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GREENEVILLE – Greeneville authorities are investigating a weekend house fire that they believe was set to cover up a murder and assault.
On Sunday morning, emergency crews responded to the scene of a house fire at 1117 W. Main St. and found one woman, Elizabeth Cooter, 78, dead, and another man, Roger Aiken, 47, injured.
Greeneville Police Chief Terry Cannon and other authorities have since said they believe the fire was set to cover up the assault on Cooter and Aiken.
"The evidence of the crime is what we're basing that (theory) on," Cannon said.
In a previous interview with the Press, Greeneville Fire Department Chief Mark Foulks said that evidence concerned the injuries to the two victims.
"The injuries the victims sustained were inconsistent with fire-related injuries," Foulks said. "It's believed there was foul play involved on the front end of it, and the arson was actually there to cover up the crime."
Authorities did not release details concerning the nature of those injuries, however, citing concern that public knowledge of those injuries could hamper the investigation.
"That's information we're not giving out," Cannon said.
The fire was spotted at 9:13 a.m. Sunday by GPD Officer Eddie Key, who was out on patrol that morning. According to the incident report, after moving closer to the house, Key noticed gray smoke coming from an open window and that the front door was hot to the touch.
At that point, Key said, he saw Phillip Alexander, who lives in an apartment at the house's rear, come into view. Key asked Alexander if anyone was home, to which Alexander replied the 78-year-old woman who lived there was in the back bedroom.
Key then opened the front door and saw a man - who would later be identified as Aiken - lying approximately six feet away from the front door. Key said Aiken was covered in blood and taking small breaths.
By that time, GPD Capt. Tim Ward had arrived at the fire, and the two of them grabbed Aiken and pulled him to the front porch, just as flames began to enter the living room where he had been laying. Shortly afterward, the GFD arrived and, upon entering the house, found Cooter dead in the back bedroom.
Aiken was taken to Johnson City Medical Center and was listed in critical condition, but, according to Mountain States Health Alliance Director of Communications and Marketing Shane O'Hare, he was not listed as a patient on Monday. Cooter's body was taken to the William L. Jenkins Forensic Center at East Tennessee State University's Quillen College of Medicine for an autopsy.
Anyone with any information regarding this incident is encouraged to contact the GPD tip line at (423) 783-2868.
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Viewers: in countries Watching now:
In Word for Mac 2011 Essential Training, author Maria Langer shows how to create, format, and print a wide variety of documents in Microsoft Word 2011. The course covers building outlines, formatting text and pages, working with headers and footers, using themes and styles, adding multimedia, and more. It also shows how to customize and automate Word 2011, including how to record macros. Exercise files accompany the course.
Word's AutoText feature makes it possible to quickly insert predefined snippets of text using a menu command or Word's AutoComplete feature. I will show you some examples and then we'll see how to configure this feature. The most basic way to insert an AutoText entry is to choose it from one of the AutoText sub-menus. So come on to the Insert menu, come on down to AutoText and then choose something from one of these menus. There is a whole bunch of different options in here and what you would do is you would pick the one you want and insert it in your document.
Now that's not very exciting or very quick. After all I could have typed that faster than the time it took to use my mouse. That's where AutoComplete comes in. As you start typing one of these things, a yellow AutoComplete tip appears. If you want the word or phrase that's in the tip, just press Return when it appears and it gets typed for you. AutoComplete only appears when you type in at least 4 characters. If you ignore it and keep typing, it goes away. Now you still might not be impressed and I couldn't blame you. After all these are just simple words and phrases that are pretty quick to type.
But you can also configure AutoText with longer entries. For example, suppose you often type the phrase "E-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com." Wouldn't it be nice if Word could type that for? What we'll do is we'll create a new AutoText entry with that phrase. You need to start by typing it into any document and then select it, just select it with the period. Don't include the paragraph mark at the end, unless you want that as part of the entry. I am going to choose Insert > AutoText > New.
That displays the Create New AutoText dialog. What we need to do here is we need to give that a name and the name needs to be at least 4 characters. I am going to name it "E-mail us," which is almost what's in there. Just edit it a little bit, and then click OK. Now let's give it a try. I am going to start typing E-mail us. When the AutoComplete tip appears, I'll press Return, and the text gets typed in for me. As you might imagine, you could set up entries of just about any length, making it possible to store boiler plate text within Word and call it up as needed.
Now if you've worked with AutoCorrect, you might be thinking that these two features are very similar. They are. The difference is this. AutoCorrect makes the change without giving you an option. AutoText with AutoComplete offers to make the change, but requires you to press Return to make it. Now let's take a look at how you can fine-tune the AutoText settings. Choose Insert > AutoText > AutoText. This displays the AutoCorrect dialog with the AutoText tab selected.
The top checkboxes let you enable or disable certain functions, so this checkbox here, Show AutoComplete tip for AutoText and dates, if you turn that out off, that little yellow AutoComplete tip won't appear. The next three options refer to inserting contacts from outlook. If you wanted to create AutoText entries, you can also enter them right here. You would have the text already selected, type in a name for it, and click Add. If you wanted to remove an entry, for whatever reason, you could select it and click Delete.
When you finish making changes in here, don't forget to click OK to save them. Now I will be the first to admit that I don't make much use of AutoText either alone or with AutoComplete. I find the AutoCorrect feature much more useful, but that's just me. Experiment with it to see what you think. I think you might come up with at least a few ways to use AutoText to increase your productivity when working with Word.
There are currently no FAQs about Word for Mac 2011 Essential Training.
Access exercise files from a button right under the course name.
Search within course videos and transcripts, and jump right to the results.
Remove icons showing you already watched videos if you want to start over.
Make the video wide, narrow, full-screen, or pop the player out of the page into its own window.
Click on text in the transcript to jump to that spot in the video. As the video plays, the relevant spot in the transcript will be highlighted.

subset: commoncrawl


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Last week was crazy. Six airplanes, three time zones, four different hotels, two rental cars, an Acquia Board meeting, two nights in a tent and ultimately, my mind blown at FooCamp.
FooCamp is the annual invitation-only conference organized by Tim O'Reilly. It is the mother of BarCamp, if you will. The people you get to meet at FooCamp are impressive, and the format (including the nightly campfires) really sets people up to talk, brainstorm and geek out. The result? A fire hose of new ideas and a lot of new friends. Thanks Tim!
Joi Ito took this picture of me so I had to take one of him. Joi is CEO of Creative Commons, and is (or was) on the board of Technorati, ICANN, Mozilla Foundation, the Open Source Initiative (OSI) and much more. He is also an early stage investor in Six Apart, Technorati, Flickr, SocialText, Dopplr, Last.fm, and other internet companies.
Just like last year, I was pleasantly surprised by how many of the Foos are using Drupal, planning to use Drupal, or even evangelizing Drupal. More good stuff comin'!
More photos in my FooCamp gallery.
Don't know if you know this or not but, your picture was in the Techcrunch post about Foo camp a couple days ago. You can see it in the post at http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/14/foo-camp-2008-shangri-la-for-geeks/
Sounds like an incredible time, and I imagine it bodes well for Drupal. Thanks for sharing. : )
Very cool. Glad it was inspiring.


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July 7, 2015 by Brad Berreman
Demaryius Thomas is in line for a big contract extension soon. Here's why it makes sense for the Denver Broncos to lock up their No. 1 wide receiver long-term. Read More
June 18, 2015 by Brian Kalchik
These five teams have the best QB and RB combos in the NFL heading into 2015. Read More
June 12, 2015 by Jeric Griffin
The NFL is serious about moving to L.A. and has made another big step in getting the Raiders and Rams back there sooner you might think. Read More
June 10, 2015 by Brian Kalchik
These 10 NFL teams have the best trio at quarterback, running back and receiver. Read More
June 1, 2015 by Kareem Gantt
The NFL should make bringing football back to Los Angeles its top priority in 2016. Find out why that is and who will likely relocate to get it done. Read More
May 28, 2015 by Brad Berreman
Adrian Peterson went on a Twitter rant Thursday afternoon, which clearly shows he does not understand the business of the NFL. Read More
May 25, 2015 by Gil Alcaraz IV
The end of the road is near for these five starting NFL quarterbacks. Read More
Dynasties don't come along often, but these five NFL teams have the best chances of making it happen. Read More
May 21, 2015 by Seth Lassen
The NFL has finally figured out the right way to give out suspensions. Read More
May 20, 2015 by Bill Zimmerman
The NFL has decided to push the extra-point back to the 15-yard line to make the attempt more challenging. They are wasting their time. Read More
May 19, 2015 by Seth Lassen
Get ready to see a lot more two-point conversion attempts in 2015. Read More
In a stunning turn of events, Patriots owner Robert Kraft has decided to accept the Deflategate punishment. Read More
January 3, 2015 by Brad Berreman
Three assistant coaches were let go by the New Orleans Saints on Friday. Is defensive coordinator Rob Ryan next? Read More
January 23, 2014 by Kevin Saito
December 30, 2013 by James Williams
September 16, 2013 by Dustin Manko
February 27, 2013 by Michael Collins
February 22, 2013 by Ben Grimaldi
February 14, 2013 by Scott DelleFave
February 12, 2013 by Ben Grimaldi
January 23, 2013 by Michael Collins
January 10, 2013 by Jon Presser
December 12, 2012 by Ben Grimaldi
December 6, 2012 by Ben Grimaldi


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No. 2 Gophers Top Spartans, 35-3
Jan. 17, 2014
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 2 University of Minnesota Golden Gopher wrestling team extended their undefeated season record as they steamrolled the Michigan State Spartans, 35-3, winning nine of the ten bouts on the evening. The Golden Gophers are now 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in the Big Ten.
Sam Brancale made his way back into the lineup at 125 as he was able to start the dual off with a decision over Brenan Lyon of MIchigan State, 7-1.
No. 9 David Thorn continued the Gophers success with a tech fall over Spartans Garth Yenter at 4:18 16-0.
The Gophers dropped their only bout of the evening as Josh Shupe stepped in for No. 5 Chris Dardanes at 141. It was a close bout ending in a 3-2 decision in favor of Michigan State's Brian Gibbs. Gibbs earned the Spartans only three points of the dual.
Dylan Ness also rejoined the Gophers lineup after sitting out last weekend. He came back with a major decision victory over Michigan State's Rodger Wildmo, 15-4. Danny Zilverberg was also about to defeat his Spartan opponent with a decision over Bobby Nash, 5-3.
The Gophers earned their second tech fall of the evening as No. 5 Logan Storley was able to defeat Kevin Nash at 4:59, 17-2. Kevin Steinhaus followed suit and also gained his victory by tech fall at 7:00, 16-1.
No. 1 Scott Schiiller continued his undefeated season with a major decision over Michigan State's Nick McDiarmid, 15-6. Schiller is now 22-0 on the season.
No. 2 Tony Nelson was about to take down No. 9 Mike McClure as he bounced back from last weekend's loss at Northwestern.
The Golden Gophers continue their Michigan weekend on Sunday afternoon as they take on the Michigan Wolverines at noon CT. Minnesota will look to continue their undefeated season with another Big Ten dual.
125: Sam Brancale (MINN) dec. Brenan Lyon (MSU), 7-1. Minnesota leads, 3-0
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7/3/2015Freshman Friday: Dalton Lunde
06/26/2015Freshman Friday: Tommy Thorn
06/12/2015Freshman Friday: Luke Destiche
06/19/2015Freshman Friday: Gannon Volk
05/26/2015Wrestlers and Team Honored for Academics


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MMA News
Friday, 04/11/2014, 07:53 am
Weidman Injury Update: Champ Hits Heavy, 'Juggles' Family & Rehab (Video)
After successful double-knee surgery, Chris Weidman has to keep his rehab on schedule.
The UFC's middleweight champion has an important date, July 5, with Lyoto Machida.
In some recent posting to his instagram, we get an update from the Weidman camp just eight-days after his surgeries.
Here's more:
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This week concluded the semi-annual presentation of the Value Investing Congress in New York City. The event is a two-day gathering of investors who eagerly hear presentations by notable investors. Greenlight Capital manager David Einhorn was one presenter and he was touting his current bearish pick: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (Nasdaq:GMCR). (To learn more, check out Profiting From Stock Declines: Bear Put Spread Vs. Long Put.)
Investopedia Markets: Explore the best one-stop source for financial news, quotes and insights.
Roasting Profits ...
While I lack the details, Einhorn is far too savvy an investor to bet against a stock merely on valuation purposes. GMCR currently trades at around $69 a share, or 67 times trailing earnings and about 6 times book value. Green Mountain is the main company behind the increasingly popular Keurig single-cup coffee machines. These machines require users to purchase K-cups, which are the single serve cups that allow people to brew a single cup of coffee without measuring coffee or using a filter. To be sure, GMCR has experienced rapid growth over the past several years. From fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2010, sales have grown from just under $500 million to over $1.3 billion while profits have surged from $22 million to nearly $80 million. That growth is expected to continue, with profits expected to almost double in fiscal 2011 and excitement about a deal signed with coffee giant Starbucks (Nasdaq:SBUX) earlier this year.
... or Brewing Shenanigans
Einhorn's case doesn't hinge on valuation alone but rather accounting and other issues about the future growth of this company. Despite earning more and more profits, GMCR is not generating any free cash flows as the company continues to invest heavily in cap ex. Einhorn is also concerned about patent expiration of the company's cash cow, the high margin K-cups. Absent a patent, GMCR will face enormous competition from large food business like Kraft (NYSE:KFT) who would enter to market to bolster its own coffee sales. In addition to patent loss, Einhorn also cited accounting issues. Einhorn's approach and detail is very similar to his previous bet against Florida landowner St. Joe (NYSE:JOE). So far, Einhorn has been right on both fronts. St. Joe trades for under $15 a share, well below the mid $20s price that Einhorn placed his bet. GMCR shares have responded quickly as well. At the beginning of the week, the stock traded above $90 a share. Today, shares trade for $67, giving Einhorn a tidy quick return on paper.
The Bottom Line
Whether Einhorn's ultimate thesis proves right or wrong, his trade has worked. He may be slowly closing out his trade given the share decline and the nearly 50% gain he's sitting on. To be sure, some analysts are disputing his rationale and see significant growth ahead for GMCR, which in the short run could cause the shares to pop up again. Don't attempt to try this at home without understanding the consequences first. (For more on shorting a stock, read When To Short A Stock.)
Use the Investopedia Stock Simulator to trade the stocks mentioned in this stock analysis, risk free!


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Implantable defibrillators are implanted into the chests of patients prone to suffering ventricular fibrillation, a potentially fatal heart condition. Critical components in these devices are aluminum electrolytic capacitors, which store and deliver one or more life-saving bursts of electric charge to a fibrillating heart. These capacitors make up about one third the total size of the defibrillators. Unfortunately, manufacturers of these capacitors have paid little or no attention to reducing the size of these capacitors through improved capacitor packaging. Accordingly, the inventors devised a unique capacitor lid, or header, assembly that allows size reduction. Specifically, one embodiment of the header assembly includes two recesses, each with a depth that allows the head of a rivet (or other fastener) to be substantially flush, or coplanar, with the underside of the header. Another embodiment includes a single recess to receive two rivet heads. The recesses reduce the vertical space necessary to ensure separation of the rivets from internal components of the capacitor and thus allow reduction in the overall height of the capacitor and size of devices, such as implantable defibrillators, that use them.
1. A capacitor comprising:
a tubular housing having a longitudinal axis and having an opening defining a plane intersecting the longitudinal axis;
a header filling or covering at least a portion of the opening, having a maximum thickness in a dimension parallel to the longitudinal axis, and having one or more recesses, each with a depth, measured in the dimension parallel to the longitudinal axis, which is less than the maximum thickness of the header; and
one or more terminals fastened to the header with one or one or more fasteners, each fastener having a head at least partly within one of the recesses.
2. The capacitor of
3. A capacitor comprising:
capacitor casing means;
header means attached to the capacitor casing means and having one or more recesses; and
terminating means fastened to the header with one or more fasteners, each fastener having a head at least partly within one of the one or more recesses.
4. The capacitor of
5. The capacitor of
6. The capacitor of
7. The capacitor of
8. The capacitor of
9. The capacitor of
the capacitor casing means comprises a tubular can;
the header means is mounted to a top portion of the tubular can and includes a lower surface defining at least one of the recesses; and
the head of each fastener is connected to an end of a shank.
10. A capacitor comprising:
a housing having an opening;
a header filling at least a portion of the opening, having a header thickness, and having one or more recesses, each with depth less than the header thickness; and
one or more terminals fastened to the header with one or more fasteners, each fastener having an end at least partly within one of the recesses.
11. The capacitor of
12. The capacitor of
13. The capacitor of
14. The capacitor of
15. A capacitor comprising:
a tubular can having a bottom and top;
a header mounted to the top of the tubular can, and having an upper and a lower surface, the lower surface having at least one recess; and
a fastener having at least a shank with a head on one end, the head positioned in the recess of the lower surface.
16. The capacitor of
17. The capacitor of
This patent application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/607,382, filed on Jun. 30, 2000 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,490, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/465,095, filed on Dec. 16, 1999, now abandoned, the specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention concerns capacitors, particularly those for use in medical devices, such as implantable defibrillators.
Every year more than half a million people in the United States suffer from heart attacks, more precisely cardiac arrests. Many of these cardiac arrests stem from the heart chaotically twitching, or fibrillating, and thus failing to rhythmically expand and contract as necessary to pump blood. Fibrillation can cause complete loss of cardiac function and death within minutes. To restore normal heart contraction and expansion, paramedics and other medical workers use a device, called a defibrillator, to electrically shock a fibrillating heart.
Since the early 1980s, thousands of patients prone to fibrillation episodes have had miniature defibrillators implanted in their bodies, typically in the left breast region above the heart. These implantable defibrillators detect onset of fibrillation and automatically shock the heart, restoring normal heart function without human intervention. The typical implantable defibrillator includes a set of electrical leads, which extend from a sealed housing into the heart of a patient after implantation. Within the housing are a battery for supplying power, heart-monitoring circuitry for detecting fibrillation, and a capacitor for storing and delivering a burst of electric charge through the leads to the heart.
The capacitor is typically an aluminum electrolytic capacitor. This type of capacitor usually includes stacked strips of aluminum foil and paper rolled up to form a cylindrical structure called an active element. The active element is typically placed in a round tubular can which is sealed shut with a flat circular lid, known as a header. (The header usually consists of two thin bonded layers, one rubber and the other phenolic resin.) Extending from the header are two terminals connected to the rolled up foils in the active element. The terminals are usually fastened to the lid using two rivets.
Each rivet has a short shank, or rod, with a broad head on one end. (The rivet head, typically round like the head of a nail, has a diameter of about four millimeters (three sixteenths of an inch) and a thickness of about one millimeter.) The shank extends through holes in the terminal and the header, with the head resting against the interior side of the header and its opposite end extending from the exterior side. The opposite end is flattened or otherwise deformed to prevent the shank from passing back through its hole, thereby fastening the terminal to the header.
In recent years, manufacturers of electrolytic capacitors have focused almost single-mindedly on improving the active element by developing aluminum foils, electrolytes, and multiple-anode arrangements that improve capacitor performance, specifically energy density—the amount of energy or charge a capacitor stores per unit volume. For example, because energy density is directly proportional to the surface area of the aluminum foil making up the active element, manufacturers have developed methods of etching microscopic hills and valleys into foil to increase its effective surface area.
In comparison, capacitor manufacturers have made little or no effort to reduce the size of capacitors through space-saving assembly techniques. For example, the inventors determined that the conventional use of rivets to fasten terminals to the capacitor lid, or header, wastes space. Specifically, they determined that conventional capacitor manufacturers generally increase capacitor height (or reduce foil dimensions) to accommodate the heads of the rivets that fasten terminals to headers. The rivet heads are electrically conductive and must be prevented from touching, or contacting, the foils in the active element. So, capacitor manufacturers increase the height of the case to provide clearance between the rivet heads and the foils. Unfortunately, this increases not only the size of the capacitors, but also the size of devices, such as implantable defibrillators, that incorporate them.
Accordingly, the inventors identified an unmet need to reduce the size of electrolytic capacitors, especially those intended for implantable defibrillators, through better techniques and structures for fastening terminals to capacitor headers.
To address this and other needs, the inventors devised a capacitor having a header which includes one or more recesses. The recess receives the head of a rivet or other fastener and thus reduces or eliminates the need to increase capacitor height or reduce foil dimensions to achieve clearance between the fasteners and other capacitor parts, such as active-element foils. More particularly, the exemplary embodiment includes a header having two recesses, each with a depth that allows the head of a rivet to be substantially flush, or coplanar, with the underside of the header. In another embodiment, the header has a single recess to receive two rivet heads.
In devising this improvement, the inventors departed from at least two conventional capacitor design objectives: reducing the number of assembly steps per capacitor and reducing manufacturing waste or cost. Conventional capacitor manufacturers make hundreds of thousands or even millions of capacitors every year and are thus continually seeking ways to reduce capacitor assembly time. Indeed, saving (that is, omitting or skipping) even one manufacturing step amounts to considerable time and cost savings when multiplied by hundreds of thousands or millions of capacitors. Conversely, adding a step, such as forming one or more recesses in a header, to the manufacture of each capacitor generally increases assembly time and cost.
Similarly, conventional capacitor manufacturers who make thousands or millions of capacitors may also be concerned about reducing material waste, particularly seeking and developing capacitor designs and assembly practices which minimize or reduce the risk of destroying an entire capacitor or capacitor part during manufacture. Indeed, designs and manufacturing steps which pose a high risk of destroying an entire capacitor or capacitor part, such as a header, are generally avoided. Conventional headers are only about 2.5 millimeters thick and comprise two bonded layers of material. Forming one or more recesses in this type header not only adds a step to the manufacturing process, but also presents a risk of destroying it and thus increasing manufacturing waste and cost.
The following detailed description, which references and incorporates
Aluminum case 12 includes a circumferential seating groove 12 a and a rolled lip 12 b which secure header assembly 14 within an otherwise open end of case 12. (In this exemplary embodiment, an aluminum plate fused or formed integrally with case 12 closes the opposite end, or bottom of case 12. However, in other embodiments it could be advantageous to close the bottom end with a second header assembly.) Seating groove 12 a has an exemplary radius of about 0.035 inches. Lip 12 b, which can be formed by rolling over the top edge of case 12, has an exemplary radius of about 0.015 inches.
Header assembly 14 also includes at least one recess 14 c, which has a recess depth 14 d less than the thickness of layer 14 b in the exemplary embodiment, but more generally less than header thickness 14 t. Recess 14 c receives lower rivet head 17 b, thereby reducing or preventing its extension below lower planar surface 14 l. Recess depth 14 d, in the exemplary embodiment, leaves the lower-most surface of lower rivet head 17 b (or more generally fastener head 17 b) lower than lower surface 14 l of header assembly 14. However, in other embodiments of the invention, recess depth 14 d allows the lower-most surface or portion of head 17 b to be substantially flush, or coplanar, with lower surface 14 l. Moreover, in yet other embodiments, recess depth 14 d allows the lower-most surface or portion of head 17 b to be above lower surface 14 l. Thus, the invention is not limited to any particular recess depth 14 d or recess profile. Likewise, the peripheral shape and size of recess 14 c, though not visible in this view, are theoretically unlimited.
In addition to implantable defibrillators and other cardiac rhythm management devices, such as pacemakers, the innovations of capacitor 10 can be incorporated into photographic flash equipment. Indeed, these innovations are pertinent to any application where small, high energy, low equivalent-series-resistance (ERS) capacitors are desirable.
In furtherance of the art, the inventors have devised a unique space-saving header for capacitors, particularly those for use in implantable defibrillators. In particular, the space-saving header includes at least one recess for mounting the head of a rivet flush (or more nearly flush) with the undersurface of the header, thereby allowing reduction in the height or volume of the capacitor and/or increases in the dimensions of other components, such as aluminum foils.
The embodiments described above are intended only to illustrate and teach one or more ways of practicing or implementing the present invention, not to restrict its breadth or scope. The actual scope of the invention, which embraces all ways of practicing or implementing the teachings of the invention, is defined only by the following claims and their equivalents.
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A reusable test unit is disclosed for testing the functionality of a portable blood analyzer, and particularly the interface between the high-impedance electrochemical sensors and the instrument. Signals are generated to simulate amperometric, conductimetric, and potentiometric sensors. Circuitry permits detection and discrimination between failures from damaged CMOS amplifiers and failures from leakage currents in contaminated connectors. The test unit may be configured to be insertable into the instrument to fit mechanically in the same fashion as a disposable sensor device. A scheme for three-dimensional routing of guard lines on a circuit board is disclosed for guarding against coupling between closely space traces and connector pads.
1. A reusable test unit for quality assurance testing of a portable analyzer instrument, the instrument having a multi-channel connector for electrical connection to a disposable sensor device and front end amplifiers for receiving signals from said multi-channel connector, comprising:
connector means for establishing electrical connection with the multi-channel connector of the instrument;
simulated signal means for simulating on separate channels a plurality of microfabricated electrochemical sensors, each having a relatively high impedance with respect to the outputs of said front end amplifiers;
means for enabling detection of instrument failures arising from said multi-channel connector; and
means for enabling detection of instrument failures arising from said front end amplifiers.
2. The reusable test unit of claim 1 wherein the simulated signal means simulates a combination of amperometric, potentiometric, and conductimetric sensors.
3. The reusable test unit of claim 1 wherein the simulated signal means further comprises means for applying a known voltage between a potentiometric channel and a reference channel.
4. The reusable test unit of claim 3 wherein the simulated signal means applies voltages, of opposite polarity with respect to the reference channel, to adjacent potentiometric channels.
5. The reusable test unit of claim 1 wherein the simulated signal means further comprises means for establishing a known current between an amperometric channel and a reference channel.
6. The reusable test unit of claim 5 wherein the means for establishing a known current applies a voltage across a resistor between the amperometric and reference channels.
7. The reusable test unit of claim 1 wherein the simulated signal means further comprises means for applying a know impedance between two conductimetric channels.
8. The reusable test unit of claim 1 wherein the test unit is provided as a circuit board within the instrument.
9. The reusable test unit of claim 1 further comprising a case for containing the simulated signal means, having a protrusion carrying the connector means and adapted for insertion into the instrument.
10. The reusable test unit of claim 9 further comprising retractable plate means for protecting the connector means from contamination.
11. The reusable test unit of claim 1 further comprising leakage measuring means for measuring leakage of the multi-channel connector.
12. The reusable test unit of claim 1 further comprising bias current measuring means for measuring bias current of a front end amplifier within the instrument.
13. The reusable test unit of claim 11 further comprising failure distinction means for distinguishing failures of the instrument arising from leakage of the multi-channel connector from failures arising from excessive bias current of a front end amplifier within the instrument.
14. The reusable test unit of claim 12 further comprising failure distinction means for distinguishing failures of the instrument arising from leakage of the multi-channel connector from failures arising from excessive bias current of a front end amplifier within the instrument.
15. The reusable test unit of claim 1 further comprising means for applying a known step change in voltage between two channels.
16. The reusable test unit of claim 1 further comprising identification means for providing electrical signals to the instrument to identify that the test unit is connected.
17. The reusable test unit of claim 1 wherein the test unit is powered by the instrument through the connector means.
18. The reusable test unit of claim 1 wherein the connector means includes a plurality of connector pads on one surface of a circuit board, the circuit board being cut to provide air gaps between adjacent pairs of connector pads.
19. The reusable test unit of claim 18 further comprising guard lines on the circuit board of the connector means on the same surface as the connector pads, to inhibit leakage currents.
20. The reusable test unit of claim 19 wherein a plated through-hole in the circuit board is split by one of the cut air gaps, the remaining circumferential plated surface on one side of the hole being connected to one of the guard lines.
21. The reusable test unit of claim 20 further comprising a conductor placed on the opposite surface of the circuit board from the connector pads and connected to the remaining circumferential plated surface on the one side of the hole.
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the quality assurance testing of instruments which read electrical signals from electrochemical sensor arrays carried on insertable sensor devices, and in particular, to a reusable test unit for use with portable battery-powered blood analyzers.
2. Description of the Problems Addressed
Portable analyzer systems, such as that disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/245,102 filed Sept. 15, 1988, provide challenges for quality assurance which have not been addressed in the prior art. Some of these challenges arise from the clinical setting in which the analyzer is used, and some arise from the technology employed in the system.
In a clinical setting, it has long been acknowledged that a relatively wide variation in measured values can result when identical samples are sent to different laboratories, even if each laboratory, considered individually, provides repeatable results and good internal precision. As a practical matter, variation across laboratories need not be of clinical concern for patient monitoring, if samples from a given patient are always sent to the same laboratory for testing on the same instrument. However, the convenience of a portable analyzer, and the likelihood that many such instruments may be available for use in the emergency room, in the intensive care unit, and elsewhere in the hospital or doctor's office, raise the possibility that tests on consecutive samples from the same patient may be performed with different analyzers. In that case, an unknown bias in a particular portable analyzer could be misinterpreted as a change in the patient's condition, or could mask such a change.
The diagnostic value of measurements from a portable instrument, and the reliance which a physician can place on such measurements, would be enhanced by the provision of a test unit for periodic functional testing of all the portable instruments at a particular location, to ensure that each is functioning properly and that their measurements would be in agreement within an established tolerance.
The nature of the technology employed in a portable system with disposable sensor devices can considerably compound the difficulty of providing a suitable test unit. At the outset, it should be noted that a need for frequent yet convenient and economical testing of the instrument is to be expected. If questionable results are obtained, the user needs a way to distinguish between a failure of the instrument and a defective or contaminated batch of disposable sensor devices. However, the specific implementations of the system elements, including sensors, electronic components, and connectors, each provide additional difficulties.
In particular, microfabricated electrochemical sensors (for example, those disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/432,714 filed Nov. 7, 1989) may be advantageous for use in disposable sensor devices, but their extremely small size leads to very weak, interference-sensitive, high-impedance signals. These signals must be amplified under demanding conditions, presenting a highly passive input to the sensor, which neither draws much current from the sensor nor permits that current to vary as the electrochemical potential from the sensor varies.
Since the portable instrument is battery powered, the amplifiers must present low power requirements. CMOS operational amplifiers are best suited to that role, but are highly susceptible to damage or performance degradation from static discharges. Consequently, an amplifier which initially provides the required input characteristics may no longer operate within specifications after continued exposure to static in normal use, and a provision for testing the integrity of the amplifiers is highly desirable.
While traditional laboratory analyzer systems present only the fluidic inputs to the user environment, the portable analyzer and disposable sensing device also expose electrical contacts. It can be expected that a clinical environment will provide frequent opportunities for contamination of contacts, through accident, misuse, or prolonged exposure to the environment in normal use. The difficulties which can arise are heightened by the small scale of the system. Input pins for the sensors are extremely close together, increasing the chances of contamination across adjacent pins leading to cross-talk between the high-impedance sensor signals.
As an aid to explanation, a typical portable instrument system is shown schematically in FIG. 1. At the left, item 110 represents an array of microfabricated sensors on a disposable sensor device. (For simplicity, only three sensors are provided in this example.) A connector 120 forms the electrical connections between the sensors and a portable instrument. Within the instrument, front end CMOS operational amplifiers 130, 140, and 150 provide low-impedance, relatively noise insensitive signals faithful to the signals from the sensors, for further processing by the instrument in circuitry (not shown) to the right of switches 160, 170, and 180. Dashed line 190 divides the Figure into two domains, and represents the interface between them. To the left is a high-impedance electrochemical domain, while to the right is a low-impedance electronic domain.
The considerations discussed above lead to a need to test on both sides of the interface indicated by line 190, including connector 120. Indeed, experience indicates that problems are more likely to occur on the sensitive electrochemical side than on the relatively more predictable electronic side.
Ideally, a test unit to solve these problems would be capable of testing elements on both sides of the interface, providing simulated high-impedance sensor signals to be passed through the connector. In addition, such a test unit would be reusable to reduce costs and be simple to operate to avoid operator error. It is also desirable that it not require the use or replacement of costly chemicals, and that it be robust to survive exposure to the clinical environment without degradation of performance. Furthermore, an optimal test unit would permit different failure modes to be readily distinguished.
3. Discussion of the Prior Art
Generally, traditional testing schemes do not directly address the problems outlined in the discussion above. For example, the software in many microprocessor-based electronic instruments includes a self-test routine which is performed at power-up or may be invoked by a user. While such a self-test routine may advantageously be employed in a portable analyzer to check many functions of the instrument, such internal testing cannot test the interface with the high-impedance electrochemical domain. To verify the performance of an instrument which measures an external physical parameter, and to test the performance of the interface through which signals are received, it is necessary to inject an externally established test signal through the interface.
Likewise, the necessary testing cannot be accomplished through common batch calibration techniques. Typically, batch calibration is accomplished by shipping a calibrator with each batch of sensors or reagents, which reflects the characteristics of that particular batch. It serves to correct the internal calibration curve used by the analyzer as appropriate for that specific batch, but it does not test the analyzer function.
One attempt to provide signal simulation for an instrument is related to U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,884 to Hillman et al. and involves capillary flow devices for optical measurement of prothrombin or clotting time. In the measurement system, sold by Biotrack, Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., a disposable sample card is provided with chambers through which a blood sample will flow; the sample card is inserted into an instrument which detects a change in optical density resulting from clotting. Testing is accomplished with a reusable "monitor control cartridge" (supplied with the instrument) which may be inserted in the same manner as a sample card. When a button on the monitor cartridge is pressed, an electrochromic element in the cartridge simulates the optical behavior of a blood sample, to verify that the instrument is functioning.
The monitor cartridge, however, simulates only a single optical signal. It does not emulate the high-impedance signals of electrochemical sensors, and does not test the integrity of electrical connectors or amplifiers.
Another testing technique is provided by the ChemPro system, corresponding to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,654,127 to Baker et. al. The ChemPro analyzer provides prompts to the user to perform various steps in the measurement process. Prior to signalling the user to insert a sample card, the instrument switches on the amperometric channel normally used for glucose measurements. If an open circuit is detected, the analyzer is assumed to be functional and the user is prompted to insert the sample card. If the instrument does not detect an open circuit, the unit will not provide test instructions to the user, but instead will display instructions to insert a connector cleaning card.
That approach has only limited utility in testing the instrument-sample card interface. For example, there is no provision to test for leakage currents in all of the connector pins, a deficiency which is particularly noticed for those circuits most susceptible, namely, the potentiometric circuits. Also, testing only for an open circuit on the amperometric channel is inadequate to determine if the measurements will be accurate.
Another testing scheme for conventional analyzers is represented by the VWR brand Mini-Test Electrode Simulator. This battery powered device is intended to simulate the characteristics of a pH electrode, for testing pH meters. Switches are provided to select the pH level to be emulated, and cables are provided with connectors compatible with standard pH meters.
That electrode simulator, however, does not simulate the electrochemical characteristics of microfabricated sensor arrays, nor does it serve to test closely spaced connector pins. It also has no provision for emulating the many different sensors, which may be amperometric, potentiometric, or conductimetric, which may be simultaneously used on a single disposable sensor device.
In accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention, a reusable test unit mates mechanically with the connector of the portable instrument to test both sides of the interface with the high-impedance electrochemical domain. Circuitry within the unit produces signals for testing amperometric, conductimetric, and potentiometric measurement channels, without consuming any disposable sensor devices or requiring replenishment of chemicals. In the preferred embodiment, power to the unit is supplied through the connector from the instrument. Operation is under the control of the instrument, and no user controls are provided.
Test signals are provided to detect both excessive bias currents from faulty CMOS amplifiers, and leakage from contamination of the connector. By the application of a voltage step, it is possible to distinguish between the two failure modes.
The test unit may be packaged as a self-contained unit which is inserted into the instrument in the same manner in which one would insert a disposable sensor device. A plate may be provided to prevent contamination of the connector pads on the test unit. In addition, guarding of signal lines may be achieved despite extremely limited space by creating a three dimensional current path on the circuit board, using plated through-holes which are split by air gaps.
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the interface between a disposable sensor device and a portable instrument.
FIG. 2 is a schematic of test unit circuitry according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic model of potentiometric channel testing.
FIG. 4 is a schematic of alternative potentiometric channel test unit circuitry.
FIG. 5 shows a preferred circuit board shape.
FIG. 6 shows a preferred test unit packaging.
FIG. 7 is a schematic of guard line circuitry.
FIG. 8 is a diagram of a guard line layout scheme.
For ease of description, the preferred embodiments will be disclosed in the context of the disposable sensor device and portable instrument of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/245,102 filed Sept. 15, 1988, and the connector disclosed in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/489,844 filed Mar. 2, 1990; the disclosures of those two documents are hereby incorporated by reference. Note that each disposable sensor device may be provided with a calibrant chamber to permit sensor calibration at the time the device is inserted into the instrument; however such calibration does not provide the testing of instrument function provided by the present invention.
In the preferred embodiment, a reusable test unit contains circuitry which provides electrical signals for testing instrument function. Because the signals are produced by electrical circuitry which simulates the operation of chemical sensors, but does not employ actual sensors, no chemicals are used and no disposable sensor devices need be consumed for testing. Consequently, the test unit may used repeatedly without replenishment of supplies and with resulting advantages in economy.
1. Instrument Failure Modes
Two important failure modes must be detected and distinguished by the test unit. One is loss of electrical isolation between neighboring channels in the connector. If undetected, decreasing isolation will permit increasing leakage currents to flow between neighboring channels, leading to erroneous measurement results on both. Failure of this "crosstalk" variety may be detected as a voltage drop across large series resistors provided in the test unit.
Another failure mode arises from static electricity damage to the high-impedance CMOS operational amplifiers in the instrument. The design of the connector, which includes a shorting bar for static protection, reduces the likelihood of damage, and the inputs to the amplifiers are also protected by diode pairs, but notwithstanding these measures, both the diodes and the field effect transistors are prone to damage. Dielectric materials within these CMOS devices can break down as a result of static, giving rise to leakage currents, which leads to increased bias current at the inputs to the amplifiers.
Excessive bias current poses significant problems. In the case of an amperometric sensor, a degradation of CMOS amplifier devices can cause variable bias currents. This will give rise to a variable offset in the calibrant and sample currents which can undermine the utility of the analytical information which could otherwise be derived from the ratio of those two values. For potentiometric sensors, the bias current may be sufficiently substantial to polarize the membranes of sensors. Since potentiometric sensors are designed for low current flow, their functionality can be unacceptably impaired by such polarization. Large series resistors in the test unit can be used to detect a voltage drop between the voltage generated by the test unit and the voltage detected by the instrument, indicating excessive input bias current.
One particularly useful technique for testing potentiometric channels provides both accuracy and the ability to discriminate between failure modes, by applying a known step in voltage across two input channels. The enhanced accuracy may be understood by recognizing that all CMOS amplifiers will have a small yet non-zero input bias current. If only one voltage is measured, the sensitivity of the determination is limited by the voltage drop caused by the finite bias current flowing across the large series resistor of the test unit. However, this sensitivity limitation can be overcome by measuring a voltage step, because the bias current is essentially constant.
Discrimination between excessive bias current and loss of electrical isolation between neighboring channels can also be achieved by applying a voltage step. Suppose, for example, that the values of two applied voltages as measured by the instrument are incorrect, but that the difference between them (the step size) is accurately measured. In that case, the failure mode is readily identified as excessive bias current, probably resulting from damage to a CMOS amplifier. The ability to distinguish this failure mode is important, because the instrument requires repair after such a failure.
In contrast, if reduced isolation is detected, the user may be able to cure the problem immediately by simply cleaning the connector to remove contamination. Most importantly, if no failures are detected, the instrument can be relied upon to operate within specifications.
2. Test Unit Circuitry
In the preferred embodiment, the test unit is adapted to connect to connector pins of the instrument, in much the same manner that a disposable sensor device would be connected. A typical configuration may include a set of sixteen closely spaced connector pads. A suitable assignment scheme for the pads is reflected in FIG. 2, where each of lines 210 is marked with a signal identifier corresponding to a connector pad to which it is connected. In this scheme, the first, second, fifteenth, and sixteenth test unit pads serve to provide coded identification information for the instrument, to indicate that the item connected is the test unit, rather than a disposable sensor device. Details of the coding scheme are explained in the connector disclosure referred to above.
Disposable sensor devices may vary in the selection and number of sensors they carry, so identification of the particular device is necessary to permit the software in the instrument to interpret properly the signals. For the test unit, the coding information indicates to the measurement software that testing is to be done on the various channels according to the predetermined assignment scheme.
For the scheme reflected in FIG. 2, the fourth, fifth, and seventh through ninth pads correspond to potentiometric sensors (POT0 through POT5), while the third and eleventh pads are assigned to ground (GND). A connection to a reference electrode is represented by the sixth pad (PREF0), and an amperometric sensor by the twelfth pad (AMP0), while the thirteenth and fourteenth pads are provided for emulation of conductimetric sensors (CONDLO and CONDHI).
Circuitry for producing the signals to be passed through the connector is also shown in FIG. 2. Provisions for testing potentiometric, conductimetric, and amperometric sensor channels will be explained in that order.
Given that all potentiometric channels are measured versus the reference channel (PREF0) it is necessary to determine the bias current of this channel. This can be achieved by measuring PREF0 bias versus the ground (either the third or eleventh of lines 210).
The voltage source for testing potentiometric sensors is derived from the instrument, through one of the coding pins (as illustrated, CODE0). Typically, this will be five volts, although some variation from instrument to instrument is to be expected. The battery based power supply of the instrument thus provides all power to the test unit, and no separate battery for the test unit is required. In this example, two voltage regulation stages 220 and 230 will provide approximately 1.2 volts to trimming potentiometer 240, and trimming is set to yield 1 volt at the output of switch 250 (when closed) to matched resistors 260. Headers 270 and 280 are provided to break out voltages at appropriate nodes to facilitate trimming.
Several potentiometric channels may be tested with respect to a common reference electrode channel by use of a high precision resistor chain. Voltages from consecutive nodes between resistors 260 will differ by V/4, where V is the voltage output from switch 250. Voltage from these nodes may be applied to resistors which simulate sensors. The simulation may be understood by reference to a simple model of the instrument system as shown in FIG. 3. There, a CMOS front end operational amplifier 303 for a reference channel is shown, along with amplifiers 301, 302, 304, and 305 for potentiometric channels.
Resistors 306 through 310 are used to simulate high-impedance microfabricated sensor electrodes. For example, 306 may correspond to an electrode to measure ammonium ions, while 307 through 310 correspond to potassium ion, reference, chloride ion, and sodium ion electrodes, respectively. Resistors 311 through 314 are drawn in this model to represent possible leakage paths between neighboring channels. In this example, for a fixed applied voltage V, the potential between either of the outermost channels and the center reference channel should be V/2, while the potential between the inner channels and the reference channel should be V/4. The expected voltage between other pairs is also readily derived. Any leakage between the channels will produce voltages differing from the expected values, which can be easily detected in the instrument.
For this test to be of utility, the applied voltage V provided by regulation stages 220, 230 and trimming potentiometer 240 must agree within certain tolerances with voltage references within the instrument, that is, both the test unit and the instrument must measure voltage to the same standard.
It is clear that the combined tolerances of the signal simulator and the instrument should be of sufficient resolution to determine whether the instrument is within specifications. (Although tolerances are discussed here with respect to potentiometric circuits, the general form of analysis applies to amperometric and conductimetric circuits as well.) The total system tolerance will be the sum of the tolerance to which the test unit can produce a step change in voltage and the tolerance to which the instrument software and hardware can reproduce a signal that appears at the input.
The tolerances to be considered for the test unit include the resistor chain, large value resistors, temperature dependence of the components, leakage of analog switches, and power supply rejection ratio. For the instrument the important tolerances are noise, accuracy of the components, electronic discretization, and mathematical truncation of the data.
The number of channels which may be tested by the foregoing scheme is limited, since as the number n of channels to be tested increases, the smallest voltage to be measured V/n may become too small, particularly at high gain where V may be much less than one volt. A variation on that scheme permits an unlimited number of channels to be tested with high resolution.
As shown in FIG. 4, resistors 401 through 407 are provided to simulate high-impedance sensor electrodes, but are connected in a manner which avoids resolution difficulties. In this embodiment, at some predetermined gain a voltage of zero volts is applied to the reference channel, with +V and -V applied alternately to channels on either side. In the absence of leakage currents, the voltage difference between the reference channel and all others will be either +V or -V, and the voltage between adjacent channels should be +2V or -2V. Deviations indicative of leakage can be easily detected.
Although resolution limits are overcome by this scheme, the capability to measure leakage between channels of the same polarity is lost. In practice, this is not a significant problem, because channels of the same polarity are not adjacent. Experience shows that the most common leakage path is between adjacent channels, typically by contamination across neighboring connector pins. Contamination which might bridge from one pin to a non-adjacent pin, skipping pins in between, is considerably less likely.
It is essential that the circuit design and selected components be of sufficient quality to ensure that the desired voltage is maintained across the resistor chain, independent of variations in the supply voltage and temperature. If a CMOS analog switch is used for switch 250, its impedance variation with temperature and voltage supply must be negligible with respect to the impedance of the resistor chain.
Conductimetric measurements are useful for determining hematocrit. Typically, the measurement will use two electrodes exposed to the blood sample, with one operated in an a.c. mode and the other tied to ground. The a.c. voltage is related to the impedance of the sample medium between the two electrodes. In the instrument, the a.c. voltage may be converted to a positive d.c. voltage by taking the modulus of the signal and then applying a low pass filter.
To simulate the signal obtained in blood for testing instrument function, a precision resistor with a value equivalent to that of the impedance of blood for a given electrode geometry may be used. The measured d.c. voltage at this impedance can be compared to the stored expectation value in the instrument to determine whether the circuitry is operating within specifications. In FIG. 2, a suitable 2.21 kOhm 0.1% resistor for this purpose is shown as resistor 291. Resistor 292 is provided to avoid defeating shielding of the test unit when conductivity is not being a measured and an open circuit would otherwise expose the unit to interference. If multiple conductivity measurements are required, a resistor is engaged between each a.c. mode output and a ground (the ground may be common).
Alternatively, a channel may be tested with two resistors of different values, so that two values can be calculated and compared to multiple expectation values. The disadvantage of this approach is the necessity to provide some method of switching between the two resistors, and the concomitant increased complexity of the test unit circuitry. If an electronic switch is selected, a negative power supply is necessary.
In principle, any sort of network of known impedance could be used for signal simulation. However, obtaining the required precision with available capacitor or rectifier components is not practical, and the resistor embodiments are preferred for that reason.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that high frequency a.c. measurements must be protected from stray capacitive coupling, through careful circuit design and guarding of signal lines where possible. Guarding provisions will be discussed in fuller terms below.
Amperometric sensors may be used, for example, to test for glucose. If an excessive bias current is present from a damaged operational amplifier, it will offset and make unreliable the measured current signal. Similarly, contamination between connector pins will provide a parallel current path so that the true behavior of the sensor is not seen.
Ideally, a simulated signal would provide substantially the same magnitude current as an actual sensor. In the preferred embodiment, the sensor response is simulated by a single resistor connected between the working electrode and the reference electrode; such a resistor is shown in FIG. 2 as resistor 290.
The applied potential in the actual measurement is set digitally in the instrument to a bit resolution of 2 mV, or 0.5% error. A typical current value in the expected range can be achieved with a 10M Ohm resistor. Preferably, a 0.1% precision resistor is chosen with a good temperature coefficient (for example 0.025% per degree C) so that the precision of the resistor is better than that of the applied potential. It is desirable that the total imprecision (in this example, 0.625%) be roughly an order of magnitude less than that of the inherent imprecision of the actual sensor to be simulated. If these guidelines are followed, both the current and the applied potential can be tested in a simple and reliable manner.
Ordinarily, the source of the applied potential is a sample and hold circuit with in the instrument. Testing can determine both the accuracy of the potential, and the droop rate (slope) as the potential varies with time from leakage through the analog switch, leakage across the sample and hold capacitor, and the input bias current of the voltage follower operational amplifier.
Improved sensitivity to leakage in amperometric channels can be achieved by the inclusion of an analog switch 295 which can be either open or closed during use of the test unit. Any leakage current greater than that associated with an open circuit analog switch is then measurable accurately. This can be accomplished by making a current measurement at two different voltages to eliminate the variable offset of the CMOS amplifier. The time variation of the offset will not distort the measurement if the two current measurements are taken in quick succession.
If an array of amperometric sensors must be simulated, resistors with appropriate values are chosen for each. If a common reference electrode is used, the resistors are engaged between the common reference and the appropriate sensor.
Other circuits may also be used to provide a fixed current source, at the expense of more complex circuitry. In addition, using a fixed current source does not permit checking of the applied potential for actual measurements.
3. Packaging
If desired, the test unit circuitry can be constructed as an auxiliary circuit board within the test instrument itself. By providing a mechanism to move the instrument connector optionally into contact with the test unit (instead of into contact with a disposable sensor device), simulated signals can be injected through the connector, providing testing of the interface which software self-test routines cannot provide. One disadvantage of this approach is that the same test unit cannot be used with multiple instruments. The complexity of each instrument is increased not only by the inclusion of the test unit but also the mechanism for optional connector motion.
In the preferred embodiment, the test unit is packaged for insertion into an instrument through the same port which accepts disposable sensor devices. The test unit is shaped such that one end mimics the shape of a disposable sensor device to mate mechanically with the instrument connector. As shown in FIG. 5, a circuit board 510 is provided with a broad area 520 to carry the necessary precision resistors, switch, connecting traces, voltage regulating components, and so on, and a narrow finger 530 which bears contact pads 540 for mating with the pins of the instrument connector.
FIG. 6 illustrates the preferred construction for a complete test unit with case. A base 610 supports circuit board 620 (electronic components are not shown). A cover 640 is held onto the base by screws. Plate 630 is provided to protect the contact pads at the narrow finger of the circuit board. To prevent contamination the plate is held forward by spring action, reducing the likelihood that fingerprints or spilled fluids will reach the contact pads. Upon insertion into the instrument, the plate will be displaced backward by the structure of the instrument, exposing the contact pads for mating with the instrument connector pins. As an additional safeguard against contamination bridging neighboring contact pads, the circuit board may be cut to leave small gaps between adjacent pairs.
The preferred packaging provides a shielded box for the test unit, to prevent the pick up of interference. When the test unit is inserted into the instrument, the mechanical connection to the structure of the instrument connector will establish a common ground.
No switches or controls of any description are found on the test unit case. In operation, the user need only insert the test unit into the instrument to be tested. By virtue of the coding information from the connector pins, the test unit is recognized by the instrument, and the test regimen can be completely automatically controlled by the measurement software in the instrument. The instrument then interprets the signals received and can display appropriate messages to the user, indicating, for instance, that the instrument should be taken out of service, or that the connector should be cleaned and the test repeated.
4. Signal Line Guarding
The close spacing of contact pads in the test unit and of the traces connecting to them presents special difficulties for avoiding contamination and for guarding of signal lines. Where possible, a guard conductor can be placed to surround an element and separate it from neighboring features. However, the contact pads are not amenable to such a solution because there is inadequate room.
Surprisingly, this problem is compounded if the circuit board is cut as described above to provide contamination-inhibiting gaps between adjacent contact pads. It would ordinarily be expected that cutting the board would give rise to a very high bulk resistance between pads from the resistance of the air. In addition, the surfaces of the sides of each cut provided an extended path length between neighboring pads, which would be expected to increase resistance.
However, the exposed sides of the cuts in the circuit board can be sufficiently hydrophilic that a leakage path is produced along the cut which can be of significant concern. Although the path between pads may be longer, the net effect from moisture affinity of the fibers of the circuit board may be to reduce resistance. Treatment of the surface of the cut with a material such as Teflon may aid in reducing the hydrophilic behavior of the cut. However, in the preferred embodiment, this problem is solved by the use of guard lines with an unusual three-dimensional arrangement.
As shown in FIG. 7, circuitry is provided in the test unit to provide guarding of the traces and contact pads for several channels. Resistors 701 through 707 correspond to resistors 401 through 407 of FIG. 4. Guard lines may be provided to accompany each trace, and can be held at substantially the same potential as the traces they protect, by appropriately connected operational amplifiers. Placement of the guard lines between traces greatly reduces the likelihood of leakage from one trace to another.
The geometry of the guard lines can be understood by reference to FIG. 8, which represents a top view of a portion of the protruding finger of the circuit board. Connector pads 810 and 820 are protected by guard lines 830 and 840 respectively. Cut 850 is intended to prevent contaminants from connecting pads 810 and 820, but offers a leakage path along its vertical edges perpendicular to the horizontal plane of the circuit board surface. To prevent leakage, a hole 860 has been drilled and through-plated prior to making cut 850. The horizontal conductor of guard line 830 is thus extended vertically by the remaining plated portion on the right side of hole 860, interrupting any leakage path along the vertical sides of cut 850.
On the underside of the circuit board, a thick conductor (not visible) is placed beneath pad 810 to connect guard line 830 with line 870 which has similarly been extended vertically through the left side of through-plated hole 880. Effectively, a continuous guard line has been provided for pad 810 which protects its trace on the upper horizontal surface of the board, descends via the surface of through-plated hole 860 to prevent leakage through cut 850, continues in the form of a thick conductor pad on the bottom surface of the board, rises once more via through-plated hole 880, and again runs along the upper surface of the board as line 870. A thick pad is preferred to isolate the sides of the cut vertically from the base beneath the circuit board, to prevent creation of an additional path for leakage along the surface of the base.
To protect the integrity of the guard scheme, plate 630 also serves to reduce the likelihood of static discharge damage to the operational amplifiers shown in FIG. 7. In addition, resistors 708-714 are provided for extra static protection of the amplifiers; diodes in the amplifiers are relatively small and hence susceptible to damage.
5. Mechanical Considerations
A variety of mechanical difficulties and failures can also be anticipated. These include failure of the test unit to correctly engage the instrument connector, misalignment of the test unit with respect to the instrument connector, damaged or broken contact pins in the instrument, non-functional coding pins, and failure of the mechanism to be grounded with respect to the ground of the instrument. Any of these events will give rise to partial or complete inability of the test unit to communicate with the instrument, so that the system failure will be apparent.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is evident that there are numerous variations which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, in light of the teachings of the foregoing description.
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Feb. 14, 2007
Worcester, Mass. - Freshman Aaron Brosnan (Westford, Mass.) and sophomore Conor O'Neil (Concord, N.H.) both earned Patriot League Men's Swimming and Diving Weekly honors, as announced by the conference on Tuesday. Brosnan was named Male Swimmer of the Week for his performance against Boston College on Tuesday, February 6. His time of 53:00 in the 100-yard butterfly was fast enough to win the event for the Crusaders.
O'Neil was named Male Diver of the Week, for finishing second in both diving events against BC. O'Neil accumulated 131.40 points on the 1-meter board and 109.73 points on the 3-meter board.
In the meet against Fairfield on Saturday, February 3, Brosnan was part of two events wins. Individually he won the 200-yard IM in 2:06.86. He was also the first leg of the 400-yard medley relay team that took first. O'Neil placed fourth in both diving events in that meet.
The Holy Cross men's swimming and diving team is currently preparing for the Patriot League Championship, which is being held at Bucknell University in Bethlehem, Pa. The Championship begins on Thursday, February 15 and continues through Saturday, February 17. Events start at 10:00 am each day of the competition.


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A Taste of Adventure
Taki looked up to see two more soldiers in brown uniforms and caps glaring at him with pistols raised. "Teiryuu!" There were soldiers everywhere these days, now that Japan was at war. An invasion force had struck China weeks ago; with the conquered northeastern city of Tianjin as a base, Japanese forces were making great strides in spite of heavy Chinese resistance. "Teiryuu!" repeated the soldiers. "Teiryuu!" The word meant "halt," but of course Taki meant to do no such thing. Taki's mind raced. What could he say to these men? The evidence of what had happened was laid out around him—signs of a struggle plus two unconscious soldiers, one with a hairpin stuck in his eye. No amount of fast-talking was going to get him out of this mess. -Robert Jeschonek, Rising Sun, Falling Shadows
Join the race to stop the army of the Shogunate from discovering a weapon so powerful it could determine the outcome of the long-waged Great War. In the first Tannhäuser novel, Rising Sun, Falling Shadows, Robert Jeschonek brings John MacNeal, Hoax, Tala, and other characters from the board game to brilliant life.
A tale of horror and heroism
In the midst of perpetual war, a far-eastern warrior sect with a shadowy agenda has set out toward the evergreen peninsula of Kamchatka. Can Union Major John McNeal and the elite soldiers of the 42nd Marines stop their sinister plot before it's too late? And what terrible powers lie hidden in the verdant wilderness? The race is on to discover ancient secrets that could finally bring the Great War to its climactic end!
Robert Jeschonek sets the scene with an action-packed first chapter (pdf, 92KB), which is now available for download.
Jump into the middle of a stealthy fight, and get acquainted with a few of the Union's most skilled heroes. Beware! After reading this chapter, you will be craving even more Tannhäuser action.
Enjoy this exhilarating Rising Sun, Falling Shadows preview, and check back for more previews and future news regarding this tantalizing novel. Pre-order your copy at your local retailer or through the iBookstore (this novel will also be available on other digital devices).
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text:
Ties That Bind
Publication Date:April 01, 2008
Source:Stanford Magazine
Author:Ginny McCormick
Professor Henry T. "Hank" Greely is quoted in a Stanford Magazine article discussing whether Stanford should accept money from tobacco companies:
... Law professor Hank Greely was adamant that "if any human endeavor deserves the term 'evil,' I think the tobacco industry probably deserves it. It hurts me that my university gives them cover and sustenance. They are using us to whitewash themselves. . . . We should stop it."


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High gluten bleached wheat flour, (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitraite, riboflavin, folic acid), malted barley flour, potassium bromate
Deep dish Ingredient pack
Sugar, salt, yeast
Round dough Ingredient pack
Sugar, salt, Wheat flour (unbleched, unenriched), yeast, contains 2% or less soybean oil
Pizza sauce
Crushed tomatoes (concentrated crushed tomatoes, water) tomatoes, garlic powder, salt, spices, zanthan gum, citric acid
Pizza sauce
Tomato puree (water, tomato paste), tomatoes, salt, dehydrated garlic, spices, sugar, citric acid
Low moisture mozzarella cheese (cultured pasteurized millk, salt, enzymes) Nonfat milk, modified food starch, natamycin (mold inhibitor). Water, partially hydrogenated solybean oil, casein, modified food starch, salt, natural flavor, nonfat dry mik, sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium citrate, lactic acid, sorbic acid (preservative) artificial color
Italiano parbaked crust
Flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour), water, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, soybean oil, degermed corn meal, dextrose, yeast, salt, calcium proprionate, flavoring (wheat flour, modified starch, natural, flavor), soy lethicin
Pork, mechanically separated turkey, salt, contains 2% or less of dextrose, flavorings, garlic powder, lactic acid starter culture, natural smoke lfavor, oleoresin paprika, sodium nitrite, BHA, BHT, citric acid.
Sausage topping
Pork, mechancially separated chicken, salt, water, spice, sugar, paprika oleoresin, sunflower oil, water, textured vegetable protein (soy flour, salt)
Pork (ham), water,salt, contains less than 2% sodium lactate, white sugar, potassium phosphate, sodium diacetate, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite, natural flavors.
Pork cured with water, salt, sodium phosphates, sodium erythorbate, sodium nitrite. May contain sugar and/or smoke flavoring
Beef topping
Beef, chicken (beef, mechanically separated chicken, salt, water, spice, sugar), water, textured vegatable protein (soy flour, salt)
White chicken, water, modified food starch, salt, sodium phosphate
Mushrooms, fresh
Onions, fresh red
red onions
Green peppers, fresh
green peppers
Black olives
Olives, water, salt, ferrous gluconate
Green olives
Olives, water, salt, citric acid.
Jalapeno Peppers, water, salt, acetic acid
Pineapple, canned tidbits
Pineapple, Pineapple juice, citric acid
Tomatoes, canned, diced
Tomatoes, tomato juice, salt, calcium chloride
Cheddar cheese
Reduced fat cheddar cheese (pastuerized milk, salt, modified food starch, flavors, Nonfat milk, whey protein concentrate, annatto, vitamin A palmitate, cultures, enzymes), natamycin (mold inhibitor)
Parmesan Cheese
cultured part skim milk, salt, enzymes
Parmesan Oregano Seasoning
Parmesan (pasteurized part skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes) Romano cheese (pasteurized cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes) oregano, granulated garlic, starch and powdered celluose (anti-caking agents)
Anchovies, salt, soybean oil
Tater crowns
Potatoes, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and /or cottenseed oils), and/or vegetable oil (canola, soybean, and/or sunflower oils), salt, dextrose, sodium acid pyrophosphate (to maintain color)
Banana peppers
Banana peppers, water, vinegar, salt, calcium chloride, sodium bisulfite, sodium benzoate (preservative), yellow 5, tumeric.
Alfredo Pizza sauce
Water, skim milk, whey, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, natural flavor, maltodextrin, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, cream cheese [pasteurized cultured milk and cream, salt, stabilizers (xanthan, carob bean and/or guar gum)], cheddar cheese (milk, skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), salt, modified food starch, gelatin, propylene glycol monostearate, sugar, DATEM, mono-and diglycerides, sodium phosphate, sodium polyphosphate, caramel color, monosodium glutamate, spices, guar gum, glutamic acid, calcium hydroxide, natamycin (preservative), disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate.
Buffalo pizza sauce
Chicken stock, whey, skim milk, tomato paste, canola oil, margarine (palm oil, water, soybean oil, salt, mono and diglycerides, annatto (color), artificial flavor, vitamin A palmitate), salt, cayenne pepper mash with salt, contains 2% or less of the following: pepper paste (vinegar, red peppers salt), modified food starch, vinegar, garlic powder, maltodextrin, monosodium glutamate, lactic acid, chicken fat, guar gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, propylene glycol monostearate, spices, hydrolyzed corn and soy protein, autolyzed yeast, partially hydrogenated cottonseed and soy oils, natural flavors, DATEM, mono and diglycerides, palm oil, titanium dioxide (color), beet powder (color), sugar, onion powder, celery seed, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, vegetable color (paprika extract), FD&C #40.
BBQ (Pork) Sauce
Sauce [water, tomato paste, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, vinegar (white vinegar, caramel coloring), brown sugar, worcestershire sauce concentrate (distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, caramel color, garlic powder, sugar, spices, tamarind, natural flavor, to preserve freshness (sulfiing agents), salt, natural hickory smoke flavor, spice, onion powder, garlic powder], pork, water, textured soy protein [soy flour, caramel color, zinc oxide, niacinamide, iron as ferrous sulfate, copper gluconate, vitamin A palmitate, calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), riboflavin, cyanocobalamin (B12)]
Zesty pizza sauce
Water, whey, skim milk, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, canola oil, maltodextrin, natural flavors (contains milk), contains 2% or less of cheddar cheese (pateurized milk, skim milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), salt, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, lactic acid, sugar, garlic powder, propylene glycol monostearate, onion powder, vinegar, DATEM, mono-diglycerides, palm oil, spicesw, xanthan gum, guear gum, caramel color, carrageenan, glutamic acid, calcium hudroxide, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate
Italiano Sauce (RTU)
Tomatoes in juice (with calcium chloride and Citric Acid), water, canola oil, tomato paste, Parmesan and Romano Cheese Blend: Parmesan Cheese (pasturized part-skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Romano Cheese (pasturized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), garlic, contains 2% or less salt, spices, olive oil, modified food starch, hydrogentated cottenseed oil, balsamic vinegar.
Mac & Cheese pizza sauce
Cheese powder (whey, cheese [granular and cheddar {pasteurized milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes)), buttermilk solids, whey protein concentrate, salt, sodium phosphate, citric acid, lactic acid), modified food starch, whey, maltodextrin, cheese flavor (blue and cheddar cheese, {milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes}), whey, sodium phosphate, salt, lactic acid, salt, palm oil, xanthan gum, natural flavor, FD&C yellow 5 & yellow 6.
Ole/Taco sauce
Crushed Tomatoes, onion puree, jalapeno puree, green bell pepper puree, sugar, salt, dehydrated garlic, spices, natural flavoring, dehydrated parsley, citric acid
Garlic Sauce
Seasoning: Garlic powder, maltodextrin, salt, spice, onion powder, palm oil, glutamic acid, calcium hydroxide. Buttery Oil: Liquid and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, vegetable mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors (includes milk), citric acid, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor, beta caratene (color), vitamin A palmitate, whey
Bacon cheddar sauce
Water, cultured buttermilk (cultured low fat milk salt), soybean oil, imitation bacon (textured vegetable protein (soy flour, caramel color, red 3), partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, natural flavorings, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed corn gluten-soy-wheat gluten protein, dextrose, egg yolks, high fructose corn syrup, bacon (pork, water, salt, sugar, smoke flavoring, sodium phosphate, sodium nitrate), contains less than 2% of salt, distilled vinegar, propylene glycol alginate, autolyzed yeast extract, lactic acid, spices, monosodium glutamate, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate (as preservatives), xanthan gum, parsley, polysorbate 60, citric acid, lemon juice concentrate, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor, natural flavor
Baked Potato Sauce
Chicken broth, whey, skim milk, cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), canola oil, modified food starch, onion, contains 2% or less of natural flavors, salt, maltodextrin, roux (wheat flour, chicken fat, fully hygrogenated cotteonseed oil), high frucoste corn syrup, chicken fat, garlic powder, lactic acid, monosodium gluatmate, DATEM, mono and diglycerides, hydrolyzed wheat gluten, autolyzed yeast extract, partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil and soy oil, spices, natural smloke flavor, carrageenan, guar gum, xanthan gum, beta carotene (color) celery seed, onion powder, disodium inosinate and disodium guanylate, vegetable color (tumeric extract)
Chicken soup base
Water, seasoning (modified corn starch, sugar, salt, hydrolyzed soy protein, bleached enriched wheat flour (niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflaven, folic acid), garlic powder, spices, natural flavors, corn maltodextrin, onion powder, artificial colors (yellow 5 lake, yellow 6 lake), chicken base (chicken meat including chickien juices, salt, hydrolyzed soy and corn protein, natural flavorings, sugar, potato flour, monosodium glutamate, autolyzed yeast extract, carrot powder, turmeric), carrots, onions, celery, red peppers, green peppers, rendered chicken fat with natural flavoring, margarine (liquid and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, whey solids, soy lecithin, vegetable mono & diglycerides, sodium benzoate, (a preservative), artificial butter flavor, beta carotene, vitamin A palmitate
Cavatappi Pasta
Durum semolina, enriched with niacin, iron (ferrous sulfate), thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid.
Marinara Pasta Sauce concentrate
Crushed tomatoes (concentrated crushed tomoatoes, water), salt, sugar, soybean oil, Romano cheese (cow's milk, cheese culture, salt, enzymes), spices, dehydrated onion, dehydrated garlic, citric acid.
Marinara Pasta Sauce concentrate
Tomato concentrate (water, tomato paste), salt, sugar, dehydrated onions Romano cheese (cultured milk, salt, enzymes), dehudrated garlic, spice, dehydrated parsely, soybean oil, citrric acid
Aflredo Pasta Sauce concentrate
Whey, water, skim milk, canola oil, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, Parmesan cheese (pasturized part skim milk, cheese cultures, salt enzymes), Asiago cheese (pasturized milk, cheese culture, salt and enzymes), Cheddar cheese (pasturized milk, skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), Modified food starch, salt, contains 2% or less of the following: Natural flavors (contains milk and soy lecithin), propylene glycol monostearate, maltodextrin, high fructose corn syrup, monosodium glutamate, spice, DATEM, mono and diglycerides, lactic acid, Xanthan Gum, Guar Gum, Carrageenan, palm oil, FD&C Yellow #5 & 6.
Breadstick Shake
Cheese Blend [Parmesan cheese (pastuerized part skim milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), romano cheese (pastuerized cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes)], dehyrated garlic, salt, corn starch, silicon dioxide (anti-caking agent).
Bavarian filling
Water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, modified food starch, contains 2% or less of partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (cotton seed and/or soybean), natural and artifical flavor, salt, color added, potassium sorbate, phosphoric acid, soduim benzoate, agar, yellow 5, yellow 6, sodium lactylate
Apple filling
Water, high fructose corn syrup, apples (treated with sulfur dioxide), modified food starch, margarine (partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils, soybean oil, water, salt, cultured buttermilk, mono- and diglycerides, sorbic acid, preservative (sodium benzoate), artificial flavor, beta carotene (color), vitamin A palmitate), Contains 2% or less of the following apple juice concentrate, spice, salt, potassium sorbate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors, malic acid, erythorbic acid, red 40.
Crumb topping
Bleached flour, sugar , margarine (partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oils, soybean oil, water, salt, cultured buttermilk, mono and diglycerides, sorbic acid, sodium benzoate (preservative) artificial flavor, beta-carotene (color), vitamin A palmitate, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less whey, soy flour, egg whites, natural and artificial flavor, salt, annatto (color), oleorsein turmeric (color).
Sugar, skim milk, water, high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: dextrose, nonfat dry milk, natural and artificialflavors, anhydrous milkfat, agar, cornstarch, guar gum, canola oil, monoglycerides, salt, potassium sorbate, titanium dioxide (color).
Brownie mix
Sugar, bleached wheat flour (enriched with niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), soybean oil, corn syrup solids, cocoa (processed with alkali), partially hydrogenated soybean and/or cottonseed oil, contains 2% or less of the following: mono- and diglycerides, whey, soy flour, wheat starch, egg whites, salt, leavening (sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium bicarbonate, monocalcium phosphate), natural and artificial flavor, corn starch.
Cinnamon sugar
Sugar, cinnamon, less than 2% soybean oil
Confectioners Sugar
Sugar, cornstarch
Signature Italian dressing
Water, soybean oil, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, Romano cheese (pasteurized milk, cheeswe culture, salt, enzymes) salt, eggs less than 2% garlic, sugar, sodium benzoate, spice, xanthan gum, parsely, lemon juice concentrate, red bell peppers, citric acid, extractives of annetto and tumeric (color), calcium disodium EDTA to protect flavor, natural flavor
Signature Ranch dressing
Soybean oil, buttermilk (cultured low fat milk, salt), water, egg yolks, high fructose corn syrup, contains less than 2% of salt, distilled vinegar, autolyzed yeast extract, lactic acid, spices, monosodium glutamate, dehydrated garlic, dehydrated onion, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, hydrolyzed soy protein, propylene glycol alginate, dehydrated parsley, citric acid, lemon juice concentrate, polysorbate 60, xanthan gum, calcium disodium EDTA, natural flavor.
Lite Ranch dressing
Water, soybean oil, egg yolks, buttermilk solids, contains less than 2% of salt, distilled vinegar, xanthan gum, lactic acid, dehydrated garlic, citric acid, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, propylene glycol alginate, dehydrated onion, spice, monosodium glutamate, dehydrated parsley, soy sauce (water, wheat, soybeans, salt, less than 0.1$ sodium benzoate), lemon juice concentrate, poly sorbate 60, calcium disodium EDTA
Thousand Island dressing
Soybean oil, water, sweet relish (cucumbers, vinegar, corn sweeteners, salt, xanthan gum, guar gum, locust bean gum, natural flavor, artificial flavor, spices, alum), sugar, distilled vinegar, egg yolks, tomato paste, contains less than 2% of salt, dehydrated onion, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, propylene glycol alginate, oleoresin paprika, spice, caramel color, calcium disodium EDTA, tomato chili sauce concentrate, annatto.
French dressing
Soybean oil, water, high fructose corn syrup, distilled vinegar, salt, contains less than 2% of spices, propylene glycol alginate, paprika, xanthan gum, oleoresin paprika, dehydrated garlic, natural flavor.
Blue cheese dressing
Soybean oil, water, blue cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, natamycin to protect flavor), egg yolks, distilled vinegar, high fructose corn syrup, contains less than 2% of buttermilk solids, salt, lactic acid, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate, monosodium glutamate, dehydrated garlic, xanthan gum, spice, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor.
French Garlic Croutons
Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid) Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Yeast, 2% or less of High Fructose Corn Syrup, Wheat Gluten, Corn Syrup Solids, Garlic dehydrated, Onion Powder, Whey, Romano Cheese from Cow's Milk (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Parsley dehydrated, Maltodextrin, Spices, Calcium Proprionate (Preservative), natural and Artificial Flavor (Milk), Citric Acid, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Peroxide, Ascorbic Acid, Azodicarbonamide, Enzymes, TBHQ (To Preserve Freshness). Allergens: Wheat, Milk. Packaged in a Facility That Also Packages Tree Nuts
Saltine crackers
Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Shortening (Contains one or more of the following: Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils – Soybean, Cottonseed, Sunflower, Canola), Salt, Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate) Yeast, Malted Barley Flour. Packaged in a Facility That Also Packages Tree Nuts
Imitation bacon bits
Textured vegetable protein (TVP), soy flour caramel color, red 3, yellow 6, partially hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, natural flavorings, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed corn-soy-wheat protein, dextrose.
Cherry tomatoes, fresh
cherry tomatoes
Cucumbers, fresh
Carrots, fresh
Broccoli, fresh
Lettuce/Romaine mix, fresh
Iceberg and romaine lettuce, shredded carrots, red cabbage
Chicken wing sections, water, contains less than 2% of salt, modified corn starch, sodium phophate, maltodexrin, dextrose, natural flavor. Par-fried in vegetable oil.
Chicken wing sections, water, seasoning (salt, modified tapioca starch, sodium phophates, maltodexrin, natural flavorings. Blanched in vegetable oil.
Hot Sauce (Drizzle Sauce)
Hot pepper sauce (water, tomatoes, cayenne psppsers, salt, vinegar, modified food starch, canola oil, garlic powder, lactic acid, beet powder, caramel color, paprika, carmine (color) FD & C # 40, FD & C Blue #1
BBQ Sauce
Water, tomato paste, high fructose corn syrup, molasses, vinegar (white vinegar, caramel coloring), brown sugar, worcestershire sauce concentrate (distilled vinegar, molasses, corn syrup, water, salt, caramel color, garlic powder, sugar, spices, tamarind, natural flavor, to preserve freshness (sulfiing agents), salt, natural hickory smoke flavor, spices, guar gum, onion powder, garlic powder, soduim benzoate.
Buttery Topping
Liquid and partially hydrogenated soybean oil, water, salt, hydrogenated cottonseed oil, vegetable mono and diglycerides, soy lecithin, sodium benzoate (preservative), natural and artificial flavors (includes milk), citric acid, calcium disodium EDTA added to protect flavor, beta caretene (color), vitamin A palmitate, whey
Parmesan/Romano cheese blend
Parmesan cheese (pasteurized part skim milk, cheese cultures, salt enzymes)) Romano cheese (pasteurized sheep's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), powdered celluose/starch (anti-caking agent)
Soybean oil
Soybean oil
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