The invention relates to the field of nutritional ingredients, in particular to methods for producing hypoallergenic galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS) and the use thereof in food and drink items. Provided is the use of a beta-galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.23) derived from Cryptococcus terrestris (recently renamed Papiliotrema terrestris) in the production of a hypoallergenic GOS preparation having a reduced capacity to induce an allergic response in a subject.

The term "GOS" stands for galacto-oligosaccharides (GOS), which generally comprise a chain of galactose units and a terminal glucose unit, that arise through consecutive transgalactosylation reactions (transgalactosylation reactions), catalyzed by a beta-galactosidase. Some of the GOS components exist naturally in human breast milk and bovine colostrum. Typical GOS preparations mainly comprise di- to hexa-saccharides.
Various physiological functions of GOS have been reported, including the capacity to stimulate the growth of bifidogenic bacteria in the gut [1-3], to support normal gut transit [4], to contribute to natural defenses [5,6] and to enhance mineral absorption [7]. GOS has received particular attention for their prebiotic effects that promote the growth of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and other enteric bacteria. Therefore, GOS is commonly used in infant formula, beverages fermented by Lactobacillus, and yogurts. Some of these foods containing GOS are certified as Food for Specified Health Uses by the Consumer Affairs Agency in Japan, and GOS is certified as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substances by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (GRAS Notices: GRN 233, 236, 285, 286, 334, 484, 489, 495, 518, and 569).
In general, GOS is produced by a transglycosylation reaction (in particular a transgalactosylation reaction) with a beta-galactosidase enzyme (enzyme class EC.188.8.131.52). beta-Galactosidase enzymes are produced in many microorganisms such as Bacillus circulans, Aspergillus oryzae, Kluyveromyces marxianus, Kluyveromyces fragilis, Sporobolomyces singularis, and Lactobacillus fermentum. Beta-galactosidases differ in their three-dimensional structures, resulting in stereo- and regioselectivity of the glycosidic bonds that are formed. For example, typically a fungal beta-galactosidase derived from Aspergillus predominantly produces β1-6 bonds (thus resulting in a GOS preparation that predominantly comprises β1-6 bonds, which may be referred to as "6′-GOS"), while a bacterial beta-galactosidase derived from Bacillus predominantly produce β1-4 bonds (resulting in a GOS preparation that predominantly comprises β1-4 bonds, which may also be referred to as "4′-GOS"). Moreover, beta-galactosidase produced by B. circulans possesses particularly strong transgalactosylation activity, and thus, GOS prepared by B. circulans is sold worldwide.
Since its introduction to the market (1999), approximately more than 100 million of infants have consumed infant formula containing GOS prepared by B. circulans. It has been proven to be a safe ingredient, with a GRAS status acknowledged by the FDA.
In the past few years, however, a small number of very rare cases of GOS-related allergy has been reported in South East Asia. Research has shown that certain oligosaccharide structures present in GOS can exert an allergic response in very sensitive subjects [8].
Jyo et al. (Occup. Environ. Allergy 3, 12-20 (1992)) determined allergy symptoms after consumption of a lactobacillus beverage containing 6′-GOS produced by fungal beta-galactosidase. Allergy symptoms have also been observed with 4′-GOS produced by bacterial beta-galactosidase. In 2014, Kaneko et al. (Biosc. Biotechnol. Biochem. 78, 100-108) observed that GOS produced by treating lactose with a beta-galactosidase derived from B. circulans may induce allergic reactions and revealed that the allergies were caused by two tetrasaccharides [Gal β1-4 (Gal β1-4 Gal β1-6) Glc, Gal β1-4 Gal β1-4 Gal β1-3 Glc]. These GOS allergy cases occurred in subjects who already had a history of atopy.
The present inventors aimed at the manufacture of a GOS preparation having reduced allergenicity. In particular, they sought to identify a beta-galactosidase for use in the manufacture of a GOS preparation having a reduced capacity to induce an allergic response in a subject, as compared to a GOS preparation obtained by Bacillus circulans beta-galactosidase or by Aspergillus oryzae beta-galactosidase.

Method for preparing GOS having reduced allergenicity


A method and device for adaptive echo cancellation in a voice communication system wherein a reference signal x is sent over the system from a transmitting device and comprising an adaptive filter for removing any echo signal from a primary signal d received in answer to reference signal x, and said adaptive filter having a plurality of coefficients the value of which at each time n being computed from the value of the same coefficient at time n-1 modified by a normalization factor depending upon the energy of said reference signal and provided by a normalization factor controlling unit. The normalization factor is the maximum value between a first value representing the energy of reference signal x at time n and a second value depending on a value of the normalization factor previously stored during a preceding predetermined interval time multiplied by an attenuation factor less than 1.

Echo cancellation plays a fundamental role in modem telephony. The quality of telephone communications and the performance of the modern networks depend to a large extent upon the ability of the equipment to avoid or cancel echoes.
There are two kinds of echoes which may arise in the telephony: electrical echoes and acoustical echoes. The electrical echoes are due to impedance mismatch at the devices called hybrids where two-wire lines become four-wire lines. Hybrids are traditionally used when the two-wire local subscriber loop becomes a four-wire long distance trunk. The hybrid is also used at the point where the four wires (two wires from the microphone, and two wires from the speaker) are converted into the two-wire local loop.
The acoustic echo arises in a case when there is an acoustic path between the loudspeaker and the microphone so that part of the signal reproduced by the loudspeaker is reflected (weakened, delayed and distorted) by the room and then recorded by the microphone which is the typical situation when using a speakerphone.
Adaptive filters are used to cancel, or at least, significantly weaken the echoes for improving the quality and performance of telephone connections. Assuming that the input signal x (called reference signal) enters the echo generation system (hybrid or room); it generates an echo signal y which is mixed with the signal s which comes from the other side of the connection. The purpose of the adaptive filter is to subtract echo signal y from the output signal y+s (called primary signal). The signal remaining after the echo subtraction is the signal s plus an error r which is to be minimized. The adaptive filter bases its estimation of echo cancellation quality on the signal which results after the subtraction of the estimated echo from the echo generation system output. But in case of double-talk situation and even in a case of perfect echo cancellation, the output signal will not be equal to zero. Since the adaptive filter itself has no means to distinguish between the error r and the signal s, it will try to cancel the signal s leading to a wrong estimation of the echo path with following distortion of the signal of interest. To avoid this problem, a special block called double-talk detector is generally used. The purpose of this block is to detect the presence of the signal s and to give the adaptive filter a signal inhibiting its adaptation. In practice, some amount of the signal s is always present due to the environmental noise thus making a reliable double-talk detector very difficult to implement. Besides, if the echo path is changing during the double-talk, the system will not be able to track these changes making the results of echo cancellation totally irrelevant.
Various algorithms of adaptive filtering can be used in the echo cancellation system. The algorithm using Normalized Least Mean Squares (NLMS) is the most widely used for echo canceling application. This algorithm is very simple and easy to implement on a digital signal processor, but it suffers from the double-talk situation described above.

Adaptive echo cancellation device in a voice communication system

International Business Machines Corporation


A process for manufacturing a gas generating material includes preparing a wet mixture of a metal azide and a metal oxide without prior mixing of the metal azide and metal oxide in dry form. The metal azide content of the gas generating material is controlled and the possibility of forming hazardous hydrazoic acid fumes is minimized by maintaining the temperature of the wet mixture of gas generating material between 20.degree. C. and 30.degree. C. The possibility of forming hydrazoic acid fumes is further reduced by maintaining the pH of the wet mixture of gas generating materials at or above 10.5. Excess liquid is removed from the wet mixture of gas generating materials so that the wet mixture has a moisture content of approximately 9%. The excess liquid from the wet mixture is recycled and used the formation of additional gas generating material. The wet mixture of gas generating materials, having a moisture content of approximately 9%, is formed through small openings to form extrudate of gas generating material.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing gas generating material, and in particular relates to a method for manufacturing a gas generating material which contains an azide and a metal oxide and is used for generating gas to inflate a vehicle occupant restraint, such as an airbag.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,079 discloses a process for manufacturing an azide-containing gas generating composition. The dry ingredients of the gas generating composition are mixed together. A liquid is then added to the dry mixture to produce a plastic mass. Suitable liquids are water and ethanol. The liquid is about 15% by weight of the total composition and dissolves the finer particles of the azide ingredient. The plastic mass is then forced through a die, perforated plate, or sieve to form wet granules. The wet granules are then dried.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,287 also discloses a process for manufacturing an azide containing gas generating material. In this process a water slurry of gas generating material is prepared. The slurry is then molded into a desired shape and flash dried.
The known methods of making gas generating material which contains an azide and a metal oxide have not been entirely satisfactory because of a number of factors. In some known processes, the materials are mixed in dry form, which creates a safety hazard. Also, special precautions must be taken to guard against production of hazardous byproducts which can affect persons who come into contact with the by-products. Finally, the known processes do not provide for conserving materials.

Process for manufacturing a gas generating material


A high fidelity audio amplifier is provided having a solid-state floating bridge output stage and a preceding solid-state driver stage configured to operate with negligible voltage fluctuations and minimal current fluctuations, resulting in reduced driver stage distortion, freedom from driver stage clipping, and high and linear impedance at the driver input terminals, without significant increase in circuit complexity. The voltage gain and current gain sections of the amplifier form self-contained units which may be separately housed and remotely operated to enhance utility and isolate sensitive voltage gain circuits from the radiated electrical noise and heat of the output stage.

Not Applicable
Not Applicable
This invention relates to the field of amplifiers, and more particularly, to a high-fidelity audio amplifier having an improved floating bridge circuit topology.
It is well known among skilled high-fidelity audio amplifier designers that traditional performance measurements such as frequency response, total harmonic distortion, and output damping factor do not fully predict amplifier sound quality, particularly where high measured performance is achieved through the use of large amounts of global negative feedback. Some designers seeking to advance the art have therefore shifted their attention toward the intrinsic behavior of the amplifier prior to the application of feedback, believing that such xe2x80x9copen loopxe2x80x9d behavior better represents the performance of the amplifier once it is removed from the test bench, placed in a sound system, and judged by a listener. This has led to increased interest in amplifier topologies with the potential for high performance using little or no global negative feedback.
One such topology is the floating bridge or xe2x80x9ccirclotron,xe2x80x9d a unity gain current amplifier having a pair of gain devices and a pair of floating DC power supplies arranged in a balanced-bridge configuration. This current amplifier is typically combined with a preceding voltage amplifier to form a complete line-level or power amplification system. Audio amplifiers of this general type are well known in the prior art, the earliest examples being vacuum tube power amplifier circuits. U.S. Pat. No. 2,705,265 (1955) to Hall and U.S. Pat. No. 2,828,369 (1958) to Wiggins describe examples of such designs. More recently, solid state amplifiers using a floating bridge output stage have appeared. U.S. Pat. No. 4,229,706 (1980) to Bongiomo and U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,431 (1988) to Karsten describe floating bridge amplifiers using bipolar junction transistor (BJT) output stages, while U.S. Pat. No. 6,242,977 (2001) to Karsten describes a floating bridge amplifier using metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) gain devices.
The replacement of vacuum tubes with solid-state devices significantly improves the open-loop performance of a floating bridge output stage. The higher transconductance of solid-state devices results in more accurate tracking of the input signal voltage, while their superior aging characteristics allow for more reliable selection of matched gain devices for enhanced symmetry and more complete cancellation of evenorder distortion products. The solid-state floating bridge thus offers a firm foundation for linear open-loop design, particularly when the output stage operates in class A up to at least one-tenth of its maximum output power (the range where most listening occurs), or where practical, over its entire output power envelope.
In such an implementation, the major remaining performance limitation in a solid-state floating bridge amplifier is the nonlinear transfer of signal voltage from the preceding voltage amplifier output to the current amplifier input. In a BJT output stage, this nonlinearity results mainly from dynamic fluctuations in the current gain (beta) of the output devices, while in a power MOSFET output stage, it results mainly from dynamic fluctuations in the input capacitance of the output MOSFETs. Either condition is reflected as a nonlinear input impedance to the output stage that tends to distort the applied input signal.
An obvious solution to this problem which does not involve global negative feedback is to add a unity-gain emitter or source follower driver stage ahead of the floating bridge output stage. This reduces overall nonlinearity by essentially substituting the smaller nonlinearities of the driver gain devices for the larger nonlinearities of the output gain devices. However, the effectiveness of this approach has been limited in the past because the driver stage works under conditions not optimized for linear operation, and thus contributes significant distortion of its own. All driver circuits available under the prior art for use in a solid-state floating bridge share this limitation to some degree, and may introduce additional performance limitations.
Depending on configuration, these prior art driver circuits suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks:
a) Distortion contributed by the driver stage itself. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,619 (1978), Pass teaches that distortion in any amplifying device arises when the gain of the device is altered by changing voltage across the device and changing current through the device; and conversely, that distortion may be improved by reducing or eliminating such voltage and current changes. All prior art floating bridge driver topologies go against this teaching by operating the driver gain devices in such a way that they experience either large voltage swings or large current variations, or both. While U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,619 prescribes remedies such as cascoding and current bootstrapping for improving prior art circuits in this regard, these techniques can significantly reduce operating efficiency and increase circuit complexity, especially when used in a power amplifier.
b) Reduced output and operating efficiency. Even without cascading and current bootstrapping, inserting a driver stage in the signal path can reduce the maximum output voltage swing of the amplifier system by the amount of voltage needed to keep the driver gain devices in conduction. This can result in a loss of several volts of output swing, sufficient to reduce a 50 watt amplifier to 35 watts output, with a corresponding loss in operating efficiency.
c) Nonlinear loading of the preceding voltage amplifier output. Nonlinear behavior in a BJT or MOSFET driver gain device results in nonlinear impedance at the device input terminal, just as it does with the output gain devices. The addition of a driver generally reduces the magnitude of the problem, but does not eliminate it. This requires that the preceding voltage amplifier enforce linear operation by maintaining a much lower output impedance than otherwise would be needed, either intrinsically by operating at relatively high idle current, or through the use of negative feedback, which in practice requires that the voltage amplifier be located physically close to the current amplifier, where its radiated noise and heat could reduce the performance, and possibly the longevity, of the voltage amplifier.
Thus, it can be seen that adding a driver stage to a solid-state floating bridge amplifier under the prior art, while highly desirable, involves various compromises and trade-offs, potentially resulting in only limited performance improvement at the cost of increased complexity, reduced operating efficiency, and the need for close integration of amplifier circuits that might benefit from physical separation. The present invention overcomes these limitations and provides additional benefits.
Several objects and advantages of the present invention are:
a) To provide a floating bridge amplifier of improved open-loop performance but without significant increase in design complexity and without significant reduction in overall operating efficiency.
b) To provide an efficient, low-distortion floating bridge amplifier having almost rail-to-rail output voltage swing.
c) To provide a floating bridge amplifier having a high and linear driver stage input impedance, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of associated voltage amplifier circuits, and facilitating the physical separation of the voltage and current amplifiers where beneficial to the application.
Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following descriptions of the preferred embodiments.
An audio amplifier of the present invention includes a solid-state floating bridge output stage and a preceding solid-state driver stage, both stages drawing their operating power from the same pair of floating DC power supplies, but through separate and independent signal-current paths whereby each driver gain device operates with minimal inter-electrode voltage swings and current variations. The output and driver stages, together with their common floating power supplies and bias source(s), form a current amplifier having low open-loop distortion, almost rail-to-rail output voltage swing, and high and linear input impedance. This current amplifier may be combined with a lowpower, high quality voltage amplifier, which may be separately enclosed to allow for remote operation or isolation from the radiated heat and electrical noise of the associated current amplifier. This improved topology enhances amplifier performance and utility without undue added design complexity or reduced operating efficiency.


A method for evaluating a biological material for unassociated virus-size particles having an adenovirus epitope uses a fluorescent antibody stain specific for binding with the epitope and a fluid sample with the virus-size particles and fluorescent antibody stain is subjected to flow cytometry with identification of fluorescent emission detection events indicative of passage through a flow cell of a flow cytometer of unassociated labeled particles of virus size including such a virus-size particle and fluorescent antibody stain.

Adenovirus and adeno-associated virus are nonenveloped viruses that have been particularly difficult to accurately quantify by flow cytometry. By quantity or quantification it is meant counting and determining a concentration of individual virus particles.
Adenovirus are a family of non-enveloped virus about 90 to 100 nanometers in size with an icosahedral nucleocapsid containing a double stranded DNA genome ranging from 26 to 48 kbp in size. Adenovirus is infective of a number of vertebrate hosts, including many distinct serotypes that infect humans. Adenovirus is an important virus for use in a number of virotherapy applications, including for oncolytic, gene therapy and immunotherapy applications. Adenovirus is one of the primary vehicles for delivering genetic payloads to specific cell types, especially neoplastic cells. Adenovirus have high potential toxicity, and careful and accurate monitoring and quantification of adenovirus is important throughout various stages of manufacture and for accurate dosing in virotherapeutic formulations. For example, adenovirus is known to cause respiratory disease in humans, primarily in children, and it is essential that key viral genes are replaced with the required therapeutic gene or genes. To avoid this issue, as well as the likelihood of a host immune response to the vector, non-human strains of adenovirus are also being investigated. This point, especially as it relates to quantification, has been specifically called-out by the FDA: "Given the potential toxicity of the adenoviral particles themselves, CBER recommends that patient dosing be based on particle number." (Guidance for Human Somatic Cell Therapy & Gene Therapy, FDA Centers for Biologics Evaluation and Research, 1998.)
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) are a family of small, nonenveloped viruses on the order of 20 nanometers in size and a 4.7 kb single stranded DNA genome. AAV has many serotypes that can infect both dividing and quiescent cells in human hosts. Adeno-associated virus are important virus for use in a number of virotherapy applications, including as gene therapy vector. Because of the extremely small size, adeno-associated virus is difficult to detect and accurately quantify, for example in manufacture operations for making recombinant adeno-associated virus and for dosing control.
Adeno-associated virus (AAV) is generally non-replicating, with replication generally requiring the presence of an additional factor. For example, AAV may be replicated in the presence of adenovirus using certain proteins of adenovirus genes. Some advantages of using AAV as a viral vector are the absence of pathogenicity, low host immune response and long-term expression. Accurate quantification of AAV during manufacture and formulation operations is important to monitor performance of manufacturing constructs and track product yields and to provide accurate dosing. Even though not pathogenic, excessive dosing with an infectious viral agent such as adeno-associated virus can cause serious problems to patients.
One of the most problematic steps is in the quantification of adenovirus or AAV viral vectors during growth, harvest, purification and release. Methods such as quantitative PCR and absorbance readings at 260 nm and 280 nm are highly variable, resulting in over- or under-estimation of particles present at any given step. The ramifications for manufacturing are lost product, delays and cost overruns, which are serious, yet minor in comparison to the risks associated with administering too little (no therapeutic effect) or too much (adverse immune response) product to patients. Clearly, there is a critical requirement for a rapid, more precise means of quantifying AAV viral particles used for vector-mediated gene therapy.
Some other traditional approaches to virus quantification include, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and single radial immunodiffusion (SRID) assay. These traditional approaches tend to have one or more of the following limitations: time-consuming, expensive, highly technical, high variability in results and subjective. Some newer approaches that have been proposed generally for virus quantification include field flow fractionation and multi-angle light scattering (FFF-MALS), tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTS). All of these newer approaches may in some instances have some advantages relative to traditional quantification methods, but also have limitations, including typically providing limited virus data. In the case of AAV, plaque titer assay, commonly used as a quantification measure for many viruses, is generally not a useful technique for AAV, because of the non-replicating nature of AAV. Also, plaque titer assay, commonly used as a quantification measure for many viruses, is generally not a useful technique for adeno-associated virus, because of the non-replicating nature of AAV.
A very common method for quantifying AAV is quantitative PCR, however the technique is generally considered as at best providing an indirect readout of particle number, and results for the same sample can vary by as much as 3× when performed on the same instrument and even more (up to 10×) when the sample is analyzed on different hardware and/or by different laboratory personnel. The ability to use qPCR is also often confounded by the aberrant packaging of constructs in excess of the normal 4.7 kb genome size. Since qPCR typically underreports the copy number (and by inference, underreports the particle count), concerns around injecting higher than necessary amounts of AAV particles are well-founded.
Carefully controlled flow cytometry using a combination of protein and nucleic acid fluorescent stains has also been used for quantification of a variety of viruses. Flow cytometry is an analytical technique in which physical and/or chemical properties of particles are measured as they flow in a fluid sample through an investigation cuvette, commonly referred to as a flow cell. Although the fluid sample may be investigated by subjecting the fluid sample to a variety of stimuli, light is one common stimulus technique. Devices containing a flow cell, and associated fluid flow, light delivery and light detection components, are typically referred to as flow cytometers.
The Virus Counter® flow cytometers (ViroCyt, Inc.) have been used to detect the presence of free, unassociated virus particles (sometimes referred to as virions) of a variety of viruses through a combination of very low and precisely controlled sample flow rate through the flow cell and use of two fluorogenic fluorescent stains having different fluorescent emission signatures, with one stain having an affinity for labeling nucleic acid and the other having affinity for labeling proteins. The stains are non-specific as to virus type, but identification of simultaneous detection events for the two different fluorescent emissions of the two fluorescent stains may be indicative of passage of such an unassociated virus particle through the flow cell. Contrary to such techniques as field flow fractionation and multi-angle light scattering (FFF-MALS), tunable resistive pulse sensing (TRPS) and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTS) that measure only the presence of particles, virions or other particles, the Virus Counter® flow cytometers provide more biologically relevant information given the nature of the dyes used for enumeration.
Non-specific protein and nucleic acid stains of the types as noted above are fluorogenic. The stain molecules have only a very weak fluorescent response in a free, unbound state, but the magnitude of fluorescent response increases significantly when the molecule orientation becomes fixed when bound to a particle. This increase in fluorescent response from the free, unbound state to the bound state may be an order of magnitude increase or more. This permits the strong fluorescent signals of the bound stain molecules to be identified over background fluorescence from unbound stain molecules, because of the relatively much weaker fluorescent response from the unbound stain molecules.
There are some situations, however, when such flow cytometry techniques have limitations. One limitation is that the technique is not optimal for evaluation of non-enveloped viruses, such as adenovirus or adeno-associated virus. The absence of readily accessible envelope proteins on adenovirus or adeno-associated virus can significantly limit the accuracy of the technique for adenovirus or adeno-associated virus quantification.
Given the importance of adenovirus or adeno-associated virus as virotherapy agents and the potential risks involved with use of such an infectious material, fast, inexpensive and reliable quantification techniques would be desirable.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Flow cytometry evaluation for unassociated virus-size particles having an adenovirus epitope


An antenna structure is comprised of a body, an antenna element coupled with the body, and an arm support coupled with the body and the antenna element. The arm support also includes a recessed portion on one side adapted to receive a two-sided customizable plate. The customizable plate is made of a non-metallic material. The customizable plate is further adapted to fit within the recess and can be adhered to the recessed portion of the arm support. The customizable plate can also be graphically customized to display a viewable image. In addition, the customizable plate can be imprinted with a metallized pattern on the side that faces the recessed portion when seated in the arm support. The imprinted metallized pattern can beneficially affect the performance characteristics of the antenna element.

Customers frequently require that PC Card or other mobile device antennas be customized to display their colors, logos, company name, or the like. This provides an additional opportunity for branding and brand recognition.
For the antenna suppliers, this adds tooling costs and longer lead times to meet such requests since the antennas are typically individually branded at the time of manufacture. The antenna manufacturer must utilize a customized tool for each brand. This tool must be integrated into the antenna fabrication process and switched out for each new customer/brand. The whole process is beset with inefficiencies, additional costs, and lost time which is ultimately put upon the end consumer.


In a touch switch with a keypad 2, a tactual feedback of its operation, perceptible to the user, is said to be achieved. For this purpose a transducer 7 is provided, which upon a touching of the keypad 2 impressed a movement on the latter.

The present invention relates to a touch switch with a keypad.
Touch switches of this kind are described in EP 0 054 306 A1, DE 42 07 772 C2 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,222. Such touch switches perform the switching action not because the operator moves a switch part but because the hand or finger of the operator changes the capacity, the lines of force or the optical reflection of the touch switch.
Also known are translucent touch switches for the input of data to video screens, which are based on optical, capacitive or resistive principles.
In DE 197 12 137 A1 a touch switch is described in which the piezo effect is utilized.
Since in touch switches of this kind no keys are mechanically moved, the operator lacks tactual feedback of the switching operation. In order nevertheless to give the operator feedback, acoustical or optical signals are alternatively generated as feedback. Many operators, however prefer direct tactual feedback to an acoustical or optical signal. It is also known that a person reacts more slowly to optical and acoustical stimuli than to tactile stimuli.
The invention is addressed to the problem of proposing a touch switch of the kind referred to above, which will give a tactual feedback when operated.
The above problem is solved by the invention in that a transducer is provided which, when the keypad is touched, impresses a movement thereon.
This brings it about that, when the operator touches the keypad the transducer impresses a movement thereon virtually simultaneously. The operator thus receives a tactical feedback of the operating action. The movement may be a brief pulse or a vibration.
It is an advantage of tactual feedback that it is felt only by the operator, and in contrast to acoustical or optical feedback it cannot be perceived by bystanders. Thus the privacy of operation is improved, which is considerable in the case of bank teller machines.
Such tactual feedback can be used in any apparatus which is operated by touch switches, such as glass ceramic cooktops in which the touch switches are integrated into the glass ceramic cooktop, keypads for stoves, cook ovens and microwave ovens, touch screens in computers, such as PC""s, laptops, and personal digital assistants. They can also be used in input terminals on bank teller machines, slot machines, remote controls, mobile telephones, controls for computer games, photographic apparatus and office machines.
In the embodiment of the invention, in the case of a keypad with a plurality of touch zones, each touch zone has its own transducer. Tests have shown, however, that it is sufficient in the case of a keypad with a plurality of touch zones to provide only a single transducer. This single transducer suffices to make the feedback perceptible in all touch zones. The distance from the transducer to the individual touch zones increases as the modulus of elasticity of the material of the keypad increases. The local relationship between the transducer and a particular touch zone is less important functionally than the time lapse between the touching of the switch surface or its particular touch zone and the tactile signal. The tactile signal is to occur in the period in which the operator usually holds his finger on the touch zone. Thus there is a possibility for arranging the transducer outside of the range in which touch zones and display devices, if any, are provided.
Preferably the keypad is a continuous glass, glass ceramic or plastic surface. The keypad can be an area of larger surface which serves other purposes, such as a display function and/or cooking function.
Preferably the transducer is a piezoceramic element or an electromagnetic transducer.
The transducer can be connected to the keypad such that it transfers its movement to the keypad. However, it can also be placed close by the keypad such that it knocks against the keypad. This can be provided especially in a magnetically operated transducer. Thus a certain interval exists between the moving part of the electromagnetic transducer and the keypad.
In an embodiment of the invention the transducer is the same piezoceramic element that is also the sensor detecting the touching of the keypad or touch zone, in which case the piezoceramic element acts first as a sensor upon contact and then as a transducer. Thus the same piezoceramic element simultaneously triggers the switching function of the touch switch and the feedback.
In another embodiment the frequency and/or the intensity (amplitude) of the movement of the transducer when different touch zones of the keypad are touched is made tactually different. The user can thus know without looking, in case of the successive touching of touch zones, whether the desired input made by the previous touch zone contact has been made correctly. The transducer thus gives the operator not only feedback of the touching of the touch zones but also confirmation of the reading of the entry.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the duration and/or frequency and/or intensity (amplitude) of the movement of the transducer is dependent upon the duration of the contact with the keypad or touch zone. This is advantageous whenever different values are set according to the duration of contact. For example, in many touch switches the input value is increased or reduced by longer contact. By this embodiment the tactual feedback is matched to the entry. For example, it can be used in a photographic apparatus to provide tactile perception of the operation xe2x80x9cset autofocusxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cshoot.xe2x80x9d
Various other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the ensuing detailed description, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.


An RC receiver device and an ambient light photosensor (ALPS) device are mounted on a single mounting device (e.g., circuit board or lead frame substrate) such that they are part of a single composite assembly. This reduces the amount of space that is consumed in electronic devices in which the assemblies are installed, which allows the electronic devices to be made smaller in size. In addition, implementing both the RC receiver device and the ALPS device in a single composite assembly lowers costs associated with manufacturing, assembling and shipping the composite assembly.

Remote control (RC) receiver devices are now being employed in a wide variety of electronic devices such as television sets (TVs), video cassette recorders (VCRs), digital video disc (DVD) players, personal computers (PCs), laptop computers, notebook PCs, and other types of devices. RC receiver devices receive electromagnetic signals that are transmitted over an air interface from an RC transmitter device operated by a user. The electromagnetic signals are typically infrared (IR) signals. A photodiode of the RC receiver produces electrical signals in response to receiving the electromagnetic signals transmitted by the RC transmitter device. The electrical signals produced by the photodiode are converted into digital signals, which are then processed by the IC of the RC receiver device. The IC produces an output signal that is used by the electronic device in which the RC receiver device is employed (e.g., a laptop computer) to cause the electronic device to perform some function (e.g., run a particular application software program).
The RC receiver device is typically mounted on a circuit board and connections are made between conductors of the circuit board and the input/output (I/O) pads of the IC of the RC receiver device. The circuit board having the RC receiver device mounted on it is then installed in the electronic device and electrical connections are made between the I/O ports of the circuit board and devices or components of the electronic device.
Like RC receiver devices, ambient light photosensor devices are now being employed in a variety of electronic devices such as flat panel TVs, PCs, laptop computers, notebook PCs home lighting systems, and wireless handheld devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephones. The ambient light photosensor devices sense the level of ambient light in the surroundings and adjust the brightness of a TV screen or of the display monitor of a computer or handheld device so that the lighting level is not too bright or too dark given the current ambient light level in the surroundings.
Ambient light photosensor devices typically include an IC having an ambient light photosensor on it that senses the level of ambient light in the surroundings and produces an electrical signal that is converted into a digital signal for processing by the IC of the ambient light photosensor device. The IC produces an output signal that is used by the electronic device in which the ambient light sensor device is employed to cause the electronic device to perform some function (e.g., adjust the brightness level of the TV screen or PC display monitor).
An ambient light photosensor device is typically mounted on a circuit board and connections are made between conductors of the circuit board and the I/O pads of the IC of the ambient light sensor device. The circuit board having the IC mounted on it is then installed in the electronic device and electrical connections are made between the I/O ports of the circuit board and components or device of the electronic device.
Many electronic devices now employ both RC receiver devices and ambient light photosensor devices. For example, a flat panel TV sold today will typically include one circuit board that has the RC receiver device mounted on it and another circuit board that has the ambient light sensor device mounted on it. Each circuit board consumes a significant amount of space in the electronic device. Of course, a major goal in manufacturing many consumer electronic devices is to reduce their size. To achieve this goal, manufacturers are constantly searching for ways to efficiently use the available space. However, the number and types of functions that many electronic devices perform continue to increase, which make it ever increasingly difficult to achieve the goal of reducing device size. Furthermore, using separate circuit boards for the RC receiver device and the ambient light photosensor device increases costs.
Accordingly, a need exists for a way to incorporate an RC receiver device and an ambient light photosensor device into an electronic device efficiently in terms of space utilization in the electronic device, thereby making it possible to reduce the overall size of the electronic device and/or to incorporate additional devices into the electronic device that provide it with additional functionality.

Remote control receiver device and ambient light photosensor device incorporated into a single composite assembly

Avago Technologies ECBU IP (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A method of recognizing a type of coffee from reference types of coffee, wherein each of the reference types of coffee is associated with a respective reference signal and wherein each type of coffee is associated to a characteristic combination of volatile organic compounds released from the type of coffee, may include: sensing, by one or more sensors, presence and concentration of one or more volatile organic compounds in a mixture of volatile organic compounds released from the type of coffee; generating a signal representative of the type of coffee according to the sensed one or more volatile organic compounds and the respective concentrations of the sensed one or more volatile organic compounds; comparing the generated signal with the reference signal associated with each of the reference types of coffee; and generating a recognition signal in response to the comparing of the generated signal with the reference signals.

The equipment required for the preparation of the coffee cups, i.e. the grinder and the coffee machine, must be suitably regulated. Coffee beans have peculiar characteristics that should be accounted for when calibrating and programming the equipment. Namely, account must be taken of the blend in use, the degree of roast of the blend and, last but not least, the date of packaging of the coffee in the package. For this reason, each type of coffee in use must be suitably ground by a specific grinder-doser and treated with pressurized hot water with given pressure and temperature values.
In particular, in order to prevent the hoppers of grinders associated with a certain blend from being erroneously fed with a blend other than that associated therewith during calibration, various solutions have been developed.
For example, EP 2314188 by the Applicant hereof discloses a conventional coffee machine in which, as the portafilter is removed from a dispenser unit, the grinder-doser associated with such unit is actuated.
Another example is the system for grinding and dispensing coffee as disclosed in WO 2016075147 in which a sensor is provided for detecting the concentration of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) released from the coffee.


A plasma processing apparatus includes a chamber; a substrate support having a lower electrode, an electrostatic chuck, and a heater; a radio frequency power supply; a DC power supply; a first controller; and a second controller. The first controller controls the radio frequency power supply to supply a pulsed radio frequency power to the lower electrode periodically with a cycle defined by a first frequency, and controls the DC power supply to apply a pulsed negative voltage to the edge ring periodically with the cycle. The second controller includes a heater controller that controls the power by obtaining a resistance value of the heater from sample values of a current and a voltage supplied to the heater. The first frequency is different from a second frequency that is a sampling frequency of the sample value of the current and the sample value of the voltage in the second controller.

A plasma processing apparatus is used for performing plasma processing on a substrate. The plasma processing apparatus includes a chamber, a substrate support, and a radio frequency power supply. The substrate support is disposed in the chamber. The substrate support includes a lower electrode and an electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic chuck is disposed on the lower electrode. An edge ring is disposed on the substrate support. The substrate is mounted on the electrostatic chuck and in a region surrounded by the edge ring. A radio frequency power is supplied from the radio frequency power supply to the lower electrode in order to perform the plasma processing. A pulsed radio frequency power may be periodically supplied from the radio frequency power supply to the lower electrode.
When the plasma processing is performed, the edge ring is consumed and a thickness of the edge ring is reduced. When the thickness of the edge ring is reduced, a position of an upper end of a sheath above the edge ring is lowered. Accordingly, ions are obliquely supplied from plasma to an edge of the substrate. In order to correct the position of the upper end of the sheath above the edge ring, a technique in which a negative voltage is applied to the edge ring has been suggested. This technique is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-4027. In the technique disclosed in Publication No. 2019-4027, a negative voltage is applied to the edge ring during a period in which the pulsed radio frequency power is supplied to the lower electrode.
There is a demand for improving the accuracy of controlling a temperature of a heater disposed in the electrostatic chuck of the plasma processing apparatus.

Plasma processing apparatus with heater and power frequency control


When performing a defect inspection of a wafer W, defect observation equipment 3 first inputs defect position data from defect detection equipment 2. After a plurality of measurement points are set, the amount of position shift between the detection coordinate system and the observation coordinate system is measured for each measurement point. Then, the defect observation equipment 3 creates a first-order defect position correction formula in order to make reasonable the defect position in the detection coordinate system, based on the position shift amounts of the measurement points. This first-order defect position correction formula has three terms, for the offset component, the magnification component, and the rotation component of the observation coordinate system with respect to the detection coordinate system. Next, using the defect position correction formula, a defect position detected by the defect detection equipment 2 is corrected. By this means, the resolution of the defect observation equipment is raised, and the precision of substrate defect inspection is improved.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a substrate defect inspection method and substrate defect inspection system, which use defect inspection equipment and defect observation equipment to inspect defects on substrates.
2. Description of the Related Art
As devices have become finer-structured in recent years, substrate defect inspections have been performed using defect observation equipment having a scanning electron microscope (SEM). In such a defect inspection system, for example, substrate defect positions are first detected by defect detection equipment, these defect locations are observed in detail by SEM, and defects are classified. By using such defect detection equipment and defect observation equipment, substrate defect inspection can be performed without taking much time.
However, in the conventional art, adequate resolution could not be obtained from defect observation equipment, and as a result, there was the possibility of reduced precision in substrate defect inspection.
An object of this invention is to provide a substrate defect inspection method and substrate defect inspection system capable of increasing the precision of substrate defect inspection, by raising the resolution of the defect observation equipment.
As a consequence of earnest studies conducted over time, the authors have discovered that when performing substrate defect inspections using defect detection equipment and defect observation equipment, the size of the field of view (FOV) of the scanning electron microscope of the defect observation equipment cannot be made small due to a shift in the coordinate systems of the two pieces of equipment, and because of this it is difficult to raise the resolution of the defect observation equipment. Upon conducting further earnest investigations, this invention was completed, based on the finding that the shift in the coordinate systems of the two pieces of equipment has, in addition to an offset component, a magnification component and a rotation component.
That is, the substrate defect inspection method of a first concept of this invention is characterized in having a step in which a substrate defect position is detected by defect detection equipment, and information containing this defect position is sent to defect observation equipment; a step in which a plurality of measurement points on the substrate are set, and the amounts of positioning shift of each of the measurement points between the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment and the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment are measured; a step in which a defect position correction formula is created having terms for an offset component and a magnification component for the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, based on the amount of position shift for each of the measurement points; a step in which the defect position detected by the defect detection equipment is corrected using the defect position correction formula; and, a step in which an image of the corrected defect position is generated by the scanning electron microscope of the defect observation equipment, and the defect is inspected based on this image data.
By correcting defect positions detected by the defect detection equipment, using a defect position correction formula having terms for an offset component and a magnification component for the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, scattering in the shift between the corrected defect position and the actual defect position for a plurality of defects existing on the substrate can be reduced. As a result, even if the FOV size of the scanning electron microscope is reduced, and the pixel size is made smaller, a defect will be within the FOV during observation of the defect on the substrate. Hence sufficient resolution can be obtained in the defect observation equipment, and the precision of substrate defect inspection can be improved without reducing the throughput of the defect observation equipment.
It is preferred that, in the step in which the amount of position shift of each of the measurement points is measured, at least six measurement points be set on the substrate, and that, in the step in which the defect position correction formula is created, if the defect position in the x-axis direction is X and the defect position in the y-axis direction is Y in the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, and if, in the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, the x-axis direction offset component constant is a, the x-axis direction magnification component coefficient is b, the x-axis direction rotation component coefficient is c, the y-axis direction offset component constant is d, the y-axis direction magnification component coefficient is e, the y-axis direction rotation component coefficient is f, the amount of position correction in the x-axis direction is dX, and the amount of position correction in the y-axis direction is dY, then using as the defect position correction formula dX=a+b*Xxe2x88x92c*Y, dY=d+e*Y+f*X, the constants a through f are calculated. When using such a defect position correction formula to correct defect positions, the scattering in the shift between the corrected defect position and the actual defect position for a plurality of defects will become smaller, and so the FOV size of the scanning electron microscope can be made still smaller.
The substrate defect inspection method of a second concept of this invention is characterized in having a step in which a substrate defect position is detected by defect detection equipment, and information containing this defect position is sent to defect observation equipment; a step in which a plurality of measurement points on the substrate are set, and the amounts of shift in the positions of each measurement point between the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment and the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment are measured; a step in which a defect position correction formula is created which has terms for the offset component and the rotation component of the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, based on the amounts of shifts in position for each measurement point; a step in which the defect position detected by the defect detection equipment is corrected using the defect position correction formula; and, a step in which an image of the corrected defect position is generated by the scanning electron microscope of the defect observation equipment, and the defect is inspected based on this image data.
By correcting defect positions detected by the defect detection equipment, using a defect position correction formula having terms for an offset component and a rotation component for the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, scattering in the shift between the corrected defect position and the actual defect position for a plurality of defects existing on the substrate can be reduced. As a result, even if the FOV size of the scanning electron microscope is reduced, and the pixel size is made smaller, a defect will be within the FOV during observation of the defect on the substrate. Hence sufficient resolution can be obtained in the defect observation equipment, and the precision of substrate defect inspection can be improved without reducing the throughput of the defect observation equipment.
It is preferred that, in the step in which the amount of position shift of each of the measurement points is measured, at least six measurement points be set on the substrate, and that, in the step in which the defect position correction formula is created, if the defect position in the x-axis direction is X and the defect position in the y-axis direction is Y in the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, and if, in the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, the x-axis direction offset component constant is a, the x-axis direction magnification component coefficient is b, the x-axis direction rotation component coefficient is c, the y-axis direction offset component constant is d, the y-axis direction magnification component coefficient is e, the y-axis direction rotation component coefficient is f, the amount of position correction in the x-axis direction is dX, and the amount of position correction in the y-axis direction is dY, then using as the defect position correction formula dX=a+b*Xxe2x88x92c*Y, dY=d+e*Y+f*X, the constants a through f are calculated. When using such a defect position correction formula to correct defect positions, the scattering in the shift between the corrected defect position and the actual defect position for a plurality of defects will become smaller, and so the FOV size of the scanning electron microscope can be made still smaller.
The substrate defect inspection system of the first concept of this invention is a substrate defect inspection system comprising defect detection equipment, which detects substrate defect positions, and defect observation equipment, which uses a scanning electron microscope to observe defects detected by the defect detection equipment and performs defect inspections, and which is characterized in that the defect observation equipment has position shift measurement means, which sets a plurality of measurement points on the substrate, and which measures the amounts of shift in position of each of the measurement points between the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment and the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment; correction formula creation means, which creates a defect position correction formula having terms for the offset component and the magnification component of the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, based on the amounts of shift in position for each measurement point; position correction means, which uses the defect position correction formula to correct the defect position detected by the defect detection equipment; and, means to generate an image of the corrected defect position using a scanning electron microscope, and to inspect the defect based on this image data.
Thus by providing position shift measurement means, correction formula creation means and position correction means, a substrate defect inspection method of the above-described first concept can be executed, and as a result the resolution of the defect observation equipment can be raised, and the defect inspection precision can be improved.
It is preferred that the position shift measurement means sets at least six measurement points on the substrate and measures the position shift amount for each point, and that, if the defect position in the x-axis direction is X and the defect position in the y-axis direction is Y in the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, and if, in the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, the x-axis direction offset component constant is a, the magnification component coefficient is b, the rotation component coefficient is c, the y-axis direction offset component constant is d, the magnification component coefficient is e, the rotation component coefficient is f, the amount of position correction in the x-axis direction is dX, and the amount of position correction in the y-axis direction is dY, then using as the defect position correction formula dX=a+b*Xxe2x88x92c*Y, dY=d+e*Y+f*X, the correction formula creation means calculates the constants a through f. When using such a defect position correction formula to correct defect positions, the scattering in the shift between the corrected defect position and the actual defect position for a plurality of defects will become smaller, and so the FOV size of the scanning electron microscope can be made still smaller.
It is preferred that the defect detection equipment has defect position precision equivalent to that of the defect observation equipment.
It is preferred that the defect detection equipment have image pickup means for image pickup of the substrate, and means for extraction of substrate defect positions based on substrate image pickup data.
The substrate defect inspection system of the second concept of this invention is a substrate defect inspection system comprising defect detection equipment, which detects substrate defect positions, and defect observation equipment, which uses a scanning electron microscope to observe defects detected by the defect detection equipment and performs defect inspections, and which is characterized in that the defect observation equipment has measurement means, which sets a plurality of measurement points on the substrate, and which measures the amounts of shift in position of each of the measurement points between the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment and the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment; correction formula creation means, which creates a defect position correction formula having terms for the offset component and the rotation component of the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, based on the amounts of shift in position for each measurement point; position correction means, which uses the defect position correction formula to correct the defect position detected by the defect detection equipment; and, means to generate an image of the corrected defect position using a scanning electron microscope, and to inspect the defect based on this image data.
Thus by providing position shift measurement means, correction formula creation means and position correction means, a substrate defect inspection method of the above-described second concept can be executed, and as a result the resolution of the defect observation equipment can be raised, and the defect inspection precision can be improved.
It is preferred that the position shift measurement means sets at least six measurement points on the substrate and measures the position shift amount for each point, and that, if the defect position in the x-axis direction is X and the defect position in the y-axis direction is Y in the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, and if, in the coordinate system of the defect observation equipment with respect to the coordinate system of the defect detection equipment, the x-axis direction offset component constant is a, the magnification component coefficient is b, the rotation component coefficient is c, the y-axis direction offset component constant is d, the magnification component coefficient is e, the rotation component coefficient is f, the amount of position correction in the x-axis direction is dX, and the amount of position correction in the y-axis direction is dY, then using as the defect position correction formula dX=a+b*Xxe2x88x92c*Y, dY=d+e*Y+f*X, the correction formula creation means calculates the constants a through f. When using such a defect position correction formula to correct defect positions, the scattering in the shift between the corrected defect position and the actual defect position for a plurality of defects will become smaller, and so the FOV size of the scanning electron microscope can be made still smaller.
It is preferred that the defect detection equipment has defect position precision equivalent to that of the defect observation equipment.
It is preferred that the defect detection equipment have image pickup means for image pickup of the substrate, and means for extraction of substrate defect positions based on substrate image pickup data.

Substrate defect inspection method and substrate defect inspection system


The present disclosure relates to a compound of formula (I) or formula (II)

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a genetic disease in which the heart muscle (myocardium) becomes abnormally thick (hypertrophied). This thickening of the muscle can make it harder for the heart to relax and pump blood efficiently. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may also affect the heart's electrical system resulting in arrhythmias. HCM is the most common genetic cardiac disease, affecting approximately 1 in 500 people. It is caused by autosomal-dominant mutations in genes encoding components of the cardiac sarcomere. HCM is recognized clinically as unexplained left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (typically ≧15 mm thickness of the ventricular wall) in the absence of other cardiac or systemic conditions capable of producing the magnitude of hypertrophy observed. Typical symptoms include shortness of breath, angina, palpitations, fatigue and syncope. In a small percentage of patients, sudden cardiac death may be the first presentation. HCM is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young adults.
There are currently no approved drugs for the treatment of HCM. Empirical medical therapy is considered first-line and is based on using drugs that decrease cardiac contractility including for example, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and disopyramide, but their use is limited by lack of efficacy and/or poor tolerability.
Coppini et al. have established a key role for the cardiac late sodium current (INa,L) in the pathogenesis of HCM. In a study of human cardiac tissue derived from patients with symptomatic HCM undergoing septal myectomy (see Coppini et al, Circulation 2013; 127 (5):575-584), inhibition of late INa with ranolazine was found to reverse multiple electrical and mechanical abnormalities characteristic of the disease.
One example of an inhibitor of INa,L is RANEXA®, a compound approved by the FDA for the treatment of chronic stable angina pectoris. RANEXA® has also been shown to be useful for the treatment of a variety of cardiovascular diseases, including ischemia-reperfusion injury, arrhythmia and unstable angina, and also for the treatment of diabetes. It would be desirable to provide compounds and methods for treating HCM via selectively inhibit (INaL) in mammals and that have a similar or improved selectivity over peak INa inhibition of the cardiac sodium channel as compared with RANEXA®.

Methods of treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Abstract: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, for use in the treatment of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.


A system and method are provided for cancelling out downward directed tension forces generated on an object on a vehicle seat. In active, door-mounted seat belt systems, the belt tension force cancellation system includes a simulator that is operable to transfer upward forces on a door-mounted, lower anchor to the vehicle seat without requiring a permanent anchor point for the seat belt in the vehicle compartment. The simulator can either automatically transfer the forces upon securing the belt about the object, or be selectively operable.

Many vehicles have several different passenger restraint mechanisms that are operable in the event of emergency conditions. When an emergency condition is detected, retractor locks are operable to block further payout of belt webbing from the retractor spool. Pretensionsers may be operable to eliminate slack in the seat belt webbing. Airbags may be deployed both inside and outside of the vehicle to protect both passengers and pedestrians. It is important that these various restraint systems have their operation properly synchronized to provide the most effective restraint to passengers in the vehicle compartment. In some instances, it is also desirable to have the systems disabled. In particular, due to the force with which an airbag may deploy, it is usually not desirable for the airbag to be operable if a very small adult or child is in the vehicle seat associated with the airbag.
In this regard, various sensor systems have been proposed to attempt to accurately weigh the seat occupant to discern whether the occupant is in the lower 5 percentile range of weights for females such as a small child so that operation of the airbag can be disabled. One significant difficulty arises due to the downward tension forces generated by the secured seat belt about the occupant. The seat belts in active systems are usually automatically retracted on the spool of retractors with a rewind spring mechanism so that cinching of the belt about the occupant generates tension forces, particularly in the lap belt portion that tend to push the occupant downwardly into the vehicle seat. It will be appreciated that this problem is exacerbated when an auxiliary child or booster seat is placed on the vehicle seat. In this instance, the increased height of the auxiliary seat is such that cinching of the seat belt over the child and auxiliary seat adds even more downwardly directed tension force than would be present if the child were seated directly on the vehicle seat without the auxiliary seat thereon.
Several solutions have been proposed to address the tension forces generated by the secured seat belt. In some instances, these solutions provide for specific locations for the seat weight sensors (SWS) and/or utilize belt tension sensors (BTS) in the seat belt in an attempt to compensate for the seat belt tension. Other solutions also employ vision-type detector systems that attempt to determine whether a child seat is present by the detected size and distance from the sensor object is on the seat. Several propose relatively complex algorithms for interpreting the data received from the sensors. Perhaps the simplest solution has been to place both of the lower anchors in a three-point active, seat belt system, for instance, on the seat frame just above the seat weight sensors so that the downward forces generated by the secured seat belt on the seat occupant are offset by the upward forces generated at either side of the seat on the anchors.
Active, door-mounted seat belt systems provide the advantage of keeping all the seat belt systems components but the buckle and its anchor out of the passenger compartment when the seat belt is not in use. In these systems, the retractor and the shoulder anchor are both mounted to the door. The lower, outboard anchor for the three-point door-mounted belt system is also mounted to the door. In many newer model vehicles, these active, door-mounted seat belt systems are highly desirable to provide more of an open cabin feel in the vehicle passenger compartment. Putting the lower, outboard anchor on the seat frame to compensate for belt tension forces on the seat occupant is not a good option as it can detract from the desired open cabin feel. More importantly, such a placement of a permanent anchor point for the belt in the passenger compartment such as on the vehicle seat frame creates a length of webbing that extends from the vehicle interior to the door even when the door is open making passenger ingress and egress from the vehicle more difficult and providing the vehicle with undesirable aesthetics. Thus, for these active, door-mounted seat belt systems, the prior art solutions focus on the use of weight and tension sensors, vision detection systems and/or complicated algorithms to determine the presence of a very small adult or child on a vehicle seat rather than creating the problems discussed above with moving the lower, door anchor to the vehicle seat frame.
Accordingly, there is a need for a door-mounted seat belt system that has a simple mechanism for compensating for seat belt tension. Further, the door-mounted system should not present an obstacle to passenger ingress and egress from the vehicle when the door is open.

Door-mounted seat belt restraint system and method


An insulated wire includes a conductor, and an insulation layer provided around the conductor. The insulation layer includes an inner layer located on a conductor side and an outer layer provided around the inner layer. The inner layer includes a halogen-free resin composition including a base polymer (A). The outer layer includes a cross-linked body obtained by cross-linking a halogen-free flame-retardant resin composition including a base polymer (B) and a halogen-free flame retardant. The base polymer (A) includes a thermoplastic resin (a1) having an aromatic ring in a backbone chain. The base polymer (B) includes a polyolefin component. A thickness of the inner layer is not less than 0.03 mm and not more than 70% of a thickness of the insulation layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an insulated wire and a cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
Insulated wires used in rolling stocks, automobiles and electrical equipment, etc., could be involved in a fire accident or could be worn out by, e.g., contact with another member or rubbing against other insulated wires. Thus, insulated wires are required to have flame retardancy or abrasion resistance to stably function under such conditions.
For example, use of a polymer excellent in flame retardancy such as polyvinyl chloride as a material of the insulation layer and addition of a halogen-based flame retardant to the material of the insulation layer are known as the methods of improving flame retardancy of insulation layer. However, in recent years, halogen-free materials not containing halogen have been used in view of safety in the event of fire or in view of reduction of environmental burdens.
For example, resin compositions in which a halogen-free flame retardant such as metal hydroxide is mixed to polyolefin are known as the halogen-free materials (see, e.g., JP-A 2013-18932).
These resin compositions are generally highly cross-linked to improve mechanical characteristics, such as cut-through properties or abrasion resistance, of the insulation layer.


The ends of a tubular wrapper are gathered up and folded flat utilizing a method and a device whereby a first actuator flattens a first portion of the projecting endmost strip against the corresponding end surface of the commodity enveloped by the wrapper, whereupon the remainder of the strip is folded in successive portions by respective second folders, carried frontally on the periphery of a disk and engaging the strip epicyclically, the disk itself being rotated about an axis offset from and parallel to the wrapper axis, while orbiting about the wrapper axis at the same time.

The invention relates to a method of folding the ends of tubular wrappings.
Conventionally, a wide variety of commodities such as candy, pastilles, cookies, etc. are stacked in units of given number and conveyed into a wrapping machine by which each such stack is enveloped in a sheet of wrapping material; more exactly, the sheet is cut to a length greater than that of the stacked contents and formed into a tubular wrapper around them in such a way as to project beyond the two end surfaces, whereupon the projecting ends are folded in and flattened against these same two surfaces to form the ends of the finished wrapping.
Prior art methods of effecting the end folds in such wrappers consist essentially in rolling the enveloped commodity though a distance equal to the developable length of its transverse surface in such a way as to engage a succession of helically shaped fixed folding elements distributed along the rolling path, by which respective portions of the projecting end of the wrapper are progressively folded against the end of the enveloped commodity, part in direct contact with the end surface of the enveloped commodity, and part overlapping an area of the portion previously folded.
In order to gather the projecting end of a tubular wrapping in such a way that the corresponding end of the package will be both airtight and acceptable in terms of appearance, a significant number of single folds must be made (generally five, in the case of a cylindrical pack); moreover, each of the single folds must be made correctly. Given that, in prior art methods, these folds are effected along a rolling path equal in length to the developable circumference of the wrapping, as mentioned above, it happens that when this developable length is significantly reduced, the number of fixed folders that can be utilized, hence the number of single folds obtainable, must necessarily fall short of the minimum number effectively acceptable.
The result of such a situation is that commodities of relatively limited transverse dimensions tend to produce a package in which the ends of the tubular wrapping appear simply crumpled, and exhibit an irregular, angular profile. The object of the present invention is to overcome the difficulties encountered in gathering the ends of tubular wrappings, as outlined above, through the provision of a method whereby it can be ensured that each of the single folds is correctly made, irrespective of the transverse dimensions of the commodity to be packaged.

Method and a device for folding the ends of tubular wrappings


A backlight unit includes a bottom cover; a light emitting module on the bottom cover and including a substrate and a plurality of light emitting devices, each light emitting device including a light emitting structure having a first conductive semiconductor layer, an active layer and a second conductive semiconductor layer; and a light guide member on the light emitting module and including at least one insertion cavity into which at least one of the plurality of light emitting devices is inserted, wherein the at least one insertion cavity is opened only on one side.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the invention relate to a backlight unit.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Recently, an LCD (a liquid crystal display) has been spotlighted as a substitute for a CRT (a cathode ray tube) display because of advantages of small size, light weight and low power consumption. The LCD is extensively employed in various information processing devices equipped with display devices.
Since the LCD is a non-emissive display device, an additional light source, such as a backlight unit, is necessary. In addition, various studies and research have been performed to provide an image having a high quality by effectively using light emitted from the backlight unit.

Backlight unit and display device using the same


Disclosed is a semiconductor memory device which includes a sense amplifier, arranged between a first mat and a second mat, switches for controlling the connection between first and second bit lines of each of the first and second mats on one hand and the sense amplifier on the other, and a control unit for exercising control so that, when an input test mode signal indicates a test mode, both the switch associated with the selected mat and the switch associated with the non-selected mat will be turned on.

In the production of DRAM (dynamic random access memories) devices, a wafer test and a final test are executed to screen out or sort a fail device which has a defect produced for example in the fabrication process, such as a short circuit between interconnect wires, a non-opening of a contact hole and a short circuit between memory cells. In the wafer test using a wafer prober, a defective cell of the DRAM device is replaced with a redundant memory cell provided in the DRAM device. After the completion of assembly of the DRAM device, the final test is executed using a tester connected with an auto-handler.
In a wafer test or a screening process, a wide variety of accelerated tests need to be executed to guarantee the operation of the device under all environments in the filed and to prevent an initial field incidence ascribable to deterioration of the device and hence an acceleration means for enabling stabilized volume production of the devices is crucial. As the accelerated test of the DRAM devices, for example, an accelerated test of power supply voltage, an accelerated test of operating speed or an accelerated test of tREF (refresh cycle), to say nothing of an accelerated test of operating temperature are executed.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the typical configuration of a semiconductor memory device (a DRAM employing a shared sense amplifier). The semiconductor memory device includes a shared sense amplifier 30, used in common by a bit line pair DL1 and /DL1 of a mat1 (MAT1) 11 and a bit line pair DL2 and /DL2 of a mat2 (MAT2) 12, a pair of transfer gates 211 and 212 (path transistors composed by n-channel MOS transistors) for controlling the connection between the bit line pair DL1 and /DL1 of the mat1 (MAT1) and the sense amplifier 30, and a pair of transfer gates 221 and 222 for controlling the connection between the bit line pair DL2 and /DL2 of the mat2 (MAT2) 12 and the sense amplifier 30. The semiconductor memory device also includes sub-word drivers 51 and 52, for driving sub-word lines WL 10 and WL 20, and TG drivers 41 and 42, which receives a MAT1 selection signal and a MAT2 selection signal, respectively, and output signals TG1 and TG2, respectively. The signal TG1 is for performing on/off control of the transfer gates 211 and 212, and the signal TG2 is for performing on/off control of the transfer gates 221, and 222. An output of the sense amplifier 30 is connected via a Y switch, not shown, to an I/O bus line.
The operation of the configuration shown in FIG. 4 will now be described. When the cell connected to the bit line pair DL1 or /DL1 of the MAT1 is to be read, the TG driver 42 set the signal TG2, as its output, to a LOW level, to turn off the transfer gates 221 and 222, for isolating the bit line pair DL2 and /DL2 which is not selected from the sense amplifier 30. The TG driver 41 sets the signal TG1 to a HIGH level to turn on the transfer gates 211 and 212, thereby connecting the a bit line pair DL1 and /DL1 in the MAT1 to the sense amplifier 30. The sub-word driver 51 raises the potential of a selected word line WL10 to a high level. When the selected word line WL10 is raised in its potential, in this manner, the memory cell which is connected to the selected word line, is connected to the bit line DL1. A minor differential voltage (initial differential voltage) is generated between the bit line pair DL1 and /DL1. The sense amplifier 30 amplifies this initial differential voltage to carry out the read operation. At this time, the bit line pair DL2 and /DL2 remains in the precharged state.
As for the shared sense amplifier, reference is to be made to the description of, for example, the Patent Document 1. There is disclosed in Patent Document 2 the connection control of a sense amplifier and a switch.
[Patent Document 1]
JP Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-P2002-109899A
[Patent Document 2]
JP Patent Kokai Publication No. JP-A-07-302497


The invention proposes a switchable cam follower (1) for a valve train of an internal combustion engine, said cam follower comprising two elements (2, 3) telescoped into each other and, axially displaceable relative to each other. A bore (4) comprising at least one piston (5) extends in the inner element (2). The piston (5) has, on a portion of its outer peripheral surface (7), a stepped entraining surface (8) that starts from the first front end (6) of the piston (5) facing the outer element (3). For achieving coupling, the piston (5) can be displaced with this entraining surface (8) onto a flat counter surface (10) of the other element (3). The entraining surface (8) of the piston (5) extends, starting from the first front end (6), toward a second front end (11) of the piston (5) while tapering into a conical shape generally in the direction toward a longitudinal axis of the piston (5). Besides this, an edge region (12) of the entraining surface (8) on the first front end (6) is additionally provided with a cylindrical, outwards arched (with reference to a starting point of the radius (R)) contour (13) that extends orthogonally to the longitudinal axis of the piston (5). In this way, during the coupled state of the piston (5) and its inevitable tilting, the edge abrasion feared in the prior art does not occur any longer. The manufacturing tolerances in the region of coupling can be coarsened, i.e. slackened.

A cam follower of the pre-cited type, configured here as a roller tappet, is disclosed in DE 102 10 747 A1 that is considered generic. The lash of the two pistons in their receptions that is required for coupling causes them to tilt in the receptions. This occurs during every cam lift and causes an underside of the pistons to abut against a corresponding counter surface of the annular reception of the outer element. Due to the tilting of the pistons, a contact zone is shifted from the inside of the counter surface of the annular groove (radially outside) to an edge section of this at the parting plane between the elements (radially inside). Thus, in this case, only a two-point contact exists.
This two-point contact in the edge section leads to an extreme rise of the contact forces. If, at the same time, shape, rectangularity and parallelism variations exist, the aforesaid effect is intensified. Due to the high loads precisely in the edge region, an undesired increase of lash in the coupling region takes place over the service life of the cam follower. The edge region gets deformed. In the worst case, this can lead to a jamming of the two elements or to a failure of the coupling function.