A method and apparatus for removing vaporizable components from polymeric products effects uniform distribution of heat over such products contained within a chamber. The apparatus includes a heated chamber having support means for supporting the products within the chamber. Omnidirectional multi-point gas dispersion means located within the chamber uniformly disperse heated gas over the product. The vaporizable components are evacuated from the chamber along with the gas. The product can be rotated during treatment to ensure uniform exposure of the product to heat and gas.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to removal of vaporizable components from polymeric products. More particularly, undesirable vaporizable components are removed from biomedical polymeric products.
2. Description of the Related Art
Polymeric compounds are being used to form an increasing array of medical devices including sutures, drug delivery devices, textile-like materials such as bandages, tape and barriers, and other prosthetic devices. Such polymers include polypropylene, polystyrene, polycarbonate, etc. Bioabsorbable polymers are being used with increasing frequency in medicine because they can be implanted to perform a specified function and, when the function is complete, the polymer dissipates thus eliminating the need for further invasive surgical intervention.
Examples of bioabsorbable polymers used in medicine include polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, polydioxanone, copolymers of glycolide and trimethylene carbonate, polylactide/polyglycolide copolymers, polyesteramides, etc. Polylactide/polyglycolide copolymers are frequently the bioabsorbable copolymers of choice because they retain strength after implantation in the body and slowly degrade into non-toxic breakdown products. Moreover, the copolymer may be molded or extruded into a variety of shapes.
During the formation of bioabsorbable polymers, some monomeric and/or dimeric moieties fail to polymerize and are formed in and/or deposited on the polymeric product. The monomer, dimer and other byproducts of the reaction process may have a detrimental effect on products made from bioabsorbable polymers, i.e., certain of these moieties weaken the polymeric products and interfere with their absorption properties. Such moieties are vaporizable and may be removed by application of heat. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,626,948 and 3,772,420 are directed to bioabsorbable sutures and a method of removing vaporizable impurities from such sutures by placing the sutures in an air-tight chamber and applying heat and vacuum. The impurities vaporize and diffuse to a cooled wall portion of the chamber and condense thereon. The devolatized suture materials can then be dyed, coated, needled, sterilized and packaged.
Another method of removing vaporizable impurities from polymeric products involves placing a polymeric product in a vacuum chamber having heated walls. An inert gas, such as nitrogen, is heated and introduced into the chamber from a single point source. The nitrogen acts as a carrier for the vaporized impurities which, along with the gas, is transported from the chamber.
The above-described processes for removing impurities have certain shortfalls which can lead to uneven heating of the polymeric product and prolongation of the removal process. The dynamics of heating chambers and various convection currents created therein result in uneven distribution of heat. The process disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,626,948 and 3,772,420 involves heating a spool of suture material from a cavity within the spool. Uneven heating may result from a heat differential formed between the innermost and outermost portions of the spool.
In the above-described process involving nitrogen, and in accordance with the ideal gas laws, gas expands out of the single point source and cools. Such gas circulates unevenly around the chamber because gas located closer to the heated walls is kept or made hotter than the cooled gas elsewhere in the chamber. Moreover, heat from the chamber walls is not distributed evenly around the chamber due to convection currents created by the unevenly heated and unevenly distributed gas. Consequently, polymeric products are not heated evenly and vaporizable components may not be uniformly removed. In addition, the heating process is prolonged by the need to ensure that the entire product is heated sufficiently to vaporize all vaporizable components. Thus, a typical process may take as long as 50 hours or more, i.e., a first heating stage where the relevant atmosphere is brought up to sufficient heat, a second heat soaking stage, and a third cooling stage to bring the product to room temperature.
When the polymeric products are dyed prior to heat treatment, the volatile nature of the dye causes some dye to be removed through sublimation during the heat treatment. Uneven heat and gas treatment of the products is clearly revealed by a blotchy or mottled appearance of the heated product. This happens because the dye sublimes unevenly, i.e., in areas of greater heat, more dye sublimes and a lighter appearance is created than in cooler areas where less dye sublimes.
Consequently, the need to deliver a more uniform heat treatment to polymeric products undergoing post-treatment removal of vaporizable components is clear.

Removal of vaporizable components from polymeric products


A multi-layer equine saddle pad. The saddle pad is made of non-woven polypropylene material that is both durable and has high-moisture performance. The multiple layers are attached by stitching or bonding together along their centerlines such that the attachment terminates short of either end of the non-woven material layers. The multiple-layer pads are maintained free from any permanent attachments along their edges.

The present invention relates to a multi-layer equine saddle pad.
Traditional equine saddle pads have been primarily used to protect from abrasions and chafing caused by the saddle and straps and also to provide additional comfort for the rider. Known saddle pads are typically comprised of wool, animal hair, or synthetic materials. Certain saddle pads are configured by securing multiple layers of the various materials that are stitched together around the edges or joined along the edges by Velcro.(copyright) The material used in such pads may have a fused edge band to resist shagging and delamination of the filaments along the pad edges. Other saddle pads are formed of multiple layers that are releasably attached by Velcro(copyright) in order to allow for the saddle to be customized for use with a particular horse by the addition of material where the pad should be built up.
One problem with the prior art saddle pads is that by configuring the saddle pad by stitching together around the edges or joining along the edges by Velcro(copyright), the pad can be uncomfortable in specific areas such as on the horse""s withers. While these configurations provide effective slip resistance between the horse""s back and the saddle, therefore securing the relative position of the saddle on the horse, they are not the most comfortable for the horse or rider. Any movement of the saddle is transferred into abrading friction on the horses back. Therefore, there is a need for a multi-layer saddle pad that is configured in a manner that is stable yet provides for greater comfort for both the horse and the rider while on the horse.
Another problem with the prior art saddle pads is that they are not made of material that has both durability and high moisture performance. Certain saddle pads have been made of polyester, polyurethane and polyurethane foams. These materials provide particular advantages such as resilience, moisture wicking, or superior ventilation capacity. However, none of these materials provide for both enhanced durability and moisture performance. Thus, there is a need for a saddle pad made of a synthetic material that is both durable and has high moisture performance (including water permeability, moisture damage resistance and good moisture wicking capability).
It is an advantage of the present invention that it provides a new and improved multi-layer saddle pad that is configured for comfort to both the horse and the rider and that is also made of a non-woven fabric that is durable, and has high moisture water performance.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a multi-layer equine saddle pad is provided, which comprises two or more layers of non-woven material. Three layers are preferred. Where three layers are provided, the innermost layer is the one that is placed on the horses back. An intermediate layer is disposed over the inner layer and an outermost layer is disposed of on top of both the inner and intermediate layers. The outermost layer is the one on which the saddle would rest and improve comfort to the rider by shock absorption and abrasion in the area where the riders legs pass over the pad.
The three layers are secured to each other by being stitched or bonded down their centerline. The stitching or bonding does not continue to the end of the centerline, but instead terminates approximately 6 inches short of each end. The advantage to this configuration is that both the end placed at the horse""s wither and the opposite end placed on the horse""s back are able to open in such a manner as to provide more comfort to the horse and the rider. Additionally, all three layers are maintained free from attachments at any edge and are untreated in that they are neither stitched nor bonded. This arrangement provides dual advantages in that it provides for more comfort to the horse and rider once positioned on top of the saddle. Greater comfort is achieved for the rider because of the cushioning effect from the thick pad. The resilience of the pad also means, that less impact is transferred to the horse by the movement of the rider. In addition there is less abrasion of the horse""s back because any movement of the saddle tends to move only the uppermost layer of the pad. Friction caused by relative movement between layers tends to damper the movement of the saddle so that less movement (and therefore less abrasion) is transferred to the horse""s back. Additionally, the fact that each layer is free from attachments allows all three layers of the saddle pad to be spread out more easily in order to dry faster once the saddle pad has been washed. Lastly, the fact that the ends are free from attachment, makes it possible to customize the pad by cutting portions away where less material is desirable. For example, a full sized pad may be cut down for use with a childs saddle on a pony.
All three layers are made of the same non-woven material which is a polypropylene material commonly known as xe2x80x9cnon-woven geotextile.xe2x80x9d This material is 26 ounce per square yard non-woven polypropylene material. It is xc2xc inch thick and burnished, or heat treated, on one side. Because the material is non-woven, it possesses the advantage that it may be cut without fraying or unraveling. Therefore, if a saddle pad is cut into a certain configuration that accommodates for high withered horses, it will not adversely affect the saddle pad in any manner, nor will it cause the pad to unravel and therefore require continual premature replacement. Another feature of the non-woven geotextile is that it is water permeable. This characteristic provides a great number of advantages. First, it allows the saddle pad to dry quickly after it has been washed. Therefore a rider does not have to have as many saddle pads because one can be washed and ready for re-use in a relatively short time. Additionally, the water permeable characteristic allows perspiration from the horse""s back, or other liquids, to be wicked up through the saddle pad in an expeditious manner so that the pad does not become heavy from the retention of liquids and the horses back is dryer. When the pad is removed, such as after a days ride, the layers of the pad may be separated so that the pad air drys quickly. Moreover, the non-woven geotextile is flexible and lightweight so that it does not become burdensome to pick up and move around, nor does it make either the horse or its rider uncomfortable once placed under the saddle. Finally, the non-woven geotextile is both resilient and highly durable. Use of this material is ideal for horse-back riding because it is comfortable but also durable enough to withstand the pressures and continual movement adjustments of a rider while on the horse""s back. Such durability means that the saddle pad will not require continual replacement because of damage done to the pad while riding.
Because the non-woven geotextile does not fray or unravel when it is cut, this allows the material to be cut for many different purposes. As previously discussed, the part of the saddle pad placed closest to the horse""s withers may be cut to accommodate for different horse physiology. Additionally, the outer most layer may be cut in order to make one or more slits to accommodate equipment attached to the outer layer. Where slits are utilized, the outer layer may contain a girth which is a band around the horse that holds the saddle more securely in place. This girth may be placed around the horse and positioned securely through the slits to ensure that the girth does not more relative to the saddle pad. This allows a rider to elect to ride bareback on the horse with merely the saddle pad because the saddle pad is secured to remain in position without slipping from its proper position. Additionally, other types of equipment may be connected to the saddle pad in this manner, including water containers or the like.
Alternatively, the non-woven geotextile allows for holes to be cut away at the fore and aft positions of the saddle pad to make handles. Such handles provide ease in lifting the saddle pad from a stored position or from the horse""s back.
The use of the non-woven geotextile material in a multi-layer saddle pad in a configuration that is attached through a centerline but terminates short of both ends increases comfort of the saddle pad as well as provides great durability and water permeability. Therefore maximum comfort to both the horse and rider can be obtained without increasing expense or resulting in disadvantages from saddle pads that are stitched together around the edges or joined along the edges.
The use of polypropylene material reduces odor because, unlike natural fibers, the geo-textile fabric is non-microbial and does not support the growth of odor causing bacteria.


This invention relates to novel 1,5,7-trisubstituted benzimidazole derivatives, pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds, and methods of treatment therewith.

The modulatory sites on the GABAA receptor complex, such as for example the benzodiazepine receptor, are the target for anxiolytic drugs, such as the classical anxiolytic benzodiazepines. Multiple isoforms of the GABAA receptor exist; each receptor is a pentameric complex comprising subunits drawn from α1-6, β1-3, γ1-3, δ, ε, and θ subunit isoforms.
EP 616807 describes benzimidazole compounds for use as benzodiazepine receptor ligands. Furthermore, the five compounds 7-(3-Aminophenyl)-1-phenyl-5-trifluoromethylbenzimidazole, 7-(3-Pyridyl)-1-phenyl-5-trifluoromethylbenzimidazole, 1,7-Diphenyl-5-trifluoromethylbenzimidazole, 7-benzoylamino-1-phenyl-5-trifluoro-methylbenzimidazole, and 7-amino-1-phenyl-5-trifluoromethylbenzimidazole are disclosed therein as intermediates. No pharmaceutical use of these compounds are disclosed.
WO 96/33194, WO 96/33191 and WO 96/33192 describe benzimidazole compounds having affinity for the GABA receptor complex.
WO 98/34923 describes phenylbenzimidazole derivatives as ligands for the GABA receptor complex.
WO 98/17651 and WO 00/78728 describe benzimidazole compounds for use as e.g. anaesthetics.
However, there is a continued strong need to find compounds with an optimised biochemical profile. Furthermore, there is a strong need to find effective compounds without unwanted side effects.

1,5,7-trisubstituted benzimidazole derivatives and their use for modulating the GABA

Abstract: The compounds of the invention are useful in the treatment of central nervous system diseases and disorders, which are responsive to modulation of the GABAA receptor complex.


The present disclosure discloses a terahertz detector based on a N×M dielectric resonant antenna array, wherein a N×M on-chip dielectric resonant terahertz antenna array is connected to a matching network, the matching network is connected to a source of a NMOSFET, a gate of the NMOSFET is sequentially connected to a first bias resistor and a first bias voltage, a third transmission line is connected between the first bias resistor and the gate, a drain of the NMOSFET is connected to a first DC blocking capacitor, the other end of the first DC blocking capacitor is connected to a low noise preamplifier, a second bias resistor and a second bias voltage are further connected between the first DC blocking capacitor and the low noise preamplifier, and the low noise preamplifier is further provided with a voltage feedback loop. The present disclosure also discloses a design method for the same.

THz radiation (T-ray) generally refers to an electromagnetic wave having a frequency in the range of 0.1 THz to 10 THz (wavelength in the range of 30 μm to 3 mm), and its long wavelength-band direction coincides with the millimeter wave (sub-millimeter wave), and its short wavelength-band direction coincides with the infrared ray. Therefore, it belongs to the far infrared wave band.
Since the THz wave is in the position of a special electromagnetic spectrum, it has many superior characteristics and has great scientific significance. It mainly embodies in the following aspects. Firstly, its quantum energy and blackbody temperature are very low. Since the photon energy of the terahertz wave is very low, it is not easily ionized when it penetrates a substance, and thus it can be used for safe non-destructive detection. Secondly, many substance macromolecules, such as biomacromolecules, have vibration and rotational frequencies in the THz wave band, so they exhibit strong absorption and resonance in the THz wave band. For example, many explosives have "terahertz fingerprinting" characteristics, which allow them to be identified from clothing and when mixed with other materials, such as the detection of narcotics/drugs. The strongly permeable THz wave can penetrate substances such as ceramics, fat, carbon sheets, cloth, plastics and the like with little attenuation. Therefore, it can be used to detect a variety of low-concentration polarized gases, and is suitable for special fields such as environmental protection and military chemical reconnaissance. Thirdly, the advantages of applying the terahertz technology in environmental monitoring, protection, national security and anti-terrorism, and so forth, can make up for the shortcomings of the infrared technology and microwave technology. In addition, the terahertz wave is in the blank area between the microwave millimeter wave and the infrared wave band and between the electronics and the photonics. It is also a blank area of human science and technology, and has a very broad development space. Therefore, the active research work of THz science and technology is of strategic importance, and the terahertz detector, which is the basis of terahertz application, is a critical component of terahertz security and detection.
At present, terahertz detection based on N-type Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (NMOSFET) has proved to be very feasible, but due to Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) process limitations, the larger loss of conventional terahertz antennas such as on-chip dipoles and patches in terahertz detectors leads to the narrower impedance matching bandwidth of the conventional terahertz antenna such as on-chip dipoles and patches, which greatly affects the detection sensitivity of the terahertz detector. However, the current development trend of terahertz detectors is high sensitivity. Therefore, it is a hot research topic to develop an on-chip terahertz antenna with low loss and wide impedance matching bandwidth based on the CMOS compatible technology to achieve high sensitivity terahertz detection.
The present disclosure innovatively introduces a N×M on-chip dielectric resonant terahertz antenna array into a NMOSFET-based terahertz detector, and achieves higher gain and wider impedance matching bandwidth for the on-chip terahertz antenna in comparison with conventional NMOSFET terahertz detectors based on terahertz antennas such as on-chip dipoles and patches or a single on-chip dielectric resonant terahertz antenna.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Terahertz detector and method based on N×M dielectric resonant antenna array


The invention relates to a desktop information carrier which comprises a support (1) of foldable material with a bottom part (3) and two walls adjoining thereto and converging towards the top, namely, a front wall (4) and a rear wall (5), and comprises a number of pages (2). One of the walls (4) has a lip (4A) at its upper extremity, and the pages (2) are exclusively attached to the upper extremity of the other wall (5), and in such a manner that, in between two locations, over a distance larger than the largest width of the lip (4A), they are loose from this wall (5). In usage condition, the aforementioned lip (4A) protrudes between said wall (5) and at least one page (2) which then is situated on the wall (4) with the lip (4A).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a desktop information carrier which comprises a unitary support of foldable material, mostly of cardboard, having a bottom part and two wall portions adjoining thereto, namely, a front wall and a rear wall, and which comprises a number of pages attached to at least one of the walls, whereby, in usage condition, the front wall and the rear wall are converging from the bottom part on.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Such desktop information carriers are, for example, desk calendars, thus, calendars which, contrary to the calendars suspended on a wall, are placed or a table,a desk or similar.
Known desk calendars consist of a folded rectangular piece of cardboard, the free extremities of which are fixed to each other over their entire length by means of spiral wire or wire bent to rings which is provided through openings in the extremities. By means of these rings or this wire, the calendar pages, too, are attached.
As a result of the fact that, after folding, the extremities of the piece of cardboard and the paces have to be attached to each other simultaneously, the manufacturing of these known desk calendars is rather complicated.
The extremities of the piece of cardboard are fixedly attached to each other, and afterwards it is no longer possible for the user to enfold the calendar without damaging it.
Furthermore, the extremities of the piece of cardboard which are fixed to each other, have to be straight, such that a special design of the desk calendars practically is excluded. In the known desk calendars, the walls, which the calendar pages are situated, are rectangular.
The present invention has an object a desktop information carrier which does not show the aforementioned disadvantages and is of a simple construction, offers a high design variability and can be unfolded again.
According to the invention, this aim is achieved in that one of the walls, at its upper extremity, shows at least one lip and in that the pages are fixed exclusively to the upper extremity of the other wall, and in such a manner that they are attached to this upper extremity only locally and that, in between two locations, over a distance larger than the largest width of the lip, they are loose from this wall, whereby, in usage condition, the aforementioned lip, there where the pages are loose from the last-mentioned wall, protrudes between this wall and at least one page which then is situated on the wall with the lip.
Thus, the two walls are not fixed to each other, as a result of which manufacturing is easy and, by pulling the lip from one wall away from in between the pages and the other wall, the desktop information carrier at any time can be unfolded to a flat unit which Wakes little space for storing or transport.
The lip can be given different shapes. As the lip, in mounted condition of the desktop information carrier, protrudes at the top, this shape, of course, will catch the eye.
The pages can be attached to the one wall by means of bent wire.

Drukkerij Stockmans, naamloze vennootschap


An improved process is provided for making a milling mask for milling notches in a first pole piece of a write head. The making of the milling mask involves two process steps, namely: (1) sputter depositing a layer of protective material on the top and side walls of a second pole tip and on flat portions of the first pole piece and (2) chemically etching the protective layer to remove the side wall portions of the protective layer leaving flat portions of the protective layer which constitute the milling mask. The etch rate of the side wall portions of the protective layer, as compared to the flat portions of the protective layer, are significantly increased by sputter depositing the protective layer in the presence of a reactive gas such as oxygen or nitrogen. The etch rate can be increased from 7:1 for a nonreactive gas such as argon to 24:1 with an argon and reactive gas mixture at a sputtering pressure of 18 mT.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sputtered mask defined with highly selective side wall chemical etching and, more particularly, to such a mask wherein chemical etching of the side wall of the mask is many orders of magnitude more than chemical etching of a flat surface of the mask.
2. Description of the Related Art
A write head comprises first and second pole pieces that have first and second pole tips terminating at an air bearing surface and ends recessed from the ABS (air bearing surface) that are connected at a back gap. An insulation stack, which comprises a plurality of insulation layers, is sandwiched between the first and second pole pieces, and a coil layer is embedded in the insulation stack. A processing circuit is connected to the coil layer for conducting current (write signals) through the coil layer which, in turn, generates corresponding magnetic fields on the first and second pole pieces. When they meet the ABS, the first and second pole pieces form first and second pole tips. A non-magnetic insulative gap layer is sandwiched between the first and second pole tips so that the magnetic fields fringe across the first and second pole tips at the ABS. In a magnetic disk drive, a magnetic disk is rotated adjacent to and a short distance from the ABS so that the fringing magnetic fields magnetize the disk along circular tracks. The written circular tracks then contain information in the form of magnetized regions that can be detected by a read head.
A write head and read head may be combined to form a merged magneto-resistive (MR) head. The read head includes an MR sensor sandwiched between first and second insulative gap layers that are, in turn, sandwiched between first and second shield layers. In a merged MR head, a single layer may function as the second shield and the first pole. The MR sensor detects magnetic fields from the circular tracks of the rotating disk when its resistance changes in response to the strength and polarity of the fields. A sense current is conducted through the MR sensor, which results in voltage changes that are received by the processing circuitry as readback signals.
The second pole tip trails the first pole tip with respect to the rotating disk and is therefore the last of the two pole tips to impress information field signals on the circular tracks. The second pole tip is bounded by a base, which sits directly on the gap layer, a top, and first and second side walls. The first and second side walls intersect the base at first and second corners. There is a strong-felt need to provide the second pole tip with a narrow track width--the lateral distance between the first and second side walls at the base. A narrow track width increases the number of tracks that can be recorded per inch (TPI) on the magnetic disk. Narrow track width thus implies a smaller magnetic disk drive for a given number of recorded bits.
It is important that the side walls of the second pole tip, especially at the base, be well formed in a linear configuration so that magnetic field fringing at the pole tips is confined substantially to the track width of the second pole tip. Side writing occurs when the magnetic fields fringe from irregular side walls of the second pole tip to the first pole tip, laterally beyond the track width of the second pole tip. As is known, side writing may cause overwriting of the circular tracks, which reduces the track density of the magnetic disk. Ideally, the second pole tip should write well-defined narrow tracks which, in turn, are read by a read head that reads slightly more narrowly than the written track. This obviates the need for guard bands between tracks.
The second pole, along with its second pole tip, is frame-plated on top of the gap layer. After depositing a seedlayer on the gap layer, a photoresist layer is spun on the seedlayer, imaged with light, and developed to provide an opening surrounded by a resist wall for plating the second pole piece and second pole tip. To produce a second pole tip with a narrow track width, the photoresist layer has to be correspondingly thin. This relationship, referred to as the "aspect ratio", is the ratio of the thickness of the photoresist in the pole tip region to the track width of the second pole tip. Preferably, the aspect ratio should be on the order of three. In other words, for a track width of 1 .mu.m, the thickness of the photoresist in the pole tip region should be about 3 .mu.m. If the photoresist is thicker than this, the side walls of the second pole tip, especially at the base, will not be well formed due to scattering of light as it penetrates the photoresist during the imaging step.
Once the second pole tip is well formed, it is desirable to notch the first pole tip opposite the first and second corners at the base of the second pole tip. Here, the gap layer is bounded by a base that rests on the first pole piece, a top that engages the base of the second pole tip, and first and second side walls that intersect the first and second side walls at first and second corners, respectively. Notching of the first pole piece occurs immediately adjacent each of the first and second corners of the gap layer. Notching provides the first pole piece with a track width that substantially matches the track width of the second pole piece so as to minimize side writing.
A prior art process for notching the first pole piece entails ion beam milling the gap layer and the first pole piece, employing the second pole tip as a mask. The gap layer is typically alumina, while the first and second pole pieces and pole tips are typically Permalloy (NiFe). Alumina mills more slowly than the Permalloy; thus the top of second pole tip and a top surface of the first pole piece are milled more quickly than the gap layer. Further, during ion milling, there is much redeposition (redep) of alumina on surfaces of the workpiece. In order to minimize redep, the milling ion beam is typically directed at an angle to a normal to the layers, which performs milling and cleanup simultaneously. The gap layer in the field remote from the first and second corners of the second pole piece is the first to be milled due to a shadowing effect at the first and second corners when the ion beam is angled. In this case, the ion beam may overmill the first pole piece before the gap layer is removed adjacent the first and second corners of the second pole tip in the region where the notching is to take place. After the gap layer is removed above the sites where the notching is to take place, ion milling continues in order to notch the first pole piece at the sites adjacent the first and second corners of the gap layer. Again, with an angled ion beam overmilling of the first pole piece takes place in the field beyond the progressively formed notches, thereby forming surfaces of the first pole piece that slope downwardly from the first and second corners of the gap layer. As is known, such overmilling of the first pole piece can easily expose leads to the MR sensor and the second gap layer of the read head, rendering the head inoperative.
Even if overmilling of the first pole piece can be controlled, a potentially more serious problem may occur, namely overmilling the top of the second pole tip when the unwanted portions of the gap layer are milled and notches are formed. In order to compensate for this overmilling, the aspect ratio is increased so that a top portion of the top of the second pole tip can be sacrificed during the milling steps. As already stated, when the aspect ratio is increased, definition of the second pole tip is degraded, resulting in track overwriting.
In order to minimize overmilling of the first pole piece, another process employs a wet etchant for removing the gap layer, except for a desired portion between the first and second pole tips. After the unwanted portions of the gap layer are removed, the first pole piece is ion milled, employing the second pole tip as a mask. The only overmilling of the first pole piece is due to the ion milling of the notches at the first and second corners of the gap layer. This process also eliminates significant redep of the alumina. However, the etching of this process undercuts the gap layer under the base of the second pole tip, which is a critical area for the transfer of field signals. The undercut regions provide spaces which can be filled with Permalloy redeposited during subsequent ion milling of the first pole piece or redep of other foreign material upon subsequent milling and clean up steps.
Still another process proposes plating the top and first and second side walls of the second pole tip with a protective metal layer before etching the unwanted portions of the gap layer. When the etching reaches the inside thickness of each protective metal layer, the process is stopped so that the gap layer is not undercut beneath the base of the second pole tip. Retention of the protective metal layer in the head is an option because of the difficulty of removing it. Disadvantages of this process are the difficulty of the plating step and the potential of the protective metal layer interfering with the magnetics of the second pole tip.

Sputtered mask defined with highly selective side wall chemical etching

International Business Machines Corporation


Methods for installation, connection to, and use of anchors for mooring of marine structures, especially although not exclusively for gravity installed anchors, and accompanying apparatus. One embodiment comprises an anchor having recovery and load lines attached thereto, both lines held by a trailing buoy and with subsea connectors at their upper ends, held up by the buoy. The trailing buoy is held in a release frame, the anchor is lowered to a desired height above a seabed, then the release mechanism is shifted and the anchor is permitted to free fall and penetrate into the seabed. The trailing buoy and subsea connectors remain above the seabed, and a mooring line from a structure can be connected to the load line via the subsea connector. A second embodiment comprises a launch frame attached to the lowering line. A length of chain or rope is looped from the base of the launch frame to a remote release near the end of the launch frame arm, and from there to a recovery line assembly connected to the anchor. A load line assembly is also connected to the anchor. Once the anchor is lowered to a desired height, the remote release is actuated, and the anchor plunges downward into the seabed. Subsea connectors on both the recovery line assembly and the load line assembly permit attachment and detachment of the lowering line and the mooring line. The apparatus and method of this invention requires only a single vessel and a single deployment line.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and method for mooring of marine structures. With more particularity, this invention relates to methods and apparatus for installation and use of gravity installed anchors, that is, those which embed in a seabed by virtue of being dropped from a height above the seabed and being allowed to fall to the seabed of its own weight.
2. Description of Prior Art
Gravity installed anchors that are installed by freefalling under the force of gravity are known in the art. These anchors are lowered down through the water column to a desired height above the seabed, and then released, whereby their own weight carries the anchor to and into the seabed under the influence of gravity. Examples of existing known examples of gravity installed anchors of this type include U.S. Pat. No. 6,106,199 to Medeiro, Jr. et al (Aug. 22, 2000) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,166 to Lieng (Jul. 10, 2001). Prior art methods of installation of these types of anchors are disclosed in those two patents as well. Such methods include a free fall of the anchor, wherein it is simply lowered to a desired height above a seabed then released, with or without a speed limiting device (e.g. a drogue) attached to the anchor; or a procedure wherein the anchor remains connected with the launch vessel via a cable, etc., and the cable is unspooled from the winch, etc. on the launch vessel fast enough that sufficient speed can be developed by the anchor as it falls.

Apparatus and method for gravity anchor installation


The present invention relates to a Lactuca sativa seed designated 79-51 RZ, which exhibits resistance against downy mildew races Bl:1 to Bl:28 and CA-I, CA-IIA, CA-IIB, CA-III, CA-IV, CA-V, CA-VI, CA-VII, CA-VIII (Bremia lactucae), resistance against Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV:1), resistance against Currant-lettuce aphid (Nasonovia ribisnigri) biotype 0, and leaves which are crisp, deeply-incised, nicely-frilled, and have a medium red colored apical margin. The present invention also relates to a Lactuca sativa plant produced by growing the 79-51 RZ seed. The invention further relates to methods for producing the lettuce cultivar, represented by lettuce variety 79-51 RZ.

All cultivated forms of lettuce belong to the highly polymorphic species, Lactuca sativa, which is grown for its edible head and leaves. As a crop, lettuces are grown commercially wherever environmental conditions permit the production of an economically viable yield.
Lactuca sativa is in the Cichoreae tribe of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family. Lettuce is related to chicory, sunflower, aster, scorzonera, dandelion, artichoke and chrysanthemum. Lactuca sativa is one of about 300 species in the genus Lactuca.
Lettuce cultivars are susceptible to a number of pests and diseases such as downy mildew (Bremia lactucae). Every year this disease leads to millions of dollars of lost lettuce crop throughout the world. Downy mildew (Bremia lactucae) is highly destructive on lettuce grown at relatively low temperature and high humidity. Downy mildew is caused by a fungus, Bremia lactucae, which can be one of the following strains: NL1, NL2, NL4, NL5, NL6, NL7, NL10, NL12, NL13, NL14, NL15, NL16, Bl:17, Bl:18, Bl:20, Bl:21, Bl:22, Bl:23, Bl:24, Bl:25, Bl:26, Bl:27, Bl:28 (Van Ettekoven, K. et al., "Identification and denomination of 'new' races of Bremia lactucae," In: Lebeda, A. and Kristkova, E (eds.), Eucarpia Leafy Vegetables, 1999, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic, pp. 171-175; Van der Arend et al. "Identification and denomination of "new" races of Bremia lactucae in Europe by IBEB until 2002." In: Van Hintum, Th et al. (eds.), Eucarpia Leafy Vegetables Conference 2003, Centre for Genetic Resources, Wageningen, The Netherlands, p. 151; Plantum NL (Dutch association for breeding, tissue culture, production and trade of seeds and young plants), Van der Arend et al. "Identification and denomination of "new" races of Bremia lactucae in Europe by IBEB until 2002." In: Van Hintum, Th et al. (eds.), Eucarpia Leafy Vegetables Conference 2003, Centre for Genetic Resources, Wageningen, The Netherlands, p. 151; Plantum NL (Dutch association for breeding, tissue culture, production and trade of seeds and young plants); IBEB press release "New race of Bremia lactucae Bl:27 identified and nominated", May 2010; Plantum NL (Dutch association for breeding, tissue culture, production and trade of seeds and young plants), "New race of Bremia lactucae Bl:28 identified and nominated", March 2011), Ca-I, Ca-IIA, Ca-IIB, Ca-III, Ca-IV (Schettini, T. M., Legg, E. J., Michelmore, R. W., 1991. Insensitivity to metalaxyl in California populations of Bremia lactucae and resistance of California lettuce cultivars to downy mildew. Phytopathology 81(1). p. 64-70), and Ca-V, Ca-VI, Ca-VII, Ca-VIII (Michelmore R. & Ochoa. O. "Breeding Crisphead Lettuce." In: California Lettuce Research Board, Annual Report 2005-2006, 2006, Salinas, Calif., pp. 55-68).
Downy mildew causes pale, angular, yellow areas bounded by veins on the upper leaf surfaces. Sporulation occurs on the opposite surface of the leaves. The lesions eventually turn brown, and they may enlarge and coalesce. These symptoms typically occur first on the lower leaves of the lettuce, but under ideal conditions may move into the upper leaves of the head. When the fungus progresses to this degree, the head cannot be harvested. Less severe damage requires the removal of more leaves than usual, especially when the lettuce reaches its final destination.
Of the various species of aphids that feed on lettuce, the currant-lettuce aphid (Nasonovia ribisnigri) is the most destructive species because it feeds both on the leaves of the lettuce as well as the heart of the lettuce, making it difficult to control with conventional insecticides. The lettuce aphid feeds by sucking sap from the lettuce leaves. Although direct damage to the lettuce may be limited, its infestation has serious consequences because the presence of aphids makes lettuce unacceptable to consumers.
Lettuce mosaic virus (LMV) mainly infects lettuce seeds, which is the primary way that the virus is introduced to lettuce in the fields, but also can infect numerous crops and weeds, thereby creating reservoirs of the virus. LMV also can be vectored by aphids, which spread the virus within a lettuce field and introduce it into lettuce fields from infected weeds and crops outside the field.
Symptoms of LMV vary greatly. Leaves of plants that are infected at a young stage are stunted, deformed, and (in some varieties) show a mosaic or mottling pattern. Such plants rarely grow to full size; head lettuce varieties infected early fail to form heads. Plants that are infected later in the growth cycle show a different set of symptoms. These plants may reach full size, but the older leaves turn yellow, twisted, and otherwise are deformed. On head lettuce, the wrapper leaves often will curve back away from the head and developing heads may be deformed. In some cases brown, necrotic flecks occur on the wrapper leaves.
At present the attractive red color in pre-packed lettuce mixtures is often provided by plant species other than Lactuca sativa. Use is made of radicchio rosso (Cichorium intybus), red cabbage, red-veined spinach, or red-veined chard. The disadvantage of using leaves from vegetables other than lettuce is that the different taste of these other vegetables is often experienced as undesirable. Radicchio rosso is for example a Cichorium intybus that has a bitter taste. For taste, red-leaved lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is usually preferred over other red-leaved species. The red leaf color of lettuce is caused by anthocyanin in the leaves. Anthocyanin is an antioxidant, which contributes to the healthy image of lettuce. The disadvantage of anthocyanin is the growth reduction due to absorption of light entering the leaf. This absorbed light is not available anymore for photosynthesis and therefore growth is reduced. As lettuce producers are looking for high yielding varieties, i.e. growth, medium red lettuce varieties are often considered as a good compromise between yield and an attractive red leaf color.
Citation or identification of any document in this application is not an admission that such document is available as prior art to the present invention.


An image forming apparatus includes: a polygon mirror formed with a plurality of reflection surfaces, and a generating device configured to generate a pulse signal required to modulate a laser beam based on image data. The generating device is further configured to generate a pulse signal by inserting or deleting a pulse signal having a width smaller than a width of a pulse signal corresponding to one pixel of the image data into or from a pulse signal corresponding to the image data based on information associated with deviation amounts between lengths of scanning lines formed by the plurality of reflection surfaces and a reference value, so as to adjust the lengths of the scanning lines formed by the plurality of reflection surfaces to be closer to the reference value.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus adopting an electrophotography method such as a copying machine, printer, facsimile apparatus, or plate making system.
Description of the Related Art
In an image forming apparatus, toner images of respective colors (for example, cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) are formed using laser beams, and the toner images of these colors are superposed with each other, thus forming an image. In this case, when the toner images of the respective colors have different sizes, color misregistration occurs. To avoid such problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-238342 discloses an arrangement in which a slight delay is inserted or deleted into or from an image data stream, thereby adjusting a laser write frequency.
However, in the arrangement described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-238342, tolerances of respective reflection surfaces of a rotating polygon mirror are not corrected, thus causing length variations of scanning lines formed by the respective reflection surfaces. As a result, moiré that brings visual discomfort may be generated due to an interference between cycles of the rotating polygon mirror and a screen. For this reason, a limitation which inhibits use of a screen that readily causes moiré with respect to the cycle of the rotating polygon mirror has to be set.

Image forming apparatus having polygon mirror formed with a plurality of reflection surfaces


A time synchronization method in a CDMA system for synchronizing the time of a plurality of base stations and the time of a base station controller that controls each of these base stations includes providing the base station controller with a GPS receiver for receiving a signal from GPS satellites and generating a reference time based upon the received signal, adopting the reference time generated by the GPS receiver as the time of the base station controller, creating time reference information based upon this time and sending the time reference information to each base station. Each base station synchronizes its own time to the that of the base station controller based upon the time reference information it has received.

This invention relates to a method of synchronizing time in a CDMA system and, more particularly, to a time synchronization method for synchronizing the time of a plurality of base stations and the time of a base station controller that controls these base stations in a CDMA system.
In an IS-95xe2x80x94based N-CDMA (Narrow-band Code Division Multiple Access) system, it is required that signals transmitted from all base stations be synchronized in time (to within xc2x13 xcexcs of absolute time) for the following two reasons:
(1) In an N-CDMA system, a base station is identified by the phase offset of a pilot PN sequence, which is a code string, where PN stands for pseudo-random noise. If base stations are not synchronized in time, the phase offset cannot be stipulated and a terminal such as a cellular telephone will not be able to identify the base station.
More specifically, signals transmitted from each base station to a mobile terminal include a pilot signal and a synchronizing signal, and each base station transmits these signals upon spreading and modulating the signals by a pilot PN sequence. Though the pilot PN sequence code string used is itself the same for each base station, each base station is provided with a different phase offset (a 64-chip unit) so that the mobile terminal can identify the particular base station. (A maximum of 512 base stations can be identified.) The reference for the phase offset is CDMA system time. In regard to a pilot PN sequence for which the phase offset is 0 (zero), the standard is that 15 consecutive xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d s followed by a xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d be output at time 00:00:00 on Jan. 6, 1980 (the moment at which the changeover from 0 to 1 is made is time 00:00:00). Unless the base stations are synchronized in time, therefore, it is not possible to stipulate the phase offset of the pilot PN sequence and, as a result, it will not be possible for a mobile terminal to identify to which base station it is wirelessly connected.
(2) In order to avoid transmission line congestion and a fluctuation in transmission delay that accompanies such congestion in an N-CDMA system, phase offsets are imposed on the traffic channels (a traffic channel is a channel for voice signals between a mobile terminal and a base station) in steps of 1.25 ms on a per-call basis. If base stations are not synchronized to one another in terms of time, therefore, it will no longer be possible to implement soft handoff between base stations, soft handoff being a characterizing feature of an N-CDMA system. (Soft handoff is the ability of a mobile station to move from one base station to another without an interruption in service.)
More specifically, an example of a signal sent and received between each base station and a mobile terminal is a voice signal transmitted via a traffic channel. In order to avoid the effects of congestion, delay and a fluctuation in delay time in the transmission lines between base stations and a base station controller and between the base station controller and switching equipment or the like, phase offsets are allocated to the voice signals in steps of 1.25 ms per call on each traffic channel. Since a 20-ms frame is partitioned into units of 1.25 ms, in such case there will be 16 offsets.
FIG. 7 is a diagram useful in describing the necessity of a phase offset. Shown in FIG. 1 are a base station controller 1, a base station 2 and mobile terminals 51, 52, . . . , 5n currently communicating with the base station 2. Though data transmission from each terminal is illustrated in the form of bursts in order to make it easier to visualize operation, in actuality the data is transmitted continuously or discretely along the time axis. When voice signals from the terminals 51, 52, . . . , 5n arrive at the base station 2 at the same timing, as shown in FIG. 7, the signals are queued because there is only one transmission line between the base station 2 and the base station controller 1. As a consequence, a certain signal will be sent from the base station 2 to the base station controller 1 late in terms of the numerical order. For example, in terms of the numerical order, a voice signal n is sent late at a timing a in FIG. 7, and a voice signal 1 is sent late at a timing b. If the queuing time and the numerical order are always constant, no problems arise. However, since the terminals move, a slight disparity develops in the order in which the voice signals arrive at the base station 2. When the order of signal arrival differs, the order in which signals are sent from the base station to the base station controller 1 also changes and, as a result, a large variation in transmission delay time is produced. For this reason the 1.25-ms offset is set for each call and only two to three terminals are allocated to one offset to prevent a large fluctuation in transmission time.
Hitless handoff (soft handoff) between base stations under the control of the same base station controller is possible on the condition that the radio frequency before and after handoff is the same and, moreover, that the phase offset allocated to the traffic channels is the same. If the radio frequency is different, an interruption in service will be unavoidable owing to the frequency changeover. If the phase offset is different, this will result in a long standby time at a voice decoder or the like and eventually lead to an interruption in service. It should be noted that one item of voice data should be receivable in 20 ms and that any fluctuation is less than 1.25 ms at most.
Unless the base stations are synchronized in time, therefore, specifying the same offset before and after handoff will be meaningless and hitless soft handoff will be impossible to accomplish.
In view of reasons (1) and (2) set forth above, a first CDMA system according to the prior art is such that a highly accurate GPS receiver (having a time error on the order of xc2x10.1 xcexcs) is deployed at all base stations and the circuitry in each base station is actuated based upon time information and a clock signal received from GPS satellites.
With a second CDMA system according to the prior art, namely the system disclosed in the specification of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (KOKAI) No. 8-265838, a GPS clock output by a highly accurate GPS receiver deployed at a base station controller is adopted as a master clock and base stations are kept in frequency and time synchronization taking into account the transmission delay time between the base station controller and each base station. According to this second CDMA system, the transmission delay time is measured immediately prior to the sending and receiving of voice signals.
The first CDMA system according to the prior art is disadvantageous owing to the high cost of the base stations and system overall. The high-precision GPS receiver is costly (several hundred thousand yen) and a redundant configuration is necessary in order to reduce base station downtime due to failure. Furthermore, since an inexpensive GPS receiver has a time error on the order of 2 to 3 xcexcs, such a receiver cannot meet the system specifications.
The second CDMA system according to the prior art is capable of maintaining the time and phase synchronization between the base station controller and base stations but a problem that arises is that the base stations themselves cannot achieve time synchronization to absolute time (or to a specific time standard). Further, the second CDMA system is such that transmission delay time is not measured periodically but only just prior to sending/receiving of a voice signal (voice communication). This means that the system cannot deal with a situation in which the transmitting apparatus re-synchronizes for some reason or in which the apparatus recovers after the occurrence of a failure.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a time synchronization method through which the time of all base stations can be synchronized to absolute time highly accurately without providing each base station with a GPS receiver, i.e., by a low-cost arrangement.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a time synchronization method through which communication can be performed correctly by synchronizing transmitted signals from all base stations in a highly accurate manner.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a time synchronization method through which the time of all base stations can be synchronized to absolute time, resulting in that a signal to be transmitted can be transmitted upon synchronizing it to a transmitted signal from another base station even if a transmitting apparatus performs re-synchronization for some reason or recovers after the occurrence of a failure.
In accordance with the present invention, the foregoing objects are attained by providing a time synchronization method for synchronizing the time of a plurality of base stations in a CDMA system and the time of a base station controller that controls each of these base stations, comprising the steps of (1) providing the base station controller with a GPS receiver for receiving a signal from GPS satellites and generating a reference time based upon the received signal; (2) adopting the reference time generated by the GPS receiver as the time of the base station controller, generating time reference information based upon the said time and sending the time reference information to each base station; and (3) synchronizing the time of each base station to the time of the base station controller based upon the time reference information received by each base station. In other words, only the base station controller is provided with a GPS receiver, time reference information is sent from the base station controller to each base station and the time of each base station is synchronized to the time of the base station controller. This makes it possible to synchronize the time of all base stations to absolute time highly accurately through an inexpensive arrangement. In addition, since absolute time can be made the same at all base stations, signals to be transmitted from each of the base stations can be transmitted upon being synchronized highly accurately and it is possible to perform communication that does not cause transmission line congestion and a fluctuation in transmission delay that accompanies it.
Further, the base station controller periodically transmits, to each base station as the time reference information, data for specifying the reference time and time correction data for each base station, and the base station uses the reference time specifying data and the time correction data to correct its own time to that of the base station controller. If this arrangement is adopted, the time in the base station can be synchronized momentarily even if the base station re-synchronizes for some reason or recovers after the occurrence of a failure, and the signal to be transmitted can be transmitted upon achieving synchronization with transmitted signals from other base stations.
In this case the base station controller measures the transmission delay time from the base station controller to a base station, based upon the frame timing of a signal transmitted to the base station and the frame timing of the signal received from each base station, creates time correction data proper to each base station, using this transmission delay time and transmits the time correction data to each base station. Each base station then corrects its own time to that of the base station controller using the reference time specifying data and time correction data.
Further, the base station controller measures the transmission delay time from the base station controller to a base station based upon the frame timing of a signal transmitted to the base station and the frame timing of the signal received from the base station, adds this transmission delay time to the reference time to create the time reference information and then transmits the time reference information to each base station. Each base station then synchronizes its own time to that of the base station controller based upon the time reference information that has been received.
Further, the base station controller measures, every n frames, the transmission delay time from the base station controller to a base station based upon the frame timing of a signal transmitted to the base station and the frame timing of the signal received from the base station, adopts a reference time that follows n frames as the reference time specifying data, adopts time obtained by subtracting the transmission delay time from the period of n frames as the time correction data, and transmits this reference time specifying data and time correction data to each base station. Upon elapse of time indicated by the time correction data, each base station makes its own time agree with the reference time indicated by the reference time specifying data.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Time synchronization method in CDMA system


A specific section provided in a track is set in a DC free state, and during reproducing, accurate tracking is conducted on the basis of the crosstalk from the pilot tone superposed in the adjacent tracks in this DC free section. Alternatively, a pilot tone is generated only in a specific section provided in the track, and when reproducing, accurate tracking is effected on the basis of the crosstalk of the pilot tone in the tracks adjacent to this section. As a result, the redundancy required for tracking is notably reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of recording a digital signal suited to the reproduction of recorded signals with few errors by accurately tracing the recording tracks formed on a recording medium.
2. Description of the Prior Art
When recording a digital signal magnetically on a narrow track, presently, in order to track accurately and reproduce the signals with fewest errors, pilot tones of several different frequencies are superposed in each track of the data to be recorded at the time of recording. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, using pilot tones of four different frequencies, a case of recording on a magnetic tape is explained below. In this case, the recording tracks continuously formed on the recording medium (hereinafter called tracks) are sequentially supposed to be T1, T2, T3, T4, and so forth. Besides, the frequency of the pilot tone to be superposed on track T1 is supposed to be f1 (Hz), the frequency of the pilot tone to be superposed on track T2 is to be f2 (Hz), the frequency of the pilot tone to be superposed on track T3 is to be f3 (Hz), and the frequency of the pilot tone to be superposed on track T4 is to be f4 (Hz). The pilot tone frequencies fl to f4 are recycled in a period of four tracks, and are superposed on each track.
When reproducing, for example relating to track T2, by sampling and comparing the crosstalk levels of the pilot tones (f1 Hz, f3 Hz) from the both side tracks T1 and T3, the tracking is controlled so that both levels are identical. In other words, it is controlled so that the center of the reproducing head When tracing the track T2 may correctly trace the center of the track T2. Then, by sampling and comparing the crosstalk levels of both side pilot tones (f2 Hz, f4 Hz) while scanning the track T3, the tracking is controlled so that both levels are identical. Similarly, while scanning the track T4, the crosstalk levels of the pilot tones (f3 Hz, f1 Hz) are compared. While scanning the track T5, the crosstalk levels of the pilot tones (f4 Hz, f2 Hz) are sampled and compared to control the tracking. The crosstalk of each pilot tone is extracted by a band-pass filter from a reproduced signal.
In such a constitution, in order to track accurately, the crosstalk level of the pilot tone of such an extent as to not be easily affected by noise must be detected by the bandpass filter to compare the levels. Or, for the pilot tone to be detected, the data components of the pertinent frequency may be also be regarded as noise. Therefore, the recording level of the pilot tone must be higher than the level of the data signal by about more than ten to twenty decibels. However, when a pilot tone of such a high level is superposed on the data signal in an analog fashion, it is equivalent to noise as seen from the data signal, and errors increase in the reproduced data. Or, to avoid this, when a pilot tone of a high level is digitally added to the data signal, generally, the recording rate increases, thereby making it difficult to record and reproduce.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


An apparatus controls movement of fluids during an extracorporeal blood treatment session. A hollow cassette enclosure has a plurality of fluid input ports for receiving fluids into the enclosure and a plurality of fluid output ports for expelling fluids from the enclosure. Internal fluid passageways disposed within the hollow enclosure are provided for coupling together the fluid input ports, and the fluid output ports. At least one internal valve is disposed within the hollow enclosure for controlling movement of the fluid within the hollow enclosure. A filter is integrated into the cassette to filter the blood passing therethrough.

The present invention relates generally to systems for controlling fluid flow. More particularly, the present invention relates to systems for infusing fluids in and withdrawing fluids from patients undergoing medical care.
Several treatments for disease require the removal of blood from a patient, processing the one or more components of the blood and return of the processed components for a therapeutic effect. Those extracorporeal treatments require systems for safely removing blood from the patient, separating it into components, where necessary, and returning the blood to the patient.
Photopheresis is one treatment involving the separation of white cells from the blood, addition of a photoactivatable drug, and U.V. irradiation of the white cells before re-infusion to the patient. In known photopheresis systems, such as system 100 shown in FIG. 1, blood fluids are pumped by peristaltic roller pumps 110. In system 100, a complex tubing set is used to couple a patient 120 to an extracorporeal blood treatment system which includes a cell separator 130, a white blood cell photoactivation chamber 140, a saline bag 150a, an anti-coagulant bag 150b and a waste bag 150c. Valves 160, bubble chambers 170, air detectors 180, and pressure sensors 190 are interconnected to the tubing set for monitoring and controlling fluid flow within the system. Complex tubing sets, such as that shown in FIG. 1, have the potential to cause cell damage under high outlet pressure conditions. Blood has also been pumped with discrete pump chambers and valves which also require complex tubing sets. Such discrete pump chambers and valves are considered to be less damaging to cells under high outlet pressures.
A very real advancement in photopheresis systems would result if the size and complexity of the tubing in systems such as that shown in FIG. 1 could be reduced, even at the cost of a more complex blood driving system, since the blood driving system represents permanent reusable equipment, whereas the tubing set must be replaced or disposed of after each treatment session. A similar result has been accomplished with peritoneal dialysis systems, where the flow of dialysate is controlled entirely with diaphragm pumps and valves driven by air pulses delivered to a molded cassette through a plastic membrane. See for instance several patents by Dean Kamen, including U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,182, issued Jan. 12, 1993 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,634,896 issued Jun. 3, 1997, which are incorporated herein by reference.
The cassette contains all components of a previously complex tubing set, except for the lines to the patient and short delivery lines from the dialysate containers. The air pulses delivered to the cassette are controlled by continually analyzing the pressure changes in the air delivered to the diaphragm pumps, processing the pressure changes through a computer, and making continual corrections as a result. The resulting peritoneal dialysis system is able to accurately measure the fluid delivered, but is unable to provide a fixed steadiness of flow rate. In contrast to peritoneal dialysis systems, systems such as photopheresis systems, which involve continuous blood cell separation, require both a very steady flow rate, as well as the ability to control the fluid flow rate. Furthermore, such a system may tend to promote clotting, hemolysis and cell lysis when pumping blood, as opposed to its intended fluid, dialysate which contains no cellular components.
An apparatus according to the present invention controls movement of fluids during an extracorporeal blood treatment session. It comprises a hollow enclosure having a plurality of fluid input ports for receiving the fluids into the enclosure and a plurality of fluid output ports for expelling fluids from the enclosure. Internal fluid passageways within the hollow enclosure couple together the fluid input ports, and the fluid output ports. At least one internal valve is disposed within the hollow enclosure and connected to at least one of the internal fluid passageways for controlling movement of the fluid within the hollow enclosure during the extracorporeal blood treatment session. A filter in the hollow enclosure filters the fluids.
Preferably, the filter comprises a first chamber and a second chamber within the enclosure which are separated from each other by a filter media, having a pore size of 200 to 400 microns, and most preferably about 200 microns. A filter media of woven mesh, such as a woven polyester such as DACRON brand is preferred. One or both of the filter chambers can be partially formed by an elastomeric membrane material outer surfaces of the hollow enclosure. Preferably, some means is provided to evacuate air from the filter chambers.
A method according to the present invention for controlling movement of fluids during an extracorporeal blood treatment comprises the steps of: extracting blood from a patient and admitting the blood into a hollow enclosure having a plurality of fluid input ports for receiving the blood into the enclosure, a plurality of fluid output ports for expelling the blood from the enclosure and a plurality of internal fluid passageways disposed within the hollow enclosure for coupling together the fluid input ports, the fluid output ports; directing flow of the blood through selected ones of the fluid passageways with at least one internal valve disposed within the hollow enclosure; and filtering the blood through a filter in the hollow enclosure.
Preferably, the first chamber is at least partially formed of a first layer of flexible membrane material disposed on a first outer surfaces of the hollow enclosure and the method further comprises the step of measuring the pressure in the first chamber by measuring the pressure against the flexible membrane. The blood is preferably returned to the patient from the hollow enclosure, and the filtering step preferably closely precedes the step of returning the blood to the patient so as to reduce the possibility of a clot forming in the enclosure and returning to the patient.

Integrated cassette for controlling fluid having an integral filter


A card device has a generally rectangular body formed from flexible material and including electronic circuitry electrically connected to a set of electrical contacts. At least part of the card device is flexed, bent or folded in such a manner that the inherent resilience of the card material provides a force for pressing the set of contacts against the electrical contacts of a USB receptacle.

The present invention relates to card-like devices and, in particular, it concerns a card device configured for connecting directly to a standard USB receptacle.
Flash memory drives and other devices based on similar technology are packaged in several forms and shapes, such as a key-holder, a pen, a pocketknife etc. One useful form factor for flash memory drive is that of a plastic card that can be carried in a credit card wallet, and may serve additional functions, such as for use as a smart card, a credit card or an identification card.
Due to the specifications of the USB standard, there is a narrow tolerance for the thickness of the connector plate of the USB plug, which has to be a minimum of about 1 mm. This thickness is almost twice as much as available in credit cards and smart cards, and in some cases, considerably more than twice the preferred thickness dimension of the card.
Known solutions for providing a USB connector on a thin card either require use of a thick card of thickness sufficient to reliably engage a USB socket, or employ a card formed as an assembly of at least two pieces in which one part moves relative to the other in order increase the thickness of the connector, when the card is to be used as a connector. Both solutions have the advantage of complying with the standard USB specifications, but have the disadvantage of making the card cumbersome and more expensive to produce.
PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 2005/124932 to Atsmon et al. discloses (in FIG. 6b) a further approach according to which the thickness of the card is increased by doubling over the card on itself. The proposed approach does not seem to allow use of a conventional rectangular credit-card-type device, but rather requires a plug-width projecting element similar to the embodiments of Atsmon shown in FIGS. 8-11.
It is desired to have a card that has the shape and thickness of a standard credit card, carries a USB connector, and is most preferably made of one piece in a process of stamping and printing.

Card device for connection to a USB receptacle


A new Calibrachoa plant designated ‘KLECA18483’ particularly distinguished by light pink flowers, is disclosed.

The present invention comprises a new and distinct variety of Calibrachoa, botanically known as Calibrachoa sp., and hereinafter referred to by the variety name 'KLECA18483'. 'KLECA18483' originated from a controlled cross between the proprietary female Calibrachoa parent 'KLECA12235' (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 25,287) also designated 'CA-2009-1427' and known commercially as MINIFAMOUS Neo 'White' and the proprietary male Calibrachoa 'CA-2014-4088', (unpatented) in Stuttgart, Germany in August 2015.
'KLECA18483' has been found to reproduce true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation in Stuttgart, Germany via vegetative stem cuttings.


An apparatus is provided for generating a Customized Uniform Resource Locator (CURL). The apparatus includes a request receiver, an information obtainer, and a CURL register. The request receiver is adapted to receive a request for assigning a CURL applied by a user to selected content in a network resource accessed through a normal URL. The information obtainer is adapted to obtain the normal URL, the CURL, and a set of description information of the selected content. The CURL register is adapted to obtain a browser context, an application context, and a system context related to the selected content, and is further adapted to store the browser context, the application context, and the system context which have been obtained with the normal URL, the CURL, and the set of description information of the selected content into a CURL repository as a whole.

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is used to define the route to a specified resource in Internet server. In current art, any resource that can be accessed on the Internet is assigned a unique URL, and client software such as an HTML browser can access a corresponding resource using the URL. However, current URLs cannot satisfy the requirement of users very well in terms of reproduction of dynamic network resource and granularity access. In particular, more and more network resources are generated in a dynamic manner by a server. This results in the content being displayed differently when accessed by different users through the same URL, or when accessed by the same user through the same URL in different scenarios (such as different time). That is, the resource generated dynamically cannot be reproduced, thus inconveniencing the users.
For example, FIG. 1 shows an HTML page of stock price statistic, in which a graph is used to represent the price variations of stock exchange. It is easy to see that the graph must be varied as time varies. For instance, the graph viewed by user A through finance.ibm.com/stock/company/sh60008/nc.shtml in the first day is different from the graph viewed through the same URL in the second day. That is, user A cannot view the graph of the first day through the above URL on the second day and afterwards. Therefore, if user A wishes to be able to refer to the stock trend for previous instances of tie, the user can only save the daily graphs and related pages manually. This not only occupies large amounts of storage space in the client, but also is quite troublesome. Moreover, since user A saves the graphs and related pages in his local machine, other users in the network cannot obtain these resources by accessing the network server. If user A wishes to share these resources with other users in the network, the user has to distribute the saved graph resource to each of the other users, which is obviously troublesome and time-consuming.
In another aspect, when a URL is used it is often regarded as a file, that is, the user cannot specify the URL for any lower granularity of a resource, e.g., a function in the web application or a fragment of HTML document. With the appearance and development of Web 2.0, the need for simply integrating parts of the functions of different web applications together is more and more proposed. A typical scenario is that, when a user sees a calendar widget in a website, the user would like to mash it up into his/her personal blog site, instead of developing this calendar widget himself/herself. Under this trend, people have begun to consider using REST architecture to specify a URL for a specified resource (e.g., specifying URL for respective functions of the web applications) by providing RESTful API, and integrating the fragments of different resources together using mash-up technique. However, for most current conventional applications, RESTful API is not provided to realize mash-up, thus a lot of coding work still has to be done when performing functional integration among different web applications.

Apparatus and method for generating and using a customized uniform resource locator

International Business Machines Corporation


Disclosed is a method for manufacturing an organic EL light emitting display device, comprising forming an anode electrode above a substrate, forming an organic light emitting layer above the anode electrode, performing a fluorinating treatment on a surface of the organic light emitting layer, and forming a cathode electrode directly on the fluorinated surface of the organic light emitting layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an organic EL light emitting display device and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, an electroluminescence (EL) light emitting display device using a multi-layered film of an organic material attracts attention. The organic EL light emitting display device comprises an organic light emitting layer sandwiched between an anode electrode formed of ITO and a cathode electrode. If a DC voltage is applied between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode, electrons are injected from the metal forming the cathode electrode into the low unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the organic compound constituting the electron transport layer. On the other hand, holes are injected from the ITO electrode constituting the anode electrode into the high occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) of the hole transport layer. As a result, the holes and the electrons are recombined within the organic light emitting layer so as to emit light. The method of manufacturing an organic EL light emitting display device can be roughly classified into two methods, i.e., into a method of the vapor deposition of molecules having a low molecular weight under vacuum and a method of coating a polymer solution.
In an organic EL light emitting display device, a metal having a low work function is used for forming the cathode electrode that is laminated on the organic light emitting layer because this enhances the efficiency of injecting electrons into the organic light emitting. However, the organic EL light emitting display device using a metal having a low work function for forming the cathode electrode is defective in that the organic EL light emitting display device tends to be degraded. It is impossible to obtain an organic EL light emitting display device having a sufficiently long life even if an inorganic compound layer (buffer layer) formed of a fluoride of an alkali metal or a fluoride of an alkaline earth metal is sandwiched between the organic light emitting layer and the cathode electrode.

Organic EL light emitting display device and method of manufacturing the same


An apparatus and method for performing multiple exclusive OR (XOR) operations using standard binary multiplication circuitry to create multiple XOR expressions simultaneously. The method and apparatus include a multiplication circuit to generate a product result by performing a multiplication between a multiplier and a multiplicand. A selection circuit is then used to break down the product result into a plurality of partial product sub-expressions. An XOR gate is provided to generate a final expression from one or more of the plurality of partial product sub-expression. The present invention is suited for performing calculations involving a large number of XOR operations with various combinations of product terms, such as cyclical redundancy check calculations.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to data communications, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for performing multiple exclusive OR (XOR) operations using standard binary multiplication circuitry to create multiple XOR expressions simultaneously. The present invention is suited for performing calculations involving a large number of XOR operations with various combinations of product terms, such as cyclic redundancy check calculations.
2. Description of Related Art
Cyclic redundancy check (CRC) is a commonly known technique for determining transmission errors in communication systems. In digital data communication systems, bits of information often need to be transmitted from a transmitting location to a receiving location. Cyclic redundancy checking is a method of checking for errors in the data transmission over the communications link. For example when a block of data is to be transmitted, the sending device performs a calculation using either a 16 or 32 bit generator polynomial on the block to create a cyclic redundancy code (CRC) check. The resulting CRC check is then appended to the transmitted block. At the receiving device, the same calculation using the same polynomial is performed on the data block. If the computed CRC check result is the same as the appended CRC check, it is assumed that the data has been received successfully. If not, the sender can be notified to resend the block of data.
A Programmable Logic Device (PLD) is a semiconductor integrated circuit that contains fixed logic circuitry that can be programmed to perform a host of logic functions. In the semiconductor industry, PLDs are becoming increasingly popular for a number of reasons. Due to the advances of chip manufacturing technology, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) designs have become incredibly complex. This complexity not only adds to design costs, but also the duration of time needed to develop an application specific design. To compound this problem, product life cycles are shrinking rapidly. As a result, it is often not feasible for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to design and use ASICs. OEMs are therefore relying more and more on PLDs. The same advances in fabrication technology have also resulted in PLDs with improved density and speed performance. Sophisticated programming software enables complex logic functions to be rapidly developed for PLDs. Furthermore, logic designs generally can also be easily migrated from one generation of PLDs to the next, further reducing product development times. The closing of the price-performance gap with ASICs and reduced product development times makes the use of PLDs compelling for many OEMs.
Most PLDs contain a two-dimensional row and column based architecture to implement custom logic. A series of row and column interconnects, typically of varying length and speed, provide signal and clock interconnects between blocks of logic on the PLD. The blocks of logic, often referred to by such names as Logic Elements (LEs), Adaptive Logic Modules (ALMs), or Complex Logic Blocks (CLBs), usually include one or more look up table (LUTs), programmable registers, adders and other circuitry to implement various logic and arithmetic functions. Many PLDs also include dedicated blocks of memory of various sizes for a variety of applications. Yet other PLDs include Digital Signal Processing (DSP) blocks for performing multiplication and other signal processing techniques such as finite input response filters or FIR filters. One commercially available PLD with blocks of logic, dedicated memory blocks, and DSP blocks is the Stratix II offered by Altera Corporation, San Jose, Calif. For more details on the Stratix II, see the "Stratix II Architecture", Altera document number SII51002-4.0, Altera Corporation, December 2005, incorporated in its entirety by reference herein for all purposes.
In the aforementioned Stratix II device for example, the DSP blocks have circuitry for implementing multiplication, addition and subtraction. The PLD can be implemented into one of four modes of operation, including: (i) simple multiplier; (ii) multiply-accumulator; (iii) two-multipliers and an adder; and (iv) four-multipliers and an adder. In the modes having a multiplier and an adder, two numbers can be multiplied and then the product can be added/subtracted to a third number by the adder.
PLDs are often used for communication applications. A PLD can be configured as either a transmitter, a receiver, or a transceiver. Regardless if transmitting or receiving bits of information, the PLD will often have to perform a CRC operation to determine the integrity of the transmitted data. With current PLDs, the CRC operation is typically implemented using a large number of LUTs in the logic blocks provided on the device. This arrangement, however, is highly inefficient. The LUTs used for implementing the CRC function could otherwise be used for implementing other logic.
An apparatus and method for performing cyclical redundancy check calculations using the multiplication circuitry provided in the DSP blocks of a PLD is therefore needed.

Apparatus and method for performing multiple exclusive or operations using multiplication circuitry


Embodiments of the invention avoid erroneous drive current control at the time of a change in the drive waveform for a spindle motor. In one embodiment, a drive current setup section acquires the actual rotational speed from a rotational speed determination section. If the drive waveform is not changed, the feedback system for a first gain determines a drive current. Drive current data corresponding to the drive current is set in a register. If the drive waveform data switches to a curved wave during the next timing cycle, the feedback system does not perform any process, but the same drive current data as for the immediately preceding timing cycle is set in the register. During the next timing cycle, the actual rotational speed is acquired from the rotational speed determination section, and the feedback system for a second gain determines the drive current. When the drive waveform data changes, the feedback system process is skipped once. Therefore, erroneous drive current control can be avoided at the time of a drive waveform change.

The present invention relates to a storage device control method, motor control method, and storage device, and more particularly to a storage device control method, motor control method, and storage device for changing a drive current waveform.
It is known that information recording/reproducing devices use various types of media such as optical disks and magnetic tapes. Among others, hard disk drives are widely used as a computer's storage device and recognized as being essential to the present-day computer systems. Owing to their excellent characteristics, the hard disk drives have found increasingly wide applications including computers, motion picture storage/reproducing devices, car navigation systems, and removable memories for use, for instance, in digital cameras.
A hard disk drive comprises a magnetic disk for storing data, a spindle motor for rotating the magnetic disk, a magnetic head for reading data stored on the magnetic disk and/or writing data onto the magnetic disk, and an actuator to which the magnetic head is fastened. The actuator is driven by a voice coil motor (VCM). The actuator pivotally moves on a pivot to move the magnetic head. To read/write data, the actuator moves the magnetic head to a data area on a rotating surface of the magnetic disk. The magnetic head has a recording/reproducing thin-film element and a slider. The pressure produced by the stiction of the air between the slider's ABS (Air Bearing Surface), which faces the magnetic disk, and the rotating magnetic disk properly balances with the pressure that the actuator applies toward the magnetic disk. As a result, the magnetic head flies above the magnetic disk with a fixed air gap.
The spindle motor is controlled for its driving by a CPU and a spindle motor driver (SPM driver). In compliance with a command from the CPU, the SPM driver provides control over spindle motor startup and rotation. When the actual rotational speed of the spindle motor is detected, feedback control is exercised to control the rotation of the spindle motor. While no data read/write process is performed during the use of a hard disk drive based on the load/unload technology, the magnetic head rests on a ramp mechanism positioned outside the magnetic disk. When a storage area on the magnetic disk needs to be accessed, the actuator turns to move the magnetic head from the ramp mechanism to a position above the magnetic disk. When the magnetic head moves to a position above the magnetic disk, air friction occurs between the magnetic head and magnetic disk. This air friction causes a change in the rotation of the magnetic disk.
A technology for controlling a change in the rotation of the magnetic disk, which may be caused by the above-mentioned loading operation, is disclosed by Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2001-14789. When head load control is exercised in a load/unload type disk drive, the control gain of a feedback control system for the spindle motor is set to a high level. When the rotation reaches its steady state, the control gain is restored to the normal level. In the head loading sequence, the CPU increases the control gain to provide improved response to disturbance for the purpose of controlling a rotational change. When the controlled rotational change is within an acceptable range, the CPU restores the control gain to its normal level for the purpose of maintaining feedback control system stability.
In the magnetic head loading sequence, the control gain is increased to provide improved response to disturbance for the purpose of exercising rotational change control. When the control gain increases, feedback control system stability may decrease to incur oscillation. Therefore, when the controlled rotational change is within an acceptable range, the control gain is restored to its normal level. When the magnetic head is loaded onto the magnetic disk for data recording/reproducing purposes, the rotation of the spindle motor changes due to disturbance caused by the force of air friction between the magnetic head and magnetic disk. However, the use of the above configuration makes it possible to control such a change in the rotation of the spindle motor within a short period of time.

Storage device control method, motor control method, and storage device

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Netherlands B.V.


Various embodiments of a ventricular assist system and a method of using such system are disclosed. The system includes a pump adapted to be connected to a heart of a patient, an outflow cannula including a first end adapted to be connected to an outlet of the pump and a second end adapted to be connected to an artery of the patient, and an electrode disposed on an outer surface of the outflow cannula and adapted to be disposed adjacent to an exterior wall of the heart. The system further includes a controller electrically connected to the pump and the electrode, where the controller is adapted to provide a pacing signal to the electrode.

A ventricular assist device (VAD) or system is an implantable blood pump that can assist an impaired heart by pumping blood to support the workload of the heart. A VAD may be coupled along the arterial system, e.g., between a ventricular chamber and an artery, to pump blood from the ventricle into the arterial system. For example, a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) may be coupled between the left ventricle and the ascending or descending aorta. Assistance in pumping blood by a VAD can be provided to a heart failure patient acutely or chronically, as a bridge to heart transplant, as temporary support to allow myocardial recovery, or as a permanent assist device for heart failure patients contraindicated for heart transplant.
Some patients that utilize a VAD may also require a cardiac rhythm management device, such as a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), that monitors a patient's heart rhythm and provides electrical stimulation therapy, such as bradycardia pacing, cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP), or a cardioversion/defibrillation (CV/DF) shock, in response to detection of an abnormal electrical rhythm. ICDs are generally designed to detect life threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmia and rapidly respond to the detection by preparing for and delivering ATP and/or cardioversion or defibrillation shock(s) to prevent sudden cardiac death. Heart failure patients are at risk of sudden cardiac death due to arrhythmia. ICD implantation in heart failure patients reduces the risk of sudden cardiac death. Patients having both a VAD and an ICD may have improved survival.


A modular building panel comprising a rectangular frame 11 having one face covered in a water resistant board 16 with the other face also covered in a board material 17, the frame having top and bottom rails 12, 13 joined together by wood composite “I” beams 14. Two of said I beams 14A & 14B also form the sides of the frame with their recessed sides 28 facing outwardly thereof. The recessed sides 28 of the outer I beams 14A 14B in use accommodate jointing posts for linking adjacent panels.

The present invention relates to building construction and in particular to the construction of dwellings formed from spaced apart inner and outer walls in which the inner wall provides a load bearing structure which support the upper floors and roof structure etc., and the outer wall is formed of a weather resistant material e.g brickwork, timber cladding etc. A known construction of building is the Canadian timber frame house.
One known inner wall module is pre-assembled from a laminate of plywood, foam and plasterboard. Another known construction comprises two layers of cement fibreboard having a foam layer therebetween.
The present invention seeks to provide a load bearing wall panel which is supplied in modular form and which is dimensionally stable, and is light to handle,