An automatic flow measuring device is used in an industry where accuracy in dispensing of liquid is necessary. It is fully automatic in nature and is used with a PLC (programmable logic controller) to give the system intelligence and reporting capability. The automatic flow measuring device for measuring fluid flow includes an automatically operated valve, a tee connector operatively coupled to the automatically operated valve, an elongated member defining a measuring chamber coupled to the tee connector, at least a first fluid level sensor mounted on the elongated member at a first position thereon and a second fluid level sensor mounted on the elongated member at a second position thereon. The first and second sensors are preferably electronic and send signals to the PLC which opens and closes the automatically operated valve.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to fluid flow measurement devices, and more particularly relates to fluid flow measurement devices employing a calibration cylinder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Traditionally, calibration cylinders are manual devices whereby an operator diverts the flow into a calibration tube and closes off a valve from the main flow causing the calibration cylinder to act as the main source of flow. Using a timing device, the operator notes the time it takes for the graduated calibration cylinder to empty and mathematically converts this time to a rate of flow. Inherently, the problems are operator error in the timing and a lack of consistency thereof. Additionally, as a manual system there is no possibility of automatic flow metering or totalizing. Furthermore, such systems have been "open" to the atmosphere and the overflow therefrom is inconveniently pumped back to the bulk feed tank.


Systems and methods for producing purified biogas are disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a method includes collecting biogas from a landfill, transporting the biogas to a first well, injecting the biogas into the first well, and pressurizing the first well to store the biogas.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to the use and storage of biogas and, more particularly, to underground storage of biogas.
2. Background Description
Biogas, which is generated when bacteria degrade biological material in the absence of oxygen in a process known as anaerobic digestion, is composed primarily of methane and carbon dioxide and, typically, trace constituents of hydrogen sulfide, mercaptans, vinyl chloride and/or other volatile organic compounds. Biogas represents both an environmental liability and a unique renewable energy resource.
Exemplary sources of biological material that can generate biogas are found at (or in) marshes, landfills (waste disposal facilities), septic tanks, farms (e.g., cattle and/or dairy farms), sewage treatment facilities, paper mills, olive oil mills, industrial food production facilities (e.g., potato processing, canning operations, and slaughter houses). Bioreactors can generate biogas at these locations or facilities. When the source of the biogas is a landfill, the biogas may be referred to as landfill gas.
Concerns that are often associated with biogas relate to odors, air quality impacts and explosion hazards. If released to the atmosphere untreated, biogas is also a potent greenhouse gas contributing to global climate change.
The methane component of biogas contains energy that could be used, for example, to generate electricity, heat buildings, fuel industrial processes, and/or run vehicles. Utilization of energy from biogas not only mitigates the local environmental impact of biogas, but also advantageously reduces consumption of fossil fuels that would otherwise be required to generate an equal amount of energy. Collection and use of biogas represents a significant opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere.
Due to the presence of carbon dioxide, nonmethane organics, and other contaminants, biogas generally cannot be stored in tanks for future use in an economically viable manner. We have discovered that biogas can be stored underground, generally at a lower cost. Embodiments of the present invention are directed to these, as well as other, important ends.

Systems and methods for underground storage of biogas


A machine for preparing and delivering frozen beverages, such as water-ices, comprises a tank (12) for holding and refrigerating the beverage, in which there is an evaporator (16) of a refrigerating circuit and a mixing propeller (18) the rotation axis (19) of which is magnetically coupled, through a tank wall (28), with the rotation axis of an electric reduction motor (21). The magnetic coupling is formed of a first magnetic set (22) external to the tank and driven in rotation by the rotation axis of the reduction motor, and a second magnetic set (23) internal to the tank and connected to the propeller rotation axis. The first and second sets face each other on opposite faces of the tank wall to be magnetically coupled through said wall, the first set (22) thereby driving in rotation the second set (23).

The present invention relates to a machine for producing frozen beverages, such as water-ices.
In the known art machines have been known which comprise a transparent tank containing an evaporator of a refrigerating circuit and a mixing propeller to keep a beverage moving in the tank and cool it. A delivery tap at one end of the tank enables the frozen beverage thus obtained to be poured out. Usually, the tank is provided with a side opening for sealingly receiving the evaporator and mixer, which are horizontally supported in cantilevered fashion by a vertical shoulder fastened to the machine base. As a result of this, the tank can be easily removed for careful cleaning.
If the beverage is cooled too much, the beverage thickness becomes consequently excessive and there is an increase in the propeller resistance to rotation until the propeller completely stops. Under this condition the electric rotation motor is likely to undergo a permanent damage in a short period of time. In order to avoid this damage, in known machines thermal protection have been inserted which intervene when the motor, due to its stopping, gets overheated; it has also been suggested that the motor should be mounted in such a manner that in case of an excessive resistance to rotation the motor itself will, by reaction, turn about the shaft axis, against the action of a counterspring, thereby activating a microswitch that will disable the refrigerating circuit.
Should the beverage thickness increase too much and in particular should the beverage get fully frozen so as to form a single ice block consisting of several liters in volume, a relatively long time will be required before the beverage thickness may come back to an acceptable value. In addition, in spite of the contemplated solution in which it is waited for motor overheating before proceeding to electrically disconnecting it, an anomalous motor stress is involved which in the long run will bring about failures.
It is also to be pointed out that obviously, except for some fortuitous cases, the motor cooling time does not coincide with the mass thawing time. As a result, the motor could be submitted to repeated overheatings. Passage of the rotating propeller shaft through the tank wall often gives rise to some problems, due both to unavoidable liquid losses and escapes therethrough and to difficulties encountered in cleaning operations.
It is a general object of the present invention to obviate the above mentioned drawbacks by providing a machine for producing frozen beverages which enables the mixture thickness to be brought back to an optimal thickness more quickly in case of an excessive cooling, avoids occurrence of motor overheatings, and prevents liquid losses and problems in cleaning the tank.


An exhaust emission control system for a vehicle including a primary engine and a secondary engine having a displacement smaller than that of the primary engine is provided with an exhaust passage having a junction portion at which exhaust gas discharged from the primary engine and exhaust gas discharged from the secondary engine join together, and an exhaust emission purifying device that purifies the exhaust gas joined at the junction portion in the exhaust passage.

1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to an exhaust emission control system in a vehicle including a plurality of engines.
2. Description of Related Art
JP-A-6-93855 (pp.3–4, FIG. 1) discloses a vehicle including two engines, that is, a primary engine and a secondary engine, one or both of which may be operated for driving in accordance with the running state. In the aforementioned vehicle of the publication, exhaust gas discharged from the primary engine is supplied to a turbine of a turbocharger via an exhaust manifold that extends to the rear of the primary engine, and is further supplied to a case that contains an exhaust catalyst via an exhaust pipe. The exhaust gas then flows into a silencer via an exhaust pipe provided downstream of the catalyst for noise muffling, and is finally discharged into atmosphere. The exhaust gas discharged from the secondary engine is supplied to an exhaust pipe provided downstream of the exhaust catalyst via an exhaust manifold that extends to the rear of the secondary engine so as to join the exhaust gas discharged from the primary engine.
In the aforementioned type of the vehicle, however, the exhaust gas from the secondary engine joins the exhaust gas from the primary engine at a point downstream of the exhaust catalyst, and then discharged into atmosphere. That is, the exhaust gas from the secondary engine is discharged into atmosphere without having its harmful components removed.


Systems, techniques and methods for estimating the metabolic state or flux, e.g., the body energy state (“BES”) of a patient, are disclosed. The BES provides a deep insight into the nutritional needs of the patient, thus allowing for a sort of exquisite glycemic control with regard to the patient. The invention discloses systems and methods for estimating fractional gluconeogenesis. The invention also discloses systems and methods for estimating and targeting patient blood lactate concentration, both as a target itself and as an intermediate step to estimating and targeting patient fractional gluconeogenesis glucose production. Nutritional support methods and formulations are also disclosed. The invention is suitable for any sort of patient, including those who are injured, such as with traumatic brain injury, ill, or have other conditions that stress the metabolic system.

Glucose is a basic fuel of the human body (as well as of many other organisms) and is delivered throughout the body through the blood. The rate of glucose production, also referred to as glucose rate of appearance and glucose Ra, is about 2-3 mg/min/kg of body weight in a healthy person while at rest, and can be as high as 8 mg/min/kg or more under stress such as exercise or illness. Pyruvate and lactate, which are both gluconeogenic precursors and products of glucose catabolism, are also basic fuels of the human body and other organisms.
Glucose, a six-carbon (hexose) sugar, is an essential fuel energy source for several vitally important organs and tissues in the body, including the brain and nerves that require a continuous glucose supply, including after injury. Not surprisingly, glucose is an important and tightly regulated metabolite.
Glucose Ra should not be confused with blood concentration of glucose, also called [glucose]. The latter is a simple measure of the total amount of glucose in the blood, as opposed to the rate of production. The [glucose] is a common measurement taken from a blood samples, as in standard doctor office visits and home diabetes diagnostics. This value can vary significantly in resting individuals, but generally averages about 90-100 mg/dl blood or 5.5 mM. Physiologically, glucose can appear in the blood of a person by three major means: delivery from ingested carbohydrate-containing foods, hepatic glycogenolysis ("GLY"), and gluconeogenesis ("GNG") (hepatic and renal). The recommended dietary allowance for carbohydrate-containing foods is about 130 g/day, a value determined to be the minimal daily brain glucose requirement (8) (note that non-patent literature citations are made as numbers in parentheses, and the corresponding references are listed at the end of this specification). Hence, dietary carbohydrate and total nutrient inadequacy will reflexively cause increased GLY and GNG to maintain glucose requirements for the brain, other tissues with high glucose needs (nerves, red blood cells, kidneys) and the body in general.
Glucose production occurs by GLY and GNG. It is generally better if the majority of glucose production is from GLY. This is because GLY is an efficient process of glucose production, in that it is simple breakdown of glycogen, a glucose polymer stored mainly in the muscles, liver and kidneys. Normally, at rest, in a nourished state, most glucose is produced by GLY (typically over 75%). This number can decrease under stress such as exercise or illness, as the body needs to produce more glucose than can be provided by GLY.
Gluconeogenesis ("GNG") describes essentially all pathways for producing glucose other than glycogenolysis ("GLY"). GNG produces glucose from carbon substrates such as pyruvate, lactate, glycerol, and gluconeogenic amino acids, among others. These can be termed GNG precursors. GNG is less efficient than GLY in terms of glucose produced per unit of stored energy because of the more complex pathways needed to produce it. Since it is less efficient than GLY, it is generally not preferred by the body, but can be used to produce glucose as needed. GNG is less efficient than GLY in other ways as well. The work of raising a GNG precursor to the level of glucose 6-phosphate and glucose requires significant energy input, and important body constituents such as lean body mass, muscle are often degraded to provide precursor materials for the process. GNG also may be used to access glycogen stored elsewhere in the body instead of direct conversion of that glycogen to glucose.
The current art in the measurement of metabolic state and treatment has at least two significant categories of problems. One is that no biomarker measurements, either alone or in combination, are used in the current art to give an accurate picture of the overall BES of a patient. To the degree that measurements are made in the current art, such as with [glucose], they are inadequate indicators of the BES.
The biomarker [glucose], is well known in the art and simple to assess from a blood test. While a large shift (either low or high) in [glucose] can be cause for concern and inform the type of feeding the patient receives, it does not provide a good indicator of the BES of a patient, especially within its typical ranges. Indeed, the maintenance of blood glucose homeostasis is a top physiological priority, and there are diverse and redundant body mechanisms to maintain blood [glucose]. Thus a normal [glucose] may belie metabolic stresses that are going on, with the body working very hard to maintain [glucose]. Among those mechanisms are GNG, a critically important process about which the blood [glucose] measurement provides no direct information.
Another biomarker, glucose rate of appearance ("Ra"), gives only a slightly better indicator of the BES of the patient. A high glucose Ra, for example, indicates that the patient may be experiencing a stress (such as injury, exercise or starvation) that has induced a high glucose production. While this is a somewhat useful, there is need for a biomarker that is a more precise indicator of BES. In addition, determination of glucose Ra is complex, time consuming and costly. It requires labeled glucose to be given to the patient, typically glucose with deuterium (typically noted as simply D or 2H as opposed to merely H, hydrogen), or carbon 13 (13C), and comparison of labeled and non-labeled glucose (the latter produced by the glucose pathways) to determine Ra (80).
The complex, costly and time-consuming process of determining glucose Ra with stable isotopes of H (typically deuterium) or 13C-glucose is well described in the literature (2, 26, 55). It is typically done as follows. Control subjects or patients receive a primed continuous infusion of [6,6−2H]glucose, i.e., D2-glucose, glucose with two deuteriums on carbon number 6 (C-6) diluted in 0.9% sterile saline and tested for pyrogenicity and sterility prior to infusion. To hasten achievement of a constant blood isotopic enrichment, a priming bolus of perhaps about 125 times the continuous per minute infusion rate, or about 250 mg D2-glucose, is infused over several min prior to commencement of a continuous tracer infusion of 2.0 mg·min−1 D2-glucose. In this manner, isotopic equilibration in the blood can be achieved in 60-90 min (about half the time to isotopic equilibration in blood if a priming tracer dose is not given).
To verify when isotopic equilibration has been achieved, several ml of blood is drawn serially. Verification can be done by mixing in several volumes of 6-8% perchloric acid ("PCA"), and the deproteinized supernatant analyzed by means of forming a penta-acetate derivative followed by analysis using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry ("GC/MS").
For simultaneous concentration analysis, known amounts of a labeled internal standard, such as uniformly labeled glucose, where each carbon of the glucose is labeled, by for example, the carbon 13 isotope, thus noted [U-13C]glucose, is used. The glucose molecule thus has an increased mass of about 6 atomic units ("au") (m+6). This labeled glucose is added to the supernatant of control subject or patient samples collected in perchloric acid. To separate glucose, samples are neutralized with 2N KOH and transferred to cation resin, ion exchange columns such as 50W-X8 (from Bio-Rad Laboratories). Glucose is eluted first with doubly deionized H2O (the anions, and cations, by contrast, are retained on the column).
The glucose ion-exchange effluent is reduced by lyophilization and derivatized by resuspending the lyophilized sample in a small amount (e.g., 1 ml) of methanol, a small amount [e.g., 200 microliter (μl)] is transferred to a 2 ml microreaction vial and dried under N2 gas. A small amount (e.g., 100 μl) of a 2:1 acetic anhydride-pyridine solution is added to each sample vial and heated at 60° C. for 10 min. Samples are again dried under N2 gas, resuspended in a small amount (e.g., 200 μl) of ethyl acetate, and transferred to micro vials for analysis.
Glucose isotopic enrichment ("IE") is determined by GC/MS, for instance with a GC model 6890 series and MS model 5973N, from Agilent Technologies) of the penta-acetate derivative, where methane is used for selected ion monitoring of mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) 331 (non-labeled glucose), 332 (M+1 isotopomer, [1-13C]glucose), 333 (M+2 isotopomer, D2-glucose), and 337 (M+6 isotopomer, [U-13C]glucose, the internal standard). Whole blood glucose concentration is determined by abundance ratios of 331/337. Selected ion abundances are compared against external standard curves for calculation of concentration and isotopic enrichment.
Therefore there is a need in the art for a biomarker that is a good indicator, by itself, of BES, as well as simple and effective methods of estimating that biomarker.

Blood lactate range targets and nutritional formulations and protocols to support patients


A method of cleaning contaminants from a contact lens is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of positioning a contact lens and an adsorbent so that the adsorbent is disposed between the contact lens and an electric current source, immersing the contact lens, the adsorbent, and the current source in a saline solution, then applying an electric current from the current source through the adsorbent and the contact lens so that contaminants carried by the contact lens migrate to the adsorbent. Additionally, a disposable, arcuate-shaped adsorbent article conformable to and matable with the convex and concave surfaces of the contact lens is also disclosed.

Perhaps the most common impediment to wearer comfort and visual acuity of contact lenses is the presence of contaminants on the surface of the lens. The large majority of these contaminants are proteins produced by the eye, tear duct, and eyelid for lubrication and protection of delicate optic tissues. The proteins will agglomerate on the surfaces and the interior of the lens to form microscopic protrusions which rub against the cornea and eyelid, thereby causing irritation, inflammation, and discomfort.
There are a number of known methods for removing protein contaminants from a contact lens surface. Some removal systems use a mild detergent to wash the agglomerated proteins from the lens surface; however, these detergents can damage the lens. Others utilize a solution containing a proteolytic enzyme which digests the protein molecules, but this method has proven inadequate for complete protein removal.
One recently conceived solution for removal of protein from contact lenses is the application of electrophoresis techniques. Cowle et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,544. discloses a method wherein the contact lens is placed in an electrophoretic solution within a container, then an electric field is applied to the solution through two electrodes in the solution which causes charged protein molecules attached to the lens to migrate to the oppositely charged electrode. Although the application of electrophoresis to the cleaning of lenses is promising, any protein migrating to an electrode must also overcome a diffusion gradient created by the migration which tends to drive protein from the electrode into solution. An equilibrium is eventually reached, at which point it becomes difficult to further remove protein from the solution at the electrode; some of this free protein then is able to return to the lens.
Another electrochemical solution is offered in Pankow, U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,965. In this method, electrodes are immersed in solution baths external to the lens; current is provided to the lens by a transmission means which rests on the lens surface. Application of electrical current causes contaminants to migrate from the center of the lens to its surface. From this point the contaminants are removed from either the lens surface or from the electrochemical transmission means by an additional wiping step.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an electroblotting method of cleaning contact lenses which overcomes the problem associated with the equilibrium of electrochemical and diffusion gradients. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electroblotting method of cleaning contact lenses which eliminates the need for wiping protein from the lens after the application of electric current. It is an additional object of the invention to do so with a simple, inexpensive, and easily used method suitable for commercial production.

Method of removing contaminants from a contact lens using electroblotting


There is disclosed a process and apparatus for the continuous production of a thermoplastic product having biaxially oriented components. Preferably the thermoplastic compound includes filler. The process may be used to manufacture hollow profiles or sheets. The product is made by a continuous extrusion process which biaxially orients the components by forcing a molten thermoplastic compound through a contoured die with a contoured mandrel therein and then cooling the compound to preserve the imparted orientation. With respect to the sheets a biaxially oriented hollow profile is formed, then cut along the axial direction and then flattened into a sheet.

It is well known that the properties of thermoplastic polymers and thermoplastic/filler composite material can be enhanced by orienting the thermoplastic molecules and filler (when present). Further, for certain applications it is desirable to orient the molecules and filler in two directions. Accordingly much research has been directed towards developing methods for producing such products.
One method proposed for producing biaxially oriented products is solid state extrusion. For example U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,419 (Ward et al., 1989) and Ward et al., Plast. Rub. Comp. Proc. Appl. 19 (1993) describe a process to produce uniaxially and biaxially oriented hollow profiles by deforming a pre-extruded, unoriented hollow workpiece comprising orientable, thermoplastic polymer by passage in the solid phase through a die having both an entry and an exit side. The hollow workpiece is provided at the entry side of the die, while tension is applied to the hollow workpiece from the exit side of the die. Two important elements disclosed in these publications are the temperature of the polymer during deformation and the drawing or tension applied to cause this deformation. The temperature must be well below the melting point of the polymer, thus, the deformation of polymer took place in the solid phase. The tension applied must be high enough to cause solid state deformation but low enough so as not to cause tensile failure. A special grip is needed to hold and pull the workpiece from the exit side of the die. As the result, this process is a batch process.
A similar process is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,634 (Tsadares and Anastassakis, 1992) which describes a process for producing biaxially stretched, unfilled thermoplastic tube (especially polyvinylchloride) by steps of extruding an unoriented thermoplastic tube through a die in the melt/viscous state, cooling the tube and drawing it at the same speed as the extrusion speed, passing the tube next over a conical expanding portion of a stretching mandrel (a second die) and drawing the expanded tubing at the exit at a speed higher than the entering speed, thus, biaxially stretch the tube. The stretching is resulted from the differences in the drawing speed of the tubing before and after the conical die.
It is desired to produce hollow profiles or sheet with increased mechanical strength properties in two directions, where the strength properties in both directions can be designed or engineered according to the desired needs. It is also desirable to produce these superior products continuously using commercially available equipment at a cost comparable to or lower than existing products.

Process for making a filler reinforced thermoplastic composites having biaxially oriented components


This assembly provides a flexible method of attaching discrete sacrificial anodes to exposed steel in concrete construction to achieve an advantageous distribution of protection current. It comprises a base metal [1] that is less noble than steel, a conductor [6] connected to the base metal, a tying point [2] formed at least in part by the conductor, and a tie [4] that passes through the tying point [2] and around the steel [5]. The tie is used to physically tie the anode between steel bars prior to placing the concrete and in the process to electrically connect the anode to the steel. The tying point is open to facilitate adjusting the tie. The separation of the tie from an anode assembly with a tying point allows the tie to be selected during installation when the properties required by the application are known.

Sacrificial cathodic protection is a technique that is used to limit the corrosion of steel in concrete. It involves connecting a base metal that is less noble than steel, such as a metal or alloy of zinc, aluminium or magnesium, to the steel. The base metal is consumed by anodic dissolution and in the process a current flows to the steel which becomes the protected cathode of the base metal—steel couple. U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,857 shows one arrangement that may be used to achieve this.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,685,822 discloses the use of sacrificial anodes in new concrete construction to protect steel in concrete. The sacrificial anode delivers current to the steel before the concrete has hardened to increase the tolerance of the reinforced concrete to aggressive chloride ion contamination.
Sacrificial anode systems exist as surface applied systems or embedded discrete systems. Surface applied anodes are large surface area anodes that deliver relatively low current densities of the order of 10 mA/m2 when expressed per unit of anode area. Discrete anodes are individually distinct compact anodes that deliver relatively high current densities of the order of 50 to 250 mA/m2 off the anode surface. They are placed in holes in the concrete or are attached to exposed steel in new construction or exposed steel at locations where patch repairs to the concrete are undertaken.
Discrete anodes are usually combined with an activating agent. The activating agent in contact with the base metal in a sacrificial anode assembly may prevent the anode from drying out or prevent the formation of insoluble products that restrict the dissolution of the base metal. U.S. Pat. No. 6,022,469 describes the use of KOH and LiOH to prevent the formation of insoluble zinc products that may otherwise result in zinc passivation. U.S. Pat. No. 6,165,346 describes the use of LiNO3 as a deliquescent material to prevent the anode from drying out. U.S. Pat. No. 6,217,742 describes the use of combinations of LiNO3 and LiBr to enhance the anode output.
In surface applied anode systems the source of protection current is distributed across the surface of the concrete. Current distribution is more complex with discrete sacrificial anodes. Cement & Concrete Composites vol. 24 (2002) pp. 159-167 investigates current distribution from a surface applied anode to embedded steel bars and notes that current distribution is affected by the boundary conditions, the concrete resistivity and the layout of the anode and the steel in the concrete.
The connection between the sacrificial anode and the steel reinforcement provides a path for electron conduction between the base metal and the steel. When the concrete is largely intact, the anode may be secured to the concrete surface or within the concrete cover and an electrical cable may be used to connect the anode to the steel. Such methods are also traditionally used to protect steel with other covering materials such as soil. The electrical cable may be connected to the steel using a clamp, clip or drilled and tapped hole. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,760 describes a connection detail that involves obtaining contact between the anode and the reinforcing steel by impacting the anode against the steel in a suitably sized hole drilled through the concrete to the steel. U.S. Pat. No. 6,572,760 also describes a welded connection between the anode and the steel in a hole drilled through the concrete to the steel.
In some cases the concrete cover is not present and the steel is exposed. This occurs in new construction prior to casting the concrete and in existing construction when patch repairs are undertaken to corrosion damaged and spalled areas of a reinforced concrete structure prior to placing the cementitious patch repair material. In this case it is preferable to use the connection to secure the anode in place as well as make an electrical connection to the exposed steel. Tie wires have traditionally been used to secure and electrically connect the steel bars in reinforced concrete cathodic protection systems. The tie wire is typically a bare steel wire that is wrapped around the bars and tightened by twisting the ends of the wire together to secure and connect the bars together. WO 9429496 discloses an alkali activated sacrificial anode connected to a wire that is wrapped around the steel to form an electrical connection to the steel. U.S. Pat. No. 6,193,857 describes a method of connecting the anode to the steel which involves forming the anode around a section of a ductile metal conductor and wrapping the exposed ends of the ductile metal conductor around the steel and twisting the ends together to tighten the connection. Small loops are provided at the ends of the long ductile metal conductors that may be used by a twisting tool to tighten the connection.
Current practice is to tie the anodes directly on the exposed steel bars prior to casting the concrete. This practice is promoted by the existing inflexible connection detail. However, it is shown in Example 1 later in this document that tying the anodes directly on the steel results in poor distribution of the protection current. This invention discloses an advantageous method of connecting discrete sacrificial anodes to the steel in concrete in situations where the steel bars are exposed such as in new construction and at areas where patches of damaged concrete have been removed.


Disclosed herein is a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter. The DC-DC converter includes a first bridge and a second bridge. The first bridge includes a first switch and a second switch, whereas the second bridge includes a third switch and a fourth switch. The second bridge is in parallel connection with the first bridge. The second switch is in series connection with the first switch, and the fourth switch is in series connection with the third switch. The DC-DC converter switches between a first mode and a second mode based on a detection signal. Further, a method for controlling the DC-DC converter is also disclosed herein.

1. Field of Invention
The embodiment of the present invention relates generally to a converter and method for controlling the same, and more particular, to a direct current to direct current (DC-DC) converter and method for controlling the same.
2. Description of Related Art
With the developments of science and technology, the range of the output voltage of power-supplying electronic products is becoming wider. For example, electric automobile charging stations are used to provide electric power to various types of electric automobile in which batteries of these various types of electric automobiles may require different rated voltages. Therefore, the electric automobile charging stations have to provide a wide range of output voltages so as to meet the requirements of the various types of electric automobiles.
The full bridge zero-voltage switch (ZVS) converter, such as, phase-shifted full bridge converter and complementary full bridge converter, has the characteristics of wide output-voltage range which satisfies the industry's requirement for the power-supplying electronic products. For a full bridge zero-voltage switch converter under the same output current, the efficiencies of the converter under high-voltage output and low-voltage output are compared. The results indicates that when the effective duty ratio is greater, the output voltage of the full bridge zero-voltage switch converter is higher, thereby the converter can accomplish the zero-voltage turn-on, and the efficiency of the converter is also higher. Whereas when the output voltage of the full bridge zero-voltage switch converter is lower, the effective duty ratio thereof is smaller. Under this circumstance, since the switch frequency remains constant, the switch loss is almost the same as that under the high-voltage output.
However, because of the resonant inductor flow current, the loop-current is present inside the full bridge zero-voltage switch converter for a long time, and hence the conduction losses under low-voltage output and the high-voltage output are almost the same. Therefore, when the output current is constant, the power under low-voltage output is smaller, which leads to a relatively greater loss. As a result, under low-voltage output, the efficiency of the full bridge zero-voltage switch converter is greatly decreased.
Many efforts have been devoted trying to find a solution of the aforementioned problems. Nonetheless, there still a need to improve the existing apparatus and techniques in the art.

DC-DC converter and switching method for the same


To provide a method for producing a (4,5-dihydroisoxazol-3-yl)thiocarboxamidine salt compound simply, safely and in good yield, whereby drawbacks of prior art have been solved.

The (4,5-dihydroisoxazol-3-yl)thiocarboxamidine salt compound obtained by the present invention, can easily be led to a 4,5-dihydroisoxazolidine-3-thiol analogue which is useful as an intermediate for the production of pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals, by carrying out hydrolysis under a basic condition.
Heretofore, a literature is known which discloses that an isoxazoline-3-thione derivative can be obtained by reacting a 3-halogeno-4,5-dihydroisoxazole compound with thiourea (Patent Document 1).
However in the Patent Document 1 there is no disclosure with respect to use of an acid in the reaction of the 3-halogeno-4,5-dihydroisoxazole compound with thiourea, or with respect to the production of a (4,5-dihydroisoxazol-3-yl)thiocarboxamidine salt compound.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2004-224714

Process for production of (4,5-dihydroisoxazol-3-Y) thio-carboxamidine salts

Abstract: A method for producing a (4,5-dihydroisoxazol-3-yl)thiocarboxamidine salt compound of the formula (2):

Abstract: wherein each of R1 and R2 which are independent of each other, is a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or a cycloalkyl group, each of R3 and R4 which are independent of each other, is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, provided that R1 and R2, or R2 and R3, may be bonded to each other to form a cycloalkyl group together with the carbon atoms to which they are bonded, and X2 is a halogen or an anionic residue derived from an acid, which comprises reacting a 3-halogeno-4,5-dihydroisoxazole compound of the formula (1):

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3 and R4 are as defined above, and X1 is a halogen, with thiourea in the presence of an acid.


A dielectric ceramic composition is herein disclosed which comprises four lead-containing perovskite compounds of (a) lead magnesium tungstate Pb(Mg.sub.1/2 W.sub.1/2)O.sub.3 !, (b) lead nickel niobate Pb(Ni.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3 !, (c) lead titanate (PbTiO.sub.3) and (d) lead zirconate (PbZrO.sub.3) as main components and which further contains an oxide of a rare earth element; and by adjusting a molar ratio of the components (a) to (d) and an amount of the oxide of the rare earth element in specific ranges, there can be obtained the dielectric ceramic composition suitable for a dielectric substance for a multilayer ceramic capacitor which has a low firing temperature, a high dielectric constant at room temperature and a low change rate of the dielectric constant to temperature.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dielectric ceramic composition, and more specifically, it relates to a dielectric ceramic composition capable of forming a dielectric substance which has a relatively high dielectric constant and excellent temperature properties thereof and which is suitable for a multilayer ceramic capacitor by firing the composition at a low temperature of 1100.degree. C. or less.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a dielectric ceramic composition for use in a multilayer ceramic capacitor, a composition containing barium titanate as a main component (hereinafter referred to as "the barium titanate compound") has been heretofore widely used. In particular, the barium titanate compound has been widely used as a dielectric ceramic composition for a multilayer ceramic capacitor having Y5V characteristics -30.degree. C. to +85.degree. C., .DELTA.C/C (20.degree. C.), +22% to -82%! and X7R characteristics -55.degree. C. to 125.degree. C., .DELTA.C/C (20.degree. C.), .+-.15%! of EIA standards.
A firing temperature of the barium titanate compound is as high as 1300.degree. C. or more, and therefore, as an internal electrode for the barium titanate compound, inexpensive silver palladium cannot be used because of a low melting point. An inexpensive base metal such as nickel has a high melting point, but when it is baked in air, its oxide is formed inconveniently. For this reason, the base metal cannot be used, either. Accordingly, it is necessary that expensive platinum, palladium or the like should be used as the internal electrode, which leads to the increase of cost. Furthermore, the barium titanate compounds having temperature properties (e.g., Y5U characteristics or Y5T characteristics) between the Y5V characteristics and the X7R characteristics have scarcely been reported.
On the other hand, in order to solve problems in the case that the barium titanate compound is used as a dielectric substance for the laminated ceramic capacitor, the application of a lead-containing perovskite compound to the dielectric substance has been widely researched, and a part of the researches has been put to practical use.
Some of lead-containing perovskite compounds have a firing temperature of 1100.degree. C. or less, and when any of such compounds is used, there is an advantage that inexpensive silver palladium or the like can be used as an internal electrode for the multilayer ceramic capacitor. In addition, by combining a plurality of lead-containing perovskite compounds, there can be widely designed various materials ranging from a high dielectric material having a dielectric constant of 2000 or more at room temperature to a material which scarcely changes at a temperature of such a dielectric constant as to meet the X7R characteristics of the EIA standards. Examples of the former include three kinds of lead-containing perovskite compounds such as lead magnesium niobate PMN: Pb(Mg.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3 !, lead titanate (PT: PbTiO.sub.3) and lead nickel niobate PNN: Pb(Ni.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3 ! mentioned in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 81097/1973. Examples of the latter are mentioned in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 060671/1983, 042277/1985 and 036371/1985.
However, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 060671/1983, it is described that a capacitance change of the capacitor by a temperature at 30.degree. to 85.degree. C. can be controlled to .+-.22% or less (which corresponds to the Y5S characteristics of the EIA standards) by the use of the lead-containing perovskite compound as the dielectric substance, but there is a problem that the dielectric constant at room temperature lowers in most of the cases that compositions capable of decreasing the change of the capacitance by the temperature are employed.
Furthermore, there also exist a means for improving the temperature properties of the capacitance by adding a manganese compound, but in this case, there is a problem that a second phase of a pyrochlore phase, lead oxide or the like is formed, so that the dielectric constant noticeably lowers.
As another means for improving the temperature properties of the capacitance, a method has been present which comprises replacing a part of lead (Pb) in the lead-containing perovskite compound with barium (Ba), strontium (Sr) or calcium (Ca) which is another alkali earth metal. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 298061/1989 has disclosed a composition in which a part of Pb in a complex perovskite compound of lead magnesium niobate PMN: Pb(Mg.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3 !, lead titanate (PT) and lead zirconate (PZ: PbZrO.sub.3) is replaced with at least one element of Ba and Sr. However, some of the complex perovskite compounds mentioned in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 298061/1989 have a firing temperature of 1000.degree. to 1300.degree. C., so that for a part of such complex perovskite compounds, inexpensive silver palladium cannot be utilized as an internal electrode.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 115408/1992 has disclosed compositions in which a part of Pb in a composite of lead magnesium niobate (PMN) and another lead-containing perovskite compound is replaced with Ba, Sr, Ca or Ag. In these compositions, however, it has been difficult to control the temperature properties of the dielectric constant to .+-.22% or less in the range of -30.degree. to +85.degree. C.
On the other hand, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 223162/1991, there have been disclosed compositions in which lead manganese niobate PMnNb: Pb(Mn.sub.1/3 Nb.sub.2/3)O.sub.3 ! is added to a complex perovskite compound of lead magnesium tungstate PMW: Pb(Mg.sub.1/2 W.sub.1/2)O.sub.3 !, lead nickel niobate (PNN), lead titanate (PT) and lead zirconate (PZ). In these compositions, the dielectric constant at room temperature is 8000 or more and the Y5T characteristics regarding the capacitance (-30.degree. C. to +85.degree. C., .DELTA.C/C (20.degree. C.), +22% to -33%) can be met, but there is still a problem that a change rate of the dielectric constant cannot be controlled to .+-.22% or less.


A lifting device is for a container. The lifting device is attached at one end of the container. The lifting device includes an undercarriage provided with one or more wheels; and an actuator arranged to move the undercarriage of the lifting device between a first position, not engaging the supporting surface, and a second position, engaging the supporting surface, so that, in the position of the undercarriage engaging the supporting surface, one end of the container is lifted up from the supporting surface. The undercarriage of the lifting device is connected to the actuator via at least one connecting body, the connecting body being connected to the actuator and movable therewith.

The invention relates to a lifting device for a container. More specifically, the invention relates to a lifting device with wheels attached to it that is arranged to lift one end of a container, thereby making it possible to move the container locally, for example within a construction site, by means of a tractor, a forklift or some other vehicle or construction site engine.
It is known that heavy transport equipment, such as a hook-lift truck, for example, is provided with the necessary equipment and sufficient power to lift and move a heavy container. As a container is rented, usually the driver of a hook-lift truck will place the container in a given location at a construction site, and leave it there. The container is picked up when it is full or according to agreement. The drawback of this arrangement is that the container, as it fills, becomes too heavy to be moved by smaller construction site equipment such as tractors, forklifts or small excavators. The position of the container is therefore locked to the place in which the driver of the hook-lift truck set it down in the first place. Often, said driver will not be acquainted with the construction site and the position of the container could therefore be unfavourable to the person or persons who are going to use the container or to others working at the same site. Generally, hook-lift trucks are also so large that the ability to navigate is restricted to open areas and relatively broad roads. After a container has been filled, completely or partially, it may be desirable to remove it or change its location within a construction site. This will not be possible today without having to call in a hook-lift truck or the like, as mentioned above, and it will often lead to an unnecessarily long wait and extra costs to have the container moved or removed.


A hook device includes a hook base, an attractive member, a slider and a hook. The hook base includes a containing chamber, in which the containing chamber has an opening. The attractive member is set in a sidewall of the containing chamber and is opposite to the opening. The slider is disposed within the containing chamber, in which the slider has a top surface. The hook is disposed in the containing chamber and is on the top surface of the slider, in which a magnetic attractive power is induced between the hook and the attractive member. The hook may further include a secondary hook base having a hook groove corresponding to the opening. A portion of the hook is removed out through the opening of the containing chamber and is clipped in the hook groove by pushing the slider.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical hook device, in which a hook 100 is usually exposed on the exterior of the device, and a hook tip 104 is usually sharp-pointed. When the hook 100 is put into a corresponding hook base 102, the exposed hook 100 is pressed into a hook rabbet 106 of the hook base 102, to make a connection portion 108 of the hook 100 lodge in the hook rabbet 106, so that the whole device can be joined with the hook base 102 by the hook 100, such as shown in FIG. 1. The hook 100 can be separated from the hook base 102 by removing the hook 100 from the hook rabbet 106 of the hook base 102.
However, a hook of this design impairs the device appearance, and because the hook tip 104 of the exposed connection portion 108 is sharp-pointed, the user might be accidentally injured by the hook tip 104. Thus, the aesthetics of the device is limited and the comfort of use is reduced.


In a connector fixing construction, connectors are mounted on a printed circuit board, and wall portions, covering peripheral surfaces of the connectors, respectively, are formed on a cover covering the printed circuit board. Therefore, even if a lateral external force acts on the connector when a mating connector is inserted into and removed from the connector, the connector is prevented from being moved laterally, thereby certainly preventing damage, such as a crack, to solder portions by which terminals of the connector are connected to a circuit pattern.

This invention relates to a construction of fixing a connector through which signals are fed to and from a printed circuit board and through which electric power is supplied to the printed circuit board, and more particularly to a connector fixing construction suited for a junction block in which a printed circuit board is connected integrally to a board having bus bars and connectors, and the printed circuit board and the board are covered with a cover.
Usually, many electronic devices for effecting various controls are mounted on an automobile or the like, and therefore many connectors have been used to connect the electronic devices to wire harnesses and to connect the wire harnesses together. Also, there has been used a junction block in which the electronic devices and the connectors are mounted in a generally concentrated manner to provide a unitary construction.
A connector fixing construction of a conventional junction block (hereinafter referred to merely as "JB") will now be described with reference to FIGS. 9 through 13. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, in the JB 41, a printed circuit board (hereinafter referred to merely as "PCB") 42 is fixedly mounted on a board 44 through spacers 43. Connectors 45 and various parts P including resistors, capacitors and shielded coils, are mounted on the PCB 42.
Various parts P are mounted on the board 44, and bus bars 47 and 48 and so on are also mounted on the board 44. Although only part of the bus bar 47 is shown in FIG. 10, ends of the bus bar 47 serve as external connection terminals for a fuse cavity 49 when the JB 41 is assembled. Ends of the bus bar 48 serve as external connection terminals for connectors 51 when the JB 41 is assembled.
When the JB 41 is assembled as shown in FIG. 9, the upper sides of the PCB 42 and the board 44 are entirely covered with a cover 52 of a synthetic resin while the lower sides thereof are covered with a cover 53. A fitting side of each connector 45 is disposed generally flush with an opening formed through an upper wall of the cover 52, and hence is exposed to the exterior through this opening. The fuse cavity 49 and the connectors 51 are projected from the upper surface of the cover 52.
The internal structure of the JB 41 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XI--XI of FIG. 9, and FIG. 12 is an enlarged, cross-sectional view of an important portion of FIG. 11.
As shown in FIG. 11, a bus bar 54, extended through the board 44, is connected at one end to a circuit pattern 46, and the other end of the bus bar 54 is electrically connected to the bus bar 47 and so on through a conductive member 55. As shown in FIG. 12, the circuit pattern 46 is formed on a lower surface of the PCB 42, and terminals of the various parts P and terminals 45a of the connectors 45 are soldered to the circuit pattern 46.
As shown in FIG. 12, the connectors 45, the PCB 42 and the cover 52 are arranged such that the terminals 45a of each connector 45 extend through the PCB 42, and are soldered at their distal ends to the circuit pattern 46. The connector 45 is fixedly secured or fastened at its central portion to the PCB 42 by a screw 56. A large gap G is formed between the peripheral edge of the opening, formed through the cover 52, and the peripheral surface of the connector 45, and the two are normally out of contact with each other.
When connecting the connector 45 to a mating connector (not shown), the mating connector is inserted at its front end into the fitting side of the connector 45, and is pushed downward to be fitted in the connector 45. When removing or withdrawing the mating connector from the connector 45, the mating connector is pulled upwardly to be withdrawn from the connector 45.
However, in order to prevent incomplete contact and so on, terminals of the mating connector are press-connected respectively to the terminals of the connector 45, and therefore a suitable degree of frictional resistance develops therebetween, and therefore the mating connector can not be easily connected to and removed from the connector 45 merely by urging the mating connector downwardly and upwardly, and particularly when removing the mating connector, in some cases, it is forcibly swung to be withdrawn from the connector 45.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, when withdrawing the mating connector from the connector 45, the connector 45 is forcibly swung in directions indicated by arrows B since the large gap G is formed between the connector 45 and the peripheral edge of the opening in the cover 52. As a result, a load is applied to the area of soldering between the terminals 45a and the circuit pattern 46, so that the solder portions may be cracked. If this occurs, the connection between the terminals 45a and the circuit pattern 46 becomes incomplete, so that the proper circuit operation fails to be carried out.
Further, as shown in FIG. 13, when connecting the mating connector to the connector 45 by pushing the former into the latter, the PCB 42 is deformed from a horizontal condition (indicated in phantom) into an arcuate or curved condition indicated in solid lines. When withdrawing the mating connector from the connector 45, the PCB 42 is deformed upwardly from the position (indicated in phantom) into an arcuate condition. As a result, a load is applied to the solder portions when inserting and removing the mating connector, so that the above-mentioned problems have been encountered.


A semiconductor integrated circuit includes: a first boundary cell having a first power source wiring, a second power source wiring and a first pseudo power source wiring; a first circuit cell having a third power source wiring connected with the first power source wiring, a second pseudo power source wiring connected with the first pseudo power source wiring, and a first circuit formed of a first circuit transistor; and a first switching transistor having a first electrode connected with the second power source wiring, a second electrode connected with the first pseudo power source wiring, and a gate electrode, wherein the first switching transistor is operated to be turned “ON” and “OFF” according to a control signal inputted to the gate electrode of the first switching transistor and an absolute value of a threshold voltage of the first switching transistor is larger than an absolute value of a threshold voltage of the first circuit transistor.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a logic circuit, an amplifier circuit or the like that is provided with a switching transistor isolating a power source.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has been a request for a portable electronic device, which operates at higher speed, and also which is driven for a longer time by a battery. For the purpose of responding to the request, there is a demand for a semiconductor integrated circuit to be mounted on such portable electronic devices, which achieves low power consumption while capable of operating at a high speed. When a power source voltage of a semiconductor integrated circuit is reduced for the purpose of reducing power consumption, an operating speed of the semiconductor integrated circuit is also reduced. Accordingly, it is necessary to reduce a threshold voltage (Vth) of a MOS transistor (also termed as a Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET)). When the threshold voltage of the MOS transistor is reduced, a leakage current is increased. For this reason, in the case of a MT-CMOS (Multi Threshold-Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) technique that uses a several kinds of threshold voltages, a transistor having a high threshold voltage (High Vth) serving as a switching transistor is disposed between an actual power source line and a power source line of a circuit formed of a transistor having a low threshold voltage (Low Vth). Thereby, electric power can be controlled (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-186666, pp. 19, FIGS. 1, 2).
However, in a semiconductor integrated circuit, which has a leakage current cut-off circuit, and which is formed by the MT-CMOS technique, there is a problem as follows. Specifically, it is necessary to form a cell having a leakage current cut-off circuit inserted thereinto in a circuit formed of a low threshold voltage transistor each time. As a result, a time required for designing a layout of the semiconductor integrated circuit is increased. In addition, the size of a cell having a leakage current cut-off circuit inserted thereinto becomes larger than that of an existing basic cell. This causes a problem where the number of cell libraries is increased because it is necessary to create a new cell library as a MT-CMOS cell having a leakage current cut-off circuit inserted thereinto.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and method of designing layout of the same


Tenderized meat of good quality and uniformity is obtained by supporting meat in a tank along a hemispherical wall equidistant from an explosive charge, and detonating the explosive. The shock wave produced is propagated through the water within the tank, couples with the meat to compress the meat as the shock wave strikes the meat, and then is reflected by the tank wall to effect a substantial doubling of the shock wave effect.

The need exists for an improved system for tenderizing meat. A dichotomy exists in the fact that the public demands meat which is tender, yet the lower the fat content of the meat the greater the toughness and the public is becoming increasingly aware that the consumption of fat is unhealthy. In addition to the health advantages in tenderizing low fat meats, there is also an economic advantage because low fat meat is generally less expensive than high fat meat.
Many methods have been used in the past or at least suggested for tenderizing meat. The most common is simple mechanical pounding; but pounding breaks the meat fibers and changes both the texture and appearance of the meat. So-called "aging", which involves storage of the meat at a controlled temperature, e.g. 35.degree.-40.degree. F., for three or four weeks, has also been commonly used, but this type of operation is actually a controlled putrefaction which is expensive and slightly alters the flavor of the meat.
It is also been proposed to treat meat chemically, e.g. with tenderizing enzymes or in a chemical bath, but this type of treatment acts primarily only on the meat surface and tends to degrade the meat texture, i.e. make it "mushy". Other suggested methods include pulse massage and ultrasonic waves introduced in water into which the meat has been submerged, but these methods have proven largely ineffective.
The 1970 U.S. Pat. No. 3,492,688 in the name of Godfrey discloses a method and apparatus for tenderizing meat by the use of an explosive charge which generates and applies a shock front pressure wave propagated through a liquid medium at velocities exceeding the speed of sound. It is stated that the meat may be placed in a protective wrapping such as a flexible bag made of rubber or plastic material, from which the air has been evacuated.
While the principle behind the Godfrey U.S. Pat. No. '928 is sound, the embodiments disclosed and especially the tank and position of the meat in relation to the tank and explosive charge would present serious difficulties in the commercial tenderizing of meat. In the illustrated embodiments the meat would be thrown against the tank walls or the tank cover. Another problem is that in order to have an effective shock wave, a certain minimum explosive force is required; when such a minimum explosive charge is utilized, however, the force is sufficiently great to blow off the top of the container of the Godfrey apparatus. Accordingly, and insofar as is known, the Godfrey system has never achieved actual utilization.


An eyeglass lens processing apparatus includes; a lens holding unit that holds an eyeglass lens; a data input unit that inputs target lens shape data; a lens measuring unit that measures a refractive surface of the held lens based on the input target lens shape data to obtain an edge position of the lens; and a controller that detects presence or absence of a foreign body on the lens refractive surface based on the obtained edge position data.

(1) Technical Field
The present invention relates to an eyeglass lens processing apparatus for processing an eyeglass lens.
(2) Related Art
In an eyeglass lens processing apparatus, an eyeglass lens is held (chucked) by two lens chuck shafts and is rotated, while the peripheral edge of the lens is processed by a processing tool such as a grindstone so that the lens can have a shape substantially identical with a target lens shape (traced outline). To hold the lens, a cup serving as a fixing jig is mounted on and fixed to a front refractive surface of the lens through a double-sided adhesive tape, the cup with the lens fixed thereto is mounted on a cup receiver at a distal end of one of the two lens chuck shafts, and a lens holder at a distal end of the other lens chuck shaft is brought into contact with a rear refractive surface of the lens. Further, to hold a lens having a refractive surface easy to slip such as a lens on which a water repellant coating is enforced, a film-shaped adhesive sheet may be bonded onto the refractive surface of the lens and, after then, the cup is mounted on and fixed to the lens through a double-sided adhesive tape.
When processing the lens, the shape of the lens is measured (the edge position of the lens is detected) in accordance with the target lens shape. In this case, when the adhesive tape is bonded in such a manner that it is sticking out of the cup greatly, or when the adhesive sheet is bonded while creased, there is a possibility that an error can be included in the measuring result. And, when the lens is processed based on the processing data that have been obtained from the measuring results containing such error, defective processing can occur. Such defective processing can also occur similarly when some other foreign bodies stick to the refractive surface of the lens.


Use of neboglamine, (S)-4-amino-N-(4,4-dimethylcyclohexyl)glutamic acid (CR 2249) (CAS Registry Number 163000-63-3), of the racemate thereof or of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is a psychiatric condition characterised by positive symptoms, for example hallucinations, delusions, disturbances of thought, paranoia [Andreson, Mod. Probl. Pharmacopsychiatry 24, 73-88 (1990); Peralta et al., Br. J. Psychiatry 161, 335-343 (1992)], negative symptoms, for example apathy which primarily manifests as emotional and motivational deficits and deficits in social interactions, cognitive deficit together with depression.
This complex scheme of symptoms which is observed in schizophrenic patients suggests the existence of dysfunctions at various levels in the brain of these individuals and it is thus difficult to hypothesise that malfunctioning of a single neurotransmitter system could explain the complex pathological picture of the disease.
The until recently accepted hypothesis suggested hyperactivity of the dopaminergic system as the primary cause of the clinical manifestations of schizophrenia. This hypothesis was largely derived from the observation that amphetamine brings about positive symptoms which resemble those present in paranoid patients; this symptomatology is brought about by increased dopaminergic neurotransmission in the central nervous system (CNS) (Sayed et al., Psychopharmacol. Bull. 19, 283-288 (1983)].
However, many schizophrenic patients and in particular those exhibiting predominantly negative symptoms do not respond adequately to treatment with dopamine antagonist drugs, so demonstrating that the dopaminergic model can only provide a partial explanation of the complexity of the disease.
Functional anatomical studies have revealed morphometric changes in the cerebral cortex of schizophrenic individuals, these changes probably arising from modified cortical development. Glutamate is the primary neurotransmitter at this level and it is thus probable that dysfunction of the glutamatergic pathways may well play an important part in schizophrenia as it does in bipolar disorders. The dopaminergic and glutamatergic hypotheses are not mutually exclusive because there are major functional interactions between these two neurotransmitter systems.
One limitation of preclinical studies into novel molecules with potential antipsychotic activity is the limited availability of animal models capable of meaningfully reproducing a complex pathological picture such as that presented by schizophrenia. Despite this, there are models which can sufficiently effectively reproduce the symptoms of such disease with the aim of assessing the pharmacological activity of the potential candidate drug in specific functional changes.
On the basis of published preclinical data, the compound neboglamine (CR 2249) has shown that it possesses considerable modulating properties for the (strychnine-insensitive) glycine site coupled to the NMDA receptor complex [Lanza et al., Neuropharmacology 36, 1057-64 (1997)] together with interesting properties promoting memory and learning in various animal models [Garofalo et al. J. Pharm. Pharmacol. 48, 1290-97 (1996)].
The facilitatory activity exerted by neboglamine at the level of the NMDA receptor complex should be of therapeutic utility under conditions involving glutamatergic hypofunctionality, which, as explained above, may contribute to the negative symptomatological picture of schizophrenia.

Use of neboglamine (CR 2249) as an antipsychotic and neuroprotective


Methods and systems for monitoring biologic conditions including microsensors, wireless telemetry, expert systems, monitoring stations, and communication abilities. The methods and systems of the invention allow for patient monitoring and analysis at remote locations utilizing wireless telemetry.

Measuring, monitoring and recording of biological and environmental conditions are important in maintaining wellness and treatment. In a hospital environment the pulse rate, respiratory rate, temperature, and blood pressure are taken and recorded on a regular basis. These measurements are referred to as vital signs. In rare cases the sensors are attached to the patient and the data is transmitted to the nurse's station. Such transmitting units are usually bulky and in all cases require hard wiring.
The same is true of outpatient monitoring. Bulky equipment is required which restricts the patients mobility. The patient is restricted to a limited area. One of the problems in developing a micromonitoring system has been the inability to monitor blood pressure separately from the other vital signs in a miniature low energy device that is accurate in ambulatory patients.
EKG monitoring is another area of key importance. Sudden cardiac death remains one of the major causes of death in the U.S. One of the barriers to prevention of this common event is the inability of many people to sense pain or discomfort during cardiac injury. Death can be avoided with proper intervention if injury can be detected in these individuals.
Monitoring of blood pool and cellular elements can be very valuable in monitoring and treating of vascular, neurologic, hematopoetic, biochemical and immunologic body functions. Such monitoring is now performed by conventional radiological, diagnostic, and interventional techniques.
Many environmental and biological hazards are currently measured only after a badge collects data over a period of days or weeks, not continuously during exposure. Injuries may be prevented if exposure could be determined continuously, and the monitored individual alerted right away.

Biologic micromonitoring methods and systems


A work machine for removing asphalt from a roadway is disclosed. The work machine includes a removal device configured to remove asphalt from a roadway surface, and a grinding device configured to fracture the removed asphalt. The work machine also includes a funnel-shaped ramp configured to guide the removed asphalt from the removal device to the grinding device. A width of the removal device is larger than a width of the grinding device, and the funnel-shaped ramp is configured to fold the outer edges of the removed asphalt over itself before the removed asphalt reaches the grinding device.

Many miles of asphalt-surfaced roadways have been built to facilitate vehicular travel. Depending upon usage density, base conditions, temperature variation, moisture variation, and/or physical age, the asphalt surface eventually becomes misshapen, non-planar, unable to support wheel loads, or otherwise unsuitable for vehicular traffic.
In order to rehabilitate the roadways for continued vehicular use, spent asphalt may be removed in preparation for resurfacing. One device utilized for the removal of spent asphalt is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,207 (the '207 patent) issued to Eftefield et al. on Dec. 24, 1985. The '207 patent describes an asphalt processor having a leading edge which is insertable between a ribbon of asphalt and a base to provide separation of the asphalt from a partial width of a roadway surface. A ramp and elevating structure guide the separated asphalt ribbon into a pair of breaker drums, which are rotatable in opposite circumferential directions to bend and facture the asphalt ribbon. As the asphalt ribbon is fractured, the resulting fragments may be deposited in an accompanying transport work machine for hauling away from the worksite.
Although the asphalt processor of the '207 patent may sufficiently remove spent asphalt from a roadway surface, it may be inefficient and width limited. In particular, because the asphalt processor removes spent asphalt from only a partial width of the roadway, many passes may be required to remove all of the spent asphalt from the roadway, which may decrease the efficiency of the rehabilitation process. In addition, the width of the asphalt ribbon removable by the processor of the '207 patent may be limited to the width of the pair of breaker drums. This width limitation could further decrease the efficiency of the asphalt processor.
The disclosed asphalt-removing work machine is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.

Asphalt-removing machine having a funnel-shaped ramp


Chain detachment and chain entry are avoided, and a process for setting the length of a meshing chain is avoided, while the chain feed length can also be freely changed. A meshing chain stopper (190L) comprises a meshing chain stopper attachment part (191) and a contact-stop protrusion (192). The contact-stop protrusion (192) is contact-stopped at a contact-stop point (173A) provided on the periphery of a chain locus (L) when a pair of meshing chains (150, 150) are being driven.

Conventionally, a type of an actuator has been known which driving sprockets engaged with interlocking chains are rotated to thereby drive paired interlocking chains for forward and backward movements (see Patent Document 1, for example).
In the above-described interlocking chain type lift device, as shown in FIG. 13, slipping out of the chains, in which the interlocking chains 250 slip out of a chain guide 272 after ends of the interlocking chains 250 pass through sprocket teeth of a driving sprocket 240, may occur. Therefore a control means that refers to positional information output from a position sensor for detecting the positions of the interlocking chains 250 is provided to electrically or mechanically control the rotation speed of a chain driving motor.


An airborne security management system is provided for monitoring security activities in a mobile network platform. This system includes a mobile network that is interconnected via an unreliable communication link to a terrestrial-based network security management system; an intrusion detection system connected to the mobile network and operable to detect a security intrusion event whose origination is associated with the mobile network; and a mobile security manager adapted to receive the security intrusion events from the intrusion detection system. The mobile security manager is operable to transmit a message indicative of the security intrusion event to the network security management system and to perform security response activities in response to security commands received from the network security management system. The mobile security manager is further operable to command security response activities on the mobile network platform, when the mobile network platform is not connected with network security management system.

Broadband data and video services, on which our society and economy have grown to depend, have heretofore generally not been readily available to users onboard mobile network platforms such as aircraft, ships, trains, automobiles, etc. While the technology exists to deliver such services to most forms of mobile network platforms, past solutions have been generally quite expensive, with low data rates and/or available to only very limited markets of government/military users and some high-end maritime markets (i.e., cruise ships).
Previously developed systems which have attempted to provide data and video services to mobile network platforms have done so with only limited success. One major obstacle has been the high cost of access to such broadband data and video services. Another problem is the limited capacity of previously developed systems, which is insufficient for mobile network platforms carrying dozens, or even hundreds, of passengers who each may be simultaneously requesting different channels of programming or different data services. Furthermore, presently existing systems are generally not readily scalable to address the demands of the traveling public.
Of particular interest, presently existing systems also have not comprehensively addressed security issues relating to the mobile network platform. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a network security architecture for monitoring, reporting and responding to onboard security activities in a mobile network platform. It is envisioned that such a network security architecture should be designed to (a) secure computing resources to which passengers may have access on the mobile platform; (b) communicate reliably with terrestrial-based system components over an unreliable communication link; (c) provide a policy mediated response to detected security intrusion events occurring on the mobile platform; and (d) scale the management of the system to hundreds or thousands of mobile platforms.


The present is invention is a refuse collector device for collecting feces waste material from the ground. The device comprises a shaft having an upper end and a lower end with an internal bore extending therethrough. An extension rod extends through the internal bored from the upper end to the lower end of the shaft. The extension rod is defined by a top and a bottom. A handle is fixably mounted to the upper end of the shaft. An actuator device is operationally mounted to the handle and is operationally connected to the top of the extension rod. A protective sleeve is configured to surround and to slidably engage with the shaft. A bag holder is pivotally mounted to the lower end of shaft. A shovel is pivotally connected to the bottom of extension rod facing the bag holder such that when activated by a user the actuator device causes the shovel to automatically move foreword scooping the feces waste material up and into the bag holder.

This invention relates to refuse collector devices for animal waste. Today many people live in urban areas. In most cases, owners of pets are responsible for the sanitary and Cleanliness of their pets. Some cities have ordinances-regarding sanitary pickup of pet feces. There are several examples in the prior art Of refuse collector devices, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,995,661 discloses a device for picking of animal waste in a sanitary manner. The waste is trapped in a small bag attached to flexible stays controlled by a handle. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,436 discloses a refuse collection bag retention mechanism that includes a tubular portion to which a bag mount is attached.
However, the present invention provides a uniquely design compact animal waste collector device.


An SOC calculating unit calculates a first value based on an open voltage of a battery upon startup of a vehicle (when the operation of the battery starts), and has a calculated second value stored in a storage unit upon stop of the vehicle (when the operation of the battery ends). An initial value selecting unit selects the first value as an initial value when a predetermined condition is satisfied, and selects the second value as the initial value when this condition is not satisfied. In a case where the first value has low reliability, the second value is set as the initial value even if the second value may be deviated from an actual SOC value. This can reduce a difference between the SOC value stored in advance and the actual SOC value as compared with that in a case where the first value is set as the initial value.

Generally on a vehicle, a battery is mounted as a power source of a load. Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-14707 discloses a state monitoring device for a vehicle-mounted battery capable of performing battery state monitoring while minimizing a current consumed during an engine stop period. This state monitoring device stores map information indicating a correlation between a charging rate of the battery and a terminal voltage (pseudo open voltage) when a charging/discharging current value of the vehicle-mounted battery is within a very narrow prescribed range. Furthermore, this state monitoring device stores a first charging rate SOC1 and a first remaining capacity SOH1 of the battery when the engine is stopped. When the charging/discharging current value while the engine is not operated is within the very narrow prescribed range, the state monitoring device periodically detects the terminal voltage (that is, pseudo open voltage) of the battery, and calculates a second charging rate SOC2 in accordance with the detected pseudo open voltage. The state monitoring device calculates a current remaining capacity SOC2 from first charging rate SOC1, first remaining capacity SOH1 and second charging rate SOC2. By setting a time interval between detection of the terminal voltage of the battery to, for example, about several hours, the current consumed by the state monitoring device can be reduced.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-14707 discloses that the state of charge of the battery after startup of the engine is calculated based on the discharging current and the terminal voltage of the battery. In a case where the battery is connected to the load, the terminal voltage of the battery changes from the open voltage and eventually stabilizes at a certain voltage. For example, in a case where the load has a large capacity, however, it takes a certain amount of time to stabilize the terminal voltage of the battery after the battery is connected to the load. Therefore, it is difficult to find accurate SOC before the terminal voltage of the battery is stabilized. Furthermore, in a case where SOC obtained at this time has low accuracy, it is also difficult to increase the accuracy of the result obtained by calculating SOC in accordance with charging/discharging of the battery.

Control device for power storage device and vehicle


The present embodiments are generally directed to analyzing clock jitter. Jitter affects the clock delay of the circuit and the time the clock is available at sync points, so it is important to calculate its impact correctly to take appropriate margin during timing analysis. Jitter could be due to various reasons—one of them is due to IR Impact on the Clock Tree. IR drop variations between the two consecutive cycles can effectively reduce the available clock period for data to be correctly captured.

Integrated circuit (IC) designs (e.g., designs for application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or systems on a chip (SOCs)) are increasingly complex, sometimes involving millions of elements, shapes or geometries, and may be facilitated with an electronic design automation (EDA) tool that allows a designer to interactively position ("place") and connect ("route") various shapes on the circuit. The EDA tool then creates a circuit layout containing the physical locations and dimensions of the circuit's components, interconnections, and various layers from the original design that may then be fabricated, creating the IC. As is well known in the art, the designed IC can eventually be fabricated by transferring or printing the circuit layout to a semiconductor substrate in a series of layers that collectively will form the features that constitute the devices that make up the components of the integrated circuit.
After or during the design and creation of an IC layout, validation, optimization, and verification operations are performed on the IC layout using a set of testing, simulation, analysis and validation tools. These operations are conventionally performed in part to detect and correct placement, connectivity, and timing errors. For example, as part of the verification, the IC layout may undergo circuit simulation and analysis where the signals between components are tested, for example using static timing analysis (STA) or gate level simulation (GLS).
Timing analyses utilize timing models that provide, for example, timing information (e.g., timing attributes, timing constraints, etc.) and/or other description (e.g., cell description, bus description, environment description, etc.) for electronic design components in the design. Standard library timing models often employed in this regard include, for example, Liberty format specified .lib library models for defining the delays of standard digital gates (AND, OR, NOT, FLOP, LATCH etc.).
Library models for analyzing timing of standard electronic components (e.g. standard cells) can be obtained from a foundry or IP provider. These timing models can be acceptable in a number of scenarios, including designs at larger process nodes, such as 90 nm or larger, designs that do not require high speeds or performance, and/or designs operating either at or higher than three times the transistor threshold voltage. This is at least partially because at larger nodes, timing margins simply aren't a significant portion of overall timing constraints. But relying on these library models becomes problematic for high-speed or high-performance designs and, particularly, designs at advanced nodes.
The number of timing paths in the circuit can be very large based on the number of nodes. The number of timing paths can further increase based on the number of multi-input and multi-output nodes (or circuit stages) present in the circuit. For example, for a single circuit stage with multiple inputs and multiple outputs, one timing path corresponds to each input-output combination of the circuit stage. These combined with paths through other multi-input multi-output circuit stages can exponentially increase the number of timing paths present in a circuit. In addition to the number of timing paths, STA analysis flow for a full-chip implementation requires analysis of the same netlist across various combinations of constraint modes, delay corners and library sets (e.g. "views"). The combinations of these can quickly yield hundreds of timing analysis views that need to be analyzed. Conventionally, users run analyses on these separate timing analysis views as individual separate runs in a process called Single Mode Single Corner (SMSC) timing analysis. This can be very time and resource consuming.
Jitter affects the clock delay of the circuit and the time the clock is available at sync points so, it is important to calculate its impact correctly to take appropriate margin during timing analysis. Jitter could be due to various reasons—one of them is the impact current-resistance (IR) drop on the clock tree. IR drop variations between two consecutive cycles of the clock tree can effectively reduce the available clock period for data to be correctly captured. Designers model this IR-drop induced jitter in STA analysis in either of the following ways: As a component of setup uncertainty or using a fixed jitter margin. Both of these approaches tend to add very pessimistic timing margins which do not accurately reflect actual IR-drop induced cycle-to-cycle jitter. There is therefore a need to solve these and other issues.

Analyzing clock jitter using delay calculation engine


An apparatus coupled to an excavation bucket for creating a trench sidewall having indentations formed therein.

The present invention relates to an excavation bucket and, more particularly, to a ripper apparatus coupled to an excavation bucket and configured to create indentations in a trench wall.
Excavation buckets of the type used with backhoes are well-known in the art. Such excavation buckets are often used to dig trenches, for example, in connection with septic systems. Conventional excavation buckets provide for substantially smooth vertical sidewalls in the trench. However, it is desirable, particularly in connection with septic systems, to provide a plurality of grooves or indentations within the trench sidewalls in order to increase the surface area thereof, thereby providing for more efficient absorption by the sidewalls and improving efficiency of the septic system.
Furthermore, particularly when digging trenches in soil with high moisture content, conventional excavation buckets will smear or compact the soil of the trench sidewalls. As such, absorption efficiency of the resulting septic system is reduced. Breaking-up the sidewalls not only increases the absorption surface area but improves the porosity of soil, thereby facilitating improved absorption and improving efficiency of the septic system.
According to an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, an excavation bucket is configured to form a trench, the bucket including a first sidewall, and a second sidewall positioned in spaced relation to the first sidewall. A bottom portion connects the first sidewall and the second sidewall. A ripper apparatus is releasably attached to the first sidewall. The ripper apparatus includes a mounting member, a coupler configured to releasably attach the mounting member to the first sidewall, and a plurality of cutters extending outwardly from the mounting member and configured to create indentations in a sidewall of the trench formed by the bucket.
According to a further illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a ripper apparatus kit is provided for attachment to an excavation bucket. The ripper apparatus kit includes a mounting member, and a plurality of cutters configured to be supported by the mounting member and to extend outwardly therefrom. A coupler is configured to releasably secure the mounting member to the excavation bucket.
According to another illustrative embodiment of the present invention, a cutter is configured to be removably supported by an excavation bucket. The cutter includes a cylindrical base portion, and a plurality of longitudinally extending splines supported by the base portion. A cutting portion is supported by the base portion.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Although the drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, the drawings are not necessarily to scale and certain features may be exaggerated in order to better illustrate and explain the present invention. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate embodiments of the invention in several forms and such exemplification is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.


A fan speed control circuit is used for controlling rotation speed of a fan. The fan speed control circuit receives a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal from a system and comprises a programmable control unit and a current control unit. The programmable control unit receives the PWM signal, is connected to a Hall element for receiving a voltage signal therefrom, and provides a control signal. The current control unit takes the control signal to control current flowing through a stator coil unit of the fan so as to control the speed of the fan. The programmable control unit has a program written for the PWM signal, and when the fan speed control circuit is used in another system with a different PWM signal, the programmable control unit can be given a new program for the different PWM signal for controlling the speed of the fan.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a fan circuit, and more particularly to a fan circuit with a fan speed control circuit capable of being employed in different systems.
2. Description of Related Art
Nowadays, many electronic devices generate much heat during operation. Such heat can adversely affect operational stability of electronic devices. Accumulation of the heat in electronic devices can lead to high temperatures in the electronic devices, thus resulting in unstable operation and even destruction of the electronic devices. Therefore, the heat must be removed in time to keep the temperature of the electronic devices within a safe range. Fans have been used in the electronic devices for providing forced airflows to dissipate the heat. In order to effectively reduce vibrations and noises in a fan, the speed of the fan must be controlled. Among conventional fan speed control technologies, pulse width modulation (PWM) control is the most common method used to control the speed of the fan.
Referring to FIG. 3, a fan speed control circuit 70 in accordance with related art comprises a digital/analog converting unit 701 and a driving unit 702. The digital/analog converting unit 701 converts an inputted PWM digital signal 60 into an analog signal such as a voltage signal. A Hall element detects a magnetic polarity of a rotor in a fan (not shown), and gives output signal denoting magnetic pole positions of the rotor. The driving unit 702 receives the analog signal from the digital/analog converting unit 701 and the output signal of the Hall element 90. After that, a digital signal outputted from the driving unit 702 is used to control the terminal voltage of the stator coil 80 powering the fan, thus allowing the speed of the fan to be controlled.
However, characters of inputted PWM digital signals are different for different electronic devices and different systems. In conventional fan speed control circuit, the digital/analog converting unit must be changed if the fan is used in a different electronic device to receive different PWM digital signals, with other electronic elements of the fan circuit also needing to be changed. Therefore, if the fan is used in a different system, fan circuits installed with the fan speed control circuit must be redesigned, and the manufacturing cost of the fan will increase as a result.
Therefore, what is needed is a fan circuit having a fan speed control circuit capable of being employed in different systems without redesigning the fan circuit.

Fan circuit with a fan speed control circuit

Fu Zhun Precision Industry (Shen Zhen) Co., Ltd.