A near field communication (NFC) antenna including a dielectric substrate, a coil, and a coupling structure is provided. The coil is disposed on the dielectric substrate. The coupling structure includes at least one coupling branch. Two ends of the coupling branch are respectively connected to two different connection points on the coil. The coupling structure is configured to improve the isotropic characteristics of the NFC antenna.

Field of the Invention
The disclosure generally relates to a near field communication (NFC) antenna, and more particularly, to an NFC antenna with isotropic and high-efficiency characteristics.
Description of the Related Art
With the progress of mobile communication technology, portable electronic devices, such as portable computers, mobile phones, tablet computers, multimedia players, and other hybrid functional mobile devices, have become more common. To satisfy user demand, portable electronic devices can usually perform wireless communication functions. Some functions cover a large wireless communication area; for example, mobile phones using 2G, 3G, and LTE (Long Term Evolution) systems and using frequency bands of 700 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, and 2500 MHz. Some functions cover a small wireless communication area; for example, mobile phones using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) systems and using frequency bands of 2.4 GHz, 3.5 GHz, 5.2 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.
A mobile device with the near field communication (NFC) function, for example, has an NFC antenna which is often designed in a rectangular card and also has a rectangular shape to fit the card. This design may cause the related reader to be incapable of receiving signals from the NFC antenna at all angles. For example, when the angle between the reader and the long side of the NFC antenna is set to 90 or 270 degrees, the reader may receive a relatively weak electric field, and it therefore degrades the communication quality of the NFC antenna.


In conjunction with water, a mixture can be used to prepare a sprayable slurry that hydrates to form a machinable plaster composition. The mixture includes from about 80% to about 98% by weight calcium sulfate hemihydrate, from about 1% to about 5% by weight adhesive binder for adhering said plaster mixture to a substrate and from about 0.001% to about 10% of a polysaccharide. The mixture is made into a slurry by the addition of from 10% to about 50 weight water based on the weight of the mixture.

This application relates to a sprayable machinable media with good stability. More specifically, it relates to a sprayable gypsum with good machining and spraying properties.
The present invention relates to a plaster mixture for forming a sprayable, machinable composition, and specifically to a plaster mixture that can be adapted to be poured into a mold, trowel applied, or spray applied to a substrate, and machined to a desired shape to produce a dimensionally accurate model.
Gypsum is also known as calcium sulfate dihydrate, terra alba or landplaster. Plaster of Paris is also known as calcined gypsum, stucco, calcium sulfate semihydrate, calcium sulfate half-hydrate or calcium sulfate hemihydrate. Synthetic gypsum, which is a byproduct of flue gas desulfurization processes from power plants, may also be used. When it is mined, raw gypsum is found in the dihydrate form. In this form, there are approximately two water molecules of water associated with each molecule of calcium sulfate. In order to produce the hemihydrate form, the gypsum can be calcined to drive off some of the water of hydration by the following equation:CaSO4·2H2O→CaSO4·½H2O+ 3/2H2O
Calcium sulfate hemihydrate can produce at least two crystal forms. Alpha-calcined gypsum is made by a continuous process or a lump rock process whereby the calcium sulfate dihydrate is calcined under pressure. The alpha-calcined gypsum forms less acicular crystals than beta-calcined gypsum, allowing the crystals to pack tightly together, making a denser and stronger plaster. The crystal morphology allows water to flow easily between the crystals, requiring less water to form a flowable slurry. More elongated crystals are characteristic of the beta-calcined gypsum. This crystal structure results in a less dense product because the crystals are more loosely packed. The beta form also requires more water to fluidize the calcined gypsum. If the calcining of the dihydrate is performed at ambient pressure, the beta form is obtained and the cost is relatively low compared to the alpha-calcined gypsum.
A number of useful gypsum products can be made by mixing the calcium sulfate hemihydrate with water and shaping the resulting product slurry into the desired shape. The product slurry is permitted to set by allowing the calcium sulfate hemihydrate to react with sufficient water to convert the hemihydrate into a matrix of interlocking dihydrate crystals. As the matrix forms, the product slurry becomes firm and holds the desired shape. Excess water must then be removed from the product by drying.
When no additives are used, the amount of water added to a calcined gypsum slurry determines the density of the set gypsum matrix. As more water is used, the slurry increases in volume. The theoretical water demand of pure calcium sulfate hemihydrate is 18.6 wt %. The hydrated calcium sulfate matrix forms filling the volume originally occupied by the slurry, trapping the excess water in the crystal interstices of the gypsum matrix. For equal amounts of gypsum, the interstices are larger and more numerous to take up the excess water as the proportion of water is increased. As the size and number of the spaces increases, both the density and the strength of the matrix decreases compared to a composition with little of no excess water. However, slurries with little excess water are very difficult to mix, particularly if beta-calcined gypsum is used.
The amount of water used determines the plasticity of the slurry. Plasticity is the property of plaster which permits permanent and continuous deformation in any direction. As opposed to low viscosity materials, plastic materials require a measurable force to initiate flow. A material of low plasticity is usually described as being "poor" or hard working; high plasticity is described in terms of "rich" or easy working.
In some types of manufacturing, the molds used in production are cast from models. One method of making a model involves shaping a substrate with CNC or other high performance milling machine. In applications where the models are large, such as in the automobile, watercraft and aerospace industries, a large volume of substrate material is necessary to build a model. Therefore, it is desirable that the substrate material be lightweight and economical. Also, the material must be machinable to a high degree of dimensional accuracy. Accordingly, the material must be able to hold a sharp corner and a smooth contour and be dimensionally stable from room temperature through 250° F. (121° C.).
To produce large models, it is common to first fabricate a substrate that is sized slightly less than the full size model. Inexpensive materials such as tooling boards, Styrofoam and the like are commonly used to fabricate the substrate. The substrate is coated with successive layers of a machinable material until the substrate is larger than the model. Finally, the coated substrate is machined into the desired shape.
Plaster mixtures for forming machinable compositions are known. Notably, U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,059 to Immordino describes a high density gypsum composition for use as a machinable composition, which is readily carvable, is able to hold sharp corners and smooth contours, and is dimensionally stable from room temperature to 250° F. (121° C.). This plaster contains a polymer binder for increasing strength of the plaster and for preventing the generation of dust during machining. As disclosed in the Immordino patent, the binder is an ethylene/vinyl acetate/vinyl chloride terpolymer. Up to 10 to 20 percent by weight of polymer binder is preferably added to the plaster to obtain the desired consistency. The composition of Immordino discloses the addition of an internal lubricating agent to minimize friction during machining. Further, this composition may not be spray applied to a substrate since, if sprayed, due to the effects of gravity, the composition will flow prior to set and before building up a machinable thickness.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,099 to Kaligian et al discloses a sprayable, machinable plaster utilizing an internal binder, an external binder and a system of accelerators and retarders. Although a proper set time is obtainable, the accelerator system is complex and is sensitive to temperature and other conditions.
Machinable materials adapted to be spray applied on a substrate are also known, namely, polyester and polyurethane foams. Polyester is undesirable because it is possible to apply only about a 1/16 inch (1.6 mm) coat at a time. Therefore, numerous coats of polyester are needed to build up an appreciable thickness. Also, because each coat must be allowed to dry before the next coat, this method is time consuming.
Polyurethane foams are undesirable because they do not produce a coat with a uniform thickness and the coats normally have numerous air pockets. Therefore, to achieve dimensional accuracy, significant surface preparation is necessary following machining. Polyester and polyurethane foams generate static electricity and undesirable amounts of dust during machining. The combination of the static and the dust creates an unwanted mess. Further, the isocyanate used for curing the polyurethanes is a known carcinogen.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a means to stabilize the set time of a slurry and to allow the sprayed composition to build up quickly to a machinable thickness. There is a further need to increase the concentration of beta-calcined gypsum relative to alpha-calcined gypsum at approximately a constant water demand. When these needs are met, products made of sprayable, machinable plasters can be made more quickly, with less waste and/or at lower cost.


A sleeve adapter for connecting a ventricular assist device to a ventricle of the heart.

Heart Failure, often called congestive heart failure, is a condition in which the heart can no longer pump sufficient blood to the rest of the body. Heart failure is a major health problem in the U.S. with hundreds of thousands of cases diagnosed each year. There are a variety of causes for heart failure. The most common cause is coronary artery disease, which is a narrowing of the small blood vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Other causes of heart failure include congenital heart disease, heart attacks, heart valve diseases and abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
A variety of surgeries and devices have been developed to treat patients with heart failure, including coronary bypass surgery, angioplasty, heart valve surgery, addition of a pacemaker, or installation of a defibrillator. When treatments no longer work, a patient is said to be in end-stage heart failure. For patients in end-stage heart failure, a heart transplant is often the only possible treatment option. Unfortunately, there is a serious shortage of donors. The annual number of donor hearts remains around 2,000. However, the patients who are qualified to receive and need donor hearts is estimated to be about 16,500. To compensate for this lack of donor hearts, mechanical circulation support systems have been intensively studied and developed. Such mechanical circulation support systems include artificial hearts and ventricular assist devices.
A ventricular assist device (VAD) is a mechanical pump that helps a ventricle to pump blood throughout the body. The VAD pumps the blood from a weakened or diseased ventricle to the aorta or a pulmonary artery. The components of a VAD vary according to the specific device used. In general, a VAD includes a pump, connections to and from the heart, a control system and an energy supply. A general representation of a ventricular assist device is presented in FIG. 1. Referring now to FIG. 1, a patient 2 is shown with an implanted VAD 4 in the body of the patient 2. The patient's heart 6 includes the left ventricle 8 which is attached to a ventricle tube 10 which enters the left ventricle 8. The ventricle tube 10 is attached to a pump 12. A variety of pumps are used in VADs, including rotary and axial flow pumps. The pump 12 pumps blood from the left ventricle 8 into a pump exit tube 14 which delivers the blood to the aorta 16. The pump 12 has a control unit wire 18 which is attached to the pump 12 and which exits the patient's body 2 and is attached to a control unit 20. The control unit 20 controls the action of the pump 12 and is attached to a power unit wire 22 which attaches to a power unit 24 which powers the pump 12. A power unit 24 may be battery charged or may plug into a power source such as a wall outlet. A variety of means are available to carry the power unit 24, such as a sling 26. In some instances a VAD is used to keep the patient alive until a donor heart is available. Such use is referred to as a "bridge to transplant." In "destination therapy" a VAD is used in place of a heart transplant to provide a long-term solution for patients that are not eligible for a heart transplant.
There are situations where a patient needs a VAD, but the ventricle in need of the VAD is diseased or otherwise damaged in a way that makes attachment of the VAD to the ventricle difficult or impossible. The present invention is directed to sleeve adapter and methods for connecting a VAD to a damaged or diseased ventricle thereby greatly expanding the number of patients able to receive a VAD.

Ventricular assist device sleeve adapter

The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


Lifeometer and general operation algorithm of lifeometer. Optimal base reference life expectancy for the system/part being measured is provided. Lifeometer calculates and displays the rate of usage, the life used, or the life remaining. The information displayed is used by operators or users of the part or machine to make maintenance or service decisions. Lifeometer monitors and tracks/records internal operational parameters, environmental or external operational parameters or outside conditions at or near the system/part, and/or operating history of the system/part. If the system/part is at a life level to be serviced or replaced, then the system/part is serviced or replaced, and the lifeometer resets remaining life level and/or used life level to appropriate values. Lifeometer has a system/part monitor, a digital processor with virtual memory, a database in storage, a display system, and an environmental/outside conditions monitor. Lifeometer uses the internal operational parameters, the external operational parameters, and/or the operating history information for determining present rate of usage for a system/part. Lifeometer uses the rate of usage and amount of time operated to calculate present usage, and the lifeometer uses the present usage, the operating history, and the life expectancy information to determine and calculate used life and/or life remaining. Used life and/or life remaining is displayed on a display system (i.e. display 88, 100, or 108). Mathematical formula and equations for weighting and factoring in the internal operating parameters, the external operating parameters, and the operating history for determining rate of usage of the system/part are used with the present invention.

The present invention relates to a device and method for measuring life of systems/parts, and, in particular, to a lifeometer that accounts for internal and/or external parameters and/or operating history and respectively determines and measures life usage and remaining life of systems/parts.
Many devices have various systems, components, and/or parts that operate over estimated life expectancies. These systems or parts are frequently related to thermodynamic systems, fluid mechanic systems, thermo-mechanical systems, or any other system/part with fluctuating or varying mechanical or external parameters. One common example are the various components, or parts, of an engine or a power plant. Many of these parts experience varying parameters, such as pressures and/or temperatures. The variations in these parameters affect the life span, or total amount of time that the part is safe and useful.
Gauges and meters monitor various operating parameters, levels, and conditions. For example, there are a variety of gauges or meters that monitor oil levels, temperature levels, vehicle speed, engine speed or revolutions per minute (RPM), or loads of an engine or power plant. The Systems and parts typically have generally set or fixed life expectancies or predetermined effective usage life or time that are typically determined and calculated based on engineering or laboratory operational tests. This is called the life expectance, lifetime, or life span of the component or part.
Systems and parts, of course, operate under varying conditions based on both internal parameters and external parameters, which affect the life expectancies of the systems/parts. Examples of internal parameters that affect life expectancies of systems/parts include, but are not limited to, operating temperature, operating loads/weights, operating time, operating speed, travel distances, and operating pressure. Examples of external parameters that affect life expectancies of systems/parts include, but are not limited to, wind, temperature (both internal and external), particulate levels, contaminant levels, pressure (both internal and external), and moisture levels. The operating history of these parameters on the components or parts also affects life expectancies of the systems/parts.
Typically, systems or components need to be disassembled or torn apart in order to determine level of wear and tear on the subsystems or parts. Meters, gauges, or indicator displays for showing life used and/or remaining life of systems/parts generally do not exist; or if they exist are purely linear with time. Since internal parameters, external parameters, and/or operating history have to be taken into account for measuring life used and remaining life, meters, gauges, or indicator displays have to be very complicated or complex in order to be accurate. Many of the parameters, such as factors related to thermodynamic systems, fluid mechanic systems, thermo-mechanical systems, affect life expectancies and are difficult to determine, calculate, or estimate. Moreover it is extremely difficult to determine the inter-relationships between the various parameters. However, meters or gauges or displays, which quantify and provide current and more accurate estimates to an operator, monitoring person, or user when service to or replacement of the system/part may be necessary, would be extremely useful.
Therefore, there exists a need or demand for the development of a meter or gauge or indicator display or other such system or method for determining, estimating, and calculating accurate and current information related to life used and/or remaining life of a system/part. A further need exists to develop algorithms and implement expert system(s) for determining, estimating, and calculating such accurate and current information. The present invention discloses and provides a lifeometer apparatus and method for measuring and displaying life of systems/parts, and the present invention overcomes the problems, disadvantages, and limitations of the prior art.
Set forth is a brief summary of the invention in order to solve the foregoing problems and achieve the foregoing and other objects, benefits, and advantages in accordance with the purposes of the present invention as embodied and broadly described herein.
It is an object of the invention to provide a meter or gauge or indicator display for determining and displaying life of systems/parts.
It is another object of the invention to provide a lifeometer for determining and displaying estimated current information related to such life of the systems/parts.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a lifeometer that determines and displays life usage of the systems/parts.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a lifeometer that determines and displays life remaining of the systems/parts.
It is another object of the invention to account for operating parameters in determining life of the systems/parts.
It is a further object of the invention to account for internal operating parameters including, but not limited to, operating temperature, operating loads/weights, operating time, operating speed or distances, and operating pressure in determining current life of the systems/parts.
It is a still further object of the invention to account for external operating parameters including, but not limited to, wind, external/outside temperatures, particulate levels, external pressures, and moisture levels in determining current life of the systems/parts.
It is another object of the invention to account for operating history in determining current life of the systems/parts.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a meter or gauge or display that would be extremely useful in quantifying and providing current and more accurate estimates to an operator, monitoring person, or user when service to or replacement of the system/part may be necessary.
It is a further object of the invention to provide algorithms and implement expert system(s) for determining, estimating, and calculating accurate and current information related to life of the systems/parts.
The objects and advantages are achieved by a general operation algorithm of a lifeometer. Optimal base reference life expectancy for the system/part being measured is provided. The lifeometer apparatus monitors and tracks/records internal operational parameters, environmental or external operational parameters or outside conditions at or near the system/part, and/or operating history of the system/part. The lifeometer determines whether remaining life is at a level where the system/part needs service or replacement. If the remaining life is not at such a level, the lifeometer continues to monitor and track/record various operational parameters and display remaining life and/or used life. If the remaining life is at such a level of service or replacement, then the lifeometer determines whether the system/part is to, in fact, be serviced or replaced. If the system/part is to be serviced or replaced, then the system/part is serviced or replaced, and the lifeometer resets remaining life level and/or used life level to appropriate values for the serviced or replaced system/part. The lifeometer then monitors and tracks/records various operational parameters and displays respective remaining life and/or used life. However, if the system/part is not to be serviced or replaced, then the lifeometer terminates monitoring operations.
The objects and advantages are further achieved by a lifeometer. The lifeometer is generally consisted of a system/part monitor, a computer system with a database, a display system, and an environmental/outside conditions monitor. The system/part monitor is coupled to or near each of the systems/parts. The system/part monitor monitors and takes measurements/readings related to internal operational parameters from each of the systems/parts. Furthermore, the environmental/outside conditions monitor obtains measurements or readings related to external operational parameters from the environment/outside conditions of the respective system/part. Optimal base reference life expectancy information and operating history are stored into a database of the computer system.
The objects and advantages are further achieved by performance and execution of various algorithms. The lifeometer uses the internal operational parameters, the external operational parameters, and/or the operating history information for determining present rate of usage for a system/part under a set of generally unchanged current conditions, and the lifeometer also tracks and records the amount of time operated under the set of generally unchanged current conditions. The lifeometer uses the rate of usage and amount of time operated to calculate present usage, and the lifeometer uses the present usage, the operating history, and the life expectancy information to determine and calculate used life and/or life remaining. The used life and/or life remaining is displayed on a display system of the lifeometer.
The objects and advantages are also achieved by various algorithms or mathematical formulas/models/equations that may be implemented for factoring the internal operating parameters, the external operating parameters, and the operating history to determine the current rate of usage of the systems/parts. Mathematical formulas and equations for weighting and factoring in the internal operating parameters, the external operating parameters, and the operating history for determining rate of usage of the system/part are used with the present invention.
The objects and advantages are further achieved by a digital display and/or an analog display and/or an indicator level display for the present invention lifeometer.
The preferred embodiments of the inventions are described below in the Figures and Detailed Description. Unless specifically noted, it is intended that the words and phrases in the specification and claims be given the ordinary and accustomed meaning to those of ordinary skill in the applicable art or arts. If any other meaning is intended, the specification will specifically state that a special meaning is being applied to a word or phrase. Likewise, the use of the words xe2x80x9cfunctionxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmeansxe2x80x9d in the Detailed Description is not intended to indicate a desire to invoke the special provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6 to define the invention. To the contrary, if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6, are sought to be invoked to define the inventions, the claims will specifically state the phrases xe2x80x9cmeans forxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstep forxe2x80x9d and a function, without also reciting in such phrases any structure, material, or act in support of the function. Even when the claims recite a xe2x80x9cmeans forxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cstep forxe2x80x9d performing a function, if they also recite any structure, material or acts in support of that means of step, then the intention is not to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6. Moreover, even if the provisions of 35 U.S.C. Section 112, paragraph 6, are invoked to define the inventions, it is intended that the inventions not be limited only to the specific structure, material or acts that are described in the preferred embodiments, but in addition, include any and all structures, materials or acts that perform the claimed function, along with any and all known or later-developed equivalent structures, materials or acts for performing the claimed function.

Lifeometer for measuring and displaying life systems/parts


Disclosed herein are the nucleotide sequences, deduced amino acid sequences as well as methods and compositions necessary to elicit immune responses against chronic Hepatitis B infections in animals and humans. Immune response is enhanced by fusing relevant viral antigens with xenotypic immunoglobulin heavy chain region through a peptide linker and producing the fusion proteins in Baculovirus expression system to incorporate high mannose glycosylation. By virtue of the antibody component, the fusion proteins bind to Fc receptors on the surface of antigen presenting cells, are taken up, processed and derived peptides are presented on MHC Class I, which elicit a CTL (Th1) response. In a similar fashion, due to cross priming and presentation on MHC Class II, will elicit a humoral (Th2) response. In addition, disclosed are the methods of cloning, expression and production of the fusion proteins.

Viral infectious diseases are major public healthcare issues. Human Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a member of a family of DNA viruses that primarily infect the liver (Gust, 1986). Other members of this family are woodchuck hepatitis B virus (WHV) ((Summers, Smolec et al. 1978), duck hepatitis B virus (DHBV) ((Mason, Seal et al. 1980) and heron hepatitis B virus (HHBV) (Sprengel, Kaleta et al. 1988). These viruses share a common morphology and replication mechanisms, but are species specific for infectivity (Marion, 1988).
HBV primarily infects liver cells and can cause acute and chronic liver disease resulting in cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Infection occurs through blood and other body fluids. Approximately 90% of the individuals infected by HBV are able to clear the infection, while the remaining 10% become chronic carriers of the virus with a high probability of developing cirrhosis of the liver and hepatocellular carcinoma. The world Health Organization statistics show that more than 2 billion people have been infected by HBV and among these, 350 million are chronically infected by the virus (Beasley 1988) (Law J Y 1993). Prophylactic vaccines based on HBV surface antigen (HbSAg) have been very effective in providing protective immunity against HBV infections. These vaccines have been developed from HbSAg purified from plasma of chronic HBV carriers, produced by recombinant DNA techniques as well as through the use of synthetic peptides (Please see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,599,230 and 4,599,231). These vaccines are highly effective in the prevention of infection, but are ineffective in eradicating established chronic infections.
Human Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) belongs to the family of Hepadnaviruses. Other members of this family are Duck Hepatitis B Virus (DHBV), Woodchuk Hepatitis Virus (WHV) Ground squirrel Hepatitis B Virus (GSHV) and Heron Hepatitis B Virus (HHBV). Although these viruses have similar morphology and replication mechanism, they are fairly species specific consequently, infect only very closely related species. These viruses have a DNA genome ranging in size of 3.0-3.2 Kb, with overlapping reading frames to encode several proteins. HBV genome encodes several proteins. Among these, the surface antigens: Large (S1/S2/S), Medium (S2/S) and Small (S) are proposed to be involved in the binding of the virus to the cellular receptors for uptake. The core protein (Core) forms capsids which encapsulate the partially double stranded DNA genome. Polymerase/Reverse Transcriptase (Pol) protein is a multifunctional enzyme necessary for the replication of the virus. The X protein has been proposed to have many properties, including the activation of Src kinases (Ganem and Schneider, 2001). The present invention describes DNA sequences and amino acid compositions of the surface antigen proteins S1/S2, S1/S2/S as well as Core protein fusion proteins with a xenotypic Mab fragment.
DHBV, another member of the hepdnaviral family, infects pekin ducks, are species specific, and have served as an animal model for studying the hepatitis B viruses. DHBV has a DNA genome and it codes for surface antigens PreS and PreS/S, Core protein (Core) and Polymerase/Reverse Transcriptase. The present invention also describes DNA sequences and deduced amino acid sequences of fusion proteins of the PreS, PreS/S and Core proteins with a fragment of a xenotypic Mab. These fusion proteins can be used to elicit a broad immune response in chronic viral infections, thus as therapeutic vaccine.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a member of the flaviviridae family of RNA viruses. Route of infection is via blood and body fluids and over 50% of the patients become chronic carriers of the virus. Persistent infection result in chronic active hepatitis which may lead to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (Saito et. al. (1990) PNAS USA 87: 6547-6549).
Approximately 170 million people worldwide are chronic carriers of HCV (Wild & Hall (2000) Mutation Res. 462: 381-393). There is no prophylactic vaccine available at present. Current therapy is Interferon α2b and Ribavirin, either alone or as combination therapy. The significant side effects for interferon treatment and the development of mutant strains are major drawbacks to the current therapy. Moreover, interferon therapy is effective only in 20% of the patients. Therapeutic vaccines to enhance host immune system to eliminate chronic HCV infection will be a major advancement in the treatment of this disease.
HCV genome is a positive sense single stranded RNA molecule of approximately 9.5 Kb in length. This RNA which contains both 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions that code for a single polyprotein which is cleaved into individual proteins and catalyzed by both viral and host proteases (Clarke, B. (1997) J. Gen. Virol. 78: 2397-2410). The structural proteins are Core, Envelope E1 & E2 and P7. The non-structural proteins are NS2, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A and NS5B. Core forms capsids. E1, E2 are envelope proteins, also called "Hypervariable region" due to the high rate of mutations. NS3 is a Serine Protease, the target of several protease inhibitors as antivirals for HCV. NS5B is the RNA Polymerase enzyme. NS5A has recently been suggested to have a direct role in the replication of the virus in the host by counteracting the interferon response Tan, S-L & Katze, M. G. (2001) Virology 284: 1-12) which augments the immune function.
When a healthy host (human or animal) encounters an antigen (such as proteins derived from a bacterium, virus and/or parasite), normally the host initiates an immune response. This immune response can be a humoral response and/or a cellular response. In the humoral response, antibodies are produced by B-cells and are secreted into the blood and/or lymph in response to an antigenic stimulus. The antibody then neutralizes the antigen, e.g. a virus, by binding specifically to antigens on its surface, marking it for destruction by phagocytotic cells and/or complement-mediated mechanisms. The cellular response is characterized by the selection and expansion of specific helper and cytotoxic T-lymphocytes capable of directly eliminating the cells which contain the antigen.
In many individuals, the immune system does not respond to certain antigens. When an antigen does not stimulate the production of a specific antibody and/or killer T-cells, the immune system is unable to prevent the resultant disease. As a result, the infectious agent, e.g. virus, can establish a chronic infection and the host immune system becomes tolerant to the antigens produced by the virus. The mechanism by which the virus evades the host immune machinery is not clearly established. The best-known examples of chronic viral infections include Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Herpes Simplex Virus.
In chronic states of viral infections, the virus escapes the host immune system. Viral antigens are recognized as "self," and thus not recognized by the antigen-presenting cells. The lack of proper presentation of the appropriate viral antigen to the host immune system may be a contributing factor. The success in eliminating the virus will result from the manner in which the antigen is processed and presented by the antigen presenting cells (APCs) and the involvement of the regulatory and cytotoxic T cells. The major participant in this process is the Dendritic Cell (DC), which captures and processes antigens, expresses lymphocyte co-stimulatory molecules, migrates to lymphoid organs, and secretes cytokines to initiate immune responses. Dendritic cells also control the proliferation of B and T lymphocytes which are the mediators of immunity (Steinman et al 1999). The generation of a cytotoxic T cell (CTL) response is critical in the elimination of the virus infected cells and thus a cure of the infection.
Antigen Presenting Cells process the encountered antigens differently depending on the localization of the antigen (Steinman et al 1999). Exogenous antigens are processed within the endosomes of the APC and the generated peptide fragments are presented on the surface of the cell complexed with Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Class II. The presentation of this complex to CD4+ T cells stimulate the CD4+ T helper cells. As a result, cytokines secreted by the helper cells stimulate B cells to produce antibodies against the exogenous antigen (humoral response). Immunizations using antigens typically generate antibody response through this endosomal antigen processing pathway.
On the other hand, intracellular antigens are processed in the proteasome and the resulting peptide fragments are presented as complexes with MHC Class I on the surface of APCs. Following binding of this complex to the co-receptor CD8 molecule, antigen presentation to CD8+ T cells occurs which result in cytotoxic T cell (CTL) immune response to remove the host cells that carry the antigen.
In patients with chronic viral infections, since the virus is actively replicating, viral antigens will be produced within the host cell. Secreted antigens will be present in the circulation. As an example, in the case of chronic HBV carriers, virions, the HBV surface antigens and the core antigens can be detected in the blood. An effective therapeutic vaccine should be able to induce strong CTL responses against an intracellular antigen or an antigen delivered into the appropriate cellular compartment so as to activate the MHC Class I processing pathway.
These findings would suggest that a therapeutic vaccine that can induce a strong CTL response should be processed through the proteasomal pathway and presented via the MHC Class I (Larsson, Fonteneau et al. 2001). This can be achieved either by producing the antigen within the host cell, or it can be delivered to the appropriate cellular compartment so that it gets processed and presented so as to elicit a cellular response. Several approaches have been documented in the literature for the intracellular delivery of the antigen. Among these, viral vectors ((Lorenz, Kantor et al. 1999), the use of cDNA-transfected cells (Donnelly, Ulmer et al. 1997) (Donnelly et al 1997) as well as the expression of the antigen through injected cDNA vectors (Lai and Bennett 1998) (U.S. Pat. No. 5,589,466), have been documented.
Delivery vehicles capable of carrying the antigens to the cytosolic compartment of the cell for MHC Class I pathway processing have also been used. The use of adjuvants to achieve the same goal has been described in detail by (Hilgers et al. 1999) Another approach is the use of biodegradable microspheres in the cytoplasmic delivery of antigens (Newman, Kwon et al. 2000), exemplified by the generation of a Th1 immune response against ovalbumin peptide (Newman, Samuel et al. 1998; Newman, Kwon et al. 2000). It has also been shown that PLGA nanospheres are taken up by the most potent antigen presenting cells, dendritic cells (Newman, Elamanchili et al. 2002).
Dendritic cells derived from blood monocytes, by virtue of their capability as professional antigen presenting cells have been shown to have great potential as immune modulators which stimulate primary T cell response (Steinman, Inaba et al. 1999), (Banchereau and Steinman 1998). This unique property of the DCs to capture, process, present the antigen and stimulate naïve T cells has made them very important tools for therapeutic vaccine development (Laupeze, Fardel et al. 1999). Targeting of the antigen to the DCs is the crucial step in the antigen presentation and the presence of several receptors on the DCs for the Fc region of monoclonal antibodies have been exploited for this purpose (Regnault, Lankar et al. 1999). Examples of this approach include ovarian cancer Mab-B43.13, Anti-PSA antibody as well as Anti-HBV antibody antigen complexes (Wen, Qu et al. 1999). Cancer immunotherapy using DCs loaded with tumor associated antigens have been shown to produce tumor-specific immune responses and anti-tumor activity (Campton, Ding et al. 2000; Fong and Engleman 2000). Promising results were obtained in clinical trials in vivo using tumor-antigen-pulsed DCs (Tarte and Klein 1999). These studies clearly demonstrate the efficacy of using DCs to generate immune responses against cancer antigens.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Chimeric antigens for eliciting an immune response


The tank ventilation system has an adsorption vessel, a regeneration duct and a pump. The adsorption vessel captures and temporarily stores fuel vapors emerging from a fuel tank. A purge air flow can flow through the adsorption vessel. The regeneration duct connects the adsorption vessel to an intake duct. In the regeneration duct there is arranged a pump designed to draw the purge air out of the adsorption vessel and admix the purge air to intake air in the intake duct. A density of the purge air that flows in the regeneration duct is determined. Furthermore, a purge air mass flow flowing in the regeneration duct is determined as a function of the density of the purge air and a predefined pump characteristic of the pump.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and a device for operating a tank ventilation system, and to a tank ventilation system.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is known to equip vehicles, in particular motor vehicles, with tank ventilation systems to avoid evaporation of hydrocarbons from the fuel tank into the atmosphere. In order to adsorb the hydrocarbon vapors, the tank ventilation systems are frequently equipped with an activated carbon filter. Such activated carbon filters can only absorb a limited quantity of hydrocarbons and have to be regenerated, that is to say cleaned, when a certain degree of saturation is reached. The activated carbon filter can therefore serve as a buffer for the hydrocarbons released from the fuel, as a result of which the hydrocarbons released from the fuel can be fed in a predefined fashion for combustion in an internal combustion engine.
DE 10 2007 002 188 A1 discloses a tank ventilation system for a hybrid vehicle, wherein the tank ventilation system comprises at least a fuel tank and a suction line leading from a regeneratable filter device to an intake section of the internal combustion engine. A control device is provided that can actuate various valve devices to purge the filter device, with the result that ambient air can be fed to the internal combustion engine through the filter device and the suction line. The control device is also embodied in such a way that in a pure electric operating mode of the hybrid vehicle it activates the internal combustion engine as a function of a load state of the filter device or purge gas concentration.
US 2005/0211228 A1 discloses a fuel vapor treatment system for an internal combustion engine. A pump generates a gas flow within a measuring passage that has a throttle orifice. A difference pressure sensor detects a pressure difference between the two ends of the throttle orifice. Switching valves are arranged in the measuring passage to generate a first concentration measuring state in which the measuring passage is opened at its two ends and in which the gas flowing through the measuring passage is the atmosphere, and to generate a second concentration measuring state in which the measuring passage is connected at its two ends to a container and in which the gas flowing through the measuring passage is a fuel vapor which is an air/fuel mixture provided by the container. An ECU calculates a fuel vapor concentration on the basis of a pressure difference detected in the first concentration measuring state and a pressure difference detected in the second concentration measuring state.

Method and apparatus for operating a tank ventilation system


A rotary powered dynamic shaving system providing multidirectional cutting during shaving. The shaving system includes a disposable head rotatably connected to a handle. This head contains a plurality of blades. Each of the blades is displaceably positioned in the head, thereby providing a degree of "float" to the blade and, in turn, substantially reducing the propensity of the device to nick the skin during shaving.

The present invention relates to a rotary powered shaving system and, more particularly, to a rotary powered dynamic shaving system providing multidirectional cutting during shaving.
In general, two types of shaving are commonly practiced: dry shaving and wet shaving. Traditionally, electric shavers of either the rotary type or the reciprocating type are used for dry shaving. In this regard, the dry shaver's cutters are separated from the skin and whiskers by a facial guard such that the whiskers are removed by a shearing action. The closeness of such shearing action is generally limited to the thickness of the facial guard.
Typically, the razor units employed for wet-shaving have been manually operated. These wet-shaving razor units have generally been capable of providing closer shaves because the absence of a facial guard permits intimate contact between the blade edge and the hair or whiskers to be shaved. However, the manual stroking operation of the traditional wet-shaving razor unit may present more difficulty in fully shaving whiskers that extend in random direction. Additionally, the manual stroking operation is generally more time-consuming.
A rotatable safety razor that overcomes several of the drawbacks associated with wet-shaving razor units yet, at the same time, maintains the advantages of wet-shaving razor units is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,294,010. The blades of the '010 device, however, are fixed to the rotatable head, i.e., the blades are not free to float. The '010 device also lacks a guard bar, which assists in guiding the skin to the cutting edge of the blade.
It would therefore be desirable to provide a rotary powered dynamic shaving system providing multidirectional cutting during shaving. Ideally, such a shaving system would include at least one blade displaceably positioned in the rotatable head of the shaving system, thereby providing a degree of "float" to the blade that allows the blade to follow the various contours of the skin and, in turn, substantially reducing the propensity of the device to nick the skin during shaving.

Rotary powered dynamic shaving system with shaving aid


A printing control method and a printing apparatus that, in case of a fraction produced in a calculation of the number of lines in a page to be printed owing to relations between the length of a paper page or the length of a printing page and the resolution, figures below the decimal point are omitted to determine the number of lines per page, by which various paper feed control units are applicable, and also, when the total of the fractions becomes more than the set value, a correction line is inserted, by which the printing is made on the correct position without causing accumulation of displaced printing positions by fraction treatment, even in case of a large number of pages to be printed.

The present invention relates to a method for controlling printing in a printing apparatus using a continuous forms paper and a printing apparatus, more particularly, to a method for controlling printing in the case of a fraction of lines to be printed in a page, owing to the relations between a page length of a sheet of paper or a length of a page to be printed and a resolution.
With the requirements for multifunction printing apparatus in recent years, there have been required higher resolution in printing and diversification of printing paper sizes applicable to the printing apparatus. In attempting to provide the printing apparatus with high resolution and applicability of diversified sizes of paper, there can be conceived that the fractions are produced in the number of lines in a page to be printed, owing to the relations between various resolutions to be set and the page length of a sheet of paper or the length of a page to be printed. It is therefore necessary to dissolve how to control the printing in the case where a fraction occurs in the number of lines in a page to be printed.
In the conventional printing apparatuses, there have been used as the continuous forms paper those having the integer inches, for example, 8 inches, 11 inches, 12 inches, or 81/2 inches, 101/2 inches, in the page length of a sheet of paper (lengthwise size). In other words, a paper feed control unit in the conventional printing apparatus is 1/2 inch, and the paper page length of continuous forms paper is in the unit of 1/2 inch. As the printing resolution, those used are of 240 dpi, 300 dpi, 400 dpi, etc.
In these combinations of the paper page length and the resolution, the calculated numbers of lines per page are all integers, without accompanying any fraction in the number of lines. For example, in case of printing on a continuous forms paper having a length of 8 inches or 81/2 inches in 240 dpi, the numbers of lines per page are 1920 (=240.times.8) lines and 2040 (=240.times.17/2) lines, respectively, without accompanying any fraction.
However, to meet the requirements of diversified paper sizes, it is conceivable to make the paper feed control unit of the printing apparatus for example 1/3 inch or 1/6 inch, and to use the continuous forms paper with the page length of 81/3 inches, 82/3 inches, 81/6 inches, etc.
Then, in case of printing, for example, on the whole page of 81/3 inch continuous forms paper in a resolution of 400 dpi, the calculated number of lines per page (number of dots, or number of scans) becomes 81/3.times.400 =3333.333 . . . lines, leaving a fraction of 0.333 . . . per page of printing.
Alternatively, it is conceivable to divide the page of the 81/3 inch continuous forms paper, for example, into two parts, and to use the respective half regions as one page portions. In such a case, the length of a printing page (printing page length) becomes 41/6 inches. In this case, assuming that the printing is made in a resolution of 400 dpi on each printing page, the calculated number of lines per page of the printing page becomes 41/6.times.400=1666.666 . . . lines, still leaving a fraction per page.
Accordingly, there is a problem how to control the printing in such a case, and this problem requires to be dissolved in order to make the paper feed control unit of 1/3 inch or 1/6 inch applicable.

Method for controlling printing in a printing apparatus and a printing apparatus


A structural engineered wood rim board for light frame construction having joinery slots in a flange, a portion of a light frame construction building constructed from structural engineered wood components including a structural engineered wood rim board for light frame construction having an exterior-facing cavity, a structural engineered wood rim board corner system for light frame construction, and a light framing building method using a structural engineered wood rim board are disclosed.

a) Field of the Invention
This disclosure relates generally to engineered wood building materials and, more particularly, to engineered wood rim boards used in light frame construction of buildings.
b) Background
From the 1960s to the present the wood framing industry has evolved where more and more dimensional framing members are being replaced by their engineered lumber counterparts. Engineered Lumber Manufactures have developed a multitude of innovative engineered lumber framing members that improve upon their dimensional lumber predecessors in order to meet the needs required by today's building industry.
Engineered lumber use various types of structural composite lumber such as laminated veneer lumber ("LVL"), parallel strand lumber ("PSL"), laminated strand lumber ("LSL"), oriented strand lumber ("OSL"), glue laminated timber ("gluelam") to create structural components, such as rim boards and I-joists, designed to meet a corresponding variety of specific structural framing requirements.
Conventional rim board or rim joists used in constructing floor platforms may not be able to carry the structural load above wall openings such as doors and windows by themselves, particularly as the opening width is increased, requiring the use of structural headers.
Likewise, conventional double plates in the top floor of a structure to support ceiling joists and roof rafters may similarly not be able to carry the structural load of the roof, particularly above wall openings such as doors and windows in the top floor.
Moreover, for multi-story light frame construction, the loads that must be carried by the rim boards of lower floors increases as new floors are added during construction.
In the above cases, additional structural elements, such as extra king studs, jamb/jack studs, cripples, structural headers, etc. are used to augment the load-carrying capability over openings and/or for supporting ceiling joists and roof rafters. However, those additional elements add cost and waste. In an effort to reduce cost and waste in light frame construction, techniques known as "advanced framing techniques" have been devised. Advanced framing techniques use a systems approach to the design, engineering, and construction of wood-framed structures to reduce lumber use, minimize wood waste, and maximize a structure's thermal efficiency, while still maintaining the structural integrity and meeting building codes.

Structural engineered wood rim board for light frame construction


A plurality of pixel portions (12) are formed on a silicon substrate (11). A photoelectric converter portion (10) constituting each of the pixel portions (12) is electrically isolated by an element isolation portion (13) comprising an insulating film formed on the silicon substrate (11). The photoelectric converter portion (10) partitioned by the element isolation portion (13) is so formed that a crystal orientation of the sides in contact with the element isolation portion (13) corresponds to a <00-1> direction. This makes it possible to reduce dark current caused by stress in the vicinity of the interface of the element isolation portion (13) and maintain high sensitivity even if the pixel portions (12) are made smaller in size.

A MOS solid-state imaging device is an image sensor that reads charge accumulated in a photodiode (photoelectric conversion section) by means of an amplifier circuit including a MOS transistor. In such a MOS solid-state imaging device, drive with low voltage and low power is allowed, and also pixel units each composed of a photodiode and the like arranged two-dimensionally, drive circuits (shift registers and the like) for driving MOS transistors in the pixel units and even a signal processing section for processing pixel signals detected in the pixel units can be formed on the same substrate. Hence, solid-state imaging devices of this type have been widely applied to image input devices and the like of mobile equipment.
In general, a photodiode constituting each pixel unit is electrically isolated with an element isolation section formed in a silicon substrate. A silicon oxide film and the like are formed on the surface of the photodiode, and this is likely to cause a dark current (charge generated in the dark time with no light illumination) due to a crystal defect occurring at the Si—SiO2 interface. Hence, for the purpose of reducing the dark current occurring near the surface of the photodiode, a buried photodiode structure has normally been adopted in which a high-density impurity layer is formed on the surface of the photodiode.
In the element isolation structure for electrically isolating photodiodes and the like, downsizing of pixel units can be achieved by adopting LOCOS (local oxidation of silicon) isolation in place of the conventional PN junction isolation. In the LOCOS isolation, however, a dark current is likely to occur due to a crystal defect occurring at the LOCOS interface. Hence, a high-density impurity layer is further formed at the LOCOS interface in the silicon substrate to thereby reduce the dark current occurring near the LOCOS interface.
The above configuration however has the following problem. The effective open area of a photodiode defined with the LOCOS isolation is reduced with the high-density impurity layer formed at the LOCOS interface, and as a result, the sensitivity of the photodiode degrades.
To solve the above problem, Patent Document 1 describes a solid-state imaging device adopting STI (shallow trench isolation) as the element isolation structure.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a photodiode isolated with STI. As shown in FIG. 9, the photodiode is composed of a p−-type silicon layer 102 and an n-type silicon layer 103 formed in a silicon substrate 101, and is isolated with STI 104 formed in the silicon substrate 101. A p+-type surface layer 105 is formed on the surface of the n-type silicon layer 103, and a p+-type buried layer 106 is formed at the interface between the n-type silicon layer 103 and the STI 104, to thereby reduce a dark current occurring at these interfaces.
The STI 104 can be formed by forming a groove (concave portion) in the silicon substrate 101 and filling the groove with a silicon oxide film. The p+-type buried layer 106 can be formed after formation of the groove by introducing an impurity into a portion of the silicon substrate 101 located on each side of the groove by slant ion implantation. The p+-type buried layer 106 can therefore be thinned. Hence, the reduction in the effective open area of the photodiode can be minimized, and thus the sensitivity of the photodiode is suppressed from degrading along with the reduction in open area.    Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2003-318379    Patent Document 2: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2006-186204


The described invention relates to a communication method and system having at least one communication network to which a plurality of subscribers are attachable and which comprises at least one subscriber information register storing subscriber information including location information related to the subscribers, at least one gateway support node for handling connections to and/or from other networks, and at least one serving node for handling connections with connection originating or terminating elements. At least one network element is provided in addition to the gateway support node which stores information regarding the addresses of serving nodes presently or recently in charge of handling connections to and/or from connection originating or terminating elements. The gateway support node can therefore address this network element for connection, and requires reduced own storage capacity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication method and system having at least one communication network to which a plurality of subscribers are attachable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Communication systems for mobile communication such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Telecommunications), GPRS (General Packet Radio Service), or UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) networks usually comprise one or more home location registers (HLRs) for permanent storage of subscriber information such as IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity), one or more VLRs (Visitor Location Registers) providing access to the subscriber equipment, one or more MSCs (Mobile Switching Centers) for transmitting data to the user equipments, and the like. When a connection is to be connected to a subscriber e.g. from an external network, the home location register will normally be accessed for receiving information necessary for properly routing of the connection.
One of several possible procedures to be performed between a user equipment such as a mobile station (MS) and the network for connecting an external network is a so-called "PDP context activation", wherein PDP stands for packet data protocol. Such a PDP context activation may be performed in particular in a packet switched network such as a GPRS network wherein several information elements such as requested or negotiated QoS (Quality of Service) and/or PDP address are transmitted between the user equipment (MS) and a support node handling the communication with the user equipment. Such a "PDP context activation" procedure is a standardized process and is e.g. described in the publication ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) EN 301 344 V6.3.2 (1999-07), pages 59 ff. This process is therefore not be explained here in further detail. (For more detailed information, it is referred to the above mentioned document.) The "PDP context activation" procedure may be initiated by a mobile station intending to attach to the network after switch-on, for instance, or may be requested by the network and is then called "network-requested PDP context activation" (NRCA) procedure. See for instance EN 301 344, section 126.96.36.199.
Such a network-requested PDP context activation procedure allows for example a GGSN (Gateway GPRS support node) to initiate the activation of a PDP context. When receiving a PDP (Packet Data Protocol) PDU (Protocol Data Unit), the GGSN may check if a PDP context has already been established for that PDP address. If no PDP context has previously been established, the GGSN may try to deliver the PDP PDU by initiating a network-requested PDP context activation procedure. The GGSN may send a message (containing e.g. IMSI, International Mobile Subscriber Identification) to the home location register HLR requesting routing information for GPRS. When the HLR determines that the request can be served, it returns a message to the GGSN indicating routing information.
When the HLR determines that the request cannot be served (e.g. the IMSI is unknown in HLR), the HLR will send back a negative response indicating the reason for non-service.
Furthermore, the gateway node may store an information "Mobile Station Not Reachable for GPRS" (MNRG flag) indicating whether or not a user equipment such as a mobile station can be reached.
In addition, the gateway node is usually stores the address of the support node with which the gateway established the last connection for transmitting data to and/or from a user equipment (e.g. last PDP context). The GGSN also should store the mapping between PDP address (ie IP address) and IMSI. The gateway hence requires a large storage capacity for storing the information which will be retained even for presently not active user equipments.


Treatment equipment for treating body tissue comprises heater elements which are heated by electric power supplied from an electric power supply circuit, and the heat of the heater elements is provided to the body tissue through a heat transmitting member. The state of thermal connection between the heater elements and the heat transmitting member is determined by a determining device for determining the thermal connection state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a heat-emitting treatment device for performing coagulation and incision of body tissue with heat, and particularly relates to a heat-emitting treatment-device having functions for detecting a state of connecting with a transmitting member for transmitting the heat of heat-generating elements to body tissue.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, electric treatment devices have come to be used as diagnostic and treatment devices in the field of medicine. Such electric treatment devices use heat-emitting elements for treatment such as incision, cauterizing, suturing, etc., of body tissue. The heat-emitting treatment devices transmit heat generated from a heat-emitting portion to the part of the body tissue to be treated, and perform coagulation or incision of body tissue with the transmitted heat.
The state of application of heat to the body tissue must be controlled in order to perform coagulation or incision thereby, and a technique wherein the heat-emitting electric power supplied to the heat-emitting portion is detected so as to control the amount of heat emitted from the heat-emitting portion is commonly used. However, the results of coagulation differ according to the size, thickness, etc., of the body tissue to be coagulated.
An electric power source for a heat-emitting treatment device has been proposed which controls subsequent supply of heat-emitting electric power according to the amount of heat-emitting electric power supplied until the temperature of the heat-emitting portion reaches a predetermined value, or the amount of time of the heat-emitting electric power being supplied, so as to enable suitable coagulation processing corresponding to the state of the body tissue (e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2001-269352).
Also, Japanese Examined Patent Application Publication No. 53-9031 discloses coagulation/incision forceps with a heat-emitting treatment device wherein multiple heater segments, which are heat-emitting elements, provided along the a thin ceramic incision edge portion, formed suitable for incision. Each of the multiple heater segments are formed electrically separated, so that the body tissue can be subjected to heat application treatment with the same temperature from the multiple heater segments.
With such known coagulation/incision forceps, the heat generated at the heater segments is transmitted to the body tissue by a metal blade directly in contact with the body tissue, and the heater segments and the metal blade are connected by soldering so that the emitted heat of the heater segments can be efficiently transmitted to the metal blade.


A steerable tube (100), comprising a hollow elongate tubular member (1) having a proximal end (2), distal end (3), a wall surface disposed between said proximal (2) and distal end (4), a bend-resistive zone (6) flanked by a proximal bendable zone (4) that forms a controller and a distal bendable zone (5) that forms an effector that moves responsive to movements of the controller, whereby the wall of the tubular member (1) in the bend-resistive zone (6) comprises a structure that is a plurality of longitudinal slits (7), forming a plurality of longitudinal strips (8, 8′), the wall of the tubular member (1) in the proximal bendable zone (4) and the distal bendable zone (5) comprises a structure that is a plurality of longitudinal wires (9, 9′, 10, 10′), at least one strip (8) is in connection with a wire (9) in the proximal bendable zone (4) and a wire (10) in the distal bendable zone (5), such that translation by said wire (9) in the controller is transmitted via the strip (8) to said wire (10) in the effector, a proximal annular region (11) of the tubular member (1), proximal to the proximal bendable zone (4) to which the proximal wires (9) are anchored, a distal annular region (12) of the tubular member (1) distal to the distal bendable zone (5) to which the distal wires (10) are anchored.

The invention relates to an instrument for high-precision mechanical applications or for medical applications (e.g. surgery, endovascular procedures, or for use as an endoscope) of a minimally invasive nature, comprising a hollow tubular member (1) having a proximal bendable zone (4) that forms a controller head, a distal bendable zone (5) that forms an effector—a steerable tip—and flexes responsive to movements of the controller, and, a bend-resistive zone (6) between the aforementioned zones (4, 5), that transmits movements of the controller to the effector. The member is preferably formed from one or more substantially solid walled tubes. The high-precision instrument find applications where exquisite, remote movements in confined spaces are needed, such as in medical applications, and in the inspection and repair of encased devices such as engines, pipelines, valves and other mechanical systems.
The notion an instrument having a steerable tip is known in the art. For instance, WO 03/037416 describes a mechanism that deflects portions of a flexible body such as a catheter in more than one direction in a single plane, as well as in more than one plane by use of a pullwire. In order to control the deflection of the distal end, many designs incorporate one or more steering cables. Mostly these cables are fed through guide-sleeves located in the wall of the tube or in its lumen. These guide-sleeves that hold the steering cables in place are bulky and add to the cross-section of the wall.
For example, US-A-2006/0178556 (See FIGS. 1A and 1C), describes a steerable device having a ring of longitudinally extending cables connecting to the head, which cables are fixedly secured in the radial direction. A disadvantage of this instrument is, however, that the cables are fed through guide-sleeves provided in the longitudinal direction of the cables, which increase the diameter of the instrument.
A system to omit these sleeves has been described in WO 02/13682 (see FIGS. 1B and 1D) which discloses a steerable device also of a ring of cables comprising longitudinally extending cables connected to the head, which cables are fixedly secured in the radial direction. Instead of the cables being fed through guide-sleeves as in US-A-2006/0178556, they are disposed side by side so filling the space where the guide sleeves would otherwise be. A disadvantage of this system is the high construction cost for devices where lumen diameters need to be maximised for a given outer diameter—i.e. the walls made thin which is a requirement for most applications. A rapid increase in the number of steering wires is seen when increasing the internal diameter while maintaining a thin wall, for example, 25 steering cables of 0.2 mm for a lumen of 1 mm diameter. Furthermore, the alignment and correct pre-tensioning of a large number of narrow diameter wires represents an enormous technical challenge. Further it is anticipated that the wires of narrowed diameter may slip circumferentially within the sleeve, and tangle or wear.
It remains challenging to make an adequate affixation with the head and tip. Standard affixation techniques include soldering, clamping, crimping, use of small bolts, glue, knotting, cable U-turns through rigid termination disk or laser-welding. Mostly these affixation techniques result in bulky joints and some of them even weaken the wires.
Additionally, a compression spring is used in the art to pre-stress the tip, however, this reduces its torsion and bending stability, meaning the tip can readily be deflected from a bent position by the application of an external force to the tip. Moreover, axial compression, for example, by pulling the tool control wire during operation of the surgical tool can induce straightening of the tip—a phenomenon known as crosstalk which is to be avoided.
One particular application of a steerable tube is in the field of neurosurgery. Neurosurgical endoscopic intraventricular procedures are typically performed with a neurosurgical instrument known as the Caemaert endoscope. It is a long rigid shaft with an external diameter of ˜6 mm and four lumens. One lumen is for an optic element, one for a working channel, and two for rinsing fluid. The endoscope is introduced through a burr hole in the skull; the shaft intrudes the brain tissue at a non-eloquent area before entering the fluid filled ventricles. To reach the most central ventricle—known as the third ventricle—passage through an important ring-like structure, the foramen of Monroe, is necessary. Damage to this structure causes amnesia. Access to the third ventricle allows several surgical procedures to be performed such as perforating membranes or removing tumors. The latter is the most challenging procedure, requiring the sequential use of coagulation, grasping and aspiration. Using present technology, it is not possible to have more than one steerable tube inside the endoscopic shaft, especially when one of the tubes is a steerable aspiration catheter which also requires a large lumen compatible with removal of particles of tissue.
The present invention, therefore, address the problems of the art by providing a steerable tube having a large diameter lumen while minimizing the outer diameter, which is reliable and cost-effective to manufacture.


A device and method for determining the weight carried at the axles of a tractor-trailer. The invention measures the distance that the tractor-trailer's suspension system is compressed by a load at each axle to determine the weight of the load at a tractor-trailer axle.

Operators of tractor-trailer trucks must monitor the weight carried at each axle of a tractor-trailer in order to comply with highway laws. A load must be distributed in the trailer so that the weight carried by each axle is within a legal limit. It is difficult to determine the weight supported by each axle of a tandem axle tractor-trailer.
Conventionally, weight carried by each axle of a tractor-trailer is determined by using a drive-up truck weigh station. Drive-up weigh stations measure the weight carried by a tractor-trailer axle at the tires. The tires of each axle are positioned on top of a scale to find the amount of weight carried by the axle.
Drive-up truck weigh stations are expensive. These stations are operated by truck stops or a governmental entity and are often located at remote sites. The loaded trailer must be driven to the weigh station for weight determination, consuming fuel and time. Further, considerable time is often spent waiting for the scale to be available if other trailers are being weighed as well. Fees are charged to use the weigh station.
Onboard scales for measuring the weight carried at each axle of air ride tractor-trailers are known. Load cells are installed between the axles and the air ride suspension. These systems are expensive to purchase, install and maintain and are complicated to use.
Thus, there is a need for an on board weight system for tractor-trailers and method for determining the weight at each axle of a loaded tractor-trailer without the necessity of traveling to a weight station. The system should be inexpensive, reliable, and easy to use.

Device for determining on board weight of tractor-trailers and method


A device for a single-acting hydraulic cylinder (1) designed to lift or pull a load upon the existence of an oil pressure on the rod-side of a cylinder piston (7), where the cylinder bottom (15) of the hydraulic cylinder (1) is provided with a drainage outlet (27) for leakage fluid, as well as an air inlet (29).

The object is achieved by the characteristics stated in the description below and in the following claims.
A single-acting, vertically mounted hydraulic cylinder of a type that is known per se has a protruding cylinder rod at the upper end of the cylinder. The piston rod is provided with a piston according to prior art. The piston rod lead-through through the gable wall of the cylinder, and the piston, are provided with suitable seals according to prior art.
Advantageously, the cylinder is supplied with oil through an axial cylindrical passage disposed centrally in the piston rod.
The cylinder is designed to lift a load when connected to a hydraulic system that is known per se and when hydraulic pressure is established in a space above a piston in the cylinder.
A bottom plate that fits tightly at a lower end of the cylinder is provided with a drainage channel. The drainage channel is connected, by means of techniques that are known per se, with a reservoir for collection of oil that is drained from a space between the cylinder piston and the bottom of the cylinder.
The bottom of the cylinder is provided with a shoulder for the piston, so as to leave a space between the piston and the cylinder bottom when the piston is pushed fully into the cylinder.
The bottom plate of the cylinder is provided with an air inlet that projects slightly from the bottom, at the most to the level of the piston shoulder in the cylinder bottom. The air inlet is connected, by means of techniques that are known per se, with a compressed-air plant that is known per se.
When using the cylinder of the invention, hydraulic pressure is introduced at the top of the cylinder piston. Over time, oil will leak between the cylinder wall and the piston seals. The leaking oil collects at the bottom of the cylinder, from where it is drained via said drainage channel. By using said compressed-air plant, the space between the piston and the cylinder bottom is pressurized to a slight overpressure, typically 1.5 bar. As a result of this overpressure the leaking oil will drain to a reservoir which may be placed in a, for this, favourable location high above the cylinder, e.g. on a deck of an oil installation.

Draining of oil leak in a hydraulic cylinder


A method and apparatus for removing select gas contaminants is disclosed. The apparatus is a bioreactor having a chamber for containing liquid and a liquid positioned therein, the liquid forming a column having a top and a bottom surface defining a height. The bioreactor further has a gas dispersal unit positioned in the column and a selected biomass suspended in the liquid, where the biomass is selected to metabolize the gas contaminant requiring degradation. The method includes feeding a select gas contaminant having a low Henry's coefficient into the gas dispersal unit to produce a stream of bubbles containing the gas contaminants, where the gas contaminant is a food source for said biomass, and allowing the stream of bubbles to sparge through and exit the top of said column.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to removal of gas contaminants, and more particularly, to removal of gas contaminants by sparging the contaminated gas through a fluid filled container having biomass suspended therein, where the gas contaminants have a low Henry's coefficient.
2. Prior Art
Removal of gas contaminants generated by industrial processes, treatment of contaminated soils, wastewater treatment plants or other sources of gas contaminants has been made desirable with the increased awareness for environmental integrity, and in some cases, made mandatory by law, particularly more stringent clean air requirements. Various methods have been developed for treatment of contaminated gas streams, such as filtering through activated carbon (adsorption processes), absorption methods, catalytic destruction, thermal destruction (incineration), vapor phase oxidation methods, and biological metabolic or cometabolic methods.
Biological metabolic/cometabolic methods include packed bed biofilters, bioscrubbers, and biotrickling filters. Both biofilters and biotrickling filters are not submerged reactors and contain a significant volume void of liquids or solids. Biofilters treat contaminated gases by moving the gas stream through generally stationary biomass where biological metabolic processes convert the contaminants into less toxic or harmful substances (such as compost filtering). Bioscrubbers generally have biomass suspended in a mobile liquid phase (the solution), the solution is then sprayed into the moving gas stream. Liquid droplets of solution contact the gas contaminants, providing a surface area across which transfer of the gas contaminants into the liquid phase occurs. Bioscrubbers require circulation of both the gas stream and the solution. Biotrickling filters contain inert packing material to which the biomass attaches. Liquid, containing nutrients and buffers, is circulated through the packing material, and contaminated gases are mixed with the circulating fluid. The biomass is considered stationary. Flowing contaminated gases through fluids, primarily through wastewater treatment plant treatment aeration basins containing activated sludge, has also been tried using small gas diffuser. While found to be effective for certain compounds, the depths of these basins, generally 15 feet, make stand alone bioreactors expensive. Additionally, with insufficient oxygen diffusion into the basin near the gas contaminant, such a process is inefficient. Finally, treatment basins have a variety of available food sources for microorganisms, making it difficult to utilize a treatment basin bioreactor to efficiently remove compounds which are more difficult to metabolize than other compounds present in wastewater. The wide variety of food sources available in such a system will generally result in a biomass that will metabolize certain contaminants preferentially over other contaminants. This variance in metabolic rates of differing compounds can result in inefficient or insufficient metabolism of the gas contaminant.
All of these methods present difficulties. Biofilters can have an excessively large "footprint", the media decays and must be refreshed, and it is difficult to provide nutrient supplements to the growing stationary biomass. Bioscrubbers, require two pumps and generally has higher operating and maintenance cost than biofilter, due in part to the increased mechanical complexity of the system. Further, bioscrubbers provide low surface area for mass transfer of the contaminants. Biotrickling filters and biofilters can have media plugging problems due to excess biogrowth and gas short circulating problems, creating uncertainty in the performance reliability of these devices.

Device and method for removal of gas contaminates through a shallow sparged bioreactor


A Managed Add-in Framework (MAF) proxy generation tool comprises a library analyzer module operable for taking as input either a type library or managed software code assembly of the existing host application, and a proxy code generation module. Also, an additional input XML file that describes changes that a user would like to be made may be received by the tool and data acquired form the inspection of the additional input XML file and the inspection of the other inputs is merged and used to create the code of the proxy to the host object model. The proxy to the host's object model conforms to requirements of the MAF.

Software for connecting information, people, systems, and devices such as Microsoft .NET (.NET) provides Extensible Markup Language (XML) based interoperability and is currently being incorporated across clients, servers, services, and tools. For example, products like Microsoft Windows® and Microsoft Office® will use .NET to connect with other systems and applications. For software developers, .NET is manifested in the programming model delivered in the Microsoft®.NET Framework. This framework is an integral Microsoft Windows® component that enables building and running the next generation of software applications and World Wide Web (Web) services. It includes technologies for Web services and Web applications, data access, smart client applications and many others.
As the .NET development community grows, the number of host applications, both Component Object Model (COM) based as well as .NET based, that wish to integrate automation models will grow. Moving forward, patterns have been established of using Managed Add-in Framework (MAF) for that integration. The MAF defines a programming model, built on top of .NET that allows applications to dynamically load and communicate with generic components at runtime. However, getting existing host applications to conform to the model required by the MAF would require a great deal of work on the part of the host integrator, potentially even forcing a rewrite of significant portions of the application itself.
Currently, there exists a minimal set of tools that allow COM host applications to generate wrappers that managed code can directly interact with. These tools are extremely limited and provide little ability for the user to correct, modify, add, and/or remove functionality that better serves the .NET developer community. Both COM and .NET host applications are also limited by the fact that they cannot generate wrappers that conform to the requirements of the Managed Add-in Framework (MAF).
Also allowing for hosts to create managed views of their COM automation models is problematic with respect to customizing the output. Historically, tools like type library importer (TLBIMP) have been used. However, TLBIMP produces a .NET assembly as its output which means that the integrator does not have an opportunity to customize the output. If this is a requirement for the integrator, they would then be forced to hand write their interop assembly or disassemble the output assembly, tweak the intermediate language (IL), and then reassemble the modified IL. Both of these options are quite expensive and can lead to further issues
Thus, needed are processes and a system that addresses the shortcomings of the prior art.

Abstraction of host object model for managed add-in framework proxy generation


Wounds dressings, systems, and methods are presented that involve using a patient's body heat to enhance liquid removal from the wound dressing through a high-moisture-vapor-transmission-rate drape. Additional heat sources or devices, such as nano-antennas or electrical heating elements, may be added or used separately to enhance the removal liquid from the wound dressing. Other dressings, systems, and methods are presented herein.

Caring for wounds is important in the healing process. Wounds often produce considerable liquids, e.g., exudate. Medical dressings are often used in wound care to address the production of liquids from the wound. If not properly addressed, liquids at the wound can lead to infection or maceration of the periwound area. As used throughout this document, "or" does not require mutual exclusivity. Wound dressings may be used alone or as an aspect of applying reduced pressure to a tissue site.

Medical dressings, systems, and methods with thermally-enhanced vapor transmissions


An undersea hydraulic coupling having a pair of flexible, pressure-energized seals is disclosed. The seals are configured to seal radially between the male and female members of the coupling so that hydraulic fluid does not leak from the annular space between the receiving chamber and outer surface of the male member. The coupling is pressure-balanced for fluid communication through mating radial passages and the annular space between the members.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates, in general, to hydraulic couplings, and specifically to hydraulic couplings used in undersea drilling and production applications. More particularly, the invention involves a hydraulic coupling with at least two flexible, pressure-energized seals positioned in the annular space between the male and female members.
2. Description of the Related Art
Subsea hydraulic couplings are old in art. The couplings generally consist of a male and a female member with sealed fluid passageways connecting therebetween. The female member generally is a cylindrical body with a relatively large diameter longitudinal bore at one end and a relatively small diameter longitudinal bore at the other. The small bore facilitates connections to hydraulic lines, while the large bore seals and slidingly engages the male member of the coupling. The male member or probe includes a cylindrical portion at one end having an outer diameter approximately equal to the diameter of the large bore of the female member of the coupling. The male member also includes a connection at its outer end to facilitate connection to hydraulic lines. When the cylindrical portion of the male member is inserted into the large bore of the female member, according to various embodiments of the device, fluid flow is established between the male and female members.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,859 to Robert E. Smith III, an undersea hydraulic coupling and metal seal is disclosed. This patent provides a reusable metal seal which engages the circumference of the probe and is positioned in the annulus between the male and female members. The metal seal is pressure-energized to expand radially inwardly and outwardly during use. The metal seal is held in place by a retainer.
Problems arise with use of hydraulic couplings in relatively high pressure systems due to the high axial forces imposed on the male and female members during the coupling operation and during their use. In such couplings, it is necessary for the fluid force opposing the face of the male or female member to be overcome before the fluid communication is established between the members. In a relatively high pressure system, high forces imposed on the valve members may render the connection of the male member to the female member very difficult. Also, during use, fluid pressure is exerted between the male and female members in such a way as to tend to separate them. The force necessary to join the members and the resultant tendency of the body members to separate are characteristic problems in the prior art. High pressure systems and undersea applications also experience problems associated with sealing the junction between the male and female members.
Ideally, hydraulic couplings should, as far as possible, be pressure balances so that fluid pressure does not hinder connection or urge separation of the male and female members. Preferably, to prevent loss of fluid in coupling or uncoupling, the members should include valve means to open automatically on coupling and close automatically on uncoupling. Finally, the coupling should employ seals which can withstand high pressures as well as the corrosive effects of adverse environments. The present invention solves all of these needs and requirements.
A pressure balances undersea hydraulic coupling is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,780 to Robert E. Smith III. In the '780 patent, hydraulic couplings are disclosed wherein fluid communication between the male and female coupling members is through radial fluid passages in the members.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,080, a pressure balanced hydraulic coupling with metal seals is disclosed. In the '080 patent, a pair of metal seals are positioned to seal between the circumference of the male member and the central bore of the female member, and a seal retaining member having a radial passage is positioned in the annulus therebetween, such that the seals are on each side of the radial fluid passage. The seals in the '080 patent are pressure energized metal seals of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,859 to Robert E. Smith III. U.S. Pat. No. 4,754,780, 4,832,080 and 4,694,859 are incorporated herein by reference.

Undersea hydraulic coupling with pressure-energized seals


Methods for applying a coating to a substrate in rolled form, the substrate including a first edge face and a second edge face opposite the first edge face, the substrate further having a first major surface and a second major surface opposite the first major surface, the first and second major surfaces extending between the first edge face and the second edge face, the methods including applying a coating to at least one edge face and optionally at least a portion of one or both major surfaces of the substrate in rolled form. Articles in rolled form prepared according to the foregoing methods are also disclosed.

Products provided in rolled form (e.g. a roll of adhesive tape) are commonly prepared by applying (e.g., by coating) a liquid composition to a major surface of an unrolled substrate (e.g. a web), at least partially curing or drying the composition on the substrate, and then winding the substrate bearing the cured or dried composition onto a cylindrical core or mandrel in order to produce a roll of the coated product. The roll may be subsequently slit into rolls of smaller width by cutting through the rolled substrate in a direction perpendicular to the major surface.
However, some coating processes are not directed at coating a liquid onto a substrate, but rather, apply a vapor phase material to the substrate. One such exemplary vapor phase coating process is Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD). Atomic Layer Deposition was originally developed for use in fabricating thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) flat-panel displays. Interest in ALD has increased significantly over the years, focusing mainly on silicon-based substrates (e.g. wafers) useful in fabricating microelectronics due to its ability to produce very thin, conformable films with control of the composition and thickness of these films at the atomic level.
ALD has also been used to coat filler particles present in a dental composite, as described in International Patent Publication No. WO2009/045752 (Kalgutkar, et al.). Recently, ALD has been used to coat discrete substrate sheets (U.S. Pat. No. 6,713,177 B2, George et al.), to coat fibrous substrates (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2009/0137043, Parsons et al.), and to coat substrate webs using a continuous roll-to-roll web-handling system (U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0189900, Dickey et al.).