The present invention relates to a new p75NTR neurotrophin binding protein (NBP)-Fc fusion protein comprising a p75NTR (NBP) portion and an immunoglobulin portion. In certain embodiments, the p75NTR (NBP)-Fc fusion protein is for use in the treatment of pain and/or a symptom of pain.

It has been documented that NGF and other neurotrophins (BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4/5) play a significant role in pathology for example pain due to osteoarthritis, pancreatitis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, pruritis and multiple sclerosis (Watanabe et al., 2008 J Neurosci Res. 86(16):3566-74; Raychaudhuri et al., 2011 Arthritis Rheum. 63(11):3243-52; Barthel et al., 2009 Arthritis Res Ther. 11(3):R82; Truzzi et al., 2011 Cell Death Differ. 18:948-58; McDonald et al., 2011 Curr Med Chem. 18:234-44; Yamaoka et al., 2007 J Dermatol Sci. 46(1):41-51). It has been demonstrated that selective antibodies to any of the neutrophins; either NGF or BDNF, NT-3 and NT-4/5 significantly reduce pain. Furthermore, antibodies directed to the neurotrophin receptors p75NTR Trk A, Trk B or Trk C have also been demonstrated to be efficacious in models of pain (Orita S et al., 2010 J Orthop Res. 28:1614-20; Svensson P et al., 2010 Pain. 148:473-80; Iwakura et al., 2010 J Hand Surg Am. 35:267-73; Cirilio et al., 2010 Cell Mol Neurobiol. 30:51-62; Pezet et al., 2010 Pain. 90:113-25; Hayashi et al., 2011 J Pain. 12:1059-68; Chu et al., 2011 Pain. 152:1832-7; Ueda et al., 2010 J Pharmacol Sci.; 112:438-43; Ghilardi et al., 2010 Bone. 48:389-98; Fukui et al., 2010 J Orthop Res. 2010; 28:279-83). Fukui et al., (2010) in a model of pain (mechanical allodynia following sciatic nerve crush) demonstrated significant efficacy on pain related endpoints following treatment with an anti-p75NTR antibody. It was concluded from this study that the treatment with a p75NTR inhibitory antibody reduced CGRP and p75NTR expression resulting in a significant reduction in pain.
The p75 neutrophic receptor (p75NTR) is a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (TNFR-SF) known to bind to neurotrophic growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin 3 (NT-3), and neurotrophin 4/5 (NT-4/5). p75NTR undergoes sequential proteolytic cleavage by α-secretase and γ-secretase activities and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), releasing its intracellular domain (ICD) into the cytoplasm, in a manner analogous to the cleavage-dependent signaling pathway of Notch and β-amyloid precursor protein (Jung et al., 2003 J Biol Chem 278:42161-42169; Kanning et al., 2003 J Neuro-sci 23:5425-5436). Cytoplasmic release of the p75NTR ICD by this pathway promotes signaling by associated NRIF (Kenchappa et al., 2006 Neuron 50:219-232).
The role of the extracellular domain of p75NTR, following the proteolytic cleavage by α-secretase and γ-secretase activities and MMPs is not fully understood. However this molecule has been shown by the present applicants to be useful in the treatment of pain (WO2013/136078). The protein has also been advantageously coupled to Fc antibody fragments in the form of a fusion protein by the present applicants (PCT/GB2014/052833).
The present application relates to an improved p75NTR-Fc fusion protein.

P75NTR binding protein-Fc fusion protein and methods of treating pain


At least two parameters (.delta., Inst) of which it is known that their variation influences the state of the spark erosion process (F, W) are fed to a logic device (5) in which a set of rules is stored. The logic device processes the parameters fed with the aid of the stored rules according to the laws of fuzzy logic, and generates at least one output signal (.epsilon.) which is fed to a controller (6) of at least one parameter, in order to match or at least approximate the currently prevailing state of the spark erosion process to a currently desired state of the spark erosion process.

The invention relates to a method and a device for controlling a spark erosion process in a spark erosion machine having a spark erosion electrode and a workpiece, at least two parameters whose variation is known to influence a currently prevailing state of the spark erosion process being fed individually or as a combination thereof to a logic device in order to generate at least one output signal of this logic device which is fed to a controller for at least one of the said parameters, the parameters fed to the logic device being processed therein with the aid of rules stored therein according to the laws of fuzzy logic.
A method and a device of this type are disclosed in EP-0426870. The logic device of the relevant device receives two input values (Si and .delta.Si) of which each is a parameter of the currently prevailing state of the spark erosion process, or corresponds thereto, and it supplies two output values (.delta.T and .delta.D). The rules stored in the logic device determine how these two output values (.delta.T and .delta.d) are to be varied when the input values (Si and .delta.Si) vary individually or together, and the two output values (.delta.T and .delta.D) are then processed in a controller to form input parameters (T and D) of the spark erosion process.
It is disadvantageous in this method and the corresponding device that the input values cannot be varied as a function of one another or that one of these input values cannot be varied as a function of the other.
A method and a device of the type mentioned at the beginning are also the subject matter of European Patent Application No. 91112510.2 which, although filed before the priority date of the present patent application, was not published as publication EP-0469471 until after the priority date of the present patent application. Three input values (A, B and C) are processed in the logic device of the device according to EP-0469471, which are defined as temporally sequential values or temporally different mean values of always the same parameter of the spark erosion process (electrode position), which means that it is always values of a single parameter prevailing at different times which are compared. One of these values of the parameter can be situated in the present, but the other values are necessarily situated in the past and cannot be "retroactively" varied. Accordingly, the device of EP-0469471 has a value memory, and it cannot operate in real time with regard to all the parameters of the spark erosion process. For this reason, the rules stored in the logic device cannot determine how one of the parameters fed is to be varied when another of the parameters fed varies.
It is thus also disadvantageous in this method and the corresponding device that the input values cannot be varied as a function of one another or that one of these input values cannot be varied as a function of the other.
A method and a device for controlling a spark erosion process in a spark erosion machine having a spark erosion electrode and a workpiece, and in particular a method and a device for controlling the position of the spark erosion electrode with reference to the workpiece in a spark erosion machine are disclosed in EP-A-0333170 or U.S. Pat. No. 4864091. The actual distance between the spark erosion electrode and the workpiece is compared to a desired distance, which corresponds to the currently desired process conditions for machining the workpiece. An error signal is formed from the comparison, which is directed via low-pass filter circuit to a control circuit for moving the spark erosion electrode.
A method and a device for controlling a spark erosion process in a spark erosion machine having a spark erosion electrode and a workpiece, and in particular a method and a device for controlling the position of the spark erosion electrode with reference to the workpiece in a spark erosion machine are also disclosed in EP-A-272640 or U.S. Pat. No. 4822970. The actual distance between the spark erosion electrode and the workpiece is regularly varied by means of raising and lowering movements, and these raising and lowering movements are controlled as a function of the currently prevailing and previously found process conditions for machining the workpiece.
It is disadvantageous in these methods and devices that the influence of other parameters of the machining of the workpiece is not included in the control of the movement of the spark erosion electrode.
The above-mentioned method and the above-mentioned device according to EP-A-0333170 or U.S. Pat. No. 4864091 do permit the control response of the servo-system for controlling the actual distance between the spark erosion electrode and the workpiece to be optimized for most process conditions by matching the cut-off frequency of the low-pass filter circuit to these process conditions and keeping the AC component of the error signal at a minimum. The error signal is then input into a PID controller in order to achieve the desired dynamic response of the servo-system. The output signal of the PID controller is fed to a drive of the spark erosion electrode in order to move the latter. Since, however, it is not known to model the spark erosion process in the sense of automatic control engineering, it is necessary when designing the PID controller to proceed empirically (by trial and error), which is very complicated and does not lead reliably to an optimum result.
The above-mentioned empirical approach does not suffice for very difficult spark erosion processes, for example in the case of very large machines or, by contrast, in the process of micro-erosion. Specifically, such cases give rise to a problem of instability which is caused by the time constant of the machine being unusually large or small. The influence of many parameters then bears so strongly on the stability of the spark erosion process that account has to be taken of these parameters.
However, no technical solution which can be advocated in practice exists for feeding the known controllers with even more numerous parameters of the machining of the workpiece and even more information relating to the currently prevailing and previously found process conditions. The complexity of the spark erosion process is of such a type that it is not possible to set up or implement with a justifiable outlay any algorithm for processing all the parameters known as relevant for the spark erosion process. It has always been necessary to put up with compromise solutions in the prior art.

Method and device for controlling a spark erosion machine


A fire alarm system includes a control unit which communicates with a plurality of spaced apart smoke detectors by a bi-directional communications link. The smoke detectors are separate from one another, and spaced apart, and are associated together in different, overlapping groups. Each group of detectors is physically arranged with the members of the group adjacent to one another in a relatively localized area. Signals from the detectors are transmitted to the control element for processing. The control element squares each of the signals for a given group, sums those signals and then takes a square root. The resultant processed value is associated with a selected one of the detectors of the group. Similar processing takes place for each of the groups. As a result of the processing, each of the detectors has associated therewith a processed smoke value which takes into account not only values received from the associated detector, but also values received from one or more adjacent detectors in a group. The processed signal values can then be compared to an alarm threshold to determine whether or not a fire condition is present.

In fire alarm systems commonly used today, a central control panel communicates with many individual smoke sensors, reads their output level of smoke measurement, and uses software algorithms to determine if an alarm condition exists at any of the smoke sensors. The control panel may also incorporate programmed algorithms for example, to compensate for drift due to dust accumulation or other environmental factors.
The design of the detectors and the design of the algorithm are important factors in being able to quickly detect a true fire, while being able to resistant false fire indications. However, systems typically in use today do not take the states of other nearby detectors into account in making an alarm decision.
Another system less commonly used provides special multiple technology fire sensors. These special sensors include at least two different types of smoke, heat, or fire sensor technology in the same physical device.
A microcomputer is incorporated into each sensor. The microcomputer processes the multiple signals from the different types of sensors and provides a single signal to the control panel, which is a better measurement of fire than a single sensor. These multiple technology sensors typically do not take the measurements from other nearby sensors into account when making the alarm decision at one sensor location. The multiple sensors are also more expensive to manufacture than single sensors.
Thus, there continues to be a need for alarm systems which can cost-effectively and quickly determine the existence of an alarm condition while being resistant to false alarms. Preferably such systems could use single sensor-type detectors.

Alarm system with multiple cooperating sensors


There are described a procedure and circuit for adaptive compensation of the gain distortions caused by thermal drift, ageing, etc., in microwave amplifiers connected to predistortion linearizers. The procedure concerns digitally modulated signals, e.g., QAM, in which the peak to average power signal ratio is constant. Since this ratio remains constant after amplification only if the amplifier is linear, it is measured at the amplifier output, to change the AM/FM distortion characteristic of the linearizer/amplifier chain and hold the ratio on the output equal to that on the input.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of radio frequency signal transmission and more specifically concerns a procedure and a circuit for adaptive compensation of the gain distortions of a microwave amplifier with linearizer.
As known, a power amplifier behaves linearly, i.e. has gain and phase characteristics which are constant with input signal power variation and generally only for a certain range of values of said power. In a generic amplifier, the deviations from linearity consist principally of a gain compression and an increase in the input/output phase shift for high input signal power levels. Said nonlinearities produce amplified signal distortion and hence an increase in intermodulation noise. Transmission of such a signal can cause serious inconvenience for the receivers, as for example a high value of BER in case of digitally modulated signals. To obviate this inconvenience there have been in use for some time appropriate linearized circuits made in accordance with different circuitry types, e.g. with predistorter, which mainly involve the field of application of the present invention. As is known, a predistorter comprises non-linear elements which predistort the amplitude and phase of a radio frequency signal with low power level depending on the power level of said signal and the magnitude of the distortions which the amplifier would introduce on the original signal. More specifically, the predistortion trends are pre-set in such a manner that they are equal and opposite to the distortion trends otherwise introduced on the amplifier signal.
A predistortion linearizer has the advantage of speedy operation, and is hence especially well suited upstream of the microwave signal amplifiers. On the other hand, in an amplifier linearized in this manner, there are still possible small gain and phase characteristic variations, due to changes in operating conditions. This is because the gain and phase predistortion trends are initially pre-set in the design phase and are not changed during amplifier operation, except for sporadic manual adjustments when the amplified signal is too degraded. Since said trends accurately reproduce the distortion trends evaluated for a specific amplifier work point, when the work point moves slightly because of the aforementioned thermal drift or ageing phenomena, the distortion trends change accordingly and hence no longer correspond exactly to the predistortion trend. On the other hand the predistorter does not have a feedback configuration, i.e. capable of making the appropriate corrections automatically. Of course this drawback is more sensitively apparent during input signal power peaks.
A second shortcoming of amplifiers linearized by predistorters arises from the fact that the gain of an amplifier has never perfect flat band, and therefore any selection of a new transmission channel, made in the amplifier pass band, necessarily involves a resetting of the gain thereof to adjust the new gain to the previous predistortion curve.
To remedy the above shortcomings there are known linearization procedures and circuits based on the fact that it is possible to acquire knowledge of when the amplifier begins to distort merely by observing the levels of the intermodulation products of a higher order at the amplifier output, since in this case they increase. Said known linearizers therefore include an appropriate feedback system comprising circuits for measurement of the power of the intermodulation products, and circuits using said measurement to generate a signal for correction of the predistortion characteristic in order to recover perfect amplifier linearity.
The main drawback of said linearizers is that there must be made a very accurate measurement of very low power levels such as that of the intermodulation products. In addition, said measurement must be made within well delimited frequency bands. It is clear that the feedback system must therefore include unavoidably costly and sophisticated means which increase the amplifier cost.
In a few cases, as in the European patent application EP-A-0435578, said linearization procedures and circuits are subjected to a simplification mainly consisting in measuring the average power of the input, or output, signal and in using the average value for correction of the predistortion characteristic, in order to recover perfect amplifier linearity. The main drawback of said simplified linearizers is that no precise information about distorsion is obtained out, so that the amount of linearization is insufficient; an acceptable grade of linearization should be carried out only by means of an increasing of the circuitry complexity.

Procedure and circuit for adaptive compensation of the gain distortions of a microwave amplifier with linearizer


A compound lens and a related method of manufacture are provided. The compound lens includes a first lens element and a second lens element such that a light emitting surface of the first lens element is integrally joined to a light receiving surface of the second lens element, the first and second lens element being in optical alignment with each other. The first and second lens element are molded from optical grade silicone and can achieve complex illumination objectives not possible with single lens constructions. The method of manufacture includes injecting a silicone resin molding compound into a mold cavity having the desired shape of the compound lens. The method of manufacture can include over-molding a lens holding member onto the compound lens and adding electro-optically active particles to a surface of the compound lens or to the silicone resin forming the compound lens.

LEDs are semiconductor devices that emit light when a voltage is applied. LEDs continue to experience an increase in market share over conventional forms of lighting and benefit from a superior lighting quality and a high energy efficiency. In many instances, LEDs are less expensive to manufacture than conventional forms of lighting, including fluorescent and incandescent lighting for example.
Existing LED systems often employ a compound lens to achieve shaping and control of emitted LED light in ways not available from single-element lenses. For example, it is known to use two or more individual lenses, physically mounted in the illumination path of the LED, to achieve the desired focus, columniation, beam spread, and shape of emitted LED light.
The resulting combination of LED light (visible and invisible to the human eye) using conventional compound lenses are necessarily mechanically and optically complex. Existing compound lens systems require costly mechanical assemblies to capture and align their multiple, individual focusing lenses. Existing compound lens systems are often inflexible (e.g., not tunable) with regard to meeting their primary design configurations. In addition, existing compound lens systems generally do not offer a method to easily modify the properties of the emitted radiation without costly ancillary mountings and focusing housings.

Compound lens for use with illumination sources in optical systems


A multi-cell tray-type rectangular carton is disclosed which is formed in collapsed condition from a cut and scored blank of paperboard, or similar foldable sheet material, and which is adapted to be opened up into a tube with two rows of article receiving pockets in side by side relation and separated by a double thickness partition, with each row of pockets formed by depressing a cut and scored panel, which is taken from the top wall, and which is depressed so that a portion lies on the bottom wall with abutment forming edges which engage cooperating edges of panels hinged to the bottom edge of the double thickness partition and which hold the panel in cell forming position.

This invention relates to packaging and is particularly concerned with improvements in a compartmented tray-type container which is adapted to be fabricated of paperboard or similar foldable sheet material.
In the marketing of articles, such as, candy Easter eggs and other food products of a similar nature, cellular cartons formed of paperboard or similar material have been provided heretofore which have been adapted for fabrication initially in flattened or collapsed condition so that they could be opened up into the form of a rectangular carton, so as to receive the articles in the cells thereof. Generally, a transparent overwrap has been applied to cover the top of the article receiving cells and provide protection against handling or removal of the individual articles while leaving the same capable of visual inspection by a prospective purchaser. In some arrangements a top panel has been provided for display advertising or other printed matter. However, it has been found that there is need for improvement in this type of container to provide greater rigidity in the set-up condition and to render the carton more acceptable to the product manufacturer or distributor.
It is a general object of the invention to provide a multi-cellular, tray-type carton for marketing confections or similar articles which it is desirable to display in a plurality of open top pockets or cells with accompanying space on the top of the carton for display advertising or the like.
It is a more specific object of the invention to provide a multi-cellular carton, for the purpose described, which may be fabricated from a blank of paperboard, or similar foldable sheet material, which blank is cut and scored so that the carton may be formed in collapsed condition and set up in the form of a tray of generally rectangular shape with two rows of upwardly opening cells which are separated by an upstanding partition of multiple thickness while the individual cells are separated by hinged cross partition members.
It is a still more specific object of the invention to provide a multi-cell tray-type carton of the character described wherein the individual cells in the rows thereof are formed by depressing a panel which is cut from the top wall and which includes hinged cross partition panel members, adapted to move into upright position for separating the individual cells, with the main portion of the panel adapted to move into an overlying position on the bottom wall forming panel.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a cellular carton of the character described wherein the cell forming panel which is depressed so as to lie on the bottom wall is cut to provide edge portions which are adapted to cooperate with abutment forming means on the bottom wall in locking the panel in depressed position.
It is another object of the invention to provide a cellular carton of the character described wherein the locking means which cooperates with the cell forming panel for holding the latter in cell-forming position includes a panel member which is hinged to the row separating partition and which lies on the bottom wall and provides abutment forming edges for engagement by edge portions of the cell-forming panel when the latter is in fully depressed position.
The invention which is herein described and set forth in the claims comprises a cellular carton structure of generally rectangular configuration with two rows of upwardly opening article receiving pockets which rows of pockets are separated by an upstanding partition panel of double thickness of material and each row of which is formed by depressing a hinged panel which is cut from a portion of the top wall panel and which remains connected to the top wall by hinged pocket separating cross partitions when the panel is depressed with means for holding the panel in depressed position.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more apparent upon consideration of the preferred form of the tray construction which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like parts are identified by the same numerals throughout the views.


This specification discloses a copying apparatus having an original feeding mechanism for feeding originals by moving the originals on the surface of an original supporting member, characterized in that discharging means acts on the original supporting member from that side thereof opposite to the original supporting side of the original supporting member to discharge the original supporting surface.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a copying apparatus having an original feeding mechanism, and more particularly to a copying apparatus having an original feeding mechanism in which electrostatic adherence force caused by friction charging during the feeding of originals is reduced to ensure smooth feeding of the originals.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a copying apparatus having an original feeding mechanism of this type, originals are slidingly conveyed on the surface of an original supporting member (usually a glass surface) by means of a roller group or a conveyor belt and therefore, the friction between the originals and the surface of the original supporting member causes friction charging and thereby produces an electrostatic adherence force which causes the originals to adhere to the surface of the original supporting member. This has led to the difficulty with which the originals, especially thin originals of weak self-supporting strength, are conveyed on the original supporting member. For example, such an adverse effect has been particularly remarkable in automatic feeding devices which automatically feed sheet originals, and the electrostatic adherence force has caused oblique movement or stagnancy or jam of originals which has often resulted in not only reduced efficiency of copying but also breakage of originals themselves. Particularly, most originals are precious and important and usually, they are sole and therefore, even one of them must not be wrinkled or broken.

Copying apparatus having an original feeding mechanism


A method for transforming a selected polymeric material into a plurality of reaction products via supercritical water is disclosed. The method comprises: conveying the selected polymeric material through an extruder, wherein the extruder is configured to continuously convey the selected polymeric material to a supercritical fluid reaction zone; injecting hot compressed water into the supercritical fluid reaction zone, while the extruder is conveying the selected polymeric material into the supercritical fluid reaction zone so as to yield a mixture; retaining the mixture within the reaction zone for a period of time sufficient to yield the plurality of reaction products. The reaction zone may be characterized by a tubular reactor having an adjustably positionable inner tubular spear, wherein the tubular reactor and the inner tubular spear further define an annular space within the reaction zone, and wherein the mixture flows through the annular space and into a reaction products chamber.

Everyday the Sun pours down onto the Earth a vast quantity of radiant energy many many times greater than the total now used by Man. Some of this energy, together with carbon dioxide and water, Nature traps in trees and other plants by conversion into giant chemical molecules, collectively called biomass. The major components (about 60% to 80%) of this mixture are polysaccharides. Polysaccharides are long and substantially linear chains, the individual links of which are simple sugars. The remaining component (about 15% to 25%) is called lignin and is a complex network of joined aromatic rings of the type present in liquid diesel engine fuel. The energy trapped within plants can be recovered, in part, by breaking down the long chains into their constituent sugar links for subsequent standard fermentation into bioethanol. In contrast, the breakdown of the lignin network can yield simple aromatic compounds for possible direct incorporation into diesel fuel. The problem facing chemical engineers has been how to achieve these demonstrated chemical breakdowns on a large-scale, commercially practical, and energy efficient way.
There exists immense amounts of biomass materials in forests and crops, and cellulose, the main component, is one of the most abundant natural resources available on the Earth. In this regard, natural cellulosic feedstocks are now commonly referred to as "biomass," and biomass materials are known to generally consist primarily of cellulose (˜40% to ˜50%), hemicellulose (˜20% to ˜30%), and lignin (˜15% to ˜25%) bound together in a complex structure together with smaller amounts of pectins, proteins, and ash. Many types of biomass, including, for example, wood, paper, agricultural residues such as bagasse, switchgrass, wheat or sorghum straw, corn husks, and the like have long been considered as possible feedstocks for the manufacture of certain organic chemicals, but thus far existing biomass conversion technologies have achieved only limited success. It is believed by many that due to the complex chemical structure of most biomass materials, microorganisms and enzymes cannot effectively attack the cellulose component without prior treatment. Indeed, conventional methods for converting cellulose to glucose by way of acid hydrolysis and enzymatic saccharification are known to be inefficient and, consequently, are not yet commercially viable.
More recently, however, the chemical conversion of cellulose with supercritical water to obtain various sugars has been studied. (see, e.g., M. Sasaki, B. Kabyemela, R. Malaluan, S. Hirose, N. Takeda, T. Adschiri & K. Arai, Cellulose hydrolysis in subcritical and supercritical water, J. Supercritical Fluids, 13, 261-268 (1998); S. Saki & T. Ueno, Chemical conversion of various celluloses to glucose and its derivatives in supercritical water, Cellulose, 6, 177-191 (1999).) These more recent studies are among the first to demonstrate that cellulose may be rapidly hydrolyzed in supercritical water to yield glucose (in high yield) in either flow or batch type micro-reactors. The use of flow or batch type micro-reactors, however, is not a realistic option for the commercial-scale production of cellulosic based motor fuels.
Nowadays, everyone is aware of the desirability of having new domestic sources of liquid fuels for diesel as well as gasoline engines. Likewise, it is generally recognized that the USA has been living in the Age of Plastics for the past 75 years. This has become a throwaway age and multi-ton quantities of plastics are discarded daily all around the world.
In the major cities of the USA, it is now standard to have special bins everywhere in which recyclable material can be dumped. Originally, this recyclable designation was restricted to paper and cardboard but now plastics in general are accepted. Strangely enough, in Seattle polystyrene foam and packaging material is excluded, and must be dumped in the regular garbage cans. The contents of the recycle bins are collected in a special truck and are transported to a municipal recycling center. There the various components are separated.
Now the discarded plastics, separated at the recycle center, consist of long chains of thousands of atoms called polymers. Of the commercially most important polymers, polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), have chains that contain only carbon and hydrogen atoms in amounts similar to the hydrocarbons in diesel and gasoline fuels. Thus, the molecules in diesel and gasoline are chemically similar to the polymers but are much smaller in size. It has therefore been appreciated for some time that if the long chains of the plastics could be broken down into smaller pieces these moieties could find use as chemical feedstocks.
One of the most intriguing and environmentally sound approaches to breaking down plastics is simply to use water alone, heated to its supercritical state. About a decade ago this chemical-free technology was comprehensively discussed in an English language review by P. E. Savage (Chem. Rev. 1999, 99, 609). Since then few modern reviews have appeared. However, numerous articles, mostly from Japan and China, have appeared each year dealing with the treatment of plastics with supercritical water. All of these publications emphasize that when water is heated to 374.4 C or above, the pressure concomitantly generated is 217.7 atm and the water then becomes a powerful new reactive solvent. Temperatures above 400 C seem to make the water even more effective in its new role. For example, it now dissolves PS and breaks it down in 100% yield into a mixture of styrene, methylstyrene, styrene dimers and trimers, toluene, ethylbenzene, isopropylbenzene, 1,3-diphenylpropane and 1,3-diphenylbutane. (H. Kwak, H.-Y. Shin, S.-Y. Bae and H. Kumazawa, J. Appl. Poly. Sci. 2006, 101, 675). All of these substances are immiscible with water at room temperature and could be components of a diesel fuel.
These and numerous other similar reactions (J. A. Onwudili & P. T. Williams, Chemosphere 2009, 74(6), 787) demonstrate clearly that plastics can be broken down by treatment with supercritical water. Apparently the water and plastic undergoes the water gas reaction and hydrogen is released to combine with the chain fragments from the plastics. This has actually been demonstrated by the use of deuterium oxide in place of water and the consequent finding of deuterium in the fragments. However, since nearly all water-plastic reactions have been run in a batch mode on a very small scale, the chemistry so elegantly elucidated does not provide answers to the questions necessary for the future development of a commercially-sized, practical, continuous, supercritical water-based process.
As is commonly understand by those with backgrounds in chemical engineering, petroleum-based diesel fuels are produced from the fractional distillation of crude oil between 200 C (392° F.) and 350° C. (662° F.) at atmospheric pressure, resulting in a mixture of carbon chains that typically contain between 8 and 21 carbon atoms per molecule. Diesel fuels are approximately similar to fuel oils used for heating (fuel oils no. 1, no. 2, and no. 4). All fuel oils consist of complex mixtures of aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons. The aliphatic alkanes (paraffins) and cycloalkanes (naphthenes) are hydrogen saturated and compose approximately 80-90% of the fuel oils. Aromatics (e.g., benzene) and olefins (e.g., styrene and indene) compose 10-20% and 1%, respectively, of the fuel oils. Fuel oil no. 1 (straight-run kerosene) is a light distillate which consists primarily of hydrocarbons in the C9-C16 range; fuel oil no. 2 is a heavier, usually blended, distillate with hydrocarbons in the C11-C20 range. Straight-run distillates may also be used to produce fuel oil no. 1 and diesel fuel oil no. 1. Diesel fuel no. 1 and no. 2 are similar in chemical composition to fuel oil no. 1 and fuel oil no. 2, respectively, with the exception of the additives. Diesel fuels predominantly contain a mixture of C10 through C19 hydrocarbons, which include approximately 64% aliphatic hydrocarbons, 1-2% olefinic hydrocarbons, and 35% aromatic hydrocarbons.
Accordingly, and although some progress has made with respect to the development of biomass and/or waste plastic conversion systems, there is still a need in the art for new and improved machines, systems, and methods for converting biomass and/or waste plastics into simple sugars, hydrocarbons, and/or aromatic chemicals as the case may be which, in turn, can be readily converted into liquid transportation fuels. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides for further related advantages.

Biomass and waste plastics depolymerization machine and methods via supercritical water


The present invention provides an insulated container for cooling hot beverages to an acceptable temperature and then maintaining the beverage temperature in an acceptable temperature range for consumption. This invention has an upper reservoir and a lower reservoir surrounding a beverage chamber, the upper and lower reservoirs communicating with one another through at least one passageway having a two-way valve. A liquid located in the lower reservoir is permitted to flow into the upper reservoir through the valve. The thermal liquid removes some of the heat from the hot beverage. After the hot beverage reaches a satisfactory drinking temperature, the liquid is then allowed to flow back through the valve into the lower reservoir. The air in the upper reservoir maintains the beverage at a proper temperature. A method of use is also provided.

It is often desirable to maintain beverages at a temperature suitable for drinking over an extended period of time. The problem, of course, is that left alone, a hot beverage in a container will continually cool until it reaches ambient temperature. Over the years, several attempts have been made to maintain the temperature of liquids in a container. The most notable example is the Thermos.RTM. insulated container. Generally, this device, and others like it, keep liquids at relative constant for extended periods so that they can be consumed at a later time. Also, hot liquids are often prepared and poured at extremely high temperatures, too hot for consumption, and must be cooled before they can be consumed. While these types of devices work well in situations in which a beverage is not to be immediately consumed, they are not effective for use when the beverage is to be consumed almost immediately upon being poured into the container: traditional insulated containers keep the liquids at too extreme a temperature for enjoyment.
Over the years, attempts have been made to create containers that alter the temperature of beverages before they are consumed. One example is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,076 to Anthony which discloses and claims a spill and scald resistant container designed to lower the temperature of a liquid before it is consumed. The device works in conjunction with a conventional cup. The cup, complete with liquids, is placed into the device in an inverted fashion and the device is sealed and inverted. The liquid in the cup then flows to an opening through a gap created between the device and the cup. The container itself draws heat from the liquid to lower the liquid's temperature. While this device recognizes the problems associated with cooling hot liquids before consumption, it is not without its shortcomings. A first shortcoming of this device is that it is difficult to use in that a conventional cup must be inserted into the device and the device inverted. This requires an appropriately sized cup, which may not be readily available. More importantly, there is an increased risk of spilling the hot liquid. A second shortcoming of this device is that it does not maintain the liquid at a desirable drinking temperature inasmuch as the device is constantly cooling the liquid.
Other examples of devices designed to alter the temperature of liquids in a container are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,680,330, 2,838,916, 1,721,311, and 929,389. These devices all address the cooling of liquids before consumption.
There is need, therefore, for a simple self-contained device which permits a hot liquid to be cooled to a comfortable drinking temperature and maintains that temperature for a period of time.

Reversible insulating properties container and method of use


A crossbar circuit (30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100) having programmable repeater structures adapted to allow configuration of the crossbar with inputs at multiple sides of the crossbar die. A plurality of repeaters (62) are arranged in different repeater structures such that the repeater arrangement can be connected to inputs at different locations as a function of the corresponding input as it is physically positioned around the periphery of the crossbar. A pseudo code is provided allowing the repeater structures to be custom configured to corresponding inputs as a function of the desired crossbar as it is designed to be utilized in a particular large integrated circuit, such as a VLSI chip.

Crossbars are structures which can connect any input to any output. It is common in VLSI chips to implement large crossbars, such as shown at 10 in FIG. 1, to switch inputs coupled to one circuit block 12 to outputs feeding a second circuit block 14. For example, a crossbar may have 64 inputs and 64 outputs, where each of the inputs and outputs is 16 bits wide. The crossbar is built largely out of multiplexers, where each output is driven by a 16 bit wide, 64 input multiplexer. The 64 input mux is in practice implemented as a tree of smaller muxes. With 64 crossbar outputs, there are 64 instances of this 64-input, 16 bit wide mux.
Crossbars conventionally can be efficiently implemented as regular datapath structures, where each output mux is a bitstack, or a regular datapath component. The 64 output muxes are then placed in a sequence. For example, as shown at 16 in FIG. 2, the mux bitstacks are horizontal, with bit 0 on the left and bit 15 on the right. The datapath is then built up vertically, with output mux 0 on the bottom and output mux 63 on the top.
In this arrangement, each of the 64 16 bit input wires must be broadcast to all 64 output muxes. FIG. 3 shows these 1024 wires at 18 running vertically the entire height of the crossbar 10. It is typically the case that the load represented by the inputs of the 64 muxes is too large to be driven by a single wire, where the wire 18 is long enough that the resulting RC time constant is unacceptable. As a result, repeaters 20 must be inserted in the input wires 18, as shown in FIG. 4 for the case of an input wire divided into 4 segments by 3 repeaters.
It is often the case that the data input wires 18 are registered just as they come into the crossbar 10. The output data wires 18 may also be registered by registers 22, as shown in FIG. 5, giving a full clock cycle for the crossbar to function, and allowing time for the input and output signals on the wires 18 to travel potentially long distances. When the data inputs are registered, the repeaters 20 are driven from the buffered output of the registers.
The arrangement of FIG. 5 is a conventional case where all 1024 data input wires are input to the bottom of the crossbar module. It is also possible to input wires to the top of the module, as shown in FIG. 6, using repeaters to form a basic repeater structure as shown.
There is desired an improved crossbar adapted to have data inputs at multiple sides of the module periphery and an architecture which provides custom programming to achieve such a feature.

Crossbar circuit having a plurality of repeaters forming different repeater arrangements


A new structure of automobile exterior rearview mirror which integrates an arc-surface wide-angle mirror and a plane mirror together to form a one-piece design. This design overcomes the drawbacks of the existing exterior rearview mirror, in which a driver use a stick-on type wide-angle mirror. In addition, the present invention also provides a blank surface area with parabolized image coating. The blank surface area is formed between the wide-angle mirror and the plane mirror and its function is to prevent the refraction and reflection interferences caused by the wide-angle mirror and the plane mirror. The exterior rearview mirror of the present invention is economical, will not fall off and has no blind spot. It is a full view safety mirror for backing up the car, making turns and changing lanes in the roadway.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a new structure of an automobile exterior rearview mirror, more specifically, to the exterior rearview mirror having an arc-surface wide-angle mirror and a plane mirror integrated together to provide a fullview mirror that reduces blind spots and interferences.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
With reference to FIG. 1, when driving on a curved roadway or in an alley, a driver often encounters conditions wherein he cannot fully visualize the rearview from the exterior rearview mirror (1). In such cases the driver has to use the arc-surface mirror provided on the side of the roadway or someone has to direct the driver to go through. It is apparent that the design of the existing exterior rearview mirror for automobiles has blind spots. Because of this a stick-on type arc-surface wide-angle mirror (2) is available for the driver to adhere it to the plane exterior rearview mirror (1) in the automobile, as shown in FIG. 1. The attachment of the arc-surface mirror (2) to the exterior rearview mirror in the automobile makes use of a double-sided tape (21). This type of attachment is not secure and moisture and vibration can cause the arc-surface mirror (2) to fall off. In addition, it is not easy to position the wide-angle mirror (2). A helper is needed for the car owner to properly position the stick-on arc-surface mirror (2). Any displacement of the stick-on arc-surface mirror will only give a partial rearview to the driver.
Even though the arc-surface wide-angle mirror (2) can be attached in the right position, the image from the plane rearview mirror can be interfered by the attached arc-surface mirror (2). This can cause some trouble in driving, such as the rearview interferences in backing up the car, changing lanes or making turns. All these factors create some safety concern for the driver.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new structure for the automobile exterior rearview mirror to overcome the disadvantages of the stick-on type arc-surface mirror so that a full rearview of the road condition can be seen from the driver's seat.

Structure of automobile exterior rearview mirror


An automatic solid-phase microextraction (SPME) sampling apparatus having a mobile sampler arm with a holder for a probe carrying a fiber 9 and an intermediate bracket for transferring the probe between a probe storage tray and the gas chromatograph injector. In the various probe handling stages, the probes are collected by a magnetic member attached to the end of the plunger in the holder, at the free end of the holder's body and at the lower end of the block for guiding the probe needle. The magnetic member interacts with a ferromagnetic connector attached to one end of the fiber and with a ferromagnetic flange attached to the end of the needle containing the fiber in order to place the probe on the transfer bracket or remove it therefrom. The apparatus can perform analyses on fibers that have already been exposed, extract analytes from samples, and subsequently transfer them for desorption in the gas chromatograph in a fully automatic way.

Solid-phase microextraction (or "SPME") is an analytical technique that uses a fluid polymer phase, a solid adsorbent, or a combination of the two, immobilized or coated on a fused silicon fiber. The coated fiber (hereinafter referred to as an "SPME fiber") is immersed in a liquid sample, or in the headspace above the sample, to absorb the analytes of interest, which are subsequently desorbed with the aid of heat in a gas chromatograph injector and thus transferred to a capillary column. The selectivity of this technique may be varied by changing the type or thickness of the phase coating on the fiber. This analytical method has found widespread use in various fields, being used for biological and environmental analyses, toxicology and in the agro-food sector.
An SPME unit essentially has two parts: (1) a probe comprising coated fused silicon fiber attached at one end to a plastic connector and housed slidingly in a needle such that the opposite end of the fiber may be exposed, and (2) a tubular, syringe-like container having a plunger threadably engaged with the connector. Sliding action of the plunger causes a larger or smaller portion of the fiber to extend from, or withdraw into, the needle. The analyte may be extracted either by exposing the coated portion of the fiber to the headspace of a test tube, immersing it in a fluid (e.g. water, milk, fruit juices, wines, etc.), or by exposing the fiber to air (for instance, in a working environment where the concentration of airborne pollutants is to be measured).
Generally speaking, there are three types of probe containers (hereinafter referred to as "holders") namely, holders for (i) manual analyses, (ii) field tests, and those for (iii) automatic samplers (or "autosamplers"). An autosampler is a well-known apparatus having a robotic arm that allows the user to automatically extract the analyte (i.e., conduct sampling) and inject it into the gas chromatograph. While conventional autosampplers have been found useful, the user must intervene each time a coated fiber must be replaced which, depending on the class of compounds being assayed, may require that fibers of different phases be immobilized. In such cases, the samples to be analyzed may be housed in test tubes inserted in suitable support plates that are accessible to the sampling head of the robotic arm.
Although SPME has been found beneficial, automation of the extraction/injection process is often limited because of the necessity that the user intervene each time the probe, installed on the autosampler arm, must be changed. There are, indeed, situations, when the probe has to be replaced after each injection in the gas chromatograph, making automated analysis unfeasible. Such is the case, for example, in determining levels of airborne pollutants as,  during a given sampling campaign, technician collecting samples is likely to return to the laboratory with a large number of probes whose fibers have been exposed to the environment or are being monitored. In this type of analysis, the number of fibers depends on the number of sampling points chosen, and on the number of individuals working, in the area being monitored. Specifically, one or more probes may be attached to the workers' clothing to assess their exposure to airborne pollutants.
In environmental analyses, each SPME probe is effectively equivalent to a testtube that users of conventional arrangements must always change inside the holder before they can inject the sample into the gas chromatograph. Using When using holders currently available on the market, while SPME fibers can be used on some autosamplers, multiple fibers cannot be used simultaneously in a single working session unless the autosampler is stopped and an operator is on hand to change the probe. Moreover, where each fiber represents a selected sampling point, there is generally no difference—in terms of timesaving—between injecting the analyte through the port by hand or installing the fiber of the holder in the autosampler. Unfortuneately, if, for instance, there are two sets of samples on which two substances must be assayed, that require two different SPME fibers, then the first set of samples must be analyzed first, and, subsequently, the fiber changed before the second set of samples can be analyzed. Although this issue is already problematic with assays on liquid or biological samples, it becomes magnified during environmental sampling, when the absence of a fully automated procedure increases considerably the time necessary to perform the analyses.

Automatic solid-phase microextraction sampling apparatus


A device for continuously monitoring the intraocular pressure in an eye, which includes a scleral contact lens having a pressure transducer thereon for measuring intraocular pressure. The lens is sized to fit within the sclera of an eye for positioning the pressure transducer in fixed contact with the sclera in the superior temporal quadrant of the eye in the superior cul-de-sac during movement of the eye. The pressure transducer includes at least one semiconductor strain gauge crystal adapted to generate an electrical resistance which is responsive to inraocular pressure. A projection is provided for scleral indentation and is positioned to transmit response to intracular pressure to the crystal. A battery powered memory unit is mounted in the lens in non-scleral contact for recording measurements of pressure by the transducer over a predetermined period of time, preferably by, measuring the resistance through the crystal. The crystal is fixed to a flexible membrane forming a mounting on the contact lens. Output is obtained by providing access to the measurements stored in the memory unit upon removal of the lens from the eye.

Three to four million persons in the United States suffer from glaucoma to some degree, although only about half of these persons are treated by routine administration of glaucoma medication. Glaucoma is recognized to be the leading cause of blindness in this country.
Typical treatment for glaucoma to reduce the excessive intraocular pressure involves the administration of drugs which operate on the intraocular pressure. These drugs do not have a long term straight line effect on intraocular pressure, however, and individual treatments may be more or less effective at any particular period of time in the treatment cycle. For most glaucoma cases, intraocular pressure varies throughout the day, usually reaching its peak about 3:00 am. This diurnal cycle presents difficulties to the attending physician, who sees the patient at only one relatively short period of time. For this reason, it is difficult for the practitioner to accurately assess the effect of glaucoma medications.
At the present time, there is recognition that the cycle of intraocular pressure is diurnal and is subject to several variables. However, no acceptable means presently exists to continuously measure intraocular pressure.
One such means has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,329, to Couvillon et al, in which a contact lens is used to maintain vision for the patient. The patent notes, however, that sensitivity of the cornea to the device presents a serious problem. To solve this problem, a miniature strain gauge pressure transducer is used, in the form of a noncompliant, planar diaphragm for applanating a small portion of the sclera. A hydrogel ring is placed within the conjunctival cul-de-sac of the eye in a concentric orientation with the cornea to permit vision during the process.
In the Couvillon et al device, separation of tissue supplies the necessary force to the transducer diaphragm to applanate the contacted portion of the sclera. The resultant stress, monitored as resistance variations, is sent to a transmitter via connecting wires. While the Couvillon et al patent does not say so explicitly, the wires appear to extend from the hydrogel ring to a transmitter which is external to the eye. Signals are sent to a receiver/transcriber for analysis and use in other ways.
The Couvillon et al device contemplates the use of a ring platform, made preferably from hydrogel. The ring must be sufficient to allow eye movement without serious contact with corneal tissue. Wire conductors convey the current from the strain gauges, and change in resistance is measured as change in voltage. As noted in the description of the "communicating means" described in the Detailed Description of the Couvillon et al patent, the transmitter is fixed to the patient's glasses or person. Presumably, preventative methods are in place to prevent the patient from removing his or her glasses with the ring platform still in the eye and attached to the transmitter via the wire conductors.

Portable diurnal intraocular pressure recording system


A dental superstructure with integrated spacers including a main body and at least one integrated spacer. The superstructure is intended to be connected to the at least one osseointegrated dental implant through connection between the integrated spacer and the osseointegrated dental implant. A manufacturing method thereof is also provided.

The goal of a dental implant is to restore the patient to normal function, comfort, aesthetic, speech and health regardless of the current oral condition. This is obtained by dental implants in combination with superstructures and separate spacers. In this respect, the use of biocompatible titanium started in Sweden as early as 1950, and has since then been further developed and spread world-wide. During the 1980's a number of implant systems entered the world market.
These implant systems are based on the implantation of dental implants, such as dental implants made of the above mentioned biocompatible titanium, through insertion into the patient's jawbone. Healing spacers are then applied on the implants. These healing spacers are left during a period of time of 2 to 6 months, during which period of time osseointegration and healing of soft tissue takes place. During the healing period the gum, i.e. the soft tissue, is shaped after the healing spacers. After the healing period the healing spacers are removed and the dental superstructure is applied to the implants via separate spacers. These spacers are typically not of the same shape as the healing spacers, i.e. not shaped individually, and often even mass-produced. Thus, a bad matching between the superstructure and the spacers, and thereby the gum tissue is obtained. This results in an uneven attachment of the superstructure in respect of the gum. Thus, a bad fit, such as a gap, etc., between the gum and the superstructure is formed. The use of separate spacers also increases the time and complexity of the application of the dental superstructure to the implants. Also, the manufacturing and assembling of the different parts, such as the dental implant, superstructure, spacers etc., makes the process expensive and time consuming, resulting in an increased economic loss and prolonged period of time from the initiation to the termination of the implantation process.
A bad fit of the gum to the dental superstructure is aesthetically unpleasing and allows for example food debris to accumulate in the pocket between the superstructure and the gum tissue. Bacteria may also accumulate in the interface between the dental structure and the separate spacers, causing problems with odour and hygiene in the oral cavity.
SE506850 discloses a dental prosthesis system incorporating a superstructure and fixtures that are implantable in a person's jawbone. Each fixture is anchored in the jawbone and its opposite end is arranged so that it will be possible to attach the superstructure to it.
Different spacers, upon which spacers a superstructure may be applied, are known in the art. For example may the spacers described in EP 0987994, EP 0419431, and EP 0580945, be mentioned. Commercially available spacers can only be obtained in a limited number of heights, which is a drawback with the prior art technology.
WO 98/47441 discloses a system comprising a bar (3) for attaching the prosthesis, which is flush fitted between spacer elements, such as extensions (4), which spacer elements in turn are connected to the implant screws (6).
U.S. Pat. No. 6,283,753 describes dental abutment systems comprising a base that is adapted to mount in nonrotating fashion on any desired dental implant, root form or blade, from any supplier, together with a fixation screw which secures the base to the implant. Also, a core to which an abutment is cast in customized shape and form as desired is attached to the base and secured with an appropriate antirotational mechanism.
Thus, there is a need for a new superstructure that provides a good fit of the superstructure to the gum. There is also need for a simpler, faster and cheaper production method of dental superstructures. Furthermore, there is a need to provide for the possibility of a simple assembly ex situ (outside the patient's mouth) and application in situ (in the patient's mouth).
Hence, an improved superstructure would be advantageous, and in particular a superstructure allowing for a good fit of the superstructure to the gum. Furthermore, a simpler, faster and cheaper production method of said superstructure, cost-effectiveness, and/or a more simple assembly would be advantageous.

Dental superstructure, and method of manufacture thereof


An apparatus for drying and sterilizing kitchen utensils including two door panels with axial compression means at two opposite ends respectively moved in sliding grooves on the apparatus base relative to respective roller means at the sliding grooves, clamps adjustably fastened to tracks on an utensil carrying rack inside the apparatus base for holding down kitchen utensils, supporting tubes connected to stub tubes on the rack for holding containers upside-down for drying and sterilizing, and air conduits with air outlets for guiding hot currents of ozone to the rack and the supporting tubes in all directions.

The present invention relates to kitchen utensil drying and sterilizing apparatus for drying and sterilizing kitchen utensils, bottles, cans, small containers, etc. The apparatus comprises two door panels with axial compression means at two opposite ends respectively moved in sliding grooves on the apparatus base relative to respective roller means at the sliding grooves, clamps adjustably fastened to tracks on an utensil carrying racks inside the apparatus base for holding down kitchen utensils, supporting tubes connected to stub tubes for holding containers upside-down for drying and sterilizing, and air conduits with air outlets for guiding hot currents of ozone to the rack and the supporting tubes in all directions.
When kitchen utensils such as bowls, dishes, trays, spoons, cups, bottles, food containers, etc., are washed with water, they must be dried before use. Various apparatus have been disclosed for this purpose, and have appeared on the market. These apparatus commonly have a door for controlling the entrance. This door is comprised of two symmetrical door panels disposed at two opposite sides, each having two circularly raised portions at two opposite ends respectively inserted into a respective sliding groove on the apparatus base (housing). If the size of the circularly raised portions does not match with the size of the sliding grooves perfectly, the door panels will be stuck. Another drawback of conventional kitchen utensil drying apparatus is that they can only heat dry kitchen utensils but have no means to sterilize kitchen utensils while drying. Furthermore, because these kitchen utensil drying apparatus use only a rack to carry kitchen utensils and have no means to hold them in place, and therefore kitchen utensils cannot be fully dried when they are put together. More particularly when bottles or other containers are put on the rack for drying, hot currents of air cannot be efficiently guided into the bottles or containers to fully dry the inside of the bottles or containers.

Apparatus for drying and sterilizing kitchen utensils


An electrode for measuring gas concentration in blood and having a disposable, skin-contact assembly installed in a reusable base; the disposable assembly includes an anode, cathode, electrolyte, and membrane, and the base includes a heater and means for conducting heat and electrical current to the disposable assembly.

It is often desirable to measure the oxygen content of blood without taking a blood sample (e.g., for fetal monitoring during delivery). This can be done by measuring the oxygen released through the skin from capillaries lying adjacent the skin surface, the so-called transcutaneous partial pressure of oxygen (t.sub.c PO.sub.2). Conventionally the measurement is made by adhering to the skin an electrode having a membrane permeable to oxygen. One such electrode is disclosed in Eberhard et al., "An Introduction to Cutaneous Oxygen Monitoring in the Neonate," Hoffmann-La Roche & Co., AG (1976). Oxygen passes through the membrane and into an electrolyte region. The amount of oxygen is detected by measuring the current flowing through the electrolyte between an anode and a cathode. A heater in the electrode warms the skin to stimulate release of oxygen. The anode, cathode, electrolyte region, and heater are incorporated into a reusable unit. The membrane is removed after each use to add fresh electrolyte. As it is important to maintain the elevated temperature of the electrode within a narrow temperature range to assure measurement accuracy, the electrode is temperature calibrated.

Battle Research and Development Associates


A method for continuously scrolling a large scale picture, comprising scrolling picture data of first partial picture memory in a predetermined direction, the first picture memory having a region with a position and a size, reserving second partial picture memory having a region of a different position and a predetermined size in the predetermined direction of scrolling, the region of the second partial picture memory overlapping that of the first partial picture memory, changing display data from the first partial picture memory to the second partial picture memory at the time when scrolled position become near to a boundary region of the first partial picture memory, continuously scrolling picture data of the second memory.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for continuously scrolling a large scale picture and its apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has been developed equipments serving as a multimedia and processing information in which pictures, CAD figures, characters, and numerical data are mixed. It has been required that a large scale picture such as a map picture as picture data is processed by such equipments.
In the conventional equipments, since a picture input by a scanner was used as a unit picture, it was possible to perform the continuous scrolling in the input unit picture. However, it was difficult to continuously scroll the picture over the other input unit picture. Moreover, it was necessary to provide a special hardware for processing the picture data.
Conventionally, in order to continuously scroll the large scale picture, there were needed a picture memory with a large capacity for retaining picture data to be displayed and a special hardware for processing the picture data.

Method and apparatus for continuously scrolling large scale picture


This invention relates to an impact cushioning device for protecting bed occupants from fall-related injuries. The cushioning device generally comprises an inflatable air cushion or a variety of other impact absorbing materials. The impact absorbing cushion is stowed adjacent to the bed and adapted to rapid displacement when weight of the occupant is removed from the bed. The impact cushioning device is oriented to the bed in a manner wherein the cushion creates a barrier between the bed occupant and the floor when displaced.

It is common knowledge to the medical and nursing profession that patients are frequently traumatized by falls from bed, both in hospitals and nursing homes. While it is not impossible to restrain patients in beds either by tying or by drugs, these methods have deleterious repercussions. These include mental and physical trauma; both producing extreme discomforts.
All to frequently, falls follow confusion and deliberate attempts to leave the bed even by climbing over side-rails. These bed related falls are frequently linked to confusion caused by the unfamiliar hospital or nursing home environment. Currently used beds include safety mechanisms, like side-rails, yet all such devices, including restraints, are not capable of cushioning impact when an individual falls from bed to floor. Thus a need exists for an impact cushioning device attachable to hospital and nursing home beds. Billions of scarce health-care dollars are expended annually to repair fractured hips and the like. Twenty percent of elderly patients who break a hip are dead within 2 months and 50% never walk again.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,172,683 to West 1992 discloses a means whereby a cushioning air-bag is filled with gas stored under pressure in a canister. Using current technology, the expense of this embodiment is prohibitive and thus inappropriate in today's health care fiscal climate.

Impact cushioning device to prevent fall related injuries


A submarine countermeasure vehicle includes an elongated body for supporting a countermeasure device, and a propulsion assembly mounted on an after end of the body. The propulsion assembly includes a rotatable propeller hub, propeller blades mounted on the hub and moveable between a first position wherein the blades extend substantially radially outwardly from the hub, and a second position wherein the blades extend generally axially of the hub. A spring is mounted on each of the blades and in the hub, the spring biasing the blades toward the first position, but of sufficient flexibility to permit the blades to move to the second position upon launch of the vehicle from an underwater launch tube.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by and for the Government of the United States of America for Governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to submarine underwater countermeasures assemblies and is directed more particularly to an improved countermeasure vehicle.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
In FIG. 1, there is shown a typical submarine countermeasure apparatus 20. The apparatus 20 includes a launch tube 22 which, in operation, is disposed outboard of the submarine pressure hull (not shown). A countermeasure vehicle 24 is housed in the launch tube 22 and includes an array assembly 26 and a tailcone assembly 28. The array assembly 26 is protected by a surrounding sabot 30. Disposed in the launch tube 22 is a ram plate 32 and a gas generator 34. The launch tube 22 is closed by a forward tube cover 36 and an after tube cover 38.
In operation, the gas generator 34 is activated by an electrical pulse from the submarine fire control system and generates sufficient gas pressure to move the ram plate 32 forward. The ram plate 32 in turn pushes the countermeasure vehicle 24 forward, breaking away the forward tube cover 36 and launching the countermeasure vehicle 24 from the launch tube 22. In short order, the sabot 30 disengages from around the array assembly 26 and the array assembly is deployed.
The tail cone assembly 28 includes a propulsion propeller assembly (not shown in FIG. 1), and the countermeasure vehicle 24 houses a motor (not shown in FIG. 1) which drives the propeller to position the countermeasure in a column of water.
It has been found that upon launch of the vehicle 24, a combination of a high velocity launch, high forward speed of the submarine, and strong underwater currents, can subject the propeller blades to pressures and bending moments sufficient to damage the blades. Damaged propeller blades can adversely affect the ability of the countermeasure to hover at a selected depth in the water column, and thereby cause mission failure which places the submarine in a state of increased danger.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved propeller assembly which can withstand and survive the aforesaid launch conditions and assume operations leading to a successful mission.
An object of the invention is, therefore, to provide an improved submarine countermeasure vehicle, featuring a propulsion assembly having facility to withstand the rigors of a launch and provide the propulsion needed to successfully complete a mission.
With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, a feature of the present invention is the provision of a submarine countermeasure vehicle comprising an elongated body for supporting a countermeasure device, and a propulsion-assembly mounted on an after end of the body. The propulsion assembly comprises a rotatable propeller hub, propeller blades mounted on the hub and moveable between a first position wherein the blades extend substantially radially outwardly from the hub, and a second position wherein the blades extend generally axially of the hub. A spring is mounted on each of the blades and in the hub, the spring biasing the blades toward the first position, but of sufficient flexibility to permit the blades to move to the second position upon launch of the vehicle from an underwater launch tube.
The above and other features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and combinations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims. It will be understood that the particular device embodying the invention is shown by way of illustration only and not as a limitation of the invention. The principles and features of this invention may be employed in various and numerous embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

Submarine countermeasure vehicle with folding propeller

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy


In one embodiment, a timer apparatus is configured to time a duration in which interrupts are disabled on a processor. The apparatus includes an input to receive a start signal indicating that an interrupt on a processor is disabled, a counter to determine the duration in which interrupts are disabled, and an output to signal a timer event based on the counter. The processor may be configured to trigger a hardware exception in response to the timer event signal. When the interrupts are re-enabled on the processor, the counter of the apparatus may be disabled.

An interrupt is the automatic transfer of software execution in response to a hardware event that is asynchronous with the current software execution. Hardware devices can use interrupts to signal to a processor that the hardware device requires service. Although hardware components may rely on interrupts to communicate with a processor, the processor experiences regular periods of time in which external interrupts are disabled.
For example, when the processor enters an interrupt service routine (ISR) to handle an interrupt, the processor may automatically disable the servicing of other interrupts. The processor may also disable the servicing of interrupts while performing atomic operations that cannot be interrupted. Additionally, software executing on the processor can disable interrupts by writing to a software register.
It is difficult to place a check on the duration in which interrupts are disabled, particularly on an embedded system. If interrupts are disabled for an extended period the processor may miss time critical interrupts that occur during this period. Missing time critical interrupts may lead to system instability, or other undesired effects.

Hardware timer based mechanism to check interrupt disabled duration