An analyte test device is constructed as an integrated, single-use, disposable cartridge which can be releasably installed into a compatible analyte test monitor. In use, the device can be used in conjunction with the monitor to lance the skin of a patient to create a blood sample, express the blood sample from the wound site using vacuum forces and calculate the concentration of a particular analyte in the expressed blood sample. In one embodiment, the device includes a base which includes a top surface and a bottom surface. The base is also shaped to define an aperture which extends transversely through its top and bottom surfaces. An electrochemical test sensor is affixed to the base in such a manner so that a vacuum path is at least partially defined between the base and the test sensor, the vacuum path being in fluid communication with the aperture. A cover is affixed to the top surface of the base over the aperture, the cover comprising a flexible dome-shaped member and a lancet coupled to the member, the lancet being orientated such that its longitudinal axis extends at an approximate right angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the test sensor. The bottom surface of the base is shaped to include a skin receiving surface which at least partially defines the aperture in the base, the skin receiving surface having a steep inward contour to distend the skin of the patient when pressed thereagainst.

The present invention relates generally to integrated lancing and analytical devices and more particularly to a novel integrated lancing and analytical device.
There are many medical conditions which require frequent measurement of the concentration of a particular analyte in the blood of a patient. For example, diabetes is a disease which typically requires a patient to routinely measure the concentration of glucose in his/her blood. Based upon the results of each blood glucose measurement, the patient may then require a particular drug treatment (e.g., an injection of insulin) in order to regulate that the blood glucose level of the patient remains within a specified range. Exceeding the upper limit of said range (hyperglycemia) or dropping beneath the lower limit of said range (hypoglycemia) should be avoided with as much diligence as possible to prevent the patient from experiencing serious medical complications which include, inter alia, retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy.
A multi-step process is commonly practiced by diabetes patients to self-monitor the level of glucose present in their blood.
In the first step of said process, a patient is required to provide a blood sample suitable for testing. Blood samples taken from a patient for blood sugar monitoring are typically obtained by piercing the skin of the patient using a lancet device. A lancet device typically includes a body and a lancet. The body is typically adapted to be held by the user, the lancet being coupled to the body and being adapted to penetrate through the epidermis (the outermost layer of the skin) of the patient and into the dermis (the layer of skin directly beneath the epidermis) which is replete with capillary beds. The puncture of one or more capillaries by the lancet generates a sample of blood which exits through the incision in the patient's skin.
In some lancet devices, the lancet extends from the body at all times. In other lancet devices, the lancet is adapted to be moved, when actuated, from a retracted position in which the lancet tip is disposed within the body to an extended position in which the lancet tip extends beyond the body. Typically, the movement of the lancet from its retracted position to its extended position is effected with such force that contact of the moving lancet tip with the skin of a patient results in the piercing of the skin of the patient. In many such lancet devices having a movable lancet, the lancet is automatically drawn back into the body after reaching its extended position in order to minimize the risk of inadvertent lancet sticks.
In the second step of said process, a blood glucose monitoring system is utilized to measure the concentration of glucose in the blood sample. One type of glucose monitoring system which is well known and widely used in the art includes a blood glucose meter (also commonly referred to a blood glucose monitor) and a plurality of individual, disposable, electrochemical test strips which can be removably loaded into the meter. Examples of blood glucose monitoring systems of the type described above are manufactured and sold by Abbott Laboratories, Medisense Products of Bedford, Mass. under the PRECISION line of blood glucose monitoring systems.
Each individual electrochemical test strip typically includes a substrate which is formed as a thin, rectangular strip of non-conductive material, such as plastic. A plurality of carbon-layer electrodes are deposited on the substrate along a portion of its length in a spaced apart relationship, one electrode serving as the reference electrode for the test strip and another electrode serving as the working electrode for the test strip. All of the conductive electrodes terminate at one end to form a reaction area for the test strip. In the reaction area, an enzyme is deposited on the working electrode. When exposed to the enzyme, glucose present in a blood sample undergoes a chemical reaction which produces a measurable electrical response. The other ends of the electrical contacts are disposed to electrically contact associated conductors located in the blood glucose monitor, as will be described further below.
A blood glucose monitor is typically modular and portable in construction to facilitate its frequent handling by the patient. A blood glucose monitor often comprises a multi-function test port which is adapted to receive the test strip in such a manner so that an electrical communication path is established therebetween. As such, an electrical reaction created by depositing a blood sample onto the reaction area of the test strip travels along the working electrode of the test strip and into the test port of the blood glucose monitor. Within the housing of the monitor, the test port is electrically connected to a microprocessor which controls the basic operations of the monitor. The microprocessor, in turn, is electrically connected to a memory device which is capable of storing a multiplicity of blood glucose test results.
In use, the blood glucose monitoring system of the type described above can be used in the following manner to measure the glucose level of a blood sample and, in turn, store the result of said measurement into memory as test data. Specifically, a disposable test strip is unwrapped from its packaging and is inserted into the test port of the monitor. With the test strip properly inserted into the monitor, there is established a direct electrical contact between the conductors on the test strip and the conductors contained within the test port, thereby establishing an electrical communication path between the test strip and the monitor. Having properly disposed the test strip into the test port, the monitor typically displays a "ready" indication on its display.
The user is then required to provide a blood sample using a lancing device. Specifically, a disposable lancet is unwrapped from its protective packaging and is loaded into a corresponding lancing device. The lancing device is then loaded, if necessary, and fired into the skin of the patient to provide a blood sample.
After lancing the skin, the patient is required to deposit one or more drops of blood from the patient's wound site onto the reaction area of the test strip. When a sufficient quantity of blood is deposited on the reaction area of the test strip, an electrochemical reaction occurs between the blood sample and the enzyme deposited on the working electrode which, in turn, produces an electrical current which decays exponentially over time. The decaying electrical current created through the chemical reaction between the enzyme and the glucose molecules in the blood sample, in turn, travels along the electrically conductive path established between the test strip and the monitor and is measured by the microprocessor of the monitor. The microprocessor of the monitor, in turn, correlates the declining current to a standard numerical glucose value (e.g., using a scaling factor). The numerical glucose value calculated by the monitor is then shown on the monitor display for the patient to observe. In addition, the data associated with the particular blood glucose measurement is stored into the memory for the monitor.
A principal drawback associated with diabetes management systems of the type described above is that the lancing and glucose measurement operations are performed independently of one another. As a result, the user is required to possess both a lancet device and a blood glucose test monitor (as well as an individually packaged lancet and test strip) in order to perform a single assay. Furthermore, because the lancing and glucose measurement operations are performed independently of one another, the aforementioned process for performing an assay is relatively complicated and requires a considerably high level of manual dexterity, which is highly undesirable.
Accordingly, some diabetes management systems presently available in the market include a single blood glucose test monitor which is capable of performing both the lancing and glucose measurement operations. One type of glucose monitoring system which includes a single meter for performing both the lancing and glucose measurement operations is manufactured and sold by Abbott Laboratories, Medisense Products of Bedford, Mass. under the SOF•TACR™ line of diabetes management systems. The SOF•TACT™ blood glucose meter is represented, inter alia, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,506,168, which is incorporated herein by reference.
The SOF•TACT™ blood glucose meter is adapted to receive both a single disposable lancet and a single disposable test strip. In order to prepare the meter for an assay, the patient is required to open a pivotally mounted cover. With the cover opened, the patient is required to unwrap an individually sealed lancet and, in turn, mount the unwrapped lancet in a cylindrical lancet holder. In addition, the patient is required to unwrap an individually sealed test strip and, in turn, insert the unwrapped test strip into a test strip port. With a lancet and a test strip installed into the meter as described above, the cover is pivoted closed. To commence an assay, the patient positions a specified region of the monitor against his/her skin and presses an activation button. Depression of the activation button creates a pressure gradient which drives the lancet through an opening in the pivotable cover and into the patient's skin. The pressure gradient is then removed which retracts the lancet to its original unfired position.
After an opening has been formed in the skin of the patient, the blood sample is collected so that an assay can be performed. Specifically, a vacuum pump is used to draw blood from the wound site and in the direction towards the test strip. Simultaneously, mechanical linkages within the monitor use pressure to move the test strip towards the opening in the pivotable cover such that blood emerging from the patient's skin collects onto the reaction area of the test strip. When a sufficient amount of blood has been collected, the vacuum pump is deactivated. The meter then performs the assay based upon the electrochemical signal generated by the test strip and displays the result on an LCD screen.
Upon completion of the assay, the user is required to pivot open the cover of the meter and remove the used test strip and lancet. Because each test strip and lancet is designed for a single-use, the used test strip and lancet are discarded. The cover is then closed until future tests are required, at which time, the above-described process is repeated.
Although the SOF•TACT™ meter effectively combines both lancing and measurement processes into a single system, the user is still required to store and use two separate disposable products (i.e., a lancet and a test strip) in order to perform a single assay. As can be appreciated, the requirement that the user store, unwrap, load and discard two separate disposable items renders the system still somewhat complex to use.
Accordingly, some diabetes management systems which are known in the art require only the following two items in order to complete a blood glucose test: (1) a single blood glucose test monitor capable of performing both the lancing and glucose measurement operations and (2) an integrated, disposable, single-use test cartridge which includes both the lancing and analytical components (said cartridge being commonly referred to in the art as an integrated lancing and analytical device or simply as an integrated disposable).
As an example of an integrated lancing and analytical device, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,294 there is disclosed a cartridge for sampling and analyzing blood from the skin of a patient. The cartridge has a cartridge case, a lancet, and associated with the cartridge case an analytical region for analyzing the property of blood. The lancet has a tip for lancing the skin and is housed in the cartridge case. The lancet is operatively connected to the cartridge case such that the lancet can be pushed to extend its tip outside the cartridge case for lancing the skin to yield blood. The blood from the lancing wound is transferred to the analytical region and is analyzed.
As can be appreciated, the principal benefit of a system which uses integrated lancing and analytical devices is the simplicity in which a patient can perform an assay. Specifically, a patient is required only to unwrap and load a single cartridge into a corresponding meter prior to performing the assay. When an assay is required, the user is only required to place his/her finger against a region of the cartridge and, subsequent thereto, depress a suitable trigger or button. As a result, the number and relatively complexity of steps which the patient is required to perform is significantly reduced, which is highly desirable.
However, it should be noted that conventional integrated lancing and analytical devices suffer from a notable drawback. Specifically, blood glucose monitoring systems which use integrated disposable cartridges of the type described above typically include no means for drawing the blood sample from the wound site after lancing and, in turn, directing the drawn blood sample to the reaction area of the test strip. Rather, these systems typically require the user to manually expresses blood from his/her finger (e.g., by squeezing or massaging the skin surrounding the wound site). The user then orientates his/her finger such that the expressed blood droplets collect on the reaction area of the test strip. It should be noted that, because these systems include no means for expressing blood from the wound site and, in turn, directing the expressed blood to the reaction area of the test strip, a larger blood sample is often required from the patient, thereby increasing the overall level of discomfort experienced by the patient.


A motor for driving a moving member with respect to a member which serves as a reference of the movement includes at least two first piezoelectric actuators for operating an operating portion thereof such that it is brought into contact with and is moved away from said member, and at least one second piezoelectric actuator operating such that it changes a distance between the plurality of first piezoelectric actuators. At least one of the plurality of first piezoelectric actuators employs a bimorph type piezoelectric element.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a linear motor which employs a piezoelectric element, and an optical apparatus in which a lens is moved by such linear motor.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, progress in electronic technologies has increased the demand for developing fine motion driving sources or high-accuracy fine motion mechanisms in the field of mechanics. Accordingly, driving sources or fine motion mechanisms which utilize fine deformity of an object or of a substance have been used as the driving source for the fine moving of mechanisms or for finely positioning mechanisms. The most commonly used driving source among them uses a piezoelectric element, and various types of such piezoelectric type motors have been proposed, some of which have been put into practical use. However, most of the previously proposed piezoelectric motors have not yet been put into practical use because they still have drawback to be solved.
The fine and linear motion mechanism disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 55-100059 is an example of an application of a piezoelectric linear motor constructed using a piezoelectric element, and has a potential of being put into practical use.
FIG. 11 schematically shows a linear fine motion mechanism or a piezoelectric linear motor disclosed in the aforementioned patent application. The piezoelectric linear motor has laminated piezoelectric elements 101, 102a, 102b, 103a and 103b. These piezoelectric elements are held by a pair of retaining members 104 and 105 each having a T-shaped cross-section, as shown in FIG. 11. The first laminated piezoelectric element 101 can expand and contract parallel to a guide rail 106 in a direction indicated by A. The second laminated piezoelectric elements 102a and 102b and the third laminated piezoelectric elements 103a and 103b can expand and contract in a direction perpendicular to the direction indicated by A, i.e., toward the opposing wall surfaces of the guide rails 106.
This piezoelectric linear motor can move in the direction indicated by A or in a reverse direction in a worm-like fashion by sequentially changing the timing in which a voltage is applied to the first to third laminated piezoelectric elements 101, 102a, 102b, 103a and 103b according to a predetermined pattern. Hence, the distance through which the piezoelectric linear motor moves can be increased by increasing the length of the guide rails 106.
The aforementioned conventional piezoelectric linear motor employs laminated type piezoelectric elements. However, the laminated type piezoelectric elements have a low mechanical accuracy for reasons involving the structure and manufacturing method thereof, and thus cannot provide a stable operation accuracy. More specifically, since the laminated type piezoelectric element is manufactured by laying tens or hundreds of piezoelectric plates on top of one another and then bonding them using an adhesive, the thickness thereof varies. Moreover, the displacement of the laminated type piezoelectric element is not large. For these reasons, the pressing force of the laminated type piezoelectric element against the guide rail varies, reducing positional accuracy or causing operational disability. Furthermore, the use of the laminated type piezoelectric elements increases the thickness of the motor, which makes it difficult to reduce the size of the motor.
In imaging devices, such as video cameras, which employ a rear focus type zoom lens, an electromagnetic motor, such as a step motor or a voice coil motor, is used as the focusing motor (U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,369). When the step motor is used as the focusing motor, it is not necessary to provide a lens position detection device, because lens position can be detected by counting the number of driving pulses. However, the step motor is large in size and the use thereof makes reduction of a lens unit impossible. The use of other types of electromagnetic motor makes reduction in the size of the motor possible. However, it requires provision of a lens position detection device, and hence makes reduction in size of the motor impossible. Reduction in the size of an imaging element (CCD) has increased the demand for a fine lens positioning operation. However, a combination of an electromagnetic motor, such as a step motor, and a transmission mechanism, such as a feed screw mechanism, cannot achieve the required accurate lens positioning.

Motor and an optical apparatus having such motor


There is provided a semiconductor light emitting device including a first conductivity-type semiconductor base layer and a plurality of light emitting nanostructures disposed to be spaced apart from one another on the first conductivity-type semiconductor base layer, each light emitting nanostructure including a first conductivity-type semiconductor core, an active layer, an electric charge blocking layer, and a second conductivity-type semiconductor layer, respectively, wherein the first conductivity-type semiconductor core has different first and second crystal planes in crystallographic directions.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) having many advantages such as a long lifespan, low power consumption, a fast response speed, environmental friendliness, and the like, compared to related art light sources, have been widely seen as next generation lighting sources, and have come to prominence as an important light sources in various products such as general lighting devices and in the backlights of display devices. In particular, LEDs based on Group III nitrides, such as GaN, AlGaN, InGaN, InAlGaN, and the like, commonly serve as semiconductor light emitting devices outputting blue or ultraviolet light.
Recently, as LEDs have come into widespread use, utilization thereof has extended to light sources in high current and high output fields. Demand for LEDs in high current and high output fields has spurred ongoing research into improvements in light emitting characteristics in the art. In particular, in order to increase luminous efficiency through enhancements in crystallinity and increases in light emitting areas, semiconductor light emitting devices having light emitting nanostructures and a manufacturing technique therefor have been proposed.
In general, when an AlGaN electric charge blocking layer is used in nano-LEDs including light emitting nanostructures, the electrical charge blocking layer has a doping concentration similar to that of a p-GaN layer and has a thickness of approximately 10 nm. However, the light emitting nanostructures have different crystal planes, causing a difference in growth rates and impurity incorporation efficiency, and as a result, the use of the electric charge blocking layer increases a leakage current.
Accordingly, a need exists for an LED having characteristics of a diode operating within an intended operating voltage while having a reduced leakage current.


A method is used to identify a plurality of tires of a motor vehicle by location allowing a sensed parameter of each of the plurality of tires to be monitored. The method incorporates the use of a central receiver, a plurality of sensors, a plurality of transmitters and a mobile training unit. The method includes the steps of moving the mobile training unit to a location adjacent one of the plurality of tires. Once there, the operator inputs manually the location of one of the plurality of tires with respect to the motor vehicle. The mobile training unit transmits the location to the adjacent sensor. The sensor identification is paired with the location in the sensor to create paired data. The method concludes with transmitting the paired data from the sensor to the central receiver allowing the central receiver to identify one of the plurality of tires by the paired data when the transmitter of one of the plurality of tires transmits a signal based on the identification signal and the parameter sensed by one of the plurality of sensors.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method for monitoring parameters of tires of a motor vehicle. More specifically, the invention relates to a method for monitoring parameters of each tire of the motor vehicle in an energy efficient manner.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems have been developed to monitor parameters of tires for motor vehicles. These systems use sensors mounted inside the tires of the motor vehicle to directly measure the parameters desired. These sensors then transmit the information to a receiver on the motor vehicle to be displayed for the operator of the motor vehicle. Because tires are rotated and periodically changed, a common problem with these systems is identifying from which tire location the transmission is emanating.
Methods for determining sensor location have been devised. Many of these methods involve having the receiver initiate a training mode. In the training mode, a controller transmits to each of the sensors inside the tires to transmit a signal to the receiver in a predetermined order, e.g., right-front, left-front, left-rear and right-rear. The operator of the vehicle must go to each tire and initiate the transmission of the signal from that particular tire. Requiring the operator to follow a particular tire transmission pattern when training the system oftentimes leads to errors. This is because the receiver receives four different signals and operates under the assumption that the transmission of those signals was in the proper order.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,414,592 discloses one solution for the training mode of the monitoring system. In this reference, a manually actuated transmitter creates a manual input location identification. The sensor within the tire receives the manually input location identification and stores that information and transmits this information every time the sensor is queried. When the position of the tire is changed, the manually input location identification is changed at that time. This system operates when the sensor identifies itself, its location and then transmits the parameter it senses. In this reference, the sensed parameter is pressure.
Because the sensor contemplated in this reference is located within the tire, it relies on a battery for its power. Transmitting the location of the sensor consumes battery power and is often redundant. More specifically, the sensor transmits its location every time it transmits a parameter signal, regardless of whether the tire has been rotated to a new position or not. Should the battery exhaust its potential, the tire must be removed from the wheel and the battery must be replaced. Operators of motor vehicles tend to consider this system non-operational due to its high maintenance and the time and cost associated with replacing the batteries.
A method identifies a plurality of tires of a motor vehicle by location to sense a parameter of each of the plurality of tires. The method incorporates the use of a central receiver, a plurality of sensors, a plurality of transmitters and a mobile training unit. The method includes the steps of moving the mobile training unit to a location adjacent one of the plurality of tires. Once there, the operator inputs manually the location of one of the plurality of tires with respect to the motor vehicle.
A sensor identification is retrieved from one of the plurality of sensors at the one of the plurality of tires. The location information and the sensor identification for that particular sensor are paired together to create paired data. The paired data is then transmitted from the sensor to the central receiver allowing the central receiver to identify one of the plurality of tires by the paired data when the transmitter of the one of the plurality of tires transmits a signal based on the identification signal and the parameter sensed by the one of the plurality of sensors.


Among other things, one or more techniques and/or systems are described for correcting projection data generated from a computed tomography (CT) examination of an object and/or for computing or updating a CT value of the object from the projection data. An image generator is configured to generate a CT image of an object under examination. Using this CT image, a set of actions are performed to correct projection data from which the CT image was generated and/or to update a CT value of one or more voxels within the CT image. In this way, the projection data and/or CT image is adjusted to reduce image artifacts and/or otherwise improve image quality and/or object detection.

The present application relates to the field of radiation imaging systems. It finds particular application to correcting projection data generated from a computed tomography (CT) examination of an object and/or for computing CT values of an object or sub-objects thereof from the projection data.
Computed tomography (CT) systems and other radiation imaging modalities, are useful to provide information, or images, of interior aspects of an object under examination. Generally, the object is exposed to radiation comprising photons (e.g., x-rays, gamma rays, etc.), and an image(s) is formed based upon the radiation absorbed and/or attenuated by interior aspects of the object, or an amount of radiation photons that is able to pass through the object. Generally, highly dense aspects of the object absorb and/or attenuate more radiation than less dense aspects, and thus an aspect having a higher density, such as a bone or metal, for example, may be apparent when surrounded by less dense aspects, such as muscle or clothing.
CT systems may be configured as single energy radiation imaging systems or multi-energy (e.g., dual-energy) radiation imaging systems. Although commonly referred to as a single energy radiation system, single energy radiation imaging systems are typically configured to use a single spectrum of radiation photon energy to generate (e.g., reconstruct) an image(s) of an object. Respective voxels of a three-dimensional image produced by a single energy radiation imaging system represent a CT value which is based upon the density of the object represented by the voxel. Multi-energy radiation imaging systems are configured to use multiple, distinct radiation photon energy spectra to generate an image(s) of an object. Respective voxels of a three-dimensional image produced by a multi-energy radiation imaging system may represent a CT value, which is based upon the density of the object represented by the voxel, and/or a z-effective value, which is based upon the atomic composition of the object. To capture data from multiple, distinct energy spectra, the multi-energy radiation imaging system may be configured to emit multiple, distinct energy spectra or the detector array may be configured to filter the impinging radiation photons (e.g., emitted across a single energy spectrum) based upon energy (e.g., dividing an emitted energy spectrum into a plurality of smaller energy spectra).
During generation (e.g., reconstruction) of images produced by single energy radiation imaging systems and/or multi-energy radiation imaging systems, image artifacts may be introduced due to, among other things, inherent phenomena that occur due to the interaction of radiation and objects. For example, radiation interacting with two objects of a same density and atomic composition may scatter differently based upon the shape of respective objects, objects surrounding each object, etc. As another example, objects having a higher density and/or atomic number may reflect or absorb a disproportionate amount of radiation in a low range(s) of the emitted radiation spectrum or spectra. This later phenomenon is sometimes referred to as beam hardening.
Image artifacts may cause an object to appear to have a different density and/or atomic composition than its true density and/or atomic composition. Such differences may result in false positives and/or false negatives during an inspection of the image by personnel and/or by object detection software configured to identify objects of interest (e.g., threat objects, malignant growths, etc.), for example.

Projection data correction and computed tomography value computation


An information processing device is provided. The information processing device includes an output control unit that controls output of a spoken utterance related to information presentation. The output control unit outputs the spoken utterance, and visually displays an output position of an important part of the spoken utterance. In addition, an information processing method is provided. The information processing method includes controlling, by a processor, output of a spoken utterance related to information presentation. The controlling further includes outputting the spoken utterance and visually displaying an output position of an important part of the spoken utterance.

In recent years, various kinds of devices for presenting information to users by using voice have become widespread. Regarding information presentation by voice, many technologies for enhancing convenience for users have been developed. For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a voice synthesis device for displaying an utterance time related to synthesized voice.

Information processing device and information processing method


A container for used plastic bags which have a limited "memory" and tendency to return to their initial size and shape after being used. The container has a confined storage space and an access and dispensing opening which is smaller than the initial size and shape of the bags to be stored. The used bags are compressed when passed into the storage space through the smaller opening, and expand within the container to a size larger than the access and dispensing opening. A finger slot in one wall of the container facilitates dispensing of the bags from the container.

It has long been common practice for retail merchants to package merchandise purchased by their customers in paper bags to facilitate carrying the merchandise. Paper bags are easily refolded into their initial planar configuration by the customer after the bags are unloaded, and customers often refold and save their used paper bags for future use.
Paper bags are being rapidly replaced by plastic bags with hand loops or handles for easy carrying. Merchants are switching to plastic bags because they are light, strong, clean, require less storage space, and are less expensive than paper bags. Customers like the plastic bags because they are easy to carry and are more useful around the home than paper bags.
Plastic bags are more difficult to store than paper bags. Used plastic bag cannot be stored in stacks like new plastic bags and paper bags. Plastic bags have a planar configuration when manufactured but a used plastic bag cannot be returned to its initial flat or planar configuration. This is because the plastic has a limited amount of inherent "memory" which makes it impossible to return a used plastic bag to its initial shape. The limited "memory" partially "forgets" the initial flat shape of the bag when it is attempted to flatten a used plastic bag, causing the plastic in each used bag to arbitrarily and randomly protrude in different directions, making it impossible to stack used plastic bags.
Therefore, previous efforts to store used plastic bags have usually resulted in a fluffed up mess of entangled bags. Many used plastic bags are thrown away because there has not been a satisfactory way to store them.

Method and apparatus for storing used plastic bags for refuse


The present disclosure includes a method for reducing a bone fracture and an apparatus such as a cable button for use with a bone plate, the cable button including cable button threads, a plurality of cable button apertures, a hex socket, and a hex opening. The present disclosure also includes a method for reducing a bone fracture and an apparatus such as a cable button for use with a bone plate, the cable button including a plurality of legs, where a leg includes a protrusion, where the protrusion engages the bone plate, and the cable button defines at least one cable button aperture.

It is known to treat fractures in bones by reducing the bone fracture. A bone or trauma plate may be attached to the bone to assist the fracture in the healing process. Generally, reducing the fracture includes realigning and positioning the fractured portions of the bone to their original position or a similar stable position. In addition, fixing the fracture with a bone plate includes positioning the plate over the fractured area of the bone and securing the plate to the bone across the fracture. Bone plates are configured to hold the bone in place while the fracture heals. Additionally, the bone plate may also provide support and/or compression to the bone in order to compress the fracture. Typically, such bone plates include a plurality of holes therein. The holes are configured to receive screws which are inserted into the bone to secure the bone plate to the bone.


An agricultural machine for harvesting crop includes a frame provided with a tongue and carrying wheels. The frame carries a cutting device, a conditioning and/or throwing device and adjustable deflectors. The cutting device and the conditioning and/or throwing device can be transposed into a second work position in which they form an acute first angle with a straight line perpendicular to direction of advance and acute second angles with axes of carrying wheels. The second angles have approximately the same value as the first angle.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an agricultural machine for harvesting crop, comprising a frame provided with a tongue for hitching to a tractor, and carrying wheels which move over the ground alongside the tractor during the work, the frame carrying a cutting device and a conditioning and/or throwing device, as well as adjusting deflectors located on its back side.
2. Background of the Related Art
A known machine of this type can occupy a work position in which the cutting device and conditioning and throwing device are perpendicular to the direction of advance and the deflectors are adjusted so that the crop is gathered and falls on the ground approximately on the right side--viewed in the direction of advance --of the width of the cutting pass.
At the next passage, the position of the deflectors is modified so that the gathered crop falls on the ground approximately on the left side of the width of the cutting pass.
With such an arrangement, the windrows formed in two successive passages are brought together. This arrangement, applied to a machine with great work width, still does not make it possible to gather two windrows, so they form only one windrow of a reduced width, able to be gathered with standard pick-ups of the most up-to-date forage harvesters.
On the other hand, on this machine, the frame with the cutting device and conditioning and/or acceleration device is farther away from the tractor during the second passage to keep its wheels from crushing the hay cut during the first passage. Consequently, the tractor driver must modify his guide marks at each passage.
Further, when the machine is farther away from the tractor, it has more of a tendency to shift toward the back side of the tractor. For this reason, the work width is very irregular and the driver must constantly correct the path.
Finally, when the machine is in the position farthest from the axis of the tractor, its center of gravity is close to the front side of the support triangle defined by its two carrying wheels and the point of hitching the tongue to the tractor. The stability of the machine consequently is precarious in this position.

Agricultural harvesting machine movable into two positions


Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for providing index and storage management for multi-tiered databases. An embodiment operates by receiving a request to create an index on a multi-tiered database including both an in-memory store and a disk store. A multi-store table associated with the index is determined, wherein the multi-store table includes both a first set of data stored on the memory store and a second set of data stored on the disk store. Either the first set of data or the second set of data on which to create the index is selected based on the request. The index for the selected set of data of the multi-store table is generated. The index is stored on either the disk store or the memory store as corresponding to the selected set of data for which the index was generated.

Some databases enable storage on multiple tiers, such as on both disk and memory. Creating an index on a multi-tiered database with both memory and disk storage accessible, often includes creating two indexes, one for each storage location. However, creating, storing, and maintaining multiple indexes requires both additional memory and processing power which can drain system resources and reduce overall system throughput.
In the drawings, like reference numbers generally indicate identical or similar elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears.

Index and storage management for multi-tiered databases


An integrated thin-film solar battery is disclosed. The integrated thin film solar battery includes a plurality of series connected solar cell strings with one or more power collecting electrodes electrically joined to the string. The thin-film photoelectric conversion elements have a first transparent electrode layer and a second transparent electrode layer sandwiching a photoelectric conversion layer. The string has an element separating groove and the first electrode layer has an extending section having one end that crosses the element separating groove and extends to a region of an adjacent element. At least a portion of the first electrode layer just below the power collecting electrodes and another portion of the first electrode layer are insulated and separated from each other by at least one of an electrode separating line and an insulating line.

As a conventional technique 1, for example, FIG. 6 in Patent Document 1 discloses an integrated thin-film solar battery having a string where a plurality of thin-film photoelectric conversion elements are electrically connected in series.
In the conventional technique 1, the thin-film photoelectric conversion elements are configured so that a transparent electrode layer, a photoelectric conversion layer and a metal electrode layer are sequentially laminated on a transparent insulating substrate, and a power collecting electrode made of a metal bar is jointed onto three or more places of the metal electrode layer of the thin-film photoelectric conversion elements via a brazing filler metal.
Further, as an integrated thin-film solar battery in a conventional technique 2, FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 discloses an integrated thin-film solar battery having the following constitution.
In this constitution, in thin-film photoelectric conversion elements that joint power collecting electrodes, metal electrode layer and photoelectric conversion layer are partially removed so that grooves are formed, and the power collecting electrodes are buried into the grooves so as to be electrically connected to the transparent electrode layer directly.
This constitution is also disclosed in FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2.
In the integrated thin-film solar batteries in the conventional techniques 1 and 2 where the power collecting electrodes are jointed to the three or more thin-film photoelectric conversion elements, the plurality of thin-film photoelectric conversion elements between the power collecting electrode on one end side and the intermediate power collecting electrode are connected in series so as to form one series-connected string. Further, the series-connected strings adjacent in a series-connecting direction are constituted so that their current directions are opposite to each other.
Further, as a conventional technique 3, FIG. 1 in Patent Document 3 discloses an integrated thin-film solar battery having a constitution such that a power collecting electrode is jointed to only a metal electrode layer of thin-film photoelectric conversion elements on both ends in the serial-connecting direction.
Further, as a conventional technique 4, FIG. 3 in Patent Document 3 discloses an integrated thin-film solar battery having a constitution such that a power collecting electrode is jointed to a metal electrode layer of thin-film photoelectric conversion elements on both ends in a serial-connecting direction and a metal electrode layer of one or more thin-film photoelectric conversion elements between the thin-film photoelectric conversion elements on the both ends.


A silicon annealed wafer having a sufficient thick layer free from COP defects on the surface, and a sufficient uniform BMD density in the inside can be produced by annealing either a base material wafer having nitrogen at a concentration of less than 1×1014 atoms/cm3, COP defects having a size of 0.1 μm or less in the highest frequency of occurrence and no COP defects having a size of 0.2 μm or more, oxygen precipitates at a density of 1×104 counts/cm2 or more, and BMDs (oxygen precipitates), where the ratio of the maximum to the minimum of the BMD density in the radial direction of the wafer is 3 or less, or a base material wafer grown at specific average temperature gradients within specific temperature ranges and specific cooling times for a single crystal at a nitrogen concentration of less than 1×1014 atoms/cm3, employing the Czochralski method. Moreover, a silicon epitaxial wafer having very small defects and a uniform BMD distribution in the inside can be formed by growing an epitaxial layer on the surface of either the first type base material wafer or the second type base material wafer. Both the silicon annealed wafer and the silicon epitaxial wafer greatly reduce the rate of producing defective devices, thereby enabling the device productivity to be enhanced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a silicon annealed wafer having a defect free layer on the surface, which wafer is used for producing semiconductor devices, and also to a silicon epitaxial wafer with a perfect epitaxial layer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A silicon wafer used for producing semiconductor devices is produced by slicing a silicon single crystal grown mainly by the Czochralski method. In the Czochralski method, a silicon single crystal is grown from molten silicon in a quartz crucible, pulling up a seed crystal to solidify the molten silicon.
Normally, oxygen solves into the molten silicon from the raw silicon material and/or the quartz crucible, and the solved oxygen is retained in the single crystal during the silicon solidification. The solubility of oxygen is decreased by the decrease in the temperature of the single crystal, and therefore the single crystal contains oxygen in a saturated state. As a result, oxygen precipitates are generated in the wafer during a heat treatment in the process of manufacturing devices.
Such oxide precipitates or defects induced from the precipitation is called BMD (Bulk Micro Defect). The existence of such BMDs in the surface region of the wafer, on which devices are formed, i.e., on an active region, causes the deterioration of the device characteristics. On the contrary, BMDs existing in a region other than the active region in a substrate suppresses the contamination of the active region into which metal impurities diffuse during the process of manufacturing devices, so that BMD serves as a gettering site for capturing such metal impurities.
In order to effectively use the gettering effect of BMD, a DZ-IG (Denuded Zone-Intrinsic Gettering) treatment is employed. In the DZ-IG treatment, a wafer is subjected to a heat cycle in which the wafer is heated at approximately 1150° C. in an atmosphere containing nitrogen, oxygen or mixture of both, and then annealed at 500° C.-900° C. for several hours or more. Such a heat treatment at a high temperature allows oxygen in the vicinity of the wafer surface to be diffused to the outside thereof. Accordingly, a denuded zone (DZ) having a low oxygen concentration can be formed in the surface layer where neither oxygen precipitates nor defects resulting therefrom reside. Furthermore, the subsequent heat treatment at a lower temperature forms BMDs having the gettering effect in the wafer.
By such DZ-IG treatment, it is possible to obtain a high quality wafer, from which devices having excellent properties can be produced at high yields. However, long process times for the heat treatment and a large variation in the effect of the treatment result in an increase of the production cost.
In most cases, moreover, COP (Crystal Originated Particle) defects (which are called IR-light scattering tomography defects when they exist in the wafer), which pertain to a type of grown-in defects formed in the course of growing a single crystal, reside in the wafer, and it is not possible to remove such COP defects from the wafer by the DZ-IG treatment. The COP defects have a particle size of 0.1 μm or so and they exist in a single crystal at a density of 105-106 counts/cm3 or so. A main factor of deteriorating the device characteristics results from the COP defects in the current process of manufacturing semiconductor devices.
In order to reduce the number of COP defects, a wafer is heated at a high temperature of 1200° C. or so in a non-oxidizing atmosphere containing hydrogen, argon or the like. In this method, a heat treatment at a high temperature is applied to the wafer so as to reduce the density of COP defects in the surface layer of the wafer as well as to diffuse oxygen to the outside thereof. Accordingly, such a heat treatment at a high temperature makes it possible to easily manufacture a high quality wafer including neither oxygen precipitates nor COP defects at the device active region in the surface layer of the wafer.
For instance, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-98047 discloses a technology, in which a wafer is annealed at 1000° C. or more for one hour or more in an atmosphere containing a rare gas or a gas which is selectable from a group of oxygen, nitrogen, a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen, and hydrogen.
In this case, a single crystal, from which wafers are prepared, is produced either under conditions that the oxygen concentration is 4×1017 atoms/cm3 or more and it is maintained within a temperature range of 850-1100° C. for less than 80 minutes during the cooling period for the single crystal growth, or under the condition that it has the nitrogen concentration of at least 1×1014 atoms/cm3. An increased cooling rate within the above temperature range during the single crystal growth causes the size of the COP defects to be decreased, and thereby the density of the defects resulting from the annealing can be effectively reduced.
In the above Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-98047, it is shown that a defect free layer can easily be formed on the surface of a wafer. However, no description is given regarding the BMD providing the gettering effect within the wafer. While it has been already known that the doping of nitrogen causes strengthening a silicon crystal, the doped nitrogen influences the generation not only of grown-in defects, but also of OSFs (Oxidation Induced Stacking Faults) or the like resulting from oxygen precipitation or the heat treatment for high temperature oxidation.
In a technical literature (K. Nakai: "Nitrogen and Carbon Effect on the Formation of Grown-in Defects and Oxygen Precipitation Behavior", The 52th Conference of Japanese Association for Crystal Growth, Bulk Growth Section Meeting, Feb. 8, 2000, pp. 6-9), it is shown that the nitrogen concentration strongly influences the oxygen precipitation. In the case of a single crystal wafer having a diameter of 200 mm, with the same oxygen concentration, an annular potential region of OSF occurrence is formed in a peripheral section of a 50 mm radial width at a doped nitrogen concentration of 5×1014 atoms/cm3, and OSFs are formed over the entire surface area of the wafer at a doped nitrogen concentration of 3×1015 atoms/cm3.
In Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-189493, a technology of enhancing the gettering effect for an epitaxial wafer is disclosed. In the technology disclosed therein, the formation of an epitaxial layer on a potential region of OSF occurrence on the surface of a wafer makes it impossible to eliminate oxygen precipitate nuclei even at a high temperature during the epitaxial layer formation, and therefore the nuclei serve as an effective gettering site.
Moreover, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-189493 also describes that nitrogen doping at a concentration of 1×1013 atoms/cm3 or more is normally effective for expanding the width of the annular potential region of OSF occurrence with respect to the center of the wafer, i.e., the axis of pulling the single crystal, to expand the region over the entire wafer.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-199795 describes a manufacturing method, wherein, when the passing period through a temperature range of 1100° C. to 700° C. is set to within 200 minutes or less in the process of growing a single crystal at a doped nitrogen concentration of 1×1013-1.2×1015 atoms/cm3, heterogeneity of the BMD density within the wafer resulting from the OSF ring can be eliminated.
As described above, regarding an annealed wafer free from such defects as oxygen precipitates and COPs in the device active region of the wafer surface layer, and which has BMD gettering sites in the inside, various methods have been proposed for decreasing the size of the COP defects by nitrogen dope, so small as to be eliminated by the annealing and at the same time for destributing BMDs sufficiently and uniformly.
However, due to the high segregation coefficient of nitrogen, it is difficult to distribute nitrogen concentration uniformly over the entire single crystal to be grown. Consequently, if it is necessary to dope nitrogen in the single crystal at a high concentration, the crystal area at such high concentration is restricted and no satisfactory yield can be obtained, thereby making it difficult to apply this method to the practical usage.

Silicon annealed wafer and silicon epitaxial wafer


We disclose herein a recoating device for an additive manufacturing process, the device comprising: a recoating member for guiding a volume of material to a target area and a support structure on which the recoating member is mounted. The recoating device is configured such that the recoating member moves in a first direction along a longitude of the target area and the recoating member moves in a second direction different to the first direction.

Additive Manufacturing (AM) can be used to create complex parts quickly and efficiently. In the field of AM, Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is a type of Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) process that can be used to fuse metal powder particles together, layer by layer, to build fully-dense metal parts. An SLM system is typically comprised of a build piston, a feed cylinder, a wiper/recoating mechanism, and a high powered laser scanner.
Similarly, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is a method of AM wherein layers of powder are selectively sintered and parts are produced by applying powder to sintered layers. This has the disadvantage that it cannot be used to make metal components that withstand high temperatures and high stress.
In both SLM and SLS systems, a recoating mechanism is typically used to coat the build plate of the system with the powder to be fused. There are generally two methods of coating the build plate with the powder: using a recoater to push powder from a feed cylinder over to a build cylinder, or using a recoater that is fed powder though a hopper.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,636 describes a recoater mechanism using an elongated blade with an axis of rotation such that it can roll over the powder when recoating.
Existing recoater mechanisms are rigidly mounted and move along a single axis. If they interfere with a distorted part, then either the part or the recoater blade can be damaged. This results in the build process failing and the recoater blade having to be replaced. Additionally, recoater mechanisms that are fixed in the vertical direction do not allow for any adjustment on the user end.
Many existing recoater devices do not have a simple way of replacing the recoater blade. In many devices the recoater blade has to be slid out of a slot, this is difficult and time consuming as a rubber blade will have a high coefficient of friction.

Recoating device for additive manufacturing


As preparation for the seam welding of different thickness sheet metal blanks (10 and 12), at least the thicker (10) of the two blanks is reduced in thickness, preferably by chip machining, in its edge region (11) which is intended for welding. Since the edge regions (11 and 13) which are to be welded then approximate to each other in their thicknesses (t1+t2), practically symmetrical conditions with regard to the joint plane exist for the welding operation, so that the welding can proceed with substantially the same controllable welding parameters as in the seam welding of sheet metal blanks of equal thickness. The process is suitable mainly for use in mash seam welding, but also in other seam welding processes, such as for example, in laser welding.

The invention relates to a process for the seam welding of sheet metal blanks of unequal thickness. In so-called sheet metal welding, in particular, in which two or more sheet metal blanks or panels are joined together into larger panel configurations, it is necessary to an increasing extent also to weld together sheet metals of varying thickness and surface quality. The welding processes used--mash seam welding and laser welding--encounter specific difficulties, however, in this connection.
With mash seam welding (a particular form of electric resistance roll seam welding between two electrode rollers), the zone with the highest temperature is more or less symmetrically set between the contact surfaces of the electrodes; in the case of sheet metals of sharply varying thickness, this zone consequently occurs mainly within the cross-section of the thicker metal sheet, and therefore is offset in relation to the jointing plane between the metal sheet edges which overlap each other. In order to obtain nevertheless a reliable welding of both edges, increased electrical power is necessary, and welding can occur only at considerably reduced speed (compared with the welding of metal sheets of equal thickness). The asymmetrical position of the zone with the highest temperature may also have the result that more or less deep and inadequately welded gaps remain, running from the edges of the metal sheets, which are undesirable with regard to corrosion and mechanical strength (fluctuating loading and workability). Finally, the thickening and/or the thickness transition along the mash seam are relatively large, which once again can cause problems, e.g. during subsequent deep-drawing of the welded workpieces.
An "asymmetry" of a different kind occurs during laser welding with metal sheet edges butted together. Whilst with metal sheets of equal thickness the laser beam is exactly perpendicular to the metal sheet plane and aligned with the butt joint, it has to be set slightly obliquely to a joint, with unequally "high" edges. However, the depth effect of the beam in the joint (parallel to the edge abutment) is drastically reduced thereby, and the fusing of the two metal sheet edges occurs with considerable asymmetry. Even with the laser process, sheet metal blanks of different thicknesses can for this reason only be welded at a considerably reduced rate of feed and with the risk of reduced seam quality.
The difficulties mentioned, which occur in the seam welding of sheet metal blanks of unequal thickness without additional material, are intended to be overcome with the invention. In particular, the rate of feed is intended to approximate to that in the seam welding of metal sheets of equal thickness, and the quality of the welding seam is intended to be better controlled, i.e. to be more reliably produced.

Process for seam welding of sheet metal blanks


A connection element able to be located between a part or neck of a rolling roll and a relative housing bushing as present in a chock for rolling stands, including a first external element and a second internal element, mating and coupled, wherein the second internal element has internally a seating at least partly truncated cone shaped for coupling with the neck of the rolling roll.

It is known that the bearings in question are associated with the end parts of the rolls, or necks, in rolling stands, which end parts have a conical surface.
It is also known that said conical surface is associated with a connection component or element which, internally, has a seating mating with said conical part of the rolling roll and externally has a cylindrical surface suitable to cooperate with a bushing made of a low friction material.
The support, chock, sealing and clamping elements and the like are taken as known.
It is also known that the modern tendency is to load the rolls more and more, so as to exert an ever greater rolling pressure, and therefore, to reduce the number of passes which have to be carried out in order to obtain the desired reductions.
Moreover, there is also the requirement that all the components should last longer and that it should cost as little as possible to replace and/or maintain them.
These requirements, however, come into conflict with problems of dimensions and bulk.
Furthermore, any change to the sizes and/or structure of the bearings can cause problems of supply, storage of spare parts, the speed of replacement or maintenance and others.
It is also known that changes to the sizes which affect the conical part of the end parts of the rolling rolls create, in rolling plants when there are updates and/or interruptions, an excessive cost due to the replacement of the rolls and the bearings units with unacceptable investments.
DE-C-943868 discloses a connection element located between a neck of a rolling roll and a relative housing bush and comprising an external element made of a sliding thermoplastic material and an internal element mating and coupled, the internal element having internally a seating partly truncated cone shaped for coupling with the neck of the rolling roll.
The present invention intends to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art, and others, which will become clear in the following description, allowing to obtain, with an innovative and only apparently simple component or sleeve, the best and the most extensive results, using the current bulk sizes.
The Applicant has devised, tested and embodied the present invention to overcome the shortcomings of the state of the art and to obtain these and other purposes and advantages.

Connection component for oil film bearings


2-Aryl substituted benzimidazoles and imidazo[4,5]pyridines are disclosed as inhibitors of Cds1 and useful as adjuvants to chemotherapy or radiation therapy in the treatment of cancer.

The maintenance of an intact genome is of crucial importance to every organism. The individual cell in a multicellular eukaryotic organism possesses sophisticated and intricate mechanisms to properly respond to DNA damage. Such mechanisms repair damaged DNA or trigger programmed cell death (apoptosis). In response to DNA damage, checkpoint kinases are thought to be intimately involved in these processes. These kinases are activated by upstream proteins, such as ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated) and ATR (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated and rad3-related), and in turn trigger cell cycle arrest by inhibition of proteins such as Cdc25A or Cdc25C. The checkpoint kinases may also modulate the activity of other proteins that are thought to be involved in DNA repair and programmed cell death. Examples of such proteins are BRCA1 and p53.
The checkpoint kinase Cds1 (in man also known as Chk2) is conserved from yeast to man. A human homolog of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Cds1 gene has been described (Tominaga, K. et al. J. Biol. Chem. 1999, 274(44):31463-31467; Matsouka, S. et al. Science 1998, 282:1893-1897; Blasina, A. et al. Curr. Biol. 1999, 9(1):1-10). Human Cds1 was rapidly activated by phosphorylation in response to DNA damage in both normal cells and in p53-deficient cancer cells. High levels of hCds1 were observed in p53-deficient cells. In human cells Cds1 has been implicated in the regulation by phosphorylation of proteins such as p53, BRCA1, Cdc25A, and Cdc25C (See: Lee, J.-S. et al. Nature 2000, 404:201-204; Falck, J. et al. Nature 2001, 410:842-847; and Buscemi, G. et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 2001, 21(15):5214-5222). As described below, inhibition of Cds1 offers two strategies for improving the effectiveness of DNA-damaging cancer treatments.
Cancer cells are often deficient in the mechanisms responsible for maintaining an intact genome. In particular, they have often lost proper p53 function, which generally correlates with the progression of a tumor to a more aggressive state, such as the progression from a preinvasive to invasive stage of colon cancer, or from a low grade to a high grade astrocytoma. Between 30% and 70% of all subtypes of tumors have a point mutation in one of the two p53 gene copies and have lost the other allele. P53-deficient cells are generally more resistant to radiation. It is thought that the lack of initiation of programmed cell death in cancer cells may render such cells less sensitive to DNA-damaging cancer treatments. The transcription factor p53 is of importance not only for the initiation of programmed cell death, but also in cell cycle arrest. Loss of p53 function may therefore leave cancer cells with limited protection against insult to the genome. Further disruption of DNA damage repair and cell cycle arrest by inhibition of kinases such as Cds1 could then render cancer cells unable to survive after DNA damage. Therefore inhibition of Cds1 could, by removing the remaining components of DNA damage repair, render the cancer cells more susceptible to treatments such as chemical DNA-damaging agents or ionizing radiation.
Normal cells, on the other hand, have an intact p53 system, and will often undergo apoptosis in response to DNA-damaging treatments at a much lower dose than that required to kill cancer cells. Therefore, in such situations, normal cells will be at a disadvantage compared to cancer cells, and cancer treatments often have to be discontinued due to serious side effects caused by loss of normal cells before the cancer has been eradicated. Inhibition of Cds1, which would prevent this kinase from phosphorylating and thereby stabilizing p53, could therefore protect normal cells from the effects of ionizing radiation or DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics while still allowing these agents to be effective against p53-deficient cancer cells. This would have the effect of increasing the therapeutic potential of these agents. This view is supported by studies of mice deficient in Cds1 (See: Hirao, A. et al. Mol. Cell. Biol. 2002, 22(18):6521-6532; Takai, H. et al. EMBO J. 2002, 21(19):5195-5205; WO 01/98465 A1 Chugai Seiyaku Kabushiki Kaisha, Dec. 27, 2001). These animals showed increased resistance to the apoptosis caused by ionizing radiation over their wild-type counterparts. For example, it was shown that these animals were protected from apoptosis of intestinal cells, hair follicle cells, cells of the CNS, and thymus cells relative to their wild-type counterparts when treated with ionizing radiation. Cds1 knockout animals also showed increased survival when exposed to ionizing radiation. It is therefore logical to assume that chemical inhibitors of Cds1 would have therapeutic potential in the protection of patients from the deleterious side effects of radiation or DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics.
Additional examples of cell cycle checkpoint modulators in development include UCN-01 (CAS 112953-11-4), UCN-02, KW-2401, NSC-638850 (Kyowa Hakko/National Cancer Institute) and SB-218078 (CAS 135897-06-2) (SmithKline Beecham).
Publications that may be considered as potential prior art with respect to one or more of the compounds of the invention include DE 0148431 (T 7570), WO 01/21771 A2, and White, A. W. et al. J. Med. Chem. 2000, 43(22):4084-4097.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant for use with ionizing radiation in the treatment of cancers.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant for use with DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics in the treatment of cancers.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant for use with ionizing radiation and/or DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics that promotes the death of cancer cells damaged by such radiation or chemotherapeutics.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant for use with ionizing radiation and/or DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics that prevents apoptosis of healthy cells damaged by such radiation or chemotherapeutics.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant for use with ionizing radiation and/or DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics that both promotes in a patient the death of cancer cells and prevents the apoptosis of healthy cells damaged by such radiation or chemotherapeutics.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant for use with ionizing radiation and/or DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics in the treatment of p53-deficient cancer cells.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant for use with ionizing radiation and/or DNA-damaging chemotherapeutics that both promotes in a patient the death of p53-deficient cancer cells and prevents the apoptosis of healthy cells damaged by such radiation or chemotherapeutics.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for the treatment of cancer in a patient comprising exposing the cancer to ionizing radiation and administering a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for the treatment of cancer in a patient comprising administering a DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic and a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method to promote in a patient the death of cancer cells damaged by exposure to ionizing radiation and/or by administration of a DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic comprising the step of administering a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant in conjunction with such therapies.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method to prevent in a patient the apoptosis of healthy cells damaged by exposure to ionizing radiation and/or by administration of a DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic comprising the step of administering a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant in conjunction with such therapies.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a method to both promote in a patient the death of cancer cells and prevent the apoptosis of healthy cells damaged by exposure to ionizing radiation and/or by administration of a DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic comprising the step of administering a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant in conjunction with such therapies.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide a method for the treatment of p53-deficient cancer cells in a patient comprising exposing the cancer cells to ionizing radiation and/or administering a DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic and administering a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a method to both promote in a patient the death of p53-deficient cancer cells and to prevent the apoptosis of healthy cells damaged by exposure to ionizing radiation and/or by administration of a DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic comprising the step of administering a Cds1-inhibiting adjuvant in conjunction with such therapies.

Substituted benzimidazoles and imidazo-[4,5]-pyridines


A chair mounting exercising unit includes two swinging arms having a bottom end fastened to either end of a substantially U-shaped locating rod being fixed to the back of a chair by a knob controlled lock device and a slotted side extension plate in the middle at an outer side movably hung on a screw bolt at either end of a horizontal frame on the back of the chair and a top end coupled with a pulley wheel assembly, and two elastic pull ropes respectively inserted through either pulley wheel assembly and fastened to either swinging arm and an opposite end coupled with a handle.

The present invention relates to exercising apparatus, and more particularly to an exercising unit mounted on the back of the chair of an exercising apparatus for exercising the muscles of the chest and the back.
Various exercising apparatus have been disclosed for exercising different parts of the body, and have appeared on the market. These apparatus are commonly heavy and expensive. It has been the tendency to provide a versatile exercising apparatus having a simple structure. However, increasing the functions of an exercising apparatus will relatively complicate the structure and increase the manufacturing cost.


A system for generating a tunable X-ray pulse comprises a first electron beam source configured to direct a first electron pulse of predetermined energy and pulse length towards a first interaction zone, a laser beam source configured to direct a first photon pulse of predetermined energy and pulse length towards the first interaction zone to interact with the first electron pulse. The first interaction produces a substantially monochromatic second photon pulse of higher photon energy directed towards a second interaction zone, and a second electron beam source configured to direct a second electron pulse of predetermined energy and pulse length towards the second interaction zone so that the second interaction produces an X-ray pulse of predetermined energy and pulse length in a cascaded inverse Compton scattering (ICS) configuration.

The invention relates generally to X-ray generation systems. The invention particularly relates to inverse Compton scattering X-ray generation systems.
Conventional X-ray sources generally rely on either Bremsstrahlung radiation or synchrotron radiation. In Bremsstrahlung radiation X-ray embodiments, radiation is produced when energetic electrons are decelerated by heavy solid targets made of dense, high-Z materials. For example, radiation in common medical diagnostic X-ray tubes is generally of relatively low power and comprises long pulses or a continuous wave radiation. Moreover, such radiation is randomly polarized, incoherent radiation with a broad range of energies that is not easily energy selectable or energy tunable. Where synchrotron radiation is desired, radiation is produced by ultrahigh energy electron beams passing through magnetic undulators or dipoles in a storage ring synchrotron source. The X-rays generated by the synchrotron source are generally broadband, incoherent, low energy, fixed polarization and untunable except by significant changes in undulator geometry or energy tune in a large accelerator. In addition, such sources require high energetic electron beams, which in turn require large and expensive facilities.
Delivery of hard, tunable, monochromatic X-rays in an area with geometry suitable and practical for rapid human imaging has been a long desired goal. The advantages of a tunable source of mono-energetic X-rays are well known in the medical diagnostic and non-destructive evaluation fields. A device to produce X-rays in a clinical setting should be relatively compact and capable of delivering energies that encompass the useful diagnostic imaging range. If narrow bandwidth X-rays can be tuned, one can use quite different energies for monochromatic mammography versus chest or skull imaging. By using only the frequencies best suited to the examination being performed on a patient, one eliminates a significant portion of the radiation dose delivered to that person.
Few physical processes lend themselves to production of such beams as well as the phenomenon of Inverse Compton Scattering (ICS). ICS has been successfully used to generate X-rays by using linear accelerators and large, high-powered lasers. ICS based X-ray sources, due to their coherence and spectral properties, offer significant benefits in lower dosage, higher-contrast, and better resolution over conventional X-ray tube imaging technologies.
Although tunable, mono-energetic inverse Compton scattering X-ray systems sources have been constructed and demonstrated, the major drawback to these systems is their overall size, often encompassing several large rooms. Previous designs have attempted to shrink the size of the linear accelerator section by increasing the field gradients. This is achieved by increasing the operating frequency of the linear accelerator to the high gigahertz regime. While such designs work in theory, they do not reduce to practice easily due to reliability issues associated with the very high electric fields.
Therefore there is a need for a compact, tunable, monoenergetic ICS based X-ray source.

System and method for X-ray generation by inverse compton scattering


A position sensor includes a vibrating elongated member with a marker retained thereto in a sliding relationship thereon, wherein the marker coupled to a displacement of a target corresponding to a change of a physical quantity alters the natural frequency of the vibrating elongated member and, consequently, the numerical value of the physical quantity is determined from the natural frequency of the vibrating elongated member.

In the field of instrumentation and control, there is a great demand for a position transducer that converts the position of a target or marker disposed on one side of rigid structural barrier to an electrical signal generated and processed by an electrical transducer element and circuitry disposed on the otherside of the rigid structural barrier. This type of position transducer enables one to modify many existing measuring instruments with visual read-out means such as pressure gauges, thermometers, level indicators, flowmeters, etc. whereby the information provided by those measuring instruments is converted to an electrical signal that is processed by an electronic data processor or computer in acquiring measurement data in a desired physical unit and feeding it to other control devices for process control.


A method of fiber analysis for feedstuffs and foods which comprises providing a sample of feedstuff or food of a predetermined weight in a sealed fabric bag having a porosity selected to allow for the removal of the solubilized components of the sample by solubilizng them in the detergent from the bag while retaining the fiber components of the sample within the bag; the bag is placed in a heated detergent solution for a time sufficient to solubilize the non-fiber components of the sample while retaining the fiber components within the bag. The bag is then rinsed in an aqueous solution to remove residual detergent, followed by rinsing in an organic solvent and drying and then weighing the bag to determine the fiber content. The bag containing the sample is also disclosed.

The invention relates in general to fiber analysis, and more specifically to an improved fiber analysis system which exhibits improved efficiency in labor and time, and minimizes the amount of apparatus required.
In general, fiber analysis is conducted in order to determine analytical data that will aid in predicting the extent of the nutritional availability of forage and other feedstuff for animals. Fiber determinations are also important in human nutrition, and have gained increased prominence since the benefit that fiber has on the gastrointestinal tract has been recognized.
The currently accepted techniques used for fiber analysis include neutral detergent fiber (NDF) analysis and acid detergent fiber (ADF) analysis originally described by P. J. Van Soest and others and involves the solubilization of non-fiber components of the feed in boiling detergent solution, with the residual material described as neutral detergent fiber or acid detergent fiber depending on the solution used. In this procedure, the recovery of the residual fiber by filtering and subsequent washing, utilizes individual glass crucibles and filtration units. The filtration procedure associated with the analysis requires pains taking, labor intensive and time consuming tasks. Although improvements in the filtering procedures have been made they still require individual handling and filtering which limits the efficiency of these procedures.
Agricultural Handbook No. 379 entitled Forage Fiber Analyses (Apparatus, Reagents, Procedures, and Some Applications); pages 1-20; by H. K. Goering and P. J. Van Soest; Agricultural Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture describes in detail these currently available procedures which are the standard for government, industry, and academia. The criteria set forth in the article describes the equipment and labor intensive requirement of the procedure in which typically a minimum of six (6) detergent reflux containers and attendant heating apparatus are required to maintain boiling solutions that keep the fiber in continuous suspension. Similarly, a minimum of six (6) filtration units are also required to accommodate individual products from each of the reflux containers. It is stated in the article that the standardized methods and equipment in the laboratory are mandatory in order to obtain precise analytical results. It is recommended in the article that enough equipment be provided to adequately run a basic analysis such as cell wall (neutral detergent fiber) continuously for an eight hour period at a recommended 12 unit refluxing apparatus and a drying oven large enough to hold 80 crucibles to make this objective possible.
It can therefore be seen from the above, that the current state of the art with regard to fiber analysis requires a significant expenditure and commitment to laboratory equipment associated with a difficult labor intensive and time consuming procedure which is inherent in the current standard procedure for fiber analysis.
There is, and has been a continuing need in this field for a procedure that will significantly improve the efficiency of the fiber analysis process that minimizes the investment in equipment, and yet insures that the analysis is equivalent to the standard procedure with regard to the eventual determination of fiber content.


A coffee machine comprises a fresh water reservoir. A heating block, having a first flow heater pipe, is in fluid communication with the reservoir via a first connection line and a second connection line. The first connection line has a check valve disposed therein, the second connection line has a pump disposed therein. A coffee-making head is in fluid communication with the heating block via a pipe. The pipe ascends from the heating block to the coffee-making head. A steam nozzle is in fluid communication with the heating block via a steam line. A device fluidly connects the reservoir with the steam outlet when the pump is operating.

The present invention relates to a coffee machine in which hot water for a coffee-brewing process is produced in a normally electrically heated flow heater which communicates with a fresh-water reservoir via a water-carrying line and which is provided with a check valve. The flow heater is positioned at a level below the lowermost point of the fresh-water reservoir, and the check valve is open towards the flow heater so that the flow heater will fill automatically due to the force of gravity of the water. The outlet of the flow heater is connected to an ascending pipe terminating in a coffee-making head from which brewing water can pour into a filter receptacle. As soon as the water begins to boil in the flow heater, pressure will build up in said flow heater, which will close the check valve and eject the boiling water from the coffee-making head. After the water has been ejected, the flow heater can refill with fresh water and the cycle starts again.
Such coffee machines offer no possibility of producing, alternatively to brewing water, also hot steam for the purpose of heating or foaming up, e.g., milk, as would be necessary for making cappuccino. For producing cappuccino, an espresso machine is normally used, such an espresso machine being however, comparatively expensive in comparison with a conventional coffee machine because of the high-pressure pump which has to be used. Moreover, for making cappuccino, it is not necessary to use espresso, but it will suffice to add normal coffee to the hot milk. Some cappuccino drinkers even prefer filtered coffee to espresso, which tastes slightly bitter. Hence, for making this type of cappuccino, a normal filter-coffee machine and an espresso machine are required unless the milk is heated on a separate kitchen stove or in a microwave oven.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a coffee machine by means of which cappuccino can be made as well.


A digital signal recording method and apparatus for recording first digital data and second digital data on a writable disc without an interleave discrepancy therebetween. The first digital data is previously recorded and the second digital data is at least one of overlapped and joined with the first digital data on a writable disc so that no interleave discrepancy occurs.

The present invention relates to a digital signal recording and reproducing apparatus and method including a digital signal overlapped or joined recording method for recording digital data over or joined to portions of other digital data already stored on a writable disc.
In an ordinary compact disc which is referred to hereafter as a CD, a PCM audio signal having a sampling frequency of 44.1 kHz and the number of quantization bits of 16 is recorded in a predetermined recording format as digital data. A CD player for reproducing a digital signal from such a CD is widely used in consumer applications such as audio equipment dedicated for reproduction.
A study of a disc which has a compatible recording format with the aforementioned CD and which allows digital data to be recorded therein has been making progress in recent years. Such a disc is referred to hereafter as a writable disc. The writable disc category so far includes a type that allows digital data to be recorded only once and a type that allows digital data to be rewritten as is described, for example, at pages 48 to 51 of a collection of manuscripts presented at a 1988 JAS conference.
In order to record digital data in CD recording format, a correction code is first added to the digital data, then interleaving based on a simple delay technique is performed on the digital data and, finally, another correction code is added as is described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-4629.
When recording digital data into a writable disc in CD format using the simple delay technique, the following problem is encountered. Assuming that digital data is to be recorded over a portion of other digital data already stored on a writable disc allowing data to be rewritten or that a pause has occurred in the writing of the digital data and subsequently additional digital data is written on the disc so as to be joined with the previous and such writable disc is hereafter referred to as a writable disc and such recording is hereafter referred to as overlapped or joined recording, the start and end points of the overlapped or joined recording between two consecutive recording operations are known as edit points. For example, a recording operation is halted temporarily at a point and then followed by another recording operation starting from the point at which the first recording operation was halted. At an edit point which becomes a boundary between existing and overlapping or joined portions of data, an interleave discrepancy results. When playing back a writable disc which underwent overlapped joined recording, an abnormal sound is reproduced at an edit point due to the interleave discrepancy. Such an abnormal sound causes a problem.
A typical countermeasure known so far is described at pages 90 to 93 of D3, a collection of manuscripts presented in a 1986 JAS conference. This countermeasure was devised for preventing the generation of an abnormal sound due to an interleave discrepancy which is caused by a track jump encountered during, for example, a queue review of a CD player. However, the countermeasure was not devised against an abnormal sound due to an interleave discrepancy which is caused by the overlapped or joined recording.
With the proposed countermeasure, during a period between a time of detection of generation of a track jump in the course of reproduction and a time the interleaving is resolved, reproduction data is obtained by interpolation of recorded data immediately before the detection of the track jump as it is and an error flag is set in order to avoid erroneous correction. In this manner, generation of an abnormal sound as a result of the aforementioned conditions can be suppressed. However, the proposed countermeasure described above is, to the bitter end, devised against generation of abnormal sounds due to interleave discrepancies caused by track jumps. Applying the countermeasure, as it is, to abnormal sounds due to interleave discrepancies caused by overlapped or joined recording of digital data into a writable disc will result in the following problems:
With the proposed countermeasure described above, the detection of a track jump in the course of reproduction allows interleave discrepancies to be detected. However, detection of an interleave discrepancy caused by overlapped or joined recording of digital data into a writable disc, that is, an interleave discrepancy occurring on an edit point boundary must be separately provided. Otherwise, such an interleave discrepancy will remain undetected during reproduction.
Even if such an interleave discrepancy at an edit point can be detected, by merely obtaining reproduction data through interpolation of recorded data immediately before the detection of the interleave discrepancy as it is during a period between a time the interleave discrepancy is detected and a time the interleaving is resolved and setting an error flag for prevention of erroneous correction such as proposed by the countermeasure described above, the quality of the reproduced sound in the proximity of the edit point will inevitably deteriorate.
A CD player could be designed to include a facility for solving all the problems described above. With such a CD player, generation of an abnormal sound due to an interleave discrepancy caused by overlapped or joined recording of a writable disc would be reduced. However, generation of an abnormal sound due to an interleave discrepancy caused by overlapped or joined recording of a writable disc would be reduced only if the writable disc was reproduced using a CD player equipped with such a facility. With a CD player having no such facility, such as the type widely available at the present time, the generation of an abnormal sound remains as it used to be. As a result, the problem is basically unsolved.

Digital signal overlapped or joined recording method and apparatus


The present invention is directed to processes for printing compositions containing etchants or modifiers onto surfaces by spinning a filament from a viscoelastic polymer solution containing an etchant or modifier. The present invention also relates to viscoelastic compositions used in the printing processes, and devices made therefrom.

The electronics, display and energy industries rely on the formation of coatings and patterns of conductive and other electronically active materials to form circuits on organic and inorganic substrates. The primary methods for generating these patterns are screen printing for features larger than about 100 μm and thin film and etching methods for features smaller than about 100 μm. Other subtractive methods to attain fine feature sizes include the use of photo-patternable pastes and laser trimming.
It is the trend in the electronics industry to make smaller and less expensive electronic devices that provide higher resolution and enhanced display performance. As a result, it has become necessary to develop new materials and new approaches to manufacture such devices.
At times it will be preferable to coat an entire substrate with a surface layer and then, in a subtractive process, etch away the undesired portions of the surface layer to form the image. On the nano-scale, this is one of the fundamental underlying processes of the semiconductor industry. The technology is aggressive and well suited to small devices but there are many instances where the resolution of the semiconductor industry is not required. For example, in the photovoltaic industry, it is often required that long straight lines be selectively cut into devices. This is often done by laser scribing, which can be difficult when the layer to be removed is transparent and the layer below it to be left is opaque.
A technique to selectively etch portions of one layer while not damaging the subsequent underlayer is desirable for a wide variety of applications. This may be accomplished through the use of selective etchants that react chemically to remove one layer while leaving the next layer of differing composition undisturbed. The portions of the pattern to be retained are first covered with a resist. The etching process is carried out by exposing the entire area to the etchant. When the etching process is complete, the resist must be removed. A method that does not require the patterning and subsequent removal of a resist layer would be advantageous in certain applications.
Ink jet techniques allow the selective deposition of low viscosity, fluid materials onto a substrate surface. Because of the small droplet size of ink jet printing, it can be difficult to apply appreciable quantities of material, though this can be done utilizing multiple passes over the same area of an image. Appreciable drying time between passes may be required to prevent flowing of the image so that resolution is not compromised.
In solution spinning, a concentrated solution of a polymer is forced through a spinneret. The face of the spinneret is in contact only with a fluid, which is usually air. Because solvent evaporation is generally a slow process, after traveling a short distance through the air, typically 0.1-10 cm., the concentrated solution (in the form of a fine "jet") usually enters a coagulant, which extracts the solvent from the polymer, resulting in the formation of a polymer fiber. The coagulant is frequently water or, as in the case of the process disclosed herein, air. Importantly, in the gap between the spinneret face and the coagulant, the polymer solution, which is usually quite viscous and somewhat viscoelastic, is drawn, resulting in a smaller diameter jet of polymer solution entering the coagulant than was extruded from the spinneret holes. The amount of drawing that can be done is limited, because above some maximum draw value the fibers tend to break. This technique may be extended to processes for the selective deposition of materials as disclosed in US Patent application US2005/0089679 A1.
Despite the advances in such systems, the multiple, time-intensive steps required for current etching techniques employing resists are a limitation to manufacturing. Manufacturers are continuously seeking improved techniques and compositions that can fulfill their needs for selective materials removal. The techniques may be used in very specific applications if they provide greater speed and more specific materials removal. Such materials can increase the speed of the manufacturing processes without compromising high resolutions in the lines and spaces of the circuit or display patterns. The present invention is directed to such processes, materials and compositions suitable for implementation of the processes, and methods for production of the materials.