This disclosure relates to apparatuses and methods for the extraction of particle beams while maintaining the energy levels and precision of the particles and the particle beam. Apparatuses and methods for extracting a charged particle beam from a central orbit in a synchrotron are provided, in which a particle beam is deflected from the central orbit. Parts of the deflected particle beam passes through a stripping foil placed in at least parts of the deflected path such that the particles that pass through the foil are stripped of at least one electron. The electron stripped particles and the non-stripped particles may be separated magnetically.

Particle accelerators are apparatuses that are used for accelerating subatomic particles to high velocities by means of electric or electromagnetic fields. When particles are accelerated to reach a specific energy, they are used for treatment of patients with malignant tumors. The particles may be accelerated either in a straight line, in which the particles are accelerated within a specific distance, or the particles may be accelerated in a circular accelerator. The circular accelerator moves clusters of particles in a circle (or oval), and with each completion of the circle, the cluster of particles gains energy until the particles have reached sufficient energy levels, at which point the particles may be extracted and directed to the tumor.
Extraction is the process of removing a particle beam from the accelerator to a transfer line or a beam dump, at the appropriate time, while minimizing the beam loss, and placing the extracted particles into a desired trajectory. One method of extracting a proton particle beam is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,432,516, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The method includes initiating a kicker magnet which turns on a vertical magnetic field that moves the particle beam horizontally towards a septum magnet which further bends the beam horizontally and away from the accelerator and into a beam line which guides the beam to the tumor of the patient. However, due to limitations on the level of radiation acceptable to a patient, and challenges in accelerating and controlling low numbers of carbon particles in the accelerator, such extraction methods may be less suitable for carbon particles. Another method of extracting a particle beam is described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,415,643 and 8,399,866. The method includes passing the beam through a radio-frequency cavity system to induce oscillation of a charged particle stream. With sufficient amplitude modulation the particles hit an energy reducing foil which decreases the energy of the charged particle stream and decreases the radius of curvature sufficiently to allow physical separation of the reduced-energy particle stream from the original particle stream. However, with this method, not only may the extracted particle beam have less energy than the original beam, the extracted particle beam may also have a higher energy spread resulting in less precision of the particle beam. Furthermore, this method may also result in beam particle loss as well as residual activity in the relatively thick energy reducing foil.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method which may be used on the extraction of carbon particle beams while maintaining the energy levels and precision of the particles and the particle beam.

Multi turn beam extraction from synchrotron


The present invention relates to antimicrobial compositions, methods for the production of these compositions, and use of these compositions with medical devices, such as catheters, and implants. The compositions of the present invention advantageously provide varying release kinetics for the active ions in the compositions due to the different water solubilities of the ions, allowing antimicrobial release profiles to be tailored for a given application and providing for sustained antimicrobial activity over time. More particularly, the invention relates to polymer compositions containing colloids comprised of salts of one or more oligodynamic metal, such as silver. The process of the invention includes mixing a solution of one or more oligodynamic metal salts with a polymer solution or dispersion and precipitating a colloid of the salts by addition of other salts to the solution which react with some or all of the first metal salts. The compositions can be incorporated into articles or can be employed as a coating on articles such as medical devices. Coatings may be on all or part of a surface.

For many years silver and silver salts have been used as antimicrobial agents. An early medicinal use of silver was the application of aqueous silver nitrate solutions to prevent eye infection in newborn babies. Silver salts, colloids, and complexes have also been used to prevent and to control infection. For example, colloidal metallic silver has been used topically for conjunctivitis, urethritis, and vaginitis.
Other metals, such as gold, zinc, copper, and cerium, have also been found to possess antimicrobial properties, both alone and in combination with silver. These and other metals have been shown to provide antimicrobial behavior even in minute quantities, a property referred to as "oligodynamic."
Additionally, silver is known for antimicrobial use with medical devices, such as catheters, cannulae, and stents. One conventional approach for obtaining antimicrobial medical devices is the deposition of metallic silver directly onto the surface of the substrate, for example, by vapor coating, sputter coating, or ion beam coating. However, these noncontact deposition coating techniques suffer many drawbacks. These drawbacks include poor adhesion, lack of coating uniformity, and the need for special processing conditions, such as preparation in darkness due to the light sensitivity of some silver salts. One particular drawback of these coatings is that the processes by which the coatings are formed do not adequately coat hidden or enclosed areas, such as the interior lumen of a catheter or stent. Additionally, these methods produce coatings that are very much like metallic silver in that they do not release silver from the coating and require contact with the coating to provide antimicrobial action. Though high concentrations of silver may be deposited on the substrate, very little free ionic silver is released on exposure to aqueous fluid. As a result, these coatings provide only limited antimicrobial activity. They essentially retard colonization of microbial agents on the surface of the device. However, because they do not release sufficient silver ions into aqueous fluids, they offer little or no protection from bacteria carried into the body upon insertion of the device and do not inhibit infection in the surrounding tissue.
Another method of coating silver onto a substrate involves deposition or electrodeposition of silver from solution. Drawbacks of these methods include poor adhesion, low silver pick-up on the substrate, the need for surface preparation, and high labor costs associated with multistep dipping operations usually required to produce the coatings. Adhesion problems have been addressed by inclusion of deposition agents and stabilizing agents, such as gold and platinum metals, or by forming chemical complexes between a silver compound and the substrate surface. However, inclusion of additional components increases the complexity and cost of producing such coatings.
With many medical devices, it is preferred to have a lubricious coating on the device. Lubricious coatings aid device insertion, reduce the trauma to tissue, and reduce the adherence of bacteria. Another drawback to conventional methods which apply silver and other metals directly onto the surface of a medical device for which a lubricious coating is also desired is that a second, lubricious coating must be applied to the device over the antimicrobial coating, adding to manufacturing cost and time.
Some of these coatings release, to varying degrees, silver ions into the solution or tissue surrounding the substrate. However, activation of such coatings often requires conditions that are not suitable for use with medical implants, such as catheters, stents, and cannulae. These conditions include abrasion of the coating surface, heating to a temperature above 180° C., contact with hydrogen peroxide, and treatment with an electric current.
Another conventional approach for obtaining antimicrobial medical devices is the incorporation of silver, silver salts, and other antimicrobial compounds into the polymeric substrate material from which the article is formed. An oligodynamic metal may be physically incorporated into the polymeric substrate in a variety of ways. For example, a liquid solution of a silver salt may be dipped, sprayed or brushed onto—the solid polymer, for example, in pellet form, prior to formation of the polymeric article. Alternatively, a solid form of the silver salt can be mixed with a finely divided or liquefied polymeric resin, which is then molded into the article. Further, the oligodynamic compound can be mixed with monomers of the material prior to polymerization.
There are several disadvantages to this approach. One such disadvantage is that larger quantities of the oligodynamic material are required to provide effective antimicrobial activity at the surface of the device. A second disadvantage is that it is difficult to produce articles that allow for the release of the oligodynamic material because most device polymers absorb little, if any, water to aid in the diffusion and release of the oligodynamic material, resulting in articles that provide only a limited antimicrobial effect.
Yet another approach for obtaining antimicrobial medical devices is the incorporation of oligodynamic agents into a polymeric coating which is then applied to the surface of the article. Typically, an oligodynamic agent is incorporated into the coating solution in the form of a solution or a suspension of particles of the oligodynamic agent. Problems associated with this approach include poor adhesion of the coating to the substrate, settling and agglomeration of the oligodynamic particles, and inadequate antimicrobial activity over time.
Settling of particles of the oligodynamic agent occurs as a result of the size and density of the particles. Settling of the particles from such solutions can cause unpredictable changes in the concentration of the oligodynamic agent in the composition. These changes in concentration result in several drawbacks to producing commercial products. First, unpredictable changes in the concentration of the oligodynamic agent make it difficult to produce a composition having a specific concentration of antimicrobial ions and, thus, a particular effectiveness. Additionally, these changes make it difficult to produce multiple batches of the composition having the same antibacterial concentration. Further, the concentration of the antimicrobial ions can affect other properties of the composition, such as its adhesive and lubricious properties. Consistency of antimicrobial activity is essential in the production of medical devices.
Another problem associated with particle suspensions is agglomeration of the particles. Particle agglomeration produces larger particle sizes which increases settling of particles from solution. Additionally, the agglomeration of particles in suspensions and coating solutions can produce particles in the coating that are large enough to be noticeable to the touch on the coated surface. Articles produced using such coatings have decreased patient comfort and, therefore, are undesirable.
Many researchers have attempted to overcome these problems. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,592,920 to Murtfeldt et al. discloses a process that attempts to overcome the settling and agglomeration problems in the art through the use of a comminuted metal having a particle size of 30 microns or less. The coating of the Murtfeldt patent, however, exhibits several disadvantages. For example, the Murtfeldt coating exhibits poor adhesion which is overcome by the use of the following methods. First, the Murtfeldt patent recommends pretreatment of the catheter to leach undesirable compounds that interfere with the bonding of the coating to the surface of the catheter. Second, the Murtfeldt patent recommends the use of a bridging compound, or primer, to attach the coating to the surface of the catheter to increase adhesion. This adds an additional manufacturing step to the fabrication of a coated device. In addition to these disadvantages, it is likely that the process used to manufacture and coat the catheters in Murtfeldt will result in settling and agglomeration problems even with the use of silver having smaller particle sizes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,849,223 to Pratt et al. attempts to overcome settling and agglomeration of the particles in his invention by using solutions that contain high concentrations of polymer or monomer solids and are, thus, viscous. Suspending particles in high viscosity coating solutions containing high polymer solids is a common method for reducing settling and agglomeration of the particles. The coatings made by this method are usually very thick and, as a result, are often not uniform. Thick coatings are also more costly, dry more slowly than thin coatings, and are more difficult to manufacture. The coatings of the Pratt patent also exhibit poor adhesion. To increase adhesion, the Pratt patent recommends using coating materials which are similar to the substrate to be coated, pretreating the surface of the substrate before the coating composition is applied, or applying an additional coating layer between the substrate and the coating.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,096 to Fox, Jr. et al. discloses a method for increasing the antibacterial activity of silver by incorporating a synergistic amount of chlorhexidine and a silver salt in a matrix-forming polymer. The polymer is such that it allows for release of the antimicrobial agent over an extended period of time. Fox, however, relies on dispersation of silver particles into coating solutions and will be susceptible to problems associated with particle settling and agglomeration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,143 to Laurin et al. discloses a method to enhance release of the antimicrobial metal ions from the surface of a device by incorporating the antimicrobial metal into a binder having a low dielectric constant that coats or forms the device. The nature of the binder allows the particles to form chain-like structures among themselves. These chain-like structures allow the surface particles to dissolve to provide an initial dose of the antimicrobial agent and to create a pathway for interior particles to come to the surface to provide additional doses of the antimicrobial agent over time. Laurin, however, also relies on dispersation of silver particles into coating solutions and is susceptible to problems associated with particle settling and agglomeration.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,933,178 to Capelli discloses a polymer coating containing an oligodynamic metal salt of a sulfonylurea. The Capelli patent attempts to improve the solubility and stability of the antimicrobial metal in the coating and to provide for the sustained release of the antimicrobial agent by adding a carboxylic acid to the coating composition. The particular carboxylic acids and the proportions in which they are mixed determine the rate of release of the antimicrobial agent from the polymer coating composition.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,995 to Walder discloses the solid phase production of polymers containing AgCl as an antimicrobial agent. In the Walder process, solid polymer pellets are first soaked in a solution of silver nitrate which is absorbed into the pellets. The pellets are then rinsed, dried, and soaked in a solution of a sodium chloride. The chloride ions of the salt are absorbed into the polymer matrix of the pellets where they react with the silver nitrate to form silver chloride. The pellets are then rinsed, dried, and melt processed. The compositions of the Walder patent are limited to hydrophilic polymers, must be thermoformed, and do not contain other silver salts to provide multiple release rates, or other oligodynamic or medicinal agents to enhance antimicrobial effectiveness.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a method for rendering articles, such as medical devices, resistant to infection, on the surface of the article, in tissue surrounding articles, or in both locations. There is also a need in the art for compositions which can be incorporated into articles to provide antimicrobial activity. Further, there is a need for compositions which can be employed as coatings for articles that exhibit improved adhesion. There is also a need for compositions that overcome the solubility, settling, and agglomeration problems of conventional oligodynamic compositions, and exhibit enhanced, sustained release of oligodynamic agents. There is further a need for compositions that allow delivery of one or more active agents to locations.

Antimicrobial compositions containing colloids of oligodynamic metals


An apparatus includes a switch unit configured to switch signal paths between a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports. The apparatus controls the signal paths according to the connection setting information stored in the apparatus. The connection setting information includes first and second connection information. The first connection setting information specifies a first output port to which a signal input via an input port is to be output, in association with identification information identifying the signal, and the second connection setting information specifies a second output port to which the signal is to be alternatively output. The apparatus controls setting of a signal path of the switch unit, based on the second connection setting information in a case where another signal path has been already allocated to the first output port specified by the first connection setting information.

A network using packet communication includes a path control apparatus and a packet communication apparatus. The packet communication apparatus includes a switch unit that switches a destination of each packet and a signal transfer unit. The path control apparatus calculates, using a path calculation unit, an end-to-end path from a source to a destination for each packet.
Based on a result of the path calculation performed by the path calculation unit, the path control apparatus performs setting for switching control of switch units or signal transfer units provided for a plurality of packet communication apparatuses located on the network. This technique is called OpenFlow.
Descriptions of techniques associated with the path control may be found, for example, in Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2012-49674, and Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 2004-129054.

Apparatus for controlling a transmission path


A developing unit having a frame mounted in an electrophotographic apparatus with a photosensitive drum uses an agitator agitating toner contained in a toner receptacle of the frame of the developing unit, a developing roll for developing a latent image formed on the surface of the photosensitive drum with the toner, at least one toner supply roll with a cross-shaped blade mounted on a shaft for supplying the agitated toner to the developing roll, and a doctor blade for regulating the thickness of the toner layer formed on the toner developing roll so that the thickness of the toner layer is maintained at a given level. Each branch of the cross-shaped blade is tapered toward an outer end at a given angle so as to properly supply the toner to the developing roll.

1. Technical Field
The present invention concerns a developing unit provided in an electrophotographic apparatus, such as a laser beam printer, an electronic copier, an ordinary paper facsimile or a versatile office machine, and more particularly, a process and toner supply roll for supplying toner to the developing roll in such an electrophotographic apparatus.
2. Related Art
In the conventional developing apparatus, a toner tank stores toner, and a blade is provided for supplying toner from the toner tank to a developing roll. Typically, the blade for supplying toner to the developing roll is a simple blade having at least two branches. Such an arrangement is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,895 of Ikegawa et al., entitled Developing Apparatus.
A similar arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,243,390 of Takamoto et al., entitled Device For Conveying Developer In A Developing Device. The latter patent discloses a rotating member 12 for supplying toner to a developing roll, the rotating member 12 having a channel member located at its outer end, the channel member being somewhat tapered.
Other arrangements which are of general background interest are disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 5,319,461 to Lindblad et al., entitled Apparatus For Increased Toner Storage Capacity, U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,357 to Kamijo et al., entitled Cleaning Unit Provided In Xerographic Image Forming Apparatus For Removing Residual Toner From An Image Carrier, U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,505 to Ziegelmuller et al., entitled Cleaning Apparatus Having Indexable Wiper Blades, U.S. Pat. No. 4,992,834 to Yamamoto et al., entitled Cleaning Blade Arrangement For Image Forming Apparatus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,523 to Maeda et al., entitled Toner Cleaning Apparatus In Electrophotography, U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,776 to Kondoh, entitled Magnetic Toner Developing Device, U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,766 to Fox, entitled Blade Cleaner Apparatus For Removing Toner From A Charge-Retentive Surface, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,119,060 to Mochizuki et al., entitled Toner Charging Apparatus.
I have found that each of these arrangements is disadvantageously burdened by the fact that only a small portion of the toner is supplied to the developing roll. That is to say, the force provided by such rotating blades is too weak to supply a sufficient amount of toner to the developing roll as the blade rotates. Thus, printing quality of the developing roll is below acceptable standards.
I have also found that, in some conventional designs, because both sides of each branch of the blade of the toner supply roll are parallel to each other, the force required to push the toner toward the developing roll is insufficient to continuously supply a sufficient amount of toner to the developing roll. Consequently, I have noticed that not only does this deficiency lower the printing quality of the developing roll, but it also increases the amount of toner remaining in the toner receptacle.

Developing unit of an electrophotographic apparatus having improved toner supply roll


A melting plate candle assembly includes a melting plate with a locating protrusion, which engages a fuel element in a predefined orientation when in a preferred operative position. In one operative position, the bottom surface of the fuel element is disposed on the melting plate, and a capillary space is formed between a capillary pedestal on the melting plate and a capillary recess in the bottom surface of the fuel element. The locating protrusion provides positive indication that the fuel element is properly disposed in the operative position.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to, candle assemblies, and more particularly to candle assemblies including a fuel element for placing on a support surface, such as a melting plate, for example.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Candle assemblies including a fuel element for placement on a support surface are adapted for many uses. One such candle assembly includes a candle holding socket in which four longitudinal engaging ribs protrude radially inwardly from a cylindrical peripheral wall and define a candle receiving space therebetween. The ribs extend upwardly from a convex bottom, upon which the candle may rest. A longitudinal opening through the peripheral wall is disposed adjacent to each rib extending upwardly from the convex bottom. A candle is operatively retained in the candle receiving space by the ribs such that when the candle is lit, the convex bottom ejects melted overflow wax from the candle receiving space through the longitudinal openings.
Another such candle assembly is a votive candleholder in which a generally cylindrical sidewall is divided into opposite compartments by a thermally conductive partition wall. Each compartment has an open end and is sized to hold a votive candle therein disposed on the partition wall. The candleholder is placed on a support surface with one compartment facing upwardly and a votive candle disposed therein, and the other compartment facing the support surface. When the votive candle is burned down, the candleholder is flipped over and a second votive candle is disposed in the other compartment. As the second votive candle burns, the thermally conductive partition wall is heated and melts any remaining wax from the first votive candle, which then drips downwardly onto the support surface.
Yet another such candle assembly is a pillar candle candleholder having four pins extending upwardly from a dished support. A metallic plate, dish-shaped complementary to the support, is disposed on the support. The pins extend upwardly through four holes centrally disposed in the plate. A metallic wick clip is manually urged into a bottom of a candle with a pair of opposing flanges disposed on opposite sides of a wick in the candle. The bottom of the candle is manually urged onto the four pins, which extend through four complementary holes in the wick clip into the candle to hold the candle in an upright position.

Candle assembly including a fuel element with a locating recess and a melting plate with a locating protrusion


An image processing device includes a first rearrangement circuit that receives, in parallel, pieces of line data included in image data. The first rearrangement circuit rearranges A-bit pixel data (where A is an integer that is greater than or equal to two) in the line data to arrange pixel data for only one color component in at least one of the line data. LUT correction circuits, arranged in correspondence with the line data, each include a memory that stores a lookup table and correct the rearranged A-bit pixel data using the corresponding lookup table. A second rearrangement circuit rearranges the corrected A-bit pixel data to return the A-bit pixel data rearranged by the first rearrangement circuit to an original arrangement order.

The present disclosure relates to a device and method for processing images.
Electronic devices such as digital still cameras are capable of recording digital data of captured images. Such an electronic device includes an image processing device that converts the digital data of the captured image into a certain format. The image processing device performs image processing such as a sensor linearity correction. The sensor linearity correction is performed by executing, for example, a correction process (LUT correction process) that uses a lookup table (LUT). The LUT is a table illustrating output values (corrected data) corresponding to values input at specific intervals. The use of the LUT allows for non-linear properties, which are difficult to express with a mathematic expression, to be expressed. In the LUT correction process, for example, the input value is input as an address value of a RAM, which stores the LUT, and the output value corresponding to the address value is output as the corrected data to execute LUT correction (sensor linearity correction) on the input value.
FIG. 20 illustrates one example of an LUT correction unit 200 that performs the sensor linearity correction on image data of a Bayer arrangement output from an image sensor such as a CCD or a CMOS.
Due to the increase in the processing speed of image sensors, the LUT correction unit 200 is provided in parallel with plural pieces of pixel data SB each included in line data for a plurality of lines (four lines in the illustrated example) of the image data. The LUT correction unit 200 includes LUT sections 202A to 202D respectively for the lines to perform the sensor linearity correction (LUT correction process) on the pixel data SB for each line and output corrected pixel data SG. The LUT sections 202A to 202D each include a RAM storing a correction curve for the sensor linearity correction. The correction curve indicates the properties of the output value (sensor-linearity corrected pixel value) corresponding to the input value, and a dedicated correction curve is prepared for each color component. In other words, as illustrated in FIG. 21, a correction curve for red (R) component pixel data (R pixel), a correction curve for green (G) component pixel data (G pixel), and a correction curve for blue (B) component pixel data (B pixel) are prepared. In the image data of the Bayer arrangement, for example, R pixels and G pixels are alternately arranged in the line data of the first line and the third line, and G pixels and B pixels are alternately arranged in the line data of the second line and the fourth line. Thus, the LUT sections 202A and 202C, to which the line data of the first line and the third line are provided, respectively include RAMs 205A and 205C, which store the correction curve for the R pixels, and RAMs 206A and 206C, which store the correction curve for the G pixels. The LUT sections 202B and 202D, to which the line data of the second line and the fourth line are provided, respectively include RAMs 205B and 205D, which store the correction curve for the B pixels, and RAMs 206B and 206D, which store the correction curve for the G pixels.
In each of the LUT sections 202A to 202D, for example, the pixel data SB is provided as the address value of the RAMs 205A to 205D and 206A to 206D, and the output value corresponding to the address value is output to a selection circuit 207. In the LUT sections 202A to 202D, the selection circuit 207 selects the output values of the RAM 205A to 205D or the output values of the RAM 206A to 206D, and the selected output value is output as the sensor-linearity-corrected pixel data SG.
Literature related to the above-described related art include Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 6-70165 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-293827.


The invention concerns an off-highway motor vehicle for paraplegic handicapped persons. It comprises a frame (1) whose base (1') has a U shape open towards the front, the paraplegic sitting on his wheelchair (3) being installed between the branches of the frame. The branches of the U are extended by two box plate girders (2) rotary-joined onto the frame and each including two wheels (8). The vehicle comprises a tubular frame (4) cooperating with two shoes (5) for embarking, disembarking, and storing away the wheelchair. The frame and shoes are rotary-joined (B,C) to the frame and interconnected by a rocker bar (6). A kinematic chain transmits the movement of the drive train (7) to four driving wheels (8). The controls of the drive train and of the vehicle are provided on the frame (4).

The invention is applicable to paraplegic handicapped persons normally moving around in a wheelchair and desiring, without making use of any external assistance and leaving their wheelchair, of using a motorized vehicle able to move around on uneven terrain.
There are a large number of adapted wheelchairs ranging from a simple motorized device to tracked wheelchairs moving on flat terrain and making it possible to overcome obstacles, such as flights of stairs (FR-A. 2.590 162) and indeed motorized systems able to tow the wheelchair (FR-A. 2.252 080).
There currently exist devices for transferring the handicapped person seated on his wheelchair, either with slides and a lifting block (FR-A. 2.456.002) or by means of a door folded down to the level of the external ground surface and then lifted up to the level of the floor by means of jacks (FR.A 2.506.154).
All these embodiments have a large number of drawbacks, either by virtue of their complexity or because they do not allow the paraplegic to be fully self-sufficient or because they cannot be used on uneven terrain. Moreover, there are vehicles designed for paraplegics allowing them to be used completely autonomously without the handicapped person having to leave his wheelchair. Loading is generally effected via the rear or by means of an articulated floor board forming a slanted plane (ER-0.251.136) by means of a mobile floor board lowered to ground level (FR-A- 2.315.254 - FR-A-2.521.500) and then brought up into the driving position by means of jacks. The car interior is fitted in such a way that the handicapped person, seated on his wheelchair stowed on the floor, is able to drive the vehicle.
However, these vehicles, most frequently saloon type vehicles, comprise complex mechanisms provided for movements on roads and are unsuitable for being used on uneven terrain.

Off-highway motor vehicle for paraplegic handicapped persons


In accordance with the present invention, there are provided stabilized total nutrient admixture (TNA) compositions which are useful for the in vivo parenteral delivery of pharmacologically acceptable lipids or fats, as well as methods for the preparation thereof. In particular, the pharmacologically acceptable lipid or fat is contained within a protein walled shell. In a particular embodiment of the invention, a TNA composition using human serum albumin (HSA) as a stabilizer has been prepared as a convenient three-in-one formulation (i.e., containing a fat emulsion, dextrose, and amino acids plus electrolytes). This "three-in-one" formulation can be prepared in liquid form or in dry form (comprising submicron-sized nanoparticles). The dried material is stable, even under long term storage, and is easily reconstituted immediately before use by simply adding sterile water (with or without vitamin supplementation). This serves to rehydrate the powder into a TNA suitable for injection. The long shelf life, ease of reconstitution, and single-component injectability of invention compositions provide significant cost savings, as such compositions can be reconstituted and administered safely, even in the home. In addition, HSA, the stabilizing agent of choice for use in the practice of the present invention, has been shown to improve survival and wellness when given as a supplement to patients receiving conventional forms of total nutrient admixtures.

Dextrose and amino acids have been the major components of glucose-based parenteral nutrition systems, with an optimal infusion rate of approximately 400 grams of dextrose per day for a 70-kg person. The addition of intravenous fat emulsions has improved patient care by preventing the development of essential fatty acid deficiencies, and by providing a calorically dense product to supplement nonprotein calories. Traditionally, intravenous fat emulsions have been infused separately from the parenteral nutrition solution (see Warshawsky in Nutrition in Clinical Practice 7:187-196 (1992)).
Lipid for intravenous infusion was originally introduced as a 10% isotonic emulsion (Intralipid) which allowed total parenteral nutrition (TPN) to be administered via a peripheral vein, thereby reducing the complications associated with central venous administration. The lipid emulsion also provided a safe and effective method for administering essential fatty acids to patients receiving glucose from TPN.
More recently, the total nutrient admixture (TNA) system was developed, in which a commercial emulsion (such as Intralipid) , amino acid solution, glucose, electrolytes, and trace minerals are mixed in one flexible container for safer and more convenient administration. The mixture is prepared in the hospital pharmacy prior to use, and is desirably administered within 24 hours of preparation (see Warshawski in Nutrition in clinical practice 7:187-196 (1992)). The order of mixing the various components is crucial, due to the inherent instability of the fat emulsion in the presence of electrolytes and amino acids. Most conservative guidelines for prolonged TNA storage are 7 days at 40.degree. C., or up to 24 hours at room temperature. When TNAs are prepared, the dextrose, amino acids and additives should be admixed first, and the fat emulsion should be added last, while the sterility of the system is maintained. Typical TNA formulations are composed of dextrose, triglycerides, amino acids, vitamins, trace elements and electrolytes (such as, for example, sodium and potassium chlorides; calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium phosphates, and the like).
Commercially available TNA systems include the "All-In-One TPN Mixing System" from KabiVitrum, and the "3-in-1 Admixture System" from Travenol Laboratories. In each of these commercially available products, all components, including the emulsion, should be mixed shortly prior to use. Although these TNA systems represent significant improvements over older methods, some controversy still remains regarding the stability and clinical application of these admixture systems (see Brown, et al., in Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 10:650-658 (986)). Indeed these TNAs have to be used within a very short time after mixing all components.
Currently available total nutrient admixtures, i.e., mixtures which are prepared prior to their administration, have significantly reduced overall hospital costs associated with both preparation and administration, because the preparation and administration of conventional parenteral nutrients is time consuming. For example, the time spent on the preparation of conventional total parenteral nutrition (TPN, i.e., a mode of treatment wherein the fat emulsion is administered separately) ranges from about 13 minutes for each adult formula to about 49 minutes for each pediatric formula.
As health care costs have continued to escalate, practitioners have begun to search for ways to reduce costs, while maintaining quality patient care. For example, in pediatric patients, the cost of preparation and administration of the TNA system is less than half that of the TPN system. The potential savings is even greater with adult patients, who typically require two to three times greater daily volume of parenteral nutrition, as compared with pediatric patients (see, for example, Warshawsky in Nutrition in Clinical Practice 7:187-196 (1992)).
Fat emulsions, which are one component of TNA compositions, are classified as the "oil-in-water" type (as opposed to "water-in-oil" type). An emulsion is a two-phase system in which one immiscible liquid (the internal dispersed phase) is dispersed in the form of small droplets throughout another immiscible liquid (the external continuous phase) by means of emulsifying agents or surfactants (e.g., phospholipids). Several commercially available fat emulsions utilize egg phospholipids as surfactants. The emulsifying agents may form a physical barrier, mainly due to electrostatic repulsion at the interface between the tiny droplets of the oil phase, to prevent the dispersed droplets from coalescing and eventually reverting to two continuous undispersed phases. The barrier produced by the emulsifying agent can take the form of a mechanical interfacial film or an electrostatic repulsion or both.
The emulsifying agent which is commonly used to stabilize fat emulsions for parenteral nutrition is lecithin (which is obtained from natural sources, e.g., egg yolk). Lecithin comprises a mixture of phospholipids, of which phosphatidylcholine is the most abundant. Since pure phospholipid emulsifiers provide only poor stability, certain ionic lipids (such as phosphatidic acid and phosphatidyl serine) are required in order to increase the electrostatic-repulsive properties and enhance the mechanical barrier by forming liquid crystalline gel structures at the oil-water interface (Brown, et al., Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 10:650-658 (1986)).
The pH of an emulsion is an important consideration in determining the stability of phospholipid based emulsions. Fat emulsions are generally most stable at their manufactured pH (about 8.0), and any additives which severely alter pH (such as dextrose, a component of TNA compositions) may adversely affect emulsion stability. Dextrose solutions are acidic and can significantly decrease the pH of lipid emulsions, with resultant loss of stability. As the pH decreases (to about 2.5), the emulsifying agent becomes electrically neutral and its desirable repulsive forces are lost.
In addition, one of the mechanisms for destabilization of phospholipid-based emulsions is the hydrolysis of phospholipid, which releases fatty acids and phosphatidic acid into the aqueous phase of the emulsion. This likely causes a decrease in pH, thus causing a decrease in Zeta potential of emulsion droplets, and hence coalescence and phase separation (see Magdassi et al., in J. Disp. Sci. Tech. 12:69-82 (1991)).
The addition of electrolytes, e.g., multivalent cations such as calcium ions, can profoundly reduce the surface potential, thereby leading to decreased repulsion between emulsion droplets and ultimately coalescence of the emulsion. Since typical TNA compositions contain several electrolytes, their presence also leads to instability of the emulsion.
Thus, TNA compositions (i.e., compositions containing fat emulsions, dextrose, amino acids and electrolytes) are inherently of limited stability due to the nature of phospholipid-based emulsions. Thus, there clearly exists a need in the art for stable TNA compositions and methods for the preparation thereof.

Total nutrient admixtures as stable multicomponent liquids or dry powders and methods for the preparation thereof


A communication process between two constitutive elements of the network of electricity distribution in a domestic or industrial premise including circuit breakers, electrical modules, switches, electrical plugs and light connection devices. The process including the following steps: assignment by a protocol such as DHCP, BootP or RARP of a first IP address to a first element of the power distribution network, assignment of a second IP address to a second element, and establishment of a communication between the first and second elements of the power distribution network.

The development of home automation has resulted in on-going investigations for increasing the intelligence of components composing the electrical energy distribution network, particularly in household.
For that purpose, searches were conducted for using the functionalities provided by the Internet network in order to increase the intelligence of the electrical appliances which are likely to be connected to the electrical energy distribution network.
European patent EP1217475 describes a device and a procedure of remote control of appliances based on the integration of a web server in the appliance and the connection of this server to an (ISP) Internet Service Provider. But this patent, and many others, does not suggest to incorporate the IP communication within the electrical energy distribution network, and particularly the different components composing such networks.
European Patent EP1349340 also describes a process for controlling a network of household appliances including a shared IP unit allocating private IP addresses or port numbers respectively to a high number of household appliances connected to the energy distribution network. Again, with this patent, the distribution network and its constitutive components such as circuit breakers, switches, power outlets etc. . . . remain totally outside the IP communication protocol.
Both examples which are mentioned above clearly illustrate, among others, the long and extensive research and investigations which are conducted in order to increase the possibilities of communication of the household appliances being connected to the electricity distribution network, particularly with the Internet network.
But those examples, although clearly demonstrative of the strong interest for increasing communication between the appliances, leave completely aside the IP communication within the heart of the electrical energy distribution network, and the particular components constitutive of such networks.
Some attempts were made to introduce communication within the heart of the electrical energy distribution network, but only at the costs of complex and expensive installations, and closely depending on the technical architecture set by the manufacturer, thus compelling the end-user to purchase all components at a single supplier.
A first example of such a system is the so-called IN-ONE BY LEGRAND™ which is manufactured by the company LEGRAND. This system allows the integration of a module to control the "scenarios" of switch-on or off of lights. That system is based on the use of electrical switches which can be remotely controlled by means of Powerline Communications (PLC) or by radio wave . . . . In practice, there is used a specific switch which is manually controlled or controlled by PLC or, alternatively, a specific box is combined with the conventional electrical switch for the purpose of achieving a manual switching circuit (via the switch positioned in front of the box) or by PLC. This system shows to be a significant solution for increasing the flexibility of remote control of electrical appliance and further shows the great interest of the manufacturers for improving home automation. However, such solution does not allow the design of a full and programmable solution of the different components and modules constituting the electrical panel in the house.
Another prior art solution is marketed by the company HAGER under the brand TeBis . . . . This solution is based on a set of communicating switches of bus output modules for controlling the lighting and achieve lighting and management of the distribution of electrical energy.
Communication between those elements is performed by radio or through a specific bus consisting of crossed wires allowing the transportation of a communication protocol called KNX. A special association process is performed by remote control in order to facilitate association between control switches and output models of lighting. The known TeBis solution is arranged for allowing communication of the control switches through an intranet network of the Internet network by means of a specific box which is a gateway allowing access to a pre-existing LAN . . . .
Although all those solutions provide significant improvement to home automation, and clearly show the critical interest of manufacturers for such field, it should be noticed that the known solutions do not integrate the IP protocol within the electrical energy distribution network. In the Tebis system marketed by company HAGER, only the gateway receives its own IP address which, by the way, is provided by an external router which is thus required. By no way, this system allows automatic distribution of IP addresses within the electrical energy distribution network and between the different components composing such network and, hence the implementation of a DHCP server at the heart of this network.
Furthermore, those systems require that significant modifications and work be brought to the electrical panel of the end-user because, on one hand, new cables and wires have to be incorporated (bus wires specifically) and new modules (in particular the said gateway) must have their housing in the main electrical panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,005,759 describes the organization of a network called DNP or Distributed Network Protocol within a distribution network of electric power with a series of sub-stations, each having a LAN (Local Area Network). Again, this patent does not describe the organization of an architecture based on the IP protocol within a network of power distribution for a domestic installation.
Patent WO03058481 pursues further the realization of a network type DNP allowing the communication of information concerning local devices of power distribution and includes the setting of a standard Web server in such a network. Here too, the constitutive devices of the network of electric power distribution do not communicate through the use of the IP protocol, thus taking benefit of all the functionalities offered by such protocols. In addition, those realizations do not concern the installation of a domestic network at the end-user house.
Patent EP1062648 describes the realization of a remote access to electrical meters using the TPC/IP suite. This realization does not describe nor suggest the integration of TPC/IP protocol directly within the domestic network of power distribution and in particular in the different components or modules (circuit breakers, plugs, lights connections devices . . . ). In patent EP1062648, we notice in particular that meters communicate via a local network bus called CEBUS.
Solutions that have been just briefly described and discussed show interesting approaches for developing home automation for the end-user. Nevertheless, while all those prior art techniques clearly demonstrate the high interest shown by the manufacturers, those solutions remain complex and expensive and, moreover, leave the end-user totally dependent on the technical choices of one particular and "proprietary" architecture provided by one manufacturer, which is a serious disadvantage when it comes to achieve—and maintain—the installation of an effective and long lasting electrical energy distribution network.
The invention has for its objective to overcome these drawbacks.

Communication process for elements composing a home or industrial electrical energy distribution network and devices for implementing the same


Duplex communication methods and systems with maximum gain limiting such as in telephone handsets and speaker phones are disclosed. The communications system such as a telephone set may generally include a digital signal processor (DSP) having a receive and transmit path in communication with a receiver and a transmitter, respectively, a volume amplifier for amplifying signals on the receive path, and a maximum gain limiter for determining a total return loss between the receive and transmit paths and for limiting a volume amplification level of the volume amplifier to a maximum depending on the total return loss. The maximum gain limiter determines the total return loss by maintaining a total loop gain for the telephone set at less than 0 dB to prevent unstable operation and howling.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to communication devices. More specifically, duplex communication methods and systems with maximum gain limiting such as in telephone handsets and speaker phones are disclosed.
2. Description of Related Art
A telephone transmitter (microphone) into which a person talks converts speech, i.e., acoustical energy, into variations in an electric current, i.e., electrical energy, by varying or modulating the loop current in accordance with the speech of the talker. On the other hand, telephone receiver (speaker) converts electrical current variations into sound that the person can hear.
A small amount of the transmitter signal is fed back into the receiver, called the sidetone, as a form of feedback mechanism. In other words, sidetone is the portion of the talker's voice that is fed back to the talker's receiver. Sidetone allows the person to hear his/her own voice through the receiver to help the person determine how loudly to speak. Sidetone should be at a proper level because too much sidetone may cause the person to speak too softly for good reception by the other party while too little sidetone may cause the person to speak too loudly that it may sound like a yell at the receiving end.
Receiver gain may be applied to facilitate the user in hearing the receiver output. For example, amplified telephones for hearing impaired users and speakerphones often employ receiver gain to facilitate the user in hearing the receiver output. Although various anti-sidetone circuits are often employed to minimize feedback and to reduce transmission of acoustical noise, in general no more than 30 dB of receiver gain (over nominal) can be provided because of feedback between the transmitter (microphone) and the receiver (speaker) that result in howling. This howling is similar to when a microphone is placed too close to a public address system speaker. However, 30 dB of gain is generally insufficient to allow the a user with moderate to severe hearing loss to adequately hear the receiver output on the telephone. Other amplified telephone sets may employ a line echo canceller (LEC) and an acoustic echo canceller (AEC) in order to achieve gains of more than 30 dB. However, the maximum amount of gain that can be achieved without unstable operation or howling may vary depending on the actual conditions under which the telephone set is utilized, e.g., the local loop to which the telephone set is connected, etc. Conventional amplified telephone sets are generally designed to take into account the worst case scenario and limits the maximum amount of gain applied by the telephone set accordingly. Thus, the maximum amount of gain that the amplified telephone set can apply is often be lower than what can actually be applied while preventing unstable operation or howling.
Thus it would be desirable to maximize or increase the receiver gain without generating feedback that results in howling.

Limiting maximum gain in duplex communications devices including telephone sets


A method is disclosed for avoiding the storage of client state on a server. Based on a local key that is not known to a client, a server encrypts the client's state information. The client's state information may include, for example, the client's authentication credentials, the client's authorization characteristics, and a shared secret key that the server can use to encrypt and authenticate communication to and from the client. By any of a variety of mechanisms, the encrypted client state information is provided to the client. The server may free memory that stored the client's state information. When the server needs the client's state information, the client sends, to the server, the encrypted state information that the client stored. The server decrypts the client state information using the local key. Because each client stores that client's own state information in encrypted form, the server does not need to store any client's state information permanently.

The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have been previously conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
To maintain the security of a private computer network, a client computer ("client") may be required to access the network through a server computer ("server") that acts as an access point to the network. Prior to granting the client access to the network, the server may require the client to supply authentication credentials to the server so that the server can be certain that the client actually is the entity that the client purports to be. The client's authentication credentials indicate the client's identity. If the client's authentication credentials do not match authentication credentials that are stored on the server, then the server refuses the client access to the network. Even after a client has successfully authenticated itself, the server may restrict, based on authorization characteristics that are associated with the client and stored on the server, the client's access to network resources and/or the operations that the client can perform relative to the network resources.
It is not uncommon for unauthorized computers to attempt to eavesdrop on information that is communicated between an authorized client and a server. To prevent unauthorized computers from making use of information that the unauthorized computers should not have received, a client and a server may employ an encryption mechanism to protect information that will be communicated between the client and the server. According to one kind of encryption mechanism, the client and the server both derive one or more session keys from a shared secret key that only the client and the server possess. Before sending messages to each other, the client and the server encrypt the messages using the session keys. Using the session keys, the client and the server can decrypt the encrypted messages that they receive from each other. Computers that do not have the shared secret key cannot derive the session keys, and, consequently, cannot decrypt the encrypted messages communicated between the client and the server.
Multiple clients may access a private network through the same server. To prevent one client from masquerading as another client, different clients typically are associated with different authentication credentials. Different clients may be associated with different authorization characteristics. To prevent one client from making use of information intended exclusively for another client, different clients typically are provided with different shared secret keys. Collectively, a client's authentication credentials, authorization characteristics, and shared secret key are referred to as that client's state information.
According to one approach, a server stores, for each client, separate client state information. Where there are many clients, storing separate client state information for each client uses a large amount of memory. A server's expense is proportionate to the amount of memory that the server requires to store client state information.
Many existing network devices do not contain memory sufficient to store client state information for large numbers of clients. For example, the relatively small amount of memory available to some network routers prevents those network routers from performing the server functions described above when a large number of clients will be accessing a network. Many network routers do not have enough memory to concurrently store many different authentication credentials, authorization characteristics, and shared secret keys. Also, many devices use non-volatile memory systems like flash memory that have limitations on their use. Flash memory can be written to only a fixed number of times, and each write operation can take a significant amount of time. Because of these limitations, flash memory systems are inappropriate for storing dynamic data such as client state information.
In today's increasingly wireless world, memory limitations are not the only concern related to the storage of client state information. A wireless client may roam from one location to another. As a wireless client leaves one location and enters another, the wireless client may seek to access the same private network through a different server. If the server through which the client seeks access does not have the client's state information, then the server will not be able to encrypt messages to and decrypt messages from the client.
One possible approach to solving the problem described above might be to manage a set of servers in such a way that client state information stored on one server is replicated on every server in a domain. However, where there are many clients and many servers, replicating all client state information on every server is a daunting task, especially if new clients are continuously added to the client pool. If each server in a domain needs to be equipped with a very large amount of memory to store all of the client state information for all of the clients, then the expense to the administrators of the domain may be unbearable. Indeed, if the number of clients increases at a sufficiently rapid pace, the administrators may find it impossible to keep up with the growth.


A sequence directed reagent is constructed by conjugating a methyl silyloxy aromatic derivative to a hexamethylamino linker attached to either the 5' or 3' terminus of an oligonucleotide. Annealing this modified fragment of DNA to its complementary sequence allows for target modification subsequent to ionic activation. The product of this reaction is a covalent crosslink between the reagent and target strands resulting from an alkylation of DNA by the activated silyloxy aromatic derivative. In a preferred embodiment, a nitrophenyl group is attached to the methyl group of the silyloxy aromatic derivative. This reagent is similarly linked to an oligonucleotide probe. Activation of this probe linked alkylating agent by an ionic signal, (X) which may naturally occur, or may be introduced into the media containing the target molecule, such as by the introduction of a salt (MX).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to silyloxy aromatic alkylating agents that include a probe specific for biological targets. The alkylating agent is activated for reaction by an increase in ionic strength.
2. Background of the Related Art
Currently prescribed chemotherapeutic agents acting at the level of DNA are often effective, but their therapeutic index is quite poor, limited by the lack of target specificity. An international research effort has been underway using a wide range of techniques to develop a gene specific drug--a "magic bullet" that is aimed at single DNA sequence within a cell.
The technological advances allowing for facile DNA synthesis have produced innumerable protocols which rely on custom oligonucleotides, used as probes to screen for complementary sequences within plasmids, chromosomes and DNA libraries. See for example, Landegren et al., 37 DNA Diagnostics-Molecular Techniques and Automation", Science, 242, 229 (1988). The specificity of oligonucleotide hybridization has been utilized for "antisense" methods controlling selective expression of genes both in vivo and in vitro. For example, see Miller et al., "Oligonucleotide Inhibitors of Gene Expression in Living Cells: New Opportunities in Drug Design", Ann. Reports in Med. Chem., 23, 295 (1988). Sequence recognition by the binding of probes most often depends on only the non-covalent forces of hydrogen bonding formed between complementary base pairs. Complexation of this type is quite sufficient for many applications, but covalent stabilization of duplex structures could simplify many of the current protocols and provide new opportunities for processing DNA in a sequence specific manner.
Messenger RNA has become a viable target for inhibiting the expression of a desired gene in vivo. See for example, Toulme et al., "Antimessenger oligodeoxyribonucleotides: an alternative to antisense RNA for artificial regulation of gene expression - a review", Gene, 72, 51-58 (1988); and, Stein et al., "Oligodeoxyribonucleotides as Inhibitors of Gene Expression: A Review", Cancer Research, 48, 2659-2668 (1988). Compounds created for this selective reaction have drawn from the advances in site specific modification of DNA, for example see: Barton, "Metals and DNA: Molecular Left-Handed Complements", Science, 233, 727-734 (1986), and Dervan, "Design of Sequence-Sepcific DNA-binding molecules"Science, 232, 464-471 (1986). Use of such compounds also depends on the synthesis of metabolically stable oligonucleotides that can transverse cell membranes. For example, see: Blake et al., "Hybridization Arrest of Globin Synthesis in Rabbit Reticulocyte Lysates and Cells by Oligodeoxyribonucleoside Methylphosphonates", Biochemistry, 24, 6139-6145 (1985). Also, see Agrawal et al., "Oligodeoxynucleoside phosphoramidates and phosphorothioates as inhibitors of human immunodeficiency virus", Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 85, 7079-7083 (1988).
Only recently introduced, the technique of oligonucleotide-directed irreversible DNA modification holds great potential as an in vitro tool for molecular biologists. See for example, Dervan, "Design of Sequence-Specific DNA-Binding Molecules", Science, 232, 464-471 (1986); and Iverson et al, in "Nonenzymatic Sequence-Specific Cleavage of Single-Stranded DNA to Nucleotide Resolution. DNA Methyl Thiolether Probes", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 109, 1241-1243 (1987). Site specificity is enforced by the hybridization of the oligomer-reactant to its complement sequence prior to reagent action. Target selectivity can then be conferred, in theory, to most reactive compounds by attaching them to oligonucleotides. The required prehybridization step, however, generally limits this technique's applicability to accessible single strand polynucleotide targets or duplex probes when triple helical formation is possible, see Maher III et al., "Inhibition of DNA Binding Proteins by Oligonucleotide-Directed Triple Helix Formation", Science, 245, 725-730 (1989); Science 245, 967-971 (1989); and Science, 249, 73-75 (1990).
Site-directed covalent modification is also constrained by the nature of the reactive group incorporated into the oligomer. Although a large number of reactive appendages are available for related use in vitro, as reported by Iverson et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 109 (1987) supra; and by Dervan, Science, 232 (1986) supra, only a limited set of these may apply in a controlled activated manner, either in vitro or for in vivo use.
Sequence recognition between synthetic oligonucleotides and macromolecular DNA represent the keystone of numerous techniques required in molecular biology; for example see: Symons Nucleic Acid Probes, CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, Fla. (1989). The fidelity of this process is typically determined only by the hydrogen bonds formed between complementary bases of double and triple helical DNA. Such associations are sufficient for most applications but covalent stabilization of a target-probe complex could simplify a variety of protocols including those used to diagnose genetic, malignant and infectious diseases; i.e. see discussions by Landegren et al., "DNA-Diagnostic, Molecular Techniques and Automation", Science, 242, 229 (1988); and Gamper et al., "Reverse Southern Hybridization" Nucleic Acids Research, 14, 9943 (1986).
A general method for this cross-linking has been demonstrated with the construction of oligonucleotide-directed alkylating agent, reported by Knorre et al., "complementary-Addressed (Sequence-Specific) Modification of Nucleic Acids", Prog. Nucleic Acids Res. Mol. Biol., 32, 291 (1985); Webb and Matteucci, "Sequence-Specific Crosslinking of Deoxyoligonucleotides via Hybridization-Triggered Alkylation", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 108, 2764 (1986); Dervan, "Design of Sequence-Specific DNA-binding Molecules", Science, 232, 464 (1986); nd Meyer et al., "Efficient, Specific Crosslinking and cleavage of DNA by Stable, Synthetic Complementary Oligonucleotides", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 111, 8517 (1989). However, limitations are placed on these reagents because of their inherent reactivity. Only mildly reactive species would allow for target recognition to proceed covalent modification. An alternative approach has relied on moieties that remain inert until triggered by a chemical or photochemical signal. For example, see: Van Houten et al., "Action Mechanism of ABC Excision Nuclease on a DNA Substrate Containing a Psoralen Crosslink at a Defined Position", Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (U.S.A.). 83, 8077 (1986 ); Lee et al., "Interaction of Psoralen-Derivatized Oligodeoxyribonucleoside Methylphosphonates with Single-Stranded DNA", Biochemistry, 27, 3197 (1988); Iverson et al., "Nonenzymatic Sequence-Specific Cleavage of Single-Stranded DNA to Nucleotide Resolution. DNA Methyl Thiolether Probes", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 109, 1241 (1987); Chatterjee and Rokita "Inducible Alkylation of DNA Using an Oligonucleotide-Quinone Conjugate" J. Am. Chem. Soc. 112, 6397 (1990); and also see co-pending patent application U.S. Ser. No. 07/442,947, filed on Nov. 29, 1989, now patented, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.
Organosilane compounds have been used as intermediates in the formation of quinone methides in aprotic solvents. For example, see Ramage et al., "Solid Phase Peptide synthesis: Fluoride Ion Release of Peptide from the Resin", Tet. Lett., 28, 4105 (1987); Mullen and Barany "A New Fluoridolyzable Anchoring Linkage for Orthogonal Solid Phase Peptide Synthesis", J. Org. Chem., 53, 5240 (1988); Trahanovsky et al., "Observation of Reactive o-Quinodimethanes by Flow NMR", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 110, 6579 (1988); and Angle and Turnbull, "p-Quinone Methide Initiated Cyclization Reactions", J. Am. Chem. Soc., 111, 1136 (1989).
Yabusaki et al., in PCT Published Application No. WO 85/02628 describe cross-linking agents for binding an oligonucleotide probe to a target DNA or RNA molecule. Three types of cross-linking agents are described, including "bi-functional photoreagents", "mixed chemical and biochemical bifunctional reagents" and "bifunctional chemical cross-linking molecules". The bifunctional photoreagents contain two photochemically reactive sites that bind covalently to the probe and to the target molecules. The mixed chemical and photochemical bifunctional reagent is bound non-photochemically to the probe molecule, followed by photochemical binding to the target molecule. Non-photochemical binding is described as a chemical reaction such as alkylation, condensation or additional. Bi-functional chemical cross-linking molecules are said to be activated either catalytically or by high temperature following hybridization.
Although Yabusaki et al. generally hypothesize the concept of a bifunctional photochemical reagent and a mixed chemical and photochemical reagent, there is no specific description of these molecules. All of the reagents they describe are well known photochemical reagents, these include the psoralen derivatives, including furocoumarins, the benzodipyrone derivatives, and the bis-azide derivatives. None of these molecules, however, work on the basis of ionic activation. These reagents, especially the psoralen derivatives are toxic, causing severe burning of the organism after exposure to sunlight. Finally, the covalent crosslinks formed by psoralens are not permanent, rather, they are degraded by UV irradiation.
Two recent articles reported the use or psoralen crosslinks of DNA substrates, the first by Van Houten et al., in "Action mechanism of ABC excision nuclease on a DNA substrate containing a psoralen crosslink at a defined position", Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 83, 8077-8081 (1986), and the second by Lee et al., in "Interaction of Psoralen-Derivatized Oligodeoxyribonucleoside Methylphosphonates with Single-Stranded DNA", Biochemistry, 27, 3197-3203 (1988). Both articles reported covalent cross-linking between the DNA molecule and a complementary oligomer that contains a psoralen derivative. The covalent binding of the psoralen derivative to the DNA molecule was activated by UV irradiation. Accordingly, just like the Yakusaki patent application, the covalent crosslinks, formed by psoraless are not permanent, being degraded by UV irradiation.
The techniques of Northern and Southern blotting are two of the most powerful and frequently used procedures in molecular biology, see Wall et al., "Northern and Southern Blots", Methods Enz,. 152, 572-573 (1987). Yet the necessary manipulations are time consuming and are not likely to be automated under current technology. Often the polynucleotide (RNA, DNA) under analysis must first be fractionate by size, transferred onto a solid support and then treated through a series of steps to ensure only specific binding of a probe. Detection of the hybridized products usually depends on radiolabelling, heavy metal derivatization or antibody complexation. The methods of blotting have been a staple of basic research, and now also serve in an ever increasing number of commercial kits used to diagnose genetic malignant and infectious diseases (see Landegren et al. Science, 242, (1988) supra). Related advances have also allowed these processes to aid in forensic science, see Higuchi et al., "DNA Typing from Single Hairs", Nature, 332, 543-546 (1988); and, the Human Genome Project, see Conner et al., "Detection of Sickle Cell .beta..sup.s -Globin Allele by Hybridization with Synthetic Oligonucleotides", Proc. Nat'l. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 80, 278-282 (1983).
Psoralens have been used to randomly crosslink duplex DNA during hybridization in order to facilitate Southern Blotting procedures. This new test is referred to as Reverse Southern blotting. For example, see Gamper et al., in "Reverse Southern Hybridization", Nucl. Acids Res., 14, 9943 (1986). Other biochemical and reduction activated reagents are needed to replace or complement psoralens for sequence detection and to provide an alternate set of conditions for duplex stabilization.
Accordingly, none of the related art describes or suggests using ionic activation with an aromatic silyloxy alkylating agents in order to permanently alkylate a biological molecule such as DNA.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new class of ionically activated alkylating probes which form a permanent covalent crosslink.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an ionically activated alkylating probe which can be used in vivo.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a new class of ionically activated Reverse Southern blotting reagents for conjugating and permanently crosslinking target oligonucleotides and facilitate blotting procedures, sequence detection and nucleic acid fragmentation.

Ion triggered alkylation of biological targets by silyloxy aromatic agents

The Research Foundation of State University of New York


An image-blur correction device includes a drive-current output unit that outputs a first drive current for driving a first correction mechanism for correcting image blur in a first direction orthogonal to an optical axis and a second drive current for driving a second correction mechanism for correcting image blur in a second direction orthogonal to the optical axis and the first direction; and a drive-current limiting unit that limits the first drive current to a first limit value, limits the second drive current to a second limit value, limits a total value of the first and second drive currents to a third limit value smaller than a total value of the first and second limit values, varies the first limit value by changing a power-supply time of the first drive current, and varies the second limit value by changing a power-supply time of the second drive current.

The present technology relates to an image-blur correction device, an image-blur correction method, and an image capture apparatus that allow image-blur correction to be performed in a favorable manner.
Some image capture apparatuses, such as video cameras and still cameras, are provided with an image-blur correction device for performing image-blur correction by moving a lens in a direction orthogonal to an optical-axis direction. In image capture apparatuses provided with such an image-blur correction device, a total value of powers supplied from two or more drive mechanisms that perform image-blur correction is limited, for example, in the manner disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 9-80541.

Image-blur correction device, image-blur correction method, and image capture apparatus


A new and distinct cultivar of Loropetalum plant named ‘LRD-02-20’ is disclosed, characterized by its compact, mounded, spreading growth habit; dark black-purple foliage color that persists through summer and winter; dark pink (almost red) flowers in spring; and improved cold hardiness compared to other compact purple-leaf cultivars. The new variety is a Loropetalum, normally produced as an outdoor garden or container plant.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum, a member of the Hamamelidaceae family, hereinafter referred to by its cultivar name 'LRD-02-20'. This cultivar is grown primarily as an ornamental for landscape use and for use as a potted plant.
The cultivar originated from an open-pollination of Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum 'GriffCRL', U.S. Plant Pat. No. 16,615, in Watkinsville, Ga., in 2020, and was selected from the progeny by continued evaluation for growth habit, flower, and improved foliage characteristics. The cultivar 'LRD-02-20' originated and was discovered in a cultivated environment in an outdoor nursery in Watkinsville, Ga.
'LRD-02-20' has been asexually reproduced by softwood cuttings since 2020 in Watkinsville, Ga. The characteristics of the cultivar have been stable and reproduced true to type in successive vegetative generations.


A terminal is provided, and the terminal includes a housing, a front screen, a circuit board, and a power supply. The front screen is disposed on the housing, both the circuit board and the power supply are disposed inside the housing, and the power supply is connected to the circuit board. The front screen includes a toughened glass, a color changing layer, and a display screen that are sequentially stacked. The color changing layer is connected to the circuit board, and can change a color when receiving power supply. The color changing layer is disposed in the front screen, and may change a color when receiving the power supply from the circuit board. The color changing layer is configured to change only a color and cannot display a complex image, and power consumption of the color changing layer is far less than that of the display screen.

Currently, as technologies develop, front screens are disposed on more terminals. For example, front screens are disposed on all terminals such as a smartphone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a smart television, and a smartwatch. An external structure of a terminal mainly includes a housing and a front screen disposed on the housing. In consideration of appearance consistency, designing a terminal on which a color of a front screen is the same as that of a housing has become one of future development directions.
When power consumption is not considered, it can be implemented that a color of a front screen is the same as that of a housing by using a current technology. For example, assuming that a housing of a terminal is red, a processor of the terminal may send a control instruction to a front screen when the terminal is in a standby state, where the control instruction is used to instruct the front screen to display a red color. When the front screen receives the control instruction, the front screen displays the red color.
In the foregoing technical solution, when the terminal is in the standby state, the front screen needs to be always in a running state and display a target color, so that the color of the front screen is consistent with that of the housing. However, in the foregoing technical solution, the front screen consumes a large amount of electric energy when the terminal is in the standby state, thereby reducing service duration of the terminal.

Terminal with a color changing screen layer


In control apparatus and method for taking failure countermeasure for a hybrid vehicular drive system, on a lever diagram of a planetary gear mechanism, a revolution speed order is a first motor/generator, an engine, the output member, and a second motor/generator, high-brake and low-brake are arranged at one and the other ends of the lever diagram, respectively, with the output member as an intermediate position on the lever diagram, an output abnormality of each of the engine, the first motor/generator, and the second motor/generator which are drive sources is detected, and, with one of the first and second clutching sections clutched, a vehicular run using at least one of the drive sources whose output is detected to be normal is enabled when the drive source output abnormality detecting section detects that the output abnormalities in any one or two of the drive sources occur.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technical field on such a fail-safe or fail-soft as a failure countermeasure control apparatus and method for a hybrid vehicular drive system, the hybrid vehicular drive system having an engine and two motors/generators (motors functioning as generators and vice versa) as power sources (or drive sources).
2. Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. 2000-102106 published on Apr. 7, 2003 exemplifies a previously proposed hybrid vehicle. In the previously proposed hybrid vehicle in the above-described Japanese Patent Application First Publication, the engine, two planetary gear sets, and the two motor/generators which control sun gears of the two planetary gear sets, a carrier of one of the two planetary gear sets being coupled to the engine, and a ring gear of one of the two planetary gear sets being coupled to the road wheels.

Control apparatus and method for taking failure countermeasure for hybrid vehicular drive system

Renault s.a.s. societe par actions simplifiee


A device for collection and containment of spilled or leaked liquid hydrocarbons absorbs pollutants that come in contact. The absorbed material is solidified-within the pillow into a rubber-like mass. An impermeable layer-of material may be utilized in forming the bottom layer of the outer envelope of the device to retain accumulated hydrocarbons-within the pillow while further allowing the contaminants to disperse throughout the device for absorption and solidification. The impermeable layer prevents spilled or leaked hydrocarbons from contaminating the surface below the device. The consolidated mass is easily retrieved and handled for disposal. A variety of options may be utilized in disposing of the spent device, including recycling the rubber-like mass as a component of tar-like materials, such as asphalt. The solidified hydrocarbons will not leech when exposed to pressure limits used to determine landfill suitability.

The present invention relates to absorbent devices for use in containing and disposing of spilled or leaked hydrocarbons. The device further provides a variety of environmentally sound disposal options for spilled and leaked liquid hydrocarbons.
In a broad range of applications, there is a need to contain and remove liquid hydrocarbons that are spilled or leaked into the environment as part of the routine maintenance and operation of a wide variety of equipment and machinery utilizing liquid hydrocarbon products for fuel and lubrication. This critically important task is necessary to prevent pollution of the environment, by for example, entry of pollutants into an adjacent water column as the spilled or leaked liquid hydrocarbons seep through the ground, or allowing the hydrocarbons to flow downstream as waste water runoff.
One common approach to the task of removing spilled or leaked liquid hydrocarbons is to utilize absorbent devices to contain such spills. A wide variety of components, including cotton, peat moss, rice hulls and ground-up corn cobs are used in the fabrication of these devices. One such device relies on ground-up chicken feathers encased in a cotton pillow case. The largest class of sorbent devices are typically composed of a group of non-woven, petro-chemical based fabric materials having the physical properties of sorbing liquid hydrocarbons while repelling water. These devices are packaged as flat pads or sheets, or are rolled into cylindrical booms for placement to absorb and retain leaks and spills caused by the equipment. They are also packaged as strips of the non-woven fabric encased in an open weave plastic net, resulting in a sausage-like boom.
In each instance, these devices are placed in sump or containment areas where spilled or leaked hydrocarbons accumulate to absorb and collect them for extraction from the area.
Prior art absorbent devices-of this type are subject to allowing liquid hydrocarbons to pass through the device and on to the surface where they are placed. The contaminants are then free to soak into the ground and pollute the adjacent area or stain the surface, such as a concrete pad, with a film of liquid hydrocarbons Further, the absorbed liquid hydrocarbons are subject to release by gravity, column weight or outside forces exerting pressure on the devices as they are removed from the containment area. Disposal of these devices results in the displacement of a substantial volume of the absorbed liquid hydrocarbon pollutants from one environment to another.

Liquid hydrocarbon sorbing and solidifying pillow


A touch device is provided that allows users to easily select text in an Electronic Book (e-book), based on a touch interaction. A method is also provided that operates an e-book function in the touch device which includes displaying e-book content, receiving an anchor interaction at a location in text of the e-book content, displaying a number of candidate anchors, based on the location where the anchor interaction is input, determining two selected candidate anchors as definite anchors, and forming a block of text in the definite anchors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a system and method for providing Electronic Book (e-book) services in a mobile device, and more particularly, to a touch device that allows users to easily select text in an e-book, based on a touch interaction, and a method for operating an e-book function in the touch device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile devices utilize mobile convergence to provide additional services and functionality normally provided by other types of mobile systems, in addition to traditional service functions. A mobile communication device can include basic communication functionality such as voice calling and messaging and additional functions such as TV viewing functionality (e.g., mobile broadcasting, such as Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB), etc.), audio playback functionality (e.g., MPEG Audio Layer 3 (MP3)), photography functionality, Internet access capability, dictionary browsing, and the like.
Conventional mobile devices are developing to also support e-book functionality, wherein users purchase e-book content and store the content in their mobile devices. E-books generally refer to digital books including information such as text and image and are stored in electronic media, and can essentially be used as hard copy books. E-books are created from content in hard copy books or publications, converted to digital data. Users can view the content in an e-book, via a computer or a mobile device, through wired or wireless communication.
The development of tablet PCs, which have a relatively large display for easily viewing content, has encouraged the development of technology related to e-book functionality. The e-book functionality provides user convenience when displaying e-book content.

Method and apparatus for operating an electronic book function in a mobile device


A dual beam laser aiming module for a firearm has a dual-laser alignment housing with a first IR laser assembly in a first cavity and that provides a first beam axis. A second visible laser assembly is adjustably located in a second cavity to provide a second beam having an axis parallel to the first beam axis. A housing for the dual-laser alignment housing is adapted to be fixed to the firearm. The dual-laser alignment housing has a rounded exterior surface that interfaces with a corresponding rounded surface in the interior of the cavity of the laser housing. The dual-laser alignment housing is adjustably pivoted with respect to the laser housing with a four-point laser alignment mechanism to align the parallel first and second axes further in parallel to a centerline of a barrel of the firearm.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to laser aiming and alignment devices and, more particularly, to a dual beam laser aiming device for a firearm.
2. Prior Art
Previously, laser aiming modules have been provided that include only one laser device that was adjusted to align a single laser beam with the axis of a gun barrel of a firearm. Such single-laser systems are disclosed, for example, in a U.S. Pat. No. 5,581,898 entitled "Modular Sighting Laser For A Firearm" and was granted to Heinz Thummel, the inventor of the present invention. A laser alignment device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,753 entitled "Laser Precision Bore Sight Assembly" and also granted to Heinz Thummel, the inventor of the present invention. Using a number of similar techniques to provide parallel alignment of two or more laser beams would produce large, bulky devices that would be impractical. Consequently, what is needed is a technique for efficiently providing a dual-beam laser aiming device.


A process is provided for the production of dicalcium phosphate form a phosphate source material in which a solution of phosphoric acid is produced by the action of a suitable mineral acid, generally sulphuric acid, on a phosphate source material. Calcium fluoride is precipitated at a pH of between 3.5 and 4.5 followed by hydrolyzing the solution by diluting it with water to a ratio of approximately 1:7 to about 1:10 monocalcium phosphate to water at a temperature of approximately 40 degrees Centigrade to form a primary precipitate containing substantially all of the fluoride present as CaF2 together with some dicalcium phosphate and a primary calcium and phosphate containing solution. The primary precipitate is dissolved, the pH adjusted to form 3.5 to 4.5 and the hydrolyzation repeated to form a secondary precipitate containing substantially all of the fluoride present as CaF2 together with some dicalcium phosphate and a secondary calcium and phosphate containing solution. The secondary precipitate can optionally, if required, by again processed in the same way to recover more phosphates. The product dicalcium phosphate is recovered from the combined calcium and phosphate containing solutions.

It is typical for many phosphate ores to contain fluoride which is not readily separated from the phosphate but needs to be eliminated to at least some extent dependent on the use to which will be product dicalcium phosphate or monocalcium phosphate is to be put. As a general rule, dicalcium phosphate for use in animal feeds must, for example, contain less than 1000 ppm (parts per million) fluoride.
One procedure typically used is to treat the ore with sulphuric acid which produces a solution of phosphoric acid and hydrogen fluoride and a residue containing other contaminants and calcium sulphate. The solution is treated with calcium carbonate to a pH of about 2.9 to 3.0 in order to precipitate calcium fluoride and thereafter hydrolyzed to yield a precipitate of calcium fluoride and produce a solution of calcium and phosphate ions which can be directly processed to form a usable dicalcium phosphate product. However, in carrying out this process, an amount of dicalcium phosphate is precipitated together with the calcium fluoride and this combined precipitate is discarded as a waste product. The quantity of phosphate discarded in this way can be from 10 to 20 percent of the phosphate present and thus represents a significant loss.

Production of dicalcium phosphate or monocalcium phosphate


An apparatus for preparing and testing a sample of a subterranean formation, the apparatus comprising a pressure cell defining an interior volume, the pressure cell comprising a first end member comprising a channel formed therein, a second end member, a wall member positioned between the first end member and the second end member, and a sample cell positioned within the interior volume of the pressure cell, wherein the channel of the first end member fluidly connects with a first point external of the pressure cell, with a second point external of the pressure cell, and with the sample cell.

Wellbores are sometimes formed in a subterranean formation which contains a hydrocarbon, and wellbore operations and/or hydrocarbon production may be conducted via the wellbores. Mechanical properties of a subterranean formation can affect the design of a wellbore; moreover, certain properties may be indicative of a subterranean formation which can shift, move, or migrate under certain conditions, inhibiting wellbore operations and/or hydrocarbon production.
As such, it can be desirable to obtain and test a sample of the subterranean formation in which a wellbore is to be drilled and/or when problems in the subterranean formation have occurred, are suspected, or are known. In some instances, samples of subterranean formations are taken and subsequently evaluated to determine one or more properties of the subterranean formation. For example, a sample may be obtained by drilling into the subterranean formation with a core drill as known in the art. After drilling for the sample, the core drill may be raised to the surface, where the sample is removed from the core drill for testing and evaluation for various properties, including mechanical properties. By testing a sample of a subterranean formation, characteristics of the subterranean formation may be better understood.