The invention relates to a magazine having a plurality of disk drawers which are mounted in disk-holding compartments and each of which holds a single disk (CD), all of the disk drawers being lockable in and releasable from the magazine by means of a single, common disk drawer locking mechanism and the magazine being capable of insertion into a machine. In order to create a magazine of straightforward, compact and economical design having as few components and being as simple to assemble as possible, the disk drawer locking mechanism is integral with the magazine. The disk drawer locking mechanism and the magazine are constructed as a one-piece injection molded unit in plastic and the disk drawer locking mechanism has a locking catch and a release tab which are joined to the magazine or an outer panel of the magazine by means of a common, elastic fulcrum bar and which pivot conjointly around the centre axis of the fulcrum bar thereby acting against its spring action.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,800,554 describes a magazine having a plurality of disk drawers, each holding one compact disk (CD) and being mounted in disk-holding compartments in which all disk drawers are locked in and released from the magazine by means of a single, common disk drawer locking mechanism and which is capable of being fitted in a recording/playback device for compact disks.
In this connection, the disk drawer locking mechanism includes a number of separate components.
Furthermore, the locking mechanism is constructed as a separate unit located on a mounting bracket by means of which it is attached to the magazine in the vicinity of an outer panel of the magazine provided with a cut-out.
The disk drawer locking mechanism has a component with a release tab and a locking catch which pivot around a fulcrum bolt attached to the mounting bracket, thereby acting against the force of a spring. The disadvantage of this design is the large number of separate components and the fact that the disk drawer locking mechanism has to be fitted to the magazine as a separate unit.

Magazine with a plurality of disk drawers


An electronic apparatus includes a circuit board having a printed board and an electronic component mounted to the printed board, a housing for receiving the circuit board therein, and a connector mounted to the printed board. Top and bottom walls of the housing have board-fixing means for fixing the circuit board to the housing. The connector has a connector-fixing portion that extends along the printed board and is placed on a first surface portion of the printed board. The connector-fixing portion is fixed to the first surface portion by connector-fixing means such as a screw. The connector-fixing portion and a second surface portion, opposite to the first surface portion, of the printed board are sandwiched between the board-fixing means so that the circuit board is fixed to the housing.

An electronic apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,031,165B2 corresponding to JP-2003-289191A includes a housing having upper and lower portions, a circuit board received in the housing, and an electronic component mounted to the circuit board. The circuit board is sandwiched between the upper and lower portions of the housing and fixed to the housing by a mounting screw to prevent displacement (i.e., movement) of the circuit board from its mounting position in the housing. Therefore, the circuit board has first regions where the circuit board is fixed to the housing and the electronic component can be mounted to regions except the first regions. In short, the electronic component is prohibited from being mounted to the first regions, which are hereinafter called "the first prohibited regions".
In a connector mounting structure disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,866,524B2 corresponding to JP-2004-206924A, a connector is fixed to a circuit board by a mounting screw inserted into a hole of a flange portion provided on each side wall of the connector. Therefore, the circuit board has second regions where the circuit board is fixed to the flange portion of the connector and the electronic component can be mounted to regions except the second regions. In short, the electronic component is prohibited from being mounted to the second regions, which are hereinafter called "the second prohibited regions".
In an electronic apparatus having the structures disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,031,165B2 and 6,866,524B2, a circuit board needs both the first prohibited regions for fixing the circuit board to the housing and the second prohibited regions for fixing the connector to the circuit board. Therefore, a total area of the first and second prohibited regions occupies a larger proportion of a surface area of the circuit board. As a result, the size of the circuit board is increased unless the number of electronic components mounted to the circuit board is reduced.
The second prohibited regions may be eliminated by providing the flange portion to a bottom wall of the connector. However, this approach increases the height of the connector from the surface of the circuit board by the thickness of the flange portion. As a result, the height of the electronic apparatus is increased.


An apparatus for and a method of making a hierarchical integrated circuit design of an integrated circuit design, a computer program product and a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium are provided. The apparatus comprises an input for receiving an hierarchical integrated circuit design, a selector for selecting a candidate output pin, a cloner for adapting the hierarchical integrated circuit design, a re-connector for adapting the hierarchical integrated circuit design, and an output for outputting the adapted hierarchical circuit design. Optionally, the apparatus comprises a timing improver. The apparatus selects a candidate output pin of an IP block that is a node on at least two timing paths that have contradictory timing violations. The candidate output pin is cloned and at least one of the timings paths is connected to the cloned output pin for one of the instances of the IP block.

Designing an integrated circuit is a complex process in which a functional and/or operational specification for the integrated circuit is transformed in several operations into a physical integrated circuit layout which exactly describes where on a silicon wafer which materials may be implanted, deposited or removed to manufacture the integrated circuit. Using a hierarchical design style is common practice in the field of designing a large scale integrated circuit system. Separate functional blocks are designed once and they are instantiated one or more times in a hierarchical design description. In general, the term IP block is used for such a separate functional block. For example, the hierarchical top level of the hierarchical integrated circuit design may be referred to as 'the whole design' and at the top level several separately designed/described functional blocks are instantiated and connected to each other. On their turn, the instantiated functional blocks may also instantiate other functional blocks and provide connections between the other functional blocks and circuitry defined in the instantiated function blocks.
In order to be able to meet the functional and/or operational specification, several timing requirements are imposed on the integrated circuit design. For example, when the integrated circuit is designed to operate at a specific clock frequency, signals have to travel through the integrated circuit at a minimum speed and they may also not travel too fast to prevent that signals arrive a clock cycle too early at the specific node of the integrated circuit. The timing requirements are specified for timing paths. A timing path represents an electrical path through which a specific signal travels from one node to another node in the integrated circuit. Timing analysis tools are able to detect whether the timing paths fulfill under a set of operational conditions the timing requirements. When a timing violation of the timing requirements of a specific timing path is found, these tools at least report the violations. Automatic optimization tools may be used to adapt the design of the integrated circuit design such that, as much as possible, timing violations are solved. For example, automatic optimization tools are able to speed up certain parts of the integrated circuit design. Alternatively, or in addition, the automatic optimization tools are able to slow down certain parts of the integrated circuit design such that specific timing paths better meet their requirements. Speeding up and slow down certain parts of the integrated circuit design may, for example, result in changing sizes of gates and/or insertion of buffers.
In hierarchical integrated circuit designs a specific IP block with an output pin may be instantiated several times. At the different instances of the specific IP block an instance of the output pin may be a node on differing timing paths. It might be that at least two of the different timing paths through the instance(s) of the output pin do not meet the timing requirements imposed on the at least two different timing paths. It might also be that a solution for the timing requirement violations has to be found inside the specific IP block. However, when a solution to solve the timing requirement violations is contradictory because the timing requirements are contradictory, finding a solution inside the specific IP block may be impossible. Contradictory may refer to, for example, a solution which requires speeding up and slowing down the circuitry that provides the signal to the output pin. A well-known way of solving such a conflict is that the hierarchy of the integrated circuit design is completely, or partially, removed by flattening at least one of the instances of this IP block into the higher level design IP block. Another well-known way of solving such a conflict is that the IP block is duplicated under another name and one of the instances is replaced by the duplicated IP block, thereby creating two IP blocks that are (in so far it concerns the violated timing requirements) independent. Both solutions increase the amount of data used to describe the integrated circuit design and thereby increase design effort and design complexity.
Published U.S. Pat. No. 8,015,532B2 discloses a timing-driven cloning method. In the method of the cited US patent a gate is cloned, i.e., a layout portion that represents a logical function is cloned. In the context of a hierarchical integrated circuit design, this would result in either flattening a part of the integrated circuit design or cloning the IP block that represents the specific gate.

Apparatus for and a method of making a hierarchical integrated circuit design of an integrated circuit design, a computer program product and a non-transitory tangible computer readable storage medium


A wireless communication device includes a base sheet in a folded state, a first conductor pattern disposed on a first principal surface of the base sheet, a second conductor pattern disposed on a second principal surface of the base sheet opposite to the first principal surface, an RFIC chip disposed on the base sheet so as to electrically connect to the first conductor pattern, and a sheet-shaped connection conductor coupled to a turning part of the base sheet so as to partially overlap with an end portion of the first conductor pattern near the turning part and an end portion of the second conductor pattern near the turning part.

As an example, Patent Document 1 (identified below) describes a conventional wireless communication device that includes two conductor patterns opposite to each other and that is capable of wireless communication even when attached to a metal surface of an article. The wireless communication device described in Patent Document 1 is formed by folding a belt-shaped dielectric element body including a metal pattern substantially on one entire surface with the metal surface facing outward.
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5170156.
However, for the wireless communication device described in Patent Document 1, when the wireless communication device is reduced in height, a decrease in thickness of the dielectric element body may cause cracking in a metal pattern on a turning part of the dielectric element body. Specifically, when the dielectric element body is stretched due to folding, the metal pattern is also stretched on the portion, so that cracking or breaking occurs in the metal pattern on the turning part of the dielectric element body. Upon breaking, the wireless communication device can no longer operate, and upon cracking, the inductance value and the resistance value of the metal pattern increase in the turning part, so that the wireless communication device is changed in communication characteristics, for example, communication frequency. Consequently, the communication characteristics vary in a plurality of wireless communication devices depending on the presence/absence or the degree of occurrence of cracking.

Wireless communication device and method of manufacturing same


The present invention relates to an antenna structure comprising a dielectric pellet and a dielectric substrate with upper and lower surfaces and at least one groundplane, wherein the dielectric pellet is elevated above the upper surface of the dielectric substrate such that the dielectric pellet does not directly contact the dielectric substrate or the groundplane, and wherein the dielectric pellet is provided with a conductive direct feed structure. A radiating antenna component is additionally provided and arranged so as to be excited by the dielectric pellet. Elevating the dielectric antenna component so that it does not directly contact the groundplane or the dielectric substrate significantly improves bandwidth of the antenna as a whole.

The present invention relates to antenna structures, including multi-band antenna structures, and techniques for the construction thereof, where an antenna is required to be mounted on a printed wiring board (PWB) or printed circuit board (PCB) that has a full ground plane (i.e. metallised layer) on a side opposed to that on which the antenna is mounted. Embodiments of the present invention also provide advantages in applications without a significant ground plane.
It is often advantageous in the design of an electrically small antenna to remove part of the ground plane on both sides of a PCB or through all the layers of a PWB as this can help to improve the bandwidth of the antenna. Unfortunately, many modern mobile telephone handsets have so many components to be fitted on the reverse side from the antenna (speakers, headphone sockets, USB connectors, display technology, etc.) that it is preferable not to remove the ground plane, either fully or partially. It is therefore desirable to find a way of designing an antenna for mounting on a PCB/PWB, the antenna having the wide bandwidth required for modern mobile telephone handsets while still retaining a full ground plane beneath the antenna.
Dielectric antennas are antenna devices that radiate or receive radio waves at a chosen frequency of transmission and reception, as used in for example in mobile telecommunications.
The present applicant has conducted wide-ranging research in the field of dielectric antennas, and the following nomenclature will be used in the application:
High Dielectric Antenna (HDA): Any antenna making use of dielectric components either as resonators or in order to modify the response of a conductive radiator.
The class of HDAs is then subdivided into the following:
a) Dielectrically Loaded Antenna (DLA): An antenna in which a traditional, electrically conductive radiating element is encased in or located adjacent to a dielectric material (generally a solid dielectric material) that modifies the resonance characteristics of the conductive radiating element. Generally speaking, encasing a conductive radiating element in a solid dielectric material allows the use of a shorter or smaller radiating element for any given set of operating characteristics. In a DLA, there is only a trivial displacement current generated in the dielectric material, and it is the conductive element that acts as the radiator, not the dielectric material. DLAs generally have a well-defined and narrowband frequency response.b) Dielectric Resonator Antenna (DRA): An antenna in which a dielectric material (generally a solid, but could be a liquid or in some cases a gas) is provided on top of a conductive groundplane, and to which energy is fed by way of a probe feed, an aperture feed or a direct feed (e.g. a microstrip feedline). Since the first systematic study of DRAs in 1983 [LONG, S. A., McALLISTER, M. W., and SHEN, L. C.: "The Resonant Cylindrical Dielectric Cavity Antenna", IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, AP-31, 1983, pp 406-412], interest has grown in their radiation patterns because of their high radiation efficiency, good match to most commonly used transmission lines and small physical size [MONGIA, R. K. and BHARTIA, P.: "Dielectric Resonator Antennas—A Review and General Design Relations for Resonant Frequency and Bandwidth", International Journal of Microwave and Millimeter-Wave Computer-Aided Engineering, 1994, 4, (3), pp 230-247]. A summary of some more recent developments can be found in PETOSA, A., ITTIPIBOON, A., ANTAR, Y. M. M., ROSCOE, D., and CUHACI, M.: "Recent advances in Dielectric-Resonator Antenna Technology", IEEE Antennas and Propagation Magazine, 1998, 40, (3), pp 35-48. DRAs are characterised by a deep, well-defined resonant frequency, although they tend to have broader bandwidth than DLAs. It is possible to broaden the frequency response somewhat by providing an air gap between the dielectric resonator material and the conductive groundplane. In a DRA, it is the dielectric material that acts as the primary radiator, this being due to non-trivial displacement currents generated in the dielectric by the feed.c) Broadband Dielectric Antenna (BDA): Similar to a DRA, but with little or no conductive groundplane. BDAs have a less well-defined frequency response than DRAs, and are therefore excellent for broadband applications since they operate over a wider range of frequencies. Again, in a BDA, it is the dielectric material that acts as the primary radiator, not the feed. Generally speaking, the dielectric material in a BDA can take a wide range of shapes, these not being as restricted as for a DRA. Indeed, any arbitrary dielectric shape can be made to radiate in a BDA, and this can be useful when trying to design the antenna to be conformal to its casing.d) Dielectrically Excited Antenna (DEA): A new type of antenna developed by the present applicant in which a DRA, BDA or DLA is used to excite an electrically conductive radiator. DEAs are well suited to multi-band operation, since the DRA, BDA or DLA can act as an antenna in one band and the conductive radiator can operate in a different band. DEAs are similar to DLAs in that the primary radiator is a conductive component (such as a copper dipole or patch), but unlike DLAs they have no directly connected feed mechanism. DEAs are parasitic conducting antennas that are excited by a nearby DRA, BDA or DLA having its own feed mechanism. There are advantages to this arrangement, as outlined in UK patent application no 0313890.6 of 16th Jun. 2003.
The dielectric material of a dielectric antenna can be made from several candidate materials including ceramic dielectrics, in particular low-loss ceramic dielectric materials.
For the avoidance of doubt, the expression "electrically-conductive antenna component" defines a traditional antenna component such as a patch antenna, slot antenna, monopole antenna, dipole antenna, planar inverted-L antenna (PILA), planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) or any other antenna component that is not an HDA.
It is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,972 to provide a rectangular dielectric resonator antenna having a notch at a centre of its underside. The authors clearly believe the slot is the cause of the enhanced bandwidth together with a slab of high dielectric material inserted into the slot. However, this device might be viewed in a different way as a rectangular dielectric pellet elevated by 'legs' at each end. It is important to appreciate that the pellet rests on a groundplane which is on the top surface of a PCB, and that the pellet is fed by a slot in the groundplane surface. There is no feed taken up to the pellet and the pellet is not described as being metallised on any of its surfaces. The antenna of U.S. Pat. No. 5,952,972 is therefore:                1. A DRA and not a BDA.        2. Not an elevated pellet clear of the groundplane.        3. Without an elevated feed.        4. Without a parasitic DEA component.        5. Not designed for inclusion in modern radiotelephone handsets.
It is also known from IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, Vol. 43, No. 8, August 1995, pp 889-892, "Stacked annular ring dielectric resonator antenna excited by axi-symmetric coaxial probe", Shum & Luk to provide a DRA comprising an annular ring dielectric element elevated above a groundplane and excited by a coaxial probe extending through a hole in the groundplane and into the central hole of the dielectric element. This arrangement is said to improve bandwidth. A further improvement to bandwidth is obtained by providing a second, parasitic annular ring dielectric element above the main one.

Antenna for mobile telephone handsets, PDAs, and the like


An apparatus for cutting and removing a tissue is described, which includes a rotational axle device, at least one non-mechanical cutting device radially disposed from the rotational axle device, at least one device capable of protecting the heart ventricle, and a first collapsible plate. Also described is a method for cutting a tissue, such as a heart valve using the apparatus of the present invention and temporary placing a device capable of protecting the heart ventricle until a percutaneous heart valve is placed.

The surgical procedure for heart valve replacement typically involves removing a diseased heart valve and implanting an artificial heart valve device. Removal of the diseased heart valve generally involves cutting the valve from the heart to form an annulus in which the replacement valve is implanted. Conventional cutting processes for forming the heart valve annulus involve the use of scissor devices to cut the existing valve tissue from the heart. Frequently, the valve is extremely calcified and irregular in shape and thickness, thus to remove the valve in its entirety, exertion of considerable mechanical forces are required, which can cause cutting the valve in small pieces and releasing chunks of calcium or tissue.
This conventional use of scissors often produces imprecise cuts and leaves an irregular annulus in which the surgeon must then attach or suture the replacement valve. Because of the irregular annulus left by the use of scissors and other debriding instruments, the suturing process can be quite time-consuming. In particular, the surgeon must ensure that there are no openings around the replacement valve that would allow blood to flow from the heart chamber without passing through the replacement valve. More importantly, a considerable force cannot be used to remove a calcified valve when a device is placed and is manipulated percutaneously, as in through a transvascular catheter placed through a peripheral artery, such as the femoral artery.
Another apparatus that could be used to remove a diseased heart valve is an apparatus having an annulus cutter that is moved toward a backup plate in order to engage the tissue to be removed. The rotation of the annulus cutter by a surgeon would cut the tissue. The tissue is then captured by the cutting device and the backup plate. Such a device is described in International Publication No. WO 99/59482, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. However, this procedure has several disadvantages. For example, the cut may still be imprecise and furthermore, parts of the cut tissue can inadvertently be dislodged from the capturing device. The dislodged tissue can cause an occlusion and embolism. More importantly, a large diameter cutting annulus could not be placed percutaneously through a small diameter peripheral artery, such as the femoral artery. In addition, it would be difficult and risky to transmit the considerable mechanical forces needed to cut a calcified valve through a percutaneously placed mechanical cutting device.
Accordingly, a need exists for a new improved method and apparatus for cutting living tissue, such as a heart valve.

Apparatus and method for cutting a heart valve


An erasure resilient coding (ERC) distributed data storage system and method for storing data in a reliable and survivable fashion while minimizing hardware and associated costs. The system and method includes forming multiple protection groups both within and across storage nodes of the storage system. Data is segmented into original data blocks and ERC data blocks. Load balancing occurs by interleaving storage nodes with equal numbers of original data blocks and ERC data blocks while ensuring each node has an equal number of combined read and write operations. Unique read and write operations on data block can be performed independent of other data blocks in a protection group. The write operation uses Galois field arithmetic and ERC transform to either write or append a new data block to a storage node. The read operation recovers data in a variety of ways using ERC decoding.

Enterprises and consumers today face the problem of storing and managing an ever-increasing amount of data on non-volatile data storage systems such as hard disk drives. One promising direction in computer storage systems is to harness the collective storage capacity of massive commodity computers to form a large distributed data storage system. When designing such distributed data storage system an important factor to consider is data reliability. Once data is stored a user typically does not want or cannot afford to lose any of the stored data. Unfortunately, the data management chain is prone to failures at various links that can result in permanent data loss or a temporary unavailability of the data. For example, any one of a number of individual components of a massive distributed data storage system may fail for a variety of reasons. Hard drive failures, computer motherboard failures, memory problems, network cable problems, loose connections (such as a loose hard drive cable, memory cable, or network cable), power supply problems, and so forth can occur leaving the data inaccessible.
For distributed data storage systems to be useful in practice, proper redundancy schemes must be implemented to provide high reliability, availability and survivability. One type of redundancy scheme is replication, whereby data is replicated two, three, or more times to different computers in the system. As long as any one of the replica is accessible, the data is available. Most distributed data storage systems use replication for simplified system design and low access overhead.
One problem, however, with the replication technique is that the cost of storing a duplication of data can become prohibitively expense. Large storage cost directly translates into high cost in hardware (hard drives and associated machines), as well as the cost to operate the storage system, which includes the power for the machine, cooling, and maintenance. For example, if the data is replicated three times then the associated costs of storing the data are tripled.
One way to decrease this storage cost is by using another type of redundancy scheme called erasure resilient coding (ERC). Erasure resilient coding enables lossless data recovery notwithstanding loss of information during storage or transmission. The basic idea of the ERC technique is to use certain mathematical transforms and map k original data blocks from an original data piece into n total data blocks, where n>k. The original data piece includes the k original data blocks and the n−k parity (or ERC) data blocks. When there are no more than n−k failures all original data can be retrieved using the inverse of the mathematical transforms. At retrieval time the n data blocks are retrieved to recover the original data piece. Currently, the main use of the ERC technique in distributed data storage systems is in the form of large peer-to-peer (P2P) systems.
A protection group is often used in ERC to provide an added measure of protection to the data. Typically, each of the n data blocks is placed in a single protection group. One problem, however, with using the ERC technique in distributed data storage systems is that because the data is fragmented and stored in a plurality of blocks multiple protection groups cannot be created. Another problem is that when a data block is modified each of the data blocks belonging to the same protection group must also be modified. In other words, whenever a data block is written or read then all the other data blocks in the protection group also must be modified.

Distributed data storage using erasure resilient coding


The invention relates to a control surface (3) for an aerodynamic lifting surface (2) of aircraft comprising a main closing rib (9) located at one end of the control surface (3) to which a main torsion bar (8) is joined, the mentioned torsion bar (8) being joined at its other end to a lever system (14) on which at least one actuator (15) acts, such that it is possible to act on the rotation of the mentioned control surface (3) during the flight of the aircraft. The invention also relates to an actuation method for actuating such a control surface (3).

The most widely used configuration for modern aircraft control surfaces generally consists of one or several essentially planar elements located such that they form the leading edge or trailing edge of the aerodynamic lifting surfaces of the aircraft. The aircraft is controlled by means of the deflection of the control surfaces, which causes a change in the outer geometry of said aircraft resulting in aerodynamic direction and magnitude forces suitable for carrying out the control.
The change of aerodynamic shape required to control the aircraft is generally achieved by means of the rotation of said control surfaces around a hinge or rotating shaft fixed with respect to the aerodynamic lifting surface to which they belong. There are other configurations and methods to carry out the control, for example by means of the elastic deformation of the entire lifting surface, a method used by the Wright brothers in the first airplane as described in document U.S. Pat. No. 821,393; by means of a complete rotation of the lifting surface as described in document U.S. Pat. No. 6,089,503; by means of deformation of the lifting or control surface caused by changes in the properties of the material as described in documents U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,824B1, U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,294; or by means of air blasts or engine exhaust gases, such as in the case of the AV-B Harrier airplane, or the North American X-15.
The configurations of the control surfaces consisting of rotating said surfaces around a hinge have been used in aeronautics in most airplanes and are the only ones currently used for large passenger transport airplanes. The first airplanes to use this control surface configuration, as well as most lightweight airplanes today, use a cable and pulley system to transmit the pilot's control actions, either directly using the force exerted by the pilot or through a servo system mechanically amplifying the pilot's force. The cable and pulley systems move the control surfaces through a lever system converting the linear movements of the cables into rotations of the control surfaces. This actuation method for actuating control surfaces is suitable for lightweight aircraft or those of a larger size flying at relatively low speeds (much less than the speeds near the speed of sound at which commercial aircraft currently fly), due to the fact that the forces which the cables can transmit are relatively low and the aerodynamic forces acting on the control surfaces, and which must compensate the forces of the cables, linearly grow with the area of said control surface and with the square of the flight speed. The cable and pulley system has additional limitations due to the inherent flexibility of the system, formed by long cables with a small section, which can lead to aeroelastic instabilities if it is applied to large control surfaces, in addition to introducing a delay in the operation of the control surfaces and a possible lack of response from the flight controls when the plan flies at high speeds, all this due to the lengthening of the cable system introduced by the aerodynamic loads.
With the development of aeronautic technology it was necessary to develop new actuation methods for actuating the flight control surfaces particularly adapted to large airplanes flying at increasingly greater speeds, generally driven by reaction engines. The adopted solution consisted of using servo-actuators, necessary for exerting the high control forces required in order to move large control surfaces at high flight speeds and to place the mentioned actuators in a position such that they could transmit the control forces directly to the control surfaces, representative of a rudder, or to a typical aileron or elevator installation.
The configuration of the previous typical aileron or elevator installation has the evident drawback of requiring an aerodynamic fairing for the actuator, which is an unwanted source of aerodynamic drag. On the other hand, this configuration has the advantage that the leading edge of the control surface is very close to the rear stringer of the lifting surface to which it is associated (generally the wing or the stabilizers) therefore allowing the maximum sectional area of the respective torsion boxes to be used, which results in an increase in the rigidity of said boxes, particularly the torsional rigidity and furthermore, where applicable, the maximum volume of the fuel tank in the case of a wing or horizontal stabilizer.
The configuration representative of a rudder, typical for a modern commercial airplane rudder, does not require an aerodynamic fairing for the actuator, but however has the drawback of significantly reducing the available space between the torsion box of the lifting surface and the control surface. In all cases this involves an unwanted reduction of the torsional rigidity of both elements (main torsion box and aerodynamic control surface). The separation between the rear stringer of the torsion box and the leading edge of the control surface likewise requires installing relatively large and flexible aerodynamic fairings which do not contribute to the rigidity or resistance of the lifting surface, in addition to introducing large bending loads on the ribs of the torsion box at the base of the hinge fittings, all of which is undesirable.
Reducing the area of the section of the torsion box of the lifting surface, imposed by the previously described and necessary separation in order to install the actuator, usually results in a weight increase of the structure since thicker skins and stringers are required in order to restore the desired torsional rigidity for aerodynamic and aeroelastic considerations.
The problem of elastic deformation of the mentioned surfaces under aerodynamic load has to be solved in all flight control systems based on the rotation of the control surfaces. In cable and pulley systems, in which the levers to which the control cables are connected are usually at one end of the control surfaces, the aerodynamic loads cause torsional deformation on the control surface tending to take away control effectiveness. In order to restore control surface effectiveness, the surface's torsional rigidity must be increased, either by increasing the thickness of its structural skins (which adds weight and increases the inertia of the control surface, both unwanted consequences, i.e. weight for aircraft efficiency reasons and inertia for tending to reduce the speed at which dynamic aeroelastic instability or fluttering occurs), or by using a torsion bar near the leading edge of the control surface, which also adds weight but limits the increase of the moment of inertia of the surface.
In the case of systems in which the actuators are connected directly to the control surfaces, said actuators are usually located approximately in the middle of the span of the control surface in order to minimize torsional deformation, or several actuators are used in parallel, which also provides the control system with redundancy. In any case, the placement of the actuators within the aerodynamic surface requires providing accesses thereto for inspection, which complicates the design of said aerodynamic surfaces, and in the case of the rudders makes access difficult for maintenance personnel.
The object of the present invention is to solve the previously mentioned problems with regard to making control surfaces, particularly those associated to the configuration in which the actuators are directly connected to said control surfaces, since this is the configuration used for control surfaces in stabilizers in large modern commercial airplanes.


The present invention provides compounds for use in treating and/or preventing influenza. The compound comprises a first and second domain in which the first domain comprises at least one anchoring group which binds to the surface of influenza viruses and the second domain comprises at least one anionic group. The first and second domains are covalently linked. Also provided are pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates, prodrugs or stereoisomer of the compounds.

Influenza is a respiratory infection contracted by 5% to 25% of the US population annually, roughly 200,000 of whom are hospitalized and 25,000 die. Influenza infection continues to be a constant threat to human health and a burden on health services. More recently, the emergence of highly pathogenic H5N1 viruses and H7N9 viruses from avian sources, and their potential to acquire human transmissibility have increased the risk associated with influenza infection. Although vaccines remain the cornerstone of prevention, significant time is required to develop an effective vaccine against frequent mutations of any new virus strain. Anti-influenza drugs such as the viral neuraminidase inhibitors (NA inhibitors), including Zanamivir (Relenza) and Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and M2 ion-channel blockers derived from adamantanes, including amantidine and rimantidine, are available and have been marketed for over 20 years, but their effectiveness is limited by the mechanism of action. Their effectiveness can be further compromised by viral mutation and development of subsequent drug resistance.
For example, M2 ion-channel blockers are currently not recommended for use because almost all circulating season A virus (including H1Nipcim09), carry a S31N point mutation in the M2 gene that imparts resistance to both amantadine and rimantadine. This has resulted in a heavy reliance on alternative NA inhibitors such as Zanamivir, Oseltamivir and Peramivir.
The NA inhibitors affect the assembly and budding of viruses of Influenza A in the viral life cycle. For the progeny virions to be released from the cell, neuraminidase (NA) must cleave the sialic acid group from the host glycoproteins, which is essential for viral spread and reinfection. Thus, blocking the function of neuraminidase with specific inhibitors (NA inhibitors) is a way of treating influenza. However, as such inhibition occurs in the later stage of the viral life cycle (that is, after viral entry, replication, assembly, and budding onto cell surface), much of the damage has already been done to the cell. Moreover, only the budding viruses on the cell surface have been affected. The uninhibited viral progeny may infect new cells. This leads to the progression of disease severity. In order to reduce severity of the disease, the optimum therapeutic window for treatment with NA inhibitor drugs is early in the disease progression. However, as the therapeutic efficacy of a given active agent is generally determined by the mechanism of action, NA inhibitor drugs are considered to be relatively mild and of limited clinical benefit.
There is a need for new approaches to the treatment of influenza.
The life cycle of Influenza A comprises several steps:
(a) Influenza A virus has a lipid bilayer envelope, within which are eight RNA genomic segments, each of which is associated with the trimeric viral RNA polymerase (PB1, PB2, PA) and coated with multiple nucleoproteins (NPs) to form the vRNPs. The outer layer of the lipid envelope is spiked with multiple copies of HA, NA and a small number of M2, whereas the M1 molecules keep vRNPs attached to the inner layer.
(b) The viral surface glycoprotein HA binds to the host cell-surface sialic acid receptors, and the virus is transported into the cell in an endocytic vesicle. The low pH in the endosome triggers a conformational change in the HA protein that leads to fusion of the viral and endosomal membranes. The low pH also triggers the flow of protons into the virus via the M2 ion channel, thereby dissociating the vRNPs from M1 matrix proteins. When the M1 molecules are dissociated, the vRNPs that are released into the cytoplasm are transported into nucleus by recognition of the nuclear localization sequences (NLSs) on nucleoproteins.
(c) In the nucleus, the viral polymerase initiated viral mRNA synthesis with 5′-capped RNA fragments are cleaved from host pre-mRNAs. The PB2 subunit binds the 5′-cap of host pre-mRNAs, and the endonuclease domain in the PA subunit cleaves the pre-mRNA 10 to 13 nucleotide downstream from the cap. Viral mRNA transcription is subsequently initiated from the cleaved 3′-end of the capped RNA segment. This "cap snatching" occurs on nascent pre-mRNAs.
(d) Viral mRNAs are transported to the cytoplasm for translation into viral proteins. The surface proteins HA, M2 and NA are processed in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), glycosylated in the Golgi apparatus and transported to the cell membrane.
(e) The NS1 protein of the influenza A virus serves a critical role in suppressing the production of host mRNAs by inhibiting the 3′-end processing of host pre-mRNAs, consequently blocking the production of host mRNAs, including interferon-β mRNAs. Unlike host pre-mRNAs, the viral mRNAs do not require 3′-end processing by the host cell machinery. Therefore, the viral mRNAs are transported to the cytoplasm, whereas the host mRNA synthesis is predominantly blocked.
(f) The viral polymerase is responsible for not only capped RNA-primed mRNA synthesis but also unprimed replication of vRNAs as follows:                (−) vRNA→(+) cRNA→(−) vRNA.
Nucleoprotein molecules are required for these two steps of replication and are deposited on the cRNA and vRNA during RNA synthesis. The resulting vRNPs are subsequently transported to the cytoplasm, mediated by M1-NS2 complex that is bound to the vRNPs; NS2 interacts with human CRM1 protein which export the vRNPs from the nucleus.
(g) The vRNPs reach the cell membrane to be incorporated into new viruses that are budded out. The HA and NA proteins in new viruses contain terminal sialic acids that would cause the viruses to clump together and adhere to the cell surface. The NA of newly formed viruses cleaves these sialic acid residues, thereby releasing the virus from the host cell.
During steps (a) and (b) of the influenza viral life cycle, the viral surface glycoprotein Haemagglutinin (HA) binds to sialic acid receptors on the host cell, followed by receptor-mediated endocytosis of the virus into the cell. The low pH in the endosome triggers a conformational change in the HA protein, that leads to fusion of the viral and endosomal membrane. Meanwhile, the low pH also triggers the flow of protons into the virus via the M2 ion channel, thereby releasing of viral genetic material to the nucleus to start the viral infection process in the cell.
It is recognised that the exposure of virus to low pH in the extracellular environment inactivates the virus. Low pH intranasal gel sprays have been shown to suppress influenza viruses in vitro and protect ferrets against influenza infection. However, in such studies the effective concentration of the acids are around 0.15M (approx. pH 3.5). Furthermore, there needs to be contact with the virus to have a viracidal effect. Additionally, the sprays have demonstrated efficacy only during the early stages of viral infection. Although a pH value close to 3.5 can be achieved by administration of a pH 3.5 buffered nasal spray, there is a limitation of this nasal delivery, which provides the relatively short product retention time in the nose due to mucociliary clearance. The normal residence time of nasally administered solution in human is around 12 to 15 minutes.
Furthermore, in the case of treatment for viral infection, an acidic buffer would need to be delivered deep into the air ways. It is likely that the acidic nature of such a buffer will cause irritation and intolerance in humans. Therefore, acidic intranasal sprays would not be suitable as therapeutic agents for the treatment of influenza virus infection since they are essentially limited and nonspecific.
Polyanionic compounds offer attractive features as anti-HIV agents. The antiviral activity spectrum of the polyanions extends to a variety of enveloped viruses including ortho- and para-myxo viruses (influenza virus). Such polyanions have been shown to inhibit viral replication in cell cultures at a concentration of 0.1 to 1 μg/mL. Advantageously, such compounds are not cytotoxic even at concentrations up to 10,000 fold higher. However, these substances suffer from a number of pharmacokinetic and toxicological drawbacks which seem to compromise their clinical utility, for example, in bloodstream they may be retained by various plasma proteins before reaching their site of action. Additionally, some sulphated polysaccharides are notorious for undesired anticoagulant activity.
There is a need for new antiviral agents which are effective against influenza. In particular, there is a need for new antiviral agents which exhibit one or more of the following: i) high potency against influenza viruses, ii) fast action to control the infection, iii) broad spectrum antiviral activity (including influenza A, B, avian flu), iv) efficacy against drug resistant strains, v) low tendency of drug resistance, vi) extended duration of efficacy, vii) high selectivity, viii) improved therapeutic window; ix) low toxicity, x) fewer side effects and/or xi) are suitable for therapeutic and prophylactic application.


A composition comprising abrasive particles derived from inorganic-based foam, wherein said abrasive particles are non-spherical having a form factor from 0.1 to 0.6 and a solidity from 0.3 to 0.9, and wherein said abrasive particles comprise one or more inorganic materials and have a MOHs hardness of from 1 to 4.

Scouring compositions such as particulate compositions or liquid (incl. gel, paste-type) compositions containing abrasive components are well known in the art. Such compositions are used for cleaning and/or cleansing a variety of surfaces; especially those surfaces that tend to become soiled with difficult to remove stains and soils.
Amongst the currently known scouring compositions, the most popular ones are based on abrasive particles either from natural, or organic origin although with shapes varying from spherical to irregular and come in the form of liquid composition having a creamy consistency with the abrasive particles suspended therein.
A need however exists in improving the weight efficiency of known scouring compositions to further improve the cleaning of a surface, whilst providing good surface safety, and further enabling easier suspension of the particles in the liquid matrix.
It is thus an objective of the present invention to provide a liquid cleaning and/or cleansing composition suitable to clean/cleanse a variety of surfaces, including inanimate and animate surfaces, such hard surfaces in and around the house, dish surfaces, hard and soft tissue surface of the oral cavity, such as teeth, gums, tongue and buccal surfaces, human and animal skin, etc., wherein the composition provides good cleaning/cleansing performance, whilst providing a good surface safety profile and particle suspension.
It has been found that the above objective can be met by the composition according to the present invention.
It is an advantage of the compositions according to the present invention that they may be used to clean/cleanse inanimate and animate surfaces made of a variety of materials like glazed and non-glazed ceramic tiles, enamel, stainless steel, Inox®, Formica®, vinyl, no-wax vinyl, linoleum, melamine, glass, plastics, painted surfaces, human and animal skin, hair, hard and soft tissue surface of the oral cavity, such as teeth enamel, gums, tongue and buccal surfaces, and the like.
A further advantage of the present invention is that in the compositions herein, the particles can be formulated at very low levels, whilst still providing the above benefits. Indeed, in general for other technologies, generally high levels by weight of abrasive particles are needed to reach good cleaning/cleansing performance, thus leading to high formulation and process cost, difficult rinse and end cleaning profiles, as well as limitation for aesthetics and a pleasant hand feel of the cleaning/cleansing composition.

Liquid detergent composition with abrasive particles


A technique for autonomous network provisioning based on establishing a relation between network performance indices, traffic measurements and resource capacities, which provides automatic provisioning recommendations for identified critical links is disclosed. The technique may be implemented in a network through collaboration across node controllers and network controllers. A method for the autonomous provisioning of a network, wherein a plurality of nodes of the network collaborate to determine required additional resources, may comprise the steps of receiving at least one network-state measurement comprising at least one of a traffic measurement and a performance measurement; determining at least one critical link based at least in part on the at least one network-state measurement; and formulating at least one link provisioning recommendation for the at least one critical link.

Network provisioning processes enable a network to determine the location and size of different network resources available for long-term deployment, typically on an order of several months or years. Such provisioning processes are typically based solely on projected traffic demands within a network and agreed traffic exchanges across other networks.
Traditionally, network provisioning processes have been based on underlying traffic-characterization models, traffic-flow models and performance models. Traditional provisioning processes work well in a telephone network where traffic loads are predictable. In telephone networks, traffic can be characterized with a reasonable accuracy. Further, performance models that relate performance to traffic loads and network resources are both accurate and tractable with respect to telephone networks.
However, conditions applicable to telephone networks do not necessarily apply to fast-evolving data networks. Accurate traffic characterization at microscopic and macroscopic levels is not feasible in rapidly evolving data networks. Microscopic characterization refers to a parametric description of each traffic stream, whereas macroscopic characterization is concerned with spatial distribution of traffic. Microscopic-level characterization is difficult due to rapidly changing nature of traffic and macroscopic-level characterization is difficult due to changing network services.
Elaborate traffic characterization models and ensuing provisioning models are generally applicable over only relatively short timescales. It would take researchers years to develop and refine such models only to discover, before the exercise is complete, that the models are obsolete. One example is the development of the tedious Markov Modulated Poisson Process, which is based on assumptions that have since been deemed to be inadequate. Another extreme is a self-similar-traffic model, which may yield an unduly pessimistic estimation of a network performance. In addition to inadequacies of these models, traffic parameters required to implement mathematical models are difficult to determine. Data traffic is a rapidly moving target and its composition changes with technology. Higher access capacity, new applications, new protocols, new tariff systems, etc., have a significant effect on traffic characteristics at both microscopic and macroscopic levels.
The use of precise microscopic models, even if they are attainable and tractable, cannot be justified, given the rapid change of the traffic nature. Instead, a simplified traffic model may possibly be used as long as the values of the characterizing parameters are updated frequently. A simplified traffic model also leads to a simplified microscopic provisioning model that facilitates computation of traffic-flow across a network. The use of frequently updated simplified models, however, requires traffic monitoring, at least at each source node and frequent execution of provisioning models. The network performance, however defined, must still be measured in order to validate the provisioning model. Furthermore, considering the unavailability of a satisfactory traffic model, it is difficult to determine what to measure and how to extract parameters from measurements. Moreover, current solutions require the use of both traffic models and traffic monitoring, which would require excessive computing time. Thus, relevant current data on which to base provisioning decisions may not be easily obtained.
Currently, computer-aided tools are used for network provisioning. Core nodes provided in such networks may include cross-connectors, optical and/or electronic, which may be configured on a semi-permanent basis. Some proposals (e.g., ITU-T's G.8080/Y.1304 Automatically Switched Transport Network (ASTN)) introduce dynamic configurations, but still require configuration requirements to be determined through manual intervention. Therefore, there is still a need to automatically predict such configuration requirements through learning based on measurements in the network.
In view of the foregoing, it would be desirable to provide a technique for autonomous network provisioning which overcomes the above-described inadequacies and shortcomings. More particularly, it would be desirable to provide a technique for autonomous network provisioning in an efficient and cost effective manner.

Technique for autonomous network provisioning


A system and terminal for facilitating a “virtual presence” allows users on a communication network to simply begin speaking through other users. A system immediately detects the destination party's name, and begins routing the audio signal to a particular destination without any noticeable call set-up. Additionally, the system performs pitch corrected speed control in order to allow the detection and processing of a speech pattern without causing delay to an end user.

The capacity for voice and data communications has increased dramatically over the last several years. The widespread use of the Internet, as well as the availability of greatly increased bandwidth on most communications media, has led to the ability to communicate large amounts of data from any source through any destination, extremely inexpensively.
Most communications links require an initial set up sequence during which a communications channel is established. For example, in a conventional telephone call, prior to communication taking place, a set-up sequence is required which consists of taking the telephone off hook, dialing a telephone number, making a connection, and taking the called telephone off hook. As is well-known, this takes more than an insignificant amount of time and the process of dialing (addressing) can be quite cumbersome at times.
In data communications, information is typically communicated via packets through packet switches. The packet switches usually establish a virtual circuit between the source and destination. A virtual circuit can be thought of as a system which appears to establish a circuit between two end points by routing packets with a common address to a common destination. There is however, no actual end to end circuit between the source and destination. Packet switched connections allow bandwidth to be utilized efficiently for a plurality of different purposes.
Even in connection with such data communications and virtual circuits, an initial set-up phase is also required. This set-up phase may be in the form of logging onto a computer and waiting for an acknowledgment, waiting for an address, or plugging in a destination computer ID or address into a log-on screen. As a common example, in order to log onto a web page on the Internet, one must enter a user webpage address representation. In order to send e-mail to an entity, one must type in a user's e-mail address, or enter it by clicking an icon, and then send a message to that user.
In view of the busy schedule of many business personnel, including particularly executives, and the desirability of enabling more casual communications, it would be desirable if an entity could simply begin speaking to another entity and have the voice connection made automatically and immediately, without a cumbersome addressing process and attendant delays. In such a scenario, a "virtual presence" is established because the calling party can simply begin speaking to the called party as if the called party were standing in the same room.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A mobile leaf blower includes a main blower assembly driven by an engine or motor. The blower has a deflector box at the blower outlet with deflector plates which enable the air flow to be either directed laterally and forwardly of the blower unit or to a flexible blower tube attached to the unit. The operator may either cause the air flow to flow through the flexible blower tube or forwardly and laterally of the blower unit along the ground. When not in use, the flexible blower tube can be wound around a hose reel attached to the main handles of the ground blower unit.

A prior art mobile blower unit for leaves and other debris is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,826 to Kaeser, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Kaeser discloses an internal combustion engine mounted on a frame supported by a set of wheels with a shaft connected to the engine to drive a blower impeller. The blower housing is mounted so as to be capable of rotating on an axis of the engine shaft. The blower housing has a center inlet, a laterally projecting tangential outlet, and a movable air deflector mounted on the housing adjacent the outlet. The air deflector is actuated by an elongated control rod which extends from the handle assembly projecting rearwardly and upwardly from the frame, and a control rod permits the operator to actuate the air deflector when the blower outlet and deflector are located at either a high position on one side of the frame or a low position on the opposite side of the frame. In the Kaeser device, the mobile blower unit is provided with a formed tubular steel leg member which extends across the front of the screen of the centrifugal blower unit and has rearward end portions rigidly secured to the engine support frame. By this arrangement, when the Kaeser mobile blower unit is tilted forwardly, the support leg member engages the ground or other supporting surface.
Another form of mobile blower unit is of the type wherein the blower unit is carried on a frame which is supported on the back of the user, and the blower unit is connected to an elongated blower tube which is guided by the worker in order to remove grass and debris from generally inaccessible places, such as under hedges or in flower beds. Examples of leaf blower units which are mounted on a frame that is carried by the user are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,370,729 to Miyamoto, U.S. Pat. No. 7,300,484 to Scully et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 7,185,393 to Dahlberg et al.
Although the Kaeser mobile blower unit has operated satisfactorily and is an improvement over prior existing mobile blower units, the Kaeser mobile blower unit is difficult to operate in flower beds and beneath shrubs and the like in order to remove leaves thereunder. Similarly, although the mobile blower units that are carried on a frame on the back of the user operate satisfactorily for their intended purpose, they cause a strain on the user, and have limited blower capability whereby they are primarily used to remove leaves from under shrubs, and are inefficient when it comes to blowing leaves in a long driveway or across a large lawn.
Accordingly, there is a need for a ground leaf blower unit which is capable of clearing large grass areas and driveways, while at the same time having the capability of blowing leaves from confined locations under shrubs and the like. Such a blower should ideally be simple in construction, low cost to manufacture, of sturdy construction and smooth operation, and wheel mounted so that the user does not carry a heavy blower unit during a cleaning operation. These and other objects of the subject invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description.


Radiation image photographing apparatus equipped with radiation source irradiating subject with radiation, detector holding part holding radiation image detector that detects radiation that is emitted from radiation source and is transmitted through subject, subject table that is arranged between the radiation source and detector holding part and holds subject, and with holding device that holds the radiation source, the subject table and the detector holding part so that phase contrast image may be generated, wherein an edge portion of the subject table is protruded toward the opposite side of the holding device beyond the edge portion of the detector holding part.

The present invention is related to a radiation image photographing apparatus, and in particular, to a radiation image photographing apparatus for taking a radiation image for diagnosing deformation of joints.
Heretofore, an examinee has needed to be fixed in the course of taking a radiation image, and, for example, there is known an apparatus to press and fix an abdominal region of an examinee with an air pillow when radiographing a digestive organ which is shown in Patent Document 1. Further, in the case of a breast-radiographing apparatus, a compression board is usually used to fix a subject on a subject table.
As shown in FIG. 13, the breast-radiographing apparatus 50 of this kind is provided with radiation source 51 that irradiates radiation toward subject H, detector holding device 52 that holds a radiation image detector detecting radiation that is emitted from radiation source 51 and is transmitted through subject H, and with subject table 53 that is arranged between the radiation source 51 and the detector holding device 52 to hold the subject H. These constituting structures are provided vertically, so that an examinee may be radiographed while keeping an upright posture.
There is further known a radiation image photographing apparatus to take a phase contrast image for improving sufficiently the contrast of a radiation image to be obtained (for example, see Patent Document 2). When taking a phase contrast image, it is necessary to provide a distance in prescribed quantity between radiation source 51 and a subject and between a subject and a radiation image detector. The phase contrast photographing of this kind is one of magnification techniques.
Now, a rheumatism disease is given as one of diseases appearing on the limbs. The rheumatism disease includes a symptom appearing on a bone region such as osteoporosis and a symptom appearing on a cartilage region such as cartilage destruction. Since these symptoms appear earliest on a cartilage region of the limbs, images obtained through photographing of a cartilage of fingers by MRI have been used for diagnoses. However, the photographing by MRI causes a heavy burden for an examinee from the viewpoint of expenses and time required for diagnoses, resulting in a problem that periodical photographing and observation of changes in a cartilage of fingers are difficult.
Recently, therefore, the inventors of the present invention has suggested a technology which can capture images of cartilage portions which are highly visible through taking phase contrast images by using a X-ray photographing apparatus, even in the case where X-ray absorbing difference is small as in the space between the cartilage region and its periphery. The invention in this case provides a radiation image photographing apparatus that generates highly visible images of a joint region including a cartilage region.
In the radiation image photographing apparatus of the invention, it is possible to radiograph periodically a joint region of fingers of an examinee, and thereby, it is easy to conduct observation diagnoses for presence or absence of aging changes of cartilage of a joint region (for example, wearing-off of a cartilage region or the like), thus, it is possible to subdue disease spreading by early detection of rheumatism diseases and by early medical treatment for patients.
In conventional radiation image photographing apparatus 50, there has been a problem that detector holding device 52 is protruded toward the examinee side from an edge of subject table 53, thereby, a posture to approach the subject table 53 cannot be taken and the arm of the examinee is not stabilized, making it difficult to fix fingers. However, the radiation image photographing apparatus of the present invention makes it possible to solve the aforesaid problem. Therefore, even if an examinee is relatively old in terms of an age, motion artifact of the arm is hardly caused, and it is easy to radiograph without movement of fingers, which does not force a burden on the examinee. Further, even if an extent of opening and the direction of fingers of the examinee are different in each radiographing, an irradiation angle of radiation for the subject can be made constant, thereby, it is possible to detect aging changes by comparison of finger radiographic images, even if the aging changes are slight.
[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection No. 2005-40505
[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication Open to Public Inspection No. 2004-173879


A connector for a coaxial cable includes a connector body and a fastening member for connecting said connector to an object such as an equipment port. A post is fitted at least partially inside the connector body for receiving a prepared end of the cable. A compression member is fitted to a back of the connector body. An elastomeric band is fitted inside a cavity formed at least in part by the compression member. Axial movement of the compression member onto said connector body causes the elastomeric band to seal an outer layer of the cable to the connector to isolate the inside of the connector from environmental influences.

A problem with cable connections exposed to the weather is that the connections are susceptible to moisture entering the connection whenever the cable connector is improperly or inadequately connected to the cable. Many attempts have been made to ensure that cable connections are sealed against moisture etc. from the environment. Many of the attempts require using a connector body made of two or more components in order to contain an adequate seal, thus increasing the complexity of the cable connector.


A filter circuit includes a polyphase filter coupled to a first circuit component and a second circuit component. The first circuit component propagates four input current signals to the polyphase filter. The third and fourth input current signals are substantially one-hundred-eighty degrees out of phase with the first and second input current signals. The polyphase filter receives the input current signals and generates four output current signals that are out of phase with each other. The second circuit component generates first and second output signals using the four output current signals. The first and second output signals are ninety degrees out of phase with each other.

Polyphase filters are commonly used in communication systems for generating quadrature local oscillator (LO) signals from a single LO signal. Prior polyphase filters are driven by a voltage buffer and are characterized by a low impedance input. A drawback to this approach is that the voltage buffers require a significant amount of power in order to drive the polyphase filter linearly. Otherwise, third order distortion may result.

Current driven polyphase filters and method of operation


A system and method of monitoring a patient, that in one embodiment, comprises determining a flow of gas generated by respiration of the patient, identifying a respiratory event entry and a respiratory event exit based on the flow of gas generated by respiration of the patient, and identifying a respiratory event when the identification of the respiratory event entry is followed by the identification of respiratory event exit.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to respiratory treatment systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Patients that suffer from sleep breathing disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), cheyne-stokes respiration, central apneas, or upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), experience respiratory events during sleep. A respiratory event caused by OSA or UARS is usually characterized by a flow limitation in which the patient's upper airway becomes obstructed or restricted. During the respiratory event, the flow limitation causes the flow of gas through the airway to decrease progressively often until a respiratory effort related arousal occurs. The arousal clears the airway and the patient can experience inhalations and expirations that are abnormally large and sharp in relation to the patient's normal breathing flow.
In order to detect these types of respiratory events caused by upper airway restrictions, a signal representative of a rate of the flow of gas in an airway of a patient is typically monitored for changes that represent a flow limitation in the airway of the patient. Conventional methods of monitoring the flow rate to detect a flow limitation include analyzing the signal for a shape and/or pattern that is expected to be symptomatic of a flow limitation within the patient's airway, an absolute measurement of the signal, or relative changes in the flow rate. However, monitoring the flow of gas to the airway of the patient to detect flow limitations may lead to erroneous detections of respiratory events, and some respiratory events may not be detected at all. Consequently, a need exists for monitoring a patient for respiratory events with an enhanced accuracy.

System and method of monitoring respiratory events


Various methods and systems for the parametric control of a process include representing the process with a process model used to generate future predictions of a process variable. In one embodiment, the process exhibits integrating behavior that is represented by a non-integrating process model. In another embodiment, an inverse of the model is filtered using a filter that includes a lead time constant that is selected to minimize a steady state error of the predicted process variable. In yet another embodiment, an array of output model values is revised or reindexed in response to a change in a time-varying parameter related to the process.

In parametric internal model-based control (IMC), a controller may be used to control a process where the controller includes a model of the process. The accuracy of the model drives the performance of the controller. IMC is also known in the art as model predictive control (MPC) or simply as model-based control (MBC). For purposes of this disclosure, the term IMC will be used.
FIG. 1 shows a representation of a control system 10 that includes a model 12 of an integrating process 14 that may be controlled with a controller 16 by a predictive control technique that is represented by an inverted version of the model 12 (realizable model inverse) and an associated filter. Parameters of the model are used to calculate, or predict, a future process variable (PV), and generate a control output (CO) responsive to a given set point. But, as will be explained in greater detail below, modeling the behavior of an integrating process that may have one or more poles at origin leads to computational difficulties.
For any non-zero disturbance (e.g., input disturbance d1 and/or output disturbance d2), the predicted process variable (also known as a controlled variable or CV) will grow without bound due to the integrating nature of the conventional implementation of the model 12 and associated inverted model. The same holds for any non-zero control output CO (also known as a manipulated variable) as the model prediction of the future state of PV also will grow without a bound.
The model output under the forgoing conditions is represented in the graphs of FIGS. 2a and 2b, which share the same scale for the time axis. In FIG. 2a, the control output CO is graphed. As illustrated, a step change to the control output CO is made at a given time. As will be appreciated, the control output CO change is the input value to the process model 12 and the process 14. The predicted process variable that is output by the model 12 is graphed in FIG. 2b.
A dead time D is a measurement of how long the process takes to start to respond to the CO change and may be defined by the amount of time that elapses from the change in control point to when the predicted process variable exceeds a noise threshold defined by a noise band. A time constant (or lag time) may be used as an indicator of how long the process takes to reach steady state after the dead time. For an integrating process, the time constant value may be the amount of time that elapses from the end of the dead time to when the slope of the predicted process variable achieves 63% of the slope of the steady state PV. 95% of the slope of the steady state PV may be achieved after three time constants.
As illustrated, using an integrating process model, the value for the predicted process variable will grow without bound. A maximum slope of the predicted process variable curve (or PV maximum slope) may be determined and the gain (k) may be defined by the PV maximum slope divided by the CO change. The unbounded increase in predicted process variable is not necessarily a design issue for the control system 10, but represents a computational and numerical issue.
Three common solutions exist, but each have drawbacks. The first solution is to convert output disturbances (or modeling errors) to an equivalent input disturbance, such that disturbances and errors that are input to the model are mathematically zeroed in the steady state. The second solution is to reinitialize the state of the predicted process variable from time to time to reduce the occurrence of a numerical overflow. The third solution is to use an internally stable algorithmic internal model control (AIMC) of a two degree of freedom IMC.
While these solutions improve the behavior of the model, they all introduce design and computational complexities. Moreover, for an integrating process, the design of an internal model-based controller is complicated by the introduction of a higher order filter as will be demonstrated below.
With continued reference to FIG. 1, conventional representations of a first order integrating process will now be described. Under these representations, the integrating process 14 may be represented by equation 1A and the model 12 of the process may be represented by equation 2.
                                          G            p                                          (            s            )                          =                              k            s                                          ⅇ                          -              DS                                                          Eq. 1A                                                      G            m                                          (            s            )                          =                                            k              ^                        s                                          ⅇ                                          -                                  D                  ^                                                          S                                                          Eq. 2
The steady state process gain is represented by k in equation 1A and an estimated steady state process gain is represented by {circumflex over (k)} in equation 2. Similarly, D is the process dead time and {circumflex over (D)} is an estimated dead time. In each equation, a Laplace variable is represented by S.
The controller 16 may be represented by equation 3, in which Gm+−1 is an invertible portion of the model 12 (equation 2) and F(s) is a filter that is designed to make the controller represented by Gc(s) realizable. The filter specifies a desired response for the process variable PV (referred to as a desired trajectory of PV).Gc(s)=Gm+−1·F(s)  Eq. 3
A controller computation round-off error is shown in FIG. 1 as d3, which represents a rounding error. While the rounding error may be very small, the rounding error may still lead to a numerical instability issue, as described below.
The system 10 of FIG. 1 may be simplified into the forms illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. If, in FIG. 3, a perfect model 12 is obtained for a first order process 14, Gm(s) will equal Gp(s), and then both Gm(s) and Gp(s) may be represented by equation 1A. If a first order filter F(s) equaling 1/(εs+1) is used, equation 3A results, where ε is a filter time constant.
                              G          c                =                                            G                              m                +                                            -                1                                      ·                          F                                            (                s                )                                              =                      s                          k                                            (                                                      ɛ                                                                                s                                    +                  1                                )                                                                                Eq          .                                                    3                        A
As indicated, Gm+ is the invertible portion of the model and is equal to k/s. In FIG. 4, GIMC may be considered the combination of Gc and Gm and represents an internal model-based controller 16′. GIMC may be expressed as equation 4.
                              G          IMC                =                                            G              c                                      1              -                                                G                  c                                                                  G                  m                                                              =                                                    s                                  k                                                        (                                                                  ɛ                                                                                s                                            +                      1                                        )                                                                              1                -                                                      ⅇ                                          -                      DS                                                                                ɛ                                                                                s                                        +                    1                                                                        =                          s                              k                                                  (                                                            ɛ                                                                                s                                        +                    1                    -                                          ⅇ                                              -                        DS                                                                              )                                                                                Eq        .                                          4
In equation 5A, the process variable PV is expressed using a three term equation that represents a dynamic relationship among the value at the input to the controller 16′ (first term where SP is the set point), the value at the input to the process 14 following introduction of an input disturbance d1 (second term) and the value at the output of the process following introduction of an output disturbance(s) d2 (third term).
                              PV                                (            s            )                          =                                                                              G                  IMC                                                                  G                  p                                                            1                +                                                      G                    IMC                                                                          G                    p                                                                                SP                    +                                                    G                p                                            1                +                                                      G                    IMC                                                                          G                    p                                                                                d              1                                +                                    1                              1                +                                                      G                    IMC                                                                          G                    p                                                                                d              2                                                                    Eq          .                                                    5                        A
The second term of equation 5A corresponds to an input disturbance to the process 14 and it is desirable for this term to be zero at steady state. If the second term is not zero, a steady state error occurs. By applying a step input for the set point (or set point change) an analysis of how PV will behave may be made. One may represent the step input as r, such that SP(s) equals (1/s)r and equation 6 follows from equation 5A.
                                                                        t                                                  →                  lim                                                                  ∞                                                                                PV                                                              (                      t                      )                                                                                =                              s                                                  →                  lim                                                                  0                                                                                G                        IMC                                                                                G                        p                                                                                1                      +                                                                        G                          IMC                                                                                G                          p                                                                                r                                                                                =                              s                                                  →                  lim                                                                  0                                                                                ⅇ                                                  -                          DS                                                                                (                                                                              ɛ                                                                                s                                                    +                          1                          -                                                      ⅇ                                                          -                              DS                                                                                )                                                                                1                      +                                                                        ⅇ                                                      -                            DS                                                                                (                                                                                ɛ                                                                                s                                                        +                            1                            -                                                          ⅇ                                                              -                                DS                                                                                )                                                                                r                                                                                =                                                s                                                        →                    lim                                                                          0                                                                                ⅇ                                                  -                          DS                                                                                ɛ                                                                                s                                                +                        1                        -                                                  ⅇ                                                      -                            DS                                                                          +                                                  ⅇ                                                      -                            DS                                                                                r                                                  =                r                                                                        Eq        .                                          6
It may be observed that for a change in the set point SP variable, there is a direct correlation in the process variable PV attained at steady state. But if a step input disturbance (e.g., d1(s) equaling d1/s) is introduced, a steady state error in PV results as indicated by equation 7.
                                                                        t                                                  →                  lim                                                                  ∞                                                                                PV                                                              (                      t                      )                                                                                =                              s                                                  →                  lim                                                                  0                                                                                G                      p                                                              1                      +                                                                        G                          IMC                                                                                G                          p                                                                                d                    1                                                                                =                              s                                                  →                  lim                                                                  0                                                                                k                                                                                ⅇ                                                      -                            DS                                                                                s                                                              1                      +                                                                        ⅇ                                                      -                            DS                                                                                (                                                                                ɛ                                                                                s                                                        +                            1                            -                                                          ⅇ                                                              -                                DS                                                                                )                                                                                d                    1                                                                                =                              s                                                  →                  lim                                                                  0                                                                                k                                                                    (                                                                              ɛ                                                                                s                                                    +                          1                          -                                                      ⅇ                                                          -                              DS                                                                                )                                                                                s                                                                    (                                                                              ɛ                                                                                s                                                    +                          1                          -                                                      ⅇ                                                          -                              DS                                                                                +                                                      ⅇ                                                          -                              DS                                                                                )                                                                                d                    1                                                                                =                                                s                                                        →                    lim                                                                          0                                                                                k                                                                                ɛ                                                +                                                  kD                                                                                ⅇ                                                          -                              DS                                                                                ɛ                                                                                s                                                +                        1                        +                                                  ɛ                                                                                s                                                                                d                      1                                                                      =                                                                            (                                                                        k                                                                                ɛ                                                +                                                  k                                                                                D                                                                    )                                                                                d                      1                                                        ≠                  0                                                                                Eq        .                                          7
It may further be observed that for a step output disturbance where d2(s) equals d2/s, the third term of equation 5A advantageously goes to zero as demonstrated by equation 8.
                                                                        t                                                  →                  lim                                                                  ∞                                                                                PV                                                              (                      t                      )                                                                                =                              s                                                  →                  lim                                                                  0                                                                                1                                          1                      +                                                                        G                          IMC                                                                                G                          p                                                                                d                    2                                                                                =                                                s                                                        →                    lim                                                                          0                                                                                ɛ                                                                                s                                                +                        1                        -                                                  ⅇ                                                      -                            DS                                                                                ɛ                                                                                s                                                +                        1                        -                                                  ⅇ                                                      -                            DS                                                                          +                                                  ⅇ                                                      -                            DS                                                                                =                0                                                                        Eq        .                                          8
It may be concluded that with a first order filter and a perfect model, the IMC controller 16′ (FIG. 4) will have a steady state error for a step input disturbance. To reduce or eliminate the steady state error for a step input disturbance, a complex filter F(s) may be employed. But such a filter is difficult to implement in an actual controller used to control an actual integrating process. In addition, the model that drives the controller still contains a numerical issue in that the value output by the model will grow without bound due to the exponential component of the integrating model.

Apparatus and method for model-based control