An apparatus for clamping, folding and transferring a stack of flexible plastic bag products such as a stack of zippered plastic bags. The apparatus can be retrofitted in existing bag sealers used for producing and packaging a stack of plastic bags in order to produce novel shallower plastic bag products.

This invention relates to an apparatus and process for the manufacture of flexible film articles such as zippered plastic bags, and more particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and process for clamping, folding and transferring a stack of zippered plastic bags to a packaging operation.
The machinery used for the production of individual flexible web products such as plastic containers and bags is well known in the art. The machinery is sometimes referred to as a "bag sealer." For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,014,978, incorporated herein by reference, discloses the type of equipment that is used for producing individual flexible bags. Ziploc.TM. is a brand of zipper type flexible bags. Generally, the machinery for making these bags includes a large diameter rotating drum which contains multiple heated wire severing and sealing elements positioned in grooves located within the outer periphery of the drum for severing and sealing a continuous web of thermoplastic material which has been folded upon itself to form two plies. The individual bags, are formed by severing portions of the thermoplastic material. The severed areas become side seams for the bags and are typically sealed at the same time as they are severed by the use of the heated wire elements. The individual bags are retained on the drum by a vacuum arrangement as the drum rotates.
The individual bags formed on the large rotating drum are taken from the drum by a smaller transfer drum, also suitably equipped with vacuum. The vacuum securing the bags onto the large drum is relieved at an appropriate point, and the bags fall onto the smaller drum where they are held in position by vacuum. At an appropriate point, the vacuum is released and the individual bags are pulled off the smaller drum by an orbital packer or similar device.
The orbital packing device is provided with a set of packer fingers which move in a circular path in precise timing with the smaller drum so that the fingers remove successive bags, which are typically separated on the drum approximately a nominal 1/8 inch from each other, from the drum and stack the bags on a stacking table against a backstop.
An apparatus including a set of clamping jaws, for example as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,284,301 and 4,588,070, grasp the stack of bags at the stacking table and horizontally transfers the stack of bags from the stacking table to a horizontal support platform such as supporting bars or arms. Generally, at the horizontal support platform position, the stack of bags on the support platform is in a position normally directly above a dispenser loading station. Thus, a further means for transferring vertically the stack of bags from the support platform to a packaging point is then used. For example, an actuated elevator plate having a pair of bag clamps attached to it and capable of moving vertically up and down is used to transfer the stack of bags from the platform to a dispenser loading station. Sometimes the actuated elevator plate with bag clamps is referred to as a "first fold bag clamp and elevator apparatus."
The elevator plate with the bag clamps moves up to the support platform wherein the pair of bag clamps grip the stack at the stack's approximate centerline. Then, the cam actuated elevator plate, to which said bag clamps are mounted, lowers the stack vertically through a pair of guides which places a first fold into the stack as the elevator moves down to a position just below the guides. The guides restrain the stack in a first fold position until an awaiting open turret clamp closes on the stack. Then, the bag clamps are released and the turret begins to index 180 degrees from its dwell position. As the turret indexes, the once-folded stack of bags receives a second fold as the clamped stack passes a folding guide or shroud. The shroud holds the second fold until the turret stops rotating and the turret clamps are lowered into an awaiting dispenser (via a cam actuated carton load mechanism) at a position below the turret. The final orientation in the dispenser is in the form of a twice-folded stack of bags. The twice-folding apparatus and packaging procedure is described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/786,861, filed Nov. 1, 1991, by Turvey et al., incorporated herein by reference.
The above bag sealer and twice-folding apparatus works well without having to use a side shift mechanism as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,284,301 and 4,588,070, when used to produce and package "normal" sized commercially available bags, for example, quart size bags, sandwich size bags, gallon size bags and other bags of a greater size which are capable of being folded twice. However, producing and packaging a stack of bags of a size smaller than the smallest commercially available bag, for example a pint size bag which has the dimensions of 5 inches from zipper to fold, on existing bag sealer equipment is not practical without modification of the existing equipment. To run a different sized bag on an existing equipment originally made to run another certain sized bag requires a major modification to the existing equipment such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,070.
In a typical bag sealer for zippered bags, for example, the heat sealing and packaging functions in the equipment are based on a fixed location for the zipper profile. If the location of the incoming zipper profile is changed, such change, would be very expensive and require days, if not weeks, of machinery downtime.
In addition, since the stacks of bags are normally folded twice about the centerline of the stack and then inserted into a cardboard dispenser, producing bags of different depths (zipper to fold) requires the use of special machine features to reposition the centerline from that in the stacking position, to that for the first fold position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,070 illustrates one example of the need for repositioning a stack of bags in order for the existing bag-manufacturing and packaging equipment to be able handle a different size bag.
As aforementioned, any new proposed bags of a shallow depth, for example a depth of 3.25 inches (zipper to fold), would not be practical to fold the stack twice before insertion into a dispenser. As such, a single fold, or no fold, is desirable for this type of shallower product. Therefore, due to the product size and the impracticality of a double fold, the art practiced in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,070 can not be utilized for repositioning the shallow depth bags contemplated herein.
One approach to producing and packaging shallow bags is to replace the seal drum, clamp assemblies, transfer drum, and packaging apparatus to change an existing machine over to machinery for handling a shallower bag. However, this approach would be cost prohibitive to any proposed new bag line extension. In fact, high capital to produce the product would probably cancel the project.
Accordingly, it is very desirable to utilize existing machinery and retrofit the machinery to handle smaller sized bags than heretofore produced with minimal modifications to the existing machinery.

Flexible product folding and transferring apparatus and process


A three-axis acceleration sensor is mounted to a body of an electric toothbrush. A CPU detects the three-dimensional attitude of the body based on an output from the acceleration sensor and, based on the attitude of the toothbrush, estimates which portion is being brushed. Then, the CPU performs control for switching between operation modes (such as the rotational direction of a motor and the frequency of vibration of the brush) according to the estimated portion being brushed.

There is known an electric toothbrush of a type which performs toothbrushing (removing food debris and plaque) by placing a fast-moving brush against teeth. For the electric toothbrush of this type, a variety of driving mechanisms and driving methods are proposed with the aim of improving plaque removing power and improving sense of medical treatment.
For example, Patent Documents 1, 2 disclose an electric toothbrush capable of switching between a rotational reciprocating motion (rolling motion) and a linear reciprocating motion by switching rotational directions of a motor.
Furthermore, Patent Document 3 discloses an idea that the orientation around the shaft of the toothbrush body is detected at four stages or eight stages and a section being brushed is estimated based on the detection result. Specifically, a plurality of segments each in the shape of a sector are provided in the circumferential direction in the inside of the body. The orientation of the toothbrush body is estimated by sensing in which segment a conductive ball is present, based on a change of electric resistance. However, it is difficult to reduce the size of such a mechanism, and in addition, it is difficult to obtain high sensing accuracy because the position of the ball is not stable due to motion of the toothbrush. In Patent Document 3, the number of times or time of brushing is recorded for each section, and evaluation as to whether brushing is properly done or not is output.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Laying-Open No. 4-15426
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 5-123221
Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-152217


A firearm impingement apparatus that is operable to divert a portion of the gas flowing into the gas block of the impingement apparatus so as to reduce the temperature and contamination thereof. The impingement apparatus includes a gas block integrally formed with a barrel-mating sleeve. The gas block includes a gas block port line that is in axial alignment with a gas vent tube located on a barrel of a firearm. The gas block further includes at least one exhaust port fluidly coupled with the gas block port line. Movably secured within the at least one exhaust port is an adjustment screw. The adjustment screw is movable intermediate a first position and a second position so as to facilitate diversion of gas from the gas block at varying volumes.

Rifles such as but not limited to the AR15 utilize impingement systems to cycle the bolt carrier during the firing process. As is known in the art, there are two types of impingement systems. A direct gas impingement system is operably coupled to the barrel of the rifle and includes a port that is operably coupled to the barrel chamber and a gas tube adjacent to the barrel. A portion of the gas created during the firing of a round escapes into the port and is routed back to the bolt carrier, which facilitates the rearward movement thereof. The alternative style of impingement system is a gas piston impingement system. The gas piston impingement system also includes a port that is operably coupled to the barrel but leads to a piston chamber. The piston chamber contains a piston head wherein the piston head includes a piston rod extending therefrom having an end adjacent to the bolt carrier. During the firing process a portion of the gas escapes from the barrel and into the piston chamber which drives the rod rearward towards the bolt carrier in order to facilitate the movement thereof.
One problem with the current impingement systems mentioned herein is the continuous introduction of carbon-laden gas into either the gas tube and firing chamber or the piston chamber. As rounds are fired the accumulation of carbon and other contaminants build up in various areas of the firearm and reduce the effectiveness of its components. Without regular cleaning this can lead to the misfiring or jamming of the rifle during the shooting process.
Another problem with existing impingement systems is there lack of gas control. Both existing types of impingement systems utilize a method of controlling the gas flow from the barrel into the port that controls the input flow of gas into the gas block port of the impingement block. Utilization of this technique results in excess pressure on the impingement system block and excessive heat build-up. This increases the wear on the component and ultimately leads to the early failure thereof.
Accordingly, there is a need for an impingement system for a firearm that is operable to control the release of gas from the impingement block so as to eliminate contaminant build-up in other areas of the firearm and reduce the heating of the impingement block so as to improve the overall performance of the firearm. Additionally, it is desired to have an impingement system that releases excess pressure within the gas block and utilizes an adjustment method operable to provide only sufficient pressure needed for operation of the impingement system.

Firearm impingement system having adjustable gas block


A method of determining a structure for financing a consumer product through a computer implemented process according to one embodiment comprising the steps of: receiving one or more fixed inputs including a monthly payment value and a down payment value; calculating a plurality of potential financial structures for the consumer product based upon the monthly payment value and the down payment value; and determining from the plurality of potential financial structures, a financial structure that provides a greatest profit for a seller of the consumer product.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automated credit approval systems and methods. More specifically, the present invention relates to automated credit approval systems and methods used when conducting a financial transaction for a vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In the used car industry, there are many people with sub-prime credit who are looking to purchase a vehicle. In general, people with bad credit are simply looking to buy any reasonably drive-worthy vehicle that the dealer is willing to sell to them and for which they are able to obtain financing provided the financing company agrees to the down payment amount and the monthly payment amount they can afford. Historically, in order for a person with bad credit to receive approval on financing, a lender would need to review the person's loan application and make a determination as to whether financing would be approved or rejected. In many instances, this process could three or four days, thus preventing a deal from being made on the spot. Anytime, the person leaves the car lot without the deal being completed there is a greater chance that the person will walk away without purchasing the vehicle.
Thus, more recently, automated loan approval systems have become available. For example, one such system in described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/043,676, filed Jan. 9, 2002, entitled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DEAL STRUCTURING FOR AUTOMOBILE DEALERS, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Another such automated approval system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,950,807, issued Sep. 27, 2005, entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING FINANCING, which patent is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
While these automated approval systems have greatly enhanced the ability of a dealer to close a deal the same day that the person walk onto the lot, there are improvements upon these systems that can be made to aid a dealer in putting together the best deal possible.

Systems and methods for optimization of a financial transaction


There is provided a movable ion beam inclination-angle measuring apparatus that can measure the inclination angle of either a spot ion beam or a ribbon ion beam. The apparatus is provided in an X-axis direction from an ion supplying unit of an ion implantation device. The apparatus includes an ion current measuring unit which has an ion-beam receiving device for receiving the ion beam, and has an ion current measuring part for measuring an ion current induced by the received ion beam. The apparatus further includes an angle adjusting unit adapted to adjust a receiving angle of the ion beam receiving device about a Y-axis and/or Z-axis and a position adjusting unit adapted to move the ion-beam receiving device in a Z-axis direction. The inclination angle is calculated by an inclination-angle calculating unit using the variation of the measured ion current depending on the adjustment of the receiving angle of the ion beam.

This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No.: 2004-32198, filed on May 7, 2004, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to an inclination-angle measuring apparatus for an ion beam.
2. Description of the Related Art
Ion implantation is a technique for ionizing and accelerating impurities in a form of an ion beam and then implanting an appropriate amount of the ionized impurities into a desired region of a semiconductor substrate, material film or the like. Ion implantation is a part of the semiconductor fabrication procedure that selectively implants high-pure impurities into the substrate. In ion implantation, the position and the implantation depth of implanted ions can be precisely controlled and has an excellent characteristic of reappearance in comparison with a thermal diffusion process. U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,343,047 and 5,641,969 disclose examples of ion implantation apparatuses.
However, as semiconductor devices have become more highly integrated and designed for higher performance levels, implanting ions requires more precise control. That is, the number, the implantation region and the implantation depth of the implanted ions need to be more strictly controlled in order to fabricate the semiconductor devices with higher integration and higher performance. In order to achieve this control, precise control of the inclination angle of an ion beam as well as the intensity of the ion beam is required.
If the inclination angle of the ion beam is imprecise, a channeling effect can be generated, and a shadow effect can be generated due to an upper mask pattern. Therefore, the inclination angle of the ion beam should be precisely measured to prevent the channeling effect and the shadow effect, and to precisely control the number, the implantation region and the implantation depth of the implanted ion.
In order to measure the inclination angle of the ion beam, ion implanting equipment generally includes an inclination-angle measuring apparatus. U.S. patent application publication No. 20030197132A1 published on Oct. 23, 2003 and entitled "Apparatus and method for measuring inclination angle of ion beam" by Keum et al. (the "Keum application"), which is commonly owned by an assignee of the present invention, discloses several examples of ion beam inclination-angle measuring apparatuses and a method for measuring an inclination angle of the ion beam using the same. The Keum application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
In the Keum application, FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of a construction of a spot ion beam inclination-angle measuring apparatus. Additionally, in the Keum application, FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic view of a construction of a ribbon ion beam inclination-angle measuring apparatus. In the Keum application, a Faraday cup assembly of an ion current measuring unit is rotated up and down and/or left and right, while ion current induced by the ion beam received in the Faraday cup assembly is measured. Additionally, a rotation angle of the Faraday cup assembly, at which the maximum ion current is generated, is calculated on the basis of the measured current and its variation. The inclination angle of the ion beam can be obtained from the calculated rotation angle of the Faraday cup assembly.
However, the Faraday cup assembly in the Keum application has a different structure for measuring a spot ion beam and for measuring a ribbon ion beam. The inclination-angle measuring apparatus for the spot ion beam cannot be used for measuring the inclination angle of the ribbon ion beam generated by the ion implantation equipment.
Further, the Faraday cup assembly measuring the inclination angle in the Keum application includes a single or plurality of Faraday cups formed of graphite. A hole in the Faraday cup that receives the ion beam is limited by its sidewall structure. If the sidewall structure is cast or molded using graphite to fabricate a Faraday cup, the hole have a size of several millimeters (mm). For example, even if it is not impossible, it is considerably difficult to limit the hole by the sidewall structure to a length (or diameter) smaller than 1 mm. If the hole of Faraday cup is large in size, the detection resolution of the inclination angle of the spot ion beam has a predetermined limitation. The limitation of the detection resolution becomes an obstacle in precisely controlling the inclination angle of the ion beam.
Additionally, since the ion beam is increased in size and accordingly, a Faraday cup and its dependent hole are concurrently increased in size, the detection resolution of the inclination angle becomes worse. For example, in a process where a 300 mm wafer is used, a larger ion beam is required to improve productivity. If an inclination-angle measuring apparatus has the same structure as a conventional inclination-angle measuring apparatus and is larger in size, the detection resolution of the inclination angle deteriorates.
Additionally, the Faraday cup assembly of the ribbon ion beam inclination-angle measuring apparatus disclosed in the Keum application is constructed as an assembly of a plurality of Faraday cups. The plurality of Faraday cups is fixedly disposed along a horizontal axis by a length of the ribbon ion beam. Accordingly, the Faraday cups adjacent to one another have a predetermined interval therebetween. The interval is twice as much as a sidewall thickness of the Faraday cup. Accordingly, the conventional inclination-angle measuring apparatus has a drawback in that the ribbon ion beam has a blind region between adjacent Faraday cups in which the inclination angle cannot be measured.

Movable inclination-angle measuring apparatus for ion beam, and method of use


A tool member includes a ratchet head having a central polygonal aperture arranged to selectively receive a die holder member or alternatively, a collet assembly for mounting a threading tap. A second handle member is arranged for selective securement to the head in longitudinal alignment relative to a first handle mounted to the ratcheting head, wherein the first and second handles are arranged on opposed sides of the mounting head orthogonally oriented relative to the head's axis.

1. Field of the Invention
The field of invention relates to thread cutting tool structure, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved ratcheting threading tool wherein the same is arranged for the ratcheting of a die member or threading tap relative to the tool assembly.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thread cutting tools of various types have been utilized throughout the prior art for the cutting of threads into a bore or about a cylindrical rod alternatively employing a tap or die structure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,145 to Fink sets forth a holder for mounting thread cutting dies as exemplary in the prior art, wherein the U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,302 to Beaty indicates a die member for the cutting of threads in a conventional manner.
The prior art has heretofore failed to provide for the convenience of a ratcheting head structure relative to a thread cutting tool organization and in this respect, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.


A multi-plate disc brake has interleaved rotatable and non-rotatable brake discs (11) within a brake housing (13) and a ball and ramp type brake actuator (12) comprising first and second relatively rotatable annular actuator discs (20, 21) with actuator balls (22) therebetween located in circumferentially ramped pockets (20a, 21a) on opposing faces of the actuator discs. A wedge-shaped actuator member (23) has an actuating means (24A, 24B) to displace the actuator member between confronting abutments (20b, 21b) on the respective actuator discs to relatively rotate the discs to cause the balls to rise up the ramped pockets and hence expand the actuator axially to move the brake discs (11) into engagement. Cooling oil is supplied into the brake housing through the wedge-shaped actuator member (23) when the brake is engaged.

This invention relates to disc brakes and in particular to so-called wedge operated disc brakes which comprise interleaved rotatable and non-rotatable brake discs within a brake housing, a ball and ramp type brake actuator comprising first and second relatively rotatable annular actuator discs with actuator balls therebetween located in circumferentially ramped pockets formed in opposing faces of the actuator discs, a wedge-shaped actuator member and an actuating means to displace the actuator member between confronting abutments on the respective actuator discs to relatively rotate the discs to cause the balls to rise up the ramped pockets and hence expand the actuator axially to move the brake discs into engagement.
Such wedge operated disc brakes are well known and are used, for example, in agricultural or industrial tractors and other similar vehicles.
Since such brakes are used in heavy braking applications it is a requirement to provide for the cooling of such brakes to avoid overheating.


An electrical switch having an activation component that closes and opens contact points within a switch housing. The activation component can include a front end and a rear end. The rear end can be within the switch housing and the front end can protrude from the switch housing. The front end of the activation component can include a fuse slot. A fuse can be placed in the fuse slot and removed from the fuse slot. A rubber cover can be removably attachable to the outside of the fuse slot to protect a fuse within the fuse slot.

The present invention relates to an electrical switch and, more particularly, to an electrical switch with a fuse in the handle portion.
Currently, toggle switches, momentary switches, or thermal circuit breakers are used. A switch is an electrical component that can break an electrical circuit, interrupting the current or diverting it from one conductor to another. Most switch applications are automotive or marine. The switches require two components, a switch and a fuse holder wired together. If a failure occurs typically a panel has to be opened to troubleshoot the components. This can be very difficult to accomplish, especially in a marine application.
Typically, thermal breakers can be used for marine application. Thermal breakers tend to be large and do not require fuses. However, it is difficult to pinpoint whether a failure is caused by a faulty thermal breaker or some other anomaly on the circuit. Further, thermal breakers have only one amp setting, which means that if the electrical load is changed, the breaker must be changed as well, which is costly.
Both thermal breakers and switches require additional components. Further, the breakers and switches are bulky, expensive, and difficult to install and troubleshoot while on a vehicle or vessel.
As can be seen, there is a need for an easy to use and compact switch.


An integrated circuit with a test circuit having a measurement converter circuit and an activation unit. The measurement converter circuit converts one or more circuit-internal signals into a measured value. The activation unit activates the measurement converter circuit in accordance with an activation signal. The measurement converter circuit and the activation unit are connected to a connection pad. The activation unit is configured in such a way as to switch on the measurement converter circuit by means of the activation signal received via the connection pad. The measured value can be tapped off via the connection pad.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an integrated circuit with a test circuit for checking circuit-internal signals with the aid of an external tester device. The invention furthermore relates to a method for checking a function in an integrated circuit. The invention furthermore relates to a test system with an integrated circuit and a tester device for checking a function in the integrated circuit.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the testing of integrated circuits, it is necessary to detect internal signals and forward them to a tester device for checking. The internal signals can be tapped off on the one hand via connection pads of the integrated circuit or by placing measuring tips on connecting lines of the integrated circuit. The number of available connection pads is limited on an integrated circuit since said connection pads take up a large area in comparison with the circuit structures. On the other hand, signals detected by measuring tips are measurable only with a large error tolerance being accepted, since the driver power of the signals between the gate circuits of the integrated circuit usually does not suffice to sufficiently compensate for the inductive load of a measuring tip or of the contact between measuring tip and interconnect. Equally, in the case of analog signals, the resistance of the measuring tip, of the tester line with respect to the measuring tip and/or of the contact between measuring tip and interconnect is beset with an unknown resistance which corrupts the measurement of currents or voltages.
In the case of very weak signals, in particular, the measurement with an external tester device leads to unusable results, irrespective of whether the measured signal is measured via a connection pad or by emplacement of a measuring tip.
Hitherto, test mode circuits have been provided in the integrated circuit, which check the internal signals or internal signal relationships and compare them with corresponding desired values in order to check the circuit in accordance with its specification. One disadvantage of the test mode circuits is the large space requirement in the integrated circuit, since each test mode circuit has to be connected to a control circuit with an interconnect.
A further disadvantage of measuring internal signals by means of an externally connected tester device is that the signal changes in some instances take place so rapidly that the external tester device cannot ascertain them on account of capacitances and inductances.


The use of quaternary halogenated ammonium salts for treating leishmaniasis infections and other parasitic diseases is described. Although there have been previous reports in which quaternary ammonium salts are used as antimalarial, antifungal, and antileishmanial compounds, the use of such salts containing a halogenated N-methyl substituent as a therapeutic agent against leishmaniasis had not been reported. The compounds described here, in specific those with a terminal arylalkenyl or diarylalkenyl moiety, are shown to inhibit the growth of Leishmania panamensis parasites, a known causative agent of leishmaniasis disease. In addition, the series of compounds are also extensive against malaria, Chagas disease, toxoplasmosis, and other parasitic diseases.

There are three main clinical manifestations of leishmaniasis, which are currently classified as visceral, mucocutaneous, and cutaneous. The clinical form of leishmaniasis is determined by the Leishmania species, geographical location, and immune response of the host. The leishmaniasis diseases are endemic in 97 countries over 4 continents, frequently with one type being more of a threat over the other two in specific regions. It is estimated that more than 12 million people are affected worldwide, with 2 million new cases reported per year (1.5 million CL and 0.5 million VL).
On the other hands Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi). It is found mainly in Latin America, where it is mostly transmitted to humans by the faeces of triatomine bugs.
An estimated 10 million people are infected worldwide, mostly in Latin America where Chagas disease is endemic. More than 25 million people are at risk of the disease. It is estimated that in 2008 Chagas disease killed more than 10,000 people.
The classification system divides the genus Leishmania into two sub-genera: Leishmania (L) sensustricto, present in both Old and New World, and Viannia (V), restricted to the New World. Within these two sub-genera, various species complexes have been individualized. Currently, at least twenty different species are recognized as human infectants. The most prevalent species involved in human cases of leishmaniasis are L. (L) donovani, L. (L) infantum, L. (L) mexicana, L. (L) amazonensis, L. (L) tropica, L. (L) major, L. (L) aethiopica, L. (V) braziliensis, L. (V) guyanensis, L. (V) panamensis and L. (V) peruviana. Each of these species is found in different locations worldwide and is responsible for causing different types of leishmaniasis.
Visceral leishmaniasis is the most pathogenic of the three types. It is caused by species of L. (L) donovani complex and L. (L) infantum. The common symptoms include irregular fever, weight loss, swelling of the spleen and liver and anemia. If left untreated, visceral leishmaniasis will lead to death. Endemic L. (L) infantum visceral leishmaniasis affects mainly children and L. (L) donovani VL affects people of any age group living in urban and rural areas. The onset of this type is usually abrupt, but symptoms may appear beginning 3 weeks to 2 years after exposure. With epidemic visceral leishmaniasis, all age groups are equally susceptible. With this type, males are also more likely to be infected than females at a ratio of 4:3. At this time, there is little understanding of the mechanisms by which apparent selectivity of hosts and effects are carried out.
Most research to treat leishmaniasis is focused on the development of improved chemotherapies because current drugs are unsatisfactory. Pentavalent antimonials, such as meglumine antimoniate and sodium stibogluconate are the most used anti-leishmanial drugs. While they can be therapeutic, they have unsatisfactory side effects such as systemic toxicity (cardiac, renal and hepatic), chemical pancreatitis, decreases in RBCs (Red Blood Cell Count), WBCs (White Blood Cell Count) and platelet counts and reversible peripheral neuropathy. Additionally, these drugs require prolonged treatment. The treatment with antimonials includes repeated [daily intramuscular or intravenous] injections for 20-28 days, requiring medical supervision. It is recommended that 20 mg/kg body weight be injected daily over that period of time. In addition to these drawbacks, Leishmania parasites are also becoming increasingly resistant to these treatments.
Amphotericin B is a secondary treatment used for leishmaniasis, especially when antimonial treatment has not been effective. This treatment is parenteral in nature and also highly toxic. It was found, however, that a total dose of 15 mg/kg body weight is 100% effective and a dose of 5-10 mg/kg is 90% effective against the Indian visceral disease. A liposomal formulation reduces the toxicity, but at a higher cost.
Other currently used drugs include the alkyl-glycero-phosphocholine, miltefosine, pentamidine and ketoconazole. Miltefosine is the first oral medication approved against leishmaniasis. Miltefosine commonly induces gastrointestinal side-effects such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting (38%) and diarrhea (20%). Most episodes are brief and resolve as treatment is continued. Occasionally, the side-effects can be severe and require interruption of treatment. Skin allergy, elevated hepatic transaminase concentrations and, rarely, renal insufficiency may be observed. Miltefosine should be taken after meals, and, if multiple doses are to be taken, they should be divided. Miltefosine is potentially teratogenic and should not be used by pregnant women or women with child-bearing potential for whom adequate contraception cannot be assured for the duration of treatment and for 3 months afterwards.
Ketokonazole have variable efficacy in leishmaniasis treatment. Pentamidine is given intramuscularly or, preferably, by intravenous infusion. Severe adverse effects—diabetes mellitus, severe hypoglycaemia, shock, myocarditis and renal toxicity—limit its use.
New drugs such as paromomycin (aminosidine), an aminoglycoside antibiotic, usually administered intramuscularly, are under study. The 15 mg/kg sulfate is equivalent to 11 mg/kg of base, and the 20 mg/kg sulfate is equivalent to 15 mg/kg of base. Mild pain at the injection site is the commonest adverse event (55%). Reversible ototoxicity occurs in 2% of patients. Renal toxicity is rare. Some patients may develop hepatotoxicity, indicated by raised hepatic enzyme concentrations; tetany has also been reported.
Quaternary ammonium compounds such as octadecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide and dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide have also been reported to inhibit the growth of L. major promastigotes. The use of alkyl quaternary ammonium compounds including certain choline analogs for treating or preventing fungal and trypanosomal (e.g., Leishmaniasis) infections is also known.
The compounds seem to inhibit or perturb choline transport into the parasites, thus inhibiting parasites growth. Other quaternary ammonium salts that are known antibacterials, such as methylbenzethonium chloride, benzethonium chloride, cetalkonium chloride, benzalkonium chloride, and cetrimonium bromide have been used in combination with other drugs such as paromomycin and meglumine antimoniate; as a well as benzethonium chloride, in combination with other drugs such as hexadecyl-phosphorylcholine.
Chagas disease can be treated with either benznidazole or nifurtimox. Both medicines are almost 100% effective in curing the disease if given soon after infection at the onset of the acute phase. However, the efficacy of both diminishes the longer a person has been infected. Benznidazole and nifurtimox should not be taken by pregnant women or by people with kidney or liver failure. Nifurtimox is also contraindicated for people with a background of neurological or psychiatric disorders.
Multiple metabolic pathways and specific molecular targets have been studied in trypanosomatid parasites. Membrane lipid biosynthesis pathways are a viable target for anti-trypanosomal compounds since phospholipids have an important role in the cell biology of the parasite and membrane lipid composition differs significantly when compared to mammals.

Quaternary N-(halomethyl) ammonium salts as therapeutic agents

THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY


A method for re-transmitting missing packets in an improved manner in association with transmitting an MPEG transport stream between a client and a server of a communication network is provided. New type of customized control packets are introduced which are periodically embedded into the transport stream at the server from which the MPEG transport stream is distributed, wherein each of the embedded control packets is provided with package identification data. A client receiving the MPEG transport stream, including the embedded customized control packets, will, on the basis of the package identification data obtained from a customized control packet be able to identify each of n packets which were inserted by the server into the transport stream subsequent to the respective customized control packet.

Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is an emerging technique for delivering broadcasted TV services over an IP network, which is typically configured as a broadband access network. Currently the predominant IPTV service is Broadcast TV, where normal non-IPTV channels, as well as additional channels with low penetration can be transmitted over a broadband network from a super head-end to the end-user's STB (set top box).
MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) transport streams are commonly used for the purpose of transporting video, audio and text packets in IPTV networks, as well as in terrestrial, satellite and cable TV networks.
An MPEG stream is typically containing several elements, which are all needed for providing an ultimate user experience. If one UDP (User Datagram Protocol) packet is dropped, several of these smaller packets are lost, which may result in that the user experience is affected in a negative way. One way of solving this problem is to keep track of all sent packets on both the server and the client side. If a packet is lost, the client will request a re-transmission of the lost packet.
Several solutions for handling re-transmissions have been suggested, all having in common that the network packets have to be modified by adding an additional RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol) header. The added RTP header does, however create problems for all STB's that does not support any RET (Re-transmission) mechanism. In order to overcome this problem, a client has to be modified such that the added RTP header can be understood by the client, even if the re-transmission feature is not even supported by the client.

Methods, a client and a server for handling an MPEG transport stream


An alarm management system and method includes structure and function for receiving one or more process parameter signals representative of one or more process parameters. Each of the received process parameters is then compared with an associated alarm point. An alarm status signal is generated on the basis of the comparison. An annunciation command signal is transmitted on the basis of the alarm status signal. And, a sound is then generated on the basis of the annunciation command signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an alarm management system. More particularly, the invention relates to a system and method for managing alarms in an industrial facility. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a system and method for managing a plurality of alarms in a nuclear power plant.
2. Description of Related Art
Day to day operations in most industrial facilities, including nuclear power generation plants, are typically uneventful. However, certain unscheduled events may occur that require the immediate attention of operational personnel. Thus, most process parameter monitoring systems are designed to include some type of warning system to alert operational personnel to an impending, or current, event requiring their attention. More specifically, these systems typically sound an audible alarm to alert operational personnel that a process parameter has exceeded a specified limit.
Some unscheduled events may result in numerous alarms being sounded. These alarms may come from different systems, require differing levels of attention, and require attention by different operational personnel. Thus, when multiple alarms sound simultaneously or in momentary succession, operational personnel must determine what system each alarm is associated with, the priority level of each alarm, and which operator is responsible for attending to each alarm. This may result in confusion, missed alarms, inattention to certain alarms, or a combination of all of these factors, especially if the alarms are spread out around the facility.
Designers have attempted to alleviate the above-mentioned factors to some extent in the nuclear power plant context. Specifically, modern nuclear power plants utilize a centralized control room design having computer-based workstations to allow convenient access to plant controls and functions from a single location. The workstations are divided into assigned operational responsibilities. For example, the reactor operator workstation encompasses controls and functions associated with reactor operations (e.g., primary plant systems including the nuclear reactor), and the turbine operator workstation encompasses controls and functions associated with secondary plant operations (e.g., steam plant systems). When one or more alarm situations occur, an alarm system outputs an audible tone to alert the control room operators. The system further causes the alarms to be depicted on workstation video display units as alarm lists, or highlighted on system mimic diagrams. The alarm lists may be filtered by certain categories such as by alarm priority or by the system in which the alarms occur.
However, even modem centralized control room designs exhibit certain deficiencies. Specifically, when an audible tone is generated upon occurrence of a new alarm, the operators must manually determine which operator has responsibility for the alarm. This is accomplished by manually scanning an alarm list to determine if the new alarm is associated with the reactor operator or the turbine operator. Or, the control room operators must examine the various system mimic diagrams on the video display units to make the determination. Both of these operations are time consuming and distracting.
Additionally, while the alarm lists may be filtered by certain categories, there is no coherent alarm status overview that allows an operator to conveniently observe the overall alarm-state of the plant and how the alarms are distributed.
An operator can readily determine individual alarms and groups of related alarms using the category filtering function, but it is difficult to ascertain the overall plant alarm-state and determine the distribution of the alarms.
Finally, present alarm systems provide no implementation that supports direct access to an operator""s desired view of one or more alarms from a high-level plant alarm status overview. For example, an operator may wish to observe a new alarm from different perspectives, such as from an alarm list or from within a system mimic diagram to observe the context of the alarm relative to associated plant components and systems. With present alarm systems, an operator must either manually search through a display menu to select the desired system mimic diagram or manually recall an appropriate alarm list.
Thus, there is a need for an alarm annunciation system that notifies operators immediately, upon the occurrence of one or more alarms, which operator has responsibility for each alarm. There is also a need for an alarm distribution indication system that presents a coherent view of the current plant alarm-state and the distribution of alarms by operator responsibility, priority, and system. There is additionally a need for a device for selectively displaying alarms that supports direct access to an operator""s desired view of one or more alarms from a high-level plant alarm status overview. Finally, there is a need for an entire alarm management system that incorporates each of these features.
In one aspect of the present invention, an alarm management system comprises receiving means, comparing and generating means, receiving and transmitting means, and sound generation means. The receiving means receives one or more process parameter signals representative of one or more process parameters. The comparing and generating means compares each of the received process parameter signals with an associated alarm setpoint and generates an alarm status signal on the basis of the comparison. The receiving and transmitting means receives the alarm status signal and transmits an annunciation command signal on the basis of the received alarm status signal. The sound generation means generates a sound on the basis of the annunciation command signal.
In another aspect of the present invention, an alarm annunciation system comprises receiving and transmitting means, tone generation means, and voice synthesization means. The receiving and transmitting means receives an alarm status signal and transmits an annunciation command signal on the basis of the received alarm status signal. The tone generation means generates a plurality of tones, each having a different frequency from another, on the basis of the annunciation command signal. The voice synthesization means synthesizes a human voice signal of a specified pitch on the basis of the annunciation command signal.
In still a further aspect of the present invention, an alarm distribution indication system comprises memory means, information extraction means, information categorization means, and display means. The memory means stores alarm information of a plurality of alarms. The information extraction means periodically extracts the alarm information from the memory means. The information categorization means categorizes the extracted alarm information into to a plurality of predetermined categories. The display means displays the alarm information, for each of the plurality of alarms, arranged into the plurality of predetermined categories.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a device for selectively displaying a plurality of alarms, comprises a video display unit, an input selection device, information storage means, information categorization means, mimic display storage and generation means, and information transfer means. The information storage means stores alarm information for each of the plurality of alarms. The information categorization means periodically retrieves and categorizes the stored alarm information into a plurality of predetermined categories. The mimic display storage and generation means stores mimic display information for a plurality of process systems, and periodically retrieves the stored alarm information and generates the mimic display information for each of the plurality of process systems including the retrieved alarm information therein. The information transfer means receives a first command from the input selection device to select information and transfers the selected information to the video display unit for display thereon. The selected information includes one of the alarm information in one of the first plurality of predetermined categories, and the alarm information included in one of the plurality of process system mimic displays.
In yet still a further aspect of the present invention, a method of managing a plurality of alarms includes the steps of receiving, comparing, generating an alarm status signal, receiving the alarm status signal, transmitting an annunciation signal, and generating a sound. In the receiving step, one or more process parameter signals representative of one or more process parameters are received. In the comparing step, each of the received process parameter signals is compared with an associated alarm setpoint. In the alarm status signal generating step, an alarm status signal is generated on the basis of the comparison in the comparison step. The alarm status signal is received in the alarm status signal receiving step. An annunciation command signal is transmitted on the basis of the received alarm status signal, in the annunciation command signal transmission step. A sound is generated on the basis of the annunciation command signal, in the sound generation step.
The present invention provides distinct features and advantages over related alarm management systems and components. Specifically, an alarm annunciation system directs attention to the appropriate operational personnel whenever a new alarm is generated, or when an existing alarm condition returns to normal. Thus, operators are not required to manually determine which operator is responsible for the alarm.
An alarm distribution indication system provides a single display page on a video display unit from which operators can conveniently ascertain the overall alarm state and alarm distribution. Thus, operators do not have to mentally construct an overview of the overall alarm state and distribution by examining and filtering various alarm lists.
Additionally, a device for selectively displaying a plurality of alarms allows operators to conveniently and rapidly access one or more alarms based on a desired contextual view. Thus, operators do not have to manually search through a display menu to select a desired mimic display or manually recall the appropriate alarm list.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art when the following detailed description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


An indicator for a vehicle instrument cluster is provided. The indicator includes a dial configured to guide light from a light source to a pointer which further guides the light so that it is visible by a user.

The present application relates to an indicator device with a pointer such as those used in particular on board motor vehicles for displaying vehicle speed or engine revolutions per minute (rpm).
Such an indicator device generally includes a plate supporting a dial in front of which a pointer is mounted to pivot, the pointer having one end secured to a drive shaft and another end that is free (or distal).
Some conventional indicators associate the pointer with a lighting member making it easier to see the position of the pointer relative to the dial, thus improving the legibility of the indicator device.
In certain indicator devices, the lighting member comprises a light-emitting diode (LED) secured to the free end of the pointer. It is difficult to power the LED because the pointer is movable.
To mitigate that drawback, some conventional instrument clusters provide indicator devices in which LEDs are mounted on the plate in the vicinity of the pointer drive shaft to emit a light beam towards an inlet portion arranged in the stationary end (or anchor) of the pointer, the pointer including in the vicinity of its free end an outlet portion for delivering the light beam away from the dial and towards the user. The LEDs are then particularly simple to power. However, the zone of the plate in the vicinity of the drive shaft can be relatively densely occupied, making it difficult to find space for the LEDs.
There also exist indicator devices in which the dial is formed by a ring enabling the center of the dial to be placed in a space suitable for receiving a liquid crystal display (LCD), for example. The pointer is then driven along an inner edge of the dial by an arm that pivots behind the display or by a rack-and-pinion assembly. The above-described solution is difficult to apply to such indicator devices.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an indicator that has a pointer provided with pointer lighting means that are simple and easy to position within the device.


A well monitoring system includes a plurality of transmitter coils coupled to an exterior of a casing positioned within a wellbore, wherein one or more first transmitter coils are positioned at a first location and one or more second transmitter coils are positioned at a second location axially offset from the first location. At least one receiver coil is coupled to the exterior of the casing and positioned at the second location. A power source is communicably coupled to the one or more first and second transmitter coils. The one or more first transmitter coils generates a magnetic field detectable by the at least one receiver coil, and the one or more second transmitter coils generates a bucking signal that minimizes a direct coupling between the one or more first transmitter coils and the at least one receiver coil.

Oil field operators drill boreholes into subsurface reservoirs to recover oil and other hydrocarbons. If the reservoir has been partially produced or if the oil is particularly viscous, an oil field operator will often inject (or "flood") water or other fluids (e.g., gas, carbon dioxide, steam, etc.) into the reservoir via one or more secondary wells to encourage the hydrocarbons to move toward the production well to be produced to the surface. Such operations are known as enhanced oil recovery operations.
The flooding process can be tailored with varying fluid mixtures, flow rates/pressures, and injection sites, but may nevertheless be difficult to control due to inhomogeneity in the pore structure of the subsurface formations. The interface between the reservoir fluid and the injected fluid, often termed the "flood front" or the "waterflood front," can develop protrusions and irregularities ("fingers") that may reach the production well before the bulk of the residual oil has been flushed from the reservoir. Breakthrough of the flood fluid is undesirable, as it typically necessitates increased fluid handling due to dilution of the oil by the injected fluid and may further reduce the drive pressure on the oil. Continued operation of the well often then becomes commercially infeasible.
Accordingly, it can be useful to monitor a waterflood front as it approaches the production well and simultaneously detecting any changes in the reservoir. One technique often used to monitor waterflood fronts is to use electromagnetic field sensors deployed outside wellbore casing for permanent reservoir monitoring. One challenge facing conventional waterflood monitoring systems is that the signal due to the waterflood may represent only a small fraction (sometimes 1% or less) of the total measured signal. This is likely the case in scenarios involving flood fingering, low contrast flood fronts, or distant waterflood detection (50 ft. away or more). In such cases, the sensors are required to have a dynamic range high enough to resolve the signal due to flood. This high dynamic range, however, may be hard to achieve with many sensors.

Bucking to improve permanent reservoir monitoring sensitivity


A method of wireless communication among a plurality of stations in which each station communicates with all of the other stations over a cycle time divided into a plurality of communication sectors during each of which one of the stations transmits, including the step of changing the frequency of the transmission in accordance with a predetermined protocol, only at the end of a sector in which one of the stations transmits. Preferably, the frequency of transmission is reset to a given frequency in accordance with the protocol when none of the stations transmit over a predetermined period.

The problem of communication between a plurality of mobile stations which allows for each of the stations to communicate with all of the other stations is not new.
Such communication is especially useful in emergency situations where a group of police or firemen must be able to communicate simultaneously with all other members of the group, by voice, in order to coordinate their activities.
U. S. Pat. No. 5,274,666 describes a daisy-chain system in which each of the units in the chain receives audio signals from one other unit, attenuates the signals, adds additional audio signals, corresponding to speech by the user of the unit, to the attenuated signals and then broadcasts the composite signal to one other unit. This transmission from unit to unit continues until the chain is closed. Attenuation of the signals before rebroadcast is added to avoid looping and unwanted feedback. However, such attenuation results in variations in the audio volume depending on the position in the loop of the speaker and listener and/or an echo in the system, depending on the number of stations and the amount of attenuation. Both of these effects are undesirable and, in the extreme, can cause some of the communications to be unintelligible.
Transmission around the loop is in a frequency hopping spread spectrum mode where the receive frequency and transmit frequency of each of the units is different and where the frequencies are changed (hopped) periodically based on a pseudo-random function known to all the stations.
It is a characteristic of such a system that each of the stations is always active and transmits during a portion of each "loop" even if the particular unit has nothing to add to the conversation. Furthermore, the units must be continuously synchronized to the time and frequency of the hops as well as to the receive and transmit time of the unit, for example, by a very accurate clock in each unit.
This combination of characteristics leads to a number of inherent problems with such a system. First, noise at any of the hopping frequencies will transmit itself as noise over all of the conversations. Second, receiver or transmitter noise in any of the units causes noise to be generated in the system, even if the particular unit has nothing to say. Third, while noise considerations limit the number of units in a system, this number is still much larger than can be easily understood. In general, every listener is a potential speaker and all the speakers, could, at least in principle, speak at the same time, making speech unintelligible. There is thus no provision for listen only units which cannot speak. Finally the operation of this system results in a relatively heavy, expensive system with high power requirements and a short operating time between charges.


Low cost, efficient two-stage anaerobic digestion systems for the production of biogas (e.g. methane) are provided. During the first stage, biogas is produced in a first reactor by anaerobic microbes cultured in two phases: a high solids phase and a low solids phase. During the second stage, biogas is produced in a second reactor by a methanogen-rich anaerobic culture cultured in low solids medium. Removal of effluent comprising pH lowering reaction products assists in maintaining a suitable pH in the high solids phase. The transfer of effluent from the second reactor to the first reactor assists in maintaining a suitable pH in the high solids phase, in mixing of the high solids phase, and in reseeding the high solids phase with methanogens. Methane is produced in and recovered from both reactors.

Anaerobic digestion is a series of processes in which organic material is dissolved and chemically converted in the absence of oxygen so that it can be absorbed by the cells of an organism and used to maintain biological functions. During anaerobic digestion, complex carbohydrates (e.g., cellulose and starch), lipids, fibers, and proteins, are converted into simpler compounds (e.g. sugars, glycerin and fatty acids, and amino-acids) which can be taken up by cells. Conversion occurs due to reduction of the complex organic compounds by hydrolytic enzymes, such as cellulases, proteases, and lipases, secreted by bacteria, which split the long molecular chains into monomer units.
The process of commercial anaerobic digestion generally employs specialized bacteria to break down organic waste as described above, and then to convert it into biogas (a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane) and a stable biomass. Under anaerobic conditions, a considerable portion of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) is converted to methane gas as an end product. Methane is a potential energy source, and its production from waste considerably lessens waste biomass disposal requirement and the financial burden associated with disposal. Biogas produced from anaerobic digestion has thus been promoted as a part of the solution to energy problems. Methane has a calorific value of 9000 kcal/m3, and can be burned on site or elsewhere, for example, to provide heat for digesters or to generate electricity.
Solid waste and other biodegradable solid substrates should be handled, as much as possible, in a manner that reduces their environmental impact, recovers energy locked therein, and avoids massive disposal treatments (e.g., landfill, incineration, etc.). Most of the anaerobic digestion technologies that are currently applied to domestic wastewater treatment, dairy and swine manure, and food processing waste can handle up to 10% total solids (TS). Application of these existing technologies to process high solids (>10%) streams often require significant dilution, larger digester sizes and high fresh water consumption, resulting in very high capital investment costs. High solids digestion technologies for municipal solid waste treatment have been developed and applied more extensively in Europe than in the US. However, these technologies depend on significant recycling of the treated solids to maintain the bacterial population in the digester, which requires additional reactor volume and expensive equipment.
The treatment of solid waste using anaerobic digestion poses several challenges because of the variety in the feedstock and the space limitations where such facilities can be located. For example, the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) may contain agricultural, food, yard waste, and/or paper in varying concentrations, sizes, and compositions. Furthermore, municipal solid waste is contaminated with non-organics, such as glass and metal, and therefore requires pre-treatment to separate these from the feedstock. Though the ideal waste stream for an anaerobic digestion plant would be source-separated organics, the reality is that there is always a small degree of contamination that must be handled on site, and additional equipment is usually needed to remove this contamination prior to digestion in existing anaerobic digestion systems.
Preferred designs of anaerobic digestion systems reflect the need for shorter hydraulic retention times (HRTs), higher retention of biomass, smaller reactor volumes and higher loading rates, indicative of their urban locations. U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,724 (Chynoweth, et al.) describes a non-mixed vertical tower anaerobic digester for accommodating high solids loadings and providing separation of microbial phases within the continuous digester volume to achieve substantially complete bioconversion of biodegradable feedstock components. Due to the passive concentration of solids in the upper portion of the reactor, biodegradable solids have an increased retention time in the digester, whereas liquids and non-biodegradable components have a reduced retention time, since they migrate to lower portions of the digester and are withdrawn preferentially. Non-mixing allows this single digester to be operated at high solids loading because passive concentration of solids and the separation of microbial phases within a continuous digester volume results in greater system stability. However, overall kinetics of the degradation process and therefore biogas productivity as well as yield is reduced, primarily as a result of the passive mixing and overall high loading.
Separated two-stage anaerobic digestion processes, where the acid stage digestion and the methane stage digestion are carried out in two separate reactor vessels, have been found to enhance the efficiency of conversion of organic carbonaceous materials to methane. The main disadvantage is the cost of such more complex systems. Two-stage anaerobic digestion of organic carbonaceous materials to produce methane is generally taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,022,665, U.S. Pat. No. 4,318,993, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,696,746 (all to Ghosh, et al). Each of these patents teaches performing acid stage digestion and methane stage digestion in two separate reactor vessels. Each of these patents also teaches operating conditions for acid stage and methane stage digestion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,123 (Srivastava) describes operating conditions for a two-stage anaerobic digestion process, such as feed rates and retention times, and teaches introduction of oxygen into the methane phase digester to produce biogas having a methane content in excess of 80%.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,342,378 (Zhang, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,556,737 (Zhang) teaches methods and a device for the generation of methane by a two-stage anaerobic phase system (APS) digestion of organic substrates. The APS-digester system is a space-efficient, high-rate solids digestion system. The APS-digester system consists of one or more hydrolysis reactors and one biogasification reactor. The hydrolysis phase, the buffer tank and the methanogenesis phase are operative over variable pH ranges that are related to the nature of the organic substrate and the amount of total solids in the organic substrate. In a preferred embodiment, the pH of the hydrolysis reactor is maintained in the range of from about 4.5 to about 7.0. In another preferred embodiment, the biogasification stage pH is maintained in the range of from about 6.5 to about 8.0. Compared with the other two-stage systems in U.S. patents, the APS-digester can process higher total solids organic waste streams. The microorganisms in the hydrolysis reactors are selected and environmental conditions are controlled to allow production and release of hydrogen in the first stage prior to methane production in the second stage.
Such prior art two-stage systems are best suited for degrading highly cellulosic feedstock such as rice straw, forestry waste, agricultural waste, and water and land plants or organic carbonaceous material with low total solids such as sewage sludge, municipal waste, and animal waste. If these two-stage systems are applied to easily degradable high solids waste such as food waste or animal waste, the main advantage would be producing relatively high hydrogen gas content in the first step but at the cost of no methane production in the first step and low methane production in the second step. However, current hydrogen production from anaerobic digestion is not economically viable because of the high cost required to purify the hydrogen gas content from 30% to over 98% to meet the hydrogen quality standards such as Title 13 CCR Section 2292.7-1995, JIS K-0512 Type 3 and MIL-PRF-27201C. Furthermore, the previous two-stage systems are either simple but inefficient, or efficient but complicated.
There is a need in the art for simplified, efficient and cost effective anaerobic digester systems for high solids waste streams.

Two-stage anaerobic digestion systems wherein one of the stages comprises a two-phase system


A device for continuous drying of a pulp web, particularly a tissue web, with a drying drum (1) and an air circulating system, where the drying drum (1) has a cylindrical shell (9) designed as a honeycombed body with an annular, flexible transition profile (13) at the edges of the shell and connected to the end covers.

The invention relates to a device for continuous drying of a pulp web, particularly a tissue web, with a drying drum and an air circulating system, where the drying drum has a cylindrical shell designed as a honeycombed body.
In conventional tissue plants, the drying process begins at an ingoing dryness of some 40 to 45%. In order to achieve higher paper volume, papermakers now dispense with preliminary mechanical dewatering, and the ingoing dryness of this newer type of device is around 20 to 25%. These plants operate with through-air drying. During the heating process, one or more consecutive through-air drying drums at ambient temperature are exposed abruptly to the supply air temperature of approximately 300° C. The drying drums currently in use have a thin-walled shell, for example a perforated or honeycombed body, that is joined to thick-walled end flanges. Due to the substantial differences in mass between drum shell and end flange, there is excessive stress at the transition points that leads to deformation and even structural damage. The same damage occurs if the drums are cooled down abruptly from operating to ambient temperature during an emergency shutdown, when they are sprayed with cold water in order to prevent the plastic wires enclosing the drums from being damaged.

Device for continuous drying of a pulp web


Disclosed in the present invention are a use as an immune enhancer of phytosphingosine-1-phosphate (P1P), O-cyclic P1P (cP1P), N-acetylphytosphingosine-1-phosphate (NAPS-1-P), and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, and a pharmaceutical composition or vaccine for treating dementia, comprising such substance on the basis of a neuronal cell death inhibitory effect. The substance according to the present invention exhibits an effect of enhancing Th2 immune response and inhibiting Th1 immune response and has an effect of protecting neurons as well, and thus can be useful as an immune enhancer to help the production of antibodies for the development of a dementia vaccine, as well as an agent for preventing or treating dementia.

Vaccines are administered for the prevention or treatment of a specific disease, but in this case, the immune response due to an antigen is insufficient, or often accompanied by an inappropriate response. In this case, an immunoadjuvant (or adjuvant or immune enhancer) is administered together to have an effect on the immunogenicity of the antigen.
Meanwhile, Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, and is a representative disease among the neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, the most common cause of senile dementia is Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease initially shows difficulty in remembering recent events and as the disease progress, it is accompanied by various cognitive abnormalities, and all the functions of daily life are lost at the advanced stage.
The cause of onset of Alzheimer's disease is not fully understood at the present time, but it is presumed that amyloid plaques modify normal proteins to form a plaque mass, which leads to loss of the inherent functions. Pathologically, Alzheimer's disease is characterized by general atrophy of the brain, enlargement of the ventricles, neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic (senile) plaques.
Alzheimer's disease is currently one of the ten leading causes of death in the United States, but it is known as the only disease that neither has a preventive or therapeutic therapy nor a way to reduce the speed of progression. Although many therapeutic drugs for Alzheimer's disease have been developed until now, the purpose is to treat symptoms such as memory loss instead of a radical treatment of the disease itself, and experts have evaluated that the developed medicines are not particularly effective. Currently, the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease in the United State is estimated to be more than 5 million, and around 40 million people worldwide have this disease. In particular, about 10% of the 65-year-old elderly people have this disease, and more than 50% of the 85-year-old elderly people have this disease. As the life span of people tends to increase, the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease is expected to increase more, and 80 million people are considered to have this disease by 2040 (Marciani (2015) Rev Neuropsiquiatr, 78: 140-152).
According to Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI), the number of AD patients is expected to increase very rapidly, and is expected to increase to 74.7 million in 2030 and to 131 million in 2050. In addition, the cost of dementia care due to the increase in the number of patients with dementia is estimated to be $818 billion by 2015, and is expected to exceed $2 trillion by 2030.
Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop and improve agents and vaccines for the treatment of dementia.
Recently, in an attempt to treat Alzheimer's disease, therapeutic agents are being developed in a way to: use stem cells, or ameliorate sphingolipid metabolic abnormality in AD patients, or reduce the production of Aβ, or prevent hyperphosphorylation of plaques and tau proteins produced by excessively produced Aβ. Aβ not only induces the death of neuronal cells but also promotes the formation of ceramide, which is a sphingolipid involved in cell death. The formed ceramide may also promote the production of Aβ. Therefore, strategies for degrading the formation of Aβ and plaques are essential (Marciani (2015) Rev Neuropsiquiatr, 78: 140-152; He et al. (2010) Neurobiology of Aging, 31: 398-408).
When examining the changes in sphingolipids of Alzheimer's patients, sphingomyelin (SM) is reduced in the brain of AD patients, and ceramide, a metabolite of SM, is increased. In addition, sphingosine, a degradation product of ceramide, is also increased, and these two substances result in the death of neuronal cells. Also, the content of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), a substance that enhances neuronal survival, is reduced. Aβ activates the enzymes of degrading SM, and degrades SM, thereby increasing ceramide, and subsequently, the ceramide causes oxidative stress, resulting in neuronal cell death and the production of Aβ. It is reported that the content of S1P is decreased in the brain of AD patients, so that it does not prevent neuronal cell death, but when the content of S1P is artificially increased, the neuronal cell death can be suppressed and the formation of Aβ can also be reduced. Based on this principle, AD therapeutic agents are being developed using S1P (He et al. (2010) Neurobiology of Aging, 31: 398-408; Lee et al. (2014) J Exp Med, 211: 1551-1570; Ceccom et al. (2014) Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 2: 12; Couttas et al. (2014) Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 2: 9; Czubowicz and Strosznajder (2014) 50: 26-37; Kolahdooz et al. (2015) Can J Neuro Sci, 42: 195-202; Gomez-Brouchet et al. (2007) Molecular Pharmacology, 72: 341-349; Gassowska et al. (2014) Neurochem Res, 39: 645-652).
Attempts have been made to degrade plaques using taurine derivatives in a way to inhibit the formation of Aβ and plaques induced by Aβ, and a search is made for plaque-degrading substances (Roberto et al. (2004) FASEB J, 18: 511-518; Kim et al. (2015) Nature Communications, 6: 8997/DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9997). The efficient removal of formation of Aβ and plaques includes a method of producing antibodies against Aβ. There have been actively developed vaccines which produce antibodies by administering monoclonal antibodies selectively acting on Aβ or using Aβ as an antigen (Marciani (2015) Rev Neuropsiquiatr, 78: 140-152: Carrera and Cacabelos (2013) Drug Des, 2:2).
In particular, development of an adjuvant that increases the selectivity and immunogenicity of an antigen is needed in order to develop a vaccine for Alzheimer's disease. The most commonly used antigens are Aβ and tau proteins. When Aβ was used as an antigen together with an appropriate adjuvant, antibodies were produced, and the resulting antibodies not only inhibited plaque formation but also was capable of degrading the formed plaques. However, in the case of an AD vaccine, it is essential to develop an adjuvant which enhances a Th2 immune response that enhances antibody production and inhibits a Th1 immune response, which may cause side effects.
The AD vaccine (AN-1792, Elan/Wyeth), which entered clinical trials for the first time, used QS21 as an adjuvant and Aβ as an antigen. As a result, the antibody production was high, but Th1 immunoreactivity was also high. The results revealed that the Th1 immune response could induce an inflammatory reaction as a side effect. Thus, this vaccine has completed the Phase I trial, but the Phase II trial was suspended due to the development of aseptic meningoencephalitis caused by the Th 1 immune response.
Thus, it was necessary to develop an adjuvant which uses a short peptide that does not evoke a Th1 response, or suppresses Th1 and induces a Th2 immune response that helps to produce antibodies. A liposome containing S1P has been developed as an adjuvant that inhibits the Th1 immune response and induces the Th2 immune response by Atlas. An effective vaccine (EB101), which inhibits the Th1 immune response while increasing antibody production has been developed as a result of using whole Aβ as an antigen and a S1P-containing liposome as an adjuvant, and the vaccine has completed animal testing, and the clinical trials are ongoing. The S1P in EB101 vaccine is a useful substance that prevents the neuronal cell death caused by Aβ and oxidative stress, in addition to playing a role in inhibiting the Th1 immune response and inducing Th2 immune response, and is a substance that enables development of effective vaccines without side effects (Marciani (2014) Austin Alzheimers J Parkinsons Dis, 1: 4; Marciani (2015) Rev Neuropsiquiatr, 78: 140-152; Hughers et al. (2008) Circ Res, 102: 950-958; Carrera et al. (2012) International Jouranl of Alzheimer's Disease, volume2012, Article ID 376138, 17 pages; Carrera et al. (2013) BioMed Research International, Volume 2013, Article ID 709145, 12 pages; Carrera et al. (2015) BioMed Research International, Volume 2015, Article ID 807146, 16 pages).

Use as immune enhancer or pharmaceutical composition for treatment of dementia, comprising phytosphingosine-1-phosphate or derivative thereof


The present invention provides a product display apparatus having a mounting member with a guide device extending outwardly therefrom in a substantially horizontal orientation. A product support member is suspended from the guide device and is slidably coupled to the guide device. In the first orientation the product support member is extended outwardly from the guide device for loading product thereon. In a second orientation the product support member is retracted to a product display orientation.

The present retail environment utilizes a number of display systems for storing and displaying different products. One common method is the use of a display hook. Such display hooks require a mounting member for mounting the display hook to a peg board or display bar such that the display hook extends substantially horizontally from the mounting member. Products are packaged or configured to have a hanging hook or a punctured hole in them to allow a number of products to be displayed from a single display hook. A purchaser may then slide the foremost product from a hook such that the following product will then be displayed on the hook.
A problem with such prior art display devices occurs where products may have a short shelf life, such as in the case of perishable items such as food products. Such products often contain an expiration date before which the product must be sold. It is therefore preferable that the product with the earliest expiration date or the product that has been on display the longest be sold first to ensure freshness. Such sales preference is commonly referred to as a first in, first out (FIFO) inventory process, such that the freshness of goods and products are maximized. In order to achieve this, the first in product, or oldest product, is put at the front section of the product display so that it is most easily accessible to consumers. The newest product, therefore, must be loaded at the back of the product display where it is less accessible. This is a burden to retailers because traditionally all product in the front section must be removed to refill the back section of the shelf with the newest product while keeping the oldest products in front. Even with packaging that has a hook-like hanger for easy placement at any position on a product displaying hook, it is difficult to access the back of the display because adjacent products tend to block access thereto. Thus, the front most product must still be removed from the peg hook in order to put the newest product in the back section and the oldest product in the front section.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system for easy product placement on a product display device without requiring the front product to be removed there from.


A socket for an electrical part includes a pressing member mounted to the socket body accommodating an electrical part to be rotatable and configured to press the electrical part in a horizontal position thereof, an operation member provided for the socket body to be vertically movable and configured to rotate the pressing member, and a latch member provided having an engaging pawl to be engaged with the socket body in the horizontal state of the pressing member. The latch member is provided with a pressed portion, and when the operation member is moved downward in a state that the latch member is engaged with the socket body, an engagement releasing member formed to the operation member presses the pressed portion to rotate the latch member so as to release the engagement of the latch member with the socket body.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a socket for an electrical part such as semiconductor device (called "IC package" hereinlater) for detachably holding the electrical part.
2. Related Art
As a conventional socket for an electrical part of this kind, there is known a socket for holding an IC package as electrical part for carrying out a performance test such as a burn-in test with respect to the IC package as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11-162602 A).
In such socket for the electrical part, the IC package is accommodated in a socket body, a pressing member provided for a support member is rotated so as to take a horizontal position, a latch member provided for the socket body is engaged with the pressing member so as to press the IC package accommodated in the socket body from the upper side thereof, and a number of electrodes are pressed at a predetermined pressure against electrically conductive portions formed to the socket body.
In such conventional structure, although the latch member is engaged with the pressing member to thereby maintain the closed state of the pressing member, a mechanism for engaging or disengaging the latch member with or from the pressing member has a complicated structure, thus increasing the number of elements or parts and making instable an operation of the device.


According to one example, there is provided a printing system. The printing system comprises a support having a plurality of spaced apertures and a color sensor moveable to measure light from each aperture. The printing system further comprises a controller to control the color sensor to measure characteristics of light emitted through each aperture, and to determine, for each aperture, light calibration data. The printing system is particularly adapted for use with substrates that are intended to be viewed when backlit, that is in conjunction with backlighting.

Increasing use is being made of printed items that are intended to be viewed in conjunction with backlighting. Such printed items include advertising signage, banners, and posters, etc. that are designed to be viewable at night or in low-lighting areas.
To ensure that images printed on substrates that are intended to be viewed when backlit (hereinafter referred to as backlit substrates) are rendered accurately printers used to print on backlit substrates need to be correctly calibrated.

Printing system and method for backlit substrate calibration

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A battery management system and a driving method thereof. The battery management system manages a plurality of battery cells, and a plurality of cell relays respectively coupled to the plurality of cells. The battery management system includes a voltage detecting unit and an MCU. The voltage detecting unit receives a first voltage corresponding to an input voltage transmitted through a 3-contact relay coupled to a first cell corresponding to the turn-on first cell relay when the first cell relay is turned on, and generating a second voltage corresponding to the first voltage. The MCU calculates an effective gain in correspondence with a ratio of the second voltage to the input voltage and controls a connection of the 3-contact relay.

1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to a battery management system and a battery management method. More particularly, aspect of the present invention relate to a battery management system for a vehicle utilizing electrical energy.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles using a gasoline or diesel oil internal combustion engines have caused serious air pollution. Accordingly, various efforts for developing electric or hybrid vehicles have recently been made to reduce air pollution.
An electric vehicle uses an electric motor run by electrical energy output by a power source. Many electric vehicles use a battery formed by one battery pack comprising a plurality of rechargeable/dischargeable secondary cells, as a power source. Electric vehicles benefit the environment because they emit fewer greenhouse gasses and produce less noise.
A hybrid vehicle commonly refers to a gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle that uses gasoline to power an internal combustion engine, and an electric battery to power an electric motor. Recently, hybrid vehicles using an internal combustion engine and fuel cells, and hybrid vehicles using a battery and fuel cells, have been developed. The fuel cells directly obtain electrical energy by generating a chemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen.
In battery powered vehicles, the number of rechargeable batteries (cells) has been increased to improve the charge carrying capacity and efficiency thereof. A cell balancing control method capable of efficiently managing a plurality of coupled cells and/or battery packs is needed for a battery management system (hereinafter, referred to as "BMS").
To measure a battery's voltage, a differential amplification terminal using a differential amplifier has been used. Such a differential amplification terminal includes at least one resistor, and detects a battery voltage by amplifying a voltage difference input into an input terminal thereof, according to a gain corresponding to a resistance of at least one resistor.
A conventional voltage detecting unit for detecting a battery voltage is required for each of the cells of the battery. As such, since the voltage detecting unit is respectively coupled to the cells of the battery, the number of voltage detecting units has increased as the number of cells has been increased. Accordingly, when the battery voltage is detected using a conventional battery voltage detecting unit, there are problems in that the cost thereof is increased. It is also difficult to determine abnormalities in the circuits of the battery voltage detecting unit, because of small current leakages generated from the voltage detecting unit cell couplings, respectively coupled to the battery cells, and the overall complexity of the circuit structure.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention 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.

Battery management system and driving method thereof


An electronic device housing includes a plastic substrate. The plastic substrate includes a first surface. The electronic device housing further includes an activating layer formed on the first surface. The activating layer contains metal powder. The activating layer defines a recessed portion. Some of the metal powder is partially exposed on the surface of the recessed portion. Some of metal powder is partially inserted into the plastic substrate corresponding to the recessed portion. The electronic device housing further includes an antenna layer formed on the recessed portion. The antenna layer is a metal layer. A method for manufacturing the electronic device housing is also disclosed.

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an electronic device housing and a method for manufacturing the electronic device housing.
2. Description of Related Art
The internal antenna of an electronic device can be formed by the following steps: a plastic substrate is provided, the plastic substrate is made of thermoplastic containing laser activator, the laser activator includes a laser sensitive metal complex that can be activated and precipitate metal when exposed to the laser light; metal is precipitated and exposed on the surface of the plastic substrate due to the plastic substrate being laser activated; and a metal antenna layer is formed on the laser-activated plastic substrate by electroplating. However, laser activator used for forming the plastic substrate is expensive, increasing the production costs of electronic device. Furthermore, the plastic substrate becomes brittle and the strength of the plastic substrate decreases due to the laser activator, thus the plastic substrate coated with the metal antenna cannot be suitable to use as housing for electronic device.
Therefore, there is room for improvement within the art.

Electronic device housing and method for manufacturing the same

SHENZHEN FUTAIHONG PRECISION INDUSTRY CO., LTD.


A housing unit has an aperture for a key. A key reader is located within the housing unit. The key reader is adapted to scan a key in the aperture. The key reader is further adapted to generate a new key image signal. A memory drive is adapted to receive a key image signal from the key reader. The memory drive includes software. In this manner previously transmitted and stored key image signal transmissions are compared with newly transmitted key image signal transmissions. A screen is provided. The screen is capable of displaying information. The displayed information is provided by the software. The invention also includes the steps of utilizing the system of the present invention.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic key identifier system and method and more particularly pertains to scanning, identifying and cataloguing keys in a reliable, convenient and economical manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of key systems of known designs and configurations is known in the prior art. More specifically, key systems of known designs and configurations previously devised and utilized for the purpose of controlling keys through known methods and apparatuses are known to consist basically of familiar, expected, and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which has been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,391 issued Feb. 6, 1990 to Cimino relates to an Automatic Key Identification System. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,801,829 issued Oct. 5, 2004 to Kawai relates to a Key Information Registration Procedure Assisting System, Recorded Medium, and Key Plate Cutter.
While known patents fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe an electronic key identifier system and method that allows for scanning, identifying and cataloguing keys in a reliable, convenient and economical manner.
In this respect, the electronic key identifier system and method according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of scanning, identifying and cataloguing keys in a reliable, convenient and economical manner.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved electronic key identifier system and method which can be used for scanning, identifying and cataloguing keys in a reliable, convenient and economical manner. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.

Electronic key identifier system and method