The present disclosure relates to various anchoring systems for a catheter delivered device. In one instance the anchoring systems of the present disclosure are designed to be used in connection with a pulmonary artery implant device. In one embodiment, an anchoring system of the present disclosure comprises two anchoring ends, a distal end anchoring structure and a proximal end anchoring structure, where at least one of the distal or proximal anchoring structures has a clover-shaped structure formed by at least three lobes. In another embodiment, the distal anchoring structure includes an elongated and angled shape formed by wire material. In another embodiment, both the distal and proximal anchoring structures have a clover-shaped structure formed by at least three lobes.

Recently, the long-sought goal of implantable biosensors has begun to see realization and, thus, clinical use. As this use for implantable biosensors has developed and grown, issues regarding intracorporeal fixation of the sensor have come to light. Particularly within blood vessels, the sensor is subjected to a continuous, pulsatile flow. This is a difficult environment in which to secure a sensor or other apparatus reliably without unduly restricting blood flow and/or impairing the vessel wall. Further, some devices require accurate positioning within the body in order to achieve sufficient wireless communication with a device outside the body. One major vessel of interest in the realm of cardiology is the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery is a particularly challenging location in which to secure an intracorporeal device because, in addition to the above considerations, the vessel is especially thin, compliant and prone to perforation.
Implantable wireless sensors are useful in assisting diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. Some of these sensors may be configured to communicate with wireless sensor readers. Examples of wireless sensor readers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,154,389, 8,493,187, and 8,570,186 and each are incorporated by reference herein. In particular, there are many applications where measuring pressure from within a blood vessel deep in a patient's body is desired. For example, measuring the pressure in the heart's pulmonary artery is helpful in optimizing treatment of heart failure and pulmonary hypertension. In this type of application, an implant may need to be positioned up to 20 cm beneath the surface of the skin. These devices may require a specific implant to provide optimal functionality of the reader/sensor system. An optimal implant for such systems may be configured to transduce pressure into an electrical resonant frequency. Examples of these implants are described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,867,552 entitled "IMPLANTABLE SENSOR ENCLOSURE WITH THIN SIDEWALLS," and U.S. Utility Ser. No. 14/777,654 entitled "PRESSURE SENSING IMPLANT," each of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
Design considerations for an ideal fixation device intended for intravascular fixation are outlined as follows. The fixation device should be passive and maintain a separation distance between the sensor and the vessel wall. Alternatively, the fixation device may be placed against a vessel wall in a particular geometric arrangement for sensing and communication. The implant should have secure attachment against a smooth, slippery surface in the presence of continuous pulsatile flow. The implant should be able to adapt and conform to a compliant surface which may be undergoing radial distention and contraction. The deployed size and radial strength of the device should be sufficient to prevent its migration into vessels that would be occluded by the dimensions of the sensor while creating minimal stress concentrations where the fixation device contacts the vessel wall. Alternatively, intracorporeal devices should be designed sufficiently small in size so that when deployed in organs or regions with sufficiently redundant blood flow, the device can embolize on its own without harming the organ or the host. Finally, the fixation device should be sufficiently versatile as not to depend, within physiologically relevant ranges, on the size of the vessel in order to maintain its position. The implant should be sufficiently versatile to accommodate a broad range of vessel sizes, curves, random sub-branches, and tortuosity. Otherwise, unintended proximal movement or dislodgement of the fixation device may pose serious health risks that may require surgical intervention.
The implant should meet these requirements without damaging or puncturing delicate vessel walls, or without translating, rotating, or becoming dislodged and migrating to a different location in the vessel. Anchors for the implant must also be foldable in order to be placed within the vessel with a catheter in a minimally invasive procedure. This is a difficult environment in which to secure an implant or other apparatus reliably without unduly restricting blood flow and/or impairing the vessel wall.
There have been various attempts to create devices intended to hold intracorporeal devices fixedly within vessels. Known implants and anchoring assemblies have not always been successful in balancing the tradeoff between establishing a secure anchor against the vessel wall at an intended location while maintaining vessel safety and integrity. Several such attempts are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,021,307. The anchors disclosed therein use the super elastic properties of nitinol. They do not need to be expanded with a balloon or utilize a transition temperature above room temperature. As such, the anchors of U.S. Pat. No. 8,021,307 intend to position their implantable device centrally within the vessel lumen. However, given the design utilized in U.S. Pat. No. 8,021,307, the anchors disclosed therein rely on passive placement within a vessel and have a longitudinally extending configuration. These designs have a very limited intended vessel size range in which the device may be stable. Since the overall size of the anchors is also very small, the device is intended to be placed in a very distal and small section of the pulmonary artery—the location of which may vary greatly from patient to patient. At this distal location, the pulmonary artery is extremely delicate and wireless communication must be performed from the patients back. As such, the anchors of U.S. Pat. No. 8,021,307 utilize a very low outward radial force as to not damage the distal pulmonary artery vessel in which they are indicated for. This lack of outward radial force results in a poor stability and thus an increased chance of device rotation and migration both acutely and chronically.
Further, it is a challenge for health clinicians to position the implant in a desired location within the vessel of a patient particularly when the location is tied to an allowable vessel size range. Many times it becomes necessary to utilize a CT scan or "quantitative angiography" to make precise measurements of vessel sizes and configurations with the help of software. These methods require special equipment, added time, and operator skill which may often not be available.
Thus, acute placement and long term stability of an implantable device in a blood vessel is a challenging task. The environment is dynamic and extremely sensitive to disturbances. As such, there are many design considerations associated with fixating the sensor or implant within a blood vessel. One consideration is for the sensor and anchoring assembly to be apposed to a specific side of the vessel wall for the safety of the patient and the performance and functionality of the device. In other words, a given implantable device should land where it is intended to land with reduced subsequent rotation or migration. The device should remain stable when exposed to pulsatile blood flow, the changing diameter of a compliant vessel, changing pressures, and several other physiological factors. The device should not exert force that could damage or perforate the vessel wall and it also should not substantially disturb normal blood flow. Finally, the device should remain stable over a diverse range of patient vessel shapes and sizes without clinically disrupting the vasculature. Any variation of these design factors may interrupt electronic communication with the implantable device, cause grave health consequences, or otherwise fail.
Given the above, there is a need in the art for both an improved implant and anchoring system and method of utilizing the same to deliver an implantable device into a blood vessel such as a pulmonary blood vessel. The instant disclosure provides an anchor assembly design that is intended to address the above identified problems.

Anchoring system for a catheter delivered device


The present invention provides a stage apparatus including a first Y-axis interferometer which is supported by a base portion, and configured to detect a position of a first end surface of a table in a Y-axis direction, a second Y-axis interferometer which is supported by the base portion, and configured to detect a position of a second end surface of the table in the Y-axis direction, and a third Y-axis interferometer which is supported by the base portion so as to be spaced apart from the first Y-axis interferometer and the second Y-axis interferometer in an X-axis direction, and configured to detect a distance according to which a distance between the first Y-axis interferometer and the second Y-axis interferometer in the Y-axis direction can be obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stage apparatus, an exposure apparatus, and a device fabrication method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An exposure apparatus is employed in a photolithography process for fabricating, for example, a semiconductor device. The exposure apparatus includes a projection exposure apparatus which projects and transfers the pattern of a reticle (mask) onto a wafer (substrate) by a projection optical system, and an electron beam exposure apparatus which directly draws a pattern on a wafer without using a reticle.
With miniaturization of semiconductor devices, such an exposure apparatus must improve the overlay accuracy of a pattern to be transferred onto the wafer to form a multilayered structure, and is therefore required to attain a pattern transfer position accuracy on the order of several nanometers or less. Hence, the exposure apparatus executes, before an exposure process, an alignment process, that is, global alignment as an example. In the global alignment, alignment marks formed in several representative shot regions on the wafer are measured, and the measurement results are statistically processed, thereby obtaining the exposure target position of each shot region on the wafer.
On the other hand, in the exposure apparatus, due, for example, to vibration, an external force, or a change in temperature, deformation is often generated in a table which holds the wafer or a base portion which supports an interferometer for measuring the position of the table. Thermal deformation is generated in the table or wafer when heat produced by a driving unit which drives the table, for example, is transmitted to the table, or a change in temperature is generated in the wafer due to exposure heat (for example, the energy of an electron beam). Also, the base portion vibrates when vibration generated upon driving the table, or disturbance vibration of the floor on which a stage apparatus is installed, is transmitted to it. The vibration of the base portion includes rigid vibration and elastic vibration that mainly constitute the entire vibration of the base portion, and three-dimensional bending deformation is generated in the base portion due to the elastic vibration. Thermal deformation is generated in the base portion as well when heat produced by the driving unit which drives the table, for example, is transmitted to it. If deformation is generated in the base portion during the alignment process, the position of the interferometer for measuring the position of the table fluctuates, so an error is generated in the measurement value obtained by the interferometer, and an error, in turn, is generated in the obtained exposure target position. In contrast, if deformation is generated in the table or base portion after the alignment process, a transfer error such as a shift in position or a shift in magnification (a shift in size) is generated in the transferred pattern even when the wafer (the table which holds it) is positioned at the exposure target position obtained by the global alignment.
Several techniques of correcting the exposure target position to compensate for the deformation of the table or base portion have conventionally been proposed. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-317600 discloses a technique of arranging two interferometers on opposite sides of the table, and obtaining the deformation amount of the table from the measurement values (that is, the positions of the two end surfaces of the table in one direction) obtained by the two interferometers, thereby correcting the exposure target position based on the obtained deformation amount. Also, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-008189 discloses a technique of obtaining, in advance, a correction equation expressing the relationship between the measurement error generated by the interferometer and the value (the deformation amount of the base portion) output from a strain gauge disposed on the base portion which supports the interferometer, thereby correcting the exposure target position using the correction equation and the value output from the strain gauge in the exposure process.
Unfortunately, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-317600, if deformation (for example, thermal deformation) is generated in the base portion which supports the two interferometers, the deformation amount of the base portion is included in that of the table, which is obtained from the measurement values obtained by the two interferometers, thus making it impossible to correct the exposure target position with high accuracy. This is because the measurement value obtained by each of the two interferometers contains three components: the position of the table, the deformation amount of the table, and the deformation amount of the base portion (that is, a fluctuation in distance between the two interferometers).
Assuming, for example, that the linear expansion coefficient of the base portion is 12×10−6 [1/° C.], the distance between the two interferometers is 1 [m], and a change in temperature of 0.001 [° C.] is generated in the base portion, the distance between the two interferometers considerably fluctuates by 12 [nm]. At this time, the deformation amount of the table, which is obtained from the measurement values obtained by the two interferometers, includes an error of 12 [nm] corresponding to the deformation amount of the base portion, thus making it difficult to correct the exposure target position on the order of several nanometers or less. Note that the distance between the two interferometers is assumed to be 1 [m] because this numerical value is appropriate for (the stage apparatus of) an exposure apparatus which exposes a wafer having a diameter of 300 [mm]. More specifically, the length of each side of the table which holds the wafer is about 500 to 600 [mm], and the range in which the table can move is about ±200 to ±250 [mm], so the two interferometers must have a distance of about 1 [m] between them. Also, the base portion has a relatively high volume and, in turn, a relatively high heat capacity, so a change in temperature is less likely to be generated in the base portion, but nonetheless only a minute change in temperature of about 0.001 [° C.] is generated in the base portion due to factors associated with the surrounding environment or temperature regulation accuracy.
On the other hand, in the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-008189, the value output from the strain gauge and the measurement error generated by the interferometer (that is, the fluctuation in position of the interferometer) do not always have a unique correspondence. This is because two types of deformation, expansion/contraction deformation mainly due to thermal deformation, and three-dimensional bending deformation mainly due to vibration (in the Z-axis direction), are generated in the base portion.
FIG. 8A is a view showing a fluctuation in position of the interferometer when expansion/contraction deformation is generated in the base portion, and FIG. 8B is a view showing a fluctuation in position of the interferometer when bending deformation is generated in the base portion. Note that referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, dotted lines indicate the state before deformation is generated in the base portion, and solid lines indicate the state after deformation is generated in the base portion. As can be seen from FIGS. 8A and 8B, even when a strain gauge is disposed, for example, near the interferometer on the base portion, the coefficient for converting the value output from the strain gauge into a fluctuation in position of the interferometer changes depending on whether expansion/contraction deformation or bending deformation is generated. Therefore, the technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-008189 often cannot correct the exposure target position with high accuracy.
Supposedly, it is possible to arrange a plurality of strain gauges on the base portion to divide the entire deformation of the base portion into expansion/contraction deformation and bending deformation from the values output from the plurality of strain gauges. However, in this case, there arise problems that, for example, the apparatus arrangement becomes more complex upon arranging a plurality of strain gauges, and a correction equation must be obtained for each type of deformation (expansion/contraction deformation and bending deformation) generated in the base portion (that is, it takes much time to correct the exposure target position). Furthermore, to obtain correction equations, expansion/contraction deformation and bending deformation must independently be generated in the base portion, but this is difficult in practice, thus making it hard to precisely obtain a correction equation for each type of deformation. When, for example, a correction equation for expansion/contraction deformation is to be obtained, it is difficult to completely cut off vibration that generates bending deformation in the base portion. Similarly, when a correction equation for bending deformation is to be obtained, it is difficult to completely eliminate thermal deformation (a change in temperature) that generates expansion/contraction deformation in the base portion. Therefore, even when the exposure target position is corrected using correction equations obtained in advance, it includes an error to a certain extent. Also, processing of dividing the entire deformation of the base portion into expansion/contraction deformation and bending deformation from the values output from the plurality of strain gauges, and processing of selecting an appropriate correction equation, for example, are necessary in the alignment process, and this may lower the apparatus throughput.

Stage apparatus, exposure apparatus and device fabrication method


An intervertebral device comprises a first endplate assembly including a first exterior surface, a second endplate assembly including a second exterior surface, and a bone in-growth area located on the first exterior surface. The bone in-growth area includes an osteoconductive surface. The intervertebral device also comprises a bone in-growth indicator located on the first exterior surface and an access guide on the first endplate. The access guide is adapted for directing a revision instrument to the bone in-growth area.

The present invention relates to artificial spinal discs, and instruments and methods associated with the implantation of such artificial spinal discs.
Current spinal therapies for treating problematic spinal discs are moving from rigid fixation of adjacent vertebrae across the problematic disc space, such as with rods or plates, to maintaining the relative motion of the adjacent vertebrae, such as with artificial spinal discs. For instance, an artificial spinal disc may be utilized to treat degenerative disc disease, including a herniated nucleus pulposus and/or posterior osteophytes, which causes radiculopathy and/or myelopathy. Radiculopathy is compression of a spinal nerve root, while myelopathy is compression of the spinal cord. Both are conditions that may result in an individual experiencing pain or tingling in the arms, legs, back and/or neck.
Current artificial spinal discs have drawbacks relating to their fixation to the adjacent vertebrae and their ability to be revised, or removed, after their implantation. For instance, current artificial discs may have special contours that need to be machined into the endplates of the adjacent vertebrae. Further, current artificial discs may require special machining of the vertebrae and/or implantation instrumentation to accommodate spikes, fins, or other structures extending into the adjacent vertebrae that are used to fixate the disc to the vertebrae. Additionally, current artificial discs may include bone in-growth surfaces across the entire vertebrae-contacting surface. This makes it difficult to remove the artificial disc, as is sometimes required, once the artificial disc is implanted.
Similarly, the associated implantation instruments and methods have a number of drawbacks relating to their complexity or to their suitability for use in more sensitive areas of the spine, such as in the cervical spine. For instance, some implantation systems require the use of many different instruments and devices to prepare the disc space and properly insert the artificial disc. Further, some implantation systems rely on impacting, or hammering, features into the bone to accommodate the artificial disc. Such impaction techniques may be suitable in certain areas of the spine, like in the lumbar spine, but are not as desirable in other areas of the spine, like the cervical spine, where the proximity of the spinal cord and nerve roots would favor more delicate procedures.

Artificial spinal discs and associated implantation and revision methods


An electronic device and a method for controlling the same are provided. The electronic device includes a storage configured to store domain information that is categorized for dialog subjects, a speaker configured to output a system response based on a user utterance sound, and a processor configured to detect a domain, among the domain information, based on the user utterance sound, determine one among the detected domain and a previous domain as a domain to be used to process the user utterance sound, based on a confidence between the user utterance sound and the detected domain, and process the user utterance sound to generate the system response, based on the determined domain.

Field
Apparatuses and methods consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to an electronic device and a method for controlling the same, and more particularly, to an electronic device that can create a system response corresponding to a user utterance sound, and a method for controlling the same.
Description of the Related Art
With the development of electronic technology, various types of electronic devices have been developed and spread. Various kinds of display devices, such as televisions (TVs), portable phones, personal computers (PCs), notebook PCs, and personal digital assistants (PDAs), have been widely used even in homes.
As utilization of display devices is increased, user needs for more various functions have also been increased. Accordingly, manufacturers have made greater efforts to cope with such user needs, and products having new functions have appeared in succession.
In a home, not only display devices but also various kinds of electronic appliances, such as a refrigerator, an air conditioner, and a lamp, have been used, and a home network system for connecting and controlling such various kinds of electronic appliances through a network has currently been commercialized.
On the other hand, a user may achieve his/her desired purpose through a direct operation of the home network system, and in the case in which the home network system supports a voice recognition function, the user may also achieve his/her desired purpose through speaking of a voice command with respect to the home network system.
However, the system, which currently recognizes a user utterance sound and creates a response that corresponds to the recognized user utterance sound, is used to control only functions provided by one terminal device, and is unable to create a response through combination and comparison of functions of several terminal devices. Further, if a user utterance sound beyond a dialogue that is programmed in the system is recognized, the system is unable to process the recognized user utterance sound.
Further, if a user proceeds to a dialogue on another domain in a state in which the user and the system have a dialogue with each other on a domain, the system may not normally process such a dialogue.
Accordingly, there has been an increasing demand to recognize various user utterance sounds and to create corresponding responses on the basis of functions of several terminal devices.

Electronic device and method for controlling the same


An external storage device includes: a read out unit that reads out management information in a camera, regarding an image file that is stored within the camera; an identification unit that identifies information on specifying device to which the image file was transmitted, based upon the management information read out by the read out unit; a selection unit that selects an image file to be received from the camera, on the basis of a result of identification by the identification unit; and a reception unit that receives the selected image file.

An external storage device is known, that can store images recorded in a camera and can back up image data. With a prior art external storage device, along with searching for new image data in the camera and transferring this image data to a hard disk and storing it therein, thumbnail images are created from the image data and stored (for example, refer to Patent Reference #1).
Patent Reference #1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication 2002-209175.


There is provided a disc changer for a disc drive unit, including: a disc accommodation section capable of accommodating plural discs: a disc pushing mechanism that pushes a disc from a specific rack of the disc accommodation section to a disc discharge position within the disc drive unit; and a disc discharge mechanism that securely sends the disc at the disc discharge position, to a disc insertion/discharge opening of the disc drive unit. The disc exchanger further includes a disc guiding device that has: an upper and a lower guiding members, which are provided in an area within the disc drive unit adjacent to the disc insertion/discharge opening, and guide the disc pushed by the pushing mechanism, to the disc insertion/discharge opening; and a drive mechanism of the guiding members, that opens the lower guiding member from the upper guiding member, when the pushing mechanism pushes the disc.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a disc changer. Particularly, the invention relates to a disc changer incorporated in a disc drive unit, the disc changer having a disc guiding device structured to expand an opening of a disc discharging guide, provided inside the disc drive unit near a disc insertion/discharge opening, at the time of discharging a disc to the outside of the disc drive unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, a cassette tape has been the mainstream medium recorded with music to provide music in a motor vehicle, However, a disc medium such as a compact disc (CD) and a mini disc (MD) is now mainly used in place of the cassette tape. Because the disc medium is thinner than the cassette tape, and particularly because an optical disc like the CD is not in a case, a disc changer that accommodates plural discs in a reproducing unit and reproduces the recorded content by changing the discs is popular. A disc changer is also being developed for a digital versatile disc (DVD) type of optical disc.
This disc changer of optical discs has a disc accommodation section capable of separately accommodating plural discs, one by one, inside a casing. A swing arm takes out a desired one of the discs from this disc accommodation section, and reproduces the content of the disc using an optical head. When the reproduction ends, the swing arm returns the disc to the disc accommodation section. In general, a turntable on which a disc is rotated and a clamper that fixes the disc onto the turntable are provided at the front end of the swing arm. An optical head moves in a radial direction of the optical disk, on a moving path formed on the swing arm, on the disc that rotates on the turntable, thereby reproducing the information recorded on the disc. Generally, the disc changer has the disc accommodation section movably arranged, in the up and down directions, to facilitate the taking out of a desired one disc from the disc accommodation section.
The disc drive unit that incorporates the CD disc changer can accommodate plural discs within the disc changer, and can alternately reproduce the content recorded on each CD. However, in some cases, a disc accommodated in the disc changer needs to be exchanged with a disc provided at the outside of the disc drive unit. To meet this requirement, the disc changer has a function of exchanging a disc accommodated within the disc accommodation section, that is, a disc insertion/discharge mechanism for inserting a disc into and discharging a disc from the disc drive unit respectively.
When a disc is inserted into the disc drive unit from a disc insertion/discharge opening of the disc drive unit by being guided by a roller, the disc insertion/discharge mechanism sends the disc to the disc accommodation section, using a separate insertion mechanism, when the disc reaches a predetermined detection position. On the other hand, in discharging a disc from the disc accommodation section to the outside of the disc drive unit, a pushing mechanism pushes the disc to a discharge position where the disc is to be discharged by a roller. Then, the roller discharges the disc from the disc insertion/discharge opening of the disc drive unit.
An early CD disc changer was large in size, and was accommodated in a trunk of a motor vehicle. However, due to an increasingly compact size of the disc changer in recent years, the disc drive unit that incorporates the disc changer can be accommodated in a center console of an instrument panel of the motor vehicle.
However, as a result of the small disc changer in the disc drive unit, parts within the disc changer have little margin in size. Therefore, at the time of discharging a disc from the disc drive unit, the front end of the disc is fluctuated. This has a risk that the disc is collided against the disc insertion/discharge opening of the disc drive unit, when the pushing mechanism pushes the disc to the position where the disc is to be discharged by a roller and when the roller discharges the disc from the disc insertion/discharge opening.

Disc changer having disc discharge mechanism


In a spindle motor, a lead wire extending from a coil includes a first solder portion coated with a first solder. The lead wire is arranged to extend downward through a base hole portion and a board hole portion. The first solder portion is soldered to a circuit board through a second solder portion. An upper end portion of the first solder portion is arranged above an upper surface of the circuit board such that d1>(d2−d3)/2 is satisfied, where d1 denotes the axial distance between the upper end portion of the first solder portion and the upper surface of the circuit board, d2 denotes an opening width of the board hole portion, and d3 denotes the diameter of the lead wire.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spindle motor, a disk drive apparatus, and a method of manufacturing the spindle motor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spindle motors arranged to rotate magnetic disks are usually installed in conventional hard disk drives. Such spindle motors include a stationary portion and a rotating portion. The stationary portion is fixed to a housing of the drive. The rotating portion is arranged to rotate while holding a magnetic disk. The spindle motor is arranged to generate a torque centered on a central axis through magnetic flux generated between the stationary portion and the rotating portion, so that the rotating portion is caused to rotate with respect to the stationary portion.
The stationary portion of the spindle motor includes coils arranged to generate the magnetic flux. End portions of conducting wires which define the coils are drawn out of the spindle motor, and soldered to a circuit board. For example, paragraph [0026] of JP-A 2009-110611 states that a copper wire portion of a coil wire is drawn out through a through hole, and soldered to a land portion of a flexible circuit board.
During a process of manufacturing a spindle motor, ultrasonic cleaning is typically performed after the above-described soldering to remove an extraneous material. However, if the spindle motor having the above-described structure is subjected to the ultrasonic cleaning, it may happen that stresses due to ultrasonic wave vibration are concentrated on a boundary region between the conducting wire and a solder. In order to prevent a break of the conducting wire from occurring due to this stress concentration, a known technique subjects the spindle motor to the cleaning with a reduced power of the ultrasonic wave vibration.
Regarding this problem, JP-A 2009-110611 describes a technique of arranging an outer circumference of a solder portion to have a diameter greater than that of a through hole of a base in order to prevent breakage of the coil wire. However, this technique is intended to improve rigidity of the solder portion and a small diameter portion of the flexible circuit board, and to thereby to reduce vibrations of these portions, as described in paragraph [0032] of JP-A 2009-110611. However, JP-A 2009-110611 does not mention a technique that prevents the above-described stress concentration.
Note that potential causes for the above-described stress concentration are not limited to the vibrations that occur at the time of the ultrasonic cleaning, but also include a variety of exterior shocks, such as, for example, vibrations that occur while the spindle motor is being carried or vibrations that occur while the spindle motor is being used.

Spindle motor, disk drive apparatus, and method of manufacturing spindle motor


A method can perform a process with a method including capturing an image, determining an environment that a user is operating a computing device, detecting a hand gesture based on an object in the image, determining, using a machine learned model, an intent of a user based on the hand gesture and the environment, and executing a task based at least on the determined intent.

Pointing devices in computing are used to control or activate certain elements in a user interface. On a computer, this can be achieved by using a separate controller, for example, a mouse, which can be moved on a flat surface, and the movement of the mouse translated to a pointer/cursor on the computer's screen. In addition, the mouse may have buttons to click and scroll which can enable various types of tasks, e.g., opening an application, selecting an application, scrolling down, etc. However, with the evolution of smartphones, tablets, etc., touchscreens are generally used and a finger, for example, can replace the physical controller. User actions such as tap, scroll, swipe, pinch and long press have become common patterns of interaction with smart phones, tablets, etc.

Intent detection with a computing device


Systems and methods for configuring a single sector antenna capable of operating in multiple modes and comprising a plurality of radiating arrays to radiate over a sector area at a polarization by activating a single radiating array. An enabler activates a single radiating array in a single-unit sector antenna that comprises multiple radiating arrays to allow the sector antenna to operate in the desired mode without interference from additional active radiating arrays, the sector antenna being capable of reconfiguration without unit replacement or system losses to operate in a different mode.

An antenna is an electrical device that sends or receives signals. More specifically, an antenna acts as the port through which radio frequency (RF) energy is radiated to or received from the outside world. A common antenna is an omnidirectional antenna. An omnidirectional antenna radiates in all directions, essentially in a 360 degree pattern. However, such an antenna is an inefficient solution for a problem requiring more directed or focused radiation. A single robust antenna capable of focusing its radiated power on one of several particular areas is desirable partly because of its efficient power allocation and partly because of the direct cost savings in production and potential use in more advanced commercial applications.
A sector antenna provides a common solution to this problem. A sector antenna is an antenna that divides a 360 degree spherical area into smaller segments, such as two 180, three 120, or four 90 degree areas. The sector antenna then generally radiates primarily in a direction of a particular segment to provide a more focused radiation to a particular geographic location. This concentrated radiation in a particular direction increases the directive gain of the antenna, making the antenna more efficient. There are however drawbacks to these standard sector antennas. Each particular sector antenna is designed and constructed to radiate only at a particular degree angle to cover a predetermined area. Once constructed to meet these predetermined specifications, the standard sector antenna cannot be modified. For example, a sector antenna may be constructed to direct its radiation at a 45 degree angle to cover a particular geographic area. A problem arises if the application changes and it becomes necessary to radiate towards a different area, or at a different angle. In such a case, one must design and manufacture several sector antennas for various aperture angles corresponding to different geographic areas. Because each sector antenna is suited only for a particular scenario, it is necessary to change the characteristics of the antenna to respond to a change in the scenario. Thus, one traditionally has been required to swap the antenna with a replacement sector antenna suited for the new scenario, or to electrically modify the existing antenna to address the change in the scenario. A replacement antenna increases the production cost, as two separate antennas must be manufactured, and requires complete replacement of the entire antenna.
In certain instances, a sector antenna may be electrically modifiable, or "smart". A smart sector antenna may be used in an attempt to meet different parameters or specifications. A switched beam antenna is just such a type of smart antenna. However, a switched beam antenna concurrently produces multiple beams, resulting in a more complex and costly design, and multiple active beams result in losses and inefficiencies. Generally, a two-way antenna to handle the above-described smart sector antenna, built with an electrically modifiable radio frequency (RF) switch has about a 3 to 3.5 dB loss due to the electronic reconfiguration when compared to a standard non-reconfigurable sector antenna. This loss is unacceptable in many sensitive applications. Thus, a smart sector antenna is not a viable option in many instances due to system complexity, cost, and its inherent additional signal losses.
Furthermore, sector antennas are constructed to radiate at a fixed polarization. Polarization of an antenna relates to the orientation of electromagnetic waves at a distance from their source. For example, the electromagnetic waves may be oriented vertically or horizontally. Proper polarization maximizes antenna performance, and generally, the best results are achieved when the polarization of a transmitting antenna matches the polarization of a receiving antenna. The polarization and directivity of such antennas are built into the antenna radiator structure and cannot be changed. Thus, a problem arises when a need exists to radiate a signal over an area with a polarization that does not match the polarization of the sector antenna. In such a case, replacement of the sector antenna and its resulting drawbacks is again the only viable option.

Systems and methods for a multi-mode reconfigurable sector antenna


A method of patterning soluble materials on a substrate is described. In the method, a stamp is applied to a liquid carrier solution. The raised areas of the stamp removes mainly a liquid carrier leaving behind a precipitate while the non-raised areas of the stamp lifts both the liquid carrier and the precipitate from the substrate. The result is a precipitate pattern residue that matches the raised area of the stamp. One use of the method is for patterning large areas of polymers used in large area electronics such as displays and sensors.

Large-area electronics based on polymeric semiconductors, for applications such as display systems, often require the deposition and patterning of solution processable polymeric materials over large areas. Various printing techniques have been used to achieve the deposition and patterning. However, each of these printing techniques suffers from a number of problems.
One polymeric material deposition method uses ink jet printing to deposit droplets of polymeric material. However, ink jet printing is a slow sequential process. Using multiple ink jet nozzles to print in parallel speeds up the process but also dramatically increases complexity and expense.
A second patterning method uses liquid embossing. A publication by Bulthaup et al., Applied Physics Letters 79 (10) 1525, (2001), describes depositing an "ink" on a substrate and patterning the ink in a liquid embossing process. In order to pattern the ink, a stamp displaces the "ink" and creates a reverse or negative image on the substrate relative to the pattern in the stamp. In addition, after removal of the stamp, the "ink" is still liquid and is cured before handling. The curing process reduces the robustness and throughput of the process. Furthermore, heating the substrate to cure the "ink" can also degrade the electrical properties of the embossed polymer.
S. Y. Chou in U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,905 describes using conventional embossing and nanoprint lithography to flow a thin film under a stamp to create a pattern. An anisotropic etching step, such as reactive ion etching (RIE), finishes the pattern definition. Conventional nanoprint lithography often involves exposing the patterned polymer to high temperatures, UV exposure and etching processes. These processes result in a harsh environment that potentially degrades the electrical properties of the polymeric semiconductor.
Still other techniques use a surface-energy pattern on a substrate to pattern a polymer. C. R. Kagan et al. in Appl. Phys. Lett. 79 (21) 3536 (2001) describes patterning self-assembled monolayers using such a surface-energy pattern. Such patterns are typically generated using surface energy modulation. However, use of such a system in electronic device fabrication is restricted to surfaces on which a self-assembled monolayer can be deposited (typically the noble metals such as gold or palladium). An additional coating step, typically accomplished through dip-coating the surface-energy pattern of the substrate over the entire substrate area is complex and slow, lowering throughput and yield.
Thus an improved method of patterning a polymer is needed.

Method for large-area patterning dissolved polymers by making use of an active stamp


A riding lawn care vehicle (10) may include a frame (60), a steering assembly (30), a brake assembly (110), and a mechanical brake linkage assembly (120). At least a first drive wheel (32) and a second drive wheel (32) of the riding lawn care vehicle (10) may be attachable to the frame (60). The steering assembly (30) may include a first steering lever (34) and a second steering lever (34), where the first and second steering levers (34) are operably coupled to the first and second drive wheels (32) respectively to facilitate turning of the riding lawn care vehicle (10) based on drive speed control of the first and second drive wheels (32) responsive to positioning of the first and second steering levers (34) along a first direction when the first and second steering levers are in an operating position. The brake assembly may be operably coupled to the first and second drive wheels (32) to enable brakes to be selectively applied to the first and second drive wheels (32). The mechanical brake linkage assembly (120) may be configured to activate the brake assembly (110) relative to the first and second drive wheels (32) in response to movement of the first and second steering levers (34) in a direction parallel to the first direction after the first and second steering levers (34) have been moved from the operating position to a non-operating position.

Lawn care tasks are commonly performed using various tools and/or machines that are configured for the performance of corresponding specific tasks. Certain tasks, like grass cutting, are typically performed by lawn mowers. Lawn mowers themselves may have many different configurations to support the needs and budgets of consumers. Walk-behind lawn mowers are typically compact, have comparatively small engines, and are relatively inexpensive. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, riding lawn mowers, such as lawn tractors, can be quite large. Riding lawn mowers can sometimes also be configured with various functional accessories (e.g., trailers, tillers, and/or the like) in addition to grass cutting components. Riding lawn mowers provide the convenience of a riding vehicle as well as a typically larger cutting deck as compared to a walk-behind model.
By their very nature, riding lawn mowers include steering assemblies that are used to direct the movement of the riding lawn mowers. The steering assemblies often take the familiar form of a steering wheel. However, handlebar assemblies have also been used in some cases. More recently, some mowers have been provided with very short (e.g., near zero) turning radiuses. Such mowers have employed separate steering levers that interface with the drive wheels on each respective side of the mower.
When these separate steering levers are employed, it is common for a drive wheel on each side of the vehicle to be controlled by a corresponding lever on the same side of the vehicle. The drive wheel is then driven forward or backward based on whether the corresponding steering lever is also pushed forward or pulled backward toward the operator. Meanwhile, a common way of setting the parking brake for these short turning radius riding lawn care vehicles has been to set the brake by moving the steering levers to the outboard position. Thus, the steering levers generally are restricted to forward and rearward movement whenever the steering levers are in the inboard position (i.e., not in the outboard position), and the steering levers are generally immovable in the forward and rearward directions when the steering levers are in the outboard position.

Lawn care vehicle brake system with intuitive control


A coring device for coring body tissue to define reproducible patent channels in the body tissue is provided. The coring device utilizes a coring member that is rotatable and linearly advanceable at coordinated predetermined rates to core body tissue. The device can include a suction assembly suitable for use during biopsy procedures and a cautery assembly to cauterize the cored body tissue. The coring member can also be oscillated along its longitudinal axis to effect cauterization and/or coring. The coring device is particularly suited for Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR).

1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to a coring device for surgical use. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a coring device having an advanceable member operated at a coordinated speed to facilitate reproducible coring of body tissue. The coring device is particularly suited for use in performing transmyocardial revascularization (TMR).
2. Background of the Related Art
Mechanical coring devices suitable for use in surgical procedures such as biopsy retrieval, bone marrow retrieval, and similar procedures are well known. Typically, these coring devices include a tubular body having a sharpened end, and a cutting member. During coring procedures, the tubular body is manually advanced into body tissue such that a core of material is retrieved and retained within the tubular body. Thereafter, the cored tissue is removed for analysis.
One problem associated with these devices is that variations in the rate of advancement of the tubular body into the body tissue effect the size and shape of the cored tissue sample, e.g., a high rate of advancement can cause tearing of body tissue rather than precise coring of the tissue. Because of this, manual advancement makes it very difficult to retrieve good tissue samples of consistent size and shape required for biopsy. U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,305 issued to Cibley, addresses the problem of obtaining more consistent tissue sample sizes. Cibley discloses a biopsy device having a rotatable shaft with a cutting edge at its distal end. As the shaft is rotated, a trigger is compressed to manually advance the shaft into body tissue. Although Cibley improves upon the prior art, the performance of Cibley's device is directly related to the rate at which the shaft is manually advanced into the body tissue. Because the shaft is manually advanced, reproducible coring for the particular body tissue is difficult to achieve.
Mechanical devices have also been used in other surgical procedures. One such procedure is Transmyocardial Revascularization (TMR). In this procedure, surgical needles, biopsy needles, cannulas or similar instruments have been used to produce channels from the epicardium, through the myocardium and into the ventricle of the heart. It is believed that these channels facilitate delivery of blood directly from the ventrical to the oxygen starved areas of the heart. When performing a TMR procedure, 1 or more and typically dozens of channels are created in the heart. Because heart tissue has a soft, spongy texture that can be easily torn or deformed, it is difficult, if not impossible, to create consistent, reproducible channels by the aforementioned manual puncturing and coring techniques.
Accordingly, a need exists for an improved mechanical coring device that is easy to use, consistent and reliable when coring channels in body tissue.


A laundry detergent composition comprising from about 0.1% to about 80%, by weight of the composition, of a polyamine mono-anionic surfactant; and a solubiliser; in a defined weight ratio. Also, a process of making the polyamine mono-anionic surfactant and the laundry compositions containing the same.

Numerous detergent products are available to a consumer. Continuous consumer need exists, however, for improved performance, especially if such can be achieved at the same or lower cost. Specifically, consumers look for improved soil removal, without having to pay a premium for such benefits.
Polyamines, such as tetraethylene pentamine ("TEPA"), are known in petroleum production and refining operations as corrosion inhibitors, demulsifiers, neutralizers, and functional additives.
Laundry applications use modified polyamines. See for instance, WO 00/63334, EP 137 615, U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,984, U.S. Pat. No. 4,664,848, WO 99/49009, U.S. Pat. No. 6,121,226, U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,378, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,898. Some of these documents describe detergent compositions which also incorporate anionic surfactants or fatty acids, or anionic surfactant precursors, in the presence also of strong caustic agents which are added to produce anionic surfactants from anionic surfactant acid precursors or fatty acid salts from fatty acids.
The present invention is based at least in part on the discovery that improved soil removal is achieved when polyamine mono-anionic surfactants are combined with a solubiliser within the parameters according to the present invention.

Laundry detergent with polyamine mono-anionic surfactant

Unilever Home & Personal Care USA division of Conopco, Inc.


A cryocooler is located on a spacecraft bus, such as a bus box, separate from the cryogenic propellant tanks disposed on a separable and distinct propellant cartridge system spacecraft docked to the spacecraft bus. In operation, propellant may be continuously pumped from the tanks through the cryocooler cold heat exchanger and then back to the tanks on the separable propellant cartridge system spacecraft through temporarily couplable lines. After the propellant tanks are depleted, the propellant cartridge system is then undocked from the bus and typically discarded. A new propellant cartridge system spacecraft comprising a full set of tanks may then be docked to the bus and the cryocooler supply/return lines coupled. The remote cryocooler may function as part of a larger space depot for spacecraft resupply, although it is not limited to such applications.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to spacecraft propellant replacement systems. More particularly, the present invention is related to the propellant cooling system on a spacecraft, such as a lunar or non-earth surface activity module or a crew exploration vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Systems and devices used in space flight and exploration, such as non-Earth surface activity modules and other spacecraft, are continuously being researched and developed for various purposes. Surface activity modules, such as a lunar surface activity module, are filled with propellant on earth and then launched into space to perform a predetermined mission. Upon completion of the mission, the modules are left in space or returned back to earth for analysis, parts, and/or for updating and reuse.
Current surface activity modules and spacecraft that require propellant to perform certain tasks, such as flight control, flight translation or orientation through use of thrusters, or other propellant requiring tasks, are performance limited and restricted due to the limited amount of propellant available onboard. As such, many spacecraft are incapable of performing extended missions or missions that require a substantial amount of propellant consumption over a short duration of time.
In addition, there are vehicle weight and size restrictions and limitations, as well as significant costs associated with the launching of a vehicle, which are directly related to the amount of propellant that the vehicle is carrying onboard. The more propellant a vehicle is carrying, generally, the heavier the vehicle, the larger the vehicle, and the more propellant required and the higher the costs associated with the launch of that vehicle. Moreover, there are overall limitations upon which the launching of such a vehicle becomes impractical or infeasible.
Cryocoolers are used to maintain stored cryogenic propellant at a proper temperature present a particular problem in spacecraft design. Conventional cryocoolers are integrated into propellant tank cooling systems disposed proximate to the tank, typically located as close as possible to the thermal load. This arrangement conveniently ensures a secure thermal interface between the cooler and thermal load that maximizes cooling performance. Such cryocooler systems may also support long term (e.g. five or more years) on-orbit storage of cryogenic propellants. During resupply operations the cryocooler is discarded along with the empty propellant tanks. However, this approach is expensive because space qualified cryocoolers have higher development and manufacturing costs than the cryogenic propellant tanks they are designed to cool.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a cryocooler systems and methods that provide a cost effective propellant storage solution for spacecraft, particularly for long duration missions. Further, there is a need for such systems and methods for extended and repeated space flight explorations. There is also a need for such systems and methods to support space flight missions that require a significant amount of propellant.


A laser irradiation apparatus which is provided with: an environment isolation container, which houses a laser oscillator and is disposed in water; a laser irradiation head, which collects laser beams and irradiates a part to be machined with the laser beams; a light guide section which transmits the laser beams from the laser oscillator to the laser irradiation head; a power supply apparatus which supplies the laser oscillator with power; a cooling water supplying apparatus, which supplies the laser oscillator with cooling water through a cooling water supplying path; and a temperature sensor which measures the temperature inside of the environment isolation container. The temperature and/or the flow quantity of the cooling water to be supplied from the cooling water supplying apparatus is controlled on the basis of the measurement results obtained from the temperature sensor.

Laser light has been used in various fields due to its high energy density and high coherence property, and a laser application technology has been used as an inspection tool, a preventive maintenance tool, and a repairing tool in the field of maintenance of a rector in a nuclear power plant. Examples of the laser application technology include laser deposit welding for repairing cracks in a structure and laser peening for preventing stress corrosion crack of structure in the reactor vessel.
The laser peening is a preventive maintenance technology using Nd:YAG (neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet) laser. Laser light is collected using a lens and the like and irradiated onto the surface of a material to generate a plasma, and a compressive residual stress is applied to the material by a plasma shock wave. The stress corrosion crack occurs when the following three conditions are met: material condition, environment condition, and stress condition. However, by removing a stress condition (tensile residual stress) using the laser peening, occurrence of the stress corrosion crack in the vicinity of a welding part can be prevented.
In the case where the laser peening is applied to a structure in the reactor, a laser oscillator is disposed on an operation floor to transmit laser light to a laser irradiation head installed in the bottom part of the reactor. Examples of a means for transmitting the laser light include one that transmits the light using a mirror provided inside a hollow light guide tube and one that transmits the light using an optical fiber.
In the case of the mirror transmission system, pulse energy that can be transmitted to a machining target is sufficiently large. However, as the transmission distance is increased, the size of the apparatus is increased correspondingly. In the case where the laser light is transmitted from the operation floor to the bottom part of the reactor, the transmission distance roughly reaches up to 40 m, which correspondingly increases the size of the apparatus for mirror transmission and requires taking the influence due to vibration of a light guide path into consideration. On the other hand, in the case of the optical fiber transmission system, simple connection of the laser oscillator and laser irradiation head by an optical fiber allows laser light transmission. Thus, the size of the apparatus need not be made large even when the transmission distance is increased, so that the influence due to vibration of a light guide path can be ignored. However, there may be a case where the optical fiber is damaged by the laser light, so that a system for monitoring the damage of the optical fiber is required. Further, the energy density of the laser that can be transmitted using the optical fiber transmission system is smaller than that in case of the mirror transmission system.
As another means for applying the laser peening to a structure in the reactor, there is known an apparatus that includes, in the reactor, a watertight vessel housing a laser oscillator and uses a mirror to transmit the laser light from the laser oscillator to a laser irradiation head. Such an apparatus is disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-227218, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference. With this configuration, a simple apparatus configuration can be obtained by reducing the laser transmission distance. Further, the energy level of the laser that can be transmitted is high, so that machining can be done with low irradiation density, thereby reducing machining time. Further, a positioning mechanism is simplified to achieve positioning at short times.
A laser oscillator used in such a laser peening apparatus is influenced in its performance by the temperature of environment in use. In general, the temperature range is specified in the laser oscillator, and when the temperature of use environment is too high or too low with respect to the specified temperature range, the performance deteriorates. Thus, generally, cooling water is used to cool the laser oscillator so as to prevent the laser oscillator from becoming a state of higher temperature due to heating of the oscillator itself. In general, a cooling water supplying apparatus is mounted on a power supply apparatus for the laser oscillator to cool the laser oscillator by supplying the cooling water.
However, in the case of the abovementioned apparatus, when the cooling water is supplied to the laser oscillator from the power supply apparatus on the operation floor, the temperature of the cooling water flowing in a supplying path is influenced by reactor water. It is possible to adjust the temperature of the cooling water with the influence due to the reactor water taken into consideration if the distance from the water surface to the laser oscillator is small. However, the temperature of the reactor water may change according to the depth and, therefore, the useful range of the above method is within about 5 m depth. The reactor pressure vessel has a height of 20 m or more, so 5 m is not sufficient.

Laser irradiation apparatus and laser machining method


Disclosed herein is a measuring apparatus and a measuring method which can measure a physical property value such as an oxygen content or thermal conductivity of a sample material such as an aluminum nitride sintered body with high accuracy, over the entire material in a short time. A microwave oscillation source generates microwaves. A sample material to be evaluated, such as an aluminum nitride sintered body, is placed in a cavity resonator, irradiated with microwaves (M), and subjected to a magnetic field (H) applied by electromagnets. An amount of microwaves absorbed by the object is measured by a microwave absorption measuring unit. This amount of microwave absorption is obtained from an electron spin resonance spectrum. The concentration of unpaired electrons in the object is obtained from the measured amount of microwave absorption on the basis of a known relation between an amount of microwave absorption and concentration of unpaired electrons. The concentration of unpaired electrons is converted into a physical property value such as an oxygen content or a thermal conductivity value. Such conversion processing is carried out by a computer.

An aluminum nitride sintered body is suitable for use as a material for an IC package or a semiconductor substrate, due to its characteristics such as high theoretical thermal conductivity, excellent electric insulation, etc.
The thermal conductivity of such an aluminum nitride sintered body is determined by amounts of oxygen, carbon, cations etc. which are solidly dissolved in aluminum nitride crystal grains, as described in "J. Phys. Chem. Solids" Vol. 48, No. 7, 1987, pp. 641-647, for example. Thus, it is extremely important to measure such amounts of dissolved substances for quality assurance of an aluminum nitride sintered body having high thermal conductivity. Further, the thermal conductivity of an aluminum nitride sintered body is remarkably influenced by the oxygen content in aluminum nitride crystal grains forming the aluminum nitride raw material powder. Therefore, it is extremely important to measure the oxygen content in the aluminum nitride powder. However, no method of measuring the oxygen content in aluminum nitride powder or a sintered body thereof has been established heretofore.
For example, measurement of an oxygen content by chemical analysis is merely directed to the total amount of impurities of a tested sample. Such impurities include not only the oxygen contained in aluminum nitride particles of an aluminum nitride powder or a sintered body thereof, but also those impurities adhering to the surface or being contained in a grain boundary phase. By using such a chemical analysis, therefore, it is impossible to selectively measure and evaluate only an impurity which is contained in the aluminum nitride crystal grains, i.e. that impurity which has been noted to remarkably influence thermal conductivity.
There is a method of obtaining an oxygen content value by converting an aluminum nitride lattice constant which is measured by X-ray diffraction. When impurities other than oxygen are solidly dissolved in the aluminum nitride crystal grains, however, the lattice constant is not in one-to-one correspondence with the impurity content such as the oxygen content. Thus, this method is also unsuitable for evaluation of aluminum nitride powder or a sintered body thereof.
Measuring an impurity content such as an oxygen content by a surface analysis method such as Auger electron spectroscopy or secondary ion mass spectroscopy is not suitable for the following reasons. First, it is impossible to measure the impurity content if the aluminum nitride crystals contain the impurity in an amount below the detection sensitivity of the measuring method. Second, when the crystals contain the impurity in an amount exceeding the detection sensitivity, on the other hand, impurities which have adhered to a surface of the sample during preparation thereof are also inevitably measured together with those contained in the crystals. Thus, this method is not suitable because of its lack of accuracy in measurement. Third, the amount of time required for the measurement is excessive when the impurity content is measured over a depth of several nm. Fourth, the surface analysis method is directed only to a local region, and is therefore not applicable to evaluation of the overall product.
As described above, it is impossible to detect and measure an impurity such as oxygen contained in the aluminum nitride crystal grains forming an aluminum nitride powder or a sintered body thereof, in a short time over the entire product using the conventional measuring apparatus and method.
Further, quality assurance evaluation as to the thermal conductivity of an aluminum nitride sintered body inevitably depends on the measurement of thermal conductivity by a laser flash method or the like. When using a method of directly measuring thermal conductivity such as the laser flash method, however, a sample for measurement is restricted in size and shape. For example, it is impossible to directly measure thermal conductivity of a product having a thickness of 0.5 mm and a width of 2 to 3 mm. Thus, it is necessary to independently prepare a measurable sample for measuring its thermal conductivity, thereby assuring quality of the product. This is a factor which increases the manufacturing cost. In order to evaluate the quality of a product having a complicated shape, furthermore, a sample is partially cut out to be subjected to measurement of thermal conductivity, thereby carrying out quality evaluation of the product. Thus, it is impossible to evaluate the quality of the overall or entire product.

Apparatus and method for measuring a physical property of a sample using an electron spin resonance spectrum of the sample


A process for the production of tertiary alcohols by the reaction of the corresponding isoolefin and water is disclosed. In particular the production of tertiary butyl alcohol and tertiary amyl alcohol is disclosed. The isoolefin and water are contacted over an acid cation exchange resin catalyst in a distillation column reactor where the products and reactants are separated by fractional distillation. In one embodiment a liquid level is maintained in the catalyst bed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing tertiary alcohols.
2. Related Art
Tertiary butyl alcohol (TBA) and tertiary amyl alcohol (TAA) have classically been synthesized in the past by reaction of sulfuric acid with the corresponding olefin to form the sulfate followed by hydrolysis. The use of sulfuric acid requires reconstitution of dilute acid by-product and the process is energy inefficient and corrosive. Recycle of the excess water, which contains some TBA, causes corrosion unless it is specially treated. Most of the TBA produced at present, however, is a by-product from the OXIRANE process for propylene oxide. In that process isobutane is oxidized to tho hydroperoxide which is then catalytically reacted with propylene to produce propylene oxide and TBA.
More recently TBA has been produced using an acid ion exchange resin to react isobutylene in a mixed C4 stream with water. See, for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,087,471 and 4,100,220. The resin catalyzed process is highly exothermic and is limited to equilibrium conversions, requiring separation of the TBA from excess water. U.S. Pat. No. 4,087,471 is specifically directed to the cooling aspect of the fixed bed reactor. Additionally, oligomers are produced as by-products, their production rate being determined by the amount of excess water used.
Recently a new method of carrying out catalytic reactions has been developed, wherein the components of the reaction system are concurrently separable by distillation, using the catalyst structures as the distillation structures, the method being commonly referred to as Catalytic Distillation. Such systems are described variously in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,215,011; 4,232,177; 4,242,530; 4,302,356; 4,307,254; 4,336,407; 4,439,350; 4,443,559; and 4,482,775 commonly assigned herewith.
Briefly, a preferred and commercial catalyst structure described in the above patents comprises a cloth belt with a plurality of pockets spaced along the belt and containing particulate catalyst material, said cloth belt being wound in a helix about a spacing material such as stainless steel knitted mesh. These units are then disposed in the distillation column reactor. In addition, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,443,559 and 4,250,052 disclose a variety of catalyst structures for this use and are incorporated herein.

Process for the preparation of tertiary alcohols


A signal light transmitting apparatus from which signal light is led into a transmission optical fiber, the transmission optical fiber transmitting the led signal light, includes: a signal light power changer which changes power of signal light led thereto, the changed signal light being led into the transmission optical fiber therefrom; a scattering pump light source which emits scattering pump light producing scattered light in the transmission optical fiber; a scattered light power measure which measures the power of the produced scattered light; and a controller which controls the signal light power changer based on the measured power of the scattered light.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a signal light transmitting apparatus which transmits signal light, a signal light transmitting system using the same, and a signal light transmitting method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Optimization of Power of Signal Light Which Enters Transmission Optical Fiber
In signal light transmitting system using transmission optical fiber, to secure a certain transmission quality, it is necessary that power of signal light which enters transmission optical fiber be greater than a predetermined lower limit. Signal light transmitted with transmission optical fiber is amplified by optical amplifier of repeater office. The lower limit is determined by amount of accumulation of optical noise (degree of depression of optical SNR) produced when amplifying signal light. The lower power of signal light which enters into transmission optical fiber from optical amplifier is, the more strongly signal light deteriorates.
It is known that transmission quality deteriorates through nonlinear optical effect occurring in transmission optical fiber during transmission of signal light. There are several types of phenomena which nonlinear optical effect causes. For example, there is phenomenon in which phase of signal light which propagates through transmission optical fiber is modulated. The phenomenon is caused by change of refractive index of transmission optical fiber depending on strength of power of signal light. GVD (Group Velocity Dispersion) of transmission optical fiber transforms phase modulation into intensity modulation to cause waveform distortion. The higher power of signal light in an optical fiber is, the more strongly the deterioration of signal light through nonlinear optical effect occurs. Accordingly, to secure a certain transmission quality, it is necessary that power of signal light which enters transmission optical fiber be less than a predetermined upper limit.
As mentioned above, it turns out that an optimum value of entrance power of signal light entering transmission optical fiber exists. Transmission quality of signal light transmitting system can be represented by Bit Error Rate (BER). When entrance power is too much, BER decreases through nonlinear optical effect. When entrance power is too little, optical SNR is depressed to decrease BER too. It is required that trade-off between both should be easily redressed.
Signal light transmitting system is designed so that gap between the upper limit and the lower limit of entrance power is enlarged enough. Optimum value in which BER is maximized exists between the upper limit and the lower limit. When value of entrance power is made higher than the optimum value, BER decreases. At this time, nonlinear optical effect occurs significantly. Alternatively, when entrance power is made less than the optimum value, optical SNR is depressed to decrease BER. Generally, value of entrance power is set at the value which does not exceed the optimum value, so that nonlinear optical effect may not occur significantly. That is, entrance power is set so that real value of entrance power is less than the value of entrance power, in which nonlinear optical effect occurs significantly, by a predetermined allowable value. During transmission of signal light, transmission loss which decreases power of signal light occurs. When signal light transmitting system is operated and maintained for a long period of time, transmission loss could increase and optical SNR could be depressed. For this reason, the allowable value is made as little as possible. Long-term deterioration of transmission optical fiber, increase in connection point of transmission optical fiber, and so on, increase transmission loss. The connection point of the transmission optical fiber is newly provided, when transmission optical fiber is cut in an accident.
Individual Optimization of Entrance Power
In a representative signal light transmitting system, several repeater offices and transmission optical fibers are used. Transmission line which transmits signal light is divided into several transmission sections by repeater offices. Optimum values of powers of signal lights which enter transmission optical fibers in transmission sections, respectively, are distinct from each other. There are two main reasons.
A variety of optical fibers is used for representative main transmission network. Probability of nonlinear optical effect occurring in optical fiber depends on parameters of the optical fiber, such as mode field diameter (core diameter) and amount of GeO2 doped in the optical fiber. When the type of the transmission optical fiber used for one transmission section differs from the one of the transmission optical fiber used for another transmission section, probabilities of nonlinear optical effect occurring in the transmission optical fibers differ from each other. This is the first reason. Parameters of optical fibers which distinct manufacturers manufacture are distinct from each other. Further, parameters of optical fibers manufactured at distinct manufacture periods are distinct from each other. Furthermore, the parameters of the optical fibers included in one manufacture lot differ from the parameters of the optical fibers included in another manufacture lot.
Loss in office building occurs in repeater office building. Optical connector is intermediate between optical amplifier and transmission optical fiber. Loss in office building is mainly caused in optical connector. In a large-scale repeater office, a large number of optical connectors are intermediate between the room in which the optical amplifier is installed and transmission optical fiber, and the loss in the office building could amount to several decibels. It is difficult to distinguish loss in office building and section loss caused between repeater offices. Loss in office building and section loss are treated as one.
Signal light which enters into transmission optical fiber from optical amplifier in office building is attenuated by loss in the office building. The phenomenon through the nonlinear optical effect which occurs when there is loss in office building occurs strongly compared with the case where it is assumed that there is not loss in office building. That is, it seems that probability of nonlinear optical effect occurring became lower. Because it is difficult to know loss in office building as mentioned above, it is difficult to know degrees of attenuations of signal lights caused in repeater offices, respectively. This is the second reason.
Jpn. Pat. No. 2856435 discloses the art of optimization of power of Raman pump light used for distributed Raman amplification. Loss distribution of transmission line is measured using OTDR, and power of Raman pump light is optimized so that ideal loss distribution is realized. Although optimum values of powers of pump lights transmitted in transmission sections are calculated, respectively, entrance powers of signal lights which enter optical fibers is fixed, respectively. Each of entrance powers of signal lights is kept at a certain constant ideal value. The state of each transmission section is not considered not to optimize each entrance power.
Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-251006 discloses the art of optimization of entrance power of signal light which enters optical fiber and power of Raman pump light used for distributed Raman amplification. The application on which U.S. Pat. No. 6,512,628 was based was filed based on Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 2001-251006. The state of each transmission section is not considered not to optimize each entrance power, but each entrance power is adjusted so that the value of each entrance power become optimum value calculated beforehand. Additionally, the art of obtaining loss of the whole transmission line based on remains power of Raman pump light transmitted to opposite office is disclosed in the publication. Power of Raman pump light is adjusted in accordance with the loss of the whole transmission line. Although the loss of the whole transmission line can be obtained, localized loss, such as loss in office building is undistinguishable from the loss of the whole transmission line. Jpn. Pat. KOKAI Publication No. 10-233736 (filed based on the application on which U.S. Pat. No. 6,128,111 was based) discloses the art of optimization of entrance power of signal light entering transmission optical fiber based on amount of occurrence of Four-wave mixing (FWM) in transmission-line fiber. FWM is one of the phenomena caused through nonlinear optical effect. The amount of occurrence of FWM can be used as indicator for optimizing entrance power, because it is dependent on nonlinearity of transmission optical fiber. The amount of occurrence of FWM can be used as indicator indicates probability of nonlinear optical effect occurring, as long as phase matching condition, associated with frequency interval of light waves entering transmission optical fiber or GVD of transmission optical fiber, is satisfied and the polarization of each light wave takes the specified state. Entrance power can not be optimized unless phase matching condition is satisfied. When a large number of optical amplifiers are used, it is necessary to remove FWM light caused through FWM in each transmission section so that FWM light should not accumulate. When GVD of transmission optical fiber is higher, power of FWM light to cause becomes lower, and measurement of power of FWM light becomes difficult. For this reason, it is necessary to make entrance power extremely higher. It is difficult to optimize each entrance power.
Scattering Occurred in Optical Fiber
When light which enters optical fiber strikes the matter which the optical fiber is formed of, the light is dispersed and is said to be scattered. Scattering is classified into Rayleigh scattering, Raman scattering, Brillouin scattering, etc. depending on features of scattering. Rayleigh scattering originates from random density fluctuation fixed when glass gets cool and becomes solid. The scattered light and the entrance light have the same frequency.
Raman scattering is the scattering in which scattered light occurs by interaction of entrance light with molecular vibration or optical lattice vibration (optical phonon). Brillouin scattering is the scattering in which scattered light occurs by interaction of entrance light with acoustic lattice vibration (acoustic phonon). The difference between the frequency of the entrance light and the one of the scattered light (difference frequency) was decided. When Raman scattering or Brillouin scattering occurs, frequency of light shifts by the difference frequency (frequency shift). When power of incident light becomes higher, nonlinear coupling takes place between the entrance light and the scattered light. When the nonlinear coupling takes place, the lattice vibrates coherently at the difference frequency. It is known that stimulated emission of scattered light occurs at this time.
When stimulated Raman scattering occurs in optical fiber of silica glass, peak frequency which gives peak of spectrum of scattered light is lower than frequency of entrance light (pump light) by about 13 THz. Entrance light can be scattered in the forward direction in which entrance light propagates and the backward direction opposite to the forward direction. When stimulated Raman scattering occurs, peak frequency of scattered light is less than frequency of pump light by about 11 GHz. Entrance light is strongly scattered in only backward.
Stimulated Raman Scattering and Raman Amplification
When stimulated Raman scattering is used, light which enters optical fiber can be amplified. When signal light and Raman pump light which has higher frequency rather than frequency of signal light by about 13 THz simultaneously enter optical fiber of silica glass, portion of energy of the Raman pump light is transferred from the Raman pump light to the signal light via stimulated Raman scattering. As a result, signal light is amplified. This is called Raman amplification, and gain caused by Raman amplification is called Raman gain. Representative Raman gain has wavelength dependency as shown in FIG. 11. The transmission line formed from such optical fiber can be used as amplification medium (Distributed Raman Amplification).
Raman Gain Efficiency Measurement
Suppose that Raman gain (dB) occurs when pump light having a certain power (W) is input into optical fiber used as Raman amplification medium. Normalized variation of Raman gain (dB), obtained when changing pump light, by variation of power of pump light (W) is called Raman gain efficiency (dB/W).
Measurement of Raman gain efficiency is equivalent to measurement of Raman gain, when power of pump light is known. FIG. 12 shows a representative apparatus which measures Raman gain efficiency. The apparatus has devices 110, 120 and 510 for the measurement arranged at ends of the transmission line formed from optical fiber. Test light source 120 which emits test light is arranged on one end 312 side of transmission optical fiber 310 which connects two repeater offices 30. The wavelength of the test light is set up so that Raman gain efficiency is appropriately measured. Wavelength Division Multiplexing coupler (WDM coupler) 531 is arranged on the other end 311 side of transmission optical fiber 310. WDM coupler 531 can divide pump light and signal light, and WDM coupler 531 can make pump light and signal light overlap. Pump light source 110 is connected to pump wavelength range port 531a provided for WDM coupler 531, and measuring device 510 which measures the power of the test light amplified in transmission optical fiber 310 is connected to signal wavelength range port 531b provided for WDM coupler 531. In measurement of Raman gain efficiency, test light source 120, pump light source 110, and measuring device 510 are added to repeater office 30. It is necessary to modify optical system of repeater office 30 at the time of the addition.
First, the test light emitted by test light source 120 enters transmission optical fiber 310 at end 312, and power Pt1 (dBm) of the test light which is amplified in transmission optical fiber 310 and exits end 311 is measured. Pump light source 110 does not emit pump light during measurement of power Pt1. Subsequently, test light emitted by test light source 120 enters transmission optical fiber 310, with pump light emitted by pump light source 110, to measure power Pt2 (dBm) of the amplified test light. The emitted pump light enters transmission optical fiber 310 at end 311 via WDM coupler 531. Difference between Pt1 (dBm) and Pt2 (dBm) is Raman gain (dB) which test light obtains. When the power (W) of a pump light is changed, Raman gain (dB) changes. Normalizing variation of gain by variation of power of pump light, Raman gain efficiency (dB/W) is obtained.
Test light may enter transmission optical fiber 310 at end 311, test light may enter transmission optical fiber 310 at end 312, and pump light which is amplified in transmission optical fiber 310 and exits end 312 may be measured.
In the above-mentioned representative apparatus, it is necessary to operate at both ends of transmission line, and expensive test light source is required. Jpn. Pat. No. 3578343 to M. Sobe et al. discloses the art of measurement of power of Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) light associated with Raman gain. According to the art, operation for the measurement is performed only on one end side of transmission line, without test light. It is not necessary to operate at both ends of transmission line.
Increase in Reflectance through Stimulated Brillouin Scattering
When pump light having narrow spectral line width enters optical fiber at one end, portion of the entering light is reflected in the optical fiber and the reflected light exits the one end. The reflected light includes the scattering light originating from backward Brillouin scattering. When the power of the entering pump light increases gradually and reaches a certain power Pc, reflectance (power of pump light/power of reflected light) can increase sharply (FIG. 13). This is increase in reflectance through stimulated Brillouin scattering. Frequency of light shifts slightly (by about 11 GHz).
Such phenomenon is disclosed in several publications, e.g., R. W. Tkach et al., "Spontaneous Brillouin Scattering for Single-mode optical-fibre characterisation", Electronics Letters, vol. 22, no. 19, pp. 1011-1013, September 1986, which is incorporated herein by reference. According to the publication, amount of frequency shift changes in accordance with amount of GeO2 doped in optical fiber etc., and ranges from about 10.6 GHz to about 11.3 GHz.
As mentioned above, in order to acquire high transmission quality, it is desirable to make entrance power of signal light which enters transmission optical fiber higher as long as nonlinear optical effect dose not occur significantly. The entrance power in which nonlinear optical effect starts to occur significantly in one transmission section differs from that in which nonlinear optical effect starts to occur significantly in another transmission section. The art of obtaining each entrance power easily is not known.
The art in which light is observed only in terminal office to estimate transmission quality is known. However, when probabilities of nonlinear optical effect occurring in transmission sections are distinct from each other, it is difficult to obtain the entrance power for each transmission section in which nonlinear optical effect starts to occur significantly, from the observation result obtained only in terminal office.
Generally, when nonlinear optical effect is likely to occur (i.e., when the entrance power in which nonlinear optical effect starts to occur significantly is low), entrance power is set up lower. When probability of nonlinear optical effect occurring is unknown, entrance power is set up relatively lower. As long as the entrance power is set up relatively lower, when real probability of nonlinear optical effect occurring is higher, nonlinear optical effect is not likely to occur.
As mentioned above, it is difficult to know degrees of attenuations of signal lights caused from loss in repeater office buildings, respectively. In order to compensate the attenuation caused from loss in office building, output power of signal light which optical amplifier outputs is enlarged by amount of the attenuation. When loss in office building is low, output power is reduced. When loss in office building is unknown, output power is set up relatively lower. In the case that output power is set up relatively low, when real loss in office building is lower, it is prevented that entrance power of signal light which enters transmission optical fiber becomes unexpectedly high and the entrance power exceeds the power in which nonlinear optical effect starts to occur significantly.
Accordingly, when value of entrance power in which nonlinear optical effect starts to occur significantly and loss in office building are unknown, output power of signal light which optical amplifier outputs must be low.

Signal light transmitting apparatus, signal light transmitting system using the same, and signal light transmitting method


Therapeutic methods for treating a subject with benign prostatic hypertrophy by inhibition of the activity of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) to reduce the amount of prostatic hyperplastic tissue in the subject are described herein.

Little is known about the hormonal control of prostate development. Previously, it was assumed that the development of the prostate was controlled primarily by testosterone. Recently, both insulin growth factor-I (IGF-I) and testosterone (T) were shown to be essential for development of the prostate gland, with the hormones working additively and/or synergistically, but also having independent effects (Ruan et al. (1999) Endocrinology 140:1984-1989).
The term "benign prostatic hyperplasia" ("BPH") is generally used to represent clinical enlargement of the prostate or lower urinary tract symptoms including irritative or obstructive voiding pattern, urinary retention, and frequent urination with an increased residual urine volume. Benign prostatic hypertrophy is reported to occur in over 80% of the male population before the age of 80 years, and that as many as 25% of men reaching age 80 years will require some form of treatment, usually in the form of a surgical procedure (Partin (2000) Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia, in Prostatic Diseases (Lepor H. ed.), W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, pp 95-105). While the cause has remained obscure, it is generally recognized that the two most important factors necessary for the induction of BPH are the presence of the testes and aging.
Several possible etiologies have been suggested as causing BPH, including testosterone, or a relative reduction in testosterone with an increase in estrogen. Treatment with 5α-reductase inhibitors, which reduce conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (the more active androgen for prostate growth), has been found to be only minimally effective in most patients. The adrenergic receptor antagonist, terazosin (Hytrin™) has been used to help symptoms of urinary obstruction caused by increased smooth muscle tone, but is found to be only temporarily effective and is associated with cardiovascular side-effects.
The role of excess GH and IGF-I on development of BPH and/or prostatic carcinoma was studied in patients suffering from acromegaly, a pituitary disorder caused in most cases by a GH-secreting adenoma (Colao et al. (1998) J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 83:775-779). Compared to healthy subjects, a significant increase in transversal prostatic diameter and volume was observed in acromegalics. Colao et al. further disclose that symptoms due to prostatic, seminal vesicle, and/or urethral disorders or obstruction were not experienced by acromegalics. Treatment with octreotide for 1 year induced normalization of circulating GH and IGF-I levels in most of the patients treated, as well as a reduction in prostate volume.
In light of the above, there is a need for a method for treating BPH that inhibits, prevents or reverses the progression of the disorder such that the need for surgical treatment is delayed or prevented.

Methods for treating benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)


A simulation apparatus for simulating a pipeline processor including a pipeline simulation unit and an instruction simulation unit. The simulation apparatus includes a pipeline simulation unit is operable to simulate a group of instructions comprising a plurality of instructions to be executed simultaneously. The instruction simulation unit is operable to simulate a sequential execution, of the group of instructions on an instruction-by-instruction basis, based on the simulation result performed by the pipeline simulation unit. The instruction simulation unit generates the simulation result by undoing the simulation where an instruction included in the group of instructions that has just been simulated by the pipeline simulation unit.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a simulation apparatus for executing a program for a Very Long Instruction Word (VLIW) processor assisting a software developer in program development.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A simulation apparatus that simulates the simulation condition of a processor is useful in program development. A simulation apparatus for a processor that performs a pipeline control performs a pipeline simulation correctly, and thus it performs a simulation on a cycle-by-cycle basis. There is a patent literature 1 as a related art literature concerning this.
The pipeline computer simulator disclosed in this patent literature 1 performs the simulation of a step operation on an instruction-by-instruction basis while performing a pipeline simulation. By doing so, a step operation for a single instruction that is useful for a debug operation is intuitive to operate correctly.
Also, the stall detection display device disclosed in patent literature 2 detects stall that occurs in an assembler source caused by analyzing the assembler source and highlights the cause of stall occurrence on the assembler source and the part corresponding to a pipeline image which is an analysis result of the assembler source.
By doing so, a programmer recognizes the cause of stall occurrence in the pipeline.
[patent literature 1]
Japanese Laid-Open Patent application No. 8-272612
[patent literature 2]
Japanese Laid-Open Patent application No. 11-65845
However, in the above-mentioned related art, a software developer cannot confirm the simulation process performed on an instruction-by-instruction basis in detail when a simulation apparatus is intended for a processor that executes a plurality of instructions simultaneously although it can simulate a plurality of instructions simultaneously and highlights the cause of the stall occurrence.

Simulation apparatus, method and program

Matsushita Electric, Industrial Co., Ltd.