The present invention includes a disk brake including a caliper having an opening, the opening includes two edges, the caliper also having pin holes positioned adjacent to the two edges, a pad positioned in the opening of the caliper, a pair of pad pins connectable to the pin holes of the caliper and able to movably support the pad and a bias member capable of biasing the pair of pad pins in at least one of a mutually approaching direction and a mutually separating direction, the bias member is capable of elastically pushing the pair of pad pins against hole wall surfaces of the pin holes of the caliper.

The present invention relates to a disk brake, which has a pad and a pad pin to movably support the pad.
Conventionally, various disk brakes are described, for example a disk brake has been described in JP-A-6-58349. The disk brake includes a caliper having an opening, a pad inserted into the caliper from the opening and a pair of pad pins. The caliper has pin holes at the vicinity of both edges of the opening. The pad pins are inserted into the pin holes of the caliper, and the pad are suspended movably by the pair of pad pins. A cushioning material is provided in clearances between the pin holes of the caliper and the pad pins. Accordingly, it is possible in such construction to prevent chattering noise, which the pad pins rattle on the caliper to generate, with the cushioning material.
However, the cushioning material rubs on the pad pins or hole wall surfaces of the pin holes due to vibrations of the pad pins, which reduces the durability. Also, since the cushioning material is a relatively small part, it is difficult to mount, and it provides resistance to insertion of the pad pins into the pin holes, thus making the mountablity unfavorable.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a disk brake having a construction of reducing or preventing rattle of a pad pin on a caliper, and the construction having improved durability and mountability.


The present invention is a shoe sole formed from cotton fabric and bonded together with what in the prior art was thought to be a water soluble glue. As used in the specific construction of the present invention, millet glue is not substantially water soluble after about a year's worth of water exposure and day to day use of footwear having the invention shoe sole.

The present invention relates to shoe soles, especially those made entirely from layers of natural fiber.
The prior art describes many forms of shoe soles. Typically, a shoe sole must be impervious to water for the comfort of the wearer. Where the user's foot is enclosed by a shoe top and a water impervious shoe sole, the water impervious layer traps the heat of the wearer's foot. In hot and humid climates, a user wear such shoes and suffer great discomfort from overheated feet. It is critical in such climates that water and air flow relatively freely through the shoe soles so that heat from a user's foot can escape the inside of the shoe.
Many shoes have a water impervious outer shoe sole with a porous inner shoe sole. These shoes are only partly effective in reducing a user's discomfort. In use, a user's weight is focused on a small surface area of the soles of the user's feet. Therefore, the user's foot necessarily compresses a porous inner sole necessarily reducing the porosity of the material. When the porosity of such an inner sole is effectively blocked off, the sole of the user's foot cannot exchange heat by convection through the shoe sole. A user's foot continues to work amidst trapped heat and perspiration within a shoe.
Contrary to this understanding, U.S. Pat. No. 6,665,955 describes a shoe sole having a water impervious inner sole and a textile outer sole. This appears to give a user the worst of all possible worlds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,593,966 describes shoes with an inner sole of relatively light fleece water impervious shoe soles. desire a shoe sole that is cooler because such a sole is potentially water absorbing. the discomfort of having wet feet because of a non-water resistant shoe sole can be. Such a shoe sole must incorporate a layer that is impervious to
Some varieties of cereals, such as barley, maize, millet, wheat, milo, rice and sorghum nearly completely consist of amylopectin. A common feature of adhesives from these cereals is water solubility. For some products, such as wallpaper glue, water solubility is desired and grain-derived pastes provide such easy solubility.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,966 states:                By cereals particularly monocotyledonous plants belonging to the order Poales, preferably those of the family of Poaceae are to be understood. Examples of such plants are plants belonging to the genera Avena (oats), Triticum (wheat), Secale (rye), Hordeum (barley), Oryza (rice), Panicum, Pennisetum, Setaria, Sorghum (millet), Zea (maize) etc. . . . A major field of application is, for instance, in the adhesive industry, where the fields of application are subdivided into four areas: the use as pure starch glue, the use in starch glues prepared with special chemicals, the use of starch as an additive to synthetic resins and polymer dispersions as well as the use of starches as extenders for synthetic adhesives. 90% of all starch-based adhesives are used in the production of corrugated board, paper sacks and bags, composite materials for paper and aluminum, boxes and wetting glue for envelopes, stamps, etc.
It is well known to use all or a part of millet for an adhesive, even for gluing sheet layers together to make products like cardboard. However, these adhesives are not usable where they will be exposed to liquid water.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,840,309 states:                Dextrins are used for numerous industrial applications. Some examples of relevant areas are the adhesive industry, the paper industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the mining industry, the food industry, and the textile industry. Sometimes a distinction is made between malto-dextrins and pyrodextrins. The first being the product of dextrinization of starch using an enzyme; the latter being the product of dextrinization of starch using heat [including treating millet with heat]. The large scale production of dextrins for non-food applications primarily concerns pyrodextrins.
The pyrodextrins formed from the amylopectins in millet can be made less soluble in water if combined with other components such as polymers. Unless changed in that way, a millet-based glue is certain to fail when exposed to water.
That idea was discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,766:                The resin also typically will include thickeners, fillers and extenders. Powdered vegetable materials such as starch, nutshells (for example, walnut shells, pecan shells, coconut shells, ivory nut shells, horse chestnut shells, peanut shells, and the like), wood flours, barks, leaves, corn cob (Co Cob), rice hull and the like are usually mixed into the adhesive as fillers either alone or in combination with a diluent such as wheat flour (Glu X), sorghum flour and the like for preventing over penetration of adhesive into the wood veneer, for retaining a uniform adhesive viscosity to facilitate the spreading of the adhesive on the veneer surface, and for preventing the formation of interstices and cracks accompanying the shrinkage and aging of the cured resin after adhesion. Fillers often are used in an amount of from about 8 to 14% based on the weight of the phenolic resin.
Millet in that case is used only as a filler for the primary adhesive to glue layers of wood together.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,586 states:                The term "sheet" as used in this specification and the appended claims is intended to include any substantially flat, corrugated, curved, bent, or textured sheet made using the compositions and methods described herein. The only essential compositional limitation is that the binding matrix comprises starch formed by gelatinizing starch granules during the sheet-making process. The starch-bound sheets may include organic coatings, printing, other sheets laminated thereto, etc. The starch-based sheets are preferably non-frangible such that they are not easily shattered. When starch is included in high enough amounts the resultant sheets are inherently not frangible or easily shattered. . . . Although starch is produced in many plants, the most important sources are seeds of cereal grains, such as corn, waxy corn, wheat, sorghum, rice, and waxy rice, which can also be used in the flour and cracked state.
The '586 patent indicates a desirable feature of starch bound sheets. They are not frangible or easily shattered. There is a need for a method and product by which the benefits of starch-based adhesives without water solubility.


A method for representing the front field of vision from a motor vehicle on a display panel of a display includes sensing, by an infrared camera system, the field of vision and feeding corresponding infrared data to a data processing unit. The infrared data is modified in the data processing unit on the basis of further information which is fed to the data processing unit and supplied as display data for actuating the display. The infrared camera system is a near-infrared camera system which senses the light from an infrared light source which is reflected from the field of vision and supplies it as corresponding near-infrared data to the data processing unit. A further infrared camera system is a far-infrared camera system which senses the thermal radiation from the field of vision which is fed as corresponding far-infrared data to the data processing unit. Furthermore, the physical variables from the field of vision which are sensed by one or more sensors are fed as corresponding sensor data to the data processing unit.

The invention relates to a method for representing a field of vision, in particular, a front field of vision from a motor vehicle on a display panel of a display, the method including sensing with an infrared camera system the field of vision and feeding corresponding infrared data to a data processing unit, modifying infrared data in the data processing unit on the basis of further information fed to the data processing unit, and supplying the infrared data as display data for actuating the display.
In such a method for providing night sight assistance it is known to correct the image recorded by a near-infrared camera. To do this, the intensity of the pixel of the display is increased or reduced.

Method for representing a front field of vision from a motor vehicle


A cylinder 16 has a piston 19 slidable therein, to force liquid from the cylinder out through a hollow needle 18. A pair of handles 11 extend outwardly from the cylinder, substantially normal thereof. Each handle carries a lever 30 pivoted thereon. In use, movement of the piston is less than the corresponding movement of a manually operable portion 32 (FIG. 1).

This invention relates to tree injectors. It is already known to inject liquids into a tree at or inside the region of the junction of the living interior of the truck and the outer dead material ie. the bark. Inside the bark is cambium tissue where radial growth of the tree trunk occurs. The outer layer of cambium tissue consists primarily of a phloem layer through which water passes downwards, the water containing food from the leaves. The cambium tissue also includes a xylem layer inside the phloem. Soil water rises up through the xylem tissue layer, carrying minerals and other material from the soil.
Trees are prone to damage from pests such as insects and fungus particularly entering through the bark. Such pests can be resisted by suitable pesticides or fungicides fed into the cambium so as to pass therein up or down the tree trunk, as required.


The proposed innovation provides methods and systems for measuring the interpupillary distance. The proposed innovation provides a fitting pad (102) having two detection points (104 and 106). The fitting pad is placed on the forehead of the user and an image is captured. The image is uploaded and pupil distance calculator software locates the fitting detection points and calculates the distance in pixels of the left and right X, Y coordinates. The software creates an image scale by dividing the pixel counts between the detection points. The software automatically locates the X, Y coordinates between the center of the left and right pupils and calculates the distance in pixels. The resulting pixel distance divided by the image scale provides the interpupillary distance in millimeter. In embodiments, segment height is calculated based upon an image imported by the user and the combined scaled images of the user and the frame.

Interpupillary Distance (IPD) is the distance between the centers of the pupils in each eye. This measurement is used when preparing to make prescription eyeglasses. Positioning lenses correctly in relation to the centre of the pupils is especially important for higher powered lenses due to the location of the optical centre of the lenses.
However, it is very difficult to manually take this measurement against two moving objects (left and right eye) and almost impossible to measure one's own pupillary distance.
As examples of known art, I refer to U.S. Pat. No. 7,322,697 wherein there is disclosed a method of measuring a pupil distance. The method includes locating an imaging device at a position a predetermined distance away from a member attached to eyeglasses worn by a subject. The member has two indicators. The method further includes photographing the subject while the subject observes an observing point in the vicinity of the imaging device, measuring an apparent distance between left and right pupils of the subject on a photographed image, and obtaining an interpupillary distance PD m accordance with: PD=[(A+B).times.C·times.E]/(A.times.D) (1) where "A" represents a distance between the member and the imaging device, "B" represents a distance between a center of rotation of each eye of the subject and the member, "C" represents an actual distance between the indicators in a direction parallel with a line connecting left and right centers of rotation of the subject, "D" represents an apparent distance between the indicators in the direction parallel with the line connecting the left and right centers of rotation on the photographed image, and "E" represents the apparent distance between the left and right pupils of the subject on the photographed image.
Again m U.S. Pat. No. 5,822,032, a device for measuring the interpupillary distance between the pupils of the eyes of that person is disclosed. The device includes a frame having a face and a first hole extending through the frame from the face which is positional at one of the person's two pupils. A disk is mounted juxtaposed to the frame which is rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the frame's face. The disk has a surface and a plurality of second holes extending through the disk from its surface. By rotating the disk, one of the second holes is positional at the other of the person's pupils. The interpupillary distance (IPD) is equal or approximately equal to the distance between the centers of the first and second holes when the holes are positioned at the person's respective pupils.
Again in U.S. Pat. No. 6,535,223, a method for determining the real-world interpupillary distance is provided. The method includes determining the interpupillary distance for a user from an image provided for use with "virtual try-on" technology. This is accomplished by having the user place a reference object on or near their face in the virtual try-on image. The reference object should be one that is a standard size and is readily available to users. Alternatively, the reference object used can be the iris in a user's own eye, since it is well known that the human iris is of a relatively fixed size from individual to individual. When using a reference object, the user takes the facial picture with the reference object on generally the same plane and distance from the camera as their face, such as by holding a quarter on their chin with a single finger. The image is then submitted to the web site as is now standard with sites utilizing virtual try-on technology. After the image is transmitted, the image can then be resized and used to try-on different frames as is known in the prior art. Alternatively, a second image without a reference object can be used for trying on frames. Once the frames are selected and an order for the frames placed, the image with the reference object is associated with the order. The width of the reference object on the image is then compared to the measured interpupillary distance on the image. These measurements can be made in pixels as opposed to real-world distances, because the image is being provided in a pixilated digital file. The actual interpupillary distance can then be calculated by comparing the ratio of the distances measured in the image with the known width of the reference object. Similarly, the virtual interpupillary distance or segment height (usually called "seg height") needed for multi-focal elements can be determined by measuring the height using the frame on face virtual try-on technology. The measured distance on the image is converted to a real world measurement using the ratio obtained from the reference image.
All of these stated methods and devices/systems and some other methods and devices/systems presently known in the art have had some flaws in design or mechanism and lacks precision. Most of the existing devices are too expensive to be practical for most users. Some shortfalls of the existing methods and systems include manual interference, leading to inaccuracy in measurements. In light of this, there is a need for a method and system that overcomes these constraints.

Methods and systems for measuring interpupillary distance


A method of treating neuropathic pain and its progression is disclosed comprising administering to a subject a compound of formula

The present invention relates to methods of treating neuropathic pain with heteroarylmethanesulfonamides.
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Chronic or intractable pain, as may occur in conditions such as bone degenerative diseases, AIDS, Reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), and cancer, is a debilitating condition which is treated with a variety of analgesic agents, and often opioid compounds, such as morphine. This type of pain is classified as nociceptive and is experienced in response to potentially tissue-damaging thermal, mechanical or chemical energy impinging upon specialized nerve endings of A and C fibers. Thus pain is usually perceived in response to nociceptive signaling by the nervous system as a result of noxious stimuli.
A few examples of neuropathic pain syndromes without nociception, i.e., not in response to noxious external stimuli are: diabetic neuropathy; postparapalegia pain; postherpetic neuralgia; reflex sympathetic dystrophy; thalamic syndrome; nerve root avulsion pain; phantom limb pain; postthoracotomy pain; tic douloureux and arachnoiditis.
Neuropathic pain, then, is a particular type of pain that has a complex and variable etiology. It is frequently a chronic condition attributable to complete or partial transection of a nerve, trauma or injury to a nerve, nerve plexus or soft tissue, or other conditions, also including cancer, AIDS and idiopathic causes. Neuropathic pain is characterized by hyperalgesia (lowered pain threshold and enhanced pain perception) and/or by allodynia (pain from innocuous mechanical or thermal stimuli). The condition is progressive in nature. The hyperesthetic component of neuropathic pain does not respond to the same pharmaceutical interventions as do the more usual nociceptive forms of pain, and development of effective long-term treatment modalities has been problematic. Repeated C fiber stimulation results in increased spinal afferent processing which is probably related to the hyperalgesia and allodynia symptoms. Evidence points to a complex scenario in which continued C fiber stimulation leads to local spinal release of glutamate, which activates spinal N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors. This activation then leads to increased intracellular Ca and later to spinal formation of several intermediaries, including prostanoids and nitric oxide. Both intermediaries facilitate spinal processing of signals directly by increasing the release of spinal neurotransmitters, and lead to the facilitated state of hyper-responsive pain signaling that lacks true nociceptive stimulus.
Opioid compounds (opiates) such as morphine, while effective in producing analgesia for many types of nociceptive pain, are generally not effective for treating the progressive stages of neuropathic pain. Moreover, if somewhat effective, these compounds are known to induce tolerance in patients, so that increased doses are required to achieve a satisfactory analgesic effect. At high doses, these compounds produce side effects (such as respiratory depression) which can be life threatening. In addition, opioids can produce physical dependence in patients.
Calcium blocking agents, including a number of L-type calcium channel antagonists, were tested as adjunct therapy to morphine analgesia, and positive results were attributed to their direct effects on calcium availability, since calcium itself is known to attenuate the analgesic effects of certain opioid compounds (Ben-Sreti, et al., 1983). EGTA, a calcium chelating agent, is effective in increasing the analgesic effects of opioids. However, results from tests of calcium antagonists as adjunct therapy to other opioids have been contradictory; some L-type calcium channel antagonists have been shown to increase the analgesic effects of opioids, while others of these compounds have been shown to decrease opioid effects (Contreras, et al., 1988).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,842 and 5,587,454 describe the effectiveness of N-type calcium channel blocking omega-conopeptide compositions in certain animal models of pain, including neuropathic pain. However, these compounds, being peptides, are not easily administered orally, but rather may be administered into the cerebrospinal fluid or other areas of the spinal column. By contrast, zonisamide is a T- and L-type calcium channel blocker and tests in animals (see Examples) have shown oral activity.
The anticonvulsant agent gabapentin exhibits anti-hyperalgesic properties in animal models of neuropathic pain. Diabetic rats display increased nocifensive behavior (i.e. avoidance behavior of stimuli) during the formalin test of persistent chemical irritation to the paw, suggesting the presence of abnormal pain processing mechanisms. In a study based on formalin-evoked behavior in diabetic rats, they were shown to have increased flinching during the normally quiescent phase of the 5.0% formalin test. Gabapentin (50 mg/kg i.p. 30 min pre-test) suppressed flinching during phases 1 and 2 of the formalin test in both control and diabetic rats. The findings were interpreted as showing efficacy of gabapentin against abnormal sensory processing in diabetic rats and the possible benefit for treating painful diabetic neuropathy. Since gabapenitin is an approved drug for use in humans in epilepsy, it has also be used in treatment of neuropathic pain, but the rather high dosages required to obtain a therapeutic effect make it undesireable for treatment of certain segments (e.g. the elderly) of the patient population.
Gabapentin (1-(aminomethyl)cyclohexaneacetic acid) is structurally related to the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) but it does not interact with GABA receptors, nor is it converted metabolically into GABA or a GABA agonist, nor is it an inhibitor of GABA uptake or degradation. Gabapentin was tested in radioligand binding assays at concentrations up to 100 xcexcM and did not exhibit affinity for a number of other common receptor sites, including benzodiazepine, glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA), quisqualate, kainate, strychnine-insensitive or strychnine-sensitive glycine, alpha1, alpha2, or beta adrenergic, adenosine A1 or A2, cholinergic, muscarinic or nicotinic, dopamine D1 or D2, histamine H1, serotonin S1 or S2, opiate mu, delta or kappa, voltage-sensitive calcium channel sites labeled with nitrendipine or diltiazem, or at voltage-sensitive sodium channel sites with batrachotoxinin A 20-alpha-benzoate (excerpt from Physicians Desk Reference (1999 PDR Supplement B) Edition monograph for Neurontin Capsules). In vitro studies with radiolabeled gabapentin have revealed a gabapentin binding site in areas of rat brain including neocortex and hippocampus. although the identity and function of this binding site remain to be elucidated.
The heteroaryl methanesulfonamides of the invention are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,172,896, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. The active compounds of the invention are described by the generic structure of formula I
wherein R is hydrogen or a halogen atom, R2 and R3 are the same or different and are each hydrogen or a straight or branched alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and one of X and Y is a carbon atom and another is a nitrogen atoms, provided that the methanesulonamido group is bonded to the carbon atom of either X and Y.
Compounds of the formula have a biochemical profile that includes inhibition of GABA release, sodium channel blockade, blockade of L- and T-type calcium channels and free-radical scavenger activity. The compounds are best characterized in vivo as anti-convulsants, and the compound given the generic name, zonisamide is used in the treatment of epilepsy in humans. Zonisamide has the chemical structure of 1,2-benzisoxazole-3-methanesulfonamide. Additionally, zonisamide is further described in the Merck Index (11th Ed.) at monograph no. 10094. It is the unexpected finding of the present invention that compounds of formula I reduce the severity of neuropathic pain in mammals.
The invention relates to methods for the treatment of neuropathic pain in mammals which comprises administering to a mammal in need of such treatment an efficacious amount of a compound of formula I
wherein R is hydrogen or a halogen atom, R2 and R3 are the same or different and are each hydrogen or a straight or branched alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and one of X and Y is a carbon atom and another is a nitrogen atoms, provided that the methanesulonamido group is bonded to the carbon atom of either X and Y.
A halogen atom is defined as fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine. Alkyl is defined as a straight or branched chain of carbon atoms connected by single bonds. Other terms in the description not defined herein have the standard meaning ascribed to them by one of skill in the relevant art.
Preferably the compound is 1,2-benzisoxazole-3-methanesulfonamide (zonisamide).
The compound may be administered in the range of 1 mg/kg to 400 mg/kg per day through a variety of routes of administration, including oral, topical, rectal, injection, or implantation. A preferred route of administration is via oral dosing.
The compounds of formula I may be used in treating a variety of neuropathic disorders, including: diabetic neuropathy, neuropathy secondary to nerve trauma, trigeminal neuralgia, post herpetic neuralgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, cancer pain and AIDS-related neuropathy.
These and other objects and features of the invention will become more fully apparent when the following detailed description of the invention is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Methods for treating neuropathic pain using heteroarylmethanesulfonamides

Abstract: wherein R is hydrogen or a halogen atom, R2 and R3 are the same or different and are each hydrogen or a straight or branched alkyl having 1 to 3 carbon atoms, and one of X and Y is a carbon atom and another is a nitrogen atoms, provided that the methanesulfonamide group is bonded to the carbon atom of either X and Y, exemplified by zonisamide.


A coating device for coating a cathode-ray tube with a layer has a booth for accommodating a cathode-ray tube to be coated. The booth houses a coating robot with a spray nozzle for spraying a coating solution onto the cathode-ray tube in the booth to coat a layer on the cathode-ray tube. The inner wall surfaces of the booth are lined with a water-containing member which is supplied with water from a water supply pipe connected to the booth. An air-conditioning unit is mounted on the booth for controlling the temperature and humidity in the booth. The cathode-ray tube is introduced into the booth from a conveyor through an opening defined in a wall of the booth and fitted with a selectively closable door.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coating device for coating the surface of the screen panel of a cathode-ray tube with a sprayed layer such as an anti-static layer, an anti-dazzling layer, or the like, and more particularly to a booth structure for such a coating device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cathode-ray tubes have screen panels coated with an anti-dazzling layer for preventing the screen panel from glaring with reflections and/or an anti-static layer for preventing the screen panel from being electrostatically charged with the scanning electron beam emitted from the electron gun of the cathode-ray tube. These anti-dazzling and anti-static layers may be coated according to the spray coating process.
Spray coating devices comprise a booth which houses therein a support base for supporting an object, such as a cathode-ray tube, to be coated and a coating robot having a spray nozzle on its arm which is positioned in confronting relationship to the screen panel of the cathode-ray tube on the support base. In operation, the coating robot moves the spray nozzle to scan the object while spraying a coating solution from the nozzle onto the screen panel to form ether an anti-dazzling layer or an anti-static layer on the screen panel.
When the coating Solution is sprayed over the screen panel, dust particles in the booth tend to be stirred up and entrained by the sprayed solution. The entrained dust particles are applied, together with the coating solution, to the screen panel. As a result, the quality of the coated layer on the screen panel may possibly be lower than it should be.
The anti-dazzling or anti-static layer coated on the screen panel of a cathode-ray tube is required to be less glaring than lustrous or more glossy than anti-glaring, depending on the kind of the cathode-ray tube. The inventor has found that a coating layer can be selected through the control of coating conditions.

Booth structure for coating cathode-ray tube having dust absorbing wall surfaces


An electronic camera includes an imaging device. The imaging device includes an imaging surface capturing an object scene through a focus lens, and produces an object scene image in a designated cycle. When a shutter button is half-depressed, an adjuster adjusts a position of the focus lens based on the object scene image produced by the imaging device. Also, a determiner determines whether or not both an illuminance and a contrast of the object scene captured by the imaging surface fall below a reference in association with a position adjusting process of the focus lens, and a controller sets a length of the designated cycle when a determination result is affirmative to be longer than that of the designated cycle when the determination result is negative.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic camera. More specifically, the present invention relates to an electronic camera which adjusts a distance from a focus lens to an imaging surface to a distance corresponding to a focal point.
2. Description of the Related Art
According to one example of a camera of this type, when an illuminance of an object scene is low, an imaging cycle of an imager is extended, and a detection cycle of a high-frequency component of an object scene image outputted from the imager is also extended. Thus, even under a low illuminace, it is possible to exactly control a focus by using a hill-climbing AF system.
However, the above-described camera has a problem in that due to the extension of the detection cycle of the high-frequency component, it requires a time period for a focal adjustment under the low illuminance.


A method of deploying an eversible branch stent-graft includes deploying the eversible branch stent-graft into a main vessel such that a collateral opening in a main stent-graft of the eversible branch stent-graft is aligned with an ostium of a branch vessel emanating from the main vessel. A branch stent ring suture threaded though outer exposed crowns of an outer stent ring of the branch stent-graft is grasped and pulled through the collateral opening to evert the branch stent-graft into the branch vessel as a branch anchor suture is removed to release a protruding end of a branch stent-graft from a proximal end of the main stent-graft.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intra-vascular device and method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device for treatment of intra-vascular diseases.
Description of Related Art
A conventional main (vessel) stent-graft typically includes a radially expandable reinforcement structure, formed from a plurality of annular stent rings, and a cylindrically shaped layer of graft material, sometimes called graft cloth, defining a lumen to which the stent rings are coupled. Main stent-grafts are well known for use in tubular shaped human vessels.
To illustrate, endovascular aneurysmal exclusion is a method of using a main stent-graft to exclude pressurized fluid flow from the interior of an aneurysm, thereby reducing the risk of rupture of the aneurysm and the associated invasive surgical intervention.
Main stent-grafts with custom side openings are sometimes fabricated to accommodate the particular vessel structure of each individual patient. Specifically, as the location of branch vessels emanating from a main vessel, e.g., having the aneurysm, varies from patient to patient, main stent-grafts are fabricated with side openings customized to match the position of the branch vessels of the particular patient. Branch stent-grafts are then deployed within the side openings to perfuse the branch vessels. However, deployment of branch stent-grafts has proven to be complicated and time-consuming thus increasing the risk of the procedure.
To avoid custom fabrication of main stent-grafts, side openings in the main stent-graft may be formed in situ. Illustratively, the main stent-graft is placed in the main vessel, e.g., the aorta, to exclude an aneurysm. Side openings are made in situ to correspond to and perfuse the branch vessels.
However, deployment of the main stent-graft temporarily interrupts perfusion to the branch vessels until the side openings are formed in the main stent-graft. To illustrate, perfusion to the brain via the carotids cannot be interrupted for any significant interval of time. Accordingly, the formation of side openings in a main stent-graft in situ is a complicated and risky procedure.

Eversible branch stent-graft and deployment method


A method for obtaining a tire comprising a colored motif and a decal inted to be applied to the outer surface of a vulcanized rubber tire. The decal is made of a thin sheet serving as temporary support for a motif made with one or more vulcanizable colored inks. The support has at least one cutout having a shape adapted to permit the fitting therein of at least one element in relief protruding from the surface of a tire at the place selected for the colored motif.

The present invention relates to decals comprising a colored motif, as well as to a method of obtaining a vulcanized rubber tire having a colored motif on one of its outer surfaces.
The interest displayed by customers in the aesthetic appearance of the articles which they may purchase is increasing. In fact, it is well known that an article which has a visible decoration and, what is more, decorations in different colors, represents an additional attraction. Furthermore, as is the case in the tire industry, the standards in force require an increasing number of markings on the sidewalls of tires; it therefore appears particularly useful to be able to distinguish some of these markings from others, and one of the means of accomplishing this is by depositing on the outer surface of a tire at least one colored ink employed in accordance with a motif corresponding to the marking desired.
It is known, for instance from U.S. Pat. No. 2,188,866, to apply a decal comprising a colored motif in order to decorate the outer surface of an article of vulcanized rubber, such as, for instance, a vulcanized tire. U.S. Pat. No. 2,188,866 discloses a decal comprising a temporary support on which at least one colored ink has been deposited, in accordance with a predetermined motif, in a relatively slight thickness as compared with the thickness of the support. This ink is so formulated that it can be transferred onto the article to be decorated under conditions of pressure and temperature which are suitable in order to obtain good adherence on a previously vulcanized rubber mix while remaining sufficiently elastic after transfer. By elastic, it is understood that the ink transferred is sufficiently deformable to be able to follow the deformations of the surface of the article onto which it has been transferred during the subsequent use of said article.
One of the difficulties encountered in the development and carrying out of such a method for decorating articles, such as tires, resides in the fact that it is difficult to position the decal accurately on the tire before effecting the transfer of the motif. This difficulty is related to the geometry of the surface on which this decal is placed and the texture of said surface (grooves, hollows, bosses, more or less slippery conditions, etc.). It is easily seen that it is necessary to position the decal properly so that, after the transfer of the ink from the motif onto the tire, the motif is in a position which has been previously selected; this correct positioning requires a relatively lengthy period of adjustment which, from an industrial standpoint, limits the use of a decal in order to produce a decoration on a vulcanized tire.
Furthermore, it may happen that the motif, even though correctly positioned on the tire to be decorated, is not properly oriented with respect to the tire itself; this may take place in the event that it is desired to indicate by means of an arrow a preferred direction of a tire provided with a tread which establishes a preferred direction of rotation for the tire. This leads to the necessity of additional operations of verification after the putting in place of a motif by thermal transfer; these verifications are, to be sure, expensive and are not without an influence on the final price of the product provided with a motif.
It must be added that defects in the position and/or orientation of a motif are particularly visible since said motif is in general of a different color than that of the tire. The presence of these defects makes it necessary in most cases to act, after the transfer of the motif, in order to eliminate said motif, which cannot be done easily, the ink having been formulated to adhere well to the rubber, and it requires a special tool; despite everything, the operation, however, remains difficult and may leave traces on the tire.
In order to reduce the defects in the positioning of a decal, it is possible to use complicated systems which employ luminous markers, the worker having to place the decal manually in the proper place with the proper orientation guided by luminous markings created on the surface of the tire; an alternative is to provide a device which has the function of depositing the decal in the proper place. The drawbacks inherent in these systems are of a financial nature since it is necessary to invest in costly machines (and in sufficient number).

Decal for vulcanized tires and method of obtaining a tire having a colored motif

Compagnie Generale des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & CIE


A method of producing material from recycled glass comprising: preparing a mixture of glass in a cementitious matrix, and an alkali-silica reaction suppressant; providing a mold of the material and coating said mold with a release agent; casting said mixture into said mold; curing said mold; and removing the material from said mold. The recycled glass and concrete compositions are: 25-79% by weight glass; 8-35% by weight cement and up to 22% by weight of an alkali-silica reaction suppressant.

In general, the use of building materials comprised of recycled glass and cement has been difficult to achieve due to the composition of glass which is primarily silica. When glass is combined with cement, the presence of the silica causes a reaction with the alkali in cement which causes excessive expansion and cracking or popouts in the concrete thus rendering it useless as a building material.
It is known in the industry to introduce aggregates such as sand and stone to cement to strengthen the concrete mixtures, but the invention provides an alternative to these materials by incorporating waste or recycled glass material as the aggregate material. The formulations according to the invention include an alkali-silica reaction (ASR) suppressant which enables the production of a uniform material that is resistant to cracking due to ASR.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to new and improved methods and improved formulae, for producing materials, preferably of comparatively large size (4 ½′×8 ½′) from a mixture of cement, waste glass, an ASR (alkali-silica reaction) suppressant. Other additives and pigments may also be included in the mixtures. The methods disclosed herein lend themselves to fully automated and semi-automated production, as well as batch production of discrete materials.
The invention cement-recycled glass products are considered "green" or "eco-friendly" and are sustainable as a building material. The chemical composition is inert, non-toxic and primarily inorganic (>90%) and is a material that is chemically durable and fire resistant. The organic content in this product is typically <1%. The composition can be tailored to create a variety of colors and/or match specific application requirements or functional properties.
The invention also provides a method to create a cement-recycled glass product using a production process that is essentially the same for all of the applications and variations. This invention also provides a method to create the product in a large as well as thin format. This product dimensions can range up to 60″×120″ while the thickness can range up from 0.5″ to 2″ inches or more.
It is therefore a general object of the invention to provide a composition made of glass, cement and an alkali-silica reaction suppressant.
Another general object of the invention is to produce a material that has the strength of quarried stone and actively reduces the waste stream by redirecting glass from landfills to be cleaned and sorted and used in the compositions of the invention.
Another object is to provide a method for producing a building material from recycled glass by preparing a mixture of ground glass in a cementitious matrix including an alkali-silica reaction suppressant and casting the mixture into a mold which is then cured to produce the material.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide building materials for use in a variety of applications such as kitchen, bath and vanity countertops, interior and exterior walls, flooring and other related products.
Another more specific object of the invention is to provide building materials for 3-dimensional products such as sinks, bath-tubs and other similar products.
Another specific object of the invention is to produce a product in a large format panels, slabs and tiles. The size of these materials can range up to 120″×60″.

Method for producing materials from recycled glass and cement compositions


A door sealing system includes a frame and a pneumatic liner positioned along an inner perimeter of the frame. The liner includes a hollow interior for adjusting it between extended and retracted configurations. A pump is included for selectively inflating the liner and a valve which can be deactivated to deflate the liner. When inflated, the liner fills the gap between the door and the frame and when deflated, allows the door to be opened easily. A sensor is positioned with a cavity in the frame for detecting placement of a latch indicative of the door being opened or closed. A processor then appropriately actuates the pump or deactivates the valve. Accordingly, the seal is inflated when the door is closed and is deflated when the door is being opened.

This invention relates generally to door seals and, more particularly, to a door seal system having a pneumatic seal that automatically inflates and deflates when a door is closed or opened, respectively.
There must be a gap between a door and its doorframe in order for the door to open and close efficiently. A door seal, however, is usually installed upon an inner surface of the door frame for sealing out air, dust, sound, light, insects, etc. Having a good door seal contributes to energy efficiency and savings on heating and cooling costs.
Various types of door seals have been proposed in the art. Although assumably effective, traditional door seals are not able to completely conform to the gap between a door and a frame, especially where the gaps are irregular or change over time. Further, having very thick door seals to completely fill all gaps makes opening and closing doors too difficult.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a door sealing system that includes a pneumatic liner for completely filling the gap between the door and the frame. Further, it would be desirable to have a door sealing system that automatically inflates when a door is closed and automatically deflates when a door is opened.


The present invention provides a method and apparatus for monitoring the application of dye to a traveling web of textile material. The apparatus includes a color characteristic detecting assembly which is movable between an initial detecting position in which it detects a color characteristic of the textile material web shortly after the web has emerged from a dye liquor bath and a post-drying detecting position in which it detects a color characteristic of the textile material web after the web has been handled in a drying device. The post-drying detection of the textile material web enables the apparatus to detect an out-of-limits color characteristic situation which may not appear or be detectable until after the web has been subjected to the drying process. The color characteristic detecting assembly is connected to a control unit which controls the nip pressure of a pair of nip rollers which remove excess moisture from the textile material web.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring the application of dye to textile material and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for monitoring the application of dye to a traveling web of textile material.
It is known to detect a color characteristic of a web of textile material very shortly after the web has been subjected to a dye application process in which dye has been applied to the web to impart the desired coloring thereto. For example, German Patent Document DE-OS 39 25 444 discloses an apparatus which detects a color characteristic of a traveling web of textile material immediately after the web has emerged from a dye liquor bath in which dye has been applied to the web. The detecting arrangement disclosed in this document directly measures a color characteristic of the traveling web of textile material as opposed to indirectly measuring a color characteristic by, for example, measuring the moisture content of the web and extrapolating information from such a measurement regarding the color characteristic of the web. As the detecting of the color characteristic of the web is typically performed at a location along the web travel path only a few meters beyond the dye application location, this known detecting arrangement provides relatively rapid feedback concerning the color characteristic of the web. Accordingly, if it is detected that the color characteristic of the web is not within acceptable limits, immediate corrections, including shutdown of the travel of the web, can be implemented to prevent the following portions of the web from also being handled such that they, too, are imparted with an improper color characteristic.
While the known detecting arrangement discussed above readily lends itself to incorporation into an automatic control system which automatically controls the travel of the web, as well as other parameters of the web handling process such as, for example, the removal of excess moisture from the web, such a detecting arrangement is not capable of detecting an out-of-limits color characteristic situation which is only detectable after the web has already traveled past the detecting position at which the detecting arrangement operates. For example, an out-of-limits color characteristic of the web may not be detectable until after the web has been handled in a drying process which takes place further downstream from the detecting location. Accordingly, the need exists for a method and apparatus which provides the capability to monitor the application of dye to a traveling web of textile material in such a manner that an out-of-limits color characteristic situation of the web can be detected and automatically taken into account in handling the web.

Apparatus for monitoring the application of dye to textile material


A billiard type game is provided including a table having a top face and a plurality of pockets. The top face is divided into a plurality of zones, and the plurality of zones include neutral zones being demarcated by a first color marked on the top face. First player zones are demarcated by a second color marked on the top face. Second player zones are demarcated by a third color marked on the top face.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pool related games and more particularly pertains to a new billiard-type game for providing entertainment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of pool related games is known in the prior art. More specifically, pool related games heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art pool related games include U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,781; U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,355; U.S. Pat. No. 2,262,610; U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,804; U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,374; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,466,038.
In these respects, the billiard-type game according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing entertainment.
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of pool related games now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new billiard-type game construction wherein the same can be utilized for providing entertainment.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new billiard-type game apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the pool related games mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new billiard-type game which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art pool related games, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a table having a table having a top face and a plurality of pockets. The top face is divided into a plurality of zones, and the plurality of zones include neutral zones being demarcated by a first color marked on the top face. First player zones are demarcated by a second color marked on the top face. Second player zones are demarcated by a third color marked on the top face.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the. U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new billiard-type game apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the pool related games mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new billiard-type game which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art pool related games, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new billiard-type game which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new billiard-type game which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new billiard-type game which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such billiard-type game economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new billiard-type game which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new billiard-type game for providing entertainment.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new billiard-type game that includes a table having a top face and a plurality of pockets. The top face is divided into a plurality of zones, and the plurality of zones include neutral zones being demarcated by a first color marked on the top face. First player zones are demarcated by a second color marked on the top face. Second player zones are demarcated by a third color marked on the top face.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.


A system and method for establishing a secure execution environment for a software process analyzes system application program interface (API) calls to determine whether the system API call executes a new program. If the system API call executes a new program, the system and method of the invention analyze the call to determine whether an execution environment, in the form of a plurality of attributes, is attached to an executable program file associated with the new program. An execution environment contains security attributes that are to be associated with the resulting process invoked by execution of the new program. If an execution environment is attached, the invention assigns the attributes of the execution environment to the new process, thereby ensuring that the new process includes the security features and capabilities specified in the execution environment.

With the advent of, and ever increasing access to, the Internet, computer system security has become and continues to gain in importance. Typically, information to be accessed via the Internet (for example, but not limited to, a web site having one or more web pages) resides on a computer system, which is connected to the Internet. This computer system is referred to as a "web server." The computer system maintains the Internet information in a memory and executes what is referred to as a "web server program." When the web server program is executed, a process corresponding to the web server program is established on the computer. In this manner, those individuals wishing to access the web site over the Internet initiate, from their own computer, a web browser program, connect to the Internet, enter the required uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the web site sought, and then view the web pages corresponding to the web site.
Much information contained on web servers and exchanged over the Internet is confidential in nature. For example, a merchant operating a web site would like to maintain as confidential the credit card information that is received from customers over the Internet and stored on the merchant's web server.
Unfortunately, due to the nature of available web server programs, it can be relatively easy for an unauthorized individual to access a web server through an Internet web site and gain access to confidential information. Furthermore, all programs that execute on a computer have corresponding processes associated therewith. For example, each time a word processing program is initiated on a computer, a corresponding process executes within the computer so that the word processor program may operate. Indeed, each time any computer program is initiated, a corresponding process is launched to enable the program to run. Each process runs in a unique, protected domain encompassing its program code, data and other resources. Each of these processes communicate in what is called the "user mode" through an application program interface (API), with what is known as a "kernel." Each process initiates "system calls," through which the process communicates with the kernel in what is referred to as "kernel mode." When operating in kernel mode, the kernel utilizes certain protected functions of the computer processor (not available to user mode programs) in order to execute functions requested by the process.
Part of the functionality of the kernel is to assign and maintain a list of attributes for each process. Among other uses, the attributes are used by the kernel to perform an access control function, so that, for example, a particular process while executing on behalf of a particular user has access privileges assigned that may be different from that of processes operating on behalf of other users. In many cases, a number of different programs execute in processes that have been assigned identical sets of attributes. In these cases, the kernel is unable to apply different access control criteria to the different processes, and a process may thus be vulnerable to various flaws that can cause it to corrupt data or resources belonging to another process.
Therefore, it would be desirable to secure the contents of a program/process, such as a web server program, by compartmentalizing the process in which each program operates and to control the capabilities granted to the process by dynamically assigning a unique differentiable set of attributes to it.

System and method for establishing a secure execution environment for a software process

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


A method is provided for sensing a magnetic field in a magnetic gradiometer of the kind in which pump light and light constituting an optical carrier traverse first and second atomic vapor cells that contain host atoms and that are separated from each other by a known distance. According to such method, the host atoms are prepared in a coherent superposition of two quantum states that differ in energy by an amount that is sensitive to an ambient magnetic field. Modulation of the optical carrier in the respective cells gives rise to sidebands that interfere to generate a beat frequency indicative of the magnetic field gradient. The host atoms are prepared at least in a mode that allows measurement of ambient magnetic field components perpendicular to the axis of the pump light. In such mode, the host atoms are spin-polarized by pump light while subjected to a controlled magnetic field directed parallel to the pump beam, and then the controlled magnetic field is adiabatically extinguished.

High-sensitivity detection of magnetic fields plays an important role in applications such as ordnance detection, geophysical mapping, navigation, and the detection of biomagnetic fields associated with heart and brain activity. Conventional superconducting magnetometers are based on superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs). These instruments provide high sensitivity for magnetic field detection, but they are bulky and they require expensive cryogenic cooling.
Atomic magnetometers, which offer an alternative approach to magnetic field detection, are being developed. Atomic magnetometers are based on optical measurements of unpaired electron spin in an alkali metal vapor. These measurements can be made without cryogenic cooling, and they can measure the absolute magnetic field at high sensitivity, potentially down to one femtotesla or less.
In operation, an atomic magnetometer measures the transition frequency between two magnetically sensitive ground states of an atom that has an unpaired electron. Examples include rubidium (Rb), cesium (Cs), and potassium (K). If the transition is between Zeeman levels of the same hyperfine ground state, the transition frequency will typically lie within the radio-frequency (RF) spectrum, i.e., in the 1-1000 kilohertz range. If the transition is between Zeeman levels of two different hyperfine states, the transition frequency will lie within the microwave spectrum, typically in the gigahertz range.
Practitioners in the field of magnetometry have recognized that direct measurements of the magnetic field are subject to contamination by noise from various sources. For that reason, magnetic gradiometers, also referred to herein as gradient magnetometers, have been used in various applications such as brain imaging. Instead of measuring the magnetic field directly, a gradiometer measures the difference in the magnetic field as detected at two fixed locations a known distance apart. Such a device has the advantage of rejecting common-mode magnetic field noise.
Until recently, the preferred approach to gradient magnetometry in atomic systems has been the synthetic approach, in which the respective outputs of two separate magnetometers are subtracted electronically. Although useful, this synthetic approach is technologically complex, and it is not assured to provide perfect noise cancellation over the entire frequency range of interest.
The synthetic approach is not the only approach possible. An alternative approach is the intrinsic approach, in which the magnetic field gradient is measured directly.
One example of an intrinsic magnetic gradiometer is provided by U.S. Pat. No. 10,088,535, issued Oct. 2, 2018 to Vishal Shah, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
In the gradiometer of U.S. Pat. No. 10,088,535, which we refer to below as the "Shah device," respective ensembles of atoms are confined in two physically separated locations. State preparation of the confined atoms produces a freely precessing coherent superposition of two magnetically sensitive hyperfine ground states in each location. One method of state preparation is by irradiation with a beam of light from a suitably tuned pump laser.
A probe laser beam having a carrier frequency is used to interrogate the atoms in the respective locations of the Shah device. As the probe light beam passes through the prepared atomic ensembles, optical sidebands are parametrically generated at the ground-state hyperfine frequency of the magnetically sensitive states. The sidebands produced by each ensemble lie at a frequency separation from the carrier that is proportional to the magnetic field experienced at the respective location where that ensemble is confined.
A photodetector then captures the probe light. Interference between the sidebands generated at the respective locations produces a beat note at a beat frequency proportional to the magnetic field gradient between the two ensembles. The beat frequency, which is measurable in the photodetector output, thus provides a reading of the magnetic field gradient.
Although current implementations of the Shah device are useful, there are opportunities to make the Shah device more versatile and convenient to operate.

National Technology & Engineering Solutions of Sandia, LLC


Gluten-degrading proteases derived from insects, including flour beetles, are isolated, and the purified, and recombinant forms can be used to make gluten-containing food safe for patients suffering from gluten intolerance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention provides isolated, purified, and recombinant forms of gluten-degrading proteases and methods for their use in degrading gluten in food. The invention therefore relates to the fields of biology, food preparation, medicine, and molecular biology.
2. Description of Related Disclosures
Celiac disease, also known as celiac sprue, and dermatitis herpetiformis ("DH") are autoimmune diseases (and may be different manifestations of the same disease), and gluten sensitivity is a condition (collectively, celiac disease, DH, and gluten sensitivity are referred to herein as "gluten intolerance") triggered by dietary gluten, a storage protein found in wheat and other cereals. Patients concerned with a potential for gluten intolerance may be advised or choose on their own to refrain from consuming gluten in any amount. Because gluten is a common protein in food, however, patients find it very difficult to avoid gluten and frequently experience relapse due to inadvertent disclosure.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,871 describes therapies decreasing adverse effects of gluten ingestion, which involve pre-treatment of gluten-containing food with a protease as well as the use of orally administered proteases to degrade gluten contemporaneously with its ingestion. U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,788 describes admixtures of proteases useful in these therapies, including an admixture of a prolyl endopeptidase (PEP), such as Sphingomonas capsulata PEP, and a glutamine endoprotease, such as EPB2 from barley. One such admixture formulated for oral administration and composed of recombinant forms of the barley EPB2 and the S. capsulata PEP (termed, respectively, ALV001 and ALV002; see PCT Pub. Nos. 2008/1115411 and 2008/115428) is currently in clinical trials. Each of the aforementioned patents and patent publications is specifically incorporated herein by reference.
To be effective upon oral administration, a protease must be active or, if in a zymogen form, activate and remain active long enough to degrade any gluten present into non-immunogenic fragments. The immunogenic peptides can be relatively small (˜10 amino acids) and are contained, often in multiple copies, in very large proteins. The conditions in the gastrointestinal tract are harsh, and any exogenously added protease is typically degraded, and so rendered inactive, quickly. Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for proteases useful in the treatment of gluten intolerance. The present invention meets that need.


Provided herein is a computerized image reconstruction apparatus and method that includes recording projection path information and energy loss information of a plurality of particles traversing an object being imaged and determining an estimated image of the object based on the projection path information and the energy loss information sampled into a projection format. The estimated image includes an active volume defined by an enclosure border. Cost function minimization uses an Adaptive-weighted Total Variation cost function, a Penalized Weighted Least-Squares cost function, or an Alpha-Divergence cost function to update the estimated image. An iterative updating algorithm corresponding to the cost function updates the estimated image and produces a final image based on the estimated image according to a predetermined threshold.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computerized image reconstruction and, more particularly, to image reconstruction from projected data along curved paths of proton particles through an object being imaged.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computed tomographic image reconstruction has typically focused on X-rays or photons that pass through the body in a straight line. Any path deviation from an original direction is considered as the path of scattered particles and may be ignored. Such imaging modalities, such as X-ray Computed Tomography (xCT) or simple CT, Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET), provide high energy X-rays or Gamma-rays that travel along a straight line path inside the body. The various image reconstruction methodologies and algorithms developed and applied to these imaging modalites generate satisfactory image quality for diagnosis and other medical applications.
However, travel paths of heavy particles, such as proton, muon, neutron, carbon, alpha particle, do not follow a straight line within the body, and present image reconstruction difficulties for proton Computed Tomography (pCT).
Clinical applications of pCT and proton beam treatments in medicine provide improved radiation therapy due to the distinct advantages of proton beams compared to other radiation therapy options, such as X-rays, electron beams. Proton beams deliver radiation energy in a precise manner and leave normal tissues around targeted diseased tissue, such as a tumor, mostly unharmed or undamaged. Thus, there is a growing demand for efficient, low-cost and more accurate proton beam radiation therapy, which has sparked great scientific interest in the development of image reconstruction from projected data along proton paths that may not necessarily be straight lines through the object to be imaged.
Proton therapy for cancer treatment has gained more recognition and attracted great interest in the past decade as evidenced by the increased number of proton radiation therapy facilities. Different from an X-ray beam, which losses intensity by photon absorption and scatter along the entire beam path of a straight line/strip, a proton loses energy through elastic and inelastic collisions with atomic electrons and nuclei, resulting in a nonlinear path of traversal. This mode of interaction also results in an energy deposition phenomenon known as the Bragg peak in which the proton releases a burst of energy around the end of its trajectory. By this property, protons have the potential to deliver a desired radiation dose to a targeted cancerous volume with minimal harm to the normal tissues.
However, existing proton treatments have several problems associated with radiation dose calculations due to varied positioning of patient anatomy, and are currently performed based on X-ray computed tomography or xCT, with the patient positioned with the help of X-ray radiographs, hence direct visualization of the three-dimensional (3D) patient anatomy in the treatment room is presently impossible, limiting the accuracy of proton therapy. Further, conventional practices for estimating the proton path rely on single line-type curve estimations and fail to consider proton deflection and scattering within the body.
Conventional proton therapy utilizes X-ray beams to produce the computed tomographic images (i.e., xCT) or the X-ray attenuation map of the body for treatment planning. Because of the difference of X-ray and proton interaction with the body tissues, the xCT attenuation map introduces an uncertainty into proton therapy treatment planning. Since the Bragg peak releases a large amount of energy locally, a minor error on the targeted cancerous volume could cause significant harm to the surrounding normal tissues.
Thus, the accuracy of xCT for proton treatment planning is limited due to the difference in physical interactions between X-ray photons and particle protons, which partially obviates the advantage of proton therapy. Further, conventional methods do not accurately modify xCT in the treatment room based on patient position.
Thus, there is a need for more accurate image reconstruction of proton beams to provide improved proton dose distributions and verification of the patient position on the treatment table, and to develop accurate 3D imaging techniques.

Computerized image reconstruction method and apparatus

The Research Foundation for The State University of New York


In the present invention, a battery pack type discriminating or deciding concave portion (131) is formed at a position corresponding to a battery pack type deciding switch (214) of an SQ battery pack (1) and when the SQ battery pack (1) is set, the battery pack type deciding switch (214) is avoided to be pressed by a bottom (115) of the SQ battery pack (1) owing to the concave portion (131). In this way, as the switch (214) is avoided to be pressed, it is recognized that the set battery pack is an SQ battery pack (1) under charging. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to identify battery packs among different charging modes and charging can be performed in a proper charging mode.

A so called charging/discharging technique is generally becoming popular in which power is supplied from such a power supplying apparatus as a battery charger to a charging/discharging apparatus represented by a battery pack used in a video camera or the like to charge the same.
In such a battery pack, a time required for charging (a charging time) increases in accordance with increase in an allowable operation time of a battery, namely, increase in charging capacity of the battery. Therefore, in order to solve a problem that the allowable operation time of the battery should be increased, the charging time must also be increased correspondingly. On the contrary, in order to solve a problem that the charging time should be shortened, the allowable operation time must also be shortened. Thus, it has been impossible to solve these problems conflicting with each other.
In recent years, however, in order to solve these problems, a battery pack and a battery charger have been technically advanced so that it has been made possible to charge a battery pack using large current as a charging current from a battery charger. As a result, even when the charging capacity of a battery pack is made large, it has been made possible to shorten a time required for charging (high speed charging).
However, even when a user purchases such a battery pack technically advanced, it is a rare case that a conventional type battery pack (requiring a long charging time) is discarded, and the conventional battery pack is often used together with the newly purchased battery pack of a high speed charging type.
However, a new type battery charger is different in charging (power supplying) system from the conventional battery charger, and a charging current of the former is larger than that of the latter. For this reason, for example, when the conventional type battery pack is erroneously set to the new battery charger, it may be damaged due to an overcurrent.
Moreover, it is known that a proper temperature range applied for charging is set to each battery pack, and when charging the battery pack is repeated with a large charging current as described above under conditions out of the proper temperature range, the characteristic of each cell of the battery pack varies and the charging capacity thereof gradually decreases. Accordingly, there is a problem that, when charging of a battery pack is repeated under the conditions beyond the proper temperature range of the battery pack, the life of the battery pack is shortened.
The present invention has been made in view of these circumstances and its object is to make it possible to identify a charging system or a temperature condition of a battery pack to charge the battery pack in accordance with a corresponding proper charging system.

Charging/discharging apparatus and method, power supplying apparatus and method, power supplying system and method, program storing medium, and program


The described method of treatment relates to the field of cardiovascular disease and is a cure for various forms of heart fibrillation. The method consists of sectioning the heart into independent conduction zones such that electrical communication between the zones is terminated. The communication between the zones is then reestablished in such a manner as to restore normal heart rhythm, by way of a pacing mechanism, thereby eliminating the fibrillation.

Atrial fibrillation (AF) involves rapid and chaotic beating of the individual fibers of the heart muscle such that synchronous contraction is not maintained. This inevitably results in that part of the heart ceasing to pump blood, which in turn can lead to embolic stroke. Atrial fibrillation is characterized by the presence of multiple reentrant circuits that may be active simultaneously, precluding the synchronous activation of enough atrial myocardium to generate an identifiable p wave or coordinated atrial contraction. Either a sinus impulse or a stable atrial flutter reentrant circuit (flutter wave) may degenerate into the multiple reentrant circuits (multiple wavelets) characteristic of atrial fibrillation. [Cox et al., J. Thoracic. Cardiovas. Surg. 101:402-405 (1991)].
Degeneration of the stable activation patterns of sinus rhythm and atrial flutter into atrial fibrillation is enhanced when there is a disparity in the local refractory periods of closely approximated regions of atrial myocardium. However, atrial geometry, atrial anisotropy, and histopathologic changes in the atrial myocardium may also predispose to both atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation.
Atrial fibrillation currently afflicts over three million persons in the United States. [Cox et al., J. Thoracic. Cardiovas. Surg. 101:402-405 (1991)]. It is the most common sustained arrhythmia, increasing progressively in prevalence with advancing age, and occurring in 2%-4% of the population over the age of 60. Atrial fibrillation is associated with atherosclerosis, chronic rheumatic heart disease, and hypertensive heart disease. The medical treatment of atrial fibrillation is less than optimal in that it frequently fails to ablate the arrhythmia and is ultimately directed only toward the control of the ventricular response rate. This results in patients (1) continuing to experience the unpleasantness of an irregular heartbeat, (2) continuing to suffer the consequence of impaired hemodynamics because of loss of atrioventricular synchrony, and (3) remaining vulnerable to the thromboembolic complications of atrial fibrillation.
For example, certain antiarrhythmic drugs, like quinidine and procainamide, can reduce both the incidence and the duration of atrial fibrillation episodes. Yet, these drugs often fail to maintain sinus rhythm in the majority of patients. Atrio-venticular nodal blocking agent, e.g. drugs, like digitalis, Beta blockers, and calcium channel blockers, can also be given to control the ventricular response. However, many people are intolerant to such drugs. [Kerr, PACE 17:1203-1207 (1994)].
Nonpharmacologic tools to treat atrial fibrillation include atrial defibrillation, catheter ablation, and open heart surgery. While effective means of treatment, each possess unwanted drawbacks.
External electrical cardioversion/defibrillation has been an effective method for termination of atrial fibrillation. It has been a well-accepted mode of acute therapy for over thirty years. However, there is potential risk of myocardial damage, ventricular tachyarrhythmias, or thromboembolism with this technique. [Luderitz et al., Am. J. Cardiol. 77:45A-52A (1996)]. Most importantly, the procedure only terminates the event and does not treat the underlying problem.
Implantable atrial defibrillators have been used in patients recently. This method is accomplished by the implantation of an internal defibrillator and a nonthoractomy lead system. However, patients with frequent episodes of fibrillation or episodes of short duration and spontaneous termination are not good candidates and alternative methods of treatment must be attempted. Major problems involved with the implantation technique include the presence of continual pain, the risk of inducing ventricular tachycardia during low level shocks and rapid battery depletion. [Luderitz et al., Am. J. Cardiol. 77:45A-52A (1996)].
Ablation of the atrioventricular node (AV node) in patients with chronic or paroxysmal atrial fibrillation has been extensively described and provides relief in selected patients. The patient, however, is left in atrial fibrillation and therefore there is a persistent risk of thromboembolism and continued loss of contractile atrial function. This technique uses catheter ablation by radiofrequency energy to permanently disconnect the fibrillating atria from the ventricles. Pacing is then permanently provided to the ventricle. [Fritzpatrick et al., Am. Heart J. 131(3):499-507 (1996)]. In addition, radiofrequency catheter ablation has been used to create linear lesions in the right atrium. This technique uses a specially designed 14-polar catheter and results in the patient being free from arrhythmias or the need for medication for up to 3 months. Although encouraging results were obtained, the selection of patients that may utilize this specialized technique are very limited. Luderitz et al., Am. J. Cardiol. 77:45A-52A (1996)].
One open heart surgical procedure is the so-called "corridor" procedure. This approach separates the fibrillating atria from a strip of tissue connecting the sinus and the AV node. Because both right and left atria continue to fibrillate, the hemodynamic abnormalities associated with AF are not improved. In addition, the vulnerability to the development of left atrial thrombi is not alleviated. Originally, it was hypothesized that this small corridor of atrial tissue would not be large enough to sustain AF. However, AF may continue and anticoagulation remains necessary. [Luderitz et al., Am. J. Cardiol. 77:45A-52A (1996)].
Another open heart surgical procedure for treating atrial fibrillation, termed the "maze procedure", has been found to be effective in treating atrial fibrillation. The procedure makes a prescribed pattern of incisions to anatomically create a convoluted path, or maze, for electrical propagation within the left and right atria. The incisions direct the electrical impulse from the SA node along a specified route through both atria, resulting in a uniform contraction and therefore normal atrial transport function. The incisions finally direct the impulse to the AV node to activate the ventricles, restoring normal atrioventricular synchrony. The incisions are also carefully placed to interrupt the conduction routes of the common reentry circuits. Appropriately placed atrial incision not only (1) interrupt the conduction routes of the most common reentrant circuits, they also direct (2) the sinus impulse from the sinoatrial node to the AV node along a specified route and (3) preserve synchronous atrial electrical activation as a prerequisite for contraction. The maze procedure has been found effective in treating atrial fibrillation. Yet, despite its clinical success, the maze procedure is technically difficult to do and requires open heart surgery. Moreover, the procedure is not tailored to a specific patient and sometimes can result in a permanent loss of contractile atrial function. Because of these factors, only a few maze procedures are done each year. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,661 to Kordis et al., incorporated herein by reference).
What is needed presently is a safe method of treatment that is both cost effective and versatile enough to be used on a wide variety of cardiac diseases. The method would improve the patient's quality of life by allowing for increased performance of everyday tasks as well as providing a general satisfaction with overall health. In addition, it would lower the number of visits the cardiac patient must make to their physician, thus reducing health care costs. Also, the mortality rate for these patients will decline.

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