A body fluid sampling apparatus (A), comprising a piston (11) provided in a tubular main case (10), a first plunger rod (12) extending into the piston (11) integrally with each other; a first spring (13) elastically energzing the piston (11) toward the upper end side, a second plunger rod (15) installed in the first plunger rod (12) through a second spring (14), a lancet mounted body (16) provided on the second plunger rod (15) and having a lancet (B) mounted therein, a third spring (17) elastically energizing the lancet mounted body (16) toward the upper end side, latch mechanisms (20, 30) suppressing the second plunger rod (15) and first plunger rod (12) when the first plunger rod (12) is moved to the lower end side by he push-down of the piston (11), and a release mechanism (40) for releasing the locked state of the first plunger rod (12) and the second plunger rod (15).

The present invention relates to a body fluid sampler for sampling blood for example for measuring the glucose concentration in the blood (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cblood sugar levelxe2x80x9d) for example.
For the treatment of diabetes, it is necessary to maintain the blood sugar level to a normal range. Particularly for the treatment of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, a patient needs to conduct insulin injection by himself or herself to keep the blood sugar level to a normal range. In this case, the patient needs to appropriately check the blood sugar level to determine whether the blood sugar level is within the normal range.
Generally, for sampling blood to measure the blood sugar level, use may be made of a portable blood sampler which internally holds, at the tip end of the apparatus, a piercing needle called lancet. In using such a blood sampler, the skin of the patient is instantaneously stabbed by the pointed tip of the lancet. The patient causes the blood sampler to draw blood from the stabbed portion and applies the sampled blood to a blood test piece. In this way, the determination of the blood sugar level can be performed relatively easily.
Such a prior art blood sampler is disclosed in JP-A-5-95937 or JP-A-10-127610 for example. In the prior art sampler disclosed in the former publication, while the tip end of an apparatus body is pressed against the skin of a forearm, a push member is pushed down by a thumb against the repulsive force of a coil spring, thereby stabbing the pointed tip of a lancet into the skin under magnetic action. Thereafter, by retreating the pressing member together with the lancet, the pointed tip of the lancet is removed from the skin. At this time, the air in the interior of the apparatus body undergoes a pressure reduction to cause the stabbed portion to bulge for prompting blood bleeding from the portion stabbed by the lancet.
The prior art sampler disclosed in the latter publication solely utilizes the repulsive force of a spring for pushing down a push member provided at the upper end of an apparatus body to stab the skin with a lancet followed by skin bulging. In use, specifically, the push member provided at the upper end is first pulled up to make the apparatus ready for use. Then, with the tip end of the apparatus pressed against the skin of a forearm for example, the push member is pushed down by a thumb. As a result, the air within the apparatus body escapes to the outside through a non-return valve. When the push member is further depressed, the pointed tip of the lancet stabs the skin. By subsequently removing the thumb from the push member, the force of the spring causes the push member to move back upward. At this time, the interior of the apparatus body undergoes a pressure drop, causing the stabbed portion to bulge. Finally, the push member is pushed down again to relieve the vacuum state within the apparatus body back to the atmospheric pressure, consequently allowing the tip end of the apparatus body to be removed from the skin.
However, the above-described blood samplers have the following drawbacks.
In the prior art sampler disclosed in the former publication, the push member is depressed by one thumb with the tip end of the apparatus body pressed against the skin. In this prior art sampler, however, the air trapped in the apparatus body is compressed, so that a considerable power is required to push down the push member. Moreover, the push member need be pushed down by a considerable stroke. Therefore, the handling of the apparatus by one hand is extremely difficult for a patient having an insufficient force. Further, in depressing the push member with the tip end of the apparatus body pressed against the skin, the patient may fear that the pointed tip of the lancet stabs deeply in the skin particularly when the stroke of the push member is long. Moreover, since the prior art sampler is not provided with means for relieving the vacuum in the apparatus body, blood may splash in removing the pointed tip of the apparatus body from the skin.
Since the prior art sampler disclosed in the latter publication also samples blood only by the operation of the push member, it has the same drawbacks as those of the foregoing prior art sampler. Particularly in this prior art apparatus, the push member need be depressed again to relieve the vacuum state within the apparatus. Therefore, there is a possibility that the lancet stabs the skin again when the push member is excessively depressed.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a body fluid sampler which is capable of eliminating or at least lessening the above-described problems.
According to the present invention, there is provided a body fluid sampler comprising a cylindrical main case having a first end provided with a first opening and a second end provided with a second opening, a piston inserted in the main case to project from the first opening for movement within the main case airtightly with respect to an inner wall of the main case, a first plunger rod extending integrally from the piston toward said second end, a first elastic member for elastically urging the piston toward said first end, a second plunger rod extending from the first plunger rod toward said second end for movement within the main case with a compressible second elastic member interposed between the first plunger rod and the second plunger rod, a lancet mount associated with the second plunger rod adjacent to said second end for movement within the main case, the lancet mount being provided with a lancet oriented toward said second end, third elastic member for elastically urging the lancet mount toward said first end, latch mechanism which works, when the piston is pushed down for movement toward said second end together with the first plunger rod, for restricting movement of the second plunger rod toward said second end against a pushing force of the second elastic member and for restricting rebounding of the piston and first plunger rod which have been moved toward said second end while allowing the second elastic member to be compressed, and a release mechanism for releasing the first plunger rod and second plunger rod which have been latched by the latch mechanism.
Specifically, the latch mechanism includes a first and a second engagement members each of which has a stopper for stopping a corresponding one of the first and the second plunger rods, a latching elastic member for elastically biasing each of the engagement members toward the corresponding one of the first and the second plunger rods, and engagement portions respectively formed on the first and the second plunger rods, the engagement portions being spaced from each other by a distance which is larger than a distance between the stoppers when the plunger rods are held in an initial state, the release mechanism including a release button for simultaneously releasing the stoppers from the corresponding engagement portions against an elastic biasing force of the latching elastic member.
In the above-described body fluid sampler, the piston moves toward the second end of the main case when it is depressed by the user. As a result, the second elastic member is elastically compressed between the first and the second plunger rods, thereby storing an elastic restoring force. The engagement portion of the first plunger rod engages the stopper of the first engagement member with the first plunger rod biased toward the first end by the second elastic member. The engagement portion of the second plunger rod engages the stopper of the second engagement member with the second plunger rod biased toward the second end by the second elastic member. In this way, the both plunger rods are restricted.
Subsequently, the user pushes the release button of the release mechanism with the second opening of the main case pressed against the skin. When the release button is pushed, the second plunger rod hits or pushes the lancet mount downward due to the elastic force of the second elastic member. Thus, the pointed tip of the lancet instantaneously stabs the skin facing the second opening of the main case. The first plunger rod and the piston return to respective positions before the operation due to the elastic restoring force of the second elastic member and the first elastic member. As a result, the interior of the main case undergoes a pressure reduction to cause the stabbed portion to bulge for prompting blood bleeding from the stabbed portion.
In this way, according to the above-described body fluid sampling apparatus, the preparation for launching the lancet B can be completed by depressing the piston before bringing the second end of the main case into pressing contact with the skin. Since the interior of the main case is held at the atmospheric pressure at this time, even a patient having an insufficient force can conduct the operation by one hand. Moreover, the stroke for depressing the piston is not so long, the user can handle the body fluid sampler easily without anxiety.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the release button is provided with a push portion projecting from a predetermined portion of a side surface of the main case while keeping airtightness relative to the main case.
With this structure, even when the release button is operated, the airtightness of the main case is maintained. Therefore, just by once pushing the release button, the stabbing of the skin by the lancet and the pressure reduction in the main case can be carried out instantaneously and easily without causing pain to the patient.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the main case may be provided with a vacuum relief mechanism for relieving a vacuum state within the main case generated by pulling back the piston toward said first end.
Preferably, the vacuum relief mechanism may be provided with a vacuum relief button partially projecting from a predetermined portion of a side surface of the main case, the vacuum relief button being elastically urged in the projecting direction while keeping airtightness of the main case, the vacuum relief button being pushed against the elastic urging force for allowing air passage between inside and outside of the main case.
With this structure, after the stabbing of the skin by the lancet and the pressure reduction in the main case are completed, the pressure in the main case can be returned to the initial atmospheric pressure just by once operating the vacuum relief button. Thus, the second end of the main case formed with the second opening can be easily removed from the skin.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the piston has an outer circumferential wall provided with an O-ring for closely contacting the inner wall of the main case.
With this structure, the airtightness between the piston and the main case is sufficiently maintained by the O-ring. Therefore, the pressure within the main case can be sufficiently reduced by pulling up the piston to the initial position.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become clearer from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.


A method and an apparatus for transmitting a small size data packet efficiently while reducing signaling overhead in a mobile communication system are provided. The method includes determining to apply a low security transfer procedure, transmitting, to a base station, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection request message including a temporary Data Radio Bearer (DRB) request to which Access Stratum (AS) security is not applied, receiving an RRC connection setup message, including a temporary DRB configuration, from the base station, and transmitting an Internet Protocol (IP) packet over the temporary DRB.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting a small size data packet efficiently while reducing signaling overhead in a mobile communication system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile communication systems provide subscribers with voice communication services on the move. With technological advancements, mobile communication systems have evolved to support high speed data communication services as well as the standard voice communication services.
Recently, as one of the next generation mobile communication system, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is standardized by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE is a technology designed to provide high speed packet-based communication of up to 100 Mbps and standardized almost completely now with the aim at commercial deployment in the near future.
The commercialization of diverse packet services creates an environment in which a small size packet occurs sporadically. In a mobile communication system, such as LTE, it is inevitable to configure a signaling connection and data bearer to transmit the packets even though the packet is so small in size. Such configuration procedure requires frequent message exchange and thus, as the number of terminals performing connection establishment procedure for small size data transmission/reception increases, the frequent control message exchange causes significant network overload and degradation of battery performance of the terminal.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and an apparatus for transmitting a small size data packet efficiently while reducing signaling overhead in a mobile communication system.
The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present invention.

Method and apparatus for supporting multiple frequency bands efficiently in mobile communication system


According to one embodiment, a storage device is disclosed. The storage device includes a substrate, a first connector provided on the substrate and including a notch, and a nonvolatile memory provided on the substrate. The storage device further includes a first conductive part provided on the first connector and being adjacent to the notch.

A solid state drive (SSD) has been known as one of storage devices. The SSD is to be connected to an information processing device, such as a personal computer and server. The SSD is supplied with power from the information processing device in a state in which the SSD is connected to the information processing device.

Storage device and information processing device


Compounds which are antagonists of MCP-1 function and are useful in the prevention or treatment of chronic or acute inflammatory or autoimmune diseases, especially those associated with aberrant lymphocyte or monocyte accumulation such as arthritis, asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetic nephropathy, inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis, nephrtitis, pancreatitis, pulmonary fibrosis, psoriasis, restenosis, and transplant rejection; pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds; and the use of these compounds and compositions in the prevention or treatment of such diseases.

Chemokines: Structure and Function
The migration of leukocytes from blood vessels into diseased tissues is an important process in the initiation of normal inflammatory responses to certain stimuli or insults to the immune system. However, this process is also involved in the onset and progression of life-threatening inflammatory and autoimmune diseases; blocking leukocyte recruitment in these disease states, therefore, can be an effective therapeutic strategy.
The mechanism by which leukocytes leave the bloodstream and accumulate at inflammatory sites involves three distinct steps: (1) rolling, (2) arrest and firm adhesion, and (3) transendothelial migration [Springer, Nature 346:425-433 (1990); Lawrence and Springer, Cell 65:859-873 (1991); Butcher, Cell 67:1033-1036 (1991)]. The second step is mediated at the molecular level by chemoattractant receptors on the surface of leukocytes which bind chemoattractant cytokines secreted by proinflammatory cells at the site of damage or infection. Receptor binding activates leukocytes, increases their adhesiveness to the endothelium, and promotes their transmigration into the affected tissue, where they can secrete inflammatory and chemoattractant cytokines and degradative proteases that act on the subendothelial matrix, facilitating the migration of additional leukocytes to the site of injury.
The chemoattractant cytokines, collectively known as "chemokines," are a large family of low molecular weight (8 to 10 kD) proteins that share the ability to stimulate directed cell migration ("chemotaxis") [Schall, Cytokine 3:165-183 (1991); Murphy, Rev Immun 12:593-633 (1994)].
Chemokines are characterized by the presence of four conserved cysteine residues and are grouped into two main subfamilies based on whether the two amino-terminal cysteines are separated by one amino acid (CXC subfamily, also known as α-chemokines) or immediately adjacent to each other (CC subfamily, also referred to as β-chemokines) [Baggiolini et al., Adv Immunol 55:97-179 (1994); Baggiolini et al., Annu Rev Immunol 15:675-705 (1997); Deng et al., Nature 381:661-666 (1996); Luster, New Engl J Med 338:436445 (1998); Saunders and Tarby, Drug Discovery Today 4:80-92 (1999)].
The chemokines of the CXC subfamily, represented by IL-8, are produced by a wide range of cells and act predominantly on neutrophils as mediators of acute inflammation. The CC chemokines, which include MCP-1, RANTES, MIP-1α, and MIP-1β, are also produced by a variety of cells, but these molecules act mainly on monocytes and lymphocytes in chronic inflammation.
Like many cytokines and growth factors, chemokines utilize both high and low affinity interactions to elicit fill biological activity. Studies performed with labeled ligands have identified chemokine binding sites ("receptors") on the surface of neutrophils, monocytes, T cells, and eosinophils with affinities in the 500 pM to 10 nM range [Kelvin et al., J Leukoc Biol 54:604-612 (1993); Murphy, Annu Rev Immunol 12:593-633 (1994); Raport et al., J Leukoc Biol 59:18-23 (1996); Premack and Schall, Nature Med 2:1174-1178 (1996)]. The cloning of these receptors has revealed that cell surface high-affinity chemokine receptors belong to the seven transmembrane ("serpentine") G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily.
Chemokine receptors are expressed on different cell types, including non-leukocyte cells. Some receptors are restricted to certain cells (e.g., the CXCR1 receptor is predominantly restricted to neutrophils), whereas others are more widely expressed (e.g., the CCR2 receptor is expressed on monocytes, T cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells, and basophils).
Given that at least twice as many chemokines have been reported to date as there are receptors, there is a high degree of redundancy in the ligands and, not surprisingly, most chemokine receptors are rather promiscuous with regard to their binding partners. For example, both MIP-1α and RANTES bind to the CCR1 and CCR5 receptors, while IL-8 binds to the CXCR1 and CXCR2 receptors. Although most chemokines receptors bind more than one chemokine, CC receptors bind only CC chemokines, and CXC receptors bind only CXC chemokines. This ligand-receptor restriction may be related to the structural differences between CC and CXC chemokines, which have similar primary, secondary, and tertiary structures, but different quaternary structures [Lodi et al., Science 263:1762-1767 (1994)].
The binding of chemokines to their serpentine receptors is transduced into a variety of biochemical and physiological changes, including inhibition of cAMP synthesis, stimulation of cytosolic calcium influx, upregulation or activation of adhesion proteins, receptor desensitization and internalization, and cytoskeletal rearrangements leading to chemotaxis [Vaddi et al., J Immunol 153:4721-4732 (1994); Szabo et al., Eur J Immunol 27:1061-1068 (1997); Campbell et al., Science 279:381-384 (1998); Aragay et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:2985-2990 (1998); Franci et al., J Immunol 157:5606-5612 (1996); Aramori et al., EMBO J 16:4606-4616 (1997); Haribabu et al., J Biol Chem 272:28726-28731 (1997); Newton et al., Methods Enzymol 287:174-186 (1997)]. In the case of macrophages and neutrophils, chemokine binding also triggers cellular activation, resulting in lysozomal enzyme release and generation of toxic products from the respiratory burst [Newton et al., Methods Enzymol 287:174-186 (1997); Zachariae et al., J Exp Med 171:2177-2182 (1990); Vaddi et al., J Leukocyte Biol 55:756-762 (1994)]. The molecular details of the chemokine-receptor interactions responsible for inducing signal transduction, as well as the specific pathways that link binding to the above-mentioned physiological changes, are still being elucidated. Notwithstanding the complexity of these events, it has been shown that in the case of the MCP-1/CCR2 interaction, specific molecular features of MCP-1 can induce different conformations in CCR2 that are coupled to separate post-receptor pathways [Jarnagin et al., Biochemisty 38:16167-16177 (1999)]. Thus, it should be possible to identify ligands that inhibit chemotaxis without affecting other signaling events.
In addition to their high-affinity seven transmembrane GPCRs, chemokines of both subfamilies bind to various extracellular matrix proteins such as the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) heparin, chondroitin sulfate, heparan sulfate, and dermatan sulfate with affinities in the middle nanomolar to millimolar range. These low-affinity chemokine-GAG interactions are believed to be critical not only for conformational activation of the ligands and presentation to their high-affinity serpentine receptors, but also for the induction of stable chemokine gradients that may function to stimulate haptotaxis (i.e., the migration of specific cell subtypes in response to a ligand gradient that is affixed upon the surface of endothelial cells or embedded within the extracellular matrix) [Witt and Lander, Curr Biol 4:394-400 (1994); Rot, Eur J Immunol 23:303-306 (1993); Webb et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 90:7158-7162 (1993); Tanaka et al, Nature 361:79-82 (1993); Gilat et al., J Immunol 153:4899-4906 (1994)]. Similar ligand-GAG interactions have been described for a variety of cytokines and growth factors, including the various members of the FGF family, hepatocyte growth factor, IL-3 and IL-7, GM-CSF, and VEGF [Roberts et al., Nature 332:376-378 (1988); Gilat et al., Immunol Today 17:16-20 (1996); Clarke et al., Cytokine 7:325-330 (1995); Miao et al., J Biol Chem 271:4879-4886 (1996); Vlodavsky et al., Cancer Metastasis Rev 15:177-186 (1996)].
MCP-1 and Diseases
Chemokines have been implicated as important mediators of allergic, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders and diseases, such as asthma, atherosclerosis, glomerulonephritis, pancreatitis, restenosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetic nephropathy, pulmonary fibrosis, and transplant rejection. Accordingly, it has been postulated that the use of antagonists of chemokine function may help reverse or halt the progression of these disorders and diseases.
In particular, elevated expression of MCP-1 has been observed in a number of chronic inflammatory diseases [Proost et al., Int J Clin Lab Res 26:211-223 (1996); Taub, D. D. Cytokine Growth Factor Rev 7:355-376 (1996)] including rheumatoid arthritis [Robinson et al., Clin Exp Immunol 101:398-407 (1995); Hosaka et al., ibid. 97:451-457 (1994); Koch et al., J Clin Invest 90:772-779 (1992); Villiger et al., J Immunol 149:722-727 (1992)], asthma [Hsieh et al., J Allergy Clin Immunol 98:580-587 (1996); Alam et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med 153:1398-1404 (1996); Kurashima et al., J Leukocte Biol 59:313-316 (1996); Sugiyama et al., Eur Respir J 8:1084-1090 (1995)], and atherosclerosis [Yla-Herttuala et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88:5252-5256 (1991); Nelken et al., J Clin Invest 88:1121-1127 (1991)].
MCP-1 appears to play a significant role during the early stages of allergic responses because of its ability to induce mast cell activation and LTC4 release into the airway, which directly induces AHR (airways hyper-responsiveness) [Campbell et al., J Immunol 163:2160-2167 (1999)].
MCP-1 has been found in the lungs of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and is thought to be responsible for the influx of mononuclear phagocytes and the production of growth factors that stimulate mesenchymal cells and subsequent fibrosis [Antoniades et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 89:5371-5375 (1992)]. In addition, MCP-1 is also involved in the accumulation of monocytes in pleural effusions, which is associated with both Mycobactenium tuberculosis infection and malignancy [Strieter et al., J Lab Clin Med 123:183-197 (1994)].
MCP-1 has also been shown to be constitutively expressed by synovial fibroblasts from rheumatoid arthritis patients, and its levels are higher in rheumatoid arthritis joints compared to normal joints or those from other arthritic diseases [Koch et al., J Clin Invest 90:772-779 (1992)]. These elevated levels of MCP-1 are probably responsible for the monocyte infiltration into the synovial tissue. Increased levels of synovial MIP-1α and RANTES have also been detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis [Kundel et al., J Leukocyte Biol 59:6-12 (1996)].
MCP-1 also plays a critical role in the initiation and development of atherosclerotic lesions. MCP-1 is responsible for the recruitment of monocytes into atherosclerotic areas, as shown by immunohistochemistry of macrophage-rich arterial wall [Yla-Herttuala et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88:5252-5256 (1991); Nelken et al., J Clin Invest 88:1121-1127 (1991)] and anti-MCP-1 antibody detection [Takeya et al., Human Pathol 24:534-539 (1993)]. LDL-receptor/MCP-1-deficient and apoB-transgenic/-MCP-1-deficient mice show significantly less lipid deposition and macrophage accumulation throughout their aortas compared with wild-type MCP-1 strains [Alcami et al., J Immunol 160:624-633 (1998); Gosling et al., J Clin Invest 103:773-778 (1999); Gu et al., Mol. Cell. 2:275-281 (1998); Boring et al., Nature 394:894-897 (1998).
Other inflammatory diseases marked by specific site elevations of MCP-1 include multiple sclerosis (MS), glomerulonephritis, and stroke.
These findings suggest that the discovery of compounds that block MCP-1 activity would be beneficial in treating inflammatory diseases.
Antagonists of Chemokine Function
Most chemokine antagonists reported to date are either neutralizing antibodies to specific chemokines or receptor-ligand antagonists, that is, agents that compete with specific chemokines for binding to their cognate serpentine receptors but, unlike the chemokines themselves, do not activate these receptors towards eliciting a functional response [Howard et al., Trend Biotechnol 14:46-51 (1996)].
The use of specific anti-chemokine antibodies has been shown to curtail inflammation in a number of animal models (e.g., anti-MIP-1α in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis [Smith et al., Leukocyte Biol 57:782-787 (1994)]; anti-IL-8 in reperfusion injury [Sekido et al., Nature 365:654-657 (1995)], and anti-MCP-1 in a rat model of glomerulonephritis [Wada et al., FASEB J 10:1418-1425 (1996)]). In the MRL-lpr mouse arthritis model, administration of an MCP-1 antagonist significantly reduced the overall histopathological score after the early onset of the disease [Gong et al., J Exp Med 186:131-137 (1997)].
A major problem associated with using antibodies to antagonize chemokine function is that they must be humanized before use in chronic human diseases. Furthermore, the ability of multiple chemokines to bind and activate a single receptor forces the development of a multiple antibody strategy or the use of cross-reactive antibodies in order to completely block or prevent pathological conditions.
Several small molecule antagonists of chemokine receptor function have been reported in the scientific and patent literature [White, J. Biol Chem 273:10095-10098 (1998); Hesselgesser, J. Biol Chem 273:15687-15692 (1998); Bright et al., Bioorg Med Chem Lett 8:771-774 (1998); Lapierre, 26th Natl Med Chem Symposium, June 14-18, Richmond (Va.), USA (1998); Forbes et al., Bioor Med Chem Lett 10:1803-18064 (2000); Kato et al., WO 97/24325; Shiota et al., WO 97/44329; Naya et al., WO 98/04554; Takeda Industries, JP 09-55572 (1998); Schwender et al., WO 98/02151; Hagmann et al., WO 98/27815; Connor et al., WO 98/06703; Wellington et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,288,103].
The specificity of the chemokine receptor antagonists, however, suggests that inflammatory disorders characterized by multiple or redundant chemokine expression profiles will be relatively more refractory to treatment by these agents.
A different approach to target chemokine function would involve the use of compounds that disrupt the chemokine-GAG interaction. One class of such agents with potential therapeutic application would consist of small organic molecules that bind to the chemokine low affinity GAG-binding domain.
Compounds of this class might not inhibit binding of the chemokine to its high-affinity receptor per se, but would disrupt chemokine localization within the extracellular matrix and provide an effective block for directed leukocyte-taxis within tissues. An advantage of this strategy is the fact that most CC and CXC chemokines possess similar C-terminal protein folding domains that define the GAG-binding site, and, hence, such compounds would be more useful for the treatment of inflammatory disorders induced by multiple, functionally redundant chemokines [McFadden and Kelvin, Biochem Pharmacol 54:1271-1280 (1997)].
The use of small molecule drugs to bind cytokine ligands and disrupt interactions with extracellular GAGs has been reported with FGF-dependent angiogenesis [Folkman and Shing, Adv Exp Med Biol 313:355-364 (1992)]. For example, the heparnoids suramin and pentosan polysulfate both inhibit angiogenesis under conditions where heparin is either ineffective or even stimulatory [Wellstein and Czubayko, Breast Cancer Res Treat 38:109-119 (1996)]. In the case of suramin, the anti-angiogenic capacity of the drug has also been shown to be targeted against VEGF [Waltenberger et al., J Mol Cell Cardiol 28:1523-1529 (1996)] which, like FGF, possesses heparin-binding domains similar to those of the chemokines. Heparin or heparin sulfate has also been shown to directly compete for GAG interactions critical for T-cell adhesion mediated by MIP-1β in vitro Tanaka et al., Nature 361:79-82 (1993)].
The disclosures of all documents referred to throughout this application are incorporated herein by reference.

Antagonists of MCP-1 function and methods of use thereof


A timepiece wheel governor for regulating the pivoting speed (ω) of a wheel set, about a pivot axis, including a pivoting inertia-block. It includes a spring to return this block towards this axis, and, when the wheel set pivots at a lower speed than a reference speed (ωc), this block remains confined within a first volume of revolution, and, when the wheel set pivots at a higher speed than the reference speed (ωc), this block is engaged, in one peripheral portion thereof, in a second volume contiguous with and external to the first one, this peripheral portion cooperating in this second volume with a regulator arranged to brake the wheel set and return the pivoting speed (ω) thereof to the reference speed (ωc), and to dissipate the surplus energy.

The manufacture of timepieces, or musical boxes including a musical movement and/or a striking mechanism with complications, requires the use of mechanisms having an operating regularity of comparable quality to that of the timepiece movement in which they are contained, at least during the course of a musical or striking cycle where, although an unchanging duration in the cycle time is not sought, the rhythm imposed on the musical or striking sequence must imperatively be observed. Indeed, any defect is audible and unpleasant for the user, especially if the timepiece is an expensive one.
An energy source, generally formed by a strike barrel, generally supplies energy to raise one or several hammers to strike gongs, resonators, or bells, or even a sound box in the case of a musical box. The vibration of these gongs or suchlike is transmitted to the middle part, bezels and crystal of the timepiece, which radiate in the air. The energy is generally called for by a cam or toothed device, such as a simple or multiple strike wheel set, actuated by a lever or a trigger device controlled by the timepiece movement or by the user in the case of an alarm clock function or alarm. The amount of energy used for winding a hammer is very high in comparison to that necessary for the operation of the timepiece movement. Also the energy source of the striking mechanism, generally a barrel spring, has to be generously dimensioned to avoid the user having to wind or recharge too frequently, whether the energy source is mechanical, electrical or of another type.
The energy used by the striking mechanism is characterized by instantaneous peaks in consumption, which also influences the large size of the energy source, to ensure fatigue resistance.
Moreover, it is not unusual for the striking mechanism to experience racing, under the combined effect, on the one hand of the abrupt release of a large amount of energy broadly available in the energy source, and on the other hand of inertia. The consequences are detrimental, in particular as regards the nature of the following striking sequence, which may be incorrect. Or the following strike may not occur at the right time, which is more serious.
To prevent racing in pendulums and clocks, it is known to use a fly which brakes the rotation by air friction. These devices require space and cannot be properly integrated in watches.
Regulation of the striking tempo, or melody as appropriate, is achieved by a governor, which stabilises the let down speed of the barrel used for the strike, which may be the barrel of the movement, or a separate barrel, as is generally the case in pendulums.
The known governors for striking mechanisms are thus based on friction, or on shocks. They are often difficult to make, imprecise as regards speed, and very often noisy, which is unacceptable for an expensive musical or grand strike timepiece.
Any regulation of this speed, when it exists, is conventionally achieved with a lever system or with a mechanical governor with inertia blocks such as that disclosed in CH Patent No. 34 in the name of Barbezat-Baillot, which use a good deal of energy and may be bulky. Known governors are imprecise, and cannot precisely limit angular speed deviation.
The most compact is the lever governor, which is easy to make and adjust, using a simple stop pin. Generally, this type of governor operates at high speed, at around 100 to 150 oscillations per second, which results in 200 to 300 shocks per second. These shocks generate vibrations which are transmitted to the middle part, bezels and the crystal, which radiate in the air, like the chimes of the strike, with a noise that interferes with the sound of the chimes.
Further, these shock or friction based governors are difficult to make, imprecise as regards the regulated speed, and often noisy.
In short, in a timepiece including a striking mechanism or a musical box, and particularly in a musical watch or in a minute repeater watch, the variation in tempo is closely connected to the let down curve of the barrel spring. Consequently, in many cases, the chimes or music slow down at the end of the function, which is unpleasant for the user. Known governors require a good deal of space and/or are noisy.

Governor for a timepiece wheel set or strike wheel set


System and method for automatically controlling a media receiver by instructing the media receiver to use a particular receiver connection and to play a selected media unit using one of a plurality of play modes according to characteristics of the media unit. Media units may be encoded using any of a variety of encoding formats. The media management system may interface with a media receiver to select media receiver connections in accordance with the media type of the media unit. The media management system may also interface with the media receiver to set media receiver settings for playing the selected media unit according to the media receiver settings selected for a play mode corresponding to the characteristics of the selected media unit.

Media management systems are becoming increasingly popular among consumers of entertainment media who need assistance in managing their ever-growing collections of CD's, DVD's, MP3 files and media-playing equipment. Media management systems interface with a variety of sources of media. For example, a media management system may receive media from different CD-changers, different DVD-changers, the Internet, a CD player, a DVD player, a personal computer and a hard disk drive. Media management systems also interface with a variety of media players. For example, the same media management system may play media on a monitor, a television, and on different audio receivers. Media management systems are also typically able to display information about the media available on the connected sources of media on a user interface. The user interface allows the user to communicate instructions to play selected pieces of media.
Developers of media management systems aim to interface with as wide a variety of media sources as possible. Different media sources make media available in forms that provide different capabilities for enhancing the user experience. Web-sites on the Internet offer users the convenience of downloading music or other audio as MP3 files. Video works and music are now available on different types of discs such as DVD, CD, Super-Audio CD (SACD), WAV, MP3, DVD-Audio, etc. offering the user options such as choices in surround modes available to the user. In this regard, audio/video receivers now have a variety of inputs to allow a user to connect alternative media sources. A user may connect media sources, audio receivers and video players to a media management system to take advantage of the many options available to experience the media.
Providing such variety of capabilities imposes on the user the burden of learning and understanding the capabilities available on the user's media management system. Moreover, the user typically manually configures the manner in which a selected piece of media will be played each time it is played. For example, a user may direct an SACD disc to a 6-channel analog input on the receiver when playing an SACD disc. Then, if the user wishes to listen to an MP3 file, the user may manually configure the media management system to direct the output to a 2-channel input on the receiver. Such manual configuration for each type of media source becomes burdensome to the user.
Based on the foregoing, a need exists for automatically configuring receivers to play media using sound and video modes according to characteristics of the media.

Method and apparatus for remotely controlling a receiver according to content and user selection


A method for manufacturing a photomask includes obtaining a substrate on which a halftone film, a light-shielding film, and a resist film are stacked, irradiating a first region of the resist film at a first dose and a second region of the resist film that surrounds the first region at a second dose greater than the first dose, developing the resist film in the first region to form a mask pattern while leaving the resist film in the second region to form a mask frame pattern, and then patterning the light-shielding film using the mask pattern formed in the resist film.

A method for forming a fine-line pattern in a process of producing a semiconductor device includes a pattern transfer using a photomask (for example, a phase-shift mask) including a halftone film or the like. When such a photomask is produced, after a transfer pattern is formed in a halftone film, a light-shielding frame pattern surrounding the periphery of the pattern, for example, is formed with a light-shielding film. This requires multiple lithography steps to achieve.

Method for producing photomask, method for producing semiconductor device, method for forming pattern, and photomask


A washing machine includes a machine housing, a water accommodation tub disposed in the machine housing; a washing tub assembly disposed in the water accommodation tub and including a washing tub; and a balance ring mounted to an upper end of the washing tub and having a lower end fitted in the washing tub.

In a conventional impeller washing machine, water levels of inner tub and outer tub are the same during the washing, such that the inner tub and the outer tub need to be filled with washing water, thus a relatively large amount of washing water is required. However, the water between the inner tub and the outer tub does not involve in the washing, and only the water in the inner tub actually involves in the washing, such that water resources are wasted. Furthermore, the excessive water between the inner tub and the outer tub will also reduce a concentration of detergent, such that a larger amount of detergent needs to be put in to achieve a good washing effect, which undoubtedly also causes a waste of the detergent.
In order to further improve water saving performance, a washing machine with a holeless inner tub exists in the related art, in which the inner tub is configured as a holeless stainless steel tub, such that a water level difference is formed between the inner tub and the outer tub, and the washing water can be saved. Meanwhile, this washing machine is provided with a water outlet passage above the inner tub, and the washing water flows upwardly along a wall of the inner tub and is discharged via the water outlet passage under the action of a centrifugal force during dehydration, thereby achieving a purpose of discharging the water.
However, when this washing machine is discharging the water, a relatively large centrifugal force needs to be produced by an electric motor to realize the water discharge. Therefore, this washing machine needs to employ a high-power electric motor, which is adverse to saving electric power and controlling noise and vibration.


The invention provides a system, method, machine readable program and a graphical user interface for managing multiple accounts associated with a user. The method includes receiving a first set of information associated with identification of a user, in response to the first set of information, identifying a second set of information relating to a financial account associated with the user, the financial account being associated with a financial institution, in response to the first set of information. The method also includes identifying a third set of information relating to a health account associated with the user, the health account being associated with a healthcare institution. A fourth set of information is generated based upon the second set of information and the third set of information. The method also includes sending a signal representative of the fourth set of information. The signal may be sent to the user or a designee of the user.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method, system, and machine readable program that may include a graphical user interface for assisting a user, such as a consumer. Particularly, the present invention is directed to an integrated system that can facilitate management of the financial, health, and other affairs of a consumer, as desired.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of computer implemented systems including graphical user interfaces are known in the art for helping users, such as consumers, manage various aspects of their lives. For example, service providers, such as financial institutions that provide banking services, frequently provide online access to a user so that the user can view the balances of their accounts with the institution. Online access to personal information specific to institutions offering various services has been growing, and has started to become very common. For example, it is becoming more common for a user to access personal health related information online, such as from a website built by their health insurance provider. Indeed, many services have become available online.
While the availability of services online has initially presented many advantages to the user, it is not without its problems. For example, so many aspects of management of a user's affairs have gone online that it has become cumbersome and difficult for a user to keep track of user names and passwords for accounts for multiple bank accounts and brokerages, auto and health insurance accounts, tax accounts, online learning accounts, mortgages, credit cards, and the like. As can be seen, while online access has solved certain problems and created convenience, it has also created confusion and a highly segmented view of a consumer's state of affairs.
Moreover, with the internet boom, nearly every kind of information one can think of has become available online as well. For example, financial advice, health advice and legal advice, among myriad others, can all be found by a user online. As so much information is available, it is difficult for a user to find the correct information that they need, let alone determine which information is the most accurate and therefore useful to the user.
At the same time, new dynamics are reshaping the Wealth Management industry. Because of online access, potential customers for services have become more empowered than ever before. For example, over the past twenty years, retirement responsibilities have shifted largely from institutions to individuals. Indeed, nearly seventy percent of U.S. households now have two or more financial relationships that they manage. These financial relationships are managed through checking, savings, money market, retirement, 401k, stock and other accounts. Although the internet and online access have created some confusion as described above, the Internet has also provided unprecedented transparency to wealth management performance and shifted decision maker power to the end client.
Compounding the above, the "baby boomer" population is aging and starting to think about retirement. Nearly 76 million baby boomers account for one-third of the total US population. Two-thirds of baby boomers, or about 46 million people, will likely retire before 2013. As investors become more sophisticated, they require access to multi-asset class solutions, including fixed income and alternative investments. Baby boomers will drive more assets into the investable asset market, possibly thirty trillion dollars by 2010. The baby boomer generation will then move from "saving" to "income preservation," requiring increased tax planning.
Self management for retirement and healthcare is becoming increasingly complex. As the population continues to age, there will be a shift to self-managed retirement plans. Most customers are now in defined contribution plans, as evidenced by the expanding 401K market which reached $1.6 trillion in assets in 2003. There has also been a shift to self-managed healthcare planning: Healthcare costs account for nearly 26% of all retirement funds. This percentage of funds will likely grow with increasing health care costs as time progresses.
As shown above, while there has been a shift to systems that can permit more convenient management of an individual's personal affairs online, the nature of what an individual needs to manage is growing increasingly complex. Moreover, while the availability of information that would be useful to such individuals has been growing, finding and distilling the information useful for an individual presents a problem. As such, there exists a strong and growing need for a system that can help an individual collect and manage myriad information relating to their affairs. The present invention provides a solution for these and other needs, as described herein.


A blind fastener and method for making such fastener that has a flanged outer sleeve and a flanged inner sleeve that are secured together, wherein the outer sleeve has a socket that receives a lug from the inner sleeve to provide joint axial movement and wherein the outer sleeve has a plurality of slits that receives at least one radial projection from the inner sleeve to prevent rotation between sleeves. The inner sleeve has a thinner upper portion and a thicker lower portion with a score line therebetween to facilitate the separation of this portion. The inner sleeve has a central threaded bore to receive a threaded bolt for fastening purposes and to upset the outer sleeve relative to the flanged portion thereof to secure such fastener to a thin workpiece.

This invention relates to blind fasteners of the type that can be installed entirely from one side of a structure and more particularly to a new and improved blind fastener that is inexpensive to manufacture such as one that can be made entirely from plastic materials.
The blind fasteners heretofore used consisted of various designs wherein the fastener had a tubular or cylindrical body with a head on an upper portion that was slotted and a lower body portion that was threaded. In the process of securing such fasteners to the plate structure, the upper slotted body portion would be deformed or folded outwardly thereby presenting a flanged and deformed portion which would secure the fastener to the plate structure with the head on one side and the deformed flanged portion on the other side.
Another requirement of such blind fasteners is that they be easy to manufacture and operate in a facile manner. The fastener of the present invention is particularly easy to manufacture because it can be made from a plastic material as in an extrusion or molding process. Further, the application of the blind fastener to a workpiece is accomplished in a facile manner yet insuring a firm attachment to such workpiece.


Retention structures are provided to guide and secure a co-axial cable from an upper portion to a lower portion of a logic board having a bend region. In one embodiment, a retention structure can guide, retain, and electrically ground the co-axial cable at multiple locations. In another embodiment, a retention structure can provide route a co-axial cable around the bend region of the logic board, while providing strain relief and the ability to accommodate co-axial cables of different lengths, due to manufacturing tolerances. Multi-purpose cowling structures are also provided to minimize spacing impact within an electronic device, while maximizing functional utility. In another embodiment, a cowling can electrically connect the ground plane of a logic board to the ground plane of a housing member and provide a pre-load force to a conductor connection existing on logic board.

The connection of a co-axial cable to one or more locations within an electronic device such as on a printed circuit board ("PCB") should be done in a way that is rapid and efficient and produces strong and reliable electrical and mechanical connection of that cable. Especially for products where cable connections can be subject to "use" stress and "manufacturing" stress where sufficient grounding connections are needed to reduce interference with other components in the device, it is desirable to have connections that do not fail under the stress to provide adequate grounding for the cable. Improvements in cable retention and grounding technology are therefore always being sought.

Electronic devices having multi-purpose cowlings and co-axial cable grounding and fixture brackets


Systems and methods for subterranean formation testing. A method may include lowering a formation testing tool into a subterranean formation, wherein the formation testing tool may comprise a plurality of chambers, a pump and a probe channel; extracting a fluid from the subterranean formation into the probe channel; determining fluid properties at different depths; generating a fluid property-depth gradient; moving the fluid into the plurality of chambers; and determining a concentration of an inorganic portion of a downhole flashed gas.

Phase behavior and chemical compositions of borehole fluids may be utilized to assist in estimating the viability of oil and gas reservoirs. For example, the concentration of gaseous components such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide and nitrogen in borehole fluids may be indicators of the economic viability of oil and gas reservoirs. The concentrations of various gases may be of interest for different reasons. For example, carbon dioxide corrosion (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) stress cracking of downhole tubulars, such as, for example, casing and/or production tubing may be causes of mechanical failure in a borehole environment.
Although a variety of techniques and equipment may be available for performing fluid analysis in a laboratory, retrieving samples for laboratory analysis may be time consuming. Further, some characteristics of borehole fluids may change when brought to the surface due to differences in environmental conditions between a borehole and the surface. For example, because H2S gas may form non-volatile and insoluble metal sulfides by reacting with metals and metal oxides, analysis of a fluid sample retrieved with a metallic container may result in an inaccurate estimate of sulfide content. Fluid analysis techniques that may be utilized at the surface may be impractical in the borehole environment due to borehole size limitations, extreme temperature, extreme pressure, and/or a presence of water. Additionally, an isolation of gases from a borehole fluid may be difficult to achieve.
The presence of an inorganic gas, such as, for example nitrogen, may be highly prevalent in some oil and gas reservoirs. Due to its difficulty to remove from a gas stream in processing, the presence of nitrogen may significantly lower the value of hydrocarbon assets. Nitrogen may not be optically active (e.g., physical visibility or infrared visibility), making conventional downhole detection utilizing downhole methods difficult. Therefore, it may be desirable to determine the content of certain gases, such as, for example, nitrogen in gas reservoirs without the need to recover a sample to the surface in order to complete optimal zones as quickly as possible and as efficiently as possible. Therefore, downhole detection of inorganic gas content, such as nitrogen content, in hydrocarbon reservoirs is desirable.


In association with a circulating fluidized bed reactor, a bed of particles is established in the return duce for particles from the particle separator to the combustion chamber. Inlet openings extend from the bed of particles into the combustion chamber, and the height of the particle bed is maintained above the inlet openings a sufficient distance to form a gas seal. The particles in the bed are fludized, and also transporting nozzles are arranged at different levels for transporting the particles from the bed through the inlet openings into the combustion chamber. Heat exhangers (e.g. superheaters) may be provided in the bed to recover heat from the particles.

This invention relates to a novel method and an apparatus for operating a circulating fluidized bed system.
Circulating fluidized bed (CFB) systems such as CFB combustors include a combustion chamber having a fast fluidized bed of solid particles therein. A particle separator is connected to a discharge opening in the upper part of the combustion cheer, for separating solid particles from the suspension of flue gases and entrained solid material being discharged from the combustion chamber. A return duct is connected between the particle separator and the lower part of the combustion chamber for recirculating separated solid particles from the particle separator into the combustion chamber. A gas outlet is arranged in the particle separator for discharging flue gases.
Cyclone separators are commonly used as particle separators. A dip leg recirculates the separated particles from the cyclone to the lower part of the combustion chamber. A loop seal has to be arranged in the dip leg in order to prevent gases from flowing from the combustion chamber backward into the cyclone therethrough. The loop seal constructions are very large and complicated. It has also been suggested to use L-valves as loop seals. The L-valve is, however, also space consuming, as a rather long connection channel filled with bed material is needed between the return duct and the combustion chamber in order establish a loop seal.
The circulating fluidized bed reactors are used in a variety of different combustion, heat transfer, chemical or metallurgical processes. Depending on the process, different bed materials are fluidized or circulated in the system. In combustion processes particulate fuel such as coal, coke, lignite, wood, waste or peat, as well as other particulate matter such as sand, ash, sulfur absorbent, catalyst or metal oxides can be the constituents of the fluidized bed. The velocity in the combustion chamber usually is in the range of 3,5 to 10 m/s, but can be substantially higher.
Typically heat is recovered from fluidized bed combustion processes by heat transfer surfaces in the combustion chamber and in the convection section arranged in the gas pass after the particle separator. In circulating fluidized bed (CFB) combustors or boilers the peripheral walls of the combustion chamber are usually made as membrane walls in which vertical tubes are combined by flat plate material or fins to form evaporating surfaces. Additional heat transfer surfaces such as superheaters may be arranged within the upper part of the combustion chamber for superheating the steam.
Additional superheaters as well as reheaters, preheaters and air preheaters are arranged in the convection section. It has also been suggested to forth the return duct of heat transfer surfaces.
The heat transfer surfaces are normally designed to give optimal superheated steam also at a low load range. At higher loads steam production is then controlled by spraying water in the convection section.
Superheating at low load often constitutes a problem. The combustion chamber exit gas temperature decreases with decreasing load and the superheaters in the convection section do not have enough capacity to provide the desired results. Additional superheaters arranged in the combustion chamber would increase costs and control problems in the boiler improperly. Additional heat transfer surfaces within the combustion chamber would further decrease the temperature of the flue gases, which still contain unburned fuel, to e.g. 700.degree. to 750.degree. C., which would have an negative effect on NOX and N.sub.2 O reduction.
Additional separate heat transfer surfaces within a fluidized bed would on the other hand also be exposed to the high velocity (3-10 m/s or even higher) flow of gas and particles therein. Corrosion and erosion would cause sever problems. Any heat transfer surface arranged within the combustion chamber would have to be made of heat resistant material, most probably also protected by some erosion resistant material. Such heat transfer surfaces would thus become very heavy and expensive. The corrosion constitutes a severe problem in the gas atmosphere in the combustion chamber, when burning fuels containing gaseous chlorine and alkali components.
Especially in pressurized applications it is even less desirable to have to add heat transfer surfaces and increase the size of the combustor, which leads to a need to increase the size of the pressure vessel, as well. In pressurized applications, having smaller combustion chambers, heat transfer surfaces are already very close to each other. It would therefor be very difficult to add any additional heat transfer surface into the combustion chamber. A very compact arrangement of heat transfer surfaces also prevents horizontal mixing of bed material within the combustion chamber and results in decreased combustion efficiency. Besides space problems, clogging may also become a problem if heat transfer surfaces are arranged very close to each other.
It has been suggested to use external heat exchangers (EHE) for increasing the superheating capacity. In such superheaters in a separate fluidized bed of hot circulating solid material, the solid material is introduced into the EHE from the particle separator. The suggested external heat exchangers would be large and expensive as well as difficult to control independently from the main combustion process. Erosion would also constitute a problem when exposing heat transfer surfaces to a fluidized bed of large hot particles. Further at very low loads the amount of solid material being discharged with the flue gases from the combustion chamber and introduced in the EHE would decrease to such a level that superheating could be achieved. A simpler and less expensive solution is needed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for operating circulating fluidized bed systems in which the above mentioned drawbacks are minimized.
It is especially an object of the present invention to provide an improved loop seal arrangement for circulating fluidized bed systems.
It is further an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for heat recovery in circulating fluidized bed systems.
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for controlling the heat recovery in a circulating fluidized bed system.
It is thereby also an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for superheating of steam in a circulating fluidized bed boiler system, at different load conditions.

Method and apparatus for operating a circulating fluidized bed system


This invention is directed to the fabrication of semiconductor devices, especially those comprising III-V and II-VI compound semiconductor materials, and involves Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) of semiconductor wafers, especially those implanted with a dopant(s). The invention is also concerned with a black-box implement used in combination with the RTA. The process includes enclosing a wafer to be annealed within a "black-box" comprising components of a black body material and subjecting the black box with the wafer therein to an RTA. In a preferred embodiment the RTA comprises (a) a pre-anneal step which includes heating to a temperature and for a period sufficient to preheat the wafer so as to reduce thermal shock due to a main annealing step, (b) the main annealing step being at a temperature and for a period sufficient to remove damage caused to said surface by the dopant implantation and to activate implanted dopant, and (c) a post-anneal step carried out at a temperature and for a period sufficient to relieve stresses which may result from the main-annealing step. The combined use of the RTA and the black box leads to wafers substantially free or slip lines and with reproducibly high mobilities and uniform activation.

In the production of semiconductor devices, wafers of semiconductor material may be doped with at least one dopant by ion implantation. This process invariably damages the implanted surface. It is desirable to remove this damage so as to present a high quality surface for subsequent processing steps, such as metallization. This is typically achieved by subjecting the implanted wafer to annealing which simultaneously activates the implanted ions.
Conventional long-term furnace annealing leads to a high-quality surface. Unfortunately, the furnace annealing is time and energy consuming, and may result in dopant profile broadening as well as the loss of volatile components (e.g. As from GaAs wafers or P from InP wafers) requiring maintenance of a specific atmosphere over a sample being annealed to compensate for the loss of the volatile component.
Lately, Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) is becoming increasingly useful in the processing of implanted semiconductors, especially of semiconductors comprising III-V and II-V compound semiconductors, including such as GaAs and InP and compound semiconductors lattice-matched to GaAs and InP such as InGaAs, InGaAsP, AlInAs, AlInAsP, etc. In the RTA process, the object being annealed is exposed to heat energy at high temperatures of up to 1100.degree. C. for short periods of time such as from 1 to 30 seconds or more. For example, InP wafers are subjected to temperatures ranging from 700.degree. to 800.degree. C. while GaAs wafers are annealed at temperatures ranging from 800.degree. to 1050.degree. C.
The RTA method offers the advantage of removing the implantation damage with less dopant profile broadening compared to conventional furnace annealing. However, the RTA process is conducive to slip line formation as well as EN1 traps during the RTA.
Slip lines are regions of a wafer resulting from the introduction of thermoelastic stresses arising from high temperature exposure during the RTA and giving rise to thermoplastic phenomena involving dislocation glide. Since in the RTA method, the cooling of the sample takes place primarily by radiation, thermal gradients can occur due to variation in radiation intensity from different parts of the sample. For example, the edge of the wafer cools faster than the center due to the comparatively higher radiation from it. As a result, thermal stresses leading to the slip lines can be created by the thermal gradient in the wafer. G. Bentini, L. Correra and C. Donolato in "Defects Introduced in Silicon Wafers During Rapid Isothermal Annealing: Thermoelastic and Thermoplastic Effects", J. App. Phys. 56 (10), 15 Nov. 1984, pp. 2922-2929, describe formation of slip lines in silicon. This phenomena occurs in III-V and II-VI semiconductor materials as well. Very often, the slip lines may extend for a considerable distance into the central area of semiconductor wafers, such as 1.3 cm. (0.5 inches) or more from an edge of a wafer about 5 or 7.6 cm. (2.0 or 3.0 inches, respectively) in diameter, resulting in regions which are not suitable for further processing, thus leading to poor device yield.
Additionally, EN1 traps may be introduced at higher RTA temperatures. In such compound semiconductors as n-GaAs the EN1 traps are typically introduced by RTA above 800.degree. C. The EN1 trap is an electron trap with a certain activation energy from the conduction band and results from infrared heating during the RTA. This trap formation is closely related to a rapid heating stage in the RTA process and is never observed after conventional furnace annealing. For more detailed discussion of EN1 traps, see M. Kazuhara and T. Nozaki, "Study of Electron Traps in n-GaAs Resulting From Infrared Rapid Thermal Annealing", J. Appl. Phys. 59 (9), 1 May 1986, pp. 3131-3136. The formation of electron traps in n-GaAs from RTA has been studied using deep level transient spectroscopy. It has been reported by these authors that in addition to a number of trap levels generally present in as-grown bulk GaAs, a new trap EN1 with an activation energy of 0.20 eV from the conduction band and an electron capture cross section of 5.4.times.10.sup.-16 cm.sup.2, is formed in encapsulated GaAs annealed at 950.degree. C. in an RTA.
It is important that the wafers annealed by RTA should possess not only reproducibly high mobilities and uniform activation, but should also be of morphological quality at least comparable to that obtained with the conventional furnace annealing. Thus, it is desirable to be able to subject the implanted semiconductor wafers to RTA while at the same time obtaining a high quality surface without any slip lines. Additionally, it is desirable to substantially avoid presence of EN1 trapped defects in the RTA treated wafers. These problems have been overcome in a manner described hereinbelow.

Procedure for rapid thermal annealing of implanted semiconductors


Process for measuring emission for a flame in an open combustion environment. A captured image is received from each of a plurality of image capturing devices in at least one selected spectral band. Each of the plurality of image capturing devices is trained on the flame from the combustion process from a different perspective view angle. A spectral path length of the flame in the at least one spectral band is estimated from the captured images. Emitted radiance of the flame is estimated from the captured images, and a temperature of the flame is estimated from the estimated emitted radiance. A gas species concentration of the flame is estimated from the temperature of the flame and the spectral path length of the flame. Emission for the flame is measured from the gas species concentration.

The present invention relates generally to a process for estimating conditions of a combustion process, and more particularly to a process for accurate estimation of a three-dimensional thermal radiance field and gas species field in an open combustion environment.
Accurately analyzing conditions of a combustion environment is a useful task for producing products more efficiently and saving energy-related costs. For example, for analyzing conditions of combustion, image-capturing devices, such as color cameras, infrared spectrometers, filtered cameras, and the like, may be installed for detecting temperatures. Intensities of image pixels received from the devices have a direct relationship with temperatures of viewed surfaces. Similarly, multi-spectral cameras have been used to detect the temperature of a flame and gas species.
Video-based technology may also be used to provide color or intensity images to an operator allowing the operator to manually interpret the state of a combustion process based on the images. Another example technology performs off-line intensity-temperature calibration and maps each color image to a specific temperature image, thereby providing a two-dimensional (2D) projection of a temperature and/or radiance field. Other technologies, such as laser, and acoustic, offer three-dimensional (3D) temperature and/or radiance field estimation at specific locations, such as inside a furnace enclosure.
Another technology for video-based, three-dimensional temperature and/or radiance field estimation applies thermal radiation transfer equations to the temperature images. However, this method is inefficient and inaccurate, and does not provide a required resolution and accuracy due to complex, iterative computations required to resolve unknown temperature and radiance fields in a particular combustion environment. Another reason for the inaccuracy is attributed to poor-quality images caused by incorrect or limited controls of the image-capturing devices. As discussed above, relative positions of the image-capturing devices and imaging areas, such as enclosure walls, often shift their alignments and thus cause significant errors.
Recently, methods and systems have been developed for estimating radiance fields of a combustion process in an enclosure such as a furnace enclosure. Such methods and systems are disclosed in commonly-owned U.S. Pat. No. 9,196,032, issued Nov. 24, 2015, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference herein. Example methods disclosed in the '032 Patent estimate a three-dimensional radiance field by performing an intensity-temperature calibration based on an association between an intensity of an image pixel and an actual temperature associated with a selected region in the enclosure.
Some analyzing methods use multi-spectral imaging technology for the detection of the gas composition in an open combustion environment; that is, a combustion environment that is not fully contained within an enclosure. For example, it is known that emission of unburnt flue gases from a flare stack harms the environment. EPA regulations require 98% or more Destruction Removal Efficiency (DRE). Thus, it is useful to quantify gas species to aid in measuring and controlling such emissions.
Conventional methods for detecting gas composition in an open combustion environment can detect the presence or absence of certain gases along a viewing path, but these cannot provide the distribution of gas species in a three dimensional field. For example, it is known to measure combustion at a single point in time, but not continuous monitoring. In some conventional methods, measurement is taken from a point source (e.g., a sample at one point of the flare), along a line of sight (e.g., using laser or FTIR) or in a plane (e.g., using an imaging device). However, an open flame is both dynamic and voluminous. Current state of the art methods do not provide a global measurement/status of a flame.
Further, while some conventional methods have been used to attempt to measure combustion efficiency, such methods have proved unsuccessful in measuring destruction removal efficiency.
There remains a need for an improved method of estimating and detecting temperature and radiance fields within an open combustion environment.

Equipment and method for three-dimensional radiance and gas species field estimation in an open combustion environment


In a thermally transcribing printer including a frame, a roller made of a metal for feeding sheet at constant speed, a gear made of a resin, a motor, a press-fit engaging member, and a compression coil spring, the roller includes a shaft portion attached to project from an inner side to an outer side of the frame 1 and the press-fit engaging member is press-fitted to the shaft portion. Further, the gear includes a shaft inserting hole in a circular shape inserted from an outer side of the press-fitted engaging member made of a metal into a shaft portion of the roller, and four second engaging portions provided at intervals of 90 degrees between the shaft inserting hole and an outer peripheral portion of the gear and having a predetermined length in a rotational direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a thermally transcribing printer and an image forming apparatus, particularly relates to a thermally transcribing printer and an image forming apparatus including a roller for feeding sheet.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a background art, there is known an image forming apparatus of a thermally transcribing printer or the like including a roller for feeding sheet (refer to, for example, JP-UM-A-61-132344).
JP-UM-A-61-132344, mentioned above, discloses a structure in which a roll main body and a rotating shaft are fixed by fixing a stopper having an arm is fixed to the rotating shaft by inserting a pin into a pin inserting hole of the rotating shaft and engaging the arm of the stopper with an engaging hole of the roll main body at a portion of fixing the roll main body (roller) for feeding sheet and the rotating shaft attached with the roll main body.
FIG. 17 is a perspective view showing a total constitution of a thermally transcribing printer according to an example of a background art. FIG. 18 is a sectional view showing a structure of attaching a roller for feeding sheet of the thermally transcribing printer of the background art shown in FIG. 17 at constant speed. FIG. 19 is a perspective view showing a structure of attaching the roller shown in FIG. 18 to a gear. An explanation will be given of a structure of the thermally transcribing printer according to the example of the background art.
As shown by FIG. 17, the thermally transcribing printer apparatus of the background art includes a frame 101 made of a metal, a roller 102 made of a metal for feeding sheet at constant speed, a gear 103 made of a resin, a motor 104 for driving to rotate the gear, a motor bracket 105 made of a metal, a leaf spring 106 made of a metal, bearing members 107 and 108 (refer to FIG. 18) an ink sheet winding gear 109, a roller shaft drive gear 110, a plurality of middle gears 111, a sheet charging and discharging roller 112, a roller shaft 113 of the sheet charging and discharging roller 112, an ink sheet case 114, and a sheet bottom receiving guide 115. As shown by FIG. 18, a shaft portion 102a of one end of the roller 102 made of a metal for feeding sheet at constant speed is rotatably inserted into the bearing member 108 attached to one side face of the frame 101. Further, an oval shape portion 102b (refer to FIG. 19) formed at an outer side of the shaft portion 102a of the roller 102 is fitted to the gear 103. As shown by FIG. 19, the oval shape portion 102b of the roller 102 is machined in an oval shape and fitted to a fitting hole 103a in an oval shape of the gear 103. Thereby, the roller 102 and the gear 103 can be connected so as not to be rotated idly. Further, other end 102c of the roller 102 is rotatably inserted into the bearing member 107 attached to other side face of the frame 101. The motor 104 is attached to the motor bracket 105 made of a metal attached to the frame 101. The motor 104 functions as a drive source for driving the ink sheet winding gear 109 and the roller shaft drive gear 110. Further, as shown by FIG. 18, the leaf spring 106 made of a metal is fixed to the motor bracket 105 made of a metal. A movable end 106a of the leaf spring 106 is arranged to be brought into contact with a side face of the oval shape portion 102b of the roller 102. Thereby, the leaf spring 106 functions as the ground.
Next, an explanation will be given of operation of feeding sheet at constant speed of the thermally transcribing printer according to the example of the background art. As operation of feeding sheet at constant speed of the printer of the background art, as shown by FIG. 17, a drive force of the motor 104 is transmitted to the gear 103, the ink sheet winding gear 109 and the roller shaft drive gear 110 via the plurality of middle gears 111. At this occasion, the drive force is transmitted from the gear 103 to the roller 102 via the oval shape portion 102b and the shaft portion 102a of the roller 102. Thereby, the roller 102 is rotated while being supported by the bearing members 107 and 108. As a result, sheet (not illustrated) is fed at constant speed. Further, the drive force is also transmitted from the ink sheet winding gear 109 to an ink sheet winding roller shaft (not illustrated) and therefore, ink sheet is wound. Further, the drive force is transmitted from the roller shaft drive gear 110 to the roller shaft 113 and therefore, sheet (not illustrated) is carried in a sheet charging direction or a sheet discharging direction.
According to the thermally transcribing printer of the background art shown in FIG. 17 through FIG. 19, in order to connect the roller 102 and the gear 102 so as not to be rotated idly, it is necessary to form the oval shape portion 102b or a D-shape portion at the outer side of the shaft portion 102a of the roller 102 by machining requiring a time period in working. Therefore, there poses a problem that part cost becomes expensive.
Further, according to the structure disclosed in JP-UM-A-61-132344, mentioned above, it is necessary to provide the pin inserting hole at the rotating shaft in order to connect the rotating shaft and the roller (roll main body) so as not to be rotated idly and therefore, there poses a problem that a time period is taken in working to bore the rotating shaft.

Image forming apparatus including a feed roller and press-fit member for attaching gear to roller shaft


A pharmaceutical composition for use in treating, inhibiting, and/or preventing breast and/or ovarian cancer can include: a molecule having a structure of one of Compounds 1-38, pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, or analog thereof; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier containing the compound. The pharmaceutically acceptable carrier can be configured for oral, systemic, transdermal, intranasal, suppository, parenteral, intramuscular, intravenous, or subcutaneous administration. The compound can be present in the composition in a therapeutically effective amount for treating, inhibiting, and/or preventing breast and/or ovarian cancer. Also, the compound can be present in a therapeutically effective amount for enhancing production of BRCA1.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Cancerous tumors result when a cell escapes from its normal growth regulatory mechanisms and proliferates in an uncontrolled manner. Tumor cells can metastasize to secondary sites if treatment of the primary tumor is either not complete or not initiated before substantial progression of the disease. Early diagnosis and effective treatment of tumors is, therefore, essential for survival.
Cancer involves the replication of populations of abnormal cells that have gained competitive advantage over normal cells through the alteration of regulatory genes. Regulatory genes can be broadly classified into "oncogenes" which, when activated or overexpressed, promote unregulated cell proliferation, and "tumor suppressor genes," which when inactivated or underexpressed, fail to prevent abnormal cell proliferation. Loss of function or inactivation of tumor suppressor genes is thought to play a central role in the initiation and progression of a significant number of human cancers.
Currently, breast and/or ovarian cancer are treated by surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and hormonal therapy. To date, targeted therapies include trastuzumab and lapatinib, which target breast cancers that have increased HER2 receptors (HER2-positive). Bevacizumab targets the new blood vessels that feed cancer cells. Hormonal therapy blocks the ability of the hormone estrogen to stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells. Aromatase inhibitors, selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), and estrogen-receptor down regulators are all different types of hormonal therapy currently available to breast cancer patients.
There are still many unsolved problems, disadvantages, and/or shortcomings that currently exist in the prevention and/or treatment of ovarian and/or breast cancer. Target therapies only work for HER2 positive breast cancers. However, only 15 to 20% of women with breast cancer have HER2-positive tumors. Hormonal therapy is an option for anyone with hormone receptor positive breast cancer. About 60% of breast cancers are hormone receptor positive. However, there are several side effects with hormonal therapy, including uterine cancer and weakening of the bones. Additionally, the side effects of current therapeutic regimens are treated as they appear in patients.
Additionally, mutations in one known tumor suppressor gene, breast cancer susceptibility to gene one (BRCA1), contribute in essentially all cases to inherited susceptibility to ovarian and breast cancers. Additionally, BRCA1 expression levels are reduced or undetectable in the tumor cells of sporadic breast cancers. In view of the importance of tumor suppressor molecules in the detection and treatment of cancer, and the known correlation of the tumor suppressor BRCA1 with breast and ovarian cancers, there exists a need to identify compounds that influence the level or activity of BRCA1.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a compound and method of use that will increase BRCA1 expression so as to delay and/or inhibit the onset of tumors. Such compounds and methods of use would be significant change in the treatment options for breast and ovarian cancer, as well as other cancers.

BRCA1-based breast or ovarian cancer treatment agents and methods of use


The present invention relates to a thermoplastic ABS composition reinforced with natural fibres, which comprises an ABS polymer, natural fibres, a compatibilizing polymer, and processing aids comprising a lubricant and titanium dioxide. It relates also to a moulded article prepared from the thermoplastic composition and to its use in extrusion, injection, compression moulding and 3D printing.

Polymeric composites have been one of the most important materials during the last decades, they have the capacity to replace a lot of conventional materials i.e. metals. The use of natural fibre to make low cost and eco-friendly composite materials is a subject of great importance, particularly; wood fibres have recently attracted the interest of scientists and companies as reinforcement fillers due to its low cost, low density, high specific properties, less reliance on foreign oil sources, recyclability and carbon footprint reduction.
Some of the most common natural fibres are flax, hemp, coir, palm, cellulose, sisal, kenaf, bamboo, jute, wheat straw and wood fibres. However, some drawbacks of natural fibres (i.e. higher polar and hydrophilic) cause poorly compatibility between the natural fibres and the polymeric matrix. The synthetic polymers that are used as the matrix for natural fibres include thermoplastics and thermosets, however over the last decades; these matrices used are shifted from thermosets to thermoplastics.
The automotive industry have been instigated to develop new materials using these inexpensive fillers due to a new European Legislation implemented in 2006 which requires that in 2015 the 85% of the material of the car must be recycled or reused. The main benefit of these materials is the decrease of CO2 produced due to the origin of these materials and their low density and light weight. The weight reduction in the automotive sector decreases petrol consumption.
However, several limitations must be overcome in order to exploit the full potential of natural fibres. Firstly the fibre surface treatment needs to be well developed and implemented. Secondly properties of composites are greatly dependent on the content of fibre, matrix type and composite composition. The quality of fibre matrix interface should be improved for an optimized thermoplastic composition with perfect compatibilization between the natural fibres and the polymeric matrix.
Moreover, these natural-fibre reinforced plastics have some drawbacks, for example, the majority of the articles are used as off-screen structure pieces in interior parts due to its poor surface finish.
In order to improve the compatibility of natural fibres with synthetic polymer various modifications have been described e.g. alkali treatment, hot water treatment, silane treatment or salt water treatment. Those treatments may influence on the overall properties of the reinforced polymer including tensile strength and modulus, and flexural properties.
Aforementioned, natural-fibre reinforced plastics are used in numerous applications, i.e. automotive industry. In the past, the components (composites/plastics/articles/parts) were produced by compression moulding due to technical limitations in processing. Only recently has been possible to produce plastics materials in pellet form that could be processed by injection moulding technology where polypropylene (PP) is the most used matrix material.
In this context, thermoplastics natural fibre—synthetic resin composites based on polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE) homopolymers have been developed in the last years for injection moulding applications due to ecological environment and light weight design, as disclosed in European patent application EP-A-2881249, German patent application DE-A-102012005127, and International patent applications WO-A-00/63285 and WO-A-2009/017387. However some drawbacks have been identified in those technical solutions, which can be associated to a complex injection process, low mechanical properties and poor surface finish to fulfil companies' requirements.
The use of natural fibre reinforced amorphous thermoplastic in particular acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers is limited.
Chinese patent application CN-A-102464850 relates to a natural fibre-reinforced styrene maleic anhydride copolymer compositions and deals with the poor compatibility of natural fibres. It is disclosed a general composition comprising 10-50 wt. % by weight of styrene-maleic anhydride copolymer, 10-40 wt. % of rubber elastomer, 5-25 wt. % of styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, 5-40 wt. % of natural fibres, and 0.1-1.5 wt. % of processing aids selected from lubricants, antioxidants, mould release agents, or colouring agents, wherein the molecular weight of the styrene maleic anhydride copolymer is 20,000-300,000, the rubber elastomer is ABS (styrene-butadiene-acrylonitrile terpolymer), among others, and natural fibres are selected from sisal, ramie, flax, hemp, jute or bamboo.
Chinese patent application CN-A-103788566 relates to a plastic imitation of wood, which comprises the following components: 100 parts of ABS or polylactic acid (PLA), 5 to 70 parts of wood flour and 0.5 to 3 of a titanate coupling agent. The process for preparing it includes the treatment of wood flour with the coupling agent before the mixing with the thermoplastic polymer. This composition and process is suitable for preparing objects showing a wood-like texture with surface roughness, but not for smooth surfaces.
Japanese patent application JP-A-H09143378 refers to a thermoplastic resin composition, which comprises 10-98 wt. % of thermoplastic resin and 2-90 wt. % of wood flour having lignin content of 25 wt. % or below. The composition includes also a rubbery polymer, and it can include also a coupling agent and additives, such as a flame retardant, a lubricant, a plasticizer, antioxidants, antistatic agents, antimicrobial agents, foaming agents, silicone oils, and additives such as light resistance (weathering) agent.
Japanese patent application JP-A-2006/233111 refers to a styrenic resin composition, which can be easily extruded to obtain a grain pattern on the extruded object. In Example 1-5 it is disclosed a composition comprising 30 parts of ABS, 50 parts of styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN), 20 parts of SAN-butyl acrylate copolymer, 1 part of EBS, 1 part of calcium stearate, 1 part of magnesium stearate, 3 parts of PE wax, 1 part of oxidized PE wax, 15 parts of talc, 5 parts of wood flour, and titanium dioxide, among other pigments.
International patent application WO-A-2013/122649 discloses a composite polymer derived from melt processing of a thermoplastic polymeric matrix (45-85 wt. %) with wood pulp fibre (10-50 wt. %), preferably bleached chemical wood pulp fibre, which has a brightness of at least 20. It is disclosed that in the case of using nonpolar polymers, such as olefins, it is used a compatibilizer, typically graft copolymers such as maleic anhydride polypropylene or maleic anhydride polyethylene. To solve the problems associated with the uniform distribution of cellulose pulp fibres in the polymeric matrix, fibres are added to the polymer in a two-step operation process.
Chinese patent application CN-A-102924940 discloses an anti-aging plastic wood composite material prepared by the following raw materials by mass: 20%-35% of plastics, 20%-70% of natural wood fibers, 5%-45% of a fire retardant, 1%-10% of a compatibilizer, 0.1%-3% of a lubricant, 0.5%-3% of a plasticizer, 0.1%-2% of an anti-aging filling material, and 0.5%-3% of a coloring agent. It does not relate to the problem raised by the non-uniform distribution of natural wood fibers in the polymeric matrix.
Chinese patent application CN-A-104194125 discloses magnetic wood-plastic material, which comprises the following ingredients in parts by weight: 0.1-20 parts of rare earth magnetic powder, 0.5-5 parts of pigment, 10-70 parts of wood fibers, 20-85 parts of plastic, 2-5 parts of lubricant and 1-5 parts of compatilizer. It does not relate to the problem raised by the non-uniform distribution of natural wood fibers in the polymeric matrix.
Although different technologies have been developed to obtain articles with improved appearance, this target is not always reached using a single processing stage using natural-fibres reinforced thermoplastics compositions, let alone to produce a reinforced polymer capable of producing a coloured article with good surface appearance in a single stage.
There is, thus, a need to provide a thermoplastic composition, which overcomes the problems of the prior art technical solutions, being prepared by a simpler process, showing balanced mechanical and thermal properties and being suitable for extrusion, injection, and compression moulding as well 3D printing applications, including articles requiring excellent surface appearance.

Thermoplastic ABS composition reinforced with natural fibres