Childproof, highly inert individual dose packagings (1) for transdermal therapeutic systems or film-like forms of administration in the form of a sealing edge bag that can be peeled back with a complete surrounding and continuous sealing surface, comprising two packaging elements, that are arranged on top of each other and form the upper side and the bottom side of a bag containing the product, wherein at least one layer of the packaging material elements is a metal layer and at least one packaging material element a film laminate with at least three-layer design; and the outer layer of the at least three-layer film laminate has a minimum tear resistance of 30 N, wherein said outer layer comprises at least one line-shaped weakening that is not touching the edge of the packaging on the upper and bottom side and the line-shaped weakening has a reduced resistance to tear for opening the packaging. The invention further relates to a method of production thereof.

The present invention relates to highly inert, single-dose packagings for forms of administration in film or foil form and transdermal therapeutic systems (TTSs), which are easy to open, but are nevertheless childproof.
The present invention also comprises a method for producing the single-dose packagings according to the invention which is distinguished by economical use of material.
Drug packagings have to perform a number of tasks. On the one hand, as a single dose, a packaging is intended for example to ensure that only a specific dose is ever taken at one time and that the taking of more than one dose is avoided.
On the other hand, the drug is also intended to be protected by the packaging from environmental influences such as light and moisture, which often lead to the active substance breaking down, and consequently to the medicament becoming unusable. Specifically in the case of containers that contain a number of dose units, here there is the problem that repeated opening of the container for the removal of a single dose adversely impairs the quality of the drug preparation, this impairment being all the greater the more sensitive the form of administration is with respect to mechanical and physical-chemical loads. Particularly drugs presented in film form impose particular requirements on the packaging, since the films are sensitive to physical-chemical influences (for example light, moisture or oxygen) on account of the large surface area and to mechanical loads on account of their structure.
In addition, the packagings are intended to prevent the drugs from being accessible to children, to take them unintentionally or administer the medication themselves.
On the one hand, a particular problem in the design of such secure drug packagings is that the packaging is intended to provide maximum security against unintentional self-medication, in particular by children driven by curiosity to open the packagings and confusing the medicaments, which are often colored and aromatized to mask the bad taste and/or smell of the active substances, for candy or other confectionery and taking them or applying the TTSs contained in the course of play.
On the other hand, however, the opening of the packaging is intended to be easy enough that adults, particularly including elderly persons and persons with motor difficulties, can open these packagings without any problems and that good compliance is ensured in the taking of the drugs.
As to be expected from the nature of the problem described above, a solution for achieving these objectives appears elusive, since children often approach the task of opening the packaging with great perseverance, ingenuity and intuition, while adult users often neglect the requisite study of the instructions or explanatory pictograms and unnecessarily take a knife or scissors to open the packaging, or else in the worst case fail to take the medication because of the difficulties in opening the packaging if these utensils do not happen to be to hand, with the result that patient compliance falls.
A further problem with single-dose packagings for forms of administration in film or foil form and transdermal therapeutic systems is that the surface area of the single dose is quite large in relation to the content of active substance in comparison with other forms of administration such as tablets or suppositories and cannot be reduced by bending and folding.
The size of the film consequently determines the size of the packaging. Furthermore, on account of the already discussed sensitivity of the films, the use of expensive high-barrier foils (high-barrier films), which can be subjected to mechanical loads and at most allow slight permeation of gases and moisture, is called for in order to ensure the necessary protection of the form of administration.
This gives rise to the disadvantage that both the upper side and the underside of the large-area form of administration has to be covered with a foil, which involves high expenditure on material and, as a result of the expensive foils, leads to high packaging costs, which may significantly increase the costs of the single dose and bring about an extremely unfavorable ratio of packaging costs to product costs. It should be mentioned in this respect that childproof packagings in particular often require additional expenditure on material in making them childproof.
The following proposals for easy-to-open, but childproof packagings are known from the prior art.
The laid-open patent application DE 10 2004 047 445 A1 discloses a non-reclosable packaging for harmful products, which has two packaging material elements arranged one lying on top of the other, a first area portion, at the peripheral edge or edges of which the two packaging material elements are releasably joined to one another, with at least one cavity that is enclosed on all sides for receiving the packaged product being formed between the two packaging material elements, and a second area portion, lying outside the first area portion or adjacent thereto, at the peripheral edge or edges of which the two packaging material elements are releasably joined to one another. At least one of the two packaging material elements is provided with at least one structure, which runs within the second area portion and makes it possible for the element or packaging material element or elements to be torn into.
The laid-open patent application US 2006/0023976 A1 describes peelable pouches for one or more doses of a drug in which two sheets of packaging material are peripherally sealed to one another, and which are provided in the region of the sealed peripheral edge with a surface structure which allows the pouch to be torn into and is crossed by a folding line. The peripheral edge of the pouch must be bent along the folding line in order that it can be torn into at the surface structure and opened.
The laid-open patent application. DE 10 2006 041 921 A1 describes a childproof packaging for films containing active substances, which comprises a carrier layer and a top layer releasably joined to the latter and, in a paired arrangement, two opposing area regions which are separated from one another by a web and within which the top layer is not joined to the carrier layer, whereby two spaces that are separate from one another and enclosed on all sides are formed for receiving said films in pairs. Within said web there is a further area region, in which the carrier layer is not joined to the top layer, whereby a cavity that is enclosed on all sides is formed. Within the web there is at least one perforation line. The disadvantage of this approach is that a childproof packaging is only obtained for packaging paired films (forms of administration in film form). Although the opening of the childproof seal to expose one form of administration still leaves the other form of administration packed in a chemically sealed manner, the childproof seal is no longer present. To this extent, the use of a packaging according to DE 10 2006 041 921 A1 is only appropriate if the interval between taking the first single dose and taking the second single dose is not too great.
In the case of the foil packagings known from DE 10 2004 047 445 A1, US 2006/0023976 A1 and DE 10 2006 041 921 A1, the object of providing a childproof packaging which at the same time offers protection for the packaged product from chemical impairment is achieved by the use of a peelable pouch produced by heat sealing from two foils which respectively contain a thin aluminum layer. The foil packagings have a laterally applied cut, which however does not cut the side of the pouch itself. As a result, the pouch must be folded in the middle of the cut beyond an angle of 90° in order to produce a tearing notch in the side of the peripheral edge of the pouch. This exposes an opening aid for being gripped, with the aid of which the two foils of the pouch can be peeled from one another.
The solutions described above have in common that they are based on peelable foils, i.e. the laminate layer of the foil structure that is in contact with the product must be peelable and allow itself to be detached relatively easily from the layers lying thereover. These layers are virtually always polyethylene-based peeling layers or similar compositions that have a relatively weak sealing seam strength (are therefore peelable).
In addition, these foils have the disadvantage that they are often not inert with respect to active substance migration, which has the consequence that, in the course of the storage time, the active substances migrate into the packaging, and are consequently extracted from the drug. In terms of use, the sealing seam strength is usually also weakened by the sealed polymers being weakened by incorporation of other auxiliaries that are not weldable. As a side effect, these auxiliaries also cause reduced sealing seam impermeabilities for gases such as water vapor and oxygen, which may impair the storage stability of the packaging and lead to problems due to water absorption of hygroscopic products, as well as to increased degradation of oxygen-sensitive products.
Furthermore, the material consumption for producing the packaging is further increased by the opening of the packaging requiring the presence of non-sealed portions, which serve as a gripping aid for the "peeling", the minimum size of the gripping aids being limited by anatomical conditions.
The packaging of drugs/forms of administration in film or foil form consequently presents a particular challenge, since films and foils react sensitively to physical-chemical (for example light, moisture or oxygen) and mechanical loads.
Even if the packaging of individual forms of administration in film or foil form meets the requirements for the protection of the individually packaged product, it has the disadvantage that it is very expensive in practical implementation, because it requires high material use and the corresponding packagings can only be produced comparatively slowly.
The object of the present invention is to provide a childproof single-dose packaging for forms of administration in film or foil form and for transdermal therapeutic systems (TTSs) on the basis of sealed foils that ensures minimal foil consumption per single dose, is inert with respect to the packaged product, is easy to open and nevertheless has a maximum impermeability of the sealing seam.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing single-dose packagings according to the present invention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Childproof, highly inert individual packaging


A self-unloading bulk material bed with a discharge opening is provided. An apparatus for discharging materials from the self-unloading bulk material bed includes a first and second tapered fin on either surface of the discharge opening. The tapered fins direct materials moving through the discharge opening down so that they do not build up around the discharge opening.

Self-unloading truck beds and trailers are invaluable in many industries for hauling and storing bulk materials including commodities and refuse. For example, in the agricultural industry, self-unloading bulk material beds often take the form of trailers or trucks and are used to transport commodities from the field to storage and processing facilities.
Generally, self-unloading bulk material beds include a conveyor system, such as a conveyor belt or chain and belt assembly, which moves material from inside the self-unloading bulk material bed to a discharge opening. This conveyor system discharges materials when the materials reach a shaft around which the conveyor rotates. When the conveyor rotates around the shaft, the materials transported on the conveyor naturally fall to a receiving target. Thus, during the unloading process, the discharge opening of the self-unloading bulk material bed and the receiving target must be aligned.
If, for instance, the self-unloading bulk material bed is part of a trailer, the trailer often must be backed up to the receiving target location. For example, if the commodities are held in the trailer and are to be transported into a building for processing, the trailer may be backed up to the building's conveyor system, which moves materials from outside the building to inside the building. A discharge opening associated with the self-unloading bulk material bed component of the trailer will be positioned over the building's conveyor system. When the self-unloading bulk material bed's conveyor system begins moving, the commodities in the trailer will be discharged onto the building's conveyor system through a discharge opening. While passing through this discharge opening, the commodities are guided by a pair of tail fins associated with the self-unloading bulk material bed. Generally, one tail fin is located on each lateral surface of the discharge opening.
Although self-unloading bulk material beds are incredibly useful for unloading materials in situations such as the one described above, the current mechanism for discharging materials from a self-unloading bulk material bed onto receiving equipment is insufficient.
Often, the discharge opening of the self-unloading bulk material bed creates a bottleneck. The self-unloading bulk material bed's conveyor moves too quickly for the size of the discharge opening and the materials begin to "creep" up the tail fins. Ultimately, this build-up causes commodities to fall from the self-unloading bulk material bed, miss the receiving target, and hit the ground. Many commodities that fall to the ground must be discarded as waste materials. As a result, valuable materials are damaged and wasted and resources must be expended to clean up the mess. Furthermore, a buildup of materials can place strain on the self-unloading bulk material bed and related equipment, resulting in equipment damage.
The shaft mount used to hold the shaft around which the conveyor rotates creates additional problems. Currently, during the unloading process, the shaft mount sidewalls damage commodities that are discharged from the self-unloading bulk material bed because commodities that pass by the shaft mount sidewalls are often bruised or crushed.
In addition to the concerns associated with discharging materials from the hauler, there are significant issues associated with loading materials into a self-unloading bulk material bed. When loading commodities such as potatoes into a self-unloading bulk material bed, a piler is often used. This piler uses a boom to transport commodities over the sides of the self-unloading bulk material bed, but the piler is often not long enough to reach its boom to the inside front wall of a long self-unloading bulk material bed. This problem is exacerbated because it is frequently impossible to line-up the piler and the self-unloading bulk material bed in a straight, square manner.
What is needed is a method and apparatus that allows a user to efficiently load and unload a self-unloading bulk material bed without damaging the self-unloading bulk material bed, the piler, or the materials to be loaded and unloaded.

Discharge apparatus for self-unloading bulk material bed


Our invention comprises a gene restorer line of Brassica napus which contains a Raphanus sativus restorer gene but is essentially free of Raphanus sativus genes which produce high glucosinolate. In particular, we provide a gene restorer line, and progeny derived therefrom, seed of which is low in glucosinolates. The Brassica napus restorer lines are free of glucosinolate-producing genes having a characteristic RFLP signature. The method of producing such lines which comprises crossing Brassica napus restorer lines and hybrids with desired Brassica napus germplasm and selecting progeny having a characteristic RFLP signature is also encompassed by the present invention.

Economic production of Brassica spp. hybrids requires a pollination control system and effective transfer of pollen from one parent to the other. The ogura cytoplasmic male sterility (cms) system, developed via protoplast fusion between radish (Raphanus sativus) and rapeseed (Brassica napus) is one of the most promising methods of hybrid production. It provides stable expression of the male sterility trait (Ogura 1968), Pelletier et al. (1983) and an effective nuclear restorer gene (Heyn 1976).
Initial restorer material showed reduced female fertility which was overcome through backcrossing. Delourme et al. (1991) attributed this to elimination of a portion of the radish chromosome that had been introduced along with the restorer gene. In their work, successive backcross generations produced fertility levels successively closer to normal.
High glucosinolate (GSL) content in seed of Brassica napus is an anti-nutritional factor. Meal made from such seed is unsuitable for use in animal feeds. Seed GSL level is an expression of the genotype of the female plant and is determined by four to eight separate dominant and additive genes. Two to five genes are involved in alkenyl (one of the aliphatic group) glucosinolate content, while two or three genes are involved in indole glucosinolate content (Rucker and Robbelen, 1994). Total aliphatics may be determined by up to six genes (Magrath et al. 1993).

Cytoplasmic male sterility system production canola hybrids


A technique is disclosed in the context of a communications system whereby parties accessible through the system may be referenced by multiple alternative symbolic names. User profile information for a given party may be maintained in the system to control features and routing behavior in response to session request involing the party. By virtue of a mapping capability, one or more symbolic names may be associated with the same user profile information. A session request involving any of the alternative names for a party will evoke the same user profile.

The proliferation of data transport networks, most notably the Internet, is causing a revolution in telephony and other forms of real-time communication. Businesses that have been accustomed to having telephony traffic and data traffic separately supported over different systems and networks are now moving towards so-called "converged networks" wherein telephone voice traffic and other forms of real-time media are converted into digital form and carried by a packet data network along with other forms of data. Now that the technologies are feasible to support it, voice over data transport offers many advantages in terms of reduced capital and operating costs, resource efficiency and flexibility.
For example, at commercial installations, customer premise equipment investments and operating costs may be substantially reduced as most of the enhanced functions, such as PBX and automatic call distribution functions, may reside in a service provider's network. Various types of gateways allow for sessions to be established even among diverse systems such as IP phones, conventional analog phones and PBXs as well as with networked desktop computers.
Thus, the field of telephony is turning away from the traditional use of circuit switches operating under stored program control or under the control of industry standardized intelligent network (IN) call processing. Instead, new service processing architectures (such as the so-called "softswitch" approach) and protocols (like the Session Initiation Protocol or 'SIP') have arisen, significantly patterned upon techniques developed for the Internet and other data networks.
Aside from cost considerations, a significant advantage and motivation for this change in service processing is the promise of enhanced new services and faster deployment of services. New packet-switched telephony networks, coupled with the aforementioned new service processing paradigms, are being designed to offer users unprecedented levels of flexibility and customizability.
Even at the periphery of the network, a new generation of end user terminal devices are now replacing the traditional telephones and even the more recent PBX phone sets. These new sets, such as those offered by Cisco Systems, Inc. and Pingtel Corporation, may connect directly to a common data network, via an Ethernet connection for example, and feature large visual displays to enhance the richness of the user interface.
Another significant sign of radical departure from traditional telephony relates to the manner in which destinations are expressed. Rather than using the familiar telephone number to place a call to a particular telephone station, the new paradigm relies upon identifying a party whom one is trying to reach, independent of any particular location or station address (such as a telephone number). The current trend is that this identification is alphanumeric and resembles an e-mail address or URI(universal resourse identifier) as is now commonly used in other types of communication. The new phones described above can "dial" such alphanumeric addresses.
This technique of specifying a party rather than a station ties into another novel aspect of packet-switched telephony, namely that user location is allowed to be very dynamic. By default, a given user may be associated with a particular communications terminal (telephone, mobile phone, pager, etc.) in the traditional sense. In addition, the user may approach one of the newer types of IP phone appliances and register his presence to receive calls at the given phone. Any inbound calls will then go to the most recently registered address. Given this mobility, the identification scheme for destination parties must be decoupled from the addressing of specific terminals. Soon the familiar practice of memorizing a "telephone number" may be obsoleted, or at least supplemented, by alternative symbolic expressions for specifying a given destination party, also known as a "terminating" party.


A composite biocompatible hydrogel material includes a porous polymer matrix, the polymer matrix including a plurality of pores and providing a Young's modulus of at least 10 GPa. A calcium comprising salt is disposed in at least some of the pores. The porous polymer matrix can comprise cellulose, including bacterial cellulose. The composite can be used as a bone graft material. A method of tissue repair within the body of animals includes the steps of providing a composite biocompatible hydrogel material including a porous polymer matrix, the polymer matrix including a plurality of pores and providing a Young's modulus of at least 10 GPa, and inserting the hydrogel material into cartilage or bone tissue of an animal, wherein the hydrogel material supports cell colonization in vitro for autologous cell seeding.

Bone grafting is a technique used to repair or help in the healing of osseous damage caused by procedures and pathologies such as surgery, tumors, trauma, congenital deformities, implant revisions, and joint fusions. The two most common methods presently used to restore bone are allografting and autografting.
Allografting, which comprises transplantation of tissue from a donor into a host subject, has both clinical and practical drawbacks. Clinically, allografting exposes the host subject to a risk of acquiring an infection and/or other disease such as a host immune system-mediated anti-graft response. Practical problems with this procedure are that donor tissue is often expensive or unavailable.
Autografting, which comprises the transplantation of autologous tissue from one site in a subject's body to another, suffers fewer problems as compared to allografting. For example, because the host and donor are the same subject, the risk of infection and immune system-mediated rejection are significantly reduced. However, autografting is still disadvantageous in that it requires that two separate surgical procedures (one to harvest the tissue; one to transplant the tissue) to be performed on the subject. Additionally, the supply of usable autologous bone is limited because it is collected from only one subject.
To avoid problems associated with allografting and autografting, synthetic bone-grafting materials have been developed. Synthetic bone-grafting materials offer numerous clinical and practical advantages. The clinical advantages include (1) reduced risk of infection and/or rejection and (2) no complications from tissue harvesting surgery. Practical advantages of using synthetic materials include the possible selection of materials that exhibit superior mechanical properties, materials which can be fashioned into custom-made shapes and sizes, and materials which can be made in large quantities.
A number of different compositions have been used as synthetic materials for bone grafting. Predominant among these are calcium phosphates such as hydroxyapatite. Hydroxyapatite, the main mineral component in bone, is the most stable calcium phosphate form under normal physiological conditions. It is a particularly good material for use in bone grafting because it readily bonds with bone, and is biocompatible and osteoinductive, permitting bone repair in a location that would not normally heal if left untreated. Used alone, however, hydroxyapatite lacks mechanical strength and cannot withstand substantial stress.

Method of tissue repair using a composite material

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE RESEARCH FOUNDATION


A hand held braiding apparatus is operative for braiding elongated filaments in the nature of natural hair and filaments of synthetic material. The apparatus includes a rotatable actuator having an opening operative for receiving a plurality of filament holders in the form of elongated cylindrical tubes. By repetitive operation of the actuator, the filament holders are manipulated into a sequence of positions which effect braiding of filaments received therein.

Machines for the manipulation of elongated filaments have been known for many years having a variety of applications. For example, known machines were used in creating yarn by simply twisting multiple strands together. Other such machines for use in forming rope and cord generally employed mechanisms for interweaving two strands. Other such machines for use in the textile industry typically included complicated assemblies which were part of an overall machine with complex mechanisms.
The uniqueness of a braid has created the need for the development of a variety of devices suitable for manipulating natural and synthetic hair, such as human hair and artificial doll hair, into one or more desirable forms. For example, Eronini, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,996 discloses a portable hair braider using a plurality of sets of hair parters that are arranged in a row which extend transversely to the path of movement of the device over the top of a person's head. The hair parters divide the hair over a predetermined width of the scalp, and then feed these separate hair portions into hair grippers which clamp and rotate the strands for weaving them together to form a braid. In this manner, the hair covering a predetermined width of the scalp is divided into plural groups of hair strands and formed into a single braided strand. See also Eronini, U.S. Pat. No. 4,427,017.
The aforementioned hair braiding devices are relatively complicated and cumbersome for use. To this end, there is known a portable hair braiding apparatus from Shipman, U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,737 and Sapkus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,690. Shipman discloses a hand operated machine with tubular holders for three sections of hair. The three tubular holders are each designed to maintain the separation of the sections of hair, while moving within a system of tracks and guide rails to weave the individual sections of hair into a basic braid. Sapkus discloses another hand operated machine with tubular holders for three sections of hair. In this machine, the three tubular holders are rotated in a manner that results in the formation of a basic braid, the rotation being effected by means of a mechanism including a lever and a plurality of gear members.
In addition to the aforementioned machine-type hair braiding devices, hair braiding devices which require manual manipulation to effect the braiding operation are known. For example, Hatchett, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,297 discloses the combination of a skeletal frame assembly having plural spaced apart skeletal support members for receiving a member having a corresponding plurality of resilient elongated members. Macy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,668 discloses a plurality of individual hair retainers for holding separate groups of hair. Nash, U.S. Pat. No. 5,518,011 discloses a comb having a plurality of spaced fingers supported by a handle to enable braiding of hair within a series of slots formed therein. Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,272 discloses a hair braiding device having a plurality of movable arms for gripping and enabling manual manipulation of the hair for forming a braid.
There is also known a number of devices which are suitable for twining hair. For example, such devices are known from Fishman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,963, Sapkus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,585,Larsson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,583,561 and Buta, U.S. Pat. No. 4,824,036.
Additional hair styling devices are known from Legette, U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,271 which is a tool for applying beads to gathered strands of braided or unbraided hair. Terzian, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,736 discloses a hair styling figure having an accessory to enable styling of the hair for curling, braiding or other styling arrangements.
Accordingly, there is still the room for improvements in a portable braiding apparatus suitable for use in braiding natural and synthetic filaments, such as human hair or artificial toy doll hair, as well as other natural and synthetic filaments in forming hair braids, rope, cord and the like.


A lifter unit is provided for use with a transfer die of the type used to form sheet metal components. The lifter unit functions to appropriately position a stamping between the upper and lower die assemblies and is easily accessible from the top of the lower die assembly. The lifter unit is fabricated from standard components and is readily adaptable to a wide range of transfer die designs. As such, the lifter unit of the present invention is a standardized item that can be quickly utilized by a die designer to provide a part positioning feature in a transfer die running in a transfer press.

Transfer dies are widely used in the stamping industry to perform various metal forming operations on sheet metal. More specifically, a metal component to be formed is inserted into a transfer die between a lower die assembly and an upper die assembly. Prior to the stamping operation, the stamping or part to be formed is located on a support plate which is operably coupled to a lifter unit. During the stamping operation, the upper die assembly is lowered onto the lower die assembly such that the part is stamped therebetween. The downward movement of the upper die assembly causes the support plate to move downwardly, thereby enabling the part to engage the lower die assembly. After the stamping operation is completed, the upper die assembly moves upwardly away from the lower die assembly and the part is raised to a position between the upper and lower die assemblies on the support plate.
Prior art transfer dies included a lifter unit having two distinct components, namely a lift pin cylinder supported on the lower die assembly for reciprocal movement and operably coupled to a transfer plate at an end opposite the support plate, and a spring assembly disposed between the lower die assembly and the transfer plate for biasing the lift pin cylinder away from the upper die assembly. Due to the positioning of these components, access to both the top and the bottom of the transfer die is required for installation and maintenance of the lifter unit. In addition, the transfer plate occupied additional space which creates the potential for interference during the operation of the transfer die. Moreover, each lifter unit had to be specifically designed for a particular transfer die due to variations in the dimensions of the lower die assembly.


Biocompatible materials suitable for use in vascular applications have been engineered, combining human recombinant tropoelastin with other synthetic or natural biomaterials to form protoelastin. The materials can be in the form of elastin films on metal, bone, ceramic or polymer substrates, laminates of alternating polymer and elastin, blends of polymer and elastin, or elastin crosslinked with or tethered to polymer. The flexibility in engineering and design makes protoelastin biomaterials suited not only to the production of conduits but any number of other vascular applications that require blood contacting surfaces. Tropoelastin and the subsequently engineered biomaterial protoelastin provide the opportunity to satisfy a large unmet need for a biocompatible material adaptable enough to meet a range of diverse vascular uses. These are mechanically stable, elastic, strong and biocompatible (i.e., not thrombogenic and promoting adhesion of cells, especially human endothelial cells.

Despite the increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease, there are few effective biomaterials currently available for clinical vascular applications. Currently available synthetic biomaterials such as polyethylene terephthalate have a range of vascular applications including endovascular grafting, heart valve replacement, vascular/myocardial patches and vascular closure devices, but it is their poor performance as vascular surgical conduits that exemplifies their deficiencies.
Autologous veins or arteries are preferentially used due to their superior performance and patency, but in at least 30% of patients, these grafts are unavailable due to prior use or disease (Goldman et al., (2004) J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 44, 2149-56). The early patency of vein graphs can be maximized by the surgeon, though long term failure is unavoidable, resulting mainly from uncontrolled smooth muscle cell proliferation (Fitzgibbon et al., 1996) J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., 28, 616-626). In cases where autologous arterial or venous grafts are unusable or not available, the two leading synthetic materials for both surgical and endovascular implantation are polyethylene terephthalate (DACRON®) and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). Both polymers perform well in high flow vessels with diameters greater than 6 mm, but neither is suitable for small diameter (less than 4 mm) grafts (Xue and Greisler, 2003) J. Vasc. Sur. 37, 472-80). Both synthetic graft types produce an unfavourable immune response, are highly thrombogenic and do not adequately mimic the compliance of native vessels. Incomplete endothelialization leads to chronic inflammation and hyperplasia (Kannan et al., (2005), J. Biomed. Mate. Res. B Applied Biomaterials, 74, 570-81). This poor performance has been attributed both to the mismatched physical properties of the synthetic graft as well as the intrinsic haemocompatibility of the graft surface (Tai et al., 2000). For example, the tensile strength of Dacron (170-180 MPa) and ePTFE (14 MPa) (Kannan et al., 2005) is substantially greater than those observed for arterial and venous material (1-3 MPa) (Black, (1998) Handbook of biomaterial properties, Springer).
The inadequacy of existing polymeric graft materials has constantly been challenged by the development of new materials, particularly those with more favourable physical properties. An important class of non-biodegradable polymers proposed for vascular graft use are polyurethane elastomers, which exhibit good hemocompatibility and have excellent mechanical properties (Gunatillake et al., (2000) J. App. Poly. Sci. 76, 2026-2040). The wider use of polyurethane biomaterials has been limited, however, by questions surrounding long-term stability of implanted materials. The combined susceptibility of polyurethanes to hydrolysis, cracking, enzymatic degradation, calcification and corrosion to varying degrees depending on the formulation (Santerre et al., (2005), Biomaterials, 26, 7457-70) has led to these doubts regarding biostability and bi-product toxicity. The problems faced by polyurethane biomaterials are common to this field and have prevented any strong competition to DACRON® and ePTFE from emerging. It is clear then, that a large unmet need for a more biocompatible, durable and clinically effective synthetic biomaterial remains.
Elastin has frequently been used in combination with other supporting components. Elastin, digested from animal sources has been combined with gelatin, collagen (Buttafoco et al., (2006) Biomaterials, 27, 724-34) and polymers such as poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (Stitzel et al., (2006) Biomaterials, 27, 1088-94) using electrospinning and producing fibers with improved tensile characteristics. Elastin from porcine arteries has also been used as the scaffold for a graft material, reinforced by physically wrapping the construct with small intestinal submucosa (essentially decellularized collagen) (Hinds et al., (2006) J. Biomed. Mater. Res. Part A, 77, 458-69). Tensile strengths of 1-2 MPa have been reached using these approaches. These materials however, are limited not only by the difficulties associated with the quality and supply of animal elastin but also the likely thrombogenicity of the supporting material.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide materials which are suitable for vascular application that are biocompatible and not thrombogenic or having very low thrombogenicity.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such materials which also have mechanical strength and elasticity that are desirable for vascular applications.


A photographic camera comprises a camera body with a loading chamber for receiving a film cassette endwise, a door supported for pivotal closing and opening movement to cover and uncover the chamber, a latch for preventing pivotal opening movement of the door but which can be disabled to permit the door to be opened, and an ejecting device for pushing the cassette endwise at least part way out of the chamber. According to the invention, the ejecting device includes a single piece means supported for movement in an ejecting direction for first disabling the latch to permit the door to be opened and then pushing the cassette endwise at least part way out of the chamber when the door is opened.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of photography, and in particular to apparatus for ejecting a film cassette at least part way out of a cassette receiving chamber located in the body of a camera.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,914, issued Sep. 17, 1991, discloses a photographic camera comprising a camera body with a loading chamber for receiving a film cassette endwise, i.e. axially, a door supported for pivotal closing and opening movement to cover and uncover the chamber, latching means for preventing pivotal opening movement of the door but which can be disabled to permit the door to be opened, and ejecting means for pushing the cassette endwise at least part way out of the chamber when the door is opened. Specifically, the ejecting means includes an over-center linkage that first is shifted to slightly beyond a centered position, without moving a film cassette in the chamber, responsive to the door being opened manually a limited amount, and then by virtue of its construction shifts itself further from its centered position (without having to continue to manually open the door) to automatically further open the door and push the cassette at least part way out of the chamber.
3. Problem to be Solved by the Invention
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,914, the latching means must be disabled manually before the door can be opened.


The present invention provides a topical formulation containing NSAID, particularly diclofenac. The topical formulation is particularly useful for alleviating pain/inflammation associated with infection caused by herpes virus, especially herpes simplex virus (HSV) and varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Similar relief can be achieved where diclofenac is replaced with another non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which includes, without limitation, etodolac, ketorolac, bromfenac, diflunisal, ibuprofen, fenoprofen, ketoprofen, naproxen, suprofen, meclofenamate, mefenamic acid, piroxicam, meloxicam, indomethacin, sulindac, phenylbutazone, oxyphenbutazone, and tolmetin. The topical formulation is further characterized by its fast relief on pain and/or inflammation associated with infection caused by herpes virus, i.e., a complete relief in no more than seven (7) days after the application of the topical formulation on skins of patients.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most widely used drugs, probably due to their therapeutic properties as anti-inflammatories, analgesics, anti-pyretics, and anti-thrombolics and are used to treat a variety of clinical conditions manifesting such symptoms as pain, inflammation, fever, and to treat and prevent atherosclerosis.
While these drugs are highly effective, oral administration of many NSAIDs can cause serious adverse effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding and ulceration, liver and kidney damages, and central nervous system and cutaneous disturbances, particularly after extended use. Therefore, in an effort to minimize the adverse effects associated with oral administration, non-oral delivery of NSAIDs has been extensively investigated in recent years.
Transdermal delivery, in particular, is an attractive option because it avoids the hepatic first-pass metabolism, reduces the side effects associated with oral administration, is associated with higher patient compliance and, in some cases, enhances therapeutic efficacy of the drug.
Transdermal delivery of NSAIDs is particularly useful for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and related conditions, which are characterized by painful and swollen joints due to inflammation in the musculoskeletal tissues of the joints. However, although topical administration of certain NSAIDs has been shown to deliver the drug to the local musculoskeletal tissues of joints where arthritic conditions often develop, due to the low solubility of NSAIDs in water, the effectiveness of topical administration of NSAIDs is limited by the inability of these drugs to permeate the skin.
NSAIDs are weak acid. There are roughly nine major classes of NSAIDs, which are salicylate derivatives (such as acetosalicylate [aspirin]), propionic acid derivatives (such as ibuprofen), aniline derivatives (such as aminophenolacetaminophen [tylenol]), pyrazole derivatives (such as phenylbutazone), N-arylanthranilic acid (or fenamates) derivatives (such as meclofenamate), indole derivatives (such as indomethacin), acetic acid derivatives (such as diclofenac), oxicam derivatives (such as piroxicam), and miscellaneous others (such as celecoxib).
Among the NSAIDs, diclofenac, which is 2-(2,6-dichloro-anilino)-phenyl-acetic acid, is particularly known for its role as an anti-rheumatic agent for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Diclofenac belongs to the acetic acid class of NSAID. Due to its relatively low solubility in water, an aqueous injection solution of diclofenac is difficult to achieve.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,906 discloses a liquid diclofenac preparation where a better dissolution of the diclofenac is obtained when a local anesthetic, lidocaine, is added. This liquid diclofenac preparation is particularly suitable for use as injection solution.
Another NSAID similar to diclofenac and also belongs to the acetic acid class of NSAIDs is ketorolac. Ketorolac is comparable to opioids in terms of providing pain relief. For example, the overall analgesic effect of 30 mg of ketorolac is equivalent to that of 6 to 12 mg of Morphine.
Ketorolac is (±)-5-benzoyl-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolizine-1-carboxylic acid. It is a derivative of pyrrolizine carboxylic acid and is structurally related to tolmetin and zomepirac. Like diclofenac, the free acid form of ketorolac has very low solubility in water. The most commonly used salt form of ketorolac is ketorolac tromethamine, which is much more water soluble than the free acid form of ketorolac.
Although NSAIDs are widely used as anti-inflammatories and analgesics, the use of NSAIDs in alleviating symptoms associated with herpes virus infection is largely unexplored. Herpetic infections are highly contagious skin eruptions or lesions, characterized by a cluster of small blisters or watery vesicles. The lesions are caused by an acute viral infection. The virus is from the genus Herpesvirus.
The herpesviruses comprise a large family of double stranded DNA viruses. The herpesvirus family can be divided into three subfamilies (i.e., α, β, and γ) based upon a number of biological properties such as host range and tropism, viral life cycle, and viral persistence and latency. Eight of the herpesviruses, herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2 (HSV-1 and HSV-2), varicella zoster virus (VZV), human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpes viruses 6, 7, and 8 (HHV-6, HHV-7, and HHV-8), have been shown to infect humans.
Among the herpesviruses, the two commonly known viruses are herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, referred to as HSV1 and HSV2 and varicella-zoster virus (VZV). HSV1 causes orofacial lesions, commonly known as fever blisters or cold sores. These lesions most commonly appear on the lips, but may appear on the face, in the mucous membrane lining of the oral cavity, in the eye and nose, and occasionally on the trunk of hands. Infections of the mouth are designated with the term herpes labialis, also called cold sore (feverblister). Other parts of the face can also be affected and the infections thereof are referred to as facial herpes simplex. The infection can also manifest itself on other parts of the body. Approximately 30% of the United States population suffer from recurrent episodes of HSV1. HSV2, which is less common than HSV1, causes genital lesions. Conversely, genital herpes is caused in about 30% of cases by HSV1.
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes varicella, commonly known as chicken pox, and herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles. Shingles affects the skin and nerves and is characterized by groups of small blisters or lesions appearing along certain nerve segments. The lesions are most often seen on the back and may be preceded by a dull ache in the affected site.
Once an individual has been infected with the herpes virus, the virus will thereafter remain latently in the body. In latent state, the virus is situated in nerve cell bodies in the ganglia. Due to particular stimuli, such as influenza infection, other respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal infections, stress, fatigue, menstruation, pregnancy, allergy, sunlight, or fever, the latent virus can be activated and travel from the ganglia along the well-defined nerve paths to the skin surface and there multiply and cause the symptoms.
There is no treatment known to kill the herpes virus at this time. Most of the available treatments can only help to accelerate the healing of the lesions and the associated symptoms, but have not been shown to be efficacious in the treatment of herpes virus infections.
The best known treatment for herpes virus infections at this time is probably Zovirax.RTM. Ointment (Glaxo Wellcome), which contains the active ingredient acyclovir. Acyclovir, 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl), is a purine nucleoside analogue targeting viral encoded DNA polymerase. Other purine nucleoside analogues which are commercially available for treating herpes virus infections include ganciclovir (Roche) and foscarnet (Astra). Although effective, these purine nucleoside analogues are poorly soluble in water and demonstrate low bioavailability. These, accompanying the relative long recovery time required (i.e., generally takes longer than 2 weeks for patients to recover) and high prescription cost, make the drugs less attractive to the patients.
Other commonly known anti-viral drugs for treatment of herpes virus include foscarnet (U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,113); stannous salt, such as stannous fluroide (U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,716); and sulphated polysaccharides, such as dextran sulphate and pentosan polysulphate. Recently, U.S. Pat. No. RE37,727 discloses a method for treating nerves injury pain associated with shingles by using a local anethetic agent, lidocaine.
NSAIDs are not widely known for treatment of viruses, notwithstanding herpes viruses. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,473,584 and 4,477,468 disclose a process for treating HSV1 and HSV2 infection by systemic administration or topical application of flurbiprofen (3-fluoro-4-phenylhydratropic acid) or a salt or ester thereof. U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,667 discloses a topical preparation for treating herpes virus infections which combines an anti-viral drug, such as foscarnet, suramin, polysulphated polysaccharides, polysulphated polymers, purine nucleoside analogues, with a potentiating drug which can be an NSAID. U.S. Pat. No. 5,747,070 discloses a treatment for herpes infections which combines stannous salt with another therapeutic agent, such as an NSAID.
The present invention provides a topical formulation containing an NSAID, preferably diclofenac, to provide fast and effective treatment for alleviating symptoms relating to HSV and VZV infections, including inflammation and/or pain caused by HSV and VZV infections. In comparing with the topical treatment by acyclovir, the topical formulation of the present invention reduces the recovery time from about two (2) weeks when acyclovir is applied, to about one (1) week when a topical preparation using the topical formulation of the present invention is applied.

Topical formulation having effects on alleviating pain/inflammation caused by herpes virus infection


A first insulating film is formed on a semiconductor substrate. A metal wire made of an aluminum alloy containing copper is formed on the first insulating film. An antireflection film is formed on the top face of the metal wire. On the region of the side face of the metal wire uncovered with an aluminum oxide film, there is formed a copper sulfide film, which is a sulfide film of copper. A second insulating film is formed over the metal wire formed with the antireflection film as well as the copper sulfide film and the first insulating film.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same and, more particularly, to technology for preventing corrosion of a metal wire made of an aluminum alloy containing copper, which is formed on a semiconductor substrate.
In general, corrosion of metal is greatly affected by a state on the surface thereof. For example, aluminum used in a metal wire formed on a semiconductor substrate exhibits improved resistance to corrosion with an extremely thin native oxide film densely formed on the surface thereof.
However, when a metal film made of aluminum formed on the semiconductor substrate is subjected to dry etching using etching gas containing chlorine gas, a residue of chlorine ions contained in the etching gas may react disadvantageously with moisture contained in an atmosphere to form a hydrochloric acid, which causes corrosion of the native oxide film on aluminum.
To remove the residual chlorine ions after dry etching using the etching gas containing chlorine gas, there has been proposed a method of substituting fluorine ions for the chlorine ions by plasma processing using CF.sub.4, thereby forming an organic film for protecting the metal wire on the surface of aluminum (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication HEI 2-26029). To prevent the reaction between the chlorine ions and the moisture contained in the atmosphere, there have been proposed a method of oxidizing the surface of aluminum with an oxidizing agent so as to passivate aluminum, i.e., to form an oxide film on the surface thereof (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication SHO 63-293861) and a method of performing etching under vacuum so as to prevent the metal wire from being exposed to the atmosphere after etching (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication SHO 60-5928).
For verification, the present inventors have made various examinations of the foregoing methods of preventing corrosion of the metal wire to find that, though the foregoing methods are effective with respect to a metal wire made of aluminum, they are not perfectly effective with respect to a metal wire made of an aluminum alloy containing copper, which has been added to improve resistance to electromigration.
This is because a potential difference produced between aluminum and about several percent of copper added thereto forms a local cell, which may cause corrosion on the surface of the metal wire merely by immersing the metal wire in pure water during a cleaning process or the like. However, no prevention measure has been taken previously against the corrosion resulting from the local cell effect caused by the potential difference between aluminum and copper.

Semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


The present invention relates to a valve device for regulating a fluid, particularly a gaseous fluid, in a conduit portion, comprising a valve body fixed to a support spindle extending transversely into said portion and mounted with the ability to rotate therein, said conduit portion comprising, on either side of said spindle, opposing internal steps forming two bearing surface portions for corresponding edge parts of said valve body, in the closure position thereof, each step extending substantially over approximately half of the internal circumference of the conduit portion in the region of the mounting position of the support spindle.

The present invention relates to the field of the control and regulation of the flow of fluids, particularly gaseous fluids, and in particular within the scope of air intake systems for internal combustion engines, for example with regard to intake manifolds or distributors.
The subject of the present invention is a valve-type regulating device, a multiport regulating assembly comprising a plurality of such devices and a method of producing an intake manifold comprising such an assembly.
Many valve devices are already known for regulating the flow rate or varying the flow of a fluid in a conduit, tube or the like.
Thus in the French Patent Application No. 2 805 878 in the name of the applicant, a valve device is proposed in which the valve body, in the closure position, is supported on internal steps in the region of the passage receiving said device and the passage from the open state to the closed state of said device being obtained by limited pivoting of said valve body.
Nevertheless, the possibility of displacing the valve body into a closure position whilst maintaining the seal is very limited and does not allow compensation to be made for possible play in the region of the control.
Such play is frequently present in regulating assemblies containing several valve devices controlled simultaneously by a single control unit.

Valve device and multiport regulating assembly comprising a plurality of such devices

Abstract: Device characterised in that the opposing edge parts of the plate-shaped valve body comprise deformable sealing means for operation thereof in the closure position of said valve body, in the form of two flexible lips extending from said edge parts asymmetrically on either side of said valve body and at an inclination to the plane of the valve body, a first toward the exterior and the second toward the interior.


The invention relates to a method of MR imaging of an object (10). It is an object of the invention to enable MR imaging in the presence of motion of the imaged object, wherein full use is made of the acquired MR signal and a high-quality MR image essentially free from motion artefacts is obtained. The method of the invention comprises the steps of: generating MR signals by subjecting the object (10) to an imaging sequence comprising RF pulses and switched magnetic field gradients; acquiring the MR signals as signal data over a given period of time (T); subdividing the period of time into a number of successive time segments (SO, S1, S2, . . . Sn); deriving a geometric transformation (DVF1, DVF2, . . . DVFn) in image space for each pair of consecutive time segments (S0, S1, S2, . . . Sn), which geometric transformation (DVF1, DVF2, . . . DVFn) reflects motion occurring between the two time segments of the respective pair; and reconstructing an MR image from the signal data, wherein a motion compensation is applied according to the derived geometric transformations (DVF1, DVF2, . . . DVFn). Moreover, the invention relates to an MR device (1) and to a computer program for an MR device (1).

Image-forming MR methods which utilize the interaction between magnetic fields and nuclear spins in order to form two-dimensional or three-dimensional images are widely used nowadays, notably in the field of medical diagnostics, because for the imaging of soft tissue they are superior to other imaging methods in many respects, do not require ionizing radiation and are usually not invasive.
According to the MR method in general, the body of the patient to be examined is arranged in a strong, uniform magnetic field B0 whose direction at the same time defines an axis (normally the z-axis) of the co-ordinate system to which the measurement is related. The magnetic field B0 produces different energy levels for the individual nuclear spins in dependence on the magnetic field strength which can be excited (spin resonance) by application of an electromagnetic alternating field (RF field) of defined frequency (so-called Larmor frequency, or MR frequency). From a macroscopic point of view the distribution of the individual nuclear spins produces an overall magnetization which can be deflected out of the state of equilibrium by application of an electromagnetic pulse of appropriate frequency (RF pulse) while the corresponding magnetic field B1 of this RF pulse extends perpendicular to the z-axis, so that the magnetization performs a precessional motion about the z-axis. The precessional motion describes a surface of a cone whose angle of aperture is referred to as flip angle. The magnitude of the flip angle is dependent on the strength and the duration of the applied electromagnetic pulse. In the case of a so-called 90° pulse, the magnetization is deflected from the z axis to the transverse plane (flip angle 90°).
After termination of the RF pulse, the magnetization relaxes back to the original state of equilibrium, in which the magnetization in the z direction is built up again with a first time constant T1 (spin lattice or longitudinal relaxation time), and the magnetization in the direction perpendicular to the z direction relaxes with a second and shorter time constant T2 (spin-spin or transverse relaxation time). The transverse magnetization and its variation can be detected by means of receiving RF coils which are arranged and oriented within an examination volume of the MR device in such a manner that the variation of the magnetization is measured in the direction perpendicular to the z-axis. The decay of the transverse magnetization is accompanied by dephasing taking place after RF excitation caused by local magnetic field inhomogeneities facilitating a transition from an ordered state with the same signal phase to a state in which all phase angles are uniformly distributed. The dephasing can be compensated by means of a refocusing RF pulse (for example a 180° pulse). This produces an echo signal (spin echo) in the receiving coils.
In order to realize spatial resolution in the body, time-varying magnetic field gradients extending along the three main axes are superposed on the uniform magnetic field B0, leading to a linear spatial dependency of the spin resonance frequency. The signal picked up in the receiving coils then contains components of different frequencies which can be associated with different locations in the body. The signal data obtained via the receiving coils correspond to the spatial frequency domain and are called k-space data. The k-space data usually include multiple lines acquired of different phase encoding. Each line is digitized by collecting a number of samples. A set of k-space data is converted to an MR image by means of Fourier transformation.
Motion during MR signal data acquisition is a source of various image artefacts. One way to reduce motion artefacts is to modify the acquisition in such a way that data are acquired in the same motion state by gating or triggering or by asking the patient to hold their breath. These methods all have the disadvantage that they reduce scan efficiency and require patient cooperation.
Another way to reduce motion artefacts is to use dedicated reconstruction algorithms which account for motion as part of the reconstruction model.
Moreover, gating techniques have been developed accepting only MR signal data acquired within a certain predefined respiratory gating window. A multi-gating window approach (referred to as PAWS, see U.S. Pat. No. 7,039,451 B1) has been proposed using a number of individual motion states (bins) rather than one pre-defined gating window. Each of the motion states corresponds to one of a plurality of contiguous ranges of motion-induced displacements of the body under examination. The final MR image in PAWS is reconstructed from the MR signal data attributed the motion state for which a complete set of MR signal samples is acquired first. Motion binning can be controlled by one or more navigator signals which can be derived in many different ways, e.g. from a central k-space navigator, a pencil-beam navigator, from an ECG signal, from a breathing belt, a camera, etc.
One disadvantage of the afore-described binning approach is that attributing MR signal data to a certain motion state is a difficult signal processing task. Moreover, binning data into different motion states often fails in practice because the actual motion does not correspond to the model of quasi-periodic motion. Confounding factors are, e.g., drift, incidental gross motion, and transitions between different breathing patterns, which may not be picked up well by the navigator signals.
Another disadvantage of the binning approach is that some bins always contain more data than others. I.e., the signal to noise ratio/artefact level of the images from different bins may vary widely. Often many bins are filled to such a small extent that no useful image can be reconstructed at all for these bins. Hence, a considerable part of the MR signal data is essentially discarded in the reconstruction which renders the method ineffective. Due to this problem, it is practically impossible to fully image a continuous time course of the contrast agent dynamics in DCE ("Dynamic Contrast Enhancement") scans.
The paper 'An optimal radial profile order based on the golden ratio for time-resolved MRI' in IEEE Trans.Med.Im. 26(2007)68-76 by S. Winkelmann et al. mentions to reconstruct highly undersampled datasets for motion analysis and add motion corrected data retrospectively to obtain a morphologic image with higher spatial resolution.

Magnetic resonance imaging using motion-compensated image reconstruction


A barrier plug assembly for incorporation into a lower portion of a plumbing installation for supporting a column of test water during inspection of the installation includes a tubular plumbing segment for sealingly securing between and in fluid communication with opposing and spaced apart portions of a plumbing installation, the tubular plumbing segment being formed of plumbing segment material and having a plumbing segment interior and a substantially smooth and continuous plumbing segment interior surface; and a barrier plug having a plug upper surface and a plug lower surface, and having a plug circumferential surface adhering to the plumbing segment interior surface and extending diametrically across and sealing the plumbing segment interior until dislodged by a plug dislodgement triggering means; so that upon plug dislodgement the test water drains and the plumbing installation is operational.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of plumbing installations, especially during building construction. More specifically the present invention relates to a barrier plug assembly for incorporation into a lower portion of a new plumbing installation such as in a building under construction, for supporting a column of test water or to retain air or inert gas for inspection. Air or inert gas are sometimes required to find leaks prior to water testing, and to perform such a test the top of the plumbing installation is physically capped with an air fitting or a CBP is placed on top and an air fitting is added to the installation. The barrier plug assembly includes a tubular plumbing segment having a smooth and continuous plumbing segment interior surface and a barrier plug adhering to the interior surface and extending diametrically across and sealing the plumbing segment interior, the barrier plug having a plug upper surface and a plug lower surface, and having a plug circumferential surface adhering to the plumbing segment interior surface and being formed of dehydrated material which absorbs water and weakens when a test column of water is introduced onto the plug upper surface. Once this weakening occurs, the plug can no longer support the weight of the column of test water and therefore breaks and collapses so that the plumbing installation is opened for operation. The plug fragments dissolve and drain out of the installation with the water. The tubular plumbing segment preferably is either a pipe or fitting.
The plug is caused to adhere to the plumbing segment interior surface by any suitable molecular engagement means. A first such means is molecular adhesion. A second such means is creating molecular adhesion with a bonding agent or adhesive such as glue to secure the plug to the plumbing segment interior surface. A third such means is plug expansion into snug high friction contact with the plumbing segment interior surface. A fourth means is press fitting the plug into the tubular plumbing segment.
The plug material must support the column of test water for a sufficient length of time prior to collapse during which inspection can take place. This test water support duration is provided in any of several ways, including selecting plug material which dissolves at a suitable rate. A second way is to design the plug to have a maximum strength exceeding the force of the weight of the intended column of test water by a specific amount, and then after inspection adding water to the test column until the pressure reaches a designed plug failure point and the plug collapses. A third way is to form the plug of a chemical composition which is weakened or dissolved by the presence of a counteracting chemical, and then adding the counteracting chemical to test water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been barrier assemblies including barrier plugs for blocking and sealing tubular plumbing segments at the lower end of plumbing installations so that a column of test water can be retained above the barrier plug and throughout the installation for inspection. A problem with these barrier assemblies has been that they typically require a mechanical mechanism for breaking the barrier to release the test water to a drain pipe and thereby to open the plumbing installation for use. Such mechanisms add cost and reduce reliability. Another problem has been that some of the barrier assemblies include an irregularity along the interior surface of the tubular plumbing segment such as a ledge, recess or gap to support the barrier plug or a physical cap to isolate the plug, which then requires additional labor to remove, cut or break. Plumbing codes specifically forbid the inclusion of such surface irregularities, because debris can accumulate on the irregularity and gather until the pipe or fitting is clogged.
One prior barrier assembly is disclosed in Carney, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,644 issued on Aug. 26, 1986, disclosing a plumbing test plug apparatus including combined mechanical apparatus and a frangible plug requiring substantial labor and material, also leaving a gap after releasing test water. Carney requires a mechanical band to install a frangible plug. The Carney design relies on applying external mechanical pressure to break the plug, and when dislodged the missing plug leaves an internal gap at the installation location. Such a gap is forbidden by Chapter 4, entitled Prohibited Joints and Connections, at paragraph 4.7.1 and added explanatory section 706.2 of the National Plumbing Code, which does not permit the presence of gaps, recesses or ledges. The Code forbids the inclusion of gaps, ledges, or size reductions within drainage systems. In addition, the use of the Carney design is limited to installations with plumbing segments interconnected by bands. Mechanical band connections are nearly obsolete and have been replaced by solvent glue joints which now represent the greater part of the market.
Duncan, U.S. Pat. No. 6,267,001 issued on Jul. 31, 2001, teaches a test plug in the form of a combined mechanical and partially dissolvable tablet to support a column of test water. Substantial labor is required to retrieve parts following release of the test water. Duncan requires an internal ledge to house a partially dissolvable plug, but it must be placed in a fitting that has an opening in order to remove an air hose and balloon-like membrane that initially protects the plug from water contact.
Prenner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,924,677 issued on Dec. 9, 1975, reveals a device for use in the completion of an oil or gas well in the form of a water soluble plug assembly which requires welding to install and physical cutting to expose the plug. The structural strength of the plug is not relevant. Prenner requires a hole to be cut into the host pipe and a mechanical apparatus must be inserted into the pipe and welded in place. A dissolvable plug is encapsulated and is integral to the device. However a drill bit or boring equipment must be utilized inside the pipe to cut off a fixed cap to expose the plug to water.
O'Brien, et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/983,309 issued on Nov. 8, 2004 for a chemical barrier plug for hydrostatic and pneumatic testing reveals a cost effective and labor and material saving assembly which retains test water or air pressure for a sufficient period of time to be officially inspected without having to remove or actuate mechanical devices or install expensive test fittings with openings.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a plumbing barrier assembly including a barrier plug for incorporation into a plumbing installation to retain a column of test water for installation inspection in which the barrier assembly requires no internal gaps, ledges, size reduction or mechanical devices to hold or protect a dislodgeable barrier plug.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a plumbing barrier assembly which requires no external or internal mechanical apparatus or removable parts to hold a dislodgeable barrier plug in a flow obstructing position or to dislodge the plug to permit test water drainage and to open the installation for use.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such a plumbing barrier assembly which can be color coded so that in an installation where multiple barrier assemblies are needed, a particular dislodged plug can be identified.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a plumbing barrier assembly which leaves no untested joints, requires no retrofitting, removal of parts, replacing threaded plugs or tightening of joints after inspection.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such a plumbing barrier assembly which is reliable and inexpensive to manufacture.

Chemical barrier plug assembly and manufacturing and dislodgement methods for hydrostatic and pneumatic testing


A manufacture for encoding information from which a position of an optical pen tip can be derived, said manufacture includes a display medium having a supporting base and upon which is encoded a two dimensional code pattern that is continuously arranged on an entire surface of the supporting base; wherein the pattern is formed by a sequence of narrow parallel bands, including at least two parallel lines, of which one line is a base line the remaining lines are secondary lines; wherein each narrow parallel band includes a sequence of dots, the dots being arranged in a pre-determined position in order to represent a number at a selected number base.

In several cases, users prefer to interact with a computer using an electronic pen or stylus instead of mouse or keyboard. For example, when a user needs to compose a handwritten document on a paper or a whiteboard. One difficulty associated with a handwritten document is that of archiving it into digital form providing a way to edit this archived version. Prior art approaches typically involve scanning the document.
Some methods and systems rely on a pattern to analyze an encoded surface and to determine localize a pen. Those existing patterns have some disadvantages. Among these are:                1. Existing patterns have an excessively high number of dots per unit area (i.e. too high a dot density).        2. Dots used in known dot patterns tend to be too small to be correctly printed using a typical home printer.        3. Known dot patterns tend to distract a reader, thus making reading a document more difficult.        4. The document cannot be printed at same time as the dot pattern.        5. Know dot patterns distribute dots evenly on the paper.
For a pattern with a high dot density, the image analysis is difficult enough so that the device position cannot be returned in real time using a low cost and low power processor. Additionally, where the dots are small (i.e. about 50 microns in diameter) the dot pattern is very noise susceptible. Thus, any dirt on the paper or substrate makes it difficult for a pen to read the dot pattern.
The inability to print the dot pattern and the document concurrently is of particular significance. In the prior art, one first prints a pattern on the paper. Then, one prints the document over the already-printed pattern. A difficult that can arise is a mismatch in alignment between the pattern and the document. To overcome this difficulty, the document is often printed with a special ink to avoid covering the pattern.
Another disadvantage of the prior art is that the user is obligated to press the pen against the paper to allow the pattern is recognized. This means that the pen includes mechanical parts and sensors in the pen to detect when the pen's tip contacts the paper, causing several problems in relation to the pattern recognition.

Dot code pattern for absolute position and other information using an optical pen, process of printing the dot code, process of reading the dot code


The present invention provides a plant cultivation system that is possible to continue stable irradiation of an appropriate amount of light regardless of the weather condition and the like while utilizing the sunlight. Further, the present invention provides a plant cultivation system that is possible to prevent the humans from being exposed to a visual stress when the humans approach the place where the light suited for growing the plants is irradiated. The present invention relates to a plant cultivation system, comprising: a light measure that measures an amount of photons of sunlight; a light controller that controls an amount of photons to be irradiated to a plant according to the measured amount of photons; and a light irradiator that irradiates light to the plant in the controlled amount of photons.

Recently, an LED that emits light of a wavelength suited for growing plants is used for cultivating plants. However, the facility cost and the electricity cost are increased when light of the LED alone is used without using the sunlight at all. Therefore, there has been employed sunlight utilization-type plant cultivation that utilizes the sunlight while utilizing the light of the LED as well.
Further, as a method for irradiating the light suited for growing plants, for example, Patent Literature 1 proposes a method for cultivating plants by irradiating the sunlight and also continuously irradiating or pulse-irradiating light of a red LED and light of a blue LED.


A sliding roof assembly includes a bracket for supporting a sliding panel, a rear lift link disposed between the bracket and a driving rear shoe, a front lift link disposed between the bracket and a driven front shoe, a check block for transmitting a rear driving force, after the lowering of the rear portion of the bracket, to the driven front shoe, and a front member, so arranged as to be movable independently of the driven front shoe, for lowering a front portion of the bracket during independent movement of the front member after the sliding panel has been lowered at its rear portion and moved rearwardly.

This invention relates to a sliding roof assembly capable of being installed in a vehicle such as an automobile. More particularly, the invention relates to a sliding roof assembly of the type in which the sliding panel is housed first by lowering the rear end of the sliding panel, then sliding the panel slightly in the direction in which it is to be housed, lowering the front end of the sliding panel and finally sliding the panel in the housing direction with both its front and rear ends being maintained in a horizontal attitude.


An automated transdermal robotic treatment and drug delivery system to provide multimodal therapies and treatments to a patient. The movement of a robotic arm is preprogrammed to apply such treatment and medicine delivery to the skin of the patient in a desired sequence of movement. The robotic arm can fuirther be used for diagnosis and other medical treatments.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a drug delivery system, and more particularly to a labor-saving device and method for the automated delivery of medication to a patient by means of various therapies such as ultrasound therapy, sonophoresis, phonophoresis or other therapies or any combination thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Transdermal drug delivery systems are well known in the prior art. There are two methods by which drugs can be delivered through the skin: passive diffusion and active diffusion. Passive diffusion involves placing a concentration of a drug in a reservoir over the surface of the skin and allowing the drug to diffuse through the skin and into the muscles, tendons, joints and bloodstream. Due to natural skin barriers, few pharmaceuticals have been successfully passively diffused into the body. With passive diffusion, if a medicine is to be effective, it must work well at relatively low dosages and be of sufficiently small molecular size that the skin will allow it to enter the body. Drugs satisfying these criteria can be applied by a therapist massaging on an ointment containing the drug with his fingertips. Examples of patented patch devices are U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,995 to Corish et al; U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,483 to Sibalis; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,356,632 to Gross et al.
A more viable way for drugs to penetrate the skin's barriers is by means of an active energy source that pushes drug molecules through the skin and, at the same time, controls the rate of delivery. An energy-driven system will allow a greater quantity of medicine and medicine of a greater molecular size to be delivered in a shorter time frame. There are two general types of active transdermal drug delivery, iontopboresis and methods using ultrasonic waves as the driving source.
Ultrasonic methods include phonophoresis and sonophoresis. Phonophoresis refers generally to the use of sound waves to enhance the delivery of topically applied drugs. Sonophoresis is similarly defined as ultrasonically induced drug delivery by using high energy ultrasonic waves to drive drug molecules through the skin. A method for applying low frequency ultrasonic waves to cause cavitation of the skin to facilitate penetration by a medicine or cosmetic is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,275 to Bock. U.S. Pat. No. 5,636,632 to Bommannan et al discloses a method for enhancing the skin's permeability to a drug. In this method, the drug is delivered while applying ultrasonic waves having a frequency above 10 MHz. Other prior art transdermal drug delivery systems include U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,816 to Lipkovker and U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,189 to Gory et al.

Automated transdermal drug delivery system


Disclosed are novel proteins, referred to as truncated glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (truncated GDNF) proteins, that promote dopamine uptake by dopaminergic cells and promote the survival of nerve cells. Also disclosed are processes for obtaining the truncated GDNF proteins by recombinant genetic engineering techniques.

Neurotrophic factors are proteins, found in the nervous system or in non-nerve tissues innervated by the nervous system, whose function is to promote the survival and maintain the phenotypic differentiation of nerve and/or glial cells (Varon et al., Ann. Rev. Neuroscience 1:327, 1979; Thoenen et al., Science 229:238, 1985). Because of this physiological role, neurotrophic factors are useful in treating the degeneration of nerve cells and the loss of differentiated function that occurs in a variety of neurodegenerative diseases.
In order for a particular neurotrophic factor to be potentially useful in treating nerve damage, the class or classes of damaged nerve cells must be responsive to the factor. Different neurotrophic factors typically affect distinctly different classes of nerve cells. Therefore, it is advantageous to have on hand a variety of different neurotrophic factors to treat each of the classes of damaged neurons that may occur with different forms of disease or injury.
Neurotrophic factors can protect responsive neurons against a variety of unrelated insults. For example, nerve growth factor (NGF) will rescue a significant portion of sensory neurons from death caused by cutting their axonal processes (Rich et al., J. Neurocytol 16:261, 1987; Otto et al., J. Neurosci. 83:156, 1987), from ontogenetic death during embryonic development (Hamburger et al., J. Neurosci. 4:767, 1984), and from damage caused by the administration of taxol or cisplatin (Apfel et al., Ann. Neurol. 29: 87, 1991). This apparent generality of protection has led to the concept that if a neurotrophic factor protects responsive neurons against experimental damage, it may be useful in treating diseases that involve damage to those neurons in patients, even though the etiology may be unknown.
A given neurotrophic factor, in addition to having the correct neuronal specificity, must be available in sufficient quantity to be used as a pharmaceutical treatment. Since neurotrophic factors are typically present in small amounts in tissues (e.g., Hofer and Barde Nature 331:261, 1988; Lin et al., Science 246:1023, 1989), it would be inconvenient to prepare pharmaceutical quantities of neurotrophic factors directly from animal tissues. As an alternative, it is desirable to use a recombinant expression system to produce the desired protein.
Lin et al. previously described a method for screening biological samples for neurotrophic activity on the embryonic precursors of the substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons (see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/182,183 filed May 23, 1994 and its parent applications; PCT/US92/07888 filed Sep. 17, 1992 (WO 93/06116); and European Patent Application No. 92921022.7 (Publication No. EP 610 254); the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference). This bioassay is useful in identifying neurotrophic factors which may be used in treating Parkinson's disease (Friedman et al., Neuro. Sci. Lett. 79:65-72, 1987) as the disease is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain that innervate the striatum.
Lin et al. further described the characterization of a new neurotrophic factor that was purified from one such source, the conditioned culture medium from a glioblastoma cell line, B49 (Schubert et al., Nature 249:224-27, 1974). The conditioned medium from this cell line was previously reported to contain dopaminergic neurotrophic activity (Bohn et al., Soc. Neurosci. Abs. 15:277, 1989). Prior to the disclosure of Lin et al., glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) had not been identified as a discrete biologically active substance or isolated as a substantially pure protein. In addition, Lin et al. described processes for cloning human genes encoding GDNF, the nucleic acid sequence of the human genes that encode GDNF and the amino acid sequences of the GDNF protein. The GDNF gene was subcloned into an expression vector, and the vector was used to express biologically active GDNF. The GDNF protein is a homodimer composed of two 134 amino acid, 22 kDa, subunits joined by disulfide bond. The description further included the use of GDNF for preventing and treating nerve damage and nerve related diseases such as Parkinson's disease.
GDNF therapy is helpful in the treatment of nerve damage caused by conditions that compromise the survival and/or proper function of one or more types of nerve cells. Such nerve damage may occur from a wide variety of different causes. Nerve damage may occur to one or more types of nerve cells by: (1) physical injury, which causes the degeneration of the axonal processes and/or nerve cell bodies near the site of injury; (2) temporary or permanent cessation of blood flow to parts of the nervous system, as in stroke; (3) intentional or accidental exposure to neurotoxins, such as chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., cisplatinum) for the treatment of cancer or dideoxycytidine (ddC) for the treatment of AIDS; (4) chronic metabolic diseases, such as diabetes or renal dysfunction; or (5) neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which result from the degeneration of specific neuronal populations.
GDNF therapy could be particularly helpful in the treatment of neurodegenerative conditions involving the degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra, such as Parkinson's disease. The only current treatments for Parkinson's disease are palliative, aiming at increasing dopamine levels in the striatum. The expected impact of GDNF therapy is not simply to produce an increase in the dopaminergic neurotransmission at the dopaminergic nerve terminals in the striatum (which will result in a relief of the symptoms), but also to slow down, or even stop, the progression of the degenerative processes and to repair the damaged nigrostriatal pathway and restore its function. GDNF may also be used in treating other forms of damage to or improper function of dopaminergic nerve cells in human patients. Such damage or malfunction may occur in schizophrenia and other forms of psychosis. The only current treatments for such conditions are symptomatic and require drugs which act upon dopamine receptors or dopamine uptake sites, consistent with the view that the improper functioning of the dopaminergic neurons which innervate these receptor-bearing neuronal populations may be involved in the disease process.

Methods of using truncated glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor


An electronically tunable optical filter utilizing noncollinear acousto-optic interaction in an acoustically anisotropic, optically birefringent crystal. The directions of optical and acoustic waves are chosen so that the optical ray is collinear with the group velocity of the acoustic wave. The collinear beam configuration provides increased spectral resolution and reduced drive power.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of electronically tunable optical filters utilizing noncollinear acousto-optic interaction in a birefringent crystal.
2. Description of Prior Art
Electronically tunable optical filters have been constructed so that an incident light beam of a first polarization is diffracted by an acoustic wave in a birefringent crystal to shift from the first to a second polarization of the light beam for a selected bandpass of optical frequencies. The center wavelength of the passband of this type of filter is electronically tunable by changing the frequency of the acoustic wave within the crystal.
Two basic types of acousto-optic tunable filters (AOTFs) have been constructed: collinear and noncollinear. In the collinear filter, the incident and diffracted optical waves inside the birefringent crystal are collinear with the acoustic wave. The diffracted light beam at the selected passband is separated from the incident light beam by crossed polarizers. One significant feature of the collinear AOTF is that the narrow filter bandpass can be maintained for incident light having a distribution of incident light directions. This large angular aperture characteristic is important in optical systems applications where a large optical throughput is required. The collinear type of acousto-optic filter is disclosed in an article entitled "Acousto-Optic Tunable Filters," appearing on pages 744-747 in the June, 1969 issue of The Journal of the Optical Society of America (Vol. 59, No. 6), and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,288, entitled "Tunable Acousto-Optic Method and Apparatus."
In the noncollinear filter, the optical wave inside the birefringent crystal are noncollinear with the acoustic wave. The diffracted beam at the passband is selected from the incident light beam either by crossed polarizers or by spatial separation. One type of noncollinear AOTF was described in a paper entitled "Noncollinear acousto-optic filter," presented at the 1973 IEEE/OSA conference on laser engineering and applications and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,944,334, 3,944,335, and 3,953,107, all of which were entitled "acousto-optic filter." This type of noncollinear AOTF has a small angular aperture and must be restricted to a well-collimated light source. A second type of noncollinear AOTF is disclosed in an article entitled "Noncollinear Acousto-Optic Filter with Large Angular Aperture," appearing on pages 370-372 of the Oct. 15, 1974 issue of the Applied Physics Letters (Vol. 25), and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,121 entitled "Noncollinear Tunable Acousto-Optic Filter." In contrast to the first type, this type of noncollinear AOTF has the important feature of large angular aperture. The large angular aperture is due to the proper choices of interaction geometry wherein the tangents to the loci of the incident and diffracted light wave vectors are "parallel," a condition known as non-critical phase matching (NPM). The above two types of noncollinear AOTFs are referred to as the critical phase matching (CPM) and NPM types, respectively.
Due to its large angular aperture, the NPM type of AOTF has been most commonly used. However, the additional "parallel tangents" requirement also introduces practical fabrication difficulties, with the consequent higher costs and lower performance. The CPM type AOTF is suitable for applications involving collimated light sources, such as the wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) in fiberoptic communications network.
The two basic types of AOTF described above, the collinear and noncollinear, are distinguishable from the interaction geometry of the acoustic and optical wave vectors. In a collinear AOTF, the wave vectors of incident and diffracted light and the acoustic wavevector (i.e., phase velocity vector) are all substantially aligned along a principal axis of the birefringent crystal. In a noncollinear AOTF, the directions of all three wave vectors are different and are not along any principal crystal axis. The angle between the incident light and the acoustic wave directions are substantially greater than zero. Due to the different acousto-optic interaction geometry, the characteristics of collinear and noncollinear AOTFs are entirely different. For instance, TeO.sub.2 is the most efficient material for noncollinear AOTFs, but is not applicable to collinear AOTFs since the relevant elasto-optical coefficient is zero. Collinear AOTFs rely on the use of crossed polarizers to separate the filtered light beam from the broadband light beam; while in a noncollinear AOTF, these light beams are separated spatially. Discussion of the two basic types of AOTF can be found, for instance, in a review paper entitled, "Acousto-Optic Tunable Filters", appearing on pages 139 to 159 in Acousto-Optic Signal Processing (N. Berg and J. Lee, ed.), Marcel Dekker, New York, 1983.
The characteristics of both types of AOTFs are dependent on the acoustic wave propagation in the medium. The acoustic phase velocity V.sub.p is along the direction of the acoustic wave vector K.sub.a. In an acoustically isotropic medium the magnitudes of the phase velocities are equal for all directions of propagation. In this case the group velocity V.sub.g, which is along the direction of the acoustic beam or energy flow, is collinear with the phase velocity V.sub.p. On the other hand, in an acoustically anisotropic medium, the magnitudes of the phase velocities along different directions are not equal. As a result, the direction of the acoustic beam or group velocity V.sub.g is in general different from that of the acoustic wave or phase velocity V.sub.p. For wave propagation in some acoustically anisotropic crystals, the angular deviation of the group velocity from the phase velocity, commonly referred to as the acoustic walkoff, can be quite large. For instance, in TeO.sub.2 the slow shear acoustic wave propagating at 15.degree. with the [110] axis exhibits an acoustic walkoff of 57.4 degrees. A detailed discussion of acoustic wave propagation in TeO.sub.2 crystal is described in a paper by Y. Ohmachi et al appearing on pages 164-168 in Volume 51 of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 1972.
The acoustic walkoff limits the total length of a collinear AOTF and results in performance degradation. An improved collinear AOTF with selected crystal orientation for compensating the acoustic anisotropy effect is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,756,689 entitled, "Electronically Tunable Acousto-Optic Filter Having Selected Crystal Orientation".
Recent development of AOTFs has been focused on the integrated optic or guided wave structures. The integrated optical AOTF is described in an article by Y. Ohmachi and J. Noda, entitled "LiNbO.sub.3 TE-TM mode converter using collinear acousto-optic interaction," IEEE J. Quantum Electron. Vol QE-13, pp. 43-46, 1977. The integrated optic AOTF provides the advantage of low drive power. To date, all integrated optic AOTF work has been restricted to LiNbO.sub.3 using collinear acousto-optic interaction, i.e. the phase velocity of the optical and acoustic waves are collinear. Noncollinear AOTFs have not been explored in the integrated optic configuration primarily because of the difficulty of realizing long interaction length and low drive power. This major deficiency of the non-collinear AOTF may also be resolved by properly choosing a CPM-type configuration.


A device and method for locating a hanger for an object on a vertical surface, in which an elongated strip with a breakpoint of reduced tensile strength indicates the precise point for placing the hanger. The elongated strip is adhered to the rear of the object such that the breakpoint or other marker aligns with the top of the D-hook, bracket, wire, or keyhole slot. The object is positioned on the wall and a downward pressure breaks the strip leaving an indication of where the hanger should be placed.

Hanging pictures, mirrors or artwork can be a challenging problem for many individuals. Hanging pictures (or other such items) generally involves making multiple measurements of the picture and wall to determine the correct placement of the hanger. Picture wire has slack that must be tensioned to determine the appropriate location of a hanger. The use of two or more brackets or keyhole slots on the picture can allow a more secure attachment, but poses additional problems for measuring and ensuring levelness if the brackets or keyholes are unevenly positioned on the picture. Errors in measurement can lead to the need to repeat the process of measuring and securing the hanger, which results in damage to the walls.
Thus, there is a need for a simple device which allows an individual to accurately place hangers for a picture or other such items, regardless of whether the brackets or other mounting devices on the picture are evenly aligned. Such a device minimizes the time and effort required to hang a picture and may eliminate the need for taking measurements.

Device to aid hanging of objects on an upright surface