This invention relates to novel polymorphic/pseudopolymorphic forms of 5-[4-[2[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate having formula (I). The invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the novel polymorphic form or their mixture and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The polymorphic forms of the present invention are more active, as antidiabetic agent, than the hitherto known 5-[4-[2-[N-(2-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]ethoxy]benzyl] thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate

The latest trend that has, of late, crept into the pharmaceutical industry is the studies on polymorphism in drugs and the difference in the activity of different polymorphic forms of a given drug. By the term polymorphism we mean to include different physical forms, crystal forms, crystalline/liquid crystalline/non-crystalline (amorphous) forms. This has especially become very interesting after observing that many antibiotics, antibacterials, tranquilizers etc., exhibit polymorphism and some/one of the polymorphic forms of a given drug exhibit superior bio-availability and consequently show much higher activity compared to other polymorphs. Sertraline, Frentizole, Ranitidine, Sulfathiazole, Indomethacine etc. are some of the important examples of pharmaceuticals which exhibit polymorphism. Polymorphism in drugs is a topic of current interest and is evident from the host of patents being granted. To cite a few, U.S. Pat. No. 5,700,820 discloses six polymorphic forms of Troglitazone, U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,699 discusses about five polymorphic forms of Sertraline hydrochloride while EP 014590 describes four polymorphic forms of Frentizole. EP 490648 and EP 022527 also deal with the subject of polymorphism in drugs.
European Patent No. 0306338, International publication No. WO 94/25026 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 5,646,169 describe that the relative configurations of the diastereomers have been determined by x-ray crystallographic analysis and that the crystal and molecular structure of the 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate is under preparation. The report does not touch upon the possibility/observation that 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]thoxy]enzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate exists in different polymorphic forms. There is no published literature regarding such an observation till date. Polymorphism in drugs is a topic of current interest and is evident from the host of patents being granted to cite a few U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,699 discusses about five polymorphic forms of Sertraline hydrochloride while EP 014590, describes four polymorphic forms of Frentizole EP 490648 and EP 022527, six polymorphic forms of Troglitazone WO 97/27191 also deal with the subject of polymorphism in drugs. The fact that polymorphism in 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl) amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate has not been studied earlier coupled with the current interest in the field of polymorphism in drugs prompted us to take-up this investigation our observations and results from the subject matter of the present invention.
With a view to prevent/cure the chronic complications of diabetes, research is being conducted round the world in recent times. 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate is being considered today as one of the most effective anti-diabetic drugs which as a multi-purpose activity not only acting on diabetes itself but also on the reduction of the triglycerides and also on the accompanying complications mentioned above. Indeed the said 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate is emerging as the second drug candidate of euglycemic class of antidiabetic agents.
With an objective to develop novel polymorphic forms for lowering cholesterol and reducing body weight with beneficial effects in the treatment and/or prophylaxis of diseases related to increased levels of lipids, atherosclerosis, coronary artery diseases, Syndrome-X, impaired glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes and diabetes complications thereof, for the treatment of diseases wherein insulin resistance is the pathophysiological mechanism and for the treatment of hypertension, with better efficacy, potency and lower toxicity, we focused our research to develop new polymorphic forms effective in the treatment of the above mentioned diseases. Effort in this direction has led to polymorphic forms having the formula (I).
Another objective of the present invention is to provide polymorphic forms of 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate, their stereoisomers, their pharmaceutically acceptable solvates and pharmaceutical compositions containing them or their mixtures which may have agonist activity against PPARα and/or PPARγ, and optionally inhibit HMG CoA reductase, in addition to having agonist activity against PPARα and/or PPARγ.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide novel polymorphic forms of 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate, their stereoisomers, pharmaceutically acceptable solvates and pharmaceutical compositions containing them or their mixtures having enhanced activities, without toxic effect or with reduced toxic effect.
Yet another objective of the present invention to provide a process for the preparation of novel polymorphic forms of 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl)amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate, their stereoisomers, pharmaceutically acceptable solvates.
Still another objective of the present invention is to provide pharmaceutical compositions containing novel polymorphic forms of 5-[4-[2-[N-methyl-N-(2-pyridyl) amino]ethoxy]benzyl]thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate, solvates or their mixtures in combination with suitable carriers, solvents, diluents and other media normally employed in preparing such compositions.

Polymorphic forms of 5-[4-[2-[n-methyl-n-(2-pyridyl)amino[ethoxy]benzyl] thiazolidine-2,4-dione maleate and process for their preparation


An optical connector has guide pins with stepped profiles. The connector includes a connector body, two or more optical ports, and two or more cylindrical guide pins. Each guide pin has a first portion with a first length, a second portion with a second length, and a transitional portion between the first and second portions. The first portion has a first diameter. The second portion has a second diameter. The second diameter is less than the first diameter.

A parallel optical fiber connector system of the family that includes Multi-fiber Push-On (MPO) and Multi-fiber Termination Push-On (MTP) facilitates coupling of parallel optical signals. A male connector of this type has a housing or body with a number of parallel optical ports (for example, twelve optical ports) on a flat mating face and two guide pins extending from the mating face. A female connector of this type has a housing or body with a corresponding number of optical ports on a flat mating surface and two openings or bores in that surface. The housing or body can serve as a fiber ferrule by retaining the ends of respective optical fibers of a parallel optical cable in alignment with the optical ports. To mate the male and female connectors, the ends of the guide pins are directed into the bores as the mating faces of the two connectors are brought together. In the fully mated position, corresponding optical ports of the male and female connectors are optically aligned with each other, and the guide pins extend into the bores. The portion of each guide pin that extends from the mating face of the male connector is commonly cylindrical, with a tip that is either frusto-conically shaped (i.e., chamfered) or, alternatively, blunt.
In a system in which both the male and female connectors terminate respective optical ribbon cables (each cable having, for example, twelve parallel optical fibers), the system can be used to couple the optical signals from one of the optical ribbon cables into the other. The system can also be used to couple optical signals between an optical ribbon cable and an optical device such as an optical transceiver module. A transceiver module includes electrical-to-optical (E/O) converters, such as lasers or other light sources, and optical-to-electrical (OLE) converters, such as photodiodes or other light detectors. An optical transceiver having a male connector of the above-described type is known.

Optical connector having stepped alignment pins

Avago Technologies General IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A computer/software tool for electronic design automation (EDA) extracts parasitics from a post-layout netlist file for an integrated circuit (IC) design and uses these parasitics to model circuit behavior specifically to assess matching of reciprocal objects of a matched circuit. The computer/software tool generates a visual display based on the calculated design characteristics; for example, in one embodiment, asymmetry can be color-coded to permit a designer to visualize sources of matching problems base on mismatched parasitics. In other embodiments, the parasitics, structural elements and/or results can be filtered and/or processed, e.g., so as to provide EDA driven assistance to reduce excessive sensitivity to certain parasitics, and to minimize net and device systematic (layout-based) mismatch.

Analog and digital circuits often rely on "matching," where respective circuit paths ("nets") and device instances should exhibit precisely-related electrical characteristics, often with a very high degree of precision (these nets, device instances, and/or other elements that should be matched will be referred to as "objects"). Individual objects characteristics can vary in a wide range (by 15-20% or more) due to unavoidable manufacturing variation, temperature variation, and other operating parameters—but for matched objects, it is intended that these characteristics should track each other precisely irrespective of variations in manufacturing and operating conditions variations. A "matched circuit" is a circuit that relies on two or more such matched objects for proper operation. Such matched circuits can form an important element in many types of electronic components, such as latches, memory cells, comparators, random bit generators, data converters, differential circuits, and many other types of structures. Use of a matched circuit can provide a number of benefits depending on design and application, including higher linearity, low power consumption, greater sensitivity, greater reliability, greater unpredictability, and other types of benefits.
One non-limiting example of a matched circuit design is depicted in FIG. 4A, which shows a "strongarm" latch. A strongarm latch might be employed as a comparator circuit depending on application; if right and left halves of this circuit (i.e., and each of their constituent reciprocal structures, i.e., pathways and device instances) are evenly matched, a polarity of Vin1−Vin2 will appear as a bit of information at nodes Vout (i.e., with a differential voltage being seen across nodes X and Y according to whether Vin1 or Vin2 is relatively larger). However, if there are any differences between these circuit halves (or any nearby structures, which might act as aggressors or cause other effects), the circuit may not operate correctly. Note that there are matched circuits that feature more than two matched objects (e.g., three, four, twelve, or another number of matched paths), as well as circuits where the relationship between matched objects is non-equal, e.g., where object should exhibit exactly twice the voltage or capacitance of another object, and so on. Generalizing the issues with asymmetry to some of the examples given above, this can result in a design where a memory cell or comparator does not operate reliably, or where a random bit generation has definite statistical tendencies instead of being truly random. Other types of problems can also occur if any supposedly-matched objects are not correctly related in their operating characteristics; note that a circuit design might require that signal delays, capacitances, resistances, current flows, voltages, and/or other characteristics of reciprocal nets be precisely related over a wide range of process variation, bias conditions, temperatures, signal frequencies, and other operating conditions.
Unfortunately, the operating characteristics in practice may vary significantly between reciprocal objects. For example, it might be that asymmetry exists between paths in the 3D layout of an electronic circuit design, such that one path or element experiences a different capacitive coupling than a counterpart path or element (i.e., than a reciprocal net). Unavoidable process variations can include front and/or back end of line variations (i.e., "FEOL" and/or "BEOL" variations), such as where a layer for one matched path is thicker or differently dimensioned than another; these variations can give rise to a myriad of effects, including asymmetric gate voltages, frequency—or temperature—dependent effects, and other forms of asymmetry. Note that while FIG. 4A depicts a conventional schematic-level diagram for a strongarm latch, asymmetries of the type that interfere with matched circuit operation in practice often arise not from schematic-level issues, but rather from the specific layout or extraction of an electronic circuit design, i.e., from the actual specific placement of and dimensioning of reciprocal paths or elements in a given integrated circuit, package or printed circuit board design ("integration design"), and from associated process corners associated with building/replicating that given integration design.
Achieving close to ideal matching in the layout and/or extraction of a given integration design is difficult and typically requires skill in large or very large scale integration ("LSI"/"VLSI") and mastery of electronic design automation ("EDA") tools. A LSI or VLSI layout file is typically quite complex, and asymmetries frequently occur unintentionally, even for very experienced layout engineers.
Verification of whether matching is successful or not is not an easy task. Visual inspection of a two or three dimensional ("2D" or "3D") graphical rendering of a layout for matching violations might occasionally permit a designer to spot an obvious defect in the case of a simple design. However, a typical layout editor's graphical rendering typically presents an overwhelming number of elements, and it may be very hard to see, through a myriad of metal lines and vias, whether reciprocal nets are matched or not. Asymmetry can also arise from causes that may be hard to spot; for example, asymmetry can arise not just from obvious geometric anomalies (e.g., differences in layer or via width or length), but also from other nearby structures, such as from capacitive coupling, floating metal fill effects, well proximity effect, or other, similar types of effects. Also, matching verification is typically postponed until a late stage of post-layout simulation. If results of post-layout simulations are good, matching is typically assumed. If the results are poor, it can be hard to distinguish the effect of mismatch on the final simulation results from other effects impacting the design; even if the existence of a mismatch is identified, identifying the underlying root causes of the mismatch may be very hard.
What are needed are techniques for addressing these difficulties, that is, for improvements in circuit design tools (e.g., layout editors) which facilitate matching analysis and verification. The present invention satisfies these needs and thus provides an improvement in the functioning of electronic design automation ("EDA") tools and/or analysis tools for building and evaluating integrated circuit designs and for improving those integrated circuit designs.
The subject matter defined by the enumerated claims may be better understood by referring to the following detailed description, which should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. This description of one or more particular embodiments, set out below to enable one to build and use various implementations of the technology set forth by the claims, is not intended to limit the enumerated claims, but to exemplify their application. Without limiting the foregoing, this disclosure provides several different examples of techniques that can be used to improve the functioning of electronic design automation, analysis and/or layout tools, and to speed up the development of the effective circuit integration. The various techniques can be embodied as software, in the form of a computer, device, service, cloud service, system or other device or apparatus, in the form of a circuit design or layout or netlist file produced or modified as a result of these techniques, or in another manner. While specific examples are presented, the principles described herein may also be applied to other methods, devices and systems as well.

Matched net and device analysis based on parasitics


To facilitate loading-unloading operation of a battery even when a large-sized battery is mounted, in a battery-powered forklift which is driven with power of a battery mounted on a vehicle body including a fork which is arranged at a front part of the vehicle body, a counter weight which is arranged at a rear part of the vehicle body, and a top plate which is supported at a position to cover an area above a driver seat via a pair of rear stays 44 extended upward from both sides of the rear part of the vehicle body, post members arranged in a raised manner at both sides of the counter weight guide movement of the battery along the front-rear direction of the vehicle body between the post members.

Forklifts to perform loading-unloading and moving of packages respectively with a folk arranged at a front part of a vehicle body include a type to be driven with a battery mounted on the vehicle body. The above battery type forklift is advantageous in performing loading-unloading operation indoors owing to not causing problems of noise and exhaust gas compared to a type of being driven with an engine. However, it cannot be continuously used by replenishing fuel as the type of being driven with an engine and replacement with a full-charged battery is required when battery charges are decreased. Since a counter weight is arranged at a rear part of the vehicle body of forklift, loading-unloading of the battery is performed from a side face of the vehicle body, normally (e.g., see Patent Literature 1).


A reader-enhancing device is proposed which enables an in situ upgrade of readers having limited processing capabilities. The reader-enhancing device includes an emulation module that is capable of generating an output which emulates a first type of credential when the reader-enhancing device receives an input that is not in a format used by the first type of credential. The output generated by the emulation module enables the reader to respond to the input even though the input is not in a format natively supported by the reader.

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a well established machine-readable technology used in many applications including physical access control and logical access control.
A specific initial type of RFID technology, 125 kHz proximity technology, displaced other popular predecessor technologies such as Wiegand and magnetic stripe due to its non-contact convenience and ability to work in harsh environmental locations as well as its higher immunity to vandalism. There now exits a need to move to a "next generation" RFID technology, which is currently ISO standardized and based on 13.56 MHz carrier frequencies. This second generation technology offers all of the advantages of its predecessor and adds higher security, more data memory, and multi-application capabilities.
Although this second generation RFID technology is now displacing the predecessor legacy 125 kHz proximity technology, there is still an extremely large installed base of both readers and credentials which utilize the 125 kHz proximity technology. It is estimated that tens of millions of legacy readers and hundreds of millions of legacy credentials are still in use, even though a superior second generation RFID technology is available. There are many approaches to tackling this enormous upgrade task and one solution includes replacing existing credentials with a multi-technology credentials that are compatible with both the legacy RFID technology and the second generation RFID technology in a single credential. Since this multi-technology credential can be read by both legacy 125 kHz RFID readers and newer 13.56 MHz RFID readers, once all of the credentials are replaced with multi-technology credentials, reader replacements can begin since the newly replaced credentials will work on both the legacy readers and the new readers. Unfortunately, this solution is a logistical nightmare, if implemented within a relatively short window of time, primarily because re-badging employees is very time consuming and costly.
Another solution, similar to the multi-technology card replacement method, focuses on the same approach in which existing legacy readers are replaced with multi-technology readers that are capable of reading both the legacy 125 kHz RFID credentials and the newer 13.56 MHz RFID credentials. However, since reader installation represents a significant portion of the upgrade costs due to the expense of both skilled and trusted labor, it would be highly desirable to be able to simply and conveniently upgrade readers without actually replacing them.
The ideal solution would be to convert existing readers in situ while allowing for the natural transition of legacy credentials to new credentials in the normal course of business as employees are hired and fired or request replacement credentials that are lost or otherwise misplaced. Such a solution could be executed on a time scale that suits the needs of a site instead of a process that hastens the transition which is both disruptive and costly. Moreover, the ideal solution would not require existing readers to be removed from the wall to be replaced with either a new single technology replacement reader (after the original cards were all replaced with the new cards) or be replaced with a more costly multi-technology reader that supports both the legacy credential and the new credential.

Method for upgrading RFID readers in situ


A memory includes a bitline data signal input (24), at least one memory unit (20), a writing circuit (128) which writes a polarization state into each memory unit (20) responsive to the bitline data signal input, and a sensing circuit (130) that senses a polarization state of each memory unit (20). Each memory unit (20) includes a ferroelectric capacitor (22) and a buffer amplifier (26) in electrical series relationship with the ferroelectric capacitor (22) and the bitline data signal input (24). The buffer amplifier (26) capacitively isolates the ferroelectric capacitor (22) from the bitline data signal input (24) so that the ferroelectric capacitor (22) may be made smaller in size than would otherwise be the case.

This invention relates to a random access memory which utilizes a ferroelectric capacitor as its basic storage unit, and, more particularly, to such a memory wherein the ferroelectric capacitor is isolated from the data bitline capacitances by a buffer amplifier.
Many military and some civilian systems require data storage capability in a random access memory that is nonvolatile and resistant to data loss due to disruptive events. A nonvolatile memory retains the stored data even when power is lost or turned off. Such nonvolatile memories are often based upon physical changes that occur in a memory element when data is stored, which physical changes are not reversed or randomized upon the loss of power.
Ferroelectric materials have been successfully developed for use in nonvolatile memories. A ferroelectric material is one whose physical state changes upon the application of an electrical field, in a manner analogous with the change undergone by ferromagnetic materials to which a magnetic field is applied. The ferroelectric material has the advantages that its physical state can be controlled by the application of a voltage rather than a magnetic field or current, a measurable physical state is retained after a power loss, and memory elements can be constructed by microelectronics fabrication techniques.
To utilize this capability, the ferroelectric material is typically made the dielectric of a capacitor, so that the physical state of the ferroelectric material may be either changed or sensed by applying a voltage to the plates of the ferroelectric capacitor. Electronic circuitry is provided to write data into the ferroelectric capacitor by altering its physical state using an applied voltage and to read the stored data by sensing the physical state of the ferroelectric capacitor.
There are two classes of read circuitry used in ferroelectric memories. In a destructive readout (DRO), the physical state of the capacitor is erased and the stored data must be rewritten as part of each memory cycle. Accordingly, there is a short but finite time period during each read cycle where the data is stored only in the electronics of the device. In the other type of readout, nondestructive readout (NDRO), the stored data is not erased during reading. There are two types of NDRO ferroelectric memories. In the first type of NDRO ferroelectric memory, the memory will recover without loss of data from several, typically 2-20, power failures during reading without restoring. In the second type of NDRO ferroelectric memory, the number of reads without the requirement of restoring is very large or infinite, so that a restore during each read is not required.
Although existing nondestructive readout ferroelectric memories are fully operable, their size is large in comparison with that of conventional destructive readout, non-volatile random access memory devices. The number of memory units that may be packaged within a preselected size is therefore relatively small, limiting the total storage capacity of the memory. The large size does not pose a serious limitation for some applications where only a limited amount of information must be stored in a nonvolatile manner. The large size does limit the use of the ferroelectric memory in other applications.
There is a need for a nondestructive readout ferroelectric memory wherein the size of each memory unit is reduced, so that the total memory storage capacity may be increased. The present invention fulfills this need, and further provides related advantages.

Nondestructive readout memory utilizing ferroelectric capacitors isolated from bitlines by buffer amplifiers


Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a degaussing device and a degaussing method capable of efficiently degaussing a magnetic disk, especially, a magnetic disk of the perpendicular magnetic recording system, without resorting to a magnetic field of a high intensity. Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide a degaussing method of degaussing a magnetic disk not yet installed in a magnetic disk drive by applying an external magnetic field to the magnetic disk by a degaussing device. In accordance with one embodiment, the method includes disposing the magnetic disk in the degaussing device such that the direction of an external magnetic field is inclined at an angle to the axis of easy magnetization of the magnetic disk.

Increase of the error rate in a data area attributable to a leakage magnetic field created by the residual magnetism of a magnetic disk is a problem in magnetic recording. In the perpendicular magnetic recording system, in particular, the influence of residual magnetism on the magnetic head is significant and hence the foregoing problem is important. The problem attributable to residual magnetism has become more important with the increasing demand for the perpendicular magnetic recording system.
For example, the residual magnetism of magnetic disks of the in-plane magnetic recording system and the perpendicular magnetic recording system is removed by an AC degaussing method. When the AC degaussing method is applied to degaussing, for example, a magnetic disk of the in-plane magnetic recording system, a magnetic field is applied in an in-plane direction parallel to the axis of easy magnetization of the recording layer of the magnetic disk with a permanent magnet or an electromagnet to invert the direction of the magnetic field so that the magnetism may be gradually reduced.
The residual magnetism of a magnetic disk of the perpendicular magnetic recording system is removed by applying magnetic fields of opposite polarities in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the magnetic disk, i.e., a direction parallel to the axis of easy magnetization of the recording layer of the magnetic disk, to invert the magnetism of the recording layer repeatedly so that the magnetism of the recording layer may gradually approach zero.
A data erasing method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 201-331904 ("Patent document 1") combines magnets such that magnetic poles of opposite polarities are adjacent to each other and erases data recorded on the magnetic disk by leakage flux from the interface between the magnetic poles of opposite polarities. A data erasing device disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2005-276319 ("Patent document 2") applicable to magnetic disks respectively of both the in-plane and the perpendicular magnetic recording system, uses a magnetic field varying from perpendicular direction at the inner circumference of the disk to a parallel direction at the outer circumference of the disk. A magnetic field applying method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2004-326960 ("Patent document 3") places magnets opposite to the upper and the lower surface of a magnetic disk, respectively, and slides the magnets along the recording surface of the magnetic disk.
A magnetic field of a magnetic intensity not lower than the coercive force of the magnetic disk is needed to degauss the magnetic disk. However, the recent magnetic recording systems including the perpendicular magnetic recording systems records data in a high recording density on magnetic disks and hence the coercive force of magnetic disks has been increased. Accordingly, a magnetic field of a high magnetic intensity needs to be applied to the magnetic disk for high-density recording. For example, it is difficult to degauss a magnetic disk of the perpendicular magnetic recording system by applying a magnetic field of the same magnetic intensity as that of a magnetic field used by a degaussing device for degaussing a magnetic disk of the in-plane magnetic recording system by a degaussing device similar to the degaussing device for the in-plane magnetic recording system.

Magnetic disk degaussing device and degaussing method

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


A radiation tomographic imaging apparatus includes a scanning device for scanning a predefined region in a subject, a prescribing device for prescribing beforehand a position at which an image of said subject is to be produced at a higher priority in the scan region in said subject and a reconstructing device for sequentially reconstructing an image of said subject from projection data obtained by said scanning device, wherein once projection data at said prescribed higher-priority position has been obtained from said scanning device, said reconstructing device reconstructs an image at said higher-priority position at a higher priority.

The present invention relates to a radiation tomographic imaging apparatus and an imaging method, and more particularly to a radiation tomographic imaging apparatus and an imaging method for producing a tomographic image at a predefined position in a subject during a scan.
As an apparatus for capturing a tomographic image, there is known, for example, an X-ray CT (computed tomography) apparatus for emitting X-rays as radiation, detecting X-rays passing through a subject, and arithmetically producing a tomographic image.
The X-ray CT apparatus has a scan gantry comprised of an X-ray tube and a detector array disposed to face the X-ray tube with the subject placed therebetween, and detects X-rays emitted toward the subject from the X-ray tube by the detector array. The X-ray CT apparatus scans the subject placed on an imaging table while, for example, rotating the scan gantry around the subject. Consequently, projection data of the subject are obtained in a plurality of views. The X-ray CT apparatus reconstructs the resulting projection data to produce a tomographic image of the subject of a predetermined slice thickness.
In such an X-ray CT apparatus, there is known a method of producing an image by sequentially performing reconstruction on projection data obtained in a scan (for example, see Patent Document 1). The method displays the reconstructed image on a display device or the like in the order of the image production, for example. If the speed of reconstruction is slow relative to that of scanning, the position being scanned does not coincide with the position of the image being reconstructed and displayed.
There is a method of performing reconstruction at a scan position selected by a user at a higher priority. In the case of such a method, the X-ray CT apparatus interrupts current reconstruction processing upon the selection of a certain position by a user during a scan by the scan gantry, and uses the latest projection data at the time of the selection to perform reconstruction. However, since the X-ray CT apparatus interrupts reconstruction processing to perform reconstruction at the certain position only after the user has selected a scan position, there is a lag between the selection of the position by the user and the display of a desired image by the X-ray CT apparatus.
Moreover, to select a certain position in this method, the user confirms a display indicating a scan time or a scan position, and visually identifies a position in the subject. It is difficult, however, for the method to provide accurate position information. Consequently, even if the user selects a scan position with such a method, a reconstructed image may be offset from the expected position.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid Open No. 2001-190538.

Radiation tomographic imaging apparatus and imaging method using it

GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC


The present invention relates to providing on-line tools for property-related on-line calculations. A distributed computer network can enable a user to access multiple databases and to obtain comparables data related to a property of interest for use in calculations. A user can access the latest, broadest set of relevant property data and to select relevant comparable values quickly and with minimal manual intervention. An on-line property management environment can comprise a distributed computer network coupled to numerous client computers, a property services server platform connected to a local data base, and numerous property information databases. A valuation tool, lease improvement calculator, refinancing calculator, capitalization rate calculator, mortgage and amortization calculator, and an affordability calculator can enable a user to make multiple property-related on-line calculations.

Prior attempts to create a valuation tool in the property management field have focused upon a custom-built spreadsheet model or a computer software program designed for operation on a user's desktop computer, such as the "ARGUS" commercial real estate valuation program. The constraint in using these prior—implemented property valuation solutions is that they are stand-alone computing models that fail to harness the distributed computing power of remote information sources and efficient communications offered by the global Internet.
This constraint upon prior valuation software solutions requires users to analyze comparables supporting valuation analysis in a suboptimal way. For example, a user typically completes a time-consuming process of compiling property comparables from multiple sources, analyzing their relevancy, using them as a guide to the model inputs and manually entering the best estimate. Large financial institutions typically employ teams of analysts who gather property comparables data and store them in proprietary databases for use in desktop computing-based valuation models.
The property valuation models in the prior art suffer from the disadvantage of being disconnected from the property-related data that drive the valuation calculations. In view of the foregoing, there is a need in the property valuation art to connect the valuation model(s) and property valuation data, such as property comparables, via an efficient computing structure of a distributed computing network. There is a further need in the property valuation art to efficiently access relevant property information while minimizing the possibility for valuation errors to create an accurate property valuation.

Method and system for property valuation in an on-line computing environment


The present invention relates to methods and compositions utilizing inteins to generate libraries of cyclic peptides in vivo. The prevent invention also relates to methods for inhibiting protein-protein interaction.

Combinatorial libraries of synthetic and natural products are important sources of molecular information for the development of pharmacologic agents. Linear peptide libraries, containing known and random peptide sequences, are particularly good sources of new and novel compounds for drug development because of the diversity of structures which can be generated. Drawbacks to linear peptide libraries are: (1) linear peptides are generally flexible molecules with entropic limitations on achieving productive biologically active conformations; (2) linear peptides are susceptibile to proteolytic enzymes; and, (3) linear peptides are inherently instable. For this reason, approaches utilizing conformational and topographical constraints to restrict the number of conformational states a peptide molecule may assume have been sought. See, for example, Hruby, (1982) Life Sci., 31:189; Hruby, et al., (1990) Biochem. J. 268:249.
Head-to-tail (backbone) peptide cyclization has been used to rigidify structure and improve in vivo stability of small bioactive peptides (see Camarero and Muir, (1999) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 121:5597-5598). An important consequence of peptide cyclization is retention of biological activity and/or the identification of new classes of pharmacological agents. Cyclic peptides have been reported that inhibit T-cell adhesion (Jois, et al. (1999) J. Pept. Res., 53:18-29), PDGF action (Brennand, et al. (1997) FEBS Lett., 413:70-74), and function as new classes of drugs (Kimura et al., (1997) J. Antibiot., 50:373-378; Eriksson, et al., (1989) Exp. Cell Res., 185:86-100).
Strategies for the preparation of circular polypeptides from linear precursors have been described. For example, a chemical cross-linking approach was used to prepare a backbone cyclized version of bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor (Goldenburg and Creighton (1983) J. Mol. Biol., 165:407-413). Other approaches include chemical (Camarero, et al., (1998) Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 37:347-349; Tam and Lu (1998) Prot. Sci., 7:1583-1592; Camarero and Muir (1997) Chem. Commun., 1997:1369-1370; and Zhang and Tam (1997) J. Am. Chem. Soc. 119:2363-2370) and enzymatic (Jackson et al., (1995) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 117:819-820) intramolecular ligation methods which allow linear synthetic peptides to be efficiently cyclized under aqueous conditions. However, the requirement for synthetic peptide precursors has limited these chemical/enzymatic cyclization approaches to systems that are both ex vivo and limited to relatively small peptides.
One solution to this problem has been to generate circular recombinant peptides and proteins using a native chemical ligation approach. This approach utilizes inteins (internal proteins) to catalyze head-to-tail peptide and protein ligation in vivo (see, for example, Evans, et al. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274:18359-18363; Iwai and Plückthun (1999) FEBS Left. 459:166-172; Wood, et al. (1999) Nature Biotechnology 17:889-892; Camarero and Muir (1999) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 121:5597-5598; and Scott, et al. (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 96:13638-13643).
Inteins are self-splicing proteins that occur as in-frame insertions in specific host proteins. In a self-splicing reaction, inteins excise themselves from a precursor protein, while the flanking regions, the exteins, become joined to restore host gene function. Inteins can also catalyze a trans-ligation self-splicing reaction. Approaches making use of the trans ligation reaction include splitting the intein into two parts and reassembling the two parts in vitro, each fused to a different extein (Southworth, et al., (1998) EMBO J. 17:918-926). A somewhat different approach uses an intein domain, and the reaction is then triggered with a thiolate nucleophile, such as DTT (Xu, et al., (1998) Protein Sci., 7:2256-2264).
The ability to construct intein fusions to proteins of interest has found several applications. For example, inteins can be used in conjunction with an affinity group to purify a desired protein (Wood, et al. (1999) Nature Biotechnology, 17:889-892). Circular recombinant fusion proteins have been created by cloning into a commercially available intein expression system (Camarero and Muir, (1999) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 121:5597-5598; Iwai and Plückthun (1999) FEBS Lett. 459:166-172; and Evans, et al. (1999) J. Biol. Chem. 274:18359-18363). In another approach, a mechanism for in vivo split intein-mediated circular ligation of peptides and proteins via permutation of the order of elements in the fusion protein precursor has been used to express cyclic products in bacteria (Scott, et al., (1999) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 96:13638-13643).
Cyclic peptide libraries have been generated in phage (Koivunen, et al., (1995) Biotechnology 13:265-70) and by using the backbone cyclic proteinomimetic approach (Friedler, et al., (1998) Biochemistry, 37:5616-22). Methods for modifying inteins for the purpose of creating cyclic peptides and/or proteins have been recently described (Benkovic, et al., WO 00/36093). It is an object of this invention to utilize intein function, derived from wild-type or mutant intein structures, to generate cyclic peptide libraries in vivo. The utilization of mutant intein structures for this purpose are of particular focus since these have been optimized for function in the specific context of an intein scaffold engineered to result in peptide/protein cyclization. Methods are described for generating, identifying, and utilizing mutants with altered splicing/cyclization activity for use with cyclic peptide/protein libraries. Intein-generated cyclic libraries are described for the identification of cyclic peptides/proteins capable of altering a given cellular phenotype. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide compositions and methods useful in the generation of random fusion polypeptide libraries in vivo and the use of such peptides.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

In vivo production of cyclic peptides for inhibiting protein—protein interaction


An object detector has a light projecting unit that projects light, a light scanning actuator that scans the light, and a light receiving unit. The light scanning actuator includes plate springs, each having a thin-plate shape and one end in a longitudinal direction thereof being fixed; a movable part attached to the other ends in the longitudinal directions of the plate springs; and an electromagnetic driving unit having a magnet that generates a magnetic flux, a yoke that forms a closed magnetic circuit with the magnet and has a part being stacked on the magnet, and a coil held by the movable part and positioned in a gap between the magnet and the yoke such that an aperture plane is substantially orthogonal to a stacking direction of the magnet and the yoke, the electromagnetic driving unit configured to drive the movable part by an electromagnetic force applied to the coil.

Conventionally, light scanners that scan light such as laser light have been used in various fields such as radars, scanners, printers, and printing markers. A technique for realizing such light scanners is known, in which a movable mirror is swung or rotated by motor drive, and light from a laser light source is emitted toward the movable mirror to perform scanning by the use of reflected light therefrom as search light (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Further, another technique is also known, in which light from a laser light source is emitted toward one point where mirror surfaces of a multifaceted mirror rotated by motor drive pass, and light reflected when the respective mirror surfaces pass the point is used for scanning as search light (for example, see Patent Document 3).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H3-175390
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H7-92270
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H6-102343


A method and apparatus are used for finding the longest prefix match in a variable length prefix search when searching a direct table within a routing table structure of a network processor. The search through the routing table structure is expedited by hashing a first segment of an internet protocol address with a virtual private network number followed by concatenating the unhashed bits of the IP address to the result of the hash operation to form an input key. Patterns are compared a bit at a time until an exact match or the best match is found. The search is conducted in a search tree that provides that the matching results will be the best possible match.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer networking structures and systems, particularly those that relate to the use of a hash function for the look up of an internet protocol (IP) address. More particularly, the invention relates to pattern matching algorithms using a longest prefix match algorithm and implemented in a network processing device.
2. Discussion of Related Art

Longest prefix match lookup using hash function

International Business Machines Corporation


An access control method and device, wherein the method comprises: a wireless access device receiving a request message from a user equipment (UE), the request message carrying timing advance information; and the wireless access device controlling the access of the UE according to the timing advance information. In embodiments of the present application, the wireless access device acquires the timing advance information of the UE during an RRC connection establishment process or a cell updating process, thus performing access control to the UE based on the timing advance information of the UE, and thereby timely controlling the access of the UE.

User Equipment (UE), when initiating a service, first establishes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection with a Radio Network Controller (RNC) of a wireless access network; subsequently, the UE establishes a signaling connection with a core network, to perform processes of registration, calling, short message transmission and etc.
In the prior art, a distance between a UE and a base station is characterized by timing advance, and the UE would report a measurement result of the timing advance to a RNC according to a request of the RNC only after an RRC connection is established. Therefore, access control of the UE based on location would proceed upon that the establishment of the RRC connection is completed.
In carrying out the present application, the inventor has found at least the following problems exist in the prior art:
The RNC would acquire location information of the UE after the RRC connection is established, in order to judge whether to accept the UE according to the location information; during the RNC acquiring the location information, the UE would simultaneously interact with the core network (such as performing registration processes, short message transmission processes and etc.); if the UE would not report the location information timely or the signaling interaction delay between the UE and the core network is short, the RNC might not acquire the location information of the UE while the registration process (or the short message transmission process) of the UE has ended, resulting in that the RNC cannot control the access of the UE timely.

DATANG MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT CO., LTD.


A cartridge for dispensing a fluid is presented. The cartridge comprises a reservoir chamber for receiving the fluid and for receiving a ventilation gas. The reservoir chamber comprises an inlet for receiving the ventilation gas and an outlet for dispensing the fluid. At least a portion of the reservoir chamber is filled with the ventilation gas when in an operating position. The inlet is located in the portion being filled with the ventilation gas. The fluid comprises a reagent. The cartridge further comprises a baffle for restricting gas diffusion through the inlet. The reservoir chamber receives the ventilation gas via the baffle. The inlet is maintains a constant gas pressure within the portion of the reservoir chamber that is being filled with the ventilation gas.

The present disclosure generally relates to the dispensing of fluids comprising a reagent and, in particular, to cartridges for dispensing fluids.
In medical laboratories, in vitro diagnostics are commonly performed on biological samples. Such tests may be performed manually using pipettes or maybe performed using an automatic analyzer. Automatic analyzers may automatically add reagents to the biological sample and may measure one or more physical properties of the biological sample during analysis.

Cartridge for dispensing a fluid comprising a reagent


A bioinstrumentation device utilizes an optical fiber for measuring biological parameters such as heart rate and breathing rate of a human subject. The device utilizes an optical fiber as a sensing element for sensing minute load variations resulting from the heart beating and breathing of the human subject and therefore indicative of the heart rate and the breathing rate. The device includes a base and a movable member movable relative to the base. The movable member is connected to a support structure for the human body and receives the minute load variations from the living body so as to vibrate in response thereto. Disposed between the base and the movable member is the optical fiber which is capable of resiliently deforming with changing characteristic of its internal reflectivity. A light source is disposed adjacent to the input end of the optical fiber to feed a light through the optical fiber. The light emitted from the optical fiber is received by a light sensor disposed adjacent to the output end of the optical fiber. An analyzing circuit is provided to analyze a variation in the amount of the light received at the light sensor due to the changing internal reflectivity of the optical fiber being deformed so as to determine the biological parameter. A retainer structure is included to keep the optical fiber bent with an initial curvature such that the optical fiber is caused to deform with a varying curvature from the initial curvature in response to minute load variations indicative of the biological parameters to be measured.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a bioinstrumentation device for measuring a biological parameter of a living body, and more particularly for measuring a heart rate and a breathing rate of a human subject without giving any annoying constriction to the subject.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known in the art to measure a biological parameter such as heart rate and the breathing rate from periodical minute variations or vibrations appearing in the weight of a human subject as a consequence of the heart beat and the breathing of the subject. Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-30914 proposes to use an optical fiber for sensing such minute variations based upon the finding that optical fiber will change its internal reflectivity as it is caused to deform under the influence of the weight or load variations. The change of the internal reflectivity results in corresponding change in the amount of the light transmitted through the optical fiber which can be readily analyzed to determine the heart rate and the breathing rate. However, there still remains a problem to be solved in order to achieve sufficient sensitivity or S/N ratio for accurately determining the heart rate and the breathing rate. The problem concerns that when the optical fiber is kept generally straight, no remarkable change in the reflectivity develops with a slight deformation of the optical fiber from the straight condition, thereby failing to derive a reliable indication of the minute load variations representing the biological parameters.

Bioinstrumentation device for measuring a biological parameter


The invention features a method and apparatus for displaying the status of networked resources, including rendering in a fishbone layout a hierarchy that includes a plurality of resource profiles and a plurality of dependency relationships among resource profiles in the plurality of resource profiles, where the resource profiles represent networked resources. The invention also features a method and apparatus for displaying the status of networked resources, to include rendering fishbone layouts in a snowflake layout. Each fishbone layout features a hierarchy with resource profiles and dependency relationships among the resource profiles. The resource profiles represent networked resources. Hierarchies in the snowflake layout share a common root.

Network monitoring software aims to detect problems and potential problems with networked resources. The network monitoring software is therefore concerned with how problems can propagate from one resource to the next. The network monitoring software is also concerned with, for a given resource experiencing a problem and having several component resources, isolating the source of the problem to a given component or set of components. One term for this and related goals of network monitoring software is "root cause analysis." Root cause analysis seeks the origin of a problem, i.e., the first condition that caused a propagation of problems. The paths along which problems propagate can be represented as a dependency relationship between a first resource originating the problem and a second resource to which the problem propagates; the second resource is dependent upon the first not to cause problems. When two resources are involved this way, the dependency relationship is "binary". More complicated dependency relationships might not be binary but may involve three or more resources. Such relationships can usually be expressed by a set of binary dependency relationships.
Directed Trees
FIG. 9A shows a directed tree 39, a data model known in the computing art. Tree 39 includes nodes 391 and edges 396. Tree 39 includes exactly one node 391 designated as its root 392. Each edge 396 has a direction 394 and connects two distinct nodes 391. A "path" is a sequence of edges 396 such that each member edge 396 shares a node 391 with its neighbor edge 396.
Direction 394 labels one of the two nodes 391 as the "departure" and the other as the "destination" for a given edge 396. A directed path goes "from" the departure node 391 of the path's first edge 396 and "to" the destination node 391 of the path's last edge 396, with neighboring edges 396 in the directed path sharing the departure node 391 of one neighbor with the destination node 391 of the other. Directed tree 39 has direction 394 determined for each edge 396 by position relative to root 392—in particular, directed trees 39 for which all edges 396 "point toward" root 392, or for which all edges 396 "point away from" root 392. A more formal definition of "pointing toward" root 392 is that every edge 396 in tree 39 begins a directed path to root 392. Likewise, "pointing away from" root 392 may be defined as every edge 396 in tree 39 ends a directed path from root 392.
Known properties of trees 39 include: "connectedness", meaning every node 391 is connected to every other node 396 via some path in tree 39; and "path uniqueness", meaning that a minimal path in tree 39 between a first node 391 and a second node 396 is the only such path between those nodes 396. The path is minimal in terms of its length. The "length" of a path is the number of edges it contains.
The "depth" of each node 391 is the length of the (unique) path that connects node 391 to root 392. The node 391 designated as root 392 has depth zero; all other nodes 391 have non-zero integer depth.
There is another way besides "departure" and "destination" to describe the nodes 391 of an edge 396: the node 391 with the lesser depth is called the "parent" of the other node 391, while the node 391 with greater depth is called the "child" of the parent. If A is a node 391, B is a child node 391 of A, and C is a child node 391 of B, then C is called a "grandchild" of A. Nodes 391 with no children are called "leafs". The number of child nodes 391 of a node 391 is called the "degree" of that node 391.
Nodes 391 having the same depth are said to be on the same "level", also known as "tier". A tier is often specified by the number that characterizes the depth of its nodes 391. For example, "tier one" includes all nodes 391 that share edges 396 with root 392. At least two mathematical truths apply to edges 396 in tree 39 with regard to tiers (the proofs are known in the art). First, for "n" greater than zero, each tier "n" node 391 shares exactly one edge 396 with a node 391 in tier "n−1". Second, edges 396 always join nodes 391 from different tiers—specifically, tiers that differ in depth by exactly one. A corollary of the second truth is that edges 396 never join nodes 391 within the same tier. These truths can be summarized intuitively as follows: edges 396 in tree 39 always go "up and down" between adjacent tiers, never "sideways" (within a tier) or skipping a tier; and, all nodes 391, except for root node 392, have a parent.
A first node 391 together with all its child nodes 391, grandchild nodes 391, the child nodes 391 of the grandchild nodes 391, and so forth, together with their connecting edges 396 form subtree 395. The subtree 395 just described is itself a tree 39 having the first node 391 as root 392. Because subtrees 395 have the same structure and properties as trees 39, trees 39 are said to be "self-similar". Many recursive algorithms work well on trees 39 because trees 39 are self-similar, among other reasons.
The "distance" between two nodes 391 in tree 39 is the length of the shortest path connecting them. (Recall that because tree 39 is connected, at least one such path exists. Also, because tree 39 has path-uniqueness, there is precisely one such path.) Two nodes 391 sharing an edge 396 are connected "directly". Another way of saying this is that their path length is one. Two nodes 391 connected by a path of length greater than one are connected "indirectly", i.e. via intermediary nodes 391.
The direction from node 391 toward a node 391 of lesser depth is called up; toward greater depth is down. To "traverse" tree 39 means to point to its nodes 391 one after the other, where successive nodes 391 are only chosen if they are joined by edges 396.
Node 391 can data structures in addition to those necessary to participate in tree 39. Edge 396 encodes as a data structure that can contain additional data structures, in like manner. Therefore, certain attributes of the data structures for nodes 391 and edges 396 may pertain to entities not inherent to tree 39 itself—for instance, the data structures often contain attributes of the concept being modeled by tree 39.
To the degree that hierarchies have the structure of a tree, the same terms apply.


A stapling operation can be performed with a comparatively small force. The stapler includes a base frame with a support element, and an operation frame pivotally attached to the support element through a main shaft. A staple pressure lower plate is disposed at the operation frame and drives staples stored in a staple magazine upon rotation of the operation frame. The stapler further includes a handle frame at an upper part of the operation frame pivotally attached to the support element such that a rear end part of the operation frame is located above the main shaft. An intermediate element is pivotally attached at one end to the handle frame. The other end of the intermediate element is pivotally attached to the operation frame.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a stapler, in which the stapling operation can be performed by driving a staple through sheets of paper, etc., with a comparatively small force.
2. Related Art
Staplers are known without the need of listing a specific example. A typical stapler includes three members, i.e., an operation frame, a staple magazine and a base frame which are all pivotally attached together at their rear ends. In operation, the staples stored in the staple magazine are pressed against a staple receiving board, which is disposed at the front end of the base frame and driven, one by one, into sheets of paper by means of a staple pressure lower piece, which is disposed at the front end of the operation frame. In order to facilitate this stapling operation in a stapler of the known construction through the operation frame, a handle frame is disposed at the outer side of the operation frame. This handle frame is provided at an intermediate part of its rear end in the back and forth direction of the handle frame with a pin. This pin is brought into engagement with a slot which is formed in an intermediate part of the operation frame so that the handle frame is linked to the operation frame. At the time of stapling operation achieved by pressing the front end of the handle frame, the control frame is pivotally rotated under the effect of lever action serving the pin part as a point of action. Owing to this construction, the pressing force to the front end side of the handle frame is exhibited greatly on the operation frame side and therefore, the driving operation (stapling operation) of the staple can be performed with a comparatively small force (for example, see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-28877).
However, the above-mentioned conventional techniques have the following problems. Since the operation frame is pivotally rotated by moving the pin, which is disposed at the handle frame side, through the slot, which is formed at the operation frame side, the pin and the edge part of the slot are mutually pressed against each other and deformed. This deformation causes the pressing force applied to the staple to be reduced, thus resulting in deterioration of the original function which the stapler inherently has.
The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above problems.


The present disclosure introduces a nozzle apparatus and method. In one embodiment, a spray nozzle apparatus is described. The spray nozzle apparatus includes a plurality of flow channels formed by the combination of a: sprayhead, a major element, and a minor element. The sprayhead may have a plurality of holes. The major element is retained within the sprayhead by a nozzle nut and spring, allowing a first annular gap to form between the sprayhead and the major element. The minor element is retained within the major element by a second nozzle nut and second spring, allowing a second annular gap to form between the major element and the minor element. The minor element may have an axial hole. Other embodiments also are described.

Spray nozzles of various configurations have long been the choice of utility engineers to control fluid distribution as well as the temperature of a fluid such as steam. Early spray nozzle designs were very simple and some actually had no moving parts. However, in the last twenty-five (25) years, the design and technology of the standard spray nozzle has changed to meet the changing needs and operating modes of today's modern power plants and engineering facilities.


A laundry processing apparatus includes a wall defining a condensed water collecting space configured to collect condensed water. The wall has an opening hole that is open to communicate with an inside of a cabinet of the laundry processing apparatus and that is configured to open and close by an opening and closing unit. Therefore, when the laundry processing apparatus is not operated, the condensed water remaining in the condensed water collecting space is quickly removed by air inside the cabinet, and during drying operation or drainage operation, the opening hole is closed by the opening and closing unit, pressure leakage is prevented for a space where air flows or a space where the condensed water is pumped.

Generally, a laundry processing apparatus includes a washing machine, a drying machine for clothing, a washing machine having both drying and washing functions, and the like, and performs functions for overall processing, such as washing, drying, and removing wrinkles of clothing, for clothing or various bed linen at home or at laundromat.
The clothing drying machine of the laundry processing apparatus includes a heat pump system. The clothing drying machine is configured to supply high temperature air to an object to be processed such as clothing and bed linen (hereinafter, the above-mentioned object will be referred to as clothing to be processed) which are inserted into a drum (or tub), through the operation of the heat pump system. Thus, moisture contained in the clothing to be processed is evaporated so that the clothing to be processed is dried.
The clothing drying machine may be classified into an exhaust type drying machine and a condensation type drying machine that are classified according to the processing method of high temperature and humid air escaping from the drum after drying the clothing to be processed.
The exhaust type drying machine is configured to discharge the high temperature and humid air generated during drying operation directly to the outside of the drying machine. The condensation type drying machine is configured to condense moisture contained in the air through the heat exchange while circulating the high temperature and humid air without discharging the high temperature and humid air to the outside.
In particular, in cased of the condensation type drying machine, the drying machine is configured to have the heat pump system including a compressor, an expansion valve, a condenser, and an evaporator, and is configured such that, air loses moisture while passing through the evaporator of the heat pump system and then is heated while passing through the condenser.
In relation to above description, it is as proposed in Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2010-0090087, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2013-0127816, Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2016-0087183, and Korean Patent Application Publication No. 10-2016-0149852.
Meanwhile, the condensation type drying machine according to the above-described related arts is configured such that, air heat-exchanges while passing through the evaporator to generate much condensed water. The condensed water flows down to the bottom in a circulation flow path and then flows into and is stored in a portion (condensed water collecting part) where a water pump is positioned.
However, the portion where the condensed water flows is formed in a space that is shielded from the outside environment in order to easily pump the condensed water. Therefore, when residual water remains in the space, the residual water is not quickly evaporated and continues to remain, thereby causing a problem of contamination and odor from the residual water.
In order to fundamentally solve the above problem, it is preferable that residual water does not remain.
However, in order to allow the condensed water falling down to the bottom of the circulation flow path to flow smoothly into the portion where the water pump is positioned, inclination of the bottom should be adjusted, and the inclination of the bottom may not formed as steep inclination, considering that it is difficult to maintain horizontality of other components (for example, evaporator, condenser, etc.) when the components are installed.
In addition, since various structures (for example, water cover, etc. on which evaporator or condenser is seated) are provided on the bottom of the circulation flow path and various contact portions are provided thereon, it is difficult to eliminate a problem in which the condensed water remains in the contact portions.
Further, it is preferable that the condensed water stored in the portion where the water pump is positioned is completely discharged by using the water pump, but it is actually difficult to realize change of design for complete discharge of the condensed water due to structural limitation of the water pump.


The present invention relates to a multilayer structure comprising a transparent polyamide-based layer and a layer based on a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The invention also relates to a decorated article consisting of an object to which the above structure has been bonded, the polyamide layer being on the outside. According to another embodiment, the polyamide/TPU structures may be bonded to a polyurethane foam or to a polyurethane resin. It is also possible to overmould the polyurethane foam or the polyurethane resin to the polyamide/TPU structure placed in a mould, the polyamide layer being adjacent to the mould wall. The structure obtained is useful, for example for making skis or sports shoes. The invention also relates to these structures. Advantageously, the polyamide layer is semicrystalline. Advantageously, the TPU layer is transparent. Each of the layers may be formed from several layers.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,616,418 and 5,506,310 disclose a structure consisting in succession of a polyamide layer, a layer made of a polyamide elastomer/grafted polyolefin blend and a layer that may be made of wood from a metal, epoxy or polyurethane. This structure may be a ski, that is to say the epoxy or polyurethane layer is not a thermoplastic layer but is the core of the ski. This part of the ski is not thermoplastic—the epoxy resin is crosslinked even if it is a polyurethane, i.e. a rigid polyurethane.

Polyamide/polyurethane multilayer structures for decorated articles


A dialog method for dialog between an operator of an aircraft and at least one system of the aircraft. The method includes the steps of displaying on a display at least one window including a plurality of responsive objects respectively associated with one of multiple functions of the at least one system of the aircraft, moving a cursor in a continuous manner on the display so as to designate a responsive object, and moving the cursor in a discrete manner on the display, responsive object by responsive object, so as to designate a responsive object.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention concerns a device for dialog between at least one operator of an aircraft and at least one system of the aircraft. This system includes the functions which are liable to be initiated by the dialog device, under the action of the operator, so that they can be executed.
In the context of this invention:
"execution of a function" means, in particular:
implementing a command to an element (engine, lighting, etc.) of the aircraft, or a particular action;
data entry;
access to pages of information on screens; and/or
access to additional information or actions without changing a page;
the system, e.g. a flight management device, may include "procedures" for navigation, communication, monitoring and/or flight management of the aircraft, and "procedures" for managing elements such as engines or lighting, or alarms of the aircraft.
The dialog is implemented via at least one window which is displayed on at least one screen, in general a screen on the flight deck, and which is of an "interactive" type. In the context of this invention, "interactive window" means a window which includes responsive objects (points, ranges, alphanumeric values, etc.) which respond to the presence of a cursor. The cursor can be displaced by an appropriate means which can be actuated by an operator of the aircraft, in such a way that it can be displaced to a responsive object to designate it. When a responsive object is designated, i.e., when the cursor is displaced to it, it is highlighted, in particular by a change of appearance such as a change of color or increased brightness. The responsive object is then said to have a "focus." Execution of a function which is associated with a responsive object is initiated by confirmation (using an appropriate actuatable means) of the responsive object, which has previously been designated, i.e., a responsive object with a "focus." In the rest of the description, a responsive object will be said to be "designated" when it has such a "focus."
2. Discussion of the Background
Various dialog devices which are capable of implementing the designation and confirmation of a responsive object of this type are known.
In particular, from Patent FR-2 677 149, a device for reviewing the lateral flight plan of an aerodyne is known. This known device includes a designation device which is fitted with a confirmation element, and which is connected to the processor of the flight management system of the aerodyne in such a way as to obtain, on the screen of this system, as well as the geographical representation of the flight plan which the pilot initially selected:
a responsive field associated with each point of the screen;
dynamic function ranges which are used to compose menus; the function which is assigned to each of these ranges can vary from one menu to another and is indicated on the display corresponding to this range; and
a luminous index, the displacements of which on the screen are controlled by the pilot acting on the designation device, in such a way that the index can be displaced to a range or a responsive field; the function which corresponds to this range is activated, or the point of the field is selected, by the pilot acting on the confirmation element.
The designation device includes a touch-responsive tablet, which includes a touch-responsive surface which is mounted on a fixed support structure via elastic devices, and a confirmation microswitch which is arranged in such a way as to detect the pushed-down position of the touch-responsive surface. Thus, a range or responsive field is designated by displacing a finger on the touch-responsive surface of this designation device, and confirmation is obtained by an increased pressure of this finger on the touch-responsive surface.
The reliability of this known dialog device is reduced, in particular as far as designation and confirmation of a responsive field or range are concerned, and in particular when the aerodyne is in an area of turbulence. In fact, in this case, because of possible shaking, it may be difficult to displace the finger exactly to the precise place which represents a range or field to be designated on the screen. Additionally, a slightly abrupt gesture by a pilot, in particular as a result of shaking, risks causing confirmation (pushed-down touch-responsive surface) of a range or field which he or she did not want to confirm.
Additionally, from Patent FR-2 743 921, a device, which is part of a global control system of an airplane, for aiding aerial navigation of the airplane, is known. This system includes, in particular, a Flight Management System (FMS) and interfaces for dialog with the pilot, including, among other things, information display screens for navigation and piloting, and a display and data entry console of Multipurpose Control Display Unit (MCDU) type. This MCDU console includes a keyboard which is exclusively intended for data entry, a screen and devices making it possible to select fields which are displayed on the screen and to activate the selected field to initiate operations which are related to what is displayed. These selection and activation devices make it possible to:
displace a cursor in a menu which is displayed on the screen, to select a field which this menu offers; for instance, the brightness of this field increases when the cursor is displaced to this field; and
activate a selected field.
As a device for selection (i.e., designation), this known document foresees displacement keys or the use of a touch-responsive screen or a touch-responsive tablet beside the screen.
Use of a touch-responsive screen or tablet again raises the problem of reliability of designation.
Additionally, for each of the devices which are disclosed by the abovementioned Patents FR-2 677 149 and FR-2 743 921, failure of the designation or confirmation device prevents the corresponding device from functioning.
Additionally, Document U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,141 describes an airplane flight deck which contains, in particular, multiple screens, a multi-functional control unit, two keyboards (or voice-operated systems) which are exclusively intended for data entry, and a dialog interface. This dialog interface includes at least two identical cursor control devices, in the form of control balls or spheres, one of which is intended for the pilot and the other for the copilot. These control balls make it possible to displace the corresponding cursors continuously on the screens, to designate responsive fields.
There is also a problem of the reliability of designation of responsive objects, in particular when the airplane is shaking, because of this continuous control of the cursors.
Additionally, when one of the cursor control devices fails, e.g., that of the pilot (although in this case the functions can be controlled if necessary by the other cursor control device, that of the copilot in this case), the pilot has no control over the corresponding controls, which is of course very inconvenient.

Aircraft dialog device for dialog with system of aircraft


A microwave antenna assembly comprising an elongate shaft having proximal and distal ends and a lumen defined therebetween, a conductive member at least partially disposed within the inner lumen of elongate shaft, conductive member being selectively deployable relative to a distal end of elongate shaft from a first condition wherein a distal end of conductive member at least partially abuts the distal end of elongate shaft to a second condition wherein the distal end of conductive member is spaced relative to the distal end of elongate shaft and a first dielectric material disposed between elongate shaft and conductive member, wherein a portion of conductive member is distal to the distal end of elongate shaft and adapted to penetrate tissue.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to medical/surgical ablation assemblies and methods of their use. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to microwave antenna assemblies configured for direct insertion into tissue for diagnosis and treatment of the tissue and methods of using the same.
2. Background of Related Art
In the treatment of diseases such as cancer, certain types of cancer cells have been found to denature at elevated temperatures (which are slightly lower than temperatures normally injurious to healthy cells). These types of treatments, known generally as hyperthermia therapy, typically utilize electromagnetic radiation to heat diseased cells to temperatures above 41° C. while maintaining adjacent healthy cells at lower temperatures where irreversible cell destruction will not occur. Other procedures utilizing electromagnetic radiation to heat tissue also include ablation and coagulation of the tissue. Such microwave ablation procedures, e.g., such as those performed for menorrhagia, are typically done to ablate and coagulate the targeted tissue to denature or kill it. Many procedures and types of devices utilizing electromagnetic radiation therapy are known in the art. Such microwave therapy is typically used in the treatment of tissue and organs such as the prostate, heart, and liver.
One non-invasive procedure generally involves the treatment of tissue (e.g., a tumor) underlying the skin via the use of microwave energy. The microwave energy is able to non-invasively penetrate the skin to reach the underlying tissue. However, this non-invasive procedure may result in the unwanted heating of healthy tissue. Thus, the non-invasive use of microwave energy requires a great deal of control. This is partly why a more direct and precise method of applying microwave radiation has been sought.
Presently, there are several types of microwave probes in use, e.g., monopole, dipole, and helical. One type is a monopole antenna probe, which consists of a single, elongated microwave conductor exposed at the end of the probe. The probe is sometimes surrounded by a dielectric sleeve. The second type of microwave probe commonly used is a dipole antenna, which consists of a coaxial construction having an inner conductor and an outer conductor with a dielectric separating a portion of the inner conductor and a portion of the outer conductor. In the monopole and dipole antenna probe, microwave energy generally radiates perpendicularly from the axis of the conductor.

Microwave antenna assembly and method of using the same


A drive backboard includes: a first conductive layer including bonding pins and first connecting lines, an insulating layer including first via holes and second via holes, a second conductive layer including connecting electrodes and second connecting lines and a conductive protective layer including first protective structures and second protective structures. The first via hole exposes the bonding pin, one end of a first connecting line electrically connects a bonding pin, and the other end reaches the second via hole. One end of a second connecting line electrically connects a connecting electrode, and the other end electrically connects the first connecting line through the second via hole. The first protective structure covers the bonding pin, and the second protective structure covers the second connecting line formed at the position of the second via hole. The pattern of the conductive protective layer is complementary to the pattern of the insulating layer.

For large-sized liquid crystal displays (LCDs), the luminous efficiency of the edge-lit backlighting solution is difficult to meet the display requirements, so direct-lit backlighting solution is usually adopted for large-sized LCDs.
Since mini light emitting diodes (Mini LEDs) have such advantages as thinness and achievable high contrast ratio, the mini LEDs serve as a backlight in most direct-lit backlighting solutions. However, the manufacturing process of the drive backboard for driving the mini LEDs to emit light is complicated and involves a lot of masks, leading to a relatively high manufacturing cost.

Drive backboard, manufacturing method thereof and backlight module

Hefei Xinsheng Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd.


The present invention provides methods and devices for freezing drops of liquid reagent solution in a cryogenic liquid. In one embodiment, the apparatus of the present invention comprises means for dispensing uniform, precisely measured drops of a liquid reagent and a rotatable carousel positioned below the dispensing means. The upper surface of the carousel has a plurality of trays each containing a cryogenic liquid, typically liquid nitrogen, for receiving the drops of liquid reagent. An alternative embodiment of the present invention comprises a tank comprising a cryogenic liquid for receiving the drops of liquid reagent. The tank has a heat source for slightly heating a portion of the cryogenic liquid such that a convection current in the cryogenic liquid is created. The convection currents in the cryogenic liquid provide mild agitation of the liquid and prevent aggregation of the frozen drops.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to novel devices and methods for freezing drops of liquid reagent In particular, it relates to devices and methods for freezing liquid reagents useful in the analysis of biological samples.
In preparing reagents for convenient and efficient testing of clinical biological samples, it is frequently important to obtain dry chemical blends in uniform, discrete amounts. These reagents must be efficiently and economically prepared in small precisely measured quantities. Reagents comprising organic materials, however, tend to spoil or degrade on storage, thus creating quality control problems. Thus, reagents are typically provided in dried form to increase stability. This is preferably done by freezing and lyophilizing the aqueous solutions comprising the reagents to form reagent spheres.
2. Background Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,848,084 relates to a method and apparatus for the generation of frozen droplets. Liquid is fed under pressure through a nozzle which provides a continuous stream of liquid which breaks apart to form droplets. The cryogenic liquid in the freezing tank is agitated with agitator 20. U.S. Pat. No. 4,982,577 discloses an apparatus and method for freezing droplets of liquid product. The apparatus uses cryogenic liquid, which flows along a ramp or sluiceway to freeze the droplets. U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,416 discloses an elongate tunnel which is inclined to the horizontal and which can be rotated along its longitudinal axis. Rotation of the tunnel carries the particles out of the liquid nitrogen contained therein. U.S. Pat. No. 4,798,614 relates to a freezing apparatus using a rotary chamber which rotates about a horizontal axis. U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,712 discloses a rotary chilling plate on which articles to be frozen are placed in brine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,762 discloses a method and apparatus for producing cryogenic targets using a mold assembly. U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,829 discloses a biological freezing apparatus containing a specimen holder which is lowered into a tank comprising a cryogenic liquid. U.S. Pat. No. 4,595,226 relates to a gas sample collection device which includes a specular carousel having at least one reflective surface for holding a sample deposited thereon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,576 relates to a process for the creation of crystal aggregates in one part of the tank by heat transfer from a fluid disposed in another part of the tank. Both parts are separated from each other by a flexible membrane. U.S. Pat. No. 3,282,064 relates to cryogenic or refrigerant regeneration for use in closed cycle systems. U.S. Pat. No. 2,845,472 relates to an apparatus for cooling a transformer and means for recirculating the liquid coolant during the operation of the apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 2,835,477 relates to an apparatus and method for controlling temperature in a bath. The temperature of the liquid bath is controlled by means of a temperature control conduit immersed in the bath through which the cooling liquid is circulated. U.S. Pat. No. 2,214,009 relates to an apparatus and method for cooling bottled beverages in which the cooling liquid is recirculated through a recirculation loop.


An illuminating apparatus (20) includes a lamp cover (200), a solid-state light emitting component (23) and an air tank (24). The lamp cover has a first end and an opposite second end. The lamp cover tapers from the first end to the second end. The lamp cover defines therein an air channel (25) running from the first end to the second end of the lamp cover. The solid-state light emitting component is disposed in the lamp cover at the second end thereof. The air tank has a chamber (240) therein in thermally contact with the solid-state light emitting component. The air tank has a plurality of first and second air vents (244, 245). The chamber is communicated with the air channel via the first air vents, and is communicated with an ambient environment via the second air vents. The first and second air vents are disposed at different altitudes.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to illuminating apparatuses, and particularly to an illuminating apparatus using principles of natural ventilation for improving heat dissipation efficiency.
2. Description of Related Art
With the continuing development of scientific technology, light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been widely used in the field of illumination due to its high brightness, long service lifetime, wide color gamut and so on. Relevant subject matter is disclosed in an article entitled "Illumination With Solid-state Lighting Technology", published on IEEE Journal on Selected Topics in Quantum Electronics, Vol. 8, No. 2, authored by Daniel A. Steigerwald et al. in March/April, 2002, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
LEDs generally emit visible light at specific wavelengths and generate a significant amount of heat. Generally, approximately 80-90% of the power energy consumed by the LEDs is converted to heat, with the remainder of the power energy converted to light. If the generated heat cannot be timely removed, LEDs may overheat, and thus their performance and service lifetime may be significantly reduced.
Referring to FIG. 11, U.S. Pat. No. 7,144,135 discloses an LED lamp 10 which includes an exterior shell 11 and an interior, an optical reflector 12 disposed in the shell 11. The shell 11 and the optical reflector 12 define a space therebetween for severing as an air channel 13 to cool the LED lamp 10. The shell 11 has a truncated conical shape which defines an opening 111 at a wider end thereof. A narrower end of the shell 11 is connected to an AC/DC converter 15. The narrower end of the shell 11 defines a plurality of air vents 16 for severing as air intake holes for the LED lamp 10. An LED 14 is located at the bottom end of the optical reflector 12 and mounted to a heat sink 17. The heat sink 17 is disposed in the shell 11. A motor 18 is mounted to a bottom of the heat sink 17 for severing as drive a fan 19. The fan 19 moves air over the heat sink 17 from the plurality of air vents 16 and through the air channel 13 defined between the shell 11 and the optical reflector 12 and flowing outside the LED lamp 10 for heat dissipation.
However, when the motor 18 operates, additional energy is required to drive the motor 18. This is not favorable to save energy. In addition, a probability of malfunction of the LED lamp 10 will be increased due to the use of the motor 18 and the fan 19.
What is needed, therefore, is an illuminating apparatus which can overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages.

Illuminating apparatus with efficient heat dissipation capability


A splicing tape for accurately aligning and joining spliced component carrier reels is disclosed. The flexible splice tape allows the components to remain aligned and picked from a component carrier reel without interruption at the union of a first and second reel. The splice tape with an optional stiffening strip provides a flexible, yet strong connection to prevent back and forth, axial and lateral movement between spliced reels. The detection of the disclosed splice tape facilitates elimination of incorrect and mismatched components during splicing. The splice tape comprises a plastic-type material coated on one side with a pressure-sensitive adhesive composition. A protective paper covers the adhesive composition. The splice tape and protective paper are divided into sections using a staggered slit arrangement. The staggered slit arrangement aids in proper alignment and adhesion of the splice tape to component carrier reels.

As miniaturization of components and circuit boards advance, smaller components require precise reel-to-reel interface in order to avoid costly integration problems. A missing, wrong, or misplaced component occurring at a red changeover connection could result in loss of an entire run of finished circuit boards, or other assembled products. A significant and expensive product loss, however, may result following a splicing error. Product loss entails a difficult re-work of devices, scrap of the circuit board assembly, for example, or even more catastrophic, a product failure in the field.
Proposed solutions include using some form of alignment tool on the alignment or splice tape, such as box-like teeth of a certain length and width, holes for receiving sprockets or knobs, color-coding spliced motion picture film. These methods are problematic because alignment tools incorporated on tape itself makes it difficult to accurately align spliced reels in an efficient manner. Production in manufacturing lines often interrupts when alignment errors in reel splicing occur. Further, previous proposed solutions do not maintain a strong, yet flexible joint when feeding the component carrier reels through machines for insertion of mechanical or electrical components. The static shock-inducing plastic carrier of previous designs is further problematic in previous splicing tapes. Universal use of a single splice tape design could apply to numerous sizes, shapes, and widths of component carrier reels.
Therefore, a need exists for a method to error proof reel splicing to prevent costly interruptions of manufacturing lines. Using an improved, cost-efficient splice tape to accurately align and connect component carrier reels will result in accurate component placement into various devices from properly aligned component carrier reels.