A surgical instrument is provided that comprises two coaxial tubes mounted for relative telescoping motion, and a unitary jaw piece of springy material affixed to the remote end of one of said tubes and having two jaws normally biased apart to a selected open position. The other one of said tubes is movable longitudinally relative to said one tube so that the forward end of the said other tube forces the jaws to close. The jaw piece includes a body section joined to the two jaws by spring leaves having a selected configuration, with the result that when the jaws are moved to closed position, the forward ends of the jaws engage one another before there is any engagement between the rear ends of the jaws. The jaw piece also has an opening permitting introduction of an ancillary device to a position permitting communication with the space between the jaws.

Surgery frequently requires the grasping or cutting of tissues and organs situated at some distance from the surgeon's hand, such as within a body cavity. In particular, endoscopic surgery often requires that the surgical site be a substantial number of centimeters from the initial incision. In endoscopic surgery, relatively small incisions are made by means of a trocar. The work is observed by means of a slender optical device (endoscope) inserted through a small incision into which a cannula may be placed. Endoscopic techniques, which are minimally invasive and relatively non-traumatic, are displacing conventional open surgery for many procedures, and instruments for endoscopy are proliferating.
A typical instrument employed in endoscopic surgery has a pair of articulated jaws, and a handle mechanism comprising two members, one movable with respect to the other, which can conveniently be manipulated so as to cause the jaws to open and close. Serrations, blades, or other features (depending upon the use for which the tool is intended) enable the jaws to perform various surgical functions, such as grasping or cutting. The articulated jaws are located at the distal end of a relatively long extension of the handle mechanism. The length of the shaft extension is determined by the depth of the surgical site, while its cross-sectional dimensions are established by the maximum permissible incision size.
Many ingenious linkages have been devised for converting the surgeon's manual efforts at the handle end of the instrument into opening and closing of the tool's jaws. Typically, although with some exceptions, the handle has a stationary member rigidly joined to a hollow shaft and a movable member pivotally attached to an operating rod that is mounted and is capable of reciprocal movement within the shaft. When the surgeon squeezes the stationary and movable handle members together, the operating rod acts upon the jaws (to which it is rotatably fastened by pins, or by tracks or levers kinematically equivalent to pins) in such a way as to make the jaws close. When the surgeon spreads the stationary and movable members apart, the motions are reversed and the jaws open. The jaws are rotatably attached to the end of the shaft by known means, e.g., by pins or kinematically equivalent tracks. In some cases, levers or other intermediate pieces are interposed between the operating rod and the jaws for causing the latter to open and close in response to relative movement of the stationary and movable handle members.
Although their constructional details and relationships to each other vary widely, such pins, tracks, levers, and other connecting components tend to preclude the presence, or limit the size, of a bore in the instrument through which an ancillary device, e.g., a fiber optic light guide, may be introduced adjacent to or between the jaws. These components cannot be miniaturized without limit, for reasons of strength; nor can they be relocated without disturbing the critical geometry of the linkages. Furthermore, it is not advisable to increase the shaft's diameter, which would necessitate a larger incision and detract from the benefits of the endoscopic method.
When operating the jaws of typical tools as described above, surgeons have experienced difficulty in grasping slippery tissues because the jaws close first at their rear ends and thereby tend to propel or push the tissues out from between the jaws. Consequently trauma of the tissues may result from repeated and increasingly aggressive attempts to grasp the tissue.

Surgical instrument for endoscopic surgery


The present invention provides compositions and methods for enhancing immunogenicity of polysaccharide antigens. Immunogenic compositions and vaccines comprising polysaccharide-protein conjugates comprising a chimeric carrier protein having a universal epitope are provided. Methods of preparing the compositions, and methods for treating or preventing bacterial infections are further provided. The compositions and methods are useful for enhancing immune response in young children, elderly and immunocompromised individuals.

Covalent conjugation of a polysaccharide to a carrier protein can transform the polysaccharide from a hapten to an immunogen (for example, in children), enhancing the immunogenicity of the polysaccharide. Vaccines based on such polysaccharide-protein conjugates have been widely used among children to prevent bacterial infections by Streptococcus pneumoniae (Pn), Neisseria meningitidis (Men), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib).
Various types of carrier proteins have been used in preparing polysaccharide-protein conjugates, including tetanus toxoid, diphtheria toxoid, a nontoxic mutant of diphtheria toxin CRM197, and recombinant surface protein D of Hib. However, due to the diverse immunological properties of different carrier proteins, the same polysaccharide conjugated to different carrier proteins may show varying degrees of immunogenicity in immunized animals. Therefore, carrier proteins produced using different technologies may give rise to polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines of varying immunogenic properties.
It has been well established in immunology that upon entering the body of an animal, an immunogen is processed by Antigen Presenting Cells (APC) into epitopes inside the APCs, which are incorporated in the Major Histocompatibility Complexes (MHC) and displayed on the surface of the APCs to be recognized by T lymphocytes. Three factors contribute to the immunogenicity of a given epitope: (1) production of the proper epitope; (2) expression of the MHC molecules to be bound to the epitope; (3) expression of the T cell receptor to recognize the MHC-epitope complex. Absence of any one of these three factors results in deficiency or loss of immune response to the immunogen.
Experiments in mice have revealed that lack of a proper MHC-epitope complex is the most common reason for loss of immune response to an immunogen. MHC molecules exhibit a high degree of polymorphism. Each epitope may be capable of forming a complex with one or a few alleles of an MHC molecule, but an epitope can seldom form a complex with all alleles of an MHC molecule. Additionally, improper processing of immunogens or lack of T cell tolerance can result in loss of immune response.
Experiments have shown that two out of the three epitopes in tetanus toxoid, namely the QYIKANSKFIGITEL (referred to as P2 (SEQ ID NO:1)) and FNNFTVSFWLRVPKVSASHLE (referred to as P30 (SEQ ID NO:2)) epitopes, as well as the ISQAVHAAHAEINEAGR (referred to as OVAp (SEQ ID NO:3)) epitope of ovalbumin, can bind to a multitude of different MHC class II molecules (Panina-Bordignono P et al. (1989) "Universally immunogenic T cell epitopes promiscuous binding to human MHC class II and promiscuous recognition by T cells." Eur. J. Immunol. 19: 2237-2242). These epitopes can be recognized by T cells, and they demonstrate ubiquitous immunogenic properties. Therefore, these epitopes are referred to as universal epitopes.
Universal epitopes can bind to many human MHC class II molecule isotypes and allelotypes. The ubiquitous MHC binding properties of such universal epitopes can be exploited to develop vaccines that are capable of inducing immune response in majority of individuals in a population.
Research has demonstrated that the P2 epitope consists of amino acids 830-844 of tetanus toxoid (QYIKANSKFIGITE (SEQ ID NO:1)). The P30 epitope consists of amino acids 947-967 of tetanus toxoid (FNNFTVSFWLRVPKVSASHLE (SEQ ID NO:2)). The OVAp epitope consists of amino acids 323-339 of ovalbumin (ISQAVHAAHAEINEAGR (SEQ ID NO:3)). Upon intake by the APCs, proteins having these epitope sequences are degraded, but the epitopes are preserved and bound to the MHC molecules to be displayed on the surface of the APCs and recognized by T cells. These universal epitopes can interact with multiple types of HLA-DRs through the same mechanism.
MHC molecules are receptors for processed immunogens, and their main function is to display epitopes derived from immunogens during the induction of immune tolerance and peripheral immune response against exogenous immunogens in the thymus. On one hand, if MHC molecules display a large number of a certain epitope, an increased level of T cell recognition of the immunogen is expected, but at the expense of depleting a large fraction of the T cell reservoir, leading to immune tolerance. On the other hand, if MHC molecules only display a small number of a certain epitope, the T cell reservoir is conserved, but only a small amount of the exogenous immunogen can be effectively represented to trigger a peripheral immune response. Therefore, an effective epitope from an exogenous immunogen must allow MHC molecules to strike a balance in the number of epitopes being displayed. There exists immunogens having a small number of representative epitopes, which after processing by the APCs, preserve high sequence integrity, and can trigger a certain amount of T cells to establish immune memory without depleting too many T cells to result in immune tolerance. Immunogens having such epitopes have strong immunogenicity, and this phenomenon explains why tetanus toxoid has very strong immunogenicity.
Most currently known T-cell epitopes have limited immunogenic functions with nonspecific MHC class II haplotypes. Different individuals conserve and display different epitope sequences within the same immunogens to trigger their T cells. Such genetic limitation of most epitopes for inducing T cells in a population with diverse MHC class II haplotypes severely hinders the development of synthetic vaccines. The discovery of epitopes that can trigger individuals with diverse MHC class II haplotypes (such as in mice and/or humans) promises a universal strategy to activate T cells. Universal epitopes, such as P2, P30, OVAp etc., can be incorporated in natural protein immunogens. The fused entity is known as a T cell antigen cluster, which can be recognized by MHC class II molecules in most individuals. Such T cell antigen clusters can be used directly to induce T cells, or to facilitate antibody production by B cells against weak immunogens, thereby enhancing the immune response.
Pathogenic bacteria usually express high-molecular weight capsular polysaccharides (CPs) that encapsulate the bacterial cell surface. Capsular polysaccharides are excellent immunogens for adults, and can be used to prepare effective vaccines. However, for children, especially young children under 2 years of age, CPs are considered as T-cell independent antigens. Experiments have revealed that CPs can induce the production of CP-specific IgM antibodies in wildtype and T-cell deficient mice. However, CPs cannot induce the conversion of IgM antibodies to IgG antibodies. Data from humans also demonstrate that CPs can induce production of protective antibodies in adults, but CPs cannot induce immune response in babies and young children. Specifically, after repeated vaccination of children with CP antigens, there is no enhanced response to the second vaccination, nor is persistent T-cell memory induced by such vaccination.
Immunological experiments have established that vaccines based on polysaccharide-protein conjugates have advantages over vaccines based on pure polysaccharides owing to induced humoral immune response associated with polysaccharide-protein conjugates. T-cell independent CP antigens can be covalently linked to a carrier protein to obtain a polysaccharide-protein conjugate. Immunization of mammals using such polysaccharide-protein conjugate can induce T cells to facilitate production of CP-specific IgG antibodies by B cells. The polysaccharide-protein conjugate can thereby induce conversion of CP-specific IgM into IgG, differentiation of memory B cells, and establishment of long-standing T-cell memory.
Vaccines based on polysaccharide conjugates have played significant roles in preventing severe infections, such as Haemophilus influenzae type b, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Neisseria meningitidis. However, the current vaccines based on polysaccharide-protein conjugates are subject to a high degree of variability in their immunogenicity because of variations in the structures of the specific polysaccharides and the immunogenic carrier proteins. In certain high-risk populations, such as children, elderly, and immunocompromised individuals, protein conjugates of polysaccharides with weak immunogenicity are typically not effective, and their protective effects are rather limited. Therefore, development of vaccines based on polysaccharide-protein conjugates that have stronger immunogenicity is still a much needed area in the field.
All references, publications, and patent applications disclosed herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Compositions and methods of enhancing immunogenicity of polysaccharide protein conjugates


A stepping mechanism comprising a motor, a motor gear connectable to the motor and rotatable by the motor, a first one-way clutch and a second one-way clutch when the motor rotates the gear in a first direction so as to operate the first one-way clutch in a first mode and the motor rotates the gear in the second direction so as to operate the second one-way clutch in a second mode, wherein the first and second one-way clutch do not operate at the same time.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a fluid ejection printing apparatus.
2. Description of Related Art
Fluid ejection systems, such as ink jet printers, have at least one fluid ejection head that directs droplets of fluid towards a recording medium. Within the fluid ejection head, the fluid may be contained in a plurality of channels. Energy pulses are used to expel the droplets of fluid, as required, from orifices at the ends of the channels.
In a thermal fluid ejection system, such as a thermal ink jet printer, the energy pulses are usually produced using resistors. Each resistor is located in a respective one of the channels, and is individually addressable by voltage and/or current pulses to heat and vaporize the fluid in the channels. As a vapor bubble grows in any one of the channels, fluid bulges from the channel orifice until the pulse has ceased and the bubble begins to collapse. At that stage, the fluid within the channel retracts and separates from the bulging fluid to form a droplet moving in a direction away from the channel and towards the receiving medium. The channel is then re-filled by capillary action, which in turn draws fluid from a supply container. Operation of a thermal ink jet printer is described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,774, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
A carriage-type thermal ink jet printer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,337, incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. That thermal ink jet printer has a plurality of printheads, each with its own ink tank cartridge, mounted on a reciprocating carriage. The channel orifices in each printhead are aligned perpendicular to the line of movement of the carriage. A swath of information is printed on the stationary receiving medium as the carriage is moved in one direction. The receiving medium is then stepped, perpendicular to the line of carriage movement, by a distance equal to or less than the width of the printed swath. The carriage is then moved in the reverse direction to print another swath of information.
Some fluid ejection systems, such as low cost ink jet printers, have paper advance subsystems that must operate on two opposing modes. The first mode is a high speed mode which maximizes the throughput of the receiving medium. The second mode is a high precision mode to accurately register the receiving medium.
Typically, a single motor with a single clutch and a single gear train is used to implement both the high speed mode and the high precision mode. The single motor is connected to the clutch and the gear train. The clutch and the gear train are also connected to a shaft with rollers. When the motor is activated, the rotational force of the motor is transferred through the clutch to the gear train. The gear train then transfers the rotational force to the shaft and roller. As the rollers rotate, the rollers advance the receiving medium.
However, a single clutch and a single gear train, when used to implement as both the high speed mode and the high precision mode, fail to accurately advance the paper. In particular, when a high precision mode is requested, the single clutch and gear train cannot accurately register the receiving medium.
This invention provides a receiving medium advancing mechanism having both a high speed subsystem and a high precision subsystem implemented using a simple low cost motor.
The invention separately provides two gear trains and two one-way clutches to provide two types of motion from a single motor.
In various exemplary embodiments of systems and methods according to this invention, a receiving medium advancing mechanism comprises a motor, a gear, a first one-way clutch and a second one-way clutch. When the motor rotates the gear in a first direction, the first one-way clutch, but not the second one-way clutch, is operated to advance the receiving medium in a first mode. When the motor rotates the gear in a second direction, the second one-way clutch, but not the first one way clutch, is operated to advance the receiving medium in a second mode. The first mode is a high advance mode while the second mode is high precision mode.
These and other features and advantages of this invention are described in or apparent from the detailed description of various exemplary embodiments of the systems and methods according to this invention.


A switching system for switching on and off heating and air conditioning units in an environmental control system. The switching system includes a thermostat and a relay conductively coupled to the thermostat. The relay has a contact, which is responsive to a change signal for changing its position. The system further includes a programmable monitor having predetermined positions stored in a memory. The monitor is conductively coupled to the contact and to the thermostat for continually determining the position of the contact, and for sending a change signal to the relay for switching the position of the contact, as needed, to be in conformance with a predetermined position stored in the memory.

A microprocessor-controlled programmable thermostat has become a popular "after-market" device to control a residential heating and air conditioning system. However, such a thermostat is often incompatible with the electronic module in the heating and air conditioning system. The compatibility problem is usually caused by the solid state switch, called a "triac", used by the programmable thermostat. The triac usually does not break sufficiently "clean".
One way to solve the compatibility problem is to use a pulse snap action relay instead of a triac. A pulse from a microprocessor switches the relay from an "on" position to an "off" position, or from "off" to "on". This relay makes contact and breaks contact cleaner than a triac. However, a pulse snap action relay has the problem that sometimes spurious signals in the power lines or even radio signals can cause the relay to change its on-off position.
The system of the present invention solves the above-noted and other problems of the prior art by providing a method and apparatus for monitoring and correcting the position of the contacts of a relay. The invention features the capability of continually monitoring the position of the thermostat's relay.
The invention provides an air temperature control system which includes a thermostat and a relay conductively coupled to the thermostat. The relay has a contact or contacts. The system further includes a programmable monitor conductively coupled to the contact and to the thermostat for continually determining the position of the contact, and adjusting the position, as needed, to be in conformance with a predetermined position stored in the monitor. In another feature of the invention, the thermostat is a microprocessor-controlled programmable thermostat. In another feature of the invention, the monitor has a memory containing predetermined positions for the contact. In still another feature of the invention, the relay is a snap action pulse relay.


The surfactant of this invention is a compound of general formula (I) ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 is an alkyl, alkenyl or aralkyl group containing 6 to 18 carbon atoms; R.sub.2 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl, alkenyl or aralkyl group containing 6 to 18 carbon atoms; R.sub.3 is a hydrogen atom or a propenyl group; A is an alkylene group of 2 to 4 carbon atoms; n is an integer of 1 to 200.

The present invention relates to a surfactant.
Surfactants are generally possessed of a diversity of activities such as emulsifying, dispersing, detergent, wetting, foaming and other activities and as such have been utilized in almost all fields of modern industry such as paper, rubber, plastics, metal, paints, pigments and even civil engineering. Recently, particularly active attempts have been made to utilize surfactants for improving the performance of many end products but several concomitant drawbacks of surfactants have also come to be recognized in the course of such development endeavors.
Taking paints, printing inks, adhesives and pressure-sensitive adhesives as examples, surfactants are indispensable for the manufacture or stabilization of these products or in terms of processability. However, after such products have once been used for coating, printing, adhesion or pressure bonding, the surfactants are no longer necessary. Rather, if they remain in the products, surfactants tend to adversely affect the resistance of the film, print or adhesive layer to water and oil in many instances.
Reduction of the level of addition of surfactants or increase of the molecular weight of surfactants have been the common approaches taken these days to overcome the problems but no satisfactory solutions have been found as yet in terms of product stability and workability.
Meanwhile, as surfactants for use as emulsifiers for emulsion polymerization, anionic surfactants such as sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate and nonionic surfactants such as polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether are known. However, the film of a polymer emulsion prepared using such an emulsifier has the drawbacks of poor resistance to water and poor bond strength because the emulsifier remains in free form in the polymer film.
To obviate these problems, several reactive emulsifiers containing copolymerizable unsaturated groups have been proposed.
For example, anionic reactive surfactants have been disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 46-12472, Japanese Kokai Patent Publication No. 54-144317, Japanese Patent Publication No. 46-34894, Japanese Patent Publication No. 56-29657, Japanese Kokai Patent Publication No. 51-30285, Japanese Patent Publication No. 49-46291, and Japanese Kokai Patent Publication No. 56-127697, while nonionic reactive surfactants have been described in Japanese Kokai Patent Publication No. 56-28208 and No. 50-98484, among others, and emulsion polymerization of various monomers using these emulsifiers has been attempted.
Generally speaking, reactive emulsifiers containing an acryl or methacryl group as the copolymerizable unsaturated group are well copolymerizable with various monomers but are unsatisfactory in terms of the stability of emulsion polymerization reaction, giving rise to gels in the course of polymerization to produce coarse emulsion grains, and/or tend to give an emulsion poor in storage stability.
Reactive emulsifiers containing an allyl group as said copolymerizable unsaturated group have also been described in Japanese Kokai Patent Publication No. 62-100502, No. 62-221431 and No. 63-23725, among others, but these emulsifiers are often poor in copolymerizability with monomers and the polymer films molded from emulsions obtainable with such emulsifiers are not fully satisfactory in water resistance and in bond strength.


An interferometric measuring device for measuring the shape or profile of a surface of an object by depth scanning includes a radiation source emitting a short coherent beam, a beam splitter for forming an object beam guided by panorama optics to the object via an object light path and a reference beam guided to a reflecting reference element via a reference light path, and an image pick-up which receives the radiation reflected by the object and the reference element and brought into interference and transmits it to an evaluator for determining the surface shape. An accurate and rapid measurement of surfaces, e.g., in narrow cavities, may be accomplished relatively easily in that a reference surface oriented at an angle to the object surface is formed by the reference element, and the measuring device is configured so that the depth scanning for measuring shape is accomplished by laterally moving the object in relation to the object beam.

An interferometric measuring device, normally referred to as a white-light interferometer, is described in published German patent document DE 101 31 778, in which the basic method of functioning of such a white-light interferometer is also described. In the case of this known interferometric measuring device, a short coherent light source is used to generate light in a customary manner, the light of the short coherent light source being split up by a beam splitter into an object beam guided via an object light path and a reference beam guided via a reference light path. The object surface to be measured is imaged on an image pick-up, e.g. a CCD camera, and superposed by the reference wave formed by the reference beam. The depth scanning may be implemented by moving a reference element that reflects the reference beam, or moving the object, relative to the measuring device. When the object is moved, the image plane of the objective and the reference plane are in the same plane. During depth scanning, the object remains fixed in the field of view of the CCD camera, and the object is only moved relative to the reference plane along the depth axis (z-direction). In this manner, measurements of industrial surfaces, for example, may be conducted with a depth resolution in the range of a few nanometers. The panorama optics and the objective described in this published German patent document also allow a measurement in narrow and deep bores, using a 360° circumferential picture of a nearly radially symmetric object, which means that valve seats, for example, may be completely measured. However, it is difficult for this interferometric measuring device to measure guide bores completely.
An interferometric measuring device suitable for deep and narrow bores and based on the principle of white light interferometry is described in published German patent document DE 100 15 878, an intermediate image being generated by the objective taking the form of an endoscope, and intermediate-image scanning being carried out for the depth scanning. During the depth scanning, the object remains fixed in the field of view of the image pick-up or the CCD camera. Using this known measuring device, it is difficult to completely measure a guide bore and, in addition, a valve seat as well.
Furthermore, it is also known that a readily accessible object surface can be measured by a so-called lateral scanning white-light interferometer, as described in A. Olszak, "Lateral scanning white-light interferometer," Applied Optics, Vol. 39, 3907-3913, 2000. In this connection, the reference plane is inclined at an angle to the object surface. For depth scanning, the object is moved laterally through the field of view of the objective in such a manner that a relative change in the optical path length between the reference light path and the object light path, i.e. between the reference arm and the object arm, results for each object point. In the case of the lateral movement, the correlogram resulting from the lateral movement is recorded and evaluated for each object point. Spatially extended objects and moving objects can be measured by this device. A measurement in narrow and deep bores, however, is not possible with this device.
An object of the present invention is to facilitate measurement of deep and narrow bores or, for example, valve seats in a rapid and reliable manner.


A rover device for sanitizing spacecraft that emits germicidal ultraviolet light with means for sensing and directing rover location, orientation, velocity, trajectory and path is disclosed. Rather, the disclosed embodiment is a rover that uses propellers more in the fashion of a thruster on a satellite which uses short bursts to control satellite position in three translational planes and three rotational axes. Unlike a thruster, the propeller can be reversed, allowing motion in either direction.

The present disclosure relates to a flying device for effecting sanitation in the environment. The present disclosure is more particularly directed to a sanitation device that includes a source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation that is used to sanitize a surface, surrounding air and objects, including organic material. Additional disclosed embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to methods of sanitizing surfaces using the device. This disclosure further concerns sanitizing environments, particularly enclosed spaces.

Flying sanitation device and method for the environment


A toroid pressure vessel includes a toroid body having an inner shell and an outer shell. The toroid body includes a toroid outer perimeter. The outer shell extends along the toroid outer perimeter. A planar exterior face extends along at least a portion of the outer shell and the toroid outer perimeter. A support belt circumscribes the toroid outer perimeter and is coupled along the planar exterior face. The support belt braces and supports the pressure vessel along the toroid outer perimeter against bulging force (and hoop stress) generated by pressurized fluids within the vessel. The support belt facilitates the use of thinner pressure vessel shells and thereby decreases the weight of the pressure vessel while providing a support to the outer shell that substantially prevents deformation of the planar exterior face.

Pressure vessels are used within rockets, missiles and other aerospace vehicles for containment and storage of pressurized fluids. One such use of pressure vessels within rocket motor sections is to provide a source of pressurized gas (such as nitrogen) for use in attitude control systems (ACS) to steer and stabilize rockets in flight. Pressure vessels hold gas therein at extremely high pressures (e.g., 5000 to 8000 psi) and correspondingly require robust structure for safe storage. Pressure vessels are constructed with durable materials including steel, titanium and the like. The thickness of these materials is increased at known stress concentrations to ensure the pressure vessel does not fail before or during flight. Further, the materials of the pressure vessel are thickened to ensure the pressure vessel maintains its shape and does not unpredictably deform. A bulging pressure vessel may impinge against other components in the rocket motor section including the aerodynamic shroud covering the motor. Increasing the thickness of the vessel materials correspondingly increases the pressure vessel weight and the overall weight of the rocket motor section, and also reduces pressure vessel fluid volume. The increased weight diminishes motor section performance (range, responsiveness to course corrections and the like).
Additionally, pressure vessel shapes are fit within the rocket motor section and the space needed for a pressure vessel competes with space needed for other components. The pressure vessel shape is also chosen to provide strength and minimize stress concentrations within the vessel. In one example, a toroid with a circular cross section is used because of the known strength of a circle. A pressure vessel using a circular toroid occupies significant space within a rocket motor section and does not readily fit adjacent to components having shapes that do not correspond to a circle or toroid. Additional space is thereby provided between the other components and the pressure vessel to fit the pressure vessel within the motor section. The added space to house the pressure vessel increases the motor section size and weight and further degrades the motor section performance.

Belted toroid pressure vessel and method for making the same


A solder placement device forms a selected length of a solder wire and delivers it to a pigtailing station where an optical fiber and a crystal diode are to be optically coupled together. The solder placement device includes casing that contains a plunger arranged for reciprocal movement along an axis in the casing. A solder input tube guides solder from a supply spool to a retainer inside the casing. The retainer is mounted to the plunger and arranged to allow unidirectional movement of the wire along the axis such that movement of the plunger toward the output end of the apparatus pulls the solder wire along with the plunger. When the direction of the plunger reverses, the retainer slides along the solder wire, and the apparatus resets to pull in another segment of the solder wire. A cutting mechanism is actuated by movement of the plunger along the axis to cut off a piece of solder of the selected length. An output tube has a first end mounted to the casing adjacent the cutting mechanism. The output tube is arranged to receive the cut off piece of wire so that compressed air blows it to the soldering station.

This invention relates generally to apparatus and methods for fiber optic pigtails. This invention relates particularly to apparatus for cutting a solder wire to a selected length and placing it in position for mounting an optical fiber on a substrate in proximity to a light source or a photodetector.
The current industry practice for optical coupling an optical fiber and a crystal diode is to use solder preforms. Manufacturing and positioning solder preforms is expensive and time-consuming. There is a need in the art for an improved technique for delivering a predetermined amount of solder to a pigtailing station where an optical fiber and a crystal diode are to be coupled together.


An image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier, a charging device, a latent image forming device, a developing device, a transfer device, a toner amount detector, and a control circuit to execute an imaging condition determination process. The control circuit obtains a linear approximation formula of a developing potential and an amount of toner according to an exposure potential of the patch pattern and a detected amount of toner to calculate a developing gamma and a developing start voltage according to a gradient of the linear approximation formula, determines target charging potential, exposure potential and developing bias according to the developing gamma and the developing start voltage, determines an amount of a background potential to be corrected according to a difference between the developing start voltage and a target developing start voltage obtained according to environmental information, and corrects the target charging potential.

1. Technical Field
Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus, such as a copier and a printer, and to an image density control method employed by the image forming apparatus.
2. Related Art
Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses usually adjust the density of the images they form at predetermined times to keep image quality stable despite environmental changes over time.
For example, density adjustment control may start with forming a patch pattern on a photoconductor image carrier. The patch pattern is composed of a plurality of patch toner images formed at different electric potentials, that is, different imaging conditions. Then, an amount of toner is detected for each patch toner image of the patch pattern is detected. A linear approximation formula is obtained of a developing potential and an amount of toner according to a detected amount of toner to obtain a developing gamma and a developing start voltage according to a gradient of the linear approximation formula. Target charging potential, exposure potential, and developing bias are determined according to the developing gamma and the developing start voltage thus obtained to adjust a developing bias according to the target developing bias. Accordingly, the image density is kept stable from a highlighted portion to a solid portion.
Some electrophotographic image forming apparatuses employ a contact DC charging method to charge the photoconductor image carriers with a charging roller. The contact DC charging method has an advantage over other charging methods, such as using a scorotron charger and using a contact or non-contact AC charging roller, because of its simple configuration and low production cost. On the other hand, the DC charging method is at a disadvantage compared to the other methods when it comes to evenly charging the latent image carriers because of several factors, such as resistance fluctuation due to roller contamination and fluctuation in the width of an electric discharging area, that is, a contact area between the charging roller and the latent image carrier. Even in the early period of image formation, a rough surface of the charging roller may generate an unevenly charged surface of the latent image carrier, and therefore, the potential is unevenly generated on the surface of the latent image carrier. As a result, a problem called background contamination arises such that the toner may adhere to a background (i.e., unexposed portion) of the latent image carrier.
A larger background potential is effective to prevent such background contamination. The background potential is a difference between a charging potential at the background of the latent image carrier charged and a developing bias applied to develop a latent image (i.e., exposed portion) formed on the latent image carrier with toner. A relatively large background potential may not cause any crucial problem when using a single-component developer without carrier. By contrast, when using a two-component developer including carrier, a relatively large background potential may cause a problem called carrier adhesion such that the carrier particles adhere to the background of the latent image carrier. In short, when using the two-component developer, a relatively small background potential may cause background contamination while a relatively large background potential may cause carrier adhesion.
One approach to preventing carrier adhesion involves using carrier having a relatively large particle diameter and/or high resistance. However, such carrier may cause insufficient development of the latent image formed on the latent image carrier, thereby degrading image quality.
Accordingly, a combination of the contact DC charging method and the two-component developer is typically employed by monochrome image forming apparatuses rather than color image forming apparatuses that prioritize image quality.
However, recent demand for inexpensive color image forming apparatuses capable of forming higher-quality images increases demand for practical use of color image forming apparatuses employing the combination of the contact DC charging method and the two-component developer including low-resistant carrier having a relatively small particle diameter to prevent both background contamination and carrier adhesion.

Image forming apparatus and image density control method employed by the image forming apparatus


In the manufacture of a book, the book consisting of a cover and an inner book, the book cover is permanently shaped by the formation of folds in the articulation region thereof prior to being joined to the inner book. In the course of forming the folds in the cover, the covering material thereof is caused to undergo plastic flow and to be shaped so that beneficial stresses are created in the fold defining regions. The back of the cover may also be permanently shaped substantially simultaneously with the formation of the folds.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of bookbinding and, particularly, to the completion of manufacture of a book by forming the folds which define articulation areas in the cover and subsequently applying the thus shaped cover to a previously produced inner book. More specifically, this invention is directed to apparatus for use in performing a "casing-in" procedure in a book production line and, especially, to apparatus which permanently produces all of the requisite contours in a book cover immediately prior to affixation of the cover to a completed inner book. Accordingly, the general objects of the present invention are to provide novel and improved methods and apparatus of such character.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the industrial production of "hard cover" books, i.e., in bookbinding procedures performed on a commercial scale, the final manufacturing steps which are performed are incident to the application of the book cover to the finish-machined inner book. The mating of the cover to the inner book is known in the art as "casing-in". The "casing-in" procedure, in the prior art, has been followed by an operation known as "burning-in of the folds" in which the areas about which the boards of the book cover articulate, i.e., the hinges or "folds", are formed. The "burning-in" procedure may be coupled with a step of "pressing of the book as a whole".
An example of a prior art casing-in machine is shown in published German Patent Specification 14 36 086. Inner books, standing on the front "cut" thereof, are fed into this prior art casing-in machine where they are engaged by saddle plates which comprise parts of a vertical conveyor. The thus engaged inner books are transported upwardly past oppositely disposed adhesive-applying rollers. These rollers deposit an adhesive over substantially the entire outer surfaces of the flyleaves of the inner book. A book cover, extracted from a magazine, is delivered to a shaping and folding station in which the back portion of the cover is given its requisite rounded shape through the action of a shaping rail and cooperating folding rails. The book cover with its shaped back is then moved into the path of movement of an inner book so that the rounded spine portion of the inner book will engage the complementary shaped rounded back portion of the book cover. The thus mated cover and inner book will pass between pressure rollers which ensure intimate contact between the insides of the covers and the adhesively coated flyleaves. The book is then released from the supporting saddle plate and delivered to a "burning-in" station.
An example of prior art "burning-in" apparatus may be seen from U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,322, the "burning-in" apparatus being shown as combined with a "casing-in" apparatus to form a final assembly-line stage of a bookbinding operation. The "burning-in" apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,322 is defined by a multiplicity of pressing devices which are disposed in a straight row with uniform mutual intervals therebetween. Each of the pressing devices includes a pair of pressing plates which are located opposite to one another with a variable interval. These pressing plates apply compressive force to the sides of an engaged book. Heated rails for "burning-in" the folds, i.e., forming the hinge joints of the book, are associated with the pressing devices. These heated rails operate in pairs to shape the book cover folds. The rails are located on a carriage and, simultaneously with forming the folds, serve as transport mechanisms to move the books stepwise from pressing station to pressing station.
The "burning-in" of the folds of the book cover, as accomplished in the prior art with the above-briefly described apparatus, is intended to produce a recessed, triangular region in the covering material of the cover along the inner edges of each of the two oppositely disposed cover boards. This recessed "fold" is, as noted, produced through the application of heat and pressure. In order to ensure that the fold will retain its shape once formed, adhesive bonding of the covering material to the underlying fold region of the inner book is affected via the application of a glue dispersion in the fold region of the inner book.
The reliable and repetitive production of a properly functioning and aesthetically acceptable product requires that the heated rails employed to "burn-in" the book cover folds cause plastic flow of the covering material of the book cover. Restated, permanent deformation of the covering material is necessary in order to counteract the restoring action of the material. The formation of the cover folds must be accomplished in such a manner that the glue dispersion in the region between the book cover covering material and inner book will be heated sufficiently to insure the formation of a bond whereby transport of the book immediately upon its release from the "burning-in" apparatus will be possible.
Prior art casing-in/burning-in systems have experienced problems due to misalignment between the cover and inner book. Also, indistinct cover fold edges have occurred as a result of inaccurate engagement with the rails for "burning-in" the folds. The problem of indistinct edges has not been overcome by resort to complicated and expensive alignment apparatus.
In the prior art, as briefly described above, the inner book is cased in the book cover at a time when the portions of the covering material which are to be shaped to produce the cover folds are in a stretched-out condition, i.e., the cover is adhesively bonded to the flyleaves of the inner book and closed. This has resulted in the "burning-in" process being difficult to perform. This difficulty, in part, results from the fact that, with the covering material already in a stretched condition, it is difficult to obtain, by further heat assisted stretching, the additional lengths of material required to form the folds. It is thus possible for the covering material to tear, or for compression creases to occur at the flyleaves, during the "burning-in" of the folds. Further, residual tensile stresses in the covering material in the fold regions, these stresses acting in a direction which tends to produce separation between the peaks of the folds and the underlying flyleaves, can lead to disruption of the adhesive bond when the pressure applied by the heated rails is relieved.
A further problem in the prior art is the overheating of the surface of the covering material which may result in the marring thereof and/or at least partial disruption of the adhesive bond between the covering material and underlying cover boards.

Process and device for the manufacture of a book


Haptic Self-Service Terminal (SST) feedback is provided. A customer transacting at a SST during a Self-Service (SS) transaction receives in-air tactile communication for assisting the customer during the SS transaction.

Increasingly consumers are conducting financial transactions through Self-Service Terminals (SSTs) without the assistance of a clerk. In fact, in many cases these transactions are conducted without any store staff in the vicinity of the SSTs.
For the most part, Self-Service (SS) transactions have been effectively inaccessible to the visually and hearing impaired. Typically, SSTs deploy a braille engraved keypads in addition to touchscreen options in order to assist the visually impaired in conducting a SS transaction. The hearing impaired largely relay on visual options when conducting SS transactions, but in some cases a headphone jack is available for the hearing impaired to insert headphones to receive directed sound at a higher volume. Both options available to the hearing and visually impaired are not optimal and require more time and effort to complete a SS transaction.
In addition, often (particularly at a grocery SS checkout) a customer may have a large amount of items and is visually focused on handling the items from the cart through the scanner and into his/her bag. The customer relies on hearing the sound indicating that the scanner properly scanned the items and infrequently looks at the monitor to confirm the item was properly scanned. This simple task is not so simply for the hearing impaired because the audible ping from the scanner is inaudible to the hearing impaired. So, the hearing impaired has to visually focus on the monitor during the SS transaction, which can significantly slow down the transaction and for a large amount of items being processed, may deter the hearing impaired from even attempting a SS grocery checkout.
In fact, in noisy environments even customers without handicaps may be unable to detect the confirmation pings from a SS grocery checkout, which can impact the queue lines and transaction throughputs during high traffic periods at the grocery store.

Haptic self-service terminal (SST) feedback


The present invention relates to a selective wave solder machine. In particular, it relates to a system for calibrating and adjusting process points to account for variations in machines and circuit boards. Vision systems are used to locate fiducials on the processing modules and the circuit boards. Differences between stored locations for fiducials relating to the circuit board and the processing modules are used to adjust the positions of stored process points to achieve improved performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for calibration, set-up, and control of a selective wave solder system. More particularly, it relates to a system and method for accounting for positioning errors in the board and/or the system in during processing.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Many electronic devices use a circuit board as the foundation building block for the electronic circuitry which forms the device. With the advent of the printed circuit board (PCB), the board itself actually became part of the circuit, forming conductors for the electrical current between the various electronic components. The circuit board both supports the electronic components and links them together. Generally, the circuit board consists of a nonconductive base, such as fiberglass, coated with a thin layer of a conductor, such as copper, which is etched to form a pattern of electrical conductors. Components are then soldered to the circuit board. Soldering of the various components to a circuit board has generally been accomplished by using various techniques, such as: manual soldering, reflow soldering, batch soldering using a solder pot or continuous soldering using a wave soldering machine.
Wave soldering has long been the soldering method of choice for high production circuit boards which require through-hole parts. This is a continuous process in which circuit boards are passed over a wave of molten solder. The solder wets up through metal plated holes containing the component leads to consummate the soldering process. This process lends itself to automation, as the parts are simply loaded onto a conveyor which in turn passes the parts over a wide wave of solder. Advances in PCB technology, such as double-sided boards and mixed technology assemblies have allowed intricate and complex circuits to be implemented in a smaller footprint. However, these advances limit the feasibility of using historic wave soldering techniques.
The selective wave solder system was developed to achieve advantages of wave soldering on through-hole components in connection with complex circuit board assemblies. In one particular style of selective wave solder device, a circuit board is moved, using a gantry system, to different locations for processing. Flux and solder may be placed on discrete portions of the circuit board. Typically, the process points are selected through a teaching process. Using a manual control system, one moves the gantry with the circuit board through the system and identifies particular process points. The process points, identified as x, y and z values within the gantry system, are stored for automated processing. Furthermore, the file with the process points can be transferred and utilized on another selective wave solder machine for processing the same boards. In this manner, the processing of each board need only be entered once, independent of the number of production lines and selective wave soldering machines utilized in processing boards. During automated production, the gantry system will move to each of the stored process points and the pre-programmed action will be conducted.
However, often minor positional or rotational errors occur with the gantry system or placement of the circuit board. Circuit boards also have some variation in their fabrication which results in positional variations. Additionally, different machines may have variations in the placement of the modules or stations, which can results in positional errors. Variations within a machine may also occur upon servicing. These positional errors result in defects due misalignment of the process points and the work area on the circuit board. Therefore, a need exists for a system which can correct for variations in positioning of process points on a circuit board attached to the gantry system. A need also exists for a system which can correct for variations in the placements of processing devices.
Furthermore, circuit boards can sag or bow across the span of the board. This is particularly prevalent in large circuit boards with many components. The height of the solder wave may also vary over time due to variations in pump speed, solder levels, and environmental factors. The variations in board height, from sagging or bowing, and solder wave height can lead to defects. The relationship between the board height and the wave height determines the contact area, depth, and time of the solder operation. A board which is too high relative to the solder wave may result in incomplete solder joints. A board which is too low can become excessively hot, warp or destroy components. Therefore, a need exists for a system which can determine and correct for variations in board and solder wave height.


A flexible continuous hollow element configured as a jacket enclosing a hollow space for the transport of media includes a blocking layer (26) which is an integral part of the jacket (12). The blocking layer is impermeable to volatile molecules of the medium to be transported and is configured as a fabric layer (28) enclosing the interior space (14) formed by the layer (18) of the jacket (12).

The invention herein relates to a flexible continuous hollow element, whereby the interior space is enclosed by a jacket to permit the transport of media.
Flexible continuous hollow elements of this generic type have been known. Hereinafter, such a continuous hollow element will also be called a hose such as is used in many technological fields for the transport of liquid or gaseous media. When used in air-conditioning systems, for example in motor vehicles, such hoses are used for the transport of coolants. Coolants have the property of being volatile and, if they reach the atmosphere of the earth, they can have harmful effects. In order to prevent such effects, natural coolants, for example CO2, are to be used. Known coolant hoses have the disadvantage of being highly permeable to natural coolants, in particular CO2, allowing the coolant to diffuse through the hose.
Fiber materials, in particular those that have been available under the Gortex tradename, have been generally known. Such fabrics exhibit unidirectional impermeability to water, specifically water vapor.
Therefore, the problem to be solved by the invention herein is to provide a flexible continuous hollow element of the general type as described that exhibits low permeability to CO2 in particular.
In accordance with the invention herein this problem has been solved by a flexible continuous hollow element exhibiting the features of claim 1. Due to the fact that the jacket of the hollow element contains as an integral part a blocking layer, which is impermeable to the medium to be transported and which is formed by a fabric layer creating the interior space of the jacket, permeation through the flexible continuous hollow element is prevented or at least reduced to a negligibly low amount. Therefore, it is possible, in particular if the flexible continuous hollow element is to be used as coolant hose, to transport coolants in such a manner that the coolant cannot escape into the atmosphere. At the same time, a low permeation rate ensures the reliable function of the cooling system that is supplied with coolant.
In a preferred form of embodiment of the invention herein, the mesh width of the fabric layer is smaller than the size of the volatile molecules of the medium to be transported. Therefore, the advantage is achieved that, even after applying the fabric layer, a blocking layer has been created, which leads to the reduced permeability of the jacket.
In another preferred form of embodiment of the invention the fabric layer is woven in a direction radial and axial to the longitudinal axis of the hollow element, or the fabric layer is woven in a direction diagonal to the longitudinal axis of the hollow element. In each case, the alternating weave creates a mesh width that ensures the required impermeability to the volatile molecules of the medium which is to be transported.
Furthermore, considering the preferred form of embodiment of the invention herein, the fabric layer is placed around the jacket layer that forms the interior space, whereby, preferably, the fabric""s longitudinal edges overlap in axial direction. As a result of this, the fabric layer can be applied in a simple layer on the jacket layer.
Furthermore, considering the preferred form of embodiment of the invention herein, the fabric layer is wound around the jacket layer. As a result of this, a flexible continuous hollow element of any desired length can be provided with the fabric layer forming the blocking layer, in that it is wound as a continuous web in the form of a spiral.
Another preferred form of embodiment of the invention herein provides that the fabric layer is woven on the jacket layer that forms the interior space. As a result of this, a particularly tight bond is created between the fabric layer and the interior layer.
A further preferred form of embodiment of the invention provides that the fabric layer is pulled as a shrinkable hose onto the interior layer of the jacket. Consequently, the previously woven shrinkable hose can be pulled over the interior layer, where said shrinkable hosexe2x80x94due to its elongationxe2x80x94adheres tightly to the interior layer of the jacket.
Furthermore, another preferred embodiment of the invention provides that the fabric layer consists of several layers. By superimposing several fabric layers, extremely small mesh widths are created which are impermeable even to relatively small volatile molecules. In so doing, the flexible hollow element exhibits extremely low permeability.
By configuring the blocking layer as a fabric layer, the overall flexibility of the continuous hollow element remains unimpaired by the blocking layer. Therefore, the fabric layer, due to its inherent properties, can readily adapt to bending stress created by the hollow cylinder, without impairing the effect of blocking the volatile molecules.
For example, a particularly suitable fabric layer is a microfiber fabric that can block low-molecular media. Furthermore, for example, semi-permeable membranes which are produced from a woven fiber fabric (microfiber weave) can be used, whereby these are at least unidirectionally impermeable to the low-molecular molecules of the coolant medium that is to be transported.
Additional preferred embodiments of the invention herein exhibit the remaining features as disclosed by the Subclaims.

Hollow body in the form of a flexible bar


Novel amino methylated 2-pyridinones, precursors, intermediates, and derivatives; the methods for the preparation of the same; uses of the same for inhibiting pili formation in bacteria; and pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds are described in this application. The present compounds may be employed to inhibit biofilm formation and thereby inhibit adherence of bacteria to a host cell.

The present invention is directed to secondary and tertiary amino methylated 2-pyridinones, to methods of their preparation and to their use for inhibiting pili formation in bacteria.
The core structure of 2-pyridinones, or more commonly referred to as 2-pyridones, is present in a wide range of compounds with diverse biological application areas. Besides showing e.g., antibacterial,1 antifungal2 and anti-tumor activity,3,4 members of these heterocycles also act as inhibitors of a Aβ-peptide aggregation thought to play an important role in Alzheimers' disease.5 An enantioselective ketene imine cycloaddition reaction to synthesize ring fused substituted 2-pyridones has previously been reported.6,7 Starting from commercially available nitrites and carboxylic acids, this synthetic pathway rendered a first generation of 2-pyridones that were designed to target periplasmic escort proteins, chaperones, in uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Chaperones are essential for the assembly of adhesive protein organelles known as pili or fimbriae present on the surface of the bacteria, in absence of these organelles the bacteria become non-infectious.8 Thus, compounds interfering with pili/fimbriae formation, pilicides, would represent a novel class of antibacterial agents directed against bacterial virulence considered a promising avenue in drug development.9
Encouraging affinity predictions of substituted 2-pyridones binding to the chaperones PapD and FimC have previously been confirmed in vitro by direct binding assays using both surface plasmon resonance techniques and NMR spectroscopy, where the corresponding acid of 4a was found to be a potent binder.10 Recently, efficient improvements of the original synthetic procedure were reported.11 This alternative microwave assisted method allows simple and fast preparation of highly substituted 2-pyridones in good yields and with limited racemization. Still, position six is available for further substitution and thus provides an opportunity to introduce hydrophilic functionalities targeting increased bioavailability and enhanced chaperone affinity in the pilicide project. Incorporation of a cyano group would provide a precursor to a number of interesting derivatives such as carboxylic acids,12 tetrazoles,13 and amidines.14 Nitriles can also be converted into primary amines and inspired by former observations in drug development this appeared to be an attractive target. For example in the case of Ampicillin and Amoxycillin, the introduction of an amine substituent led to a broad spectrum antibiotic also affecting Gram-negatives.15 In addition, introducing amine substituents in the 2-pyridone framework would result in highly substituted rigid amino acids, which could serve as versatile scaffolds and peptide mimetics.16
Aromatic cyanodehalogenation and subsequent reduction of the cyano functionality was considered a well cited and straightforward pathway towards amino methylated 2-pyridones.17,18 As a complement to the primary amines, and to expand the chemical diversity of these structures, tertiary amines were also desired. A few scattered examples where 2-pyridones react with imines in a Mannich reaction in the corresponding position have previously been described19,20 and recently, microwave mediated Mannich reactions performed with electron-rich aromatic substrates have also been published.21,22 Nevertheless, applications on more complex structures such as functionalized 2-pyridones with a challenging substitution pattern have previously not been reported.


A data storage system with a breather filter is provided. The enclosure of the data storage system has a first end and a second end and includes a least one disc adapted to rotate in a rotational direction. The second end further includes a first corner and a second corner wherein the second corner is downstream from the first corner relative the rotational direction of the disc. A recirculation filter is spaced radially outward from the disc and disposed between the disc's outer diameter and either the first corner or the second corner. The breather filter is disposed radially outward from the disc and downstream from the recirculation filter relative to the rotation of the disc in a negative air pressure region.

Disc drives are common data storage devices. A typical disc drive includes a rigid housing or deck that encloses a variety of disc drive components. The components include one or more discs having data surfaces that are coated with a magnetizable medium for storage of digital information in a plurality of circular, concentric data tracks. The discs are mounted on a spindle motor that causes the discs to spin and the data surfaces of the discs to pass under respective hydrodynamic or aerodynamic bearing disc head sliders. The sliders carry transducers, which write information to and read information from the data surfaces of the discs.
An actuator mechanism moves the sliders from track-to-track across the data surfaces of the discs. The actuator mechanism includes a motor, such as a voice coil motor, that is generally disassociated from the discs in terms of its relative position within the disc drive housing. Under the control of electronic circuitry, the motor is operated so as to move the actuator mechanism from track-to-track across the data surface of a disc.
The slider typically includes a bearing surface, which faces the data surface of a disc. As the disc rotates, the disc drags air under the slider and along the bearing surface in a direction approximately parallel to the tangential velocity of the disc. As the air passes beneath the bearing surface, air compresses along the airflow path and causes the air pressure between the disc and the bearing surface to increase. This increase in air pressure creates a hydrodynamic or aerodynamic lifting force that counteracts the load force and causes the slider to lift and fly above or in close proximity to the data surface of the disc.
To increase recording area density, it has become desirable, under certain circumstances, to manufacture the disc as smooth as possible in the data zone to accommodate a lowered fly height. During disc drive operation, serious damage to the disc and a loss of data would result during lowered fly height if a particle were to become present between the disc and the recording head. Currently, disc drives contain filtration systems to protect the disc from these particles. A filtration system generally contains sub-systems such as a breather filter, a re-circulation filter, a carbon adsorber and diffusion path.
The breather filter is responsible for removing contaminants from incoming air entering from the external environment into the disc drive. To ensure that air flows through the breather filter, the location for the breather filter is typically in a low pressure region. Generally, breather filters are placed under or above the disc where a negative air pressure region exists with respect to an ambient air pressure outside of the disc drive. However, airflow through the breather filter is not always completely clean. The airflow may contain unfiltered particles or chemical vapor. As a result, the placement of the breather filter under or above the disc exposes the disc to a great risk of becoming contaminated by harmful materials. Furthermore, particles that are trapped by the breather filter can be deposited onto the disc under a shock or vibration event.
Embodiments of the present invention provide solutions to these and other problems and offer other advantages over the prior art.

Breather filter at down-stream of re-circulation filter


Provided is an apparatus and method for computing the location of a radio beacon by using received signal strength (RSS) and multiple frequencies. The apparatus and method of the present invention computes the location of a radio beacon without limitation in distance by using multiple frequencies and received signal strength to resolve the problem of phase ambiguity. A radio beacon location computing system includes a plurality of base stations configured to receive signals of multiple frequencies transmitted from the radio beacon, and detect and output phase differences and received signal strength; and a location computing server configured to receive the phase differences and the received signal strength outputted from the respective base stations, acquire calculation distances based on the phase differences, remove phase ambiguity from the calculation distances based on the received signal strength, and compute the location of the radio beacon.

A general method of tracing the location of a radio beacon will be described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is an exemplary view showing a typical radio beacon location computing system.
Referring to FIG. 1, a radio beacon 100 transmits signals in two or more frequencies f1 and f2, which are independent from each other. Then, at least three base stations 111, 112 and 113 receive the signals in the two frequencies, extract phase differences ΔΦ1, ΔΦ2 and ΔΦ3 based on a transmission distance in phase difference calculator 141, 142 and 143, and computes the location of the radio beacon 100 in the location computing server 120 based on the extracted phase differences to thereby compute and determine the location of the radio beacon 100.
Generally, the method that a radio beacon transmits signals in two or more frequencies and base stations receive the radio signals and compute a distance by calculating a phase difference based on a frequency interference phenomenon has a problem that the calculation for acquiring a distance between a base station and a radio beacon produces a plurality of solutions where the phase differences between the two frequencies are ΔΦ, 2π+ΔΦ, 4π+ΔΦ, . . . due to ambiguity of a phase repeating at a period of 2π.
Accordingly, the conventional radio beacon location tracing method using more than two different frequencies and a phase difference thereof has a limited coverage, which is an area where the phase difference between the two frequencies is smaller than 2π. Thus, the conventional method cannot be applied to an environment where the coverage is larger than the phase difference of the two frequencies, i.e., 2π.
Hereinafter, the conventional radio beacon location computing method using two frequencies will be described with reference to FIG. 2.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating ambiguity in location computation (positioning ambiguity) caused by phase ambiguity.
One radio beacon (TS) 100 transmits radio signals by using two frequencies, and base stations RS1, RS2 and RS3 111, 112 and 113 covering the area where the radio beacon 100 is disposed measure the phase difference between the two frequencies and computes the distance to the radio beacon 100. The measured phase differences ΔΦ1, ΔΦ2 and ΔΦ3 correspond to distances R1, R2 and R3 210, 220 and 230, respectively. When circles are drawn by taking the distances as radiuses, an intersection 240 where the three circles meet is determined as the location of the radio beacon 100.
However, when it is assumed that only the base station RS1 111 has phase ambiguity, it is possible to predict that the radio beacon 100 exists at a location where the phase difference of the two frequencies is 2π+ΔΦ1. Thus, a circle having a distance R1 211 corresponding to 2π+ΔΦ1 as its radius can be drawn. This method yields a solution of another location 250 where circles having the distances R2 and R3 220 and 230 from the base station RS2 112 and the base station RS3 113 meet.
Therefore, there is a problem that the accurate location of the radio beacon 100 cannot be detected in an area where the phase difference between the two frequencies is larger than 2π.
To sum up, since the conventional location computing method using more than two frequencies and phase difference at a location where the frequencies arrive may produce a plurality of solutions due to the phase ambiguity, it should be used within an area where the phase difference between the two frequencies is less than 2π. The limitation in distance draws back the location computation of a radio beacon from enlarging into an area where the phase difference between the two frequencies is larger than 2π.

Apparatus and method for computing location of a moving beacon using received signal strength and multi-frequencies

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


The method and the apparatus serve for non-invasively determining the blood pressure of a patient. An electrical cardiac potential measurement signal and a pulse-pressure-wave measurement signal are detected which, starting from the heart, propagate within the blood vessels as far as to a pulse-feeling location. A pulse-pressure-wave propagating time between the heart and the pulse-feeling location is determined, based on the electrical measurement signal and the pulse measurement signal. The blood pressure is determined by the aid of a function interrelationship on the basis of the propagating time, with the function interrelationship comprising a first portion that specifies the active elasticity behaviour of the blood vessels, and a second portion that specifies the passive electricity behaviour of the blood vessels. In this way, especially accurate blood pressure determination is rendered possible.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for the noninvasive determination of a patient's blood pressure. In the method, an electrical cardiac-potential measurement signal and a pulse measurement signal of a pulse pressure wave which, starting from the heart, propagates within the blood vessels are recorded at a pulse-feeling location; and, from the electrical measurement signal and the pulse measurement signal, a propagating time is determined of the pulse pressure wave between the heart and the pulse-feeling location. The apparatus comprises an ECG sensor for the detection of an electrical cardiac-potential measurement signal, a pulse sensor for the detection of a pulse measurement signal of a pulse pressure wave which, starting from the heart, propagates within the blood vessels to a pulse-feeling position where the pulse sensor is disposed; and an evaluation unit for determining, from the electrical measurement signal and the pulse measurement signal, a propagating time of the pulse pressure wave between the heart and the pulse-feeling position.
2. Background Art
A method of the generic type has been known from WO98/25516 A1 and an apparatus of the species from U.S. Pat. No. 5,709,212. In the known method, blood pressure is computed as a linear function of the determined propagating time of the pulse pressure wave; in the known apparatus, however, it is computed as a quadratic function of a pulse-pressure-wave velocity i.e., substantially of the reciprocal value of the determined propagating time.
DE 102 49 863 A1 also describes a blood pressure determination method and apparatus of the generic type, with any details on the function interrelationship between the determined propagating time of the pulse pressure wave and blood pressure missing.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,599,251 B2 and DE 100 61 189 A1 further disclose methods of noninvasive blood pressure determination, determining a difference in propagating time between two pulse pressure waves which are recorded at two different pulse-feeling locations. The further evaluation uses a non-linear interrelationship between the determined difference of propagating time and required blood pressure. Mention is made of a logarithmic, a potential and an exponential interrelationship.
All those known blood pressure determination methods and apparatuses are in part more suitable than conventional methods and apparatuses which are based for example on the Riva-Rocci principle. Inflation of an arm cuff can be dropped, precluding any undesirable effect, accompanied there-with, on the circuit and on the blood pressure to be measured. Moreover, it is less interfering with a patient. Nevertheless, the mentioned, familiar blood pressure determination methods and apparatuses sometimes furnish blood pressure values that are too vague.

Noninvasive blood pressure determination method and apparatus


The present invention addresses the need to effectively produce high volumes of desiccation tolerant spores of fungal species such as Paecilomyces fumosoroseus. The present invention accomplishes this by providing a liquid culture media optimally enriched in nitrogen and carbon.

Myriad approaches have been pursued to control pests. Many of these approaches are directed to the control of pests that attack plants, most notably commercially valuable plants. Although much current agricultural research has pest control as its objective, pest destruction of plants and plant products is still a major problem.
Chemical pesticides in particular have been used extensively to control pests for many years. An awareness of recent problems associated with the use of chemical pesticides such as adverse effects on man and the environment has led to a focus on biological control alternatives to chemical pesticides. For instance, certain fungi have been identified to be pathogenic to different pests. Importantly, many fungi, unlike pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa need not necessarily be ingested by the target insect to initiate disease, but instead usually invade through their host's cuticle.
Sweetpotato whitefly is a particularly serious insect pest worldwide. In Texas and California alone, agronomic losses exceed $250 million annually. The insect rapidly develops resistance to chemical pesticides and is not adequately controlled with current pest management practices.
Various strains of the fungus Paecilomyces fumosoroseus have been proposed as a possible biological control agent for sweetpotato whitefly. A significant constraint to the development of this fungus and other like fungi as biocontrol agents, however, is the availability of low-cost methods for producing infective propagules. Solid-substrate methods of producing spores from such fungi as Paecilomyces fumosoroseus have proven too costly for commercial consideration. Hence, liquid culture methods for producing spores are preferred.
Eyal et al. has described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,607 a submerged culture technique for growing the mycelium of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus. The grown mycelial biomass is harvested and then formed into dry prill which can be used directly on plants and soil or the prill can be used as a carrier for sporulation of conidia spores. However, to be an effective insecticidal agent, mycelia containing prill must be wetted, the fungus must grow and sporulate, and insects must contact the newly formed spores. It would be more advantageous to develop a method of producing a high volume of insecticidal spores (versus mycelium) which could be directly applied to insects and actively instigate insect kill without the need for sporulation and contact by the target insect.
Previous attempts to produce Paecilomyces fumosoroseus spores directly using liquid culture fermentation methods have yielded unstable spores which are desiccation intolerant and hence readily perish during drying. Clearly, there is a need to develop a method to rapidly produce high volumes of spores which are desiccation tolerant and have high survival rates after drying and storage. In particular, it would be useful to produce desiccation tolerant spores of Paecilomyces fumosoroseus.

Method for producing desiccation tolerant paecilomyces fumosoroseusspores

The United States of America as represented by Secretary of Agriculture


Methods and apparatus for cleaving a substrate in a semiconductor chamber. The semiconductor chamber pressure is adjusted to a process pressure, a substrate is then heated to a nucleation temperature of ions implanted in the substrate, the temperature of the substrate is then adjusted below the nucleation temperature of the ions, and the temperature is maintained until cleaving of the substrate occurs. Microwaves may be used to provide heating of the substrate for the processes. A cleaving sensor may be used for detection of successful cleaving by detecting pressure changes, acoustic emissions, changes within the substrate, and/or residual gases given off by the implanted ions when the cleaving occurs.

Silicon on insulator (SOI) technology incorporates an insulating layer between a silicon layer and a silicon substrate which helps to prevent parasitic device capacitance, reducing leakage currents and improving power consumption. SOI technology also allows for increased miniaturization of the electronic devices, yielding higher device densities. The manufacturing of SOI substrates is generally compatible with conventional fabrication processes but some techniques, such as wafer bonding, require splitting or cleaving of a substrate during the processing. The insulating layer is created by bonding oxidized silicon onto another substrate and then removing a portion of the second substrate through a cleaving process which splits the second substrate horizontally. The inventors have observed that the cleaving process may produce very rough surfaces and other defects after the substrate is split.
Thus, the inventors have provided improved methods and apparatus for cleaving semiconductor substrates.

Methods and apparatus for cleaving of semiconductor substrates


In order to improve the wear of the trailing edges of the relief elements of a tread (1) for "heavy vehicle" tires, which elements are defined in the axial direction by circumferential grooves and in the circumferential direction by incisions (30) of a width other than zero and at most equal to 3 mm, said incisions (30) are inclined with respect to the normal (P) to the surface of the tread by an angle .alpha. of between 5.degree. and 25.degree. so that the resultant force (F.sub.F, F.sub.M) exerted by the ground on the tread tends to straighten the incisions (30) towards a zero inclination. The inclination of the incisions (30) is particularly advantageous in the case of a tread (1) provided with "wide" circumferential grooves having a step (4). Application for steering, load-bearing or driving tires.

The present invention refers to new or recapped treads for tires with radial carcass reinforcement intended for use on transport vehicles and more particularly "heavy vehicles" which are intended to make long trips at sustained speed.
Such conditions of travel require high inflation pressures which, measured cold, are greater than 5 bars.
In addition to the radial carcass reinforcement, these tires comprise a crown reinforcement formed of at least two superimposed plies of cables of little extensibility, preferably of steel, crossed from one ply to the next and forming angles of at most 40.degree. with the circumferential direction. The tread reinforcement may advantageously be supplemented, on the one hand, by two half-plies formed of cables of little extensibility which form an angle of between 45.degree. and 80.degree. with the circumferential direction and, on the other hand, by one or more plies formed of elastic cables placed radially outward of the two crown plies of cables of little extensibility, and forming a small angle with the circumferential direction.
The crown reinforcement is surmounted by a tread which generally comprises a plurality of circumferential grooves, which have traces of linear, broken or undulated lines. These circumferential grooves have either identical or different widths. In the latter case, certain wide grooves are combined on the same tread with narrower grooves, the width of which, measured on the tread with the tire mounted on its operating rim and inflated to its rated pressure, may be such that, under the effect of the load imposed on the tire, the two quasi-vertical walls of these grooves may come into contact over all or part of their height.
Such treads are described in French Patent 1 452 048. FIG. 1 of said patent shows a tread having four wide circumferential grooves, while FIGS. 2 and 3 show treads having two wide circumferential grooves which cooperate with three or four circumferential grooves of smaller width.
In order to improve the longitudinal adherence of said treads, it is known to provide for the presence of transverse grooves the average orientation of which is between 45.degree. and 80.degree. with respect to the circumferential direction of the tire. In the case of the "heavy vehicle" tires in question, these transverse grooves generally have small widths of less than 3 mm which therefore may be referred to as incisions. These incisions, the traces of which may be linear, a broken line or an undulated line, either assure the connection between two circumferential grooves or originate within a circumferential groove and debouch onto a single circumferential groove or do not debouch on any circumferential groove, as shown in French Patent 1 452 048. The incisions which debouch on the two grooves defining a rib are by far the most effective in adherence, but on the other hand give rise to a very special irregular form of wear. The wear appears and develops more rapidly on the surface located on the side of the trailing edge of the relief element defined by the two circumferential grooves and the two transverse incisions than on the surface located on the side of the other edge, that is to say, the leading edge.
By definition, the leading edge of a relief element is the edge which penetrates first into the surface of contact between the tire and the ground, the tire obviously having a given direction of rotation, and the trailing edge therefore penetrating into the contact surface after the leading edge.
This form of wear is all the more disturbing as it affects the relief elements located on the ribs of the tread which are between two circumferential grooves and more particularly the ribs defined in the axial direction by two grooves of different width.

Tread for heavy-vehicle tire in which the central ribs are provided with inclined incisions