A nasal dosage composition for nasal delivery comprising (A) a therapeutic agent; and (B) zonula occludens toxin, as well as a method for the use of the same.

I. Nasal Delivery Systems
Until recently, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory steroids and decongestants have been administered intranasally only for their local action, e.g., nasal decongestion and bronchodilation. The observation that systemic side-effects appeared in some cases led to the conclusion that the nasal mucosa permits the systemic availability of some drugs. Nasal delivery offers promising alternative to parenteral administration of therapeutic agents that cannot tolerate the rigorous gastrointestinal environment after oral administration. Nasal administration may therefore be considered as one of the possible alternatives to delivering peptides and protein drugs.
The primary function of the nose is olfaction, but it also filters airborne particulates, as well as heat and humidified inspired air. In adult humans, the nasal cavities are covered by a 2.0 to 4.0 mm thick mucosa (Mygind, Nasal Allergy, Blackwell Scientific, Oxford (1979)). The volume of the nasal cavity is about 20 ml, and its total surface area is about 180 cm.sup.2 (Schreider, Toxicology of the Nasal Passage, Hemisphere, Washington, D.C., pages 1-23 (1986)). Absorption of therapeutic agents across the nasal mucosa results in direct systemic exposure, thus avoiding the first-pass hepatic metabolism associated with oral administration. However, an alternative first-pass effect is created by the metabolic activity within the nasal mucosa (Sarkar, Pharmacol. Res., 9:1-9 (1992)).
Although the bioavailability of peptides and proteins from the nasal mucosa is substantially improved over the oral route, it is still far from optimal when compared to the intravenous route. This limitation may be attributed to the resistance encountered by macromolecules in penetrating the nasal mucosa through the paracellular pathway (Sackar, supra).
Studies on the use of the paracellular pathway have not been extensively explored, mainly because of lack of information on tight junctions (tj) structure and function. That is, entry of molecules through the paracellular pathway is primarily restricted by the tj (Gumbiner, Am. J. Physiol., 253:C749-C758 (1987); and Madara, J. Clin. Invest., 83:1089-1094 (1989)).
In transmission electron microscopy, tj appear as an approximately 80 nm long region at the boundary of neighboring cells in which the plasma membranes of adjacent cells are brought into close opposition (Farquhar et al, J. Cell Biol., 17:375-412 (1963)). This structure circumscribes epithelial cells immediately below the apical domain, forming a seal between epithelial cells and their neighbors. This seal restricts diffusion of small molecules in a charge specific manner (Pappenheimer et al, J. Membrane Biol., 102:2125-2136 (1986) ; Madara et al, J. Cell Biol., 102:2125-2136 (1986); Claude et al, J. Cell Biol., 58:390-400 (1973); and Bakker et al, J. Membrane Biol., 11:25-35 (1989)), and completely occludes molecules with molecular radii larger then 11 .ANG. (Madara et al, J. Cell Biol., 98:1209-1221 (1985)). Thus, considerable attention has been directed to finding ways to increase paracellular transport by "loosening" tj.
To overcome the poor uptake from the nasal mucosa, absorption enhancers are employed in attempts to increase the extent of peptide absorption. Examples of these enhancers include bile salts (Duchateau et al, Int. J. Pharm. 31:193-196 (1986)), chelating agents (Lee, In: Delivery Systems for Peptide Drugs, Plenum, New York, pages 87-104 (1986)), and surfactants (Hirai et al, Int. J. Pharm. 9:165-169 (1981)). Since the penetration enhancers listed above promote peptide and protein absorption by perturbing membrane integrity, it is inevitable that varying extents of insult will occur to the mucosal tissues that are in contact with the enhancer (Lee, supra). The alteration of the membrane integrity can permanently damage the nasal membrane (Hirai et al, supra) and, consequently, makes the use of these substances unacceptable for chronic treatments in humans.
Thus, there has been a desire in the art to develop nasal absorption enhancers which do not have the above-discussed limitations.
II. Function and Regulation of Tight Junctions
The tj or zonula occludens (hereinafter "ZO") are one of the hallmarks of absorptive and secretory epithelia (Madara, J. Clin. Invest., 83:1089-1094 (1989); and Madara, Textbook of Secretory Diarrhea Eds. Lebenthal et al, Chapter 11, pages 125-138 (1990). As a barrier between apical and basolateral compartments, they selectively regulate the passive diffusion of ions and water-soluble solutes through the paracellular pathway (Gumbiner, Am. J. Physiol., 253 (Cell Physiol. 22):C749-C758 (1987)). This barrier maintains any gradient generated by the activity of pathways associated with the transcellular route (Diamond, Physiologist, 20:10-18 (1977)).
Variations in transepithelial conductance can usually be attributed to changes in the permeability of the paracellular pathway, since the resistances of cell plasma membranes are relatively high (Madara, supra). The ZO represents the major barrier in this paracellular pathway, and the electrical resistance of epithelial tissues seems to depend on the number of transmembrane protein strands, and their complexity in the ZO, as observed by freeze-fracture electron microscopy (Madara et al, J. Cell Biol., 101:2124-2133 (1985)).
There is abundant evidence that ZO, once regarded as static structures, are in fact dynamic and readily adapt to a variety of developmental (Magnuson et al, Dev. Biol., 67:214-224 (1978); Revel et al, Cold Spring Harbor Symp. Quant. Biol., 40:443-455 (1976); and Schneeberger et al, J. Cell Sci., 32:307-324 (1978)), physiological (Gilula et al, Dev. Biol., 50:142-168 (1976); Madara et al, J. Membr. Biol., 100:149-164 (1987); Mazariegos et al, J. Cell Biol., 98:1865-1877 (1984); and Sardet et al, J. Cell Biol., 80:96-117 (1979)), and pathological (Milks et al, J. Cell Biol., 103:2729-2738 (1986); Nash et al, Lab. Invest., 59:531-537 (1988); and Shasby et al, Am. J. Physiol., 255(Cell Physiol., 24):C781-C788 (1988)) circumstances. The regulatory mechanisms that underlie this adaptation are still not completely understood. However, it is clear that, in the presence of Ca.sup.2+, assembly of the ZO is the result of cellular interactions that trigger a complex cascade of biochemical events that ultimately lead to the formation and modulation of an organized network of ZO elements, the composition of which has been only partially characterized (Diamond, Physiologist, 20:10-18 (1977)). A candidate for the transmembrane protein strands, occludin, has been identified (Furuse et al, J. Membr. Biol., 87:141-150 (1985)).
Six proteins have been identified in a cytoplasmic submembranous plague underlying membrane contacts, but their function remains to be established (Diamond, supra). ZO-1 and ZO-2 exist as a heterodimer (Gumbiner et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., USA, 88:3460-3464 (1991)) in a detergent-stable complex with an uncharacterized 130 kD protein (ZO-3). Most immunoelectron microscopic studies have localized ZO-1 to precisely beneath membrane contacts (Stevenson et al, Molec. Cell Biochem., 83:129-145 (1988)). Two other proteins, cingulin (Citi et al, Nature (London), 333:272-275 (1988)) and the 7H6 antigen (Zhong et al, J. Cell Biol., 120:477-483 (1993)) are localized further from the membrane and have not yet been cloned. Rab 13, a small GTP binding protein has also recently been localized to the junction region (Zahraoui et al, J. Cell Biol., 124:101-115 (1994)). Other small GTP-binding proteins are known to regulate the cortical cytoskeleton, i.e., rho regulates actin-membrane attachment in focal contacts (Ridley et al, Cell, 70:389-399 (1992)), and rac regulates growth factor-induced membrane ruffling (Ridley et al, Cell, 70:401-410 (1992)). Based on the analogy with the known functions of plaque proteins in the better characterized cell junctions, focal contacts (Guan et al, Nature, 358:690-692 (1992)), and adherens junctions (Tsukita et al, J. Cell Biol., 123:1049-1053 (1993)), it has been hypothesize that tj-associated plague proteins are involved in transducing signals in both directions across the cell membrane, and in regulating links to the cortical actin cytoskeleton.
To meet the many diverse physiological and pathological challenges to which epithelia are subjected, the ZO must be capable of rapid and coordinated responses that require the presence of a complex regulatory system. The precise characterization of the mechanisms involved in the assembly and regulation of the ZO is an area of current active investigation.
There is now a body of evidence that tj structural and functional linkages exist between the actin cytoskeleton and the tj complex of absorptive cells (Gumbiner et al, supra; Madara et al, supra; and Drenchahn et al, J. Cell Biol., 107:1037-1048 (1988)). The actin cytoskeleton is composed of a complicated meshwork of microfilaments whose precise geometry is regulated by a large cadre of actin-binding proteins. An example of how the state of phosphorylation of an actin-binding protein might regulate cytoskeletal linking to the cell plasma membrane is the myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate (hereinafter "MARCKS") MARCKS is a specific protein kinase C (hereinafter "PKC") substrate that is associated with the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane (Aderem, Elsevier Sci. Pub. (UK), pages 438-443 (1992)). In its non-phosphorylated form, MARCKS crosslinks to the membrane actin. Thus, it is likely that the actin meshwork associated with the membrane via MARCKS is relatively rigid (Hartwig et al, Nature, 356:618-622 (1992)). Activated PKC phosphorylates MARCKS, which is released from the membrane (Rosen et al, J. Exp. Med., 172:1211-1215 (1990); and Thelen et al, Nature, 351:320-322 (1991)). The actin linked to MARCKS is likely to be spatially separated from the membrane and be more plastic. When MARCKS is dephosphorylated, it returns to the membrane where it once again crosslinks actin (Hartwig et al, supra; and Thelen et al, supra), These data suggest that the F-actin network may be rearranged by a PKC-dependent phosphorylation process that involves actin-binding proteins (MARCKS being one of them).
A variety of intracellular mediators have been shown to alter tj function and/or structures. Tight junctions of amphibian gallbladder (Duffey et al, Nature, 204:451-452 (1981)), and both goldfish (Bakker et al, Am. J. Physiol., 246:G213-G217 (1984)) and flounder (Krasney et al, Fed. Proc., 42:1100 (1983)) intestine, display enhanced resistance to passive ion flow as intracellular cAMP is elevated. Also, exposure of amphibian gallbladder to Ca.sup.2+ ionophore appears to enhance tj resistance, and induce alterations in tj structure (Palant et al, Am. J. Physiol., 245:C203-C212 (1983)). Further, activation of PKC by phorbol esters increases paracellular permeability both in kidney (Ellis et al C. Am. J. Physiol., 263 (Renal Fluid Electrolyte Physiol. 32):F293-F300 (1992)), and intestinal (Stenson et al, C. Am. J. Physiol., 265(Gastrointest. Liver Physiol., 28):G955-G962 (1993)) epithelial cell lines.
III. Zonula Occludens Toxin
Most Vibrio cholerae vaccine candidates constructed by deleting the ctxA gene encoding cholera toxin (CT) are able to elicit high antibody responses, but more than one-half of the vaccinees still develop mild diarrhea (Levine et al, Infect. Immun., 56(1):161-167 (1988)). Given the magnitude of the diarrhea induced in the absence of CT, it was hypothesized that V. cholerae produce other enterotoxigenic factors, which are still present in strains deleted of the ctxA sequence (Levine et al, supra). As a result, a second toxin, zonula occludens toxin (hereinafter "ZOT") elaborated by V. cholerae and which contribute to the residual diarrhea, was discovered (Fasano et al, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., USA 8:5242-5246 (1991)). The zot gene is located immediately adjacent to the ctx genes. The high percent concurrence of the zot gene with the ctx genes among V. cholerae strains (Johnson et al, J. Clin. Microb., 31/3:732-733 (1993), and Karasawa et al, FEBS Microbiology Letters, 106:143-146 (1993)) suggests a possible synergistic role of ZOT in the causation of acute dehydrating diarrhea typical of cholera. Recently, the zot gene has also been identified in other enteric pathogens (Tschape, 2nd Asian-Pacific Symposium on Typhoid fever and other Salomellosis, 47(Abstr.) (1994)).
It has been previously found that, when tested on rabbit ileal mucosa, ZOT increases the intestinal permeability by modulating the structure of intercellular tj (Fasano et al, supra). It has been found that as a consequence of modification of the paracellular pathway, the intestinal mucosa becomes more permeable. It also was found that ZOT does not affect Na.sup.+ -glucose coupled active transport, is not cytotoxic, and fails to completely abolish the transepithelial resistance (Fasano et al, supra).
More recently, it has been found that ZOT is capable of reversibly opening tj in the intestinal mucosa, and thus ZOT, when co-administered with a therapeutic agent, is able to effect intestinal delivery of the therapeutic agent, when employed in an oral dosage composition for intestinal drug delivery (WO 96/37196; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/443,864, filed May 24, 1995; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/598,852, filed Feb. 9, 1996; each of which is incorporated by reference herein in their entirety).
In the present invention, it has been demonstrated, for the first time, that ZOT, when co-administered with a therapeutic agent, is able to enhance nasal absorption of a therapeutic agent. This finding was unexpected for the following reasons:
(1) Vibrio cholera naturally infect the intestinal mucosa, not the nasal mucosa; PA1 (2) The effect of ZOT on the intestinal mucosa is not uniform, i.e., ZOT exhibits its permeablizing effect only on the small intestine, not on the large intestine; and PA1 (3) The regional effect of ZOT appears to be related to the distribution of its receptor within the intestine, i.e., the receptor is expressed only by mature cells on the tip of the villi in the jejunum and ileum. It is not present on the surface of colonocytes (Fiore et al, Gastroenterology, 110:A323 (1996)). Heretofore, it was not known whether the ZOT receptor was expressed on the surface of nasal mucosa. PA1 (A) a therapeutic agent; and PA1 (B) a nasal absorption enhancing effective amount of zonula occludens toxin. PA1 (A) a therapeutic agent; and PA1 (B) a nasal absorption enhancing effective amount of zonula occludens toxin .
Thus, there was no reasonable expectation that a Vibrio cholera toxin, e.g., ZOT, would have any effect on tj of the nasal epithelia.

Dosage composition for nasal delivery and method of use of the same


A distally-actuated scanning mirror includes: a mirror block with reflective surface on one side; torsional hinges with proximal ends rigidly attached to the mirror block, and with distal ends attached to flexural structures configured to transform translational motion of the piezoelectric elements into rotational motion of the distal ends of the hinges; and piezoelectric elements providing such translational motion. The distally-actuated scanning mirror also includes flexural structures made of separate flexures attached to the opposite surfaces of the distal ends of the hinges, which flexural structures have defined thinned-down flexural points. Portions of the distally-actuated scanning mirror may be 3D printed and/or fabricated by silicon MEMS technology. The mirror is fabricated from a Silicon-on-Insulator wafer, having a relatively thick (e.g., 380 um) handle layer, and a relatively thin e.g., 50 um), where photolithography with backside-alignment allows separate patterning of these two layers.

The advent of lasers producing thin, highly-collimated beams of light demanded development of special means to direct those beams in desired direction, an angularly-movable mirror being the simplest of such means. Reflecting a beam from two mirrors with orthogonal directions of rotation enables the creation of a 2D pattern of laser light on the target surface. While most applications are satisfied with vector patterns, and, respectively, relatively slow mirrors, some applications, such as laser projectors and LIDARs, require raster scanning, and very fast mirrors for at least one of the two directions.
Almost without exception, fast scanning mirror are resonant, consisting of the mirror itself suspended on some faun of torsional hinge, and capable of torsional oscillations with the frequency defined by the mirror inertia and the spring rate of the hinge. Frequencies in excess of 20 kHz, and total optical scan angles of the order of 1 radian have been achieved by mirrors of ˜1 mm in diameter. Silicon MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) technology has become dominant in fabrication of the fast scanning mirrors.
A typical MEMS scanning mirror, as shown on FIG. 1, consists of the mirror block 101, typically of round or oval or rectangular shape, with the reflective surface on one side, and two torsional hinges 102, with proximal ends 102a rigidly attached to the mirror block, and distal ends 102b rigidly attached to a base. The mirror block 101 carries some elements of the actuator, such as permanent magnets, coils, or electrodes, whereas the other parts of the actuator are mounted to the base. For illustrative purposes, the permanent magnet 104 is shown attached to the mirror block 101, while the coil 105 is stationary. The magnetic interaction between the magnet 104 and the coil 105 creates torque acting on the mirror block 101, and if the frequency of this torque equals the mechanical resonant frequency of the mirror block 101 on the torsion hinges 102, the mirror block 101 would reach large scan angles.
However, actuation to large scan angles requires considerable force and considerable amount of mechanical energy, which grow rapidly with the increase of the mirror block 101 size, frequency and scan angle. Provision of such force and energy necessitate increasing the size of the elements of the actuator, including those attached to the mirror block, such as permanent magnet 104, which in turns increases the mirror block's 101 inertia, and requiring even more actuation energy.


A fastening tool configured to fasten a workpiece via a multi-piece swage type fastener including a pin and a collar includes an anvil, a pin-gripping part, a driving mechanism, an electric motor, a control part and a housing. The driving mechanism is configured to move the pin-gripping part relative to the anvil in a first direction along an axis so as to cause the anvil to press the collar engaged with a shaft part of the pin in a second direction and in a radially inward direction. An operation mode of the driving mechanism can be selectively switched between a plurality of operation modes including a first mode, in which a process of fastening the workpiece is completed based on a state of the fastener, and a second mode, in which the process of fastening the workpiece is completed based on a driving state of the motor.

As a fastener for firmly fixing a plurality of workpieces in close contact with each other, a fastener is known which includes a pin (which may also referred to as a bolt) and a collar which are separately formed from each other. In fastening workpieces by using such a fastener, first, the pin is inserted through mounting holes formed in the workpieces and then the collar is engaged with a shaft part of the pin. Thereafter, a region of the shaft part including an end on the side opposite to a head of the shaft part is gripped and pulled in an axial direction by the fastening tool. Thus, the head and the collar clamp the workpieces therebetween and the collar is swaged to the shaft part such that an inner periphery of the collar is crimped to a groove formed in the shaft part. Therefore, the fastener having the above-described structure is also referred to as a multi-piece swage type fastener.
The following two types of multi-piece swage type fasteners are typically known. The first type fastener includes a pin, in which a small-diameter part for breakage different from a groove for swaging is formed in a shaft part. A portion of the shaft part on the side opposite to a head across the small-diameter part is generally referred to as a pintail. In an operation of fastening the workpieces by using the first type fastener, when the collar is swaged to the shaft part, the shaft part is broken at the small-diameter part and the pintail gripped by the fastening tool is separated, the fastening operation is completed. The second type fastener does not have a small-diameter part (in other words, does not have a pintail) in a shaft part and includes a shorter pin than that of the first type. In an operation of fastening the workpieces by using the second type fastener, when the collar is swaged to the shaft part, the fastening operation is completed while an end region of the shaft part remains gripped by the fastening tool and integrated with the shaft part. In other words, it is not assumed that the pin is to be broken in the second type fastener. In consideration of this difference, the first type and the second type may also be referred to as a breakage type (or tear-off type, pintail separation type) and a non-breakage type (or shaft retaining type), respectively.
PCT International Publication No. WO 2002/023056 discloses a fastening tool for fastening workpieces by using a non-breakage type fastener. The fastening tool includes a rotary nut member configured to grip an end region of a shaft part of a pin, and an anvil configured to be engaged with a collar. Further, the fastening tool moves a piston disposed within a cylinder by fluid pressure to move the anvil in an axial direction relative to the rotary nut member. Thus, the anvil presses and swages the collar to the shaft part.


An electrooptic device includes: a display panel; an adhesive layer mounted on the outer surface of the display panel; and a functional member bonded to the display panel with the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer has spacers dispersed on the functional member or the display panel.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an electrooptic device suitable for use in displaying various information.
2. Related Art
Techniques for reducing the size and weight of electrooptic devices have been developing in the last few years. Portable phones and portable digital assistants (PDAs) also use liquid-crystal display devices and are therefore their size and weight reduction has been tried.
Liquid-crystal display devices principally include a liquid-crystal display panel constructed of two opposing substrates made of glass or the like and liquid crystal sandwiched by the two substrates and an illumination system including an optical waveguide having a light source such as a light emitting diode (LED) at the end. The liquid-crystal display panel has, for example, a polarizer bonded to the upper and lower surfaces of the two substrates.
The two substrates of the liquid-crystal display panel have become thin in recent years as liquid-crystal display panels have decreased in thickness. Accordingly, the liquid-crystal display panel is prone to have an uneven gap because of the pressure applied when the polarizer is bonded to the liquid-crystal display panel. For example, the layer of the adhesive (hereinafter, simply referred to as an adhesive layer) sometimes becomes uneven in thickness, depending on the position of pressure when the polarizer is bonded to the liquid-crystal display panel. In this case, Newton's rings are generated around the position of the display screen where the adhesive layer has become thin by strong pressure. Such uneven gap has increasingly become conspicuous as recent liquid-crystal display panels have increased in contrast. JP-A-07-105781 describes a technique for preventing the generation of Newton's rings by bonding a touch panel to a surface supporter that covers the liquid-crystal display panel with acrylic adhesive tape.
The adhesive layer used in the technique described in JP-A-07-105781 may be thicker than 50 μm because tape adhesive is used. However, it is preferable that the adhesive layer be 50 μm in thickness as liquid-crystal display panels have become thin.

Electrooptic device, method for manufacturing the same, and electronic device


The present invention provides a display device and a method of fabricating the same. The display device includes a substrate, a transflective layer including first diffusive layers and second diffusive layers alternately arranged on the substrate, the first diffusive layers including a first diffusive material having a first refractive index, and the second diffusive layers including a second diffusive material having a second refractive index different from the first refractive index, a plurality of via holes formed in the transflective layer, and a light-emitting layer disposed on the substrate.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device providing an increased viewing angle that may improve brightness thereof, and a method of fabricating the same.
2. Discussion of the Background
Demand has recently increased for display devices which are smaller, lighter, highly efficient, and of higher density than previous display devices. Flat panel display devices such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an OLED display device, etc. have been researched and developed to meet this demand.
The OLED display device includes a pair of electrodes opposing each other, and a light-emitting layer disposed between the pair of electrodes.
In the light-emitting layer, a hole transmitted from a first electrode and an electron transmitted from a second electrode combine to form an exciton in the light-emitting layer. The light-emitting layer emits light during a deactivation process of the exciton. Accordingly, since an OLED display device does not require a separate light source, may have less power consumption, faster response rate, and higher contrast ratio than another type of flat panel display device, the OLED display device may be desirable as a flat panel display device.
However, light generated in the light-emitting layer may not be emitted to the outside due to total reflection of interfacial surface of elements of OLED display device. Thus the brightness of OLED display device may be reduced.
A microcavity may be formed within the OLED display device to improve brightness and color reproducibility using interference of light reflected from electrode.
Light intensity of light having a specific wavelength emitted in a front direction may be increased by using microcavity, but light intensity in other wavelengths may be decreased and color reproducibility of OLED display device may be degenerated.

Display device and method of fabricating the same


A nervous system emulator engine includes working computational models of the vertebrate nervous system to generate lifelike animal behavior in a robot. These models include functions representing several anatomical features of the vertebrate nervous system, such as spinal cord, brainstem, basal ganglia, thalamus and cortex. The emulator engine includes a hierarchy of controllers in which controllers at higher levels accomplish goals by continuously specifying desired goals for lower-level controllers. The lowest levels of the hierarchy reflect spinal cord circuits that control muscle tension and length. Moving up the hierarchy into the brainstem and midbrain/cortex, progressively more abstract perceptual variables are controlled. The nervous system emulator engine may be used to build a robot that generates the majority of animal behavior, including human behavior. The nervous system emulator engine may also be used to build working models of nervous system functions for clinical experimentation.

Modern artificial intelligence and robotics are generally limited to engineering approximations of nervous system functions based on how they appear to an external observer, as in the Turing test. The importance of moving beyond this limitation and modeling the actual functions of the nervous system is highlighted by the recent success of layered artificial neural network techniques (e.g., deep neural networks) whose key design features originate in neuroscience. However, these techniques are generally more useful for perceptual processing than generating realistic animal behavior.

Nervous system emulator engine and methods using same


It is an object of the present invention to provide an analysis device which can reproduce an image of an analysis object more accurately even when an analysis disc is an optical disc having the analysis object therein. A second pickup (106b) is provided for capturing and tracing a track on an analysis disc (201), and a first pickup (106a) is provided which is fixed at a constant distance (L) from the second pickup (106b) on the disc. A signal identical to the tracking signal of the second pickup (106b) is applied to a tracking actuator for driving the optical path of the first pickup (106a) in the radial direction of the analysis disc. A part of an analysis object (110) is traced and read while the position of the second pickup (106b) in the radial direction is controlled at times.

As disclosed in National Publication of International Patent Application No. 10-504397 and others, methods are available in which an analysis object to be tested is disposed in a certain portion on a disc and the analysis object is traced to obtain an image of the analysis object by using the reproducing function of the optical disc.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, an optical disc 101 generally has tracks 102 of an aluminum reflective layer that are formed on a surface of a base 101b. Information is recorded on pits and grooves 103 which are asperities finely formed on the tracks. Reference numeral 104 denotes a protective layer.
In a typical optical disc drive shown in FIG. 6, reading is performed on the tracks 102 by a laser beam Ph from a pickup 106 while the optical disc 101 is rotated in the direction of arrow C by a disc motor 105. The pickup 106 is screwed onto a feed screw 109 driven by a traverse motor 108. A servo control circuit 107 drives the traverse motor 108 to move the pickup 106 in the radial direction in such a way that the tracks 102 are traced according to the reproduction output of the pickup 106. Further, the servo control circuit 107 detects address information recorded on the tracks 102 and drives (CLV control) the disc motor 105 with a constant linear velocity.
To be specific, regarding the irradiation position of the laser beam Ph on the optical disc 101, the optical path of the laser beam Ph is driven not only by driving the traverse motor 108 but also a tracking actuator (not shown), which is provided in the pickup 106, in the lateral direction (radial direction) with respect to a surface of the optical disc 101 as necessary, and the tracks 102 are accurately traced while tracking control is performed.
In the case of an analysis disc unlike audio CDs and video CDs, an analysis object 110 is further disposed in the optical disc 101 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. In an analysis device using the technique of a conventional optical disc drive, the analysis object 110 is read by the pickup 106 and is processed by a video signal processing circuit 111 to obtain an image of the analysis object 110.
When using the address information of a coded signal written on the track on the disc, the address information may not be captured well due to a servo disturbance of focusing and tracking during the passage of the analysis object 110.
On a part where the analysis object 110 is present, the pits and grooves cannot be disposed. Even if the pits and grooves are present, it is quite difficult to read signals on the pits and grooves because of the influence of the analysis object 110. Such a part corresponds to a defect on an optical disc and thus a rotary servo, a tracking servo, and a focus servo on the optical disc do not normally operate when passing through the part. As a result, a number of problems frequently occur. For example, the rotation of the disc is disturbed during the passage through the part corresponding to the analysis object 110, and an adjacent track is caught after the passage of the part corresponding to the analysis object 110. Some measures are available to keep each servo in a holding state only on a defect. However, the holding state cannot be positively kept because each servo is out of control. As the number of disposed analysis objects increases, the number of unstable regions increases, resulting in greater influence of the servo disturbance. Further, similar problems occur in the rotary servo control of a disc.

Analysis device and analysis disc used for the same

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An electrical connector (100) having an inserting port (102) for receiving a corresponding plug, includes an insulative housing (1) and a plurality of contacts (4) retained in the insulative housing (1). Each contact (4) has a first portion (41) extending horizontally into the inserting port (102), a first bending portion (43) bending downwardly from a rear end of the first portion (41), and a second portion (42) extending downwardly from the first bending portion (43). The contacts (4) are arranged in two groups. The first portions (41) of each contact group (401, 402) are arranged in a row along a transverse direction respectively. The second portions (42) in each contact group (401, 402) are arranged in at least two rows along a front-to-back direction respectively. The first bending portions (43) of the contacts (4) in each contact group are arranged in a line along the transverse direction respectively.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and more particularly to electrical connectors with improved contact structure.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical connectors with high transmitting speed, such as HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface), Displayport etc, are widely used on TVs, computers, etc. Such an electrical connector usually includes an insulative housing and a plurality of differential signal contacts and grounding contacts retained in the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a base portion and a tongue extending forwardly from the base portion. The contacts are arranged in two groups which comprise a first contact group retained on an upper side of the tongue and a second contact group retained on a lower side of the tongue. Each contact has a contact portion extending to the tongue and a tail portion bending perpendicularly downwardly from the contact portion.
The first and second contact groups each comprises a number of signal contacts and a plurality of grounding contacts between adjacent signal contacts. The tail portions are usually arranged in three rows along a front-to-back direction for increasing space between adjacent contacts and decreasing crosstalk with each other. The signal contacts are arranged in an inner row and an outer row, and the grounding contacts are arranged in a middle row. The tail portions in each contact group need to be arranged in at least two rows and bend from different positions of the contact portions. Thereby, at least two molds are needed to form each contact group, and each contact group needs to be divided in two rows and separately assembled into the insulative housing. It needs much time to be assembled, and the cost of mold manufacture can not be decreased easily.
Hence, an electrical connector is desired to overcome the disadvantage of the prior art.

Electrical connector with improved contact structure


Telephone apparatus comprises a telephone and a remote controller separate therefrom. The telephone has a built-in keypad and an internal operating circuit including a control circuit connected with the keypad for accepting keying signals therefrom to process a telephone call. The remote controller includes a built-in keypad for generating keying signals and an internal signal transmitter for transmitting said keying signals in a wireless format. There is a signal receiver located internally of the telephone and connected to the control circuit for receiving said wireless keying signals from the signal transmitter and relaying the same to the control circuit for processing a telephone call. The remote keypad represents a second keypad for convenience.

Telephone apparatus that incorporate a cordless handset are convenient to use, but there is often a need to locate the handset on the telephone base for recharging, or a dedicated charging stand. While the handset is at a specific location, a user may not be able to grab the handset without moving or reaching over to it. The same drawback applies to normal telephones having a wired handset.
The invention seeks to mitigate or at least alleviate such a drawback by providing modified telephone apparatus.


An exemplary embodiment of such a system includes: a level shifter operative to transform an input signal into an output signal, the level shifter includes: a voltage distributor operative to receive the input signal and distribute potential levels at a first node and a second node to respectively output a first signal and a second signal, and the voltage distributor includes: a current limiter, operative to provide a limited current passing through the first node; a switch, operative to selectively establish an electrical connection between the first node and the second node; and a first transistor having a first electrode, a second electrode, and a first control electrode, wherein the first electrode is connected to the second node, the second electrode is utilized to receive the input signal, and the first control electrode is coupled to the first node; and an output circuit, operative to generate the output signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a system with voltage level adjustment function, and more particularly, to system with voltage level adjustment function accomplished by a level shifter utilizing only one clock to transform potential levels of the clock.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Level shifters are often utilized in all kinds of circuits to define DC levels. Furthermore, signals are often defined according to the DC levels. For example, in LCD fields, external circuits of the LCD panels may be biased by a positive voltage level 5V and a negative voltage level 0V. Inner circuits of the LCD panels may be biased by a positive voltage level 10V and a negative voltage level 0V. Assume that a signal has a 5V(0V) voltage level, which is defined as a digital 1(0) in the external circuits. If the signal is directly inputted into the inner circuits without a transformation, the inner circuits may misinterpret the signal. For example, if the signal 5V has a 1V noise, the signal may have an instant voltage 4V. Therefore, the signal may be regarded as a digital 0 in the inner circuits instead of the wanted digital 1. In other words, an error occurs.
Level shifters are utilized to solve this problem. The level shifters can transform an input signal having a 0V and 5V voltage levels into an output signal having a 10V and −10V voltage levels. After the transformation of the level shifters, misinterpretation of the signal by the inner circuits can be prevented. Therefore, the above-mentioned error does not occur.
In the prior art, the level shifter is driven by two input clock signals. In other words, the output clock signal is generated according to the two input clock signals. But it is well known that if two input clock signals are utilized, more pins need to be utilized in order to receive the input clock signals. The pin number is therefore increased, potentially reducing the reliability of the LCD panel. This causes another problem.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,043,679, a level shifter utilizing only one input clock signal to generate a corresponding output clock signal is disclosed. The level shifter is able to change the input clock having the 0˜5V voltage levels into the output clock having the −10˜10V voltage levels. The above-mentioned one-clock level shifter has to be biased by the −10V and 10V biases. That is, if the 10V and 0V biases are utilized as the DC levels, because the 0V biases may not drive the level shifter well, the clock shifter will not work so correctly.

Systems including level shifter having voltage distributor


A rotating article dispenser is provided for receiving and dispensing articles, such as a paper towel roll. The dispenser includes a handle which may be easily attached and removed by use of a clamping head provided in the handle which clamps around a bulb protruding from a first end of a tube. Upon depression of a button attached to the clamping head, the head may be released from the bulb so that the handle may be removed from the first end of the dispenser tube.

Paper towel holders are known that provide for a base and a rod to allow for rotation of the paper towel roll thereon. Such dispensers are known that have a handle at the top of the rod which may be removable. Such dispensers have attachment means for the handle, for example, so that the handle may be screwed and unscrewed to or from the rod. Such attachment means may be time consuming and difficult to operate; as the handle must be turned many rotations in order to remove it or attach it to the rod. As well, such handles do not provide for gripping surfaces that allow for the gripping of the entire dispenser assembly in order to remove individual paper towel segments from the paper towel roll.


An image processing apparatus includes a read unit for reading a document sheet to generate image data, a data compression unit for compressing the image data generated by the read unit, a prediction unit for predicting data amount after the compression for the image data to be compressed by the data compression unit and a control unit for controlling the reading of the document sheet by the read means in accordance with the prediction result by the prediction means.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing apparatus and method for reading a document sheet image and processing image data derived therefrom.
2. Related Background Art
In the field of the image processing apparatus, it has been known to read a document sheet by an image input unit, convert it to an electrical signal, apply image processing to the signal by an image processing unit and record it as an image by an output unit such as a laser beam printer. In a certain image processing apparatus, an image memory unit is provided in the image processing unit so that the document sheet once read by the image input unit is outputted to the laser beam printer from the image memory unit a plurality of times to form a plurality of sheets of image.
Further, it has been proposed that an image compression unit and an image decompression unit are built in before and after the image memory unit to attain effective operation of the image memory unit and this technique is being used in an application of electronic sorter for example.
On the other hand, an image compressing method which provides high efficiency and no degradation of quality is desired. To this end, the MH coding method and the Q-Coder which makes use of arithmetic coding have been known.
In the prior art digital copying machine, a document sheet is fed onto a plate glass by a document sheet feeder and stopped thereat, an optical system under the platen glass is moved to read an image of the document sheet, the read image of the document sheet is copied onto a record sheet and the document sheet is ejected from the platen glass. Such a digital copying machine is provided with a memory for storing image data representing the read image of the document sheet and image data outputted from a computer so that the image data stored in the memory is sequentially read to make records.
In order to improve a record processing speed of such a copying machine, moving read in which the document sheet is moved is preferred to stationary read in which an optical system is reciprocally moved.
However, the amount of data compressed by the compression method described above is not known until the compression is completed, so that when the memory becomes full during the moving read of the document sheet, the document sheet being read at that moment and the subsequent document sheet will be moved past the read station, and hence it is necessary to stop the operation of the apparatus and return by a user the document sheet which were moved past the read station without being copied to a feed unit of the document sheet feed unit. On the other hand, if the document sheet feed is constantly controlled to read the next document sheet after the completion of the output of one sheet of image data from the memory, the high speed operation cannot be attained and the productivity is lowered.

Controlling a reading unit of an image processing apparatus


A removable, permanent or reconfigurable debug probing device for use in debug probing of a printed circuit assembly, the printed circuit assembly having at least one through via, the debug probing device comprising at least one leader thread configured to be threaded through the at least one through via. Using the probing device comprises inserting a selected one of the at least one leader threads through a selected one of the at least one through via to thereby probe a surface of the printed circuit assembly; and responsive to detecting a defect in the selected through via, using a flexible circuit connected to the selected leader thread to repair the detected defect.

Printed circuit assemblies are used for numerous electronic applications these days. The printed circuit assemblies contain a number of interconnections, wirings, through vias and plated through holes extending from external connections on one surface of the printed circuit assembly to wirings and connections on the opposite surface.
Often the printed circuit assemblies—because of incorrect design or manufacturing errors—end up carrying defects. The defects in the printed circuit assemblies may include undesirable short circuits, open circuits or misrouted traces. Even a single defect in one of a plurality of connections on the printed circuit assemblies can lead to the entire assembly being deemed defective. The defect in the connection and associated through vias must be either repaired or completely replaced else the defective printed circuit assemblies will have to be discarded.
There are a few known solutions for repairing of defective printed circuit assemblies. One solution being deep deletion of the defective through via. The deleted through via is then filled with an epoxy solution and then a new through via is drilled and the connections are soldered again.
The problem with such a solution is that additional wires need to be added to the printed circuit assembly. Also, since the printed circuit assembly has a plurality of interconnections; it becomes difficult to solder new interconnections in such a tight package of the plurality of interconnections. Such soldering may also lead to short circuits and some other additional defects in the printed circuit assemblies.
Also, in cases of Land Grid Array (LGA) applications, multiple interposers are used in a stacked structure to repair a defective LGA. The stacked structure may lead to overcrowding of interconnections in the LGA and may lead to short circuits within the LGA.
Therefore, in light of above discussion there is a need of a solution that facilitates easy and safe rework of defective printed circuit assemblies.

Debug probing device and technique for use with flexible rework device

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A method and apparatus for low power timing recovery is provided. In an embodiment, different gains are used to estimate timing errors during different portions of the data packet. In an embodiment, timing errors are only estimated during known sequences of a data packet. In further embodiments, errors are initially estimated independently in a first portion of the data packet in order to determine a phase shift between the errors. In the second portion of the data packet, the total error is derived from one estimated error and the phase shift between the errors.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
In wireless communications, a transmitter converts information into a signal and transmits that signal to a receiver. Often, both the transmitter and the receiver have their own phase-locked loop (PLL). A PLL is a system that allows a device to adjust a signal. For both the transmitter and the receiver, the PLL acts as a source of a clock which standardizes the timing within the waves. The PLL of the receiver is further used to adjust the received signal in certain situations. Wireless standards are used to define data included in wireless signals, modulation schemes, and actions that may be taken by PLLs of the transmitter or receiver. The PLL of the receiver adjusts received signals based on the shared wireless standard between the transmitter and the receiver.
Even assuming a perfect radio frequency transmission, the signal picked up by the receiver will not perfectly match the signal sent from the transmitter. This occurs because of unknown errors which exist between the clocks of the transmitter and the receiver. The unknown errors are defined as the carrier frequency offset (CFO) and the sampling frequency offset (SFO) and may be estimated independently.
To ensure high quality transmission, wireless standards have different ways of revealing the transmitter clock to the receiver. One method is by using known sequences in a data packet. A known sequence is a sequence of data that is defined by the specification of the wireless standard as taking place at a certain point in the transmission of the signal and containing defined data that is known to both the transmitter and the receiver. For example, in the standard for wireless transmissions at 60 GHz-IEEE 802.11ad (802.11ad), a preamble of a data packet includes two known sequences: the short training field (STF) and the channel estimation field (CEF). These two sequences use Golay fields, a particular binary phase-shifting key sequence. A binary phase-shifting key sequence uses phases with a unique pattern of binary digits which form symbols. Functionally, the two sequences contain a series of predefined symbols in a predefined order.
Recovering the clock errors and adjusting the signal accordingly is done using feedback loops. Feedback loops generally run during the entirety of a data packet, continuously sampling the received signal and making modifications to the received signal. Two feedback loops generally run on a receiver during the transmission of a data packet to estimate and correct for errors between the two clocks: one to estimate and correct for the CFO and one to estimate and correct for the SFO.
Because each data packet contains known sequences, the known sequences may be used to determine the CFO and SFO. In 802.11ad, the known sequences in the preamble of the data packet can be used to estimate the CFO and the SFO. The PLLs may estimate the CFO and SFO by determining the difference between the received preamble and the known parameters for the preamble. For example, with binary phase-shifting keys, such as the ones used in the STF and CEF of 802.11ad, the CFO may be estimated by determining the rotation of the symbols from the known STF and CEF to the received STF and CEF. Meanwhile, the SFO may be estimated by determining a delay in receipt of symbols from the known STF and CEF to the received STF and CEF. While the two offsets are mathematically related, the relationship between the two contains a different unknown phase shift for each transmission.
Running both the CFO feedback loop and the SFO feedback loop during the entirety of the data packet consumes a large amount of power. Less power can be used by lowering the gain of the system, but doing so decreases the precision with which the receiver can adjust the signal to match the signal sent by the transmitter.
What are needed are techniques for accurately estimating and correcting timing errors using techniques that utilize lower levels of power.

Method for reducing power consumption when estimating timing errors in wireless signals


A system for implementing a trial in one or more fields is provided. In an embodiment, a agricultural intelligence computing system receives field data for a plurality of agricultural fields. Based, at least in part, on the field data for the plurality of agricultural fields, the agricultural intelligence computing system identifies one or more target agricultural fields. The agricultural intelligence computing system sends, to a field manager computing device associated with the one or more target agricultural fields, a trial participation request. The server receives data indicating acceptance of the trial participation request from the field manager computing device. The server determines one or more locations on the one or more target agricultural fields for implementing a trial and sends data identifying the one or more locations to the field manager computing device.

The approaches described in this section are approaches that could be pursued, but not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section.
Field managers are faced with a wide variety of decisions to make with respect to the management of agricultural fields. These decisions range from determining what crop to plant, which type of seed to plant for the crop, when to harvest a crop, whether to perform tillage, irrigation, application of pesticides, application of fungicides, and application of fertilizer, and what types of pesticides, fungicides, and fertilizers to apply.
Often, improvements may be made to the management practices of a field by using different hybrid seeds, applying different products to the field, or performing different management activities on the field. These improvements may not be readily identifiable to a field manager working with only information about their own field. Thus, it is beneficial for a computer system which obtains information regarding a plurality of fields to identify improvements to planting practices, management practices, or application practices.
While recommended improvements may be useful for agricultural fields, they can be risky to implement. Where a field manager can feel assured that the field manager's practices will produce a particular result, the field manager may not feel assured that following the recommendation would lead to a benefit.
Even if a field manager agrees to follow a recommendation, the field manager would not be able to quantify whether benefits achieved are due to the different planting, application, or management practices or due to one or more outside factors such as favorable weather. Thus, without being able to quantify the benefits of particular new practices, a field manager is unable to determine whether the practices should be used in future years.
Thus, there is a need for a method of identifying fields that could benefit from changes in agricultural practices and developing trials that can demonstrate the value in the changes to the agricultural practices.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Digital modeling and tracking of agricultural fields for implementing agricultural field trials


Methods and apparatus are provided to improve the efficiency of an outphasing amplifier through modulating the phase angle of a reflected signal in the outphasing amplifier. An outphasing amplifier includes a first amplifier and a second amplifier. A circulator is provided having a first port coupled to an output of the outphasing amplifier, a second port coupled to a load and a third port coupled to a phase shifter. The phase shifter is configured to provide a different phase angle of a reflected signal from the phase shifter to the outphasing amplifier through the circulator.

Wireless communication systems are widely used to provide voice and data services for multiple users using a variety of access terminals such as cellular telephones, laptop computers and various multimedia devices. Such communications systems can encompass local area networks, such as IEEE 801.11 networks, cellular telephone and/or mobile broadband networks. The communication system can use one or more multiple access techniques, such as Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) and others. Mobile broadband networks can conform to a number of standards such as the 2nd-Generation (2G) technology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) and/or the like, the 3rd-Generation (3G) technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and/or the like, and the 4th-Generation (4G) technology such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and/or the like.
A wireless network may include a plurality of wireless devices and a plurality of base stations. The wireless devices may be notebook computers, mobile phones or Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) devices, media players, tablet computers, large format mobile phones, digital readers, gaming devices, and various combinations thereof and/or the like.
The base stations communicate with the wireless devices over a plurality of wireless channels coupled between the wireless device and the base stations (e.g., a downlink channel from a base station to a wireless device). The wireless device may send back information, including channel information, to the base stations over a plurality of feedback channels (e.g., an uplink channel from the wireless device to the base station) in a manner that provides service to a desired coverage area, without contributing undue interference.
Power amplifiers are important components in the base stations of a wireless network. High efficiency and high linearity power amplifiers are desirable in order to improve the performance of a wireless communication system.
As wireless techniques further advance, outphasing amplifiers have been employed to improve efficiency and linearity of an amplitude-modulated radio frequency system. In a wireless system having outphasing amplifiers, an amplitude-modulated signal is decomposed into two phase-modulated signals by a signal component separator. These two phase-modulated signals are of the same envelope while having opposite phase variations. Such two constant-envelope signals are amplified by two separate amplifiers to produce two amplified signals, which are sent to a power combiner and are combined at the output of the outphasing amplifier to form an amplified replica of the original amplitude-modulated signal.

Phase-modulated load apparatus and method


A method for improving wear protection in an engine lubricated with a lubricating oil by using as the lubricating oil a formulated oil having a HTHS viscosity of less than 2.6 cP at 150° C. The formulated oil has a composition including a major amount of a lubricating oil base stock and a minor amount of metal phosphate nanoplatelets. The metal phosphate nanoplatelets are dispersed in the lubricating oil base stock sufficient for the formulated oil to pass wear protection requirements of one or more engine tests selected from TU3M, Sequence IIIG, Sequence IVA and OM646LA. Also provided are lubricating engine oil composition having improved wear protection.

Fuel efficiency requirements for passenger vehicles are becoming increasingly more stringent. New legislation in the United States and European Union within the past few years has set fuel economy and emissions targets not readily achievable with today's vehicle and lubricant technology. In order to improve lubricant fuel economy performance, reduction of viscosity is typically the best path; however, present day lubricant oils with a HTHS (ASTM D4683) viscosity of less than 2.6 cP at 150° C. would not be expected to be able to provide acceptable passenger vehicle engine durability performance.
HTHS is the measure of a lubricant's viscosity under conditions that simulate severe engine operation. Under high temperatures and high stress conditions, lubricant degradation can occur. As this happens, the viscosity of the lubricant decreases which may lead to increased engine wear. Antiwear additives are typically added to lubricant formulations to reduce engine wear. Illustrative antiwear additives include, for example, zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP), zinc dithiocarbamates, molybdenum dialkyldithiophosphates, molybdenum dithiocarbamates, other organo molybdenum-nitrogen complexes, sulfurized olefins, etc.
ZDDP is an antiwear additive almost universally used in engine lubricants for the last 60 years. See Spikes, H., 2004, The History and Mechanisms of ZDDP, Tribology Letters, 17(3), p. 469-489. ZDDP provides wear protection under mild wear conditions. The negative aspect of ZDDP is that it generates volatile phosphorus which appears to be the major cause of poisoning the catalytic converter of the engine exhaust system.
Environmental regulations limit the level of phosphorous in the current lubricant formulations. As a result, the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) are under constant pressure in finding alternative antiwear technologies that can deliver no or less volatile phosphorus in the engine emission system.
Fuel economy improvement strongly depends on the reduction of lubricant viscosity. This leads the contact conditions to be more severe and thereby results in more engine wear. There is a need to develop effective antiwear technologies for the low viscosity lubricants that are compliant with environmental regulations.
Despite the advances in lubricant oil formulation technology, there exists a need for an engine oil lubricant that provides superior antiwear performance and effectively improves fuel economy, and has the capability to do so through reduction or removal of antiwear additives, e.g., ZDDP, that generate volatile phosphorus.

Enhanced durability performance of lubricants using functionalized metal phosphate nanoplatelets

EXXONMOBIL RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY


Methods and compositions for treating 25-hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in a patient are described herein. The method includes orally administering to the patient a delayed, sustained release formulation including a first ingredient selected from the group consisting of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, or a combination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, or it includes gradually administering to the patient a sterile intravenous formulation including a first ingredient selected from the group consisting of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, or a combination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3.

The Vitamin D metabolites known as 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (collectively referred to as "25-hydroxyvitamin D") are fat-soluble steroid prohormones to Vitamin D hormones that contribute to the maintenance of normal levels of calcium and phosphorus in the bloodstream. The prohormone 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 is produced from Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 is produced from Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) primarily by one or more enzymes located in the liver. The two prohormones also can be produced outside of the liver from Vitamin D2 and Vitamin D3 (collectively referred to as "Vitamin D") in certain cells, such as enterocytes, which contain enzymes identical or similar to those found in the liver.
The prohormones are further metabolized in the kidneys into potent hormones. The prohormone 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 is metabolized into a hormone known as 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3; likewise, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 is metabolized into 1α,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (calcitriol). Production of these hormones from the prohormones also can occur outside of the kidney in cells which contain the required enzyme(s).
The Vitamin D hormones have essential roles in human health which are mediated by intracellular Vitamin D receptors (VDR). In particular, the Vitamin D hormones regulate blood calcium levels by controlling the absorption of dietary calcium by the small intestine and the reabsorption of calcium by the kidneys. Excessive hormone levels, whether transient or prolonged, can lead to abnormally elevated urine calcium (hypercalciuria), blood calcium (hypercalcemia) and blood phosphorus (hyperphosphatemia). The Vitamin D hormones also participate in the regulation of cellular differentiation and growth, PTH secretion by the parathyroid glands, and normal bone formation and metabolism. Further, Vitamin D hormones are required for the normal functioning of the musculo skeletal, immune and renin-angiotensin systems. Numerous other roles for Vitamin D hormones are being postulated and elucidated, based on the documented presence of intracellular VDR in nearly every human tissue.
The actions of Vitamin D hormones on specific tissues depend on the degree to which they bind to (or occupy) the intracellular VDR in those tissues. The prohormones 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 have essentially identical affinities for the VDR which are estimated to be at least 100-fold lower than those of the Vitamin D hormones. As a consequence, physiological concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 have little, if any, biological actions without prior metabolism to Vitamin D hormones. However, supraphysiologic levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, in the range of 10 to 1,000 fold higher than normal, can sufficiently occupy the VDR to exert actions like the Vitamin D hormones.
Surges in blood or intracellular prohormone concentrations can promote excessive extrarenal hormone production, leading to local adverse effects on calcium and phosphorus metabolism. They also can inhibit hepatic prohormone production from Vitamin D, and promote catabolism of both Vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D in the kidney and/or other tissues. Blood levels of both the prohormones and the Vitamin D hormones are normally constant through the day, given a sustained, adequate supply of Vitamin D from sunlight exposure or an unsupplemented diet. Blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, however, can increase markedly after administration of currently available Vitamin D supplements, especially at doses which greatly exceed the minimum amounts required to prevent Vitamin D deficiency rickets or osteomalacia. Prohormone blood levels can also increase markedly after rapid intravenous administration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and/or 25-hydroxyvitamin D3.
Production of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 declines when Vitamin D is in short supply, as in conditions such as Vitamin D insufficiency or Vitamin D deficiency (alternatively, hypovitaminosis D). Low production of 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 leads to low blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Inadequate Vitamin D supply often develops in individuals who are infrequently exposed to sunlight without protective sunscreens, have chronically inadequate intakes of Vitamin D, or suffer from conditions that reduce the intestinal absorption of fat soluble vitamins (such as Vitamin D). It has recently been reported that most individuals living in northern latitudes have inadequate Vitamin D supply. Left untreated, inadequate Vitamin D supply can cause serious bone disorders, including rickets and osteomalacia, and may contribute to the development of many other disorders including osteoporosis, non-traumatic fractures of the spine and hip, obesity, diabetes, muscle weakness, immune deficiencies, hypertension, psoriasis, and various cancers.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences has concluded that an Adequate Intake (AI) of Vitamin D for a healthy individual ranges from 200 to 600 IU per day, depending on the individual's age and sex [Standing Committee on the Scientific Evaluation of Dietary Reference Intakes, Dietary reference intakes: calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, vitamin D, and fluoride. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press (1997)], incorporated by reference. The AI for Vitamin D was defined primarily on the basis of a serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level sufficient to prevent Vitamin D deficiency rickets or osteomalacia (or ≥11 ng/mL). The IOM also established a Tolerable Upper Intake Level (UL) for Vitamin D of 2,000 IU per day, based on evidence that higher doses are associated with an increased risk of hypercalciuria, hypercalcemia and related sequelae, including cardiac arrhythmias, seizures, and generalized vascular and other soft-tissue calcification.
Currently available oral Vitamin D supplements are far from ideal for achieving and maintaining optimal blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. These preparations typically contain 400 IU to 5,000 IU of Vitamin D3 or 50,000 IU of Vitamin D2 and are formulated for quick or immediate release in the gastrointestinal tract. When administered at chronically high doses, as is often required for Vitamin D repletion, these products have significant and, often, severe limitations which are summarized below.
High doses of immediate release Vitamin D supplements produce marked surges in blood Vitamin D levels, thereby promoting: (a) storage of Vitamin D in adipose tissue, which is undesirable because stored Vitamin D is less available for later conversion to 25-hydroxyvitamin D; (b) catabolism of Vitamin D to metabolites which are less or no longer useful for boosting blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, via 24- and/or 26-hydroxylation; and, (c) excessive intracellular 24- or 25-hydroxylation of Vitamin D, which leads to increased risk of hypercalciuria, hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia via mass-action binding to the VDR.
High doses of immediate release Vitamin D supplements also produce surges or spikes in blood and intracellular 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, thereby promoting: (a) transiently excessive renal and extrarenal production of Vitamin D hormones, and leading to local aberrations in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis and increased risk of hypercalciuria, hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia; (b) catabolism of both Vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D by 24- and/or 26-hydroxylation in the kidney and other tissues; (c) down-regulation of hepatic production of Vitamin D prohormones, unnecessarily impeding the efficient repletion of Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency; and, (d) local aberrations in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis mediated by direct binding to VDR.
Furthermore, high doses of immediate release Vitamin D supplements produce supraphysiologic, even pharmacological, concentrations of Vitamin D, e.g., in the lumen of the duodenum, promoting: (a) 25-hydroxylation in the enterocytes and local stimulation of intestinal absorption of calcium and phosphorus, leading to increased risk of hypercalciuria, hypercalcemia and hyperphosphatemia; and (b) catabolism of Vitamin D by 24- and 26-hydroxylation in the local enterocytes, causing decreased systemic bioavailability.
Vitamin D supplementation above the UL is frequently needed in certain individuals; however, currently available oral Vitamin D supplements are not well suited for maintaining blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels at optimal levels given the problems of administering high doses of immediate release Vitamin D compounds.
Administration of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 in an immediate release oral formulation has been tried as an alternative method of Vitamin D supplementation. This approach, which has been subsequently abandoned, caused problems as do the currently used Vitamin D supplements. Specifically, it produced surges or spikes in blood and intracellular 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, thereby promoting (a) competitive displacement of Vitamin D hormones from the serum Vitamin D Binding Protein (DBP) and excessive delivery of the displaced hormones to tissues containing VDR, and (b) transiently excessive renal and extrarenal production of Vitamin D hormones, which together led to local aberrations in calcium and phosphorus metabolism. In addition, these surges in blood 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels promoted catabolism of both Vitamin D and 25-hydroxyvitamin D by 24- and/or 26-hydroxylation in the kidney and other tissues, down-regulation of hepatic production of Vitamin D prohormones, unnecessarily impeding the efficient repletion of Vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency, and, additional local aberrations in calcium and phosphorus homeostasis mediated by direct binding to VDR. Importantly, immediate release 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 promoted its intestinal absorption via a mechanism substantially involving transport to the liver in chylomicrons, rather than bound to the serum DBP. Delivery of 25-hydroxyvitamin D to the liver via chylomicrons significantly increased the likelihood of its catabolism.
Clearly, an alternative approach to Vitamin D supplementation is needed given the problems encountered with both currently available oral Vitamin D supplements, and with previously used oral 25-hydroxyvitamin D3.

Treating vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency with 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3


Systems and methods for providing a circular computer desktop. In accordance with an embodiment, one or more computer monitors are used with a closed-path configuration, in which there are no, e.g., natural left and right desktop boundaries. When an object is moved or resized such that a portion or all of the object moves outside an expected boundary of the desktop, then that portion of the object is rendered and made visible at the opposite side of the desktop. The effect is one of a continuous or circular desktop. In accordance with an embodiment, the system can determine the position of objects within the desktop, taking into account the width of monitor bezels. In accordance with various embodiments, the system can be used with a single, e.g., flat or circular monitor, or with a plurality of monitors, and can accommodate left-right and/or up-down circular desktop behavior.

A computer desktop can be represented as a fixed rectangular area that is rendered or displayed on a computer monitor. In the event a larger desktop area is desired, additional monitors can be connected to the computer, and the real-estate of all the monitors combined to create the larger desktop.
The desktop is generally used to render the location and size of objects for display, examples of which displayable objects include windows, icons, and electronic documents. At a particular point in time, each object can be represented on the desktop according to its object properties, e.g., its vertical position, horizontal position, width, height, and z-order (which denotes a layer for the object, and is used to render one object atop another, e.g., to overlap one window upon another window).
In a computer setup that utilizes two or more computer monitors, the fixed rectangular desktop area displayed by the monitors is itself bounded by the perimeter or boundary surrounding the monitors. However, a typical system uses an open-path configuration in that, when an object is moved or resized such that a portion or all of the object moves outside the boundary of the desktop, that portion of the object will not be rendered, and will not be visible to the user. This is the general area that embodiments of the invention are intended to address.

System and method for providing a circular computer desktop environment


A hemostasis valve including a collapsible membrane in a portion of a through-lumen. Fluid pressure in a chamber surrounding the collapsible membrane assists in sealing the collapsible membrane around an operating device inserted through the hemostasis valve. Different mechanisms for mechanically deforming the collapsible membrane to assist in sealing are disclosed. Also, a system for continuously flushing a vascular catheter connected to a hemostasis valve at a rate of 0.10 to 10.0 cubic centimeters per minute, and a hemostasis valve assembly including an expandable reservoir which stores liquid volume under pressure.

Hemostasis valves (also sometimes referred to as "Y-connectors" and "Touhy-Borst valves") are commonly used in certain medical procedures. A guide catheter is connected to the distal end of the valve, and an operating instrument, such as a guide wire or balloon catheter, is inserted into the proximal end and through the guide catheter to the desired location in the patient. After the operating instrument is in place, the valve is closed to keep blood from leaking out of the patient ("hemostasis").
One of the problems with current hemostasis valves is that they are cumbersome to operate, taking a long time to open and close. Most employ a Touhy-Borst sealing mechanism such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,507. A threaded cap deforms an O-ring into a tapered opening until the O-ring clamps down on the operating instrument. Each time the operating instrument is adjusted, the cap must be unthreaded before and then rethreaded after the manipulation. During the time that the valve is open, blood leaks from the patient and/or contrast media is lost. Inaccurate blood pressure readings also occur. There is also a risk of air emboli when the valve is open, particularly when removing the operating instrument.
Another problem with prior art hemostasis valves, such as Touhy-Borst valves, is that significant mechanical force must be applied to the operating instrument in order to maintain the seal. This is particularly a problem at higher system pressures, and when pressure spikes occur, such as when flushing the system with saline or introducing contrast media. The often delicate drive shaft of the operating instrument can be crushed by the force of the seal. The high force seal also prevents moving the operating instrument while the valve is closed.
One attempt at addressing some of these problems is shown in the '507 patent. In addition to a Touhy-Borst, this design includes a membrane having a fixed circular opening for sealing shafts within a certain diameter range. This sealing arrangement, however, still relies solely on a mechanical sealing system which requires high shaft forces at high system pressures. It also incorporates the same threaded Touhy-Borst valve, which requires the cap to be manually threaded in order to close the valve. The fixed opening membrane would also be helpful only with operating instruments in a particular diameter range.
Hemostasis systems typically have a perfusion port used to flush the system with saline in order to prevent blood clots from being formed. This is done by a technician periodically during the procedure, which takes time and may interrupt the procedure. The blood pressure readings are also inaccurate during the flush.
What has been needed is a hemostasis valve which opens and closes easier, maintains a seal at higher pressures without damaging the instrument, and permits movement of the instrument while maintaining a seal. What has also been needed is a hemostasis system which reduces or eliminates the need for periodic flushing. What has also been needed is a hemostasis assembly which reduces blood loss and the risk of air emboli while the valve is open.

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research


A method for manufacturing an optical element including: a surface including a plurality of grooves arranged concentrically. Each of the grooves includes a bottom surface with a predetermined width, a side surface, and a curved surface with a predetermined curvature radius. The bottom surface extends in a radius direction of the grooves. The curved surface connects the bottom surface and the side surface.

In recent years, in a highly accurate optical element such as an objective lens for an optical pickup apparatus, a diffractive structure is formed on its optical surface to improve an optical property by its diffractive effects. In this case, the diffractive structure is generally a microscopic structure of ring-shaped zones. When an objective lens is formed through injection molding with plastic as a material, it is necessary to process the mold to form a microscopic-groove form that corresponds to the structure of ring-shaped zones on its mold. As a material for the mold, cemented carbide is generally used, and this cemented carbide can be cut by a diamond cutting tool. Patent Literature 1 discloses a technology wherein a material of the mold is cut by a diamond cutting tool having a rectangular cutting face while the material is rotated, to form the microscopic-groove form.    Patent Literature 1: Unexamined Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2005-219185

Method of manufacturing an optical element


A rail mountable device may be provided that is configured to be secured firmly to a rail. In one example, the rail mountable device may include a rail clamp that includes a screw, a screw receptacle, a first ramp member coupled to the screw, and a second ramp member coupled to the screw receptacle and configured to move relative to the screw receptacle. Additionally, the rail mountable device may include a removeable battery pack with a battery indicator. Furthermore, the rail mountable device may include a plurality of switches disposed on either side of the rail mountable device. The switches may be coupled to a bracket and a mode of the rail mountable device may be operated through manipulation of the switches. Additional embodiments and related methods are provided.

It is often useful to mount an accessory device, such as a lighting device, to a rail that is secured to or integrated into a firearm (e.g., a handgun). Such an accessory device should be firmly secured to the rail as operation of the firearm typically involves the firearm experiencing significant forces. Furthermore, firearms are often exposed to harsh environments. The components and/or mechanisms used to secure the accessory device should be configured to withstand such harsh environments. Additionally, accessory devices are often left secured to the handgun. As such, accessory devices should be serviceable when secured to the firearm.
Conventional apparatuses for mounting of accessory devices are typically complicated and require large numbers of moving parts. For this reason, the accessory devices can be difficult to install and remove and can be prone to failure due to failure of one or more of the moving parts. This can be problematic, particularly in military or police operations in which failures or excessive time or energy to install, remove, or service the accessory device can be dangerous. Moreover, conventional apparatuses for mounting of accessory devices can be bulky and heavy and can therefore negatively affect the aiming of the firearm when mounted and can be difficult to install on small firearms such as handguns. It would therefore be desirable to provide improved systems and methods for mounting of accessory devices to a rail and for servicing such accessory devices.


Disclosed are methods and systems for performing false path analysis. In one approach, the methods and systems identify a set of zero or more false paths based upon both implementation-specific design data and non-implementation-specific design data. In some approaches, disclosed are methods and systems for performing automated gate-level static timing false path analysis, identification, constraint generation, and/or verification using architectural information. Static timing paths at the gate-level can be linked to the architectural information via mapping techniques found in equivalence checking (EC). The gate level static timing paths can be analyzed in the context of the architectural information to identify false paths.

Static timing analysis (STA) can determine if there exist paths in an electrical circuit design with delays that exceed a given timing threshold. Such paths are commonly known as critical paths (CPs). When such a critical path is identified, the portion of the design associated with the critical path may need to be modified to satisfy the required timing thresholds. It is generally not preferred to make such design modifications if they can be avoided, since each such modification consumes time and system resources, as well as possibly introducing less optimal component configurations and sizes. Since the number of such critical paths may exceed, for example, tens of thousands for large gate-level designs in a modern design, a significant amount of time and system resources may need to be expended to address all of the identified critical paths.
Therefore, it is important to accurately identify the critical paths that really need to be addressed. To date, most approaches have focused on independent efforts to improve the accuracy of RTL static timing estimation or improving the performance of traditional STA at the gate level.
The typical design flow can involve a large number of static timing analysis (STA) runs in an iterative process. Each time the design is optimized via synthesis, floor planning, place and route, in-place optimization, and/or back annotated post layout, static timing analysis can be performed. For example, STA can generate tens of thousands of critical paths (CPs) with thousands of the CPs being false paths (FPs). Typically, critical paths are analyzed, e.g. manually, and constraints can be created for the false paths, e.g. manually, and fed back to these design tools. Generation of false path constraints for a typical design can take several weeks to several months and is very error prone. For example, very often, incremental changes can be made to a design. Incremental design changes can imply that from one static timing run to the next, many of the same false path constraints still apply. However, design changes may cause some of the constraints to become invalid. The false path constraints that are manually generated initially might not be re-verified when incremental changes are made to the design. The false path constraints that are no longer valid (invalid constraints) can cause a bad design to be implemented. Using the proposed method, existing constraints can be automatically verified and/or automatically regenerated, ensuring accurate and efficient design implementation.
False path detection at the gate level has been investigated. For example, some static timing tools detect paths that are logically never used with ATPG techniques; however, these techniques have been limited to the gate level without consideration of additional constraints that can be imposed by architectural information. Moreover, many false paths cannot be identified at the gate level. The problems of identifying which critical paths are real and which as false can often involve human intervention. This human intervention can be required because the critical paths can be reported without consideration for the function of a design. There are tools that explore static timing estimation at the RTL level; however, the tools that operate at the RTL level do not consider the actual critical paths in the gate level design. These tools are for timing estimation only and are not accurate enough for timing sign off. Identification of false paths that are based on the architectural information of a design is often managed manually and can require extensive communication between the engineer that performs the static timing analysis and designers that understand the architecture of the design. The manual analysis of these critical paths can be quite time consuming and error prone, adding weeks to months in the design process. Errors in the static timing analysis could lead to the manufacture of a bad design.
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and system for performing false path analysis to accurately identify the set of critical paths which must be addressed in a circuit design. In one embodiment, a set of false paths is identified based upon analysis of both implementation-specific design data and non-implementation-specific design data. Embodiments of the invention provide automatic methods and systems for gate-level static timing false path analysis, identification, constraint generation and/or verification using architectural information. Accurate gate level timing data in conjunction with the architectural design data and formal methods can be used to identify false paths. The combination of formal techniques with static timing analysis to identify false paths using information from the architectural information yields improved results in identifying false paths. Some embodiments can use non-formal techniques such as simulation.
In some present embodiments, by combining static timing analysis with formal techniques such as equivalence checking (EC) for mapping gate level information to architectural information, model checking to identify unreachable states, and/or automated false path analysis and constraint generation for use in identifying false paths constraints, the amount of manual effort can be minimized. Some embodiments can use nonformal techniques such as simulation.
In one or more embodiments of the invention, static timing paths at the gate-level can be linked to the architectural information via techniques such as logic cone and/or state point correspondence, such as commonly used in equivalence checking (EC). The gate-level static timing paths can be analyzed in the context of the architectural information to identify false paths. The analysis of gate-level paths in the context of the architectural information can enable identification of false paths that cannot be identified in the context of gate-level information alone. Furthermore this automated approach can be less error prone and/or much more efficient than existing techniques which are commonly manual techniques.
Various embodiments include methods performing the technology described herein, code (at least partly hardware and/or at least partly software) performing the technology described herein, and one or more computers performing the technology described herein.
Further details of aspects, objects, and advantages of the invention are described below in the detailed description, drawings, and claims. Both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory, and are not intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention.

Method and system for false path analysis


A chair control includes a flexible truss having tandem springs interconnected in spaced relation so that they interact to provide a unique torque versus displacement profile during flexing, with a portion of one of the springs moving longitudinally relative to a portion of the other spring as they are flexed. A stop on the springs limits the longitudinal movement, thereby limiting the angle of tilt both in the upright and rearward chair back positions. In one form, the springs are pairs of leaf springs connected in tandem and operably attached to a chair back and bottom formed by a corrugated member. In another form, one of the springs is a flexible shell forming a chair with the other spring attached thereto in a nested arrangement. In yet another form, the flexible truss is a separate module installable in furniture as a self-contained energy absorber.

The present invention pertains to furniture, and in particular to chairs and the like which provide a unique load versus displacement profile useful for controlling the rearward tilting movement of a movable member such as a chair back.
Chair backs that tilt are commonly used to increase user comfort, such as by allowing a seated user to lean rearwardly to a relaxed position. Typically, these chairs include an assist of some kind to support the user in the rearwardly tilted position and to aid the user in tilting forward when the user desires to move from the rearwardly tilted position to the forwardly upright position.
There are two major types of assists commonly used on office chairs and the like. The first type is a "materials based" assist which is most usually a spring grounded to the chair frame at one end and directly connected to the chair back at the other end, such as is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 530,880 to Briggs entitled "Chair". Alternatively, a chair shell is used made of resilient material which offers some flexibility between the chair seat and back. These assists tend to be of low cost and relatively simple in operation. However, these assists do not provide positive support for the user when the user initially begins to lean rearwardly, since these assists usually provide zero torque when the chair back is in the upright rest position. They also require high spring rates in order to produce the necessary support at the rearwardmost tilted position of the chair back. Still further, "materials based" assists usually do not have positive upright and reclined positions.
Recently, a second type of chair back assist has become popular, that being a "control based" assist such as is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,720,142 to Holdredge et al. entitled "Variable Back Stop". This type includes a discrete control apparatus attachable to the chair for controlling chair back movement, and potentially offers advantages of a preload for providing initial support as a user leans rearwardly, a positive rearward end stop, an apparent pivot axis located near a seated user's hips, and potentially greater control over design torque profiles as the chair back is tilted rearwardly. Also, the "control based" assists are usually discrete energy packages attachable to the chair in a manner offering assembly advantages. However, improvement on "control based" assists is also desired. These assists tend to be mechanically complex and expensive to manufacture. Further, they are somewhat bulky and larger than desired such that they limit chair designs. Also, they are typically not integral with the chair frame, seat, and back.
Thus, improvements in control of the chair back movement are desired. In particular, improvements are desired which would provide the functionality of the "control based" assists, but which do so in a less complex way that integrates the functional features into the structure of the chair. Further, the improvement should desirably be compatible with existing chair designs, components, and assembly practices.