The present invention relates to an assay system and methods for detecting SARS coronavirus (SARS-CV) from the samples (especially for urine) of suspected patient in the control of SARS to provide updated information of prognosis as well as the criteria for discharging a recovered patient from a hospital. The present invention also relates to an apparatus for performing the integration of thermal and magnetic control in the same apparatus to largely reduce the time of hybridization less than 20 minutes and the whole process of SARS-CV detection is less than 5 hours.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a respiratory illness that has recently been reported in Asia, North America, and Europe. In general, SARS is being noticed with a fever greater than 100.4° F. [>38.0° C.]. Other symptoms may include headache, body aches, and an overall feeling of discomfort. Some people also experience mild respiratory symptoms. After 2 to 7 days, SARS patients may develop a dry cough and have trouble breathing with the symptom of atypical pneumonia.
The primary way that SARS appears to spread is by close person-to-person contact. Most cases of SARS have involved people who cared for or lived with someone with SARS, or had direct contact with infectious material (for example, respiratory secretions, stool and others) from a person who has SARS. Potential ways in which SARS can be spread include touching the skin of other people or objects that are contaminated with infectious droplets and then touching victim's eye(s), nose, or mouth. This can happen when someone who is sick with SARS coughs or sneezes droplets onto themselves, other people, or nearby surfaces. It also is possible that SARS can be spread more broadly through the air or by other ways that are currently not known.
Scientists studying the etiology of SARS have detected a previously unrecognized coronavirus in patients with SARS. The new SARS coronavirus (SARS-CV) is the leading hypothesis for the cause of SARS. Initial diagnostic testing for suspected SARS patients should include chest radiograph, pulse goniometry, blood cultures, sputum Gram's stain and culture, and testing for various viral respiratory pathogens including influenza A and B and respiratory syncytial virus. Clinicians should save any available clinical specimens (respiratory, blood, and serum) for additional testing until a specific diagnosis is made. Acute and convalescent (greater than 21 days after onset of symptoms) serum samples should be collected from each patient who meets the SARS case definition. Paired sera and other clinical specimens should be collected for advanced diagnosis.
According to the expression "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS): Laboratory diagnostic tests" described on 29 Apr. 2003 from WHO website, researchers in several countries are working towards developing fast and accurate laboratory diagnostic tests for the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CV). However, until standardized reagents for virus and antibodies detection are available and methods have been adequately field tested, SARS diagnosis remains based on the clinical and epidemiological findings: acute febrile illness with respiratory symptoms not attributed to another cause and a history of exposure to a suspect or probable case of SARS or their respiratory secretions and other bodily fluids.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Initial diagnostic testing for suspected SARS patients should include chest radiograph, pulse oximetry, blood cultures, sputum Gram's stain and culture, and testing for viral respiratory pathogens, notably influenza A and B and respiratory syncytial virus. A specimen for Legionella and pneumococcal urinary antigen testing should also be considered."
In general, there are three current methods for detecting SARS-CV. That is, molecular tests, antibody tests and cell culture.
Although molecular tests such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can detect genetic material of the SARS-CV in various specimens (blood, stool, respiratory secretions or body tissues sampling for SARS diagnostic tests), existing PCR tests are very specific but lack sensitivity. This means that negative tests cannot rule out the presence of the SARS virus in patients. Furthermore, contamination of samples in laboratories in the absence of laboratory quality control can lead to false positive results. In addition, negative PCR results do not exclude SARS. SARS-CV PCR can be negative for the following reasons: (1) the patient is not infected with the SARS coronavirus; the illness is due to another infectious agent (virus, bacterium, fungus) or a non-infectious cause; and (2) the test results are incorrect ("false-negative"). Current tests need to be further developed to improve sensitivity. Specimens were not collected at a time when the virus or its genetic material was present. The virus and its genetic material may be present for a brief period only, depending on the type of specimen tested.
Antibody tests detect antibodies produced in response to the SARS coronavirus infection. Different types of antibodies (IgM and IgG) appear and change in level during the course of infection. They can be undetectable at the early stage of infection. IgG usually remains detectable after resolution of the illness. However, the test formats (such as ELISA (Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbant Assay) and IFA (Immunofluorescence Assay) are being developed. Further, although some patients have detectable coronavirus antibody within 14 days of illness onset, definitive interpretation of negative coronavirus antibody tests is possible only for specimens obtained >21 days after onset of fever.
To monitor the explosive invasiveness of SARS-CV, an early diagnosis of virus itself would be essential to solve the urgency of detection of SARS-CV. Most of time, viral pathogens are able to down-regulate the host immune system that may end up with a low grade or delayed immune response. Therefore, host antibody couldn't be the good surrogate marker for diagnosis.
The presence of the infectious virus can be detected by inoculating suitable cell cultures (e.g., Vero cells) with patient specimens (such as respiratory secretions, blood or stool) and propagating the virus in vitro. Once isolated, the virus must be identified as SARS-CV using further tests. Cell culture is a very demanding test, but currently (with the exception of animal trials) only means to show the existence of a live virus. It has to be performed under at least biosafety safety level (BSL) 3 conditions. Positive cell culture results indicate the presence of live SARS-CV in the sample tested. However, negative cell culture results do not exclude SARS as the similar reason as negative PCR test result.
All tests for SARS-CV available so far have limitations. Extreme caution is therefore necessary when management decisions are to be based on virological test results. In particular, false negative test results (due to low sensitivity, unsuitable sample type, or time of sampling, etc.) may give a false sense of security; in the worst case, they could allow persons carrying the SARS virus, and therefore capable of infecting others, to escape detection.
In addition to allowing the rapid diagnosis of SARS infection, the availability of diagnostic tests will help to address important questions such as the period of virus shedding (and communicability) during convalescence, the presence of virus in different body fluids and excreta, and the presence of virus shedding during the incubation period.
Appropriate specimen should be collected and analyzed upon the timing and severity of disease. Diagnostic samples should be suitable for viral culture, PCR, antigen detection, immunostaining and/or serological antibody assays. In general, blood, sputum, throat swab and stools are frequently studied in case of SARS. For unknown reason, it seldom uses urine to detect or assay SARS-CV.
Given the above, current available assay cannot quickly and completely detect SARS-CV. It requires a quick assay with high specificity and sensitivity to detect SARS-CV from the easily available samples (such as urine).

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Assay system and methods for detecting SARS-CV


The control-panel assembly (1) for household appliances and the like, includes: an outer dashboard (2), and at least one rigid protecting box (4). The outer dashboard (2) is provided with at least one protruding appendix (7) that sticks out of its rear face (2r) and that has a coupling ridge (7a) provided with a number of consecutive coupling segments (7b) that are tilted relative to one another. The protecting box (4) is provided with a corresponding cap appendix (8) dimensioned for resting onto the top of the protruding appendix (7), and which has at least one coupling portion (8a) which is shaped for stably matching with any one of the consecutive coupling segments (7b) of the coupling ridge (7a) of the protruding appendix (7). This allows a discrete adjustment of the spatial orientation of the protecting box (4) with respect to the rear face (2r) of the outer dashboard (2).

The present invention relates to a control-panel assembly for household appliances and to a household appliance provided with such control-panel assembly.
In particular the present invention relates to a control-panel assembly for home laundry washing and/or drying machines, to which the following description refers purely by way of example without implying any loss of generality.
As is known, almost any currently marketed front-loading home laundry washing and/or drying machine comprises: a substantially parallelepiped-shaped, rigid outer boxlike casing structured for resting on the floor; a substantially bell-shaped washing tub which is suspended in floating manner inside the casing, directly facing a laundry loading and unloading through opening realized in the front face of the casing; a substantially cylindrical, elastically-deformable bellows which connects the front opening of the washing tub to the laundry loading and unloading opening formed in the front face of the casing; a porthole door which is hinged to the front face of the casing to rotate to and from a closing position in which the door closes the laundry loading and unloading through opening in the front face of the casing to seal the washing tub; and a substantially cylindrical, bell-shaped revolving drum structured for housing the laundry to be washed and/or dried, and which is housed inside the washing tub in axially rotating manner about its substantially horizontally-oriented longitudinal axis.
In addition to the above, the laundry washing and/or drying machine is provided with an electrically-powered motor assembly which is located immediately outside of the washing tub, and which is structured for selectively driving into rotation the revolving drum about its longitudinal axis inside the washing tub; with an outer manually-operated control panel which is usually located on the front face of the casing, immediately above the laundry loading and unloading opening; and with an electronic central control unit which is structured for directly controlling the electric motor of the motor assembly and other electrically-operated component parts of the household appliance, according to the washing and/or drying cycle selected by the user via the control panel.
In the currently marketed laundry washing and/or drying machines, the manually-operated control panel comprises: a rigid shell-shaped dashboard which usually forms part of the upper portion of the front face of the outer boxlike casing; an internal printed circuit board which is generally provided with one or more manually-operated rotatable knob selectors and/or buttons and/or switches and/or LED warning lights and/or alphanumeric displays necessary for allowing the user to manually select the desired washing and/or drying cycle among the ones stored in the central control unit; and a substantially basin-shaped, rigid protecting box, which houses and directly supports the printed circuit board, and is structured for being firmly fixed to the back of the dashboard via anchoring screws.
More specifically, the manually-operated rotatable knob selectors, buttons, switches, warning lights and/or alphanumeric displays are all located on the upper face of the printed circuit board, i.e. on the face opposite to the bottom of the protecting box; and the protecting box is firmly fixed to the back of the dashboard, with the mouth facing the dashboard, so that the board upper face supporting all rotatable knob selectors, buttons, switches, warning lights and/or alphanumeric displays is directly faced to the back of the dashboard.
The outer dashboard, in turn, is provided with a number of pass-through openings and/or seats which are spatially arranged and dimensioned for being engaged respectively by the shaft of the rotatable knob selector, and by the other buttons, switches, warning lights and/or alphanumeric displays of the printed circuit board, so that the shaft of the knob selector, and each other button, switch, warning light, and/or alphanumeric display jutting out of the protecting box can fit into a corresponding pass-through opening or seat realized on the dashboard.
Obviously the shaft of the rotatable knob selector has to be always locally substantially perpendicular to the outer surface of the dashboard, thus an almost perfect alignment is requested between the protecting box that supports the internal printed circuit board and the corresponding pass-through openings and seats on the dashboard.
Unluckily this strict assembly requirement causes the protecting box of a control-panel assembly suitable for a front-loading laundry washing and/or drying machine to be completely different in shape from the protecting box of a control-panel assembly suitable for a top-loading laundry washing and/or drying machine, even if the internal printed circuit board is usually identical for both household appliances.
In fact, on front-loading laundry washing and/or drying machines the control-panel assembly is located on the front wall of the casing, and the front face of the dashboard is substantially vertically oriented and convex in shape; whereas on top-loading laundry washing and/or drying machines the control-panel assembly is located on the top wall of the casing, and the front face of the dashboard is tilted to the vertical and substantially concave in shape.
Obviously, the need to have two different protecting boxes structured for housing an identical printed circuit board greatly influences the production, warehousing and managing costs associated to a control-panel assembly for household appliances. Thus the savings correlated to the sharing of a control-panel assembly between a number of top-loading and front-loading laundry washing and/or drying machines are relatively small.

Control-panel assembly for household appliances and household appliance provided with such control-panel assembly

Electrolux Home Products Corporation N.V.


A modified sarcosine oxidase having a lowered activity for N-ethylglycine. Such a modified oxidase may have the following physicochemical properties:                (a) action: hydrolyzes 1 mol of sarcosine to produce 1 mol of glycine and 1 mol of formaldehyde;        (b) substrate specificity: reactivity for N-ethylglycine is 70% or less compared with that of an unmodified protein;        (c) optimal pH: around 8.0;        (d) stable pH range: between 6.5 and 11.0;        (e) optimal temperature: 55° C.;        (f) thermostability: 55° C. or less; and        (g) molecular weight: approximately 43,000 (SDS-PAGE).Genes, vectors and host cells encoding or expressing modified sarcosine oxidases. The modified sarcosine oxidases of the present invention can be used as reagents for measuring creatinine or creatine. The reagents containing the modified sarcosine oxidases used therein are hardly affected by N-ethylglycine, enabling more precise measurement than ever before.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to modified sarcosine oxidases having decreased reactivity for N-ethylglycine compared with that of an unmodified enzyme, modified sarcosine oxidase genes, and methods for preparing the modified sarcosine oxidases. Sarcosine is also known as N-methylglycine an amino acid found in muscles and other tissues. N-methylglycine (sarcosine) is chemically similar to N-ethylglycine (a metabolic product of certain anesthetics). Decreasing the reactivity of sarcosine oxidases for N-ethylglycine is important for improving the sensitivity and specificity of assays measuring sarcosine (N-methylglycine), especially in biological samples where N-ethylglycine may be present. Sarcosine is measured in conventional assays for creatinine and creatine which are important clinical indicators.
2. Background Art
Sarcosine oxidases are enzymes with catalytic activity to hydrolyze sarcosines to produce glycine and formaldehyde, which can be used to measure the amount of creatinine in human serum or urine, or can be utilized as diagnostic agents for various diseases such as renal disease.
It has previously been known that sarcosine oxidases are produced by bacterial strains such as those of the Corynebacterium genus (e.g., see J. Biochem., 89, 599 (1981)), Bacillus genus (e.g., see JP Patent Publication (Unexamined Application) No. 54-52789), Cylindrocarbons genus (e.g., see JP Patent Publication (Unexamined Application) No. 56-92790), Pseudomonas genus (e.g., see JP Patent Publication (Unexamined Application) No. 60-43379), and Arthrobacters genus (e.g., see JP Patent Publication (Unexamined Application) No. 2-265478). The polynucleotide or protein sequences for the sarcosine oxidases described by these documents are hereby specifically incorporated by reference.
The inventors have isolated sarcosine oxidase genes from the Bacillus genus (e.g., see SEQ ID NO: 2 of JP Patent Publication (Unexamined Application) No. 5-115281) (SEQ ID NO: 2) and succeeded in causing the enzymes to be expressed in a large amount by genetic engineering techniques (e.g., see JP Patent Publication (Unexamined Application) No. 5-115281). The polynucleotide or protein sequences for sarcosine oxidases described by these documents are also specifically incorporated by reference.
While sarcosine oxidases act on sarcosines (N-methylglycines) sarcosine oxidases are also known to react to N-ethylglycine, which is a metabolic product of anesthetics such as lidocaine. Since reagents containing sarcosine oxidases used therein are affected by N-ethylglycine, it has been impossible to precisely measure creatinine or creatine using such reagents. For example, conventional sarcosine oxidases exhibit specificity and sensitivity problems for determining sarcosine levels in subjects receiving anesthetics which metabolize into N-ethylglycine, see e.g., Roberts et al., Clinical Chemistry 34: 2569–2572, 1988.
Sarcosine levels are enzymatically measured during conventional enzymatic assays of creatinine levels. The serum creatinine level is a conventional indicator of kidney function and a normal or usual value ranges from about 0.8 to 1.4 mg/dl. Conventional enzymatic assays for creatinine involve conversion of creatinine into creatine which is then converted into sarcosine and urea. Sarcosine oxidase subsequently converts sarcosine into glycine, formaldehyde and hydrogen peroxide. By determining the amount of sarcosine in a sample or by determining the reaction products of sarcosine after the action of sarcosine oxidase, the creatinine content in a biological sample may be determined.
Conventional assays for creatinine using sarcosine oxidase are well known and are also disclosed by U.S. Pat. Nos: 4,740,465, 4,845,029 and 4,950,609, which are incorporated by reference. Such assays are used to diagnose many conditions which are described by the MedLine Plus Medical Encyclopedia, "Creatinine-serum" (Feb. 11, 2004 update). For example, greater than normal levels may indicate acute tubular necrosis, dehydration, diabetic nephropathy, eclampsia (a condition of pregnancy that includes seizures), glomerulonephritis, muscular dystrophy, pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension), pyelonephritis, reduced renal blood flow (shock, congestive heart failure), renal failure, rhabdomyolysis or urinary tract obstruction. Lower than normal levels are associated with muscular dystrophy (late stage) and myasthenia gravis. Creatinine levels are also measured in conjunction with other diseases or disorders including acute nephritic syndrome Alport syndrome, atheroembolic renal disease, chronic renal failure, complicated UTI (pyelonephritis), Cushing's syndrome, dementia due to metabolic causes, dermatomyositis, digitalis toxicity, ectopic Cushing's syndrome, end-stage renal disease, epilepsy, generalized tonic-clonic seizure, Goodpasture's syndrome hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), hepatorenal syndrome, IgM mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, interstitial nephritis, lupus nephritis, malignant hypertension (arteriolar nephrosclerosis), medullary cystic disease, membranoproliferative GN I, membranoproliferative GN II, Noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), polymyositis (adult), prerenal azotemia, primary amyloid, rapidly progressive (crescentic) glomerulonephritis, secondary systemic amyloid, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura and Wilms' tumor.

Modified sarcosine oxidases, modified sarcosine oxidase genes, and methods for preparing the modified sarcosine oxidases


A deviated or horizontal wellbore is drilled in a geologic formation with a multiphase fluid including a gas by a rotating drill bit positioned at a downhole end of a drill string. Portions of the gas are released into the wellbore during the drilling. During the drilling, soundwaves are emitted into the geologic formation from within the wellbore by a set of acoustic emitters attached to the drill string. The received reflected soundwaves are transmitted by the set of solid acoustic couplers to a set of acoustic sensors contacting the solid acoustic couplers. The reflected soundwaves are received by the acoustic sensors. Rock properties of the geologic formation are determined based on the less attenuated reflected soundwaves transmitted to the acoustic sensors by the solid acoustic couplers. A drilling direction of the wellbore is adjusted based on the determined rock properties.

In hydrocarbon production, a wellbore is drilled into a hydrocarbon bearing geological formation. Sometimes during the drilling process, well logs are taken. Certain types of logging-while-drilling technologies include gamma logs, nuclear-magnetic resonance logs, and acoustic logs. To take a well log, a logging tool is incorporated into a drill string assembly. Alternatively, logs can be taken using a wireline or coiled conveyance tubing after the wellbore has been completed.

Acoustic coupler for downhole logging while drilling applications


To enhance the speed of first access (read access different in word line from the previous access) to a multi-bank memory, multi-bank memory macro structures are used. Data are held in a sense amplifier for every memory bank. When access is hit to the held data, data latched by the sense amplifier are output to thereby enhance the speed of first access to the memory macro structures. Namely, each memory bank is made to function as a sense amplifier cache. To enhance the hit ratio of such a sense amplifier cache more greatly, an access controller self-prefetches the next address (an address to which a predetermined offset has been added) after access to a memory macro structure so that data in the self-prefetched address are preread by a sense amplifier in another memory bank.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit in which memories are integrated. Particularly, it relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit in which a logic circuit such as a CPU (central processing unit) is integrated with a large-capacity memory in one chip. For example, it relates to a useful technique adapted for embedded DRAM which is integrated with a CPU and a first level cache memory in one and the same chip.
Today, a semiconductor integrated circuit in which a large-scale logic circuit is integrated with a large-capacity memory in one chip is provided. In such a semiconductor integrated circuit, the number of bus bits for connecting the memory and the logic circuit to each other can be increased easily, for example, to 128 in order to enhance data throughput between the memory and the logic circuit. Accordingly, there is an advantage in that data can be transferred at a high speed while electric power consumption required for data input/output is suppressed compared with the case where input/output pins outside the chip are driven.
Multi-bank DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) can be used as the large-capacity memory. In the multi-bank DRAM, a sense amplifier is provided in accordance with every memory bank, so that data once latched by the sense amplifier on the basis of a word line selecting operation can be output successively at a high speed by a simple means for changing-over a column switch. Accordingly, data access to continuous addresses in one and the same page (one and the same word line address) can be made relatively speedily. Data access to different pages (at page-miss) is, however, made slow because of bit line precharge, or the like.
Further, in the multi-bank DRAM, page-miss can be hidden under a predetermined condition. That is, when a read or write command is generated to operate a certain memory bank and another memory bank is to be used next, an activation command can be given to the next memory bank in advance to make a word line selecting operation precedently. Of course, for this reason, the CPU must make access to the addresses sequentially. It is, however, substantially impossible to define this entirely by a CPU operation program, or the like.
In semiconductor integrated circuits, there is also that in which a cache memory integrated with a large-capacity memory and a large-scale logic circuit such as a CPU, or the like. In the semiconductor integrated circuit of this type, the difference in operating speed between the large-capacity memory and the CPU is relaxed by the cache memory so that data can be processed at a high speed by the CPU. That is, among data stored in the large-capacity memory, a part of data used recently by the CPU and data in its vicinity are held in the high-speed cache memory. The data processing speed is enhanced when the memory access of the CPU is hit to the cache memory. However, when a miss occurs once, access to the large-capacity memory is made. As a result, data processing speed of the CPU is limited.
An example of literature on the multi-bank DRAM is JP-A-10-65124 corresponding to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/813,900 filed Mar. 7, 1997 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/188,367 filed Nov. 10, 1998, a continuation application of application Ser. No. 08/813,900, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
As described above, even in the multi-bank DRAM, page-miss is not always hidden in accordance with a sequence of access addresses. Even in the case where a cache memory is provided for the multi-bank DRAM, the situation is quite the same if cache-miss occurs. Therefore, the necessity of improving the access speed to the multi-bank memory more greatly has been found by the inventor.

Semiconductor integrated circuit and data processing system


A computer-implemented method for automated delivery of a medical item. The method receives registration information for a plurality of trained users. The registration information includes a registration code indicating that a user is trained in a use of a medical item. The method tracks locations of the trained users via an end user device of the trained users. The method receives a medical alert indicating a medical emergency at a location. The method identifies a medical item that would assist in the medical emergency. The method identifies a trained user near the location corresponding to the medical emergency trained in use of the medical item. The method dispatches an autonomous delivery device to deliver the medical item to the location corresponding to the medical alert. The method alerts the trained user that the medical item is being dispatched to the location of the medical emergency.

In an emergency situation, it is critical that medical aid be administered at the earliest possible time. Not having the proper medical equipment, item, or train personnel can delay administering assistance during this critical time. Accordingly, the present disclosure describes several embodiments that allow for automated delivery of a medical item to a location where such medical assistance is needed.

Automated medical item delivery apparatus

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


The present invention relates to nucleic acid sequence which comprises the genome of an infectious GB virus B clone. The invention also relates to the use of the nucleic acid sequence of the infectious GB virus B clone to indirectly study the molecular properties of HCV, and in the production of HCV/GBV-B chimeras. The invention further relates to the use of the infectious nucleic acid sequence of GB virus B clone and the HCV/GBV-B chimeras in the development of vaccines and therapeutics for HCV.

Transmission studies of potential human hepatitis agents were first reported in 1967 (Deinhardt 1967). Four tamarins inoculated with acute phase sera from a surgeon with acute hepatitis (patient GB) developed hepatitis, as did most tamarins inoculated in serial passage studies. Subsequent studies indicated that the etiological agent responsible for the development of hepatitis in these animals was not any of the known human hepatitis viruses (Purcell 1994). In 1995, two related RNA viruses named GB virus-B (GBV-B) and GB virus A (GBV-A) were identified in acute phase sera of a tamarin which developed hepatitis following inoculation with serum of the eleventh tamarin passage of the putative GB agent (Simons 1995a).
GBV-B infection of tamarins resulted in acute resolving hepatitis (Schlauder 1995, Buhk 1997). The natural host of GBV-B is still unknown as the virus has not been detected in uninoculated animals or in humans.
GBV-A, on the other hand, is an indigenous tamarin virus rather than a component of the original GB inoculum (Bukh 1997, Erker 1998). Experimental infection of tamarins with GBV-A did not produce hepatitis (Schlauder 1995). A human agent, GBV-C or hepatitis G virus, most closely related to GBV-A, was later identified (Simons 1995b, Linnen 1996). However, it is still not clear whether this virus actually causes hepatitis (Alter 1998, Bukh 1998a). Thus, of the known GB viruses, GBV-B may be the only true hepatitis virus.
Based on analysis of their genomic sequences, GBV-A, GBV-B and GBV-C were classified as members of the Flaviviridae family of viruses, and among the known viruses, GBV-B is the virus most closely related to hepatitis C virus (HCV) (Muerhoff 1995, Robertson 1998).
The GBV-B virus contains a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA genome of 9143 nucleotides (nts) (Simons 1995a, Muerhoff 1995). The viral genome of GBV-B consists of a 5′ untranslated region (UTR), a single long open reading frame (ORF) and a 3′ UTR. Based on known motifs, structural proteins were predicted to be encoded in the 5′ portion of the ORF and nonstructural (NS) proteins in the 3′ portion of the ORF (Muerhoff 1995). The hydropathy plots of the polyproteins of GBV-B and HCV are very similar even though the overall homology of the predicted polyproteins between GBV-B and HCV is only about 25–30% (Muerhoff 1995). The putative envelope proteins (E1 and E2) of GBV-B and HCV share common structural features, and significant homology was observed between the NS3 serine protease, the NS3 RNA helicase, and the NS5 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase regions of GBV-B and HCV (Muerhoff 1995). Furthermore, the function and substrate specificity of the GBV-B and HCV NS3 serine proteases are also similar (Scarselli 1997). The genomic structure and organization of GBV-B and HCV share additional features of interest. First, colinear regions with significant sequence homology were identified in the 5′ UTRs (Muerhoff 1995) and the predicted IRES structure of GBV-B is similar to that of HCV (Lemon 1997). Second, both viruses begin the 3′ UTR with a short sequence followed by a poly (U) stretch followed by additional nucleotides (50 nucleotides for GBV-B and 98 nucleotides for HCV). However, the 3′ terminal sequence of HCV forms a stable stem-loop structure (Kolykhalov 1996) whereas the published 3′ terminal sequence of GBV-B does not.
To date, molecular studies of HCV are severely limited by the lack of an efficient cell culture system for the virus and by expense and limited availability of chimpanzees, the sole animal model for HCV. Accordingly, a less expensive and more readily available animal than chimpanzees is necessary as an animal model for the study of HCV.

Infectious cDNA clone of GB virus B and uses thereof

The United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services


A data management system includes a data reconciliation engine that identifies data sources that contain data records referencing a resource and determines whether each of the identified data sources is a creative data source or an additive data source. When all of the identified data sources are additive data sources, the reconciliation engine terminates a data reconciliation process. When all of the identified data sources are not additive data sources, the reconciliation engine finds a first creative data source from among the identified data sources, and initiates the data reconciliation process by merging data from the identified data sources including the first creative data source, one data source-by-one data source, into a reconciled data record.

An organization (e.g., a business) may own or use any number of items, objects, or resources (hereinafter "resources") in its activities. A resource may be a physical object or a virtual object. For example, in the context of Information Technology (IT) infrastructure, illustrative "resources" may include, but are not limited to, computer systems, components of computer systems, data storage systems, switches, routers, memory, software applications (e.g., accounting and database applications), operating systems, business services (e.g., order entry, change management, and tracking services) and records, etc.
A data management system can receive multiple data records (that are related, for example, to the resources of an organization) from different data sources. Each data record may relate to or reference a resource and describe various attributes of the resource. The sets of attributes of a resource included in the multiple data records may be non-overlapping (in other words, a first data record referencing a resource may include less, more, or different attributes of the resource than a second data record of the resource). A reconciliation process may be used merge or consolidate the different data records received from the different sources to obtain, for example, a consistent or more complete description of the resource in the data management system and the different data sources. Such a reconciliation process may, for example, avoid duplication of information. Avoiding duplication of information can be advantageous, for example, for accurate accounting and inventory purposes.
In a typical data reconciliation process for reconciling data records from the different data sources for a resource, data records of the resource from each data source may be found, and a set of reconciliation rules may be implemented to create a merged data record for the resource. The merged data record may be placed in a result store. In some instance, a data record for a resource may be received from only one data source, but not from another data source. In such instances, creating a merged data record for the resource may simply involve copying the data record received from the only one data source to the result store (as there is no other data record for the resource with which to merge or reconcile).

Creative and additive reconciliation of data records


A solenoid device including pressure altering means for altering an output pressure of the solenoid device; and an actuator for providing an actuating signal to said pressure altering means; wherein the solenoid device further includes a sensor arranged to sense a control value of the solenoid device, and a controller which receives a request and is arranged to control delivery of power to the actuator with feedback from the sensor until the control value meets the request.

A modern vehicle typically has a large number of electronic control units (ECU) for various subsystems. The biggest processor is commonly the engine control unit, however other ECUs are used for controlling other devices in the vehicle, such as the transmission, airbags, antilock braking system, cruise control, electric power steering, audio systems, windows, doors, mirror adjustment, battery and recharging systems for hybrid/electric cars, etc. Some of these form independent subsystems, but communications among others are essential. A subsystem may need to control actuators or receive feedback from sensors. The Controller-Area Network (CAN) is a standard vehicle bus or communications network devised to fill this need.
The applicant is aware that existing systems have sensors elsewhere on a hydraulic circuit for sensing pressure delivered by solenoid valves. The applicant has determined that such systems may be improved, at least in so far as performance and maintenance are concerned.
US 2008/0265190 relates to an electromagnetic pressure regulating valve device having an integrated pressure sensor, however this document relates to a transducer, not to a high-flow direct acting pressure regulating solenoid device. US 2003/0070710 discloses a fluid pressure regulator, however these are for a system of feed and bleed solenoids joined together to achieve a pressure result and having their outputs combined and measure and fed back into the control system. U.S. Pat. No. 5,469,877 discloses an electric to pneumatic transducer for a set of pilot solenoids, however it does not relate to direct acting, high-flow controls as it requires an additional valve to do the work based on what the pilot valves tell the additional valve to do.
The applicant has also identified that current design high flow solenoids have an equal area spool, meaning that lands of the spool have the same external dimension, usually the outside diameter, resulting in the lands having the same surface area for driving the spool in response to fluid pressure against the lands. To increase the pressure obtained from the current design solenoid spool valves requires the spool diameter to be increased. As the diameters of each of the lands on the spool increase, the force against a diaphragm of the solenoid spool valve increases, necessitating a magnet (coil) size of an electromagnetic actuator to be increased!. The applicant has determined that it would be desirable to obviate the necessity to increase the magnet (coil) size with pressure capacity of the solenoid spool valve.
Furthermore, the applicant has also identified that increasing diameters of all lands on the spool in accordance with current practice typically increases leakage to an exhaust port of the solenoid spool valve, requiring a larger pump to compensate for the leakage.
Examples of the invention seek to solve, or at least ameliorate, one or more disadvantages of previous solenoid spool valves.


A manifold mounted liquid filtration system including a disposable filter cartridge having first and second radial flow filtration stages containing filtration media of uniform porosity. A first stage includes a pair of annular, concentrically mounted, fibrous sediment and cast carbonaceous filter media. A second stage includes an annular cast carbonaceous filter media. Porous stage separators sequentially direct liquid flow into cavity spaces between the sidewalls of each stage and a liquid impermeable housing where the flow is radially re-directed inward to a center outlet bore. The first stage filters suspended sediments, lead and other heavy metals. The second stage removes suspended bacteria, parasites volatile organic contaminants, herbicides, pesticides, industrial and agricultural contaminants, and the like. Various cartridge constructions having alternative O'ring sealed end caps and internal arrangements of stage separators are disclosed. Also disclosed is a disposable manifold cover/filter assembly.

The present invention relates to water treatment systems and, in particular, to a multi-stage, disposable cartridge filter including a housing having liquid impermeable sidewalls and usable with a manifold mounted residential water supply system.
Varieties of filtration systems have been developed for multi-user, residential water supplies serviced by a community water provider or personal on-sight well. Such systems typically include a manifold assembly that mounts to the supply conduits which supply the dwelling. The manifold assembly, in turn, typically includes a threaded headpiece that is secured to the supply conduits and a detachable cover that is secured to the headpiece to contain a filtration media. Some of these systems mount adjacent to a sink such as the kitchen sink in many homes.
Some systems provide a manifold cover which contains a renewable, loosely packed granulated filtration media. Other systems provide disposable cartridges having porous support assemblies such as pre-formed screens, which segregate the granular media and direct liquid flow through the media. Liquid flow is directed in most of such systems in a linear or end-to-end fashion through one or more sequentially arranged zones of media to remove predetermined contaminants. Some systems may provide linear serpentine flow paths within the cartridge. Examples of some of such systems can be found upon directing attention to U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,152,077; 3,342,340; 3,705,651; 4,626,350; 4,659,467; 4,731,183; 4,769,143; 4,913,808; and 4,948,505.
Difficulties can arise from such linear flow filters through an inefficient use of the media. That is, blockages or normal sediment collection at the upstream side of the filter increases system back pressure and can lead to premature disposal of the media before it is fully spent. Other difficulties arise from uneven packing of the granular media which leads to a non-uniform filtration porosity over the length of the media and which discourages a radial flow arrangement. Poured media beds also do not provide a sufficiently small porosity to filter many small particles or molecular contaminants, such as many heavy metals, agricultural chemicals and the like. Most typically, poured beds are capable of a filtration porosity of not less than 400 microns.
Some manifold systems exist which provide radial flow characteristics. Examples of two of such systems can be found at U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,262,570 and 3,289,847 and wherein unsealed, exposed filter media assemblies are provided. That is, the filter media cartridges do not provide surrounding liquid impermeable housings which contain and protect the media. In particular, the 3,262,570 cartridge provides an exposed, full length fiber media which concentrically surrounds an impermeable tube that contains a single bed of granular particulate. Radial flow occurs only between the fiber media and housing. The 3,289,847 cartridge, provides a cloth wrapped screen cartridge and two concentric cavities that contain granular media and provide radial flow to a center bore.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,764 discloses an exposed, cloth wrapped media which contains a single core of an annular cast block of powdered carbon material.
Although providing advantages of radial flow, difficulties can arise with the foregoing media through normal handling and shipping. That is, normal handling can damage or deform the media support structure, induce leakage of the media or cause a fracturing of the cast media.
Applicant is also familiar with a variety of sealed filtration assemblies, wherein the media is contained in a liquid impermeable housing, which directly attach to faucet-type water supplies. Liquid flow is directed in these assemblies along linear flow paths and sequentially arranged treatment stages. In some assemblies the flow paths may wind back and forth in a serpentine arrangement between inlet and outlet ports. Some of these assemblies are shown at U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,824,565; 4,711,723; 4,561,976; 3,529,726; 3,342,340; 1,774,004; 1,287,755; and 325,681.
In contrast to the known art, the present invention provides a novel radial flow filtration cartridge and disposable manifold assembly wherein a liquid impermeable housing contains several stages of filtration media. Each of the stages is arranged to obtain radial flow from an outer cavity space to a center outlet bore and preferably provides an annularly cast block of media of uniform porosity. Each stage also exhibits a preferred filtration characteristic that can be tailored to the application. In addition to removing sediment, odors and materials which affect taste, the filter media is selected and configured to advantageously filter suspended heavy metals, such as lead, and varieties of so-called "VOC" or volatile organic contaminants, herbicides, pesticides, bacteria, parasites, and industrial and agricultural chemicals.

Multi-stage radial flow filtration system


In a digital copier having an input scanner and a printer, image placement or magnification errors which relate to the input scanner can be corrected in copies made at the printer. A person feeds into the input scanner a special test pattern sheet. The copy of the test pattern may exhibit readily-detectable image defects, manifest as “readings” which the user can communicate to the computer, such as through a user interface. A control system in the computer can take the readings and use them to correct attributes of prints made in subsequent copying operations.

Digital copiers are well known. Whereas a traditional "analog" copier in effect directly takes a photograph of the image desired to be copied, in a digital copier, an original image on an input sheet is recorded as digital data, and the digital data is used to create a print which is a copy of the original image. The original image is typically recorded by an array of photosensors, such as in a charge-coupled-device (CCD), while the printing step is typically carried out by familiar "ink-jet" technology, or by digital "laser printer" rendering in a xerographic apparatus.
Between the recording of the original image and the output of a resulting print, the image data can be processed and manipulated, such as through digital image processing, in any number of ways. Chief among these ways is alteration of the placement of the image relative to a print sheet on which the image is ultimately rendered: the placement of the image further involves consideration of hardware-related factors such as the start-of-scan control in a scanning laser which creates a latent image on a photoreceptor in a xerographic printer, or the precise control of a moving printhead in an ink-jet apparatus. Another aspect of processing image data between recording and printing relates to the magnification of the image.
Ideally, in a basic case, it is desirable that a copy output by a digital copier be as similar to the original image as possible, particularly in the aspects of placement of the image relative to the edge of the print sheet, as well as magnification of the printed image relative to the original.
The present invention relates to a semi-automatic method by which a digital copier can be adjusted to preserve the placement and magnification of original images in output prints.

Semi-automatic image registration control for a digital copier


A method and apparatus are disclosed for facilitating coinless transactions by rounding a fractional transaction cost up or down to a whole-unit amount. A fractional transaction cost is rounded up or down to a whole-unit amount based on a generated random number that ensures fairness to both buyers and sellers, over time. If a transaction purchase price is N.C units, where N is any non-negative integer and C is an integer between 0 and 99 indicating the fractional cost between 0 and 0.99, then a buyer will be charged N+1 units with a probability of p equal to C/100 and N units with a probability of 1−p. The random number generation process can ensure that the rounding process does not favor buyers or sellers, for example, by (i) incorporating a buyer-provided offset, or (ii) having the generation of the random number performed or supervised by a trusted third party. The buyer can increase his or her odds of having the final purchase price rounded down by exposing more than just the amount by which the rounded up cost exceeds the fractional cost.

In order to complete a transaction for the purchase of goods or services, the buyer and seller typically must agree on a purchase price, and the buyer must tender the purchase price to the seller. Typically, the buyer tenders the purchase price using currency (i.e., paper currency, coins or both) or some electronic form of payment, such as a credit card or debit card. When currency is utilized to pay a purchase price that is not a whole-unit amount, such as a whole-dollar amount, the buyer will often receive change back from the seller in the form of coins, and possibly paper currency, to cover the difference between the tendered amount and the purchase price. The fractional cost of the transaction is the amount that the purchase price exceeds a whole-unit amount. For example, if the purchase price for a transaction is $5.60, then the fractional cost of the transaction is sixty cents ($0.60).
While the increase in electronic transactions has greatly reduced the amount of transactions involving traditional currency, the nature of many transactions makes them unsuitable for electronic payment. Many consumers, for example, do not have access to a credit card or a debit card. In addition, the nature of many transactions makes them unsuitable for electronic payment. For example, the transaction costs associated with electronic transactions often discourage sellers from accepting electronic payment for a relatively small purchase. In addition, many point-of-sale (POS) terminals that process such transactions do not include the necessary equipment that is required to process electronic transactions, such as a card reader and a network connection to an electronic transaction processor, especially for remote POS terminals that typically process only small amounts, such as vending machines. Thus, for the foreseeable future, some percentage of transactions will continue to be paid for using traditional currency.
Buyers and sellers alike, however, do not like to deal with coins. The exchange of coins between buyers and sellers typically slows down the transaction. Sellers must maintain a sufficient amount of coinage in each possible denomination in order to provide proper change for each transaction. In addition, sellers must typically roll excess coins in order to deposit them in the bank. Buyers must deal with the inconvenience of carrying coins, and often accumulate large amounts of coins, such as in a jar or coin bank at home. Thus, the significant amount of coins that are out of active circulation at a given time requires the government to produce even greater amounts of coins, further increasing societal costs. A need therefore exists for a method and apparatus for processing coinless transactions.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,869,826 to Eleftheriou discloses a system for conducting coinless transactions that utilizes a magnetic stripe data card that interacts with a POS terminal. In the Eleftheriou system, the fractional transaction cost of a purchase is compared with an existing change balance stored on the data card. When the change balance does not cover the fractional cost of the transaction, a change renewal algorithm automatically increases the balance on the card by an amount equal to the difference between the cost of the transaction and the next highest whole dollar amount. This amount is also added to the transaction cost, raising it to the next highest whole dollar amount. Likewise, when the balance of change stored on the card does cover the fractional dollar cost of the transaction, the system provides a change depletion algorithm that automatically decreases the balance on the card by an amount equal to the fractional dollar cost of the transaction and deducts a corresponding amount from the transaction cost, lowering it to the next lowest whole dollar amount.
While the Eleftheriou system results in a whole dollar cost for the transaction and eliminates the requirement to exchange coins of any denomination for commercial transactions, the Eleftheriou system suffers from a number of limitations, which, if overcome, could further reduce the number of transactions involving coins. Specifically, the Eleftheriou system requires a buyer to carry at least one card in order to process the fractional costs of each transaction. Each buyer could conceivably be required to carry additional cards, however, if all sellers do not adopt a uniform protocol for processing fractional transaction costs in this manner. Furthermore, the Eleftheriou system requires the POS terminal to include a card reader that interacts with the data card to process the fractional transaction costs.
A need therefore exists for a method and apparatus for processing coinless transactions that does not require the buyer to carry a data card. A further need exists for a method and apparatus for processing coinless transactions that does not require the POS terminal to include a card reader.

Method and apparatus for conducting coinless transactions

International Business Machines Corporation


A machine tool equipped with a supporting body and at least one tool-holder spindle, rotatable about a respective axis, also has a built-in dust extraction device comprising an extractor hood located in close proximity to the spindle and presenting a suction port positionable near to a machining area, so as to extract chips and dust generated in the course of machining operations; the hood is capable of movement along a direction parallel to the axis of rotation, extended and retracted by the action of respective translating members operating in conjunction with sensors able to read the profile of a workpiece, in such a way that the suction port can be positioned to best advantage.

The present invention relates to a device for machine tools, serving to extract chips and dust generated by machining operations.
In particular, the invention relates to a dust extraction device for installation on the toolhead of a multi-axis machine tool.
The prior art embraces machine tools equipped with dust extraction devices that comprise suction ports positionable near a tool while in the process of machining. A drawback with such ports is that there are limits on how near the machining area they can be placed, given the unpredictable shapes and sizes of workpieces, the dissimilar sizes of the different tools likely to be used in succession during a machining cycle, and indeed the dimensions of the suction ports themselves, which would be incompatible with certain movements and operations performed by the machine, such as tool changes.
Clearly, a direct consequence of the above noted drawback is that machining chips and dust tend to be removed less effectively, since the force of suction diminishes significantly as the distance from the machining area increases.
The aforementioned drawback has been overcome, at least in part, with the adoption of dust extraction devices comprising a removable extractor hood built into the machine and encircling the tool clamped to the spindle.
With this arrangement, the dust generated in the course of machining can be extracted with greater effectiveness. This outcome is achieved as a result both of equipping the machine with a new automatic system by which the hood is removed before the tool change occurs and reinstated after the new tool has been fitted, and of equipping the actual hood with a set of manually installed extensions selectable according to the length of the tool in use.
Whilst the drawback in question, to reiterate, is at least partially overcome with this solution, the solution itself is not without drawbacks.
In particular, not only does the expedient of a removable extractor hood dictate the inclusion of a purpose-designed, cumbersome magazine in which to store a reserve of different size hoods selectable to suit the tool currently in use, it still does not solve problems connected with the unpredictable and/or varying geometry of the workpiece.
The object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks outlined above by providing a dust extraction device for machine tools that will be functional, as well as practical and effective in use.

Dust extraction device for machine tools


A method of charging/recharging a secondary cell (24) by rectifying transmitted microwave energy which may be supplied by an unmodified microwave oven (18) into which oit is placed. The secondary cell (24) or an article, suchas a portable transceiver (10), containing a secondary cell is protected from harmful effects of microwave energy using a Faraday cage (12) and an antenna (16) disposed outside the Faraday cage picks up the energy which is rectified using s Schottky barrier diode (26). Optionally, the secondary cell may be disposed outside the oven (18) and the rectified current is supplied from the interior of the oven by way of conductors and/or a suitable connector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of, and apparatus for, charging/recharging secondary cells using transmitted microwave energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
The concept of generating dc power from transmitted radio waves is known from IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, Vol. MTT-32, No. Sep. 9, 1984 pages 1230 to 1242 "The History of Power Transmission by Radio Waves" by William C. Brown. The article reports that recovering dc power using a half-wave rectifier is an effective, relatively expensive and simple alternative compared to using a full wave rectifier. The rectifiers may be gallium arsenide Schottky--barrier diodes otherwise known as IMPATT devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,809 discloses a device for generating dc power directly from microwave energy. The device comprises a microstrip resonator having a line length of half a wavelength at the desired frequency. The resonator is split at its centre into 2 separate, aligned portions. A Schottky rectifier interconnects the adjacent ends of the separate portions of the resonator. No practical application is disclosed for the dc power generated.
Charging and/or recharging secondary cells normally requires connecting the cell(s) to a dedicated battery charger which a user does not carry with them. Additionally fast charging of cells normally takes at least 30 to 60 minutes which is not convenient in situations such as patrolling policemen where there is a requirement to be capable of maintaining radio contact whilst out on patrol. Accordingly there is a need to be able to recharge secondary cells very rapidly without requiring a dedicated battery charger.

Charging of secondary cells using transmitted microwave energy


An opening/closing device for a double flap door of an item of furniture, wherein the top part and the bottom part of the door are not hinged to each other. The device is connected to the furniture item to cause the top part of the door to rotate with respect to the furniture item and an articulated quadrilateral causes the bottom part of the door to rotate with respect to the top part concomitantly with the rotation of the top part of the door with respect to the furniture item. The articulated quadrilateral includes a first and a second arm each having one end hinged to the bottom part of the door and the other end hinged to the device.

Many types of opening/closing devices for a double flap door based on the articulated quadrilateral principle are known to the art; their structural elements and operation will not be described herein because they are per se known.
It will merely be recalled that in opening/closing devices of the prior art, the two parts of the flap door are hinged to each other and, in the open position, fold over one another; the hinge between the two parts of the flap door forms one of the articulation points of the articulated quadrilateral, whereof one of rods is fixed to the bottom part of the door.
The fact that the two parts of the flap door are constrained to each other implies that:                in the open position, the two parts of the flap door assume a (more or less) obligatory position;        since the top part of the flap door is hinged to the edge (normally horizontal) of the furniture item, the sides of the two parts of the flap door hinged to each other must be horizontal and in any case parallel to the edge of the furniture item.
All this imposes aesthetic and functional constraints and/or limitations on the designers and technicians who design furniture.

Opening/closing device for a double flap door of an item of furniture


Predicting a component of a current pixel belonging to a current sub-aperture image in a matrix of sub-aperture images captured by a sensor of a type I plenoptic camera can involve, first, determining a location on the sensor based on: a distance from an exit pupil of a main lens of the camera to a micro-lens array of the camera; a focal length of the main lens; a focal length of the micro-lenses of the micro-lens array; and a set of parameters of a model of the camera allowing for a derivation of a two-plane parameterization describing the field of rays corresponding to the pixels of the sensor; and, second, predicting the component based on one reference pixel belonging to a reference sub-aperture image in the matrix and located on the sensor in a neighborhood of the location.

On one hand, View Synthesis Prediction (VSP) has been standardized as part of the 3D-HEVC extension for multi-view video coding. More particularly, VSP consists in using depth information to warp texture data from a reference view to a current view such that a predictor for the current view can be generated (see e.g.: "S. Yea and A. Vetro, "View Synthesis Prediction for Multiview video coding", in Signal Processing: Image Communication, vol. 24, no 1-2, pp. 89-100, January 2009).
On the other hand, LF data consist either in:
multi-view video, i.e. in a video in which the images belonging to a matrix of images have been captured simultaneously from multiple camera angles; or
plenoptic video, also known as lenslet based video, i.e. in a video in which the images belonging to a matrix of images are sub-aperture images that have been captured simultaneously from a single camera using a matrix of lenses in addition to the main lenses system.
VSP assumes among other a pinhole model for the camera that has been used to capture the LF video. This prevents from achieving high performances in LF video coding, in particular for LF captured by plenoptic camera for which the extend of the aperture cannot be neglected.
There is thus a need for an improved method for predicting a component (e.g. a chrominance or luminance) of a pixel of a sub-aperture image in a LF captured by a plenoptic camera.

Prediction for light-field coding and decoding


This invention discloses a simple and convenient method of floods control and with great discharge capacity. This invention is a method of speeding up the river floods water discharge ability into the sea by means of the natural tidal range. This is done by the following technical proposals. To set up the PTCCG between the tidal current limit of the estuary and the coast tangent or narrower part of the estuary; the said PTCCG should be built across the river from the banks theoretically. When there is a danger of flood during the floods seasons, we can close the PTCCG and prevent the tidal current from entering into the inner river. When the tide ebbs, we can re-open the PTCCG and discharge the freshwater withheld into the sea. The PTCCG is normally open when it is not used. This invention is applicable to all tidal estuaries, which are affected by the astronomical tide range. It makes use of the natural tidal range to control floods in the upper stream of the river, which has a great floods control capacity, and accelerates the speed of floods discharging into the sea.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of river floods control and management, more specifically, it is a method of controlling river flood by means of astronomical tidal current at the estuary (a river mouth open to the sea) to control and discharge floods in upper stream.
2. Description of Related Arts
Floods disaster has been very serious in China. According to the imperfect statistics, there were 1092 major floods during the 2,155 years between 206 B.C and 1949 A.D. i.e. once every two years in average. Countless lives and properties were lost. There is an old saying about the Yellow River "bursts twice every three years, changes of its course once every hundred years".
From the olden days, Chinese people combat hard with the serious floods, specially, from the foundation of the People's Republic of China. The Chinese government constructed many river conservancy projects. The new measures include both engineering and non-engineering approach. Gradually, a more comprehensive floods control system was founded. As a result, the Yellow River did not have great floods for the past 50 years and the Chinese people were proud of having no major flood problem for 50 years in the yellow river. This is indeed a great achievement in Chinese history. However, we should notice that China had still great difficulties in river flood control. The flood control standard is still not high enough. Whenever there is abnormal heavy rainfall, China is still facing dangerous situations, directly endangering embankments, reservoirs and other hydraulic projects etc. and will still cause catastrophe.
Rich experiences were gained during the long term floods fighting history in China, although nowadays new technology and new materials, enriches and improves the methods of dealing with floods. However, during the great floods at Yangtze River in the year of 1998, there are still more than 9,000 dangerous locations and incidents found on the river banks along the Yangtze River.
For case study, in the year 1999, heavy rainstorm occurred in the tributaries of the Yangtze River upper stream, such as Min River, Tuo River, Jiangling River, Wu River, and also occurred in the Yangtze River middle & lower stream, such as Dongting Lake and Boyang Lake.
As a result, serious floods happened in all sections of the Yangtze River, such as Xiang, Zi, Ruan, and Li in the Dongting Lake area and the Chang River, and Lean River in the Boyang Lake area and so on. Four crests developed at trunk stream of the Yangtze River upper stream consecutively.
The water level of most of the main hydrology station from Yichang to Nanjing along the trunk stream had risen beyond the caution level, among these figures, such as that recorded at the hydrology stations of Shashi, Shishou, Jianli, Lianhuatang, Luoshan, Wuxue, Jiujiang and ChengLingji of Dongting Lake and Hukou of Boyang Lake were approaching the highest historical record. The third highest water level happened at the hydrology stations of Hankou and Datong City. The fact that the flood level reached the record high in most segments of the Yangtze River reviews the fact that the flood conditions is deteriorating continually.
There were local rainstorms at the Yangtze River upper stream in the year of 1999, and floods water levels were reported to have been well above the caution level at Wu River and Min River. The floods at Wu River were very serious. The highest floods level 204.63 m which was 12.63 m higher than the safety pledged level (192.00 m), and 0.12 m higher than the historical highest level (204.51 m in 1955) which happened in June at Wulong (of Chongqing City). The corresponding flow rate recorded was 22,500 m3/s, which was the largest flow rate ever recorded (the old historical largest flow rate was 21,000 m3/s in the year 1964).
Being affected by the tremendous amount of rainfall from Yangtze River upper stream, it was found that a historical biggest floods happened in July 1999 at the Cun Tan (near Chongqing) hydrology station at the trunk stream of Yangtze River upper stream with the floods peak of 180.02 m, which was 0.02 m higher than the caution level (180.00 m), and the corresponding water flow rate was 48,700 m3/s.
Four floods crest were recorded at the hydrology station of Yichang, with the flood peak levels reaching 51.38 m, 52.20 m, 53.68 m, and 51.73 m, and the corresponding flow rate were 46,800, 51,800, 57,200 and 44,200 m3/s respectively. All of these crests were still considered to be ordinary flooding in Yangtze.
Having been affected by the great amount of water from the Yangtze River upper stream and the two major lakes and other branches, the trunk stream water level of Yangtze River middle and lower stream began to rise after mid-June. The water level at the hydrology stations at Shishou and Wuhu was the first to rise beyond the caution level.
The water levels of different river segments from Jianli to Liauhuatang and from Jiujiang to Datong have also risen beyond the caution levels gradually in different stages afterwards, and the important segments from Lianhuatang to Hankou had also reached the caution level.
The highest water level occurred at most of the main hydrology stations along the Yangtze River after mid-July, 1999. The peak water level of 44.74 m at the hydrology station of Shashi in July was the second highest record ever, which was 1.74 m higher than the caution water level (43.00 m), although lower than the historic record of the year of 1998 (45.22 m). The highest water level in July at the Jianli hydrology station was 38.30 m, which was 1.02 m higher than the pledged water level (37.28 m), and was only 0.01 m lower than the historical highest water level (38.31 m in 1998).
The highest water level in July at the Lianhuatang hydrology station was 35.54 m, which was 1.14 m higher than the pledged water level (34.40 m), and was the second highest water level, of actual record in 1998 (35.8 m) . The highest water level in July at Luoshuan hydrology station was 34.60 m, which was 0.59 m higher than the pledged water level (34.01 m), and it was the second highest water level of actual surveying record in 1998 (34.95 m).
The highest water level in July at the Hankou hydrology station was 28.89 m, which was 1.59 m higher than the caution water level and it was the third highest water level (29.73 m in 1954, and 29.43 m in 1998). The highest water level in July at the Jiujiang hydrology station was 22.43 m, which was 2.93 m higher than the caution water level (19.50 m) and it was the second highest water level recorded in 1998 (23.03 m). The highest water level in July at Datong hydrology station was 15.87 m, which was 1.37 m higher than the caution water level (14.50 m).
At present, the overall standard for preventing floods is still not very high. If there are some floods which are concentrated and are developed within a very short period, dangerous flood situations and disasters will be formed. These will bring great lost to the country and the people. If there is a comparatively simple and efficient method to discharge the floods, it will be beneficial to the country and the people and the people in the future generations inside.

Method for preventing and discharging flood


A portable decontamination system includes a preassembled shelter, convertible between a stowed configuration and a deployed configuration, and a fluid delivery system integral with the shelter. In the stowed configuration the shelter encloses a negligible volume. In the deployed configuration the shelter comprises a plurality of side walls, a plurality of end walls, and a roof. The walls and the roof define a central space. The fluid delivery system is configured to convey decontamination fluid into the shelter and to distribute decontamination fluid throughout at least a portion of the central space.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a decontamination system and, more particularly, to a portable decontamination system that is lightweight and rapidly deployable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Portable structures, including those having shower hardware, are known in the art. These conventional devices, however, have logistical and structural limitations that make them unsuitable for a range of applications.
Many conventional devices have complex structural supports that must be disassembled when the device is stored and transported. The supports must then be reassembled at the time and place where the device is to be used, such as a staging area or accident scene. Assembly of structural supports may be difficult in dark or otherwise inhospitable locations. Further, the continual assembly and disassembly of the structure requires tools, often specialized tools, and inevitably results in lost and broken parts.
Many conventional devices require a significant amount of time for assembly. Moreover, in some cases, considerable training is required to enable one or more workers to carry out the assembly. This may be particularly troublesome in situations where time is of the essence, such as responding to emergency situations.
In addition to these logistical drawbacks, conventional portable structures have significant functional limitations. Most of these devices are relatively small, accommodating at most only a few people at a time. Further, conventional devices make no provision for accommodating the wounded, such as those on stretchers, for example.
Still further, most conventional portable shower structures are not fully enclosed. In many devices the top is open to allow for the entry of water from the shower hardware. These open structures are totally unsuitable for containing any sort of harmful or hazardous substance.


A composition is provided for a non-aqueous foaming aerosol cleaner or lubricant. Foam builders, especially silicone glycol copolymers, are used to generate high density foam of the solvent-based formula. A cleaning product variant may be introduced via an air intake route for loosening deposits in an internal combustion engine. The high foam aerosol product dispenses easily without causing engine stalling. A process of lubricating a target substrate is also provided.

Consumer oriented packaged aerosol based cleaners that provide high foaming action are typically water-based. The foaming action of cleaners provides a perception of additional cleaning power to consumers. In addition, foam generally provides higher clinging power on the surface to be cleaned, enabling the active ingredient(s) of a cleaner ample time to penetrate and loosen up the dirt or residues on the applied surface. In applications where the desired air to liquid ratio is high, for example in engine combustion systems, the foam can minimize the chances of causing hydrolock of the engine. However, it is challenging to generate high foaming properties in non-aqueous aerosol products. Currently, there is no product in the automotive aftermarket that foams in a non-aqueous aerosol system.
Harmful engine deposits that build up over time degrade fuel economy, power, drivability, and other performance attributes. Even more prone to carbon deposits are the newer types of engines including gas direct injection (GDI) or turbo-GDI (tGDI). The regular "pour in" tank fuel additive might clean the GDI injectors or the combustion chamber deposits. However, these fuel additives will not be able to clean the build-up on the intake valves, throttle body, as well as the turbo compressor, as these components are not directly exposed to the fuel that has the additive cleaner mixed in.
Currently available solvent-based aerosol engine cleaning sprays are introduced via the throttle body route, or via the turbo inlet routes. Products introduced via these routes may be able to clean the throttle body, intake valves, and/or turbo wheels. However, these products are non-foaming and hence the speed of spraying such products into the engine requires a user with a high technical skill set to dispense it carefully and slowly to prevent an engine from stalling. Furthermore, if the cleaning spray dispenses too much liquid into the engine, the engine may hydrolock and cause permanent damage to the engine.
Similarly, most oil spray lubricants are made from petroleum oil, but some are made from vegetable oil, and they are non-foaming. Oil based spray lubricants work at freeing stuck parts by providing a sufficient amount of spray lubricant to allow enough soaking time to penetrate deep into mechanisms and into the threads of rusted bolts and nuts. In addition, the frequency of reapplying the lubricants increases, especially on vertical surfaces as the vertical orientation will channel the lubricants away.
Moreover, for part cleaner applications, the current solvent-based part cleaners in the market are also non-foaming. The color of the liquid of the solvent-based part cleaners is typically clear, and application on a surface makes it difficult to know whether a given area has been treated or not. However, with a powerful and visible foam spray, one can see much more clearly and may be certain that the product is doing its job. Moreover, the high foam provides a visual perception of excellent cleaning properties.
Therefore, there exists a need for a foaming non-aqueous composition for use as a turbo/throttle body engine cleaner which may be dispensed quickly without causing engine stalling or hydrolock the engine. There also exists a need for an oil spray lubricant which can enhance the clinging power on an applied surface to enhance the application time on the surface to penetrate and loosen up the rusted bolts and nuts. There further exists a need for a part cleaner to provide a visual indication of an application of the cleaner, application coverage, and cleaning effectiveness.

Non-aqueous aerosol foam and methods of making thereof


An embodiment is directed to an interface for a small screen device, such as a watch, that enables a user to enter text on the small screen device by touching in the vicinity of characters, rather than aiming for a particular button or the exact location of a character. Embodiments further enable the design of interfaces without the use of buttons for controlling the entry of text on the small screen device.

There currently exists a wide range of text input techniques for use with electronic devices. QWERTY-style keyboards are the de facto standard for text input on desktop and laptop computers. The QWERTY layout was designed for two-handed, multi-digit typing on typewriters in 1878 and has been in wide use ever since. It has proven highly effective given a measure of training and/or experience. Reduced-size QWERTY-style keyboards are also used for text entry on mobile devices, such as PDAs and some mobile phones. These keyboards are generally operated using both thumbs, and their advantage lies in the fact that users are almost always familiar with the QWERTY layout. Devices such as the Blackberry Bold and the Nokia N810 utilize this model.
Text input for mobile phones, however, has focused primarily on methods of entering alphabetic characters using a 9-digit keypad, where each key usually represents either three or four characters. There are various techniques employed to reduce the number of keystrokes required.
Handwriting recognition has been widely used in the PDA market where input is mostly stylus-based. While it has some advantages for users raised on paper-based handwriting, the use of this technology has declined in recent years because it is relatively slow in comparison with most keyboard-based methods. Speech recognition text input systems also exist for both standard and mobile computational devices. These have not been widely adopted due to limitations in accuracy and the adverse effects of noisy environments.
Touch-screen devices offer a highly flexible platform for different styles of text input, and there are many different models currently available. Traditional QWERTY-style 'soft' keyboards are implemented on devices such as the Apple iPhone and many touch-screen PDAs running Windows Mobile. Other devices such as the Blackberry Storm use multi-character soft keyboards with various methods of disambiguation and completion. There are also many third-party systems that offer alternative methods of text entry for touch-screen devices. Examples include ShapeWriter (ShapeWriter Inc.) which is based on recognition of the shapes created by sliding between letters on a QWERTY-style background, and ExIdeas' MessageEase which utilizes an optimized keyboard layout for stylus and finger-based entry.
A somewhat different model of text entry is offered by the University of Cambridge's "Dasher" system, in which text input is driven by natural, continuous pointing gestures rather than keystrokes. It relies heavily on advanced language model-based character prediction, and is aimed primarily at improving accessibility for handicapped users, although it can also be used in mobile and speech recognition-based applications.
Many of the input models discussed above utilize some form of text prediction technology. Known prediction models for enhancing text input have two main functions: (1) disambiguation of multiple-character keystrokes, and (2) offering potential completions for partially-entered sequences. Examples of such technologies include Tegic Communications'"T9", Motorola's "iTap", Nuance's "XT9", Blackberry's "SureType" and Zi Technology's "eZiType" and "eZiText". In each case a dictionary of allowable terms is maintained and, given a particular input sequence, the system chooses a legitimate term (or set of terms) from the dictionary and presents it to the user as a potential completion candidate. T9 requires the user to enter a number of characters equal to the length of the target input sequence, and thus only offers function (1) above, whereas the other systems offer both (1) and (2).
In all of these technologies, the basic dictionary can be augmented with new terms entered by the user. This is limited only by the amount of device memory available. T9 uses a static dictionary, meaning that words sharing the same key sequence are always suggested to the user in the same order. In contrast, Motorola's iTap utilizes a dynamic dictionary, meaning that the first word predicted for a given key sequence may not remain the same each time the key sequence is entered. Rather, completions are suggested in order of most recent use. However, this method does not keep track of which completion is the most probable; it merely chooses the one used most recently.
Blackberry's SureType, Nuance's XT9 and Zi Technology's eZiType offer somewhat more sophisticated models, in which candidate completions are ordered on the basis of usage frequency statistics. In addition, Zi Technology's eZiText also has the ability to predict multi-word completion candidates given appropriate input, by scanning a user's previous input to identify high frequency phrases.
Previously, work on enhancing user interaction with keyboards of limited size has provided a number of methods based on reduced-size keyboards, which do not cover the full range of characters for a given language. This is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,549, which provides a method for disambiguating the output from a reduced keyboard (usually about 3 characters per key). Word-level disambiguation is provided using a selection button which enables a user to cycle through possible matches to the current input. An alternative reduced keyboard layout, based on the common QWERTY layout, is the 'half qwerty' layout provided by U.S. Pat. No. 7,083,342, which also uses extra post-input disambiguation.
Although reduced keyboards have a reduced error rate, they also quantize the input more roughly, meaning that there is less information content in the input the computer receives from a reduced keyboard than a full keyboard.
In theory, with an adequate error-correction system, a full keyboard with error correction should require less disambiguation keystrokes than a reduced keyboard. On a hard keyboard, an input event relates to a user pressing down on a key of the keyboard. For such keyboards, the user can press any location within the boundary of a key; the corresponding input event will be the same for all locations within that boundary. However, with touch-sensitive 'soft keyboards', it is possible to use the almost continuous co-ordinates of touches on the soft keyboard.
Many existing virtual keyboard systems, e.g. United States patent application publication number 2009/0284471 and predecessors, incorporate mechanisms for automatically 'correcting' user input in instances where the system receives a character that is not the one intended by the user. Such systems are based around the idea of associating a pre-specified set of locations, each designated by a set of Cartesian coordinates, with characters available for input by the user. Given a set of coordinates representing an input event, the distances between this event and surrounding pre-specified locations within an 'auto-correcting region' are used to construct a weighted set of characters assigned to that event. The auto-correcting region comprises a plurality of characters of the alphabet. During input, the user is presented with a set of 'objects' that are considered likely intended character sequences. As the user selects his/her intended input sequences, the (potentially weighted) horizontal and vertical offsets between the input event coordinates and the character coordinates are computed, and the relevant moving average used to calibrate input event coordinates to reflect a user's typing style. The moving average may be a running average where the coordinates of each key are set to the average of all previous input events for that key.
The above described existing virtual keyboards model each character as a location specified by a set of coordinates. What is needed is a system and method that models a user's actual input as he or she targets characters on a virtual keyboard.

System and method for inputting text into small screen devices


A light transmitter transmits multiple light packets, each formatted to include a predetermined phase synchronization field (PSF) and a same message comprising a series of bits. The PSF and each bit are each represented as light that is intensity modulated over a bit period at a corresponding frequency. The light packets are transmitted at different start-times to cause a receiver to sample each packet with a different phase of a fixed, asynchronous sample timeline. The PSF and message are demodulated from each of the sampled light packets. If the demodulated PSF matches the predetermined PSF, then the corresponding demodulated message is declared valid.

A light communication system may include a light transmitter to transmit data bits in modulated light packets to a light receiver, such as a camera. The light packets modulated to convey the data bits at a transmit bit rate. A logic level of each transmitted data bit may be represented as light that is intensity modulated to indicate the logic level. The camera samples the received light packets once every camera frame at a frame rate of the camera, to produce light samples at the frame rate. The data bits may then be demodulated based on the light samples.
Ideally, the transmit bit rate and the camera frame rate (or sample rate) are synchronized so as to produce consistent, error free samples that result in correctly demodulated bits in the receiver. In practice, however, the transmit bit rate and the camera frame rate are not often synchronized because the transmitter and the receiver operate based on their respective different clocks that are not synchronous with each other, i.e., their clocks are asynchronous. When the transmit bit rate and the frame rate are not synchronized, then the transmitted data bits slowly "slip" through or "drift" by the camera frames or sample times. Due to this drift, occasionally camera sample times will coincide with and thereby sample edge transitions in the intensity modulated light, which results in an indeterminate sample, i.e., a sample that has an indeterminate level. Disadvantageously, this may result in an erroneous demodulated data bit.
In the drawings, the leftmost digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.

Multiphase sampling of modulated light with phase synchronization field


Precise control of pyrocarbon being coated upon an object in a fluidized particle bed is achieved by monitoring the pressure difference between a region above the bed and a region in the lower portion of or just below the bed. Measurement of such pressure differential has been found to be truly representative of bed size in such a coater, and bed size is recognized to be a most important factor in achieving the desired characteristics of the substance being deposited. By adjusting bed size in response to changes in the pressure difference being monitored, a substantially constant bed size is readily achieved; alternatively, the pressure difference can be caused to gradually change in accord with a predetermined program. In either instance, adjustments are effected by adding additional particles to the bed or by changing the rate at which particles are withdrawn, and precise coating characteristics, e.g. thicknesses within very close tolerances, are achievable.

Pyrolytic carbon or pyrocarbon has long been deposited by the thermal decomposition of a gaseous or vaporized hydrocarbon, or some other carbonaceous substance in vaporous form, in the presence of a substrate on which the deposition occurs. It has also been known for a number of years that the character of the pyrocarbon deposited is highly influenced by the amount of surface area available for deposition within a fluidized bed of a certain unit volume and that accordingly the characteristics of the pyrocarbon actually deposited can be desirably influenced by careful control of the bed size, as generally taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,399,969 to Bokros, et al. This patent points out that the pyrocarbon coating of relatively large objects, such as objects having a dimension of about 5 millimeters or greater, in the presence of an ancillary bed of small particles (i.e. of a size measured in tens or hundreds of microns), is best controlled by controlling the available deposition surface area relative to the volume of the coating enclosure wherein the actual deposition is taking place.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,977,896 to Bokros and Akins, an improved process was described and illustrated for depositing pyrolytic carbon coatings of substantial thickness which would have a very uniform crystallinity throughout the entire thickness of the pyrocarbon deposited. Such uniformity was achieved by maintaining the total deposition surface area within the coating enclosure relatively constant by adding particles of small size to the coater while coated particles (which have grown in size) are being removed from the enclosure at a controlled rate by regulating the rate of flow of an inert gas stream upward through a conduit through which the particles exit.
Subsequent to the issuance of the '896 patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,012 issued in the name of Brooks which discloses an improved fluidized bed apparatus for coating such relatively large objects in association with a bed of particles being levitated, wherein a constant bed size is maintained from a volumetric standpoint by employing a weir tube having a spillover entrance hole to define the maximum upper level of the fluidized bed by its location at a desired vertical level within the coating enclosure. Preferably the weir tube is closed at its top and has its spillover hole facing away from the centerline of the coating enclosure. Sufficient purge flow of inert gas upward through the tube is maintained so as to prevent any substantial quantity of dust from gravitating down the tube with the coated particles being withdrawn. U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,270 also issued in the name of Brooks and shows an apparatus for removing particles from a desired level within such a fluidized bed wherein a larger object is being levitated and coated by pyrolytic decomposition. This patent teaches the employment of a vertically slidable sampling tube, preferably controlled from the exterior of the furnace, which can be located so as to have its opening at a desired vertical level from which the sample is to be withdrawn. Flow of inert gas through the sampling tube is controlled so as to selectively allow particles to be withdrawn from the bed when the tube is at the desired vertical level.
Although the foregoing patents disclose acceptable processes for controlling pyrolytic deposition within a fluidized bed system, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to determine the actual size of the bed surface area at any given moment, and as coating processes become more sophisticated, there is a desire to be able to even more precisely control the characteristics of the pyrocarbon being deposited. As a result, more improved methods of control have been sought.


A lens barrel includes a guide barrel, an outer ring, an inner ring, a cam ring and a movable lens frame, arranged in that order from outermost side, wherein the axes thereof coincide with a common optical axis, the outer ring being guided linearly in the optical axis direction by the stationary barrel, the inner ring being linearly guided in the optical axis direction by the outer ring, and the cam ring being rotatable to move the movable lens frame in the optical axis direction; and a lens barrier mechanism having an aperture positioned in front of the movable lens frame, the lens barrier mechanism being provided on a front opening of the inner ring, for opening and closing the aperture.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lens barrel provided at the front end thereof with a lens barrier mechanism which is driven to open and close its barrier blades for protecting the frontmost lens surface from being stained or damaged.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an example of a conventional lens barrel having a lens barrier mechanism, a lens barrel which is provided therein with a stationary ring, a rotating cam ring positioned inside the stationary ring, and an exterior ring member positioned between the stationary ring and the cam ring, is known in the art. The cam ring is provided with a set of follower pins, and the exterior ring member is provided with a corresponding set of cam grooves in which the set of follower pins of the cam ring are respectively engaged. The lens barrier mechanism having barrier blades driven to open and close a photographing aperture of the lens barrel is fixed to the front end opening of the exterior ring member. Driving the cam ring to rotate in forward and reverse directions causes the exterior ring member to advance and retreat in an optical axis direction while opening and closing the barrier blades of the lens barrier mechanism, respectively.
In such a conventional lens barrel, the diameter of the exterior ring member is preferably as small as possible from a design point of view. On the other hand, in order for the barrier blades to be widely opened to open the photographing aperture widely, the diameter of the lens barrier mechanism needs to be large. However, the inner diameter of the exterior ring member has to be large if the diameter of the lens barrier mechanism is large.
In the case where one or more cam grooves are formed on an inner peripheral surface of the exterior ring member, the wall of the exterior ring member has to be thick because the cam groove generally has a deep radial depth. Accordingly, the inner diameter of the exterior ring member decreases and increases if the outer diameter of the exterior ring member is decreased and increased, respectively.
Although the diameter of the lens barrel is desirably small from a design point of view, with regard to the outward appearance thereof, each barrier blade of the lens barrier mechanism needs to have a long length if it is desired to provide a large photographing aperture which is opened and closed by the lens barrier mechanism. However, the diameter of the lens barrel increases if the length of the barrier blade is increased.

Lens barrel having a lens barrier mechanism