The present invention provides intra-oral interfaces, systems and methods for preventing sleep apnea, the interfaces comprises a conduit adapted to receive continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) from a CPAP source, and for delivering positive air pressure to a mouth of a patient, a mouthpiece through which the conduit extends, the mouthpiece having a portion configured to reside between the teeth and inner part of the lips and cheeks in the mouth of the patient; and an active seal associated with the mouthpiece, the active seal having at least a portion thereof adapted to reside in a buccal vestibulum of the patient, the active seal being configured to bulge and contract as the patient breathes.

Mammalian subjects require a semi-continuous supply of air, such that the oxygen level in the brain is retained above a threshold level. There are many conditions and situations under which the air supply is temporarily stopped or reduced. These may include, but are not limited to, sleep apnea, heart attack, epileptic seizure and drowning. If the subject does not receive oxygen within a number of seconds/minutes, the result can lead to irreversible brain damage, and, in some cases, death.
Many devices and methods have been developed to ensure a continuous air supply to human subjects. However, many of the devices are cumbersome, uncomfortable and lead to patient non-compliance. Other devices are not adapted to deal with patient movement.
Some publications in the field include U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,387, which describes a mouth closure for providing artificial respiration to patients, which consists of a deformable elliptical plate, whose periphery is surrounded by a tube. The tube is formed in the shape of an air hose made of an elastic film with a hose for admission of air. A tube passes through the plate in a central region. The mouth closure is placed in the dentilabial cavity of the patient's upper and lower jaws. The tube, in association with the gums and the lips and cheeks, seals the oral cavity from the outside. A flow of air through the tube therefore enters the respiratory passages of the patient and also passes back from the respiratory passages, through the tube, to the outside. This publication teaches the requirement for a medical professional to fill the airholes, thereby preventing a user from using it just by itself. This device is not self-adaptable.
US Patent Publication No. US2002005201 describes an improved nasal mask, for delivering CPAP therapy to patients. The nasal mask has a sliding engagement to the headgear. The sliding engagement allows substantial relative lateral movement eg: when face is distorted from sleeping on side, while still providing adequate compressive force to avoid side leakage. The sliding engagement also allows easy release from the headgear.
US Patent Publication No. US2003075182 discloses an application device for a breathing mask arrangement, including a base portion, a holding portion structured to support a mask and pivotally mounted to the base portion for pivotal movement about a first pivot axis, a right arm element pivotally mounted to the base portion for pivotal movement about a second pivot axis, and a left arm element pivotally mounted to the base portion for pivotal movement about a third pivot axis. The right and left arm elements are each provided with a contact portion for bearing against a right and a left forehead zone respectively of a mask user. The holding portion, the right arm element, and left arm element can be pivoted with respect to the base portion about the respective first, second, and third pivot axes.
US Patent Publication No. US2003183227 describes a CPAP device and a method for treating sleep apnea, using a head appliance with an oral adaptor comprising a tube partially inserted in a person's mouth and a diaphragm applied over the tube against the mouth, such that the lips are formed into a tight seal with the tube. A nasal seal is described comprising two rollers to which a strap is attached, so that the nasal seal is easily put in place, adjusted and maintained by rolling the rollers on the nose sides or pulling the straps.
US Patent Publication No. US2003089371A describes a mouthpiece for oral delivery of CPAP treatment, which has a vestibular shield for location between the teeth and lips/cheeks of a wearer. The vestibular shield is dimensioned to extend laterally into the buccal vestibule and vertically to overlap the gums. The vestibular shield is formed from a very supple material. A gases pathway is provided through the vestibular shield and may include a hard plastic insert through the shield, including a standard breathing conduit connection at its outer end. A short stub conduit on the outlet side of the shield passes between the wearers upper and lower teeth. A connection for connecting the mouthpiece to a breathing circuit is also provided which reduces the transfer of forces caused by movement therebetween. The connection may include a short length of highly flexible gases conduit, an elbow and a swivel connection.
US Patent Publication No. US2005236003A describes a sleep apnea prevention device which is designed to move the lower jaw forward, keep teeth and lips apart, and guarantee full oxygenation needs with oral airway that is centered in an anterior dental-buccal space shield and wing portion. This, with mouth guard for lower teeth, is all a unit as a single piece of molded plastic or any other material; with said unit modeled from four theoretical portions including a barrier-like anterior portion fitted and anchored between anterior teeth-gums and behind the lips in the anterior buccal space with flanking wing like fins extending in that space laterally back to the upper second molars, thus allowing good retention in place whether mouth is open wide or minimally, or closed or moving side to side. Said shield is functionally tethered at the top front which becomes its fulcrum as it engages the lower teeth with a mouth guard portion and swings the lower jaw forward with bite activity; mouth guard pylon like blocks mounted on the mouth guard superior surface keep the teeth apart and help swing the jaw forward. The barrier in midline supports a nipple like projection which is, actually, a tube-like conduit which keeps the lips apart and becomes an oral airway. This device can be used alone or with CPAP face mask in place and user must coordinate with health provider to insure sleep apnea is only moderate and not just masked and inadequately treated. It usually does help snoring and bruxism.
World Patent Publication No. WO06079149A discloses an oral leak prevention device for patients who use nasal CPAP machines (Continuous positive airway pressure). The device minimizes air escaping through the mouth of patient while they are being pressurized through the nasal passage by the airflow of a CPAP machine. The oral leak prevention device is placed over the mouth and securing straps hold the device in place. The built in valve is to allow the patient to inhale if the CPAP machine should fail but under normal circumstances the valve stops air escaping from the mouth while the patient is sleeping.
US Patent Publication No. US2007131229A relates to a respiratory mask arrangement that can be used in the framework of CPAP therapy for treating sleep-related disturbances, for example. In one embodiment a respiratory mask arrangement comprises a sealing lip device to be placed on the facial surface of a mask user, a covering device which defines a mask interior in cooperation with the sealing lip device, and a respiratory gas conduit unit for delivering respiratory gas to the mask interior that is defined by the covering device and is connected to the nostril and/or oral opening of the mask user. At least some sections of the covering device are embodied as an air-permeable structure.
World Patent Publication No. WO08041237A describes an intra-oral continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device that comprises a tube connected to a source of positive air pressure, and a shield connected to, or integrally formed with, the tube and adapted to be inserted within buccal sulci in such a way that facilitates oral cavity sealing. The shield has a central part formed with an aperture in communication with the tube, and right and left longitudinally extending projections adjoining, and of substantial bilateral symmetry with respect to the central part. Each of the projections has adjoining upper and lower regions and each of the regions has adjoining proximal and distal portions, Each of the projections is dimensioned such that a distal portion has a thickness substantially equal to, or greater than, a buccal sulcus potential space gap, and is configured, when inserted within a buccal sulcus, in such a way so as to adhere to the oral mucosa, to occupy the entire volume of buccal sulcus potential space, and to seal the oral cavity.
Despite the advances of the inventions described hereinabove, there is still a need to provide CPAP devices and methods which are less cumbersome and of better ergonomics, thereby providing devices which lend themselves to greater patient compliance.

Intra-oral continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) interfaces


To provide a work processing apparatus equipped with a vaporizer that requires no carrier gas and can vaporize a vaporization target liquid having a relatively high flow rate, and a method for manufacturing a processed work. A vaporizer 1 includes a vaporization part 10 including a heat storage body 11 having a heat capacity higher than that of a vaporization target liquid Fq by a predetermined ratio, and a heat supplier 20 for supplying heat to the vaporization part 10. The predetermined ratio is a ratio of heat capacity at which a temperature drop of the heat storage body 11 by heat transfer from the heat storage body 11 to the liquid Fq flowing through a path 12 is within a predetermined range, wherein the amount of heat transferred from the heat storage body 11 to the liquid Fq is an amount of heat necessary to vaporize the liquid Fq at a planned proportion. A work processing apparatus 100 includes the vaporizer 1, a chamber 5, and a vacuum pump 6 for creating a negative pressure in the chamber 5. The method of manufacturing a processed work includes taking the work W into the chamber 5, supplying a processing gas Fg generated in the vaporizer 1 into the chamber 5, and performing predetermined processing on the work W under an atmosphere of the processing gas Fg in the chamber 5.

As a soldering apparatus that achieves solder bonding without using a flux, there is an apparatus in which oxides on a metal surface of a bonding target member are reduced with a reducing agent such as formic acid before solder bonding is achieved. As means for vaporizing a formic acid liquid (vaporization target liquid) in order to supply formic acid gas to a bonding target member, there is means in which, when a carrier gas such as nitrogen is introduced into a bubbling tank in which a formic acid liquid is reserved, the carrier gas, supplied into the formic acid liquid in the bubbling tank, ascends toward a space above the liquid surface of the formic acid liquid and, at this time, a formic acid gas is generated since the formic acid liquid is turned to gas and mixed into the carrier gas (for example, see Patent Document 1).

Work processing apparatus and method for manufacturing a processed work


A water heater including a water tank having a jacket surrounding the tank and providing an insulation space therebetween. A plurality of serial foam injections are introduced into the space to fill the space between the tank and the jacket.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to foam insulated water heaters and methods of making same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method of insulating a water heater tank with an expandable foam insulation material such as polyurethane foam.
2. Description of the Art
The advantage of using rigid polyurethane foam insulation in water heater construction has been recognized for several years. For example, the heat conductivity of polyurethane foam is lower than that of fiberglass, thereby providing superior insulation properties. Thus, it is possible to obtain the same insulation properties utilizing a substantially reduced insulation wall thickness, as compared to conventional insulation materials, such as fiberglass. This results in water heaters having a reduced size thereby providing lower packaging and shipping costs.
In addition, the rigidity of the foam insulation, when compared with that of fiberglass, provides improved resistance to dents in the exterior jacket of the tank. This factor permits the use of less sophisticated (and therefore less expensive) shipping containers.
Although the superior insulating properties of expandable foam materials such as polyurethane have been well recognized for many years, the use of foam as an insulating material in water heaters has been to date quite limited. This is due at least in part to the production problems encountered using expandable foam materials. One of the major problems associated with water heater manufacturing, and particularly the production of foam insulated water heaters, has been the method by which the foam insulation layer is formed about the tank. Generally, the foam is injected as a liquid which continually expands and eventually sets into a rigid foam layer. Usually the liquid foam is injected into the annular space between the inner tank and the outer jacket. Unfortunately, the liquid foam has a tendency to leak out of any small openings such as those in the seams of the outer jacket. In addition, the sides of the tank generally are provided with openings such as a drain opening or with valves such as a temperature and pressure release valve. Also attached to the sides of the tank are electric controls and other components such as thermostats. In the past, it has been a serious problem in preventing these openings and components from becoming covered with foam, interfering with subsequent servicing, repair, adjustment, etc.
One way of shielding these areas from the expanding foam has been to tightly pack the regions surrounding the nipples and controls with fiberglass insulation material. The fiberglass insulation material then serves as a "foam dam" during the foaming operation.
Other processes utilize a plastic bag filled with the expanding foam material, the bag being positioned around the tank. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,372,028 the liquid foam material is first injected into a bag. The bag is then sealed and positioned circumferentially or longitudinally about the tank. The bag may have welded cut out openings which fit over any components attached to the exterior wall of the tank. Because the foam is wholly contained within an enclosed plastic bag, there is no danger of the foam leaking into unwanted areas. Once the foam within the bag expands sufficiently, it forms an effective dam about the electrical control or other areas. Subsequently, the remaining annular space between the tank and the outer jacket may be foamed in a single or in several steps.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,447,377 utilizes another type of plastic bag used in foam insulated water heaters. The bag has a shape which may extend substantially around the entire circumference of the tank. The bag is first positioned around the tank and then the outer jacket is positioned around the bag. Cut out weld holes may be provided in the bag and positioned about any components such as electrical controls, thermostats, drain lines, etc. The top pan is then positioned over the jacket and foam is injected (through an opening in the top pan) into the bag. Since the expanding foam is wholly contained within the bag, there is no danger of unwanted foam leakage.
A second major problem associated with the production of foam insulated water heaters concerns the method by which the foam insulation layer is injected. Although many kinds of foamable materials can be used to insulate water heaters, two kinds which are readily available on a commercial basis are HPIM (High Pressure Impingement Mixing) foams and low pressure frothing foams. In both of these types of foam systems, two components, typically an isocyanate component and a resin component are mixed immediately prior to injection into the annular space. In addition, the low pressure frothing foam system injects a gas such as FREON into the liquid component mixture just prior to injection. In both of the above-mentioned foam systems and in many other foam systems as well, the foam is typically injected in a single shot into the annular space between the tank and the outer jacket. A typical single shot may take anywhere from a fraction of a second to several seconds depending upon the type of foam injected and the volume of the annular space. The foam nozzle is stationary during the foam injection step so that all of the foam material is injected in a rather localized portion of the annular space. This localized injection of the foamable liquid, and its subsequent foaming action, has a tendency to push the tank and the outer jacket off center with respect to one another and in some extreme cases to cause bulging to occur in the outer jacket adjacent the foam injection site.
The single injection foaming also tends to generate more severe pressures, as the foam expands, which can cause distortions in the shape of the outer jacket, foam leakage and in severe cases can even effect the alignment of openings in the outer jacket with components, such as electric thermostats, positioned on the outside of the water tank.
It has now further been discovered that remarkable advantages are achieved by providing a plurality of serial injections of the foam insulation material into the annular space between a hot water tank and the outer jacket.

Method of making a foam insulated water heater


A short arc lamp incorporates a cylindrical reflector body having a reflector cavity opening to a first end and an anode aperture through a base surface at a second end. The body has a step at the second end. A front sleeve with a step for positional engagement of a land is received over the first end of the reflector body. A cathode support is received within the second end of the front sleeve and includes a ring to engage a second oppositely oriented positioning step. A window mount received within the second end of the front sleeve abuts a front surface of the ring. A highly conductive base concentrically supporting an anode received through the anode aperture has a flange in flush abutment with the base surface for braze attachment.

Short arc lamps provide intense point sources of light that allow light collection in reflectors for applications in medical endoscopes, instrumentation and video projection. Also, short arc lamps are used in industrial endoscopes, for example in the inspection of jet engine interiors. More recent applications have been in color television receiver projection systems.
A typical short arc lamp comprises an anode and a sharp-tipped cathode positioned along the longitudinal axis of a cylindrical, sealed concave chamber in a ceramic reflector body that contains xenon gas pressurized to several atmospheres. U.S. Pat. No. 5,721,465, issued Feb. 24, 1998, to Roy D. Roberts entitled Xenon Arc Lamp with Improved Reflector Cooling, U.S. Pat. No. 6,181,053 issued Jan. 30, 2001 to Roy D. Roberts entitled Three-kilowatt Xenon Arc Lamp and U.S. Pat. No. 6,316,867 issued Nov. 13, 2001 to Roy D. Roberts and Rodney O. Romero entitled Xenon Arc Lamp describe such typical short-arc lamps.
The manufacture of high power xenon arc lamps involves the use of expensive and exotic materials and sophisticated fabrication, welding, and brazing procedures. Reduction in parts count, assembly steps and tooling requirements provides cost savings and improved product reliability and quality.
Exemplary prior art arc lamps produced and sold under the CERMAX line of arc lamps are shown in FIGS. 1a and 1b. The first lamp 100 comprises an optical coating 102 on a sapphire window 104, a window shell flange 106, a body sleeve 108, a pair of flanges 110 and 112, a three piece strut assembly 114, a cathode 116, an alumina-ceramic elliptical reflector body 118, a metal shell or sleeve 120, a copper anode base 122, a base weld ring 124, a tungsten anode 126, a gas tubulation 128, and a charge of xenon gas 130. All of which are manufactured in brazed subassemblies which are welded together in a final assembly process. The second lamp 200 comprises an optical coating 202 on a sapphire window 204, a window shell flange 206, a body sleeve 208, a gas-fill tabulation 210 for a charge of xenon gas 212, a strut assembly 214, a cathode 216, a ceramic reflector body 218, an anode flange 220 and a tungsten anode 222.
It is desirable to reduce the parts count for manufacture of short arc lamps to reduce cycle time and improve yield. It is further desirable to eliminate tooling required for assembly and assure maximum accuracy in arc gap dimensions to assure consistent lamp operation.

Short arc lamp with improved manufacturability


A robot blade and a method of using the robot blade for transferring objects, namely substrates, through a process system, the robot blade comprising an upper platform having a first object supporting surface and a lower platform having a second object supporting surface. The robot blade is mounted onto a moveable member, and the assembly facilitates substrate transfers, such as removal of a processed substrate and insertion of an unprocessed substrate within a processing chamber through a single entry of the robot blade into the processing chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for transferring objects in integrated circuit production. More particularly, the present invention relates to a robot blade for transferring substrates through a processing system while reducing the idle time of the process chamber and the number of strokes to effect substrate transfer.
1. Background of the Related Art
The advantages of using robots in the production of integrated circuits to transfer substrates throughout a processing system are well established. Current practice includes the use of robot arms to move substrates from a loading port into various process chambers within a multiple chamber processing system. Various robot arm designs, including frog-leg type and single-arm type, are currently employed in processing chambers. Typically a robot blade having a substrate supporting surface is attached to the end of the robot arm to hold the substrate while it is being transferred. The robot arm can retrieve a substrate from a particular processing chamber or a substrate transferring chamber and shuttle the substrate into another chamber for additional processing. When substrate processing is complete, the robot arm returns the substrate to the loading port and another substrate is moved into the system by the robot for processing. Typically, several substrates are handled in this manner during each process run, and several substrates are passed through the system during a single process cycle.
In multiple chamber process systems, it is desirable to increase the substrate throughput of the system by concurrently processing substrates in each of the chambers. A typical substrate handling sequence used in multiple chamber process systems includes removing a substrate from a process chamber, moving the substrate to the next processing chamber or storing the substrate in a selected location, and then moving a new substrate from a storage location into the processing chamber from which the first substrate was removed. In this sequence of robot movements, the robot arm itself goes through significant repetitive rotations, extensions and retractions to simply exchange substrates within a selected processing chamber.
To increase the efficiency of substrate handling, a robot arm having the ability to handle two substrates at the same time may be provided. For example, FIG. 1 shows one such robot 2 including two sets of carrier arms 4 having robot blades 6 attached which are located at opposed ends of a support which is rotated about a pivot 8. One substrate may be stored on the blade 6 of one arm while the blade 6 on the other arm is used to retrieve and place a second substrate. Once the processed substrate is retrieved from the processing chamber by one arm, the arms are then rotated 180xc2x0 and the stored substrate may be placed into the processing chamber. Such mechanism does not allow for the immediate replacement of a new substrate in a process chamber after a processed substrate is removed because the robot must rotate 180xc2x0 to place the substrate on the second arm in a position for loading into the location from which the first substrate was removed.
In an attempt to further increase throughput and decrease chamber idle time associated with substrate transfer, another robot configuration includes coaxially upper and lower robots which can operate independently to remove a first substrate from a processing chamber and to insert a fresh substrate into the same processing chamber. The upper robot operates independently of the lower robot to obtain improved throughput and increased substrate handling capacity of the robot assembly as compared to the opposed, single plane, dual blade robots. The upper robot is typically stacked above the lower robot and the two robots may be mounted concentrically to allow fast substrate transfer. Either robot can be either a single blade robot or dual blade robot.
However, in order to achieve independent operation of the two robots, the assemblies require at least four magnetic or mechanical linkages and the same number of drive motors to maneuver the robot blades within the x-y plane. Compared to a conventional robot assembly, this dual robot configuration is considerably more complex, more expensive to build and maintain, and requires more space, typically above and below the transfer chamber. Moreover, this dual robot configuration still requires full-length strokes of insertion and retraction by each set of the robot arms, requiring the same number of robot movements.
In another attempt to increase throughput and decrease chamber idle time associated with substrate transfer, another robot configuration provides for linked, coordinated movement of simultaneous retraction of one blade and extension of another blade. As compared to a typical processing chamber which is idle during the period of time during which a first substrate is removed from the chamber and during which the robot assembly is rotated to insert a second substrate into the chamber, dual plane robots which can perform a shuttle operation offer a decreased amount of time in which the chamber is not operational. In addition, the time that the slit valve must remain open while the robot transfers a first substrate out of the chamber and inserts a second substrate into the chamber is also decreased. As a result, compared to conventional processing chambers, the throughput of the chamber can be increased and the period of time in which particles present outside the chamber may enter into the chamber can be decreased. However, this configuration still requires individual blades on different planes and multiple sets of robot arms to sequentially transfer a processed substrate out of a processing chamber and a fresh substrate into the processing chamber. Furthermore, this robot configuration still requires full-length strokes of insertion and retraction by each set of the robot arms.
There remains a need for a robot having minimal parts that reduces the amount of idle time that a chamber experiences during removal of a first substrate and insertion of a second substrate by reducing the number of robot movements and simultaneously reducing the amount of time that a slit valve needs to be opened during this sequence, resulting in higher throughput. There is also a need for a robot which minimizes the size of a slit valve opening while capable of transferring substrates on multi planes.
The present invention provides an apparatus for transferring objects comprising a robot blade attachable to a moveable member, the robot blade having an upper platform having a first object supporting surface and a lower platform having a second object supporting surface. Preferably the upper platform extends further than the lower platform such that the first object supporting surface is horizontally offset from the second object supporting surface. Also, the first object supporting surface and the second object supporting surface preferably occupy parallel planes.
Another aspect of the present invention provides transfer chamber having a robot blade comprising an upper platform having a first object supporting surface and a lower platform having a second object supporting surface, the robot blade attached to a rotatable and retractable robot within a transfer chamber of a processing system.
The present invention further provides a method for transferring objects comprising: providing a robot blade attachable to a moveable member, the robot blade having an upper platform having a first object supporting surface and a lower platform having a second object supporting surface; positioning the first object supporting surface to receive a first object; and positioning the second object supporting surface to deliver a second object. Preferably, the first object supporting surface is laterally offset from the second object supporting surface, and the first object supporting surface and the second object supporting surface preferably occupy parallel planes. The present invention provides a method of substrate transfer through a single insertion of the robot blade which reduces the amount of idle time that a chamber experiences during removal of a first substrate and insertion of a second substrate and simultaneously decreases the amount of time that a slit valve needs to be opened during this sequence by reducing the number of robot movements.
Another aspect of the present invention provides a multi-chamber process system, comprising: a transfer chamber; a plurality of process chambers connected to the transfer chamber; a robot within the transfer chamber; and a robot blade attached to the robot, the robot blade comprising an upper platform having a first object supporting surface and a lower platform having a second object supporting surface.
The present invention further provides a method of transferring objects through various chambers of a multi-chamber process system comprising: providing a transfer chamber connected to one or more process chambers; providing a robot within the transfer chamber; providing a robot blade attached to the robot, the robot blade comprising an upper platform having a first object supporting surface and a lower platform having a second object supporting surface; positioning the blade within a first chamber; retracting the blade out of the first chamber; positioning the blade within the second chamber; and retracting the blade out of the second chamber.
Another aspect of the present invention provides object transfers through a shuttle operation alternatively between the first object supporting surface and the second object supporting surfaces, which can be accomplished through a single insertion of the blade into a chamber. The shuttle operation reduces dead time and increases throughput while reducing the possibility of introducing contamination into the processing chamber.

Robot blade with dual offset wafer supports


An aspect provides a combination power and data connector, including: a dedicated power connector element; and a combination data connector element separate from the dedicated power connector element, the combination data connector element providing a combination of pins for two data transmission protocols. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Information handling devices ("devices"), for example laptop or desktop computers and the like, are used to handle information for a variety of user tasks. Users often couple information handling devices to one another, for example connecting a laptop computer to a dock. Commonly physical connections are employed, for example connecting devices via one or more cables/plugs. For example, a dock connected to another device, such as a laptop, provides the user with the ability to utilize connect devices, such as for example providing high quality video output from a laptop to a connected display via the dock.


A memory controller includes a first memory interface adapted to be coupled to one or more first memory devices of a first memory type having a first set of attributes, and a second memory interface adapted to be coupled to one or more second memory devices of a second memory type having a second set of attributes. The first and second sets of attributes have at least one differing attribute. The controller also includes interface logic configured to direct memory transactions having a predefined first characteristic to the first memory interface and to direct memory transactions having a predefined second characteristic to the second memory interface. Pages having a usage characteristic of large volumes of write operations may be mapped to the one or more first memory devices, while pages having a read-only or read-mostly usage characteristic may be mapped to the one or more second memory devices.

Computer program code and data needed for execution of a process on a computer system typically resides in the computer system's main memory. The main memory of a computer system (e.g., DRAM), however, may not be large enough to accommodate the needs of the entire process. Virtual memory is a commonly used technique that allows processes that are not stored entirely within main memory to execute by means of an automatic storage allocation scheme. The term virtual memory refers to the abstraction of separating logical memory (i.e., memory as seen by the process) and physical memory (i.e., memory as seen by the processor). The virtual memory abstraction is implemented by using secondary storage to augment main memory in a computer system. Pages of data and program code are transferred from secondary storage to main memory as the data and program is needed by an executing process, and pages of data and program code are evicted from main memory and written to secondary storage when room is needed in main memory to store other pages of data and program code. The process of moving pages of data and program code back and forth between main memory and secondary storage is called by a variety of names, including swapping, paging, and virtual memory management.
In a virtual memory system, a program generated address or logical address, which typically includes a logical page number plus the location within that page, is interpreted or mapped onto an actual (i.e., physical) main memory address by the operating system using an address translation function. If the page is present in main memory, the address translation function substitutes the physical page frame number for the logical number. If the address translation function detects that the page requested is not present in main memory, a fault occurs and the page is read into a main memory page frame from secondary storage. This address translation function can be accomplished by using a directly indexed table, commonly referred to as a "page table," which identifies the location of the program's pages in main memory. If the page table indicates that a page is not resident in main memory, the address translation function issues a page fault to the operating system. This causes execution of the program which required the page to be suspended until the desired page can be read from secondary storage and placed in main memory. Further background regarding virtual memory management can be found in Richard W. Carr, Virtual Memory Management, UMI Research Press, Ann Arbor, Mich., 1984.
Portable computing devices typically use a single type of memory device at each level in their memory hierarchy. For example, portable computers (e.g., notebook computers) typically have at three or more hierarchical levels of memory, including secondary storage, main memory and cache memory. Often there are two or more levels of cache memory. Secondary storage is typically implemented with magnetic disk storage (often called hard disk storage). Main memory is typically implemented with Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), and cache is typically implemented using Static Random Access Memory (SRAM). In some portable computers, such as personal digital assistants (PDA'S), the secondary memory is implemented using flash memory instead of magnetic disk storage.
DRAM has a near-optimal combination of operational attributes for implementing main memory. These attributes include, without limitation, low cost (only magnetic disk storage has a lower per-bit cost), low read time (the read access time is within an order of magnitude of that of the highest speed SRAM), low write time that is the same or similar to the read access time, and unlimited endurance (i.e., the storage cell can be rewritten an unlimited number of times).

Memory controller for non-homogenous memory system


A method of focus measurement of the embodiment irradiates exposure light from a first direction and projects first and second line-and-space patterns on a substrate. Further, exposure light is irradiated from a second direction and third and fourth line-and-space patterns are projected on the substrate. By measuring a distance between the first and third line-and-space patterns on the substrate, a sum of a dislocated amount caused by dislocation of focus and an overlap dislocation amount between the first and third line-and-space patterns is calculated as a first dislocated amount. Further, by measuring a distance between the second and fourth line-and-space patterns on the substrate, an overlap dislocation amount between the second and fourth line-and-space patterns is calculated as a second dislocation amount. Further, based on the first and second dislocation amounts, the focus dislocation amount is calculated.

In an optical lithography step upon manufacturing a semiconductor device, a so-called blurred state occurs if a focus position of an exposure apparatus is not suitably set in a case of forming a circuit pattern. In this case, a desired circuit pattern cannot be formed on a semiconductor substrate. Due to this, accompanying refinement of a circuit pattern used for the semiconductor device, focus accuracy in the exposure apparatus is becoming one of the most important factors.
In an exposure apparatus that uses ArF with alight source wavelength of 193 nm or a KrF excimer laser with that of 248 nm, a plurality of permeating portions having a phase difference is provided on a photo mask, and the focus position was measured by using the phase difference.
However, an EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) exposure apparatus of which development is under progress as a next generation exposure apparatus has a very short light source wavelength of 13.5 nm. Due to this, in order to provide the phase difference necessary for measuring the focus position, a step amount of a step to be provided on the photo mask becomes 3 nm, which is very small. Accordingly, it is difficult to obtain sufficient processing accuracy for the step to be provided on the photo mask.
Further, there is a method that measures the focus position by using a non-telecentric lighting. In this method, since the number of openings in a projection lens of the EUV exposure apparatus is small, only about 1 nm of dislocated amount can be observed relative to 10 nm of focus change. Due to this, sufficient inspection performance for the focus position cannot be obtained.
Accordingly, in a case where the inspection performance of the focus position is low, the desired circuit pattern cannot be formed on the semiconductor substrate, thus it is desired to accurately measure the focus position.

Method of focus measurement, exposure apparatus, and method of manufacturing semiconductor device


A printing device includes: a registration roller that once stops a transferred sheet and then feeds the transferred sheet toward an inkjet head unit; a sheet feed system that transfers and feeds a sheet to the registration roller; a sheet refeed system that, during both-side printing, reverses a one-side printed sheet and transfers the one-side printed sheet to the registration roller; and a controller that, during both-side printing, controls the registration roller so as to feed a sheet, which is fed by the sheet feed system and the sheet refeed system, toward the inkjet head unit in accordance with a predetermined print schedule. The controller controls the sheet feed system in accordance with the print schedule so that a speed when a sheet fed from the sheet feed system is abutted against the inkjet head unit becomes lower during both-side printing than during one-side printing.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to printing devices that perform printing onto a sheet and the like, and in particular relates to a technique to reduce the noise generated by the printing devices.
2. Background Arts
There is conventionally known printing device having a feeding mechanism, in which a sheet extracted from a sheet feed stand is fed toward a printing section including an inkjet head and the like by a registration roller.
In this printing device, a sheet is abutted against the registration roller and stopped once so as to form sag in the sheet, and then an oblique motion of the sheet is corrected. Then, the printing device drives the registration roller at a predetermined timing to feed the sheet to the printing section.
When a sheet is abutted against the registration roller, a hitting sound is generated. In addition, when a sheet is fed by the registration roller and sag in the sheet is released, a sound of the sheet being pulled (sheet-pulling sound) may be generated. In particular, in a printing device achieving high productivity (the number of sheets to be printed per unit time) by high-speed printing, sheets are transferred at a high speed, and therefore the hitting sound and sheet-pulling sound become louder.
There is also known a both-side printing device having a circulation path including a reverse path for reversing a sheet, in which a one-side printed sheet is reversed by transferred through the circulation path and then the other side is printed.
In this printing device, since both-side printing makes use of sheet transfer paths more than one-side printing, transfer path switching operations are needed. In addition, in order to maintain high productivity, the sheet needs to be transferred partially at a higher speed. From these factors, the driving noise of a motor and the like becomes loud during both-side printing.
As described above, in a printing device, noise is generated due to various factors. As a technique to reduce the noise generated by a printing device, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-24588 discloses a technique, in which the transfer speed of a sheet is decelerated when the sheet is detected by a detector provided in the preceding stage of a registration roller, thereby reducing the sound caused by the sheet abutted against the registration roller.


Systems and methods of improving transport protocol performance are disclosed. One exemplary method includes: in a first state, non-linearly increasing a congestion window; in response to the congestion window exceeding a threshold value while in the first state, transitioning to a second state; and in the second state, linearly increasing the congestion window.

The transport protocol known as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) has been performing well for the past two decades as the de-facto transport protocol for reliable data delivery over the Internet. Although the algorithms used by TCP were designed to promote stability, reliability, and fairness on the Internet, these same algorithms lead to reduced TCP performance in the presence of certain conditions along the end-to-end path between the communicating systems. These characteristics, which include large bandwidth, large delay, and/or significant loss-rate, are becoming more common in today's Internet. Although the basic algorithms used by TCP have been modified over the years, significant change to these algorithms is unlikely, since there is such a large installed base of systems which use TCP. Therefore, a need exists for these and other problems to be addressed.

Systems and methods of improving performance of transport protocols


Logic (also called “synchronizing logic”) in a co-processor (that provides an interface to memory) receives a signal (called a “declaration”) from each of a number of tasks, based on an initial determination of one or more paths (also called “code paths”) in an instruction stream (e.g. originating from a high-level software program or from low-level microcode) that a task is likely to follow. Once a task (also called “disabled” task) declares its lack of a future need to access a shared data, the synchronizing logic allows that shared data to be accessed by other tasks (also called “needy” tasks) that have indicated their need to access the same. Moreover, the synchronizing logic also allows the shared data to be accessed by the other needy tasks on completion of access of the shared data by a current task (assuming the current task was also a needy task).

A number of tasks executing in a microcontroller 20 (see FIGS. 1A and 1B) may take different paths (also called "code paths") even if such tasks execute the same software program (also called "code") 10. For example, Task0 may make a jump in executing code 10 after performing a first policing function at a location S0, thereby to define a first code path 11. Once Task0 makes the jump, Task0 does not need to perform the remaining policing functions S1 and S2 that are otherwise required during in-line (i.e. no jump) execution of software program 10.
In the example of FIG. 1A, another task, namely Task1 does not jump immediately after location S0 in software program 10, and instead continues with in-line execution (e.g. executes a number of instructions immediately following location S0). However, Task1 may eventually make a jump after performing a second policing function at a location S1 in the software program 10, thereby to define code path 12. In a similar manner, Task2 may simply execute software program 10 without making any jumps immediately after locations S0 and S1, thereby to define code path 13.
In the example being discussed, at various locations in the respective code paths, a decision to make a jump depends on the value of data that is shared among such tasks, Task0-Task2. For example, in a networking application, the policing functions performed at locations S0 and S1 may require that a packet that is being processed be dropped, for example if the rate exceeds a predefined bandwidth allocated to a channel to which the packet belongs.
Therefore, it is important for such tasks, Task0-Task2 to ensure that the data being used in the policing functions is accurate and updated properly. Access to such data may be arbitrated by use of a semaphore as a synchronization mechanism, to access a common location in memory, to ensure that data at that common location is not changed by one task while that data is being used by another task. Use of such a semaphore ensures, for example, that a packet counter is properly incremented (or a database entry is properly accessed) by each of a number of tasks that execute concurrently or simultaneously in the microcontroller.
In using a semaphore, when one task, e.g. Task0 in FIG. 1B, is accessing a memory location at a location S0 in the code, other tasks, e.g. Task1, Task2, and Task3, that also need to access that same memory location are suspended (i.e. are made to wait). While such other tasks are waiting, Task0 may be activated from sleep, may issue a read request on being awakened, may again be put to sleep while waiting for a response from memory, may again be awakened on receiving the memory response, perform a read operation, and finally release the semaphore. Only at this point is the semaphore for code location S0 available for use by the next task, Task1.
Therefore, use of a semaphore effectively single threads the access to a common memory location in all of the tasks, even though a microcontroller (such as a network processor) may support multitasking. Such single threading causes the latency of each task to affect all subsequently-performed tasks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,881 granted to Nguyen on Aug. 4, 1998 entitled "Computer system including coprocessor devices simulating memory interfaces" suggests (see abstract) "coupling a coprocessor to a master device, in which the coprocessor emulates an memory interface to the master device, like that of a memory device . . . . The coprocessor is disposed to receive data written from the master device, perform a coprocessing function on that data, and respond to a read data command from the master device with processing results."
See also U.S. Pat. No. 6,338,108 granted to Motomura on Jan. 8, 2002 entitled "Coprocessor-integrated packet-type memory LSI, packet-type memory/coprocessor bus, and control method thereof" which states (see abstract) that "[a] memory section and coprocessor sections in a coprocessor-integrated packet-type DRAM are provided with unique memory device ID and coprocessor device IDs respectively . . . ."

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Logic for synchronizing multiple tasks at multiple locations in an instruction stream


A hot melt coatable pressure-sensitive adhesive is provided showing high levels of adhesion to low surface energy films and nonwovens. The adhesive elastomeric phase comprises from 78 to 98 parts by weight of a diblock A-B type block copolymer with an elastomeric block of 1,3-polybutadiene with 2 to 22 parts by weight of multiblock A-B type block copolymer. The tackifying material comprises 140 parts or less of a solid tackifying resin and a liquid tackifier to provide an adhesive having a composite midblock glass transition temperature of less than -10.degree. C.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,787,531 (Dahlquist) relates to a tacky pressure-sensitive adhesive described as having excellent shear strength and creep resistance at elevated temperatures. Dahlquist teaches that the use of tapered diblock elastomers produce adhesives that are useless for commercial pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes due to their tendencies to fail cohesively, specifically mentioning styrene-butadiene copolymers such as Solprene.TM. 1205, a tapered diblock copolymer. As a method of improving adhesive performance, Dahlquist proposes the use of pure diblock copolymers where there is no intermingling of monomers from one block in the block of the other monomer, such as in a tapered block copolymer. The exemplified adhesives are comprised predominately of A-B diblock copolymers of polyisoprene or polybutadiene elastomeric blocks tackified with solid tackifying resins, such as Piccolyte S-115 for the polyisoprene-based diblock adhesives and an alpha polyterpene tackifier for the polybutadiene-based diblock adhesives. The polymers obtained are described as having excellent adhesive properties, particularly high shear strength without the necessity of chemical cross-linking, however, these properties were determined against a conventional stainless steel substrate.
Other patents dealing with pressure-sensitive adhesives using A-B diblock copolymers with butadiene elastomeric blocks, particularly Solprene.TM. 1205, include U.S. Pat. No. 3,519,585 which describes an adhesive composition comprising 50-95 parts solid wood rosin, 50-95 parts of a styrene-butadiene diblock copolymer with correspondingly 10-50 parts of a styrene-butadiene triblock copolymer. When triblock was used alone, adhesives allegedly demonstrated poor tack strength, but had good shear strength. U.S. Pat. No. 3,592,710 describes an extrudable hot-melt adhesive composition comprised of an admixture of Solprene.TM. 1205, Kraton.TM. 1101 and a solid resin Pentalyn.TM. H. The exemplified adhesive comprises 70 parts Solprene.TM. 1205, 30 parts Kraton.TM. 1101 and 85 parts Pentalyn.TM. H. The adhesive allegedly displays good adhesion properties, while being extrudable. U.K. Pat. No. 1,342,528 describes an adhesive composition based on Solprene.TM. 1205 and a triblock copolymer, Cariflex.TM. 1101, both styrene-butadiene block copolymers. The Solprene.TM. 1205 is allegedly used in amounts up to 45 parts of the elastomer phase, the elastomer phase being tackified with a solid tackifier and an oil or liquid tackifier. It is alleged that the liquid tackifying agent surprisingly improves the surface tack or wet-grab properties of the adhesive without compromising shear resistance. The application only contemplates the use of the Solprene.TM. 1205 diblock copolymer in amounts up to 45 parts per 100 parts of the elastomeric phase, with Example 4 indicating that, at this level, tack significantly decreases.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,203 describes a method to obtain high tack adhesives which fail cohesively by varying the coupling efficiency of the elastomer. The elastomer comprises up to 80% A-B diblock copolymer. The examples demonstrate coupling efficiency, at the low end, of 0 and 25% of styrene-isoprene/styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymer systems tackified with C.sub.5 aliphatic hydrocarbon resin, alone and with an oil. Both systems failed cohesively, however the 0% coupled (100% diblock) system had significantly lower peel values and holding power.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,104,327 describes an adhesive prepared with pure triblock styrene-butadiene copolymer tackified with a solid tackifying resin and preferably an oil. It is alleged that the specific tackifying resin employed provides pressure-sensitive adhesives with superior properties versus compositions tackified with conventional terpene resins or aliphatic hydrocarbon resins, which are stated as having inferior tack, adhesive strength and cohesive force.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,944,993 discloses a hot-melt adhesive based on a radial styrene-butadiene copolymer with a solid tackifying resin and, optionally, an oil. The adhesive described is allegedly useful as a hot-melt construction adhesive, not a pressure-sensitive adhesive, for disposable articles such as sanitary napkins, hospital gowns, hospital bed pads, and the like. Specifically, it is stated that the adhesives show superior abilities to be used in spray fiberization techniques used in the construction of such disposable products. None of the above patents address the difficulties in adhering to low surface energy substrates or nonwovens, which problems are addressed by the present invention adhesive.

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company


An electrohydraulic actuator assembly for use in a brake-by-wire hydraulic brake system. The electrohydraulic actuator assembly includes a pair of electrohydraulic actuator EHA units. One EHA unit provides fluid to front brakes and the other EHA unit provides fluid to rear brakes. Each EHA unit includes an electric motor, a reduction gear unit, a pair of magnetorheological clutches, and a pair of fluid pumps. The system further including an ECU that actuates the electric motor and controls engagement of the clutches to cause the fluid pump to pump brake fluid to at least one of the front and rear brakes. The system further includes a regeneration system for providing supplemental electricity to the electric motors.

This section provides background information related to motor vehicle braking systems and may not necessarily be prior art to the inventive concepts of the present disclosure.
Current brake systems used in motor vehicles can be generally classified into one of three distinct categories including a vacuum-assisted braking system (VABS), an electro-hydraulic brake system (EHBS), and an electro-mechanical brake system (EMBS). In the first two categories, a pedal force applied directly to the brake pedal by a vehicle operator is required to actuate the hydraulic brake system, while a vacuum system is employed to provide an "assist" to the operator via a brake booster. The vacuum system typically includes a vacuum pump controlled in direct relation to engine operation or, in the alternative, controlled independently via an electrical motor. In such hydraulic brake systems, the pedal acts on a master cylinder such that fluid pressure is generated and supplied via hydraulic brake lines to the brake calipers for actuating the brakes. In contrast, the EMBS employs electric brake actuators, located at each wheel, and configured to generate the required brake force in response to a brake signal from a pedal sensor associated with the brake pedal to provide a "brake-by-wire" arrangement with no direct operator pedal force or vacuum assist required. Disadvantages associated with known EMBS include the system complexity and cost required by expensive e-motors and caliper systems which typically limits application to high performance and premium vehicles. Thus, a recognized need exists to develop alternative brake-by-wire systems which overcome such shortcomings and which can be readily incorporated in otherwise conventional hydraulic brake systems.


The pet enrichment device comprises a housing, a microcontroller, a treat dispenser, an interface device, and a detection device. The pet enrichment device provides automated training by displaying videos and/or projecting audio via the interface device. The detection device captures, analyzes, and tracks the specific movement and specific positions of the animal. If a command is performed correctly, the treat dispenser may dispense an edible object.

Embodiments disclosed in the present technology relate generally to pet training, and more specifically to an automatic pet training device and method of operating same.
Conventional pet training is performed in-person by the pet owner or professional pet trainer. Training can be done one-on-one with individual animals or with may be performed in a group setting. Pet training, especially for younger animals, requires many hours, spent daily, to train not only the pet's behavior, but also to train the pet to do tricks, such as sit, lay, turn around, etc. Proper training requires constant positive reinforcement, which is usually though the use of edible objects or treats. Training at this early stage can be quite time consuming for the owners, especially if the owner works outside the home. Pets that do not have constant reinforcement of what they are learning may not learn as quickly.
Additionally, some pets exhibit behavioral problems when left alone. Destructive or aggressive behavior may be the result of boredom and/or separation anxiety when the pet is left alone. Owners have limited choices to address these issues. One option is to take their pet to a boarding facility during the day. However, this option can be rather costly. Other options, such as asking friends or family to watch the animal all day, may not be feasible for every pet owner.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an affordable pet training device that reinforces a particular behavior, such as performing tricks, as well as provides the animal with an activity to reduce boredom and alleviate separation anxiety.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale, and the same reference numbers in different figures denote generally the same elements.


In a synchronous information reproduction apparatus, a receiving section sequentially receives a clock signal. A storing section stores object information to be sequentially reproduced from a series of reproduction points. A reproduction point generating section generates location information indicative of a reproduction point of the object information stored in the storing section. A reproducing section reads and reproduces the object information from the storing section based on the reproduction point generated by the reproduction point generating section. A synchronizing section synchronizes an incremental speed of the reproduction point generated by the reproduction point generating section with a reception timing of the clock signal based on a reception time interval of the clock signals. An outputting section outputs contents of the object information reproduced by the reproducing section.

The present invention relates to a synchronous information reproduction apparatus, a synchronous information reproduction method and a storage medium storing therein a synchronous information reproduction program for synchronizing and reproducing multimedia information such as music performance information, polygon CG animation data, movie data and musical tone waveform sample data.
There is known a method of synchronizing and reproducing multimedia information such as musical tones, images and voices. For example, in parallel to reproduction of music performance information such as MIDI information, various kinds of multimedia information such as image information like CG (computer graphics) images, movie images, sound, and musical tone waveform information are reproduced.
However, in a conventional apparatus for reproducing multimedia information in association with music performance information, there is a problem that synchronism between the music performance information and the image information or the like is lost when a tempo of the music performance information is changed during the course of the reproduction.
Thus, in order to eliminate such a disadvantage, there is proposed a synchronous information reproduction method capable of synchronously reproducing a video even if a tempo of a musical tone which is automatically reproduced is changed during the course of the reproduction (Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 333673/1998). This method prepares a synchronization information table, in which location information indicative of a series of song points, music tempo information and a time at which these sets of information are updated are associated with each other. This conventional method can reproduce a video synchronized with a change in tempo of a song by making a reference to the table. As a result, even if a tempo of the song is changed along the way, the video can be reproduced without losing the synchronization. However, the synchronization information table must be prepared and this table needs to be sequentially restructured in this method. Thus, the synchronization processing and creation of the reproduction content are troublesome.
Further, another conventional apparatus which associates musical information with image information and the like for reproduction reproduces the musical information and the image information by a single player device, but does not reproduce the musical information and the associated image information by using a multiple of player devices connected through a network and the like.
Furthermore, in order to reproduce the musical information and the image information, a time difference after starting reproduction process or commanding reading of each information till an actual output is not taken into consideration, and hence there is no guarantee that each information is reproduced with desired timing.
Moreover, there is a demand for reproducing not only the image information but also other multimedia information such as musical tone, e.g., WAVE data or sound waveform sample data in association with the MIDI performance information.

Synchronous information reproduction apparatus


The present invention provides compositions and methods of treating and improving the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis using an antibody or antigen-binding fragment thereof that specifically binds human interleukin-6 receptor (hIL-6R).

It is estimated that approximately 0.5% to 1% of the adult population in North America and Europe is affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA affects women twice as often as men and the incidence is highest among women over 40 years of age.
RA is characterized by persistent synovitis and progressive destruction of cartilage and bone in multiple joints. The hallmark of the disease is a symmetric polyarthritis characteristically involving the small joints of the hands and feet. The inflammatory process can also target other organs, characteristically bone marrow (anemia), eye (scleritis, episcleritis), lung (interstitial pneumonitis, pleuritis), cardiac (pericarditis) and skin (nodules, leukocytoclastic vasculitis). Systemic inflammation is characterized by laboratory abnormalities, such as anemia, elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, fibrinogen and C-reactive protein (CRP) and by clinical symptoms of fatigue, weight loss, muscle atrophy in affected joint areas. The presence of polyclonal high-titer rheumatoid factors and anticyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) antibodies provides evidence of immune dysregulation. It has been estimated that 65% to 70% of RA patients have progressive disease that leads to joint destruction, disability and premature death.
There is a need in the art for improved treatment regimens for the improvement of symptoms associated with RA.

Methods for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis


There is provided an aerofoil comprising an inboard section, a tip section moveable between a flying configuration and a parked configuration, a hinge shaft mounted at a compound angle in the inboard section, a fixed gear mounted concentrically on the hinge shaft and a drive gear coupled to the tip section and configured to mesh with the fixed gear, wherein a rotation of the drive gear against the fixed gear causes the tip section to rotate about the hinge shaft between the flying configuration and the parked configuration.

It is well understood that the fuel efficiency and aerodynamic performance of an aircraft is dependent on wingspan. It is therefore important to ensure that all aircraft are manufactured with their optimum wingspan.
For passenger aircraft, a limit on wingspan is set by the physical characteristics of gates at airport terminals. Such gates have historically accommodated aircraft with a maximum wingspan of thirty-six meters, meaning that aircraft with wingspans exceeding the thirty-six meter limit are generally unable to taxi to the gate. This makes larger wingspan aircraft much less practical than the smaller aircraft currently in use.
Modification of airport terminals to accommodate larger wingspan aircraft would be both expensive and disruptive. It would also necessarily lead to a corresponding reduction in the number of aircraft which could be accommodated simultaneously at the terminal, and therefore a reduction in overall airport capacity. As such, another solution must be found in order to improve the practicality of larger wingspan aircraft.
One proposal has been to provide large wingspan aircraft with a "piano-hinge" at the tip end of the wing, allowing the wing tip to be folded upwards from a horizontal configuration to a vertical configuration upon landing. This is shown in FIG. 1. In the vertical configuration, the wingspan of the aircraft is reduced so that the aircraft can access restricted size terminal gates.
However, it will be appreciated that the proposed piano-type hinge requires a significant amount of torque to be exerted in order to lift the wing tip out of the horizontal configuration. Providing such a large torque requires the wing to be equipped with a high-torque lifting means. High-torque lifting means of this type are heavy, and therefore their inclusion undesirably adds significant weight to both the wing and the aircraft. Furthermore, because the torque required to lift the wing tip rapidly reduces as the tip moves towards the vertical configuration, the high-torque capability of the lifting means is wasted for all but the initial phase of the lift. This proposal is therefore both extremely inefficient and heavy.
Whilst the vertical configuration of the wing described above may provide the potential for a large wingspan aircraft to access a restricted size airport gate, it is obviously crucial that the wing does not enter the vertical configuration when the aircraft is in flight. Previous folding wing designs have addressed this issue by employing a simple "shot-bolt" clamp to lock the wing tip in the horizontal configuration. It will be appreciated that a small amount of clearance is required in such "shot bolt" clamps in order to allow the shot bolt to slide freely when the clamp is to be engaged/disengaged. This clearance allows a small amount of play within the clamp which, although relatively small in the clamp itself, can translate to a relatively large movement at the tip of the wing due to the distance between the tip and the clamp. This can cause the wing tip to flutter during flight, which is extremely undesirable.
The natural vibration of the wing during flight causes the components of the clamps to wear relatively quickly, especially if the wing tip has begun to flutter. This increases the amount of play within the clamp. As the wear becomes significant, large and potentially dangerous wing tip movements are observed during flight meaning that, in order to maintain aircraft safety, it is necessary to replace the clamp on a frequent basis.


A fluid-flow simulation over a computer-generated surface is generated using a quasi-simultaneous technique. The simulation includes a fluid-flow mesh of inviscid and boundary-layer fluid cells. An initial fluid property for an inviscid fluid cell is determined using an inviscid fluid simulation that does not simulate fluid viscous effects. An initial boundary-layer fluid property a boundary-layer fluid cell is determined using the initial fluid property and a viscous fluid simulation that simulates fluid viscous effects. An updated boundary-layer fluid property is determined for the boundary-layer fluid cell using the initial fluid property, initial boundary-layer fluid property, and an interaction law. The interaction law approximates the inviscid fluid simulation using a matrix of aerodynamic influence coefficients computed using a two-dimensional surface panel technique and a fluid-property vector. An updated fluid property is determined for the inviscid fluid cell using the updated boundary-layer fluid property.

1. Field
This application relates generally to simulating a fluid flow over a surface and, more specifically, to generating both inviscid and viscous fluid-flow simulations using a quasi-simultaneous technique for a fluid flow over a computer-generated aircraft surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Aerodynamic analysis of an aircraft moving through a fluid typically requires an accurate prediction of the properties of the fluid surrounding the aircraft. Accurate aerodynamic analysis is particularly important when designing aircraft surfaces, such as the surface of a wing or control surface. Typically, the outer surface of a portion of the aircraft, such as the surface of a wing, is modeled, either physically or by computer model, so that a simulation of the fluid flow can be performed and properties of the simulated fluid flow can be measured. Fluid-flow properties are used to predict the characteristics of the wing including lift, drag, boundary-layer velocity profiles, and pressure distribution. The flow properties may also be used to map laminar and turbulent flow regions near the surface of the wing and to predict the formation of shock waves in transonic and supersonic flow.
A computer-generated simulation can be performed on a computer-generated aircraft surface to simulate the fluid dynamics of a surrounding fluid flow. The geometry of the computer-generated aircraft surface is relatively easy to change and allows for optimization through design iteration or analysis of multiple design alternatives. A computer-generated simulation can also be used to study situations that may be difficult to reproduce using a physical model, such as supersonic flight conditions. A computer-generated simulation also allows a designer to measure or predict fluid-flow properties at virtually any point in the model by direct query, without the difficulties associated with physical instrumentation or data acquisition techniques.
In some cases, a computer-generated simulation includes a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation module used to predict the properties of the fluid flow. A CFD simulation module estimates the properties of a simulated fluid flow by applying a field equation that estimates the interaction between small simulated fluid volumes, also referred to as fluid cells. Because a single CFD simulation module may include millions of individual fluid cells, the complexity of the relationship between fluid cells can have a large effect on the computational efficiency of the simulation. Complex CFD simulation modules can be computationally expensive and require hours or even days to execute using high-performance computer processing hardware.
To reduce the computational burden, in some instances it is desirable to use a CFD simulation module that simplifies the fluid dynamics and produces a fluid simulation that can be solved more rapidly. For example, for fluid flows that are relatively uniform or are located away from an aircraft surface, a simplified simulation that minimizes or ignores certain fluid dynamic phenomena can be used. In the examples discussed below, a simplified simulation may ignore fluid dynamic contributions due to fluid viscosity, which, in some cases, have little effect on the overall behavior of the fluid flow. A simplified simulation that ignores fluid viscosity may be called an inviscid simulation. By using an inviscid simulation to simulate at least part of the fluid flow, processing time may be improved.
In other situations, where the fluid flow is not as uniform, it may be necessary to use a CFD simulation module that is more sophisticated and capable of accurately predicting the fluid properties, using more complex fluid dynamics. In the examples discussed below, a more sophisticated simulation may account for dynamic contributions due to fluid viscosity. A simulation that accounts for fluid viscosity may be called a viscous simulation. Under certain conditions, a viscous simulation may be more accurate, particularly for portions of the fluid flow near the aircraft surface where fluid viscosity affects the results. However, viscous simulations are also likely to require more computing resources and therefore require more time to solve.
It may be advantageous to construct a hybrid computer-generated simulation that employs both an inviscid CFD simulation module in locations where the fluid flow is relatively uniform, and a viscous CFD simulation module in locations where the fluid dynamics are more complex. By combining different CFD simulation modules, a hybrid computer-generated simulation may increase processing speed while producing accurate results.
Using multiple CFD simulation modules may be difficult, particularly if the CFD simulation modules were not configured to work together. The interface between the simulation modules must be constructed so that the resulting computer-generated simulation is both computationally efficient and analytically robust. The techniques described herein solve some of the difficulties in implementing a computer-generated simulation using multiple simulation modules.

Generating inviscid and viscous fluid flow simulations over a surface using a quasi-simultaneous technique


The present invention relates to methods for the treatment or prevention of fatigue associated with disordered sleep, for example, in multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, Fabry's disease, Parkinson's disease, or traumatic brain injury, using cyclobenzaprine. The present invention further relates to a biomarker for the therapeutic effects of a cyclobenzaprine treatment.

Cyclobenzaprine, or 3-(5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5-ylidene)-N,N-dimethyl-1-propanamine, was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1977 for the treatment of acute muscle spasms of local origin. (Katz, W., et al., Cyclobenzaprine in the Treatment of Acute Muscle Spasm: Review of a Decade of Clinical Experience, Clinical Therapeutics 10:216-228 (1988)). Cyclobenzaprine has also been studied in the treatment of fibromyalgia. In a study of 120 fibromyalgia patients, those receiving cyclobenzaprine (10 to 40 mg) over a 12-week period had significantly improved quality of sleep and pain score. There was also a reduction in the total number of tender points and muscle tightness (Bennett R M. et al. A Comparison of Cyclobenzaprine and Placebo in the Management of Fibrositis: A Double-Blind Controlled Study, Arthritis Rheum. 1988; 31(12):1535-42).
Furthermore, the utility of a very low dose cyclobenzaprine as an agent for improving the quality of sleep, as a sleep deepener, or for treating sleep disturbances has been investigated. The very low dosage regimen was viewed as particularly useful in treating sleep disturbances caused by, exacerbated by or associated with fibromyalgia syndrome, prolonged fatigue, chronic fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome, a sleep disorder, a psychogenic pain disorder, chronic pain syndrome (type II), the administration of a drug, autoimmune disease, stress or anxiety or for treating an illness caused by or exacerbated by sleep disturbances, and symptoms of such illness and generalized anxiety disorder. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,395,788 and 6,358,944, herein incorporated by reference.
It is important to develop new methods and pharmaceutical compositions that ameliorate fatigue associated with disordered sleep to improve symptoms found in fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Fabry's disease, traumatic brain injury or Parkinson's disease.

Methods and compositions for treating fatigue associated with disordered sleep using very low dose cyclobenzaprine


In various embodiments, the present disclosure provides methods of forming graphene films by: (1) depositing a non-gaseous carbon source onto a catalyst surface; (2) exposing the non-gaseous carbon source to at least one gas with a flow rate; and (3) initiating the conversion of the non-gaseous carbon source to the graphene film, where the thickness of the graphene film is controllable by the gas flow rate. Additional embodiments of the present disclosure pertain to graphene films made in accordance with the methods of the present disclosure.

Graphene films find many applications in various fields, including optoelectronics. Current methods to form graphene films suffer from various limitations, including the inability to use a variety of carbon sources to yield graphene films with desirable thicknesses, sizes, patterns and electrical properties. Therefore, there is currently a need to develop more optimal methods of forming graphene films.

Growth of graphene films from non-gaseous carbon sources


Testing a device under test—DUT—includes providing a test signal from the DUT to a test probe, taking from the test signal being present at the test probe analog samples at a first sampling rate, taking from the test signal being present at the test probe digital samples at a second sampling rate, providing a control signal indicative of sampling times of the analog samples, and performing an analysis of the digital samples in conjunction with the control signal.

The presently disclosed embodiments relate to testing a device under test—DUT—by performing a signal analysis of a test signal received from the DUT.
For testing a DUT, a data analyzer might be connected to the DUT via a test head. The test head provides an electrical contact to an output of the DUT, captures a test signal from the output, and transmits the captured test signal to an analyzing instrument for further processing. Due to specific requirements of different kinds of data analyzers, usually different test heads are used for different kinds of test instruments and corresponding measurements are typically carried out independently in order to avoid cross disturbances.
Examples for such kinds of test instruments might be represented by a sampling oscilloscope and a BERT. The sampling oscilloscope takes a plurality of analog samples of a received signal for e.g. exactly displaying the waveform of the signal. The analog sample rate might be relatively low with respect to the data rate, whereby the samples or sample values show a high accuracy. By varying the sampling time with respect to the clock pattern and repetitively sampling the signal, the waveform of the signal can be derived. A capturing circuit of a sampling oscilloscope might therefore be optimized for an exact, but slow sampling of periodic signals. Such slow sampling technique is also known as undersampling. An example for a measurement instrument with a sampling oscilloscope is the Agilent 86100C Infiniium digital communication analyzer provided by the applicant Agilent Technologies.
A BERT might be regarded as a fast digital signal analyzer e.g. for determining a logical correctness of the test signal. Thereto, the BERT performs a digital comparison of the test signal with a defined threshold and samples the comparison result typically at the bit rate of the test signal, and determines bit error ratio (BER) values indicative of a ratio of erroneous bits to an overall number of bits. Thus, a capturing circuit for a BERT should be adapted for fast digital sampling, typically at the bit rate of the test signal. Examples for such instruments are serial BERTs of the Agilent N4900 Serial BERT Series, and parallel BERT's based on the Agilent ParBERT 81250 platform, both provided by the applicant Agilent Technologies.

Performing a signal analysis based on digital samples in conjunction with analog samples


A sense amplifier flip flop including a differential input portion, a differential amplifying portion including a first inverter and a second inverter, and a bias voltage generating portion. The bias voltage generating portion is configured to generate body voltages for transistors of the first inverter and the second inverter so that an offset between electric currents flowing through the differential input portion can be adjusted.

1. Technical Field
This disclosure relates to a sense amplifier flip flop and, more particularly, to a sense amplifier flip flop which adjusts an offset.
2. Description of the Related Art
A system which performs an input or output operation at high speeds has many important parts. However, an input/output portion is one of the parts which critically affect a performance of the system. Among such an input/output portion, a flip flop exactly receives an input signal and samples it.
A semiconductor memory device such as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or a static random access memory (SRAM) includes a data input buffer which detects an externally input data signal and buffers it at a predetermined level for matching logic levels within its memory cells and a latch which continuously maintains data input from an external portion until the data is transmitted to the memory cell.
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a first conventional sense amplifier flip flop. A pre-charging portion 10 includes a PMOS transistor P1 connected between a power voltage Vdd and a first node Node1 and a PMOS transistor P2 connected between a power voltage Vdd and a second node Node2. The PMOS transistors P1 and P2 receive a clock signal CLK through their gates and are turned on to pre-charge the first and second nodes Node1 and Node2 when the clock signal CLK having a low level is applied, respectively.
A differential input portion 20 includes an NMOS transistor N1 which is connected between a common node NodeC and a ground voltage Vss and serves as a switch for driving the differential input portion 20 in response to the clock signal CLK, an NMOS transistor N2 connected between a third node Node3 and the common node NodeC to receive an input signal D, and an NMOS transistor N3 connected between a fourth node Node4 and the common node NodeC to receive an inverted input signal DB. When the clock signal having a high level is applied, the NMOS transistor N1 is turned on, so that the differential input portion 20 receives the input signal D and the inverted input signal DB, respectively, through the NMOS transistors N2 and N3 to detect a voltage difference between the input signal D and the inverted input signal DB.
A differential amplifying portion 30 includes two inverters, i.e., first and second inverters 30-1 and 30-2 respectively connected between the power voltage Vdd and the third and fourth nodes Node3 and Node4. An input of the first inverter 30-1 is connected to the node Node2, and an input of the second inverter 30-2 is connected to the first node Node1.
The differential amplifying portion 30 amplifies the voltage difference between the input signal D and the inverted input signal DB, detected by the differential input portion 20, to output a differential signal Mout and an inverted differential signal MoutB respectively to the first and second nodes Node1 and Node2.
A latch portion 40 includes two NAND gates 40-1 and 40-2. The first NAND gate 40-1 receives the differential signal Mout and an inverted output signal QB, i.e., an output of the second NAND gate 40-2 to output an output signal Q, and the second NAND gate 40-2 receives the inverted differential signal MoutB and an output signal Q, i.e., an output of the first NAND gate 40-1 to output an inverted output signal QB.
The latch portion 40 latches the differential signal Mout and the inverted differential signal MoutB as an SR latch to output the output signal Q and the inverted output signal QB.
TABLE 1CLK(L)DMoutMoutBQX11HoldCLK(H)H010L101
Table 1 is a truth table of the sense amplifier flip flop of FIG. 1. An operation of the sense amplifier flip flop is described below with reference to FIG. 1 and Table 1. When the clock signal CLK having a low level is applied, the PMOS transistors P1 and P2 of the pre-charging portion 10 are turned on, and the NMOS transistor N1 of the differential input portion 20 is turned off. As a result, the power voltage Vdd is applied to the first and second nodes Node1 and Node2, and the differential signal Mout and the inverted differential signal MoutB, each having a high level are applied to the latch portion 40. The latch portion 40 by the nature of the SR latch maintains the output signal Q and the inverted output signal QB "as is" in a previous state when the differential signal Mout and the inverted differential signal MoutB both have a high level. At the same time, the pre-charging portion 10 pre-charges the first and second nodes Node1 and Node2.
When the clock signal CLK having a high level is applied, the PMOS transistors P1 and P2 of the pre-charging portion 10 are turned off, and the NMOS transistor N1 of the differential input portion 20 is turned on.
When the input signal D having a high level is applied to the differential input portion 20, the NMOS transistor N2, which receives the input signal D, is turned on, and the NMOS transistor N3, which receives the inverted input signal DB, is turned off.
When the NMOS transistor N2 of the differential input portion 20 is turned on, since the first and second nodes Node1 and Node2 have been pre-charged, the NMOS transistor N4 of the first inverter 30-1 of the differential amplifying portion 30 is also turned on. As a result, a voltage level of the first node Node1 is lowered. When the voltage level of the first node Node1 is lowered, the PMOS transistor P3 is turned off. As a result, the differential signal Mout transitions to a low level, and is output to the latch portion 40.
In contrast, the NMOS transistor N3 of the differential input portion 20 and the NMOS transistor N5 of the second inverter 30-2 are turned off, and the PMOS transistor P4 is turned on. As a result, the second node Node2 is maintained at a pre-charged voltage level, and the inverted differential signal MoutB transitions to a high level and is output to the latch portion 40.
The latch portion 40 outputs the output signal Q having a low level and the inverted output signal QB having a high level when the differential signal Mout transitions to a low level and the inverted differential signal MoutB transitions to a high level.
When the input signal D having a low level is applied to the differential input portion 20, the NMOS transistor N2, which receives the input signal D, is turned off, and the NMOS transistor N3, which receives the inverted input signal DB, is turned on.
When the NMOS transistor N3 of the differential input portion 20 is turned on, since the first and second nodes Node1 and Node2 have been pre-charged, the NMOS transistor N5 of the second inverter 30-2 of the differential amplifying portion 30 is also turned on. As a result a voltage level of the second node Node2 is lowered. When the voltage level of the second node Node2 is lowered, the PMOS transistor P4 is turned off, so that the inverted differential signal MoutB transitions to a low level and then is output to the latch portion 40.
In contrast, the NMOS transistor N2 of the differential input portion 20 and the NMOS transistor N4 of the first inverter 30-1 are turned off, and the PMOS transistor P3 is turned on. As a result, the first node Node1 is maintained at the pre-charged voltage level, and the differential signal Mout transitions to a high level and is output to the latch portion 40.
The latch portion 40 outputs the output signal Q having a high level and the inverted output signal QB having a low level when the differential signal Mout transitions to a high level and the inverted differential signal MoutB transitions to a low level.
That is, the first and second inverters 30-1 and 30-2 of the differential amplifying portion 30 are connected such that the inputs crosses the outputs of the other inverter and thus amplify and output a small voltage difference applied from the differential input portion 20.
The sense amplifier flip flop of FIG. 1 has a structure including a master including the pre-charging portion 10, the differential input portion 20, and the differential amplifying portion 30 and a slave latch including of the latch portion 40. There is an advantage in that the master is configured in the form of a differential amplifier and is capable of handling a signal level having small magnitude, and the slave latch can perform a stable high speed operation and thus can process an input signal level having small magnitude at a high speed.
However, there is a disadvantage in that a voltage offset may occur as well. Such an offset may occur as a result of a processing error, a layout error, or mismatching of a threshold voltage Vth in the NMOS transistor.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a second conventional sense amplifier flip flop. The sense amplifier flip flop of FIG. 2 includes multiple capacitors as a solution for resolving the offset problem. Capacitors C11 to C13 and C21 to C23 are respectively connected to the third and fourth nodes Node3 and Node4 to control an electric current which flowing from the differential amplifying portion 30 to the differential input portion 22 to thereby adjust the offset.
When the input signal D and the inverted input signal DB each have a high level, there should be no voltage difference between the two signals D and DB. As a result, there should be no difference in the electric current which flows from the NMOS transistor N4 through the third node Node3 as compared with the electric current which flows from the NMOS transistor N3 through the fourth node Node4.
However, if it is assumed that an electric current I+Ioffset which flows through the fourth node Node4 is greater than an electric current I which flows through the third node Node3 by the offset current Ioffset, the offset current Ioffset is a cause of errors when the input signal is determined and thus should be offset.
To this end, a predetermined number of capacitors among the capacitors C21 to C23 are connected to the fourth node Node4, enough to offset the offset current Ioffset from the current I+Ioffset which flows through the fourth node Node4. The remaining capacitor(s) and the capacitors C11 to C13 connected to the third node Node3 are disconnected by fuse cutting. For example, if the offset current offset is offset by the capacitor 21, the remaining capacitors C11 to C13, C22, and C23 are disconnected by fuse cutting.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram illustrating a third conventional sense amplifier flip flop. In FIG. 3, as a method for resolving the offset problem, NMOS transistors N2, N21, N22, N3, N31, and N32 are arranged in the differential input portion 24.
The sense amplifier flip flop of FIG. 2 reduces the offset current Ioffset to adjust the offset, whereas the sense amplifier flip flop of FIG. 3 allows the current I flowing through the third node Node3 to increase by the offset current Ioffset to adjust the offset.
If it is assumed that an electric current I+Ioffset, which flows through the fourth node Node4, flows by the offset current Ioffset more than an electric current (I), which flows through the third node Node3, as in FIG. 2, a predetermined number of NMOS transistors are remain connected to allow a greater electric current to flow to the NMOS transistor N2 side connected to the third node Node3. The remaining NMOS transistors are disconnected by fuse cutting.
For example, if an additional electric current that is as much as the offset current Ioffset flows to the third node Node3 due to the NMOS transistor N21, the remaining transistors N22, N31, and N32 are disconnected by fuse cutting.
Similarly to the circuit of FIG. 3, If it is assumed that an electric current I+Ioffset, which flows through the fourth node Node4, flows by the offset current Ioffset more than an electric current (I), which flows through the third node Node3, it is possible to make an electric current flow more to the NMOS transistor N2 side by increasing the size of the NMOS transistor N2.
Unfortunately, in adjusting the offset of the sense amplifier flip flops shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, multiple capacitors or transistors are required, and thus there is a disadvantage in that it is not easy to design and the layout area size of the sense amplifier flip flop is increased. In addition, a process for blowing off the fuses to adjust the offset is needed.


Gastric emptying classification systems, displays, methods for classifying gastric emptying data, methods for treating patients, and methods for developing gastric emptying classification systems are disclosed.

The processing and utilization of food generally involves five functions accomplished by the digestive tract. They include motility, secretory, digestive absorptive and elimination functions. Processing of food begins in the oral cavity where food is mechanically broken down by mastication, lubricated with saliva, and enzymatically processed by amylase present in the saliva. Processing continues in the stomach where food is liquefied by gastric juices and enzymes secreted by the cells lining the stomach to produce chyme. Chyme enters the small intestine via the pyloric sphincter for further processing by bile salts produced by the liver and digestive enzymes produced by the pancreas. The small intestine absorbs most components from chyme through its walls, and the large intestine subsequently processes components that are not absorbed by the small intestine. Finally, the large intestine propels waste products into the colon, where they remain, usually for a day or two, until the feces are expelled by a bowel movement.
Sometimes, a person takes an abnormally long time to process and digest food, or a person may process food too quickly. This abnormal gastrointestinal function can be contributed to a disorder that affects the digestive tract, whether it be a disorder in the stomach or a disorder beyond the stomach. Commonly, a disorder occurs in the stomach that causes food to be emptied from the stomach into the small intestine too quickly or after too long of a time. Stomach emptying disorders ("dysmotility") can be diagnosed by measuring the rate at which a meal empties from the stomach and enters the small intestine (the "gastric emptying rate"). When the rate is accelerated, ingested food is prematurely dumped from the stomach to the small intestine, giving rise to the condition termed "rapid emptying" or otherwise known as the dumping syndrome. Conversely, when the rate is decelerated, the movement of ingested food from the stomach to the small intestine is delayed, giving rise to the condition termed "delayed emptying" otherwise known as gastroparesis.
Two known tests for measuring gastric emptying rates are quantitative scintigraphy tests and gastric emptying breath tests ("GEBT"). In scintigraphy testing, a patient ingests a meal including at least one edible food, a component of which has been radiolabeled. The gamma emission from the radiolabel is measured by a scintillation camera as the labeled food is emptied from the stomach. Scintigraphy measurements of gastric emptying are direct, since the camera directly measures the gamma emissions arising from the radiolabeled meal remaining in the stomach. In breath testing, a patient ingests a meal that includes a non-radioactive marker or label, e.g., carbon-13 (13C), a stable, non-radioactive isotopic form of carbon. As the non-radioactive labeled edible food is processed by the digestive tract, a labeled component, e.g., 13CO2, is produced which can be detected in the patient's breath. In contrast to scintigraphy, measurement of gastric emptying using breath testing is indirect. Results for both types of testing are interpreted as either positive (abnormal) or negative (normal) for either gastroparesis or for accelerated emptying. Test results are therefore viewed from a dichotomous point of view.

Methods and systems for assessing gastric emptying