An embodiment of an amplifier circuit comprising a succession of amplification stages having at least a first amplification stage receiving a first signal and a second amplification stage downstream of the first amplification stage; a stage of unity gain capable of receiving the first signal and of providing a second signal corresponding to the low-impedance copy of the first signal; and a third amplification stage having its input connected to the output of the stage of unity gain by a capacitor and having its output connected to the output of the second amplification stage.

An amplifier comprising at least two gain stages is generally formed of an amplifier with an input transconductance followed by one or several transconductance amplifiers. An amplifier comprising at least two gain stages may have the advantage, over a single-stage amplifier, of being able to operate under low voltage while enabling an output dynamic range that can almost reach the supply voltage. A second advantage may be the possibility to obtain a high open-loop gain.
FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of an amplifier 10 with two gain stages comprising an input terminal IN and an output terminal OUT Amplifier 10 comprises a transconductance amplifier TE having a "+" input connected to input terminal IN and a "+" output terminal connected to a node F. A "+" input terminal of a transconductance inverter amplifier TS is connected to node F. The "−" output of amplifier TS is connected to output terminal OUT Call VIN, VF, and VOUT the voltages respectively at terminal IN, at node F, and at terminal OUT To ensure the loop stability, it is necessary to compensate amplifier TS. This is generally done by a so-called Miller compensation, by providing a capacitor CM between the "+" input and the "−" output of amplifier TS. Capacitor CM is generally called a Miller capacitor.
FIG. 2 shows a conventional example of an amplifier 20 with three gain stages. As compared with amplifier 10 of FIG. 1, amplifier 20 comprises an intermediary transconductance amplifier TI arranged between amplifiers TE and TS. More specifically, the "+" output of amplifier TE is connected to the "+" input of amplifier TI and the "+" output of amplifier TI is connected to the "+" input of amplifier TS. To ensure the closed loop stability of amplifier 20, an additional Miller capacitor CM′ is provided between the "+" input of amplifier TI and the "−" output of amplifier TS, in addition to the previously-described Miller capacitor CM. Such an arrangement of capacitors CM and CM′ is generally called a nested Miller structure.
The principle of the Miller compensation may be disclosed by determining in simplified fashion the transfer function of amplifier 10 shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows an equivalent electric diagram of amplifier 10 of FIG. 1. It is desired to determine the phase variation of the transfer function of amplifier 10 at the level of the frequency of unity gain, or cut-off frequency, of amplifier 10. Such a cut-off frequency may conventionally be on the order of 1 GHz. For this purpose, a sufficient approximate of the transfer function of amplifier 10 is obtained by considering that transconductance amplifier TE is equivalent to an ideal transconductance amplifier of voltage-current gain g that charges at node F a capacitor of capacitance CL1, and that amplifier TS is equivalent to an ideal transconductance amplifier of voltage-current gain k1g that charges at terminal OUT a capacitor CL2.
In the Laplace plane, the node equation at node F can be written as follows:−gVINT+(pCL1+pCM)VF−pCMVOUT=0  (1)and the node equation at terminal OUT can be written as:(k1g−pCM)VF−(pCL2+pCM)VOUT=0  (2)
Based on relations (1) and (2), the following transfer function can be obtained:
                              -                                    V              OUT                                      V                              I                                                                                N                                                    =                              1                          p                                                                                C                  M                                g                                              ·                                    1              -                              p                                                                                C                    M                                                                              k                      1                                                            g                                                                                1              +                              p                                                                                C                                                  L                                                                                1                                                                                C                                                  L                                                                                2                                                                                +                                                                  C                                                  L                                                                                1                                                                                C                        M                                                              +                                                                  C                                                  L                                                                                2                                                                                C                        M                                                                                g                                                                                k                      1                                                                                C                      M                                                                                (        3        )
In the absence of a Miller compensation, that is, for a zero CM, relation (3) becomes:
                              -                                    V              OUT                                      V                              I                                                                                N                                                    =                  1                                    p              2                                                                                C                                      L                                                                                1                                                                                C                                      L                                                                                2                                                                                k                  1                                                                  g                  2                                                                                (        4        )
FIG. 4 is a Bode diagram partly showing the asymptotic behavior of gains G1 and G2 of the transfer function of amplifier 10 respectively without and with a Miller compensation and a Bode diagram showing the behavior of phase φ2 of the transfer function of amplifier 10 with a Miller compensation.
The simplified transfer function of amplifier 10 in the absence of a Miller compensation comprises a pole of second order at the origin. Pulse ω1 corresponding to the cut-off frequency of amplifier 10 with no compensation is given by the following relation:
                              ω          1                =                                                            k                1                                      ·            g                                                              C                                  L                                                                                1                                                                          C                                  L                                                                                2                                                                                (        5        )
The phase, not shown, of amplifier 10 with no Miller compensation, is close to −180° at the cut-off frequency (pulse ω1) so that the phase margin is close to 0°.
The simplified transfer function of amplifier 10 with a Miller compensation comprises:                first pole, called the dominant pole, at the origin;        second pole, called non-dominant pole, at pulse ω2 given by the following relation:
                              ω          2                =                              g                                                                                k              1                                                  C              M                                                                          C                                  L                                                                                1                                                                          C                                  L                                                                                2                                                      +                                          C                                  L                                                                                1                                                                          C                M                                      +                                          C                                  L                                                                                2                                                                          C                M                                                                        (        6        )            capacitance CM being selected to reject the pole (pulse ω2) beyond the cut-off frequency (pulse ω4) of amplifier 10 with a Miller compensation; and                zero at pulse ω3 given by the following relation:
                              ω          3                =                                            k              1                                    g                                C            M                                              (        7        )
The zero being located on the right-hand half-axis of the Laplace plane, it introduces a phase drop at the same time as a gain increase. This is a conventional disadvantage of the Miller compensation and modifications of the circuit of FIG. 1 are generally implemented to reject the zero far beyond the amplifier cut-off frequency.
The dominant pole determines the cut-off frequency, corresponding to pulse ω4, of amplifier 10 with a Miller compensation enabling obtaining an appropriate phase margin MP2, for example greater than 60°. Pulse ω4 is given by the following approximate relation:
                              ω          4                ≈                  g                      C            M                                              (        8        )
To obtain a sufficient phase margin MP2, it can be shown that the cut-off frequency (pulse ω4) of amplifier 10 with a Miller compensation is lower than the cut-off frequency (pulse ω1) of amplifier 10 with no Miller compensation.
A disadvantage of the Miller compensation thus may be that a strong decrease in the cut-off frequency (pulse ω4) of the amplifier is thus obtained. Further, the occurrence of a non-linearity due to the significant slew rate of the amplifier which results from the presence of the Miller capacitors may be observed.

Compensation of an amplifier comprising at least two gain stages


An apparatus and a system for delivering a two-tier oxidative therapy to a dental patient. The apparatus is a mouthpiece made of rubber or thermoplastic elastomer that provides a full or partial coverage of the teeth and gums to be treated, firstly with vaporized hydrogen peroxide and later, ozone gas. The design of the mouthpiece encompassing multiple injection tubes also allows all surfaces of all teeth and gums to be treated at the same time, thereby offering a quick, painless and economical procedure to the dental patient.

The "background" description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly or impliedly admitted as prior art against the present invention.
No matter how diligently a person takes care of his or her dental health at home, harmful bacteria growing in the mouth may be removed only by a dental professional. Bacterial infections of gums and teeth lead to a variety of conditions and diseases such as dental plaque, tartar, cavities, gingivitis, tooth decay and periodontitis. Therefore, professional dental care is essential. For example, it is recommended that a person visits a dental professional every six months for at least a checkup and prophylactic teeth cleaning. However, visits to a dental professional are usually less than pleasant. Most visits can even be worrisome, fearful and painful experiences because of procedures like drilling, filling, removal or amputation and reconstruction.
Over the last decade, ozone therapy has been an emerging alternative, atraumatic therapeutic modality in medicine and dentistry. Ozone, which is a tri-atomic oxygen particle (O3), is negatively charged and a natural oxidizing agent. Bad cells in our bodies such as bacteria, viruses and cancer cells typically carry positive charges and no anti-oxidants on their cell membranes, therefore attracting ozone particles that will perforate them and destroy them. In dentistry, a burst of liquefied ozone (ozonated water) or ozone gas is delivered to the teeth and gums in a treatment procedure that usually lasts no longer than 30 minutes.
Ozone can be used to help treat periodontal diseases by using ozonated water flushed below the gum line and or/or ozone gas infiltrated into the gum tissues and supporting tissues. Ozone is also used in both liquefied and gaseous forms during root canal treatment to kill bacteria, sterilize the canal system and to stimulate healing. As a gas, ozone can get to places on the oral cavity that liquids cannot access. This is because gas can permeate the tiny tubules that cannot otherwise be accessed, thereby providing a truly sterile, bacteria-free root canal system before sealing the canals.
Ozone can also be used to kill decay-causing bacteria. Since ozone is a gas, it can permeate into areas below the gum line, into the grooves of teeth and over the smooth surfaces of the teeth and will kill bacteria upon contact. If the decayed area or cavity is not too deep, then no restoration may be needed at all. If the area of decay is deeply cavitated and the bacteria is killed, then filling can be placed often times with no need for numbing. As ozone acts to recalcify tooth structure, areas of the tooth that have been treated with ozone are stronger than what was there before.
Additionally, for the same reason that ozone can harden compromised tooth structure, flooding a sensitive area or tooth with ozone gas can effectively eliminate sensitivity issues.
In contrast with traditional anti-bacterial treatments such as antibiotics and disinfectants, ozone therapy is relatively economical. Ozone is created by simply passing medical-grade pure oxygen through a corona discharge or ultraviolet generator.
Contraindications to ozone therapy are few and they include pregnancy, hyperthyroidism, severe anemia, severe myasthenia and active hemorrhage. Ozone allergy is very rare as it is high improbable that a person should be allergic to oxygen.
Yet, there exist some concerns about the safety of ozone therapy, especially inhalation of ozone and subsequently, blood ozonation. It is well established that due to its strong oxidizing properties, ozone, when inhaled, reacts with compounds in tissue linings of the lungs and triggers a cascade of pathological effects.
Accordingly, a need remains for devices, apparatuses and systems that provide ozone therapy to dental patients that is not only minimally invasive, but also has parameters such as therapeutic concentrations of ozone and modes of administration that are safe and well-defined.

Apparatus and system for oxidative therapy in dentistry


A system and method for remotely monitoring the status of a hydrogen vehicle includes a data acquisition/communication module configured to receive a plurality of signals representing one or more status conditions associated with the vehicle. The data acquisition/communication module is further configured to report one or more of the status conditions to a computer remote from the vehicle. The system is further configured to receive one or more signals from the remote computer in response to the reported status condition wherein the received signal represents an action to be taken in response to the one or more status conditions. The data acquisition/communication module is also configured to initiate the action to be taken. A computer remote from the vehicle is configured to monitor the one or more status conditions reported by the data acquisition/communication module and determine if an action must be taken.

Alternative fuel vehicles have experienced significant attention in view of the increased demand and short supply of natural resources conventionally used to power vehicles, imbalanced distribution of resource supplies relative to distribution of resource consumptions, and concern over emissions of carbon dioxide which result from the burning of fossil fuels. Particularly, hydrogen has been utilized as an alternative fuel source for vehicles. However, hydrogen fueled vehicles require diligent monitoring as a result of government regulations and hydrogen properties. As increased numbers of hydrogen fueled vehicles are placed in operation, it is likely regulations will be expanded that restrict or otherwise govern their use. Also, building codes and other standards will likely be modified to accommodate hydrogen fueled vehicles in public and residential areas. As a result, it is important for an operator of a hydrogen vehicle to be aware of possible regulatory violations and/or vehicle operating parameters. Thus, there exists a need for a system that can perform remote diagnostic and prognostic analyses of hydrogen powered vehicles.

Computer system and method for monitoring hydrogen vehicles


The present disclosure provides systems and method for medical ice slurry production. In particular, systems and methods are provided for medical ice slurry production that enable an end user to produce and deliver a sterile medical ice slurry at the point of care.

The disclosure relates generally to ice slurries for medical use and, more specifically, to systems and methods for medical ice slurry production and withdrawal or injection.
Ice slurries used in medical applications typically comprise a partially frozen saline solution. Medical ice slurries are used in surgical applications to induce therapeutic hypothermia and slow organ and tissue metabolic rates thereby protecting a patient's organs during a surgical procedure. Medical ice slurries are also injected into a patient for selective or non-selective cryotherapy and/or cryolysis.

Medical ice slurry production and delivery systems and methods


A Q-Filter is a reconfigurable technique that performs a continuum of linear and nonlinear filtering operations. It is modeled by unique mathematical structure, utilizing a function called the Q-Measure, defined using a set of adjustable kernel parameters to enable efficient hardware and software implementations of a variety of useful, new and conventional, filtering operations. The Q-Measure is is based on an extension of the well-known Sugeno λ-Measure.

Digital filtering is essential to most signal processing and image understanding applications. There are several existing techniques including linear operators such as average filters and weighted average filters, and nonlinear operators such as median filters, weighted median filters, morphological filters and stack filters. In practice, the difficulty of signal filtering is not only due to the fact that there are several filtering methods, algorithms, and parameter settings, but also the complexity of discovering the most appropriate sequence of these existing filters. It would be beneficial if a computationally efficient signal processing technique can be realized that can represent several conventional linear and nonlinear filters by adjusting a set of parameters. Such a filtering technique would allow for the elimination of expensive sequences of conventional filtering operations. Moreover, from a hardware point of view, it is desired to have a unique architecture that can be used to accelerate the execution of different filters. Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus for filtering a signal that is computationally efficient, and allows for the elimination of expensive sequences of conventional filtering operations.

Method and apparatus for digital signal filtering


A driving device for a rotational photoreceptor drum for use in an image forming machine, in which a rotational drive from a motor is supplied through a gear train to the axial shaft of the drum. The shaft is connected to the drum only at the side farthest from the gear train. An inertia member is provided within the drum. A rotational member having a rotational resistance is brought in contact with a non-image region of the drum.

The present invention relates to an image forming output apparatus such as a digital color copying apparatus, a digital color printer, and the like to which an electrophotographic process is applied.
In a copying apparatus or printer to which an electrophotographic process is applied, an image is formed in the following manner: a rotating cylindrical photoreceptor or a belt-shaped photoreceptor is rotated and electrostatic latent images are formed thereon successively; black toner and other color toners, in the case of color image formation, are adhered to the electrostatic latent images formed as described above for development; and they are transferred onto a recording sheet, thus, the image is obtained. In this specification, the photoreceptor drum in the image output apparatus and a driving roller for the belt-shaped photoreceptor are referred to as a rotational body. When the rotational speed of the photoreceptor drum is varied for some reasons, jittering or an uneven image is caused in the outputted image. These phenomena have remarkably appeared especially in the digital system electrophotographic technology employing scanning by means of a semiconductor laser for writing images on a photoreceptor. Fluctuation in rotational speed of the photoreceptor has caused speed fluctuation of a writing system in the subsidiary scanning direction to create a slight variation in the distance between writing lines, contributing to the remarkable deteriorations of the image quality.
Conventionally, when designing the driving system for use in a copying apparatus or a printer, the main consideration is that the objects driven by the driving device are appropriately located in the allowable space, while satisfying the values of the line speed or number of revolutions introduced from the product specification. That is, the following are main concerns: the method by which the driving power is transmitted from a driving power source to a driven object; and mechanical elements for power transmission. Accordingly, when jittering and rotational fluctuation are caused in the product, the cause is investigated, and one or more of the following countermeasures are considered: a bearing of a drive shaft of the photoreceptor is replaced with one made of sintered metal; a flywheel is connected with the drive shaft of the photoreceptor; a brake, in which a spring is combined with a friction material, is provided on the rotary shaft of the photoreceptor drum; the accuracy of a gear is enhanced; or a helical gear with various kinds of torsion angles is provided.
However, in the development of a digital type image output apparatus, strict reproducibility of a one dot line written by a laser beam is required with an improvement of the apparatus performance, and accuracy required on the driving system has rapidly become strict. The accuracy required is a level at which the uniformity of laser writing in the subsidiary scanning direction is assured in relation to the visible sensitivity of the visual system. In order to accomplish this accuracy, it is mostly necessary to make the photoreceptor driving system highly accurate. The main factor of the rotational fluctuation of the driving system is the following: the rotational fluctuation per one rotation of the rotating shaft of a motor is large, and absolute values of fluctuation components per one rotation of a gear and per one tooth of a gear are large; and fluctuation components and their higher harmonic wave components cause a resonance phenomenon in relation to the proper oscillation frequency of the driving system.
FIG. 14 shows the power spectrum of speed fluctuation of conventional apparatuses. In FIG. 14, fluctuation components of a gear according to the line speed proper to the apparatus are 176 Hz in the case of a gear directly coupled to the motor, 64 Hz in the case of a second shaft, and 25 Hz in the case of a gear directly coupled to a drum, and in this case, a higher harmonic wave component of 50 Hz is shown. Further, a component of a rotation of the gear directly coupled to the motor is 22 Hz, and its higher harmonic wave component of 44 Hz is shown in the drawing.
FIG. 15 shows an example in which a transfer function for obtaining numerically the proper oscillation frequency of the driving system was measured. In this case, the measurement was conducted in the following way: an output of an impact excitation hammer, and an output of a piezoelectric type pickup sensor, provided to one end of a photoreceptor drum in order to measure the fluctuation of the acceleration in the rotation direction, were connected with a dual channel type FFT analyzer; and a Fourier spectrum ratio was obtained. From FIG. 15, the following can be found: a peak of the proper oscillation frequency is near 45 Hz; and high level areas of the transfer function are spread to cover the range of 30 to 60 Hz.
FIG. 16 shows superimposition of the fluctuation component spectrum and the transfer function. In the driving system, it can be found from the drawing that a peak of the transfer function and the position of a frequency area, to which the fluctuation component and its second harmonics belong, are overlapped. That is, it is found that the driving system amplifies the fluctuation components (resonance is caused).
Actually, when measurement data from three apparatuses each having the present driving systems were investigated, the fluctuation of rotation of the photoreceptor showed values of 5 to 8%.
In order to solve the foregoing problems, in the present invention, decrease of the speed fluctuation of a motor and a gear was taken as a an assumption. Further, in addition to that, a driving device for a rotational body was constituted as follows, with the transmission of the fluctuation component in the driving power transmission system, and the concept of the transfer function, resonance and proper oscillation frequency as well as a method to reduce the transmitted fluctuation, all taken into consideration.
At first, in order to prevent the resonance of the driving system for the rotational body, matching of the proper oscillation frequency of the driving system with the frequency of the fluctuation component transmitted to the driving system was avoided. Generally, the proper oscillation frequency .omega. is expressed by the following equation. ##EQU1##
In the equation, K indicates the torsional rigidity of the driving system, and I indicates its moment of inertia. In order to prevent the resonance, the value of .omega. can be changed by changing the value of K or I. In order to prevent the resonance, the value of .omega. may either be larger or smaller with respect to the fluctuation component of the driving system. In order to make the value of .omega. larger, the value of K is increased or the value of I is decreased. On the other hand, in order to make the value of .omega. smaller, the value of I is increased or the value of K is decreased.
With respect to the driving system having data shown in FIG. 14, FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 show the power spectrum of the rotational fluctuation and the actually measured value of the transfer function of the driving system in the case where the proper oscillation frequency is changed to a larger value and a smaller value by changing the structure of the driving system, wherein data are overlapped in the same manner as that in FIG. 16. FIG. 19 shows the comparison of peak values of the transfer function of the foregoing three driving systems. In FIG. 17, when the structure of the driving system is changed for decreasing the rigidity, the value of K, which is the torsional rigidity of the driving system, is decreased. When the data shown in FIGS. 17, 18 and 19 are compared with each other, the transfer function is decreased together with a change of the number of the proper oscillation in the case where the structure is changed in order to reduce the torsional rigidity K of the driving system so that the proper oscillation frequency is changed to a lower frequency side, wherein the proper oscillation frequency is changed in order to prevent the resonance. It is considered that the foregoing effect can be obtained in the following manner: when the structure is changed in order to change the proper oscillation frequency, the attenuation coefficient is increased due to the change to the flexible structure; and the structure is changed so that the rotational fluctuation is absorbed in the driving system itself. From above effects, the following is found: when the structure is changed in order to reduce the torsional rigidity K of the driving system in the case where the proper oscillation frequency is changed in order to prevent the resonance, the value of transfer gain of the fluctuation of the rotational speed is changed; and this is advantageous and effective in that the fluctuation of the speed of the driving system is decreased. On the other hand, when the structure is changed in order to reduce the rigidity K, the fluctuation of the speed is hardly absorbed in the case where force is instantaneously applied when a cleaning blade or the like, for example, is brought into contact with a member of the system, so that the above influence remains on the image for a long period of time.
In an image output apparatuses, especially in digital type image output apparatuses in which an image writing operation onto the photoreceptor is conducted by a laser beam, an image with high quality can not be obtained when the rotational body is not rotated constantly at a predetermined speed. When the rotational speed is changed, distance between scanning lines of the laser beam is different at each position, so that ununiform image density is generated. Further, in the case of a color image, colors, generally yellow, magenta, cyan, and black toners are superimposed, and therefore the color toner balance is lost and the color reproducibility is lowered.
However, when the impulsive force is applied to the rotational body of an image output apparatus, for example, a cleaning blade, which is used for wiping-off toners adhering to the photoreceptor surface, is sometimes brought into contact with the photoreceptor surface, upon which the periodical fluctuation of the rotational speed of the rotational body is generated. Further, the speed fluctuation remains for a long period of time, a long period of time is necessary for eliminating the speed fluctuation, and the image is largely disturbed during the time, which is a problem.

Driving device of rotational body for use in image forming apparatus


The present invention discloses methods and systems for providing secure user access to services offered by a service provider to a client application over a network. One embodiment includes receiving an application cookie from the client application and populating a service cookie based on information in the application cookie. Information in the service cookie is utilized as a basis for regulating a provision of services to the client application.

The present invention generally pertains to systems and methods for accessing a hosted service over a network. More specifically, the present invention deals with methods for providing secure access to a hosted service via a client application.
The functionality of certain software applications can be extended through services offered through a network such as the Internet. Communication with the provider of services should be secure in order to protect the interests of both the host of the application and the service provider.
Retail management systems are a specific area where securing communication with a remote service provider is challenging. In order to achieve some degree of automation, retail businesses often implement a specialized software application. Many of these applications are point-of-sale solutions that enable at least partial automation of any of a number of processes such as customer tracking and inventory management. One example of such a software application is Microsoft Retail Management System (MRMS) provided by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash. Other examples of such software applications include back office systems, store room and shipping applications, MRMS Headquarters and warehouse management software.
It is common for retail management software applications to be installed on multiple computers (e.g., connected by a Local Access Network) that operate in conjunction with a central database. In some instances, extended functionality is available to the retail application in the form of remote services delivered by a service provider through the Internet. Such extended functionality may include, by way of example, payment card processing, integration with e-commerce web hosting or merchandising services. These and other services may be provided for free or based on a payment scheme involving, for example, subscription or per access based charges such as billing per transaction and metered billing (e.g. based on disk usage, quality/speed/level of service).
User access is an important area of consideration for many of the described and other remote service systems. For example, distributing appropriate access rights to different users in some customized manner (e.g., different employees or employee roles are assigned different access rights) is often a desirable capability.
Some hosted web services are only designed to support a single user login account per application account. This can be impractical in many environments, such as a retail sales environment wherein there is often a high turnover in staff and a need to provide access to multiple users (e.g. more than one person doing shipping of product sold on-line, different users on separate shifts, more than one person needed to update e-commerce website product listings). Furthermore, it is conceivable for a software application to provide its own user authentication system that eliminates the necessity of user authentication with a hosted service. It is desirable to provide "seamless" integration of an application and a hosted web service without requiring unnecessary log-in steps and password transactions. For example, it is undesirable to maintain and update separate employee user accounts for an on-line service.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Methods and systems for providing secure access to a hosted service via a client application


The invention refers to a heat exchanger plate (4) for a plate heat exchanger (1), a plate package (3) and a plate exchanger (1). The plate (4) includes at least a first area (31) with a corrugation of ridges and valleys, the plurality of which extends in a first direction (A), and at least a second area (32) with a corrugation of ridges and valleys, the plurality of which extends in a second direction (B). The plate (4) has a central rotary axis extending in parallel with a normal line of the plate. The areas (31, 32) have a respective contour coinciding with a respective imaginary contour in a first rotary position of the plate with regard to the rotary axis and after a rotation 90° to a second rotary position of the plate with regard to the rotary axis.

The present invention refers to a heat exchanger plate for a plate heat exchanger, wherein the plate includes at least a first area with a corrugation of ridges and valleys, the plurality of which extends in a first direction, wherein the plate has a central rotary axis which extends in parallel with a normal line of the plate. The invention also refers to a plate package for a plate heat exchanger, and a plate heat exchanger.
Such heat exchanger plates for rotation a quarter of a round are known from EP-A-165 179. The plates have a substantially square shape and form a plate package where the inlets and the outlets extend through the sides of the plate package, i. e. the heat exchanger media flow into and out of the plate package in a direction which is substantially parallel to the main extension plane of the plates. Each plate has four side edges, wherein two opposite side edges are folded downwardly and the two other opposite side edges are folded upwardly. Every second plate is rotated 90° in the plate package, wherein the downwardly folded side edges of a plate abut the upwardly folded side edges of an adjacent plate, wherein these side edges are connected to each other by means of a weld joint. In each corner of each plate a tab is formed, which extends along a diagonal direction and in a plane that is substantially perpendicular to the extension plane of the plates.
The plates disclosed in EP-A-165 179 have an active heat exchanging surface with a corrugation of ridges and valleys, which extend in a diagonal direction that is inclined 45° to the side edges of the plates. Due to reasons of the manufacturing technology, a corrugation may not extend to the side edges but there has to be an edge area in order to enable, for instance, bending of the edge. The edge area may in principle be only a substantially line-shaped bending area but preferably the edge area has a substantially plane surface that has a width of 10–15 mm. By such a corrugation the plate becomes very rigid with regard to the shape in the diagonal direction, in which the ridges and the valleys extend, but is significantly less rigid transversely to the corrugation.
The plates are manufactured by compression moulding and when the plates are compressed for the shaping of the pattern, the material is extended transversally to the corrugation. When the press tool then is open and the plate is released, a certain backspring is obtained due to the elasticity of the material. Since the main backspring occurs in the direction in which the plate has the lowest shape rigidity the deformation becomes relatively large. The original square plate thus obtains after the compression moulding a rhombic shape. Such a rhombic shape leads to poor pattern fitting of the adjacent plates in the complete plate package, which in turn leads to lower pressure strength of the plate package.

Heat exchanger plate, a plate pack and a plate heat exchanger


An image reading apparatus applicable to, for example, an electronic copier or a facsimile transceiver for reading an image by use of CCDs or similar reading elements. A circuit included in the apparatus and not having a time constant is driven at the same time as the start of an image reading operation, while a circuit having a time constant is driven earlier by taking account of the time constant. The apparatus, therefore, reduces electromagnetic interference and saves power while eliminating defective image signals.

The present invention relates to an image reading apparatus of the type using CCDs (Charge Coupled Devices) or similar reading elements and, more particularly, to an image reading apparatus desirably applicable to an electronic copier, facsimile transceiver or similar image recording apparatus.
Generally, an image reading apparatus reads an image carried on, for example, an original document by CCDs or similar reading elements via optics while moving the document and the reading elements relative to each other. The reading elements photoelectrically convert the image to produce an image signal. The image signal is written to a storage as image data, displayed on a display, and/or transferred to a printer to be printed out on a recording medium. A controller has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a clock generating circuit or a timing generating circuit which generates a clock signal for clocking the reading elements. The problem with a conventional image reading apparatus is that once the power source of the apparatus is turned on, all the circuits including the CCDs are rendered operative, i.e., they are constantly driven even when actual image reading operations are not needed. The CCDs therefore remain in a stand-by state over a longer period of time than in an image reading state, not only aggravating power consumption but also accelerating temperature elevation inside the apparatus.
An image reading apparatus elaborated to eliminate the above problem is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 213082/1989. Specifically, the apparatus disclosed in this Patent Application has a timing generating circuit for feeding clock signals such as a transfer clock and a shift clock to CCDs or similar image reading elements, a gate for selectively interrupting the delivery of the clock signals from the timing generating circuit to the CCDs, and a controller for enabling the gate in the event of image reading. This kind of implementation, however, brings about another problem since some components of a processing circuit included in the apparatus have particular time constants. Specifically, if a timing signal is fed to such a processing circuit simultaneously with the start of an image reading operation, the processing circuit has to process an image signal before it fully starts up, rendering the image signal defective. For example, it takes about several hundred milliseconds for CCDs to fully start up. Hence, should CCDs be driven simultaneously with the start of image reading, several hundred lines of data would be outputted in an unstable condition. On the other hand, regarding circuit components without any time constant, it is preferable to delay the generation of a timing signal from the electromagnetic interference and power consumption standpoint.


Provided is a phase mixer that compensates for frequency variations and process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations, and automatically controls slew rates of input signals according to frequency variations and PVT variations. The phase mixer includes: a mixer, which receives two signals having different phases via input terminals and interpolates the two signals; a frequency detector, which detects frequency variations of an input signal; an integrator, which converts an output signal output from the frequency detector into a DC voltage; and two variable capacitors, which are connected to input terminals of the mixer and have variable capacitances that change in response to the DC voltage. The frequency detector, which is a pulse generator, includes an inversion/delay unit, which inverts and delays the input signal and a NAND gate, which performs a NAND operation on the input signal and a signal output from the inversion/delay unit. Each of the variable capacitors includes a transistor, which has a drain connected to one of the input terminals of the mixer and a gate to which the DC voltage is supplied, and a capacitor, which has a first terminal connected to a source of the transistor and a second terminal connected to a voltage source.

This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 2003-54349, filed on Aug. 6, 2003, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit, and more particularly, to a phase mixer and a control method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
As electronic devices operate at higher speeds, faster central processing units (CPUs), faster memory devices, and faster peripheral devices are needed. Phase locked loop (PLL) circuits or delay locked loop (DLL) circuits are commonly used in semiconductor integrated to generate an internal clock signal in synchronization with an external clock signal.
The PLL or DLL circuit measures a phase difference between the internal clock signal generated by the PLL or DLL circuit and the external clock signal and shifts the phase of the internal clock signal so as to reduce the phase difference. When shifting the phase of the internal clock signal, several reference signals are generated . The two reference signals that most closely coincide with the external clock signal are selected, and an internal clock signal having the same phase as the external clock signal is generated by interpolating the selected reference signals.
During interpolation, a weighted average of the selected reference signals is calculated by weighing each of the selected reference signals by a predetermined percentage in a phase mixer of the PLL circuit or the DLL circuit. The phase mixer is also called a phase blender. A conventional phase mixer is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 2002/0140491.
A high quality PLL circuit or DLL circuit has a wide frequency range and can track an external clock signal despite process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations. However, when a phase mixer performs interpolation, a shouldering effect (described later) is generated due to frequency variation and PVT variation, and jitter can be generated. To prevent this phenomenon, slew rates of signals input to the phase mixer, that is, the selected reference signals, must be controlled according to frequency variation and PVT variation of the selected reference signals.
FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating a first method by which a conventional phase mixer generates a third signal 103 by interpolating first and second signals 101 and 102 having different phases. FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating a second method by which a conventional phase mixer generates a third signal 203 by interpolating first and second signals 201 and 202 having different phases. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the third signals 103 and 203 are obtained by averaging the first signals 101 and 201 and the second signals 102 and 202 after weighing each of the first signals 101 and 201 and the second signals 102 and 202 by 0.5.
With reference to FIG. 1, when the rise time and the fall time of the first signal 101 and the second signal 102 occupy a relatively large percentage of the respective periods of the first and second signals 101 and 102, frequencies of the first and second signals 101 and 102 are high, and PVT variations are high. An interpolated output signal, that is, the third signal 103, is a signal averaging the first signal 101 and the second signal 102. PVT variations can occur due to a number of factors including bad transistor characteristics, a minimal power source, and high ambient temperature.
With reference to FIG. 2, when the rise time and the fall time of the first signal 201 and the second signal 202 occupy a relatively small percentage of the respective periods of the first and second signals 201 and 202, frequencies of the first and second signals 201 and 202 are low, and the PVT variations are low. During a period when the first signal 201 is at a logic high and the second signal 202 is at a logic low, distortion exists in the interpolated output signal, that is, the third signal 203. This phenomenon is known as the shouldering effect. The PVT variations are small because process parameters make good transistor characteristics, a maximal power source, and low ambient temperature.
Therefore, conventionally, to prevent an interpolation output signal from being distorted, slew rates of input signals of a phase mixer are controlled by connecting a capacitor with a predetermined capacity to an input terminal of the phase mixer for a specific frequency or under a specific PVT condition. However, while such method may be effective for a specific case, it may not work well for a broader range of frequencies or other PVT conditions.
A need therefore exists for a phase mixer that is insensitive to frequency variations and PVT variations, and capable of automatically controlling slew rates of input signals in view of frequency variations and PVT variations.

Phase mixer that compensates for frequency variations and PVT variations and a control method thereof


A method of treating oil sludge and an apparatus for carrying out same, whereby oil of good quality and inorganic harmless slag can be easily obtained. The method includes agitating oil sludge in an electrolytic tank so as to liquefy same, extracting waste fluid from the liquefied oil sludge, separating solid material from the liquefied oil sludge with a centrifugal separator, extracting waste fluid including the solid material, transporting the liquefied oil sludge to a precipitation tank, extracting waste fluid which is separated and precipitated in the precipitation tank, applying low frequency oscillation to the oil sludge in fluid supply tubes between the electrolytic tank, centrifugal separator and precipitation tank so as to increase oxygen content, extracting oil from an upper portion of the precipitation tank, and incinerating the extracted waste fluid. The apparatus includes an agitator disposed inside an electrolytic tank, a first fluid supply tube connecting the electrolytic tank and a centrifugal separator, a second fluid supply tube connecting the centrifugal separator and a precipitation tank, an oil supply tube connecting the precipitation tank and the oil tank, coils disposed on the first and second fluid supply tubes for applying a low frequency/low voltage/low current signal, and extracting tubes respectively connected between the electrolytic tank, the centrifugal separator and the precipitation tank for extracting waste fluid.

1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention relates to a method of treating oil sludge and an apparatus for carrying out the same for obtaining oil and inorganic sludge from an oil extracting site or oil sludge accumulated in bottom of oil carriage vessel.
2. Prior Art:
Oil sludge at the oil extracting site or that accumulated in the bottom of oil carriage vessel is in a very strong sticky state where water, sand and other solid materials are mixed with oil. Accordingly, water is added beforehand to or mixed with oil sludge so as to liquefy oil sludge so as to extract oil from sludge, and separate water, sand and other solid materials from sludge, so that the liquefied oil sludge is separated into oil and other materials by a separator.
In the conventional method of treating oil sludge, since sticking force between oil and water, sand and other solid materials is too strong to uniformly mix added water with sludge so that sufficiently liquefied sludge cannot be obtained, and oil is not sufficiently separated by the separator, which prevents this method from being in practical use.

809-2, Higashiirushuzei-cho Sagaru Nijyo Senbondori, Kamigyo-ku


A method for fabricating a solder pad structure. A circuit board having thereon at least one copper pad is provided. A solder resist is formed on the circuit board and covers the copper pad. A solder resist opening, which exposes a portion of the copper pad, is formed in the solder resist by laser. The laser also creates a laser activated layer on sidewalls of the solder resist opening. A chemical copper layer is then grown from the exposed copper pad and concurrently from the laser activated layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the fabrication of circuit boards. More particularly, the present invention relates to a solder pad structure for printed circuit boards and fabrication method thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rapid changes in the semiconductor industry will continue toward higher functionality that leads to higher I/O counts, pushing packaging towards new, smaller, and higher density architectures. The semiconductor industry has developed features of 30 nm for high performance microprocessors. However, the feature size that the packaging industry can produce is about 15˜20 μm. A huge technical gap exists between semiconductor and packaging. In order to keep pace with semiconductor process development, a process for finer pitch wiring substrate is necessary.
FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 demonstrate a conventional solder resist process and the solder paste printing process after the solder resist process. As shown in FIG. 1, a surface wiring structure 1a is formed on a surface of the circuit board 1. The surface wiring structure 1a includes a plurality of solder pad structures 2 and fine trace 3. For the sake of simplicity, the conductive via holes or other inner layer interconnection are not shown in the figures.
As shown in FIG. 2, after the formation of the surface wiring structure 1a, a solder resist layer 4 is formed to cover the surface of the circuit board 1. Typically, the solder resist layer 4 is composed of photo-sensitive polymers or inks, and the solder resist layer 4 may be liquid type or solid film type. It is well known that the solder resist layer 4 is used to protect the circuit wires that are not covered with tin and prevent solder from bridging between conductive traces, thereby preventing short circuits.
As shown in FIG. 3, after coating the solder resist layer 4, a conventional photolithographic process including exposure and development is carried out to form a plurality of solder resist openings 4a in the solder resist layer 4. Each of the solder resist openings 4a exposes a portion of each of the underlying solder pad structures 2.
As shown in FIG. 4, prior to the formation of electroless nickel/immersion gold (ENIG), a chemical micro-etching and cleaning process is performed to remove the oxide residuals formed on the exposed surface of the solder pad structures 2 from the solder resist openings 4a. However, this cleaning process results in undercut defects 4b at the bottom of the solder resist openings 4a.
Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, a conventional electroless nickel/immersion gold (ENIG) process is carried out to form an ENIG surface finish layer 5 having a thickness of about 0.5-1.5 micrometers on the exposed top surface of the solder pad structures 2 within the solder resist openings 4a. A conventional solder paste printing process is then performed to fill the solder resist openings 4a with solder paste 6. Thereafter, the circuit board 1 is subjected to reflow and pressing processes.
However, the above-described prior art method has several drawbacks. First, the yield of the solder paste printing process reduces as the pitch between the solder pad structures 2 on the flip-chip side of the circuit board becomes smaller and smaller. Second, the adhesion of solder paste 6 to the solder resist layer 4 is poor. Third, the undercut defects 4b formed during the chemical micro-etching and cleaning process create high stress points in the subsequent processes leading to reliability problems of the circuit board. In light of the above, there is a strong need in this industry to provide an improved method for fabricating a circuit board that is capable of solving the shortcomings and problems of the prior art.

Method of fabricating a solder pad structure


An adaptive threshold logic circuit is provided in which the switching threshold levels of the logic circuit are automatically changed to accommodate variations in the level of applied data signals to the switching circuit. A detector stage detects the voltage level of the incoming data signals and selectively adjusts the threshold level of a threshold adaptor stage in accordance with the output of the detector stage. The threshold adaptor stage is essentially an adaptive CMOS inverter having various switching paths turned on or off in accordance with the output of the detector stage.

The present invention relates to a logic circuit which is capable of adjusting a switching threshold in accordance with the voltage level of applied input logic signals.
Digital logic circuits are sometimes arranged such that a first logic circuit operates with one supply voltage, e.g., 3.3 volts, while another circuit supplying input logic signals to the first logic circuit operates with a different supply voltage, e.g., 1.8 volts. In such a case, the logic signals supplied to the first logic circuit are incompatible with the switching threshold of the first logic circuit, which is set for applied input signals of 3.3 volts, causing erroneous and undesired switching operations.
A simple way of adjusting a switching threshold of a logic circuit to handle input logic signals of different voltage levels is needed.
The present invention provides a simple way of adjusting the switching threshold of a logic circuit in accordance with the signal level of input logic signals which are applied to it.
The invention provides a logic circuit with a voltage level detector stage which detects the supply voltage of a circuit supplying applied input signals, and an adaptive threshold stage which, in response to the output of the detector stage, selects a switching threshold level for switching operations in response to the applied logic input signals.
The adaptive threshold stage may be formed as a CMOS inverter circuit in which certain transistors are turned on or off in response to the output of the detector stage to thereby alter the inverter switching threshold.
These and other features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly seen from the following description of the invention which is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.


An isolated peptide useful as a selective antagonist of mammalian R-cadherin comprises 3 to 30 amino acid residues, three contiguous residues of the peptide having the amino acid sequence Ile-Xaa-Ser; wherein Xaa is an amino acid residue selected from the group consisting of Asp, Asn, Glu, and Gln. Preferably Xaa is Asp or Asn. In one preferred embodiment the peptide is a cyclic peptide having 3 to 10 amino acid residues arranged in a ring. The selective R-cadherin antagonist peptides of the invention are useful for inhibiting the targeting of stem cells, such as endothelial precursor cells, to developing vasculature, for inhibiting R-cadherin mediated cellular adhesion, and for inhibiting retinal angiogenesis.

The cadherin family of molecules consists of transmembrane glycoproteins that function in calcium dependent, selective cell-cell interactions. These molecules play important roles during embryonic development and tissue morphogenesis by mediating cell recognition and cell sorting. Subfamilies of cadherins (classic cadherins, protocadherins, desmocollins, and other cadherin-related proteins) are characterized by variable numbers of extracellular cadherin domains, a single transmembrane segment, and a single cytoplasmic domain. The so-called classic cadherins (i.e., E, P, N, and R-cadherin) reportedly have five tandemly repeated extracellular cadherin domains (EC1-EC5) that engage in preferentially homophillic interactions, and a highly conserved cytoplasmic tail that mediates adhesion specific intracellular signaling.
Cadherin mediated cell-cell adhesions occur as multiple cadherin molecules expressed on adjacent cells interact, leading to the formation of adherens junctions. According to the cadherin zipper model proposed by Shapiro et al. Nature 1995; 374(6520):327-37, cadherin molecules within the membrane of the same cell form tight parallel-strand dimers (i.e., so-called cis-dimers). As illustrated in FIG. 1, these cis-dimers then bind to cadherin dimers expressed on adjacent cells (i.e., trans-dimerization). Once a sufficient interaction is sustained, cadherin clustering can occur as more cadherin molecules are recruited to the site, leading to interdigitation of molecules from the two-cell surfaces. In this manner, relatively weak interactions can combine to form fairly strong cell-cell adhesions.
Upon initial cadherin adhesion, intracellular signals, transmitted through interactions of the cytoplasmic cadherin tails with α and β catenin molecules, lead to reorganization of the cytoskeleton. Although the association with actin filaments is not thought to affect homophillic binding, their association helps hold the cadherin molecules at the sites of interaction. In a symbiotic-type of relationship, cadherin clustering causes reorganization of the cytoskeleton and provides points of attachment at the membrane, which are important for cellular changes that occur upon the formation of adherens junctions. Meanwhile, association with the cytoskeleton holds cadherins at the sites of interaction and helps recruit new cadherin molecules, thus mediating cadherin clustering. Calcium plays an important role as a cofactor during cadherin clustering. Cadherin function is lost and molecules become more susceptible to protease degradation in solutions with insufficient concentrations of calcium ions (i.e., below about 2 mM). This is due to the requirement of calcium to stabilize the structure of cadherin molecules and provide proper orientation of adjacent cadherin interfaces.
Although it is reported that each of the five extracellular classical cadherin domains EC1 through EC5 plays an important role in mediating cadherin dimerization, mutational analysis has suggested that the majority of residues that form the dimerization interface are found within the N-terminal most cadherin domain (EC1) (Kitagawa, et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 2000; 271(2):358-63.). However, relatively little is known about the mechanisms of specific homodimerization between cadherin molecules.
Cadherins play a significant role during neuronal guidance and development of the central nervous system. Different subdivisions of the brain are reportedly defined by differential expression of cadherin types. Cadherins also play an important role in neural retinal development by specific expression within different regions of the developing retina. For example, during embryonic chick retina development, B-cadherin is reportedly only found in Müller glia, while certain populations of bipolar cells express R-cadherin (also known as cadherin-4). Amacrine cells and a subset of ganglion cells express cadherins 6B and 7. Within the inner plexiform layer of the retina, these same cadherins are only expressed in sublaminae associated with synapsin-I positive nerve terminals, suggesting that distinct expression profiles contribute to synapse formation between specific subpopulations of neurons during retina development. In the embryonic optic nerve, ganglion cell axon outgrowth is mediated by N-cadherin adhesion with R-cadherin-expressing glial cells.
Cadherin adhesion also plays a role in developmental retinal vascularization (Dorrell, et al. Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2002; 43(11):3500-10). Disruption of R-cadherin adhesion during formation of the superficial vascular plexus results in the loss of complex vascular interconnections observed during normal vascular patterning. When R-cadherin adhesion is blocked during the subsequent formation of deep vascular layers, key guidance cues are lost causing the vessels to migrate past the normal deep vascular plexuses and into the photoreceptor layer.
The retina consists of well-defined layers of neuronal, glial, and vascular elements. Any disease or condition that alters the retinal layers even slightly, can lead to neuronal degeneration and significant visual loss. The retinal degeneration mouse (rd/rd mouse) has been investigated for over 70 years as a model for many diseases that lead to photoreceptor cell death. In the rd/rd mouse, photoreceptor degeneration begins during the first three weeks after birth as rod cells undergo apoptosis, attributed to a mutation in the β subunit of cGMP-dependent phosphodiesterase followed by cone photoreceptor death. Vascular atrophy within the retina is temporally associated with photoreceptor cell death in rd/rd mice as well. The vasculature appears to form in the normal characteristic fashion as three functional layers develop within the first three weeks. However, the vessels in the deep vascular layer begin to degenerate during the second week and by the end of the fourth postnatal week, dramatic vascular reduction is observed as the deep and intermediate plexuses nearly completely disappear.
A population of hematopoietic stem cells resides in the normal adult circulation and bone marrow, from which different sub-populations of cells can differentiate along lineage positive (Lin+HSC) or lineage negative (Lin−HSC) lineages. In addition, the present inventors have discovered that endothelial precursor cells (EPCs), capable of forming blood vessels in vitro and in vivo, are present within the Lin−HSC subpopulation. EPCs within the population of Lin−HSCs can target and stabilize the degenerating vasculature in rd/rd mice when injected intravitrally to the eyes of the mice. Intravitreally injected Lin−HSCs target astrocytes in the superficial vascular layer and are observed ahead of the endogenous developing vascular network when injected at postnatal day 2 (P2). As the endogenous vasculature reaches the periphery of the retina, where the Lin−HSCs have targeted, the cells are incorporated into new blood vessels, forming functional mosaic vessels with mixed populations of injected Lin−HSCs and endogenous endothelial cells. In addition, Lin−HSCs target the regions of deep and intermediate vascular layers of the retina before vascularization of these layers by endogenous endothelial cells had occurs. Incorporation of Lin−HSCs rescues the deep vasculature of rd/rd mice about 2 to about 3 fold over normal and control Lin+HSC injected mice. In addition, rescue of the deep vasculature prevents degradation of photoreceptors in the outer nuclear layer of the retina. However, as there is no evidence to suggest that these stem cells can undergo differentiation into retinal neurons or glial cells, the mechanism of neuronal protection remains unknown.
The targeting of Lin−HSCs to the astrocytes and deep vascular regions ahead of natural developmental vascularization suggests that the Lin−HSCs express cell-surface molecules that function in targeting, similar to targeting of the endogenous endothelial cells during development. R-cadherin adhesion plays an important role in endothelial cell targeting to astrocytes and vascular plexuses during developmental retinal angiogenesis.
R-cadherin has been identified and sequenced in a number of mammals. FIG. 2 depicts the amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 1) of a human variant of R-cadherin preproprotein reported by Kitagawa et al. in the SWISS-PROT database as Accession No. NP 001785, version NP 001785.2, GI:14589893, the relevant disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. SEQ ID NO: 1 includes the amino acid sequence IDSMSGR (SEQ ID NO: 2) at positions 222-228.
FIG. 3 depicts the amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 3) of another human variant of R-cadherin preproprotein reported by Tanihara et al. in the SWISS-PROT database as Accession No. P55283, version P55283, GI:1705542, the relevant disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. SEQ ID NO: 3 includes the amino acid sequence INSMSGR (SEQ ID NO: 4) at positions 222-228.
FIG. 4 depicts the amino acid sequence (SEQ ID NO: 5) of a murine (mus musculus) variant of R-cadherin preproprotein reported by Hutton et al. in the SWISS-PROT database as Accession No. NP 033997, version NP 033997.1, GI:6753376, the relevant disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. SEQ ID NO: 5 includes the amino acid sequence IDSMSGR (SEQ ID NO: 2) at positions 219-225.
Non-selective peptide antagonists of cadherins including the amino acid sequence His-Ala-Val (HAV) have been reported by Blaschuk et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 6,465,427, U.S. Pat. No. 6,3456,512, U.S. Pat. No. 6,169,071, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,031,072. Blaschuk et al. have reported both linear and cyclic peptide antagonists of cadherins, all of which are capable of antagonizing a number of types of cadherin molecules indiscriminately.
Selective peptide antagonists of N-cadherin, which comprise the amino acid sequence Ile-Asn-Pro (INP) have been reported by Williams et al., Mol. Cell Neurosci., 2000;15(5):456-64. While HAV peptides are non-specific cadherin antagonists, the INP peptide antagonists reported by Williams et al. are specific for N-cadherin and do not exhibit significant binding to other cadherin molecules such as R-cadherin.
Because of the differential distribution of cell adhesion molecules in various tissues in the body, there is an ongoing need for antagonists that are highly selective for specific cell adhesion molecules, in particular for antagonists that are selective for R-cadherin. The selective R-cadherin antagonist peptides of the present invention fulfill this need.

Selective R-cadherin antagonist and methods


A specially configured wrench is fitted to the fork structure of the rear wheel of a motorcycle to transmit rotational torque to the axle and move the rear wheel axle and sprocket to adjust and accurately set the tension in the drive belt of the motorcycle to a desired level. Further, a method is disclosed for reducing slack, changing, and/or setting a desired tension in the flexible power transmission mechanism of a motorcycle, the mechanism exemplified by a chain or drive belt having upper and lower reaches wrapped about respective of a rotatable forward motor drive sprocket and a rotatable rear wheel drive sprocket and used in cooperation with a fork structure for mounting the rear wheel and a cam-operated structure for repositioning the rear sprocket and associated axle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to motorcycles with a flexible power transmission mechanism, such as a chain or drive belt, and having cam operated structure for changing the tension in such mechanism, and more particularly, this invention relates to an apparatus and method for use in adjusting the cam operated mechanism to accurately set the tension in the drive belt of the motorcycle having such mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Wheeled vehicles such as motorcycles generally have a drive sprocket or pulley attached to the drive shaft of the motor. The drive sprocket or pulley is then coupled to a flexible power transmission mechanism. In the case of the drive sprocket, the flexible power transmission mechanism is a chain. Alternatively, in the case of the drive pulley, the flexible power transmission mechanism is a belt.
The chain or belt is coupled to a sprocket or pulley affixed to a driven wheel. The driven wheel is mounted to an axle that is secured to the frame of the motorcycle. Generally the frame of the motorcycle has a forked swing arm and the axle is secured to the swing arm. The swing arm allows bounce, or vertical movement, of the driven wheel. This vertical movement is dampened by a shock absorbing system connecting the swing arm and a rigid portion of the frame.
As is known in the art, the chain or belt must have correct tension to efficiently transfer power from the motor to the driven wheel. Accordingly, chain or belt-tensioning devices have been proposed. Such devices are used to adjust for the natural stretch of the chain. When power is provided or eliminated to the drive sprocket, die chain may be taut on the top or bottom. Particularly in motorcycle chain drives, vibration occurs in normal operation, resulting in a loss of power transfer.
Some motorcycle manufacturers, such as those manufactured by Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA, Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA, American Suzuki Motor Corporation, Ducati Motor Holding S. p. A., integrate a chain tensioner or puller with the driven wheel of their motorcycles. The chain tensioner is coupled to the forks of the swing arm and is placed in a recessed axle slot of the forks. The chain tensioner is attached to the axle of the driven wheel.
In another known tension adjusting device, two tension adjusters are provided and joined to each side of the axle member that engages a guide recess of the forks of the frame member. A threaded adjustment stud in each tension adjuster contacts a respective fork to move the axle member in an adjustment slot to adjust the tension of the chain. In operation, separately adjusting the two studs independently of one another may result in the opposite sides of the shaft being pulled differently and the tension in the chain being other than expected.
In many of the current models of motorcycle, such as those manufactured by Harley-Davidson, a chain or belt tensioner includes two cams, and two guide plates, the cams being joined to the opposite ends of the driven shaft, and the guide plates being joined to the opposite sides of the motorcycle frame and forward of the driven axle. The belt tension is adjusted by rotating a first hex head fixedly joined to one cam, wherein both cams are simultaneously rotated and their respective cam surfaces progressively engaged with their respective guide plates. This rotation pushes the driven axle within an axle bore that is opened within the recessed guide of the forks. Thereafter, a second hex head on the other end of the drive shaft is threadably advanced towards the frame and to drive the cams into gripping engagement with the forks.
However, in operation, the mechanic must hold the first hex head stationary, while rotating the second hex head. As a result, torque placed on the driven shaft by the second hex head being secured thereto may cause the first head to rotate by a small amount. This will result in a back off (i.e., move the shaft back), thus changing the desired tension that was set.
It is to be appreciated that there is a need for a tensioning arrangement that ensures that the tension that is set in the belt during tensioning remains the tension in the belt following tensioning.

Apparatus for use in and method of setting the tension in a drive belt of a motorcycle


A throw toy includes a pair of soft, spongy weights separated by a flat flexible and stretchy web. Upper and lower hour-glass shaped layers are fastened around their periphery around the pair of spaced apart weights to form the web and enclose the weights to complete the throw toy. A sickle-shaped throwing member can be used with the throw toy.

The present invention relates in general to toys that are meant to be thrown through the air and caught, and in particularly to a new and useful throw toy having a pair of spaced apart spongy weights with a flexible web therebetween which has a unique throwing, flying and catching characteristic.
A wide variety of throw toys are known, including a rigid barbell shaped throw toy such as the projectile disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,002,631 and 3,357,705. A bouncing toy comprising one large and one small ball connected to each other by a rigid rod is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,114,550.
An exercise game utilizing a specialized projectile is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,408,160. The projectile comprises a pair of balls connected by a flexible metal strap which can be tossed in the air, for example, by engaging the strap around a users foot and kicking the projectile into the air. The metal strap makes it somewhat awkward and dangerous to catch the projectile.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,040,619 discloses an hour-glass shaped spongy squeeze toy comprising two oval enlargements connected together by a reduced diameter neck.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,944,363 and 5,026,054 disclose toy balls containing a spongy gel with multiple covering layers. The ball has a unique weighted feel and resilient characteristic that can be utilized as weights for the present invention.

Throw toy with two spongy weights and energy storing stretchy web


A femoral caliper having one or more anatomical referencing members for placement against portions of the femur, such as the anterior cortex and posterior portion of the femoral condyles, to measure the femur for sizing of the femoral component. A reference mark positioning guide of the femoral caliper is connected to the anatomical referencing member and is capable of guiding placement of a reference mark on the femur that facilitates positioning of the femoral component. The femoral caliper includes an adjustment mechanism capable of displacing the reference mark positioning guide relative to the anatomical referencing member. This allows adjustment of the position of the reference mark (and hence the femoral component) on the femur to account for the up or down sizing of the femoral component. Preferably, the adjustment mechanism adjusts the reference mark positioning guide in the anterior-posterior direction to allow balancing of the tightness or laxity of the selected component.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to methods and apparatuses for knee replacement surgery, and in particular, to methods and apparatuses for sizing femoral components and placing reference marks to facilitate installation of femoral components.
2. Description of Related Art
Performance of a knee replacement surgery typically includes modification of one, or both, of the proximal end of the tibia and the distal end of the femur to have a shape that accommodates the tibial and femoral components, respectively, of the knee prosthesis. Modification typically involves some type of cutting procedure, e.g., with a bone saw, so as to expose, as exemplified by FIG. 15, planar surfaces 100, 101, 102, 103 and 104 on the femur F for attachment of the femoral component 110. An effective attachment of the femoral component 110 to the femur F is facilitated by cutting the femur F at appropriate depths and angles that match the dimensions and angles of the attachment (i.e., non-articulating) surfaces 111, 112, 113, 114 and 115 on the underside of the femoral component 110.
The femur, due to its complex geometry (e.g., lateral and medial condyles and intracondylar notch) can be particularly difficult to shape and therefore benefits greatly from accurate cuts. In addition, proper sizing of the components is important to ensure that the knee prosthesis has adequate stability and range of motion. To this end, various calipers and resection guides have been developed that measure the tibia and femur to determine appropriate sizes for the femoral and tibial components.
The ADVANCE® brand single reference point knee replacement system (Wright Medical, Inc., Arlington, TN) includes a femoral caliper that works off of a single reference point to size the femoral component. The knee replacement system also includes a guide for guiding subsequent cuts to the femur. During femur preparation, first, a starter hole is initiated in the femoral (medullary) canal between the condyles using a drill bit. A fluted intramedullary reamer is inserted into the femoral canal and is turned by hand by grasping and twisting a T-handle end attachment to reduce the occurrence of fat embolisms. An intramedullary alignment rod is then inserted into the reamed hole, preferably at a valgus angle of about 3° or 5°, and becomes the single point from which the remaining cuts are referenced.
A distal femoral resection guide is then assembled onto the intramedullary rod and is placed against the most prominent distal femoral condyle. The resection guide includes slots that are sized to support a bone saw (or other) blade as it cuts a section of the distal femur to form a flat surface in a "distal rough cut." After the initial cut, the distal surface can then be gently planed until flat by a planer that is rotated about the intramedullary rod. The preferred amount of distal resection is between 9 mm and 13 mm.
After planing, the femoral sizing caliper is placed over the intramedullary rod and against the flat, resected distal femur. A pair of feet of the femoral sizing caliper are placed adjacent the posterior portion of the medial and lateral femoral condyles, while a feeler gauge is placed in contact with the anterior cortex of the femur. Movement of the feeler gauge and the feet into position registers a size on a sizing guide of the femoral sizing caliper.
Once the component size has been determined, an anterior-posterior resection guide corresponding to the previously measured size of the femoral component is placed over the intramedullary rod. The anterior-posterior resection guide is moved posteriorly until an anterior feeler gauge of the anterior-posterior resection guide contacts the anterior cortex of the femur. Additional anterior-posterior adjustments can be made using an anterior-posterior positioning screw which moves the resection guide in the anterior-posterior direction in small increments with respect to the feeler gauge. Proper positioning is confirmed by examining the anterior-posterior resection guide to ensure that about 2 mm to 4 mm of posterior condyle is visible under the resection guide.
A locking screw is tightened to secure the anterior-posterior resection guide once it has been positioned as desired and slots defined in the guide are used to complete various other cuts, such as the anterior and posterior chamfer cuts. Additional guides are attached in a similar manner to make other cuts. After all of the cuts have been made, the distal femur has a shape congruent to the attachment surface of the femoral component and the femoral component can be attached to the distal femur.
During this process, a sometimes difficult aspect of femoral component sizing is selecting a size for the femoral component when the femur, which has a natural biological variation in size and morphology from patient to patient, falls in between two sizes. The ADVANCE® brand single reference point knee replacement system generally recommends that a smaller size be selected in such a situation to avoid "over-stuffing" the knee in flexion, in other words, to avoid a knee that is too tight and resists full extension. Of course, selecting a smaller size can also result in a somewhat increased laxity of the joint at high knee flexion angles.
In addition to the ADVANCE® Single Reference Point brand knee replacement system, other systems are used for preparing the femur for attachment of a femoral prosthesis. Another single reference point system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,474,177 to Whiteside. Also, systems that do not use a single reference point can be employed. For example, there is also an ADVANCE® brand distal cut first knee replacement system that uses an intramedullary rod as a reference point to guide an initial distal cut. However, the remaining surgical steps, such as femoral component sizing and the anterior-posterior cuts, are referenced off of the resected distal femoral surface.
Despite the effectiveness of the above-listed knee replacement systems, additional improvements in systems and methods for preparing the distal femur for attachment of a femoral component are always desirable. Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a femoral caliper that can account for distal femurs that fall in between standard femoral component sizes. For instance, it would be advantageous if the femoral caliper were able to adjust the positioning of the femoral cuts (and hence the position of the femoral implant) to minimize tightness at low flexion angles and laxity at high flexion angles.

Reference mark adjustment mechanism for a femoral caliper and method of using the same


A method and apparatus for connecting flow-through cables. Flow-through cables have a conduit or a plurality of conduits longitudinally placed inside the cable to allow fluid passage. Special terminators, joints, and methods for installing these devices are described herein. One method for connecting two flow-through cables involves: inserting a tubing material into the conduit of one flow-through cable, placing a crimp connector over the cable""s conductive core and crimping the crimp connector. The tubing material is then placed into the conduit of the second flow-through cable, the cables are aligned, and then the crimp connector is fastened to the conductive core of the second flow-through cable. The termination assembly includes a rigid tubing material, a hollowed plug assembly that includes a single or a plurality of rigid tubes, a tubing connector connected to the single or plurality of rigid tubes, and a conductive terminator that has a cavity adapted to anchor a cable""s conductive core and allow a flexible tubing material to attach to the single or plurality of rigid tubes while being routed through the conductive terminator.

The present invention relates generally to cable connectors and terminators, more particularly, to connectors and terminators for flow-through cables.
Typical underground electrical cables include a number of copper or aluminum strands surrounded by a semiconducting or insulating strand shield, a layer of insulation, and an insulation shield. This design of underground cables is known for having a useful life of 25-40 years. In some instances, the life span of an underground cable is shortened when water enters the cable and forms micro-voids in the insulation. These micro-voids spread throughout insulation in a tree like shape, these collections of micro-voids are also called water trees.
Water trees are formed in the insulation when medium to high voltage alternating current is applied to a polymeric dielectric (insulator) in the presence of water and ions. As water trees grow, they compromise the dielectric properties of the polymer until the insulation fails. Many large water trees initiate at the site of an imperfection or a contaminant, but contamination is not a necessary condition for water trees to propagate.
Water tree growth can be eliminated or retarded by removing or minimizing the water or ions, or by reducing the voltage stress. Another approach requires the injection of dielectric enhancement fluid into interstices located between the strands of cables. Certain cables may include at least one dedicated conduit to aid the injection of a dielectric enhancement fluid into the interstices between the strands of cables. The fluid reacts with water inside the cable and oligomerizes to form a fluid with dielectric enhancement properties. The oligomerized fluid functions as a water tree retardant and provides other beneficial properties. Flow-through cables having a dedicated conduit to enhance the flow of the dielectric fluid through the length of the cable advance this injection technique.
Splicing and terminating flow-through cables is a difficult task. The use of these special cables is not widespread and conventional terminators do not offer effective solutions for connecting or terminating flow-through cables. One problem with using traditional cable connectors and terminators is the loss of the fluidic transfer capability when a connector clamps down on a conductive core. According to the present invention, fluidic transfer capability means having the capability to transfer both gas and liquid. In addition, traditional methods do not protect the conduits in the cable from contaminants during installation.
One example of a cable fluid injection sleeve that accommodates fluidic transfer in traditionally used cables is disclosed in the U.S. application Ser. No. 09/085,385, titled: Cable Fluid Injection Sleeve, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. The subject matter disclosed in this reference offers several solutions for injecting fluidic material into a cable. However, this apparatus cannot be effectively used with a flow-through cable having one or more fluidic conduits. Like other terminators and connectors, this apparatus does not focus on the preservation of the fluid conduit opening at the end of the cable.
Therefore, as described above, a need exists for an efficient method to inject fluid into a flow-through cable. Moreover, devices and methods are needed to connect and terminate flow-through cables to preserve their fluidic transfer capability and to preserve the capability of injecting a fluidic material in a flow-through cable without having to disconnect the cable.
The present invention relates to methods and apparatuses for connecting flow-through cables. Flow-through cables have a conduit or a plurality of conduits longitudinally placed inside the cable to allow fluid passage. More specifically, the present invention provides several embodiments of joints and terminators for connecting and anchoring flow-through cables. The joints and terminators of the present invention provide electrical or optical communication in a conductor as well as a flow path that allows fluid to flow through the cable without leaking.
In one embodiment, a method for connecting two flow-through cables includes inserting a tubing material into the conduit of one flow-through cable, placing a crimp connector over the cable""s conductive core and crimping the crimp connector. The tubing material is then placed into the conduit of the second flow-through cable, the cables are aligned, and then the crimp connector is fastened to the conductive core of the second flow-through cable.
The termination assembly includes a rigid tubing material, a hollowed plug assembly that includes a single or a plurality of rigid tubes, a tubing connector connected to the single or plurality of rigid tubes, and a conductive terminator that has a cavity adapted to anchor a cable""s conductive core and allow a flexible tubing material to attach to the single or plurality of rigid tubes while being routed through the conductive terminator.
In another embodiment, the method for joining two flow-through cables includes the splicing method, as describe above, utilizing a two-part connector. In this method, the tubing material is inserted into the conduit of the first flow-through cable and then withdrawn from the first cable as it is fed into the joining flow-through cable. The two-part connector is fastened to the conductive cores either one piece at a time, or together after the two conductive cores are joined.
The present invention provides efficient solutions for injecting a dielectric enhancing substance into flow-through cables. Specifically, the devices and methods of the present invention allow an operator to achieve fluid and gas injections into flow-through cables without the need to remove the cable from an attached terminator or connector. The designs provide safe injection access to the cable conduit even while the cable is energized with an electrical charge. Further, the terminators and connectors of the present invention also allow for perpetual rejuvenation of the flow-through cables. A flow-through cable can be repeatedly or continuously injected over the lifetime of the cable.
The present invention provides several mechanisms that allow an operator to inject flow-through cables using a high injection pressure without a high risk of fluid or gas leakage. The design of the connectors and terminators allow the injection pressure to operate up to the maximum pressure of the flow-through cable conduit.
The present invention provides economical and efficient methods of cable connection and termination. The methods and devices in the present invention protect the conduit from contaminants during the installation. Further, the methods and devices of the present invention prevent the conduit from rupturing or collapsing.