A single-post, height-adjustable and removable armrest apparatus (30) for a wheelchair having wheelchair frame (21). The armrest apparatus includes a base (31) formed for mounting to the wheelchair frame and an arm support assembly (32) having a height-adjustable armrest post (33). Interdisposed between the base and the support assembly is an elongated mounting assembly (34). A locking mechanism (37) is movably mounted to a mounting end (35) of the mounting assembly between a locked condition and a unlocked condition. In the locked condition, the mounting end is locked to the base member, while in the unlocked condition, the mounting end is released from the base. A securing mechanism (40) is movably mounted to an engaging end (36) of the mounting assembly between a secured condition and an unsecured condition. In the secured condition, the armrest post is locked to the mounting assembly, while in the unsecured condition, height adjusting movement of the armrest post is permitted relative to the engaging end. The armrest apparatus further includes a manually engageable latch assembly (41) operably engaging both the locking mechanism and the securing mechanism. The latch assembly moves between a selected one of: 1) the locking mechanism to move the locking mechanism from the locked condition to the unlocked condition, while the securing mechanism is retained in the secured condition; and 2) the securing mechanism to move the securing mechanism from the secured condition to the unsecured condition, while the locking mechanism is retained in the locked condition.

Wheelchairs generally include a seat assembly mounted to a wheelchair frame and two armrest apparatuses positioned adjacent to and on opposing sides of the seat. These armrest apparatuses generally provide the occupant support during ingress and egress from the wheelchair. Just as importantly, though, armrests provide comfort and convenience for the occupant by furnishing a fixture upon which they may rest their arms. Hence, the prior art armrests, as shown in FIG. 1, are often height-adjustable and/or removable from the wheelchair to accommodate a variety of different sized and shaped persons.
Typically, height-adjustable armrest apparatuses 10 include an armrest base frame 11 rigidly secured to a portion of a wheelchair frame 12 adjacent a seat (not shown). Armrest apparatus 10 usually includes an armrest pad 14 which is carried by an inverted, U-shaped, pad support frame 13. This support frame 13 includes a horizontal tube portion 15, supporting the pad, and a pair of vertical posts 16 extending downwardly from opposite ends of the horizontal tube portion. Each post 16 is oriented in a substantially vertical manner for ease of mounting and height adjustment relative to armrest base frame 11.
Base frame 11 usually includes a pair of spaced-apart upwardly extending receiving tubes 17 each having post receiving bores 18 dimensioned to slidably and telescopically receive the distal ends of the corresponding post portions. Hence, the height of armrest pad 14 can be adjusted by moving posts 16 reciprocally in or out of the corresponding receiving bores 18. A releasable locking latch 19 is usually provided to lock support frame relative to base frame 11 after height adjustment has been made.
While these two-post height-adjustable armrest apparatuses 10 provide added lateral mounting stability, several problems are inherent with these designs. For example, these armrest apparatuses are difficult for quadriplegics (i.e., those severely impaired) to manipulate. While attempting to adjust the height of pad support frame 13, those with limited physical capabilities are often unable to telescopically retract or extend both posts 16 simultaneously into or out of the corresponding receiving bores 18 in a smooth even manner. Hence, this skewed motion causes posts 16 to lodge or jam in the corresponding receiving bores 18.
Moreover, once the occupant applies a force sufficient to dislodge the posts from their skewed orientation relative the receiving bores, the momentum often completely separates the pad support frame from the base frame. Thus, the occupant is burdened with the prospect of reinstalling the posts back into the corresponding bores. This task is troublesome since the occupant may experience alignment difficulties between the posts and the corresponding receiving bores, particularly if support frame 13 should be dropped during handling. Should this occur, substantial bending may be required in order to reinstall the armrest. This problem can be magnified for those users who are severely physically impaired.
Another problem associated with prior two-post armrest apparatuses is that they do not facilitate interchangeability of the armrests. Sometimes, the user may find it desirable to increase or decrease the length of the armrest support frame. With the current two-post armrest apparatuses once base frame 11 is mounted to wheelchair frame 12, only those armrests support frames having post ends properly corresponding to the distance between the post receiving bores of the receiving tubes may be installed.
Single-post height-adjustable armrest apparatuses (not shown) have been developed to overcome the above-mentioned problems associated with the two-post assemblies. Typically, the single post is telescopically received in a receiving bore which, in combination, functions both as a height adjustment mechanism as well as an armrest assembly mounting mechanism. Hence, when the tolerances between the post and the bore are too small, the pad support frame often becomes lodged in the receiving bore. Accordingly, similar to the two-post assemblies, when the occupant attempts dislodge the post, they often inadvertently remove the post completely out of the receiving bore. In contrast, when the tolerances are too large (i.e., to reduce jamming therebetween), the post tends to rattle and move about the receiving bore causing the pad support frame to feel unstable.

Single-post, height-adjustable and removable armrest apparatus for a wheelchair


An electrode structure for connecting a battery module to a bus bar is provided. An electrode structure including a metal terminal having a base and a tip end, the base fixed to a body of a battery module, the tip end spaced apart by a predetermined distance from the body of the battery module and connected to a bus bar, a nut arranged between the tip end of the metal terminal and the body of the battery module, a rotation stopper in abutment with the nut and preventing the nut from slipping when fastening the bus bar, and a screw shaft screwed into the nut and penetrating through the tip end of the metal terminal and the bus bar.

A battery device mounted on a hybrid vehicle or an electric vehicle has a plurality of battery modules connected in series or in parallel. The plurality of battery modules are connected to each other by a bus bar. The battery module is provided with an electrode to be connected to the bus bar.
For the connection to the bus bar, a bolt and a nut are attached to a metal terminal of the electrode. The bolt attached to the metal terminal penetrates through the bus bar and is screwed into the nut, so that the bus bar is firmly fixed.
Considering the process step of attaching the bus bar to the electrode, it may be possible to temporarily fix the bolt penetrating through the metal terminal, in advance to the metal terminal. As a method of such temporary fixing of the bolt, it may be possible to pass the bolt in advance through a through hole provided in the metal terminal, and to temporarily support the bolt from below with a temporary supporting member. FIG. 11 shows one example of this method. FIG. 11 is prepared for illustration of the problems to be solved by the invention of the present application.
A structure of a battery module is disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-48996) and Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-42753).


Methods and systems are provided for monitoring the health of a service by using a comprehensive collection of analytical values derived from data obtained from a plurality of sensors. Many simultaneous data points are gathered by sensors monitoring a service, which then send the raw data to a collection of analyzers (e.g., servers) running in one or more centralized data centers for examination. Collected data is analyzed to generate various metrics (e.g., analytical values) that can be combined with other data and analysis results to provide indications about the overall health of the service.

When performing system health monitoring or other similar operations or processes that attempt to achieve a comprehensive status or "big-picture" of large-scale systems, it is often difficult to move from a collection of measurements to a useful view of the system as a whole. One conventional approach to obtaining measurements for large systems is through what is sometimes referred to as "black-box monitoring" ("BBM"). When utilizing BBM, no knowledge of the internal state of the overall system is used to help measure availability of various components of the system. Instead the system is used as a customer (hereinafter referred to as a "user") would use it, and the response evaluated to generate a signal.
An example of this conventional approach for monitoring large-scale systems is shown in FIG. 1, and includes the use of many distributed sensors that perform individual tests and produce a binary value (e.g., up/down, good/bad, OK/Not-OK, etc.) as output. Testing output such as this can be very noisy in complex systems where an individual component failing does not necessarily mean that the service is actually down. The output generated by these many sensors is aggregated and then rules designed to examine the percentage of successes-to-failures are used to compare against one or more thresholds.

Combining multiple signals to determine global system state


A tube is composed of a first plate and a second plate which are opposed and engaged with each other. In a first region on both end sides of the tube, the first plate is formed into a shape in which an edge portion of the first plate is laid along a bent portion of the second plate so that an outer wall face of the tube forms a continuous face. In a second region of the tube, the first plate is formed into a shape in which the edge portion of the first plate is laid between the edge portion of the second plate and the bent portion of the second plate.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fin-and-tube-type heat exchanger, in the tube of which an inner fin is provided. The fin-and-tube-type heat exchanger of the present invention is preferably used for an inter-cooler for cooling suction air of an internal combustion engine and can also be used for a condenser for emitting the heat of a thermal medium of an air conditioner.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional tube of a heat exchanger into which an inner fin is incorporated, a set of plates are engaged with each other so that an inner fin can be interposed between them, as described in the official gazette of JP-A-2003-28586 (FIGS. 6 and 8). In the case where the tube is divided into two pieces as described above, at the time of forming the tube, it is easy to incorporate the fin into the tube.
However, in the case where the tube is divided into two pieces, the following problems may be encountered. In a portion in which the plates are engaged with each other, on an outer wall face of the tube, a step portion is formed which corresponds to the wall thickness of the plate arranged outside. When this step portion is formed, at the time of inserting the tube onto a header plate, a gap is formed between the outer wall face of the tube and the opening edge of the opening portion of the header plate. Accordingly, at the time of brazing, a brazing failure may occur.
As a means for solving the above problem, a tube has been proposed, and the structure disclosed, in FIG. 6 of the official gazette of JP-A-2003-28586. That is, a tube, the cross-section of which is substantially a flat rectangle, is composed in such a manner that a first plate, the lateral cross-section of which is substantially a C-shape, and a second plate, the lateral cross-section of which is also substantially a C-shape, are opposed and engaged with each other. In a portion in which both plates are engaged mutually, the first plate is located outside the second plate. An edge portion of the first plate is formed into a shape which lies along a bent portion of the second plate. Due to the above structure, the outer wall face of the tube is composed of continuous face.
The present inventors have investigated application of the tube described above to a fin-and-tube-type heat exchanger. FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing a tube and an outer fin of the heat exchanger which the present inventors investigated. In this connection, FIG. 13 corresponds to a sectional view taken on line III-III in FIG. 1.
As shown in FIG. 13, the tube 2 has a lateral sectional shape formed into substantially a flat rectangle. The first plate 6, the lateral cross section of which is formed into a substantial C-shape, and the second plate 7, the lateral cross section of which is also formed into a substantial C-shape, are opposed and engaged with each other. In a portion in which both plates 6, 7 are engaged mutually, in order to make an outer wall face of the tube 2 to be continuous face, an edge portion 6a of the first plate 6 composing the outer wall face is located in a bent portion 7b of the second plate 7 with respect to the entire tube 2, and the edge portion 6a of the first plate 6 is formed into a shape which lies along the bent portion 7b of the second plate 7.
In the tube 2, an inner fin 5 is arranged. On an outer wall face of the tube 2, an outer fin 3 is provided. This outer fin 3 is arranged only on a main surface 2a which is one of the surfaces including the main surface 2a shown in FIG. 13 composing a long side of the substantial rectangle on the lateral cross section of the tube and the side 2b shown in FIG. 13 composing a short side of the substantial rectangle. In this connection, in FIG. 13, an outer fin arranged on the main surface 2a on the lower side of the drawing is omitted.
Even in this case, the outer wall face of the tube 2 is substantially composed of continuous face. Therefore, it is possible to solve the problem explained in the item of the background art.
However, when the tube 2 is composed as described above, the following problems may be encountered. At the time of manufacturing the heat exchanger, when the first plate 6, the second plate 7, the inner fin 5 and the outer fin 3 are simultaneously brazed mutually in a furnace, in the case where a failure is caused in brazing of the first and the second plate, it is difficult to conduct repairing. That is, when a brazing failure may occur, repairing is usually conducted in such a manner that a brazing filler metal is arranged in a portion in which the failure of brazing is caused and a torch brazing is conducted in which the defective portion is heated with a burner. However, since the edge portion 6a of the first plate 6 is located in the bent portion 7b of the second plate 7 and the edge portion 6a of the first plate 6 is obstructed by the outer fin 3, it is impossible to arrange the brazing filler metal in the neighborhood of the edge portion 6a of the first plate 6. When repairing is forcibly conducted, the outer fin 3 is melted by the burner. Therefore, it is difficult to conduct repairing.
The above problems are caused not only in the tube composed in such a manner that the tube is formed out of two divided plates but also in the tube composed in such a manner that the tube is formed out of one plate and both edge portions of the one plate, which are opposed mutually, are engaged mutually so that the tube can be formed.


A configurable ring oscillator is operated in a first configuration so that an oscillating signal passes from a first node to a second node through a first signal path. A first measurement of an operational characteristic is made. The ring oscillator is operated in a second configuration where an oscillating signal passes from the first node to the second node through a second signal path. A second measurement is made. The first and second measurements are used to determine a circuit simulator parameter. If the first path has little interconnect and the second path has substantial interconnect, then the effect on circuit operation due to interconnect loading can be isolated from the effects on circuit operation due to variations in transistor performance. If the first and second paths are laid out to be identical, then the first and second measurements are usable to determine a circuit simulator mismatch parameter.

1. Technical Field
The disclosed embodiments relate primarily to the extraction of circuit simulator parameters and/or design rules from test structures, and more particularly from ring oscillator test structures.
2. Background Information
Circuit simulation tools are commonly used in the design of integrated circuits. One commonly used circuit simulator is a program called SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis). A designer of a circuit to be realized in integrated circuit form describes the circuit as a netlist. The netlist defines an interconnected set of circuit components. Some examples of circuit components are basic circuit elements such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, voltage sources, and current sources. Operation of these circuit elements are usually a function of one or a small number of parameters. For example, a basic resistor is defined by a single parameter, a resistance. The netlist typically, however, includes more complex circuit components such as lengths of metal interconnect, an N-channel field effect transistor and a P-channel field effect transistor. Operation of a more complex circuit component is typically defined by a "model" involving one or more equations. The model defines operation of the circuit component as a function of multiple parameters. For example, a model of a length of interconnect may use parameters such as the running length of the interconnect, the cross-sectional width of the interconnect, the cross-sectional thickness, the distances between the interconnect and other structures, and the dielectric constants of other materials surrounding the interconnect, and other physical dimensions and electrical properties. There are many different ways of modeling circuit components. Some models are complex, whereas other models are relatively simple.
In the design a particular circuit to be realized in integrated circuit form, the models and the parameters the models use are carefully selected such that simulation of a circuit being designed will closely match actual operation of the circuit if the circuit were to be realized in integrated circuit form. After the circuit being designed has been described as a netlist, the SPICE program simulates the described circuit to determine its simulated operation. If the circuit as simulated does not work correctly, then the circuit design is changed. In this way, a circuit design is simulated and its proper operation is confirmed before the circuit is fabricated.
The values of the parameters are typically determined in a process sometimes referred to as "parameter extraction." In one example of parameter extraction, a suite of test structures is fabricated on a test die using the semiconductor manufacturing process that will later be used to fabricate the circuit to be designed. The test structures are then tested. The test structures are simulated using SPICE, and the parameters of the various models are adjusted until the SPICE simulations match the test results. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,047,505 and 6,934,671 and 6,795,800 for examples of different parameter extraction processes.
It is common to fabricate a ring oscillator as one such a test structure, then to operate the ring oscillator, and to measure its operating frequency. Relevant SPICE circuit parameters are adjusted such that SPICE simulation of the ring oscillator outputs a simulated oscillating frequency that matches the measured oscillating frequency. Examples of parameters that might be adjusted include the length of the gates of the transistors of the ring oscillator, the width of the gates, the dielectric constant of the gate insulator of the transistors, the thickness of the gate insulator, the threshold voltage of the transistors, the mobility of carriers in the transistors, and many other parameters. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,790,436 and 5,825,673. Often a second ring oscillator is fabricated on the same test die such that the second ring oscillator utilizes a different type of transistor. This second ring oscillator is used to calibrate the parameters used by the model of the transistors in the second ring oscillator. Circuit operation is not only, however, affected by transistor performance. Circuit operation is also affected by the electrical characteristics of the interconnect used to connect the various active circuits together. Lengths of different types of interconnect are sometimes fabricated on the test die along with the ring oscillators. Various electrical characteristics of these lengths of interconnect are measured to extract parameters that are used in the SPICE models for interconnect. In addition, multiple ring oscillators are sometimes fabricated on the test die such that the various ring oscillators have different amounts of interconnect in the oscillating signal paths and therefore operate differently. Sometimes a single ring oscillator is tested in an unloaded condition and then is tested again in a loaded condition. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,829. By comparing the operation of such ring oscillators, the effect of interconnect loading on circuit performance can be isolated to some degree and can be used to change SPICE parameters used by the interconnect models. The extraction of SPICE parameters is a complicated and time-consuming multi-dimensional task involving many different interrelated parameters and different types of test structures and different types of models.

Circuit simulator parameter extraction using a configurable ring oscillator


A mold having a cavity for shaping a three-dimensional object, which comprises a photocured resin of a photocurable resin composition comprising. (A) a liquid photocurable resin, and PA1 (B) at least one reinforcing agent selected from the group consisting of inorganic solid particles having an average particle diameter of 3 to 70 .mu.m and a whisker having an average diameter of 0.3 to 1.0 .mu.m, a length of 10 to 70 .mu.m and an aspect ratio of 10 to 100 and optionally, in which the inner surface of the cavity is covered by a solid film having a thickness of 5 to 1000 .mu.m.

A method for optically shaping a product master model is known (see JP-A 56-144478 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") and JP-B 2-38422 (the term "JP-B" as used herein means a "Japanese patent publication")). It is also known that a mold (such as a simple mold) is produced by a resin molding method using this model.
The prior art process of producing a mold by a resin molding method will be explained with reference to FIG. 2. FIG. 2(A) shows a state that a model 101 and a parting line jig 103 are to be combined and FIG. 2(B) shows a state that they are combined. This model 101 is optically shaped. The parting line jig 103 is formed by machining, hand finishing or the like.
Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 2(C) and 2(D), the combined model 101 and parting line jig 103 are surrounded by a frame 105 (such as an acrylic plate), and a cavity mold 107 is formed on the parting surface 111 of the model 101 and the parting surface 131 of the parting line jig 103 by a resin molding method (using, as a resin, epoxy resin containing aluminum powder or the like), and cured. Then, as shown in FIG. 2(E), the frame is removed, the combination is turned upside down, and the parting line jig 103 is removed. Thereafter, a drill hole (dowel hole 175) for aligning a core mold with a cavity mold is formed in the parting surface 171 of the cavity mold 107.
Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 2(F) and 2(G), an assembly of the model 101 and the cavity mold 107 is surrounded by a frame 105, a release agent is applied to the inner surface 115 and parting surface 111 of the model 101, and a core mold 108 is formed on these surfaces by a resin molding method, and cured. Thereafter, the core mold 108 and the cavity mold 107 are separated from each other to remove the model 101. As shown in FIG. 2(H), both molds are combined, bound together by a constraint jig 109 and heated to complete a mold.
In the prior art process of producing a mold, it is only a master model which is optically shaped, and a mold is fabricated through a process for transcribing a model, such as gypsum casting, spray depositing or the like in addition to the above-described resin molding. Heretofore, no photocured resin is available which has satisfactory properties as a mold material and hence, it has been considered that it is impossible to fabricate a mold itself by an optical shaping process.
The prior art method for producing a mold by a transcription process involves the following problems.
(1) The preparation of a master model is required and it takes time and labor. PA0 (2) When a mold is fabricated by transcribing a master model, dimensional accuracy and shape accuracy are deteriorated by transfer. PA0 (3) The transcription of a master model takes time and labor. PA0 (4) The transcription of a master model requires the skills of an expert. For example, the skills are required for determining the parting surface, manufacturing a parting line jig, controlling the temperature of a resin, mixing and defoaming. PA0 (5) The mold manufacturing process is needed additional steps due to preparation of a master model and the transcription works.

Mold of a photocured resin containing a reinforcing agent


One or more processors identify one or more users expected to consume media content having associated subtitle data. A user profile associated with each of the one or more users is received, and one or more features are extracted from each user profile. The one or more features are representative of a characteristic of the user. A group profile is created for the one or more users based upon the extracted features. The subtitle data associated with the media content is received, and one or more portions of the subtitle data are modified based upon the group profile to generate augmented subtitle data. The augmented subtitle data is sent to a display device for being rendered in the display device.

Subtitling and captioning are both processes of displaying text on a television, video screen, or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to viewers of media content. Subtitling and captioning are typically used to provide a transcription of an audio portion of a program, movie, or other media presentation as it occurs. The subtitles or captions are also sometimes used to include descriptions of non-speech elements of the media presentation such as sound effects, musical cues, and other audio information relevant to understanding the media presentation. In another example user, subtitles or captions are used to provide text descriptions in a different language than that of the original media content. For live programs, spoken words from the media presentation are typically either transcribed by a human operator into a test representation, or translated into text by a computer using speech-to-text algorithms. In other cases, text transcripts of a media presentation are available before presentation of the media content, and subtitles and/or captions are displayed during the media presentation to one or more users.

Producing comprehensible subtitles and captions for an effective group viewing experience

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A coupler can include a main body including a first end and a second end, and a flow passage between the first and second ends to allow fluid flow therethrough. The coupler can also include a frame member, and a radio frequency identification tag coupled to the frame member. The frame member is configured to be molded into the main body so that the radio frequency identification tag is incorporated into the main body.

Couplers including electronic components have been employed in connectors for fluid dispensing or conveyance applications. In particular, these "smart" couplers have incorporated data receiving and storage technology for operating and monitoring the connectors when used in the field. Typically, radio frequency technology has been used for receiving electronic data and indicator information in the form of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Couplers employing this technology are capable of receiving and storing useful data with respect to product and flow parameter information. Such technology incorporated with couplers can provide safeguards for proper connection with other fluid system equipment, such as a fluid line or other connected transfer/dispensing parts. Further, using radio-frequency technology provides a mechanism for inventory control.
As one example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,649,829 to Garber, commonly assigned with the instant application herein and incorporated by reference in its entirety, employs a coupler having radio-frequency capability and an RFID tag connected on one connector for use in fluid transfer applications.

Coupler with radio frequency identification tag


An optical disc reproduction apparatus starts reproduction of audio other than DTS audio when the audio number of the DTS audio on an optical disc is found to be greater than the audio number of other audio, starts reproduction of DTS audio assigned an audio number “1” when the audio number of the DTS audio is found to be smaller than the audio number of other audio and in addition DTS digital output is found to be set for bit-stream output, and starts reproduction of the audio, other than the DTS audio, assigned the smallest audio number among audio numbers “2” and greater when DTS digital output is found to be turned off. Thus, though furnished with no capability of outputting DTS audio on an analog basis, the optical disc reproduction apparatus can prevent audio output from remaining silent even when DTS audio assigned an audio number “1” is automatically selected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disc reproduction apparatus for reading video, audio, and other information recorded on an optical disc such as a DVD (digital versatile disc) for the purpose of reproducing audio and video. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical disc reproduction apparatus furnished with no capability of outputting DTS (digital theater system) audio on an analog basis but a capability of outputting it on a digital basis.
2. Description of Related Art
Among optical discs such as DVDs, those having recorded thereon various types of compressed audio data compatible with LPCM (linear pulse code modulation), Dolby digital, MPEG (Moving Picture Coding Experts Group) audio, DTS, etc. have conventionally been known as multiple audio stream optical discs. The current trend with such optical discs is that an increasing number of them have DTS audio recorded as the first stream.
On the other hand, among optical disc reproduction apparatus for reproducing audio and other information recorded on optical discs, some are not equipped with a decoder (a DTS recorder) for analog reproduction of DTS audio within an audio decoder for reproducing audio and are thus furnished with no capability of outputting DTS audio on an analog basis but a capability of outputting it on a digital basis (as a bit stream), and some are so configured as not to output DTS audio because no license fees have been paid for patents related to a DTS decoder.
Incidentally, in an optical disc reproduction apparatus furnished with no capability of outputting DTS audio on an analog basis but a capability of outputting it on a digital basis as described above, if the first stream of audio (the audio assigned an audio number "1") recorded on an optical disc is DTS audio, the DTS audio is reproduced unconditionally. However, since the optical disc reproduction apparatus is furnished with no capability of outputting DTS audio on an analog basis, it cannot output audio, and thus remains silent. Seeing that the optical disc reproduction apparatus remains silent, the user may come to mistakenly believe that it has broken down.
According to the prior-art technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2004-220693, in an optical disc reproduction apparatus equipped with no DTS decoder, when DTS audio is recorded on an optical disc, the DTS audio is forcibly excluded from selection during reproduction. This, however, makes it impossible, when the user wants the DTS audio outputted during initial setting (setup), to output the audio even on a digital basis (as a bit stream).
According to the prior-art technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-170330, a muting circuit is activated at the start of reproduction. If a bit pattern checker detects a DTS synch signal and a DTS header signal in a bit stream within a predetermined period, the reproduction mode of signal processing is changed to a DTS mode, and the muting by the muting circuit is cancelled. If the bit pattern checker does not detect a DTS synch signal and a DTS header signal in the bit stream within the predetermined period, the reproduction mode of signal processing is changed to a PCM mode, and the muting by the muting circuit is cancelled.
This prior-art technique, however, is not meant to prevent an optical disc reproduction apparatus from remaining silent in a case where it is furnished with no capability of outputting DTS audio on an analog basis but a capability of outputting it on a digital basis and it is so configured as to output DTS audio unconditionally when the first stream of audio (the audio assigned an audio number "1") recorded on an optical disc is DTS audio.
According to the prior-art technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-251827, before the start of reproduction of a data stream recorded on a disc, silent digital audio in the same format as the digital audio that is about to be outputted is recorded in a memory in advance, and the silent digital audio is outputted to prompt quick decoding of the digital stream.
This prior-art technique, however, is also not meant to prevent an optical disc reproduction apparatus from remaining silent in a case where it is furnished with no capability of outputting DTS audio on an analog basis but a capability of outputting it on a digital basis and it is so configured as to output DTS audio unconditionally when the first stream of audio (the audio assigned an audio number "1") recorded on an optical disc is DTS audio.
The prior-art technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-222826 relates to a D/A conversion device that converts a compressed digital audio signal and a non-compressed digital audio signal into an analog audio signal, and more particularly to a muting device that brings a signal amplifying circuit for amplifying an analog audio signal into a muting state when audio is silent during reproduction of both a compressed digital audio signal and a non-compressed digital audio signal. Thus, this prior-art technique does not relate to an optical disc reproduction apparatus furnished with no capability of outputting DTS audio on an analog basis but a capability of outputting it on a digital basis.


The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition containing stem cells in which vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is overexpressed as an effective ingredient for preventing or treating neurodegenerative diseases. The stem cells in which VEGF is overexpressed according to the present invention effectively act against the neurodegenerative disease-induced VEGF reduction of neural stem cells in the SVC to inhibit the abnormal migration of neural stem cells, suppress inflammatory responses, and restrain the accumulation of cholesterol and spingolipids in the cerebral cortex, thus restoring the behavior exercise capacity of animal models, whereby the pharmaceutical composition can be used as an effective therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases.

With the global increase in an aging population, the morbidity of neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) is expected to overtake that of cancer, which is the second cause of death after cardiovascular diseases. Accordingly, the market for therapies for neurodegenerative diseases has also highly grown by about 20% every year since 2000. As such, the interest in neurodegenerative diseases is increasing day by day.
Neurodegenerative diseases lead to death by causing loss of cognitive ability and loss of motor functions resulting from gradual neural apoptosis. Niemann-pick disease, Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and the like, are representative of neurological diseases, of which the frequency increases according to aging. The correlation between brain aging and neurodegenerative diseases is not yet completely revealed so far, but the brain aging and the neurodegenerative diseases have many overlapping characteristics, such as apoptosis of brain cells and a reduction in brain volume.
Of these neurodegenerative diseases, Niemann-Pick disease is a rare autosomal recessive hereditary disease showing various clinical symptoms by cholesterol and glycolipid accumulation in several organs due to metabolic disorders of sphingolipids. Niemann-Pick diseases are classified into types A, B, C, and D according to the causative gene and clinical aspect, and types A and B were first found to be caused by deficiency of sphingomyelinase, and thereafter, types C and D were found to be caused by transport disorder of cholesterol. Type C, which shows clinically sub-acute, various chronic progresses, is known to show a prevalence of about 0.6-0.8 per 100,000 persons according to a report, and type Cl by the mutation of NPC1 gene accounts for about 95% of the overall cases. Niemann-Pick type C disease shows a pattern in which cholesterol is characteristically accumulated in internal organs and nerve systems, and a symptom is expressed according to the organ in which cholesterol is accumulated and the fatality rate is mainly determined depending on the progress of central nervous system deposition. According to recent studies, sphingosine is a main deposition material in Niemann-Pick type C disease. Niemann-Pick type C disease may have clinically various progresses, and the time of onset is reported to be various from newborn babies to the seventies, and the disease period is from a few days to 60 years. Hepatosplenomegaly, gait disturbance, ocular motor dysfunction, and cognitive disorder are comparatively distinctively observed. The disease selectively well invades the cerebellum and brain stem in the central nervous system, causing demyelination and the degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells, and thus inducing related symptoms. However, there is no adequate medicine for this disease so far, and thus the development of a preventive and therapeutic agent for Niemann-Pick disease is urgently needed.
Meanwhile, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most important growth factors involved in angiogenesis. VEGF stimulates endothelial cells through PKC, and then induces ERK1/2 activation, but the accurate mechanisms thereof have not been known. In addition, the VEGF receptors are found in various cancer tissues, and the cell division stimulating effect of VEGF in cancer cells has been reported. Recently, there is an increasing trend in reports of correlations between VEGF and neurodegenerative diseases.
In addition, the present inventors have also confirmed in conventional studies and patents (KR Patent Application 10-2014-0149347) that the administration of VEGF can be used in the treatment and prevention of Niemann-Pick diseases, but studies about appropriate delivery and administration of VEGF have not yet been reported.

Pharmaceutical composition containing stem cell in which vascular endothelial growth factor is overexpressed as effective ingredient for preventing or treating neurodegenerative disease

Kyungpook National University Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation


An active quadrature generation circuit configured to provide an in-phase output signal and a quadrature output signal based on an input signal and a method of fabricating the active quadrature generation circuit on an integrated circuit are described. The circuit includes an input node to receive the input signal and a first transistor including a collector connected to a power supply pin. The circuit also includes a second transistor including a base connected to the power supply pin, the second transistor differing in size from the first transistor by a factor of K, wherein the in-phase output signal and the quadrature output signal are generated based on an inherent phase difference of 90 degrees between a current at a collector of the first transistor and a current at a base of the second transistor.

Quadrature generation circuits that generate in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) (quarter cycle or 90 degrees out of phase) output signals from an input signal have many applications. For example, a quadrature generation circuit may be used in a phase shifter system. Quadrature generation may be implemented with passive or active elements. An exemplary quadrature generation circuit that uses passive elements is a resistor-capacitor (RC) circuit. When resistors are manufactured for use in RC circuits, the resistors exhibit variations in their value. This process variation results in an issue of variation in the resulting RC circuits and, consequently, accuracy. Quadrature generation circuits that use active elements consume significant power. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an active quadrature generation circuit that avoids the accuracy issues of passive elements while consuming less power.

Active quadrature circuits for high frequency applications


Digital photographing apparatus and methods of providing picture at the digital photographing apparatus are disclosed. An example digital photographing apparatus transmits a picture of an object to be captured to a server, acquires at least one pre-captured picture of the object and a captured position of the at least one pre-captured picture from the server, and presents the at least one pre-captured picture and the captured position. The digital photographing apparatus selectively provides the at least one pre-captured picture in consideration of whether the captured position of the object is the same capture position or a different capture position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to digital photographing apparatus and a method of providing a picture which is acquired using the digital photographing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a picture is captured using a digital photographing apparatus, the picture includes additional information such as a capturing time, a captured position, values of camera settings when capturing the picture, etc. Also, captured pictures may be stored in a specific server and then provided to users who have accessed the specific server.
If a user captures an object to be captured using a digital photographing apparatus, the user may have difficulty knowing whether conditions for capturing the object are appropriate for capturing. In this case, the user may use the pictures stored in the specific server.

Method and apparatus for acquiring pre-captured picture of an object to be captured and a captured position of the same


The present invention discloses a structure for preventing the loss of a pen of an electronic device comprising a pen holding slot, a sensor switch disposed in the pen holding slot, and a control circuit being electrically connected to the sensor switch, so that if the pen is not placed into the pen hold slot, the sensor switch will send a non-press signal to the control circuit, enabling the control circuit to turn on a beeping circuit to generate a warning sound to remind users to place the pen back into the pen holding slot. Therefore, the present invention can prevent the loss of the pen by the reminder of such warning sound.

Since a portable electronic device such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) usually comes with a touch screen to let users enter text and graphics, or select a software option of the electronic device on the touch screen by using a pen. Thus, the pen is used as a mouse.
In general, PDA manufacturers adopt a special material to make such pen in order to protect the screen better. Therefore, any input via the screen is limited to a particular pen only. If a user uses another pen for the input, it will damage the screen (such as a scrape on the surface). Sin the pen is used very often, it is easy to forget to put the pen back into the pen holding slot, and thus the user may lose the pen very easily, and it also creates a problem of being unable to input data or instructions without the pen to the user. The way of solving the problem of easily losing the pen and designing a structure for preventing the loss of the pen are urgent subjects for the electronic industry.

Structure for preventing loss of pen for electronic devices


A device for illuminating an original for use in an original reading apparatus for reading an original placed on an original supporting table has a light source having a filament having its lengthwise direction disposed so as to be perpendicular to a reading line.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparauts for illuminating an original for use in an original reading apparatus for reading an original placed on an original supporting table, and more particularly to a device for illuminating an original effective for an apparatus for dividing an original into a plurality of areas and reading them.
2. Related Background Art
The device for illuminating an original of an image reading apparatus has heretofore been constructed as shown in FIG. 5 of the accompanying drawings. Referring to FIG. 5 which is a figure depicted to illustrate the difference from the present invention, the device for illuminating an original comprises a halogen lamp 3 comprising a group of filaments 1 wound in parallelism to the reading line 2 of an origin 4, and a reflecting member 5. As examples of applications similar to this, there are known many ones such as Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 60-254125 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 56-78853.
On the other hand, among image reading apparatuses, there is an apparatus of the movable optical system type which divisionally scans and reads an original, for example, a reading apparatus described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 55-137767.
Now, in a lamp of the type in which a filament is made to emit light, the light emission distribution in the radial direction of the filament is most uniform, and in the lengthwise direction (the direction of arrow X in FIG. 5) of the filament, the light emission intensity of the winding portion thereof is greatest and the light emission intensity of the other portions is somewhat small. That is, in the lengthwise direction of the filament, the light emission distribution is not uniform.
In the prior-art apparatus wherein such a filament is disposed parallel to the reading line, the light emission intensity particularly on the lengthwisely opposite end portions of the lamp is small and therefore, the Shading phenomenon could not be avoided.


The present invention provides a simplified and convenient process for the preparation of an optically active enone such as 7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo-[3,3,0]oct-3-en-2-one.

This invention relates to a novel optically active enone derivative, which is a useful intermediate for natural products such as prostagrandins and drugs, processes for the preparation thereof and a novel optically active compound as intermediates.
Recently, chiral alcohols with a plurality of hydroxyl groups have found wide and versatile utility as both enantiomers in the synthesis of optically active natural products or drugs and have become a focus of interest. In particular, the hydroxyl-protected enone form, i.e., 7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]oct-3-en-2-one, has been used as important building blocks for the synthesis of a variety of physiologically active substances such as prostagrandins.
Johnson et al. have accomplished a total synthesis of prostagrandin E2 from optically active 7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]oct-3-en-2-one (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1986, 108, 5655). According to this process, the optically active enone was synthesized by optical resolution of the racemate with (+)-N,S-dimethyl-S-phenylsulfoximine. However, imine as a resolving agent is expensive, and the resolution according to the process should be made after addition of imine by conducting the reaction at a low temperature of xe2x88x9278xc2x0 C. Moreover, the process requires a reaction to regenerate a carbonyl group after resolution, which cannot always be easily carried out in an industrial scale. Thus, there has been a demand for a more simplified and convenient process for the preparation of an optically active enone, such as 7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]oct-3-en-2-one.
An object of the invention is to provide a more simplified process for the preparation of an optically active enone, such as 7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]-oct-3-en-2-one.
Another object of the invention is to provide intermediates obtainable during the process according to the invention.
Further object of the invention is to provide a novel optically active enone.
We have found a simplified and efficient process for the preparation of both enantiomers of an optically active enone, for example, 7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]oct-3-ene-2-one, starting an optically active alcohol derivative represented by the formula (9).
wherein R1, R4 and R5 are as defined below.
Moreover, we have found that the intermediate obtained in the said process is a novel optically active compound, which is also useful chiral building blocks like the end product, i.e., optically active enone. The invention has been completed upon the above findings.
More specifically, as illustrated in Scheme 1 below, the present invention provides a process for the preparation of an optically active enone represented by the formula (4), which comprises steps of (A) deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 1-position in a compound represented by the formula (1) to a hydroxyl group (compound (2)), (B) oxidizing the hydroxyl group to a ketone group (compound (3)) and (C) deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 4-position to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 4-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position to prepare the desired enone. Here all chemical names are referred to in accordance with the IUPAC nomenclature. For convenience sake, however, the position of a functional group shall be represented in accordance with the numbering as shown in the formula (1).
wherein R1 and R4 independently represent a cumyl group, xcex1,xcex1-diethylbenzyl, xcex1,xcex1-dimethyl-p-methoxybenzyl, t-butyldimethylsilyl, trimethylsilyl, triethylsilyl, triisopropylsilyl, isopropyldimethylsilyl or ethyldimethylsilyl, R2 and R3 jointly represent acetonide, methyl ethyl ketal or diethyl ketal, and R5 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having not more than 20 carbon atoms or a phenyl group.
Also, as illustrated in Scheme 2 below, the invention provides a process for the preparation of an optically active enone represented by the formula (7), which comprises the steps of (Axe2x80x2) deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 4-position in a compound represented by the formula (1) to a hydroxyl group (compound (5)), (Bxe2x80x2) oxidizing the hydroxyl group to a ketone group (compound (6)) and (Cxe2x80x2) deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 1-position to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 1-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position to prepare the desired enone.
wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are as defined above.
Further, as illustrated in Scheme 3 below, the invention provides a process for the preparation of an optically active enone represented by the formula (13), which comprises the steps of deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 1-position in a compound represented by the formula (10) wherein the protecting group at the 1-position is a cumyl group and the protecting groups at the 2- and 3-positions are acetonide to a hydroxyl group (compound (11)); oxidizing the hydroxyl group to a ketone group (compound (12)); and deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 4-position to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 4-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position to prepare the desired enone.
wherein R4 and R5 are as defined above.
Further, as illustrated in Scheme 4 below, the invention provides a process for the preparation of an optically active enone represented by the formula (16), which comprises the steps of deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 4-position in a compound represented by the formula (10) wherein the protecting group at the 1-position is a cumyl group and the protecting groups at the 2- and 3-positions are acetonide to a hydroxyl group (compound (14)); oxidizing the hydroxyl group to a ketone group (compound (15)); and deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 1-position to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 1-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position to prepare the desired enone.
wherein R4 and R5 are as defined above.
Moreover, as illustrated in Scheme 5 below, the invention provides a process for the preparation of an optically active enone represented by the formula (16), which comprises the steps of deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 4-position in a compound represented by the formula (17) wherein the protecting group at the 4-position is a cumyl group and the protecting groups at the 2- and 3-positions are acetonide to a hydroxyl group (compound (18)); oxidizing the hydroxyl group to a ketone group (compound (19)); and deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 1-position to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 1-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position to prepare the desired enone.
wherein R1 and R5 are as defined above.
Also, as illustrated in Scheme 6 below, the invention provides a process for the preparation of an optically active enone represented by the formula (13), which comprises the steps of deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 1-position in a compound represented by the formula (17) wherein the protecting group at the 4-position is a cumyl group and the protecting groups at the 2- and 3-positions are acetonide to a hydroxyl group (compound (20)); oxidizing the hydroxyl group to a ketone group (compound (21)); and deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 4-position to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 4-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position to prepare the desired enone.
wherein R1 and R5 are as defined above.
Still further, the invention provides an optically active compound represented by the formula (1). The compounds represented by the formula (1) include enantiomers thereof.
The invention also provides optically active compounds represented by the formulae (2)-(7), (9)-(21) and (23)-(25) as illustrated in the below-mentioned Schemes.
The present invention will be explained below in more detail.
The process for the preparation of an optically active enone according to this invention comprises the step A or Axe2x80x2 wherein the protecting group at the 1-position or the 4-position in a compound represented by the formula (1) is deprotected, the step B or Bxe2x80x2 wherein the deprotected hydroxyl group is oxidized to a ketone group, and the step C or step Cxe2x80x2 wherein the protecting group at the 4-position or the 1-position is deprotected followed by dehydration to form a double bond, as illustrated by the following Scheme 7. In this case, it may be feasible to selectively synthesize any enantiomer by first deprotecting either of the hydroxyl groups.
More specifically, the upper route in Scheme 7 comprising the steps A, B and C, wherein the protecting group at the 1-position in the compound (1) is first deprotected, can selectively produce the optically active enone represented by the formula (4), whereas the lower route comprising the step Axe2x80x2, Bxe2x80x2 and Cxe2x80x2, wherein the protecting group at the 4-position in the compound (1) is first deprotected, can selectively produce an enantiomer of the optically active enone represented by the formula (4), as shown by the formula (7). When the protecting groups R2 and R3 form acetonide and the protecting group R5 is a hydrogen atom, the dextro-rotatory compound represented by the formula (37), (+)-7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]-oct-3-en-2-one, is obtained according to the upper route in Scheme 7. On the other hand, the levo-rotatory compound represented by the formula (40), (xe2x88x92)-7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]oct-3-en-2-one, is obtained according to the lower route.
As already mentioned, the compounds represented by the formula (1) may include enantiomers thereof. Thus, all optically active compounds prepared using the compound of the formula (1) as a starting material may also include enantiomers thereof. In short, when the enantiomer of the compound represented by the formula (1) is used as a starting material, whose protecting groups R2 and R3 form acetonide and protecting group R5 is a hydrogen atom, the levo-rotatory compound represented by the formula (40), (xe2x88x92)-7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]-oct-3-en-2-one, is obtained according to the upper route in Scheme 7. On the other hand, the dextro-rotatory compound represented by the formula (37), (+)-7,7-dimethyl-6,8-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]oct-3-en-2-one, is obtained according to the lower route.
In other words, any enantiomer may be selectively synthesized depending on the chirality of the starting optically active compound and the hydroxyl group to be first deprotected.
The optically active enone, which may be prepared according to the process of this invention, is the compounds represented by the formulae (4) and (7), respectively, wherein R2, R3 and R4 are within the scope mentioned below.
The protecting groups R2 and R3 for a hydroxyl group in the invention may be any of those groups that may act as a protecting group for a hydroxyl group and could not be eliminated by the deprotection reaction for the protecting group R1 or R4. The protecting groups R2 and R3 may be independent each other, and they may be joined together with the carbon atoms at the 2-position and the 3-position in the cyclopentane ring to form a ring.
Preferably, the protecting groups R2 and R3 are joined together, such as methyl ethyl ketal, diethyl ketal and acetonide, acetonide being more preferable.
The group R5 in the present invention is any of those functional groups that do not inhibit the reactions according to the invention. Preferably, it may be a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group or a phenyl group. A hydrogen atom and an alkyl group of 20 or less carbon atoms are particularly preferred.
The compound represented by the formula (1), which is a starting material in the process for the preparation of an optically active enone according to the invention, has the following characteristics. R2, R3 and R5 in the formula (1) are within the same scope as defined above.
The protecting groups R1 and R4 for a hydroxyl group in the invention may be any of those groups that may act as a protecting group for a hydroxyl group. Preferably, there may be mentioned ether-type protecting groups, silyl ether-type protecting groups and ester-type protecting groups. The ether-type protecting groups may include, for example, methoxymethyl, t-butylthiomethyl, t-butoxymethyl, siloxymethyl, 2,2,2-trichloroethoxymethyl, 2-(trimethylsilyl)ethoxymethyl, tetrahydropyranyl, tetrahydrofuranyl, 1-ethoxyethyl, 1-methyl-1-methoxyethyl, 2,2,2-trichloroethyl, 2-trimethylsilylethyl, t-butyl, allyl, benzyl, p-methoxybenzyl, nitrobenzyl, cumyl group, xcex1,xcex1-diethylbenzyl, xcex1-methyl-xcex1-ethylbenzyl and xcex1,xcex1-dimethyl-p-methoxybenzyl. The silyl ether-type protecting groups may include, for example, trimethylsilyl, triethylsilyl, triisopropylsilyl, isopropyldimethylsilyl, ethyldimethylsilyl, and t-butyldimethylsilyl. The ester-type protecting groups may include, for example, acetyl, chloroacetyl, dichloroacetyl, trichloroacetyl, trifluoroacetyl, methoxyacetyl, pivaloyl or benzoyl. Of these groups, the ether-type and silyl ether-type protecting groups are preferable and cumyl group, xcex1,xcex1-diethylbenzyl, xcex1,xcex1-dimethyl-p-methoxybenzyl or t-butyldimethylsilyl is more preferable.
The protecting group R1 in the present invention is not deprotected by the deprotection reaction for the protecting groups R4 and is deprotected selectively by the deprotection reaction for R1, and the protecting group R4 is not deprotected by the deprotection reaction for the protecting group R1 and is deprotected selectively by the deprotection reaction for R4.
For instance, the ether-type protecting group may be deprotected by hydrogenolysis, the silyl ether-type protecting group may be deprotected by alcoholysis under basic condition, and the ester-type protecting group may be deprotected under condition of potassium carbonate-alcohol. When R2 and R3 form acetonide, which may be deprotected under acidic condition, the above parameters may be satisfied by selecting R1 and R4 from the above-mentioned ether-type, silyl ether-type and ester-type protecting groups.
Illustrative are the following Schemes 8-11:
In these Schemes, R5 is as defined above.
Synthesis of the compounds represented by the formulae (26) and (27), which may be used as a starting material, is illustrated by the following Schemes 12 and 13, respectively.
In these Schemes, R5 is as defined above.
According to the upper route in the aforementioned Scheme 7, the optically active enone represented by the formula (4) may be prepared starting from the compound represented by the formula (1) through the step A, the step B and the step C. Each of these steps will be explained later.
Process for the preparation of the compound (1) in Scheme 7
As illustrated in Scheme 14 below, the optically active compound (1) is prepared starting from a cyclopentene derivative (8), via a cyclopentanediol derivative (9) and subsequent protection of the diol.
The reaction for preparing the cyclopentanediol derivative (9) from the cyclopenetene derivative (8) (wherein R1, R4 and R5 are as defined above) may be carried out using any well-known oxidation reaction for cis-addition, and manganese oxidation and osmium oxidation are preferable. Osmium oxidation is particularly preferable.
The compound represented by the formula (8) may be prepared by reacting cyclopentadiene with cumene peroxide and Cu(OAc)2, converting OAc to OH according to our method (Synthesis, 2000, 6, 817), oxidizing a hydroxyl group to a ketone group using as a catalyst manganese oxide in a mixed solvent of dichloromethane/hexane (1/5), reducing the ketone with NaBH4 and finally protecting a hydroxyl group with another protecting group. The cumyl group may be deprotected and then replaced with another protecting group.
As illustrated in Schemes 15 and 16, the compound (10) or (17) may be prepared, for example, by osmium oxidation of the cyclopentene derivative (8) wherein R1 is a cumyl group (compound (22)) or the cyclopentene derivative (8) wherein R4 is a cumyl group (compound (24)), to form the 2,3-diol compound represented by the formula (23) or (25) and protecting hydroxyl groups with acetonide by reacting the diol compound with acetal dimethyl ketal.
wherein R1 and R5 are as defined above.
Specifically, the cyclopentadiene derivatives represented by the formula (8) wherein R1 is a cumyl group and R5 is a hydrogen atom, i.e., (+)-cis-4-cumyloxy-2-cyclopenten-1-ol derivative, may be prepared according to the method disclosed in our report (Synlett 1999, 11, 1754-1756).
More specifically, racemic cis-4-cumyloxy-2-cyclopenten-1-ol is first prepared from dicyclopentadiene. Then, the racemate is transesterified or esterified by treating with a carboxylic acid ester or a carboxylic acid in the presence of a hydrolase to prepare (+)-cis-4-cumyloxy-2-cyclopenten-1-ol. Thereafter, the hydroxyl group is again protected with other protecting group R4 than a cumyl group to prepare (+)-cis-4-cumyloxy-2-cyclopenten-1-ol derivative represented by the formula (22).
The compound (22) thus prepared is then subjected to osmium oxidation to form the diol compound (23) and then the hydroxyl groups are protected with acetonide to prepare the compound (10).
The Steps A, B and C are illustrated below.
1) Step A
The step A is the step wherein the protecting group at the 1-position of the optically active compound (1) is deprotected to prepare the optically active compound (2). Any well-known deprotection reaction may be applied provided that only the protecting group at the 1-position can be deprotected without deprotecting the protecting group at the 4-position. A preferable deprotection reaction may depend on combination of the 1-protecting group with the 4-protecting group. For instance, a catalytic reduction reaction using a palladium-carbon catalyst under hydrogen atmosphere is preferable when the protecting group at the 1-position is a cumyl group and the protecting group at the 4-position is a t-butyldimethylsilyl group.
Those skilled in the art could easily select the optimum protecting group in accordance with, for example, Theodora W. Green, Peter G. M. Wuts, xe2x80x9cProtecting groups in Organic Synthesisxe2x80x9d, Third Ed., Wiley-Interscience. Also, it will be easy for those skilled in the art to optimize reaction conditions, for example, solvents or reaction temperatures.
The compound represented by the formula (2) prepared in the step A, may be isolated by any well-known isolation method. The compound may be isolated and purified, for example, by extraction or liquid chromatography. The isolated compound (2) may be identified by any well-known analytical method. The molecular structure thereof may be determined, for example, by determining spectra such as mass spectra, infrared absorption spectra or nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as well as elementary analysis. Those skilled in the art may easily isolate and purify the compound (2) as prepared in the step A and then identify the isolated compound according to any well-known method.
The compound (2) as prepared and isolated according to the process of the invention has a high purity and a high optical purity.
2) Step B
The step B is the step wherein the hydroxyl group in the optically active compound (2) as prepared in the step A is oxidized to a ketone group to prepare the optically active compound (3). Any well-known oxidation reaction may be applied provided that it may oxidize the hydroxyl group of the compound (2) to a ketone group. Preferably, the oxidation reaction is carried out without damaging the protecting groups R2, R3 and R4.
The oxidizing agent used in the step for oxidizing the hydroxyl group in the compound (2) to a ketone group to prepare the compound (3) is not restricted provided that it can oxidize only the hydroxyl group without damaging the protecting groups R2, R3 and R4. Preferable are heavy metal-type oxidizing agents or organic compound-type oxidizing agents. Heavy metal-type oxidizing agents may include, for example, potassium permanganate, manganese dioxide, chromium oxide-pyridine complex, pyridinium chlorochromate, pyridinium dichromate, lead acetate or silver carbonate. Organic compound-type oxidizing agents may include, for example, m-chloroperbenzoic acid, dimethyl sulfoxide/oxalyl chloride or Dess-Martin reagent. Organic compound-type oxidizing agents are particularly preferable, with Dess-Martin reagent being more preferable.
The compound represented by the formula (3) prepared in the step B may be isolated by any well-known isolation method, for example, by extraction or liquid chromatography. The isolated compound (3) may be identified by any well-known analytical method. The molecular structure thereof may be determined, for example, by determining spectra such as mass spectra, infrared absorption spectra or nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as well as elementary analysis. Those skilled in the art may easily isolate and purify, and identify the compound (3) according to any known methods.
The compound (3) prepared and isolated according to the present process has a high purity and a high optical purity.
3) Step C
The step C is the step wherein the protecting group at the 4-position of the compound (3) as prepared in the step B is deprotected to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 4-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position, whereby the optically active compound (4) is prepared. Any well-known reaction may be applied provided that it may deprotect the protecting group R4 at the 4-position of the compound (3) to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 1-position and the carbon atom at the 4-position. Preferably, the reaction is one wherein R4 is deprotected without any damage to the protecting groups R2 and R3 to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 4-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position. For instance, when the protecting groups R2 and R3 form acetonide and the protecting group R4 at the 4-position is a t-butyldimethylsilyl group, it is preferable that the t-butyldimethylsilyl group is deprotected by a reaction in acetic acid at 60xc2x0 C. and a double bond is formed between the carbon atoms at the 4-position and the 5-position by dehydration reaction.
Those skilled in the art may easily select the optimum reaction from well-known reactions.
The compound represented by the formula (4) prepared in the step C may be isolated by any well-known isolation method, for example, by extraction or liquid chromatography. The isolated compound (4) may be identified by any well-known analytical method. The molecular structure thereof may be determined, for example, by determining spectra such as mass spectra, infrared absorption spectra or nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as well as elementary analysis. Those skilled in the art may easily isolate and purify, and identify the compound (4) according to any known methods.
When the compound represented by the formula (4) is a known compound, the compound may also be identified by comparing the measurements obtained with those as referred to in literatures.
The compound (4) prepared and isolated according to the present process has a high purity and a high optical purity.
According to the lower route in the aforementioned Scheme 7, the optically active enone represented by the formula (7) may be prepared starting from the compound represented by the formula (1) through the step Axe2x80x2, the step Bxe2x80x2 and the step Cxe2x80x2. Each of these steps will be explained below.
1) Step Axe2x80x2
The step Axe2x80x2 is the step wherein the protecting group at the 4-position of the optically active compound (1) is deprotected to prepare the optically active compound (5). Any well-known deprotection reaction may be applied provided that only the protecting group at the 4-position can be deprotected without deprotecting the protecting group at the 1-position. A preferable deprotection reaction may depend on combination of the 1-protecting group with the 4-protecting group. For instance, the deprotection reaction using tetrabutylammonium fluoride in a solvent is preferable, when the protecting group at the 1-position R1 is a cumyl group and the protecting group at the 4-position R4 is a t-butyldimethylsilyl group.
The compound represented by the formula (5) prepared in the step Axe2x80x2 may be isolated by any well-known isolation method. The compound may be isolated and purified, for example, by extraction or liquid chromatography. The isolated compound (5) may be identified by any well-known analytical method. The molecular structure thereof may be determined, for example, by determining spectra such as mass spectra, infrared absorption spectra or nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as well as elementary analysis. Those skilled in the art may easily isolate and purify the compound (5) as prepared in the step Axe2x80x2 and then identify the isolated compound according to any well-known method.
The compound (5) as prepared and isolated according to the process of the invention has a high purity and a high optical purity.
2) Step Bxe2x80x2
The step Bxe2x80x2 is the step wherein the hydroxyl group in the optically active compound (5) as prepared in the step Axe2x80x2 is oxidized to a ketone group to prepare the optically active compound (6). Any well-known oxidation reaction may be applied provided that it may oxidize the hydroxyl group of the compound (5) to a ketone group. Preferably, the oxidation reaction is carried out without damaging the protecting groups R1, R2 and R3.
The oxidizing agent used in the step for oxidizing the hydroxyl group in the compound (5) to a ketone group to prepare the compound (6) is not restricted provided that it can oxidize only the hydroxyl group without damaging the protecting groups R1, R2 and R3. Preferable are heavy metal-type oxidizing agents or organic compound-type oxidizing agents. Heavy metal-type oxidizing agents may include, for example, potassium permanganate, manganese dioxide, chromium oxide-pyridine complex, pyridinium chlorochromate, pyridinium dichromate, lead acetate or silver carbonate. Organic compound-type oxidizing agents may include, for example, m-chloroperbenzoic acid, dimethyl sulfoxide/oxalyl chloride or Dess-Martin reagent. Organic compound-type oxidizing agents are particularly preferable, with Dess-Martin reagent being more preferable.
The compound represented by the formula (6) prepared in the step Bxe2x80x2 may be isolated by any well-known isolation method, for example, by extraction or liquid chromatography. The isolated compound (6) may be identified by any well-known analytical method. The molecular structure thereof may be determined, for example, by determining spectra such as mass spectra, infrared absorption spectra or nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as well as elementary analysis. Those skilled in the art may easily isolate and purify, and identify the compound (6) according to any known methods.
The compound (6) prepared and isolated according to the present process has a high purity and a high optical purity.
3) Step Cxe2x80x2
The step Cxe2x80x2 is the step wherein the protecting group at the 1-position of the compound (6) as prepared in the step Bxe2x80x2 is deprotected to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 1-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position, whereby the optically active compound (7) is prepared. Any well-known reaction may be applied provided that it may deprotect the protecting group R1 at the 1-position of the compound (6) to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 1-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position. Preferably, the reaction is one wherein R1 is deprotected without any damage to the protecting groups R2 and R3 to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 1-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position. For instance, when the protecting groups R2 and R3 form acetonide and the protecting group R1 at the 1-position is a cumyl group, it is preferable that the cumyl group is deprotected by a reaction in acetic acid at 60xc2x0 C. and a double bond is formed between the carbon atoms at the 1-position and the 5-position by dehydration reaction.
Those skilled in the art may easily select the optimum reaction from well-known reactions.
The compound represented by the formula (7) prepared in the step Cxe2x80x2 may be isolated by any well-known isolation method, for example, by extraction or liquid chromatography. The isolated compound (7) may be identified by any well-known analytical method. The molecular structure thereof may be determined, for example, by determining spectra such as mass spectra, infrared absorption spectra or nuclear magnetic resonance spectra as well as elementary analysis. Those skilled in the art may easily isolate and purify, and identify the compound (7) according to any known methods.
When the compound represented by the formula (7) is a known compound, the compound may also be identified by comparing the measurements obtained with those as referred to in literatures.
The compound (7) prepared and isolated according to the present process has a high purity and a high optical purity.
The invention will be illustrated in greater detail by way of the following Examples, but the invention is not to be limited thereto. And, the reactions for the optically active enones as obtained by the following examples are as shown in the following Schemes 17-22.

Process for the preparation of optically active enones and intermediates thereof

Abstract: The invention further provides novel optically active intermediate compounds.

Abstract: The process for the preparation of an optically active enone represented by the formula (4) comprises steps of (A) deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 1-position in a compound represented by the formula (1) to a hydroxyl group (compound (2)), (B) oxidizing the hydroxyl group to a ketone group (compound (3)) and (C) deprotecting the protecting group for the hydroxyl group at the 4-position to form a double bond between the carbon atom at the 4-position and the carbon atom at the 5-position, according to the following reaction schemes:


An air treatment device for conditioning air within a conventional toilet bowl includes an air treatment assembly and an automatic flush mechanism. The air treatment assembly includes a cylindrical housing mounted to the rear of the toilet bowl rim with the toilet seat and lid swingably mounted thereto and an air duct having a free end extending into the toilet bowl proper. A seal underlying the toilet seat contacts the toilet bowl rim when the seat is in a horizontal position. Included within the housing are fans which draw air through the duct and a carbon filter to treat the air drawn therethrough. A flush assembly includes a motorized arm having a free end attached to the conventional flapper found in the water tank of the toilet bowl. Upon powering the motor, the arm moves the linked flapper valve from its normal closure position which allows the water to escape from the tank and flush the toilet bowl. A pressure sensitive switch embedded in the toilet seat activates the fans of the air treatment assembly and arm of the flush assembly upon user pressure being exerted on or released from the seat. The switch may be designed so as to alternatively or sequentially activate the air treatment and flush assemblies. The air treatment and flush assemblies effectively treat the foul air associated with a conventional toilet.

This invention relates to an air freshener device for use with a toilet in order to effectively deodorize the air and flush the toilet subsequent to use.
Various devices have been proposed to treat the foul odors associated with a conventional toilet. Although assumably effective in operation, such devices have been relatively complex structures not easily attached to the toilet proper. Moreover, such devices have not effectively addressed the combined treatment of the fouled air and the automatic evacuation of the toilet contents subsequent to use.
In response thereto we have invented an air freshener device which conditions the foul air and flushes the toilet subsequent to use so as to treat the fouled air and diminish the basis thereof. Our device generally comprises an air treatment assembly forming a hinge for the toilet seat which includes an air duct extending into the toilet bowl. A seal underlying the toilet seat contacts the toilet bowl rim so as to diminish any escape of the fouled air from the toilet bowl except through the air duct. The air treatment assembly includes fans for drawing the air from the toilet bowl through an air duct and a carbon activated filter so as to remove the odors from the drawn foul air. A flush assembly, located within the water tank of the toilet structure, presents a mechanized arm attached to the flush valve. Upon a release of pressure on the toilet seat, a sensor will activate the flush assembly so as to raise the mechanized arm and flapper attached thereto. This action allows the water to flow from the tank and flush the contents of the toilet bowl. The sensor also activates the fans in the air treatment assembly. The combination of the air treatment assembly and automated flush assembly diminishes the odors emanating from the toilet bowl.
It is therefore a general object of this invention to provide a novel air treatment device for use with a conventional toilet.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device, as aforesaid, presenting air treatment and automatic flush assemblies.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a device, as aforesaid, the air treatment assembly functioning as a hinge for a toilet seat.
A more particular object of this invention is to provide a device, as aforesaid, the air treatment assembly utilizing fans for drawing the air from the toilet bowl proper through an air duct and intermediate filter.
Another object of this invention is to provide a device, as aforesaid, the flush assembly controlling the conventional flapper valve located in the water tank of the toilet.
Another particular object of this invention is to provide a device, as aforesaid, the flush assembly being activated by a sensed difference in pressure on the toilet seat.
A further particular object of this invention is to provide a device, as aforesaid, including a seal underlying the toilet seat for contact with the underlying toilet bowl, the air in the toilet bowl being drawn through an air duct of the air treatment assembly.
A further object of this invention is to provide a device, as aforesaid, the air treatment assembly being activated upon either pressure being exerted on or released from the toilet seat.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of this invention.


The invention relates to a control system (100) for an ambient light environment in a room in a hospital environment. The control system is configured to time and synchronize light effects of the ambient light environment (170, 190) in response to sensor signals (111-113) from patient location sensors (121) or other sensors (122,123) for detecting if a clinical instrument is activated, moved or taken into use or for detecting heart rate. Light effects may be used by the clinical personnel to improve quality and speed of the examination and to create a calming atmosphere for the patient. However, different light effects are required at different times and for different durations. Therefore, timing of the light effects relative to sensor signals may improve workflow and patient comfort.

The workflow during an uptake period immediately before a PET (positron emission tomography) scan is very important for the quality of the scan. During this uptake period the patient is injected with a radioactively labeled sugar, often FDG, and subsequently scanned with either a standalone PET scanner or a combination of PET with either CT or MR for anatomical information. A number of steps have to be performed by the clinical personnel several of which require a high level of patient compliance. There is a need to make this workflow run more smoothly.
Patient relaxation is of crucial importance in the time period immediately before and after the injection. If the patient is stressed in this period then the uptake will not be successful with FDG or radioactively labeled sugar being excessively consumed by overly stressed muscles and brain activity. Patients often get anxious during this uptake period due to the fact that they are in unfamiliar surroundings, are unsure about the examination and may have previous negative associations with clinical devices and or environments. Accordingly, there is a need to improving patient comfort and reducing anxiety before and during the examination.
Furthermore, patients are often of advanced age and have narrow veins that are difficult to locate. The injection is therefore often a difficult procedure which may increase patient anxiety and may prolong the examination. Thus, there is a need to improve the injection process.
US 2010060726 discloses a medical surgery or examination room and a method for illuminating such a room, wherein a substantial part of the room or the entire room is illuminated with colored lighting different from white lighting in order to achieve beneficial psychological effects or, primarily, to improve working conditions. For example, green light may be provided behind the monitors used by a surgeon during operation and red light in a zone behind a surgeon during operation or examination. The lighting may be controlled by a computer with a touch screen interface.
Whereas US 2010060726 discloses a lighting system for use within a hospital environment, the inventors of the present invention has appreciated that an improved lighting control system is of benefit, and has in consequence devised the present invention.

Light control system for use within a hospital environment


A projection display including a one-dimensional light modulator includes an optical arrangement for projecting light from a laser onto the modulator in the form of a line of light. Light from the laser is divided to create in effect a two-dimensional array of mutually incoherent light sources. Light from one axis of the array is projected onto the modulator to form the length of the line of light and light from the other axis of the array is projected onto the modulator to form the width of the line of light. Division of the light is accomplished without the use of any moving component.

In prior-art laser illuminated displays, a common arrangement for reducing speckle contrast includes providing diversity of incidence angle, polarization or wavelength of the beam, alone or in combination, at each point of the display screen, in order to form a number N of different and uncorrelated speckle patterns. In an arrangement described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/011,736, file Dec. 14, 2004, angular diversity of the beam is provided and a condition of un-correlation is achieved by separating, in time, the beam incident on the screen at different angles, with the range of different angles being presented within the normal integration time period of a human eye. This arrangement is preferred for displays including a two-dimensional spatial light modulator, although the arrangement is not ineffective in a display including a one-dimensional light modulator. A one-dimensional light modulator is different from a two-dimensional light modulator in terms of requirements for a light source illuminating the modulator and for speckle-reduction means.
One preferred prior-art arrangement for speckle reduction in a display including a one-dimensional modulator includes the use of a vibrating phase mask. A brief description of such a prior-art display is set forth below with reference to FIG. 1.
Here a display 20 is illuminated by a red laser, a green laser, and a blue laser (not explicitly shown). Beam-forming optics 22, 24, and 26 form a line-shaped illumination pattern from respectively the red, green and blue laser light on one-dimensional (linear) spatial light modulators 28, 30, and 32, respectively. The length dimension of the modulators is perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1
In this example, it is assumed that the linear modulators are diffractive modulators of the grating light-valve (GLV) type. This type of modulator includes a plurality of microscopic reflective elements or beams arranged parallel to each other in a linear array. The reflective elements can be individually raised and lowered by electrostatic attraction. The reflective elements function as a diffraction grating that can cause varying amplitudes of diffraction along the line of light incident thereon. The varying diffraction amplitudes represent image information in one line of a display image to be projected. Light reflected and diffracted from the three modulators is combined by beam combining optics 34, for example, a Philips prism, and directed to imaging optics 36.
Imaging optics 36 include lenses 38 and 40 having a mask 42 therebetween that passes light diffracted into the +1 and −1 orders of the diffraction grating, and rejects light diffracted in the zero order (specularly reflected) of the diffraction grating. Mask 42 is usually referred to as a Schlieren filter or a Fourier filter by practitioners of the art. Imaging optics 36 create an intermediate composite image of the three modulators, using the +1-order diffracted light therefrom, on a speckle-reduction arrangement 44. Speckle-reduction arrangement 44, in this example, is assumed to be a reciprocating phase-mask. The intermediate image is re-imaged by projection optics 46 via a galvanometer scanning mirror 48 on a screen 50. The projected image forms one line of a display to be projected on the screen, the line, here, having a length perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1. Galvanometer mirror 48 is scanned, as indicated by arrows A, step-wise, projecting a new line of the image at each step. A complete scan between positions 52A and 52B is performed sufficiently fast that the sequentially projected line-images appear to a viewer as a two-dimensional image. The two-dimensional image is a bit map having as many width elements as there are beams (grating lines) in each the linear modulators, and as many height elements as there are sequentially projected images on the screen. A one-dimensional GLV modulator can have as many as 1080 beams.
In a phase-mask speckle-reduction arrangement such as arrangement 44, a plate having a spatially varied thickness providing a particular ordered phase pattern is rapidly, reciprocally translated at the intermediate image position. The rate of reciprocation is selected such that this causes uncorrelated phase patterns representing image points on the screen to be averaged at a rate that exceeds the resolution limit of the eye. This requires mechanically translating the phase mask in the beam, so that a maximum number N (for example, N=64) of uncorrelated phase patterns can be presented within the integration time. The maximum number of patterns that needs to be presented is dependent on the maximum possible ratio of speckle contrast reduction rmax. The value of rmax, in turn, is determined by the ratio of a solid angle Ωtot subtended by the projection optics at the screen, to a solid angle Ωeye subtended by the observer's pupil at the screen. The following relationships exist for N, rmax, Ωeye, and Ωtot.rmax=(Ωtot/Ωeye)1/2  (1)N<rmax2  (2)
The projection optics speed (Ωtot) is limited, by the acceptance angle of the one-dimensional modulators, and the size and cost of the projection lens, among other factors. Only uncorrelated patterns are effective in determining the relationships. Accordingly, presenting more correlated patterns will not increase speckle contrast reduction. The object of the reciprocating phase-mask is to be able to present N˜rmax2 phase patterns that lead to N uncorrelated speckle patterns at the screen, within the integration time of the human eye. This results in an "optimal" speckle reduction, meaning a reduction equal to rmax, with a minimal number of patterns N, which translates to a minimal time required to present these patterns. The minimal time is important, and this is what makes the case of one-dimensional modulator much more challenging for speckle reduction, compared to a two-dimensional modulator. The reason is that the laser beam actually illuminates each particular resolvable spot of the screen only for a fraction of the total integration time of the eye, due to the scanning. Accordingly, a "non-optimal" set of patterns, for example, a set that includes mutually correlated patterns, may require more time to present, and lead to a lesser reduction ratio.
One disadvantage of this speckle reduction approach is that the phase-mask must be reciprocally translated at high frequency, for example about 30 Hz or greater, in the intermediate image plane. This requires a complex, delicate mechanism. A related disadvantage is that imaging optics 36 has to form the image in the intermediate image plane, which adds to the complexity and cost of optics in the display. An additional difficulty with one-dimensional modulators, in general, is that the line of light projected from a laser onto a modulator must be well focused in one plane, as a modulator is typically only about 25 micrometers (μm) wide. If a single-mode laser is used as an illuminating laser this does not present a problem, however, it is usually preferred to a multimode diode-laser arrays (bar), including a plurality of individual emitters, as the illuminating laser. One reason for this is the simplicity, cost, and available power of such a bar. In a diode-laser array, the "fast" axis of the output beam (perpendicular to the length of the array) is readily focusable, but individual emitters in the array are often misaligned in the length direction by several micrometers, an effect whimsically referred to as the "smile" of the array by practitioners of the art. This can create difficulty in imaging the length of the array on the modulator, which is usually exactly straight.
There is a need for a one-dimensional modulator display system, including a speckle-reduction arrangement that does not include any moving parts. The speckle-reduction arrangement should be suitable for illuminating a one-dimensional modulator using multimode lasers in general, and using diode-laser arrays in particular.

Speckle reduction in laser illuminated projection displays having a one-dimensional spatial light modulator


A driving system allows an invalid chair having a seating structure, wheels on both sides of the seating structure and at least one front stabilizing wheel, to pass obstacles. The driving system has arms secured to both sides of the seating structure and on which shafts of the wheels are arranged slidingly within two extreme positions. Cranks are on both sides of the seating structure and rotary cross engagement members are at the rear and on both sides of the seating structure and have arms which are terminated with adhesive end pieces. Each crank is connected to a respective rotary cross engagement member through a geared transmission for transmission of rotary movement of the crank to the rotary cross engagement member, and the geared transmission is provided with a flap for preventing reverse rotating of the crank.

Prior art driving systems, which form component of invalid chair and enable person operating the invalid chair to pass fly-over obstacles such as especially steps, have very complex and costly constructions completed with necessary electromotive drive and often even with computer regulating balance of invalid chair when passing the mentioned obstacles. In view of the fact that invalid chairs equipped with these systems for the most part are not reasonably priced for disabled persons, there is a demand at present for invalid chair that would have relatively simple construction that would enable person operating the invalid chair to bridge fly-over obstacles solely by exerting manpower. This demand is satisfied by driving system for passing fly-over obstacles by invalid chair according to the present invention.

Driving system for passing fly-over obstacles by invalid chair