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1. A chemical oxygen generator to produce cool oxygen gas comprising: a. a charge housing, b. a solid but porous charge contained in the said housing, the charge being made of a chemical mixture that generates oxygen upon decomposition and that will undergo a self-sustained exothermal decomposition after initiation, the said charge containing at most 3.0 wt. % of binder material, the said porous charge allows the generated oxygen to pass through the charge without damaging the virgin material and without creating volumetric burning, the said charge is mounted in the housing in such a way that the generated oxygen passes through the charge and under the pressure difference flows from the moving decomposition front towards the vent, c. an ignition device mounted at one end of the cartridge in such a way that it is capable to initiate a self-sustained decomposition of the charge at the charge surface adjacent to the initiator, d. one or more vents mounted in such a way that the generated oxygen that has passed through the generating porous charge leaves the gas generator through the said vents. 2. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1 with a. an inert porous mass (filter) to cool the oxygen towards the end of burning, b. a filter to prevent particulate matter to be expelled from the said cartridge, c. a filter containing a catalyst that converts any CO present in the decomposition gases into CO2, d. a filter to prevent polluting chemicals to be expelled from the said cartridge. 3. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 2 where two or more of the filters mentioned under 2a, 2b, 2c and 2d are combined. 4. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1 where the temperature of the vented oxygen gas is less than 50° C. 5. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the said charge is made from granular material bonded together by a bonding agent and having a porosity between 41% and 61%. 6. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, wherein the binder is an organic binder and present in an amount of 1.5 wt. % or less. 7. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, containing a charge with a compression strength larger than 0.67 MPa and a Modulus of Elasticity under compression larger than 50 MPa. 8. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the oxygen generating chemical is from the group of alkali chlorates of perchlorates, more specifically Lithium perchlorate (LiClO4), Lithium chlorate (LiClO3), Sodium perchlorate (NaClO4), Sodium chlorate (NaClO3), Potassium perchlorate (KClO4) or Potassium chlorate (KClO3) and preferably Sodium chlorate (NaClO3), or from the group of alkali peroxides and superoxides, specifically sodium peroxide (Na2O2), potassium peroxide (K2O2), specifically sodium superoxide (NaO2), potassium superoxide (KO2), additives selected from the group Aluminium (Al), Magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn), Molybdenum (Mo), Manganese (Mn), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Iron (Fe), Barium peroxide (BaO2), Cobalt oxides (Co2O3 and Co3O4), Chromium oxide (Cr2O3), Copper oxide (CuO), Iron oxide (Fe2O3), Silicium dioxide (SiO2), Zinc oxide (ZnO), Manganese Oxide (MnO) and Manganese Dioxide (MnO2), or from the group of alkali peroxides, specifically sodium peroxide (Na2O2), potassium peroxide (K2O2), and alkali superoxides specifically sodium superoxide (NaO2), potassium superoxide (KO2) and as binder material from agents from the group of inorganic adhesives, specifically: Na2SiO3, K2SiO3, or mixtures thereof, from the group of organic lacquers and adhesives, preferably Sodium Polyvinyl Tetrazole (C3H3N4Na)m, and furthermore Sodium Carboxyl Cellulose, Polyvinylacetate, Nitrocellulose, a mixture of pentaphtalic anhydride and pentaerythrite, epoxy resin, and water soluble proteins. 9. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1 that is made with the vibration-tamping technology to load a granular mass into a processing die involving the following main stages: preparation of solid ingredients: comprising drying, grinding and separation into the required fractions; preparation of binder solutions of the required concentrations with an intermediate processing solvent; mixing of the dry powdered ingredients in the required ratio until a homogeneous mixture is obtained; mixing the mixture of dry powdered ingredients with the binder (or a part of it) and the intermediate processing solvent in the required ratio; manufacturing grains of defined sizes with the mixture of the binder and powered ingredients; molding grains moistened with a mixture comprising a part of binder and processing solvent in the required ratio by vibration-tamping into a processing die; solidification of the molded charge. 10. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1 where the tooling to cast the charge in is part of the housing of the gas generator. 11. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the composition is Sodium chlorate>80%, Barium peroxide>2%, Iron powder>3%, Cobalt oxide (Co3O4)<5%, Manganese dioxide<5% and Sodium Polyvinyl Tetrazole<3%. 12. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the binder is Sodium Polyvinyl Tetrazole and amount of Sodium Polyvinyl Tetrazole 1.5%. 13. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the velocity of the decomposition reaction is determined by the composition of the charge and in particular by the amount and kind of additives. 14. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the particle size of the granular ingredients has been selected such that a porosity between 41% and 61% is obtained. 15. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1 where the particle size of the granular ingredients has been selected such that the charge density is between 1000 kg/m3 and 1150 kg/m3. 16. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1 where the composition of the charge and the granular properties of the ingredients is such that the velocity of the decomposition front lies between 0.2 and 0.3 mm/s. 17. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1 where the filter to cool the oxygen gas towards the end of burning consists of sand. 18. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the housing has been made from metal. 19. A housing for a chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the metal is aluminium, titanium or steel. 20. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the housing has been made from plastic composite material. 21. A housing according to the claim 17, where the said housing has fixtures allowing the housing to be mounted in devices or to attach the housing to equipment or walls. 22. A housing according to the claim 17 where the said housing has fixtures allowing the housing to be carried and transported. 23. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the housing, via the vent or exit is connected to a buffer or storage vessel. 24. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where the outer layer of the charge acts as a thermal insulator. 25. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 1, where thermal protection material has been placed between the charge and the wall of the housing. 26. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 25 where the thermal protection material consists of glass fiber impregnated with the same binder as used in the charge. 27. A chemical oxygen generator according to claim 25 where the thermal protection material consists of silica fiber impregnated with the same binder as used in the charge. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>Chemical oxygen (pyrotechnic) gas generators have been developed and used already for long periods. Self-controlled, continuously ready to operate for many years without any verification tests, easy activation from low-power electric sources, small size, safe, a rather high yield of oxygen on a per-unit volume and unit mass and a number of other advantages make them irreplaceable in case of emergencies and in accidents. They are used and applied, for instance, for the emergency supply of oxygen to the passengers in aircraft in case of cabin depressurization, in submarines if the other emergency oxygen supply systems fail, in space stations in case of emergency if the basic oxygen supply systems fail, and in many other conceivable emergency cases. A typical example of the use of oxygen generators on-board aircraft is presented in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,171. An operational application is the supply of oxygen for firefighters. Other cases to provide oxygen to satisfy operational requirements are e.g. for divers, or for driving rocket engines on-board spacecraft. In all these cases oxygen has to be provided independently of the ambient or surroundings. In general, oxygen may be provided from oxygen stored in bottles or from oxygen generators. The latter in many cases are lighter and less voluminous for the same amount of oxygen than bottles. Chemical oxygen generators are the subject of this invention. Chemical oxygen generators are well known to those versed in the art. As a rule, chemical compounds, which release oxygen during thermal decomposition, are used in chemical oxygen generators. The following compounds are commonly used: Alkali metal chlorates and alkali metal perchlorates, especially Lithium perchlorate (LiClO 4 ), Lithium chlorate (LiClO 3 ), Sodium perchlorate (NaClO 4 ), Sodium chlorate (NaClO 3 ), Potassium perchlorate (KClO 4 ) or Potassium chlorate (KClO 3 ); Peroxides, especially Sodium peroxide (Na 2 O 2 ) and Potassium peroxide (K 2 O 2 ) Superoxides, especially Potassium superoxide (KO 2 ) and Sodium superoxide (NaO 2 ) Special additives are used in small amounts to assure self-sustained decomposition (combustion) while releasing oxygen. These additives also control the reaction rate, and form a heat resistant slag with a high-melting point and scavenge harmful gases (i.e. impurities, e.g. chlorine, its compounds and others) that may be released by side reactions. Typical Examples of These Additives Are: Metals: Aluminum, Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese, Molybdenum, Cobalt, Nickel, and in particular Iron; Cobalt oxides (Co 2 O 3 and Co 3 O 4 ), Chromium oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ), Copper oxide (CuO), Iron oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ), Zinc oxide (ZnO), Manganese oxide (MnO), Manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ), Magnesium oxide, (MgO), Silicium dioxide (SiO 2 ) Alkali peroxides, specifically Sodium peroxide (Na 2 O 2 ), Potassium peroxide (K 2 O 2 ), Barium peroxide (BaO 2 ) Alkali super-oxides, specifically Sodium superoxide (NaO 2 ) and Potassium superoxide (KO 2 ) U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,854 mentions a number of combinations and specifically mentions magnesium oxide to control the decomposition reaction, suppress chlorine formation, improve the rheology and facilitate the mixing. One reason for improving the rheology and the mixing, is the way in which the oxygen candle according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,854 has been made. The present invention avoids several of these difficulties. U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,225 discusses another oxygen generator (or oxygen candle). Materials, like asbestos, which are presently considered a health hazard, are used in this patent to obtain oxygen of breathing quality. The cool oxygen gas generator which is subject of this invention does not use asbestos. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,336,470 and 5,322,669 discuss means to control the mass flow rate of the oxygen. This is done by introducing barriers of various shapes. These barriers on one hand create a specific path for the decomposition front, but also specifically serve to absorb heat from the decomposition reaction. This is certainly required if the chemical oxygen generator has to provide oxygen for breathing purposes. For example, the decomposition of sodium chlorate is according to the reaction: in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"? 2NaClO 3 →2 NaCl+3O 2 +101 kJ in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? To maintain the decomposition reaction, fuel like iron (Fe) is added to the mixture. The decomposition temperature of the mixture is in the order of 1500 K. In a classical chemical oxygen generator heat is absorbed by the additives and the housing, but insulation material is required to prevent the outside of the housing becoming too hot and additional heat sinks to cool the oxygen to acceptable temperatures. U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,225 uses glass fiber as insulating material and a double wall through which coolant air may pass. Nevertheless, oxygen temperatures of 370° C. (700° F.) are reported. It is obvious that if the oxygen is to be used directly for breathing, it must be cooled down further, which usually is done by large heat capacity filters. These serve the purpose of filtering the oxygen gas from particulate material and polluting chemicals, if present, but especially to cool the oxygen. Therefore, these filters are much larger and heavier than would be the case if the only purpose was to filter and cleanse the oxygen. In fact, the filters are counterproductive for mass and volume reduction. The importance of low mass is specifically stressed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,007,736. The present invention circumvents the problems of the prior art, by making use of a technology that has been described in the Russian patent 2108282 and the International patent application PCT/NL00/00696, publication Number WO 0123327. Here the hot decomposition gas is passed through the not reacted material, thereby raising the temperature of the virgin material and cooling the produced gas. However, to accomplish this it is necessary to make a porous charge that remains integer during the decomposition when oxygen is released. If that were not the case, particulate material might clog the porous charge and functioning of the gas generator would be impaired. U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,655 teaches a chemical oxygen generator where also the hot oxygen passes through the virgin material. However, this virgin material consists of loose pellets held together and compressed by a spring load. The pellets themselves are specially manufactured and consist of a cylindrical center body and two hemispherical end caps. The cylindrical part can even be of a different chemical composition than the hemispherical end caps. Although the dimensions of the pellets are not given in U.S. Pat. No. 4,981,655, it can be inferred from the drawings that they are of macroscopic dimensions; therefore the specific surface area for contact with the hot oxygen is much smaller than the specific surface of the porous virgin material that is subject of the present invention. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>The object of the invention is a chemical gas generator providing oxygen of low temperature, such as below 50° C., preferably below 30° C., preferably also of very high purity. The main object of the invention is a special oxygen-generating material and the technology of manufacturing the porous, gas-permeable, mechanically strong charges of this material. When receiving a defined amount of (externally provided) heat, these charges are able to decompose exothermally (burn) while generating oxygen. They are also capable to pass hot oxygen through their own body without destruction or volumetric burning. The charge is placed in the gas generator in such a way that the oxygen generated in the reaction passes through the porous virgin charge in the same direction as the reaction front under a pressure difference. Because of this process, the oxygen is cooled down to the ambient temperature due to heat exchange with the charge. At the same time, the oxygen heats the charge near the reaction front up to the temperature required to sustain this reaction. The slag formed after the reaction consists of substances with high melting and boiling points and remains within the gas generator. To achieve an efficient exchange of heat and an unobstructed path for the oxygen, the charge has a porosity (ε ρ ) ranging from 41% to 61% and a relatively large specific surface S pc =(13±2)·10 8 m 2 /kg. (The porosity is defined as ε ρ =1−ρ ch /ρ c , where p ch is the charge density and ρ c is a charge composition density). The charge is composed of fine-granules as an oxygen source; the main ingredients are compounds from the groups: chlorates and perchlorates of alkali metals, particularly Lithium perchlorate (LiClO 4 ), Lithium chlorate (LiClO 3 ), Sodium perchlorate (NaClO 4 ), Sodium chlorate (NaClO 3 ), Potassium perchlorate (KClO 4 ) or Potassium chlorate (KClO 3 ); peroxides, particularly Sodium peroxide (Na 2 O 2 ) and Potassium peroxide (K 2 O 2 ); Superoxides, particularly Potassium superoxide (KO 2 ) and Sodium superoxide (NaO 2 ). Small amounts of special substances are introduced into the charge composition to: provide a self-sustaining decomposition (combustion) generating oxygen, control the reaction rate, form a heat-proof slag with a high-melting and −boiling point, and scavenge harmful contaminants (e.g. chlorine and its compounds) which may appear in small amount as a result of side reactions. These substances are selected from the following groups: metals: Aluminum (Al), Magnesium (Mg), Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), Cobalt (Co), Nickel (Ni), Particularly Iron (Fe); Oxides: Cobalt oxides (Co 2 O 3 and Co 3 O 4 ), Chrome oxide (Cr 2 O 3 ), Copper oxide (CuO), Iron oxide (Fe 2 O 3 ), Zinc oxide (ZnO), Manganese oxide (MnO), Manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ), Silicium dioxide (SiO 2 ), Magnesium oxide (MgO); alkali and alkaline-earth metal peroxides: particularly sodium peroxide (Na 2 O 2 ), Potassium peroxide (K 2 O 2 ) and Barium peroxide (BaO 2 ); superoxides: particularly Sodium superoxide (NaO 2 ) and Potassium superoxide (KO 2 ). To achieve the proper burning and cooling characteristics, it is preferred that the porous material has a very high specific surface. It is important that at the substantial porosity and relatively high specific surface of the pores, a rather high charge strength is assured (the minimum compression strength is at least 0.67 MPa and the modulus of elasticity is over 50 MPa). These mechanical characteristics assure when assembling, operating and transporting the gas generator, that the charge does not deform, remains integer and doesn't crack or crumble. The selection and amount of special binder material and the process of charge manufacturing is an important aspect of this invention. It is an aspect of the invention that the amount of binder material is less than 3.0 wt. % of the charge, thereby assuring a high purity, while at the same time maintaining sufficient porosity. It provides a sufficient level of mechanical properties at a substantial porosity of the charge with a very small amount of binder in the composition. The binder is selected from the following group: Inorganic binders: particularly Sodium silicate (Na 2 SiO 3 ) or Potassium silicate (K 2 SiO 3 ) or a mixture thereof Organic binders:, particularly Sodium polyvinyl tetrazole (C 3 H 3 N 4 Na) m. or, alternatively: Nitrocellulose, a mixture of pentaphtalic anhydride and pentaerythrite, epoxy resins, or water soluble proteins. In case organic binders are used, and this is preferred, the amount thereof is preferably less than 1.5 wt. %. According to the method to generate cool gases (Russian Patent No2108282) the charge design and its arrangement in the generator must create a decomposition front and ensure that the generated oxygen flows through the charge in the direction: from the igniter to the vent. In relation to this, the design and shape of the charge are limited only by the fact they must provide a suitable propagation of decomposition front and oxygen flow through the charge. Vibration-tamping the granular mass into a processing die is used to manufacture the porous charges. This technology involves the following main stages: preparation of ingredients, mixing of dry powdered ingredients, mixing of the mass, granulation of the mass, molding of the granular mass and solidification of a charge. Preparation of the solid ingredients involves: drying, grinding, and sieving or screening, to separate particle fractions of defined sizes. Preparation of the Binder Involves: mixing of a solution of the binder in a defined concentration in an intermediate processing solvent, mixing of the powdered ingredients in the required ratio until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Mixing of the mass involves the following: thorough agitation of the binder solution (or parts of it) and mixing of the dry powdered ingredients in the required ratios. Granulation comprises manufacturing of solid granules of defined sizes from the obtained mass such that it guarantees the required porosity and specific surface area of the charge pores. The granules are moistened with the binder solution in the intermediate processing solvent or directly with the intermediate processing solvent and are molded by vibration tamping into a processing die of the required dimensions and shape. Vibration tamping is carried out to provide homogenous density, porosity and strength of the complete charge. The charge, cast into a processing die, is subjected to solidification. One part of the invention is that the housing of the gas generator has one or more filters. These filters are installed between the charge and the vent of the gas generator. The filters have the following objectives: they catch slag particles, which may be carried with the oxygen flow; they scavenge other gas impurities that contaminate the oxygen, and that were not scavenged by the special additives in the charge; they catalytically convert contaminating compounds in less harmful compounds, e.g conversion of CO in CO 2 they cool the oxygen flow towards the end of reaction, when the last small part of the charge is heated and may have insufficient heat capacity to cool this final flow of oxygen down to the required temperature. Another part of this invention is a thermal protection on the oxygen generator housing to prevent heating of its outer surface during the burning of a charge. This thermal protection may be applied on the inner side or the outer side of the housing or on both sides. The inner thermal protection may be made of glass or silicon fibers impregnated with the same binder as used in charge. Alternatively, the housing itself, if that is made of composite and low heat-conducting material, may serve as a thermal protection material. If there is no thermal protection on the housing, the outer side of the charge may be provided with a thermal protection, or the outside surface of the charge itself may serve as thermal insulation. The outside of charge with a thickness ˜1.5 mm adjacent to the wall of the housing will not burn due to cooling by the wall and then serves as a thermal insulator. All these approaches may also be used in combination. |
Aluminium production cells with iron-based metal alloy anodes |
An iron-based metal anode for the electrowinning of aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten fluoride electrolyte has an electrochemically active integral outside oxide layer on an iron-based alloy that consists of 75 to 90 weight % iron; 0.5 to 5 weight % in total of at least one rare earth metal, in particular yttrium; 1 to 10 weight % aluminium; 0 to 10 weight % copper; 0 to 10 weight % nickel; and 0.5 to 5 weight % of other elements. The total amount of aluminium, copper and nickel is in the range from 5 to 20 weight %; and the total amount of rare earth metal(s), aluminium and copper is also in the range from 5 to 20 weight %. The electrochemically active surface layer is predominantly of iron oxide that slowly dissolves into the electrolyte during operation and is maintained by progressive slow oxidation of iron at the interface of the bulk metal of the alloy with the oxide layer. This progressive slow oxidation of iron corresponds to the dissolution of iron into the electrolyte which remains at or below saturation level at the operating temperature, the operating temperature being maintained sufficiently low to limit the contamination of the product aluminium to an acceptable level, and the electrolyte being circulated to maintain a sufficient concentration of alumina in the anode cathode gap. |
1. An iron-based metal anode for the electrowinning of aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten fluoride electrolyte, having an electrochemically active integral outside oxide layer on an iron-based alloy that consists of: 75 to 90 weight % iron; 0.5 to 5 weight % in total of one or more rare earth metals, in particular yttrium; 1 to 12 weight % aluminium; 0 to 10 weight % copper; 0 to 10 weight % nickel; and 0 to 5 weight % of other elements, wherein the total amount of aluminium, copper and nickel is in the range from 5 to 20 weight %; and the total amount of rare earth metal(s), aluminium and copper is in the range from 5 to 20 weight %. 2. The anode of claim 1, wherein the iron-based alloy contains yttrium in an amount of 0.5 to 3 weight %. 3. The anode of claim 1 or 2, wherein the iron-based alloy contains aluminium in an amount of 2 to 10 weight %, preferably 4 to 8 weight %. 4. The anode of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the iron-based alloy contains copper in an amount of 0.5 to 8 weight %. 5. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the iron-based, alloy contains nickel in an amount of 0.5 to 8 30 weight %. 6. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the iron-based alloy contains, as said other element(s), at least one of molybdenum, manganese, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, vanadium, zirconium, niobium, chromium, cobalt, silicon and carbon. 7. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the iron-based alloy contains said other element(s) in an amount up to 2 weight %. 8. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the iron-based alloy contains copper in an amount of 2 to 6 weight % and/or nickel in an amount of 2 to 8 weight %. 9. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the iron-based alloy contains aluminium in an amount of 4 to 6 weight %. 10. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the total amount of aluminium, copper and nickel is in the range from 8 to 18 weight %. 11. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the total amount of rare earth metal, aluminium and copper is in the range from 8 to 18 weight %. 12. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the iron-based alloy consists of: 80 to 90 weight % iron; 0.5 to 3 weight % yttrium; 2 to 6 weight % aluminium; 1 to 8 weight % copper; 1 to 8 weight % nickel; and 0 to 5 weight % of other elements. 13. The anode of any preceding claim wherein the iron-based alloy contains copper and nickel in a weight ratio Cu:Ni in the range 1:3 to 3:1. 14. The anode of any preceding claim, wherein the iron-based alloy is made by casting iron together with said metals as additives. 15. A cell for the electrowinning of aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten fluoride electrolyte utilising an iron-based metal anode having an ectrochemically active integral outside oxide layer according to any one of the preceding claims. 16. The cell of claim 15, wherein during operation the electrochemically active integral outside oxide layer of the anode slowly dissolves into the electrolyte and is maintained by progressive slow oxidation of iron at the interface of the metal bulk of the alloy with the oxide layer. 17. The cell of claim 15 or 16, wherein the concentration of alumina dissolved in the electrolyte is below 10 weight %, preferably between 5 weight % and 8 weight %. 18. The cell of claim any one of claims 1 to 17, comprising an aluminium-wettable cathode. 19. The cell of any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the progressive slow oxidation of iron at the interface of the bulk of the alloy with the oxide layer corresponds to the dissolution of iron into the electrolyte at a rate such that the maximum concentration of iron species in the electrolyte is at or below the saturation level of iron species in the electrolyte at the operating temperature. 20. The cell of claim 19, wherein the operating temperature is maintained sufficiently low to control the dissolution of iron into the electrolyte and limit the contamination of the product aluminium to an acceptable level. 21. The cell of claim 20, wherein the operating temperature is below 930° C., preferably between 840° C. and 22. The cell of any one of claims 15 to 21, wherein the electrolyte contains NaF and AlF3 in a molar ratio in the range from 1.2 to 2.4. 23. The cell of any one of claims 15 to 22, which is arranged to circulate alumina-depleted electrolyte away from the electrochemically active oxide layer of the anode(s), enrich the electrolyte with alumina, and circulate alumina-enriched electrolyte towards the electrochemically active oxide layer of the anode(s). 24. A method for the electrowinning of aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten fluoride electrolyte, comprising dissolving alumina in the electrolyte and electrolysing the alumina-containing electrolyte to produce aluminium on a cathode and oxygen on an iron-based metal anode as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 14. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the electrochemically active integral outside oxide layer of the anode slowly dissolves into the electrolyte and is maintained by progressive slow oxidation of iron at the interface of the metal bulk of the alloy with the oxide layer providing a dissolution of iron into the electrolyte at a rate such that the maximum concentration of iron species in the electrolyte is at or below the saturation level of iron species in the electrolyte at the operating temperature. 26. The method of claim 24 or 25, wherein the operating temperature is maintained sufficiently low to control the dissolution of iron into the electrolyte and limit the contamination of the product aluminium to an acceptable level. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the operating temperature is below 930° C., preferably between 840° C. and 890° C. 28. The method of any one of claims 24 to 27, wherein the electrolyte contains NaF and AlF3 in a molar ratio in the range from 1.2 to 2.4. 29. The method of any one of claims 24 to 28, wherein the concentration of alumina dissolved in the electrolyte is below 10 weight %, preferably between 5 weight % and 8 weight %. 30. The method of any one of claims 24 to 29, wherein alumina-depleted electrolyte is circulated away from the electrochemically active. oxide layer of the anode(s), enriched with alumina, and alumina-enriched electrolyte is circulated towards the electrochemically active oxide layer of the anode(s). 31. The method of any one of claims 24 to 30, wherein aluminium is produced on an aluminium-wettable cathode. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the product aluminium is continuously drained from the aluminium-wettable cathode. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND ART <EOH>Using non-carbon anodes in aluminium electrowinning cells should drastically improve the aluminium production process by reducing pollution and the cost of aluminium production. Many attempts have been made to use oxide anodes, cermet anodes and metal-based anodes for aluminium production, however they were never adopted by the aluminium industry. U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,227 (de Nora/Duruz) discloses a non-carbon, metal-based slow-consumable anode of a cell for the electrowinning of aluminium that self-forms during normal electrolysis an electrochemically-active oxide-based surface layer. The rate of formation of this layer is maintained substantially equal to its rate of dissolution at the surface layer/electrolyte interface thereby maintaining its thickness substantially constant. In some embodiments, the anode body comprised an iron alloy, in particular an HSLA steel comprising 94 to 98 weight % iron with small amounts of alloying elements and less than 0.5 weight % carbon, which when oxidised formed an oxide-based surface layer containing iron oxide, such as hematite or a mixed ferrite-hematite. It was disclosed that the anode body may comprise one or more additives selected from beryllium, magnesium, yttrium, titanium, zirconium, vanadium, niobium, tantalum, chromium, molybdenum, tungsten, manganese, rhodium, silver, aluminium, copper, nickel, silicon, tin, hafnium, lithium, cerium and other Lanthanides. A different approach was taken in WO 00/06802. (Duruz/de Nora/Crottaz) where anodes comprising a transition metal-based oxide active surface of iron oxide, cobalt oxide, nickel oxide or combinations thereof, were kept dimensionally stable during electrolysis by continuously or intermittently feeding to the electrolyte a sufficient amount of alumina and transition metal species that are present as oxides at the anode surface. The cell was operated at a sufficiently low temperature so as to limit the solubilisation of the transition metal species. WO 00/40783 (de Nora/Duruz) further describes the use of HSLA steel with a coherent and adherent oxide surface as an anode for aluminium electrowinning, preferably using an external supply of iron to maintain the anode surface as described in WO 00/06802. Nickel-iron alloy anodes with various additives are further described in WO 00/06803 (Duruz/de Nora/Crottaz), WO 00/006804 (Crottaz/Duruz), WO 01/42534 (de Nora/Duruz), WO 01/42535, (Duruz/de Nora) and WO 01/42536 (Duruz/Nguyen/de Nora). Despite the progress achieved, there is still a need, in particular with iron-rich steels or alloys (>75% iron), to reduce contamination of the product aluminium. For this reason, most effort was directed to alloys with lower iron content, such as 60-40 weight % iron-nickel and 65-35 weight % iron-nickel: see the examples in the above-mentioned mentioned patent publications on nickel-iron alloy anodes. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>An object of the invention is to provide an iron-based metal anode with an iron-rich alloy having an integral outside oxide layer which can be progressively formed during use at a rate corresponding to a controlled dissolution into the electrolyte at the operating temperature, or which can even be stabilised by maintaining an amount of iron species in the electrolyte, leading to an acceptably low contamination of the product aluminum. According to the invention, an iron-based metal anode for the electrowinning of aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten fluoride electrolyte has an electrochemically active integral outside oxide layer on an iron-based alloy that consists of: 75 to 90 weight % iron, preferably 80 to 90 weight %; 0.5 to 5 weight % in total of one or more rare earth metals, in particular yttrium preferably in an amount of 0.5 to 3 weight %; 1 to 12 weight % aluminium, usually 2 to 10 weight % and preferably 4 to 8 weight %; 0 to 10 weight % copper, preferably 0.5 to 8; weight %;. 0 to 10 weight % nickel, preferably 0.5 to 8 weight %; and 0 to 5 weight % of other elements, usually at least one of molybdenum, manganese, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, vanadium, zirconium, niobium, chromium, cobalt, silicon and carbon, and preferably up to 2 weight %. In this iron-based alloy according to the invention, the total amount of aluminium, copper and nickel is in the range from 5 to 20 weight %, and the total amount of rare earth metal(s), aluminium and copper is also in the range from 5 to 20 weight %. The electrochemically active oxide-based surface layer on the iron-based metal anode is predominantly iron oxide, in the form of hematite, or in a multi-compound mixed oxide and/or in solid solution of oxides, depending on the additive metals included in the bulk of the alloy. The oxide can be in the form of a simple, double and/or multiple oxide, and/or in the form of a stoichiometric or non-stoichiometric oxide. Suitable rare earth metals include Actinides, such as scandium or yttrium, and Lanthanides, such as cerium and ytterbium. The preferred rare earth metal is yttrium and preferably the iron-based metal anode contains yttrium in an amount of 0.5 to 3 weight %. The rare earth metals—which are substantially insoluble in iron—are present in the grain boundaries of the metal bulk of the anode in an amount which provides during use controlled diffusion of oxygen into the metal bulk, and hence the controlled oxidation and dissolution rate of the anode. When the iron alloy is cast, the presence of the rare earth metal refines the structure of the alloy by reducing the grain size, for example from about 0.5-1 cm to about 50-100 micron when yttrium is used as an additive. Such a rare earth metal migrates predominantly to the grain boundaries of the iron or iron alloy and acts as a barrier against diffusion of oxygen. At the grain boundaries, the rare earth metals can be present before oxidation as a substantially distinct metal phase and after oxidation as oxides, in particular mixed oxides with iron and the other alloying metals. To be effective, oxidation of the rare earth metal should be avoided during casting before it has reached the grain boundaries. When cerium is included as a rare earth (preferably in combination with yttrium), it is oxidised to ceria in the formation of the oxide-based surface layer to provide on the surface of the layer a nucleating agent for the in-situ formation of an electrolyte-generated protective layer. Such electrolyte-generated protective layer usually comprises cerium oxyfluoride when cerium ions are contained in the electrolyte and may be obtained by following the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 4,614,569, (Duruz/Derivaz/Debely/Adorian) which describes a protective anode coating of cerium oxyfluoride, formed in-situ in the cell or pre-applied, and maintained by the addition of small amounts of cerium to the molten electrolyte. The further metals in the iron-rich alloy include aluminium and usually at least one of copper and/or nickel. Aluminium, copper and nickel are soluble in iron and can form alloys therewith, and in addition may form intermetallic compounds or mixed oxides with the rare earth metals. The presence of aluminium in an amount up to 10 or 12 weight %, normally up to about 8 weight % of the iron-rich alloy and preferably from 2 to 6 weight %, has the effect of controlling the oxidation of the bulk iron by reinforcing the oxygen barrier at the grain boundaries through forming stable intermetallics with the rare earths. The inclusion of copper in an amount up to 10 weight %, normally from 1 to 8 weight % of the iron-rich alloy, has the effect of improving the compactness of the oxide layer formed, thereby reducing its imperviousness and improving its resistance to further oxidation. The migration of copper to the surface inhibits the formation of a non-conductive layer of fluoride compounds such as NiF 2 on the surface of the iron bulk under the desired hematite layer which is dense and protective, and further reduces the inward migration of oxygen. The inclusion of nickel in amounts up to 10 weight % stabilises the iron against oxidation by the formation of stable intermetallics with aluminium and the rare earth metals in particular Yttrium. In embodiments with; copper and nickel, the weight ratio of copper to nickel is preferably in the range 1:3 to 3:1. The combination of copper with nickel, in particular copper from 2 to 6 weight % and nickel from 2 to 8 weight %, produces copper-nickel alloys that inhibit the formation of unwanted nickel fluoride (NiF 2 ). Usually the total amount of aluminium, copper and nickel is in the range from 8 to 18 weight %, and the total amount of rare earth metal, aluminium and copper is also in the range from 8 to 18 weight %. n one embodiment of the anode, the iron-based alloy consists of: 180 to 90 weight % iron; 0.5 to weight % yttrium; 2 to 6 weight % aluminium; 1 to 8 weight % copper; 1 to 8 weight % nickel; and 0 to 5 weight % (usually 0.5 to 2 weight %) of other elements, subject to the aforesaid minimum and maximum combined amounts of the groups of additives. Possible additives constituting these other alloying elements in amounts up to 5 weight % and preferably below 2 weight % in total of the iron-based alloy, include: molybdenum (usually up to 1 weight %); manganese, titanium, tantalum, tungsten, vanadium, zirconium, and niobium (usually each up to 1 weight %); chromium and cobalt (usually each up to 2 weight %); silicon up to about 2 weight %; as well as traces of carbon and of the usual impurities. In a variation of the invention, an iron-based metal anode for the electrowinning of aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten fluoride electrolyte has an electrochemically active integral outside oxide layer on an iron-based alloy that consists of: 75 to 90 weight % iron; 1 to 12 weight % aluminium, usually 2 to 10 weight %; 1 to 10 weight % copper; 1 to 10 weight % nickel; and 1 to 10 weight % of one or more additional elements selected from: 0 to 5 weight % in: total of one or more rare earth metals, in particular yttrium; and 0 to 5 weight % of other elements, as listed above. In this modified composition and the previous compositions, the total amount of copper and nickel is preferably at least 4 weight %; the weight ratio of copper to nickel is in the range 1:3 to 3:1; and the weight ratio of the total amount of (a) copper and nickel to (b) the total amount of said additional elements is in the range (a):(b) from 20:1 to 4:10; preferably from 10:1 to 1:6. The anode is preferably made by casting iron containing the specified metals as additives, i.e. where the final anode shape is produced by casting the molten iron with additives in a mould, usually a sand mould. As mentioned above, when the iron alloy is cast, the presence of a rare earth metal refines the structure of the alloy by reducing the grain size. Moreover, casting is particularly advantageous for forming the anodes into structures of the desired shape. The anode may have an active part consisting of a body made of the described iron-rich alloy, however its active part can comprise a layer of the iron-rich alloy on an electronically conductive, inert, inner core made of a different electronically conductive material, such as metals, alloys, intermetallics, cermets and conductive ceramics. Such inner core can be selected from metals, alloys, intermetallic compounds, cermets and conductive ceramics or combinations thereof and may be covered with an oxygen barrier layer, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,227 (de Nora/Duruz). Resistance to oxygen may be at least partly achieved by forming an oxygen barrier layer on the surface of the inner core by surface oxidation or application of a precursor layer and heat treatment. Known barriers to oxygen are chromium oxide, niobium oxide and nickel oxide in particular non-stoichiometric nickel oxide. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,248,227 (de Nora/Duruz), the inner core may be covered with an oxygen barrier layer which is in turn covered with at least one protective layer consisting of copper, or copper and at least one of nickel; and cobalt, and/or oxide(s) thereof to protect the oxygen barrier layer by inhibiting its dissolution into the electrolyte. The anode according to the invention can be pre-oxidised prior to its immersion into an electrolyte where the electrolysis of alumina takes place, by oxidation in an oxidising atmosphere or by electrolysis in a conditioning molten electrolyte before being transferred in a production molten electrolyte containing dissolved alumina for the electrowinning of aluminium. However, in general with the anode compositions according to the invention, it is possible to self-form the electro-chemially active integral outside oxide layer on the alloy during use. Another aspect of the invention is a cell for the electrowinning of aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten fluoride electrolyte utilising an iron-based metal anode with an electrochemically active integral outside layer predominantly of iron oxide as discussed above. This integral outside layer can slowly dissolve into the electrolyte during operation and be maintained by progressive slow oxidation of iron at the interface of the metal bulk of the alloy with the oxide layer. Alternatively, such a layer can be inhibited from dissolving by maintaining an amount or iron species in the electrolyte as disclosed in the abovementioned WO00/06802. The cell preferably comprises at least one aluminium-wettable cathode. Even more preferably, the cell is in a drained configuration by having a drained cathode on which aluminium is produced and from which aluminium continuously drains, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,651,874 (de Nora/Sekhar) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,559 (de Nora). The cell may be of monopolar, multi-monopolar or bipolar configuration. A bipolar cell may comprise the anodes as described above as a terminal anode or as the anode part of a bipolar electrode. During operation of the cell, the concentration of alumina dissolved in the electrolyte is below 10 weight %, preferably between 5 weight % and 8 weight %. Preferably, the cell comprises means to improve the circulation of the electrolyte between the anodes and facing cathodes and/or means to facilitate dissolution of alumina in the electrolyte. Such means can for instance be provided by the geometry of the cell as described in co-pending applications WO 99/41429 (de Nora/Duruz) and WO 01/31088 (de Nora), or by periodically moving the anodes as described in co-pending application WO 99/41430 (Duruz/Bellò). Preferably, the iron-based metal anodes have a foraminate electrochemically active structure provided with openings to permit circulation of the electrolyte therethrough, as disclosed in WO 00/40782 (de Nora), which is advantageously fitted with a funnel-like arrangement to guide the molten electrolyte from and to the electrochemically active anode surfaces as described in WO 00/40781 (de Nora). According to one mode of operation of the invention, the progressive slow oxidation of iron at the interface of the bulk of the alloy with the oxide layer corresponds to the dissolution of iron into the electrolyte at a rate such that the maximum concentration of iron species in the electrolyte does not exceed the saturation level of iron species in the electrolyte at the operating temperature. During operation, the progressive slow oxidation of iron at the interface of the metal alloy with the oxide layer provides a compensation for dissolution of iron into the electrolyte which takes place at a rate depending on the electrolyte composition, the temperature of the electrolyte and the composition of the oxide layer. On the other hand, the rate of dissolution of iron can be so low that contamination of the aluminium can be kept at an acceptable level and so that the rate of oxidation can be controlled. To achieve this, the operating temperature should be maintained sufficiently low to control the dissolution of iron into the electrolyte. The anode with the specified additives provides a slow oxidation which corresponds to the slow controlled dissolution of iron into the electrolyte from the anodes that supply current for the electrolysis of alumina. Whether the anode is operated as discussed above in slow dissolution mode or in a dimensionally stable mode, the operating temperature is preferably maintained sufficiently low to control the solubility of iron in the electrolyte and to limit the contamination of the product aluminium to an acceptable level, for example the operating temperature is below 930° C., preferably between 840° C. and 890° C. The operating temperature can also be in the range of 930° to 960° C., preferably around 940° C. A further aspect of the invention is a method for the electrowinning of aluminium by the electrolysis of alumina in a molten fluoride electrolyte. This method comprises dissolving alumina in the electrolyte and electrolysing the alumina-containing electrolyte to produce aluminium on the cathode and oxygen on the facing anodes utilising iron-based metal anodes as discussed above. The method can be implemented by immersing the metallic anode having an oxide-free or a pre-oxidised surface into a molten fluoride-containing electrolyte, self-forming an electrochemically active oxide-based surface layer as described previously and then, as mentioned above, electrolysing the dissolved alumina to produce aluminium in the same or a different fluoride-based electrolyte. The anode has an electrochemically active surface layer predominantly of iron oxide that during operation slowly dissolves into the electrolyte. The surface layer is maintained by progressive slow oxidation of iron at the interface of the bulk of the alloy. There is a corresponding controlled dissolution of iron into the electrolyte at such a low rate that the contamination of the product aluminium by iron is at an acceptable level. For example, the operating temperature is below 930° C., preferably between 840° C. and 890° C. and typically the electrolyte contains NaF and AlF 3 in a molar ratio comprised between 1.2 and 2.4. The electrolyte may also contain other fluorides such as LiF, CaF 2 or MgF 2 . The concentration of alumina dissolved in the electrolyte is below 10 weight %, preferably between 5 weight % and 8 weight %. During operation, alumina-depleted electrolyte is circulated away from the electrochemically active oxide layer of the anode(s), enriched with alumina, and alumina-enriched electrolyte is circulated towards the electrochemically active oxide layer of the anode(s) to provide a constant supply of alumina to be electrolysed (i.e. maintain a sufficient concentration of alumina in the anode-cathode gap) and to reduce dissolution of the anode. The aluminium is preferably produced on an aluminium-wettable cathode from which the product aluminium is continuously drained. As the consumption of the non-carbon, metal-based anodes according to the invention is at a very slow rate, these slow consumable anodes in drained cell configurations do not need to be regularly repositioned in respect of their facing cathodes since the anode-cathode gap does not substantially change. In summary the anode, cell and method according to the invention all provide or make use of an iron-based metal anode with an iron-rich alloy containing selected additives in the given ranges whereby the anode's integral outside oxide layer can be formed during use at a rate corresponding to a controlled dissolution into the electrolyte at the operating temperature, or can be stabilised during use by maintaining an amount of iron species in the electrolyte, leading to an acceptably low contamination of the product aluminium. In either case, such an anode has a long lifetime. The alloy can be produced economically in particular by casting. Its high iron content further contributes to its economic attractiveness. Moreover, the contamination of the product aluminium associated with prior iron-rich anodes has been reduced. detailed-description description="Detailed Description" end="lead"? |
Facile detection of polycythemia vera |
A facile means of diagnosing polycythemia vera is provided by detecting expression of the DLX7 gene in a sample of a hematopoietic cell from an individual. Increased expression of DLX7 may also be used to diagnose acute myeloid leukemia. A method is provided for treating patients suffering from polycythemia vera or acute myeloid leukemia using agents that inhibit or prevent expression of the DLX7 gene or that inhibit or prevent any downstream effects of DLX7 gene expression. Examples of the agents useful in this treatment are DLX7 antisense oligonucleotides and decoy therapy directed at binding the DLX7 gene product and preventing its contribution to the pathogenesis of polycythemia vera. |
1. A method for the diagnosis of polycythemia vera in an individual comprising the steps of (a) obtaining a sample of at least one hematopoietic lineage-derived cell of from the individual; (b) detecting expression of a DLX7 gene in the cell; and (c) correlating the expression of the DLX7 gene with a diagnosis of polycythemia vera in the individual. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the hematopoietic lineage-derived cell is selected from the group consisting of a peripheral blood mononuclear cell, a platelet and a bone marrow cell. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the expression of DLX7 is carried out using RT-PCR. 4. A method for the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia in an individual comprising the steps of: (a) obtaining a sample of at least one hematopoietic lineage-derived cell of from the individual; (b) detecting expression of a DLX7 gene in the cell; and (c) correlating the expression of the DLX7 gene with a diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia in the individual. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the hematopoietic lineage-derived cell is selected from the group consisting of a peripheral blood mononuclear cell, a platelet and a bone marrow cell. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the expression of DLX7 is carried out using RT-PCR. 7. A method for treating patients suffering from polycythemia vera, the method comprising treatment with agents that inhibit or prevent expression of the DLX7 gene. 8. A method for treating patients suffering from polycythemia vera, the method comprising treatment with agents that inhibit or prevent any downstream effects of DLX7 gene expression. 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises administration of a DLX7 antisense oligonucleotide. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises administration of a DLX7 antisense oligonucleotide. 11. The method of claim 7, wherein the method further comprises administration of oligonucleotide decoy therapy directed at binding the DLX7 gene product and preventing its contribution to the pathogenesis of polycythemia vera. 12. The method of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises administration of oligonucleotide decoy therapy directed at binding the DLX7 gene product and preventing its contribution to the pathogenesis of polycythemia vera. 13. A method of treating a patient suffering from acute myeloid leukemia, the method comprising treating the patient with an agent that inhibit or prevent expression of the DLX7 gene. 14. A method of treating a patient suffering from acute myeloid leukemia, the method comprising treating the patient with an agent that inhibit or prevent a downstream effect of DLX7 gene expression. 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises administration of a DLX7 antisense oligonucleotide. 16. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises administration of a DLX7 antisense oligonucleotide. 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises administration of oligonucleotide decoy therapy directed at binding the DLX7 gene product and preventing its contribution to the pathogenesis of polycythemia vera. 18. The method of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises administration of oligonucleotide decoy therapy directed at binding the DLX7 gene product and preventing its contribution to the pathogenesis of polycythemia vera. 19. (canceled) |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>Polycythemia vera (PV) is a hematologic disorder characterized by increased red cell mass in the setting of a normal or less-than-normal serum erythropoietin level. It is one of the myeloproliferative disorders and is considered to be a non-malignant, clonal disorder. One important cellular feature of this disease is the presence of circulating red cell progenitor cells that have been variously termed “erythropoietin-independent progenitor cells,” “endogenous progenitor cells,” or “hypersensitive progenitor cells” (Reid (1987) Blood Reviews 1: 133-40). These terms refer to the ability of the PV erythroid progenitor cells to form erythroid colonies (CFU-E) in the absence of added erythropoietin (EPO) to the culture medium. In contrast, normal erythroid progenitor cells require the addition of erythropoietin. Additional examination using serum-free systems have demonstrated that PV erythroid progenitor cells do require erythropoietin but need only greatly reduced concentrations of EPO (Dai et al. (1991) J. Clin. Invest. 87:391-6; Dai et al. (1997) Blood 89:3574-3581). Studies using serum free culture methods have demonstrated that PV erythroid and probably myeloid progenitors require only very small amounts of growth factors and are thus hypersensitive to growth factors such as IL-3, EPO, SCF, GM-CSF and IGF-1. Although in some PV patients, acute leukemia develops, a major cause of morbidity in patients with PV results from thrombotic complications. Approximately 40% of patients have been reported to die of thrombotic complications, of which cerebral, coronary, pulmonary and mesenteric thrombosis account for the majority of thromboses (Fruchtman et al. (1995) In: Blood: Principles and Practice of Hematology (Handin et al., eds.), J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, pp 415-438; Rossi et al. (1998) J. Intern. Med. 244:49-53). The increased risk of thrombosis is not simply be due to reduced blood flow from erythrocytosis, because PV patients are prone to thrombotic complications even with normalized blood volume (in fact, phlebotomy may increase the risk of thrombosis (Barbui et al. (1997) Semin. Thromb. Hemost 23:455-61), indicating that additional factors, for example platelet or some other cell abnormality, play a role in thrombosis (Fruchtman et al. (1995) supra). PV is a disease distinct from familial forms of erythrocytosis, usually associated with an erythropoietin receptor (EpoR) mutation or to the abnormality of a yet unidentified gene located at 11q23 (Sergeyeva et al. (1997) Blood 89:2148-2154). Treatment of PV includes phlebotomy to remove excess blood, and chemotherapy. PV is commonly detected by routine blood counts as an increased hematocrit, often associated with an increase in the platelet count and white cell count. This disease is currently more accurately diagnosed using a series of diagnostic tests in an algorithm to exclude other causes of increased red blood cell production and includes a number of several time-consuming, laborious and expensive tests to complete the diagnosis. Since PV is a monoclonal proliferation of hematopoietic cells (predominantly erythroid cells), one might expect that the disease is caused by a mutation in gene(s). However, no mutations have been identified. No consistent cytogenetic changes are known, although a deletion at 20q has been identified in about 20% of patients. Preliminary data on the efforts to define this deletion indicates that the extent of the deletion is different among individual patients (Gribble et al. (2000) Blood 96 (Suppl)1:3206), suggesting that the junctions of the 20q deletions are probably not important. A deleted region common to all patients studied was identified to be approximately a few hundred Mb, raising the possibility that genes involved in the pathogenesis of PV with the 20q deletion may be located in this common region. Another group has recently identified a human homologue of the Polycomb gene located at the junction of one such 20q deletion (Alvarez et al. (2000) Blood 96(Suppl.)1:4444). Several groups have studied molecular markers (markers expressed only in PV) in part to attempt to identify the mutation(s) that cause the disease. These markers include the BCL-XL (a moderate increase in the BCL-XL compared to control) (Silva et al. (1998) N. Engl. J. Med. 338:564-71), PRV-1 (a UPAR like gene expressed in PV and in G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood stem cell preparations but not in normal bone marrow or peripheral blood) (Temerinac et al. (2000) Blood 95:2569-76), TPO (a glycosylation defect found in PV and some ET) (Moliterno et al. (1998) N. Engl. J. Med. 338:572-80), EPO-R splice variants (Chiba et al. (1997) Blood 90:97-104), SHP-1 loss (absence of SHP-1 protein in PV despite presence of normal mRNA) (Asimakopoulos et al. (1997) Oncogene 14:1215-1222; Wickrema et al. (1999) Exp. Hematol. 27:1124-32). These genes are at best called “markers,” because it is unclear whether any of these genes are involved in the primary pathogenesis of the disease. Recently two molecular markers have been described. Spivak et al. described a glycosylation defect in the thrombopoietin receptor (U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,150,120 and 6,027,902) of patients with polycythemia vera and reported that this defect was specific to polycythemia vera. Klippel et al. reported that a gene called PRV is a specific marker of polycythemia vera (Klippel et al. (2000) Blood 95:2569-2576). |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>In accordance with the present invention, a method for the diagnosis of polycythemia vera in an individual is provided by detecting the expression of the DLX7 gene in a cell from the individual. Preferably, the cell is a cell of the hematopoietic lineage, and most preferably, a peripheral white blood cell or platelet isolated from whole blood. Bone marrow cells may be used. The expression of the aforementioned gene may be carried by any means for detecting expression of a gene, such as but not limited to RT-PCR. The method may also be used to detect acute myeloid leukemia. DLX7 expression levels diagnostic for PV are elevated above the low levels of expression seen in hematopoietic cells, such as but not limited to levels detectable by Northern blotting or using about 30 or fewer PCR cycles. A further aspect of the invention comprises a method for treating patients suffering from polycythemia vera using agents that inhibit or prevent expression of the DLX7 gene or by using agents that inhibit or prevent any downstream effects of DLX7 gene expression. Such agents and methods of inhibition or prevention of DLX7 gene expression include administration of a DLX7 antisense oligonucleotide, or oligonucleotide decoy therapy directed at binding the DLX7 gene product and preventing its contribution to the pathogenesis of polycythemia vera. Such agents and methods of inhibition or prevention of DLX7 gene expression may also be used for treating patients suffering from acute myeloid leukemia. These and other aspects of the present invention will be better appreciated by reference to the ensuing Detailed Description taken in conjunction with the following illustrative drawings. |
Neurostimulation unit for immobilizing the heart during cardiosurgical operations |
The invention relates to a device for temporary reduction of heart movement during an operation, more particularly a heart operation, comprising a neurostimulation unit (20) for stimulation of the nerves (3) that slow down heart frequency, said unit including at least one electrode device (1) with at least one stimulation pole (2), wherein a control unit (19) connected to the neurostimulation device (20) is provided. Said control device has a first input device (26) for inputting a degree of immobilization and is configured to influence the operating state of the neurostimulation device (20) depending on the previously set degree of immobilization. |
1. A device for temporarily reducing the movement of the heart during surgery, comprising: a neurostimulation device for stimulating nerves that slow down the heart rate, having at least one electrode device with at least one stimulation pole and a control unit being connected to the neurostimulation device having a first input device for preselecting a degree of electric immobilization of the heart and being arranged for patient specifically influencing the operation mode of the neurostimulation device as a function of the preselected degree of electric immobilization, wherein the first input device is arranged for variably preselecting the degree of electric immobilization during operation. 2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation pole of the electrode device has an effective stimulation area of 1 to 100 mm2. 3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the electrode device comprises at least two stimulation poles for bipolar stimulation that are arranged spatially separate. 4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the stimulation poles have a distance between each other that is between about 2 and about 10 mm. 5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode device inserts into a nerve plexus. 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode device comprises at least one locking device for securing the electrode device on a location selected from the group consisting of a nerve plexus, a blood vessel, and a combination thereof. 7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one locking device comprises at least one fastening device with at least two arms for securely clamping the electrode device and wherein at least one stimulation pole is arranged in an area of a free end of a forceps arm. 8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the locking device comprises at least one suction device having at least one suction opening for fastening the electrode device to human tissue by employment of a vacuum. 9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the stimulation pole is situated in an area of the suction opening. 10. The device according to claim 6, wherein the locking device comprises at least one supply channel for tissue adhesive with at least one mouth opening for securing the electrode device with the adhesive in the area of the mouth opening. 11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the stimulation pole is situated in the area of the mouth opening. 12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode device is a screw electrode. 13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode device comprises a shielding device that is provided for the stimulation pole to prevent unwanted stimulation of cardiac tissue. 14. The device according to claim 1, wherein the neurostimulation device comprises a pulse generating unit that is connected to the electrode device and is also connected to the control unit for triggering purposes. 15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the pulse generating unit generates pulses that have a characteristic selecting from the group consisting of a duration between 0 and 20 ms, a stimulation frequency between 0 and 1000 Hz, a stimulation voltage between 1 and 100 V, and any combinations thereof. 16. The device according to claim 14 wherein the pulse generating unit provides continuous stimulation. 17. The device according to claim 14 wherein the pulse generating unit provides intermittent stimulation, generating short bursts of high-frequency pulses. 18. The device according to claim 17, further comprising a first detection unit that is connected to the control unit for detecting a refractory phase of the heart, wherein the control unit operates the pulse generating unit as a function of a state of the first detection unit. 19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the first detection unit comprises at least one sensing electrode that is formed by the electrode device. 20. The device according to one of the claim 1, further comprising at least one second detection unit connected to the control unit, for detecting at least one biological or human measured variable, wherein the control unit influences the neurostimulation device as a function of a state of the second detection unit. 21. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a movement reducing device that is connected to the control unit, wherein the control unit influences an operating state of the movement reducing device. 22. The device according to claim 21, wherein the control unit is in an operating mode selected from the group consisting of a first operating mode, a second operating mode, and a combination thereof, and wherein: the first operating mode, the control unit influences an operating state of the movement reducing device as a function of an operating state of the neurostimulation device and, and in a second operating mode, the control unit separately influences the operating state of the movement reducing device and the neurostimulation device. 23. The device according to claim 22, wherein the control unit comprises a switching device for switching between the first operating mode and the second operating mode. 24. The device according to claim 21 wherein the movement reducing device comprises a device selected from the group consisting of a pump device for supporting cardiac function, a stabilization device for stabilizing the cardiac wall, and a combination thereof. 25. The device according to claim 21, wherein the control unit controls the operating state of the movement reducing device as a function of information selected from the group consisting of a type of stimulation of the neurostimulation device, a stimulation intensity of the neurostimulation device, and a combination thereof. 26. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a second input device that is connected to the control unit for storing at least one patient-specific data record that is representative of a course of a stimulation dose and a immobilization effect, and wherein the control unit influences the neurostimulation device as a function of the patient data record. 27. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a heart rate detection device that is connected to the control unit for detecting a heart rate signal that is representative of the actual heart rate, wherein the control unit influences a device selected from the group consisting of the neurostimulation device the movement reducing device and a combination thereof, as a function of a state of the heart rate detection device. 28. The device according to claim 27, further comprising a third input device that is connected to the control unit for input of a setpoint heart rate, wherein the control unit influences a device selected from the group consisting of the neurostimulation device the movement reducing device and a combination thereof, as a function of the state of the heart rate detection device and the third input device. 29. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a cardiac output detection device that is connected to the control unit for detecting a cardiac output signal that is representative of the actual cardiac output, wherein the control unit influences a device selected from the group consisting of the neurostimulation device, the movement reducing device, and a combination thereof, as a function of the state of the cardiac output detection device. 30. The device according to claim 29, further comprising a fourth input device that is connected to the control unit for input of a setpoint cardiac output, wherein the control device influences a device selected from the group consisting of the neurostimulation device the movement reducing device, and a combination thereof, as a function of the state of the cardiac output detection device and the fourth input device. 31. The device according to claim 21, wherein the movement reducing device comprises a pump unit for supporting heart function, and wherein the electrode device of the neurostimulation device is situated on the pump unit. 32. The device according to claim 31, wherein the stimulation pole is situated on the pump unit. 33. The device according to claim 1, wherein the stimulation pole of the electrode device has an effective stimulation area of 4 to 9 mm2. 34. The device according to claim 14, wherein the pulse generating unit generates pulses that have a characteristic selected from the group consisting of a duration between 0.05 to 5 ms, a stimulation frequency between 2 to 100 Hz, a stimulation voltage between 1 and 100 V, and any combinations thereof. 35. A method for temporarily reducing the movement of a patient's heart during surgery, comprising: pre-selecting a degree of electric immobilization of the heart; and providing stimulation to nerves that slow down a heart rate, wherein said stimulation is patient specifically influenced as a function of the pre-selected degree of electric immobilization, and the pre-selected degree of electric immobilization is variable during operation. 36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is bipolar stimulation. 37. The method according to claim 35, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is provided to a nerve plexus of the nerves. 38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising inserting an electrode device into the nerve plexus. 39. The method according to claim 35, further comprising securing an electrode device on a location selected from the group consisting of a nerve plexus, a blood vessel, and a combination thereof, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is provided by the electrode device. 40. The method according to claim 39, wherein the electrode device is secured on the location by a technique selected from the group consisting of applying a clamping force, applying a suction force, applying a tissue adhesive, applying a screw connection, and any combinations thereof. 41. The method according to claim 35, further comprising shielding tissue surrounding a location of the stimulation to the nerves to prevent unwanted stimulation of cardiac tissue. 42. The method according to claim 35, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is provided by stimulation pulses, wherein the stimulation pulses have a characteristic selected from the group consisting of a duration between 0 and 20 ms, a stimulation frequency between 0 and 1000 Hz, a stimulation voltage between 1 and 100 V, and any combinations thereof. 43. The method according to claim 35, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is provided by continuous stimulation. 44. The method according to claim 35, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is provided by intermittent stimulation, wherein the intermittent stimulation includes generating short bursts of high-frequency pulses. 45. The method according to claim 35, further comprising detecting a refractory phase of the heart, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is provided as a function of the detected refractory phase of the heart. 46. The method according to claim 35, further comprising detecting at least one biological or human measured variable, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is provided as a function of the detected biological or human measured variable. 47. The method according to claim 35, further comprising: providing a movement reducing device; and providing an operating mode selected from the group consisting of a first operating mode, a second operating mode, and a combination thereof, wherein in the first operating mode, an operating state of the movement reducing device is influenced as a function of the stimulation to the nerves, and in the second operating mode, an operating state of the movement reducing device is influenced separately from the stimulation to the nerves. 48. The method according to claim 47, further comprising switching between the first operating mode and the second operating mode. 49. The method according to claim 35, further comprising providing a movement reducing device, wherein the movement reducing device is selected from the group consisting of a pump device for supporting cardiac function, a stabilization device for stabilizing the cardiac wall, and a combination thereof. 50. The method according to claim 49, further comprising controlling an operating state of the movement reducing device as a function of information selected from the group consisting of a type of the stimulation to the nerves, a stimulation intensity of the stimulation to the nerves, and a combination thereof. 51. The method according to claim 35, wherein the stimulation to the nerves is provided as a function of at least one patient-specific patient data record, wherein the patient-specific patient data record is representative of a patient-specific course of a stimulation dose and an immobilization effect. 52. The method according to claim 35, further comprising: detecting a heart rate signal representative of the patient's actual heart rate; and controlling an application as a function of said detected heart rate signal, wherein the application is selected from the group consisting of the stimulation to the nerves, operation of a movement reducing device, and a combination thereof. 53. The method according to claim 53, further comprising: selecting a setpoint heart rate; and controlling the application as a function of said selected setpoint heart rate. 54. The device according to claim 21, further comprising a device for detecting a cardiac output signal representative of the patient's actual cardiac output; wherein an application is controlled as a function of said detected cardiac output signal, and wherein the application is selected from the group consisting of stimulation to the nerves that slow down the heart rate, operation of the movement reducing device, and a combination thereof. 55. The method according to claim 35, further comprising: selecting a setpoint cardiac output; and controlling an application as a function of said selected setpoint cardiac output, wherein the application is selected from the group consisting of the stimulation to the nerves, operation of a movement reducing device, and a combination thereof. |
Vehicle sobriety interlock device |
An interlock device for measuring the sobriety of a potential vehicle operator is coupled to the starting mechanism of the vehicle. The interlock device includes a microprocessor controlled handset and base unit. The base unit encloses relays to preclude the starting mechanism from engaging if a predetermined acceptable threshold level of blood alcohol content has been exceeded. The relays receive a signal, through the base unit microprocessor, from the handset microprocessor which has calculated the blood alcohol content of a breath sample introduced into the handset by the vehicle operator. A breath sampling housing is enclosed within the handset in axial alignment with an intake port of the handset. A water filter and valve are positioned upstream from an electrochemical fuel cell. The fuel cell is coupled to the microprocessor. A pressure transducer measures the pressure of the breath sample. The handset microprocessor calculates a pressure offset through an algorithmic equation and applies the offset to the variable reading across the fuel cell to provide a normalized blood alcohol content measurement. |
1. A sobriety interlock device having an output coupled to a starter mechanism of a motorized vehicle for detecting the presence of alcohol in a breath sample introduced into the device and for controlling the device output in response to a predetermined threshold level being exceeded, the sobriety interlock device comprising: a) a handset having a gas intake channel for receiving the breath sample, b) a breath sampling housing enclosed within the handset and having a gas sampling channel in axial alignment with the handset gas intake channel, c) a fuel cell positioned along the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing for measuring an alcohol vapor value of the breath sample, d) a pressure transducer located within the handset in fluid communication with the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing for measuring a pressure value of the breath sample, e) a microprocessor located within the handset in electrical communication with the fuel cell and the pressure transducer, the microprocessor containing an executable algorithm for determining a measured blood alcohol content of the breath sample through an offset adjustment of the measured alcohol vapor value in relation to the measured breath sample pressure value, the microprocessor applying a signal to the output of the interlock device dependent on the results of the measured blood alcohol content as compared to the predetermined threshold level; and f) a power source coupled to the handset. 2. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising a solenoid valve positioned upstream from the fuel cell along the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing for limiting the size of the breath sample across the fuel cell by opening for a finite period of time, the solenoid valve having a normally open state. 3. The sobriety interlock device of claim 2, wherein the solenoid valve is electrically coupled to the microprocessor and opens for a predetermined period of time in response to the microprocessor receiving a signal that a level of air pressure is present within the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing. 4. The sobriety interlock device of claim 4, wherein the predetermined period of time that the solenoid valve opens is in the range of 100 to 700 mS, the microprocessor sending a control signal to open and close the solenoid valve. 5. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising the handset having a top portion and a front and back housing member, the gas intake channel of the handset disposed along the top portion thereof and having an entrance port formed through the handset front housing member and an exhaust port formed through the handset back housing member. 6. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising a mouthpiece attached to an entrance port of the handset gas intake channel. 7. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising a temperature sensor disposed within the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing for measuring the breath sample introduced into the interlock device, the temperature sensor electrically coupled to the microprocessor. 8. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising a water filter mounted within a passageway in fluid communication with the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing upstream from the fuel cell, the water filter eliminating water from the breath sample while permitting alcohol vapors to pass through to the fuel cell. 9. The sobriety interlock device of claim 8, wherein the pressure value of the breath sample is measured by the pressure transducer after the breath sample has passed into the water filter. 10. The sobriety interlock device of claim 9, further comprising a capillary tube having a proximal and distal end, the capillary tube providing fluid communication between the breath sampling housing and the pressure transducer, the capillary tube proximal end inserted within an aperture formed in the breath sampling housing and the capillary tube distal end inserted within an entrance port of the pressure transducer. 11. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, wherein the fuel cell is a dry electrochemical fuel cell. 12. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising at least one accelerometer for measuring movement of the motorized vehicle. 13. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising a display screen electrically coupled to the microprocessor for displaying messages relative to the operation and test results of the interlock device. 14. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising: a) a housing sensor for measuring the temperature of the breath sampling housing, the housing sensor mounted juxtaposed an outer side wall of the breath sampling housing and electrically coupled to the microprocessor, and b) a housing heater for increasing the temperature of the breath sampling housing when the temperature of the housing falls below a predefined tolerant level temperature, the housing heater mounted along a bottom side of the breath sampling housing and electrically coupled to the microprocessor. 15. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising a base unit electrically coupled to the handset, the base unit including the output for the interlock device and having a microprocessor for interfacing with the handset microprocessor and receiving the signal dependent on the results of the measured blood alcohol content as compared to predetermined threshold level. 16. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, wherein the output of the interlock device comprises at least one relay. 17. The sobriety interlock device of claim 1, further comprising data interfacing means for coupling to a computing device, the data interfacing means electrically coupled to the microprocessor. 18. The sobriety interlock device of claim 17, further comprising a data log stored on a computing device readable storage medium of the handset, the data log accessible through the data interfacing means. 19. A sobriety interlock device having an output coupled to a starter mechanism of a motorized vehicle having a power source, the interlock device measuring the blood alcohol content of a vehicle operator by detecting the presence of alcohol in a breath sample introduced into the device by the operator, the interlock device output effected in response to a predetermined threshold level being exceeded, the interlock device coupled to the vehicle power source, the sobriety interlock device comprising: a) a handset having a gas intake channel for receiving the breath sample of the vehicle operator, the gas intake channel having an entrance port and an exhaust port formed through the handset, b) a breath sampling housing enclosed within the handset and having a gas sampling channel in axial alignment with the handset gas intake channel positioned intermediate the handset gas intake channel entrance and exhaust ports, c) a fuel cell positioned along the gas sampling channel within the breath sampling housing for measuring an alcohol vapor value of the breath sample of the vehicle operator, d) a pressure transducer in fluid communication with the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing for measuring a pressure value of the breath sample of the vehicle operator, the pressure transducer having an air entrance port, e) a microprocessor coupled to the fuel cell and the pressure transducer, the microprocessor containing an executable algorithm for determining the blood alcohol content of the vehicle operator from the breath sample introduced into the interlock device wherein an offset adjustment is made to the measured alcohol vapor value in response to the measured breath sample pressure value, the microprocessor applying a signal to the output of the interlock device dependent on the results of the measured blood alcohol content as compared to the predetermined threshold level; and f) a base unit enclosing the interlock device output coupled to the handset. 20. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising a solenoid valve positioned upstream from the fuel cell along the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing, the solenoid valve limiting the size of the breath sample across the fuel cell by remaining open for a predetermined time, the solenoid valve coupled to the microprocessor and changing states in response to receipt of a control signal from the microprocessor. 21. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising a temperature sensor disposed within the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing for measuring the breath sample of the vehicle operator introduced into the interlock device, the temperature sensor coupled to the microprocessor. 22. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising a water filter mounted within a passageway in fluid communication with the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing upstream from the fuel cell, the water filter eliminating water from the breath sample while permitting alcohol vapors to pass through to the fuel cell. 23. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising a capillary tube having a proximal and distal end, the capillary tube providing fluid communication between the breath sampling housing and the pressure transducer, the capillary tube proximal end inserted within an aperture formed in the breath sampling housing, the capillary tube distal end inserted within the pressure transducer air entrance port. 24. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising at least one accelerometer for measuring movement of the motorized vehicle. 25. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising a display screen enclosed within the handset and coupled to the microprocessor, the display screen displaying messages relative to the operation and test results of the interlock device. 26. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising: a) a temperature housing sensor for measuring a current temperature of the breath sampling housing, the temperature housing sensor mounted juxtaposed along an outer side wall of the breath sampling housing, the temperature housing sensor coupled to the microprocessor, and b) a housing heater for increasing the temperature of the breath sampling housing when the temperature of the housing falls below a predefined tolerant level temperature as measured by the temperature housing sensor, the housing heater mounted along a bottom side of the breath sampling housing and coupled to the microprocessor. 27. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising: a) data interfacing means for coupling to a computing device, the data interfacing means coupled to the microprocessor, and b) a data log stored on a computing device readable storage medium of the handset, the data log accessible through the data interfacing means. 28. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, wherein the microprocessor is enclosed within the handset along a printed circuit board and communicates with the base unit by a high speed serial data interface. 29. The sobriety interlock device of claim 19, further comprising the breath sampling housing having a cut-away portion formed along a front side thereof, the cut-away portion seating and retaining the fuel cell within the breath sampling housing. 30. A vehicle sobriety interlock device for measuring the blood alcohol content of a vehicle operator by detecting the presence of alcohol in a breath sample introduced into the device by the operator, the interlock device mounted within close proximity of a driver's seat of a vehicle, the interlock device comprising: a) a handset having a gas intake channel for receiving the breath sample of the vehicle operator, the gas intake channel having an entrance port and an exhaust port formed through the handset, b) a breath sampling housing enclosed within the handset and having a gas sampling channel in axial alignment with the handset gas intake channel positioned intermediate the handset gas intake channel entrance and exhaust ports, c) an electrochemical fuel cell positioned along the gas sampling channel within the breath sampling housing for measuring an alcohol vapor value of the breath sample of the vehicle operator, d) a pressure transducer connected along the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing by a capillary tube, the pressure transducer measuring a pressure value of the breath sample of the vehicle operator, e) a solenoid valve positioned upstream from the fuel cell in fluid communication with the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing, the solenoid valve limiting the size of the breath sample across the fuel cell by remaining open for a predetermined amount of time, f) a microprocessor coupled to the fuel cell, the pressure transducer and solenoid valve, the microprocessor containing an executable algorithm for determining the blood alcohol content of the vehicle operator from the breath sample introduced into the interlock device wherein an offset adjustment is made to the measured alcohol vapor value in response to the measured breath sample pressure value, the microprocessor enclosed within the handset, g) a base unit enclosing an output of the interlock device, the base unit communicating with the microprocessor within the handset, the output precluding a starter mechanism of the vehicle from engaging if a signal received from the handset microprocessor has determined that the blood alcohol content of the breath sample of the vehicle operator exceeds a predetermined threshold level; and h) a power source coupled to the handset and the base unit. 31. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising a breath temperature sensor mounted within the gas sampling channel through a bore formed in the breath sampling housing, the breath temperature sensor measuring the breath sample of the vehicle operator introduced into the interlock device, the temperature sensor coupled to the microprocessor within the handset. 32. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising a water filter mounted within a passageway in fluid communication with the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing upstream from the fuel cell and the solenoid valve such that the solenoid valve is positioned intermediate the water filter and the fuel cell, the water filter eliminating water from the breath sample while permitting alcohol vapors to pass thereby. 33. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising at a pair of accelerometers for measuring movement of the motorized vehicle along an X and Y axis. 34. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising a display screen mounted upon the handset and coupled to the microprocessor, the display screen displaying messages relative to the operation and test results of the interlock device. 35. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising: a) the breath sampling housing including a body portion in which the gas sampling channel is formed, the body portion having first and second opposed outer side walls, b) the solenoid valve mounted along the first outer side wall of the body portion, c) an air entrance channel and an air exhaust channel formed through the body portion first outer side wall in fluid communication with solenoid valve, d) the air entrance channel positioned between the water filter and the solenoid valve, d) the air exhaust channel positioned between the solenoid valve and an entrance port of the fuel cell, and e) the fuel cell including an exhaust port for expelling any unused breath sample introduced into the handset. 36. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising: a) a temperature housing sensor for measuring a current temperature of the breath sampling housing, the temperature housing sensor mounted juxtaposed along an outer side wall of the breath sampling housing, the temperature housing sensor coupled to the microprocessor within the handset, and b) a housing heater for increasing the temperature of the breath sampling housing when the temperature of the housing falls below a predefined tolerant level temperature as measured by the temperature housing sensor, the housing heater mounted along a bottom side of the breath sampling housing and coupled to the microprocessor. 37. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising: a) data interfacing means for coupling to a computing device, the data interfacing means coupled to the microprocessor within the handset, and b) a data log stored on a computing device readable storage medium of the handset, the data log accessible through the data interfacing means. 38. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising at least one auxiliary port disposed within the handset and coupled to the microprocessor. 39. The sobriety interlock device of claim 30, further comprising a speaker coupled to the microprocessor for providing audio signaling relative to operation of the interlock device. 40. A sobriety interlock device having an output coupled to a computing device, the sobriety interlock device detecting the presence of alcohol in a breath sample introduced into the device and for controlling the device output in response to a predetermined threshold level being exceeded, the sobriety interlock device comprising: a) a handset having a gas intake channel for receiving the breath sample, b) a breath sampling housing enclosed within the handset and having a gas sampling channel in axial alignment with the handset gas intake channel, c) a fuel cell positioned along the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing for measuring an alcohol vapor value of the breath sample, d) a pressure transducer located within the handset in fluid communication with the gas sampling channel of the breath sampling housing for measuring a pressure value of the breath sample, e) a microprocessor located within the handset in electrical communication with the fuel cell and the pressure transducer, the microprocessor containing an executable algorithm for determining a measured blood alcohol content of the breath sample through an offset adjustment of the measured alcohol vapor value in relation to the measured breath sample pressure value, the microprocessor applying a signal to the output of the interlock device dependent on the results of the measured blood alcohol content as compared to the predetermined threshold level; and f) a power source coupled to the handset. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to an improved sobriety interlock device. More particularly, it relates to a sobriety interlock device for use in vehicles and motorized machinery apparatus, the device incorporating anti-circumvention features and an improved sampling system to provide for more accurate measurements of the blood alcohol content of an unsupervised operator of a vehicle or motorized machinery apparatus. 2. Background of the Prior Art Breathalyzer testing and sobriety interlock devices for use in vehicles (automobiles) and motorized machinery for industry are well known in the prior art. These types of devices work on a principle that the breath of a person who has consumed alcoholic beverages can be sampled to determine a corresponding blood alcohol content (blood to alcohol ratio) of that person. Using known levels of blood alcohol content, it can then be determined whether someone has too much alcohol in their system which would effect their ability to operate machinery or a vehicle. For instance, many states use a level of 0.08 as a percentage of blood alcohol content which acts as a presumption that a person is intoxicated and unable to drive a vehicle. Early advancements in breathalyzer testing devices can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,764,270 to Collier et al. wherein an alcohol concentration measuring apparatus is disclosed. In this reference it is noted that the operation of vehicles and machinery by persons intoxicated by alcohol is a major health problem in many places in the world and especially in the United States. The device of this prior art reference teaches that deep lung breaths are required to measure an accurate blood alcohol content from a gas sample or more accurately, the breath. Accordingly, improvements over then existing prior art devices are made in this Collier et al. reference that address measuring the alcohol concentration by ensuring a continuous and uninterrupted flow of gas from a subject using such device. However, it is not contemplated that this device could then be interfaced with the starting mechanism of a vehicle in the event that a predetermined threshold of the measured blood alcohol content is exceeded. This feature is clearly needed. Subsequent devices seen in the prior art have addressed the need for a sobriety measuring device to be interfaced with a vehicle's starting mechanism—a so called “interlock” device. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,707 to Takeuchi describes an early interlock device which takes a series of measurements to determine the temperature, humidity and alcohol concentration of the vehicle operator's breath. These measurements can be taken after the ignition switch of the vehicle (i.e., automobile) is engaged, thereby permitting the operator of the vehicle to warm up the car, by blowing into a sampling apparatus. Predetermined permitted ranges are set within the device for these three measurements. If the three readings fall within the permitted ranges (all three conditions pass), the automobile's transmission can be engaged and the car can be operated. If not (the test fails), the transmission of the automobile will not engage thereby preventing operation of the vehicle based upon an assumption that the operator is intoxicated and therefore lacking the required mental faculties to operate the vehicle. The temperature and humidity readings are used to sense that the air subjected to the sampling apparatus is in fact a human breath. Accordingly, these readings assist somewhat in the anti-circumvention of the interlock device. However, temperature and humidity can fluctuate substantially depending on the climate in which the vehicle is located and thereby effect the test being taken. Accordingly, there is a great need to improve upon temperature and humidity sensing systems that work in coincidence with the alcohol sensors to provide more accurate measurements for interlock devices. Further, other more sophisticated anti-circumvention features are needed in interlock devices to thwart attempts by users to fool the device thereby permitting their vehicle to be operated when it clearly should not. Other advancements in the prior art for sobriety interlock devices have been made that do not directly address temperature and humidity sensing. In particular, advancements in measuring a continuous and uninterrupted flow of breath for the sampling device can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,945 to Collier at al. which again addresses the need for sampling a deep lung breath since it is known that, absent some flow rate measurement equalization algorithm within an interfacing software program, deep lung breath samples are more apt to provide an accurate measurement of the blood alcohol content of the test taker than a short and shallow breath. The device of this prior art reference works to exclude breath samples that are not deep lung samples thereby requiring the individual taking the test to repeat the test until the device indicates that the breath sample was a deep lung breath sample. Unfortunately, this device can be difficult to use since not all individuals are capable of providing a deep lung sample needed to take the measurement. Improvements for measuring the flow rate of the breath samples are certainly needed. Such improvements should utilize an interfacing software program that can operate to equalize the breath samples through algorithmic offset calculations regardless of how deep or how shallow they are to provide the most accurate measurement possible. Still other advancements in prior art interlock devices address operator identity. Since most states in the U.S. have already mandated the use of interlock devices for convicted DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol) offenders, operator identity of an unsupervised test can be critical. It is quite reasonable to assume that an inebriated vehicle operator may simply ask a sober person to take the test for them so that the vehicle starting mechanism can be engaged upon receiving a “pass” result since the test would be otherwise unsupervised. Although this act in itself is probably punishable by a fine or even incarceration in most states, it most likely has occurred and will continue to occur in the future. Accordingly, the inventions seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,333 to Collier et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,810 to Elfman et al. and U.S. Published Application No. U.S. 2002/0084130 to Der Ghazarian et al. were developed to address operator identity so that the person mandated (by a Court for example) to take the sobriety test before the vehicle can be operated is the individual actually taking the test. It is important to note however, that these interlock devices are known to be more complicated and thereby require more maintenance/calibration, more expense and more sophisticated circuitry. Although there is a great need to ensure that the proper person is taking the sobriety test, such complicated and expensive devices may be overlooked and not employed due to their over-sophistication. There is clearly a need to keep sobriety interlock devices simple in their design but accurate in their measurement. Other, more simpler anti-circumvention technology should be used to ensure that drunk drivers are kept off the road. Development of a secure anti-circumvention interlock device that does not involve complex personal identity scans is clearly needed. Most modern interlock devices include a few common elements: a power supply, a fuel cell (alcohol sensor), a sampling system (a breath intake channel leading to the fuel cell), a microprocessor to analyze the results of the test taken by the fuel cell and an output (a relay connected in series with the starter of the vehicle). In breath analyzer devices (those which are not used as interlock devices), output relays are not necessary since such devices are not intended to prevent the operation of a vehicle but merely used to give a blood alcohol content measurement. However, other common elements can be found, even though their uses may vary. Indicative of the use of a microprocessor in a breath analyzer device (but not that necessarily of an interlock device), as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,553 to Lopez et al., a microprocessor is employed to calculate the blood alcohol content by running an algorithm contained within the memory of the microprocessor using a plurality of signals-generated by taking a sample breath, including: an alcohol signal, a distance signal to compensate for diffusion of the exhaled breath, a pressure signal and a temperature signal. These types of signals are known as environmental signals and are helpful in securing a more accurate blood alcohol content measurement based upon ambient environmental conditions which may effect the measurement and give a false positive (a test fail). However, this device lacks important anti-circumvention features which are needed for use in interlock devices for preventing false measurements intended to “fool” the analyzing device. Anti-circumvention features are critically needed in interlocking devices since almost all measurements are taken in an unsupervised location. Further, the actions of DUI offenders under a court order to have the interlocking devices installed in their automobile will be under review. It will be imperative for the supervising agency (i.e., Probation Officer) to determine whether the interlocking devices have been circumvented, tampered with or not used when instructed (i.e., “rolling repeat tests”). Accordingly, use of data logs should be employed as a deterrent to the person mandated to use the device as well as for use in monitoring the life and proper function of the interlocking device. One example of device circumvention includes using a gas source other than a current human breath, say from a balloon, to fool the device into thinking that an actual test is being made. One method to prevent such circumvention can be seen in the device of U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,628 to Blair. This device requires a positive and negative breath sample (blowing then sucking) to provide a measurement of the breath being tested and hence the blood alcohol content of such person. This device is first blown into by the person being tested, then the person is required to apply a suction after a short time lapse. Accordingly, a first and second signal are generated. If both signals are not recognized by a control means, a measurement will not be provided, the test will fail and the vehicle will not be permitted to start. This helps to ensure that an improper gas is not used to take a test on a device that merely requires the person to blow into such device. However, this type of device still could improved by employing enhanced anti-circumvention features. In order that an accurate reading of the blood alcohol content is measured, it is important that the fuel cell not be exposed to too much pressure from a strong breath sample or too little pressure from a shallow or weak breath sample. Some prior art devices have attempted to address this problem. In those devices that utilize a valve upstream from the fuel cell, some have used a pressure transducer to control the opening and closing of the valve. This can be seen in U.S. Published Application No. U.S. 2003/0176803 to Gollar. In such device, the pressure transducer measures the pressure of the gas sample (human breath) and controls the opening of the valve in response to the measured pressure—a so called “constant volume” sampling system. This device integrates a pressure feedback signal to obtain a volumeric equivalent. The valve time opening varies from sample to sample based upon the measured pressure. In other words, the opening of the valve is directly dependent on the measurement taken by the pressure transducer. A similar prior art device can be seen in U.S. Pat. No. 6,167,746 to Gammenthaler which utilizes a normally closed valve. The valve opens to control the volume of the breath sample by measuring the pressure of the breath flow through the device and, in response to the measured pressure, electronically controls the opening of the valve and diverts a portion of the breath flow into the fuel cell. A valve controller limits the duration of time that the valve is open based upon the measured pressure of the breath flow. In other words, the valve is dependent on the valve controller which in turn is dependent on the pressure measuring device. An improved device is clearly needed wherein the valve works independently of the pressure transducer and permits a breath sample to pass there through without regard to the amount of pressure in the sample. The improved device should instead compensate for varying pressures through an algorithmic calculation and not through electronic valve controllers and pressure measuring devices. It is clearly seen that an improved interlock device is needed which can provide for a more accurate blood alcohol content measurement all the while having the necessary anti-circumvention features that ensures individuals will use the device as intended. The device should be less complicated then those devices seen in the prior art such that greater ease of operation can still be achieved. Improved accuracy should be enjoyed through a microprocessor controlled valve working independently from a pressure sensitive component. The improved device should permit the logging of data relative to the operation of the device so that a supervising agency can review the log to see if circumvention or tampering of the device has occurred and to otherwise see that the device is working properly. Other features that monitor the status of the vehicle's movement would also help to ensure that circumvention is not attempted through idling of the vehicle while the person consumes alcohol away from the car that has already been started. Further, rolling repeat tests during operation of the automobile would help to ensure that alcohol is not being consumed by the driver during operation of the vehicle after it has been started (i.e., driving down the highway and consuming alcohol). Other improvements are also needed to ensure that the most accurate measurement is always provided. For instance, through the use of water filtering, moisture can be virtually eliminated from the breath vapor thereby avoiding moisture saturation of the fuel cell (the alcohol sensor). Improvements in temperature monitoring and temperature control of the device should also be practiced to ensure that the device works properly in cold weather climates. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>We have invented an improved vehicle sobriety interlocking device that overcomes all of the short comings seen in the prior art. Our device utilizes a base unit and handset in communication with one another and which are installed within close proximity of the driver's seat of a vehicle or motorized machinery. The base unit includes at least one relay which is electrically wired in series with the starter of the vehicle. The handset is microprocessor controlled and is used as the breath testing device and analyzer. Both the base unit and handset can be powered from the 12V DC battery of the vehicle. The base unit also contains a microprocessor which interfaces with the handset microprocessor through a high speed serial data interface. Our device includes a handset having a front and back portion enclosing a printed circuit board. Included on the printed circuit board is a microprocessor which interprets a breath sample taken from a sampling system within the handset and thereafter sends a high speed serial data signal to the base unit microprocessor for controlling a set of relays. If the result of the sobriety test is that a predetermined threshold (for example 0.03%) has not been exceeded, then the appropriate signal is sent so that the relays change state thereby permitting the starter of the vehicle to be engaged and the vehicle to be operated. If the result of the test is that the predetermined threshold has been exceeded, then an appropriate signal is sent such that the relays do not change state whereby the starter can not be engaged and hence the vehicle can not be operated (precludes ignition). An LED display coupled to the microprocessor instructs the user when to blow and whether the test taker passed or failed the sobriety test. Other messages can be displayed, including, but not limited to, the number of days remaining before the next servicing, before the next monitoring (i.e., download) or before the next calibration. Enclosed within the handset is a sampling system housing in communication with a breath intake port forming a breath channel. The sampling system housing includes a body portion, a fuel cell, a solenoid valve, a water filter, a housing heater, a temperature sensor and a capillary tube attached at a first end to the water filter and at a second end to a pressure transducer mounted on the printed circuit board. The breath channel has a temperature sensor mounted through the housing body for determining whether the gas sample is that of a current human breath. The water filter reduces the amount of moisture that is exposed to the fuel cell by passing alcohol vapors while precluding water in the gas sample from reaching the fuel cell. The solenoid valve is positioned upstream from the fuel cell and remains open for a finite period of time to pass the gas sample to the fuel cell. The handset microprocessor controls the opening and closing of the solenoid valve. The solenoid valve is open for a constant and finite, albeit short, period of time. The pressure transducer is coupled to the microprocessor but does not control the opening and closing of the solenoid valve but instead works to normalize the breath samples that are introduced to the breath channel through an algorithmic calculation. A proprietary software program embedded upon the microprocessor interprets the pressure levels of the breath samples and equalizes the measurements made across the fuel cell by calculating an offset through the mathematical algorithm based upon predetermined standard breath samples. Accordingly, a standard alcohol response equation is programmed in the microprocessor. During calibration of the interlock device, the handset determines appropriate valve opening time required to achieve a particular sample based upon predetermined pressure (an example of a particular sample is 0.03% blood alcohol content). Once this value is determined, the valve opening time is fixed for each interlock device until the next time the handset is calibrated. The pressure measurements that are used to normalize the breath samples are taken by the pressure transducer at some finite time after the solenoid valve first receives flow through the valve. The calculated offset ensures that higher flow rates due to higher pressure readings do not give false positive readings (the reverse also being true; ensures that lower flow rates due to lower pressure readings do not give off false negative readings). These components provide a more accurate reading for the novel interlock device of the present invention and also work as an anti-circumvention feature whereby the user can not fool the device by introducing a shallow low pressure breath sample. A pair of accelerometers are mounted on the circuit board of the base unit to constantly measure movement of the vehicle in either an X or Y axis. These measurements are used to determine whether the vehicle is moving (i.e., accelerating) or turning. Accordingly, the accelerometer can be used as an anti-circumvention feature for the interlock device of the present invention. Results of these measurements are recorded in a data log which can be downloaded by a supervising agency. The data log will show whether the car was idling for any questionable amount of time. This acts as a deterrent against court mandated users from starting their vehicle when they are completely sober, driving to an establishment serving alcoholic beverages, leaving their vehicle running (idling) while they consume alcohol and then return to their vehicle to drive away drunk. Also, the accelerometers act as a bypass detector to determine whether the vehicle was moving at a time when no test by the interlock device was first initiated (vehicle was started without an interlock device test being performed). Other anti-circumvention features include rolling repeat tests whereby the user has to blow into the mouthpiece of the handset while driving to ensure that alcohol has not been consumed since the vehicle was started. Although the interlock device of the present invention will not disable a running vehicle in the event of a failed test, the data log will record such event and expose the violation to the supervising agency at the time of download of the data log. Further, relays can switch on lights and blow the horn to attract attention to the violator. A mini USB B port is in communication with the handset microprocessor and acts as a point of download for the data log as well as an upload point for supervisor preferences and settings. Downloads and uploads can also be effected through wireless transmission. A second proprietary software program can be used on a laptop or PC to set preferences and settings for the interlock device, to perform calibrations and to interpret the data log. As used herein, vehicles and motorized machinery apparatus include, but are not limited to, automobiles, trucks, ships motorcycles, boats, planes, trains, tractors, mowers and other industrial and construction vehicles which include a motor and an ignition system. |
Vertical system integration |
The Vertical System Integration (VSI) invention herein is a method for integration of disparate electronic, optical and MEMS technologies into a single integrated circuit die or component and wherein the individual device layers used in the VSI fabrication processes are preferably previously fabricated components intended for generic multiple application use and not necessarily limited in its use to a specific application. The VSI method of integration lowers the cost difference between lower volume custom electronic products and high volume generic use electronic products by eliminating or reducing circuit design, layout, tooling and fabrication costs. |
1. A stacked integrated circuit comprising: a first integrated circuit layer; and a second integrated circuit layer overlying the first integrated circuit layer; wherein at least one of the first and second integrated circuit layers is fabricated according to a completed physical IC design or fabricated IC selected from a design library of completed physical IC designs or fabricated ICs. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first and second circuit layers includes at least one of the following: a microprocessor, PLD or FPGA circuitry, a passive device array, a DSP, a SERDES, I/O circuitry, memory, and a graphics processor. 3. The apparatus of claim 1, having at least partial logic circuit redundancy between different layers. 4. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising at least three layers, each of the three layers being either a memory layer or a PLD or FPGA circuit layer. 5. The apparatus of claim 4, comprising a plurality of memory layers and a plurality of PLD or FPGA circuit layers. 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stacked integrated circuit is provided with wireless interconnection capability. 7. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers bonded together such that no circuitry of a circuit layer of the stacked integrated circuit is external to the stacked integrated circuit. 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the circuit device layers comprises electronic circuitry. 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the circuit device layers comprises optical circuitry. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the circuit device layers comprises a MEMS device. 11. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising IC devices fabricated on the backside of one or more circuit layers. 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the IC devices comprise at least one of the following: transistors, memory cells, resistors, capacitors, inductors, radio frequency antennas and horizontal interconnections. 13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the IC devices comprise at least two of the following: transistors, memory cells, resistors, capacitors, inductors, radio frequency antennas and horizontal interconnections. 14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the IC devices comprise all of the following: transistors, memory cells, resistors, capacitors, inductors, radio frequency antennas and horizontal interconnections. 15. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers including at least two of the following: electronic, optical and MEMS circuit layers. 16. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising IC devices fabricated on the backside of one or more circuit layers. 17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a dielectric layer is deposited on the backside of one or more the circuit layers to enhance electrical isolation of an underlying semiconductor device layer. 18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein IC device fabrication is performed on the backside of one or more circuit layers to complete the fabrication of IC devices partially formed on the front side of the one or more circuit layers. 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein IC fabrication is performed on the backside of one or more the circuit layers to fabricate one or more layer memory layers. 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the memory layers consist of at least one of MRAM, PRAM, ferroelectric or dendritic memory. 21. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit layers are bonded using bonding layers made from two or more metal films one of which has a lower melting point and which will diffuse with an immediately adjacent film. 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein bonding layers form a diffused metal film having a higher melting point than the lower melting point metal film. 23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuit layers are bonded using bonding layers made from two or more metal films one of which has a lower melting temperature and which will diffuse with an immediately adjacent film. 24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the circuit layers is a programmable tester for testing of the stacked IC during burn-in or during its useful life. 25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein all surfaces of the circuit layers with circuitry thereon are internal to the stacked IC whereby the stacked IC is its own packaging. 26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the bonding layers of one or more of the circuit layers form hermetic seals. 27. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers wherein two or more circuit layers have similar functioning circuitry in a vertical overlapping position. 28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the circuitry on the circuit layers is reconfigurable by the use of vertical interconnections between the circuit layers. 29. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising one or more vertical interconnections between the circuit layers having cross-sectional areas that are at least two times larger than any horizontal signal interconnection. 30. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein some of the circuit layers are not designed specifically for the particular stacked IC. 31. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein an application-specific function of the stacked IC is derived from the choice and quantity of circuit layers from previously-fabricated, non-application-specific circuit layers. 32. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the circuit layers have portions of horizontal interconnections that are free-standing. 33. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more of the circuit layers have portions of horizontal interconnections that are without the mechanical support of a dielectric. 34. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein interconnections of circuitry on at least one of the circuit layers are changed by interconnections on the backside of the circuit layer. 35. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one or more transistor gates of at least one circuit layer is back biased by forming a contact on the backside of the at least one circuit layer opposite the one or more transistor gates. 36. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein I/O drivers for the stacked IC are physically on a separate circuit layer or on the backside of one of the circuit layers. 37. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein in one of the circuit layers dielectric has been predominately removed leaving free-standing metal horizontal and vertical interconnections. 38. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the circuit layers contains a predominately free-standing Rf antenna. 39. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the circuit layers comprises a MEMS device. 40. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the first circuit layer is a MEMS device. 41. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the MEMS device is fabricated as part of a circuit layer after bonding of the circuit layer to another circuit layer. 42. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one optical circuit layer couples signals into an electronic circuit layer. 43. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the circuit layers is a generically programmable automatic testing circuit layer for testing one or more of the circuit layers of the stacked IC. 44. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers with redundant circuits wherein an interconnection wire length between redundant circuits is approximately equal to or less than a thickness of the stacked IC. 45. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers including wireless circuitry for creating multiple data transmission paths between a plurality of stacked ICs, and means for changing one or more wireless data transmission paths between any two stacked ICs as needed. 46. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers including a plurality of wireless circuits wherein the wireless circuits are used to create a plurality of data transmission paths. 47. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising circuitry for performing full-wafer test and burn-in. 48. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising memory control logic and memory circuit layers wherein at least one circuit layer has memory control logic circuitry enabling reconfiguration of the memory circuit layers of the stacked IC. 49. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising memory control logic and memory circuit layers wherein at least one circuit layer has memory control logic circuitry enabling the use of a variable amount of the memory of the stacked IC. 50. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a credit-card-shaped enclosure enclosing the stacked IC. 51. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a sensing device with sensor devices separated and overlying processing electronics of the sensor devices. 52. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a stacked programmable logic device having a plurality of circuit layers wherein there is at least one each of a programmable gate circuit layer, a routing circuit layer and a memory circuit layer. 53. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a stacked programmable logic device having a plurality of circuit layers wherein there is at least one circuit layer comprising automatic test electronics. 54. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers with processors thereon wherein a non-blocking cross bar interconnects the processors and is integrated onto the circuit layers of the stacked IC. 55. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers wherein one or more of the circuit layers comprises analog circuitry elements and one or more of the circuit layers comprises reconfigurable circuitry which can be programmed to interconnect the analog circuitry elements to circuitry on one or more of the circuit layers of the stacked IC. 56. The apparatus of claim 1, comprising a plurality of circuit layers wherein one or more of the circuit layers comprises passive circuitry elements and one or more of the circuit layers comprises reconfigurable circuitry which can be programmed to interconnect the passive circuitry elements to circuitry on one or more of the circuit layers of the stacked IC. 57. A method of making a stacked integrated circuit comprising: providing a design library comprising multiple completed physical IC designs or fabricated ICs; and using at least one completed physical IC design or fabricated IC from the design library to fabricate the stacked integrated circuit. 58. The method of claim 57, wherein the first and second layers are part of an integrated circuit design library of fabricated circuit layers for use in a stacked IC. 59. The method of claim 58, wherein the integrated circuit design library of fabricated circuit layers for use in a stacked IC includes designs for a plurality of different chip sizes, and the first and second layers are selected to have the same chip size. 60. The method of claim 57, wherein the first and second layers are designed independently of design of the stacked integrated circuit. 61. The method of claim 57, wherein design of the first and second layers and design of the stacked integrated circuit are unrelated. 62. The method of claim 57, comprising: for at least one layer of the stacked integrated circuit, designing a custom design at the time of design of the stacked integrated circuit. 63. The method of claim 57, comprising bonding together the circuit layers such that no integrated circuitry surface of a circuit layer of the stacked integrated circuit is external to the stacked integrated circuit. 64. The method of claim 57, comprising: bonding the circuit layers using an inorganic thermal diffusion bonding process; thinning at least one circuit layer from the backside thereof; and on the backside of the at least one circuit layer, fabricating at least one of active circuit devices, passive circuit devices and horizontal interconnections. 65. The method of claim 57, wherein at least one of the circuit device layers comprises electronic circuitry. 66. The method of claim 57, wherein at least one of the circuit device layers comprises optical circuitry. 67. The method of claim 57, wherein at least one of the circuit device layers comprises a MEMS device. 68. The method of claim 57, wherein at least one circuit layer is fabricated using a substrate having a plurality of barrier layers formed therein. 69. The method of claim 57, comprising performing IC device fabrication on the backside of one or more circuit layers. 70. The method of claim 69, wherein the IC devices comprise at least one of the following: transistors, memory cells, resistors, capacitors, inductors, radio frequency antennas and horizontal interconnections. 71. The method of claim 69, wherein the IC devices comprise at least two of the following: transistors, memory cells, resistors, capacitors, inductors, radio frequency antennas and horizontal interconnections. 72. The method of claim 69, wherein the IC devices comprise all of the following: transistors, memory cells, resistors, capacitors, inductors, radio frequency antennas and horizontal interconnections. 73. The method of claim 57, comprising making the stacked integrated circuit without fabrication of a circuit layer specific to the function of the particular stacked integrated circuit. 74. The method of claim 57, wherein fewer than all of the circuit layers are fabricated for the specific function of the particular stacked integrated circuit. 75. The method of claim 57, wherein IC device fabrication is performed on the backside of one or more circuit layers. 76. The method of claim 57, wherein one or more the circuit layers is thinned by removing the substrate to a barrier layer comprising a thin dielectric layer. 77. The method of claim 76, wherein the thin dielectric layer thickness is less than 100 Å. 78. The method of claim 76, wherein the thin dielectric layer thickness is less than 200 Å. 79. The method of claim 76, wherein the thin dielectric layer thickness is in a range of 50 Å to 500 Å. 80. The method of claim 57, wherein a dielectric layer is deposited on the backside of one or more the circuit layers to enhance electrical isolation of an underlying semiconductor device layer. 81. The method of claim 57, wherein IC device fabrication is performed on the backside of one or more circuit layers to complete the fabrication of IC devices partially formed on the front side of the one or more circuit layers. 82. The method of claim 57, wherein IC fabrication is performed on the backside of one or more the circuit layers to fabricate one or more layer memory layers. 83. The method of claim 82, wherein the memory layers consist of at least one of MRAM, PRAM, ferroelectric or dendritic memory. 84. The method of claim 57, wherein the circuit layers are bonded using bonding layers made from two or more metal films one of which has a lower melting temperature and which will diffuse with an immediately adjacent film. 85. The method of claim 84, wherein bonding layers are diffused metal films having a higher melting point than the lower melting point metal film. 86. The method of claim 57, comprising bonding IC substrates using at least two metal films with different melting points on each surface of the substrates to be bonded wherein during or after bonding of the substrates the metal films diffuse to form one metal film with a melting point that is higher than the lower melting point of one of the original two metal films. 87. The method of claim 57, comprising bonding a plurality of circuit layers bonded using one or more bonding layers made from Sn and Al films wherein the Sn film prevents the formation of Al oxide on the Al film and diffuses into the Al film when bonded to another circuit layer. 88. The method of claim 57, comprising: making design changes to a circuit layer; causing the circuit layer to be fabricated; and stacking the circuit layer together with a plurality of other previously-fabricated circuit layers; wherein the design changes to the circuit layer do not require the other circuit layers be fabricated again. 89. The method of claim 57, wherein an application-specific function of the stacked IC is derived from the choice and quantity of circuit layers from previously-fabricated, non-application-specific circuit layers. 90. The method of claim 57, wherein interconnections of circuitry on at least one of the circuit layers are changed by interconnections on the backside of the circuit layer. 91. The method of claim 57, comprising processing both sides of an IC substrate having a frontside and a backside wherein the IC substrate is bonded face down onto a second substrate and the backside of the IC substrate is thinned to a thickness that permits conventional IC fabrication processing, further comprising forming interconnections between circuitry on the frontside of the IC substrate with the circuitry formed on the backside of the IC substrate. 92. The method of claim 57, comprising back biasing one or more transistor gates of at least one circuit layer by forming a contact on the backside of the at least one circuit layer opposite the one or more transistor gates. 93. The method of claim 57, wherein I/O drivers for the stacked IC are physically on a separate circuit layer or on the backside of one of the circuit layers. 94. The method of claim 57, comprising predominately removing dielectric in one of the circuit layers leaving free-standing metal horizontal and vertical interconnections. 95. The method of claim 57, wherein the circuit layers are provided from an inventory of substrates with completed circuitry thereon. 96. The method of claim 57, comprising aligning two substrates or wafers having circuitry thereon for bonding, wherein an opening is made from a backside of one of the substrates or wafers to be bonded to expose an alignment mark, thereby allowing the use of optical alignment methods. 97. The method of claim 57, comprising aligning two substrates or wafers with circuitry thereon for bonding, wherein an opening is made from a backside forming an opening on the front side of one of the substrates or wafers to be bonded exposing an alignment mark, and using an atomic force microscope to access alignment marks on both substrates or wafers at the same time. 98. The method of claim 57, wherein the stacked IC comprises a stacked programmable logic device having at least one of a programmable gate circuit layer and a memory circuit layer, comprising adding to the stacked programmable logic device one or more programmable gate circuit layers or memory circuit layers. 99. A method of using a stacked integrated circuit comprising: placing the stacked integrated circuit in proximity to at least one other stacked integrated circuit, thereby causing wireless communication between the stacked integrated circuits to occur. 100. The method of claim 99, wherein one of the stacked integrated circuits comprises a wireless interconnection processor, comprising the wireless interconnection processor interogating at least one other stacked integrated circuit in proxmity thereto. 101. The method of claim 100, wherein said at least one other stacked integrated circuit comprises a visual indicator, comprising activating the visual indicator in response to said interogating. 102. The method of claim 101, comprising a user recognizing activation of the visual indicator and in response thereto placing the at least one stacked integrated circuit in operating relation to an electronic device. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to methods for making closely coupled closely aligned stacked integrated electronic circuits, optical circuits and MEMS. In particular, the present invention relates to methods specific to fabrication integration, yield enhancement, performance enhancement, power dissipation reduction and cost reduction. 2. State of the Art Manufacturing Integrated Circuit [IC] methods are most notable for an exponential rate in the integration progression of electronic devices per unit area, consistently doubling approximately every 18 months over a short forty year history. These manufacturing methods are remarkable for their abilities of increasing circuit performance while simultaneously reducing circuit cost, power and size, and as a result ICs have contributed in no small measure to today's modern way of life. The integration progression has repeatedly enabled the making of ICs that were not possible or practical only a few years earlier. What before prevented the practical implementation of circuits with 100,000 transistors due to excessive power dissipation or low fabrication yields, the integration progression has now enabled practical yields of circuits with 100,000,000 transistors and at much lower power dissipations despite the dramatic increase in transistor count. The integration progression has made possible the expectation that ICs with more than 1 billion transistors will be in wide spread common use within the next three to four years. The ultimate and widely understood objective of the IC integration progression is to reduce all electronic systems or subsystems composed of multiple ICs to one IC. This ultimate IC is often commonly referred to as a SoC [System on Chip]. The result of this objective is ever lower cost of manufacturing, higher performance, and hopefully therefore, a greater end user utility and social benefit. FIG. 1 shows in cross section a conventional planar IC composed of number of IP [Intellectual Property] circuit blocks 1 a which are interconnected by numerous layers of horizontal metal interconnect or wiring 1 b. Electronic systems and subsystems made from assemblies of separate planar ICs are performance or cost reduction limited foremost by the implementation means for off-circuit or off-chip interconnections or I/Os. The performance and cost reduction limitations due to IC I/O result from manufacturing restrictions in the number of I/Os an IC may have, the cost of packaging, the significantly lower transmission performance of off-circuit connections versus on-circuit connections and the higher power dissipation required for off-chip signal transmission. Further, there is not presently planar IC fabrication technology that will allow the integration onto one planar IC for all of the significantly different IC fabrication processes used to make the electronic components of widely used products such as PCs, PDAs or cell phones. This is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, because past demand for greater capabilities from such electronic products has resulted in greater divergence of the IC fabrication processes used to implement the various types of ICs from which they are made. The usefulness of the integration progression is now strongly challenged by the growing complexity in the design, and logical and physical verification development and test efforts required to bring ICs to market. The wide spread incorporation of previously designed or off the shelf logic functions referred to as IP [Intellectual Property] is an example of efforts being taken to address IC design and development complexity. However, the usage of ever greater numbers of IP placements across an IC has resulted in greater logical, physical and manufacturing interconnection complexity. The integration progression rate has changed the relationship of the primary cost structure components for making ICs. The cost of testing ICs is now approaching and in a number of cases exceeding IC fabrication cost and the cost of IC packaging ranging from 25% to several times IC fabrication cost. The cost dominance of test and packaging over IC fabrication increases with each generation of IC fabrication technology. It is becoming clear that IC manufacturing methods that reduce through IC integration techniques the cost of test and packaging are of most importance. The integration progression is presently challenged by the need for methods to integrate as a single die not only active electronics, but also passive electronic devices, optical devices and MEMS [Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems]. This need is particularly evident in networking and telecommunication equipment where the switching of optical signals through the conversion of optical signals to electronic and back, to optical or electronically controlled MEMS of optical mirrors are used. But also in consumer products such as video devices that use imaging arrays which need higher integration of processing electronics and memory or wireless communication devices which need greater integration of analog and passive circuitry. The primary drivers of the integration progression of planar IC manufacturing have been circuit feature size reduction through fabrication process methods and increased wafer or substrate diameter. Volume production process fabrication methods for the dominate CMOS semiconductor technology has presently reached feature sizes of 0.12 μm [120 nm], and wafer sizes of 300 mm [12 inches]. Methods for forming stacked ICs or stacked IC structures have been demonstrated and are expected to become one more of the primary drivers of the IC integration progression. IC stacking methods can be broadly classified as: 1. Package driven stacked ICs. 2. Process driven [design and fabrication] stacked closely coupled ICs. The stacking of ICs through various packaging methods or package driven stacking has a long and varied application history that goes back at least twenty years. A recent article published in the IEEE Spectrum entitled “Packages Go Vertical” by Harry Goldstein, August 2001, pages 46-51, is one representative summary of the more recent methods of 3D packaging of Integrated Circuits. The primary benefit of package driven stacking of ICs is reduced physical volume, implemented through the use of conventional ICs with various methods of forming peripheral connections from the I/O contacts of each IC to a common set of termination contacts the package envelop enclosing the ICs. The stacking of ICs through process drive methods, typically requires custom designed ICs and wafer level processing steps. The primary benefits of process driven IC stacking are increased performance with simultaneous reductions of cost, size and power. Process driven stacked ICs can be generally characterized by the following process steps: 1. Wafer level bonding with a bonding material thickness of a few microns or less. 2. Thinning of wafer circuit layers to less than 50 μm and typically less than 25 μm and less than 15 μm. 3. Vertical through the circuit layer substrate interconnections or interconnections that are internal to the IC stack. Process driven wafer stacking fabrication in the above manner will herein also be referred to as Closely Coupled stacked integrated circuits. The Closely Coupled stacked integrated circuit layers of the invention herein are thinned to facilitate the fabrication of fine grain vertical interconnections passing through the circuit layers and substantially flexible, and wherein these layers are preferably fabricated using low stress or stress controlled dielectric materials. The primary objective of closely coupled wafer stacking is to enhance the integration progression of IC fabrication beyond that possible with existing planar wafer process fabrication methods and wafer diameter. Closely coupled stacked IC prior art by the inventor and referred to as 3DS [Three Dimensional Structures] are U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,915,167, 6,208,545, 6,133,640, 6,551,857, 6,563,224, 5,985,693 and 5,654,220. Closely coupled wafer bonding requires wafer to wafer alignment prior to bonding. Equipment presently available has the capability for ±1 μm wafer to wafer alignment. By comparison horizontal interconnection minimum pitch is 0.15 μm [150 nm] with current state of the art semiconductor processes. The horizontal routing efficiency through vertical interconnections is determined by wafer to wafer alignment, and is fundamentally important to the scaling of fine grain vertical interconnections to maintain compatibly with reducing horizontal interconnection geometries. The state of the art for completed or fabricated planar ICs has and presently results in the expectation that the utility of a fabricated IC does not allow its reuse for subsequent IC integration in a single die or single IC. This is to say that subsequent integration of post-fabricated planar semiconductor circuitry with other fabricated ICs that would result in device and interconnection integration densities that are the same or similar to any of the planar ICs being integrated, and therefore, providing the well known attendant benefits of single IC integration, is no longer possible. Therefore, any and all subsequent circuit design changes or additions [placement of circuitry or horizontal interconnect routing layers] to a completed planar IC requires the IC be remade, requiring at a minimum revalidation of electrical and functional operation of the circuit, the remaking of mask tooling, circuit fabrication and in most cases the obsolescence of previous circuit inventory. This is a clear and significant restriction on the control of cost in the development, manufacturing and inventory management of planar ICs. Conversely, having the ability to inventory fabricated or complete circuitry which can subsequently be integrated at the IC or die level presents a opportunity for cost savings that affects all aspects of IC development and manufacturing, and extends the range of intended end use applications beyond that presently possible. |
<SOH> Summary of Primary Improvement Objectives of the VSI IC Invention versus Planar ICs <EOH>The primary improvement objectives of the VSI invention disclosed herein over current planar IC design and manufacturing processes are higher performance and lower cost. Higher performance: 1. Smaller die size that is independent of circuit size. 2. Integration of disparate fabrication technologies by circuit layer. 3. Single die level integration that is independent of circuit size and process technologies used. 4. Shorter horizontal interconnection lengths through the use of vertical interconnections. 5. Shorter horizontal lengths through the use of smaller die size. 6. Greater of planar circuit layer to circuit layer interconnection density through fine grain vertical interconnection. Lower cost: 1. Smaller die size. 2. Fewer IC packages. 3. Fabrication process of self packaging. 4. Lower I/O pin count per package. 5. Internal self test logic. 6. Enhanced Yield. 7. Lower design complexity through smaller die size. 8. Design and fabricated circuit reuse through standardized fine grain vertical interconnection physical foot print sizes and placement. 9. Automated design of large scale and fine grain circuit reconfiguration and failure replacement by circuit redundancy. |
Vaccine comprising gp120 and nef and/or tat for the immunisation against hiv |
Use of a) an HIV Tat protein or polynucleotide; or b) an HIV Nef protein or polynucleotide; or c) an HIV Tat protein or polynucleotide linked to an HIV Nef protein or polynucleotide: and an HIV gp 120 protein or polynucleotide in the manufacture of a vaccine suitable for a prime-boost delivery for the prophylactic or therapeutic immunisation of humans against HIV, wherein the protein or polynucleotide is delivered via a bombardment approach. |
1. A method for prophylactic or therapeutic immunization which method comprises administering to a subject in need thereof a composition comprising an HIV gp120 protein or polynucleotide and a member selected from the group consisting of a) an HIV Tat protein or polynucleotide; b) an HIV Nef protein or polynucleotide; and c) an HIV Tat protein or polynucleotide linked to an HIV Nef protein or polynucleotide; in a prime-boost delivery wherein the protein or polynucleotide is delivered via a bombardment approach. 2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the bombardment approach comprises propelling particles into a target tissue of interest. 3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the particles are gold beads onto which the protein or polynucleotide has been coated. 4. The method according to claim 2 or in which the particles are accelerated to high speed by a helium gas jet. 5. The method according to claim 3 wherein the gold beads are 0.4-4.0 μm in diameter 6. The method according to claim 5 wherein the gold beads are 0.6 to 2.0 μm in diameter. 7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the polynucleotide encoding the Nef, Tat or gp120 is codon-optimised DNA. 8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the polynucleotides encoding the Nef, Tat and gp120 are present on a single vector. 9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the vector comprises the nef, tat and gp 120 polynucleotides inserted 3′ to an enhanced HCMV IE 1 promoter. 10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the vector is p7313. 11. The method according to claim 1 wherein additional regulatory or structural proteins of HIV or polynucleotides encoding such regulatory or structural proteins) or a mixture of proteins and polynucleotides encoding such regulatorY or structural proteins are included in the vaccine formulation. 12. A recombinant DNA molecule comprising one or more genes selected from the group consisting of Nef, Tat, and gp 120 in a vector in which the gene of interest is inserted 3′ to an enhanced HCMV IE1 promoter. 13. A recombinant DNA molecule according to claim 12 wherein the vector is p 7313. 14. A recombinant DNA molecule according to claim 12 wherein at least one of the genes is codon-optimised. 15. A recombinant DNA molecule according to claim 14 in which the gp 120 DNA is codon-optimised. 16. (canceled). 17. A plurality of particles coated with recombinant DNA comprising one or more genes selected from the group consisting of a Nef, Tat and gp 120 in a vector. 18. Particles according to claim 17 coated with DNA comprising a Nef, a Tat and a gp 120 gene in a single vector. 19. Particles according to claim 17 wherein the DNA encoding at least one of the Nef, Tat or gp120 is codon optimised for expression in human cells. 20. Particles according to claim 17 wherein one or more of the genes is inserted 3′ to an enhanced HCMV IE1 promoter. 21. Particles according to claim 17 wherein the vector is P7313. 22. (canceled). 23. The method of claim 2 wherein the target tissue is skin. 24. The method of claim 17 wherein the particles are gold particles. 25. The method of claiml8 wherein the Nef and Tat genes are in the form of a NefTat fusion. |
Shark repelling device |
A device (10) for repelling selected aquatic creatures, such as sharks. The device consists of an electromagnetic field generator (21, 30) for generating an electromagnetic field (50) that repels sharks and is supported by a buoyant device (20). This provides a shark-free region about the device (10). Multiple devices can be connected together to form an array of repelling devices, thereby extending the shark-free region. |
1. A device for repelling selecting aquatic creatures, the device comprising: An electromagnetic field generator for generating an electromagnetic field which repels selected aquatic creatures; and a buoyant carrier supporting the electromagnetic field generator within a body of water when in use, being separated from a user. 2. A repelling device according to claim 1 wherein the buoyant carrier further comprises a first electrode and a second electrode which, in use, make electrical contact with the body of water. 3. A repelling device according to claim 2 wherein at least the first electrode is a conductive outer cover of the buoyant carrier. 4. A repelling device according to claim 3 wherein the second electrode is a drop-down electrode. 5. A repelling device according to claim 2 wherein the buoyant carrier includes an on-board power supply. 6. A repelling device according to claim 2 wherein the buoyant carrier is connectable to an external power supply for providing power to the electric field generator. 7. A repelling device according to claim 1 wherein the buoyancy of the buoyant carrier is variably adjustable. 8. A repelling device according to claim 2 wherein the buoyant carrier includes one or more tether points to allow the buoyant carrier to be tethered to an object, including one or more other buoyant carriers. 9. A repelling array for repelling selected aquatic creatures, the array comprising a plurality of repelling devices according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of repelling devices are tethered together. 10. A repelling array according to claim 9 wherein the array defines a row of repelling devices. 11. A repelling array according to claim 9 wherein the array defines a plane. 12. A repelling array according to claim 9 wherein the array defines a volume. 13. A repelling device according to claim 1 wherein the selected aquatic creature is a shark. 14. A method of repelling selected aquatic creatures, the method comprising attaching an electromagnetic field generator that generates an electromagnetic field which repels selected aquatic creatures to a buoyant carrier, separated from a user for use in a body of water. 15. A method according to claim 14 wherein the buoyant carrier includes a first electrode and a second electrode which, in use, make electrical contact with the body of water. 16. A method according to claim 15 wherein the first electrode is a conductive outer cover of the buoyant carrier. 17. A method according to claim 16 wherein the second electrode is a drop-down electrode. 18. A method according to claim 17 wherein the buoyancy of the buoyant carrier is variably adjustable. 19. A method of repelling selected aquatic creatures, the method comprising tethering two or more devices according to claim 1 to form a row of repelling devices. 20. A method of repelling selected aquatic creatures, the method comprising tethering a plurality of devices according to claim 1 to form a plane. 21. A method of repelling selected aquatic creatures, the method comprising tethering a plurality of repelling devices according to claim 1 to define a volume. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>Ever since humans have ventured into the sea for exploration, hunting and recreation, a constant danger has been the risk of attack by dangerous sea creatures, in particular sharks. Such attacks, while not common, can be fatal and in many cases if not fatal, can result in horrific injuries to the victim which remain for a lifetime. Furthermore, sharks often hinder fishing expeditions as they are attracted to bait used to catch fish, and to the movement of fish being caught. In instances where nets are used, shark attacks may also result in the loss of any fish caught, as well as damage to the nets. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a device for repelling selected aquatic creatures, the device comprising an electromagnetic field generator for generating an electromagnetic field which repels selected aquatic creatures, and a buoyant carrier supporting the electromagnetic field generator within a body of water when in use, being separated from a user. Preferably, the buoyant carrier includes a first electrode and a second electrode which, in use, make electrical contact with the body of water. Preferably, at least the first electrode is a conductive outer cover of the buoyant carrier. Preferably, the second electrode is a drop-down electrode. The buoyant carrier may include an on-board power supply or alternatively, may be connectable to an external power supply for providing power to the electric field generator. The buoyancy of the buoyant carrier is advantageously variably adjustable. Preferably, the buoyant carrier will include one or more tether points to allow the buoyant carrier to be tethered to an object, including one or more other buoyant carriers. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a repelling array for repelling selected aquatic creatures, the array comprising a plurality of repelling devices according to the first aspect of the present invention, wherein the plurality of repelling devices are tethered together. The repelling array may define a row, a plane or a volume. Preferably, the selected aquatic creature is a shark. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of repelling selected aquatic creatures, the method comprising attaching an electromagnetic field generator that generates an electromagnetic field which repels selected aquatic creatures to a buoyant carrier, separated from a user for use in a body of water. |
X-ray dose control based on patient size |
Automatic x-ray dosage control based on patient size is described. The system provides a computer-based system for determining patient size based on mathematical analysis of light employed to illuminate a patient and light detectors. The system also provides a computer based system for calculating an x-ray dose parameter based on the determined patient size. |
1. A system for determining one or more x-ray parameters, comprising: computing a computed size of a patient to be x-rayed; and determining the one or more x-ray parameters based, at least in part, on the computed size of the patient. 2. The system of claim 1, where the one or more x-ray parameters comprise kV and mA. 3. The system of claim 1, where the computed size of the patient is determined as one or more cross sectional areas. 4. An x-ray system, comprising: an x-ray radiation source for emitting an emitted x-ray; an x-ray detector for detecting a detected x-ray; a computer component for determining an x-ray attenuation based on a comparison of the emitted x-ray and the detected x-ray. 5. The system of claim 4, where the computer component determines an x-ray dose based, at least in part, on the x-ray attenuation. 6. The system of claim 4, comprising a second computer component that determines an x-ray dose based, at least in part, on the x-ray attenuation. 7. The system of claim 4, where the computer component collects two or more detected x-rays, where the two or more detected x-rays were emitted in directions perpendicular to each other. 8. A system for automatically controlling x-ray exposure, comprising: one or more light detectors; one or more light sources for illuminating a patient and a subset of the one or more light detectors with one or more light beams; a computer component for computing a patient dimensional data from one or more detected light beams and for determining one or more patient size parameters based, at least in part, on the patient dimensional data; and a computer component for determining an x-ray dose parameter based, at least in part, on the patient dimensional data. 9. The system of claim 8, where the patient dimensional data is one of a patient height, width, area, and volume. 10. The system of claim 8, where the x-ray dose parameter is one of kV and mA. 11. A system for computing an x-ray dose parameter, comprising: a first light source for emitting a first set of light beams that produce a first illumination of a patient from a first projection angle; a first set of light detectors for receiving a subset of the first set of light beams, where the subset of the first set of light beams comprises light beams that travel from the first light source to one or more of the first set of light detectors without being blocked by the patient; a second light source for emitting a second set of light beams that produce a second illumination of a patient from a second projection angle; a second set of light detectors for receiving a subset of the second set of light beams, where the subset of the second set of light beams comprises light beams that travel from the second light source to one or more of the second set of light detectors without being blocked by the patient; and a computer component that determines a patient dimension based, at least in part, on analyzing one or more of, the emitted first set of light beams, the received subset of the first set of light beams, the emitted second set of light beams, and the received subset of the second set of light beams. 12. The system of claim 11, where the first set of light detectors and the second set of light detectors are arranged perpendicular to each other. 13. The system of claim 11, where one or more of the first light source, the second light source, the first set of light detectors, and the second set of light detectors are moveable relative to each other to facilitate acquiring subsets of light beams oriented at a plurality of angles relative to each other. 14. The system of claim 13, where one or more of the first light source, the second light source, the first set of light detectors, and the second set of light detectors are moveable under programmatic control. 15. The system of claim 11, where the patient dimension is one or more of, a patient height, width, area, and volume. 16. The system of claim 15, comprising a computer component for determining an x-ray dose based, at least in part, on the patient dimension. 17. The system of claim 11, where the patient dimension is calculated by solving one or more trigonometric relations from data acquired during one or more of, the first illumination and the second illumination. 18. A system for computing an x-ray dose parameter, comprising: a light source for emitting a set of light beams to produce an illumination of a patient from a projection angle; a set of light detectors for receiving a subset of the set of light beams, where the subset comprises light beams that travel from the light source to one or more of the set of light detectors without being blocked by the patient; and a computer component that determines a patient dimension based, at least in part, on analyzing the emitted set of light beams and the received subset of the set of light beams. 19. The system of claim 18, where the light source is moveable, under programmatic control, relative to the set of light detectors, to facilitate illuminating a patient from a plurality of projection angles. 20. The system of claim 19, where the patient dimension is calculated by solving one or more trigonometric relations from data associated with illuminations of the patient from a plurality of projection angles. 21. An x-ray system, comprising: a data store that stores one or more patient dimensions and one or more related x-ray dosages; a patient dimension determiner that determines an actual patient dimension; and an x-ray dosage selector that selects an x-ray dosage from the data store based, at least in part, on the actual patient dimension. 22. The system of claim 21, where the patient dimension determiner comprises: one or more light detectors; one or more light sources for directing light onto a patient interposed between the one or more light sources and the one or more light detectors; and a computer component for calculating the actual patient dimension based, at least in part, on a light received at the one or more light detectors. 23. A method for calculating an x-ray dose, comprising: at a beam source, generating one or more beams directed at one or more beam detectors, where an object is interposed between the beam source and the beam detectors; detecting one or more detected beams at the one or more beam detectors; calculating a dimension of the object based, at least in part, on the one or more detected beams; and determining an x-ray dose based, at least in part, on the dimension. 24. The method of claim 23, where the object is a patient. 25. The method of claim 23, where the beams are one or more of a light beam and an x-ray beam. 26. The method of claim 23, where the dimension is one of height, width, area, and volume. 27. The method of claim 23, where the dimension is calculated by solving one or more trigonometric relations with data derived from the one or more detected beams. 28. The method of claim 23, where the x-ray dose comprises one or more of mA and kV. 29. A computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions operable to perform computer executable elements of the method of claim 23. 30. A method for controlling an x-ray dose based on a patient size, comprising: accessing a data store wherein one or more patient sizes and one or more related x-ray dosages are stored; generating one or more beams to illuminate a patient and one or more beam detectors; detecting one or more beams; calculating a patient size based, at least in part, on one or more of the one or more generated beams and the one or more detected beams; retrieving a dosage from the data store based, at least in part, on the patient size; and programming an x-ray device with the retrieved dosage. 31. The method of claim 30, where the x-ray dose comprises one or more of mA and kV. 32. The method of claim 30, where the patient size is one or more of a patient height, width, area, and volume. 33. A computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions operable to perform computer executable elements of the method of claim 30. 34. A system for controlling x-ray dose based on patient size, comprising: means for determining a patient size; means for calculating an x-ray dose parameter based on the patient size; and means for programming an x-ray device with the calculated x-ray dose parameter. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND <EOH>X-ray computed tomography utilizes a rotating x-ray source and x-ray detectors to generate cross-sectional images. When used in human applications, it is desired to minimize exposure to x-ray radiation while at the same time maximizing the diagnostic quality of the generated images. In order to achieve an acceptable balance of these competing goals, methods are needed to reduce or appropriately adjust radiation dosage in order to better control radiation exposure. Commonly, peak kilovoltage (kV) and tube current (mA) are set based on technologist or physician perception of patient weight, sex, age, and body part to be imaged. However, when the patient deviates significantly from an anticipated size (larger or smaller) or if conventional paradigms are used blindly, unnecessary overexposure (excessive dose) or underexposure (insufficient image quality for favorable risk-benefit) may result. Other methods for reducing radiation dosage with spiral CT scanning technology has involved increasing the pitch of the examination. It has been shown that increasing pitch from 1.0 to 1.5 decreased the radiation dosage by 33% without an apparent loss of diagnostic information. However, none of the known methods use body size or dimensions to estimate the desired dosage, which is believed a better approximation of tissue length traversed during scanning because body weight alone does not account for variations in body size or dimensions. |
<SOH> SUMMARY <EOH>This application concerns automated systems and methods that control x-ray exposure based on an actual patient size rather than on statistical considerations of average patient weight or other commonly accepted paradigms used to control imaging exposure to x-ray radiation. The following presents a simplified summary of methods, systems, and computer readable media for automatically controlling x-ray dosage to facilitate providing a basic understanding of these items. This summary is not an extensive overview and is not intended to identify key or critical elements of the methods, systems, and computer readable media or to delineate the scope of these items. This summary provides a conceptual introduction in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. This application describes methods and systems for automating x-ray exposure control. Examples that perform dose estimation are provided. In one example, a light source is used to illuminate a patient (e.g., human, animal) in cross sections. Opposite the patient are a set of detectors that detect approximate patient dimensions to be imaged based on which detectors sense light and/or the intensity of that light. A number of possible geometric arrangements of the source/detector pair are possible. From the emitted and/or detected signal information, patient dimensions, (e.g., height, width, area, volume) are computed. From these, the x-ray dose (kV and mA) can be set to a level that is appropriate for these dimensions in order to maintain image quality while not exposing the patient to unnecessary radiation. In one example, patient anatomy dimensions are determined with the x-ray radiation source and detector provided by a computed tomography (CT) system. For example, the topogram that is conventionally acquired for image slice acquisition determination is used. This topogram provides a direct measure of the x-ray attenuation in cross section of the patient. As such, information from the topogram at each slice is used to determine the dimensions of the area to be imaged and the radiation dose, (e.g., kV, mA), is adjusted based on those dimensions. Thus, this information facilitates adjusting the acquisition parameters for cross sectional images. Certain illustrative example methods, systems, and computer readable media are described herein in connection with the following description and the annexed drawings. These examples are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the methods, systems, and computer readable media may be employed and thus are intended to be inclusive of equivalents. Other advantages and novel features may become apparent from the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings. |
APPARATUS FOR CONTROL OF UNIFORM GRAVITY UTILIZING SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNET |
A gravity control apparatus is provided, in which gravity is controlled through the superconducting coil designed for generating uniform magnetic force. The gravity control apparatus includes a hollow cylindrical low temperature container; a combination of B0 coil and a symmetric and/or asymmetric gradient magnetic field generating coil having a predetermined length and inner and outer radiuses, wherein each of B0 coil and gradient magnetic field generating coil is wound onto a bobbin which is installed to the low temperature container so as to form a superconducting magnet, and the B0 coil has three solenoid coils which are arrayed in three parts with a predetermined spacing so as to generate, from the center of the B0 coil, uniform magnetic field having constant magnetic flux density; and a power unit for supplying operating current to each of coils. Thus, gravity acting on the material disposed in the hollow center of the low temperature container can be compensated with a uniform magnetic force. |
1. An apparatus for control of uniform gravity utilizing superconducting magnet, said apparatus comprising: a hollow cylindrical low temperature container; a combination of B0 coil and a symmetric and/or asymmetric gradient magnetic field generating coil having a predetermined length and inner and outer radiuses, wherein each of B0 coil and gradient magnetic field generating coil is wound onto a bobbin which is installed to said low temperature container so as to form a superconducting magnet, and said B0 coil has three solenoid coils which are arrayed in three parts with a predetermined spacing so as to generate, from the center of said B0 coil, uniform magnetic field having constant magnetic flux density; and a power unit for supplying operating current to each of coils. 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said gradient magnetic field generating coil is an asymmetric Z1 coil for generating gradient magnetic field of q1z1 and magnetic force of q12z1, symmetric Z2 coil for generating gradient magnetic field of q2z2 and magnetic force of 2q22z3, and asymmetric Z3 coil for generating gradient magnetic field of q3Z3 and magnetic force of 3q32z5, through use of four coils, respectively. 3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said operating current is applied to offset said first order magnetic force component q12z1 term and second order magnetic force component 3q1q2Z2 term, excluding uniform magnetic force component B0q1 term from among magnetic force components generated upon combination of said B0 coil and bobbins wound with Z1, Z2 and/or Z3 coils, respectively, said operating current being same in size and opposite in polarity. 4. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said operating current satisfies relation of Iz1=n·Iz10, Iz2=n2·IZ20, and Iz3=n3·Iz30, and size and direction of magnetic force are varied by changing value of n. 5. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said B0 coil and Z2 coil are combined to form a first correction coil, and said B0 coil and Z3 coil are combined to form a second correction coil, said first and second correction coils being employed for offset of non-uniform magnetic force component caused due to manufacturing errors of each coil. 6. A gravity control apparatus utilizing uniform magnetic force, wherein a hollow cylindrical bobbin is wound with symmetric coil and asymmetric coil and installed to a hollow cylindrical low temperature container so as to form a superconducting magnet, said superconducting magnet being applied with operating current so as to generate all magnetic force components from a central space of said superconducting magnetic, and a space with uniform magnetic force is formed by a non-linear optimization method for minimizing all magnetic force terms excluding a uniform magnetic force component B0q1 term through optimization of coil shape. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>Since a spacecraft like a space shuttle circling around the earth in the space has an interior thereof with balanced gravity and centrifugal force, a micro gravity environment which is nearly a gravity free environment is arranged. Under such a micro gravity environment, convection may not occur and sedimentation caused due to density difference can be avoided. Further, since such a micro gravity environment eliminates the necessity of using a container, optimum single crystal growth having no lattice defect has been expected. According to “Science, vol. 270. p. 1921-1922, 1995 entitled Search for Better Crystals Explores Inner, Outer Space ”, European researchers have tried crystal growth of protein by utilizing space shuttle of United States, and they have succeeded in achieving optimum protein crystal growth which is almost impossible in the earth. However, such a trial using the micro gravity environment in the space costs high and suffers drawbacks in terms of time and space. An approach of using a magnetic force has been proposed to overcome such drawbacks. It is common knowledge that a magnet attracts materials like iron. Since ferromagnetic material like iron has a high magnetic susceptibility, it may be influenced by even a weak magnetic field. In addition, since the magnetic susceptibility has positive sign, the ferromagnetic material is attracted by a common permanent magnet. Materials but the ferromagnetic material are classified into paramagnetic material and diamagnetic material. Such materials are free from the influence of common magnet, since they have extremely low magnetic susceptibility. However, paramagnetic and diamagnetic materials are influenced by a superconducting magnetic which generates strong magnetic field. Paramagnetic material is attracted by the magnetic because it has a magnetic susceptibility with positive sign, while diamagnetic material is repulsive against the magnet because it has a magnetic susceptibility with negative sign. For convenience of explanation on the virtual micro gravity environment where magnetic force is utilized, a basic formula of the gravity and magnetic force which can be found in a gravitational field and magnetic field will be given. Each formula has physical quantity expressed in SI unit. All materials on the earth are under influence of gravity which acts downwardly on the material. The gravity per unit volume acting on the object with the density of p [kg/m 3 ] can be expressed as follows. [Formula 1] in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="lead"? F G =ρ·g[N /m 3 ] (1) in-line-formulae description="In-line Formulae" end="tail"? Wherein, g is acceleration of gravity and has a value of approximately 9.8 [m/s 2 ] with a little difference according to the position on the earth. According to “Mcgraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, vol. 10, Mcgraw-Hill, New York, p. 314-316, 1992”, magnetic force per unit volume acting on the magnetic material positioned in the magnetic field can be expressed as follows. [ Formula 2 ] F M = 1 2 χ μ 2 ∇ B 2 [ N / m 3 ] ( 2 ) Wherein, χis volumetric magnetic susceptibility of magnetic material, μ is permeability, and B [T] is magnetic flux density. The magnetic force in case of gradient magnetic field where the magnetic flux density B changes only in z-axis direction, can be expressed as follows. [ Formula 3 ] F M = χ μ 2 Bz ( ⅆ Bz ⅆ z ) [ N / m 3 ] ( 3 ) Therefore, in case where the magnetic force F M of Formula 3 has a size same as that of the gravitating force of Formula 1 and the magnetic force F M acts upwardly, the magnetic material disposed in the magnetic field is in a substantially gravity free environment. The gravity acting on the material can be controlled by utilizing the magnetic force F M since the magnetic force F M acts similarly with the centrifugal force. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view and FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating a conventional apparatus for control of gravity acting on materials through the use of a superconducting magnet. A gravity control apparatus 10 includes a hollow cylindrical low temperature container 11 with a hollow cylindrical bobbin 13 mounted thereto, wherein the bobbin is wound with a coil. When the coil is applied with electric power, a material 20 positioned in a hollow portion 15 of the low temperature container 11 is under gravity free or low gravity condition. The low temperature container 11 is generally made up of an aluminum or stainless steel, and the bobbin 13 is made up of FRP or aluminum. When the coil is applied with electric power and the magnetic force F M acts upwardly, the material 20 disposed in the magnetic field is under the micro gravity environment where F=F G −F M . When the coil is applied with electric power and the magnetic force F M acts downwardly, the material 20 disposed in the magnetic field is under over gravity environment where F=F G +F M . Japanese researchers have reported that they have made success in floatation of material by utilizing magnetic force, and crystal growth of protein and making of new material by utilizing virtual micro gravity space formed by magnetic force. For instance, according to “Symposium on New Magnetic Science '97-Japan, p. 181-188”, they have made success in floatation of water, NaCl, Bi and the like by using a superconducting magnet, and synthesizing of new material. According to “Journal of Crystal Growth, vol. 178, p. 653-656, 1997 entitled Effect of a magnetic field gradient on the crystallization of hen lysozyme ”, gravity controlled by magnetic force may exert influence on the crystal growth of protein. However, the magnet employed for the above-mentioned study is disadvantageous in that the magnetic force which is marked in solid line in FIG. 3 is produced from both ends of the magnet having gradient magnetic field which is marked in a dotted line, and thus-produced magnetic force has non-uniformity in spatial distribution. Therefore, it is impossible to form a spatially uniform micro gravity space. A need therefore continues to exist for a magnet which generates spatially uniform magnetic force so as to uniformly control the gravity acting on material. When such a magnet is developed, an activity in the new field of study where a virtual micro gravity environment is adopted will be increased. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gravity control apparatus utilizing uniform magnetic force, in which uniform magnetic force is generated by adopting a superconducting magnet design for generating spatially uniform magnetic force and correcting method for offset of magnetic force non-uniformity caused due to manufacturing errors of the magnet, and the gravity acting on substances can be controlled to be uniform through the use of thus-generated uniform magnetic force. |
Compression mechanism of refrigerator |
The present invention provides an oil equalizing circuit for a refrigeration system provided with a plurality of compression mechanisms, the oil equalizing circuit being capable of supplying sufficient oil to the compressors that are running during partial load operation. The refrigeration system compression mechanism is provided with the following: first, second, and third compressors; a refrigerant intake main pipe; first, second, and third intake branch pipes connected to the intake sides of the compressors; first, second, and third oil separators connected to the discharge sides of the compressors; and first, second, and third oil return pipes provided on the oil separators. The first oil return pipe is configured such that oil is delivered to the refrigerant intake main pipe due to gravity when only the first compressor is running. The second oil return pipe is configured such that oil is delivered to the refrigerant intake main pipe due to gravity when only the first and second compressors are running. |
1. A compression mechanism forming a refrigerant circuit of a vapor compression refrigeration system, comprising: a refrigerant intake main pipe; n compressors with n being any integer equal to or greater than 3, which are arranged such that the second to nth compressors are connected to the refrigerant intake main pipe in sequence from an upstream side of a flow of gaseous refrigerant and the first compressor is connected downstream of the nth compressor; n oil separators i.e., with the first to nth oil separators connected to discharge sides of the respective first to nth compressors in order to separate the oil from the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the first to nth compressors; and n oil return pipes arranged such that the first to n−1 oil return pipes are connected between the oil outlets of the first to n−1 oil separators and intake sides of the respective second to nth compressors and the nth oil return pipe is connected between the nth oil separator and an intake side of the first compressor, the first to k oil return pipes with k being integers from 2 to n−1 are connected to the intake side of the k+1 compressor so that oil is delivered to the first compressor when the first to k compressors are running and the k+1 to n compressors are stopped. 2. The compression mechanism recited in claim 1, further comprising n intake branch pipes with the first to nth intake branch pipes branching from the refrigerant intake main pipe in such a manner as to correspond to the intake sides of the first to nth compressors, respectively, the first to n−1 oil return pipes being connected to the second to nth intake branch pipes, respectively, and the second to nth intake branch pipes being arranged so as to slope downward from parts where they connect to the first to n−1 oil return pipes, respectively, toward parts where they connect to the refrigerant intake main pipe. 3. The compression mechanism recited in claim 2, wherein the refrigerant intake main pipe is arranged such that it slopes downward from the parts where it connects to the second to nth intake branch pipes toward the part where it connects to the first intake branch pipe. 4. A compression mechanism forming a refrigerant circuit of a vapor compression refrigeration system, comprising: a refrigerant intake main pipe; first, second and third compressors with the second and third compressors being connected to the refrigerant intake main pipe in sequence from an upstream side of a flow of intake gaseous refrigerant and the first compressor being connected downstream of the third compressor; first, second, and third oil separators connected to discharge sides of the first, second, and third compressors, respectively, in order to separate oil from the gaseous refrigerant compressed by the first, second, and third compressors; and first and second oil return pipes connected between oil outlets of the first and second oil separators and intake sides of the respective second and third compressors and a third oil return pipe connected between the third oil separator and an intake side of the first compressor, the first oil return pipe being connected to the intake side of the second compressor such that oil is delivered to the refrigerant intake main pipe when the first compressor is running and the second and third compressors are stopped, the second oil return pipe being connected to the intake side of the third compressor such that oil is delivered to the refrigerant intake main pipe when the first and second compressors are running and the third compressor is stopped. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND ART <EOH>One example of conventional vapor compression refrigeration systems provided with a compression mechanism having a plurality of compressors are air conditioning systems used to air-condition buildings. This kind of air conditioning system is provided with a plurality of user units and a heat source unit with a large capacity that is sufficient for accommodating the heating and cooling loads of the user units. In order to enable the system to be operated in a partial load mode, the heat source unit is provided with a compression mechanism made up of a plurality of comparatively small-capacity compressors connected in parallel. The compression mechanism is provided with an oil equalizing circuit including an oil separator connected to the discharge sides of the compressors, oil return pipes for returning the oil separated by the oil separator to the compressors, and oil equalizing pipes connected between the compressors for reducing imbalances in the amount of oil in the compressors. In the conventional compression mechanism just described, the oil equalizing circuit around the compressors becomes complex because it includes a return pipe for each compressor and a plurality of equalizing pipes connected between the compressors. ??The larger the number of compressors, the more complex the oil equalizing circuit becomes. In a system whose compression mechanism has three or more compressors, a plurality of combinations of running compressors and stopped compressors occur when the system is operated in partial load mode and it is difficult to supply sufficient oil to the running compressors during all of the operating combinations. |
<SOH> BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS <EOH>FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the refrigerant circuit of an air conditioning system in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 1 showing a compression mechanism in accordance with a first embodiment. FIG. 3 illustrates the operation of a compression mechanism in accordance with the first embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates the operation of a compression mechanism in accordance with the first embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of a compression mechanism in accordance with the first embodiment. FIG. 6 shows a compression mechanism in accordance with a second embodiment and is equivalent to FIG. 2 . detailed-description description="Detailed Description" end="lead"? |
Method and circuit arrangement for determination of transmission parameters |
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for determination of parameters for a transmission path (2) in a telecommunications system by a transmitting/receiving apparatus (1) having a transmitter (3) and a receiver (7). In order to determine transmission parameters such as the signal propagation time, the line length and the line attenuation from the echo pulse response, a transmission signal is transmitted via the transmission path (2) at a predetermined transmission power level and at a predetermined baud rate (fT) and an echo signal is sampled, which has at least one echo component from a line start (2a) of the transmission path (2) and an echo component from a line end (2b) of the transmission path (2). The line start echo and the line end echo are shortened by means of a shortening filter (18, 19), a correlation function is calculated from the echo signal and from a correlation signal in a correlation function stage (20), an envelope function for the correlation function is calculated in an envelope function stage (21), the envelope function is evaluated, and an output signal is produced as a function of the relative timing and amplitude of the line start echo and/or of the line end echo in an evaluation stage (25). |
1-15. (canceled) 16. A method of determining at least one transmission path parameter, based upon an echo signal corresponding to a transmission signal, the echo signal having a line start echo component and a line end echo component, the method comprising the steps of: filtering to reduce a length of at least one of the line start echo component and the line end echo component; calculating a correlation function based on the echo signal and a correlation signal; determining an envelope function for the correlation function; evaluating the envelope function; and generating an output signal based upon the envelope function, the output indicative of at least one transmission path parameter. 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of calculating the correlation function further comprises employing the transmission signal as the correlation signal. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step of calculating the correlation function further comprises: normalizing the transmission power of the transmission signal. 19. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of calculating the correlation function further comprises employing the echo signal as the correlation signal. 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of determining the envelope function further comprises performing a Hilbert transformation. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein performing the Hilbert transformation further comprises; performing a Fast Fourier Transformation; and performing an Inverse Fast Fourier Transformation. 22. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of generating the output signal further comprises determining at least one time coordinate of the envelope function; and generating an output indicative of the at least one time coordinate of the envelope function. 23. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of generating the output signal further comprises: determining at least one maximum of the envelope function; and generating an output indicative of the at least one maximum. 24. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of generating the output signal further comprises: determining a plurality of maxima of the envelope function; determining a plurality of time coordinates of the envelope function; and generating an output indicative of the plurality of maxima and the plurality of time coordinates of the envelope function. 25. The method of claim 24, wherein the step of determining the envelope function comprises: calculating an envelope function that is a square power of the envelope of the correlation function. 26. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of filtering further comprises filtering to reduce the length of the line start echo and filtering to reduce the length of the line end echo. 27. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of filtering comprises the step of: shortening the line start echo with a differentiator having a transfer function defined by the equation H(z)=(1−z−1)n where z is a complex frequency parameter defined as z = ⅇ j · 2 · π · f m · f A where fA is the sampling frequency of the echo signal and is an integer multiple of a predetermined baud rate. 28. The method of claim 16, wherein the echo signal comprises a plurality of echo pulses, and wherein the step of calculating the correlation function for the echo signal comprises the step of: averaging the plurality of echo pulses. 29. An apparatus for determining at least one transmission path parameter of a transceiver having a transmit side and a receive side, the apparatus comprising: a shortening filter operably connected to the transceiver to shorten aspects of an echo signal; a correlation function stage operably connected to the receive side to correlate the echo signal and a correlation signal; an envelope function stage operably connected to the correlation function stage to calculate the envelope of the correlation signed; and an evaluation stage operably connected to the envelope function stage to generate an output signal, indicative of at least one transmission path parameter. 30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the shortening filter comprises: a first differentiator operably connected to the transmit side of the transceiver; and a second differentiator operably connected to the receive side of the transceiver. 31. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the envelope function stage comprises: a recursive quadrature network having a first and a second digital recursive filter. 32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the first and the second digital recursive filter each comprise an all pass filter having a phase difference of about 90 degrees in a frequency band comprising the frequency of the echo signal. 33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the envelope function stage comprises: a non-recursive filter with linear phase. |
Semiconductor chip for a mobile telephone which includes a text to speech system, a method of aurally presenting information from a mobile telephone and a mobile telephone |
Mobile telephones are not only able to make and receive telephone calls and send text messages but are increasingly being developed with additional functions. These include the ability to play music, access the Internet and/or play games. Digital music formats such as MP3 or ATRAC have the ability to store information within the encoded music stream. Such information can comprise the name of the track, album, musician, singer etc. It is envisaged that mobile telephones could be provided with TTS systems. The present invention is directed towards a mobile telephone in combination with a TTS system which is used to present information regarding music or a game being played or information from the Internet. The present invention thus relates to a semiconductor chip and method of aurally presenting information from a mobile telephone which includes TTS system, comprising: selecting when said information is presented aurally; separating said information from said data stream; providing said information to said TTS; and aurally presenting said information. |
1. A semiconductor chip for use in a mobile telephone which includes a text to speech (TTS) system, said chip includes: control means for separating information from a data stream; and channel means for passing said information to said TTS and in which said channel means includes a switch for selectively passing said information to said TTS, thereby enabling said TTS to aurally present said information. 2. A method of aurally presenting information from a mobile telephone which includes a TTS system, said information being contained within a data stream, method comprising: selecting when said information is presented aurally; separating said information from said data stream; providing said information to said TTS; and aurally presenting said information. 3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said method further includes: confirming when said information presentation is completed. 4. A method as claimed in claim 2, in which said data stream comprises pieces of music and wherein said presenting aurally occurs in between the pieces of music. 5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said method further includes: determining when a said piece of music is completed and then presenting said information. 6. A method as claimed in claim 2, in which said data stream comprises a game and wherein said presenting aurally occurs at key stages of the game. 7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said key stages comprises at least one of: starting the game; finishing the game; selecting a game character; selecting or commencing a game scenario; increasing the score; or decreasing the score. 8. A method as claimed in claim 4, in which said information comprises information about the music or the game. 9. A mobile telephone including a text to speech (TTS) system coupled to a semiconductor chip as claimed in claim 1. 10. A mobile telephone as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a music decoder coupled to said semiconductor chip for enabling said control means to determine when said piece of music is completed. 11. A mobile telephone as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a game decoder coupled to said semiconductor chip for enabling said control means to determine a key stage in a game. 12. A mobile telephone as claimed in claim 9, in which said TTS system advises said semiconductor chip when said information presentation is completed. 13. A semiconductor chip substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to FIG. 1. 14. A method of aurally presenting information substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to FIG. 1. 15. A mobile telephone substantially as hereinbefore described and with reference to either figures 1 or 2. |
Combined play house and storage cabinet |
A combination play house, e.g., a doll house, and a storage cabinet includes a housing that defines an enclosure with at least one partition that, in turn, defines at least two compartments within the enclosure. At least one compartment is decorated with a printed depiction of a dwelling interior. The enclosure can have closure panels that serve as doors for the storge cabinet and also provide a printed depiction of a dwelling exterior. |
1. The combination play house and storage cabinet which comprises: an upstanding, self-supporting housing, defining an enclosure; at least one partition within the housing, defining at least two compartments within the enclosure; and at least one of the compartments being lined with printed material that depicts an interior of a dwelling. 2. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 1 wherein the housing is provided with hinged door panels for the enclosure. 3. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 1 wherein the housing at the upper portion thereof defines a storage bin. 4. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 3 wherein the storage bin has a size sufficient to receive a baby's mattress. 5. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 3 wherein a hinged lid is provided for the storage bin. 6. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 5 wherein said lid has an outer surface and an inner surface, and wherein a printed depiction of an outdoor scene is provided on the inner surface. 7. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 1 wherein plural shelves are provided within the housing and define plural compartments within the enclosure, at least one of the compartments being lined with sheet-form printed material that depicts an interior of a dwelling. 8. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 7 wherein each compartment is lined with sheet-form printed material that depicts an interior of a dwelling. 9. The combination play house and storage cabinet which comprises: an upstanding, self-supporting housing, defining an enclosure; at least one partition within the housing, defining at least two compartments within the enclosure; and a pair of panels pivotably connected to the housing, having an inner surface and outer surface, and providing a closure for the enclosure; at least one of the panels having a printed pictorial representation of a dwelling exterior on the inner surface. 10. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 9 wherein both panels have a pictorial representation of a dwelling exterior on the respective inner surfaces thereof. 11. The combination play house and storage cabinet which comprises: an upstanding, self-supporting housing, defining an enclosure; at least one partition within the housing, defining at least two compartments within the enclosure; and at least one of the compartments being decorated to depict an interior of a dwelling. 12. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 11 wherein the housing is provided with hinged door panels for the enclosure. 13. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 11 wherein the housing at the upper portion thereof defines a storage bin. 14. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 13 wherein a hinged lid is provided for the storage bin. 15. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 13 wherein the storage bin has a size sufficient to receive a baby's mattress. 16. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 11 and having a width-to-height ratio greater than 1. 17. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 11 and having a width-to-height ratio less than 1. 18. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 11 and having four equal size compartments arranged in two columns with two compartments in each column. 19. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 11 and having six equal size compartments arranged in two columns with three compartments in each column. 20. The combination play house and storage cabinet in accordance with claim 11 wherein the compartments are of unequal size. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>Play houses, for example doll houses, are popular toys with young girls. Such items do take up valuable space in the home, however, especially after the child has grown older and plays with the doll house less frequently, if at all. At such time it would be desirable to utilize the doll house for other purposes. To that end the present invention provides a practical solution—a play house that can be readily utilized as a storage cabinet when not used as a toy but readily convertible back to play house use without the need for any structural modification. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF INVENTION <EOH>A dual purpose article of manufacture is provided by the present invention. In particular, a combination play house and storage cabinet includes an upstanding, self-supporting housing that defines an enclosure which can be with or without closure panels that serve as doors for the storage cabinet as well as provide a printed depiction of a dwelling exterior when the article of manufacture is utilized as a play house, for example, a doll house. At least one partition is provided within the housing and defines at least two compartments within the enclosure. Preferably several partitions, vertical as well as horizontal, are provided to define a “multi-story” and “multi-room” play house. One or more of these compartments is decorated, for example, lined with printed material, preferably sheet-form printed material with an adhesive backing, which printed material depicts a dwelling interior. The individual compartments can have the same size or different sizes, as desired. Optionally, a storage bin with a hinged cover or lid can be provided in the upper portion of the housing. The storage bin can be sized to receive a relatively small mattress for changing a baby. The hinged cover or lid can have on the inner surface thereof a printed depiction of a city skyline, a landscape, and the like, as desired. |
Heterocyclic compound based on n6-substituted adenine, methods, of their preparation, their use for preparation of drugs, cosmetic preparations and growth regulators, pharmaceutical preparations, cosmetic preparations and growth regulators containing these compounds |
New heterocyclic derivatives based on N6-substituted adenine, having anticancer, mitotic, imunosuppressive and antisenescent propoerties for plant, animal and human cells and methods of their preparation. Included are also pharmaceutical compositions, cosmetic preparations and growth regulators, which contain these derivatives as active compound and the use of these derivatives for the preparation of drugs, cosmetic preparations, in biotechnological processes, in cosmetics and in agriculture. |
1: Heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine of the general formula I and the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein R2 is hydrogen, halogen, hydroxy, alkoxy, amino, hydrazo, mercapto, carboxyl, cyano, nitro, amido, sulfo, sulfamido, acylamino, acyloxy, alkylamino, dialkylamino, alkylmercapto, cycloalkyl and carbamoyl group, R6 is alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, cycloalkylalkyl, arylalkyl, heteroalkyl, heteroarylalkyl, cycloheteroalkyl alkyl or R6′-X, wherein X is —O—, —S—, —NH—, —N(C1-6 alkyl)-; R6′ is hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, acyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heterocycle, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, arylalkyl, cycloheteroalkyl, substituted cycloheteroalkyl, heteroarylalkyl, heteroalkyl, cycloalkyl alkyl, cycloheteroalkyl, amido and sulfo; whereas the generic substituent groups have meanings identical with the definitions of the corresponding groups as defined in this legend, wherein “halogen” refers to fluorine, bromine, chlorine and iodine atoms; “hydroxy” refers to the group —OH; “mercapto” refers to group —SH; “alkyl” refers to branched or unbranched C1-C6 chain which is saturated or unsaturated being selected from the groups such as methyl, propyl, isopropyl, tert-butyl, allyl, vinyl, ethinyl, propargyl, hexen-2-yl and the like exemplifying this term; “substituted alkyl” refers to alkyl as just described including one to five substituents such as hydroxyl, mercapto, alkylmercapto, halogen, alkoxy, acyloxy, amino, acylamino, hydrazino, carbamoyl, amido, carboxyl, sulfo, acyl, guanidino and the like, whereby these groups may be attached to any carbon atom of the alkyl moiety; “alkoxy” denotes the group —OR, where R is alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, arylalkyl, substituted arylalkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, cycloheteroalkyl or substituted cycloheteroalkyl as defined herein; “alkylmercapto” denotes the group —SR, where R is as defined for “alkoxy” group; “sulfo” denotes the group —SO3R, where R is H, alkyl or substituted alkyl as defined herein; “sulfamido” denotes to the group SO2NRR″ where R and R″ is H, alkyl or substituted alkyl; “acyl” denotes groups —C(O)R, where R is hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, arylalkyl, substituted arylalkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl as defined herein; “aryloxy” denotes groups —OAr, where Ar is an aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl or substituted heteroaryl group as defined herein. “alkylamino” denotes the group —NRR′, where R and R′ may independently be hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl or substituted heteroaryl as defined herein; “amido” denotes the group —C(O)NRR′, where R and R′ may independently be hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl as defined herein; “carboxyl” denotes the group —C(O)OR, where R is hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, hetaryl or substituted hetaryl as defined herein; “acylamino” denotes the group —NHCOR, where R may be alkyl, substituted alkyl, heterocycle, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl and substituted heteroaryl as defined herein; “carbamoylamino” denotes the group NHCOOR, where R is alkyl or aryl; “aryl” or “ar” refers to an aromatic carbocyclic group having at least one aromatic ring as phenyl or biphenyl or multiple condensed rings in which at least one ring is aromatic as 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthyl, naphthyl, anthryl, or phenanthryl; “substituted aryl” refers to aryl as just described which is optionally substituted with one to five functional groups such as halogen, alkyl, hydroxy, amino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, hydrazino, mercapto, alkoxy, alkylmercapto, alkylamino, amido, carboxyl, nitro, sulfo as defined herein; “heterocycle” refers to an unsaturated or aromatic carbocyclic group having at least one hetero atom, such as N, O or S, within the ring; the ring being single such as pyranyl, pyridyl or furyl or multiple condensed such as quinazolinyl, purinyl, quinolinyl or benzofuranyl which can optionally be unsubstituted or substituted with halogen, amino, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, mercapto, alkoxy, alkylamino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, acyloxy, dialkylamino, alkylmercapto, carboxyl, amido, sulfo, sulfamido, and the like as defined; “heteroaryl” refers to a heterocycle in which at least one heterocyclic ring is aromatic; “substituted heteroaryl” refers to a heterocycle optionally mono or poly substituted with one to five functional groups, such as halogen, amino, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, mercapto, alkoxy, alkylamino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, acyloxy, dialkylamino, alkylmercapto, carboxyl, amido, sulfo, sulfamido, and the like as defined; “arylalkyl” refers to the group —R—Ar where Ar is an aryl group and R is alkyl or substituted alkyl group wherein the aryl groups can optionally be unsubstituted or substituted with groups such as halogen, amino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, hydrazino, acyloxy, alkyl, hydroxyl, alkoxy, alkylmercapto, alkylamino, amido, carboxyl, hydroxy, aryl, nitro, mercapto, sulfo and the like as defined herein; “heteroalkyl” refers to the group —R-Het where Het is a heterocycle group and R is an alkyl group, said heteroalkyl groups being optionally unsubstituted or substituted with groups such as halogen, amino, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, mercapto, alkoxy, alkylamino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, acyloxy, dialkylamino, alkylmercapto, carboxyl, amido, sulfo, sulfamido, and the like as defined herein before; “heteroarylalkyl” refers to the group —R-Het-Ar where HetAr is a heteroaryl group and R is alkyl or substituted alkyl whereas the heteroarylalkyl groups can optionally be unsubstituted or substituted with the groups such as halogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkoxy, alkylmercapto, nitro, thiol, sulfo and the like as defined herein before; “cycloalkyl” refers to a divalent cyclic or polycyclic alkyl group containing 3 to 15 carbon atoms; “substituted cycloalkyl” refers to a cycloalkyl group comprising one to five substituents from the group consisting of halogen, amino, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, mercapto, alkoxy, alkylamino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, acyloxy, dialkylamino, alkylmercapto, carboxyl, amido, sulfo, sulfamido, and the like as defined herein before; “cycloheteroalkyl” refers to a cycloalkyl group as defined wherein at least one of the ring methylene group is replaced with a group selected from the groups NH, OH, SH; “substituted cycloheteroalkyl” refers to a cycloheteroalkyl group as herein defined which contains one to five substituents, such as halogen, amino, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, mercapto, alkoxy, alkylamino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, acyloxy, dialkylamino, alkylmercapto, carboxyl, amido, sulfo, sulfamido and the like as defined herein before; “cycloalkyl alkyl” denotes the group —R-cycloalkyl where cycloalkyl is a cycloalkyl group and R is an alkyl or substituted alkyl wherein the cycloalkyl groups can optionally be unsubstituted or substituted with halogen, amino, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, mercapto, alkoxy, alkylamino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, acyloxy, dialkylamino, alkylmercapto, carboxyl, amido, sulfo, sulfamido and the like as defined herein; “cycloheteroalkyl alkyl” denotes he group —R-cycloheteroalkyl where R is an alkyl or substituted alkyl wherein the cycloheteroalkyl groups can optionally be unsubstituted or substituted with halogen, amino, hydroxy, cyano, nitro, mercapto, alkoxy, alkylamino, acylamino, carbamoylamino, acyloxy, dialkylamino, alkylmercapto, carboxyl, amido, sulfo, sulfamido and the like as defined herein before and the racemates, optical isomers and acid salts thereof. 2: Heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine of the formula I according to claim 1 wherein the compound is selected from6-(2-hydroxy-3-chloroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-5-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-6-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-3-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-4-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-5-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-6-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-3-bromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-4-bromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-5-bromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-6-bromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-3-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-4-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-5-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-6-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-dihydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5-dihydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-dihydroxy-4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-dihydroxy-4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5-dihydroxy-4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-4-bromoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-4-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3-bromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3,5-dichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3,5-dibromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3,5-diiodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxy-3,5-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-bromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-bromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-bromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-iodobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-acetylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-acetylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-acetylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-karboxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-karboxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-acetoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-acetoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-acetoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-sulfobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-sulfobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-sulfobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-kyanobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-kyanobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-kyanobenzylamino)purine, 6-(5-nitro-2-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-methylaminobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-hexylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-hexyloxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-formylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-formylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-formylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-ethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-ethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-ethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-ethylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-penthylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-penthyloxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-fenoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-fenylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-propylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-propyloxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-oktylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-octyloxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-ethyloxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-diacetoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-diacetoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5-diaminobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-dibromobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-dibromo-4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-dichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4-dichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5-dichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-dichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-dichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,4,5-tetrafluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-3,6-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(5-chloro-2-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,4-trifluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,5-trifluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,5-trifluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4,5-trifluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,6-trifluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-2,6-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-6-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(5-fluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-fluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-5-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-(difluoromethoxy)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3-(difluoromethoxy)benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-(difluoromethoxy)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-fluoro-5-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3-fluoro-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-fluoro-4-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-(trifluoromethylthio)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-fluoro-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-6-fluoro-3-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(6-chloro-2-fluoro-3-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-2-fluoro-5-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-2-fluoro-6-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-difluoro-4-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-difluoro-3-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-fluoro-6-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-2,6-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-(trifluoromethylthio)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3-fluoro-4-methyl benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-fluoro-3-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(5-fluoro-2-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-3,6-difluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-(trifluoromethylthio)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3-fluoro-5-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-4-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-(trifluoromethoxy)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(2-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-chloro-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-fluoro-3-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(3-(trifluoromethoxy)benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-(trifluoromethoxy)benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-(trifluoromethyl)benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-diethylaminobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-dihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-dihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-dihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-ethylenedioxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4-dihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5-dihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-dimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-dimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-dimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4-dimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5-dimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-hydroxy-6-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4,5-dimethoxy-2-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-dimethylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3-dimethylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4-dimethylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dimethylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-dimethyl-4-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-fluoro-4-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-fluoro-4-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-dinitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-dinitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-methyl-5-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-methyl-4-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4-diiodo-4-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-3,4-dimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-chloro-3,5-dinitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-4-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-4-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-6-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-2-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-4-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(5-chloro-2-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-4-fluorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-chloromethylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-5-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-6-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-chloro-3-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(5-chloro-2-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-bromo-4-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-bromo-4-methoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-bromomethylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-butoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-butoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-/t-butyl/benzylamino)purine, 6-(4-t-butyl-2,6-dimethylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-aminobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-aminobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-aminobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-amino-6-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-amino-4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-amino-3-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-amino-4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-amino-6-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-diamino-3-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,6-diamino-4-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-amino-3-chlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-amino-5-dichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(5-amino-2-methylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-amino-3-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-amino-3-nitrobenzylamino)purine, 6-(4-benzyloxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3-acetylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2-acetylbenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,4-trimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,5-trimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-trimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4,5-trimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-trimethoxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,4-trihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-trihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,4-trihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(3,4,5-trihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-trihydroxybenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,5-trichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,5-trichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-trichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,4-trichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,5-trichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,3,6-trichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-(2,5,6-trichlorobenzylamino)purine, 6-anilinopurine, 6-(2,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(2,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(2,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(2-bromoanilino)purine, 6-(3-bromoanilino)purine, 6-(4-bromoanilino)purine, 6-(4-bromo-2-chloroanilino)purine, 6-(4-bromo-3-chloroanilino)purine, 6-(2-bromo-6-chloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(4-bromo-5,6-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-bromo-4,6-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(4-bromo-2,6-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(4-bromo-2-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-bromo-4-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-bromo-4-methylanilino)purine, 6-(3-bromo-2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(4-bromo-3-methylanilino)purine, 6-(2-bromo-4-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(3-bromo-4-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(4-bromo-2-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(2-bromo-4,5,6-trifluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4-dibromoanilino)purine, 6-(2,5-dibromoanilino)purine, 6-(2,4-dibromo-3,6-dichloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,6-dibromo-4-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,6-dibromo-4-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(2,4-dibromo-6-(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(2,6-dibromo-4-(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(2,3-dichloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4-dichloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,5-dichloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,6-dichlorooanilino)purine, 6-(3,4-dichloroanilino)purine, 6-(3,5-dichloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,6-dichloro-4-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(2,4-dichloro-6-(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(2,6-dichloro-4-(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(2,3-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,5-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,6-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(3,4-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(3,5-difluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-difluoromethoxyanilino)purine, 6-(2-difluoromethoxy-5-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3-difluoro-6-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4-difluoro-6-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4-dijodoanilino)purine, 6-(2,3-dimethylanilino)purine, 6-(2,4-dimethylanilino)purine, 6-(2,3-dimethyl-6-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4-dimethoxyanilino)purine, 6-(2,3-dimethoxyanilino)purine, 6-(2,3-dinitro-6-methylanilino)purine, 6-(4-hydroxy-2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(2-chloroanilino)purine, 6-(3-chloroanilino)purine, 6-(4-chloroanilino)purine, (3-chloro-2,6-dibromo-4-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-4-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-5-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-6-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-2-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-4-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(4-chloro-2-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(5-chloro-2-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-4-fluoro-5-methylanilino)purine, 6-(5-chloro-4-fluoro-2-nitro anilino)purine, 6-(5-chloro-2-hydroxyanilino)purine, 6-(4-chloro-2-iodoanilino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-4-iodoanilino)purine, 6-(2-chloro-6-methylanilino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-4-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(4-chloro-2-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(2-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(3-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(4-fluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-fluoro-4-iodoanilino)purine, 6-(2-fluoro-5-nitroanilino)purine 6-(2-fluoro-4-methylanilino)purine, 6-(3-fluoro-2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(3-fluoro-4-methylanilino)purine, 6-(4-fluoro-2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(3-fluoro-4-methylanilino)purine, 6-(5-fluoro-2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(4-fluoro-2-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(4-fluoro-3-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(2-jodoanilino)purine, 6-(2-fluoro--4-(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(4-iodo-2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(2-methoxyanilino)purine, 6-(3-methoxyanilino)purine, 6-(4-methoxyanilino)purine, 6-(2-methoxy-5-methylanilino)purine, 6-(2-methoxy-6-methylanilino)purine, 6-(4-methoxy-2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(5-methoxy-2-methylanilino)purin, 6-(4-methoxy-3-(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purin, 6-(2-methylanilino)purine, 6-(4-methylanilino)purine, 6-(3-methylanilino)purine, 6-(2-methyl-3-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(2-methyl-4-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(2-(methylthio)anilino)purine, 6-(4-(methylthio)anilino)purine, 6-(2-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(3-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(4-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(2-nitro-4,5,6-trifluoroanilin o)purine, 6-(2-nitro-4-(trifluoromethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(2-nitrotetrafluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,4,5,6-pentabromoanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,4,5-tetrachloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,5,6-tetrachloroanilino)purine, 6-(4-(1,1,2,2-tetrafluoroethoxy)anilino)purine, 6-(2,3,4,5,-tetrafluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,4,6,-tetrafluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,5,6,-tetrafluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-4-(trifluoromethyl)anilino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-tribromoanilino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-tribromo-3,5-dijodoanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,4-trichloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4,5-trichloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-trichloroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4,5-trifluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,5-trifluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,6-trifluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,4-trifluoroanilino)purine, 6-(2-trifluoromethoxyanilino)purine, 6-(3-trifluoromethoxyanilino)purine, 6-(4-trifluoromethoxyanilino)purine, 6-(2,3,4-trifluoro-6-nitroanilino)purine, 6-(2,4,5-trimethylanilino)purine, 6-(2,4,6-trimethylanilino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-5-aminoanilino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-4-carboxyanilino)purine, 6-(3-amino-4-chloroanilino)purine, 6-(3-chloro-4-aminoanilino)purine, 6-(3-carboxy-4-hydroxyanilino)purine. 3: A method of preparing heterocyclic compounds derived from N6-substituted adenine composition matter of the formula I, according to claim 1, wherein R2 and R6 are as defined in claim 1, which comprises nucleophilic substitution in order to convert chlorine, bromine, or methylmercapto group at the R6 position to any other meaning of substituent R6, as described herein before, to obtain the compound having formula I. 4: A method o f preparing compounds, composition matter of the formula I, according to claim 1, wherein R2 and R6 are as defined in claim 1, from the heterocyclic derivative having formula I, wherein R2 is hydrogen and R6 represents amino group, is substituted at R6 position by reaction with aldehyde having formula R6′-CHO, wherein R6′ is described herein before, in order to convert amino group at R6 position to any other meaning of substituent R6, as described herein before, to obtain the compound having formula I, wherein R2 and R6 are as defined in claim 1. 5: Heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine according to claim 1 of formula I and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof for use as medicaments. 6: Heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine according to claim 1 of formula I for use as growth regulators of plant, mammal, microorganisms, yeast and fungal cells. 7: Heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine according to claim 1 of formula I for use as cosmetics. 8: Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or growth regulators, which contain a compound of the formula I according to claim 1 or its pharmaceutically acceptable salt, including a pharmaceutical carrier. 9: Method of using a compound of the formula I according to claim 1 for preparation of affinity absorption matrices, immobilised enzymes for process control, immunoassay reagents, diagnostic samples, as well as compounds and oligonucleotides, labelled by 14C, 3H, avidin or biotin. 10: Method of using a compound of the formula I according to claim 1 or their pharmaceutically acceptable salt, including a pharmaceutical carrier for preparation of a pharmaceutical composition destined for use as mitotic or antimitotic compound, especially for treating cancer, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, type I diabetes, multiple sclerosis, restenosis, polycystic kidney disease, graft rejection, graft versus host disease and gout, parasitoses such as those caused by fungi or protists, or Alzheimer's disease, or as antineurogenerative drugs, or to suppress immunostimulation or for the treatment of proliferative skin diseases. 11: Heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine according to claim 1 of formula I for use as growth regulators in agriculture, especially for increasing of yield and quality of agricultural products. 12: Heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine according to claim 1 of formula I for use as cosmetics for inhibiting ageing and senescence of mammalian epidermal cells, such as keratinocytes or fibroblasts. 13: Heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine according to claim 1 of formula I for use as growth regulators in cell cultures for the stimulation of proliferation and morphogenesis. 14: Use of heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine according to claim 1 of formula I for the preparation of product destined for cloning of plant or mammal embryonic cells, preferably oocytes. 15: Use of heterocyclic compounds based on N6-substituted adenine according to claim 1 of formula I for the preparation of drugs destined for suppression of immunostimulation such as arthritis or in suppression of transplant rejection in mammals. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND ART <EOH>Well proven plant regulatory compounds are phytohormones. An important place among them have cytokinins. Structurally, all naturally occurring cytokinins belong to the homogenous group of N 6 -substituted adenine derivatives, playing an important role in many different developmental processes, including cell division, growth and differentiation, as well as flower and fruit development. They can break seed dormancy, inhibit apical dominance and stimulate the growth of side shoots, delay the cell ageing, increase stress resistance, affect cell membrane permeability and cause accumulation of various metabolites in the site of their application (Letham a Palni 1983—Ann. Rev. Plant. Physiol. 34: 163-197, 1983, Mok, D. W. S., Mok, M. C.: Cytokinins: Chemistry, Activity and Function. CRC Press, Boca Raton, London, Tokyo 1994). Their interaction with auxins is especially important in stimulation of cell division and regulation of cell differentiation in plant tissue cultures (Skoog, Miller 1957). The general definition of cytokinins as group of plant growth regulators is also based on this effect (Skoog, F., Armstrong, D. J.: Cytokinins.—Ann. Rev. Plant Physiol. 21: 359-384, 1970). 6-benzylaminopurin (BAP), together with kinetin, is usually used as an active cytokinin for plant in vitro cultures. This compound was for long time thought to be purely synthetic, however, its natural occurrence in plants was recently proved. There are usually refereed as a cytokinins also a compounds having limited or none biological activity (7- and 9-glucosides, amino acid conjugates, some hyper modified cytokinins in tRNA). From this reason, compounds structurally derived from N 6 -substituted adenine are refereed as cytokinins also in this application. Since all living organisms on the Earth have been evolutionary developing together for many millions of years, the presence of regulatory interactions of plant compounds, as cytokinins are, in animals and human can be assumed. Cytokinin-derived compounds probably affect many different molecular mechanisms in animal and human cells. We recently discovered, that novel generations of anti-inflammatory, anticancer, immunosuppressive, antiviral and other drugs could be based on N 6 -substituted purines and their derivatives. The aim of this invention to provide anticancer, immunosuppressive, growth-regulatory, morphogenetically active and antisenescence heterocyclic compounds having improved selectivity and efficiency index, i.e. that are less toxic yet more efficacious than analogues known heretofore. |
Wheelchair wheel |
The invention relates to improvements in or relating to wheelchair wheels. More particularly, the invention relates to a more ergonomically designed wheelchair wheel, and also relates to a method of manufacturing such a wheelchair wheel. |
1-24. (canceled) 25. A wheelchair wheel comprising: a tyre rim section having a tyre rim channel and wheel strengthening means located radially inwards of said channel, a hand rim; and an intermediate band portion extending between said tyre rim section and said hand rim. 26. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 25, wherein the wheel strengthening means comprises a substantially tubular body which underlies the tyre rim channel. 27. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 26, wherein the tubular body comprises a first wall which separates the tyre rim channel from the hollow defined by the tubular body. 28. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 27, wherein the first wall of the tubular body comprises a base of said channel. 29. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 28, wherein the tubular body further comprises a second wall which, in combination with said first wall, defines said hollow. 30. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 29, wherein the second wall of the tubular body has a cross-sectional shape selected from U-shaped and V-shaped. 31. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 30, wherein end portions of the second wall are in substantial alignment with sidewalls of the channel. 32. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 25, wherein the base of the channel has a concave bend so as to conform substantially with the profile of a tyre adapted to be seated thereon. 33. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 25, wherein the intermediate band portion has a substantially flat cross-section. 34. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 25, wherein the intermediate band portion has a curved cross-section. 35. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 34, wherein the curved cross-section is a trough extending about the entire band. 36. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 35, wherein the trough has a contour which substantially corresponds with the contour of the base of a palm of a human hand. 37. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 34, wherein the curved cross-section is a convex ridge extending about the entire band. 38. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 33, wherein the intermediate band portion contains perforations. 39. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 25, wherein the hand rim has a cross-sectional shape selected from straight, curved, substantially circular, substantially oval or substantially elliptical. 40. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 39, wherein the radius of the hand rim, measured from the axis of the wheel, is less then the radius of the tyre rim. 41. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 39, wherein the hand rim contains perforations. 42. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 25, wherein the wheelchair wheel is made from a resilient material. 43. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 42 wherein the resilient material is selected from the group consisting of aluminium, a metal alloy, carbon-fibre and fibreglass. 44. The wheelchair wheel according to claim 25, wherein the wheelchair wheel is coated with a rust-proofing material to render the wheelchair wheel substantially rust proof. 45. A method of manufacturing the wheelchair wheel according to claim 25 comprising the steps of extruding resilient material from a mould to form an extruded section having a defined length and two ends, bending the section into a required circular shape, and joining the ends of the extrusion to form the wheelchair wheel. 46. A wheelchair comprising at least one wheelchair wheel according to claim 25. |
<SOH> BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION <EOH>In this specification, where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date: part of common general knowledge; or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned. Based upon figures from both the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the US Census Bureau, an estimated 3% of the total population are wheelchair users. Of that number, approximately half are people who use, or have the capacity to use, manual wheelchairs. That percentage is a good indication of the percentage of manual wheelchair users in developed countries of the world. It is evident that, with the increasing average age of the population and the general advances in medical science that have prolonged the average lifespan, the general population is rapidly growing older. This is likely to lead to an increase in the demand for wheelchairs and mobility aid products. Also, those members of the population who are confined to wheelchairs will demand more user-friendly or comfortable wheelchairs. Typically, standard wheelchair wheels have a construction based on a wheel rim, hand rim spaced apart from the wheel rim and a plurality of joining pieces attaching the hand rim to the wheel rim. In order to propel the wheelchair, the wheelchair user grips the hand rim and applies sufficient force to propel the wheelchair in the desired direction. Although effective, the bio-mechanical forces required to propel a wheelchair can lead to secondary injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which are commonly diagnosed in wheelchair users. The incidence of secondary injuries is often attributed to overuse of the arms, wrist and/or fingers during wheelchair activities. In some instances, researchers believe that these secondary injuries are due to the inefficient transmission of power from the hand to the hand rim. Unfortunately, the configuration of a standard wheelchair wheel includes a hand rim having insufficient area to allow for a complete grip between the wheelchair user's palm and fingers. This creates a number of problems. Firstly, there is a reduced contact area between the palm of the hand and the hand rim. The palm, being the strongest and most resilient part of the hand is unable to transfer its full force on the hand rail. The reduced contact area also increases the pressure on localised contact points on the palm of the hand, and results in relatively large forces being transmitted to various delicate nerve points of the hand. Secondly, the inability to grip the hand rim with a larger area of the palm and fingers reduces the body's mechanical efficiency by recruiting muscles for stabilisation on the hand instead of delivering power to the wheelchair. It is also known that, with conventional wheelchair wheel configurations, there is a risk that fingers of the wheelchair user's hands may be caught or jammed in the area between the wheel and the push rim. That in turn can cause trauma to the hand and fingers—especially when the wheelchair is in motion. Furthermore, the wheelchair user may need to stop the wheelchair quickly, in which instance the force of curtailing the forward momentum of the wheelchair is likely to fall onto the fingers or small areas of the palms of the hands. This in turn may result in trauma to the hands and fingers, including dislocation of the fingers, and abrasion or “friction burns” of the skin. These problems are even more prevalent in the rehabilitation sector which often needs to introduce people to wheelchairs for the first time. These inexperienced wheelchair users have a higher tendency to damage their hands and fingers when trying to master the use of a wheelchair. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for an object, such as a stick or part of an item of clothing, to become caught in the space between the hand rim and the wheel. That object can and often does lead to damage to a hand when the user attempts to grip the hand rim and instead catches the moving object. Items of clothing caught in this matter can also be damaged. One alternative is to use self-propelled or motorised wheelchairs. However, these are significantly more costly to purchase and to maintain. In any event, the users often prefer to be as self sufficient as possible and, in many instances, prefer the physical aspect of the manual wheelchair rather than relying on an electric battery and machine. The abovementioned problems of trauma to the fingers and hands can be partially alleviated by the wearing of gloves. However, many wheelchair users find gloves uncomfortable (especially in hot weather), not aesthetically pleasing and prone to wearing out quickly. Furthermore, standard wheelchair wheels are somewhat difficult and expensive to manufacture as a number of parts need to be joined together (eg by welding, screwing or bolting). It is also quite common for the hand rim to become partially detached from the wheel through a breakage along one or more of the joining pieces. It is also common for standard wheelchair wheels to buckle or flex due to structural weaknesses. |
<SOH> SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION <EOH>According to one aspect of the invention, there is provided a wheelchair wheel comprising a tyre rim, a hand rim and an intermediate cylindrical band portion extending between said rims, wherein the rims and the band portion are integrally formed. The cylindrical band portion is dimensioned so as to provide a large contact area for contact with a portion of the palm of the wheelchair user's hand (eg the base of the hand at or about the thenar emanence muscle). The invention therefore provides a wheelchair wheel with an improved contact area which allows the user to increase the bio-mechanical efficiency required to propel the chair while decreasing the chances of injury to the wheelchair user's hands. The cylindrical band also reduces the incidents of jammed thumbs, fingers and external objects between the tyre rim and the hand rim. The integral nature of the wheel provides greater mechanical strength. Since the wheel according to the invention does not require any components (such as screws, bolts or welds) to join the respective rims, the wheel is cheaper to manufacture, stronger and more resilient as there are less parts and less likelihood that these parts may breakdown. The integral nature of the wheel also provides the hand rim with an additional degree of stability which renders both the hand rim and the tyre rim less likely to buckle and flex. The wheel according to the invention is hence more resilient and longer lasting. The cylindrical band portion may take any suitable shape. The cylindrical band portion may be substantially flat or it may have a curved cross-section. In a further preferred form of the invention, the cylindrical band portion has a trough extending about the entire band. Preferably, the contour (or shape) of the trough substantially corresponds with the contour (or shape) of the base of a human hand. In this preferred embodiment, the contour of the trough provides a large contact surface for the palm of the hand while the fingers are also able to flex and grip the hand rim. This contour of the trough makes it far more convenient and comfortable for a user to propel the wheelchair. In another preferred form of the invention, the cylindrical band portion has a convex ridge extending about the entire band. In this preferred embodiment, the contour of the convex ridge provides a large contact surface for the palm while the fingers are also able to flex and grip the hand rim. The contour of this convex ridge makes it convenient and comfortable for a user to propel the wheelchair. The cylindrical band portion may include perforations. According to this preferred form of the invention, the perforations result in a wheel which is overall more lightweight. The hand rim may take any suitable form. Typically, it is shaped so that the fingers of a user's hand may comfortably bend about the contour of the hand rim. Accordingly, the cross-sectional shape (or profile) of the hand rim may be circular, substantially circular, oval, elliptical or it may simply be a convex curved section. The dimensions of the hand rim are generally determined so as to facilitate the gripping of the hand rim with the user's fingers. The diameter of the hand rim itself may be substantially equal to the diameter of the tyre rim (or the wheel). The diameter of the hand rim is preferably less than that of the tyre rim. The hand rim may also include perforations. According to this preferred form of the invention, the perforations result in a wheel which is overall more lightweight. The tyre rim may take any suitable form. The tyre rim includes an outwardly facing channel defining a recess in which a tyre is locatable. The dimensions of the recess correspond to the dimensions of a standard tyre size to enable a standard sized tyre to be selectively fitted on to the tyre rim. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the tyre rim further includes a wheel strengthening means to provide the wheel with a greater degree of rigidity and strength. The wheel strengthening means may take any suitable form. In a preferred embodiment, the wheel straightening means is a substantially tubular body underlying the tyre rim. The wheelchair wheel may be made of any suitable material. Preferably, the wheel is made from a resilient material, such as aluminium, metal alloy, carbon-fibre or fibreglass. The wheelchair wheel may be suitably coated or otherwise treated to render the wheel substantially rust proof and/or water proof. The wheelchair wheel may take any suitable form and dimension. Preferably the wheel has a dimension comparable to that of standard wheelchairs. The wheel can therefore be fitted to an existing wheelchair. According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a wheelchair wheel as described herein. The wheelchair wheel may be manufactured by any suitable manufacturing method. When the wheelchair wheel is formed of a metal or metal alloy, it is preferably manufactured by extruding the wheelchair wheel from a suitably shaped mould, bending it into the required circular shape and then joining the ends in any suitable manner (such as welding) In a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a wheelchair comprising at least one wheelchair wheel as described herein. |
Detection of calcineurin isoforms |
A method for detecting isoforms and/or splice variants of Calcineurin or its subunits is established. The inventive method is especially useful for differentiation between the various isoforms of Calcineurin. Herein a polymerase chain reaction of nucleic acids of mammalian tissue is performed and the corresponding products are evaluated. Especially prefered is a reverse transcribed polymerase chain reaction. For the polymerase chain reaction primers for the isoforms and/or splice variants of Calcineurin are used. In a prefered embodiment isoforms and/or splice variants of the catalytic subunit Calcineurin-A are detected. |
1-24. (canceled) 25. Method for the detecting isoforms or splice variants of Calcineurin or its subunits, wherein PCR (polymerase chain reaction) of nucleic acids of mammalian tissue is performed, and wherein the PCR products are evaluated. 26. The method of claim 25, wherein said PCR is RT-PCR (reverse transcribed PCR). 27. The method of claim 25, wherein primers for the isoforms or splice variants are used for PCR. 28. The method of claim 27, wherein isoforms or splice variants of the catalytic subunit Calcineurin-A (CN-A) are detected. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein at least one isoform selected from the group consisting of CN-Aα, CN-Aβ, CN-Aγ and their splice variants is detected. 30. The method of claim 29, wherein said primers are for CN-Aα (SEQ ID NO. 1): atg tgc tca gac gat gaa ctr gg, and (SEQ ID NO. 2): ggc atc ctc tcg tta att cgg, CN-Aβ (SEQ ID NO. 3): att tgc tct gat gat gaa cta at, and (SEQ ID NO. 4): ggc att ctc tca ttg atc cta, CN-Aγ (SEQ ID NO. 5): cat atg ctc gga tga aga aat ga, and (SEQ ID NO. 2): ggc atc ctc tcg tta att cgg. 31. The method of claim 25, wherein said mammalian tissue is nervous tissue, central nervous tissue, or brain tissue. 32. The method of claim 25, wherein said mammalian tissue is cardiac tissue. 33. The method of claim 25, wherein the PCR products are separated. 34. The method of claim 25, wherein the PCR products are made visible. 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the PCR products are made visible by staining. 36. The method of claim 25, wherein the evaluation is performed in comparison with an internal standard. 37. The method of claim 36, wherein said internal standard is actin. 38. The method of claim 25, wherein the PCR products are at least partly sequenced. 39. Primer for PCR with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 1) atg tgc tca gac gat gaa ctr gg. 40. Primer for PCR with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 2) ggc atc ctc tcg tta att cgg. 41. Primer for PCR with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 3) att tgc tct gat gat gaa cta at. 42. Primer for PCR with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 4) ggc att ctc tca ttg atc cta. 43. Primer for PCR with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 5) cat atg ctc gga tga aga aat ga. 44. Kit for performing a method according to claim 25 comprising primers for isoforms or splice variants of a subunit of Calcineurin. 45. The kit of claim 44, further comprising at least one substance selected from the group consisting of reagents for extraction of RNA, primers for making c D N A, primers for an internal standard, and reagents for performing PCR. 46. The kit of claim 44, wherein said subunit of Calcineurin is a catalytic subunit. 47. The kit of claim 45, wherein said internal standard is actin. 48. The kit of claim 44, comprising at least one primer selected from the group consisting of a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 1) atg tgc tca gac gat gaa ctr gg, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 2) ggc atc ctc tcg tta att cgg, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 3) att tgc tct gat gat gaa cta at, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 4) ggc att ctc tca ttg atc cta, and a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 5) cat atg ctc gga tga aga aat ga. 49. Method for detecting isoforms or splice variants of Calcineurin or its subunits by the use of at least one primer selected from the group consisting of a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 1) atg tgc tca gac gat gaa ctr gg, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 2) ggc atc ctc tcg tta att cgg, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 3) att tgc tct gat gat gaa cta at, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 4) ggc att ctc tca ttg atc cta, and a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 5) cat atg ctc gga tga aga aat ga. 50. The method of claim 49, wherein said primer is placed on a DNA chip. 51. Method for detecting isoforms, or splice variants of Calcineurin or its subunits by the use of at least one PCR product obtained from a polymerase chain reaction using at least one primer selected from the group consisting of a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 1) atg tgc tca gac gat gaa ctr gg, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 2) ggc atc ctc tcg tta att cgg, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 3) att tgc tct gat gat gaa cta at, a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 4) ggc att ctc tca ttg atc cta, and a primer with the sequence (SEQ ID NO. 5) cat atg ctc gga tga aga aat ga. 52. The method of claim 51, wherein said PCR product is placed on a DNA chip. 53. Method for diagnosis of diseases or early recognition of potential diseases, in which Calcineurin is involved, wherein PCR (polymerase chain reaction) of nucleic acids of mammalian tissue is performed, and wherein the PCR products are evaluated. 54. The method of claim 53, wherein said PCR is TR-PCR (reverse transcribed PCR). 55. The method of claim 53, wherein said diseases are at least one disease selected from the group consisting of cardiovascular diseases, epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases. 56. The method of claim 53, wherein primers for isoforms or splice variants of Calcineurin or its subunits are used for PCR. 57. The method of claim 56, wherein isoforms or splice variants of the catalytic subunit Calcineurin A (CN-A) are detected, and wherein at least one isoform selected from the group consisting of CN-Aα, CN-Aβ, CN-Aγ and their splice variants is detected. 58. The method of claim 57, wherein said primers are for CN-Aα (SEQ ID NO. 1): atg tgc tca gac gat gaa ctr gg, and (SEQ ID NO. 2): ggc atc ctc tcg tta att cgg, CN-Aβ (SEQ ID NO. 3): att tgc tct gat gat gaa cta at, and (SEQ ID NO. 4): ggc att ctc tca ttg atc cta, CN-Aγ (SEQ ID NO. 5): cat atg ctc gga tga aga aat ga, and (SEQ ID NO. 2): ggc atc ctc tcg tta att cgg. |
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