Abstract: There are provided inter alia multisubstituted aromatic compounds useful for the inhibition of kallikrein, which compounds include substituted pyrazolyl or substituted triazolyl. There are additionally provided pharmaceutical compositions. There are additionally provided methods of treating and preventing certain diseases or disorders, which disease or disorder is amenable to treatment or prevention by the inhibition of kallikrein.

Abstract: There are provided inter alia multisubstituted aromatic compounds useful for the inhibition of thrombin, which compounds include substituted pyrazolyl or substituted triazolyl. There are additionally provided pharmaceutical compositions. There are additionally provided methods of treating and preventing a disease or disorder, which disease or disorder is amenable to treatment or prevention by the inhibition of thrombin.

Abstract: There are provided inter alia multisubstituted aromatic compounds useful for the inhibition of thrombin, which compounds include substituted pyrazolyl or substituted triazolyl. There are additionally provided pharmaceutical compositions. There are additionally provided methods of treating and preventing a disease or disorder, which disease or disorder is amenable to treatment or prevention by the inhibition of thrombin.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for actuating a shape-memory alloy actuator. An example method comprises a measurement phase, in which a voltage is applied across a bridge comprising a sense resistor to measure the resistance of the shape-memory alloy actuator, and a drive phase, in which a bypass unit is used to bypass the sense resistor while still driving current through the shape-memory alloy actuator in order to drive the shape-memory alloy actuator.

Abstract: There are provided inter alia multisubstituted aromatic compounds useful for the inhibition of thrombin, which compounds include substituted pyrazolyl or substituted triazolyl. There are additionally provided pharmaceutical compositions. There are additionally provided methods of treating and preventing a disease or disorder, which disease or disorder is amenable to treatment or prevention by the inhibition of thrombin.

Abstract: There are provided inter alia multisubstituted aromatic compounds useful for the inhibition of thrombin, which compounds include substituted pyrazolyl or substituted triazolyl. There are additionally provided pharmaceutical compositions. There are additionally provided methods of treating and preventing a disease or disorder, which disease or disorder is amenable to treatment or prevention by the inhibition of thrombin.

Abstract: There are provided inter alia multisubstituted aromatic compounds useful for the inhibition of thrombin, which compounds include substituted pyrazolyl. There are additionally provided pharmaceutical compositions. There are additionally provided methods of treating and preventing a disease or disorder, which disease or disorder is amenable to treatment or prevention by the inhibition of thrombin.

Abstract: There are provided inter alia multisubstituted aromatic compounds useful for the inhibition of kallikrein, which compounds include substituted pyrazolyl or substituted triazolyl. There are additionally provided pharmaceutical compositions. There are additionally provided methods of treating and preventing certain diseases or disorders, which disease or disorder is amenable to treatment or prevention by the inhibition of kallikrein.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for actuating a shape-memory alloy actuator. An example method comprises a measurement phase, in which a voltage is applied across a bridge comprising a sense resistor to measure the resistance of the shape-memory alloy actuator, and a drive phase, in which a bypass unit is used to bypass the sense resistor while still driving current through the shape-memory alloy actuator in order to drive the shape-memory alloy actuator.

Abstract: An SMA actuation arrangement comprises: an SMA actuator arranged on contraction caused by heating to drive movement of a movable element relative to a support structure; a current source operative to supply drive current through the SMA actuator to heat the SMA actuator; and a detector circuit operative to detect a measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator. While detecting a measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator and controlling the drive current on the basis of the measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator; there is derived a measure of an electrical characteristic of the SMA actuator that is representative of the ambient temperature. While applying closed-loop control an offset is added to the control signal which reduces the steady-state value of an error between the measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator and a target value.

Abstract: An example set-up method for a loudspeaker system capable of generating at least one directed beam of audio sound includes emitting directional beams of set-up sound signals from the loudspeaker system into a room, registering at least one reflection of the emitted signals at one or more locations within the room, and evaluating the registered reflected signals to obtain data for use in configuring the surround sound system.

Abstract: An SMA actuation apparatus comprises: an SMA actuator arranged to drive movement of a movable element; a current supply supplying a drive current; a detection circuit detecting a measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator; and a control unit operative to generate a closed-loop control signal supplied to current supply for controlling the power of the drive current to drive the resistance of the SMA actuator to a target value. The control unit derives: an estimate of a characteristic temperature of the SMA actuation apparatus on the basis of the supplied power, using a thermal model; and a resistance offset on the basis thereof. The closed-loop control signal is generated on the basis of the error between the measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator and the target value of the resistance of the SMA actuator, adjusted by the resistance offset to compensate for variations in resistance.

Abstract: A miniature camera lens actuation apparatus comprises a support structure, a camera lens element supported on the support structure by a suspension system; and an SMA actuator connected between the support structure and the movable element to drive movement of the camera lens element. The control circuit may include a drive circuit and a sensor circuit which have separate electrical connections to the SMA actuator to reduce the impact of the resistance of the electrical connections on the sensing. The control circuit may vary the drive signal in response to a temperature signal indicative of the ambient temperature. An endstop limits movement to prevent extension of the SMA actuator in its unheated state beyond a maximum length which is at or below the length corresponding the local maximum resistance of the resistance-length curve. Control of position is effected using resistance of the SMA actuator as a measure of position.

Abstract: A catalytic reactor (40) comprises a plurality of sheets (42) defining flow channels (44) between them. Within each flow channel (44) is a foil (46) of corrugated material whose surfaces are coated with catalytic material apart from where they contact the sheets (44). At each end of the reactor (40) are headers to supply gas mixtures to the flow channels (44), the headers communicating with adjacent channels being separate. The reactor (40) enables different gas mixtures to be supplied to adjacent channels (44), which may be at different pressures, and the corresponding chemical reactions are also different. Where one of the reactions is endothermic while the other reaction is exothermic, heat is transferred through the sheets (42) separating the adjacent channels (44), from the exothermic reaction to the endothermic reaction.

Abstract: An SMA actuation apparatus comprises: an SMA actuator arranged to drive movement of a movable element; a current supply supplying a drive current; a detection circuit detecting a measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator; and a control unit operative to generate a closed-loop control signal supplied to current supply for controlling the power of the drive current to drive the resistance of the SMA actuator to a target value. The control unit derives: an estimate of a characteristic temperature of the SMA actuation apparatus on the basis of the supplied power, using a thermal model; and a resistance offset on the basis thereof. The closed-loop control signal is generated on the basis of the error between the measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator and the target value of the resistance of the SMA actuator, adjusted by the resistance offset to compensate for variations in resistance.

Abstract: An SMA actuation arrangement comprises: an SMA actuator arranged on contraction caused by heating to drive movement of a movable element relative to a support structure; a current source operative to supply drive current through the SMA actuator to heat the SMA actuator; and a detector circuit operative to detect a measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator. Whilst detecting a measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator and controlling the drive current on the basis of the measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator; there is derived a measure of an electrical characteristic of the SMA actuator that is representative of the ambient temperature. Whilst applying closed-loop control an offset is added to the control signal which reduces the steady-state value of an error between the measure of the resistance of the SMA actuator and a target value.

Abstract: A method of generating filter coefficients to provide a desired nth order filter response comprises adding one or more substantially co-located pole and zero pairs to form an (n+m)th order filter having the desired nth order filter response.

Abstract: The invention comprises an afocal lens system having unitary magnification hich is either positive or negative and suitable for indicating departures of a reference point or a reference axis respectively from coincidence with a relatively fixed datum axis. The reference point or axis is included by the axis of the lens system, and the datum axis is defined by a line through an object and the zero position of an image of that object produced by the lens system. The lens system indicates the said departures from coincidence by means of shifts of the image from the zero position. The positive magnification afocal lens system is sensitive to tilt but insensitive to displacement, whereas the reverse is true of the negative magnification version. This feature allows tilt and displacement to be monitored separately.