Biopolymeric hydrogel precursors are prepared by means of a ring-opening polymerization of epoxidized vegetable oils, followed by chemical hydrolysis. The recovered hydrogels having properties similar to Pluronic® type surfactants would have a plurality of end-use applications, including use as food additives and pharmaceutical ingredients. This invention provides the potential for an enhanced market for vegetable oils, and particularly for soybean oil.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to preparation of hydrogels and their alkali precursors from biopolymers, wherein the hydrogels have amphiphilic properties. These hydrogels are useful in drug delivery systems.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Polymeric drug delivery systems have attracted increasing attention during the last two decades. Amphiphilic block copolymers have been widely studied due to their potential application in drug delivery systems as they are capable of forming aggregates in aqueous solutions. These aggregates comprise of a hydrophobic core and hydrophilic shell. They are good vehicles for delivering hydrophobic drugs, since the drugs are protected from possible degradation by enzymes [Bae, Y. H. et al., J. Controlled Release, 64:3-13, 2000; Gan, Z. H. et al., Macromolecules, 32:590-594, 1999; Ge, H. X. et al., J. Pharm. Sci., 91:1463-1473, 2002; Kosita, M. J. et al., Macromolecules, 32:5539-5551, 1999; Lee, S. H. et al., Macromol. Res., 10:85-90, 2002; Wu, C. et al., Macromolecules, 30:4574-4583, 1997; Yekta, A. et al., Macromolecules, 28:956-966, 1995; Yuan, M. L. et al., Macromolecules, 33:1613-1617, 2000; Zhao, Y. et al., J. Phys. Chem. B., 105:848-851, 2001; Rosler, A. et al., Adv. Drug Delivery Rev., 53:95-108, 2001].
Temperature-gelling PEO-PPO-PEO triblock copolymers of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) and poly(propylene oxide) (PPO), known as a Pluronic® surfactants, are used as solubilization agents in pharmaceutical applications (Hurter, P. N. et al., in Solubilization in Surfactant Aggresgates, Christian, S. D., Scamehorn, J. F., Eds., Marcel Dekker, New York, 1995). These macromolecular surfactants have also been extensively studied as a potential drug delivery vehicle due to their excellent biocompatibility (Lee, S. H. et al., Macromol. Res., 10:85-90, 2002). They are among the very few synthetic polymeric materials approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as a food additive and pharmaceutical ingredient.
The critical micelle concentration (CMC) of Pluronic® block copolymers is typically very high because of the low hydrophobicity of PPO blocks. This limits the application of Pluronic® micelles because they are not stable and are easily destroyed by dilution when injected into the human body. It is for this reason that chemical modifications of Pluronic® block polymers may be necessary. For example, Pluronic® copolymers have been hydrophobically modified with polycaprolactone (PCL). The modified block copolymer of PCL-Pluronic®-PCL possess a much lower CMC than the unmodified form due to the hydrophobicity of PCL segments (Ha, J. C. et al., J. Controlled Release, 62:381-392, 1999; Kim, S. Y. et al., J. Controlled Release, 65:345-358, 2000). Other researchers have grafted Pluronic® block copolymers with poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and poly(lactic acid)(PLA). The gelation concentration of these modified copolymers is much lower than that of the Pluronic® copolymers (Bromberg, L., Ind. Eng. Chem. Res., 37:4267-4274, 1998; Bromberg, L., Langmuir, 14:5806-5812, 1998; Bromberg, L., Macromolecules, 31:6148-6156, 1998; Xiong, X. Y. et al., Macromolecules, 36:9979-9985, 2003). Such graft copolymer structures combine bioadhesive and hydrophobic properties in a single molecule, retain thermoreversible gelation behavior over a wide pH range, and do not permit physical separation. Therefore, they can be applied in vaginal drug delivery [Chen, G. et al., Proc. Intern. Symp. Control. Rel. Bioact. Mater., 1995, 22, 167; Ron, E. S. et al., Proc. Intern. Symp. Control. Rel. Bioact. Mater., 1996, 23, 128; Ron, E. S. et al., Pharm. Res., 1996 (Suppl.), 13, S299]. A striking feature of Pluronic®-PAA graft-copolymers is the ability to form a thermogel at low polymer concentrations, when neither parent Pluronic® nor 1:1 physical blend of Pluronic® and poly(acrylic acid) shows any signs of gelation (Ron, E. S. et al., Proc. Intern. Symp. Control. Rel. Bioact. Mater., 1996, 23, 128).
Hydrogels as drug carriers are able to provide significant functional advantages due to their physical property resemblance to living tissue. The temperature- or pH sensitive-hydrogels could be used in site-specific delivery of drugs to diseased lesions and have been prepared for low molecular weight and protein drug delivery.
Because of environmental concerns, the commercial utilization of biological polymers has become. an active research area during past decades (Kabanov, A. A. et al., in Amphilic Block Copolymers: Self Assembly and Applications, Alexandrities, P., Lindman, B., Eds., Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1997; Hurter, P. N. et al., in Solubilization in Surfactant Aggregates, Christian, S. D., Scamehorn, J. F., Eds., Marcel Dekker, New York, 1995; Wanka, G. et al., Macromolecules, 1994, 27, 4145; Malmsten, M. Lindman, B., Macromolecules, 1992, 25, 5440.). Biopolymers have potential advantages compared with synthetic petroleum polymers owing to their biodegradable properties and, in many cases, lower cost.

Soy-based thermosensitive hydrogels for controlled release systems

The United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture


Apparatus comprising a plurality of mobile carriages arranged in a closely spaced row for storing, organizing and displaying a multiplicity of elongated items arranged in a plurality of groups according to a physical characteristic of the elongated items is disclosed. An associated method for loading empty carriages or replenishing depleted carriages is also disclosed comprising the steps of removing a carriage from the row, loading the carriage with items and replacing the carriage into the row. Carriages comprise a rectangular frame having vertically extending posts providing an open construction to allow replenishing and dispensing of items. Carriages have wheel pairs at one end and are guided in their movement into and out of the row by rails arranged beneath each carriage.

Elongated items such as lumber products, pipe, conduit, standard metal stock and the like present a special set of problems in the organization, storage and display of such items. Businesses which handle such items, such as lumber yards, building supply outlets and warehouses find it desirable to organize the items in a logical scheme based upon a physical characteristic of the items which allows for orderly and efficient inventorying, management and supply of the items to their customers. For example, pvc pipe stock could be organized in different groups according to pipe diameter. There are at least 6 different standard pvc pipe diameters commonly available. Customers or warehousemen desiring pipe of a specified diameter could easily find exactly what they need from among a large volume of pipe stock if the stock is conveniently organized into groups by the pipe diameter. Pipe stock could also be organized according to length, there being two standard lengths, 10' and 20', available. Similarly, lumber could be organized by its characteristic dimensions (2.times.4, 4.times.4, etc.) or by the type of wood (pine, maple, oak, mahogany).
Organization of the items is only part of the problem however. Elongated items, as described above, are bulky and difficult to store. For example, pipe stock is not inherently stackable for neat and compact storage. If not supported by a rack of some kind, pipe stock will tend to roll and seek ground, creating a jumble of piping which needs constant attention. In a self-service retail store, such as a building supply outlet, where customers themselves draw the items from store stock directly, the orderly display of the items is important to promote sales, allow easy and convenient customer access and to ensure the safety of customers.
In addition to the problems of storage outlined above, it is also inherently difficult to handle bulky elongated items to replenish depleted stock. Stacking the items either in a rack or a self-contained pile is typically done by hand one piece at a time, thus proving to be an expensive, labor intensive effort. During this process the items run an increased risk of breakage or other damage occurring.
Some lumber yards or building supply outlets use forklifts or tow motors to handle elongated items in bulk which are "palletized" or otherwise temporarily banded together when delivered to the yard. An employee removes the pallet of pipe or lumber (for example) from the delivery truck via a forklift or tow motor and then brings the pallet to the storage rack and places the entire pallet into the rack. The employee then cuts the bands holding the items, which are supported on the rack for display and dispensing to customers. The problem inherent in this system is that the racks must be spread out over a relatively large area of the yard or store, as seen in FIG. 7. Sufficient space must be provided between the racks, typically on the order of 10' or more, to allow room for the forklift to maneuver between the racks to replenish depleted racks with the elongated items. The simple 12 rack system shown in FIG. 7 occupies 124 linear feet and requires approximately 2660 square feet of floor space to display a plurality of ten and twenty foot long items arranged in 12 categories. Much of the area is wasted dead space, unusable to display more items or other store wares.


Methods of and systems for removing organic substance from condensate generated from an industrial evaporation process are provided. The condensate comprises water and the organic substance. The methods and systems provide solutions related to enthalpy recovery of industrial evaporation processes such as, for example, sugar cane juice evaporation processes, dairy evaporation processes, coffee processing evaporation processes, fruit juice evaporation processes, soup evaporation processes, and chemical industry evaporation processes.

Generally, industrial evaporation processes are utilized to remove water from mixtures where water is present and not needed. For example, an industrial-scale soup producer may wish to remove water from soup prior to canning in order to save on shipping a relatively large quantity of water that may be added by the consumer upon preparation.
In the aforementioned example, the water removed from the soup via evaporation comprises much enthalpy, but generally further comprises substances other than water (e.g., sugar). The evaporated substance becomes enthalpy-rich condensate, which, if reasonably pure, could be utilized as a feed stream for a steam-generating system, or at least an enthalpy source to heat a feed stream of a steam-generating system.


An initial image (the image of a slit plate 5 imaged when adjusted to an optimal focal diameter) is stored in a storage section 72 of an X-ray tube adjusting apparatus 7. An acquisition section 74 acquires a test image (the image of the slit plate 5 imaged at the time of adjusting the focal diameter). A presentation section 76 presents the initial image and an image representing the luminance on the initial image (showing a contrast Δa between a slit portion 764a and a residual area portion 766a in the initial image) and the test image and an image representing the luminance on the test image (showing a contrast Δb between a slit portion 764b and a residual area portion 766b in the initial image) simultaneously (in a comparable manner).

If the focal point when an electron beam in an X-ray tube which is an X-ray generating source hits a target is not restricted to an appropriate level at the time of performing nondestructive inspection using an X-ray inspection apparatus, a penumbra is formed in a an imaging area, blurring the image. Even if the focus lens in the X-ray tube (open tube) is initially adjusted so that the focal point is restricted to an appropriate level, the focal point may become wider as the position of the filament or the target is deviated at the time the filament or the target is replaced. The focal point may also become wider when the tube voltage to be applied to the target of the X-ray tube is changed. As a measure in such a case, conventionally, a customer engineer has adjusted the focus lens in such a way that an image appearing on the monitor of the X-ray inspection apparatus becomes absolutely clear.

X-ray tube adjustment apparatus, x-ray tube adjustment system, and x-ray tube adjustment method


Surface-functionalized nano structures, arrays of the nanostructures, and method for using the arrays in surfaced-enhanced spectroscopy and dielectric sensing applications, such as surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy, are provided. The nanostructures are functionalized with specific binding moieties that are bound to the nanostructures via phosphonic acid linkers.

Plasmonic nanostructures and nanostructures made of high-refractive index materials afford significantly enhanced near-fields that can be exploited for ultrasensitive molecular sensing in surface-enhanced vibrational spectroscopy and dielectric sensing. Elemental gold is usually used in plasmonic biosensing due to its stability and well-established surface functionalization.
Infrared spectroscopy and Raman scattering spectroscopy are powerful tools, enabling label-free and accurate detection of chemical and biological species through the characteristic absorption bands of certain chemical bonds, which are the "fingerprints" of the molecules. However, its application for the detection of trace amounts of analytes has been hampered by the extremely small absorption signal of the molecules. A large sampling volume is required to ensure good signal-to-noise ratios, which makes studies on the molecular level extremely difficult. Surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy and surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy provide feasible routes to dramatically increase their absorption cross-sections with enhanced near-field intensities, which can come from rough surfaces, metallic nanoparticles, or lithographically defined nanostructures on the SEIRA or SERS substrates. Due to the lighting-rod effect and the excitation of surface plasmons, the metallic nanostructures, usually made of gold (Au) or silver (Ag), enable tremendous near-field enhancement around the nanostructure surfaces, preferably at sharp tips and nanogaps. In particular, periodically arranged nanoparticles fabricated by e-beam lithography (EBL) or focused-ion beam (FIB) provide better control over the spectral positions of the plasmon resonances that are preferred to overlap with the molecular vibrations.
Traditionally, Au has been widely used as a plasmonic material due to its chemical stability and well-established surface functionalization using thiolated molecules. However, Au suffers high intrinsic optical loss and its ever-growing price also poses concerns for practical applications. Unfortunately, the use of other materials, such as aluminum, copper, and titanium nitride, has been hindered due to the difficulty in functionalizing their surfaces, which are readily oxidized, making functionalization with thiolated molecules ineffective.
Most of the current plasmonic nanostructures are supported on various substrates. Therefore, their plasmon resonances, and thus their optical properties, are fixed once the nanostructures are fabricated. A variety of schemes have been proposed to tune the plasmon resonances, leading to better and more active control of the optical responses of the nanostructures, where stimuli-responsive materials are often employed to change the effective refractive indices of the surroundings of the plasmonic nanostructures. These tuning mechanisms are not straightforward and often involve complicated setup or fabrication processes.

Surface-functionalized nanostructures for molecular sensing applications


A putter or other golf club grip has rigid vibration transmitting protrusions either attached to the club shaft or in intimate contact with both the shaft and the golfer's hands, areas between said protrusions optionally being filled with conventional grip materials. The grip may be placed over existing club shafts like conventional slip-on or wrap-on grips or become an extension thereof. The grips may be attached and weighted in such a manner to further enhance desirable impact vibrational feedback to a golfer's hands further improving a golfer's distance control while reducing off center hits and the resulting distance and directional loss.

Golf club grips have evolved over the past two centuries toward the objective of better absorption of impact shocks and vibrations. This has become especially important with the advent of steel shafts with superior shock transmission to the wood shafts which preceded them. Steel shafts with internal shock and vibration absorbing elastomers have become popular in recent years. Graphite and other composite shafts have also gained popularity for their better shock absorption properties (and their reduced weight).
Putter grips have historically been of similar construction as full swing grips. The Rules of Golf (promulgated by the U.S. Golf Association or USGA) allow putter grips to have non-circular cross sections, unlike full swing club grips. They are often, therefore, larger or thicker in some sections than full swing club grips and hence even more shock or vibration absorbing.
Distance control is a vital part of effective putting. Essential feedback for determining the proper putterhead velocity for a given length putt is primarily gained through impact shock and vibration felt in a player's hands during prior putts of various lengths and slopes. Full swing club type grips with their excellent shock and vibration absorbing qualities are, therefore, very poorly suited for putters and other clubs, such as wedges and chipping clubs, used primarily for low impact shorter distance and partial swing shots. Maximum impact transmission to the golfer's hands is desirable here. Many novice golfers choose putters with "dead" grips, shafts and even polymer putterhead face impact inserts because they absorb and dampen harsh vibrations caused by impacting a ball away from the putterhead center of gravity (the "sweet spot"). Accomplished players, who hit the "sweet spot" more reliably, prefer metal faced putterheads for enhanced impact vibrational transmission to their hands (plus enhanced acoustical feedback). Unfortunately, conventional putter grips made like full swing club grips create a vibration transmission barrier between the putter shaft (usually steel) and the player's hands reducing or eliminating the vital vibrational feedback needed for distance control, or to tell a golfer he is missing the "sweet spot" of the putterhead (which causes an unintended loss of distance and directional control).

Putter grip with improved vibration transmission to hands


A heat sensor which detects the heat generated from sliding frictional contact with a traveling yarn in a textile machine and generates control signals therefrom for the controlling of a yarn winding operation. A temperature-sensitive electric resistor, especially a thin-layer resistor or a film thermometer, serves as the heat sensor. The heat sensor is connected e.g. via a signal converter to control devices, e.g. to a controllable yarn brake and/or to a drive motor for yarn take-up. When the measured temperature rises above a limit value, the braking force of the yarn brake can be first lowered and then the speed of the drive motor can be reduced.

In producing, processing or otherwise handling strands of traveling yarn in textile machines of various types, the quality of the yarn or yarn product produced by the textile machine depends to a considerable extent o maintaining the traveling yarn at a constant tension so that the product, be it a bobbin or package of yarn or a fabric or other yarn product, is of uniform high quality. The quality of the ultimate woven or knitted fabric is directly related to the consistency of quality of the yarn used in manufacturing the product and the consistency of the yarn is directly related to the uniformity of the tension in the yarn as it is wound into a bobbin or package by a yarn preparatory machine and from which the yarn is unwound in further processing to ultimately produce a fabric. For example, the quality of textile packages produced on textile winders depends o winding the yarn at a constant tension so that the yarn will unwind uniformly and at a constant tension when the package is used in the next stage of manufacturing. Moreover, efficiency and productivity of textile machines dictates that the machines operate at the highest speeds possible compatible with acceptable quality. To this end, the more accurately the tension in a traveling yarn can be maintained uniform at high speeds, the faster the machines can be run with resulting enhanced productivity and efficiency. For example, in textile winders variations in yarn tension can result in undesirable yarn breaks that obviously occur more frequently at high speeds where the time to adjust for tension variations to avoid breaks is extremely short.
Detecting the tension of a traveling yarn and responding to tension variations to adjust conditions to return the tension to the desired uniform tension is difficult to accomplish with conventional techniques, particularly at high speeds. In contrast, the present invention provides means for detecting yarn tension variations spontaneously and means for substantially immediate control response. This is accomplished in the present invention by detecting and responding to the heat created by characteristics of the traveling yarn.

Means for controlling the travel of a yarn in a textile machine


An image formation apparatus is provided having a continuous form photosensitive member positioned to move along a pre-defined transfer path. An image is exposed on to a portion of the photosensitive member along the transfer path. A heat developer heats the exposed image portion and intercepts the heat to an unexposed portion of the photosensitive member. The heat developer has a cylindrical housing having a heated portion arranged along a longitudinal axis of the cylindrical housing and a heating element in surface contact with and for heating exposed portions of the photosensitive member. The cylindrical housing also has an unheated portion arranged along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical housing and separated from the heated portion by a thermally insulative material. A thermal shield is selectively movable along the transfer path in synchronism with and in the direction of transfer of the photosensitive member between a heat shielding position and a non-heat shielding position for protecting and preserving unexposed portions of the photosensitive member. The thermal shield has a curved heat shield position adjacent to the heating element and movable concentrically about the longitudinal axis between the heat shielding position between the heating element and photosensitive member and the non-heat shield position.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an image formation apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer or the like, utilizing a photosensitive transfer type heat development material to form output images. More particularly, it relates to a heat developing machine portion of an image formation apparatus and a method of transferring a photosensitive member.
2. Background Art
Various methods and apparatus for forming images have been known. A conventional image formation apparatus utilizing a heat development material of the photosensitive transfer type is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 62-147461. According to this publication, main mechanism portions, such as an exposure portion, a heat development portion, and a pressure transfer portion, are arranged within one region of the apparatus. Image formation is performed according to the following procedure.
First, a roll-like heat development material of the photosensitive transfer type is cut into predetermined lengths before being exposed to an image to form a latent image. Next, heat rollers heat-develop the image. Then, the photosensitive member is superposed by image-receiving paper, and transferred under pressure by rollers. The photosensitive member is discharged by a separation device to a disposal portion therefor, whereas the image-receiving paper is discharged to a tray through a fixing device.
The above conventional art, however, has the following problems.
First, a used photosensitive member which is no longer usable by the apparatus operator is discharged each time an image is formed. The operator must provide a new photosensitive member when the existing photosensitive member is no longer usable, and besides, must also dispose of the used photosensitive member, thus, doubling the operator's work.
Second, a mechanism is required to cut the roll-like photosensitive member. Such a mechanism affects the tension and loading on the photosensitive member considerably, thus creating problems such that the photosensitive member is carried in an unsmooth manner, raised or wrinkled. In the conventional art, because this mechanism is near the exposure portion, such problems become particularly serious. For this reason, there is a demand for a more accurate and complex carrying mechanism in photosensitive member carrying portions, including the exposure portion.
Third, because the photosensitive member and the image-receiving paper in the form of cut sheets are superposed on each other to be transferred under high pressure, an accurate mechanism or device to separate the photosensitive member and paper with certainty is required.
These problems can be solved if the photosensitive member is not cut into sheets but has a continuous form. However, since the path along which the photosensitive member area is carried after exposure is long, the amount of useless photosensitive member increases enormously, resulting in an increase in the cost of the photosensitive member. For this reason, it is possible to effectively make better use of the photosensitive member by rewinding it. However, the unused photosensitive member has passed through a heat developing device, thereby being affected by the heat. Therefore, the photosensitive member is no longer reusable, and thus the portion of useless photosensitive member increases or remains high.
Fourth, while the photosensitive member is being carried through the image apparatus, fine dust particles and the like in the carrying mechanism damage an image forming micro capsule disposed on the member, markedly deteriorating the quality of any output image.
Because of the rapidly increasing trend toward OA, the use of various kinds of electronic equipment has recently spread among many people of varying skill levels. When consumers are going to use electronic equipment, it is very important to consider several factors, such as ease of replacement parts, ease of understanding the structure and operation, and cost (running cost), so that it can be used by the consumer without hesitation.

Heat protection of photosensitive elements in image formation apparatus


Presenilin Associated Membrane Protein (PAMP), and nucleic acids encoding this protein, are provided. PAMP and PAMP nucleic acids provide diagnostic and therapeutic tools for evaluating and treating or preventing neurodegenerative diseases. In a specific embodiment, mutations in PAMP are diagnostic for Alzheimer's Disease or spina bifida. The invention further relates to screening, particularly using high-throughput screens and transgenic animal models, for compounds that modulate the activity of PAMP and presenilins. Such compounds, or gene therapy with PAMP, can be used in treating neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's Disease. In addition, the invention provides PAMP mutants, nucleic acids encoding for PAMP mutants, and transgenic animals expressing PAMP mutants, which in a preferred aspect result in biochemical changes similar to those induced by mutations in βAPP, PS1, or PS2, associated with familial Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a degenerative disorder of the human central nervous system characterized by progressive memory impairment and cognitive and intellectual decline during mid to late adult life (Katzman, N Eng J Med 1986; 314:964-973). The disease is accompanied by a constellation of neuropathologic features principal amongst which are the presence of extracellular amyloid or senile plaques, and neurofibrillary tangles in neurons. The etiology of this disease is complex, although in some families it appears to be inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. Genetic studies have identified three genes associated with the development of AD, namely: (1) β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) (Chartier-Harlin et al., Nature 1991; 353:844-846; Goate et al., Nature 1991; 349:704-706; Murrell et al., Science 1991:254:97-99; Karlinsky et al., Neurology 1992; 42:1445-1453; Mullan et al., Nature Genetics 1992; 1:345-347); (2) presenilin-1 (PS1) (Sherrington et al., Nature 1995; 375:754-760); and (3) presenilin-2 (PS2) (Rogaev et al., Nature 1995; 376:775-778; Levy-Lehad et al., Science 1995; 269:970-973).
Abnormal processing of βAPP with overproduction of amyloid-β is also a feature of other CNS diseases, including inherited and sporadic forms of amyloid angiopathy, which presents with intracerebral bleeding (Levy et al., Science 1990; 248:1124-1126). Thus, abnormalities of presenilin proteins and PS-interacting proteins may affect these diseases as well.
The presenilin genes (PS1-PS1 and PS2-PS2) encode homologous polytopic transmembrane proteins that are expressed at low levels in intracellular membranes including the nuclear envelope, the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus and some as yet uncharacterized intracytoplasmic vesicles in many different cell types including neuronal and non-neuronal cells (Sherrington et al., supra; Rogaev et al., supra; Levy-Lahad et al., supra; Doan et al., Neuron 1996; 17:1023-1030; Walter et al., Molec. Medicine 1996; 2:673-691; De Strooper et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1997; 272:3590-3598; Lehmann et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1997; 272:12047-12051; Li et al., Cell 1997; 90:917-927). Structural studies predict that the presenilins contain between six and eight transmembrane (TM) domains organized such that the N-terminus, the C-terminus, and a large hydrophilic loop following the sixth TM domain are located in the cytoplasm or nucleoplasm, while the hydrophilic loop between TM1 and TM2 is located within the lumen of membranous intracellular organelles (Doan et al., 1996; De Strooper et al., 1997; Lehmann et al., 1997).
Missense mutations in the PS1 and PS2 genes are associated with the inherited forms of early-onset AD (Sherrington et al., Nature 1995; 375:754-760; Rogaev, et al., Nature 1995; 376:775-778; Levy-Lahad et al., Science 1995; 269:970-973). Several lines of evidence have also suggested roles in developmental, apoptotic signalling and in the regulation of proteolytic cleavage of the β-amyloid precursor protein (βAPP) (Levitan et al., Nature 1995; 377:351-354; Wong et al., Nature 1997; 387:288-292; Shen et al., Cell 1997; 89:629-639; Wolozin et al., Science 1996; 274:1710-1713; De Strooper et al., Nature 1998; 391:387-390). Nevertheless, it remains unclear just how these putative functions are mediated, or how they relate to the abnormal metabolism of the βAPP associated with PS1 and PS2 mutations (Martin et al., NeuroReport 1995; 7:217-220; Scheuner et al., Nature Med. 1996; 2:864-870; Citron et al., Nature Med. 1997; 3:67-72; Duff et al., Nature 1996; 383:710-713; Borchelt et al., Neuron 1996; 17:1005-1013).
PS1 and PS2 interact specifically with at least two members of the armadillo family of proteins; neuronal plakophilin-related armadillo protein (Paffenholtz et al., Differentiation 1997; 61: 293-304; Paffenholtz et al., Exp Cell Res 1999; 250: 452-464; Zhou et al., Neuroreport 1997; 8: 2085-2090) and β-catenin, that are expressed in both embryonic and post-natal tissues. Moreover, the domains of PS1 and PS2 that interact with these proteins have been identified. Mutations in PS1 and PS2 affect the translocation of β-catenin into the nucleus of both native cells and cells transfected with a mutant PS gene. These interactions and effects are described in detail in co-pending commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 09/227,725, filed Jan. 8, 1999, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The identification and cloning of normal as well as mutant PS1 and PS2 genes and gene products are described in detail in co-pending commonly assigned U.S. application Ser. No. 08/431,048, filed Apr. 28, 1995; 08/496,841, filed Jun. 28, 1995; 08/509,359, filed Jul. 31, 1995; and 08/592,541, filed Jan. 26, 1996, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
There is speculation that onset of AD may be associated with aberrant interactions between mutant presenilin proteins and normal forms of PS-interacting proteins, and these changes may increase or decrease interactions present with normal PS1, or cause interaction with a mutation-specific PS-interacting protein. Such aberrant interactions also may result from normal presenilins binding to mutant forms of the PS-interacting proteins. Therefore, mutations in the PS-interacting proteins may also be implicated in the development of AD.
While the identification of normal and mutant forms of PS proteins has greatly facilitated development of diagnostics and therapeutics, a need exists for new methods and reagents to more accurately and effectively diagnose and treat AD. In addition, further insights into PS proteins and their interaction with other components may lead to new diagnostic and treatment methods for other related CNS diseases.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Presenilin associated membrane protein (PAMP) and uses thereof

The Governing Council of the University of Toronto


A support for high-voltage or medium-voltage electrical plant comprises four columns placed on a support surface and connected in pairs by crossmember assemblies. The columns are each articulated to rotate about a first horizontal axis at their end resting on the support surface and about a second horizontal axis on a top crossmember at their other end. The first and second axes are parallel. Two opposite crossmember assemblies allow the two columns connected by one or the other of these two assemblies to move in a stable manner in their rotation plane.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an articulated support with lateral movement for high-voltage or medium-voltage electrical plant.
To be more precise, it relates to a support for high-voltage or medium-voltage electrical plant comprising four columns placed on a support surface and connected in pairs by four assemblies of crossmembers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
This kind of support is used in shielded electrical plant housed in a metal enclosure, as shown in FIG. 1.
Such plant includes a shielded horizontal circuit-breaker 2 connected at each of its two ends by way of a connecting compartment 8 to a shielded disconnector 3. The connecting compartment 8, carrying a toroidal current transformer 6, is closed in a manner known in the art by insulative cones. An overhead line bushing 11 is mounted on top of each disconnector 3 which, together with the bushings and ancillary plant, are supported by a support 1 resting on the ground.
In the above kind of prior art plant, each support 1 is fixed to the ground directly or indirectly and comprises four substantially vertical columns connected in pairs by four crossmember assemblies. Each crossmember assembly comprises two crossmembers that cross over each other, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. The columns and crossmembers are rigidly connected.
It might prove necessary to demount the circuit-breaker 2 rapidly, for example in the event of a malfunction, without deinstalling the other plant (disconnectors and overhead line bushings). In particular, it would be particularly advantageous for the disconnectors and overhead line bushings to remain pressurized with dielectric gas and live. At present, demounting the circuit-breaker interferes greatly with the operation of the electrical substation in which the plant shown in FIG. 1 is installed, as it implies disconnecting at least one of the two overhead lines and demounting the bushing-disconnector-framework assembly on the side that is disconnected, which is a long, complex and difficult process.
In particular, this process generally necessitates the provision of plant such as a crane to provide additional and temporary support for the overhead lines. It must be possible for each support 1 to be detached from the ground in order for the assembly that it supports to be moved away from the circuit-breaker 2 by a distance of the order of ten centimeters to release the circuit-breaker, whilst preventing the cable connected to the bushing causing significant tilting of the assembly caused by the high traction forces that the cable exerts on the crossmember, and therefore the resulting high torque on the support. For safety reasons, the additional and temporary support must not be live, which necessitates disconnecting at least the overhead line held by temporary support.
The invention solves the above problem by proposing an articulated support with lateral movement making it a simple matter to move high-voltage or medium-voltage electrical plant without additional plant, without necessitating the application of high physical forces, and with no risk of out of limits movement that could in particular cause the plant and its support to tip over.

Articulated support with lateral movement for high-voltage or medium-voltage electrical plant


A semiconductor memory device includes spaced apart twisted bit line pairs, a respective one of which includes a spaced apart twisted area. A conductive line overlaps the respective twisted areas of the spaced apart twisted line pairs. The conductive line can extend parallel to the memory device word lines, and can provide a power supply ground and/or signal line.

Semiconductor (integrated circuit) memory devices are widely used in consumer and commercial applications. Typically, a semiconductor memory device such as a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM) device employs a variety of operating voltages, including an external power supply voltage, ground voltage, internal power supply voltage, reference voltage and high voltage. Among these operating voltages, the internal power supply voltage is used to generate an array power supply voltage applied to a memory cell array.
The power supply lines may be arranged in a power-meshed pattern so as to enhance the efficiency of cell power supply in the memory cell array. The layout of the power supply lines or signal lines may become more significant with an increase in the size of the semiconductor memory device.
An example of the layout of power supply lines is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,867,440 to Hidaka. In Hidaka, power supply lines and grounding lines are arranged on the memory cell array so as to extend in the column direction. Another example of the layout of power supply lines is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,115 to Nakai, which discloses a power supply configuration in a meshed shape arrangement for a sense amplifier circuit.
The reduction of design rules may result in an increased parasitic capacitance of adjacent bit lines in the memory cell array of the semiconductor memory device. Namely, the adjacent bit lines form a parasitic capacitance caused by an insulation layer that is interposed between the adjacent bit lines, and the capacitance generally increases with a decrease in the thickness of the insulation layer. The parasitic capacitance may cause noise to make the data sensing operation of the sense amplifier unstable.
An approach to reducing the parasitic capacitance is a twisted bit line architecture. For example, a twisted bit line structure and a method for making the same is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,404,664 to Numata. A twisted bit line architecture can have a relatively low parasitic capacitance and less noise caused by the capacitive coupling among the bit line pairs during a sensing operation.

Semiconductor memory devices having conductive line in twisted areas of twisted bit line pairs


A sorter for sorting a printed sheet discharged from an image forming machine includes a plurality of bins arranged in a vertical direction; a conveyer provided vertically along the plurality of bins to convey the printed sheet vertically downward; an indexer having a guide surface in its upper portion, being vertically movable along a sheet travel route of the conveyer, for peeling the printed sheet off the conveyer with the guide surface and sending the printed sheet in either one of the plurality of bins; a controller connecting for driving the conveyer and the indexer; and an operating panel-connecting to the controller. The operating panel receives a printing sheet information of the sheet to be printed and feeds the information to the controller, and the controller determines a vertical distance between a bottom surface of an upstream-side end portion of the bin and a downstream-side end portion of the guide surface of the printed sheet guide means in response to the information from the operating panel.

The present invention relates to a sheet post-processing unit such as a sorter for distributing and accommodating printed sheets discharged from an image forming machine, and to an image forming apparatus having the sheet post processing unit and an image forming machine such as a copying machine, a printer and the like for forming images on a printing sheet.
Various types of sheet post-processing units for distributing printed papers which have images formed thereon and discharged from a stencil printing machine have heretofore been developed and put to practical use. Sheet post-processing units of the sorts mentioned above are desired to be devised so that while every possible effort is made for size reduction, a larger number of printed sheets may be distributable.
In such a sheet post-processing unit of a fixed bin type, a plurality of bins are fixedly arranged in the vertical direction of a casing and conveyer units having fans and blowers are installed in the vertical direction of the plurality of bins and besides indexers as sheet guide means for carrying printed papers into the corresponding bins are moved up and down vertically along travel routes of the conveyer units. Therefore, an attempt has been made to reduce the size of the whole apparatus by decreasing the dimension thereof in the depth direction. With respect to the conveyer unit, moreover, the diameter of a corner portion at both ends of a belt has also been designed for its size to be minimized. However, the following problems still exist because various types of paper are used as printing sheet in the stencil printing machine and aforementioned paper post-processing unit.
In the sheet post-processing unit thus arranged as described above, an indexer 116 is moved up or down to the position of a target bin 78 and the printed sheet P conveyed from a conveyer unit 92 is peeled off the belt surface at the indexer 116, guided to and accommodated in the target bin 78 as shown in FIG. 12. When the printed sheet P is carried into each bin 78 from the indexer 116, however, not only a paper jam percentage but also accommodating capacity per bin may greatly vary if the stop position of the indexer 116 is unchanged even in a case where the paper thickness varies.
More specifically, no problem will particularly be caused even though the stop position of the indexer with respect to the bin 78 is left unchanged in a case where the printed sheet P conveyed from the conveyer unit 92 is ordinary paper. Nevertheless, the thick printed paper P conveyed from the conveyer unit 92 for next distribution becomes unaccommodated in the target bin 78 because it is blocked by sheets of printed paper P that have already been stacked up therein as the number of printed sheets per bin increases. Consequently, the paper accommodating capacity per bin tends to decrease.
In the sheet post-processing unit thus arranged as described above, further, a corner portion in the travel route of the conveyer unit 92 is considerably curved and therefore one end of printed sheet tends to become easily curled in the corner portion of the belt, depending on the type of sheet (see FIG. 12). Therefore, as in the case where thicker printed papers are distributed, a paper jam is readily produced in the proximity of the entrance of the bin 78 with respect to the indexer 116 since the printed paper conveyed from the conveyer unit 92 for next distribution becomes unaccommodated in the target bin 78 as it is blocked by the sheets of printed paper P that have already been stacked up therein.
When a large number of thick printed papers are accommodated in one bin or when the end of that type of paper becomes curled in the travel route, printed paper for next distribution becomes unaccommodated in the target bin as it is blocked by the sheets of printed paper P that have already been stacked up therein, which results in not only decreasing the paper accommodating capacity but also causing a paper jam.

Sorter having a controller which adjusts for different types of paper used in an image forming apparatus


Various embodiments of an electrical motor, a brushless DC motor controller, and applications thereof. In one embodiment, a fluid-moving device is provided with a brushless DC motor and a motor controller. The controller may include a set of comparators and a clocked digital circuit. The set of comparators are each configured to determine a voltage polarity on a respective winding of a stator. The clocked digital circuit is configured to receive polarity signals from the comparators and configured to detect in the polarity signals zero crossings having an expected crossing direction. The clocked digital circuit is also configured to determine a commutational sequence for energizing windings on the stator. Other embodiments may include a disk drive, an implantable medical device, a vehicle, and a downhole tool.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to brushless, sensorless, DC motor controllers. Specifically, the present invention relates to a completely digital logic implementation of a brushless, sensorless DC motor controller that uses back electromotive force values from the DC motor to selectively switch power to windings in the DC motor stator.
2. Background of the Invention
In conventional brushless DC motors, a displacing force (rotational or linear) is generated in the movable rotor portion of the motor by inducing a current in the stator windings. This stator winding current creates a stator magnetic field that causes the armature field in the motor rotor to attempt to align with the induced stator field. If a constant DC voltage is applied to a single coil or winding in a two-pole stator, the rotor will rotate and come to rest with the rotor poles aligned with the induced stator poles. To maintain rotor displacement, the current in the stator winding must be reversed to switch the polarity of the stator poles. If timed correctly, the momentum of the rotor and the switched magnetic field will act to keep the rotor turning.
Maximum torque is developed when the rotor field is normal to (90° ahead of) the stator field. If the polarity of a two-pole stator field is switched as the rotor armature field approaches alignment with the stator field, the rotor and stator fields can be as much as or over 180° apart. Thus, a simple DC motor comprising two stator poles will exhibit large torque variations as the rotor moves. Improvements to this basic, two-pole brushless DC motor model have been implemented by incorporating more stator coils, windings, and poles and a corresponding increase in rotor poles. Three-phase brushless motors are commonly used for this type of application because the separate phases of a three-phase power supply can be coupled to multiple stator windings to induce multiple stator poles. An increase in the number of stator poles in a DC motor offers the benefit of producing a more efficient motor. However, the additional poles also increase motor complexity because stator winding current must be switched on and off to keep the stator poles ahead of the rotor poles as the rotor moves with respect to the stator. This switching is often described as commutation, which refers to the synchronous regulation of stator and rotor magnetic fluxes.
At least two predominant approaches have been used to successfully implement this type of switching. Older, more conventional DC motors used a brush-commutator system to continuously switch drive current as the rotor moved. In these motors, motor voltage was applied via physical contact between the brushes and winding contacts on the rotor armature. These winding contacts are typically separated by gaps where the brush contacts do not contact any windings. Thus, as the rotor moves, the brush contacts lose contact with a first winding before making contact with a second winding. With this functionality, motive power can be applied to the armature windings in the correct sequence to maintain rotor motion. While effective, these brushes were subject to mechanical wear over time. Furthermore, this configuration added to the amount of hardware and wiring that was needed to successfully drive the motor.
As an alternative approach, brushless DC motors were subsequently developed to eliminate brush contacts. In these latter designs, the automatic switching effect provided by the brushes in older conventional motors had to be accounted for. To accomplish this, brushless DC motor controllers were developed to control the timing and switching of power delivery to the motor. In addition, the motor configuration is changed to move the switched windings from the rotor to the stator. Further, the permanent magnets are transferred to the rotor. In practice, the motor controllers incorporate feedback signals that provide the precise location of the rotor with respect to the stator at any given time. In conventional systems, this position information is provided using hall effect sensors, optical sensors, or synchro resolvers. Signals from these external sensors are fed back to the motor controller, which switches stator windings on and off (thereby moving the induced magnet field) based on the position of the rotor. These brushless DC motor solutions significantly reduced, if not eliminated, the conventional mechanical wear problem, but they still required extra hardware and wiring to provide the necessary position feedback.
Accordingly, another family of brushless DC motor controllers was developed that use back EMF signals generated by the motor windings to indicate rotor position. The motor configuration for these brushless, sensorless DC motors remains the same as the sensored, brushless DC motors. That is, the drive windings are located in the stator and the permanent magnets are disposed about the rotor.
It is well known to those skilled in the art that Faraday's Law necessitates that a moving magnetic flux in the presence of a conductor will induce a voltage in that conductor. This voltage is commonly referred to as electromotive force (EMF). The EMF phenomenon permits a permanent magnet DC motor to work as a generator. Thus, in a brushless, sensorless DC motor with multiple stator windings, a voltage naturally appears across the stator windings as the rotor moves. In the motor context (as distinguished from a generator), the EMF induced in the stator windings is a byproduct of the drive power supplied by the motor controller and power supply. As such, this EMF may be classified as Back EMF. The magnitude of this Back EMF changes as the permanent magnets move towards and away from the stator windings. As such, the magnitude of the Back EMF signal can be used to indicate position of the rotor. Various methods are used in the art to translate the Back EMF signal into a position indication, including comparators, accumulators, and perhaps even simple switches.
In practice, a brushless, sensorless DC motor will incorporate a plurality of stator windings and use a motor controller to synchronously switch power to the stator windings to induce motion in the rotor. A common configuration includes a stator with three windings and multiple rotor magnet poles. To induce motion in the rotor, two of the stator windings are driven, while the third winding is undriven, or essentially off. The Back EMF levels in the third winding can then be measured and used to identify the position of the rotor. As the motor controller switches power to the DC motor, the third winding will be turned on (driven) and one of the previously driven windings will be turned off. Naturally, the process repeats during normal motor operation.
The advent of brushless, sensorless DC motor controllers that use Back EMF signals to indicate rotor position has eliminated the need for commutator brushes, revolvers, and hall effect sensors to indicate the position of a rotor as it moves with respect to the stator. The Back EMF signals are incorporated into a feedback loop between the DC motor and the DC motor controller to correctly time the switching of power to the motor windings. Thus, the heart of the operation lies with the motor controller and any methods used by the controller to interpret the Back EMF signals to correctly time the switching events.
One problem with using Back EMF signals to indicate rotor position is that the rotor must be moving to generate any Back EMF signal at all. Thus, most conventional brushless, sensorless DC motor controllers incorporate some functionality to initiate rotor movement and thereby generate the required Back EMF signals.
Prior art brushless, sensorless DC motor controller devices exist in a variety of configurations. As brushless, sensorless DC motors become more prevalent, off-the-shelf motor controllers have become more common. As an example, Philips Semiconductors offers dedicated bipolar integrated circuits (IC) to drive three phase brushless DC motors. Similarly, Texas Instruments has proposed the use of a digital signal processor (DSP) to implement a software motor controller. These prior art solutions have been proven to work effectively in controlling DC motor commutation. However, there are a number of drawbacks and limitations to these prior art motor controllers.
First, any controllers that use bipolar technologies are limited to use in reasonable operating temperatures. Conventional bipolar devices can operate effectively up to about 70° C. In addition, some ICs require external energy storage devices such as capacitors to control critical timing. These additional devices also lack long-term reliability at elevated operating temperatures. Operating temperature range can also be prohibitive in processor designs, with 70° C. also being a typical maxi proximity to combustion engines or downhole drilling applications.mum operating temperature for processors and DSPs. Military grade DSPs offer a maximum operating temperature in the 120°-130° C. range, but this may still limit applicability to high temperature (in excess of 150° C.) environments, such as those found in
A second problem with prior art brushless, sensorless DC motor controllers is complexity and reliability. As mentioned above, ICs often require analog components to control commutational timing. These analog components tend to inhibit the long-term reliability of these designs. Other designs employing processors are even more complex and expensive. A typical DSP may include multiple processors, memory devices, and memory controllers and require software code to be written, debugged, and integrated before deployment. This complexity often hampers time to market. Further, it is generally accepted that designs that are more complex exhibit lower long-term reliability.
Therefore, a primary consideration in improving reliability is reducing complexity of the motor controller. Further, it is also desirable to create a fully digital embodiment of a brushless, sensorless DC motor controller such that the controller may be implemented on a single digital logic device. A fully digital embodiment may also permit incorporation onto a high temperature digital logic device, such as a semiconductor on insulator (SOI) device. SOI devices can incorporate digital logic components mounted onto a thin, single-crystal semiconductor film growing atop a synthetic insulator substrate. The insulator may be silicon oxide, glass, or sapphire. SOI devices were originally developed for use in military and aviation applications requiring high temperature and "radiation hardened" chips.
Thus, a simple, fully digital implementation of a brushless, sensorless DC motor controller offers distinct advantages over prior art designs. The improved digital design may be implemented on an off-the-shelf programmable logic device costing only a few dollars. Such a design may advantageously provide a low-cost, reliable alternative to existing controller designs for use at reasonable operating temperatures. In addition, the improved digital design may be implemented on SOI logic devices to provide a reliable, high-temperature motor controller solution that is not available with conventional controllers. Further, the new controller requires a single clock, the frequency of which may be adjusted to accommodate a range of BLDC motors. Existing controllers are often difficult to tune and may require the changing of analog components or program code.
It is therefore desirable to develop a fully digital embodiment of a brushless, sensorless DC motor controller that uses Back EMF feedback information from the DC motor to accurately commutate the DC motor. The motor controller preferably provides a simple, reliable alternative to conventional motor controllers. In addition to proper commutation, the improved motor controller should effectively account for startup conditions where Back EMF signals are not present. Further, the improved motor controller should advantageously adapt to varying input voltages and rotor velocities.

Digital adaptive sensorless commutational drive controller for a brushless DC motor


An adaptive equalizer comprising a variable filter which equalizes a digital input signal which is input in a time sequential order, an adaptive controller unit which updates a filter coefficient of the variable filter based on an output signal of the variable filter and the input signal and according to an equalization algorithm, and a coefficient resetting unit which resets a filter coefficient of the variable filter at a predetermined timing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an adaptive equalizer for waveform equalization of a replay signal of data recorded on a recording medium or the like, and in particular, to control of filter coefficients of a variable filter used for equalization.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a magnetic replay device for replaying magnetic data recorded on a magnetic recording medium, an adaptive equalizer is used for compensating amplitude distortion or phase distortion of the replay signal from a magnetic head (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. Hie 5-40907).
In the adaptive equalizer, an equalization process is applied to an input signal by an FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filter. An output of the FIR filter is supplied to a decoding circuit and a data sequence is decoded through determination of "1" and "0" by level comparison or the like. A difference between an output from the decoding circuit and an output from the FIR filter is calculated and sent to an adaptive controller unit. The adaptive controller unit adaptively updates filter coefficients of the FIR filter so that a signal power of the difference is minimized.
In an adaptive equalization of determination feedback as described above, when a state continues in which an input signal is significantly different from the equalization target characteristic such as, for example, when there is damage to the magnetic tape, the filter coefficients diverge and cannot converge to the target equalization characteristic. As a result, video data and audio data cannot be properly reconstructed.


The present invention is direct to the treatment of Pompe disease by administration of an enzyme or nucleic acid encoding for said enzyme suitable for Enzyme Replacement Therapy for Pompe disease in combination with the administration of an antisense oligomeric compound that modulates the splicing of acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) gene.

Pompe disease also known as acid maltase deficiency or Glycogen storage disease type II is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder which damages many cells throughout the body and in particular muscle cells and nerve cells, but also other cells throughout the body. The damage is caused by an accumulation of glycogen in the lysosome due to a deficiency of the lysosomal enzyme acid alpha-glucosidase. The build-up of glycogen and the consequences thereof affect various body tissues, particularly, skeletal muscles, heart muscles and smooth muscles of various organs and body parts such as blood vessels, gastrointestinal tract, uterus, bladder, the liver; and the central and perferal nervous system. As a consequence the clinical symptoms are broad. Progressive skeletal muscle weakness (myopathy) is a hallmark of the disease.
In Pompe disease, a protein, acid alpha-glucosidase (EC 22.214.171.124), also known as acid maltase, which is a lysosomal hydrolase, is defective. The protein is an enzyme that normally degrades the alpha-1,4 and alpha-1,6 linkages in glycogen, maltose and isomaltose and is required for the degradation of 1-3% of cellular glycogen. The deficiency of this enzyme results in the accumulation of structurally normal glycogen in lysosomes. The defective metabolism of glycogen in the lysosomes may also lead to (secondary) storage of glycogen in the cytoplasm and autophagic build-up. Excessive glycogen storage within lysosomes may interrupt normal functioning of other organelles and lead to cellular injury.
The defective alpha-glucosidase protein or reduced amount of alpha-glucosidase protein and activity is the result of mutations (or variations) with in the GAA gene. Some of these GAA mutations may lead to alternative splicing and thereby to absent or a reduced amount of alpha-glucosidase protein or activity. The GAA gene is located on long arm of chromosome 17 at 17q25.2-q25.3 (base pair 75,689,876 to 75,708,272). The gene spans approximately 20 kb and contains 20 exons with the first exon being noncoding.
Although over 460 GAA mutations have been described (http://cluster15.erasmusmc.nl/klgn/pompe/mutations.html), only a few splicing mutations have been characterized. Severe mutations that completely abrogate GAA enzyme activity cause the classic infantile form of Pompe disease with onset of symptoms shortly after birth, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, general skeletal muscle weakness, and respiratory failure and death within the first 1.5 years of life if left untreated. Milder mutations leave partial GAA enzyme activity and result in a milder phenotype with onset of symptoms varying from childhood to adulthood. In general, a higher residual alpha-glucosidase activity in primary fibroblasts is associated with later onset of Pompe disease.
Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has been developed for Pompe disease, in which recombinant human GAA protein is administered intravenously every two weeks. This treatment is aimed to increase the intracellular level of alpha-glucosidase activity in affected cells and tissues and thereby reduce or prevent glycogen storage and eventually symptoms of the disease. The treatment can rescue the lives of classic infantile patients and delay disease progression of later onset patients, but the effects are heterogeneous.
Pompe disease is an autosomal recessive inheritable disorder. One of the most common mutation in Pompe disease is the IVS1 mutation, c.-32-13T>G, a transversion (T to G) mutation and occurs among infants, children, juveniles and adults with this disorder. This mutation interrupts a site of RNA splicing.
Antisense oligonucleotides (antisense oligomeric compounds) are currently being tested in clinical trials for their ability to modulate splicing. A classical example is Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In this disease, mutation hotspots are present in certain exons. Using antisense oligomeric compounds, the mutated exon is skipped and the mutation is bypassed. This results in a slightly shorter protein that is still partial functional. It is straightforward to induce exon skipping using antisense oligomeric compounds, because it is evident that the antisense oligomeric compound must be targeted to the relevant splice site. Also in Epidermolysis bullosa (WO2013053819) and in Leber congenital amaurosis symptoms (WO2012168435) antisense oligonucleotides are used for exon skipping.
For the IVS1 mutation in Pompe, such a strategy does not work. The IVS mutation causes a skipping of exon 2 resulting in the deletion of the canonical translation start side and leads to non-sense mediated decay and thus no protein is transcribed. For antisense therapy to work for the IVS1 mutation in Pompe disease, it needs to induce exon inclusion. However, it is very difficult to induce exon inclusion, because it relies on targeting a splicing repressor sequence, which cannot be reliably predicted. For the IVS1 mutation, an antisense oligomeric compound that blocks a splicing repressor sequence may promote exon 2 inclusion in the presence of the IVS1 mutation. It is known that such repressor sequences may be present anywhere in the gene, either in an exon (termed exonic splicing silencer or ESS) or in an intron (termed intronic splicing silencer or ISS) and maybe close to the mutation or far away or maybe close to the affected splice site or far away from it.
Although a number of antisense compounds that are capable of modulating splicing of a target gene in vitro have been reported, there remains a need to identify compounds that may modulate the splicing of the GAA gene.
Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) with acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA), has been used for infantile, childhood and adult Pompe patients also called classic infantile or infantile onset and late onset forms. The ERT modifies the natural course of the disease, however targeting of the main target tissues and cells is a challenge. For example 15-40% of the body is composed of skeletal muscle and to be corrective each individual cell in the body needs to reached. The enzyme needs to be taken up by cells via endocytosis, which seems most efficient when it is targeted to receptors on the cell surface such as the mannose 6-phosphate/IGF II receptor. This mannose 6-phosphate/IGF II receptor recognizes various ligands such as mannose 6-phosphate, IGF II and Gluc-NAC. Thus ERT with these ligands show a better uptake. The current registered ERT is targeted at the M6P part of the M6P/IGF II receptor, but there is also ERT underdevelopment with an increased amount of M6P ligands or with IGF II linked to it. Another problem with ERT is that some patients develop antibodies to the administered GAA enzyme reducing the effect of ERT and these patients respond poorly to the treatment. In addition, ERT requires purified recombinant human GAA which is difficult to make and is expensive. Furthermore, recombinant human GAA is has a relative short half life ranging and therefore must be administered intravenously every 2 weeks (or every week), which is cumbersome for patients.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an improved treatment for Pompe Disease. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved ERT treatment of Pompe Disease. Another object of the invention is to provide an antisense compound that is capable of targeting exonic splicing silencer (ESS) or in an intronic splicing silencer (ISS). Yet another object of the invention is to provide a antisense compound that is capable of targeting the IVS-1 mutation. It is further an object of the invention to improve the enzyme replacement therapy of GAA enzyme in patients. The present invention meets one or more of the objects.
The present invention combines two strategies which are different. ERT or gene therapy enhances the activity of glycogen breakdown administration of administration of a foreign GAA enzyme, whereas antisense therapy improves or enhances the intracellular production of the patients own GAA enzyme.

Enzymatic replacement therapy and antisense therapy for pompe disease

Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam


A semiconductor device and process for making the same are disclosed which use reticulated conductors and a width-selective planarizing interlevel dielectric (ILD) deposition process to improve planarity of an interconnect layer. Reticulated conductor 52 is used in place of a solid conductor where the required solid conductor width would be greater than a process and design dependent critical width (conductors smaller than the critical width may be planarized by an appropriate ILD deposition). The reticulated conductor is preferably formed of integrally-formed conductive segments with widths less than the critical width, such that an ILD 32 formed by a process such as a high density plasma oxide deposition (formed by decomposition of silane in an oxygen-argon atmosphere with a back-sputtering bias) or spin-coating planarizes the larger, reticulated conductor as it would a solid conductor of less than critical width. Using such a technique, subsequent ILD planarization steps by e.g., chemical mechanic polishing or etchback, may be reduced or avoided entirely.

The following co-assigned application is included herein by reference:
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to interconnection layers for microelectronic devices, and more particularly to planarization of insulated interconnection layers.
2. Background of the Invention
Integrated circuits such as those found in computers and electronic equipment may contain millions of transistors and other circuit elements fabricated on a single crystal silicon chip. To achieve a desired functionality, a complex network of signal paths must be routed to connect the circuit elements distributed on the surface of the chip. Efficient routing of signals across a chip becomes increasingly difficult as integrated circuit complexity grows. To ease this task, interconnection wiring, which not too many years ago was limited to a single level of metal conductors, on today""s devices may contain as many as five (with even more desired) stacked interconnected levels of densely packed conductors. Each individual level of conductors is typically insulated from adjacent levels by an interlevel dielectric (ILD) such as a silicon dioxide film.
Conductors typically are formed by depositing one or more layers of conductive film over an insulated substrate (which usually contains vias, or through holes, allowing the conductive film to contact underlying circuit structure where electrical connections are needed). Portions of the conductive film are selectively etched away using a mask pattern, leaving a pattern of separate conductors with similar thickness and generally rectangular cross-section on the substrate. Usually, after patterning, the conductors are covered with an ILD before additional conducting layers are added.
Ideally, a completed ILD has a planar upper surface. This ideal is not easily achieved and in multilayer conductor schemes, the inherent topography of the underlying conductors is often replicated on the ILD surface. After several poorly planarized layers of ILD with imbedded conductors are formed, problems due to surface topography that adversely affect wiring reliability are likely to occur, e.g., uneven step coverage or via under/overetching.
To overcome such problems, several methods are in common use for ILD planarization. Chemical mechanical planarization (CMP) abrasively polishes the upper surface of the ILD to smooth topography. Another approach is the etchback process, which generally requires depositing a sacrificial spin-on layer which smooths topography (such as photoresist) over the ILD. The sacrificial layer is etched away, preferably with an etchant which etches the ILD material at a similar rate. Done correctly, the etchback reduces high spots on the ILD layer more than it reduces low spots, thus effecting some level of planarization. Both of these methods can be expensive, time-consuming, and generally require a thick initial ILD deposition, since a top portion of the ILD is removed during planarization.
The present invention provides interconnect structures and methods for increased device planarity. A typical interconnection level contains conductors of several different widths. Conductors which will carry a small current during operation may be layed out using a minimum width established in the design rules for a specific fabrication process. Other conductors which must carry larger current or conform to other design requirements (e.g. alignment tolerances) may be layed out with larger widths. Generally, the largest conducting regions, such as power bus lines and bondpads. are formed on the topmost conducting level, where planarization is not a great concern.
It has now been found that certain ILD deposition processes may naturally planarize conductors (i.e. create a planar ILD upper surface over the conductor edge) narrower than a critical width. Given a specific conductor height, desired ILD deposition depth, and desired planarity, the critical width may be determined for such processes, usually by experimentation. The present invention exploits this property on a conducting level where it is desired to construct a variety of conductors, some of which require a width greater than the critical width. It has now been found that a network of integrally-formed conducting segments may be used to form a conductor which improves ILD deposition planarity and provides a large conductive cross-section. This is apparently the first use of a reticulated (i.e. meshlike) conductor structure to improve ILD planarity. Although such a conductor may require more surface area on the substrate (as compared to a non-reticulated conductor of equivalent length and resistivity), such conductors generally populate a small fraction of the overall area on a given level. In at least one embodiment using reticulated conductors, the ILD planarizes during deposition, thus obviating the need for a CN4P or etchback step after deposition. In an alternate embodiment, CMP polish time may be reduced dramatically.
In accordance with the present invention, a method is described herein for constructing a planarized dielectric over a patterned conductor and adjacent regions on a semiconductor device. This method comprises depositing a layer of conducting material on a substrate, and removing the layer of conducting material in a circumscribing region, thereby defining a location for and peripheral walls for a conductor. The method further comprises removing the layer of conducting material from one or more regions within the circumscribing region to form internal walls for the conductor (both removing conducting material steps are preferably performed simultaneously). The current-carrying capability for the conductor is thereby divided amongst two or more integrally-formed conducting segments of smaller minimum horizontal dimension than the overall conductor width. The method may further comprise forming an insulating layer over the conductor and the substrate, preferably by a method which selectively planarizes features in order of smallest to largest, based on minimum horizontal dimension (and more preferably by a method of simultaneous chemical vapor deposition and back-sputtering).
An insulating seed layer may be deposited prior to a back-sputtered deposition, as well as a conventional CVD overlayer (i.e. without significant back-sputter) deposited after a back-sputtered deposition. Alternately, a selectively planarizing deposition may be deposited as a spin-coated dielectric. The conducting segments may be formed at a size and/or spacing equivalent to minimum design rules for the semiconductor device. The device may be chemical mechanical polished after deposition, e.g. to further enhance planarity.
A method is described herein for forming a planarized insulated interconnection structure on a semiconductor device. This method comprises depositing a first layer of conducting material on a substrate, and removing sections of the first layer in a predetermined pattern to form a plurality of conducting regions. At least one of the conducting regions is formed as a reticulated conductor, comprising a set of conducting segments integrally-formed to provide multiple conducting paths between opposing ends of the conductor. The method further comprises depositing at least one insulating layer over the conducting regions and substrate by a method of simultaneous deposition and back-sputtering (preferably CVD and back-sputtering, preferably using constituent gasses silane, O2, and argon). The method may further comprise chemical mechanical polishing of the insulating layer. The method may further comprise depositing and patterning a second layer of conducting material over the insulating layer.
The present invention further comprises a metallization structure on a semiconductor device, comprising a plurality of first conducting regions formed on a substrate. At least one of the first conducting regions is a non-reticulated conductor, and at least one of the first conducting regions is a reticulated conductor, comprising a set of conducting segments (preferably formed at a size and/or spacing equivalent to minimum design rules for the device) integrally-formed to provide multiple conducting paths between opposing ends of the reticulated conductor. The structure further comprises one or more insulating layers overlying the first conducting regions and the substrate and providing a top surface which is locally (measured within a 10 xcexcm radius) planar to at least 3000 xc3x85. The structure may further comprise a plurality of second conducting regions formed over the insulating layers, at least one of the second conducting regions electrically connected to at least one of the first conducting regions through the insulating layers.

Conductor reticulation for improved device planarity


A genetic marker of food allergy is disclosed. The marker comprises variants of IL-4 receptor alpha, IL13 and CD14.

Food allergy affects nearly 10% of all individuals. The estimated prevalence is 8% in the pediatric population and 2% in the adult population. Food allergy can be life-threatening; the primary therapy is avoidance of the allergenic food. Although the factors important in the pathogenesis of food allergy are not known, there is a genetic predisposition.
Class II HLA genotypes and a slow acetylation genetic variant of N-acetyltransferase 2 are associated with food allergy. Because food allergy occurs with higher frequency in individuals with other atopic disorders, including atopic dermatitis, asthma, and allergic rhinitis, some genes associated with atopy may be relevant in food allergy.
Interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 are Th2 cytokines that are critical for the development of allergic inflammation and have also been implicated in food allergy. IL-4 and IL-13 exert their effect through a common receptor, IL-4 receptor alpha (IL-4Rα). Genetic variants (polymorphisms) of IL-13, IL-4Rα, and CD14 have been implicated as atopy susceptibility genes. T cell clones specific to ovomucoid derived from egg-allergic subjects consistently expressed IL-5, IL-4, and IL-13. Patients with active atopic dermatitis and egg sensitivity had a marked increase in IL-4 synthesis by peripheral blood lymphocytes following in vitro stimulation with ovalbumin. Cells from patients with atopic dermatitis in remission had decreased IL-4 synthesis, comparable to that seen in normal individuals. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with food allergy had significantly increased IL-4 production following food challenge compared with IL-4 production prior to challenge.
CD 14 is a pattern recognition receptor that binds lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and other bacterial components. LPS binding to CD 14 activates antigen presenting cells, including macrophages and dendrtic cells, and subsequently releases proinflammatory cytokines and mediators. The gene for CD14 has been reported to contain several polymorphisms in its coding and promoter regions. One polymorphism, a C to T transition at position -159 (-159 C→T), has been shown to associate with atopy, but another study found no association of this CD 14 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) with asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis, total or specific IgE levels. The T allele, and particularly the TT genotype of the CD14-159 C→T polymorphism, is associated with food allergy.
Despite the similarities of food allergy with other atopic disorders, several characteristics of food allergy are distinct. Food allergy often presents very early in life, during the first few days or weeks while IgE responses are still immature. Thus, unlike other atopic disorders, food allergy is likely to be less dependent on mechanisms involving IgE. While sensitization to environmental allergens requires previous exposure of at least several years, sensitization to food allergens may occur after only one exposure or even in the absence of previous exposure. The early onset of food allergy indicates a role for innate immunity in its development.
Food challenge remains the gold standard for diagnosing food allergies, but has serious risks and potential complications. Additional alternative methods of determining a patient's propensity to food allergens are thus desirable.


A micromilling device includes a milling chamber, at least one nozzle for injecting a stream of solid particles to be milled into the chamber in a predetermined path, and impact elements positioned in the path for impacting the stream of solid particles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improvement of a swirl flow type jet mill in which solids are milled by using the energy of compressed air. More particularly, the invention relates to a micromilling device in which energy consumption during milling is reduced and the milled particle size distribution is narrowed.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In a conventional swirl flow type jet mill which possesses a swirl milling chamber (which will be referred to below simply as a "jet mill"), compressed air is injected into the milling chamber from milling nozzles. The energy of the high-speed air stream causes collisions between solid particles, thereby milling a solid. The swirl flow produced by the high-speed air stream brings about centrifugal classification of the particles, resulting in particles with the required particle diameter.
Advantages of a jet mill include the fact that it is possible to mill solids that are sensitive to heat since injection of compressed air lowers the temperature due to an adiabatic expansion effect. Further, jet mills are suited to perform micromilling, since the milling is effected mainly through surface milling by collisions between particles.
On the other hand, a jet mill has several drawbacks. Since a large amount of compressed air is used, it is necessary to have a large compressor. Thereby the amount of energy consumed in milling by a jet mill is a very large quantity, some 2-5 times the amount consumed in a mechanical mill. Moreover, since collisions between particles are the main feature of the jet mill, ultrafine powder is liable to be produced, while other particles which have taken part in few collisions are discharged directly as coarse powder. This results in a broad milled particle size distribution.
An attempt to get a narrow milled particle size distribution has been proposed. This attempt involves the combined use of a classifier with a jet mill and the adoption of a closed-circuit milling system in which a material is milled in a jet mill to particles whose diameter is larger than the required diameter. These are classified by the coarse powder classifier, and coarse powder is returned to the mill again to produce the required particle diameter. This system makes it possible to mill material with a considerable narrow particle size distribution. However, this system is unable to provide any improvement with respect to the energy consumed in milling.
To reduce the energy consumption, the mill disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Application Nos. 51-1000374, 51-1000375 and 56-64754 and Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 58-143853 are proposed. These mills employ systems in which there is a single milling nozzle for a single impact plate. These systems provide some improvement with respect to the energy consumed by milling. However, there is the drawback that if these mills are used alone the milled particle size distribution is greater than it is with a jet mill. These systems require a combination with a classifier. These systems have an added drawback that as single nozzles are employed, it is not possible to make the equipment large. Employing a single nozzle in large equipment would result in a drop in efficiency. The mill disclosed in Japanese Laid-open Patent Application No. 57-84756 has communication pipes, and so the structure becomes complex and the equipment is unpractical if there is a large number of milling nozzles.


Ferromagnetic nanoparticles which are produced by reducing, in the presence of a polymer, two or more metals having different reduction potentials twice or more, using two or more reducing agents having different reduction potentials, a material coated with a dispersion of ferromagnetic nanoparticles in which the ferromagnetic nanoparticles are dispersed, and a magnetic recording medium which has a magnetic layer consisting of the material. The ferromagnetic nanoparticles having a holding power Hc of 95.5 kA/m or more, the material coated with the dispersion of ferromagnetic nanoparticles having excellent industrial coatability, and the magnetic recording medium using the dispersion are provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ferromagnetic nonoparticles which are inexpensive and can be used in an MRAM and a magnetic recording medium, a material coated with a dispersion containing the ferromagnetic nanoparticles, and a magnetic recording medium having a magnetic layer consisting of the material coated with the dispersion containing the ferromagnetic nanoparticles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Magnetic recording media widely used as recording tapes, video tapes, computer tapes, disks, and the like are denser and have shorter recording wavelengths every year. Increasing the S/N ratio in such magnetic recording media is important. The smaller the particle size of ferromagnetic particles, the lower the noise when the total weight of the particles is the same. However, when the particle size of iron particles, which are generally used as ferromagnetic particles, decreases, a phenomenon (superparamagnetism) where magnetization cannot be maintained is caused due to heat fluctuation. Accordingly, there are limits to reducing noise using the conventional iron particles.
In order to overcome this problem, use of ferromagnetic nanoparticles having a particle size of 50 nm or less has been proposed. As for a unitary system, ferromagnetic nanoparticles of Co, Fe, and Ni are described in J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 80, No. 1, pp. 103-108, 1996, and ferromagnetic nanoparticles of Co are described in J. Appl. Phys., Vol. 79, No. 8, Part 2A, pp. 5312-5314, 1996. However, the ferromagnetic nanoparticles have a holding power Hc of only 47.76 kA/m (600 Oe), and there ferromagnetic nanoparticles having a holding power Hc of 95.5 kA/m (1200 Oe), which is required for the magnetic recording media, have not been obtained.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2000-54012 discloses a method for forming ferromagnetic nanoparticles, comprising the steps of: forming a solution of a metal precursor from a transition metal; adding a coagulant to the solution so that nanoparticles are separated from the metal precursor solution without forming permanent agglomeration; and adding a solution of hydrocarbon to the metal precursor solution so that the nanoparticles are recombined or become colloids again.
Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,532 discloses particles containing a magnetic material selected from the group consisting of elements Co, Fe, Ni, Sm, Nd, Pr, Pt, and Gd, intermetallic compounds of the aforementioned elements, binary and ternary alloys of the elements, an Fe oxide further containing at least one of the elements other than Fe, barium ferrite, and strontium ferrite. U.S. Pat. No. 6,162,532 and Science, Vol. 287, 1989 (2000) disclose a method for forming particles by adding a solution of a metal precursor to a surfactant solution.
Science, Vol. 287, 1989 (2000) also discloses a production method of ferromagnetic FePt nanoparticles. A coated product of ferromagnetic nanoparticles is obtained by sedimenting nanoparticles, which are protected only by a surfactant, on the surface of a support in a stationary manner. However, the stationary sedimentation method takes time and is not preferable from an industrial point of view.
Studies in Surface and Catalysis, 132, 243 (2001) suggest synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles in a binder. However, ferromagnetic nanoparticles having a holding power Hc of 95.5 kA/m (1,200 Oe) or more, which are required for the magnetic recording media, cannot be obtained by mere synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles in a binder.

Ferromagnetic nanoparticles, material coated with dispersion of ferromagnetic nanoparticles, and magnetic recording medium using the material


The invention relates to a supply air device (200) comprising an outflow structure that increases air circulating efficiency of the supply air device (200). The outflow structure comprises an outflow channel structure and a nozzle structure. The outflow channel (210, 211) is arranged to be fixed in a distance from the nozzle and on a side of the supply air device (200).

For temperature controlling of rooms, it has become common to provide the rooms with supply air devices, wherein primary air supplied from a central ventilation system is blown from nozzles inside the supply air device to be mixed in a discharge structure with a secondary air flow from the room entrained by the supply air flow. The air mixture formed by the primary and secondary air is led from the supply air device into the room as the supply air flow. The secondary air entrained from the room enters the supply air device via a temperature controlling device which enables the temperature controlling of the secondary air. This kind of supply air device controls internal thermal conditions of the room.
In some cases the secondary air is led instead of or in addition to a temperature controlling device through a filter in order to remove impurities from indoor air. The filter causes a flow resistance, which is not advantageous for the function of the supply air device. The flow resistance reduces the amount of secondary air flow, wherein the filtered secondary air flow does not have a significant effect on the quality of indoor air or temperature of indoor air, when the supply air device comprises a temperature controlling device. In other words, the filter of the supply air device restricts the secondary air flowing through the filter, resulting in an excessive reduction in removing impurities and in the temperature controlling efficiency of the supply air device comprising the temperature controlling device.
By increasing the primary air flow of the central ventilation system, it may be possible to increase the secondary air flow and therefore air purification and/or temperature controlling that is cooling or heating. However, among other things, increasing the primary air flow increases energy consumption and may lead to a need for bigger structures for the air flows of the central ventilation system. Increase of the primary air flow can also increase the size of the ventilation system, for example, size of air ducts and/or air handling units.


A bandpass radome is described including inductive layers comprising periodic conductive grids. First and second capacitive patch layers may be disposed above, and third and fourth capacitive patch layers may be disposed below the inductive layer to realize a 2-pole bandpass radome. An additional inductive layer and a fifth and sixth capacitive patch layers may be added below the fourth capacitive layer to realize a 3-pole bandpass radome. Conductive posts may connect one of the uppermost patch layers to one of the lowermost patch layers without connecting to the intervening inductive conductive grids. The conductive posts may form a rodded medium to suppress transverse magnetic (TM) surface waves. The total thickness of the bandpass radome may be less than 1/30 of a free-space wavelength at the center of a passband frequency. More than one passband may be separated by a ratio of center frequencies exceeding 1.5.

Bandpass radomes constructed with Frequency Selective Surfaces (FSS) typically use resonant FSS elements that are approximately one half of a wavelength long in their largest dimension at the passband center frequency. Such half-wavelength elements typically exhibit multiple resonances such that, at normal incidence, a radome having a passband centered at fo exhibits spurious resonances at 3fo, 5fo, 5fo, etc. At oblique incidence, spurious resonances may also occur near 2fo, 4fo, 6fo, etc. In addition, such resonant element radomes will typically support the propagation of undesired surface wave electromagnetic wave modes excited at edges of the structure or at other discontinuities. The surface waves can radiate energy to produce radiation pattern anomalies for an antenna system where the radome is used to cover the antenna.
Bandpass radomes may be used in antenna system applications where one desires to allow transmission of electromagnetic waves in one or more ranges of radio frequencies and to suppress the transmission of waves at other frequencies. Such bandpass radomes may have dielectric layers that are each approximately λ/4 (one-quarter of a free-space wavelength) in thickness. At high microwave frequencies, λ/4 is a relatively small dimension, but at UHF frequencies (300 MHz to 1 GHz) or even low microwave frequencies (1-3 GHz), λ/4 can be too large for some applications. Hence there exists a need for electrically-thin and physically thin bandpass radomes. Furthermore, thin bandpass radomes may have less mass than conventional bandpass radomes due to thinner dielectric layers.

Electrically-thin bandpass radome with isolated inductive grids


Candidates for channels of television programs to be displayed are determined in accordance with a result of voice recognition of a voice input by a user. The channel candidates are assigned to a limited number of tuners and television programs received by the tuners are displayed to allow the user to make a selection.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus and an information processing method of selecting program information by use of voice recognition.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, the number of television channels has greatly increased. As a result, it has become troublesome to select a television program by pressing a button on a remote control unit. A proposed method to solve the above problem is to select a television program according to a voice selection command uttered by a user by using voice recognition. However, the voice recognition has a problem that there is a non-negligible probability that a recognition result is incorrect. If a voice selection command is incorrectly recognized, a wrong television program will be selected. This greatly deteriorates usability. In an attempt to control of a device by using voice recognition and to avoid the above problem, it has been proposed to present a defined number of candidates having high likelihood as the result of voice recognition whereby a user is allowed to select a desired channel from the presented candidates (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-022374). For example, as shown in FIG. 8, candidates derived from a voice recognition result are displayed in the form of a list. If a user selects a desired channel from the voice recognition result list with a GUI such as a cursor or the like, a television program is switched in accordance with the selection made by the user.
However, television programs are broadcast in real time in the form of stream information from television stations, and users want to view a desired program as quickly as possible. In the technique using voice recognition, selecting of a correct television channel from a list of candidates for the correct channel may require a relatively long time for a user to select and view a desired program, which can cause the user to miss important information.
In the technique of searching for still images by using voice recognition, it has been proposed to select candidates for a correct still image and display all selected candidates in the form of images instead of displaying a list. By analogy, in selection of a television program by using voice recognition, it may be advantageous to select candidates for a correct program and display all candidates in the form of thumbnail images or the like so that a user is allowed to select a desired program from the displayed thumbnail images. If the user selects a program, the selected program is displayed in a full screen mode. However, the limit on the number of tuners installed on a television set makes it difficult to display all candidates at the same time.

Display of channel candidates from voice recognition results for a plurality of receiving units