A golf ball having direction-sighting indications, with which a golfer can easily sight a direction for the golf ball to fly when he/she strikes the ball with one of golf clubs, and a mold for manufacturing such golf balls. The golf ball according to the present invention has a first indicating line having a plurality of indicating holes distinguishable in shape and dimension from normal dimples formed on an outer surface of the golf ball. The first indicating line establishes a straight line extending along an equator on the surface of the golf ball to form a first direction indicating line, on which a starting point and an ending point are identical. A second indicating line, having a plurality of indicating holes identical in shape and dimension to those of the first indicating line, is formed on the surface of the golf ball. The second indicating line establishes a second direction indicating line so that two crossing points with the first indicating line are formed and, at the same time, a first axis is formed through the two crossing points and a center of the golf ball.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a golf ball having indications for guiding a golfer to sight a direction to hit the golf ball (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cdirection-sighting indicationsxe2x80x9d) and a mold for manufacturing the same and, more particularly, to a golf ball having direction-sighting indications, with which a golfer can easily sight a desired direction for the golf ball to travel when he/she strikes the ball with one of golf clubs, and a mold for manufacturing such golf balls.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As well known to those skilled in the art, to make any shot in a golf game, a golfer initially determines a target point of a golf ball to hit the ball, adjusts his/her stance, knees, waist and shoulders so as to be parallel with the desired flight path of the ball, and then places the head of a golf club directly behind the golf ball so that the club head is aligned perpendicular to the desired flight path, which is a correct posture for a golf swing.
However, since the golfer is dependent upon eye-measurement to determine a target point of the golf ball, the actual flight path of the ball may be easily diverged from the desired flight path and the actual flight distance of the ball may be easily different from a desired flight distance.
In order to solve this problem, there has been provided a golf ball with marked lines formed through an additional process to mark the lines crosswisely on the outer surface of a golf ball, wherein the marked lines have been used as direction-sighting indications.
Referring to FIG. 1, the direction-sighting indications are produced by forming an X-axial line and an Y-axial line on the outer surface of a golf ball 100, wherein the X-axial line is parallel with a straight line xe2x80x9cSxe2x80x9d which passes along a golfer""s stance for the correct swing, and the Y-axial line is parallel with a straight line 102 which passes along a hit face of a club head 101 to be perpendicular to the X-axial line. Therefore, the golfer is allowed to hit the golf ball 100 while placing the central point 103 of the hit face of the club head 101 such that the central point 103 is precisely aligned with the X-axial line. With the use of the indicating lines for sighting the direction, the golfer is able to hit the golf ball 100 so that it flies in a correct target direction to reach a desired distance.
The marked lines used as direction-sighting indications according to a conventional art have been printed on the outer surface of a golf ball. As well known to those skilled in the art, the outer surface of a golf ball is formed with hundreds of dimples (slight depressions or indentations formed on the outer surface) and thus it is not easy to mark lines on the outer surface of the golf ball so as to divide the outer surface into equal parts. If the marked lines are inclined to any side to be eccentric from the center of the golf ball, the golfer is unable to hit the golf ball in the target direction as desired. Further, it is not easy to correctly position a golf ball based on the marked lines, on the golf course. In addition, since the line-marking has been performed directly on golf balls through an additional process, about 60% to 70% of produced golf balls have been discarded in the course of marking the lines on the surfaces of the golf balls because correct line-marking has not been performed, which has caused the golf ball manufacturers a large amount of damages. Accordingly, there has been a heavy increase in production costs and a serious degradation in productivity of golf balls. Also, since the line-markings on the surfaces of golf balls are made with colors on the white surfaces of the golf balls for visibility, the surfaces of the golf balls on which trademarks and other normal signs, etc, are normally printed, seem distracting and disordered; this has not allowed the golfer to concentrate on a golf game, thereby causing the golfer to make an incorrect shot, contrary to the original propose of marking the lines on the surfaces of the golf balls. Since the golf balls with marked lines have caused errors in golf swings, a high percentage of incorrectly marked lines, poor productivity, bad visibility, impaired concentration, and low competitive power, the golf balls, the surfaces of which are formed with marked lines, have not been commercially successful although they are very effective in theory.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having direction-sighting indications, wherein a plurality of indicating holes (a kind of dimple), clearly distinguishable from the normal dimples in shape and dimension, are formed along equators on the outer surface of the golf ball during a process of forming the normal dimples on the golf ball, thereby producing indicating lines on two to six crossing points, whereby the golfer is allowed to conveniently sight a target direction to hit the golf ball.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mold for manufacturing such golf balls.
In order to accomplish the above objects, the present invention provides a golf ball having direction-sighting indications, including a first indicating line having a plurality of indicating holes distinguishable in shape and dimension from dimples formed on an outer surface of the golf ball, the first indicating line establishing a straight line extending along an equator on the surface of the golf ball to form a first direction indicating line, on which a starting point and an ending point are identical, and a second indicating line having a plurality of indicating holes identical in shape and dimension to those of the first indicating line, and establishing a second direction indicating line so that two crossing points with the first indicating line are formed and, at the same time, a first axis is formed through the two crossing points and a center of the golf ball.
The golf ball further includes a third indicating line having a plurality of indicating holes identical in shape and dimension to the indicating holes of the first and second indicating lines, and establishing a third direction indicating line so that one pair of crossing points is respectively formed with each of the first and the second indicating lines, and a second axis and a third axis are respectively formed through the two pairs of crossing points and the center of the golf ball.
In the golf ball, the first, the second and the third indicating lines may be preferably formed on the outer surface of the golf ball such that two or more first, second and third indicating lines are formed on the surface of the golf ball at equal angular intervals, with the first, the second and the third axes being respectively set as mutual axes of the two or more first, second and third indicating lines.
According to another embodiment of the present invention, the above objects can also be made by providing a mold for manufacturing a golf ball having direction-sighting indications, comprising at least one cavity, with a plurality of indication-forming projections being formed along an inner surface of the cavity to form a plurality of indicating hole on an outer surface of the golf ball so as to form at least two of the first, second and third indicating lines on the outer surface of the golf ball.

Golf ball having direction-sighting indications and mold for manufacturing the same


Cephalosporin compounds of the formula (I): ##STR1## wherein R.sup.1 and R.sup.2 may be the same or different and are a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group of 1-5 carbon atoms and A is a hydrogen atom or a nucleophilic compound residue or pharmacologically acceptable salts thereof have excellent antibacterial activity against Gram positive and Gram negative microorganisms.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cephalosporin compounds having antibacterial activity in a wide range including pseudomonas aeruginosa, and more specifically, it relates to cephalosporin derivatives having a (Z)-2-(2-aminothiazole-4-yl)-2-(1,5-dihydroxy-4-pyridone-2-yl) alkoxyiminoacetamido group on the 7-position which have an excellent therapeutic effect against diseases in humans and animals due to pathogens and are useful as medicines and veterinary medicines.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cephalosporin antibiotics are widely employed in the treatment of diseases due to pathogenic bacteria, but are hardly satisfactory in view of antibacterial power, antibacterial spectrum, clinical pharmaceutical effect etc.
The present inventors had previously discovered that novel cephalosporin derivatives having a 2-(2-aminothiazole-4-yl)-2-(1,5-dihydroxy-4-pyridone -2-carboxamido)acetamido group on the 7-position have strong activity against a wide range of pathogens in Japanese Patent Application Nos. 60-140989, 61-77893 and 61-77894. These derivatives especially have excellent antibacterial power against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and it is believed that the activity is derived from the 1,5-dihydroxy-4-pyridone-2-carboxamido substituent on the 7-position, and further on this occasion, the study on the 1,5-dihydroxy-4-pyridone structure has been developed and the side-chains on the 7-position have been intensively studied, finally to discover that the novel cephalosporin compounds of the formula (I) have a wide range of antibacterial activity against Gram negative bacteria including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and also have particularly strong activity against various .beta.-lactamase producing bacteria, whereby this invention has been accomplished.

Cephalosporin compounds and antibacterial agents


Ions are introduced into a Kingdon ion trap in which the ions can oscillate harmonically in a potential well in the longitudinal direction, essentially decoupled from their transverse motion by a Kingdon ion guide, which can consist of a drill-hole through the wall of the ion trap housing electrodes and a central wire. An injection potential is first applied to the wire, but once the heaviest ions of interest have been injected into the trap, the potential of the wire is switched to the potential of the housing electrodes, to trap the ions in the trap. The ions introduced into the Kingdon ion trap may come from a small ion cloud, located in a Paul trap.

The invention relates to devices and methods for the introduction of ions into electrostatic ion traps (Kingdon ion traps), in whose internal DC field the ions can oscillate harmonically in a potential well in the longitudinal direction, essentially decoupled from their transverse motion. Mass spectrometers can only ever determine the ratio of the ion mass to the charge of the ion. In the following, the term "mass of an ion" or "ion mass" always refers to the ratio of the mass m to the number z of positive or negative elementary charges of the ion, i.e. the elementary charge related mass m/z (or charge-related mass, for short). Various criteria determine the quality of a mass spectrometer, the main ones being the mass resolution and the mass accuracy. The mass resolution is defined as R=(m/z)/Δ(m/z)=m/Δm, where R is the resolving power, m the mass of an ion, measured in units of the mass scale, and Δm the width of the mass signal at half maximum, measured in the same units.
Kingdon ion traps are electrostatic ion traps in which ions can orbit around one or more inner electrodes or oscillate between several inner electrodes. An outer, enclosing housing is at a DC potential, which ions with a predetermined sum of kinetic and potential energy cannot reach. In particular, it is possible to use Kingdon ion traps as electrostatic ion guides. To this end, an inner wire electrode must be surrounded by an outer electrode in the form of an enveloping tube with open ends. These Kingdon ion guides may compete with the better known RF multipole ion guides, which are based on the effect of pseudopotentials generated by RF voltages. In contrast to these, Kingdon ion guides convey ions of all masses in the same way, i.e. they do not have lower or upper limits for ion masses. Kingdon ion guides should be operated under ultrahigh vacuum in order not to lose any ions, while RF ion guides are usually operated at vacuum pressures in the range of 10−2 to 10 pascal.
In special Kingdon ion traps, which are particularly suitable as mass spectrometers, the outer electrodes have the form of almost closed housing electrodes; the inner surfaces of the housing electrodes and the outer surfaces of the inner electrodes are designed so that, firstly, the motions of the ions in the longitudinal direction of the Kingdon ion trap are decoupled from their motions in the transverse direction as completely as possible and, secondly, a parabolic potential well in the longitudinal direction is generated in which the ions can oscillate harmonically. The oscillation frequency depends on the charge-related mass m/z of the ions.
Kingdon ion traps can be designed in which the ions can swing transversely in a center plane between one or more pairs of inner electrodes, as described in detail in document U.S. Pat. No. 7,994,473 B2 (C. Köster; GB 2448413 B; DE 10 2007 024 858 B4). In the text below, these ion traps will be called "Kingdon swing ion traps", or "swing traps" for short. Kingdon ion traps of the Orbitrap® type (Thermo-Fisher Scientific), as disclosed in the patent specification U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,346 (A. Makarov), can also be used, however; they are referred to as "Kingdon orbit ion traps", or "orbit traps" for short, in this description because the ions orbit around the single inner electrode.
In the present document, the term "Kingdon ion trap" refers only to these special types in which ions can oscillate harmonically in the longitudinal direction, essentially decoupled from their motions in transverse direction. They can be used as mass spectrometers by measuring the harmonic oscillations of the ions in the longitudinal direction with the aid of the image currents influenced by the ion movements in suitable electrodes, for example in split housing electrodes. From the image current transients, the oscillation frequencies of the ions are determined by Fourier transformation. From the ion oscillation frequencies, the masses can be calculated. Thus these types of mass spectrometer, as also ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometers (ICR-MS), belong to the general group of Fourier transform mass spectrometers (FTMS).
In the document US-2010-0301204-A1 (C. Koester and J. Franzen; GB 2470259 A; DE 10 2009 020 886 A1) which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, Kingdon ion traps of this category are described in detail and, in particular, devices and methods for the introduction of ions in such Kingdon ion traps are also disclosed. The advantages of the Kingdon ion traps, which particularly consist in a very high mass resolution, are also described. However, the high mass resolution can only be achieved if the operating voltage between inner and housing electrodes can be kept extremely stable, accurate to better than 10−6 over measuring times of at least several seconds. This voltage stability can best be maintained when the voltage does not have to be switched or changed in any way during operation.
For all Kingdon ion traps it is advantageous to inject the ions in the longitudinal direction at a location outside the potential minimum. The injected ions then immediately start to swing not only in the transverse x-y direction, but to oscillate also in the longitudinal direction z, without specially having to be excited to these oscillations. The z-position of the injection location of the ions determines the reversal points of the longitudinal oscillations. Thus, a special voltage generator is not required for the excitation of these oscillations in the longitudinal direction, i.e. no generator for "chirp" or "synch pulses", as is required for the excitation of the ions in ICR mass spectrometers.
The method of introducing ions into the Kingdon ion trap according to the cited document US-2010-0301204-A1 consists in equipping the Kingdon ion traps with an electrically insulated entrance tube, which completely surrounds the ions during their introduction and guides them through the housing. This means that the ions can be introduced with a kinetic energy and at a potential which does not allow them to reach the housing electrodes of the Kingdon ion trap during their motions after they have been introduced. The only point of the housing which they can reach again after executing a number of oscillations is the introduction tube, as long as it is still switched to the potential for the introduction of the ions. A voltage generator can switch the entrance tube to different potentials. If the potential of the tube is switched back to a potential which roughly corresponds to the potential of the housing electrodes, the ions keep moving on their oscillation trajectories: they are trapped for ever until being released at will. The tube thus acts as an entrance gate which can be closed.
To introduce the ions, they are first collected outside the Kingdon ion trap, favorably in as small a cloud as possible, and then accelerated to form an ion beam which is decelerated before the Kingdon ion trap, and injected with reduced kinetic energy, while the entrance gate is open. This process of ion transfer from the cloud to the Kingdon ion trap causes a mass dispersion, however: the light ions arrive in the ion trap earlier than the heavy ions. The ion introduction process therefore takes a certain time from the arrival of the lightest ions to the arrival of the heaviest ions of interest. The entrance gate must remain open for this period, i.e. the tube must remain at the introduction potential for ions.
There is a distinct danger that light ions will find their way back to the tube and be discharged at the walls of the tube before the heaviest ions have arrived. All ions move on the same trajectories, independently of their mass. As described in the cited document US-2010-0301204-A1, by selecting an advantageous ratio of a characteristic length to the diameter of the Kingdon ion trap (the "aspect ratio"), it is possible to ensure that the introduced ions can only return to the opening of the entrance tube after several longitudinal oscillation cycles, preferably after about three to ten oscillations. If they return from the intermediate longitudinal oscillations, their transverse position should be located in some distance from the entrance tube. The aspect ratio determines the ratio of the number of transverse oscillation cycles to a longitudinal oscillation cycle. With a favorable aspect ratio, it is possible to extend the time until the lightest ions return to the tube so that even the heaviest ions of the range of interest have entered the Kingdon ion trap.
The tube is also disadvantageous, however. In order to pass a tube with a sufficiently large inside diameter and sufficiently sturdy wall thickness through the housing electrodes, and to allow for the tube to be insulated, the hole in the housing wall must be quite large. This means that the disturbance of the field inside the Kingdon ion trap becomes quite large. Furthermore, it is difficult to send an ion beam with relatively low kinetic energy through a narrow tube so that few ions are lost in the tube by wall contacts. Therefore, there is still a need for a switchable entrance gate for a Kingdon ion trap with minimized ion losses and perturbing effects on the field distribution inside the Kingdon ion trap, and corresponding introduction methods.

Introduction of ions into electrostatic ion traps


A video editor for a video game is discussed. The video editor manipulates information of video game play to provide videos of game play and in some embodiments scoring of videos.

The present invention relates generally to video games, and more particularly to a video game including video creation capacity.
Video games create virtual worlds where people can simulate situations and experiences they may not otherwise be able to experience. Video games are enjoyed by many people, providing entertainment, excitement, and sometimes even learning experiences for video game players. Video game players perform simulated actions by operating different types of user-controlled interfaces, such as game controllers, other simulation input devices, or other modes of simulated input. User inputs generally dictate the flow and results of the video game, allowing the users to engage in a variety of virtual interactive visual and audio experiences. The virtual experiences may be based on real-life situations or may be entirely fanciful, and users may control simulated characters capable of performing tasks and engaging in scenarios ranging from near life-like to complete fantasy.
Video games may try to mimic reality, at least to an extent. For example, video games may present situations and scenarios which may only be experienced by a few, for example, sporting event stars or participants. Many video games provide users with somewhat realistic situations, but which may be performed with actions that are simpler to execute in the virtual world. These video games may provide a user with some aspects of control of movement of a simulated character in certain circumstances, for example, skateboarding.
In many instances, video game players may try to mimic real people they see on television. These real-life stars often create video clips and reels with highlights showcasing their unique skills or talents. While video games provide a means by which to simulate these skills and talents, video game users have had no medium to share their simulated highlights in a comparable fashion.


It is provided a control device of a vehicle power transmission device including a transmission capable of fixing a rotating member with either of engagement of a one-way clutch or engagement of an engagement device, the transmission having a predetermined shift stage formed on condition that at least the rotating member is fixed, if an input torque to the transmission is changed after the engagement of the engagement device, a torque capacity of the engagement device being temporarily reduced without changing the predetermined shift stage, and if a request for applying a driven torque is made during reduction of the torque capacity of the engagement device, the temporarily reduced torque capacity of the engagement device being recovered, and the driven torque being increased depending on a recovery status of the torque capacity.

A control device of a vehicle power transmission device is well known that includes a transmission capable of fixing the same rotating member with engagement of a one-way clutch and with engagement of an engagement device, the transmission having a predetermined shift stage formed on condition that at least the rotating member is fixed. For example, this corresponds to a control device of an automatic transmission described in Patent Document 1. The automatic transmission described in Patent Document 1 has a first speed gear stage (1st) as the predetermined shift stage (gear stage) and, at the time of normal start, the one-way clutch is automatically engaged to form the first speed gear stage. If acceleration is turned off during the first speed gear stage formed with such engagement of the one-way clutch and a driven state is achieved in which a drive power source side is rotated in accordance with a drive wheel side, the engagement of the one-way clutch is released. Therefore, during a so-called manual mode in which a shift stage is set based on selection through manual operation of a shift selection device, an engagement device (e.g., a brake) fixing the same rotating member (e.g., a rotating member A) as that fixed by the engagement of the one-way clutch is engaged so that the first speed gear stage is formed even in the driven state (i.e., a power transmission path is coupled (connected) between the drive power source and the drive wheels even in the driven state).
In this case, before start of the vehicle, the rotating member A is not rotated and the rotating member A may be eccentric due to its own weight relative to a supporting member (e.g., an input shaft or another rotating member). Therefore, if the brake is engaged during a manual mode, the rotating member A is fixed while remaining in the eccentric state. As a result, since the eccentricity of the rotating member A widens or narrows a gap between gears engaged with each other between members related to the rotating member A and the engaged gears come into contact with each other in a biased manner, gear noise and vibration may be increased as compared to the case that the gears come into contact with each other uniformly in a substantially aligned manner. In other words, noise/vibration performance (NV performance) may deteriorate. With regard to such a problem caused by engaging the brake in an eccentric state, Patent Document 1 describes that during the manual mode, the brake is engaged after a vehicle is started by actuating the one-way clutch to achieve the first speed gear stage. In particular, when members making up the one-way clutch (e.g., sprags) push an inner race toward the center, an aligning action of the sprags is implemented and, when the aligning action of the sprags becomes stable, the engagement state of the one-way clutch is maintained and, as a result, the rotating member A fixed by the one-way clutch is also aligned. Subsequently, the brake is engaged in the aligned state. This enables suppression of increase in gear noise and vibration.

Control device of vehicle power transmission device


Provided is a method of identifying a monitoring template for a managed service based on a Service-Level Agreement (SLA). A tag on a monitoring template is compared with a tag on a service template used for implementing the managed service, wherein the tag on the service template is based on the SLA. In response to a match between the tag on the monitoring template and the tag on the service template, a monitoring template is identified for the managed service.

Cloud computing has rapidly evolved as a new model of technology whereby a shared pool of configurable computing resources is offered in ubiquitous and on-demand manner to a subscriber. Generally speaking, cloud computing involves delivery of computing as a service rather than a product, whereby shared resources (software, storage resources, etc.) are provided to computing devices as a service. The resources are shared over a network, which is typically the internet. Cloud computing thus provides quick and scalable access to computing resources and information technology (IT) services.

Identifying a monitoring template for a managed service based on a service-level agreement

HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT LP


To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of producing a three-dimensional image of an object for an organ region within a range of elasticity values desired by an operator and allowing the operator to recognize the region easily, elasticity value data included in a desired elasticity value range among elasticity value data constituting a volume data are selected and rendered. Whereby, a three-dimensional elasticity image in the set elasticity value range is produced. An area corresponding to the elasticity value range is displayed on at least one of a two-dimensional elasticity image and a section image.

As described in Patent Literatures 1 and 2, a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits ultrasonic into an object, receives the ultrasonic reflection echo signal of a living organ from the reflected wave, performs signal processing on the signal to produce and display a monochrome section image (B mode image) of a diagnostic part having intensities as the ultrasonic reflectivities.
Patent Literature 2 has disclosed a technique involving performing three-dimension coordinate conversion from the monochrome section image and its taking position to obtain three-dimensional volume data including a plurality of section image data items arranged three-dimensionally and then performing volume rendering thereof to provide a monochrome three-dimensional image of a diagnostic part viewed from an arbitrary direction of line of sight. A disclosed technique of the rendering includes providing an opacity for each of voxels constituting the three-dimensional volume data in accordance with the value of the intensity of the voxel, sequentially accumulating the intensity values of the voxels on the line of sight until the accumulated value of the opacities of the voxels arranged on the line of sight reaches one, and using the accumulated intensity value as a pixel value on a two-dimensional projection plane.
Patent Literatures 1 and 2 have also disclosed a technique of determining an elasticity image of a diagnostic part. First, two frames of the monochrome section image are selected, block matching or the like is performed to determine the displacement of each point on the image between the two frames, the determined displacement is subjected to known calculations to determine the elasticity value (such as strain and coefficient of elasticity) representing the hardness for each point on the image. The magnitude of the determined elasticity value is converted into hue information based on a color conversion table to obtain the two-dimensional elasticity image representing the elasticity value as the hue.
In addition, Patent Literature 2 has disclosed a technique in which, in order to solve the problem of being incapable of obtaining a three-dimensional image of an inner lesion portion hidden by outer voxels having high opacities in a three-dimensional gray-scale image, an opacity is provided for each of voxels in three-dimensional volume data obtained from the monochrome section image in accordance with the magnitude of the elasticity value to perform volume rendering. This can provide the three-dimensional gray-scale image showing a hard organ more opaquely and a soft organ more transparently.
In Patent Literature 2, a plurality of two-dimensional elasticity images are coordinate-converted into three-dimensional volume data which is then subjected to volume rendering to produce a three-dimensional elasticity image. In the typical rendering method in which voxel values are simply accumulated, a problem occurs in which the elasticity values are accumulated to provide the three-dimensional elasticity image including distorted elasticity characteristics of a living organ, so that the intensity data of the monochrome section image is used to determine the voxel having the highest contribution on the line of sight, and the elasticity value of that voxel is used as the elasticity value of the two-dimensional projection plane to produce the three-dimensional elasticity image.
For the display method, the monochrome section image (two-dimensional) and the two-dimensional elasticity image are displayed one on the other in Patent Literature 1. In Patent Literature 2, the monochrome three-dimensional image and the three-dimensional elasticity image are superimposed into one image which is then displayed together with the monochrome section images in three directions on one screen.
Patent Literature 3 has disclosed displaying a monochrome section image and a two-dimensional elasticity image together on one screen and superimposing and displaying the monochrome section image on the two-dimensional elasticity image.

Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and method of displaying ultrasonic image


The present invention relates to a compound according to the formula:

This invention relates to solid support reagents useful for synthesis. In recent years, solid phase synthesis has emerged as a powerful tool in high throughput synthesis for the preparation of small molecule libraries and oligomeric materials such as oligonucleotides, peptides, and carbohydrates. More particularly, this invention is directed to solid support reagents and methods of synthesizing oligonucleotides having a modified 3′-terminus.
Current methods to introduce chemical modifications into oligonucleotides employ special phosphoramidite reagents during solid phase synthesis. The primary aliphatic amine group is one of the most widely used chemical modifications since it reacts with many commercially available labeling reagents. Attention has focused on modification of the 5′ terminus and a number of protected amino-alkyl phosphoramidites have been reported to incorporate an amino group into the 5′ position of oligonucleotides. Agrawal, S., (1986) Nucl. Acids. Res. 14, 6115; Connolly, B. A., (1987), Nucl. Acids Res. 15, 3131; Jablonski, E., (1987) Nucl. Acids Res. 15, 5275; Smith, L. M., (1985) Nucl. Acids Res. 13, 2399; Connell, C., (1987) BioTechniques 5, 342; Sproat, B. S., (1987) Nucl. Acids Res. 15, 6181; Sinha, N. D. (1988) Nucleic Acids Res. 16, 2659. Oligonucleotides modified by these reagents can be subsequently derivatized with fluorophores, biotin, and other molecules.
It is also well-known that the usefulness of oligonucleotides can be enhanced by modification at the 3′-terminus e.g., by including small molecular weight groups at the 3′-end such as the 3′-tailed cholesterol oligonucleotides of Letsinger et al. used to inhibit HIV-1 replication (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 86:6553-6556 (1989)) and 3′-tailed acridine oligonucleotides of Asseline et al. found to be stabilized intercalating agents which improved binding to complementary sequences (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 81:8297-3301 (1984)). The stability of 3′-modified oligonucleotides in serum may also be enhanced. For example, unmodified oligonucleotides are rapidly degraded by 3′ exonucleases in serum containing media.
Techniques to prepare oligonucleotides with a modified 3′ terminus are less convenient and more tedious than the better known methods to prepare 5′ modified oligonucleotides. Thus, useful synthetic methods for the synthesis of 3′-substituted oligonucleotides have been slower to develop. Nelson et al. Nuc. Acids Res. 17:7179 (1989) has described a phosphoramidite reagent which he states can be incorporated at any position in the synthetic oligonucleotide. However, Nelson has only demonstrated the use of this reagent to incorporate a primary aliphatic amine on the 5′-terminus of an oligonucleotide sequence. Nelson et al. Nuc. Acids Res. 17:7187 (1989) has also described the synthesis of a multi-functional controlled pore glass (CPG) which can be used to incorporate 3′ terminal primary aliphatic amines into synthetic oligonucleotides. This reagent known as Amine-On CPG (Clontech) is commercially available but has been reported to give unpredictable results (See, Petrie, et al. Bioconj. Chem. 3:85 (1992)).
Petrie et al. Bioconj. Chem. 3:85 (1992) has reported an improved CPG support for the synthesis of 3′-amino substituted oligonucleotides. This support, 3′-aminohexyl CPG (AH-CPG), allows for the direct synthesis of oligonucleotides bearing a 3′-aminohexyl substituent. Petrie utilized the AH-CPG support to prepare an 11-mer oligonucleotide and showed it to be a distinct product by both polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and reversed-phase HPLC. This AH-CPG method suffers from both slow cleavage from the solid support and amino group deprotection, which thereby limits the type of oligonucleotides that can be synthesized and often limits yield.
Reed et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,419,966 has also reported a controlled pore glass matrix (CPG) support for oligonucleotide synthesis which has the following structure:
where 1,3-dioxoisoindoline-5-carboxamide serves as a linking group between the CPG support and the oligonucleotide chain. The wavy line represents a carbon chain which covalently links the NH group of the carboxamide with the controlled pore glass matrix, X is 2,2′-dimethyoxytrityl or H, and R is alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroalkyl, or heteroaryl. The dimethoxytrityl group is removed from the CPG support by treatment with acid, and the oligonucleotide is built, step-by-step, in a conventional synthesizer after attachment of the 3′ end of the first oligonucleotide unit to the hydroxyl function connected to the R group. Because methods to prepare oligonucleotides with a modified 3′ terminus are inconvenient and more tedious, useful synthetic methods for the synthesis of 3′-substituted oligonucleotides have been slow to develop. Accordingly, there is a clear need for improved methods to prepare oligonucleotides with a modified 3′ terminus.

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, Y, Z, n, s, and t are as defined herein. These compounds are useful for methods of solid phase synthesis.


A pneumatic tire provided with a tread pattern, wherein a tread half which is one half of the tread pattern on each side of the tire equator is made up of repeat design units arranged circumferentially of the tire. The repeat design units have at least two different circumferential pitch lengths, and the repeat design units are each provided with at least one stud hole.

The present invention relates to a pneumatic tire provided with stud holes, more particularly to a combination of a tread pattern and an arrangement of stud holes (or studs) capable of improving snow and ice performances as well as noise performance.
In order to improve running performance on snowy roads, pneumatic tires provided with metal studs are widely used. In such studded pneumatic tires, the arrangement of the studs has been designed, attaching importance to the running performance on snowy roads, but almost out of consideration of the noise generated by the studs.


A microprocessor includes a cache memory and a grabline instruction. The grabline instruction specifies a memory address that implicates a cache line of the memory. The grabline instruction instructs the microprocessor to initiate a zero-beat read-invalidate transaction on the bus to obtain ownership of the cache line. The microprocessor foregoes initiating the transaction on the bus when executing the grabline instruction if the microprocessor determines that a store to the cache line would cause an exception.

Programs commonly use the REP STOS instruction of the x86 instruction set architecture to scrub memory, e.g., to fill it with zeroes, or to write a large amount of the same data to a video buffer. The amount of data to write specified in ECX may be relatively large such that many cache lines and even many pages of memory are written. The goal is for the processor to do this as fast as possible. Typically, the memory being written has a write-back memory trait, meaning it is writeable and cacheable. If the store area (i.e., the area of memory being written) is already in cache, the REP STOS will go much faster than if the store area is missing in the cache. This is because the processor must allocate missing cache lines, i.e., gain ownership of the cache lines and read them in from memory into the cache, which is very relatively time consuming.


A coin collection and analyzation apparatus has a coin track extending between a coin opening and an escrow relay which escrows coins and then diverts them either to a collection box or to a customer return. The coins are analyzed while passing along the coin track to provide an output for operating the escrow relay for determining whether the coin is acceptable or is to be rejected.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to coin validation methods and apparatus, and in particular relates to coin validation techniques useful for a coin telephone or a similar system employing an escrow relay.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are a variety of coin validation and authentication techniques described in the prior art.
A conventional coin telephone with coin validation means is shown schematically in FIG. 1 and referred to generally by the reference numeral 10. The coin telephone includes a housing 12, with a coin slot 14 at the upper front extremity of the housing 12, through which a coin 16 may be inserted by the customer. The coin telephone 10 includes a coin return housing 18, usually accessible via a swinging gate 20, and a coin collection box 22. (The customer return 18 and the collection box 22 are usually positioned side by side at the front of the telephone.)
The conventional telephone, as shown in FIG. 1, also includes a removable coin validator mechanism 24 and an escrow relay 26. The coin validator mechanism 24 includes two output openings 28 and 30, the first opening 28 positioned to permit a rejected coin to drop into the customer return 18, and the second opening 30 dimensioned to pass an accepted coin out of the validator 24 and into the escrow relay 26.
The coin validator 24 also typically includes a detection section 36 and coin tracks 32, 33 extending from the coin slot 14 to either of the exit openings 28 or 30. As is shown schematically in FIG. 1A, when the coin 16 passes through the coin detector 36, (note dashed line 34) if no action is taken to accept the coin, then the coin will simply pass through the exit opening 28 and into the customer return 18. On the other hand, if the coin detector 36 determines along path 34 that the coin 16 is acceptable, then a solenoid mechanism (not shown) operates an actuator gate 38, changing the path of the coin to that shown by dashed-dotted line 40, thus passing the coins through the second opening 30 and into the escrow relay 26.
If the coin 16 is in fact accepted into the escrow relay 26, the coin telephone may then either be operated by the customer, or alternatively the customer can operate a coin return mechanism (not shown) to eject the coin out of the escrow relay and into coin track 43 the customer return 18, as shown by dashed line path 42. On the other hand, if the coin telephone 10 is in fact utilized by the customer to make a call, then the escrow relay 26 deposits the coin 16 into the coin collection box 22, as shown by dotted line 44.
There are two difficulties with the above-described coin handling system in prior art coin telephones. First, such coin detectors frequently encounter difficulties with the electro mechanical actuator gate 38, which may become jammed or which may fail to operate, and therefore deter the efficient operation of the entire coin telephone. Second, a new class of public and coin telephones utilizes only the loop current along the tip and ring conductors from the telephone central office for powering all of the telephone functions. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,759,054 and 4,759,050. These so called "line-powered" coin telephones generate sufficient power to operate the escrow relay but may, under certain circumstances, be strained by the power requirements of the solenoid utilized to operate the acceptor gate 38 in prior art coin detector mechanisms.

Coin validation method and apparatus for a coin telephone or similar system having an escrow mechanism


A subgraph storage memory stores subgraphs populated with data classified into features based on data title; each of the subgraphs has a plurality of elements; each of the elements has a features with different values. For each subfeature of a plurality of subfeatures, the different values assigned to a combination of one of the elements and one or more features are used to create a method to evaluate the subgraphs on the one or more features, as a subfeature which provides scoring information on a subgraph. For each metafeature, plural subfeatures among the plurality of subfeatures are selected to be composited into the metafeature; and for each subgraph, the plural subfeatures of each metafeature are composited to provide metafeature scores. Selected subgraphs in a universe of subgraphs with metafeature scores are presented as context for comparing the selected subgraphs; each of the selected subgraphs has different selections of elements.

A non-trivial multi-objective optimization problem may involve inputting data into a network, for example information presented as 50 columns of data with (probably) inconsistent field names. Classifying the information and bundling the information under appropriate fields/categories involves machine learning. A user does not want to be bothered with the tedium of verbal classification of all of the individual pieces of data into the network.
Thereafter, conventionally, when trying to pick an optimal subgraph of the network, a user manually selects subgraphs on an ad hoc basis to try to achieve a preferred optimization objective.
Traditionally, single objective function optimization, e.g., linear optimization (based on a single column of data) is the standard approach for subgraph choice and analysis. In particular, linear optimization is the conventional solution to the problem of finding the "best" selection of elements to include in a subgraph. However, single objective function optimization, especially linear optimization, suffers severe defects in solving a problem of choosing an optimal subgraph.
For a non-trivial multi-objective optimization problem, no conventional solution exists that simultaneously optimizes each objective. The objective functions are conflicting, and in any event the number of possible solutions as a practical matter approaches infinity.
Combinatorial optimization may be conventionally employed to finding the optimal solution from a finite set of feasible solutions; these problems are familiar to mathematicians as the well-known minimum spanning tree problem and the travelling salesman problem. In computer science today, as a practical matter, these are some of the principal unsolved problems as a consequence of computational complexity and other issues.

Constraint optimization problem solving on subfeatures of a subgraph of a network with classification of features of verbal elements in subgraphs


The present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for recovering (recycling) carbon fibers from carbon fiber-containing plastics, in particular from carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs), preferably from carbon fiber-containing and/or carbon fiber-reinforced composites (composite materials), and also to the recycled carbon fibers obtainable by the process according to the invention and the use thereof.

The present invention relates to the technical field of recovery (recycling) of carbon fibers from carbon fiber-containing plastics, in particular from carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs), preferably from carbon fiber-containing or carbon fiber-reinforced composites (composite materials).
In particular, the present invention relates to a process for recovering (recycling) carbon fibers from carbon fiber-containing plastics, in particular from carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs), preferably from carbon fiber-containing or carbon fiber-reinforced composites (composite materials), and also the recycled carbon fibers obtainable by this process and their use.
The present invention additionally relates to plastics, building materials or cement-containing systems which comprise recycled carbon fibers obtainable by the process of the invention, or which have been produced using recycled carbon fibers obtainable by the process of the invention.
Finally, the present invention relates to shaped bodies (e.g. components), molds and sheet-like materials (e.g. nonwovens), in particular in the form of composite materials or compounds which comprise recycled carbon fibers obtainable by the process of the invention or which have been produced using recycled carbon fibers obtainable by the process of the invention.
In general, carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (also known synonymously as CFPs) in which a multiplicity of carbon fibers are embedded, preferably in a plurality of layers, as reinforcement in a matrix such as plastic can be referred to as fiber-plastic composites. As polymer matrix, it is possible to use both thermosets such as epoxy resins, acrylates and polyurethanes and also thermoplastics such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), polyamide (PA), polylactate (PLA), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), polyether ether ketone (PEEK) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC). However, it is also possible to embed carbon fibers in a matrix composed of ceramic (also referred to synonymously as ceramic fiber composites) in order to obtain thermally very stable components such a brake disks.
Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs) have a high strength and stiffness combined with a low weight and are preferably used in fields where high weight-specific strengths and stiffnesses are required. For example, CFPs are used in the aerospace industry, in the wind power industry, in vehicle construction or for sports equipment such as bicycle frames, speed skates, tennis rackets, sporting arrows and fishing rods. In building and construction, carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs) can be adhesively bonded in the form of lamellae on the surface of the component in order to reinforce constructions.
The strength and stiffness of materials or components produced from carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs) is generally, as in the case of other fiber-matrix composites, significantly higher in the fiber direction than transverse to the fiber direction. Thus, for example, the strength transverse to the carbon fibers can be lower than the strength of the matrix material used. In order to ensure a uniform strength and stiffness of the materials or components composed of CFPs in all directions in space, individual fiber layers are laid in various directions. For example, in the case of high-performance construction components, the fiber directions can be determined by means of computer calculations such as the classical laminate theory in order to achieve the prescribed strength and stiffness.
The primary carbon fibers (also referred to synonymously as virgin fibers) used in the production of CFPs are predominantly produced industrially from carbon-containing starting materials, in particular polyacrylonitrile (PAN), by stabilization reactions in air, subsequent pyrolysis in an inert atmosphere and subsequent graphitization. The stiffness and strength of the primary carbon fibers can be controlled in a targeted manner during the production process by means of the pretensioning and also the temperatures in the carbonization and graphitization, so that various fiber types are commercially available. Owing to their inexpensive production, HT fibers (high-tensile fibers) and IM fibers (intermediate modulus fibers) are predominantly used as primary carbon fibers. In order to improve the adhesion of the primary carbon fibers after graphitization, an oxidation of the surface of the primary carbon fibers can be carried out by means of an electrochemical treatment. In general, the primary carbon fibers are subsequently provided with a size such as an epoxy resin and collected together to form rovings. These rovings are wound up onto conventional textile spindles in a last step.
Depending on the length of the primary carbon fibers used, various processes can be used for producing carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs). CFP parts having long primary carbon fibers can generally be produced by means of resin injection processes (also referred to as resin transfer molding (RTM)). In a first step of the resin injection process, preforms which consist of one layer or a plurality of layers of woven primary carbon fibers in order to ensure constant strength and stiffness in all directions in space are produced. These preforms are, in a second step, admixed in a closed casting mold with a liquefied matrix composed of plastic and optionally hardener. After curing of the matrix and removal of excess edge material, the corresponding CFP components are obtained.
The production of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs) having short primary carbon fibers, in particular chopped primary carbon fibers, is generally carried out by means of injection molding. For this purpose, the chopped primary carbon fibers are mixed batchwise with a liquefied matrix composed of plastic(s), extruded and subsequently processed by means of injection molding to give CFP components.
However, the use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFPs) leads, in comparison with the use of similar components composed of light metals such as aluminum, magnesium and titanium, to considerably higher costs of the final product. This is related, in particular, to the complicated and costly production of primary carbon fibers from carbon-containing starting materials, in particular polyacrylonitrile (PAN). In addition, the worldwide consumption of primary carbon fibers for producing CFP components is increasing greatly, so that no significant reduction of the costs in the use of carbon fiber-reinforced plastics can be expected because of the high worldwide demand for primary carbon fibers.
Despite the high demand for primary carbon fibers, large quantities of primary carbon fibers which are unprocessed but have been preimpregnated with a plastic (referred to as prepregs or preimpregnated fibers), in which the plastic has been cured or which have exceeded the storage date, are disposed of as CFP-containing scrap.
In addition, large amounts of CFP-containing plastic scrap, which has to be disposed of, are obtained in the production of aircraft parts and parts for wind turbines and also as a result of modeling molds, production scrap, prototypes, incorrect batches and "end-of-life" components to be disposed of.
However, the disposal of CFP-containing plastics scrap in landfills is uneconomical because of the valuable carbon fibers present therein. Furthermore, it can generally be expected that the CFP-containing plastics scrap remains unchanged over a long period of time because of its chemical inertness and cannot be degraded in landfills. In addition, unlimited disposal of CFP-containing scrap is not readily possible or even prohibited because of legal requirements in many European countries.
There is therefore a great demand for inexpensive and efficient processes for recovering or recycling carbon fibers from CFP-containing scrap, in particular in the light of the worldwide demand for carbon fibers for the production of CFP components.
In the prior art, processes for recovering carbon fibers from CFP-containing scrap are known. However, these processes ensure the use of an inert atmosphere or the use of reduced pressure during the removal of the polymer matrix, and so sealed and complex devices and also complicated processes are necessary.
Due to the complex processes and devices, the costs for the recovery (recycling) of carbon fibers from CFP-containing scrap are high, with the processes described previously.
Furthermore, the CFP-containing scrap has to be pretreated in a complicated fashion, in particular by means of mechanical and/or chemical processes, before recovery (recycling).
For this reason, the use of recycled carbon fibers in CFP components has hitherto been possible to only a limited extent because of the mechanical pre-treatment, in particular the comminution. In addition, the recycled carbon fibers have a high proportion of pyrolysis and coking residues, which can have a negative effect on the incorporation into a polymer matrix.
Processes of this type in the prior art are described, for example, in DE 10 2008 002 846 B4, EP 0 636 428 A1 and DE 100 26 761 C1.
Processes for recycling carbon fibers from CFP-containing scrap on the laboratory scale are also known in the prior art. However, these processes are often complex and unsuitable for the recycling of carbon fibers on the industrial scale.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method and device for recovering carbon fibres from carbon-fibre containing plastics


The phased-array probe to be received on a probe receiving area of a wedge generally has a probe housing, a plurality of acoustic transducer elements disposed in the probe housing and distributed along a length of a working surface of the probe housing, and a matching layer covering the plurality of acoustic transducer elements and extending to cover an extended region of the working surface of the probe housing such that the matching layer forms a closed contact with an upper end of an acoustic damping junction of the wedge when the working surface of the probe housing of the phased-array probe is received on the probe receiving area of the wedge, wherein the closed contact prevents acoustic energy from being reflected from the extended region of the working surface of the probe housing.

For years now, ultrasonic waves (i.e. high frequency acoustic waves) have been used to detect cracks, voids, porosity, and other internal discontinuities hidden in solid material such as metals, composites, plastics, and ceramics, as well as to measure thickness and analyze solid material properties. For instance, phased-array (PA) ultrasonic testing is an inspection technique which is known to be nondestructive, safe and, by now, well-established in the manufacturing, process, and service industries.
Phased-array ultrasonic testing involves the use of a search unit, typically including a conventional PA probe mounted on a conventional wedge, for propagating acoustic signals in a part to inspect and for detecting echoes of the acoustic signals within the part in order to localize and size flaws that may or may not exist in the inspected part.
During use, acoustic transducer elements of the conventional PA probe propagate the acoustic signals within the conventional wedge and through a wedge-probe interface before reaching the part to inspect. As the acoustic signals refract at the wedge-probe interface, some portion of the acoustic signals are generally reflected within the conventional wedge, toward a given larger end of the conventional wedge, which may cause noise if reflected back at any one of the acoustic transducer elements. In order to prevent these undesirable reflected acoustic signals from causing additional noise in the measurements, the conventional wedge generally has an acoustic damping structure at the given larger end for damping the undesirable reflections before they reach any one of the acoustic transducer elements. Although existing search units are satisfactory to a certain degree, there remains room for improvement.

Phased-array probe and a phased-array search unit

Olympus Scientific Solutions Americas Inc.


An anti-icing system is disclosed. In various embodiments, the anti-icing system includes an inner duct having a first end configured to deliver heated gas to a plenum and a second end spaced from the first end; an outer duct circumferentially encompassing at least a portion of the inner duct; and a seal system disposed proximate the second end, the seal system including a first annular seal having a radially inner end positioned proximate a flange disposed on the inner duct.

During operation of an aircraft, atmospheric conditions may lead to the formation of ice on the surfaces of the aircraft. Ice formation on aircraft surfaces, such as on the inlet of a gas turbine engine nacelle, is undesirable and can lead to potentially compromised flying conditions. For example, the formation and accretion of ice on aircraft surfaces may adversely affect the performance of the aircraft by altering the shape of various aerodynamic surfaces of the aircraft. Further, ice accretion on the nacelle inlet surfaces of a gas turbine engine may detach and be drawn through the engine, resulting in the potential for damage to the engine.
To address the above concerns, aircraft may include anti-icing systems to prevent ice formation and accretion on, or to remove ice from, aircraft surfaces. One method of implementing such anti-icing systems is to direct heated gases from the gas turbine engine (e.g., engine bleed air) to interior or exterior surfaces of the aircraft, thereby increasing the temperature of the targeted surfaces. These anti-icing systems may use a double duct configuration to transmit heated gases from the gas turbine engine to the targeted aircraft surface, thereby minimizing the risk of damage to aircraft components (e.g., the acoustic composite structure defining an inner wall of a nacelle inlet) as a result of a ruptured duct. Due to the occurrence of thermal expansion and vibration within the double duct configuration, seal systems are used, for example, to exhaust the heated gases in the event of a ruptured duct and to prevent other fluids, e.g., fuel, hydraulic fluid and water, from entering the double duct configuration.
Preventing fuel, hydraulic fluid or water from entering an annular volume defined by the double duct formation, through use of seals (e.g., tortuous path or labyrinth-type seals), may be beneficial for anti-icing system designs that do not permit natural draining of such fluids, during all phases of flight, due to the location or orientation of such anti-icing system designs within the nacelle. Such features may also be beneficial for designs where attempts to minimize complexity and weight of the anti-icing systems do not permit natural draining of such fluids, which may otherwise result in safety issues.


An improved x-ray mammography diagnostic apparatus with a digital detector forming a preferably rotatable subject table having a first concave curved surface formed by several arcs with different radii on one side of the table and another concave curved surface formed by several arcs with different radii on either adjacent or opposite side of the same table, these two curved surfaces allowing to accommodate curvature of the human breast and curvature of the rib cage below the breast of each patient and permitting to take a complete x-ray reading and detection of all areas of the human breast under examination, particularly at all points of connection with the rib cage wall and in the axilla area. The second concave curved surface is configured to fittingly accommodate the curvature of individuals with different bodily dimensions than those that could be accommodated by the first concave curved surface.

The present invention pertains in general to the x-ray mammography apparatus and method. It particularly relates to the detector device utilized with conventional and digital mammography x-ray devices in order to improve the accuracy of the reading and diagnosis.
As the current medical profession battles to find a cure for breast cancer, x-ray mammography is widely utilized for the screening and diagnosis of breast cancer for millions of women throughout the world. With millions of women diagnosed with breast cancer, the ability to detect and diagnose the incidence of breast cancer as early as possible is absolutely essential. The mistakes or failures in detection end up barring the possibility of early treatment for breast cancer in the most effective manner, requiring expensive and significantly more dangerous surgical and other procedures and even causing death for some patients. In addition, the so-called xe2x80x9cfalse positivesxe2x80x9d are very prevalent with current mammography devices and systems, which often translates into unnecessary costs (for biopsy tests, etc.) and patient trauma.
Mammography, which usually means the radiological examination of the human breast, is typically performed with x-ray or other film/screen techniques. The film screen x-ray mammography technique involves directing a beam of x-ray through the breast onto a phosphor screen, which converts each x-ray photon into a number of visible photons that expose a sheet of photosensitive film, which is located in a close proximity to the phosphor, thereby forming a latent image of the x-ray pattern. The photographic film is developed to transform the latent image into a visible analog representation of the x-ray pattern.
While still widely used throughout the word, the film-screen mammography technique is known to have some shortcomings and limitations. For example, one shortcoming of conventional x-ray mammography is that the range of contrast of the photosensitive film is limited and fails to display the entire range of contrast in the examined human breast. Because the gray-level of x-ray film has a sigmoidal response as a function of exposure, it causes some difficulties in differentiating the contrast at the extremes of the exposure range (in the most radiodense and radiolucent areas of the photo image), thereby complicating analysis and diagnosis of soft tissue masses in those areas.
A more precise approach to the diagnosis of breast cancer had been proposed with the advent of digital mammography techniques, where the phosphor and film detector is replaced with a digital image detector, which provides a much wider range of contrast than photosensitive film, and where the contrast response is linear over the entire contrast range. This allows the digital detector of the mammography device to differentiate among very subtle variations in attenuation of x-rays as they pass through the soft tissue of human breast.
As shown in FIG. 1, a typical mammography apparatus 1 that is commonly used today has an x-ray housing 2 that carries an x-ray arrangement 3 (or an x-ray tube), a subject table 4 and a compression mechanism 5, with compression plate 8. A detector cassette 6, with photosensitive film can be inserted into subject table 4 in the horizontal direction. The housing 2 can be mounted on a rotary arm 7 that is rotatably attached to a movable stand (not shown), allowing the x-ray housing to rotate in order to be able to take x-ray measurements from the side. A more detailed description of a conventional x-ray apparatus is given in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,708 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,419, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
It is also known in the art that a detector cassette itself may serve as a subject table, in which case the compression plate 8 presses the examination subject against the upper surface of the cassette holder when the x-ray beam 9 is emitted by the x-ray tube through the subject breast toward the detector cassette.
One significant shortcoming of the typical x-ray mammography devices that are currently utilized and known in the art, which is common to both the film screen x-ray devices and those that utilize digital detectors, is that the shape of the subject table 4 and the detector cassette 8 (or detector plate in digital mammography devices) is always rectangular. Because the human breast, rib cage below the breast and axillia areas are not linear, when the subject breast is compressed between the subject table and the compression plate and the x-ray beams transmitted, detected and imaged, certain portions 11 or 12 at the far corners of the junction of the breast 10, as shown in FIG. 2 are not properly detected and imaged, thereby creating a potential for misdiagnosis or requiring that the diagnostic mammography procedure be repeated, thus, subjecting the individual to additional x-ray exposure and increasing overall cost of mammography procedures in the aggregate. In many cases, the rectangular cassettes (or digital detectors) also fail to properly image the axilla area, and, therefore, fail to detect cancerous growth in that area, putting the patient""s life at risk. If a cassette with a concave curved surface, formed by one arc with one radius, is utilized in a mammography cassette, the curved surface of such cassette would not be able to accommodate left and right curvature of human breast and curvature of the rib cage below the breast. Thus such cassette would not allow a complete x-ray reading and detection of all areas of the human breast under examination, particularly at all points of connection with the rib cage wall and the axilla area. Furthermore, one such curvature would not be capable of accommodating variations in shape of a rib cage and each breast in patient, as well as variations between individuals with substantially different physical characteristics. Thus, it is desirable to provide an x-ray mammography diagnostic apparatus and method that optimize the curvature of one or more sides of the subject table in such a way as to allow to take a more accurate reading of the left and right breast of an individual under examination, taking into account the different curvature of the breast and the rib cage on each side.
Therefore, there is a need for a simple and inexpensive solution to this problem that would allow a more accurate reading, detection and subsequent diagnosis of all areas of the human breast, particularly at all points of connection with the rib cage wall and in the axilla area.
It is further desirable to improve the accuracy of existing x-ray mammography devices and medical diagnoses based upon the images produced by such devices by providing a full and complete reading of all areas of the human breast and by avoiding significant technological modifications and replacement of thousands of existing x-ray mammography devices and the methods of their manufacturing.
It would be further desirable to improve the accuracy of existing x-ray mammography devices that use removable detector cassettes with photosensitive film, as well as those that utilize a stationary (and removable) digital detector plate as a subject table.
Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide an x-ray mammography diagnostic apparatus that utilizes a subject table (which also operates as a detector in digital x-ray devices) with at least one side having a concave curved surface that accommodates curvature of the human breast and curvature of the rib cage below the breast to allow a complete x-ray reading and detection of all areas of the human breast under examination, particularly at all points of connection with the rib cage wall and in the axilla area.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an x-ray mammography diagnostic apparatus that utilizes a subject table with at least one side having a concave curved surface that accommodates curvature of the human breast and curvature of the rib cage below the breast and also accounts for differences in breast and body curvature for different individuals, without sacrificing the accuracy of the x-ray readings and detection. It is a further object of the invention to accommodate the natural curvature of the human body in the axilla area, and to allow for a more complete examination and detection of the axilla for metastases.
It is still another object of the invention to provide an x-ray mammography diagnostic apparatus and method that optimize the curvature of one or more sides of the subject table in such a way as to allow individuals with different body proportions to utilize the same device and method and obtain a complete x-ray reading and detection of all areas of the human breast under examination, particularly at all points of connection with the rib cage wall.
It is a further object of the invention that the improved device and method according to the current invention can be incorporated simply and inexpensively into the design for the existing x-ray mammography devices, without significant and extensive changes to their structure or methods of manufacture.
It is still a further object of the invention to provide a more accurate x-ray mammography diagnostic apparatus and method for use in existing x-ray mammography devices that utilize removable detector cassettes with photosensitive film (with or without subject table), as well as with digital mammography devices that use both stationary and removable digital detector plates as a subject table.
In accordance with these and other objects, the present invention provides an optimum curvature for the subject table, which has the concave curved surface(s) on the side(s) of the subject table in order to accommodate curvature of the human breast and curvature of the rib cage below the breast for a complete x-ray reading and detection of all areas of the human breast under examination, particularly at all points of connection with the rib cage wall, as well as in the axilla area. The curvature of the concave curved surface(s) on adjacent or opposite sides of the subject table (or the detector cassette, if used as a subject table upon which subject""s breast is placed for examination) each is formed by two or more arcs with different radii and is optimized to allow individuals with different body proportions to utilize the same device and method and obtain a complete x-ray reading with a simple mechanical adjustment, such as a rotation or pivoting of the subject table around an axis. The additional concave curved surface on an adjacent or opposite side of the subject table has a different curvature, and is optimized to fit the curvature of the rib cage below the breast for a complete x-ray reading and detection of both breast areas for each patient, which naturally have different curvature, as well as to accommodate curvature of a human breast and rib cage of individuals with different body proportions.
These and other objectives, characteristics and advantages of the present invention will be disclosed in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Mammography device and method utilizing optimally curved support plate configuration for accuracy in imaging and diagnosis


A touch safe right angle power connector includes a header assembly that includes a conductive pin, an inner shroud that surrounds the pin, and an outer shroud that surrounds the inner shroud. The inner shroud has slots therethrough. The power connector includes a power terminal connector having a plug housing that has a cavity and an insert assembly that is received in the cavity. The insert assembly has a terminal body configured to be terminated to an end of a conductor of a power cable and is electrically connected to the pin of the header assembly. The insert assembly has a dielectric insert that holds the terminal body. The insert assembly has a shield that surrounds the dielectric insert and provides shielding for the terminal body. The plug housing has optional ribs which are received in corresponding slots to orient the power terminal with respect to the header assembly.

The subject matter herein relates generally to connector systems having power terminal connectors.
Power terminal connectors are used in different types of connector systems. One application is an automotive application, such as for connection to a battery of a vehicle. In some applications, spacing around the battery, such as above the battery, in front of the battery, to one side or the other of the battery, may be limited. There may not be room for a power terminal connector to extend into such space, or there may not be room around the battery to get a tool for connecting and un-connecting the power terminal connector to the power terminal of the battery. Additionally, connecting and un-connecting the power terminal connector to the power terminal of the battery may be time consuming or require special, expensive tools.
Some applications require touch safe connectors on both the header and plug sides of the power terminal connector to protect against inadvertent touching of the power carrying components of the power terminal connector. Touch safe tests are performed on the power terminal connectors to ensure compliance with safety regulations. The touch safe tests use a test tool to test compliance, which requires that the tool, which has certain dimensions, such as dimensions similar to a human finger, is incapable of touching the current carrying components of the power terminal connector. Current designs of such touch safe power terminal connectors are complex in design and have numerous components. The overall size of the touch safe power terminal connectors is big and are not robust.
A need remains for a touch safe power terminal connector that may be connected to a power terminal in an efficient manner. A need remains for a touch safe header assembly and touch safe power terminal connector with reduced part count, simple design, small size and/or robust design.


Machine (10) and method for treating containers (12) of liquids comprising in succession at least a loading station (15), into which the containers (12) to be treated are loaded, and all disposed according to a determinate first orientation, and a washing station (17), in which the containers (12) are subjected at least to washing and are disposed in a second orientation able to promote the fall due to gravity of the dirt and/or washing liquid present in the containers (12). The machine (10) comprises, downstream of the washing station (17) and outside it, a manipulator device (41) which automatically rotates the containers (12) exiting form the washing station (17) so as to reposition the containers (12) according to the first determinate orientation.

Machines are known which are used for washing containers of liquids, such as but not only, bottles, feeding bottles, watering troughs or others, used for feeding animals, such as for example guinea pigs or laboratory rodents or others.
It is known that, before washing, the containers are closed by suitable lids, or capsules; the lids are shaped with a lip to allow the animal to consume the liquid contained in the container, and the containers must be provided at the end of washing closed and filled with new liquid.
It is known to provide machines for washing the containers, which are structured with a support frame provided with a base resting on the ground and with a plurality of operating stations disposed in line with respect to each other, including a loading station for the closed containers, a station for removing the capsules from the containers, or de-lidding station, a washing station, a filling station and one to re-close the containers which have been washed and filled, by means of said capsules.
In the known machines, except for the washing station, in which the containers are closed in a washing chamber and undergo predetermined automated washing and rinsing steps, the remaining stations need considerable manual interventions and attention from the operators, in particular for loading, for positioning the containers in the filling station and for re-closing with the lids the containers which have been washed and filled.
These manual operations entail an increase in the overall times of the whole process of washing and filling the containers, as well as the need to employ different operators for the same machine, with a consequent increase in management costs.
Furthermore, the manual intervention may not always be precise and repeatable and may entail the risk of accidents for the operators.
It is also known to dispose and group together a plurality of containers in suitable washing baskets, so as to hold the containers in a desired disposition during all the operating steps of the machine.
It is also known to provide that the baskets define a plurality of containing cells for the containers, conformed to prevent the accidental exit of the containers from the basket, so as to be able to provide the upending of the basket inside the washing chamber, for example to facilitate dripping after the washing and rinsing step.
One of the manual operations which most entails an increase in the times and management costs of known machines is the step where the baskets are positioned upstream of the filling station in order to predispose the containers in the suitable filling position.
Indeed, the baskets exit from the washing station upended by 180° with respect to the initial loading position, that is, with the containers having the relative apertures facing downward. Said upending is due to the need to allow and facilitate the dripping of the washing and rinsing liquids, also from inside the containers.
For this reason, the operator in charge of positioning the baskets upstream of the filling station must, of necessity, rotate each basket by 180°, so as to bring the containers with their aperture facing upward and to facilitate the filling thereof due to gravity.
Said upending must be carried out with precision, because the containers must be in positions corresponding to the relative filling nozzles of the filling station, so as to guarantee a correct and complete filling thereof.
Furthermore, between the washing station and the filling station continuity is provided between the belts which transfer the baskets through the different operating stations, because different operating speeds are provided between the different stations. This operative embodiment can also entail a difficult and imprecise positioning of the upended basket immediately upstream of the filling station.
A system for manipulating bottles to be washed and filled is disclosed by the document FR-A-1039114.
One purpose of the present invention is to produce a machine, and perfect a method, which allows to remove the lids or capsules, if they are provided, to wash, fill and possibly to re-close the containers in a simple, economic and efficient way, in a substantially automated manner and reducing to a minimum the manual interventions of the operators.
Another purpose of the present invention is to perfect a device which allows to optimize the positioning steps of the containers downstream of the washing station and upstream of the filling station, guaranteeing an accurate and correct positioning of the containers on each occasion.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

Machine and method for treating containers of liquids, and manipulator device for said containers


A method of producing thin sheets that are stretched over a frame and have planar and smooth surfaces with a low density of defects, and to the use of such sheets for the production of X-ray masks, wherein the sheet material is applied to a substrate through the intermediary of a release layer, whereupon the sheet is connected with the frame and separated from the substrate. During application of the release layer to the substrate, an area along the entire edge of the substrate is left free of the release layer material but is convered by the subsequently applied sheet material. Thereafter the sheet is connected with the frame in a region overlying the release layer and is severed around the periphery of the frame. Finally, the sheet and frame are released from the substrate and any release layer material remaining on the sheet is removed. The resulting sheet and frame arrangement may then be used to form an X-ray mask by applying desired X-ray absorber structures to the surface of the sheet. Alternatively the X-ray absorber structures may be formed on the surface of the sheet prior to attachment of the frame.

The present invention relates to a method of producing thin sheets which are stretched over a frame and have a planar and smooth surface with a low defect density and to the use of such sheets for the production of X-ray masks as defined in the preamble of claim 1.
The periodical Solid State Technology (SSTEAP 27 (9)), September 1984, pages 192-199, illustrates and describes, on page 194, in an article by A. R. Shimkunas, entitled "Advances in X-Ray Mask Technology," a method of manufacturing an X-ray mask blank of boron nitride. In this method, a silicon wafer is initially coated with boron nitride on all sides. Then the central region of the rear side is etched away until the silicon is exposed and the wafer is connected with a Pyrex ring. After being coated with polyimide and metallization of the frontal face, the silicon is etched away from the exposed rear side so that a mask blank results in which a membrane is stretched which can be processed further into an X-ray mask. However, this method can be employed only for such sheet or membrane materials which are not attacked by the etching medium. Titanium, for example, is also etched away by conventional etching media for silicon.
The periodical, Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Volume 128, No. 5, May, 1981, pages 1116-1120, discloses in an article by W. D. Buckley, J. F. Nesler and H. Windischmann, entitled "X-Ray Lithography Mask Technology," on pages 1117 and 1118, a method of producing a titanium membrane in which absorber structures of gold are applied to the membrane by galvanoplastic means. To accomplish this, a glass substrate is initially provided with a thin layer of gold onto which the titanium is then applied. The titanium membrane is connected with a ring and is mechanically separated from the glass substrate. Then, the membrane is stretched and connected with a supporting ring. The free stretching of the membrane, however, is a difficultly managed procedure. Moreover, in this method, the gold layer remains adhering to the titanium membrane so that the X-ray contrast with reference to the absorber structures is reduced. A similar method is disclosed in European published application EP-B1-0,104,685 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,701,391.

Method of producing thin sheets and use of such sheets for the production of X-ray masks


A spring novelty item which has a head and appendages attached to a body by means of a spring connecting means so as to add dynamic and aesthetic beauty to any garden, kitchen or other setting.

Various novelty items are known wherein the novelty items represent various doll-like or whimsical figures wherein the appendages may have spring connections to the body. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,760,303 which is directed to ARTICULATED FIGURE TOY. In other instances a bird or the like having a body wherein the head is connected by a coil spring is shown in U.S. Design Pat. No. 337,358 entitled LINKING BIRD. While these prior art novelty items may be useful, there remains a need for a novelty item that can be more easily packaged and assembled.
Exemplary embodiments described herein are directed to a whimsical caricature wherein a body has associated therewith either wings, arms, head and legs each of which are connected by a spring means or coil spring having a K-factor that is relatively and selectively chosen such that, depending upon the weight of the appendage being supported, the same may be easily moved through vibrational or other forces impacted thereon relative to the body with which it is associated.
More specifically, one or more spring means are coupled to the body through upright support members. That is, these support members may be substantially perpendicular to the horizontal axis of the body. By providing upright support members, the appendages associated with the novelty item may be removed so as to facilitate packaging of the item. While one exemplary embodiment may be described in specific detail with regard to a bird and cartoon-like article, it is not to be so narrowly construed inasmuch as the same inventive concept may be applied to humans, vertebrates, animals, insects, fish or the like, it only being important that the appendages of the simulated article be connected to a body of a spring connecting means which may take the configuration of a coil spring. According to one exemplary embodiment, however, other spring configurations may be utilized just so long as the attributes of the disclosed exemplary embodiments are obtained.

Garden novelty with upright wing supports


A thermostatic massage pad includes: a thermostatic pad, wherein a thermostatic water pipe is arranged inside the thermostatic pad; a cooling pad, wherein a cooling water pipe is arranged inside the cooling pad; a casing, wherein a thermostatic water pump and a cooling water pump are respectively arranged inside the casing, a thermostatic water tank is arranged at a top of the thermostatic water pump, a cooling water tank is arranged at a top of the cooling water pump, a water inlet end of the thermostatic water pump is connected to a water outlet of the thermostatic water tank, and a water inlet end of the cooling water pump is connected to a water outlet of the cooling water tank; a thermoelectric cooler, wherein an end surface of the thermoelectric cooler is fixedly connected to a wall surface of the thermostatic water tank.

Pressure sores, also known as pressure ulcers and bedsores, usually develop in local tissues suffering from long-term compression, sustained tissue ischemia, hypoxia, and malnutrition. These tissues result in tissue ulceration and necrosis. Skin pressure sores are a common complication in rehabilitation therapy and nursing care. Due to poor heat dissipation in the contact area between the human body and the mattress, ulceration is developed in local body parts. Paralyzed patients having challenges in turning their body, patients after surgery and the like need a device that can promote local blood circulation at the part of the body under pressure and helps in heat dissipation.


A non-volatile memory device includes a semiconductor substrate having first and second bitlines buried therein. The first bitline serves as a source terminal and the second bitline serves as a drain terminal. An oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) stack is formed over the substrate. The ONO stack includes a charge storing layer having at least four charge storing cells therein. A pair of complementary conductive regions are disposed on opposite sides of the ONO stack extending in a direction perpendicular to the first and second bitlines. A wordline, which serves as a gate electrode, is disposed above the ONO stack and laterally between the first and second complementary conductive regions.

The present invention relates generally to the field of non-volatile memory devices and, more particularly, to a semiconductor/oxide-nitride-oxide on semiconductor (SONOS) type electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) device having at least four charge storing cells and a method of programming the same.
A pervasive trend in modern integrated circuit manufacture is to increase the number of bits stored per unit area on an integrated circuit memory core that contains memory devices (sometimes referred to as memory cells), such as flash electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM) devices. For instance, a conventional semiconductor/oxide-nitride-oxide on semiconductor (SONOS) type memory device is capable of storing two bits of data in xe2x80x9cdouble-bitxe2x80x9d format. That is, one bit can be stored using a memory cell on a first side of the memory device and a second bit can be stored using a memory cell on a second side of the memory device.
For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional, non-volatile, SONOS-type memory device 10, which includes a semiconductor substrate 12 having a source 14 and a drain 16 formed therein. A body 18 having a channel region 20 is formed between the source 14 and the drain 16. An oxide-nitride-oxide (ONO) dielectric stack is formed above the body 18. A polysilicon gate electrode 32 is formed over the ONO stack. The ONO stack includes a first or bottom dielectric layer 26 (often referred to as a bottom tunnel oxide), a charge storing layer 28, and a second or top dielectric layer 30. Within the charge storing layer 28, the conventional memory device 10 includes a first charge storing cell or normal bit 36 and a second charge storing cell or complementary bit 38.
The memory device 10 is operatively arranged to be programmed, read and erased by the application of appropriate voltage potentials. Typically, the gate electrode 32 can be coupled to a wordline (WL), the source 14 can be coupled to a first bitline (BL1), and the drain can be coupled to a second bitline (BL2) for applying the various voltage potentials to the corresponding components of the memory device.
Programming of such a SONOS device can be accomplished, for example, by hot electron injection. Hot electron injection involves applying appropriate voltage potentials to each of the gate electrode 32, the source 14, and the drain 16 of the SONOS memory device 10 for a specified duration until the charge storing layer 28 accumulates charge. Such a process, with respect to a NOR architecture SONOS device, is disclosed in co-owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,215,702, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
During hot electron injection, one or both of the charge storing cells 36, 38 within the charge storing layer 28 are programmed by applying appropriate potentials to the source 14, drain 16, and/or gate electrode 32. The applied potentials generate a vertical electric field through the top and bottom dielectric layers 30, 26 and the charge storing layer 28 as well as a lateral electric field along the length of the channel 20 from the source to the drain within the body 18. The lateral electric field causes electrons to be drawn off of the source 14 and begin accelerating toward the drain 16. As electrons move along the length of the channel 20, the electrons gain energy and, upon attaining enough energy, jump over the potential barrier of the bottom dielectric layer 26 and into the charge storing layer 28 (within the respective charge storing cells 36, 38) where the electrons become trapped.
While conventional NOR architecture SONOS devices are capable of storing two bits per memory device, there is an ever increasing demand to store even more data per unit area of a memory core.
According to one aspect of the invention, the invention is directed to a non-volatile memory device. The memory device includes a source and a drain, which have a channel region therebetween. A bottom dielectric layer is formed over the channel region and a charge storing layer is formed over the bottom dielectric layer. The charge storing layer includes at least four charge storing cells. Sidewalls are disposed on opposite sides of the charge storing layer. A top dielectric layer is formed over the charge storing layer and a gate electrode is formed over the top dielectric layer. A first complementary conductive region is disposed adjacent the first sidewall of the charge storing layer and a second complementary conductive region is disposed adjacent a second sidewall of the charge storing layer.
According to another aspect of the invention, the invention is directed to a method of programming a memory device. The memory device can include a charge storing layer having at least four charge storing cells. The charge storing layer is disposed between a top dielectric layer and a bottom dielectric layer. A gate electrode is disposed over the top dielectric layer. The bottom dielectric layer is disposed over a substrate having a source, which is coupled to a first bitline, and a drain, which is coupled to a second bitline. First and second complementary bitlines, which are disposed on opposite sides of the charge storing layer, extend along a direction perpendicular to the first and second bitlines. The method includes programming a selected charge storing cell by applying a voltage potential to each of the gate electrode and the bitline and complementary bitline adjacent to the selected charge cell.
According to another aspect of the invention, the invention is directed to a method of reading a memory device. The memory device can include a charge storing layer having at least four charge storing cells. The charge storing layer is disposed between a top dielectric layer and a bottom dielectric layer. A gate electrode is disposed over the top dielectric layer. The bottom dielectric layer is disposed over a substrate having a source, which is coupled to a first bitline, and a drain, which is coupled to a second bitline. First and second complementary bitlines, which are disposed on opposite sides of the charge storing layer, extend along a direction perpendicular to the first and second bitlines. The method includes reading a selected charge storing cell by applying a voltage potential to each of the gate electrode and the bitline and complementary bitline opposite the selected charge storing cell and grounding the bitline adjacent to the selected charge storing cell.
According to another aspect of the invention, the invention is directed to a method of simultaneously erasing at least four charge storing cells within a memory device. The memory device can include a charge storing layer, which contains at least four charge storing cells, disposed between a top dielectric layer and a bottom dielectric layer. A gate electrode, which is formed from a wordline, is disposed over the top dielectric layer. The bottom dielectric layer is disposed over a substrate including a source, which is formed from a first bitline, and a drain, which is formed from a second bitline. First and second complementary bitlines, which are disposed on opposite sides of the charge storing layer, extend along a direction perpendicular to the first and second bitlines. The method includes applying a negative gate erase voltage of about xe2x88x926 Volts or less to the wordline, applying a voltage of about +3 Volts or less to the first and second complementary bitlines, and coupling the first and second bitlines to a potential of about +6 Volts or less.

Flash memory device having four-bit cells