The precision longitudinal movement transmission cable, includes a tubular casing (T) and a cylindrical central core (N) contained in the tubular casing (T) and having a plurality of radial projections (5) extending longitudinally over the entire core length and being provided with a central metal cable (4) for axial reinforcement. The longitudinally extending radial projections define a plurality of longitudinally extending equidistant channel-like grooves (6) and the cylindrical central core (N) fits in the tubular casing (T) so that it can slide and rotate. The transmission cable is also provided with a retaining device in each of the channel-like grooves (6) providing partitioning walls defining a plurality of compartments (9) of equal compartment length arranged in longitudinal succession along each of the channel-like grooves (6); and a plurality of balls(10), each of the balls being located in one of the compartments (9) of the channel-like grooves (6) and being dimensioned so that the balls can move snugly along an inner surface of the tubular casing (T) and in the channel-like groove (6) along the entire compartment length of the compartment (9) when the central core (N) is moved longitudinally. The retaining device can be a metal wire (7) uniformly helically coiled around the central core (N).

The present invention relates to movement transmission cables and, more particularly, to a precision longitudinal movement transmission cable which is particularly applicable as a connecting member between the control lever and the automatic transmission of motor vehicles.
It is well known that in motor vehicles fitted with an automatic transmission as original equipment the connection between the gear lever mounted in the vehicle interior and the automatic transmission is effected by longitudinal movement transmission cable, unlike vehicles provided with a manual transmission as original equipment in which the connection between the gear lever and the transmission is effected generally by a set of articulated rigid metal rods.
The purpose of the longitudinal movement transmission cables is to transfer to the automatic transmission the movement that the driver applies to the gear lever. The flexible nature of these transmission cables is important for their use as a connecting member between the gear lever and automatic transmission in view of the relative positions of both, generally involving an undulating path for the connection.
Generally speaking, these longitudinal movement transmission cables are basically formed by a longitudinal central band or core housed in a casing adapted to the operational conditions of the cable. The central core may slide relative to the casing with the aid of bearings.
Among the known longitudinal movement transmission cables incorporating the novel features characterizing them which have been described in essence in the foregoing paragraphs, the following may be cited: French patent 70.39958, describing a longitudinal movement transmission cable wherein the central core consists of a continuous prismatic band longitudinally movable between two opposed rows of running members which respectively bear against a guide channel attached to the cable casing; French patent 73.15135, describes a longitudinal movement transmission cable comprising a longitudinally movable central prismatic core, two of the sides whereof bear on continuous bands provided with running members which bear against the inner surface of the cable casing; and Spanish patent 308,365, which describes a longitudinal movement transmission cable having a cylindrical central core longitudinally movable on running members housed in a plurality of interconnected supports concentric to the main core.
Generally speaking, the known embodiments of longitudinal movement transmission cables suffer from the fact that they comprise a large number of components parts are complex to make and assemble. This is their main drawback. On the one hand, all of this makes production and assembly costs comparatively more expensive and, on the other hand, causes comparatively frequent breakdowns and/or faulty operation of the cable.

Precision longitudinal movement transmission cable


An endoscope includes: an insertion portion; an operation portion provided on a proximal end side of the insertion portion, and including a first and a second sheath bodies; a fluid tube, a light guide fiber bundle, and a signal cable extended from a distal end portion and guided into an internal space of the operation portion; a main board provided in the internal space of the operation portion, wherein the fluid tube, the light guide fiber bundle, and the signal cable are provided on a surface of the main board; and an position regulating member attachable/detachable to/from a predetermined position of the main board, and in a state of being attached to the main board, regulates insertion states of the fluid tubes, the light guide fiber bundle, and the signal cable extended from the insertion portion toward the main board into a predetermined insertion state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope including an operation portion through which internal components of the endoscope such as bending wires, fluid tubes, and a signal cable are inserted.
2. Description of the Related Art
Endoscopes are used in the medical field, the industrial field and other fields. Endoscopes include a so-called electronic endoscope incorporating an image pickup apparatus at a distal end portion of an insertion portion. The medical electronic endoscope (hereinafter "endoscope") 1 shown in FIG. 1 generally includes an operation portion 3 on a proximal end side of an insertion portion 2 which has flexibility.
The operation portion 3 is configured by integrally fixing an operation portion main body 3A and a grasping portion case body 3B. The operation portion main body 3A is provided with a bending operation apparatus 4, an air/water feeding button 5, and a suction button 6.
A reference sign 7 represents a universal cable, and the universal cable extends from the operation portion main body 3A.
The bending operation apparatus 4 includes an up/down knob 4UD and a left/right knob 4LR. A bending portion of the insertion portion 2 (not shown) bends in an upper direction or a lower direction in accordance with an operation of the up/down knob 4UD. Also, the bending portion bends in a left direction or a right direction according to an operation of the left/right knob 4LR.
Note that a reference sign 8 represents a treatment instrument insertion port, and the treatment instrument insertion port is provided at a grasping portion case body 3B. The treatment instrument insertion port has an opening through which an endoscope treatment instrument such as forceps, not shown, is inserted and removed.
The endoscope 1 including the bending operation apparatus 4, the air/water feeding button 5 and the suction button 6 includes as the endoscope internal components, the bending wires which extend from the bending portion, and fluid tubes, light guide fiber bundles, a signal cable, and the like, which extend from the distal end portion of the insertion portion (not shown).
As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the endoscope internal components inserted through the insertion portion 2 are passed through the insertion portion 2, and guided into an operation portion internal space 10 that is an internal space of the operation portion 3.
As shown in FIG. 2, the operation portion internal space 10 is divided into two spaces: a first space 11 and a second space 12. A reference sign 13 represents a main board, and the main board divides the operation portion internal space 10. The main board 13 is disposed in parallel with a direction of the longitudinal axis of the operation portion 3.
The bending wires are guided into the first space 11. The bending wires are four bending wires 14U, 14D, 14L and 14R corresponding to four bending directions of the bending portion, i.e., upper, lower, left and right directions.
The fluid tubes, the light guide fiber bundles and the signal cable are guided into the second space 12. The fluid tubes are, for example, an air feeding tube 15a and a water feeding tube 15w1 which correspond to the air/water feeding button 5, and a suction tube 15s and an auxiliary water feeding tube 15w2 which correspond to the suction button 6. For example, the two light guide fiber bundles which are the fiber bundles 16a, 16b (hereinafter "fiber bundles") are provided so as to correspond to the number of illumination windows. The signal cable 17 is extended from the image pickup apparatus (not shown), and configured by a plurality of signal wires combined into one bundle.
As shown in FIG. 3, the air feeding tube 15a, the water feeding tubes 15w1 and 15w2, the suction tube 15s that also serves as a treatment instrument channel tube, the two fiber bundles 16a, 16b, and the signal cable 17 are disposed in the second space 12 constituting one surface side of the main board 13 in the operation portion internal space 10.
One end of the air feeding tube 15a guided into the second space 12 is coupled to one end of a first tube 19a whose other end is coupled to the air/water feeding button 5 via an air feeding tube coupler 18a. One end of the water feeding tube 15w1 guided into the second space 12 is coupled to one end of a second tube 19w1 whose other end is coupled to the air/water feeding button 5 via a first water feeding tube coupler 18w1. One end of the auxiliary water feeding tube 15w2 guided into the second space 12 is coupled to one end of a third tube 19w2 which extends to an endoscope coupler, not shown, via the second water feeding tube coupler 18w2. One end of the suction tube 15s guided into the second space 12 is coupled to one end of a fourth tube 19s whose other end is coupled to the suction button 6 by the suction tube coupler 18s.
The various tubes 15a, 15w1, 15w2, 15s, 19a, 19w1, 19w2 and 19s, the light guide fiber bundles 16a, 16b, and the signal cable 17 each has a predetermined elasticity (or hardness). The various tubes 15a, 15w1, 15w2, 15s, 19a, 19w1, 19w2 and 19s, the light guide fiber bundles 16a, 16b, and the signal cable 17 are disposed to be in a predetermined slack state in the operation portion 3 so as to each reciprocate with respect to a longitudinal direction of the operation portion in the operation portion internal space 10.
Accordingly, the various tube 15a, 15w1, 15w2, 15s, 19a, 19w1, 19w2 and 19s, the light guide fiber bundles 16a, 16b, and the signal cable 17 can be prevented from becoming tight due to a bending action of the bending portion.
Note that the upward bending wire 14U, the downward bending wire 14D, the leftward bending wire 14L, and the rightward bending wire 14R guided into the first space 11 are disposed on the other surface side of the main board 13.
After disposing the aforementioned various endoscope internal components, an operator moves the grasping portion case body 3B from the side of the insertion portion 2 to the side of the operation portion main body 3A as shown in an arrow Y4, and integrally combines the operation portion main body 3A and the case body 3B, as shown in FIG. 4.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H8-36137 discloses an assembly portion inside the endoscope, which is designed so as to even assembly states of various members, eliminate variation in durability or damages of optical fiber bundles and make the assembling work to be finished in a short time. The assembly portion in the endoscope includes a main board showing an actual layout drawing of various members including optical fiber bundles such as a light guide and an image guide, an air feeding pipe, and a water feeding pipe, which are arranged inside the endoscope operation portion. Assembly sequence numbers are added to marks of the respective members in the layout drawing, and the same numbers are added to the various members to be assembled. As a result, arranging the various members according to the layout drawing and the sequence numbers enables different operators to assemble the various members in the same manner.
An experienced skill is required for a technique of assembling a plurality of endoscope internal components in a short time while keeping a degree of freedom for reciprocation in a longitudinal direction of the operation portion in the internal space of the operation portion.


A method for the preparation of sodium tungstate by the oxidation of hard metal scrap and/or heavy metal scrap in a molten salt mixture of hydroxide and sodium sulfate.

The present invention relates to a method for the preparation of sodium tungstate by the oxidation of hard metal scrap and/or heavy metal scrap in a molten salt.
Methods for the recovery of useful materials from ("working up of") hard metal scrap (WC--Co or WC--Co--TaC--TiC) and heavy metal scrap (W--Cu--Ni--Fe) are described in numerous patent publications. Known methods include the oxidation of hard metal scrap at elevated temperatures (U.S. Pat. No. 3,887,680), treatment with liquid zinc (U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,484) or the anodic dissolution of contained binder materials (AT-A 380 495). These methods are either expensive as regards apparatus or are suitable only for certain types of scrap.
Moreover the reaction of hard metal scrap in molten salts is important industrially.
Thus U.S. Pat. No. 4,603,043 describes the working up of W-containing materials in a molten salt consisting of NaNO.sub.3 and NaOH at temperatures of 500 to 700.degree. C. Here, in order better to control the reaction, NaOH and the W-containing component are first of all heated to 560 to 600.degree. C. The NaNO3 required as oxidising agent is subsequently added over a period of 2 to 3 hours.
According to DE 3144295, the working up of hard metal scrap is likewise carried out in an alkali hydroxide/alkali nitrate melt, in a molten salt consisting of 40 to 80% alkali nitrate and 20 to 60% alkali hydroxide. 5% of NaCl is added in order to lower the melting point. The melting temperature is 550.degree. C. The melt is subsequently poured into water.
DD-A 207 932 discloses the working up of hard metal scrap in pure sodium nitrate melts or pure sodium nitrite melts. Here the stoichiometric excess of the alkali component is to be 10 to 15% and the melting temperature 900.degree. C. The reacted melt is cooled to room temperature prior to being dissolved in water.
According to IN-A 157 146, a molten salt consisting of alkali hydroxide, preferably KOH or NaOH, and an alkali nitrate as oxidising agent, preferably KNO.sub.3 or NaNO.sub.3, is employed for the working up of hard metal scrap. The melting temperature varies between 350 and 460.degree. C. In this connection it was established that at 400 to 420.degree. C. the yields of tungsten are 90 to 94%. At 440 to 460.degree. C. the yield of tungsten can be increased to 99%. In this case the reaction can be controlled only with difficulty. In addition emission of nitrogen oxides occurs.
The disadvantage of all reactions in nitrate and/or nitrite media is that the highly exothermic reaction is difficult to control. Consequently the overall reaction is considered to be problematic as regards industrial safety. In addition there is a frequently uncontrollable emission of nitrous gases. Nitrite and nitrate contained in the sodium tungstate solution and in the filtration residues render working up extremely difficult when a solvent extraction has to be subsequently carried out.
The object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a method for the working up of lumps of hard metal scrap and heavy metal scrap, which does not have the disadvantages described.


Recombinant nucleic acid molecules are provided that form hair pin structures and can be used to down-regulate gene expression. For example, a nucleic acid molecule can comprise a flanking and lower stem loop sequence from a mir-16 gene; an antisense target sequence; a mir-30 loop sequence; a complement of the anti-sense target sequence; and a lower stem loop complementary to the mir-16 sequence. Methods for down regulating gene expression in a cell using such recombinant nucleic acid molecules are also provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of molecular biology and biochemistry. More particularly, it concerns methods and compositions for expression of inhibitory RNA molecules.
2. Description of Related Art
RNA interference (RNAi) is a naturally occurring, evolutionary conserved biological process in plants and animals as well as humans. Suppression of gene expression via RNAi occurs either by sequence specific degradation of mRNA molecules, or by interfering with translation of mRNA molecules. These two mechanisms are mediated by small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules that recognize their complimentary sequences in the mRNA. To describe the natural RNAi pathway in brief, an RNAi gene when transcribed produces a primary micro RNA molecule (pri-miRNA). In the nucleus, the enzyme Drosha recognizes structural elements of the pri-miRNA and cleaves it accordingly to produce a premature mi-RNA (pre-miRNA). Exportin 5 transports the pre-miRNA into the cytoplasm where the enzyme Dicer further cleaves the molecule resulting in a miRNA duplex. One half i.e. one strand of the miRNA duplex is then selected and incorporated into the RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). In most cases, if the strand of the miRNA duplex selected is 100% complimentary to the target mRNA, cleavage of the mRNA occurs. If the strand of the miRNA duplex selected is not 100% complimentary to the target mRNA, mRNA may not be degraded but RISC will interfere with ribosome function, hence decreasing translation of the protein. In both cases, the resulting decrease of final protein synthesis is termed post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS) (He and Hannon, 2004).
Down-regulation of gene expression by use of RNAi is now also being explored as a promising therapeutic tool to address infectious diseases, cancers, as well as inheritable genetic diseases. However, despite significant advances in the field, the magnitude of reduction in gene expression that is achieved with such strategies is often insufficient to provide clinical efficacy. Methods for significant and sustainable targeted reduction of gene expression are therefore still in great need.

Nucleic acids for down-regulation of gene expression


Automatic activation of a wireless device with a first wireless communication system occurs within an area having an overlapping second wireless communication system. Operation of the first communication system access procedure is achieved by masking an access and authentication process for the second communication system from interference from the control signal levels of the second wireless communication system. During the first time access, the first communication system is supplied with the SID and MIN and ESN numbers for authentication and access.

A wireless telephone typically needs to be activated before it can operate in a particular wireless system. Normally this process is required only once since subsequent uses of the wireless telephone in that system is already authorized. Access in different systems is generally covered by roaming procedures allowing use of the wireless telephone as it moves to another system. This granting of use permission is dependent upon agreements between different systems and access to databases to verify the legitimacy of the wireless telephone operating out of its home territory. There are a large number of localized and/or private wireless systems which are not part of arrangements permitting roaming and may indeed operate within a territory already covered or overlaid by other carriers including, the home carrier of a wireless telephone seeking use of a localized and/or private wireless system. Such localized and/or private wireless systems operate at low signal levels compared to outdoor macrocell systems. These localized and/or private systems are frequently found within buildings and on campus sites.
TIA/EIA-136, a cellular standard covering digital cellular TDMA systems, explicitly provides for providing service to private user communities. Service is granted by means of a Private System IDentification (PSID) code entered into each wireless telephone requesting service from the private/local wireless system. This PSID code must be entered into the handset which is requesting service. The process is elementary but it is not simple in real economic terms. For example to insert the PSID into the wireless telephone manually is elementary and at the same time both inefficient and costly especially in the circumstance of initially providing service to a 'large' number of users. Even on an occasional basis a structured entry process requiring experienced human intervention must still be maintained. This procedure must include decisions regarding control over duration of registry and extent of use privileges offered.
Service provisioning, by over-the-air downloading of required information, is available on many macrocellular cellular/wireless systems of public carriers. In one cellular system a telephone number and System ID (SID) code is assigned and downloaded to a wireless/cellular telephone and the user enters the related information in response to a visually presented operation menu provided by the wireless telephone. The registration is completed with a specific sequence of steps which include searching a range of digital macrocellular RF control channels; latching on to the strongest control channel received; and then installing activation and authentication information into the wireless telephone over the air.
The key to this automatic setup procedure, in part, is the ability of the wireless/cellular phone to preferentially seek (i.e., tune-in to) the strongest macrocellular setup channel in the locality. This complicates the desire for automatic setup procedures for private and local wireless/cellular systems. The first obstacle is the relatively high signal level of the macrocellular system compared to the private local/system. The relatively high signal level of the macrocellular system overrides any setup channel of the private/local system rendering it impossible for the wireless telephone to latch onto the local/private system.
At present there is no way of automatically provisioning a wireless/mobile digital phone (e.g., digital cellular telephone) to a secondary wireless communication system in an area radiated by a more powerful dominant wireless communication system (i.e., a macrocellular system). The macrocellular signal strength overrides any provisioning signal provided by the secondary system.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Automatic wireless service activation in a private local wireless system


A driving force control apparatus is provided to prevent shocks from being generated during clutch engagement or release. The clutch is maintained in an engaged state and shocks are prevented from accompanying clutch release during creep travel when the target motor torque is equal to or less than a motor torque prescribed value but the average rear wheel speed, which is equivalent to the travel speed of the auto vehicle, is equal to or less than a low-speed prescribed value. In addition, the drive torque on the rear wheels from the electric motor is also brought to the same level as the creep torque on the front wheels from the internal combustion engine, backlash and other types of gaps between the rear axles of the electric motor are closed, and shocks are minimized or prevented during the subsequent transition to a four-wheel drive state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a four-wheel-drive vehicle in which a four-wheel drive state can be maintained by driving the main drive wheels with an internal combustion engine or other main drive source, and driving the subordinate drive wheels with an electric motor in an appropriate manner, and is particularly suitable for the engagement control of a clutch disposed between the electric motor and the subordinate drive wheels.
2. Background Information
An example of a driving force control apparatus for a batteryless four-wheel drive vehicle is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 11-243608. In the four-wheel-drive vehicle of this publication, the front wheels are driven by an internal combustion engine, and the rear wheels are driven by an electric motor during a four-wheel drive. The output torque of the electric motor is commonly transferred to the rear wheel axle via a clutch and a reduction gear. In this apparatus, the clutch is engaged after the rotational speed of the rear wheel axle and the rotational speed of the electric motor are synchronized in order to prevent shocks from being generated by the clutch engagement during the transition to the four-wheel drive state.
The clutch is commonly connected to make a transition to a four-wheel drive state, and the subordinate drive wheels are brought into the drive state when the accelerator pedal is depressed and it is detected that the speed differential between the front and rear wheels is at or above a prescribed level, i.e., that the main drive wheels are experiencing an acceleration slippage that is at or above a prescribed level.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved vehicle driving force control apparatus. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


A system including a first client data collection device, a host server, and a host user interface. The first client data collection device can store traffic data relating to a first call market of the first client data collection device. The host server can receive the traffic data, parse the traffic data according to settings of the first client data collection device, and evaluate the parsed traffic data based on historical data corresponding to the first client data collection device. The host user interface can receive the evaluated data for displaying the health of the call market.

One of the priorities for a host company (e.g., Verizon) is to provide its users an efficient call network. The call network includes multiple markets; each market associated with callers of a particular area such as a state, a city or an area code. One or more of these markets are managed by the host company's client. These clients manage their own respective markets by monitoring usage of and collecting data about the market network without assistance from the host company. And these monitoring and data collecting techniques may be quite different from a first client to a second client, from a first market to a second market, and even from a first market to a second market managed by the same client depending on each market's characteristics, such as average number of calls for a predetermined time period, dropped calls, total number of calls, etc.
Because of these discrepancies, it can be very difficult for the host company to monitor the overall health of the call network and its corresponding markets. This hinders the host company's capability to provide an efficient call network because the host relies on the client fixing the problem or notifying them after long bureaucratic procedures. Further, even if the clients provided the host with the collected data from the markets, the host would be overwhelmed with so much information, formatted differently, that it would be nearly impossible for the host to act upon this information in an efficient manner.


A link level flow control technique implements a “pull frame” transmission model in a Fibre Channel network. In one embodiment, frames remain in a first Fibre Channel device until they are requested by a second Fibre Channel device, wherein the second Fibre Channel device does not issue a request unless conditions are such that it can immediately transmit the frame toward its target destination. In another embodiment, a Fibre Channel device provides hardware messaging capability to support the pull model. In yet another embodiment, multiple Fibre Channel devices in accordance with the invention may be coupled to provide high port-count Fibre Channel switches.

The invention relates generally to data transmission in a Fibre Channel network and, more particularly but not by way of limitation, to techniques for controlling the flow of data between Fibre Channel switch devices.
As used herein, the phrase "Fibre Channel" refers to the Fibre Channel family of standards promulgated by the American National Standards Institute as ANSI X.3/T11. In general, Fibre Channel defines a high-speed serial transport system that uses a hierarchically structured information exchange protocol consisting of frames, sequences and exchanges. A "frame" is the atomic unit of data transmission between two communicating devices. A "sequence" is a set of one or more related data frames w transmitted unidirectionally from one device to another device within an exchange. An "exchange" is the basic construct for coordinating the transfer of information between communicating devices during higher layer protocol operations such as Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) and Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).
In Fibre Channel networks a credit-based protocol is used to manage the pace and flow of frames end-to-end between devices and buffer-to-buffer between a device and the intervening fabric to prevent data overrun at the receiver. The "credit" associated with a flow of frames represents the number of receive buffers allocated to a transmitting port. (See the ANSI X3.297 (1997) standard FC-PH-2 entitled Fibre Channel Physical and Signaling Interface-2 and the ANSI X3.303 (1998) standard FC-PH-3 entitled Fibre Channel Physical and Signaling Interface-3.) In accordance with this standard, Fibre Channel flow control is based on a "push" model (referred to as the cascaded-fabric data transmission model in the FC-PH-3 specification) wherein a frame source pushes data through the network only when it has been granted the credit to do so. Further, credits are withheld or granted without regard to whether the transmitting port can send a frame immediately. As a result, frames can accumulate at the transmitting port (the switch containing the transmitting port) and block other frames from being transmitted. This, in turn, can lead to congestion and head-of-line blocking problems in large port-count switches.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a technique for managing the flow of frames through a Fibre Channel network comprising large switches that significantly reduce the frame congestion and head-of-line blocking problems associated with a push-type protocol.

Frame-pull flow control in a fibre channel network


A method for forming openings of predetermined position in a substrate in the form of a printing stencil by means of a laser, wherein the substrate is positioned using a fixture means in the form of a tensioning frame. In the process, a shift in position of openings resulting from subsequent processing steps and leading to a changed state of stress of the substrate is prevented by first determining the coordinates of a central reference point. Then, the respective distances of the predetermined positions of the openings from this reference point are determined, and an order of priority is determined therefrom. This order of priority then forms the basis for a machining program, which controls the path of movement of the laser head and forms the openings in the substrate.

A substrate produced according to this method is already frequently used in practice as a printing stencil, such as in the manufacture of electronic modules containing SMT components. Prior to the placement of these components, solder paste is forced through the substrate openings onto connection pads of a printed circuit board, using the screen-printing technique.
Dimensionally stable printing stencils, which today are mostly made of steel or nickel, or, less frequently, of polyimide, are a prerequisite for carrying out the screen-printing technique. In screen-printing, the material thickness of the substrate forming the printing stencil determines the height of the printed solder paste.
In addition to the classical SMT production, screen-printing techniques using printing stencils are used, inter alia, also in the manufacture of wafers, high pin-count chip packages, ceramic multilayers, flip-chips, and OLED's (organic light emitting diodes).
Another important field of application for such stencils or masks is the use in sputtering and vapor deposition methods.
For an optimum printing result, high demands are placed on the printing stencil in terms of accuracy and reproducibility of the position and dimensions of the openings to be formed, and with regard to a uniform stress distribution across the entire surface of the printing stencil.
The weakening of the material, which is associated with the formation of the openings in the substrate and leads to an altogether changed state of stress of the substrate fixed in position by the tensioning frame, turns out to be a problem in practice. This change in the state of stress causes an unwanted deviation in position, in particular a shift of the already formed openings relative to the tensioning frame and also relative to openings which are to be formed subsequently.
Therefore, it is common practice to initially form all desired openings at the predetermined positions in a first operation, but first with reduced dimensions. In a second operation, the openings are then enlarged to their respective desired dimensions. In this manner, the shifts occurring after the first operation can be compensated for in the second operation. In this connection, the additional time required for the second operation turns out to be a disadvantage.
One idea that has been thought of so far is to predict the changing state of stress using a model in a computer and to derive correction values therefrom, said correction values entering into the determination of the positions when forming the openings. However, this idea has turned out to be very complicated and not very promising from an economic point of view.
Furthermore, DE 100 34 648 B4 describes a method for manufacturing a printing stencil, where a metal stencil is directly and non-releasably secured to a biased frame and subsequently tensioned by removing the bias from the frame. The openings forming the print pattern can be formed in the metal stencil by punching or boring, either before or after the metal stencil is mounted on the frame. The printing stencil can be used for PCB assembly, module production, or wafer bumping.
In a method for fabricating mask configurations according to DE 101 41 497 A1, it is proposed that systematic deviations in a configuration of recesses to be produced in a mask from a desired configuration be largely prevented by carrying out the patterning of the mask substrate in a sequence of subprocesses, said subprocesses being matched such that the deviations resulting from these subprocesses cancel each other out, thus providing for error correction.
Further, U.S. 2003/0041753 A1 describes a stencil or mask, which is provided with openings.

Procedure for positioning a through-hole in a substrate


A method for determining a contour of an organ in an ultrasound image is performed by a processor in a base unit. The method includes detecting an organ within the ultrasound image; obtaining a centroid position for the organ; extending a set of radial lines from the centroid position beyond an expected organ boundary; determining cost values at candidate nodes on each radial line, of the set of radial lines, by applying costs along gradient vectors that are normal to a contour between adjacent nodes on different radial lines; and selecting a final organ boundary contour based on a cost function analysis of paths through the candidate nodes.

Ultrasound scanners are typically used to identify a target organ or other structures in the body and/or determine features associated with the target organ/structure, such as the size of the organ/structure or the volume of fluid in the organ. In interpreting signals from an ultrasound scan, active contour modeling may be used to processes the signal data sets acquired for a cavity to determine the contour along the cavity-tissue boundary interface. In general, 'active contour model' refers to finding an energy-minimizing curve where the energy depends on its shape and location within an image. The energy is typically defined with external and internal energy terms. Finding the optimal contour generally means finding a combination of nodes in the image that minimizes the energy calculated based on the location of the nodes. Dynamic programming is one technique that can speed up the exhaustive search/optimization process of node selection for an active contour model. While dynamic programming can provide rapid and relatively accurate contour detection for generally circular two-dimensional cavity representations, conventional approaches of active contour modeling using dynamic programming may not be as effective for contour detection of elongated cavities.

Active contour model using two-dimensional gradient vector for organ boundary detection


A device to aid persons rising from a seated position. The device comprises a structural support having a base positionable under a chair and a brace secured to the base. A sleeve is secured to the structural support for securing one end of an arm thereto. The other end of the arm has a griping section enabling a person seated in the chair to grasp the arm and pull himself up to an upright position.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to devices that assist people as they rise up from a seated position, and, more particularly, to a reversible aid which can be placed on either side of a chair.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many persons have difficulty rising from a seated position, because of an infirmity due to illness, advance age, or other debilitation. This difficulty is of special concern when chairs and couches are used as seating devices, as the individual may deeply seat in the cushioning, aggravating any difficulty in getting up. Devices that utilize a handle to permit the seated person to grab hold of and pull on while rising are well known. These devices are normally not connected to any particular piece of furniture and, thus, may be employed where the individual may be seated.
Typical devices utilize a pair of bars which are positioned in front of the person as he rises. These devices normally must be positioned under and in front of the chair and typically will block the view of the user or are obtrusive. Known prior art includes U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,553,746; 4,844,107; 4,922,560; 4,843,661; 3,591,874; 3,739,793; 4,941,495; and 3,695,609.
The present invention can be placed on either side of a chair and enables the user to grasp the device with one hand and rise up out of the chair or seating device such as a couch. The device is reversible so that it may be placed on either side of the chair. The device is not placed in front of the user so that his view is normally not blocked and is not obtrusive.

Device to aid persons rising form a seated position


An intake manifold for an internal combustion engine comprises upper and lower shell members with outer flanges. The shell members define a manifold cavity having a plenum and a plurality of runners. The upper shell includes an upper post formed as an indentation into the plenum with a tunnel wall and a terminus wall. The lower shell includes a lower post formed as an indentation into the plenum with a tunnel wall and a terminus wall. The terminus walls are attached to provide a brace across the plenum. One of the posts includes an orifice penetrating the tunnel wall. A sealed coupler extends from the one post and is adapted to receive a secondary gas for mixing within the plenum. Thus, secondary gases can be introduced without additional structures that could impede gas flow and could increase manufacturing cost.

The present invention relates in general to intake manifolds for combustion engines, and, more specifically, to apparatus for introducing secondary gases into the main fuel/air mixture passing through the intake manifold.
Intake manifolds for internal combustion engine are commonly formed out of a polymeric material. In an effort to reduce noise radiating from the surface of the intake manifold due to resonant frequencies set up at particular engine speeds, it is known to provide internal and external bracing on the surface of the manifold and to provide internal posts formed out of the parent material. The internal posts traverse through the plenum cavity within the manifold, and are typical formed as indentations in upper and lower shell members. Each indentation penetrates the plenum cavity with a tunnel wall and a terminus wall. The terminus walls of the upper and lower shell members are friction welded together at the same time that outer flanges of the shell members are welded together.
Any internal structure, such as the posts, may reduce the flow area within the intake manifold which can limit the peak power of the engine. It may be possible to increase the size of the intake manifold to overcome the drop in flow area due to internal structures, but with a corresponding increase in overall size of the manifold which increases cost and weight and complicates packaging.
One additional internal structure may include features for introducing secondary gases into the intake manifold for distribution to the engine cylinders. Secondary gas sources may include an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system, a positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system, and a fuel tank vapor recovery system. Ports (including tubes and injection channels) may obstruct or disrupt air flow within the manifold, especially when several such ports are deployed. Furthermore, limited space availability can result in attempting to locate ports in cramped spots which makes attachment to external devices difficult or results in interference with other components attached to the manifold.

Intake manifold secondary gas distribution via structural posts


The present disclosure provides a collision energy absorbing apparatus capable of suppressing a peak load at the initial stage of a collision and a load drop immediately after it. The collision energy absorbing apparatus is an apparatus that absorbs collision energy, the apparatus being mounted on a vehicle and including a pressure member, an absorbing member, and a guide part that guides, a moving direction of the pressure member, in which a hole through which the pressure member guided and moved by the guide part enters is formed in the absorbing member, and in an event of a collision, the pressure member is guided by the guide part and a tip part of the pressure member enters the hole formed in the absorbing member while shearing an inner wall of the hole, to thereby absorb collision energy.

The present disclosure relates to a collision energy absorbing apparatus and, in particular, to a collision energy absorbing apparatus capable of suppressing an increase in a peak load at the initial stage of a collision and a load drop immediately after it.
For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2011-63191 discloses a collision energy absorbing apparatus (a clash box) having a hollow part (an inner cylinder) that is formed between a reinforcing plate having a hat-shaped cross section and an inner surface of a rectangular steel cylinder (an outer cylinder) by providing the reinforcing plate on the inner surface of the rectangular steel cylinder, the hollow part having a diameter smaller than that of the rectangular steel cylindrical body, in order to suppress a load drop immediately after a peak load at the initial stage of a collision without increasing the peak load at the initial stage of the collision.


A lithographic system comprises an array of individually controllable elements, a projection system, datapath hardware, and a conversion system. The array of individually controllable elements is capable of modulating a radiation beam. The projection system is configured to project the modulated radiation beam onto a target portion of a substrate. The datapath hardware converts an input pattern file into a control signal for controlling the array of individually controllable elements. The conversion system is configured to convert a requested device layout pattern into an input pattern file for the datapath hardware. The input pattern file is a spatial-frequency-restricted representation of the requested device layout pattern.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a radiation pulse energy control system, a lithographic apparatus and a method for manufacturing a device.
2. Related Art
A lithographic apparatus is a machine that applies a desired pattern onto a substrate or part of a substrate. A lithographic apparatus can be used, for example, in the manufacture of flat panel displays, integrated circuits (ICs) and other devices involving fine structures. In a conventional apparatus, a patterning device, which can be referred to as a mask or a reticle, can be used to generate a circuit pattern corresponding to an individual layer of a flat panel display (or other device). This pattern can be transferred onto all or part of the substrate (e.g., a glass plate), by imaging onto a layer of radiation-sensitive material (e.g., resist) provided on the substrate.
Instead of a circuit pattern, the patterning device can be used to generate other patterns, for example a color filter pattern or a matrix of dots. Instead of a mask, the patterning device can be a patterning array that comprises an array of individually controllable elements. The pattern can be changed more quickly and for less cost in such a system compared to a mask-based system.
A flat panel display substrate is typically rectangular in shape. Lithographic apparatus designed to expose a substrate of this type can provide an exposure region that covers a full width of the rectangular substrate, or covers a portion of the width (for example half of the width). The substrate can be scanned underneath the exposure region, while the mask or reticle is synchronously scanned through a beam. In this way, the pattern is transferred to the substrate. If the exposure region covers the full width of the substrate then exposure can be completed with a single scan. If the exposure region covers, for example, half of the width of the substrate, then the substrate can be moved transversely after the first scan, and a further scan is typically performed to expose the remainder of the substrate.
A chip layout tool or similar design utility can be used to define a target device layout pattern that a user wishes to generate on a substrate. The output or "layout" file from such a utility will normally define the target device pattern in terms of the structures it contains. For example, the layout file can be in the GDSII format.
In a maskless system, the layout file can form part of the input to a datapath. The datapath can comprise a series of data manipulation devices configured to calculate how a patterning system should be actuated in order to form a dose pattern on the substrate suitable for generating the target device pattern by subsequent processing of the exposed substrate.
However, the target device layout pattern defined in the layout file has infinitely sharp edges and does not take into account the limited (spatial) frequency response of the projection system, which acts as a kind of low-pass filter (in the spatial domain). In other words, the data in the layout file is not bandwidth-limited in the same way as the output from the projection system and contains information (mainly high spatial frequency data) that cannot be reproduced by the projection system.
If not allowed for, the abovementioned mismatch between the frequency content of the layout file and the frequency response of the projection system leads to errors in the dose pattern formed. One way in which these errors can be reduced is by modifying the layout file to incorporate corrective features, also known as "optical proximity corrections" (OPCs).
The OPCs can be derived by theoretical calculation of the dose pattern (or "aerial image") expected for a given mask layout exposed through a given projection system. OPCs can then be inserted in the mask layout to correct for errors that are seen to occur due to the low-pass characteristics of the projection system.
However, the dose pattern achieved in a maskless system using the layout and OPCs as input can differ significantly from the dose pattern that would result from using a mask construction based on the same layout and OPCs with a corresponding mask-based system. This can cause a problem, for example, where a maskless system is used to screen candidate layouts for use in a mask-based system. A layout that works well as input for the maskless system may not work so well when used as a mask in a mask-based system.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method that better handles bandwidth limitations of a projection system.

Lithographic system, device manufacturing method, and mask optimization method


An image viewing system includes at least one television and a docking station capable of communicating with an image capturing device and a television. The docking station controls operation of the television and receives one or more electronic images from the image capturing device. The docking station transmits the electronic images to the television for display and viewing. Alternatively, the image capturing device may directly control the television and may directly transmit electronic images to the television for display and viewing.

Image capturing devices, such as still and video cameras, are typically used to capture scenes, persons, settings, occasions, etc. One type of image capturing device is a digital image capturing device that electronically captures and stores images. The digital image capturing device offers several advantages, such as no need for film, the ability to capture high resolution images and images of varying resolutions, and the ability to download, print, re-size, and re-transmit captured images.
A digital image capturing device may accumulate captured images up to the capacity of its memory. The memory may be an internal memory, a removable memory, or both. In real life, users typically accumulate as many images as a memory can hold. A user may then download to a computer or printer and may print the images and/or transmit them to others.
Another advantage of a digital image capturing device is the ability to review captured images while they are stored in the image capturing device. The user may instantly review a captured image to see if it is satisfactory. If the captured image is not satisfactory, the image may be erased. Subsequently, a new image may be captured.
The prior art image viewing approach is usually the conduction of an image review on an onboard display, such as an LCD screen. However, there are several drawbacks to this approach. The onboard display must be small. Therefore, it is hard to see detail on the onboard screen. In addition, the LCD display is hard to view in moderate to bright light. Furthermore, only one person can view an image at a time.
Another prior art approach to viewing captured images is to print them out in order to review them. However, this has its own drawbacks. Printing out images is slow, and the user must first transfer the images out of the image capturing device. The transfer requires connection to a computer or printer. In addition, the printing may be expensive, as the user may consume expensive photo paper. Consequently, the user may have to print images and then discard them.
Therefore, there remains a need in the art for improvements in image viewing systems for viewing captured electronic images.

Download of images from an image capturing device to a television

Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.


The short circuit between the bit line and thee cell contact can be prevented without considerably increasing the number of the manufacturing processes. The bit line 6 electrically coupled to the cell contact 9 is formed of the material, which is same as the material of cell contact 9. In the process for forming the bit line 6 on the cell contact interlayer film 8 by etching, the etching for creating an upper surface of the cell contact 9 that is not coupled to the bit line 6 being lower than an upper surface of the cell contact 9 that is coupled to the bit line 6. Further, after the formation of the bit line 6, the barrier metal layer 5 formed on the lower surface of the bit line 6 is selectively etched.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
A memory cell composing DRAM generally consists of a transistor for memory cell and a capacitive element. Capacitor over bit line (COB) DRAM having a structure, in which a capacitive element of DRAM is disposed over a bit line, is proposed for achieving higher degree of integration of the memory cell. Typical conventional structure of such COB DRAM is shown in FIG. 13.
In this type of the conventional DRAM, a MOS transistor formed on a semiconductor substrate such as a silicon substrate 10 or the like functions as a transistor for memory cell. A bit line 6 is formed on an upper layer of the transistor for a memory cell through a cell-contact interlayer film 8, and a capacitive element 11 is formed on an upper layer of the bit line 6 through a capacitive-contact interlayer film 7. The bit line 6 is coupled to a transistor for memory cell formed on the silicon substrate 10 by being coupled to a cell contact 9 through a barrier metal layer 5, and the capacitive element 11 is coupled to the transistor for memory cell formed on the silicon substrate 10 through the capacitive contact 4 and the cell contact 9.
Although FIG. 13 illustrates the barrier metal layer 5 provided as an underlying layer disposed under the bit line 6, it is intended to additionally include the barrier metal layer 5 when the term "bit line 6" appears in the following description.
In such structure, it is designed to include a configuration of maintaining a predetermined spacing between the bit line 6 and the capacitive contact 4 or the cell contact 9, in order to inhibit a generation of electric short circuit. However, since the progresses in increasing the level of the integration in the semiconductor devices necessarily reduce the room for the spacing between the bit line 6 and the capacitive contact 4 or the cell contact 9, a short circuit may be occurred between the bit line 6 and the capacitive contact 4 or the cell contact 9 by a misalignment caused in the formation of the bit line 6 or a misalignment caused in the formation of the capacitive contact 4 or the like. When the short circuit is occurred between the bit line 6 and the capacitive contact 4 or the cell contact 9 as described above, failure easily occurs in the resultant memory cell, thereby occasionally reducing the yield of DRAM.
Further, FIG. 13 also illustrates that diameters of the capacitive contact 4 and the cell contact 9 are constant at both the upper and the lower ends. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the reality is that the diameters of the capacitive contact 4 and the cell contact 9 at the upper ends thereof is larger than those at the lower ends, thereby forming the inverse tapered shapes. Therefore, the room for the spacing for preventing the short circuit between the bit line 6 and the cell contact 9 becomes smaller than the room for the spacing for preventing the short circuit between the bit line 6 and the capacitive contact 4.
Thus, a semiconductor device additionally including a bit contact interlayer film 13 formed on the cell contact interlayer film 8 is proposed, for the purpose of inhibiting the short circuit between the bit line 6 and the cell contact 9. The constitution of such conventional semiconductor device is shown in FIG. 15. In this type of conventional semiconductor device, a bit contact interlayer film 13 is formed after forming the cell contact interlayer film 8, and a bit contact 14 is formed on a portion of the bit contact interlayer film 13 that provides coupling of the cell contact 9 to the bit line 6. Having such structure, larger room for the spacing for preventing the short circuit between the upper end of the cell contact 9 and the bit line 6 can be acquired by extending the distance therebetween.
Next, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a structure, in which a bit contact interlayer film 13 is formed to extend the room for the spacing for preventing the short circuit at the upper ends of the bit line 6 and the cell contact 9, will be described as follows with reference to FIG. 16 to FIG. 23.
First of all, as shown in FIG. 16, shallow grooves are formed on a silicon substrate 10, similarly as in the typical manufacturing process for DRAM, and the grooves are filled with an insulating material to form element isolation insulating films 3, so that the memory cell area is sectioned into individual cell areas. Then, an impurity is implanted into the silicon substrate 10 to form source drain regions 2, thereby forming MOS transistors, which will be transistors for the memory cells.
Next, cobalt silicide layers 12 are formed by silicidating the entire surfaces of the diffusion layers and the gates of respective transistors with cobalt. Thereafter, silicon nitride films 1 are formed on the surface of the silicon substrate 10 containing the surfaces of element isolation insulating films 3 to coat the respective transistors.
Next, cell contact interlayer films 8 are formed by using a material such as silicon oxide or the like so as to cover the respective transistors for memory cells in the memory cell area. Then, contact holes for coupling the bit line and the capacitive element to transistors for memory cells in the cell contact interlayer films 8 are formed via a selective etch process. Then, tungsten (W) is deposited on the entire surfaces thereof via a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) until the contact holes are filled therewith, after depositing the barrier metal layer of titanium nitride (TiN) in the contact hole. Thereafter, the surfaces of the cell contact interlayer films 8 are planarized via a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) so as to leave W only in respective contact holes, thereby forming cell contacts 9. A cross sectional view of the semiconductor device after the steps so far are finished is shown in FIG. 16.
Next, as shown in FIG. 17, a bit contact interlayer film 13 comprising silicon oxide is formed to a predetermined thickness on the surfaces of the cell contact interlayer films 8 that include exposed surfaces of the cell contact 9 to coat the surfaces of the cell contacts 9 therewith. Then, the bit contact interlayer film 13 is etched so that only the positions directly above the portions electrically coupled to the bit lines 6 are selectively etched among the cell contacts 9 to form contact holes, thereby exposing the upper surface of the cell contacts 9. Then, W is deposited via CVD until the formed contact holes are filled therewith after depositing the barrier metal layer of titanium nitride (TiN) in the contact hole, similarly as in the formation process of the cell contacts 9, and the surfaces thereof are planarized via CMP so as to leave W only in respective contact holes, thereby forming bit contacts 14 for coupling to the bit lines 6. A cross sectional view of the semiconductor device after the steps so far are finished is shown in FIG. 17.
Next, as shown in FIG. 18, titanium nitride (TiN) film 19 for forming barrier metal layers 5 and tungsten (W) film 20 for forming bit lines 6 are deposited on the surfaces of the bit contact interlayer film 13.
Then, as shown in FIG. 19, photo resists 18 are formed on the portions on the tungsten film 20, on which bit lines are formed. Then, as shown in FIG. 20, these layers are patterned to form bit lines 6 and barrier metal layers 5 having predetermined geometries through the mask of the photo resist 18. The photo resists 18 are then stripped after the bit lines 6 and the barrier metal layers 5 are formed. A cross sectional view of the semiconductor device after the steps so far are finished is shown in FIG. 21.
Then, similarly as in the formation process for the cell contacts 9 or the bit contacts 14, W is deposited via CVD until the contact holes are filled therewith after depositing the barrier metal layer of titanium nitride (TiN) in the contact hole, and the surfaces thereof are planarized via CMP so as to leave W only in respective contact holes, thereby forming capacitive contacts 4 for coupling to the capacitive elements 11. A cross sectional view of the semiconductor device after the steps so far are finished is shown in FIG. 22.
Then, a capacitive element 11 for coupling to the capacitive contact 4 is finally formed to complete the semiconductor device. A cross sectional view of the semiconductor device after the steps so far are finished is shown in FIG. 23.
In such conventional semiconductor device, a bit contact interlayer film 13 is provided to keep the bit line 6 and the cell contact 9 apart from each other, thereby ensuring the room for the spacing for preventing the short circuit. However, since the conventional semiconductor device having such constitution requires additionally forming the bit contact interlayer film 13 and the bit contact 14, the number of the processing steps may be considerably increased.
Further, the contact resistance thereof may be increased due to the existence of the bit contact 14 therebetween, as compared with the case where the bit line 6 is formed directly on the cell contact interlayer film 8.
A typical conventional method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a constitution of preventing the short circuit of the bit line and the cell contact may be a method disclosed in, for example, JP-A-2001-257,325. In such conventional method for manufacturing the semiconductor device, where the bit contact interlayer film is not used, polycrystalline silicon is deposited in the interior of the contact hole to a level lower than the upper surface of the interlayer insulating film, and thereafter a silicide film is formed on the upper part of the polycrystalline silicon, in order to prevent a short circuit between the contact for the capacitive coupling and the bit line. Then, the side wall is formed after the formation of the bit line, and thereafter, the silicide film formed within the contact hole interior that is not covered with bit line is removed, thereby broadening the distance between the contact and the bit line.
Although the room for the spacing for preventing the short circuit between the bit line and the contact can be maintained without providing the bit contact interlayer film according to such conventional method for manufacturing the semiconductor device, the method requires additional processes such as a process for forming a side wall after the bit line formation, a process for forming a silicide film on the upper part of polycrystalline silicon in the contact hole, a process for removing the silicide film after bit line formation or the like, and thus the number of the processing steps is considerably increased.
The conventional method for manufacturing the semiconductor device stated above has a configuration, in which a room for the spacing for preventing the short circuit between the bit line and the cell contact is ensured by comprising the bit contact interlayer film, and therefore it is difficult to stably provide semiconductor devices having higher reliability.

Semiconductor device having plural electroconductive plugs


A carrier for a catalyst useful for the epoxidation of an olefin which comprises an inert, refractory solid carrier is provided. The carrier has no or little absolute volume from small pores, of less than 1 micrometer, and large pores, of above 5 micrometer. By “no or little absolute volume from small pores of less than 1 micron” it is meant that the pore volume of such pores is less than 0.20 ml/g. By “no or little absolute volume from large pores of above 5 micron” it is meant that the pore volume of such pores is less than 0.20 ml/g. The invention further provides a catalyst useful for the epoxidation of an olefin supported on such a carrier and a process for the oxidation of an olefin, especially ethylene, to an olefin oxide, especially ethylene oxide.

In olefin epoxidation, an olefin is reacted with oxygen to form an olefin epoxide using a catalyst comprising a silver component, usually with one or more elements (i.e., promoters) deposited on a carrier. Catalyst performance is characterized on the basis of selectivity, activity and stability. The selectivity is the molar fraction of the converted olefin yielding the desired olefin oxide. The fraction of olefin reacted normally decreases with time and to maintain a constant product level the temperature of the reaction is increased. However this adversely affects the selectivity of the conversion to the desired product. Thus, the longer the selectivity can be maintained at a high level and at an acceptably low temperature, the longer the catalyst charge can be kept in the reactor and the more product is obtained. Quite modest improvements in selectivity and the maintenance of selectivity over longer time yield huge dividends in terms of process efficiency.
Beside the chemical composition of a supported silver-based epoxidation catalyst, the physical characteristics of the finished catalyst as well the support have been an integral part of catalyst development. Generally, the silver-based catalyst support shows a characteristic pore volume and pore size distribution. Furthermore, the surface area and the water absorption are well-known characteristics for such catalyst supports. It has now been found that the physical characteristics of the finished catalyst and the impact of these characteristics on the catalyst performance are more complicated than heretofore believed, especially if the catalyst is promoted with rhenium. In addition to the surface area, the pore volume and the pore size distribution, the pattern of the pore size distribution, especially the number and the specific characteristics of different modes, has been found to have a significant positive impact on the catalyst selectivity.
A number of patents describe preparation and selection of different, preferential carriers for ethylene epoxidation catalysts. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,242,235 discloses low surface area, less than 10 m2/g, carriers. This prior art carrier has a porosity of 60% and is bimodal with mean pore diameters in the range of 1-5 micron and 60-200 microns. Each of the ranges disclosed in the '235 patent represents at least 35% and at most 65% of the total porosity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,782 describes a carrier having a surface area in the range from 0.05 to 10 m2/g, a porosity from 30-80%, and pores of 0.1 to 20 microns. U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,548 describes a method of making alpha-alumina from 95% high purity alumina. Preferably, the carrier disclosed in the '548 patent has a porosity of from 0.2 ml/g to 0.6 ml/g, and a surface area from 0.2 m2/g to 10 m2/g. Additionally, the '548 patent discloses that the average pore size of the carrier is from 0.1 microns to 100 microns, preferably in the range from 0.1-10 micron, and more preferably from 0.2-5 micron.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,380,697 describes the preparation of an alumina carrier from alpha-alumina particles having a median grain size of from 0.4 micron to 4 micron and a sol-gel. The carriers made in the '697 patent typically have a pore volume (i.e., water absorption) ranging from about 0.2 cc/g to about 0.6 cc/g, preferably from about 0.3 cc/g to about 0.5 cc/g and a surface area ranging from about 0.15 m2/g to about 3 m2/g, preferably from about 0.3 m2/g to about 2 m2/g.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,773 discloses a large number of refractory carriers, with carriers made of alpha-alumina being highly preferred. In the '773 patent, preference is given to the use of alpha-alumina carriers having a specific surface area, as measured by a BET method, of from about 0.03 m2/g to about 10 m2/g, preferably from about 0.05 m2/g to about 5 m2/g, more preferably from about 0.1 m2/g to about 3 m2/g, and a water pore volume, as measured by conventional water absorption techniques, from about 0.1 cc/g to about 0.75 cc/g by volume, preferably from about 0.3 cc/g to about 0.5 cc/g.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,259, a carrier for ethylene oxide catalysts having a porosity at least 50% and more desirably from about 60% to about 75% is disclosed. The surface area of the carrier disclosed in the '259 patent is preferably in the range 0.4-5 m2/g, and more preferably 0.6-1.2 m2/g.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,831,037 describes a technique for the preparation of an alumina carrier. The carrier is 95% alpha-alumina having a surface area in the range from 1.0-2.6 m2/g, and a water absorption from 35-55%. This prior art carrier is advantageous for ethylene oxide catalyst preparation when at least 70% of pore volume is in the range from 0.2-10 microns, which provide at least 0.27 ml/g of total pore volume. Pores with diameters less than 0.2 micron provide 0-10% of pore volume, and pores with diameters more than 10 micron provide less than 20% of total pore volume.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004/0110973 A1 discloses a method for the preparation of an alumina carrier from two alpha-alumina particulates. This prior art carrier has 75% of pores with a diameter in the range from 0.2-10 micron, less than 20% of pores with diameter of more than 10 microns, and less than 10% of pores with diameter of less than 0.2 micron. Water absorption of this prior art carrier is at least 0.35 ml/g, and the surface area is in the range from 0.6-5 m2/g.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2005/0096219 A1 found advantages to provide a carrier which has a minimum of very large pores, greater than 10 micron, and water absorption of 35 to 55% and a surface area of at least 1.0 m2/g. A method of making such a carrier is also described in the '219 publication.
As described above a catalyst for ethylene epoxidation requires a carrier with specific physical properties. It would be desirable to improve the catalytic selectivity, activity and stability of the catalysts by improving carrier characteristics. It has been unexpectedly found by the applicants of the present application that the pore distribution of the carrier, and particularly the absolute value of pore volume from the pores of a different diameter range, define performance of an ethylene oxide catalyst, particularly selectivity and stability.

SD Lizenzverwertungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG


A tilt and trim control system includes a simply-structured control unit that better protects its electrical components from contact with water and other contaminates. The control unit includes a pair of relays mounted onto to a printed circuit board. The board and the relays are potted within a housing. A plurality of wire leads are also attached to the printed circuit board with the connections between the leads and the board also being potted. The control unit is attached to the lower section of a cowling that surrounds an engine of the marine drive. The tilt and trim control system additionally includes a terminal block that is positioned within the cowling. The terminal block connects the control unit to a motor of a tilt and trim mechanism, and is positioned above the control unit on the engine. This position of the terminal block generally isolates the terminal block from water that may lie within the lower section of the cowling. The small size of the terminal block, however, does not interfere with the layout of other engine components.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an outboard drive of a watercraft, and in particular to an electronic control unit for a trim and trim system associated with an outboard drive, such as, for example an outboard motor.
2. Description of Related Art
The desirable trim angle of an outboard drive varies with a watercraft's running condition. For instance, the bow of the watercraft should press against the water when accelerating from rest or from a slow speed. To achieve this condition, the angle of the propeller shaft is disposed at a negative angle relative to the horizontal (i.e., at a negative trim angle). A thrust vector produced by the propeller in this position is thus out of the water. When running at high speed, the propeller is raised or trimmed to position the propeller shaft at a positive trim angle relative to the horizontal within the range of about 0.degree. to 15.degree..
A hydraulic tilt and trim system often supports and adjusts the trim position of a large outboard motor (e.g., 150 hp or greater). The tilt and trim system includes hydraulic actuators that operate between a clamping bracket, which is attached to the watercraft, and a swivel bracket that supports the outboard motor. A pivot pin connects the swivel and clamping brackets together. The actuators cause the swivel bracket to pivot about the axis of the pivot pin relative to the stationary clamping bracket.
At least one fluid motor powers the actuators. The fluid motor includes a pump that pressurizes hydraulic fluid within the lines of the system. Various valves control the delivery of the pressurized fluid to the actuators. A reversible electric motor desirably drives the pump. By reversing the direction in which the pump is run, the actuators are either extended or retracted in order to raise or lower the outboard drive, respectively.
The actuators and fluid motor, as well as a reservoir in communication with the fluid motor, are positioned beneath the power head of the outboard motor. In many applications, these components lie generally between the swivel bracket and the clamping bracket.
A controller usually controls the operation of the fluid motor to control the reversible pump motor. The controller often employs relays within it circuitry to switch the direction of the pump motor. These electrical components are potted in order to shield and seal them from water and dirt.
While prior controllers are effective in performing this function, they often are difficult and costly to assemble. In addition, some controllers do not provide adequate protection of the components and circuitry. The resulting corrosion and dirt interfere with the proper functioning of the controller.

Tilt and trim control for marine propulsion system


It is an object of the present invention to conduct data transfer or data copying between a plurality of storage systems, without affecting the host computer of the storage systems. Two or more auxiliary storage systems 100B, 100C are connected to a primary storage system 100A connected to a host device 180. The auxiliary storage systems 100B, 100C read journals of data update from the primary storage system 100A at respective independent timings, save the journals in prescribed logical volumes JNL 2, JNL 3, produce copying of the data present in the primary storage system 100A based on the journals present in the logical volumes JNL 2, JNL 3 at the independent timings, and save the copies in auxiliary logical volumes COPY 1, COPY 3. The primary storage system 100A holds the journals till both auxiliary storage systems 100B, 100C read the journals and restore. The timing of journal read can be controlled according to the journal quantity, processing load, and the like.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data processing system having a plurality of storage systems, and more particularly to data copying between a plurality of storage systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, a technology relating to data copying between storage systems has gained importance by allowing a data processing system to be able to provide services to a customer even when a failure has occurred in the first storage system, in order to provide continual service to the customer. Technology for copying the information stored in the first storage system into the second and third storage systems was disclosed in the following patent references.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,480 discloses a technology in which a first computer connected to a first storage system transfers the data stored in the first storage system to a second computer via a communication link between the first computer and the second computer, and the second computer transfers the data to the second storage system connected to the second computer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,002 discloses a technology in which a first storage system transfers the data stored in the first storage system to the second storage system, and the second storage system transfers the data to the third storage system. The computer and the first storage system are connected by a communication link, the first storage system and the second storage system are connected by a communication link, and the second storage system and the third storage system are connected by a communication link. The first storage system holds a first logical volume which is the copying object. The second storage system holds a second logical volume which is the copy of the first logical volume and a third logical volume which is the copy of the second logical volume. The third storage system holds a fourth logical volume which is the copy of the third logical volume. In this patent reference, the second storage system executes exclusively the data copying processing from the second logical volume to the third logical volume and the data copying processing from the third logical volume to the fourth logical volume.
The technology disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,480 constantly uses the first computer and the second computer for data copying. The first computer conducts usual operations and the load of data copying processing applied to the first computer cannot be ignored. Another problem is that because data for copying use a communication link between the first computer and the first storage system, those data collide with the data transfer necessary for usual operations and the data reference and data update time necessary for usual operations are extended.
With the technology disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,002, the storage capacity multiple of the data quantity which is to be copied is required for the second storage system and the third storage system. Furthermore, when the data quantity which is the object of copying is large, the time consumed by the data copying processing is increased and data in the third storage system become old. The resulting problem is that when operations are restarted by using the data of the third storage system, a long time is required to renew the data of the third storage system and the time required to restart the operations is extended. Furthermore, according to the description provided in this reference, the first storage system in addition to data update processing in the first storage system also conducts data update completion reporting to the host computer when data update processing with the second storage system has ended. Therefore, a long time is consumed for data update from the computers, and the time required for data update extends with the increase in the distance between the first storage system and the second storage system. The resulting problem is that the distance between the two storage systems cannot be made too large.

Data processing system having a plurality of storage systems


A method of manufacturing a nanocrystallite from a M-containing salt forms a nanocrystallite. The nanocrystallite can be a member of a population of nanocrystallites having a narrow size distribution and can include one or more semiconductor materials. Semiconducting nanocrystallites can photoluminesce and can have high emission quantum efficiencies.

Nanocrystallites having small diameters can have properties intermediate between molecular and bulk forms of matter. For example, nanocrystallites based on semiconductor materials having small diameters can exhibit quantum confinement of both the electron and hole in all three dimensions, which leads to an increase in the effective band gap of the material with decreasing crystallite size. Consequently, both the optical absorption and emission of nanocrystallites shift to the blue (i.e., to higher energies) as the size of the crystallites decreases.
Methods of preparing monodisperse semiconductor nanocrystallites include pyrolysis of organometallic reagents, such as dimethyl cadmium, injected into a hot, coordinating solvent. This permits discrete nucleation and results in the controlled growth of macroscopic quantities of nanocrystallites. Organometallic reagents can be expensive, dangerous and difficult to handle.


A salt capable of producing a resist pattern with excellent line edge roughness is represented by formula (I):

Patent Document 1 mentions a resist composition containing, as a salt for an acid generator, a salt represented by the following formula:

Patent Document 2 mentions a salt represented by the following formula, and a resist composition containing the salt as an acid generator.

Patent Document 3 mentions a salt represented by the following formula, and a resist composition containing the salt as an acid generator.

Patent Document 4 mentions a salt represented by the following formula, and a resist composition containing the salt as an acid generator.

Patent Document 5 mentions a salt represented by the following formula, and a resist composition containing the salt as an acid generator.

Salt, acid generator, resist composition and method for producing resist pattern

Abstract: wherein, R1 represents —(X1—O)o—R5, and o represents an integer of 0 to 6, R5 represents a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, X1 represents a divalent hydrocarbon group having 2 to 12 carbon atoms, R2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms or the like, I represents an integer of 0 to 3, and when I is 2 or more, a plurality of R2 may be the same or different from each other, R3 and R4 each represent a hydrogen atom or the like, m and n each represent 1 or 2, X0 represents a single bond, —CH2—, —O— or —S—, and R6 and R7 each represent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms which has a fluorine atom or the like.


A dental implant comprising an implant body which can be anchored in the jawbone and a superstructure portion which can be inserted at least partially in a recess of the implant body and which is fixed in place by a holding screw. The recess in the implant body is provided with a first contact surface and the superstructure portion is provided with an associated second contact surface for securing the superstructure against rotation relative to the implant body in a durable and functionally reliable manner such that play between the implant body and the superstructure is avoided. The superstructure portion is provided with at least one slot extending from its free end to the vicinity of the second contact surface and with a tapered portion disposed radially inwardly of the contact surfaces. When the holding screw is screwed in, a cam surface associated with the holding screw engages the tapered portion such that the superstructure portion is spread radially and the first and second contact surfaces firmly contact each other.

This invention relates to a dental implant comprising an implant body which can be anchored in a jawbone and a superstructure portion which can be inserted at least partially in a recess arranged on the coronal end of the implant body and which can be fastened in the implant body by a holding screw, wherein the recess comprises at least one first contact surface which contacts an associated second contact surface on the superstructure in order to secure the parts against relative rotation.
Schulte et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,873 discloses a dental implant which has an implant body that can be anchored in the jawbone. At the coronal end, the implant body has a recess in which a superstructure portion can be partially inserted and can be fastened by means of a holding screw. In order to affix the superstructure portion so that it cannot rotate relative to the implant body, at least one contact surface is provided in the recess, against which an associated contact surface of the superstructure portion rests in a form-keyed manner. These contact surfaces are advantageously designed in the shape of a hexagon and produce a rotation stop while being easy to handle. However, two-phase dental implants of this type exhibit rotational play at the connection between the superstructure portion and the implant body, which play leads to inaccurate positioning. Furthermore, such relative movements may lead to loosening of the holding screw as well as to frictional corrosion in the gap area between the superstructure and the implant body. For manufacturing reasons, a fit between the superstructure portion and the implant body that is free from play cannot be achieved, because otherwise it would be impossible to insert the superstructure portion in the implant body. It has been found in practice that, even if the superstructure portion and the implant body are manufactured with a high precision form-keyed hexagon connection, a play of from 2 to 3 degrees of angle about the longitudinal axis may occur. In addition, in dental implants of this type, a defined axial positioning of the superstructure portion with respect to the implant body is essential. Thus, conical fittings, which are known not to enable precise axial positioning, cannot be used to establish a play-free connection between the superstructure portion and the implant body.
Furthermore, Reuther et al, Swiss Patent No. CH 642,838 discloses a dental implant which comprises an implant body which can be inserted into the jawbone, a plastic bearing and a superstructure portion or implant carrier. The plastic bearing is screwed into a conical bore of the implant body and contains a coaxial internal bore with a thread. A threaded pin on the superstructure portion is screwed into this internal bore. Plastic deformation of the plastic bearing results in a pseudo-conical clamping, so that a tight connection can be established by screwing the parts together. However, there is nothing to prevent relative rotation between the superstructure portion, on the one hand, and the implant body, on the other hand.
Perisse, French Patent No. FR 2,663,836 discloses a dental implant having a hollow, substantially cylindrical implant body. The apical end of the superstructure portion, which can be inserted into the implant body, is formed with a slot and contains an internal through-bore which is filled with balls or the like and which converges at the apical end so that the balls cannot pass through the slot. Pressure can be applied to the balls by means of a screw which is arranged in the through bore at the coronal end of the superstructure portion, so that the superstructure portion is spread apart at the apical end and is pressed in the recess of the implant body. Thus, the superstructure portion is affixed to the implant body without a holding screw screwed into the implant body and without any means for preventing relative rotation.
Caracciolo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,S88,381 discloses an implant comprising a tube-shaped implant body. At the apical end, the implant body is provided with slots, and the internal bore is designed in a conically tapering manner. When the superstructure portion is screwed in, the implant body is spread at the apical end in order to anchor the implant. In this case, there is no fixing due to compression, like that achieved when using a holding screw. Also, it is not possible to precisely position the superstructure portion in the implant body in this manner.
Fath, Published German Patent Application No. DE 4,000,112 discloses a dental implant with an implant body which again has a slotted design on its apical end and which is provided with a central recess. A screw can be screwed into this recess, whereby the tip of the screw spreads open the end of the implant body as it is screwed in and anchors the implant in the bone. This implant does not provide any advantageous teachings with regard to fastening the superstructure to the implant body or to fixing their positions and securing them against relative rotation.


A hard baseball ball is configured including a core layer, an intermediate layer, and the cover layer. The intermediate layer is formed on a spherical body by winding yarn having radio wave transmissivity, which allows radio waves to pass through, in a spherical shape around the core layer. The cover layer covers the intermediate layer, and is formed from a material with radio wave transmissivity. The hard baseball ball also includes the reflecting portion. The reflecting portion is formed on a spherical surface whose center is the center of the spherical body, and has radio wave reflectability. The reflecting portion is configured using yarn from which the intermediate layer is formed. At least a portion of the yarn from which the intermediate layer is formed is given radio wave reflectability, and the reflecting portion is configured from the portion of the yarn that has been given radio wave reflectability.

In recent years devices using Doppler radar are used as measurement devices to measure the speed of travel, rate of rotation (amount of spin), and so on of balls for ball games.
In these devices, a transmission wave that includes microwaves is sent towards the ball for a ball game from an antenna, and the reflection wave reflected from the ball for a ball game is measured, and the speed of travel and the rate of rotation is obtained based on the Doppler signal obtained from the transmission wave and the reflection wave.
In these cases, the reflection wave must be obtained efficiently in order for the speed of travel and the rotation to be measured stably and reliably. In other words, efficiently obtaining the reflection wave is beneficial in the securing of measuring distance.
On the other hand, technology has been suggested for providing a layer or film including a metallic material throughout an entirety of a surface of a ball in order to enhance visual appearance and/or design (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication Nos. 2007-021204A, 2004-166719A and 2007-175492A).
Additionally, technology has been suggested for providing a metallic layer having a spherical surface shape between a core layer and a cover of a ball in order to ensure reaction (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. H11-076458A).
According to tests carried out by the inventors of the present technology, it was found that although forming a layer or film that includes a metal material uniformly on the spherical surface of a ball is beneficial in terms of ensuring the radio wave reflection properties, the reflection wave tends to be reflected by the layer or film over only a comparatively narrow range by specular reflection of the transmission wave, so this is disadvantageous for receiving the reflection wave by the antenna.
As a result, insufficient measurement distance was provided for determining the speed of travel, the trajectory, and the rate of rotation which represent the behavior of the ball for a ball game.


An electronic device and the manufacturing method thereof are provided. The method comprises providing a module, in which the module includes a substrate, at least one component mounted on the substrate and a molding, and the molding encapsulates the component and a portion of the substrate; forming a first hole to expose a ground pad of the component; forming a first conductive layer which covers the module and is electrically connected to the ground pad.

1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to an electronic device and the manufacturing method thereof; in particular, this relates to a conductive layer deposed on the exterior of molding of device and electrically connected to at least one of internal components.
2. Description of Related Art
The integrated device usually includes hundreds to millions of the components such as the resistor, the light emitting diode (LED), the small-signal transistor, the capacitor, the inductor or the power metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET).
The high density of the wires among components or modules that cause some problems, such as electromagnetic interference (EMI). Today's electronic products are required for solving these problems and a manufacturing method thereof has been required.

Electronic device and manufacturing method thereof

Universal Scientific Industrial (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.

Universal Global Scientific Industrial Co., Ltd.


A non-contact rotation waterproof and dustproof method and a machine tool using the same. A viscous fluid is continuously or intermittently supplied to a labyrinth clearance formed between a rotating body and a fixed body from a fluid supply device so as to fill the viscous fluid into the labyrinth clearance to obtain a good non-contact rotation waterproof and dustproof method even when the rotating body is rotated at a low speed or is stopped.

i) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a non-contact rotation waterproof and dustproof method of a labyrinth clearance formed by uneven surfaces of a fixed part and a rotary part and a machine using the non-contact rotation waterproof and dustproof method.
ii) Description of the Related Arts
In a conventional machine tool such as a lathe, a drilling machine or the like, usually, a turret tool rest for holding a plurality of cutters is provided. A cutter suitable for a processing purpose is mounted onto a turret of the turret tool rest, and the turret is rotated at a low speed until the cutter is moved to a predetermined position. Then, the turret is fixed, and by rotating a material to be processed at a high speed, a cutting processing of the material by the cutter is started.
When a contact seal such as an O-ring or the like is used for a waterproof and dustproof means between the turret and a tool rest body of the turret tool rest, a power loss occurs due to abrasion and a slide resistance to lower the operating efficiency of the machine tool. In order to improve this problem, a non-contact seal is used, as shown in FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, in a turret tool rest, a turret 103 is rotatably mounted on a tool rest body 101. An uneven surface part 102 having an uneven surface is formed on the tool rest body 101 and another uneven surface 104 having an uneven surface facing and corresponding to the uneven surface of the uneven surface part 102 is formed on the turrent 103 so that a labyrinth clearance 105 may be formed between the uneven surfaces of the uneven surface parts 102 and 104. Invasion or penetration of cutting water, chips and the like can be prevented by the labyrinth clearance 105 in this waterproof and dustproof method.
In this conventional waterproof and dustproof method using the labyrinth clearance 105, when the rotation speed of the turret 103 is slow or the turret 103 is stopped, the cutting water, the chips or the like can easily come into the labyrinth clearance 105 and thus the waterproof and dustproof effect will not be realised.

Non-contact rotation waterproof and dustproof method and machine using the same


A subintimal recanalization catheter system for recanalizing a blood vessel. The system includes a support catheter and a balloon catheter configured to extend through the support catheter. The support catheter includes a tubular portion and an extension segment extending distal of the distal opening of the tubular portion. The balloon catheter, having a balloon secured to a distal portion thereof, is positionable through the tubular portion of the support catheter to position the balloon alongside the extension segment. The system is configured to be advanced into a subintimal space between a first tissue layer and a second tissue layer of a blood vessel wall where the balloon may be inflated against the extension segment to cause a distal portion of the catheter shaft of the balloon catheter to deflect toward the vessel lumen within the subintimal space to facilitate reentry into the vessel lumen.

A chronic total occlusion (CTO) is an arterial vessel blockage that obstructs blood flow through a vessel. A CTO generally results from a diseased condition called arthrosclerosis, which can occur in both coronary and peripheral arteries. In some instances, it may be difficult or impossible to penetrate the CTO with a medical device in an antegrade direction to recanalize the vessel. Accordingly, techniques have been developed for creating a subintimal pathway (a path between the intimal and adventitial tissue layers of the vessel wall) around the occlusion and then reentering the true lumen of the vessel distal of the occlusion. In some instances, reentering the true lumen from the subintimal space and/or recanalization pathway may be difficult. For example, some methods for subintimal reentry rely on the difference between the stiffness of the outer adventitial layer and the inner intimal layer of a vessel wall to facilitate reentry into the vessel lumen. Generally, the outer adventitial layer is stiffer than the inner intimal layer. This difference in stiffness allows the intimal layer to yield first if a medical device applies an outwardly directed pressure from between the two tissue layers, thus deflecting the distal portion of the catheter shaft toward the vessel lumen. However, in some instances calcification (accumulation of plaque) on the inner surface of the vessel wall may increase the stiffness of the intimal layer, reducing the difference in stiffness of the tissue layers, and thereby making it difficult for catheters to reenter the vessel lumen. In such instances, the risk of inadvertent perforation or dissection of the vessel wall, or tamponade (blood leakage out of an artery around the heart or peripheral organs) may increase during a subintimal recanalization procedure. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide alternative recanalization systems and/or methods having improved reentry mechanisms for recanalization of a blood vessel in which a CTO is present.