A method of starting an engine when a starter motor of a hybrid electric vehicle has a failure includes identifying a request for starting the engine in a state where the starter motor has the failure. When the request for starting the engine is made in the state where the starter motor has the failure, a torque or a load of an engine clutch and a pressure of the engine clutch are determined. A torque of a driving motor is set to a smaller torque between a driving motor demanded torque and a torque obtained by subtracting the torque of the engine clutch from a maximum torque of the driving motor. The engine starts with the set torque of the driving motor while controlling the engine clutch.

As is well known, hybrid electric vehicles use an internal combustion engine and a battery together as a power supply. That is, the hybrid electric vehicles efficiently combine power of the internal combustion engine and power of a driving motor.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, a hybrid electric vehicle may include, for example, an engine 10, a driving motor 20, an engine clutch 30 for splitting power between the engine 10 and the driving motor 20, a transmission 40, a differential gear 50, a battery 60, an integrated starter-generator 70 for starting the engine 10 or generating electricity by rotational force of the engine 10, and vehicle wheels 80.
Here, although the integrated starter-generator 70 serves as both the starter motor and the electric generator, the above described integrated starter-generator is related with the starting of the engine, so that the integrated starter-generator 70 is considered as the starter motor.
The hybrid electric vehicle may further include a hybrid controller (HC) 200 for controlling the entire operation of the hybrid electric vehicle, an engine control unit (ECU) 110 for controlling an operation of the engine 10, a motor controller (MC) 120 for controlling an operation of the driving motor 20, a transmission control unit (TCU) 140 for controlling an operation of the transmission 40, and a battery controller (BC) 160 for controlling and managing the battery 60.
The battery controller 160 may be called a battery management system (BMS). The integrated starter-generator 70 may be called an integrated starter & generator (ISG) or a hybrid starter & generator (HSG).
The hybrid electric vehicle may drive in an electric vehicle (EV) mode, which is a true electric vehicle mode only using power of the driving motor 20, a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) mode, which uses rotational force of the engine 10 as a main power and rotational force of the driving motor 20 as an auxiliary power, and a regenerative braking (RB) mode for collecting braking and inertial energy during driving by braking or inertia of the vehicle through electric generation of the driving motor 20 to charge the battery 60.
The hybrid electric vehicle may start the engine 10 by using the driving motor 20 providing driving force when the starter motor has a failure. For example, in the related art, when the starter motor has the failure, the engine may start by connecting the engine clutch or with the driving force of the driving motor while connecting the engine clutch.
However, according to the related art, the connection of the engine clutch or a difference in torque between the engine and the driving motor generates shock when a fuel injection starts without starting the engine, thus deteriorating driving performance.
That is, according to the related art, in a case where the vehicle is not in a rapid acceleration situation as illustrated in FIG. 2, the shock is rarely generated during the connection of the engine clutch. However, when the vehicle accelerates rapidly such that the driving motor outputs the maximum torque as illustrated in FIG. 3, load compensation for a slip joint of the engine clutch is necessary, thus decreasing acceleration torque and deteriorating acceleration linearity.
In the related art illustrated in FIG. 3, an inclination change of three steps including step 1 which is before the engine clutch for starting the engine is connected, step 2 in which the engine clutch is being connected, and step 3 which is after the engine clutch is connected, is generated, thus deteriorating acceleration linearity.
That is, as described in FIG. 3, the load compensation of the engine clutch is impossible when pressure of the engine clutch is applied, thus generating an abrupt vehicle stop sensation.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the disclosure, and therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Method and system for starting engine during failure of starter motor of hybrid electric vehicle


A light scanning unit includes a light source which emits light beam with a predetermined wavelength, a beam deflector which deflects and scans the light beam emitted by the light source toward a photosensitive body, and an f-θ lens which has at least one plastic lens and forms an image for the light deflected by the beam deflector on the photosensitive body, the light scanning unit satisfying a following formula0<Lmax−Lmin≦[20×(cos θ)5+10]×λ/(5×10−4) where Lmax and Lmin respectively represent a maximum value and a minimum value of a total light passing distance from a light axis of at least one plastic lens according to a deflection angle, θ is an angle formed between a polarization direction of the light beam emitted by the light source and a sub-scanning direction, and λ is a wavelength of the light beam emitted by the light source.

1. Field of the Invention
The present general inventive concept relates to a light scanning unit which scans light emitted by a light source to a surface to be emitted and an image forming apparatus employing the same, and more particularly, to a light scanning unit which narrows light amount ratio differences which occur due to polarization properties of incident light and transmittance differences depending on a deflection angle of a plastic lens, and an image forming apparatus employing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a light scanning unit is employed in an image forming apparatus such as a laser printer, a digital printer and a facsimile, and a bar code reader. The light scanning unit forms a latent image on a photosensitive body by a main scanning of a beam deflector and a sub-scanning by rotation of the photosensitive body.
FIG. 1 illustrates an optical arrangement of a conventional light scanning unit which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,068,406B2 issued on Jun. 27, 2006.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the conventional light scanning unit includes a laser diode 1 which emits light beam, a polygon mirror 5 which deflects incident light to scan the light beam emitted by the laser diode 1 to a photosensitive body 8, and f-θ lenses 6 and 7 which correct errors included in the light beam deflected by the polygon mirror 5. A collimating lens 2, a stop 3, and a cylindrical lens 4 are provided in a light path between the laser diode 1 and the polygon mirror 5. The collimating lens 2 focuses light emitted by the laser diode 1 and the cylindrical lens 4 shapes light.
The light scanning unit employs the laser diode 1 which emits light beam having a short wavelength, approximately 500 nm or less, to reduce a spot size of the scanned light beam. The light scanning unit uses at least one f-θ lens which includes plastic, thereby lowering production costs thereof.
In this case, the amount of light may vary due to light absorption differences within the plastic lens. That is, the transmittance varies due to different light beam passing distances according to a deflection angle from the light axis of the plastic lens, thereby causing difference of light amount ratio in a main scanning direction. Then, the latent image which is formed on the photosensitive body 9 becomes ununiform.
To solve such a problem, the thickness of the conventional f-θ lens including plastic is set to satisfy Formula 1 or Formula 2 below.L1−L2<10 mm  [Formula 1]
L1 and L2 respectively represent a maximum value and a minimum value of a total light beam passing distance depending on the deflection angle from the light axis of at least one plastic lens.L1−L2<3·log(0.93)/S S=log(1−3.55×108/λ4)  [Formula 2]
Here, λ is a wavelength of the light beam emitted by the laser diode 1.
The light scanning unit includes the plastic lens whose L1 and L2 are set to satisfy the Formula 1 or 2 regardless of a rotating direction of the laser diode 1.
The laser diode 1 has such a characteristic that it emits predetermined polarized light, which is changed depending on the arrangement direction. The transmittance difference of the f-θ lens including plastic is approximately 10% in the main scanning direction according to the polarization properties of the light emitted by the laser diode 1.
If the polarization properties of the laser diode 1 are not considered, errors are generated on a large scale and the degree of freedom in an optical design is distorted due to the transmittance differences of the plastic lens.

Light scanning unit and image forming apparatus employing the same


A foldable pedal assembly includes: a pedal frame formed with left and right studs opposite to each other in an axial direction; a crank-connecting part including left and right wing units that define left and right recesses, respectively, the left and right studs extending into the left and right recesses and being pivoted to the left and right wing units, respectively; left and right urging members disposed in the left and right recesses to urge the pedal frame in a first direction transverse to the axial direction, and to urge the crank-connecting part in a second direction opposite to the first direction; a first limiting unit abutting against at least one of the left and right studs by urging action of the urging members; and a second limiting unit abutting against at least one of the left and right wing units by urging action of the urging members.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a bicycle pedal, more particularly to a foldable pedal assembly for a bicycle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many consumers favor foldable bicycles due to convenience when carrying the same. To further reduce the size after folding, pedals mounted on a foldable bicycle are also foldable in design. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional foldable bicycle pedal 10 includes: a pedal body 11 having an intermediate rod 112, a pair of spaced apart lateral rods 111 which extend from opposite ends of the intermediate rod 112 and which are formed with slide grooves 114, and a pair of upper and lower ribs 113 interconnecting the lateral rods 111, one of the ribs 113 being formed with an engaging hole 115; a movable member 12 that is slidably received in the slide grooves 114, that is formed with a through-hole 123, and that has a stud 121 and a pair of protrusions 122 disposed opposite to the studs 121 in a direction; a spring 13 sleeved on the stud 121 and having a biasing end against the intermediate rod 112; a connecting part 14 formed with a pair of pivot grooves 142 and having an engaging portion 141 engaging the engaging hole 115 for connection to the pedal body 11; a crank-connecting member 15 formed with a pair of retaining grooves 152 and having a pair of pivots 151 pivotably retained in the pivot grooves 142; and a shaft 16 rotatably mounted on the crank-connecting member 15.
When the crank-connecting member 15 is disposed parallel to the pedal body 11, i.e., the foldable bicycle pedal 10 is disposed in a state ready for use, the protrusions 122 of the movable member 12 extend into the retaining grooves 152 for engagement therewith.
To fold the foldable bicycle pedal 10, the movable member 12 can be accessed through the through-hole 123 for moving the movable member 12 against biasing force of the spring 13 toward the intermediate rod 112 such that the protrusions 122 of the movable member 12 are disengaged from the retaining grooves 152. Thereafter, the assembly of the connecting part 14, the movable member 12 and the pedal body 11 is pivoted relative to the crank-connecting member 15 to a position transverse the crank-connecting member 15 so as to place the foldable bicycle pedal 10 in a folded state.
The conventional foldable bicycle pedal 10 is disadvantageous in that: coupling of the pedal body 11 and the crank-connecting member 15 through the interaction action between the spring 13 and the movable member 12 is relatively loose, which has an adverse effect on the contact between the foot of the user and the bicycle pedal 10 upon treading thereon.


A cash register alarm system for sounding an alarm to the police without delay. The cash register alarm system includes a cash drawer having a bottom wall and a back wall, and also includes a tray having a bottom wall and a back wall and plurality of partitions spaced apart and forming compartments therebetween, and further includes a plurality of sensors disposed in the compartments in the bottom wall of the tray, and also includes a plurality of electrical current contact members disposed upon the back walls of the cash drawer and the tray. More than one compartment without paper money will expose the sensors to light which will acutate the alarm system to the police.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a silent alarm system for a cash drawer and more particularly pertains to a new cash register alarm system for sounding an alarm to the police without delay.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of silent alarm system for a cash drawer is known in the prior art. More specifically, silent alarm system for a cash drawer heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,877; U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,060; U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,166; U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,564; U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,752; and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 258,365.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new cash register alarm system. The inventive device includes a cash drawer having a bottom wall and a back wall, and also includes a tray having a bottom wall and a back wall and plurality of partitions spaced apart and forming compartments therebetween, and further includes a plurality of sensors disposed in the compartments in the bottom wall of the tray, and also includes a plurality of electrical current contact members disposed upon the back walls of the cash drawer and the tray. More than one compartment without paper money will expose the sensors to light which will acutate the alarm system to the police.
In these respects, the cash register alarm system according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of sounding an alarm to the police without delay.


A device, method, and system for using an acoustic radiation force resulting from focused ultrasound energy in order to generate an internal force remotely and to measure quantitatively tissue elasticity in vivo and non-invasively.

Elasticity Imaging is a known class of techniques for the estimation of mechanical properties of materials. In addition to diagnosis by palpation, methods have been proposed for elasticity imaging for biomechanics for measuring mechanical properties in vivo in a non invasive, non destructive manner.
Examples of the use of elasticity imaging methods for biomechanical applications include the use of Magnetic Resonance Elastography (MRE) for the determination of brain and liver tissue viscoelastic properties in vivo and comparison between in vivo and post-mortem brain properties, the use of MRE for the measurement of skeletal muscle contraction and muscle stiffness changes with aging, the use of Transient Elastography to assess skeletal muscle stiffness during contraction, or the use of Supersonic Shear Imaging (SSI) for the measurement of shear wave dispersion curves for characterization of soft tissue viscoelasticity.
Indentation is also a widely used material testing method that allows measuring the Load-Displacement curve. Analytical solutions are possible in the case of penetration of axisymetric indenters in an elastic half space. It is possible to derive the Young's modulus of the tested material, for example, by estimation using a complex iterative procedure and calibration process. While indentation is commonly used for materials such as polymers and metallic samples, the application of such an experimental approach is limited in in vivo contexts, due to the intrinsic limitations of indentation such as the need to apply forces externally or using invasive mechanisms.
Conventional quantitative mechanical testing methods are generally performed externally and, in operation, consist of using an actuator (e.g., a piston) that imposes a controlled force on the subject tissue. The mechanical response of the tissue is measured subsequently, allowing an estimate of the mechanical properties of the tested sample. Since the actuator is in contact with the subject tissue, such methods are limited to external testing. Presently, internal testing methods can be performed invasively.

Devices, methods, and systems for measuring elastic properties of biological tissues using acoustic force

The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York


A method of preparing a fermented soybean milk comprising subjecting a soybean milk to fermentations with yeast and lactic acid bacteria, and subjecting the resulting fermented soybean milk to a deactivation treatment to deactivate the yeast and bacteria by heating and a removal treatment to remove alcohol and carbon dioxide gas contained therein. As a result, a fermented soybean milk which is a beverage suiting everybody's taste, and a packed product thereof which is not subject to expansion or deformation during storage, are obtained.

Hitherto, it has been disclosed, for example, in JP-A-55 19023 and JP-A-59 227241, that a lactic fermented soybean milk is prepared by fermentation of a soybean milk with lactic acid bacteria, but that this product has a grassy smell, in other words, a bean smell, which presents a problem for a lactic fermented soybean milk beverage.
On the other hand, it has been disclosed, for example, in JP-A-59 132855, JP-A-62 155076, that for removing the grassy smell and improving the flavor of the fermented soybean milk, a soybean milk obtained by heating soybeans or puverized soybeans to deactivate lipoxygenases contained therein, is either as it is, or with sugars added, subjected to an alcoholic fermentation and a lactic acid fermentation using yeasts and lactic bacteria, to prepare, on the one hand, a lactic fermented acid beverage containing a comparatively small amount of alcohol, and on the other hand, a lactic fermented soybean milk containing a comparatively large amount of alcohol, that is, a fermented soybean milk liquor.
These products are free of the grassy smell and have a good flavor as a result of the synergy between the alcoholic fermentation and the lactic acid fermentation.
Thus, these converted alcohol-containing lactic acid beverages as mentioned above have been improved in smell and taste because of the absence of grassy smell. However, since, not only they contain a foaming carbon dioxide gas, but also, the lactic fermented beverage containing a comparatively small amount of alcohol contains ordinarily about 0.1-3% of alcohol, and the lactic fermented liquor contains 7-8% of alcohol, they bring about inconveniences such as those listed below.
1) They are not beverages suitable for everybody, because they contain alcohol.
2) Since they contain carbon dioxide gas, filling a container with these beverages is difficult. In particular, when some sugar remains in the fermented soybean milk or in the case any additives such as sugars are added to the fermented soybean milk after completion of the fermentation treatment in order to prepare a blended fermented soybean milk product, fermentations caused by live yeasts and lactic acid bacteria take place, so that the amounts of alcohol and carbon dioxide gas are increased, and the qualities of the products are changed. In addition, especially when easily deformable sealed containers, such as packages made of paper or pulp, are used, deformation and expansion of the packed products take place during storage.
3) The amount of carbon dioxide gas dissolved in the fermented soybean milk varies with the temperature, and the amount of the fermented soybean milk in the filled container varies with the temperature, so that packaged products equal in content quality and volume cannot be obtained.
4) When no sugars are present in the fermented soybean milk, or when the remaining sugar has been eaten up by the yeast, autolysis of the live yeast in the fermented soybean milk begins and proteolytic enzymes in the cells of the yeast react with the protein in the soybean milk to product a bitter substance, so that the quality of the product deteriorates at the time of preparation thereof and is further lowered during storage.
Accordingly, a method is desired for preparing a fermented soybean milk which is free from the above-listed inconveniences and has the advantages that it does not contain any alcohol so as to suit everybody's taste, it is always even in quality, and it can be used to fill a container easily to obtain a packaged product which does not contain alcohol, carbon dioxide gas, or a bitter substance, so that it is not subject to expansion and deformation during storage, and thus, is stable and has an excellent shelf life.

Method of preparing a fermented soybean milk and fermented soybean milk


A voice gateway (64) includes an input port (70) that receives a voice signal from an unbundled analog line (62) coupled to a Class 5 switch (52). The voice signal is converted to a digital format by an analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converting unit (76). The voice signal is placed into a compressed format by a compressing/decompressing unit (80) using a selected one of a plurality of compression ratios. The voice signal is placed into a transport frame by a packetizing/depacketizing unit (84) according to a selected packet format. The voice signal is multiplexed with other voice signals by an output port (88). The output port (88) places the voice signal onto a selected one of a plurality of output lines in order to transport the voice signal in its transport frame to one of an office customer premises (12) and a residence customer premises (14).

The traditional circuit switched telecommunications network has been implemented to dedicate one voice line to one loop or copper pair. This has worked well for over a hundred years but does not efficiently utilize the bandwidth of the copper pair. In addition, there has been a surge in demand for second, and even third, residential phone lines. This demand is exhausting the supply of available copper circuits. Business customers also have a high demand for phone lines. To meet this demand, Regional Bell Operating Companies, Independent Local Exchange Carriers, and Competitive Local Exchange Carriers would have to build additional copper or fiber infrastructure.
New technology, such as Digital Subscriber Line, voice-over-IP, and asynchronous transfer mode techniques have created an environment where the copper pair's available bandwidth can be more fully utilized to carry voice and data. However, traditional voice traffic is time division multiplexed, a transport architecture that segments the network bandwidth into fixed time sequenced channels. The smallest channel is equivalent to a voice line. Time division multiplexed networks work well for uncompressed analog voice but not for bursty data. If a data network needs more than 64 kilobits per second of bandwidth, the amount of one channel, two channels would be needed to carry 65 kilobits per second, resulting in bandwidth inefficiencies.
With the explosion of the Internet, worldwide deployment of Digital Subscriber Lines will rapidly accelerate over the next few years. Today, however, the penetration rate for voice over DSL is at zero percent. With the increase in their deployment, DSL is a prime candidate for implementing a multiple voice line capability for telecommunications customers. There have been recent efforts to provide voice over DSL. However, these efforts have required a GR-303 connection with a Class 5 switch for the gateway device. This GR-303 connection is available at the regional bell operating company or independent local exchange carrier level but competitive local exchange carriers would need to provide there own Class 5 switch or digital loop carrier functionality to interface with the GR-303 connection. In order to implement this functionality, competitive local exchange carriers would have to incur costly expense in providing this infrastructure. Therefore, it is desirable to migrate voice services into the data transport network in order to efficiently use the bandwidth of the copper pair and avoid expensive infrastructure changes in allowing a competitive local exchange carrier to implement an increased and efficient voice transport capability.

Method and apparatus for providing voice signals to and from a telecommunications switch


In an ink film thickness control method, second ink film thickness distribution, corresponding to an image on an old printing plate, on a minimum first ink film thickness distribution formed on the surface of an ink roller group and required during printing, is removed for a predetermined one of printing units thereby leaving the first ink film thickness distribution. Which one of pre-inking I mode and pre-inking II mode is to be performed is set for each printing unit. The minimum first ink film thickness distribution required during printing is formed on the surface of the ink roller group of the printing unit set in the pre-inking I mode after a new printing plate is mounted in the printing unit set in the pre-inking I mode. The second ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the image of the new printing plate is superposed on the first ink film thickness distribution. For the printing unit set in the pre-inking II mode, the second ink film thickness distribution is formed simultaneously on the first ink film thickness distribution which has already been formed. An ink film thickness control apparatus is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling an ink film thickness in an ink supply unit (inker) which supplies an ink in an ink fountain to a printing plate through an ink roller group.
FIG. 9 shows the main part of an ink supply unit in each printing unit of a web offset printing press. An ink supply unit 11 shown in FIG. 9 has an ink fountain 1, an ink 2 stored in the ink fountain 1, an ink fountain roller 3, a plurality of ink fountain keys 4, an ink ductor roller 5, an ink roller group 6, a printing plate 7, a plate cylinder 8, a plurality of nozzles 9, and an ink roller cleaning unit 10. The ink fountain keys 4 are aligned in the axial direction of the ink fountain roller 3. The nozzles 9 are arranged in the axial direction of the ink roller group 6 to discharge a solvent.
Through opening degree adjustment of the ink fountain keys 4, the ink supply unit 11 having the above arrangement supplies the ink 2 in the ink fountain 1 to the ink fountain roller 3, and supplies the ink, which has been supplied to the ink fountain roller 3, to the printing plate 7 through the ink roller group 6 upon the feed operation of the ink ductor roller 5.
When an old printing plate is exchanged for a new printing plate 7, the opening degree of the ink fountain keys 4, the rotation ratio of the ink fountain roller 3, and the like are preset in accordance with the image of the new printing plate 7. More specifically, after the opening degree of the ink fountain keys 4, the rotation ratio of the ink fountain roller 3, and the like are set in accordance with the image of the new printing plate 7, the ink 2 in the ink fountain 1 is supplied to the new printing plate 7 through the ink roller group 6. In this case, test printing is performed before final printing to adjust the ink supply amount, thus obtaining a satisfactory color tone. A desired ink film thickness distribution (gradient of the ink film thickness) is accordingly formed in the ink roller group 6.
This pre-inking operation is already described in U.S. Ser. No. 08/884,348, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,884,562 and U.S. Ser. No. 08/884,349 filed by the present applicant.
In the conventional ink supply unit 11, when the old printing plate is exchanged for the new printing plate 7, an ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the old printing plate remains in the ink roller group 6. In this case, color change is performed or not, depending on the new printing plate 7.
When color change is not performed, while the ink is left in the ink roller group 6, the ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the old printing plate is gradually changed to an ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the new printing plate 7. Accordingly, adjustment of the ink supply amount and test printing are required excessively until a satisfactory color tone is obtained, causing an increase in pre-printing preparation time, an increase in labor load, waste of printing material, a decrease in production efficiency, an increase in cost, and the like.
In the color change, an ink cleaning operation is performed, and the ink in the ink fountain 1 is exchanged. Thus, the ink roller group 6 no longer holds an ink, and an ink film thickness distribution corresponding to the new printing plate 7 must be formed in the ink roller group 6 from the beginning. Therefore, it takes time until the ink film thickness distribution reaches an equilibrium state, causing an increase in pre-printing preparation time, an increase in labor load, waste of printing material, a decrease in production efficiency, an increase in cost, and the like.
In conventional ink film thickness control, a time-series ink film thickness distribution forming operation is performed for each printing unit independently. This delays start of final printing, interferes with the productivity, and increases the production cost. The ink film thickness distribution forming operation differs from one printing unit to another to require an complicated operation, and accordingly imposes an excessive work load to the operator. Since similar operations are performed repeatedly, operation errors are difficult to prevent. A work loss always occurs, and an unnecessary ink film thickness correcting operation is performed.

Method and apparatus for controlling ink film thickness


An operational amplifier having a wide input common mode voltage range includes first (2) and second (3) differential input transistor pairs coupled to first (14) and second (15) tail current transistors. At least one of the first and second tail current transistor pairs is controlled by a common mode control circuit (4). A gate of the first tail current transistor (14) is coupled to the common mode control circuit (4) to turn the first tail current transistor on and to turn the second tail current transistor off when the common mode input voltage is below a common mode threshold voltage (CMTHR). A folded cascode stage (5) is driven by the first and second differential input transistor pairs. Switched active load transistors are coupled to active load transistors of the folded cascode stage and are operable in response to the common mode control circuit to divert part of a current produced by one of the first and second differential input pairs from the folded cascode circuit, depending on whether the common mode input voltage is above or below the common mode threshold voltage.

The present invention relates generally to operational amplifiers having wide input common mode voltage range, and particularly to such operational amplifiers that include two differential input transistor pairs with "redirection" or "diverting" of tail currents from one input transistor pair to the other as the common mode voltage range changes, and more particularly to improvements which optimize current density in folded cascode circuit active load transistors so as to provide improved noise performance, improved power consumption, improved slew rate, improved overdrive recovery, and low-voltage rail-to-rail circuit operation.
Operational amplifiers having wide input common mode voltage range frequently use two differential input transistor pairs of opposite conductivity type. For example, in one such operational amplifier one input transistor pair includes P-channel MOS input transistors or PNP input transistors and the other input transistor pair includes N-channel MOS input transistors or NPN input transistors. The operational amplifier includes a circuit that monitors the common mode input voltage and operates to "redirect" tail current from the power supply to one input transistor pair or the other, depending on the value of the common mode input voltage.
FIG. 1 shows such a prior art CMOS rail-to-rail operational amplifier in which the drain currents of the two input transistor pairs are coupled to active load transistors which are part of a folded cascode circuit. Operational amplifier 1A includes a "low common mode" voltage input stage 2 including source-coupled P-channel input transistors 10 and 11 and a P-channel tail current transistor 14, wherein P-channel transistor pair 10,11 is operative or "active" only when the common mode (input) voltage is lower than a predetermined common mode threshold voltage CMTHR. Tail current transistor 14 is the output transistor of a controlled current mirror also including diode-connected P-channel transistor 17. Operational amplifier 1A also includes a "high common mode voltage" input stage 3 including source-coupled N-channel input transistors 12 and 13 and an N-channel tail current transistor 15 which is the output transistor of a controlled current mirror including diode-connected N-channel transistor 44, wherein N-channel transistor pair 12,13 is operative or "active" only when the common mode voltage is greater than the predetermined common mode threshold voltage CMTHR. Input signal VIN+ is connected by conductor 7 to the gates of transistors 11 and 12, and input signal VIN− is connected by conductor 8 to the gates of input transistors 10 and 13.
The drains of input transistors 10 and 11 are connected by conductors 35 and 36 to drains of N-channel active load transistors 25 and 24, respectively, which are part of folded cascode circuit or stage 5. The gates of active load transistors 24 and 25 are connected to diode-connected N-channel transistor 30, which is biased by a current source 31. The drains of N-channel input transistors 12 and 13 are connected by conductors 37 and 38 to the drains of P-channel active load transistors 20 and 21, respectively, of folded cascode circuit 5. The gates of active load transistors 20 and 21 are connected by conductor 34 to the output of a common mode feedback circuit 6, the inputs of which are connected to output conductors 32 and 33 on which output signals VOUT− and VOUT+, respectively, are produced. Output conductor 32 is coupled through P-channel cascode transistor 22 to conductor 37 and through N-channel cascode transistor 26 to conductor 36. Similarly, output conductor 33 is coupled through P-channel cascode transistor 23 to conductor 38 and through N-channel cascode transistor 27 to conductor 35.
Operational amplifier 1A further includes a common mode switch circuit 4 including P-channel transistors 40, 41, and 42, the sources of which are connected to a tail current source 28. The gate of transistor 40 is connected to VIN+, the gate of transistor 41 is connected to VIN−, and the gate of transistor 42 is connected to the common mode threshold reference voltage CMTHR. The drains of transistors 40 and 41 are connected by conductor 46 to the gate and drain of N-channel diode-connected transistor 43 and to the gate of a N-channel transistor 16 which controls a current mirror including transistor 17 and tail current transistor 14. The drain of transistor 42 is connected by conductor 47 to the gate and drain of diode-connected N-channel transistor 44 and to the gate of tail current transistor 15. Common mode switch circuit 4 detects whether the common mode input voltage of the differential input signal (VIN+−VIN−) is above or below the common mode threshold reference voltage CMTHR, and accordingly switches one of tail current transistors 14 and 15 on and switches the other tail current transistor off.
Specifically, if either of VIN+ or VIN− is less than the common mode threshold voltage CMTHR, i.e., if the common mode input voltage is "low", then transistors 42, 44, and 15 are off and transistors 43, 16, 17, and 14 are on. Therefore, only the P-channel low common mode voltage input stage 2 is active. However, if both VIN+ and VIN− are greater than the common mode threshold voltage CMTHR, i.e., if the common mode input voltage is "high", then transistors 42, 44, and 15 are on and transistors 43, 16, 17 and 14 are off. Therefore, only the N-channel high common mode threshold voltage input stage 3 is active.
A goal in designing an operational amplifier such as prior art operational amplifier 1A is to minimize the current through the folded cascode circuit in order to achieve the best input referred noise, low power consumption, small active load devices in the folded cascode circuit, fast slew rate, and fast overdrive recovery time, and also to achieve good low-voltage rail-to-rail operation. Note that in designing a circuit such as folded cascode circuit 5, the bias voltages VBIASP and VBIASN would be selected so as to ensure the drain-source voltages of the active load transistors 20, 21, 24 and 25 would be at least approximately 100 millivolts beyond the drain-source voltages of those transistors enters into their "triode" or "linear" regions. This would be necessary because the circuitry starts losing gain as soon as the cascode transistors 22, 23, 26 and 27 enter their "triode" or "linear" regions, and that results in loss of range of VOUT. Therefore, if the current through the active load transistors 20, 21, 24 and 25 varies by a factor of 2 or 3, then it is necessary to make the load transistors larger to achieve good low voltage operation.
The redirection or switching of tail current from one input transistor pair (e.g., transistors 10 and 11) to the other input transistor pair (transistors 12 and 13) changes the currents in the P-channel active load transistors 20 and 21 and the N-channel active load transistors 24 and 25 in folded cascode circuit 5. To ensure functional operation of folded cascode circuit 5 to ensure proper slew rates in both the low common mode input voltage and high common mode input voltage conditions and to ensure fast overdrive recovery, the current in the active load transistors 20, 21, 24 and 25 must be larger than the input pair tail currents.
To understand this point, it should be noted that the tail current of the "active" input transistor pair 10,11 or 12,13 when it is switched on (in accordance with whether the present common mode voltage is less than or greater than the common mode threshold CMTHR) is added to the "idle" current in the corresponding active load transistors 24,25 or 20, 21, respectively. Also, the tail current of the "inactive" input transistor pair 10,11 or 12,13 when it is switched off (in accordance with whether the present common mode voltage is less than or greater than the common mode threshold CMTHR) is subtracted from the "idle" current in the corresponding active load transistors 24,25 or 20, 21, respectively.
This means that the active load transistors 20, 21, 24, and 25 in folded cascode circuit 5 must be physically large enough to conduct the sum of the "idle" current and the currents through the transistors of the active input pair. The idle current flowing through them must be large enough to ensure that an adequate operating current flows through the active load devices when their corresponding input transistor pairs are either "active" or "inactive".
For example, suppose the N-channel input stage 12,13 is switched to an active condition in response to a high common mode voltage and the current through transistor 15 is 20 microamperes, and the active load transistors 20, 21, 24 and 25 each are designed to conduct 10 microamperes. Then N-channel active load transistors 24 and 25 each will be conducting 10 microamperes, and P-channel active load transistors 20 and 21 will be conducting 20 microamperes. Then, if the common mode voltage goes to a "low" value, N-channel tail current transistor 15 is switched off and the N-channel input transistor pair 12,13 becomes inactive, i.e., turned off. At the same time, P-channel tail current transistor 14 is switched on and conducts 20 microamperes, so P-channel input transistors 10 and 11 each conduct 10 microamperes. However, since the N-channel active load transistors 24 and 25 are designed to sink only 10 microamperes, no current is available to flow through the cascode transistors 22, 23, 26, 27 to P-channel active load transistors 20 and 21. This causes folded cascode circuit 5 to become inoperative.
The foregoing example shows what would happen if the active load transistors 20, 21, 24, and 25 are not physically large enough and are not biased with sufficiently large "idle" currents. To avoid the above described inoperability of folded cascode circuit 5, active load transistors 20, 21, 24 and 25 would normally be designed to be large enough to safely conduct at least 20 microamperes so that there would always be adequate operating current in the active load transistors when their corresponding input pairs are in either their "active" or "inactive" configurations. However, the above described large size of the active load transistors and large "idle" or bias current flowing through them results in a large "redundant" current flowing through folded cascode circuit 5, which is undesirable because that causes increased circuit noise and increased power consumption. Use of large ratio current changes in the active load transistors necessitates use of large active load transistors, but this is undesirable because they have large transconductance (gm), which results in large input-referred noise.
In general, it is difficult optimize the design of a rail-to-rail folded cascode stage for switched input transistor pairs, especially for low voltage, low noise, low-power operation.
Another approach to solving the foregoing problems includes use of a so called "floating current source", wherein an auxiliary amplifier monitors and adjusts the currents in the folded cascode circuit, as described in commonly owned patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,883 entitled "RAIL-TO-RAIL INPUT/OUTPUT OPERATIONAL AMPLIFIER AND METHOD" issued to Vadim V. Ivanov on Nov. 21, 2000. However, this approach presents difficulties in a fully differential operational amplifier if there is a need to include gain boost circuitry. The described floating current sources tend to "tie up" one circuit node associated with the cascode transistors so as to not allow use of gain boost circuitry at that point without considerable additional circuit complexity.
Thus, there is an unmet need for an operational amplifier having a wide common mode voltage input range and also having minimum noise.
There also is an unmet need for an operational amplifier having a wide common mode voltage input range and also having low power consumption.
There also is an unmet need for an operational amplifier having a wide common mode voltage input range which operates with optimal current densities in the active load transistors in a folded cascode circuit.
There also is an unmet need for an operational amplifier having a wide common mode voltage input range which operates with optimal current densities in the active load transistors in a folded cascode circuit to provide a high slew rate.
There also is an unmet need for an operational amplifier having a wide common mode voltage input range which operates with optimal current densities in the active load transistors in a folded cascode circuit to provide fast recovery from overdrive conditions.
There also is an unmet need for an operational amplifier having a wide common mode voltage input range which operates with optimal current densities in the active load transistors in a folded cascode circuit so as to provide good rail-to-rail operation at low supply voltages.
There also is an unmet need for a way to provide a fully differential operational amplifier having a wide common mode voltage input range while using gain boost circuitry on both sides of the folded cascode circuitry and nevertheless avoiding complexities associated with use of floating current sources of the kind described in commonly owned patent U.S. Pat. No. 6,150,883 for use in a fully differential operational amplifier.

Circuit and method for switching active loads of operational amplifier input stage


A fluid delivery catheter configured to allow optimal fluid distribution through each electrode by varying the diameter of a catheter lumen is disclosed. Uniform or different fluid flow rates through longitudinally spaced apart elution holes may be achieved. Exemplary fluids for use with the catheter include a cooling fluid, a therapeutic fluid, and a medication.

Ablation catheters using RF (radio frequency) energy are known. A typical ablation catheter has electrodes located at the catheter tip and delivers RF energy to ablate selected tissue areas in a patient. For example, patients with arrhythmia experience irregular heart beats caused by arrhythmogenic electrical signals generated in cardiac tissues. Such patients may be treated by ablating those cardiac tissues that generate such unintended electrical signals with RE energy. With the help of sensing and mapping tools, an electrophysiologist can determine the region of cardiac tissue targeted for ablation. Once determined, a catheter tip having one or more electrodes is positioned over the targeted tissue. Then, the user sends RF energy from the generator to the electrodes, creating sufficient heat to damage the targeted tissue. By damaging and scarring the targeted tissue, aberrant electrical signal generation or transmission is interrupted.
Application of curative energy is currently performed endocardially with the objective of reaching the epicardium to create a fully transmural. This is important in all arrhythmias especially during ablation for atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia. In the former case, transmural lesions are required to create conduction block to isolate relevant structures while in the latter case the arrhythmogenic substrate is located often in the epicardial layer of ventricular walls. Delivery of the energy is limited by the increase of temperature at the interface between catheter tip and endocardial surface and there is a good correlation between thrombus formation and high temperature. A temperature sensor is typically provided near the tip of the catheter so the user may monitor the operating temperature to ensure that overheating does not occur in the catheter tip and in the surrounding tissues. One known solution to prevent overheating is by having an irrigation system embedded within the catheter. In brief; a typical irrigation system includes a delivery lumen inside of the catheter body to supply cooling fluid, such a saline, from a pump to the catheter tip. An irrigation system may internally irrigate the catheter tip, where the cooling fluid circulates within the catheter tip. Another type of irrigation system delivers cooling fluid from within the catheter tip to the outside of the catheter tip which also cools the surrounding tissues. Catheters with an irrigated tip allow the delivery of more energy with a lower temperature at the tissue/catheter interface thus minimizing thrombus formation while maximizing deep lesion creation in the tissue. Despite numerous desirable properties, however, known irrigated catheters have several disadvantages. For example, because the temperature of the catheter tip region can vary depending on factors such as its proximity to an electrode and irrigation duct, it is difficult to monitor and ensure that all heated surfaces along the catheter tip are adequately cooled. Often the catheter tip is positioned not perpendicularly to the tissue but tangentially to increase the tip/tissue contact area as for example during ablation of the inferior part of the right sided pulmonary vein. In this situation and in every other situation where a tip side/tissue contact is required, a uniform cooling of the catheter tip would further reduce thrombus formation while allowing development of larger electrodes to more efficiently deliver energy for ablation. In this way the entire electrode surface can be used to ablate a pathological tissue without overheating any portion of the catheter tip and causing thrombus formation.
The coronary sinus (CS) is increasingly recognized as one of the major structures contributing in many types of supraventricular tachycardias including atrial fibrillation. In this case many anatomical and electrophysiological features can promote atrial fibrillation maintenance, especially in patients with a long-standing arrhythmia. As a matter of fact, the CS connects anatomically and electrophysiologically the right atrium and the left atrium with special characteristics of slow and anisotropic conduction, allowing micro- and macro-reentry during organized and unorganized atrial fibrillation. On the right atrial side, broad and thick muscular connections can be observed at the CS ostium, while different anatomic studies have demonstrated the existence of discrete and multiple connections (average 5±2) between the CS body and the LA postero-inferior and postero-lateral walls. This muscular extension of the left atrial wall into the CS shows marked anisotropy, and mapping their insertion with conventional bipolar and quadripolar catheters is relatively difficult given also the oblique insertion of these sleeves across the posterior pericardial space.
The role of the CS is increasingly recognized in maintaining persistent and permanent atrial fibrillation which constitute up to 70% of the atrial fibrillation cases in the population referred for catheter ablation. On one side during ablation of long-standing atrial fibrillation, disconnection of the coronary sinus from both the let and right atrium can be required in up to 60% of cases to interrupt the arrhythmia or to organize the electrical activity in a discrete mappable atrial tachycardia. On the other side, mitral isthmus ablation to create a bi-directional line of block is increasingly performed to organize the substrate during chronic atrial fibrillation ablation. To create a bi-directional block, ablation within the CS has to be performed in 30-50% of cases. The role of CS as a critical part of left atrial tachycardia is also increasingly known. Effective mitral isthmus block in the settings of perimitral atrial flutter can require ablation in the CS in up to 50% of cases to interrupt the arrhythmia and make it no longer inducible. The CS is also important in the ablation of postero-septal and left-sided accessory pathways, as in man y cases the ventricular and/or atrial insertion of the accessory pathway is too epicardial for endocardial ablation using a conventional catheter. Furthermore mapping the CS body with a conventional multi-polar catheter is not quite efficient since this type of catheter is not able to deliver radiofrequency energy.
Thus, there remains a need for a balloon or a mesh expandable catheter that could be inserted deeply inside the CS, inflated and then slowly pulled back towards the CS ostium while delivering equatorially curative energy source such as radiofrequency or therapeutic ultrasound to fully disconnect the CS musculature from the left and right atrium in atrial fibrillation, atrial tachycardia or WPW ablation. It would be more beneficial clinically if this balloon catheter consists of multiple ablating irrigated electrodes where the irrigation pattern is controlled to provide desired relative uniform cooling to the ablating electrodes to minimize coagulum formation and create larger and longer lesions safely.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

ST. JUDE MEDICAL, ATRIAL FIBRILLATION DIVISION, INC.


The invention provides a method and apparatus for communication and provision of routing address information. The prior owner of a called telephone number is referred to herein as a “prior subscriber”. When a number is released by a prior subscriber, it is placed into a database referred to as the “spare pool” which includes available (unsubscribed) telephone numbers. When a caller dials a number that is in the spare pool, the invention intercepts the call and takes any number of possible actions. In one embodiment, the invention automatically forwards the caller to a new number based on a database that stores the new number of the prior subscriber or routes the caller to a message that gives the caller the option (either via a charge or after listening to an advertisement) of being connected to, or being given, the current number of the prior subscriber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of communication.
Portions of the disclosure of this patent document contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all rights whatsoever.
2. Background Art
Electronic communication, whether via land line, telephone, mail, internet, email, cell phone, etc, is accomplished by having a routing address of an intended receiver. In the world of telephony, this is the telephone number or subscriber line of the entity being called. In the context of the internet, it is the URL of a website. For email, it is the email address of the intended receiver. In today's fluid society, such routing addresses change constantly, often outpacing the ability of directories to keep up. In addition, a user may not keep up their own personal directory, leading to incorrect routing addresses for many entities. These problems are described below with respect to telephony, but have equal application to electronic communication such as email, web browsing, faxes, telexes, GPS location requests, etc.
In current telephony systems, a call placed to an inactive number may be handled in a number of ways. For example, if the former owner of the number has requested forwarding of the old number to a new number, the call may go through transparently to the caller, and reach the intended party. In other cases, the former owner of the number may have requested a forwarding message that indicates that the old number has been changed, with the new number then being provided. In both of these cases, the caller is able to connect with its intended party sooner or later.
More frustratingly are two other possibilities. In one, there is no forwarding message and the caller simply hears "This number is no longer in service" message. In another, the old number has already been assigned to a new customer, who knows nothing about the current number of the former owner. This of course can frustrate the caller and require additional research to identify a correct number to call.
The caller may decide to request directory assistance to locate the desired number. This may be difficult, if not impossible, when the former owner has changed cities or states. In many cases, directory assistance is limited to at least a region or city, and finding the number for an entity outside that region is not possible. The caller may also seek to use other resources, such as the Internet, published directories, etc. in an attempt to determine the appropriate phone number.
Sometimes the caller does not have the resources or time to spend looking up the information, particularly when traveling or when outside the office or home (such as on a cell phone). In other cases, the caller is not necessarily interested in a particular business or entity, rather in a service. For example, if the caller was seeking a florist who has changed its number to an unknown number and can't be found by directory assistance, the caller would like to get the name of another florist in the same neighborhood. Under current schemes, this requires the caller to already know the name of the alternative florist, or to spend time looking it up.
Another problem is the failure to get to a desired routing address due to errors in entry or routing of the address, due to mis-entry, electronic interference, computer error, etc. Currently there are no adequate techniques for catching such mistaken attempts and providing corrective and/or optional action.

Method and apparatus for processing routing requests

Red Lion International Management Limited


A system for pressing lignocellulosic and/or cellulosic materials to produce composite products such as medium density fiberboard subjects a mat of material to alternating or vibratory forces applied to a face surface of the mat. The frequency of the alternating forces may be between 0.2 Hz and 2 Hz. This vibratory pressing action causes heat to be transferred more quickly to the core of the mat from the surface, and reduces the pressing time required for thermosetting resins within the mat to cure. The system comprises a press for accepting the mat; a sensor for sensing a parameter indicative of heat in the core of the mat; and a control system for controlling the application of vibratory and non-vibratory forces to the mat.

There are many types of composite wood products formed from lignocellulosic material. Some examples include medium density fiberboard ("MDF"), oriented strand board ("OSB"), and particleboard. Others include laminated veneer lumber ("LVL"), laminated structural lumber (known in the art as "Glulam") and plywood. These composite products are generally made by adhering together wood materials such as lumber, veneers, strands, flakes, particles, and fibers with adhesives. Thermosetting adhesives are commonly used, which include phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins, phenol-resorcinol-formaldehyde (PRF) resins, resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) resins, urea formaldehyde (UF) resins, melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) resin and isocyanate (MDI) resin.
Such composite wood products are typically produced by adding the adhesive to the lignocellulosic material and forming a mat of the combination. The mat is heated to a temperature range within which the rate of curing of the adhesive is significant, and is pressed for a period of time, allowing the resin to cure completely, or nearly completely. This process is well known in the art as "hot pressing". The range of temperature within which the rate of curing of adhesive is significant is referred to throughout this document as the "curing temperature range". Those skilled in the art of thermosetting adhesives will appreciate that some adhesive curing may occur below the curing temperature range, but that the rate of curing increases dramatically when the adhesive reaches its curing temperature range. The curing temperature range is different for different types of adhesives and may also depend on other factors, such as the type of cellulosic material in the mat, the moisture content of the mat and the vapour pressure within the mat.
For best hot pressing results, it is desirable for the resins within the mat to reach the curing temperature range in order to cure properly. Preferably, the entire volume of the mat will reach the curing temperature range to allow all of the resin in the mat to cure. When heat is applied to the mat in a typical hot pressing operation, however, it is only applied to one or both face surfaces of the mat. In a typical system, the conveyor belt on which the mat rides is heated and supplies heat directly to a surface of the mat. The heat is expected to be conducted from the surface of the mat to the core of the mat. Since wood is not a good conductor of heat, however, this conduction of heat inwardly from the surface of the mat is an inefficient way of heating the core of the mat, and while the resin near the surface of the mat may reach the curing temperature range relatively quickly, it takes much longer for the core of the mat to reach the curing temperature range.
It is desirable to attempt to heat the core of the mat more quickly to save time and production cost in the manufacture of composite wood products. Attempts have been made in the past to add more heat to pressing systems by way of steam injection, and also by way of subjecting the mat to microwave and radio frequency radiation. These techniques are not desirable, however, because they require great amounts of energy, and, especially in the case of radiation, require significant protective mechanisms which are cost-prohibitive.
Accordingly, there is a desire for a system for heating and pressing a mat of lignocellulosic material which permits shorter pressing times.

System for hot pressing cellulosic and lignocellulosic mats


The present invention provides aminoglycosides and pharmaceutical compositions that include the aminoglycosides. The aminogylcosides are useful to treat or prevent infectious diseases (e.g., bacterial infections) in a mammal (e.g., human).

Antibiotics are low-molecular weight antimicrobial agents that are produced as secondary metabolites by microorganisms that inhabit soil. For instance, Penicillium and Cephalosporium produce beta-lactam antibiotics (e.g., penicillin, cephalosporin, and their relatives). Actinomycetes (e.g., the Streptomyces species) produce tetracyclines, aminoglycosides (e.g., streptomycin and its analogs), macrolides (e.g., erythromycin and its analogs), chloramphenicol, ivermectin, rifamycins, and most other clinically-useful antibiotics that are not beta-lactams. Bacillus species (e.g., B. polymyxa and Bacillus subtilis) produce polypeptide antibiotics (e.g. polymyxin and bacitracin), while B. cereus produces zwittermicin.
The modern era of antibiotic therapy began with Fleming's 1929 discovery of penicillin, and Domagk's 1935 discovery of synthetic sulfonamides. Spurred by the need for antibacterial drugs during World War II, penicillin was isolated, purified and injected into experimental animals. The substance was found to not only cure infections, but also to possess low toxicity. This finding marked the beginning of the era of antibiotic use in human drug therapy and the intense search for similar antimicrobial agents of low toxicity that could be used to treat infectious diseases. The rapid isolation of streptomycin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline followed, and these and several other antibiotics were in clinical usage by the 1950's.
Antibiotics are used therapeutically to treat bacterial infections. Several types of antibiotics, classified according to their mechanism of action, are currently employed. The known types of antibiotics include, e.g., cell wall synthesis inhibitors, cell membrane inhibitors, protein synthesis inhibitors, and inhibitors that bind to or affect the synthesis of DNA or RNA.
Cell wall synthesis inhibitors, such as beta lactam antibiotics, generally inhibit some step in the synthesis of bacterial peptidoglycan. Penicillin is generally effective against non-resistant streptococcus, gonococcus and staphylococcus. Amoxycillin and Ampicillin have broadened spectra against Gram-negative bacterias. Cephalosporins are generally used as penicillin substitutes, against Gram-negative bacteria, and in surgical prophylaxis. Monobactams are generally useful for the treatment of allergic individuals.
Cell membrane inhibitors disorganize the structure or inhibit the function of bacterial membranes. Polymyxin, produced by Bacillus polymyxis, is a cell membrane inhibitor that is effective mainly against Gram-negative bacteria and is usually limited to topical usage.
Protein synthesis inhibitors include the tetracyclines, chloramphenicol, the macrolides (e.g. erythromycin) and the aminoglycosides (e.g. streptomycin). Aminoglycosides have been used against a wide variety of bacterial infections caused by Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Aminoglycosides bind to the bacterial RNA in manifestation of their activity. Davis, B. D. Microbiol. Rev. 1987, 51, 341–350. Mingeot-Leclercq, M.-P.; Glupczynski, Y.; Tulkens, P. M. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 1999, 43, 727–737. Moazed, D.; Noller, H. F. Nature 1987, 327, 389–394. Shaw, K. J., Rather, P. N.; Hare, R. S.; Miller, G. H. Microbiol. Rev. 1993, 57, 138–163. Streptomycin has been used extensively as a primary drug in the treatment of tuberculosis. Gentamicin is active against many strains of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including some strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Kanamycin is active at low concentrations against many Gram-positive bacteria, including penicillin-resistant staphylococci.
The structures of two aminoglycoside antibiotics, paromomycin and gentamicin C1a, bound to the template sequences of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), have been determined recently by NMR. Fourmy, D.; Recht, M. I.; Blanchard, S. C.; Puglisi, J. D. Science 1996, 274, 1367–1371; (a) Fourmy, D.; Recht, M. I.; Puglisi J. D. J. Mol. Biol. 1998, 277, 347–362; (b) Fourmy, D.; Yoshizawa, S.; Puglisi, J. D. J. Mol. Biol. 1998, 277, 333–345; (c) Recht, M. I.; Fourmy, D.; Blanchard, S. C.; Dahlquist, K. D.; Puglisi, J. D. J. Mol. Biol. 1996, 262, 421–436; (d) Yoshizawa, S.; Fourmy, D.; Puglisi, J. D. EMBO J. 1998, 17, 6437–6448. These and other studies show that the neamine-class of aminoglycosides bind specifically to the A-site region on the 16S subunit of rRNA. Hence, neamine serves as a minimal structural motif for such binding. Fourmy, D.; Recht, M. I.; Blanchard, S. C.; Puglisi, J. D. Science 1996, 274, 1367–1371; Kotra, L. P.; Haddad, J.; Mobashery, S. Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 2000 (in press)). As such, aminoglycosides are a suitable class of compounds that could be effective antibiotics.
Neamine itself is a poor antibiotic and is not clinically useful. However, clinically useful aminoglycosides include, e.g., gentamicin, amikacin and neomycin. These compounds, however, face the possibility of clinical obsolescence because of the function of aminoglycoside-modifying enzymes, such as what already happened with kanamycins. (Wright, G. D.; Berghuis, A. M.; Mobashery, S. Aminoglycoside antibiotics: Structures, functions and resistance; Rosen, B. P., Mobashery, S., Eds.; Plenum Press: New York, 1998; pp. 27–69.
The tetracyclines are protein synthesis inhibitors that consist of eight related antibiotics which are all natural products of Streptomyces, although some can now be produced semisynthetically. Tetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline are the best known. The tetracyclines are broad-spectrum antibiotics with a wide range of activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Tetracyclines have some important uses, such as in the treatment of Lyme disease.
Chloramphenicol is a protein synthesis inhibitor that has a broad spectrum of activity but it exerts a bacteriostatic effect. It is effective against intracellular parasites such as the rickettsiae. It is infrequently used in human medicine except in life-threatening situations (e.g. typhoid fever). Macrolide antibiotics, such as erythromycin, are protein synthesis inhibitors that are active against most Gram-positive bacteria.
Some antibiotics affect the synthesis of DNA or RNA, or can bind to DNA or RNA so that their messages cannot be read. For example, nalidixic acid is a synthetic quinoloid antibiotic which is active mainly against Gram-negative bacteria. The main use of nalidixic acid is in treatment of lower urinary tract infections (UTI). In addition, the rifamycins has greater bactericidal effect against the bacteria that causes tuberculosis than other anti-tuberculosis drugs and is also useful for treatment of tuberculosis meningitis and meningitis caused by Neisseria meningitidis.
Growth factor analogs are structurally similar to bacterial growth factors, but do not fulfill their metabolic functions in cells. For example, sulfonamides have been extremely useful in the treatment of uncomplicated UTI caused by E. coli, and in the treatment of meningococcal meningitis.
The worldwide exploitation of antibiotics to treat infectious diseases has grown dramatically over the last forty years. In 1954, two million pounds of antibiotics were produced in the United States. Today, the figure exceeds 50 million pounds. According to the Centers Disease Control (CDC), humans consume 235 million doses of antibiotics annually.
Widespread misuse or overuse of antibiotics has fostered the spread of antibiotic resistance and has contributed to the development of a serious public health problem. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria that cause infection are not killed by the antibiotics taken to stop the infection. The bacteria survive and continue to multiply, causing more harm. For example, the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is a major cause of hospital acquired infections that, historically, responded satisfactorily to the antibiotic vancomycin. Recently, however, many strains of S. aureus have been found to be resistant to vancomycin. Moreover, the death rate for some communicable diseases such as tuberculosis have started to rise again, in part because of increases in bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
The development of new drugs is an essential component to strategies designed to reverse the problem of bacterial resistance, particularly in treating infectious diseases (e.g., bacterial infections). Accordingly, there is a need to identify additional compounds to treat infectious diseases (e.g., bacterial infections). The compounds can preferably be administered orally.


A material reduction apparatus for reducing materials having an admixture that resists reduction. The mechanism incorporated into the apparatus to provide a bypass of such admixture while avoiding shut down interruption of the materials reduction operation.

A similar type of machine used for reducing wood and green waste material is disclosed in the commonly owned U.S. Ser. No. 10/225,714. The machine of that patent utilizes a rotor with projections referred to as hammers. Wood materials are conveyed along a path toward the rotating rotor and are first compressed by a compression roller which directs the material against the rotor. The rotor rotates to direct the material up and over the rotor into an overlying fixed anvil or anvil bar located in close proximity to the hammers and thereby to break the materials into smaller sized chunks of material. The thereby reduced material is forced along and through a series of screens which further reduce the material size. The material is deposited on a conveyor and conveyed to a staging area for recycling, e.g., as groundcover.
One further aspect of note for the machine as described is the provision of a safety release. In the event that a non-wood material, such as a chunk of iron, gets mixed in with the wood and is directed into the rotor and thereafter against the anvil, the anvil is designed to pivot open upon the breaking of a shear pin resulting from the increased impact of the iron mass against the anvil. The operation is closed down and the shear pin is replaced. While the operation is thus interrupted, such occurrences are not frequent and the major components of the apparatus are safeguarded as a result of the shear pin breakage and pivotal mounting of the anvil.
Use of the same machine is not satisfactory for reducing materials, e.g., resulting from structural demolition. Whereas a non-reducible item is but a rare occurrence for reducing wood materials, it is a common occurrence among structural demolition, and operation interruptions of the kind where replacing shear pins for such occurrences is undesirable.


A system (100) and various methods and apparatus for efficient communications of data across various protocol layers are disclosed. A control and transceiver system (1400) configured for determining a data rate control (DRC) value and for transmission a maximum number of time slots allowed for transmission of a physical layer packet of data (510). After detecting a normal termination of transmission, the decoding thresholds (401, 402) are adjusted for decoding a positive acknowledgment message, and repeating decoding of acknowledgment channel (340) with the adjusted thresholds (401, 402). Retransmitting the physical layer packet of data at least one more time after based on whether the repeat of decoding of the acknowledgment channel (340) produces a negative acknowledgment message. The retransmission may be conditioned upon a throughput level of communications between the base station and the mobile station.

In a data communication system, particularly a wireless data communication system, packets of data may be lost for various reasons, including poor channel conditions. The data communicated between two end users may pass through several layers of protocols for assuring proper flow of data through the system, where each layer adds certain functionality to the delivery of the data packet from a source user to a destination user. The proper delivery of data in at least one aspect is assured through a system of checking for error in each packet of data, and automatically requesting a retransmission of the same packet of data (ARQ mechanism), if an error is detected in the received packet of data. Independent ARQ mechanisms may be employed at different protocol layers for flowing data between corresponding end users. The data packets are sequentially delivered from one protocol layer to another. The sequential delivery is performed by transferring a group of data packets at a time in a series of packets of data from one protocol layer to another. A group of data packets may not be transferred until the process for retransmission of the erased packets of data in the group in the lower protocol layer has been completed. The retransmission request for retransmitting an erased packet of data may be repeated several times or the retransmission may take several times until the erased packet of data is received correctly at the destination. As a result, the retransmission process at one protocol layer may slow down the flow of data between different protocol layers in the system. In the mean time, the higher layer protocol may prematurely request for retransmission of all the packets of data in the group including those received successfully at the lower layer, resulting in a very inefficient use of communication resources when flow of data from one protocol layer to another is slow. As such, minimizing the lower layer packet losses due to erasures over the air link is important as much as minimizing the delay of multiple retransmissions, in the event of a packet loss. Therefore, there is a tradeoff between the number of retransmission attempts by a lower layer protocol layer and the delay resulting from such retransmissions that must be considered in the ARQ mechanisms for end-to-end delivery of data packets.
To this end as well as others, there is a need for a method and apparatus to efficiently control flow of data in a communication system.

Method and apparatus for augmenting physical layer ARQ in a wireless data communication system


A method, device, and system are included. In one embodiment, the method included issuing a single row refresh command for a first row in a memory starting at a target address, incrementing a row counter, continuing issuing a single row refresh command for each subsequent row in the memory and incrementing the row counter until the number of row counter increments is equal to the number of rows of the memory refreshed as a result of a refresh (REF) command.

Each memory cell in a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is constructed from a single transistor and a single capacitor and is called dynamic because its data decays and become invalid due to various leakage current paths to surrounding cells and to the substrate the DRAM resides upon. To keep the data in the cells of any DRAM valid, each memory cell is periodically refreshed. Data in the DRAM cell array is refreshed every time it is read out of the cell array into the sense amplifiers and subsequently rewritten into the cell. The memory controller is responsible for periodically performing refresh maintenance operations on the memory cell array. Every row of the memory array needs to be refreshed before the data in the row decays to an invalid state.
As the densities and the page sizes of DRAM grow, it takes significantly more power and time to perform a refresh on the entire memory cell array. With increasing densities, DRAM devices are internally refreshing more rows per refresh command to keep the refresh interval constant, which results in significant power peaks during a given refresh operation. Furthermore, when DRAM is being refreshed, it can't perform normal read and write operations and is effectively locked out from normal operating mode. Thus, with multiple rows refreshed per refresh command, the lockout period has been increasing. The increasing lockout period increases refresh latencies and, as a result, lowers the bandwidth that can be guaranteed for isochronous traffic.