A method of modeling a surface from a plurality of geometry points representing an object generally includes binning the plurality of geometry points into an n-dimensional array of cells and associating a binary value with each cell; applying a dilation algorithm to the binned plurality of geometry points to output a dilated binary representation of the plurality of geometry points; applying an erosion algorithm to the dilated binary representation of the plurality of geometry points to output a segmented volume; and applying a surface construction algorithm to the segmented volume to form a surface model of the object.

a. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to surface modeling. In particular, the instant invention relates to a system and method for reconstruction of a surface from an unstructured cloud of data points.
b. Background Art
It is well known to generate heart chamber geometry in preparation for cardiac diagnostic or therapeutic procedures. Often, a mapping catheter is introduced into the heart chamber of interest and moved around within the heart chamber, either randomly, pseudo-randomly, or according to one or more preset patterns. The three-dimensional coordinates of the mapping catheter are measured using a localization system (sometimes also referred to as a "mapping system," "navigation system," or "positional feedback system"). The three-dimensional coordinates become a geometry point (or "location data point"). Multiple measurements may be taken as the catheter is moved within the heart chamber, resulting in a cloud of geometry points that defines the geometry of the heart chamber. Various surface construction algorithms may then be applied to wrap a surface around the cloud of geometry points to obtain a surface representation of the heart chamber geometry.
One such surface construction algorithm generates a convex hull about the cloud of geometry points. The convex hull may be generated using standard algorithms such as the Qhull algorithm. The Qhull algorithm is described in Barber, C. B., Dobkin, D. P., and Huhdanpaa, H. T., "The Quickhull algorithm for convex hulls," ACM Trans. on Mathematical Software, 22(4):469-483, December 1996. Other algorithms used to compute a convex hull shape are known and may also be suitable for use in implementing the invention.
Another surface construction algorithm is Alpha Shapes. The alpha shape is a generalization of the convex hull and a subgraph of the Delaunay triangulation. For a sufficiently large alpha, the alpha shape is identical to the convex hull, while for a sufficiently small alpha, the alpha shape is empty.
Another exemplary method for creating a shell corresponding to the shape of the heart chamber fits a radial array of bins around groups of geometry points. The bins are typically constructed by determining a mean center point of the cloud of geometry points and extending borders radially outward from the mean center point to the furthest geometry point within the slice encompassed by the bin. The radial end faces of the bins thus approximate the surface of the heart chamber wall. Common graphic shading algorithms can then be employed to "smooth" the surface of the shell thus created out of the radial end faces of the bins.
Existing surface reconstruction algorithms have certain shortcomings, however. For example, by definition, convex hull algorithms cannot be used to estimate non-convex boundaries, while algorithms using alpha shapes are computationally intensive.

System and method for surface reconstruction from an unstructured point set

St. Jude Medical, Atrial Fibrillation Division, Inc.


An antibody solution containing (1) an antibody or a labelled antibody, (2) albumin, and (3) an azo dye containing naphthalenesulfonic acid in its structure and a method for stabilizing an antibody or a labelled antibody comprising adding albumin and an azo dye containing naphthalenesulfonic acid in its structure to a solution of an antibody or a labelled antibody are disclosed.

A number of diagnostic reagents using an antibody or a labelled antibody have recently been developed. In particular, a monoclonal antibody has been steadily extending its utility in the field of diagnosis and therapeutic drugs because of its high reaction specificity.
Many of antibodies, especially monoclonal antibodies composed of a single protein, have a unique character, which has made it difficult to obtain a stable solution thereof. Similarly to general enzyme proteins, methods of preserving antibodies include freezing, lyophilization and ammonium sulfate fractionation followed by suspension. However, these methods not only involve complicated steps not easy to carry out but require much labor for preparing an antibody solution from the preserved state on use.
Studies have thus been given to a method for preserving an antibody in the form of a solution. Proposals so far made for obtaining an antibody solution include a method of adding albumin (WO 92/01808 corresponding to EP-A-0 539 584) and a method of adding hydrolyzed egg albumin (JP-A-61-76423 corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,772 and EP-A-0 170 983, the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application"). These methods, however, are still unsatisfactory for preparing a stabilized antibody solution.

Stable antibody solution and method for preparing same


A safety press-button switch includes a linkage formed of a lever and a switching rod pivoted together, and a press-button cap having a push rod and a hook arm respectively aimed at the switching rod and a positioning rod of the lever and adapted to force the lever to shift a bimetal plate from OFF position to ON position and to hold the lever in position after the bimetal plate switched on, the positioning rod of the lever being forced away from the hook arm by the deformation force of the bimetal plate for enabling the bimetal plate to trip off automatically upon an overload.

The present invention relates to electric switches and, more particularly, to a safety press-button switch, which uses a linkage to control on/off switching of a bimetal plate, enabling the bimetal plate to automatically trip off upon an overload.
A variety of power switches are known for controlling on/off of power supply. Earlier power switches are seesaw switches, having ON/OFF function only. A seesaw switch does not trip off automatically upon an overload. FIGS. 1A and 1B show a seesaw switch according to the prior art. This structure of seesaw switch 1 comprises a cap-like switching lever 11 balanced on a support at its center and controlled to move a switching metal contact plate 12 between ON position and OFF position. The switching metal contact plate 12 automatically trips off upon an overload.
FIGS. 2A and 2B show a press-button type safety switch according to the prior art. This structure of safety switch comprises a housing 21, a press-button 22 supported on a spring 27, an actuating block 23 connected to the press-button 22, the actuating block 23 having a heart-shaped locating groove 24 at the right side, a bimetal plate 26 fastened to a right-sided power terminal 25, the bimetal plate 26 having a top pin 27 adapted to engage the locating groove 24. When pressing the press-button 22, the locating groove 24 of the actuating block 23 is forced into engagement with the top pin 261 of the bimetal plate 26 to close the circuit. In case of heat is produced and transmitted from the right-sided terminal 25 to the bimetal plate 26 due to an overload, the bimetal plate 26 is deformed to disengage the top pin 261 from the locating groove 24 of the actuating block 23, and the spring 27 immediately forces the press-button 22 upwards to OFF position. However, this structure of safety switch is still not satisfactory in function. When the metal contact holder 29 is lowered with the press-button 22 to force its contacts 291;292 into contact with the contact 281 of the middle terminal 28 and the contact 251 of the right-sided terminal 25, electric current is not connected to the bimetal plate 26, and the bimetal plate 26 is not directly sensitive to the electric current. When a short-circuit high temperature is produced, it is transmitted from the metal contact holder 29 to the right-sided terminal 25, and then transmitted from the right-sided terminal 25 to the bimetal plate 26. Because the transmission of heat from the metal contact holder to the bimetal plate 26 takes much time, the bimetal plate 26 does not trip off immediately upon an overload. Further, the four-contact (281;291;292;251) design is complicated. There are also known other similar safety press-button switches that automatically trip off upon an overload. However, these conventional safety press-button switches are commonly complicated, and expensive. In case one element fails, the actuating metal contact plate cannot trip off automatically upon an overload.
The present invention has been accomplished to provide a safety press-button switch, which eliminates the aforesaid drawbacks. It is one object of the present invention to provide a safety press-button switch, which uses a reversible linkage to control on/off status of a bimetal plate, enabling the bimetal plate to trip off automatically upon an overload. It is another object of the present invention to provide a linkage for a safety press-button switch, which fits any of a variety of on/off switching metal contact plates. It is still another object of the present invention to provide a safety press-button switch is easy to install and, durable in use. According to one aspect of the present invention, the safety press-button switch comprises a linkage formed of a lever and a switching rod pivoted together, and a press-button cap having a push rod and a hook arm respectively aimed at the switching rod and a positioning rod of the lever and adapted to force the lever to shift an actuating metal contact plate from OFF position to ON position and to hold the lever in position after the actuating metal contact plate switched on, the positioning rod of the lever being forced away from the hook arm by the deformation force of the bimetal plate for enabling the actuating metal contact plate to trip off automatically upon an overload. According to another aspect of the present invention, the actuating metal contact plate is a bimetal plate.

4, Sublane 2, Lane 23, Sec. 3, Pa Te Road


To reduce radiation noise generated when a semiconductor device in a power unit performs switching, a core is provided outside the power unit. The closer the core is disposed to the semiconductor device that is generating the radiation noise, the greater the effect of reducing the radiation noise is obtained. However, since there has been no space to provide the core inside the power unit, there has been a limitation in the reduction of radiation noise. The invention provides a power unit including a core in the interior thereof. In order to install a first core inside the power unit, a first output-side conductor bar, a second output-side conductor bar, and a third output-side conductor bar are connected to an output of an inverter include a first bundle portion. The first bundle portion passes through a first penetrating opening of the first core provided inside the power unit.

In a conventional power conversion apparatus that receives power from a DC power source system and supplies power to a load, radiation noise is generated by switching operation of semiconductor devices that constitute an inverter included in the power conversion apparatus, and thereby inductive interference and influence on a radio frequency band have been problems.
In order to overcome the problems described above, a power conversion apparatus including a core having a penetrating opening through which a high-voltage line connecting a DC power source to an inverter and a ground line grounding an inverter pass has been proposed (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).
In the conventional power conversion apparatus, a core is provided between a housing of the power conversion apparatus and a power unit that includes an inverter, a cooling fin for cooling the inverter, and a capacitor connected in parallel to the inverter. In general, radiation noise reduction effect can be more enhanced as an installation position of the core is closer to the inverter that generates the radiation noise.

Power unit and power conversion apparatus


The present invention provides methods for assessing cardiovascular status in an individual, which comprise determining the sequence at one or more polymorphic positions within the human genes encoding angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensinogen (AGT), and/or type 1 angiotensin II receptor (AT1). The invention also provides isolated nucleic acids encoding ACE, AGT, and AT1 polymorphisms, nucleic acid probes that hybridize to polymorphic positions, kits for the prediction of cardiovascular status, and nucleic acid and peptide targets for use in identifying candidate cardiovascular drugs.

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays an important role in cardiovascular physiology in mammals. Specifically, RAAS regulates salt-water homeostasis and the maintenance of vascular tone. Stimulation or inhibition of this system raises or lowers blood pressure, respectively, and disturbances in this system may be involved in the etiology of, for example, hypertension, stroke, and myocardial infarction. The RAAS system may also have other functions such as, e.g., control of cell growth. The renin-angiotensin system includes at least renin, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), angiotensinogen (AGT), type 1 angiotensin II receptor (AT1), and type 2 angiotensin II receptor (AT2).
AGT is the specific substrate of renin, an aspartyl protease. The human AGT gene contains five exons and four introns which span 13Kb (Gaillard et al., DNA 8:87-99, 1989; Fukamizu et al., J. Biol. Chem. 265:7576-7582, 1990). The first exon (37 bp) codes for the 5' untranslated region of the mRNA. The second exon codes for the signal peptide and the first 252 amino acids of the mature protein. Exons 3 and 4 are shorter and code for 90 and 48 amino acids, respectively. Exon 5 contains a short coding sequence (62 amino acids) and the 3'-untranslated region.
Plasma AGT is synthesized primarily in the liver and its expression is positively regulated by estrogens, glucocorticoids, thyroid hormones, and angiotensin II (Ang II) (Clauser et al., Am. J. Hypertension 2:403-410, 1989). Cleavage of the amino-terminal segment of AGT by renin releases a decapeptide prohormone, angiotensin-I, which is firther processed to the active octapeptide angiotensin II by the dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase designated angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE). Cleavage of AGT by renin is the rate-limiting step in the activation of the renin-angiotensin system.
Several epidemiological observations indicate a possible role of AGT in blood pressure regulation. A highly significant correlation between plasma AGT concentration and blood pressure has been observed in epidemiological studies (Walker et al., J. Hypertension 1:287-291, 1979). Interestingly, a number of allelic dimorphisms have been identified in the AGT gene. The frequency of at least two of them (174M and 235T) have been partially characterized and in certain populations shown to be significantly elevated in hypertensive subjects (Jeunemaitre et al., Cell 71:169-180, 1992). In addition, a specific polymorphism, 235T, has been suggested to be directly involved in coronary atherosclerosis (Ishigami et al., Circulation 91:951-4, 1995). Futhermore, the presence of A or G at position 1218 in the AGT regulatory region has been correlated with differences in in vitro transcriptional capacity for this gene (Inuoe et. al., J. Clin. Invest. 99:1786, 1997.
The human ACE gene is also a candidate as a marker for hypertension and myocardial infarction. ACE inhibitors constitute an important and effective therapeutic approach in the control of human hypertension (Sassaho et al. Am. J. Med. 83:227-235, 1987). In plasma and on the surface of endothelial cells, ACE converts the inactive angiotensin I molecule (Ang I) into active angiotensin II (Ang II) (Bottari et al., Front. Neuroendocrinology 14:123-171, 1993). Another ACE substrate is bradykinin, a potent vasodilator and inhibitor of smooth muscle cell proliferation, which is inactivated by ACE (Ehlers et al., Biochemistry 28:5311-5318, 1989; Erdos, E. G., Hypertension 16:363-370, 1990; Johnston, C. I. Drugs (suppl. 1) 39:21-31, 1990).
Levels of ACE are very stable within individuals, but differ greatly between individuals. Plasma ACE levels have been suggested to be genetically determined as a consequence of diallelic polymorphisms, situated within or close to the ACE gene. Prior to the present invention, no definitive association was demonstrated between polymorphisms and hypertension or blood pressure. However, a greater risk of myocardial infarction has been identified in a group of subjects with an ACE polymorphism designated ACE-DD (Cambien et al., Nature 359:641-644, 1992), and a 12-fold greater risk of myocardial infarction has been identified in a subgroup of patients having a combination of the ACE polymorphism ACE-DD and one of the AGT polymorphisms (235T) described above (Kamitani et al., Hypertension 24:381, 1994). Recently, six ACE polymorphisms were identified and characterized (Villard et al., Am. J. Human Genet. 58:1268-1278, 1996).
The vasoconstrictive, cell growth-promoting and salt conserving actions of Ang II are mediated through binding to and activation of angiotensin receptors, of which at least two types have been cloned (AT1 and AT2). The type 1 Ang II receptor (AT1), a G-protein-coupled seven transmembrane domain protein, is widely distributed in the body and mediates almost all known Ang II effects (Fyhrquist et al., J. Hum. Hypertension 5:519-524, 1995).
Several polymorphisms have been identified in the AT1 receptor gene. Initial studies suggest that at least one of them is more frequent in hypertensive subjects (AT.sup.1166 C)(Bonnardeaux et al., Hypertension 24:63-69, 1994). This polymorphism, combined with the ACE-DD polymorphism, has been shown to correlate strongly with the risk of myocardial infarction (Tiret et al., Lancet 344:910-913, 1994).
The high morbidity and mortality associated with cardiovascular disease demonstrate a need in the art for methods and compositions that allow the determination and/or prediction of the therapeutic regimen that will result in the most positive treatment outcome in a patient suffering from cardiovascular disease. This includes identification of individuals who are more or less susceptible to particular therapeutic regimens, including, e.g., particular drugs that are conventionally used to treat cardiovascular disease. There is also a need in the art for methods and compositions that allow the identification of individuals having a predisposition to cardiovascular disease, such as, e.g., myocardial infarction, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and stroke to facilitate early intervention and disease prevention.

Methods for assessing cardiovascular status and compositions for use thereof


A tubular incandescent lamp which comprises an elongate transparent envelope; and a plurality of small lamps linearly arranged and extending lengthwise through the envelope, each of said small lamps containing a helically coiled filament and wherein the difference between the inner diameter of the envelope and the outer diameter of the respective lamps is chosen to be 2 mm or less.

This invention relates to a tubular incandescent lamp and more particularly to a tubular incandescent lamp favorably applied to an electronic copying machine for ordinary paper.
With a copying machine based on the principle of electrophotography or xerography, a static latent image is formed on the photoelectric surface of a transcription selenium drum. After the image is covered with toner powder, the latent image is developed. The developed image is then transcribed on ordinary paper. After completion of transcription, a cleaning step is taken which irradiates light beams on the photoelectric surface of the selenium drum for discharge in order to remove toner powder still remaining on the surface. A fluorescent lamp is generally used as a source of light for this cleaning step. However, the fluorescent lamp requires a stabilizer and is expensive. Moreover, the circuit of a microcomputer installed in the recent type of copying machine is harmfully affected by pulses issued when the fluorescent lamp is lighted. For this reason, an incandescent lamp has come to be used as a source of light for the removal of toner powder remaining on the photoelectric surface of the transcription selenium drum. An incandescent lamp used for this particular purpose includes the type formed by placing one long lengthwise extending helically coiled filament in a narrow tubular bulb, and the type constructed by linearly arranging a plurality of short helically coiled filaments in a narrow bulb. However, these types of incandescent lamp have the drawbacks that they have low resistance to shocks and vibrations, release a great deal of heat to increase the temperature of the photoelectric surface of the transcription selenium drum, possibly leading to a decline in the performance of said selenium drum. Accordingly, the present inventors previously proposed a tubular incandescent lamp. This proposed tubular incandescent lamp comprised a plurality of small lamps linearly arranged and extending lengthwise through a narrow transparent tubular envelope. This proposed incandescent lamp had the advantages that it had high resistance to shocks and vibrations, and released a relatively small amount of heat, ensuring a small rise in the temperature of the photoelectric surface of the transcription selenium drum. Later, however, it was found that while the proposed incandescent lamp was used, the angles which light beams emitted from the plural small lamps defined with the lateral walls of the envelope of the incandescent lamp were displaced from the prescribed direction, thereby resulting in wide variations in the intensity of light beams projected from the small lamp to the photoelectric surface of the transcription selenium drum. Such undesirable event should be avoided.


In a multi-output power supply apparatus including a primary winding and a plurality of secondary windings, the switching operation of the primary winding is controlled in accordance with the output of one of the secondary windings. The switching operation of a switching device for switching the output of another secondary winding is synchronized with the switching operation of the primary winding, or is controlled in accordance with an input voltage for the primary winding.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a power supply apparatus having a plurality of outputs which is suitable as a power supply apparatus for a copier or a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a switching power supply apparatus having a plurality of outputs (hereinafter termed a "multi-output" switching power supply apparatus), in order to stabilize a specific output, a PWM (pulse-width modulation) control circuit determines the "on" period of a switching device of the primary side by performing feedback of the output. Other outputs are controlled by providing a control circuit for the output of a winding of the secondary side, or are output without performing control. For example, when the other outputs have small electric power, the outputs can be easily stabilized by performing a series control using three-terminal regulators or the like. However, when the other outputs have large electric power, a large amount of loss is produced by a series control. Hence, in general, a desired voltage value is obtained by performing chopper control. A magnetic amplifier may also be considered for controlling the other outputs.
(a) However, when performing chopper control, if a DC output is first produced and a chopper-type DC-to-DC converter is provided in the following stage, the number of components increases and the efficiency of the apparatus is reduced. Also when directly chopping the output of a secondary winding, a large amount of loss is produced due to switching.
(b) In a magnetic amplifier, since a saturable reactor is magnetized until a saturated region, a large amount of iron loss is produced in a core material. In addition, since the saturation flux density of a magnetic material generally has a negative temperature coefficient, a very large core is required in order to prevent the phenomenon that at a high temperature and no load, the iron loss of the core increases due to the temperature rise of the core, the temperature of the core thereby rises, the saturation flux density of the core thereby decreases, and therefore voltage control cannot be performed. If the switching frequency is increased for the purpose of providing a small switching power supply apparatus, a dead-angle effect (the phenomenon that an output voltage decreases because the output is hindered for a first predetermined time period of a pulse) caused by the uncontrollable magnetic flux of the saturable reactor and the inductance of the winding increases compared with low-frequency switching. In order to prevent such a phenomenon, it is necessary to reduce the number of turns of the saturable reactor, causing a requirement for a greater core in order to obtain the same saturation flux density. As a result, the merit obtained by high-frequency switching is cancelled. In general, accuracy in a magnetic material (for example, the saturation flux density) is .+-.20% at most. Hence, a larger core must be used in consideration of worst conditions.
Conventional voltage-resonance-type switching regulators have been widely used as devices for generating a high voltage necessary for chargers of copiers, horizontal deflection of CRT's, and the like. Most of these apparatuses are configured such that power supply for a winding of the primary side of a converter transformer is intermitted by switching means, such as a transistor, an FET (field-effect transistor) or the like, to generate a voltage in proportion to the turns ratio at the secondary side.


A driver circuit for a semiconductor switching device includes a drive power source, a capacitor and four switches, which form a bridge circuit. The capacitor is provided between the four switches. In one cycle of application of a voltage to a gate of the semiconductor switching device to turn on the semiconductor switch, the first and the second switches, which are diagonal, are turned off and the third and the fourth switches, which are diagonal, are turned on to charge the capacitor. Then only the first switch is turned on to apply the voltage to the gate, and lastly only the second switch is turned on to discharge the capacitor thereby to apply a negative voltage to the gate of the semiconductor switching device.

As a semiconductor switch for a switching power source, for example, a next generation semiconductor switching device which has a low threshold voltage to be driven by a driver circuit with low DC voltage source is introduced recently. With the low threshold voltage, an erroneous operation tends to occur due to noise. For this reason, a driver circuit is required to suppress the erroneous operation. Such a driver circuit is configured typically with two switches. This driver circuit applies a positive voltage to a gate of the element by turning on one of the switches when the element is to be turned on. The driver circuit applies a negative voltage to the gate of the element by turning on the other of the switches when the element is to be turned off. According to this configuration, a gate voltage at the time of turning off largely deviates from the threshold voltage potential. As a result, even when the noise generated at the time of switching is superimposed to the gate, the erroneous operation (erroneous turning on), which will be caused by the noise, can be restricted from occurring.
The driver circuit, however, needs a power source circuit which provides a negative power source in addition to a power circuit which provides a positive power source. It is thus difficult to reduce a size of an entire circuit and reduce manufacturing cost. To address the problem, a driver circuit which is capable of generating a negative voltage in its operation, is proposed in, for example, JP 4682173.
The driver circuit of this configuration turns on one of its switches when a semiconductor switching device, which is a control object, is to be turned on. The driver circuit thus forms a current flow path which extends from a high-potential side output terminal of a drive power source to a gate of the semiconductor switching device through the turned-on switch. At this time, the gate of the semiconductor switching device is supplied with a voltage, which is equal to a voltage (power source voltage) of the drive power source. The driver circuit turns on two switches when the semiconductor switching device is to be turned off. The driver circuit thus forms a current flow path which extends from the gate of the semiconductor switching device to a low-potential side output terminal of the drive power source through the two switches and a capacitor. At this time, the capacitor is charged with electricity equivalent to the power source voltage. Hence, the gate of the semiconductor switching device is supplied with a negative voltage, absolute value of which is equal to the power source voltage. To summarize, the driver circuit described above operates with a power source and still can thus apply to the gate of the semiconductor switching device the positive and negative voltages having the absolute values equal to the power source voltage.
The driver circuit configured as described above has one switch in the current flow path (gate charge path) which extends to the gate of the semiconductor switching device when the semiconductor switching device is turned on. The driver circuit has two switches in the current flow path (gate discharge path) which extends to the gate of the semiconductor switching device when the semiconductor switching device is turned off. This driver circuit thus includes three switches for passing the gate charge electricity and the gate discharge electricity, whereas the driver circuit having the typical configuration described above has two switches for passing the gate charge electricity and the gate discharge electricity. Consequently, the driver circuit having the above-described configuration needs one more switch for charging and discharging the gate relative to the driver circuit of the typical configuration.
In driving the semiconductor switching device, it is necessary to change the gate potential of the semiconductor switching device at high speeds to realize high speed switching operations. When the gate potential is changed at high speeds, the currents for charging and discharging the gate increase relatively. Therefore, the switches provided in the gate charge path and the gate discharge path are required to allow sufficiently large currents for charging and discharging. Thus the switches are necessarily designed to have large current supply capability.
For those reasons, the number of switches provided in the gate charge path and the gate discharge path in the driver circuit is a very important factor to determine a circuit occupying area (semiconductor chip area when integrated). If the number of the switches provided in the gate charge path and the gate discharge path increases as in the driver circuit described above, the circuit occupying area need be increased and hence the manufacturing cost will increase.

Driver circuit having a storage device for driving switching device


A composition comprising a crystalline aluminumphosphate material having a three-dimensional microporous crystal framework structure whose chemical composition expressed in terms of mole ratios of oxides is EQU Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 : 1.0.+-.0.2 P.sub.2 O.sub.5 ;. and which is further defined as having an x-ray powder diffraction pattern characterized by d spacings at less than about 40 degrees two-theta as measured using copper K-alpha radiation that are substantially as shown in the Table and a metal in an amount of up to about 25 percent by weight is disclosed. The composition can be prepared by impregnating the crystalline aluminumphosphate material with the metal in an amount of up to about 25 percent by weight. The resultant heterocatalyst system can be used to shape-selectively hydrogenate an unsaturated organic compound, such as, for example an olefin, aldehyde or ketone.

This invention relates to the field of catalysis. More specifically, the invention relates to a heterocatalyst system wherein the catalytic results stems from two catalyst types, a metal part and the metal combined with another catalytically active or inactive substance.
In the use of zeolites as molecular sieves and catalyst supports, a great effort has been made to improve the activity and selectivity of these catalysts by devising a heterocatalyst system with a zeolite acting as a catalyst and a metal deposited on or reacted in the formation of the zeolite, thus due to its molecular sieve function further enhancing the catalytic activity of the zeolite.
One example of such a heterocatalyst system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,898, wherein a metal complex is reacted with a hydroxyl group that is in a zeolite or molecular sieve pore, and used for carbonylation and hydrogenation catalysis. Among these systems are the rhodium reaction product with a hydroxyl group within a Type 13X or 13Y zeolite cage. U.S. Pat. No. 4,622,308 describes a catalyst for the production of hydrocarbons from the synthesis gas which comprises an iron-containing Fischer-Tropsch catalyst, a zeolite and at least one metal consisting from the group ruthenium, rhodium, platinum, palladium, iridium, cobalt and molybdenum. The zeolites used are preferably X zeolites, Y zeolite, and mordenite. The metal is present in amounts from 5 to 80 percent by weight, based on the combined weight of the iron oxide and zeolite. U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,632 describes a catalytic composite for the conversion of hydrocarbons comprising a non-acidic zeolite having deposited thereon catalytically effective amounts of a Group VIII metal component and a sufficient surface-deposited alkali metal to provide a surface-deposited alkali metal index of at least 10. Typical of the non-acidic zeolites are X zeolite, Y zeolite, L zeolite, and mordenite. U.S. Pat. No. 3,376,215 discloses a hydrocarbon conversion catalyst comprising a cocatalytic solid support containing a Group VIII metal, the support comprising (1) an adsorbant refractory inorganic oxide and (2) a mordenite zeolite. The mordenite zeolite has deposited thereon a metal selected from the class of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals and mixtures thereof.
European Patent Application 185,329 discloses dewaxing catalysts and a process employing silicoaluminumphosphate molecular sieves. The catalysts comprise at least (1) a silicoaluminumphosphate molecular sieve, and (2) optionally, and in the instance of hydrodewaxing, at least one hydrogenation component. The silicoaluminumphosphate molecular sieves are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,440,871. A general paper discussing heterocatalysts is the article by D. C. Bailey et al., entitled "Immobilized Transition-Metal Carbonyls and Related Catalysts," Chem. Rev. 81(2), 109-145 (1981).
Thus it can be seen in the prior art that it is known to combine metals with zeolites in order to produce heterocatalysts. U.S. Pat. No. 4,444,898, cited supra, discloses using such a heterocatalyst system for hydrogenation. However, it is also known in the art that zeolites X, L, Y and mordenite, as well as aluminumphosphate and silicoaluminumphosphate molecular sieves in general, have pore sizes less than or equal to about 9 Angstroms. Thus, their use for performing a catalytic shape-selective hydrogenation of a given selected molecule is limited by the pore size. In view of this, it would be desirable in the art to have a heterocatalyst system allowing for shape-selective hydrogenation of molecules having a diameter greater than about 9 angstroms.


A computer-implemented method may include receiving input to a vehicle-associated computing system (VACS) touch-sensitive display, requesting adjustment to a powered state of an accessory device connected to a switch module; providing, responsive to the input, a command from a vehicle computing system to the switch module, running on the VACS, to adjust a controlled output of the switch module; and updating the user interface to reflect a result of the command.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,324,833 generally discloses an audio system and method. A system may include, for example, an electronic device having a display, a memory, an audio file player, and a housing component at least partially defining a cavity in which the memory and the audio file player are secured. In one embodiment, the electronic device may be a portable MP3 player. The system may also include a processor or playlist engine that can maintain a first playlist and a second playlist. In practice, the first playlist may include a selection of audio content having a corresponding audio file saved in the memory of the electronic device. In one embodiment, the system may also include an automobile having an automobile sound system that has a speaker and an in dash sound system component, which may be removably coupled to the electronic device via a cable. The in dash sound system component may have a selector, which may be, for example, a button, that allows a user to select the first playlist for outputting via the speaker. The cable interconnecting the electronic device and the in dash sound system component may be capable of providing power to the electronic device in addition to communicatively coupling the electronic device to the automobile sound system.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,634,228 generally discloses a media managing method. A method links a graphical interface soft button with a media file saved in a memory system of a portable electronic device, maintains a collection of information that represents the graphical interface soft button in the memory system, and communicates at least some of the collection to a different electronic device in order to allow a user to view a representation of the graphical interface soft button on an associated display of the different electronic device. The method further receives a signal to begin playing the media file in response to a selection of the representation.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,346,312 generally discloses a vehicle-based computing apparatus including a computer processor in communication with persistent and non-persistent memory. The apparatus also includes a local wireless transceiver in communication with the computer processor and configured to communicate wirelessly with a wireless device located at the vehicle. The processor is operable to receive, through the wireless transceiver, a connection request sent from a nomadic wireless device, the connection request including at least a name of an application seeking to communicate with the processor. The processor is further operable to receive at least one secondary communication from the nomadic device, once the connection request has been processed. The secondary communication is at least one of a speak alert command, a display text command, a create phrase command, and a prompt and listen command.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,832,142 generally discloses an electronic system that includes a plurality of electronic components and a central control unit. The electronic components and the central control unit are connected to each other by a bus structure. The central control unit includes a memory. The electric and functional parameters of each electronic component are stored in the memory. Functions may be selected by the central control unit and according to the electric and functional parameters of all of the electronic components. The selection may be displayed for the user by a central graphic interface. The electronic components may be exclusively controlled by the central control unit.


A die bonding method and apparatus by which a wafer substrate 11 adhered to a carrier tape 13 by an adhesive layer 12 is laser machined through the wafer substrate and through the adhesive layer at most to scribe the carrier tape to form a singulated die 15 with an attached singulated adhesive layer, without substantial delamination of the adhesive layer 12 and carrier tape 13 or substantial production of burrs from the adhesive layer 12. The carrier tape 13 is cured, preferably by ultraviolet light, to release the adhesive layer from the carrier tape. The singulated die is picked and placed on a die pad and the adhesive layer 12 is cured, preferably by heat, to adhere the die to the die pad.

The use of dies with die attach films (DAF) transported on a base material carrier tape to provide direct bonding of dies to a die pad is well known in the microelectronics industry. On picking up a singulated die from the carrier tape, an adhesive layer is carried on a lower surface of the die and, after placing the die on a die pad, the adhesive layer is cured by heating to adhere the die to the die pad. A cross-section of such a structure 10 of a wafer 11 mounted on a DAF adhesive layer 12 and carrier base 13 before dicing is shown on FIG. 1. The wafer 11 and the DAF 12 are singulated to form a singulated die and DAF 15, as shown in FIG. 2, as in dicing a wafer without a DAF, by cutting a channel 14 through the wafer and DAF and leaving a shallow trench 16 in the base film carrier tape 13.
Known dicing of a wafer with a DAF uses a mechanical saw but using higher speed revolution of a dicing saw blade than used to dice a wafer without a DAF, to avoid the adhesive layer adhering to the saw blade. However, such high-speed mechanical cutting tends to cause delamination of the DAF and base film and to create burrs, resulting in yield loss. Burrs created by the mechanical saw can be millimeter long strands of the adhesive layer. These strands may come into contact with an upper surface of the die, either by being carried to the upper surface by the saw blade or in subsequent handling and, in particular, may interfere with a die attach process. In some cases, adhesive is placed on individual die after mechanical saw dicing in order to avoid the problems associated with delamination when using a DAF and creation of burrs. This process is extremely time consuming and inefficient.
It is an object of the present invention at least to ameliorate the aforesaid difficulties in the prior art.


A method for making an IC on a surface of a planar substrate includes forming a continuous first layer on the surface of the substrate and pressing a surface of a stamp into the first layer to produce a pattern of non-intersecting smooth regions on the surface. A rough region of the surface of the first layer laterally borders and laterally surrounds each smooth region of the surface of the first layer. The pattern of smooth and rough regions on the surface of the first layer copies a pattern of smooth and rough areas on the surface of the stamp. The method also includes forming a continuous second layer on the patterned first layer. The first layer is one of a dielectric layer and an organic semiconductor layer, and the second layer is the other of a dielectric layer and an organic semiconductor layer.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to organic semiconductor devices and to methods for making such devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many electronic applications require complex circuits with many active semiconductor devices. Advances in the fabrication of complex integrated circuits (ICs) have become possible through the development of technologies for making and using complex masks to etch thin films. In inorganic technologies, mask-controlled etching enables the fabrication of a complex pattern of physically disjoint inorganic semiconductor regions from an initially continuous thin film of the semiconductor. From the disjoint semiconductor regions, separate active semiconductor devices are constructed.
In organic technologies, masks and etching have not been as successful in advancing the fabrication of complex ICs. In particular, mask-controlled etches have not produced fine patterns of some desirable organic semiconductors from thin films. For example, pentacene has desirable electrical properties, because pentacene-based. FETs typically have high ON/OFF current ratios and active channels with high mobilities. Nevertheless, mask-controlled etching techniques have not been very successful in dividing thin pentacene films into fine patterns of disjoint regions. Such processes either have degraded the pentacene films or have not been cost effective. For that reason, pentacene has limited usefulness in organic ICs, i.e., thin film ICs. It would be desirable to incorporate such desirable organic semiconductors into thin film ICs.

Semiconductor layers with roughness patterning


The present invention is about an apparatus for scanning an object. The apparatus comprises an image capture module having a lens and a sensors array for capturing light after scanning the object. There are light sources comprising a visible light source and an infrared light source. Next, a key module of the present invention is a first translation module connected with the lens and the sensors array. The first translation module is-used for changing a first location of the lens and a second location of the sensors array according to using different the light sources so as to improve some optical characteristics, such as aberration resulting from different wavelengths of light sources. A power module connects with the first translation module and the light sources for supporting energy to the first translation module and the light sources. Moreover, a second translation module connects with the light sources and the image capture module, and the second translation driven by the power module. A control module connects to the power module and the image capture module, and a loading platform module has a platform and therein all the modules and the light sources are placed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for scanning objects of various types, and more particularly to a scanner which can compensate for optical characteristics according to using different wavelength light sources.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Optical scanning apparatuses are currently in great demand as a result of the rapid development of high speed, low cost imaging devices and the ever decreasing cost of personal computers. Optical scanners, in general, are capable of reflective and/or transmissive scanning of documents, photographs and the like, whereby reflective scanning is used with opaque objects such as photographs and transmissive scanning is used with transparent objects, such as slides and the like. Reflective scanners project light onto the side of the object to be scanned. The reflected light is viewed by an optical sensor which converts the reflected light into digital code. The code is then transmitted to the operator's computer for further processing. Transmissive scanners operate on the same principle except that light is projected through the transparent object being scanned. A great demand exists for high quality, low cost, low maintenance, easy to calibrate, versatile optical scanners capable of both high and low resolution reflective and transmissive scanning.
As shown on FIG. 1, a conventional scanner typically comprises a control module 110, a light source 111, a power module 112, a image capture module 113, a loading platform module 114, and a translation module 115. The control module 110 comprises a host unit for image processing and a plurality of control circuits for scanning process. The light source 111 is for use while an object is scanned. The power module 112 comprises power units for supporting scanning process. The image capture module 113 comprises a plurality of lenses and optical sensors. The lenses are for performing optical pathways and the optical sensors, such as charge-coupled devices, are for sensing lights from the lenses and convert light signals into electric signals. A translation module is for translating the light source 111 and the image capture module in a main-scanning direction when the object is scanned.
Generally, there are many different types for scanned objects, such as paper document, transparent slide, and so on. A high-quality output image depends on the imaging system of a scanner for different types of objects. However, there are many factors related to the good imaging system, such as wavelength of light source, optical characteristics of optical devices and optical pathway, and so on. That is, the high-quality output images can't be satisfied for objects of various types if there is only one imaging system in a scanner.

Apparatus compensating a scanned object for optical characteristics according to light sources of different wavelengths


An electrical connector contact strip including spaced electrical contacts, a body and fusible elements. The spaced electrical contacts each have a main section and a tab section extending from an end of the main section. The body includes dielectric material molded onto the contacts and connecting the contacts to each other. The fusible elements are mounted on the tab sections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to a continuous strip of contacts secured in a housing to form an electrical connector.
2. Brief Description of Earlier Developments
U.S. Pat. No. 3,500,295 discloses an electrical connector with terminals connected by an injection-molded elongate body which is embedded in a supporting structure. PCT publication No. WO 98/15989, herein incorporated by reference, discloses a high density electrical connector with contacts having solder balls. A deformable element in an opening in the housing frictionally retains the contact.
A problem exists with conventional connectors in that solder can move by wicking into a contact area of a contact, when the solder is melted, which can interfere with a connection at the contact area. Another problem exists with conventional connectors in that different sizes of connectors having different row lengths and array sizes require different tooling to manufacture. Another problem exists with conventional connectors in that effects of differential coefficient of thermal expansion in a direction transverse to trip direction can cause damage to soldered connections. Another problem exists with conventional connectors in that tensile failures can occur in the connection of a solder ball to a contact. The present invention can help to overcome these problems and provide other advantages.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector contact strip is provided comprising spaced electrical contacts, a body and fusible elements. The spaced electrical contacts each have a main section and a tab section extending from an end of the main section. The body comprises dielectric material molded onto the contacts and connecting the contacts to each other. The fusible elements are mounted on the tab sections.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention an electrical connector is provided comprising a housing; and at least two rows of electrical connector contact strips connected to the housing. Each contact strip has electrical contacts connected to each other by a body comprising dielectric material. The contact strips are movably captured by their bodies in the housing.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an electronic component assembly is provided comprising a first electronic component comprising a printed circuit board; and an electrical connector connected to the printed circuit board. The electrical connector comprises a housing and a plurality of contact strips connected to the housing. The contact strips each comprising electrical contacts connected to each other by a body. The bodies are movably captured in the housing such that the bodies can move relative to each other.
In accordance with one method of the present invention, a method of assembling an electrical connector is provided comprising steps of forming electrical contact strips, each strip comprising electrical contacts connected to each other by a dielectric body; and mounting the strips by their bodies to a housing, wherein the bodies are movably captured by the housing.

Electrical connector with continuous strip contacts


Apparatus (20) is provided to enable a single operator to effect a controlled release of an elevator hoist brake (32) thus allowing "drifting" of the elevator car to the nearest floor and quick safe rescue of trapped passengers during an electrical outage. Other apparatus (120, 130) is provided which may be combined with elements of the apparatus 20 to release brakes on special types of elevators. An additional arrangement (20') of the apparatus 20 is provided to release brakes on still other special types of elevators. An observer having the elevator car in view may communicate (e.g. by hand held transceiver) desired car movements to the operator who is typically located in the machine room atop the elevator shaft.

Passenger elevators are typically raised or lowered by a cable running over a pulley at the top of an elevator shaft. A counterweight that balances the weight of the elevator car plus an average number of passengers is disposed at one end of the cable while the elevator car is attached to the other end. The car and counterweight run up and down the shaft on guide rails. An electric motor drives the pulley to move the car, needing only enough power to raise the difference in weight between car and passengers and the counterweight. The car is held at a floor by a hoist brake associated with the electric motor. The brake is typically urged on by springs and released by a solenoid. Thus an absence of electrical power sets the brake.
Electrical power outages safely brake the car at its position in the shaft but this situation may leave passengers trapped inside the car until rescue personnel can open shaft doors and extend ladders or ropes down to the car top. This effort can often require the efforts of several people. If the power outage is due to a natural catastrophe such as an earthquake it may be a considerable time before a sufficient number of rescue personnel are available. Apparatus that would allow a single person to effect a controlled release of the hoist brake and subsequent movement of the car could facilitate the prompt rescue of such people.
Special purpose apparatus has been developed for a variety of purposes such as the manual release mechanism for a spring-applied parking brake of U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,332 and the rail splice clamp of U.S. Pat. No. 2,256,192. Other special purpose tools are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,504,345, 2,566,454, 2,591,210, and 2,706,613.

Apparatus for the controlled release of an elevator hoist brake


A pulse wave sensor for detecting a pressure pulse wave produced from an arterial vessel of a living subject in synchronism with heartbeat of the subject, the sensor having a press surface adapted to be pressed on a body surface of the subject over the arterial vessel, the sensor including (a) a protruding portion protruding from the press surface, the protruding portion having a top surface adapted to be pressed on the body surface of the subject, (b) a sensing device provided in the top surface of the protruding portion, for detecting the pressure pulse wave from the arterial vessel via the body surface, and (c) a sheet spring provided around the protruding portion and having a height generally equal to, or greater than, a height of the protruding portion as measured from the press surface, the sheet spring being deflectable in a direction in which the top surface of the protruding portion is pressed on the body surface.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pulse wave sensor for detecting pressure pulse wave from an artery of a living subject.
2. Related Art Statement
There is known a pulse wave sensor having a press surface adapted to be pressed on a body surface of a subject, a protruding portion protruding from the press surface, and pressure sensing means provided in a top surface of the protruding portion. An example of this sensor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,901,733 published on Feb. 20, 1990, the Assignee of which is the Assignee of the present application. When the protruding portion is pressed on the body surface over a superficial artery such as radial artery or dorsal artery of foot, the pressure sensing means detects pressure pulse wave produced in the artery in synchronism with heartbeat of the subject. Although in many cases bone and tendon occur near a superficial artery from which pressure pulse wave is to be detected, the pressure sensing means provided in the top surface of the protruding portion appropriately is pressed against the artery without being interfered by the tendon or bone.
In order to measure pressure in an artery (i.e, blood pressure) as accurately as possible by detecting pressure pulse wave from the artery, it may be required that the pulse wave sensor be pressed on the body surface with an optimum pressing force which causes the wall of the underlying artery to partially be flattened. If, to this end, the height of the protruding portion as measured from the press surface is selected at a small value to suitably press an artery shallow under body surface, then this arrangement is not suitable for a deep artery, because the sensor must be pressed with an excessively great force for overcoming resistance or interference between the other portion of the press surface than the protruding portion, and the bone and/or tendon near the artery. This results in causing the subject to feel discomfort or even pain. In addition, the sensor may fail to establish an optimum pressing force which partially flattens the artery. On the other hand, if the height of the protruding portion is selected at a great value to suitably press a deep artery, then the arrangement is not suitable for a shallow artery, because the sensor must be pressed with a small force as an optimum pressing force. In this case, the other portion of the press surface than the protruding portion does not contact the body surface. Thus, the sensor takes an unstable posture or position, and therefore the sensor does not detect pressure pulse wave with stability. Since the depth of a superficial artery such as radial artery or pedal dorsal artery finds differences among individual subjects, a predetermined height of the protruding portion of the pulse wave sensor may cause some subjects to feel discomfort, may fail for some subjects to establish an optimum pressing force, and may not stably detect pressure pulse wave from other subjects.
In the above-identified background, the Assignee of the present application proposed, in Japanese Utility Model Application No. 2-46420 filed Apr. 27, 1990, to provide a soft deformable member, such as a compressed deformable rubber, around a protruding portion on a press surface of a pulse wave sensor. The soft deformable member has a height generally equal to, or greater than, that of the protruding portion. When the protruding portion presses a deep artery via body surface, the soft deformable member is deformed by compression thereof between the press surface and the body surface, so that the protruding portion protrudes from the level of the top of the deformed member by an amount or distance corresponding to the depth of the artery. This arrangement appears to eliminate the above-indicated problems with the first pulse wave sensor.
However, even the second pulse wave sensor is not satisfactory, because the amount of compressed deformation of the soft deformable member (i.e., spring characteristic) is not linear with respect to load applied thereto. Therefore, for a deep artery, the soft deformable member does not easily produce a sufficient deformation, that is, does not easily cause the protruding portion to project therefrom by a sufficient amount corresponding to the depth of the artery. Therefore, an excessively great pressing force is applied to the sensor to establish an optimum pressing force which partially flattens the artery. Consequently, this sensor may cause the subject to feel discomfort due to the excessively great pressing force applied thereby.


Embodiments of the present invention relate to a microring resonator control method and apparatus. The method includes: receiving an instruction, where the instruction is used to configure an operating wavelength of a microring resonator; determining whether the operating wavelength of the microring resonator is less than or equal to a center wavelength of a channel spectrum; and when the operating wavelength of the microring resonator is less than or equal to the center wavelength of the channel spectrum, configuring thermode power of the microring resonator based on a spacing between the operating wavelength and a first wavelength; or when the operating wavelength of the microring resonator is greater than the center wavelength of the channel spectrum, configuring thermode power of the microring resonator based on a spacing between the operating wavelength and a second wavelength.

As a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) technology is applied in an optical fiber communications system and a data center system, all-optical switching has become a trend for meeting an increasing bandwidth. In a dense wavelength division multiplexing system, different optical wavelengths carry different optical signals, and optical signals of different wavelengths are transmitted in a same optical fiber, so as to implement large-capacity and low-loss data communication. An optical switch is a key component for implementing an all-optical switching system, and can implement functions such as route selection, wavelength selection, optical cross-connect, and self-healing protection at an all-optical layer. Currently, implemented optical switches include a conventional optical switch of a mechanical structure, a micro-electro-mechanical system switch, a liquid crystal optical switch, a waveguide optical switch, and a semiconductor optical amplifier optical switch. The waveguide optical switch is usually prepared on a silicon on insulator (SOI) platform or an indium phosphide (InP) platform by using a mature complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, and a switching speed can reach an order of nanoseconds or microseconds by using a thermo-optical effect or a plasma dispersion effect of a silicon material. In addition, the waveguide optical switch has a small size and high integration, and is compatible with the CMOS technology, so that low-cost mass production can be implemented. A waveguide microring resonator is a wavelength-sensitive selective conduction device, has advantages of a compact structure, high integration, low power consumption, a simple design, and the like, and can be used to implement functions such as filtering, multiplexing, demultiplexing, routing, wavelength conversion, optical modulation, and optical switching. When a wavelength division multiplexing optical signal passes through a microring resonator, if a wavelength of the optical signal conforms to a resonant wavelength of the microring resonator, the optical signal is coupled to the microring resonator to generate resonance, so as to implement a routing function of an optical signal of a specified wavelength. Compared with a silicon-based optical switch matrix of a cascaded Mach Zehnder interferometer (MZI) type, an optical switch array consisting of a microring resonator has a simple topology structure, a few of stages, and has wavelength selectivity. Therefore, an optical signal passing through a wavelength is not affected by coupling of the microring resonator, and a pass-through insertion loss is very low. Particularly, in a metropolitan aggregation ring of a metropolitan optical network, an optical switch of a microring resonator type has both a filter function and signal uploading and downloading function, so that a switching node device is simple and efficient. For ease of description, the microring resonator is referred to as a microring for short on some occasions.
A dynamic wavelength division multiplexing technology is key in a future optical network. In a wavelength division multiplexing system, wavelengths of channels are different, and need to be controlled by a filter. According to a standard of the International Telecommunication Union, a channel spacing is 0.8 nm or 0.4 nm, or even narrower. Such a narrow channel spacing has a higher requirement on tuning accuracy and a filter feature of a tunable microring resonator. Otherwise, optical signals of a plurality of channels may be simultaneously downloaded or uploaded within an operating spectral bandwidth, and consequently severe channel crosstalk is caused. In addition, to enable a channel to be flexibly deployed in an entire operating band (for example, a C band or an L band), a tuning range of the microring resonator needs to be large enough to cover the entire band. Otherwise, free uploading and downloading of all channels in the WDM system cannot be implemented. For a resonant component having a periodic filter feature, and in particular, when the filter feature of the microring resonator presents a periodic comb spectrum, the tuning range is usually limited by a free spectral range (FSR) because the resonant wavelength of the microring resonator meets a feature equation: FSR=λm+1−λm=λm2/ngL, where m is a longitudinal mode order of a mode, λm is a resonant wavelength of an mth order longitudinal mode of the microring resonator, λm+1 is a resonant wavelength of an (m+1)th order longitudinal mode of the microring resonator, ng is a group refractive index of the mode, and L is a perimeter of the microring resonator. To increase the tuning range, the free spectral range FSR of the microring resonator needs to be as large as possible. Currently, there are two main methods to extend the FSR. A first method is to reduce a radius or a perimeter of the microring resonator. It can be learned, according to the feature equation of the microring resonator, that the free spectral range FSR extends as the perimeter L decreases. However, in this method, not only processing difficulty is increased, but also tuning difficulty is increased, and a very high requirement on an external thermal field or an external electric field is imposed for a thermo-optical tuning temperature or electro-optic tuning power, and consequently thermal stability of a component is poor. The other method is to use a cursor effect between microrings with different radiuses to extend the FSR and reduce a passband spectrum side lobe. However, although this method reduces a thermo-optical tuning temperature or electro-optic tuning power, driving control of a plurality of microring resonators is relatively complex.
FIG. 1 is a microring resonator with a wide FSR. The microring resonator is a microring that has a radius of 2.75 μm and that is based on an SOI platform. The microring includes three ports: an input port, a throughput port, and a drop port. An optical signal that conforms to a resonant wavelength of the microring in a channel spectrum and that is input at the input port is coupled to the microring and is output from the drop port, and an optical signal that does not conform to the resonant wavelength of the microring is not coupled to the microring and is directly output from the throughput port.
FIG. 2 is a spectrogram of the microring resonator. It can be learned that the FSR is approximately 33.4 nm, and a 3 dB spectral bandwidth is 25 GHz. Therefore, it can be learned that a compact microring resonator can implement an operating bandwidth of a C band with an FSR close to 35 nm, so that free uploading or downloading of all channels of the C band in the WDM system can be implemented.
FIG. 3 is a thermo-optical tuning optical filter of a cascaded microring. A waveguide is designed as a ridge waveguide, a width is 0.4 μm, an inner ridge height is 0.34 μm, and a flat region height is 0.1 μm. At the wavelength of 1550 nm, an effective refractive index is 2.83. To improve tuning precision, if a radius R1 of a microring 1 is selected to be 48 μm, FSR1=2.8 nm. If a radius R2 of a microring 2 is 50 μm, FSR2=2.7 nm. FSR=FSR1−FSR2=2.8−2.7=0.1 nm, and a cursor effect of the cascaded microring resonator is shown in FIG. 4. Initial alignment is started from a wavelength λ00. Assuming that alignment is performed again at a wavelength (λ00+Δλmax) after the microring 1 passes through N resonant peaks and the microring 2 passes through (N+1) resonant peaks, that is, FSR1×N=FSR2×(N+1), it can be learned that N=27. Therefore, a maximum wavelength tuning range is: Δλmax=FSR1×27=75.6 nm. If maximum wavelength tuning is implemented by controlling to heat the microring 2, a tuning wavelength of the microring 2 needs to be moved: FSR×N=2.7 nm, (N+1=28) discrete alignment wavelengths may be obtained in total, and a spacing between these discrete alignment wavelengths is FSR1=2.8 nm. If the microring 1 is controlled to be heated, a total moving amount of the resonant wavelength is 2.7 nm, each moving step is 0.1 nm, and 27 comb spectrums may be obtained in total. For each fixed comb spectrum, 28 discrete alignment wavelengths may be obtained by heating the microring 2. Therefore, if the microring 1 and the microring 2 are simultaneously heated, (M=27×28=756) discrete wavelengths can be obtained in total, and a spacing between adjacent wavelength is: Δλmax/756=0.1 nm.
It can be learned from the above that, in the first microring resonator control method, a wider resonant wavelength tuning range of a single microring indicates greater tuning difficulty, and a very high requirement is imposed on the thermo-optical tuning temperature or electro-optic tuning power. Consequently, thermal stability of the component is poor. In addition, a smaller size of a unit microring indicates a higher requirement on a processing technology. In the second microring resonator control method, it is complex to control double microring resonators. In other words, there is no simple microring resonator control method with low drive power in the prior art.

Microring resonator control method and apparatus


The invention is a wooden handled, heart shaped, garden tool configured to perform various garden tasks. The tool includes multiple edges and angles configured to perform various garden tasks and a bolt attached thereon at 36.degree. to mate with a handle connector equipped with three different angled mounting bosses. One boss comes straight from the end of the connector, the second boss is ninety degrees from the connector and handle, and the third boss is fifty four degrees from the connector and handle. A coupling has also been designed for the center of the of the handle to allow it to be taken apart for the ease of shipping or storing or to add a longer length handle section.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to garden tools and more particularly to the hoe type garden tool having a unique heart shape and includes multiple edges and angles configured to perform various garden tasks and a handle with a disconnect head which is equipped with three different angles.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
It is common practice when weeding and/or cultivating to use a hoe, which is a long handled implement having a straight edge blade fastened perpendicular to the handle. This implement performs a chopping action upon the ground for the purpose of breaking, loosening, and digging out weeds. This chopping and digging process is activated by the operator with his extended arm and offers very poor leverage. The straight cutting edge of this implement is very inefficient for cutting into the ground and further makes hoeing a very exhaustive and back breaking task.
Agricultural implements of various kinds are known for use in manual operations for working the soil, cutting weeds, and their roots beneath the surface of the ground, pulverizing the upper crust of the earth for planting of seeds, furrowing the pulverized crust for planting, and hoeing or covering the planted seeds or fertilizer. Furthermore, various kinds of agricultural implements have been used which accomplish a combination of these agricultural operations. However, a single implement which is simply constructed and economical for purchase by the average homeowner who desires to have his own garden spot which is useful for weeding, pulverizing the upper crust of the earth, furrowing and covering the furrows, is not known.
Several prior art devices have attempted to provide the required operations, as, for example, the U.S. Pat. No. 2,011,062 to Masamitsu which discloses a gardening implement comprised of a substantially flat plate-like blade of a generally triangular outline. The blade is shaped such that the two edges are concaved and of like curvature and length whereas the other and longer edge is formed at a point centrally of its ends with a rounded outwardly projecting edge portion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,545,551 to Niemeyer discloses an interchangeable blade hoe kit which includes a handle with a hollow cylindrical terminal portion which is threaded internally so as to screw on to the extensions of the blades. A hole is drilled angularly through both the handle and the extensions where they screw together to provide registering apertures for the insertion of a bolt which is engaged by a nut.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,679 to Tallerico et al discloses a garden tool handle and a connected head part. The head part includes multiple sides, each formed into a tool part for performing a specific garden task.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,788 to Gilstrap discloses an interchangeable handle and utility tool head system where different tool heads are used with the handle. The different tool heads have similar shanks with a screw threaded end. The handle has a female coupling on one end to receive the screw threaded shank. A positive securing device prevents rotation of the tool head relative to the handle where a keyway and key system prevents the rotation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,278 to Tomm discloses a handle connector with an anti-loosening lock comprising a head member having an internally threaded handle receiving opening with a handle connected with the head member by a manually releasable connector assembly positioned between the head member and a first end of the handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,679 to Tallerico et al discloses a handle and a connected head part. The head part includes multiple sides each formed into a tool part for performing a specific garden task. The shorter end edges of the head are formed into a pointed nose and a slotted hoe. One longer side edge of the head part includes formed projections which define slots with the opposite side edge of the head part having downturned arched projections formed there along which alternate with flat projections. The head part is bowed form side edge to side edge to facilitate use of the nose and hoe.


A backoff sub includes a housing and a backoff facilitator at least partially within the housing. The backoff sub is a part of the string that is stuck and is capable of adding energy to the string within which the sub is disposed to facilitate backing off of a portion of that sting close to a stuck point of that string. A method is included.

In the hydrocarbon recovery industry, tools can and do get stuck in the wellbore during all types of runs, be they drilling, completion, etc. Stuck tools are a source of inefficiency that cost operators significant sums of money in terms of lost days, rig time, lost production, etc. In general, once a stuck is apparent to the operator, a process to determine a depth of what is vernacularly known as the "free point" is undertaken. The free point is that point in the string that is just uphole of the stuck point. The next operation will be to create a jar as close to this point as possible while putting a left handed torque on the string in order to, hopefully, cause the string to unscrew itself right above the stuck point. This, if successfully accomplished, means that all of the string that is free will come out of the well and only leave what is stuck (the fish) behind. Avoiding having a significant amount of a string above the stuck point simplifies the fishing operation that is to follow. Unfortunately, however, this process is unreliable and therefore the art would well receive alternate systems and methods for resolving the shortcomings present in the art.

Backoff sub and method for remotely backing off a target joint


An implant container for containing an ocular implant is described herein. The implant container can releasably couple to an implant delivery device and provide at least partial alignment of the delivery device with an ocular implant during loading of the ocular implant onto the delivery device.

During implantation of some ocular implants, a delivery tool is used for guiding the ocular implant to a desired implantation site. The delivery tool may be comprised of any number of mechanisms for securing or holding the ocular implant during the surgical procedure. For example, some delivery tools have a guidewire that extends through a lumen of an implant and constrains the implant, which can enable the user to guide the implant to the implantation site. The guidewire may include additional retention features for securing the implant onto the guidewire, such as frictional features or the like. In other delivery devices, a sheath or cover over the implant may be used for constraining the implant. Other delivery devices may use a gripping mechanism to hold a distal edge or any other section of the implant during the procedure.
An important step of the surgical procedure can be connecting the implant to a holding mechanism of the delivery tool. For example, in the case of a guidewire holding mechanism, the implant lumen is relatively aligned with the guidewire such that the guidewire can be inserted into the lumen of the implant. The implant can be manually held in a position that maintains this relative alignment during the loading. In other holding mechanisms, similar requirements exist.
The user may hold the implant with their hand and insert it onto the guidewire, but this presents several challenges. Ocular implants are generally small and the lumen and associated guidewire are also small so the features may be difficult to see clearly and to handle manually. If the necessary features are not properly aligned the guidewire may damage the implant, such as near the lumen, causing a device defect or failure.
Alternatively, the manufacturer may supply to the user the delivery tool with the implant already loaded. However, this may have a negative impact on the implant or the delivery tool depending on certain factors. For example, the implant may be made of materials that can be altered or damaged during continuous contact with the guidewire or other parts of the delivery tool. For example, during sterilization cycles or shipping the implant may be subjected to forces or loads by the delivery tool that are unwanted and cause a change in the implant.


Provided herein is a brushgraining process to improve the quality of lithographic printing plate substrate surfaces. In the process, the surface is brushed in an aqueous slurry comprising a mixture of particulates of alumina and quartz in a weight ratio range 95:5 to 5:95, with the particulates being in the size range of 1-20 microns. Such a process surprisingly lessens the number of scratches produced on the substrate surface than when compared to using alumina alone or quartz alone or a mixture of alumina and quartz with particle sizes higher than the range disclosed.

The art of lithography is well known and is practiced commercially in several fields including, for example, the electronic industry, newspaper industry, magazines, and the like. The field of lithography has been extensively written and commented upon in several books and articles. See, for example, Kirk-Othmer, Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, Vol. 19, p. 140, John Wiley & Sons (1982); ibid, Vol. 20, p. 161 (1982); and Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Engineering, Vol. 13, p. 373, John Wiley & Sons (1988).
A typical lithographic printing plate comprises a substrate surface, typically made of aluminum, silicon and the like, with a photosensitive layer on top. The preparation of the lithographic printing plate generally comprises cleaning the aluminum base, roughening it to make it suitable to receive the layers that go on top, anodically oxidizing it, followed by conditioning the surface and depositing the photosensitive layer on top. If defects occur in any of these steps, the quality of the printing plate suffers. Thus, for example, when the conditioning process is not of optimum quality, it affects the sensitivity to the background in the printed images, resulting in "toning". Copending patent application, Ser. No. 08/128,911, filed of even date herewith, describes an improved process for conditioning and improving the hydrophilicity of the plate.
The roughening ("graining") step is another area of concern in the lithographic industry. Traditionally roughening of aluminum plates is performed by electrochemical or mechanical process. U.S. Pat. No. 4,786,381 discloses an electrochemical process for modifying the surface of an aluminum plate. The mechanical process includes processes such as ball graining, brush graining, and the like.
There are several problems associated with known roughening processes. Thus, for example, in the ball graining process, high skills are required for the selection of the kind or the size of balls, control of water during the abrasion and the like. The brush graining process has some drawbacks too. In brush graining, generally the plate is brushed with a brush in a slurry comprising the roughening particles. It is difficult to obtain high roughness and scattering is easily formed on the coarse face by the wear of the abrasion brush being used. Further, there are problems that the surface of the aluminum is scratched by the strong friction between the brush and larger particles of the abrasion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,788 discloses a brushing process for making lithographic plates wherein the lithographic base, aluminum, is grained with an aqueous slurry comprising unfused, platy crystalline alumina using a rotary brushing motion whose force is predominantly tangential to the surface of the base plate. This process has some disadvantages too. The alumina does not stay suspended in the aqueous slurry during use. There is a tendency for the particulates to settle down during use, necessitating the continuous use of pumps to keep the particles in a state of suspension.
In an effort to avoid such problems with alumina-containing slurry, silica (quartz) has been proposed as the graining medium. However, quartz is known to cause a health hazard, silicosis, particularly when it is present as fine particles. Furthermore, quartz particulates break down easily during use, necessitating continuous replenishment.
Thus, it would be desirable to have a graining process whereby good quality lithographic plates can be produced without the above-noted problems. It would be preferable if such graining processes result in fewer number of scratches on the substrate surface. It would also be desirable if the process has minimum breakdown of the particles or increased slurry stability and thus does not need an undue amount of replenishment during a run.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Applicants have discovered that employing an aqueous slurry comprising a mixture of alumina and quartz in a brush graining process surprisingly yields a highly improved lithographic substrate surface. The inventive slurry has good use life and does not need undue replenishment during use. Furthermore, and surprisingly, the inventive slurry comprising quartz and aluminum causes far fewer number of scratches on the substrate surface than a slurry comprising alumina without quartz under comparable conditions.
The inventive slurry generally contains about 5-95 weight %, preferably about 5-50 weight % and typically about 10-20 weight % of quartz in alumina. The alumina and quartz particulates have a mean particle size of about 1-20 microns, preferably about 1-10 microns and typically about 3-6 microns. While the graining may be carried out by the conventional method of using a plurality of brushes, in most case use of a single brush is sufficient.

Process for preparing improved lithographic printing plates by brushgraining with alumina/quartz slurry


An article removal platform assembly with laterally movable finger plate is provided particularly suitable for abutting a conveyor belt as it passes over a sprocket wheel to remove glass articles and broken glass fragments from the belt. The generally rectangular finger plates are mounted in a lateral sliding configuration to a planar platform by at least three fasteners extending through mounting apertures through the finger plates 50, spaced to prevent lateral or longitudinal tilt. The mount has elongated fastening members adjustably aligned to let fingers mate in a conveyor belt and freely slide laterally a limited amount in either direction. Thus, the finger plates can slide side-to-side to follow belt wander when the fasteners engage ridges of the apertures through the finger plates. Also provided are snap-in caps for the apertures for maintaining a planar discharge surface having a constant coefficient of sliding friction that does not accumulate residue. The conveyor belt outer surface is formed by ribs defining channels for receiving the finger plate fingers disposed adjacent to the sprocket wheel to form therewith a co-planar discharge route. The fingers are stubby plates with upwardly slanted pointed ends positioned to scoop residue including glass fragments out of the belt channels and contoured lower surfaces for mating peripherally about the path of the conveyor belt where it bends over the sprocket wheel. Brittle plastic fingers, if overloaded by glass fragments wedging under the fingers would snap off for discharge onto co-planar discharge surface.

Typical finger plates of the prior art have long slender flexible fingers disposed in channels between the raised ribs defining the conveying surface of a modular belt, and are positioned for continuation of the conveying surface at a position where the conveyor belt moves in a curved path about a sprocket wheel, as seen in FIG. 17 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,187 to James M. Lapeyre, May 23, 1989, for example. The tip ends of the fingers are inclined downwardly from the conveying surface to lie just below the conveying surface. Snap in mounts for quickly removing the finger plates when damaged are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,158 to W. A. Borsboom, et al., Jun. 21, 1994, and such finger plates are rotatably mounted for optional insertion and use in U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,659, Robert H. Bode, et al., Jan. 28, 1992.
The long slender fingers made of plastic however were subject to vibration and flexing, thus increasing the possibility of letting broken glass fragments which are carried in the conveyor belt channels to sneak under the finger tips without being deflected upwardly and out of the belt. Accordingly the fingers have been shortened heretofore to improve performance.
However, with thicker shorter and thus stronger fingers in which broken glass fragments may become wedged for example, significant pressures may be exerted against finger plates to produce tilt and wobble forces that misalign the junction of the finger plate and the conveyor belt and interrupt the discharge of articles conveyed by the belt on the finger plate platform or cause catastrophic failure of a finger plate assembly.
Accordingly an explicit object of the invention is to provide an improved finger plate mounting assembly that will produce reliable flow of articles from the belt onto a finger plate when encountering broken glass fragments and in the presence of such operating conditions as significant temperature changes and lateral wandering of the belt.
A more general object of this invention is to improve the state of the finger plate art and provide article removal platform assemblies particularly adapted to handle glass articles and to confront broken glass particles that may be found on the incoming conveyor belt without interruption in the flow of articles off the belt.

Removal of glass articles from conveyor belts


The present invention relates to an improved process for the preparation of macitentan and pharmaceutical acceptable salts thereof. Further present invention also relates to methylene chloride solvate of macitentan and their use in the preparation of pure macitentan.

Macitentan is an endothelin receptor antagonist (ERA) and is chemically known as N-[5-(4-bromophenyl)-6-[2-[(5-bromo-2-pyrimidinyl)oxy]ethoxy]-4-pyrimidinyl]-N′-propylsulfamide and represented by the following structural formula (I);

Macitentan is a dual ERA, meaning that it acts as an antagonist of two endothelin (ET) receptor subtypes, ETA and ETB. Macitentan was approved by US FDA on Oct. 13, 2013 for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and commercially available under the brand name of Opsumit.
Macitentan and process for its general preparation method was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,094,781. The process for the preparation of macitentan was first exemplified in Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 55, 7849-7861, 2012 and the disclosed process is schematically represented as below:

The above disclosed process has the following disadvantages;                Step b) and step g) involves the use of sodium hydride. In general, sodium hydride is highly flammable and can ignite in air especially upon contact with moisture. Need to carry out sodium hydride reactions under inert atmosphere such as nitrogen or argon gas. The use of sodium hydride in commercial scale is not advisable in safety point of view;        The conversion of compound IV to compound Va in step d) involves the use of highly corrosive phosphoryl chloride under neat conditions at a temperature of about 130° C. and distillation of the highly corrosive phosphoryl chloride after completion of the reaction;        Macitentan obtained by the above process having higher amount un-reacted compound VII as an impurity, which is not easy to remove even after repeated purifications.
IPCOM000236886D journal publication discloses the preparation of amorphous macitentan by the reaction of N-5-(4-bromophenyl)-6-(2-hydroxyethoxy)-4-pyrimidinyl)-N′-propyl-sulfamide with 5-bromo-2-chloropyrimidine in presence of lithium amide in tetrahydrofuran and dimethylformamide. Further WO2016009322 and 3341/MUM/2014 also discloses amorphous form of macitentan and process for its preparation.
WO2014198178 publication discloses crystalline Form II of macitentan as well as methanol, nitromethane and methyl tert-butyl ether solvates of macitentan, process for their preparation and pharmaceutical composition comprising the same. Further this publication designates the crystalline form of macitentan obtained from methanol crystallization as per Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 55, 7849-7861, 2012 as "Form I".
CN105461637A publication discloses crystalline form of macitentan and process for its preparation. The disclosed process involves crystallization of crude macitentan from a solvent selected from methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, diethyl ether, acetonitrile, acetone, methylene chloride, ethyl acetate, n-hexane, n-heptane, petroleum ether or mixture thereof.
CN105461638A publication discloses crystalline Form H of macitentan and process for its preparation. The disclosed process involves crystallization of crude macitentan from ethyl acetate solvent or its mixture with methanol or n-hexane.
CN105622523A publication discloses crystalline form of macitentan and process for its preparation. The disclosed process involves dissolution of macitentan in methylene chloride, subjecting to carbon treatment, filtering and washing the filter cake with hot methanol; concentrating the filtrate up to 0.05-0.5 g/ml; followed by adding methylisobutyl ketone to the concentrate, cooling to room temperature and filtering the crystalline macitentan.
CN105461639A publication discloses a process for purification of macitentan, which involves crystallization of crude macitentan from ethyl acetate or its mixture with methanol or hexane.
CN103819411 publication discloses the preparation of N-(5-(4-bromophenyl)-6-chloro-4-pyrimidinyl)-N′-propyl sulfonamide, which involves the reaction of 5-(4-bromophenyl)-4,6-dichloropyrimidine with N-propylsulfamoyl amide in presence of alkoxy metal compound.
WO2014155304 publication discloses the preparation of N-(5-(4-bromophenyl)-6-(2-hydroxyethoxy)pyrimidine-4-yl)propane-1-sulfamide and the disclosed process represented schematically as follows:

WO2015004265 publication discloses process for the preparation of N-(5-(4-bromo phenyl)-6-(2-hydroxyethoxy) pyrimidine-4-yl)propane-1-sulfamide. The disclosed process involves the reaction of N-(5-(4-bromophenyl)-6-chloropyrimidin-4-yl)-propane-1-sulfamide with ethylene glycol in presence of potassium tertiary butoxide and extracting the obtained N-(5-(4-bromophenyl)-6-(2-hydroxyethoxy) pyrimidine-4-yl)propane-1-sulfamide with MIBK.
WO2015121397 publication discloses the preparation of macitentan and the disclosed process is schematically represented as below.

IN 1724/MUM/2015 publication discloses a process for the preparation of 5-(4-bromophenyl)-4,6-dichloropyrimidine. The disclosed process involves esterification of 4-(bromophenyl)acetic acid with methanol in presence of sulphuric acid to provide methyl (4-bromophenyl)acetate, which on condensation with dimethyl carbonate in presence of sodium methoxide in tetrahydrofuran to provide dimethyl (4-bromophenyl)malonate, which on cyclization with formamide in presence of sodium methoxide in methanol provides 5-(4-bromophenyl)-pyrimidine-4,6-diol followed by chlorination with phosphorous oxychloride provides 5-(4-bromophenyl)-4,6-dichloropyrimidine.
IN 2431/CHE/2015 publication discloses a process for the preparation of macitentan, which involves reaction of N-[5-(4-bromophenyl)-6-chloropyrimidin-4-yl]-N′-propylsulfuric diamide with ethylene glycol in presence of tripotassium phosphate to provide N-[5-(4-bromophenyl)-6-(2-hydroxyethoxy)pyrimidin-4-yl]-N′-propyl sulfuric diamide, which on condensation with 5-bromo-2-chloro pyrimidine in presence of sodium hydroxide, tetrabutylammonium bromide in methylene chloride provides macitentan.
Patent publications CN105272923A and 3334/CHE/2014 also discloses a novel process for the preparation of macitentan.
Macitentan is one of the important drugs, recently approved and available in the market for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Hence it is advantageous to have an improved process for the preparation of macitentan, which avoids the problems allied with the reported processes.

Process for the preparation of macitentan


Methods for patterning high-density features are described herein. Embodiments of the present invention provide a method comprising patterning a first subset of a pattern, the first subset configured to form a plurality of lines over the substrate, and patterning a second subset of the pattern, the second subset configured to form a plurality of islands over the substrate, wherein said patterning the first subset and said patterning the second subset comprise at least two separate patterning operations.

The demand for increasingly smaller devices has posed a number of challenges at least in terms of manufacturing, particular to the various photolithographic operations generally needed for patterning high-density features. Forming high-density metal lines and islands for memory devices, for example, may be limited by the optical resolution capabilities of photolithographic exposure tools. Although there exist advanced photolithography tools that employ reduced wavelengths and have high numerical aperture values, these factors may still be insufficient to effect onto a photoresist layer the required exposure for producing the desired feature density and/or size. Accordingly, effectively patterning high-density and high aspect ratio features is of substantial importance.