevertheless, the amount of desiccant poured into the canister may vary from canister to canister for at least the reasons mentioned above.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,522,204, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, discloses a two-piece desiccant container which can be inserted into an accumulator or receiver dryer. This desiccant container includes a cup for holding particle desiccant, and a cap which is locked to the cup by an integral detent on an inner wall portion of the cup.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,203, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference, also discloses a two-piece desiccant container which can be inserted within an accumulator or receiver dryer. The desiccant container includes a cup for holding particle desiccant and a cap. The cap is designated for receipt in a chamber to cover the opening. In addition, the cap has a hole for receiving the inner wall portion of the cup. The cup includes a number of nib segments which are arranged into axially spaced nib groupings. The cap includes an edge portion which permits the cap to be retained between axially adjacent nib groups, thus retaining the cap within the cup in one of a number of axially spaced positions. The desiccant particles are either poured directly into the cup or into a felted bag which, in turn, is inserted into the cup before the desiccant container is inserted within the receiver dryer. It is important that desiccant not shift once the cap is locked into place. If there is not enough desiccant to fill the predetermined volume, or if the desiccant should settle over time, then the desiccant within the container will undesirably shift within the chamber.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art to provide a desiccant container which is simple to assemble with means for retaining a cap such that the container can prevent attrition of, and escape of, the desiccant particles while maintaining acceptable fluid flow characteristics and being capable of withstanding the temperature conditions and extreme environment within an automotive air conditioning system.

Polypropylene or polyester plastic desiccant cartridge with fiberglass filter and bead cage ends


The light emitting device 100 includes a light emitting element 101, a package for arranging the light emitting element 101, and an electrically conductive wire 106 for connecting an electrode disposed on the package and an electrode of the light emitting element. The package includes a support member 108 having a mounting portion to arrange the light emitting element 101 and defining a recess 103 to house a semiconductor element 102 which is different than the light emitting element, and a light transmissive member 107 covering at least the light emitting element 101. The package defines a hollow portion 111 between the light transmissive member 107 covering the opening of the recess 103 and an inner wall defining the recess 103.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a light emitting device that can be used as illumination apparatus, display, backlight for cell-phone, auxiliary light source for moving image illumination, and other light source and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light emitting devices using light emitting element such as light emitting diodes are small in size and have good power efficiency, and can emit light of a bright color. Also, differing from such as electric light bulbs, such light emitting elements are free from burn out and the like. Further, they are excellent in initial drive performance and have excellent durability for vibrations and/or repeated ON/OFF operations. Owing to such excellent properties, light emitting devices using light emitting element such as light emitting diode (LED), laser diode (LD) and the like are utilized as light sources for illumination apparatus, back light for cell phone, and the like.
A protective element such as Zener diode may be mounted in such light emitting devices to protect the light emitting element from a damage caused by overvoltage. Such a protective element is disposed adjacent to a light emitting element on a supporting substrate where the light emitting element has been mounted, and is electrically connected to the light emitting element.
For example, the light emitting device disclosed in JP H11-54804A includes an insulating substrate having a first electrode and a second electrode of different polarity, an LED chip disposed on the upper surface side of the first electrode, a protective element (e.g., Zener diode) disposed on the second electrode, and a sealing resin covering the LED chip and an electrically conductive wire connected to the LED chip. Further, one electrode of the LED chip is connected to the first electrode and the other electrode of the LED is connected to the second electrode via a wire, respectively. On the other hand, the electrode of the upper surface side of the protective element is connected to the first electrode via an electrically conductive wire and the electrode of the lower surface of the protective element is connected to the second electrode via an electrically conductive adhesive.
In such case, a part of light from the light emitting element may be absorbed by the protective element and/or be intercepted by the protective element. Thus, the overall light extraction efficiency of the light emitting device may be decreased. Therefore, when a recess is formed under the protective element so that the height of the protective element is lower than that of the light emitting element, and the protective element is disposed in the recess, interception of light by the protective element can be decreased.
Alternatively, interception of the path of the light from the light emitting element to be extracted out of the light emitting device can also be prevented by disposing a reflecting member between the light emitting element and the protective element, other than the light transmissive member covering the light emitting element so as to reflect the light from the light emitting element toward out of the light emitting device, as described in JP 2007-150229A. In view of workability and the like in a case where a plurality of semiconductor light emitting elements are mounted on a supporting substrate, the recess for housing the protective element is preferably formed in the supporting substrate so that the opening of the recess is situated in the same plane as the plane where the light emitting elements to be mounted.
However, if the protective element is mounted in the recess formed lower than the mounting surface of the light emitting element, a part of light emitted from the end surface of the light emitting element which is located above is confined within the recess. As a result, light extraction efficiency of the light emitting device is decreased. Further, when the body color of the protective element is such that it absorbs the light from the light emitting element, the confined light is absorbed by the protective element and the output of the light emitting device is significantly reduced. Also, it is not practical that when the recess which houses the protective element is encapsulated with a reflective filler to prevent the light from entering the recess, additional time and material cost are required.
It is therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting device having excellent reliability and optical properties and to provide a method of manufacturing such light emitting device at a lower cost.

Light emitting device and method of manufacturing the same


Methods, compositions, and kits are presented for local tissue protection during systemic administration of anticancer therapeutic agents.

Systemic administration of antineoplastic chemical agents has been a mainstay of cancer treatment for the past 50 years. But despite success against an ever greater number of cancers, systemic administration of these toxic agents is often attended by deleterious side effects that limit their clinical usefulness.
For example, the antimetabolite fluorinated pyrimidines, among the earliest-introduced of the chemotherapeutic agents, remain front-line treatment for a variety of cancers 40 years after their clinical introduction.
The prototype is 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), which is typically administered parenterally, either by bolus or continuous infusion.
Oral administration of 5-FU is disfavored due to the high activity in the gut wall of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), the rate-limiting enzyme in 5-FU catabolism. To bypass this problem, orally administrable fluoropyrimidine derivatives have been developed, either in the form of 5-FU precursors, or "prodrugs" (e.g., tegafur, Carmofur, capecitabine, and doxifluridine), or as coadministered combinations of prodrugs with DPD competitors or inhibitors (e.g. UFT, S-1, or Emitefur). Tegafur (FTORAFUR®) (1-(2-tetrahydrofuryl)-5-fluorouracil), is a congener of fluorouracil that introduces a tetrahydrofuran residue in place of the deoxyribose residue in the 5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5′-FUDR) molecule. Carmofur, another orally administrable fluoropyrimidine prodrug, is 1-hexylcarbamoyl-5-fluorouracil (also known as HCFU). Capecitabine (XELODA®, Roche Pharmaceuticals) is a rationally designed fluoropyrimidine carbamate prodrug of 5′-FUDR that can be given orally.
Metabolism of 5-FU and of its prodrugs is complex.
With reference to FIG. 1, tegafur, administered orally, is converted in the liver to 5-fluorouracil ("FU") by action of cytochrome P450.
Capecitabine is converted to 5-FU in a multistep process. In the liver, a 60 kDa carboxyesterase hydrolyzes much of the compound to 5′-deoxy-5-fluorocytidine (5′-DFCR). Cytidine deaminase, an enzyme found in most tissues, including tumors, subsequently converts 5′-DFCR to 5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5′-DFUR). The enzyme thymidine phosphorylase (TP) then hydrolyzes 5′-DFUR to the active drug 5-FU.
Within the cell, 5-FU can be converted to cytostatic (and/or cytotoxic) metabolites by any one or more of three main "anabolic" pathways, each catalyzed by a different enzyme. As labeled in FIG. 1, pathway 1 involves the action of orotate phosphoribosyl transferase (OPRT), pathway 2 activates 5-FU via uridine phosphorylase (UP), and pathway 3 requires the enzyme thymidine phosphorylase (TP). These three pathways interconnect, converging on two principal mechanisms of cell toxicity.
In the first, circled and labeled "a" at the right of FIG. 1, 5-FU is ultimately metabolized to 5-FUTP, which is incorporated during transcription into RNA. Currently, it is thought that the toxicity results from the accumulation of fluorouracil residues in a wide variety of mRNAs coding for many different proteins, rather than from alteration of any single cellular function.
The second principal mechanism of cell toxicity results from anabolic activation of 5-FU to 5-FdUMP. As circled and labeled "b" in FIG. 1, 5-FdUMP forms a ternary complex with thymidine synthase (TS) and the cofactor 5,10-methylene tetrahydrofolate (CH2THF). Tight complexation sequesters TS, preventing the TS-mediated enzymatic formation of dTMP; this, in turn, decreases the synthesis, and thus availability, of thymidine triphosphate (dTTP), which is required for DNA replication and repair. Depletion of dTTP acts as a cytostatic brake on cell growth and division; more recently, it has been suggested that depletion of dTTP may directly trigger programmed cell death (apoptotic) pathways.
Catabolic inactivation of 5-FU is conceptually simpler than anabolic activation, with greater than 80% of an injected dose of 5-FU rapidly degraded by a single pathway, the first and rate-limiting step of which is catalyzed by dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) (also known, synonymously, as uracil reductase, dihydrouracil dehydrogenase, and as dihydrothymine dehydrogenase). The principal byproduct of catabolism, F-β-alanine, is circled and labeled "c" in FIG. 1.
Given the complex interrelatedness of the metabolic pathways, the clinical efficacy of 5-FU and its orally-administrable prodrugs depends, to a first, crude, approximation on the relative activities of the DPD-mediated catabolic pathway and each of the three principal anabolic pathways. But despite intensive study, the extent to which any of these pathways predominates in human tumors is unknown and is likely to vary across tumor types and with different modes and doses of drug administration. Malet-Martino et al., The Oncologist 7:288-323 (2002); Ichikawa et al., Brit. J. Cancer 89:1486-1492 (2003)
The situation becomes more complex when considering the concurrent and interacting effects of multiple, competing, substrates on the multiple and competing catabolic and anabolic enzymes in the fluoropyrimidine pathway. Further complexity is added by variation in the activity of these enzymes among a genetically diverse human population, with plasma levels of 5-FU varying by about three orders of magnitude among humans exposed to the same dose of 5-FU.
UFT is a combination of uracil and ftorafur in a 4:1 molar ratio. UFT is approved for clinical use in Europe and Japan; it has been denied FDA approval for clinical marketing in the U.S.
After oral ingestion, the ftorafur component of UFT is metabolized by P450 to 5-FU. The uracil component is intended to compete with 5-FU for degradation by DPD; present at a several-fold molar excess over ftorafur in the administered composition, and thus intended to be present at a several-fold molar excess over ftorafur (and thus 5-FU) in tissues, uracil is intended to outcompete 5-FU for reaction with DPD, inhibiting DPD catabolic inactivation of 5-FU. The intended result is a higher circulating level of 5-FU, leading to greater 5-FU-mediated cytotoxicity. Cao et al., Clinical Cancer Res. 1:839-845 (1995).
But the actual in vivo concentrations of uracil and 5-FU after UFT administration do not invariably follow the intended ratio. Administration of UFT to rats results in a greater than 1000-fold variation in uracil level within various organs, and can lead to up to a 100-fold excess of uracil over 5-FU in some tissues. (Kawaguchi et al., Gann. 71(6):889-99. (1980)).
Furthermore, uracil can also compete with 5-FU for reaction with the three principal anabolic activating enzymes. In order for the UFT combination to show greater clinical efficacy than ftorafur alone, uracil must not outcompete 5-FU for activation by at least one of OPRT, TP, and UP in the tumor. The outcome thus depends upon the relative amount of each of the four principal rate-limiting enzymes in each of the cells and tissues taking up 5-FU, and on the relative affinity of each of the enzymes for uracil and 5-FU. The latter depends, in turn, at least in part on cellular pH: OPRT, for example, favors 5-FU over uracil by about 50 times at neutral pH.
Variation in the relative amounts of each of the four principal rate-limiting enzymes among tissues and tumors makes a priori prediction of UFT efficacy in any particular tumor unreliable. And experiments in laboratory animals provide little help: the relative affinities of these enzymes for 5-FU and for uracil differ substantially among different animal species, and particularly among different animal tumors.
Sludden et al. report, for example, that liver DPD activity is highly variable within and among tested species. Sludden et al., Pharmacology 56:276-280 (1998). At least one study reports that 5-fluorouracil is a better substrate for human dihydrouracil dehydrogenase (PPD) than is uracil, Naguib et al., Cancer Research 45:5405-5412 (1985).
And as complex as the physiology of fluoropyrimidine metabolism may be with respect to desired antitumor effects, the pathophysiology of fluoropyrimidine side-effects is even less well understood.
Among these poorly understood side effects of fluoropyrimidine administration, the physiology of hand-foot syndrome ("HFS", "palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia", "PPES") is perhaps the most obscure.
HFS usually starts with numbness, tingling, redness, and painless swelling of the hands and/or feet. Grade 1 HFS is characterized by any of numbness, dysesthesia/parasthesia, tingling, and/or painless swelling or erythema of the distal extremities. Grade 2 is defined as painful erythema of the hands and/or feet and/or discomfort affecting the patient's activities of daily living. Grade 3 HFS is defined as moist desquamation, ulceration, and blistering or severe pain of the hands and/or feet and/or severe discomfort that causes the patient to be unable to work or perform activities of daily living.
HFS is progressive with dose and duration of exposure to fluoropyrimidines. The FDA-approved XELODA® product insert reports a 54%-67% incidence of HFS irrespective of grade during treatment with capecitabine at the FDA-approved dose, with a grade 3 incidence of 11-17%. HFS is also seen in treatment with other chemotherapeutic agents, including antimetabolites such as cytarabine, and agents of other classes, such as docetaxel and doxorubicin, including pegylated liposomal forms of doxorubicin (CAELYX®).
The pathophysiology of hand-foot syndrome is as yet unknown and variously ascribed to metabolites of 5-FU, local drug accumulation, increased levels of anabolic enzymes in the affected tissues, and various other factors. See, for example, Childress and Lokich, Amer. J. Clinical Oncology 26:435-436 (2003); Leo et al., J. Chemother. 6:423-426 (1994); Elasmar et al., Jpn J. Clin. Oncol. 31:172-174 (2001); and Fischel et al., "Experimental arguments for a better understanding of hand-foot syndrome under capecitabine," Proc. Amer. Ass'n Cancer Res. 45:487 (abstract #2119) (March 2004).
In the face of such mechanistic uncertainty, the current standard of practice is to cease or attenuate the dose of fluoropyrimidine when hand-foot syndrome develops. Unfortunately, the severity of hand-foot syndrome appears to correlate with tumor response, Chua et al., "Efficacy of capecitabine monotherapy in patients with recurrent and metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma pretreated with platinum-based chemotherapy," Proc. Am. Soc. Clin. Oncol. 22:511 (abstr. 2055) (2003); dose attenuation to reduce the symptoms of hand-foot syndrome thus also reduces efficacy of tumor treatment.
Topical treatment with DMSO, which has also been proposed, see U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,083, is not typically practiced in the clinic and is of uncertain efficacy.
While hand-foot syndrome is common during capecitabine treatment, it is rarely seen with the ftorafur-containing prodrug combinations UFT and S-1. S-1 lacks uracil yet, like UFT, causes hand-foot syndrome only rarely. The reason for the disparate prevalence is unknown, with the etiology of hand-foot syndrome with S-1 administration suggested to differ from that seen with capecitabine and/or 5-FU. Elasmar et al., Jpn J. Clin. Oncol. 31:172-174 (2001).
Systemically-administered chemotherapeutic agents other than fluoropyrimidine antimetabolites also cause side effects in various organs and tissues that are not involved in the disease being treated. Many of these agents interact with, and are metabolized by, complex metabolic pathways.
There is thus a need in the art for compositions and methods for preventing and/or treating side effects of systemically administered chemotherapeutic agents.
There is a further need in the art for methods and compositions for preventing and/or treating side effects of systemically administered chemotherapeutic agents that neither abrogate nor attenuate the therapeutic effect of the systemically administered agent, thus permitting such chemotherapeutic agents to be used at therapeutic dosage levels.
There is a particular need for methods and compositions for preventing and/or treating hand-foot syndrome, including methods and compositions that would obviate the withdrawal or attenuation of the dose of systemically administered chemotherapeutic agent, thus permitting systemically administered chemotherapeutic agents, such as fluoropyrimidines, to be administered at therapeutic dosage levels.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods, compositions, and kits for organ protection during systemic anticancer therapy


Multi-functional audio and lighting devices are enclosed in snap-in modules adapted to fit in industry standard rocker switch panels. Each module has at least two functional parts. Included are auxiliary audio jacks, with USB charging ports and with or without a voltmeter; a Bluetooth transceiver with pairing and volume controls; an FM radio receiver with channel scan and a channel display; a single (dual-function) knob audio controller; a push-button audio controller; and an RGB LED controller with color, flash, and speed controls. A modular rocker switch panel that can be configured for two or more switches is presented. Various numbers and types of multi-function modules can be configured in a panel to customize an entertainment system. The modules are preferably marine grade and may have optional tethered water resistant covers.

Rocker switches are made to be snap mounted into industry-standardized rocker switch frames. Conventional frame-mounted rocker switch installations provide limited control options as each rocker switch has only two states and one function. The limitation on function creates limitations as to what may be controlled. The need for compactness, especially in vehicular installations, drives a need for expanded capability for switches in rocker switch frames. What is needed are modular audio and lighting elements with multiple functions that can be easily snap-in mounted in a rocker switch frame. Also needed is a modular rocker switch frame that can be assembled to have two or more ports.

Modular entertainment control system of snap-mounted multi-functional modules within a modular mounting frame


A remote control paintball gun system is disclosed which may include a hopper for containing paintballs of different densities, a paint ball gun barrel associated for receiving paintballs, a motorized, wheeled chassis, a cartridge mounted along a side of the gun barrel for powering the gun barrel and a remote control for controlling motion, transfer of the paint balls from the hopper to the gun barrel, and firing of a paintball. The remote control may include a control for selectively transferring a paintball in accordance with the paintball's density, from the first or second plurality of paintballs, to the gun barrel and may control elevation of the gun barrel. A method of playing paintball may include players who carry and fire hand held paintball guns to hit other players and one or more self propelled paintball gun for remote control operation.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to paintball equipment and methods of play and, in particular, to remotely controlled, self propelled paintball guns and related game play.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Paintball is conventionally played with hand held guns, powered by CO2, which fire spherical ammunition that splatters when it strikes another player to indicate a hit.
What is needed are improvements in game play and equipment.


A first message is detected. The first message is directed towards a first messaging recipient in a messaging application. The first message contains one or more content items. A set of one or more candidate messaging recipients is determined based on the first message and based on a content analysis of the one or more content items. A second messaging recipient is identified from the set of one or more candidate messaging recipients. The identification is based on the content analysis. The first message is routed to the second messaging recipient. The first message is routed in response to the identifying the second messaging recipient.

The present disclosure relates to messaging applications, and more specifically, to routing messages based on analysis of content in messages.
Messaging applications may be used to facilitate the communication of users by way of electronic devices and computers. Messaging applications may be useful to present information and exchange ideas between users. Messaging applications may become less effective if they transmit erroneous or excessive data.