Multi-vitamin and mineral supplements for administration to non-lactating women, which comprise specific regimens of vitamins and minerals tailored to meet the physiological needs of said women. Methods for optimizing the health of women by providing multi-vitamin and mineral supplements which are specifically tailored to achieve optimal regulation of growth, maintenance and repair of body tissue during specific stages of life with minimal side effects. Methods for formulating a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement that optimize the health of a woman and which comprise identifying life stages which correlate to specific nutritional requirements as a result of varying physiological conditions during a lifetime and selecting specific types and optimal amounts of vitamins and minerals for said life stages.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to multi-vitamin and mineral supplements, and particularly to multi-vitamin and mineral supplements for administration to women. The go supplements are specifically tailored to meet nutritional requirements and maintain a woman s health during specific stages of life. The present invention also relates to methods of optimizing the health of women by providing multi-vitamin and mineral supplements which are specifically tailored to achieve optimal regulation of growth, maintenance and repair of body tissue during specific stages of life with minimal side effects. Methods of formulating multi-vitamin and mineral supplements for life stages are also encompassed by the present invention.
2. Description of Related Art
Vitamin and mineral preparations are commonly administered to treat specific medical conditions or as general nutritional supplements. Recent studies have elucidated the important physiological roles played by vitamins and minerals, and established a correlation between deficiencies or excesses of these nutrients and the etiologies of certain disease states in humans. See, e.g., Diplock, xe2x80x9cAntioxidant Nutrients and Disease Prevention: An Overview,xe2x80x9d Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 53:189-193 (1991); Document Geigy Scientific Tables, 457-497 (Diem and Cemtuer eds., 7th ed., 1975).
It has further become recognized that various life-stage groups of the human population require different quantities; and types of vitamins and minerals to prevent or alleviate diseases, as well as to maintain general good health. For example, it is known that pregnant women commonly require iron therapy to prevent or treat iron-deficiency anemia.
Various prior patents have been directed to improving the efficacy of iron supplements for use during pregnancy.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,283, for example, discloses nutritional mineral supplements which include iron and calcium compounds in combination with citrates or tartrates, ascorbates, and fructose. The tendency of calcium to inhibit the bioavailability of iron is said to be reduced in such compositions, so that the conjoint bioavailability of these two minerals is enhanced.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,634 discloses maximization of iron bioavailability in prenatal iron supplements by maintaining the amount of calcium compounds in the supplement at 300 mg or less and the amount of magnesium compounds at 75 mg or less per dosage unit.
Another approach to the same problem is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,479, wherein a multi-vitamin and mineral dietary supplement is provided which includes (a) one or more divalent dietary mineral components such as calcium or magnesium; and (b) a bioavailable iron component, presenting a controlled release form and adapted to be released in a controlled manner in the gastrointestinal tract.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,387 discloses a nutritional supplement preparation for pregnant and breast-feeding women which contains 10-20% by weight of protein, 16-28% by weight of fat, 43-65% by weight carbohydrates, and at most 3.5% by weight of moisture, minerals, trace elements and vitamins.
Multi-vitamin and mineral formulations which are directed specifically to woman have been disclosed in prior patents and in the medical literature.
The Physicians"" Desk Reference (PDR) for Nonprescription Drugs, 9th Edition, 718-19 (1988) discloses a complete calcium/vitamin/mineral supplement program formulated for women. The program contains two specific formulas. One formulation is directed to woman between the ages of 14 and 40, and the other formulation is directed to woman over the age of 40. These formulations do not specifically distinguish between the varying physiological states experienced by women throughout the course of their lives. In fact, by providing one formulation for the broad category of woman aged 14-40, this disclosure highlights the need for more specific formulations.
The Handbook of Nonprescription Drugs, 9th Edition, 447-51, discloses amounts of vitamins and minerals which are optimum for pregnant and lactating women. However, no distinction is drawn between what amounts are optimum for pregnant versus lactating women. Further, there is no identification of specific amounts of vitamins and minerals correlating specifically to any other life stages of women. Moreover, the reference teaches that the prime criteria for optimum nutrition are age, weight, height and sex.
WO 95/35098 discloses multi-vitamin and mineral supplements for administration to lactating, non-lactating, and menopausal women which comprise specific regimens of critical nutritional agents. This reference teaches formulations containing high amounts of iron, zinc and vitamin B12, and low amounts of vitamin B12 and vitamin B6.
Despite the foregoing efforts to improve vitamin and mineral supplementation for pregnant women, conventional prenatal supplements are not ideally suited for women during other phases of their lives. Moreover, the foregoing efforts to improve vitamin and mineral supplementation for women, in general, have lacked the specificity required for achieving formulations which are truly adapted to meet the physiological needs of woman at various times in their lives. For example, the nutritional needs of lactating women following a pregnancy differ from the nutritional needs of women during pregnancy. The vitamin and mineral requirements for non-lactating and menopausal women also differ from the requirements of pregnant women.
Conventional nutritional formulations are poorly designed for administration to women during various stages of life in which the physiological requirements of the women vary significantly. As such, the previously disclosed multi-vitamin and mineral formulations do not truly meet the specific needs of women. It would therefore be desirable to provide multi-vitamin and mineral supplements which obviate the deficiencies of known vitamin and mineral products while satisfying the long standing need for such supplements.
None of the above described references is admitted to be prior art.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of known nutritional supplements by providing multivitamin and mineral supplements which are specifically tailored for administration to woman during various stages of life, and more specifically to lactating, non-lactating, and menopausal women. The formulations of the invention have been found to maximize the benefits of vitamin and mineral supplementation for women by specifically formulating the products to meet the physiological requirements of women during these life stages.
Moreover, the bioavailability of each vitamin and mineral in a multi-vitamin formulation is affected by the presence of other vitamins and minerals in the formulation, as well as by the amounts of each vitamin and mineral present and the physiological state of the individual using said formulation. Use of the specific formulations of the present invention for the prescribed life stages unexpectedly results in a higher bioavailability of essential nutrients.
The compositions of the invention include certain essential nutritional components in dosage levels which have been found to optimize the maintenance of a woman""s health during each of the noted stages of life. Minerals such as calcium, zinc and iron are dosed (i.e. provided in the supplement) in the form of a corresponding pharmaceutically acceptable compound.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for administration to a lactating woman is provided. This supplement is specially designed to aid in fulfilling the dietary needs of women who are producing and secreting milk, that is, lactating women. The multi-vitamin and mineral supplement comprises:
(a) from about 350 mg to about 480 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) from about 400 I.U. to about 600 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) from about 400 I.U. to about 8,000 I.U. of Beta carotene, or about 3600 I.U. to about 10,000 I.U. of vitamin A or mixtures thereof;
(d) from about 9.6 mcg to about 14.4 mcg of vitamin B12;
(e) from about 8 mg to about 12 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) from about 15 mg to about 30 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) from about 45 mg to about 4.0 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) from about 3.2 mg to about 4.6 mg of vitamin B1;
(i) from about 24 I.U. to about 36 I.U. of vitamin E;
(j) from about 10 mg to about 30 mg of elemental iron, dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound; and
(k) from about 20 mg to about 30 mg of elemental zinc, dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound.
A multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for administration to a non-lactating woman is also provided by the invention. This supplement is designed to aid in fulfilling the dietary needs of women during the period after puberty and before menopause who are neither pregnant nor lactating. This formulation comprises:
(a) a total daily dosage of about 160 mg to about 240 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) a total daily dosage of about 320 I.U. to about 480 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) a total daily dosage of about 2,000 I.U. to about 6,000 I.U. of vitamin A or mixtures thereof;
(d) a total daily dosage of about 0.006 mg to about 0.040 mg of vitamin B12;
(e) a total daily dosage of about 8 mg to about 26 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) a total daily dosage of about 10 mg to about 30 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) a total daily dosage of about 2.5 mg to about 4.0 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) a total daily dosage of about 2.6 mg to about 4.8 mg of vitamin B1;
(i) a total daily dosage of about 24 I.U. to about 100 I.U. of vitamin E;
(j) a total daily dosage of about 6 mg to about 42 mg of elemental iron dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound; and
(k) a total daily dosage of about 12 mg to about 30 mg of elemental zinc dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound.
A multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for administration to a menopausal woman is also provided. This supplement is specially designed to aid in fulfilling the dietary needs of women during the transitional period marked by the cessation of menses. Menopausal women may be asymptomatic or experience a variety of symptoms including hot flushes. See The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy 15th edition, 1713-1715. Most menopausal women experience hot flushes for over a year and 25 to 50% experience hot flushes for more than five years. The supplement for menopausal women of the present invention comprises:
(a) from about 320 mg to about 480 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) from about 320 I.U. to about 480 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) from about 250 I.U. to about 5000 I.U. of Beta-carotene, or from about 2,000 I.U. to 6,000 I.U. of vitamin A and mixtures thereof;
(d) from about 20 mcg to about 30 mcg of vitamin B12;
(e) from about 2.4 mg to about 3.6 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) from about 16 mcg to about 24 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) from about 1.3 mg to about 2.0 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) from about 1.2 mg to about 2.8 mg of vitamin B1;
(i) from about 7 mg to about 11 mg of elemental iron dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound;
(k) from about 16 mg to about 24 mg of elemental zinc dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound;
(1) from about 40 mcg to about 60 mcg of elemental molybdenum in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable molybdenum compound;
(m) from about 80 mcg to about 120 mcg of elemental chromium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable chromium compound.
A method for optimizing the health of a woman is also included in the present invention. The method comprises administering to said woman a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement comprising vitamins and minerals in amounts adjusted according to varying physiological conditions of said woman over a lifetime.
A method for formulating a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement which optimizes the health of a woman is also provided. This method comprises:
(a) identifying a life stage of a woman which presents specific nutritional requirements as a result of varying physiological conditions over a lifetime;
(b) selecting specific vitamins and minerals according to the varying physiological conditions;
(c) determining optimal amounts of each vitamin and mineral according to varying physiological conditions of said woman over a lifetime; and
(d) preparing a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement containing the determined optimal amounts of each vitamin and mineral of step (c).
Thus, the invention provides the above-described multi-vitamin and mineral supplements for administration to lactating, non-lactating, and menopausal women, as well as methods both for optimizing the health of women and for preparing formulations for same. In contrast to conventional vitamin and mineral products, the formulations of the invention comprise specific regimens of critical nutritional agents, in order to better meet the physiological requirements of women and maintain good health throughout life.
As used herein, xe2x80x9cnon-lactating womanxe2x80x9d refers to a woman who has experienced puberty, but has not experienced menopause, and who is not lactating and not pregnant.
xe2x80x9cNutrientxe2x80x9d refers to any substance in a human or other living organism which regulates the growth, maintenance, and repair of body tissue, as well as any substance which provides energy or structural material to the body.
xe2x80x9cEssential nutrientxe2x80x9d refers to any nutrient which is not produced by a human or other living organism and thus must be obtained from an external source.
xe2x80x9cBody tissuexe2x80x9d, refers to any substance in a human or other living organism which is composed of the cells of said human or other organism, respectively.
xe2x80x9cTotal daily dosagexe2x80x9d refers to the amount of any nutrient formulated for administration during any 24 hour period of time.
xe2x80x9cAM dosexe2x80x9d refers to any dose of a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement formulated for administration in the morning hours, and likewise, xe2x80x9cPM dosexe2x80x9d refers to any dose of a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement formulated for administration in the afternoon, evening or nighttime hours.
xe2x80x9cLife stagexe2x80x9d refers to a specific period of time during the course of an individual""s life.
The invention provides multi-vitamin and mineral supplements which are tailored for women at different life stages, and specifically for administration to lactating, non-lactating, and menopausal women. The formulations of the invention include certain essential nutritional components in dosage levels which have been found to optimize the maintenance of a woman""s health during each of these stages of life.
According to a first aspect of the invention, a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for administration to a lactating woman is provided, which comprises:
(a) from about 320 mg to about 480 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) from about 400 I.U. to about 600 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) from about 400 I.U. to about 8000 I.U. of Beta-carotene, or about 3600 I.U. to about 10,000 I.U. of vitamin A or mixtures thereof;
(d) from about 9.6 mcg to about 14.4 mcg of vitamin B12;
(e) from about 8 mg to about 12 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) from about 15 mg to about 30 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) from about 2.7 mg to about 4 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) from 3.2 mg to about 4.8 mg of vitamin B1;
(i) from about 24 I.U. to about 36 I.U. of vitamin E;
(j) from about 10 mg to about 30 mg of elemental iron dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound; and
(k) from about 20 mg to about 30 mg of elemental SE zinc dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound.
A particularly preferred multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for lactating women also includes from about 160 mg to about 240 mg of a pharmaceutically acceptable magnesium compound and about 95 mg to about 145 mg of vitamin C.
A multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for administration to a non-lactating woman is also provided by the invention. This supplement is designed to specifically aid in fulfilling the dietary needs of women during the period after puberty and before menopause who are neither pregnant nor lactating. The invention may be used by a non-lactating woman who has never given birth or a non-lactating woman who has given birth one or more times. The formulation comprises:
(a) a total daily dosage of about 160 mg to about 240 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) a total daily dosage of about 320 I.U. to about 480 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) a total daily dosage of about 2,000 I.U. to about 5,400 I.U. of vitamin A or mixtures thereof;
(d) a total daily dosage of about 0.006 mg to about 0.040 mg of vitamin B12;
(e) a total daily dosage of about 8 mg to about 26 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) a total daily dosage of about 15 mg to about 30 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) a total daily dosage of about 2.7 mg to about 4.0 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) a total daily dosage of about 2.6 mg to about 4.8 mg of vitamin B1;
(i) a total daily dosage of about 24 I.U. to about 100 I.U. of vitamin E;
(j) a total daily dosage of about 10 mg to about 30 mg of elemental iron dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound; and
(k) a total daily dosage of about 12 mg to about 30 mg of elemental zinc dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound.
Preferably, the multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for non-lactating women also includes from about 160 mg to about 240 mg of a pharmaceutically acceptable magnesium compound and about 95 mg to about 300 mg of vitamin C, or more preferably from about 180 mg to about 220 mg of a pharmaceutically acceptable magnesium compound, from about 180 to about 220 mg of vitamin C, from about 0.040 mg to about 0.060 mg of a pharmaceutically acceptable molybdenum compound, and from about 0.080 mg to about 0.120 mg of a pharmaceutically acceptable chromium compound.
Even more preferably, the present invention includes a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for administration to a non-lactating woman which comprises:
(a) a total daily dosage of about 180 mg to about 220 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) a total daily dosage of about 380 I.U. to about 420 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) a total daily dosage of about 4,500 I.U. to about 5,500 I.U. of vitamin A or mixtures thereof;
(d) a total daily dosage of about 0.010 mg to about 0.030 mg of vitamin B,2;
(e) a total daily dosage of about 16 mg to about 24 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) a total daily dosage of about 17 mg to about 25 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) a total daily dosage of about 3.0 mg to about 3.8 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) a total daily dosage of about 2.7 mg to about 3.5 mg of vitamin B2;
(i) a total daily dosage of about 64 I.U. to about 95 I.U. of vitamin E;
(j) a total daily dosage of about 10 mg to about 30 mg of elemental iron dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound; and
(k) a total daily dosage of about 14 mg to about 25 mg of elemental zinc dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound.
Most preferably, the present invention includes a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for administration to a non-lactating woman which comprises:
(a) a total daily dosage of about 190 mg to about 210 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) a total daily dosage of about 395 I.U. to about 405 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) a total daily dosage of about 4,750 I.U. to about 5,250 I.U. of vitamin A or mixtures thereof;
(d) a total daily dosage of about 0.016 mg to about 0.024 mg of vitamin B12;
(e) a total daily dosage of about 18 mg to about 22 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) a total daily dosage of about 18 mg to about 22 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) a total daily dosage of about 3.2 mg to about 3.6 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) a total daily dosage of about 2.8 mg to about 3.2 mg of vitamin B1;
(i) a total daily dosage of about 70 I.U. to about 80 I.U. of vitamin E;
(j) a total daily dosage of about 15 mg to about 24 mg of elemental iron dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound; and
(k) a total daily dosage of about 14 mg to about 25 mg of elemental zinc dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound.
A multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for administration to a menopausal woman is also provided, which comprises:
(a) from about 320 mg to about 480 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) from about 320 I.U. to about 480 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) from about 250 I.U. to about 750 I.U. of Beta-carotene or from about 3,600 I.U. to about 5,400 I.U. of vitamin A and mixtures thereof;
(d) from about 20 mcg to about 30 mcg of vitamin B12;
(e) from about 2.4 mg to about 3.6 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) from about 16 mg to about 24 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) from about 1.3 mg to about 2.0 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) from about 1.2 mg to about 1.8 mg of vitamin B1;
(i) from about 70 I.U. to about 110 I.U. of vitamin E;
(j) from about 7 mg to about 11 mg of elemental iron dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound;
(k) from about 16 mg to about 24 mg of elemental zinc dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound;
(l) from about 40 mcg to about 60 mcg of element molybdenum dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable molybdenum compound; and
(m) from about 80 mcg to about 120 mcg of elemental chromium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable chromium compound.
A particularly preferred multi-vitamin and mineral supplement for menopausal women also includes about 160 mg to about 240 mg of a pharmaceutically acceptable magnesium compound.
A method for optimizing the health of a woman is also provided in the present invention. The method comprises administering to said woman a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement comprising vitamins and minerals in amounts adjusted according to varying physiological conditions of said woman over a lifetime.
Preferably, the method comprises administering to said non-lactating woman a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement comprising:
(a) a total daily dosage of about 160 mg to about 240 mg of elemental calcium dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compound;
(b) a total daily dosage of about 320 I.U. to about 480 I.U. of vitamin D;
(c) a total daily dosage of about 2,000 I.U. to about 5,400 I.U. of vitamin A or mixtures thereof;
(d) a total daily dosage of about 0.006 mg to about 0.040 mg of vitamin B12;
(e) a total daily dosage of about 8 mg to about 26 mg of vitamin B6;
(f) a total daily dosage of about 20 mg to about 30 mg of vitamin B3;
(g) a total daily dosage of about 2.7 mg to about 4.0 mg of vitamin B2;
(h) a total daily dosage of about 2.6 mg to about 4.8 mg of vitamin B1;
(i) a total daily dosage of about 24 I.U. to about 100 I.U. of vitamin E;
(j) a total daily dosage of about 6 mg to about 42 mg of elemental iron dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound; and
(k) a total daily dosage of about 12 mg to about 30 mg of elemental zinc dosed in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compound.
A method for formulating a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement which optimizes the health of a woman is also included. This method comprises:
(a) identifying a life stage of a woman which presents specific nutritional requirements as a result of varying physiological conditions over a lifetime;
(b) selecting specific vitamins and minerals according to the varying physiological conditions;
(c) determining optimal amounts of each vitamin and mineral according to the varying physiological conditions of said woman over a lifetime; and
(d) preparing a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement containing the determined optimal amounts of each vitamin and mineral of step (c).
It will be noted that the formulations vary in the critical nutritional agents included and amounts thereof. For example, because calcium is essential for the production of milk, levels of calcium are higher for administration to lactating women than in the non-lactating and menopausal formulations. As menopausal women do not lose iron like women with menstrual cycles, the amount of iron in the menopausal formulation is reduced greatly in comparison to the formulations for lactating and non-lactating women. Molybdenum and chromium are added to the menopausal formulation because these agents are believed to assist the immune system, which is a useful therapy in older women.
Various side effects may be associated with the use of certain vitamins and minerals at various times in some individuals. For example, women who are pregnant and experiencing morning sickness can not tolerate excessive levels of iron. However, women who are not pregnant are able to tolerate higher levels of iron and it may be advantageous for them to take a formulation with more iron. Other side effects are experienced when using niacin, magnesium and other such vitamins and minerals, without limitation. By recognizing the correlation between different life stages of women and the amount of each vitamin and mineral which may induce side effects, the present invention addresses the problem of providing optimal supplementation of vitamins and minerals while eliminating or at least minimizing said side effects. Accordingly, the present invention is designed to minimize adverse effects often experienced by women when taking vitamin and mineral supplements while providing the optimal amount of vitamins and minerals.
The present invention is contemplated for use by women of varying physical conditions, without limitation, including normal, healthy women and women with a physical disorder, vitamin or mineral deficiency, or a nutritional disorder. Non-limiting exemplary vitamin deficiencies include vitamin A deficiency, hypervitaminosis A, vitamin D deficiency and dependency, hypervitaminosis D, vitamin E deficiency and toxicity, vitamin K deficiency, hypervitaminosis K, essential fatty acid deficiency, thiamine deficiency, riboflavin deficiency, niacin deficiency, vitamin B6 deficiency and dependency, biotin deficiency and dependancy, pantothenic acid deficiency, carnitine deficiency and vitamin C deficiency. Non-limiting exemplary mineral deficiencies include phosphate depletion, iodine deficiency, fluorine deficiency, zinc deficiency disturbances in copper metabolism, acquired copper deficiency, acquired copper toxicosis, inherited copper deficiency and inherited copper toxicosis.
Useful pharmaceutically acceptable calcium compounds include, without limitation, any of the well-known calcium supplements such as calcium carbonate, calcium phosphate, calcium citrate, calcium sulfate, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, calcium apatite, calcium citrate-maleate, calcium lactate, calcium levulinate and the like. Preferably, calcium compounds selected from the group consisting of calcium carbonate, calcium sulfate, and mixtures thereof are employed.
Useful pharmaceutically acceptable zinc compounds include, without limitation, zinc sulfate, zinc chloride, and zinc oxide, with zinc sulfate being preferred.
The pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound may be chosen from any of the well-known iron II (ferrous) or iron III (ferric) supplements, such as ferrous fumarate, ferrous sulfate, carbonyl iron, ferrous glucomate, ferrous chloride, ferrous lactate, ferrous tartrate, ferrous succinate, ferrous glutamate, ferrous citrate, ferrous pyrophosphate, ferrous cholinisocitrate, ferrous carbonate, iron-sugarcarboxylate complexes and the like, without limitation.
Preferably, the iron compound comprises a pharmaceutically acceptable iron compound contained in a pharmaceutically acceptable film forming material which permits release of the iron in the stomach of a woman administered the supplement. The iron may or may not be coated. Suitable coatings include, without limitation, any material known in the art for forming enteric, controlled release, or sustained release coatings, such as cellulose ethers including hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, methylcellulose, ethylcellulose, and carboxymethylcellulose; cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate, cellulose acetate phthalate, and cellulose nitrate; acrylate and methacrylate copolymers; and the like. The coated iron compound has been found to provide increased iron bioavailability by minimizing interaction between the iron compound and divalent cations such as calcium in the nutritional supplement. Release of the iron in the intestine also minimizes stomach upset. More preferably, the iron is in the coating and is released in the stomach.
It is also possible in the present formulations to combine various forms of extended release particles or coatings along with immediate release particles or coatings to deliver the various vitamins and mineral supplements over various rates of release, without limitation. For example, certain agents such as thiamine, niacinamide, pyridoxine, ascorbic acid, folic acid, iron and riboflavin could be released over an extended period of time from two hours up to 24 hours while other agents such as beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin B12, biotin, pantothenic acid, copper, zinc, magnesium, potassium, iodine, chromium, molybdenum and selenium can be administered as immediate release. The ability to obtain extended and immediate release characteristics is performed using well known procedures and techniques available to the ordinary skilled artisan.
The multi-vitamin and mineral supplements of the invention may include additional nutritional components well-known in the art. For example, the supplements may include elemental magnesium dosed in the form of one or more pharmaceutically acceptable magnesium compounds, without limitation, such as magnesium stearate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, magnesium hydroxide, and magnesium sulfate. Magnesium stearate is a preferred form of the compound. The formulations may also include vitamin C, from about 0.1 mg to about 1 mg of folic acid, from 1 mg to about 3 mg of copper, and from about 0.05 mg to about 0.25 mg of iodine. Other nutritional agents well-known in the art may be included as desired.
In a preferred embodiment of the formulations, the optional vitamin C and folic acid nutritional components are coated to provide controlled release of these agents. The techniques and materials discussed above that are utilized to coat iron are preferred.
Pharmaceutically acceptable copper compounds include, without limitation, cupric oxide, cupric sulfate, or cupric gluconate, with cupric oxide being preferred. Preferred pharmaceutically acceptable iodine compounds include sodium or potassium iodide, with potassium iodide being most preferred.
The vitamins in the formulation may be provided in any source, without limitation. The amounts shown for each vitamin and mineral indicate the actual vitamin and mineral amounts, in milligrams (mg), in the formulations regardless of source, except where otherwise indicated. Vitamin A may be provided in any source, such as a preformed vitamin A compound or a vitamin A precursor, or any combination thereof. The amount of vitamin A in the formulations is expressed as an International Unit (I.U.) which is a measure of vitamin activity. Therefore, the indicated amounts for vitamin A refer to any amount of any precursor or preformed vitamin A compound, from any source whatsoever, which would result in the indicated amount of vitamin A activity in the body. The ability to determine such amounts and achieve formulations containing same is performed using well known procedures and techniques available to the ordinary skilled artisan.
The nutritional supplements of the invention may be provided in any suitable dosage form known in the art, without limitation. For example, the compositions may be incorporated into tablets, powders, granules, beads, chewable lozenges, capsules, liquids, or similar conventional dosage forms, using conventional equipment and techniques known in the art. Tablet dosage forms are preferred.
Furthermore, the dosage form can be in the form of a bi-layer tablet composed of at least one extended-release layer and at least one immediaterelease layer. Also, the bi-layer tablet can be coated for ease of administration or can be enteric coated to reduce any gastric irritation and the unpleasant xe2x80x9cburpingxe2x80x9d produced by the vitamins and minerals. Also, multi-particulate design of extended release and immediate-release components can be enteric coated and compressed into a tablet or filled into hard or soft gelatin capsules.
When preparing dosage forms incorporating the compositions of the invention, the nutritional components are normally blended with conventional excipients such as binders, including gelatin, pregelatinized starch, and the like; lubricants, such as hydrogenated vegetable oil, stearic acid, and the like; diluents, such as lactose, mannose, and sucrose; disintegrants, such as carboxymethyl cellulose and sodium starch glycolate; suspending agents, such as povidone, polyvinyl alcohol and the like; absorbent, such as silicon dioxide; preservatives, such as methylparaben, propylparaben, and sodium benzoate; surfactants, such as sodium lauryl sulfate, polysorbate 80, and the like; and colorants, such as F.D. and C dyes and lakes.
For preparing compositions from the compounds described by this invention, inert, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be used which are either solid or liquid. Solid form preparations include powders, tablets, dispersible granules, capsules, and cachets. A solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents, flavoring agents, solubilizers, lubricants, suspending agents, binders or tablet disintegrating agents; it can also be encapsulating material. In powders, the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in admixture with the finely divided active compounds. In the tablet the active compound is mixed with carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired. The powders and tablets preferably contain from 5 or 10 to about 90 percent of the active ingredient. Suitable solid carriers are magnesium carbonate, magnesium stearate, talc, sugar, lactose, pectin, dextrin, starch, gelatin, tragacanth, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, a low melting wax, coca butter, and the like. The term xe2x80x9cpreparationxe2x80x9d is intended to include the formulation of the active compounds with encapsulating material as carrier providing a capsule in which the active component (with or without other carriers) is surrounded by carrier, which is thus in association with it. Similarly, cachets are included. Tablets, powders, cachets, and capsules can be used a solid dosage forms suitable for oral administration. Liquid form preparations include solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. As an example, water or water/propylene glycol solutions for parenteral injection may be used. Liquid preparations can also be formulated in solution in aqueous polyethylene glycol solution. Aqueous solutions suitable for oral use can be prepared by dissolving the active component in water and adding suitable colorants, flavors, stabilizing and thickening agents as desired. Aqueous suspensions suitable for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active component in water with viscous material, i.e., natural or synthetic gums, resins, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and other well-known suspending agents.
Also included are solid form preparations which are intended to be converted, shortly before use, to liquid form preparations for either oral or parenteral administration. Such liquid forms include solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. These particular solid form preparations are most conveniently provided in unit dose form and as such are used to provide a single liquid dosage unit. Alternately, sufficient solid may be provided so that after conversion to liquid form, multiple individual liquid doses may be obtained by measuring predetermined volumes of the liquid form preparation as with a syringe, teaspoon, or other volumetric container. When multiple liquid doses are so prepared, it is preferred to maintain the unused portion of said liquid doses at low temperature (i.e., under refrigeration) in order to retard possible decomposition.
The solid and liquid forms may contain, in addition to the active addition to the material, flavorants, colorants, stabilizers, buffers, artificial and natural sweeteners, dispersants, thickeners, solubilizing agents, and the like. The liquid utilized for preparing the liquid form preparation may be water, isotonic water, ethanol, glycerine, propylene glycol, and the like as well as mixtures thereof. Naturally, the liquid utilized will be chosen with regard to the route of administration, for example, liquid preparations containing large amounts of ethanol are not suitable for parenteral use.
Preferably, the preparations are in unit dosage form. In such form, the preparation is subdivided into unit doses containing appropriate quantities of the active components. The unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation, the package containing discrete quantities of preparation, for example, packeted tablets, capsules, and powders in vials or ampoules. The unit dosage form can also be a capsule, cachet, or tablet itself or it can be the appropriate number of any of these in packaged form.
The quantity of active compound in a unit dose of preparation may be varied according to the particular application and the potency of the active ingredients.
Determination of the proper dosage for a particular situation is well within the skill of the art. For convenience, the total daily dosage may be divided and administered in portions during the day if desired or at one time, morning, afternoon, or night as well as biphasic, triphasic, etc. Moreover, the portion administered in one dose during a day need not be equal to all or any other doses administered during a day.
For example, if the total daily dosage is divided into two different doses, such as an AM and a PM dose, then one vitamin, such as vitamin B6, may be present in a lesser amount in the AM dose than in the PM dose. Several or all of the vitamins and/or minerals may be treated in such a manner. The amount of a vitamin and mineral in each dose is determined as the amount which will achieve optimal or maximal efficacy with minimal side effects. The use of such unequal doses during the course of a day may apply to the entire formulation, or any individual vitamin or mineral in said formulation. Moreover, it is believed that the use of unequal doses increases the bioavailability of some or all of the nutrients provided in the formulations.
Controlled and uncontrolled release formulations, as well as sustained release, extended release, timed release, delayed release and other such formulations, without limitation, are contemplated for use with the present invention.
Although the products of the invention are preferably intended for administration to humans, it will be understood that the formulation may also be utilized in veterinary therapies for other animals.

Multi-vitamin and mineral supplements for women


An analogical reasoning device comprises a knowledge base to store a group of knowledge data described in non-logic symbols and divided into more than one domains according to a certain division standard, an analogy detector to compare the knowledge data in one domain with the those in other domains stored in the knowledge base and determine similar domains containing the knowledge data which can be made identical by replacing a part of the non-logic symbols and an analogical reasoning unit to make analogy for a new knowledge data for the domains determined similar by the analogy detector.

This invention relates to an analogical reasoning device and analogical reasoning method to be adopted in inference systems such as expert systems.
Analogical reasoning is known as one of typical high-level inference methods. The analogical reasoning is usually performed for a knowledge base divided into a plurality of domains according to a given standard. A domain is a group of knowledge data which are related. For example, FIG. 2 illustrates two domains. Domain 1.1 pertains to the cooking of meat and domain 1.2 pertains to the cooking of fish. The given standard for dividing the knowledge base in FIG. 2 is the different cooking materials (i.e., meat or fish). A given standard or division standard is how a knowledge base is divided to achieve domains which are similar in nature. Between similar domains, a knowledge valid in one domain is supposed to be acceptable in the other domain when properly converted corresponding to the similarity between the domains. This enables effective utilization of knowledge.
Similarity between two domains is determined by dividing the knowledge into some units and comparing the knowledge structures. When knowledge structures in different domains are the same even in part, these domains are judged to have similarity and treated as the subject of analogical reasoning.
However, such analogical reasoning according to similarity judgment of knowledge structure is fundamentally different from the one in human thinking. Therefore, it cannot be denied that there may be a large discrepancy between the results of them. In addition, the amount of knowledge obtained by analogical reasoning is considerably limited.

Device and method for analogical reasoning


A video system that performs TV signal decoding, deinterlacing, and de-motion-blurring for progressive scan flat panel display is introduced. The system embeds a frame buffer and a scaler for conducting format and resolution conversions for display panels of different sizes. The output of the scaler is sent to a de-motion-blur processor for reducing the blurriness due to the motion of image objects and the slow response time of flat panel display devices. The de-motion-blur processor gets the motion and noise indication signal from scaler or the pre-frame-buffer video processor. Based on the motion and noise information and the information of temporal difference, the de-motion-blur processor performs over driving for the display panel interface and improves the rising and falling response time of the flat panel display. The decoding, deinterlacing, and de-motion-blur processing share the same frame buffer controller so the entire system can be optimized in cost and performance.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the flat panel TV (especially the LCD TV) display system, and more specifically to a video system for improving the response time and reducing the motion-blur of the panel display.
2. Description of Prior Art
The development of flat panel displays has been accelerated. In the current display market, flat panel displays are gradually replacing the traditional CRT displays. However, some of the flat panel displays, for example, TFT-LCD panel displays, are generally slower in the response time compared to the CRT displays. This disadvantage hampers the development of the LCD TV, for which the display quality (especially motion blur) is highly concerned.
To improve the quality of motion picture on the flat panel (especially TFT-LCDs), various driving techniques have been introduced. Among them, the over driving method is well known as the effective scheme for improving the response time. The over driving method makes the response time fast by applying an over driving voltage to a motion pixel. In order to apply the over driving method to the flat panel, the motion pixels are detected by comparing the pixel values of current and previous frames, and determining the value to be added to the original value. The over driving level is decided through a decision model. Such a model heavily depends on the characteristics of the flat panel. For TFT-LCDs, the decision model is normally implemented by a look-up table built in a over drive circuit chip. The over drive decision requires one-frame delay mechanism for getting the pixel value of the previous frame. A compression and decompression mechanism is used for reducing the bandwidth demands of the frame buffer access for implementing the one-frame delay. The over driving method is proposed in some prior arts to combine with the timing controller (TCON) in the flat panel display for improving the video quality of motion picture.
To further improve the response time of a flat panel display, the present invention proposes an extra video processing for de-motion-blurring. A video system in accordance with the present invention combines the color TV decoding, deinterlacing, scaling, and de-motion-blur process and many other video enhancement features to optimize the overall system in cost.

Video system with de-motion-blur processing


A semiconductor structure with a p-type ZnSe layer has an improved ohmic contact consisting of a layer of Hg.sub.x Zn.sub.1-x Te.sub.a Se.sub.b Sc where x=0-1 with x being 0 at the surface of the ZnSe layer and increasing thereafter, a, b and c each =0-1 and a+b+c=1.

It is well known that it is very difficult to form an ohmic contact to a p-type zinc selenide layer. This is particularly so, even for a heavily doped P-type zinc selenide, especially if the dopant is nitrogen.
The cause of this problem is probably due to the relatively high Schottky barriers of the various metals used to make the contact, these barriers being about 1 eV.
There have been many attempts to solve this problem. Thus, Uemoto J. Appl. No. 62-297359 teaches forming an ohmic contact by growing a p-type amorphous Si layer by a photo-assisted CVD method on the p-type ZnSe layer and then depositing Mo and Al on the Si layer. However, since there is no grading of the p-type amorphous layer, a barrier of only a few tenths of a volt may result in the prevention of the formation of an ohmic contact. Additionally, since there is no continuity of the lattice of the ZnSe layer into the deposited amorphous Si layer, the amorphous layer probably can be easily peeled away from the ZnSe layer thus resulting in poor mechanical integrity of the Si-pZnSe contact.
Okawa J. Appl. No. 62 16921 teaches the formation of an ohmic contact by the evaporation of a gold layer directly on the surface of a p-type ZnSe layer to which nitrogen ion acceptors have been added.
The contact achieved is not an ohmic contact. It has been found, however that the contact formed is not an ohmic contact but is a Schottky contact with a barrier of about 1.4 eV. Such a contact requires the application of about 15 V or larger to achieve current density in the order of 10 A/cm.sup.2.
Basol U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,630 teaches a method of forming ohmic contacts on IIB-UIA p-type doped layers by etching the surface of the layers with an acidic solution to form a surface that is non-metal rich, treating the etched surface with a basic solution and then depositing a conductive metal layer. The only example shown of the p-type material is p-type cadmium telluride. Moreover, the method shown here does not work for p-ZnSe.
McCaldin et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,295 teaches, in general, that an improved contact may be made on a p-type semiconductor body such as a p-type zinc selenide by forming a layer of a mercury cholcogenide such as MgSe, MgS or HgTe on its surface.
However, in the example shown in this patent, an ohmic contact is made on an n-type zinc selenide body doped with aluminum by wetting the surface of the body with an amalgam of HgInCd and heating to 450.degree. for 1 minute.
In any event there is no suggestion in this patent of forming a ohmic contact on a p-type ZnSe semiconductor body in which the dopant is N. Heating at a temperature of 450.degree. C. as shown in the example of the patent would not be useful as it would destabilize the N-dopants present and would tend to decrease the effective concentrations of the N dopants.
The McCaldin et al patent also shows cleaving of the resultant sample and the formation of an epitaxial layer of stoichiometric HgSe by evaporation on the sample of Hg and Se. The patent indicates that a ohmic contact is not found because it states that "All measurement showed a barrier significantly higher than the Au barrier on the same substrate", col. 2, lines 63-65.
Kamata J. Appl. No. 63-10826 shows the formation of an ohmic contact on a p-doped ZnSSe layer by providing an intermediate layer of p-type GaAs between the metal contact layer and the ZnSSe layer. However, it has been found that here too an ohmic contact is not found since the barrier between the p-type ZnSe and p-type GaAs is about 1 eV.


An information recording medium includes a dot pattern recorded thereon and optically readable, and the dot pattern is formed of a group of blocks arranged in matrix. Each of the blocks has both a data dot pattern constituted of a plurality of dots arranged in accordance with the content of data and a block address pattern representing an address of the block arranged in a predetermined position in relation to the data dot pattern. The dot pattern is formed such that the same blocks in predetermined areas of the block group are overlapped in the scanning direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information recording medium such as paper on which multimedia information, including audio information such as speech and music, video information obtained from cameras and video apparatuses, and digital code data obtained from personal computers and word processors, is recorded as an optically readable code pattern.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various types of mediums, such as a magnetic tape and an optical disk, have been conventionally known as mediums for recording speech, music and the like. These mediums require a large space for keeping themselves and their unit costs are somewhat expensive, even though a great number of copies are made. To move a medium on which audio information is recorded to a person in a remote place takes a lot of time and labor whether it is mailed or handed. These problems are true of all the multimedia information including video information obtained from cameras and video apparatuses and digital code data obtained from personal computers and wordprocessors in addition to the audio information.
The team of engineers including the inventor of the present invention conceived a system for recording multimedia information including at least one of audio information, video information and digital code data, on an information recording medium such as paper in the form of a dot code as image information, i.e., coded information which can be facsimiled and copied in great numbers at low cost and for reproducing the multimedia information from the information recording medium, and filed an invention of the system as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/407,018.
The U.S. Patent Application discloses a group of blocks arranged in matrix. Each of the blocks has a data dot pattern formed of a plurality of dots arranged in accordance with data and a block address pattern indicating an address of the block and located in a predetermined position with respect to the data dot pattern.
More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1A, each block includes markers 10, arrangement direction detecting codes 12, a distinctive block address 14, and in-block recording data 16. The markers 10 are each recorded as a large round dot, and the recording data 16 is constituted of dots which are remarkably smaller than the markers 10.
Such blocks are arranged two-dimensionally to form a dot code, as illustrated in FIG. 1B. In this dot code, two blocks are arranged in a vertical direction, while N/2 blocks are done in a horizontal direction. Data is thus reproduced as one code from all the blocks arranged two-dimensionally. In FIG. 1B, the distinctive block address 14 is represented as blocks 1 to N. Each of the blocks has a block width BW in its vertical direction and a block length BL in its horizontal direction, and the width of two blocks corresponds to that of the dot code, called an effective code width CEW.
FIG. 1C simply shows the constitution of the dot code of FIG. 1B using the block address 14 only.
According to the system disclosed in the foregoing U.S. Patent Application, a dot code is optically read and reproduced from an information recording medium by manually moving an information reproduction apparatus to scan the dot code on the information recording medium.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a dot code 18 can be manually scanned in its longitudinal direction with the information reproduction apparatus such that a reading unit 20 of the apparatus vertically contacts the dot code 18, i.e., the face of the information recording medium. Since the dot code 18 includes the block address 14, it can be read even though the information reproduction apparatus is moved in any direction. In other words, information recorded as the dot code 18 can be reproduced by manually scanning the dot code 18 from one end to the other with the reading unit 20.
Since, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the reading unit 20 is provided with a scan position indicating mark 22 corresponding to the width of the dot code 18, an operator can correctly perform a manual operation for scanning the reading unit 20 while looking at the mark 22, that is, while paying attention to the width of the dot code 18.
As the information reproduction apparatus for reproducing the dot code 18, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/532,982, filed by the same inventor as that of the present invention, discloses a similar one having the constitution as shown in FIG. 3.
The information reproduction apparatus shown in FIG. 3 reads a dot code 18 recorded on a sheet (information recording medium) 24 by scanning a reading unit 20 having an image pickup unit 26 and processes an output signal of the image pickup unit 26 by a processing unit provided separately from the reading unit 20, thereby to reproduce the original multimedia information. It is needless to say that the processing unit can be incorporated into the reading unit 20. The processing unit includes an image unit block data reproduction unit 28, a block link unit 30, and a deinterleave and error correction unit 32. A plurality of images picked up by the image pickup unit 26 in accordance with the manual scanning, are processed by the image unit block data reproduction unit 28 to restore block data. The block data are rearranged by the block link unit 30 based on a block address added thereto for each block, and their errors are corrected by the deinterleave and error correction unit 32. The error-corrected data are output from an output unit 34 as multimedia information such as sound and image.
The image pickup unit 26 has a light for image pickup and is constituted so as to prevent light from being supplied externally. Since the unit 26 picks up an image in a short period of exposure time for every image pickup period of an image pickup element, a blur due to scanning is lessened.
In manual scanning, a scanning speed generally varies from operator to operator. One operator scans slowly, while another does quickly. In the slow scanning, the block link unit 30 processes the blocks whose images are picked up overlappingly and selects one from among the blocks in order to use data of the finally-obtained block or data with the least error when the blocks of the same address overlap one another. Thus, all the blocks are linked, and the original multimedia information is reproduced without any error.
On the contrary, in the quick scanning, some blocks are not imaged. If a number of blocks are not imaged, the original multimedia information cannot be correctly reproduced even though an error is corrected by the deinterleave and error correction unit 32.
The above manual scanning will be described by way of the dot code of blocks as shown in FIG. 4A. In this example, the width of an image pickup area 26A is three times or greater than the width BW of each of the blocks, and the length thereof is also three times or greater than the length BL of each block.
If the dot code is scanned by an information reproduction apparatus having the image pickup area 26A, the image pickup range is shifted as shown in FIG. 4B. In this figure, the solid line indicates the blocks of the dot code and the dotted line represents a one image pickup range. The blocks of block addresses 1 and 2 are imaged in the first image plane, those of addresses 3 to 6 are done in the second image plane, those of addresses 8 to 10 are done in the third image plane, and those of addresses 11, 12, . . . are done in the fourth image plane. If the blocks of all the addresses are imaged in this manner, the original multimedia information can be reproduced with reliability.
If, however, the scanning is performed at high speed, the blocks of addresses 1 and 2 are imaged in the first image plane and those of addresses 7 to 10 are done in the second image plane, but those of addresses 3 to 6 are not imaged, as shown in FIG. 4C. Thus, the original multimedia information cannot be reproduced.


A microfluidics switch with moving planes has a first substrate with some holes and a second substrate with some micro-channels. Herein, the relative planes of both substrates are covered by a hydrophobic material. Therefore, while the substrates are neighboring and relatively moving, the overlap relation between the holes and the micro-channels are varied and a switch function is provided. Further, by using the hydrophobic material, while the distance between substrates is smaller than the height of drop of each liquid inputted into the holes, the fluids can not fluid between the planes and then different micro-channels are isolated from each other.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a micro-fluids switch with moving planes, especially relates to a mixed apparatus of passively mechanical design and hydrophobic property between fluids and micro-channels. Moreover, the goal of changing fluid channels can be achieved by means of simply relative motion between substrates.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many contemporary products and processes have to be designed to let fluids flow in micro-channels. For example, in the field of molecular biology, biochemical experiments are always taken with biochips with micro-fabricated flow channels. Further, in the field of electronic products, an ink-jet head of a thermal ink-jet printer has many micro-fabricated flow channels to let ejecting ink be normally distributed. Obviously, it is an important issue about how to moderately control the fluid flowing in these micro-channels (especially about the switch of different fluids). Herein the so-called micro-channel is a fluid channel with a very small dimension (very small cross-section). For example, a diameter of a cross-section of a micro-channel usually is between 0.1 microns and 1000 microns.
Take bio-chip for example (as shown in FIG. 1A), the basic structure consists of a hollow hole 11 made on a substrate 10 for biochemical reaction, independently-input micro-fabricated flow channels 12 made on the substrate 10 and connected with the hollow hole 11, and an independently-output micro-fabricated flow channel 13 connected with the hollow hole 11 but disconnected with these independently-input micro-fabricated flow channels 12. In the practical application, different independently-input micro-fabricated flow channels 12 are used to separately transmit different fluids (such as different bio-developed fluids) to the hollow hole 11 and the independently-output micro-fabricated flow channel 13 is used to transmit the unnecessary fluids out from the hollow hole 11. Besides, because there are special needs in the bio-chemical experiments, these conditions of the fluid switch controlling in different state with different fluids passing through independently-input micro-fabricated flow channels must be satisfied as follows: (1) Different fluids in different independently-input micro-fabricated flow channels 12 cannot be mixed before arriving at the hollow hole 11. (2) The environmental changes (such as pressure change) of the hollow hole 11 caused by switching micro-fabricated flow channels should be diminished as less as possible. (3) The switch apparatus has to be easily-operated, stable, and repeatedly-used during long periods. (4) The switch process should not produce materials (such as materials, which will depress biochemical reaction) which will affect the environment in the hollow hole 11. (5) The switching apparatus must be separable. Besides, if we neglect the hollow hole 11 and only consider the one-to-many relationship between the independently-output micro-fabricated flow channel 13 and the independently-input micro-fabricated flow channels, the structure (and corresponding microfluidics switch) as is shown in FIG. 1A can also be applied to a ink-jet head used in a thermal ink-jet printer and so on.
In the prior technology, microfluidics switch can be divided into active and passive categories. As is shown in FIG. 1B, an active microfluidics switch is designed to let each independently-input micro-fabricated flow channels 12 connect different fluid sources 16 through different input tubes 14 and different switches 15, and let the independently-output micro-fabricated flow channel 13 connect outside through output tube 17. Therefore, fluids (output fluids though controlled output tube 17) entering the hollow hole 11 and participating biochemical reactions can be controlled by virtue of adjusting each on-off state of switches 15. Generally speaking, however, an active microfluidics switch always has some faults as follows: (1) produce it expensively. (2) Switching will have a great impact on the state of the hollow hole (instant change is more obvious). (3) Components passed by fluids will be contaminated and should be disposable. (4) The instant response of switching cannot show because of the long distance between the switch and the hollow hole.
As is shown is FIG. 1C, a passive microfluidics switch consists of an upside substrate and a downside substrate and the two substrates 10 are closely connected, and a hollow hole 18 is formed in the interface between the two planes 10. Besides, the hollow hole 18 used to input/output fluids with outside, micro-fabricated flow channels 19, and inter-medium 195 are formed separately between the two substrates. The flows of fluids in the micro-fabricated flow channels can be controlled by means of using inter-medium 195 to change flow direction of fluids, and the input/output fluids in the hollow hole 18 can be further controlled. Generally speaking, however, a passive microfluidics switch always has some faults as follows: (1) The matching design between the inter-medium and the micro-fabricated flow channels is so complicated that the inter-medium and the micro-fabricated flow channels cannot be fonned precisely. (2) The inter-medium always reacts with the fluids and then the reaction produces impurities (they will contaminate the hollow hole used as a reaction chamber and final output fluids), (3) The inter-medium always cannot react instantly with the effect of the flow direction change of fluids. (4) The process of connecting upside substrate and downside substrate always damages the micro-fabricated flow channels and the inter-medium.
Therefore, the known technology of switch apparatuses of fluids clearly has several problems needed to be improved. Hence, how to form good microfluidics switch when applying the technology or the product of "Let fluids flow in the micro-channels" is still an urgent problem to be solved.

Industrial Technology Research Institute


A device for testing a semiconductor integrated circuit device has a test board on which the semiconductor integrated circuit device to be tested is removably mounted, and a two-pulse generator mounted on the test board, for generating two pulses spaced from each other by a pulse interval equal to the period of a test clock for the delay test, from the test clock, and supplying the generated two pulses to the scan path test circuit. The device also has a PLL circuit for multiplying the frequency of the test clock and supplying a signal having the multiplied-frequency to the two-pulse generator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit device and a device for testing such a semiconductor integrated circuit device, and more particularly to a semiconductor integrated circuit device suitable for a delay test using a scan path test circuit, and a device for testing such a semiconductor integrated circuit device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Semiconductor integrated circuit devices (hereinafter referred to as "LSI chips"), recently available in larger scale integration and higher densities, which are not designed for an easy testing configuration, cannot be tested and diagnosed for faults. One known approach for easy testing is a scan path process in which flip-flops in a semiconductor integrated circuit are connected into a chain pattern so as to operate as a shift register, and when the circuit is tested, the values of the flip-flops are controlled and observed from outside of the circuit based on the function as the shift register.
For testing an LSI chip according to the scan path process, the LSI chip incorporates a plurality of scan flip-flops which are flip-flops for use in normal operation and testing, and their input and output terminals for testing are connected in series, i.e., cascade, to connect the flip-flops as a shift register.
The scan flip-flops have a normal operating function to operate normally as ordinary flip-flops, and also have a scan function to operate as scan flip-flops with a scan clock SC as a testing clock while a scan-in signal SIN as a testing pattern signal is being supplied as a data input signal.
According to the scan path process, the scan-in signal SIN as a testing pattern signal is input to a scan path test circuit which is constructed of the cascaded scan flip-flops to set the scan flip-flops to desired values, and thereafter the scan flip-flops are operated normally and output values, i.e., scan-out signals SOUT, of the scan flip-flops which have been operated normally are observed to determine whether the logic operation of the LSI chip is normal or not.
LSI chips available in recent years are not only of larger-scale integration and higher-density designs, but also are operable at higher speeds. Therefore, they need to be checked not only for normal logic operation, but also for normal operation at a clock frequency prescribed according to product specifications.
According to a conventional LSI chip testing process, a delay test is conducted. As shown in FIG. 1A of the accompanying drawings, scan flip-flops (scan F/F) are connected into a chain-like pattern, and then, as shown in FIG. 1B of the accompanying drawings, two pulses spaced from each other by a pulse interval ("Spec" in FIG. 1B) corresponding to the period of a clock signal (having a frequency of 100 MHz or higher, for example) prescribed according to product specifications are input as clocks A, B in FIGS. 1A and 1B from a testing device to a given path (Path). Output values from desired two flip-flops are observed to determine whether the LSI chip malfunctions due to a delay caused by elements such as logic circuits or not.
In the conventional LSI chip testing process, the two in the delay test are generated by an LSI tester, and supplied directly to the scan path test circuit in the LSI chip.
The conventional LSI chip testing process is problematic in that since a frequency which can be used in the delay test depends on the performance of a driver circuit of the LSI tester for outputting the two pulses, LSI chips which operate at high speeds cannot be put to the delay test unless the LSI tester is expensive enough to output high-speed pulses. Specifically, recent LSI chips have internal clock frequencies up to several hundreds MHz, and very expensive LSI tester is needed to test such LSI chips.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device and device for testing same


Input speech of a reference speaker, who wants to convert his/her voice quality, and speech of a target speaker are converted into a digital signal by an analog to digital (A/D) converter. The digital signal is then subjected to speech analysis by a linear predictive coding (LPC) analyzer. Speech data of the reference speaker is processed into speech segments by a speech segmentation unit. A speech segment correspondence unit makes a dynamic programming (DP) based correspondence between the obtained speech segments and training speech data of the target speaker, thereby making a speech segment correspondence table. A speaker individuality conversion is made on the basis of the speech segment correspondence table by a speech individuality conversion and synthesis unit.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to methods and apparatus for converting speaker individualities and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for speaker individuality conversion that uses speech segments as units, makes the sound quality of speech similar to the voice quality of a specific speaker and outputs speech of various sound qualities from a speech synthesis-by-rule system.
2. Description of the Background Art
A speaker individuality conversion method has conventionally been employed to make the sound quality of speech similar to the voice quality of a specific speaker and output speech of numerous sound qualities from a speech synthesis-by-rule system. In this case, a speaker individuality included in a spectrum of speech controls only some of parameters (e.g., a formant frequency in spectrum parameter, an inclination of the entire spectrum, and the like) to achieve speaker individuality conversion.
In such a conventional method, however, only such a rough speaker individuality conversion as a conversion between male voice and female voice is available.
In addition, the conventional method has another disadvantage that with respect to a rough conversion of speaker individuality, no approach to obtain a rule of converting parameters characterizing speaker's voice quality is established, thereby requiring a heuristic procedure.

Method and apparatus for speaker individuality conversion

ATR Interpreting Telephony Research Laboratories


A random signal generator uses a folded MOS transistor, whose drain-source current includes a random component, as an electronic noise source. The random signal generator generates a random binary signal from the random component. The invention may be applied, in particular, to smart cards.

A random binary signal generator allows a smart card, for example, during a terminal authentication procedure, to send a random binary sequence comprising 16 or 32 bits, for example. The card and terminal apply a secret key authentication function to the sequence. Thereafter, the terminal transmits the obtained result to the card, and the card compares its computed result with the one received from the terminal. If both results match, the terminal is presumed to be authentic and the card accepts the requested transaction.
Random generators are known in the art, and are implemented as state machines having a finite number of internal states. Such state machines comprise, for example, shift registers of which certain bits are fed-back through an XOR gate as an input to the machine. Starting from an initial internal state, the state machine is enabled by a clock signal, and a random bit is extracted from the state machine at each clock pulse.
A drawback of such state machines, however, is that they generate deterministic binary sequences that are highly repetitive, as well as an output statistical bias influencing the distribution of logic ones and logic zeros. To overcome this drawback, there is a need for state machines having a large number of internal states (ideally, the machine would have an infinite number of internal states), but this approach opposes the greater simplicity, lower cost and lower consumption desired for random signal generators.
A random signal generator can also be implemented by an electronic noise generator, such as the noise generated by an avalanche-connected diode or a biased diode, or also the thermal noise in a resistor. However, these noise sources are of very small amplitude. It is necessary to use a high gain amplifier with at least a 60 dB gain. This implies using power-consuming bipolar transistors. However, the presence of such transistors is undesired in many integrated circuits, in particular, integrated circuits used in smart cards.


A follower mechanism of the bypass type comprises a follower body which is normally spring-biased in the forward direction so as to, in turn, normally bias a strip supply of nail-type fasteners in the forward direction toward a discharge path along which the leading one of the nail-type fasteners will he driven and discharged out from the fastener-driving tool. A follower claw is normally spring-biased, around the pivotal axis of a pivot pin mounted upon the follower body, to a position at which the follower claw can engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners so as to bias the supply strip of nail-type fasteners in the forward direction. A latch-hook is integrally provided upon the follower claw for engaging an undercut region of the fastener-driving tool magazine end cap in order to retain the entire follower mechanism at a rearwardly retracted position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving machine.

Fastener-driving tools for driving fasteners into substrates are of course well-known in the art. Such fastener driving tools conventionally comprise a magazine for holding a supply of nail-type fasteners, and a spring-biased follower mechanism or assembly for effectively engaging the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners disposed within the fastener magazine in order to normally bias the supply of nail-type fasteners in the forward direction toward a discharge path along which the leading one of the nail-type fasteners will be driven and discharged out from the fastener-driving tool. One type of follower mechanism or assembly that is known in the art is a bypass-type follower mechanism or assembly wherein the follower mechanism or assembly comprises a follower body which is normally spring-biased in the forward direction so as to, in turn, normally bias a supply of nail-type fasteners in the forward direction toward the discharge path along which the leading one of the nail-type fasteners will be driven and discharged out from the fastener-driving tool, and a follower claw which is normally spring-biased, around the pivotal axis of a pivot pin mounted upon the follower body, to a position at which the follower claw can engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners such that the follower mechanism or assembly can then bias the supply strip of nail-type fasteners in the forward direction under the influence of the biasing spring normally acting upon the follower body. The follower claw is thus able to be pivotally moved with respect to the plane within which the supply of nail-type fasteners is disposed.
Accordingly, when, for example, the fastener-driving tool has expended or substantially expended its supply of nail-type fasteners and needs to be replenished with a new supply of nail-type fasteners, the new supply of nail-type fasteners is able to be loaded into the rearward portion of the fastener-driving tool magazine while the follower mechanism or assembly is still disposed within the forward portion of the fastener-driving tool magazine. Subsequently, the follower mechanism or assembly is then able to be moved by an operator in the rearward direction, against the biasing force of the follower mechanism or assembly spring, whereby the pivotal mounting of the follower claw, upon the follower body, permits the follower claw to effectively skip or ratchet over the new supply of nail-type fasteners disposed within the fastener-driving tool magazine and thereby bypass the new supply of fasteners disposed within the fastener-driving tool magazine. When the follower mechanism or assembly has been moved sufficiently rearwardly so as to in fact be disposed behind the new supply of nail-type fasteners, the spring, which normally pivotally biases the follower claw toward the position at which the follower claw can engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners, now in fact pivotally biases or returns the follower claw to the position at which the follower claw can engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners whereupon the follower claw will in fact engage the trailing one of the nail-type fasteners when the entire follower mechanism or assembly is permitted to move slightly forwardly, under the influence of the follower mechanism or assembly spring, when the follower body is released by the operator. An example of such a bypass follower mechanism or assembly is disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,014 which issued to Smolinski on Jul. 15, 2003.
Fastener-driving tools of the aforenoted type are also usually provided with, in effect, an internal operational lockout system or mechanism whereby when the follower assembly or mechanism is disposed at substantially the forward-most position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool, such as, for example, when only several fasteners remain within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool, or alternatively, when the supply of fasteners has in fact been entirely depleted or removed from the magazine assembly, the fastener-driving tool will be prevented from firing and cycling. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to dry-cycle fire the fastener-driving tool, that is, to fire or cycle the fastener-driving tool when the fastener-driving tool does not contain any fasteners. The purpose of such dry-cycle firing of the fastener-driving tool is to ensure that the fastener-driving tool, and its various components, are in fact working properly after, for example, the fastener-driving has been idle for a substantial period of time, or has been subjected, for example, to substantially cold weather or environmental conditions. Under such circumstances, it is necessary for the operator to manually move the follower mechanism or assembly to a rearward position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool by means of one hand, and to hold the follower mechanism or assembly at such rearward position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool by the one hand in view of the fact that, otherwise, the spring-biasing mechanism, that normally operates upon or biases the follower mechanism or assembly in the forward direction, will tend to return the follower mechanism or assembly to the forwardmost position within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool.
In this manner, the fastener-driving tool has effectively been "tricked" into believing that a new supply of nail-type fasteners has been installed within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool, whereby the internal lockout mechanism or system of the fastener-driving tool will no longer prevent the operation of the fastener-driving tool even though the magazine assembly is completely devoid of fasteners. The operator may then dry-cycle fire the fastener-driving tool as a result of the manipulation of the fastener-driving tool by means of the other hand. Alternatively, it is sometimes necessary to manually work upon the fastener-driving-tool, in order to clear a fastener-jammed condition within the fastener-driving tool, when only several fasteners remain within the magazine assembly of the fastener-driving tool. Again, under such circumstances, the operator needs to retract the follower mechanism or assembly, within the magazine assembly, by means of one hand so as to dispose the follower mechanism or assembly at a rearward position within the magazine assembly while he attempts to clear the fastener-jammed condition within the fastener-driving tool with the other hand. As may readily be appreciated, this mode of operation is awkward and sometimes difficult to accomplish, thereby leading to increased production downtime, operator fatigue, and the like.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved fastener-driving tool, and a new and improved nail-type follower mechanism or assembly, of the bypass type, incorporated within the fastener-driving tool wherein the follower claw of the follower mechanism or assembly of the fastener-driving tool will in fact be provided with a latching element or component so as to in fact enable the entire follower mechanism or assembly to effectively be retained at a latched position within the rearward section of the fastener-driving tool when, for example, the fastener-driving tool is to undergo a dry-cycle firing operation, or alternatively, when the operator is working upon the fastener-driving tool in order to rectify a fastener-jammed condition within the fastener-driving tool.

Bypass type follower assembly having a latch mechanism on the follower claw


A dry floor assembly is provided. The dry floor assembly is configured to form or be positioned on a floor of an enclosed space. The dry floor assembly includes a grid, a pan, and a wicking layer. The grid has an array of openings configured to allow passage of liquid. The grid has members that extend from a base to an upper surface, with the upper surface configured to be walked upon. The members have a cross-section that tapers from the base to the upper surface. The pan is disposed beneath the grid, and defines a cavity. The wicking layer is interposed between the pan and the grid, and is configured to wick liquid that passes through the openings toward the pan.

In various environments, floors may be subject to spillage or leakage of liquids. It may not be possible or practical to manually remove the liquid from the floor in as short a time as may be desired. For example, commercial aircraft are used to transport passengers between various locations. During a flight—particularly a trans-oceanic or other long haul flight—passengers are typically confined within certain areas (for example, cabins) of an aircraft. Various individuals (such as passengers, pilots, flight attendants, and the like) use certain internal portions of an aircraft during a flight. For example, numerous individuals may use a lavatory within an internal cabin during a flight. Liquid (e.g., from the sink) may be spilled to the lavatory floor.
An aircraft lavatory is generally cleaned between flights. For example, maintenance or cleaning personnel board the aircraft on the ground before and/or after a flight to clean the lavatory. However, during a flight, the lavatory is typically not cleaned, despite the fact that numerous individuals may use the lavatory during the flight. While flight attendants may be able to clean the lavatory, they are usually preoccupied with other duties during the flight. As such, cleaning the lavatory may not be a top priority for flight attendants during a flight or even between flights. Consequently, the dryness of lavatory floors onboard an aircraft may be compromised, particularly during flights. As such, a flight experience for individuals onboard the aircraft may be negatively impacted.


The connector housing carries a radially outwardly extending flange at its perimeter. The flange is provided with a guide surface, tapered towards the rear of the connector, whereby the shield cover is aligned. This prevents the leading edge of the shield cover from contacting the end face of the shell.

In shielded connectors of this general type, a shield cover is fitted onto a shield shell by axial movement. The inner surface of the shield cover is in frictional contact with the outer surface of the shield shell. The leading edge of the cover slides against the trailing edge of the shell with virtually no gap therebetween. As a result, even a slight offset in positioning the cover and shell is sufficient to prevent the former from being slid over the latter. This is particularly true if any inwardly directed flashing remains on the leading end of the cover. This is likely to catch against the shell, making it even more difficult to assemble. It is an object of the present Invention to overcome this problem and improve the assembly of the connector, particularly the insertion of the shield cover over the shield shell.

Self-aligning and locking shielded connector


An image forming apparatus provided with an image bearing member bearing a toner image, the loss tangent tan δ1 of the image bearing member being 0.05≦tan δ1≦0.40, a transfer member for transferring the toner image borne on the image bearing member to a recording medium, a blade member of which the edge contacts with the image bearing member and removes toner residual on the image bearing member after the toner image has been transferred from the image bearing member to the recording medium, the loss tangent of the blade member being tan δ2, wherein the loss tangent tan δ1 is measured by the use of a first test piece formed by cutting off a portion of the image bearing member, the first test piece includes a surface contacting with the blade member, the loss tangent tan δ2 of the blade member is measured by the use of a second test piece formed by cutting off a portion of the blade member, the second test piece includes the edge contacting with the image bearing member, and two surfaces forming the edge, and the relation that 0.25≦tan δ1+tan δ2≦0.65 is satisfied.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a color image forming apparatus in which a toner on an intermediate transfer member having a predetermined range of loss tangent is removed by a blade member.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, even in a color image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process, it has been required to cope with various recording media. Therefore, use is widely made of a color image forming apparatus using an intermediate transfer member capable of coping with various recording media.
Heretofore, as an intermediate transfer member, use has been widely made of one of a single-layer construction of polyimide resin.
However, when a toner image borne on a photosensitive member is transferred to the intermediate transfer member of a single-layer construction of polyimide resin, there occurs so-called scattering in which the outline of the toner image on the intermediate transfer member becomes blurred. When the toner image on the image bearing member is being transferred, the intermediate transfer belt contacts with the image bearing member. At this time, in the outline portion of the toner image on the image bearing member, a gap is caused between the intermediate transfer member and the image bearing member by the thickness of the toner image. Due to the presence of this gap, scattering occurs.
So, an intermediate transfer member using an elastic material such as rubber has come to be used.
The intermediate transfer member using an elastic material is quickly deformed in conformity with the thickness of the toner image. In the outline portion of the toner image on the photosensitive member, no gap is caused between the intermediate transfer member and the photosensitive member. In this manner, the occurrence of the scattering is suppressed.
Here, the loss tangent (tan δ) is an index indicative of the magnitude of a force which a substance absorbs when deformed, on the basis of the time from after a force has been imparted to the substance until the substance is deformed and is further restored to its original shape.
The greater is the loss tangent (tan δ), the longer becomes the time required from after a force has been imparted to the substance until the substance is deformed.
Conversely, the smaller is the loss tangent (tan δ), the shorter becomes the time from after a force has been imparted to the substance until the substance is deformed. Also, it becomes difficult for the imparted force to be absorbed.
Now, as means for removing any toner residual on the intermediate transfer member after the toner image on the intermediate transfer member has been transferred to a recording medium, use is widely made of a blade member of which the edge contacts with the intermediate transfer member. This is because of its simple construction.
However, when the blade member was used as the means for removing the toner residual on the intermediate transfer member using an elastic material such as rubber, there occurred so-called faulty cleaning in which the residual toner is not removed.

Color image forming apparatus in which toner on intermediate transfer member having predetermined range of loss tangent is removed by blade member


Selective epitaxy of a semiconductor material is performed on a semiconductor fin to form a semiconductor nanowire. Surfaces of the semiconductor nanowire include facets that are non-horizontal and non-vertical. A gate electrode can be formed over the semiconductor nanowire such that the faceted surfaces can be employed as channel surfaces. The epitaxially deposited portions of the faceted semiconductor nanowire can apply stress to the channels. Further, an additional semiconductor material may be added to form an outer shell of the faceted semiconductor nanowire prior to forming a gate electrode thereupon. The faceted surfaces of the semiconductor nanowire provide well-defined charge carrier transport properties, which can be advantageously employed to provide a semiconductor device with well-controlled device characteristics.

The present disclosure generally relates to semiconductor devices, and particularly to faceted semiconductor nanowires and semiconductor structures employing the same, and methods of manufacturing the same.
A conventional semiconductor nanowire is formed with a rectangular vertical cross-sectional shape and a parallel pair of vertical sidewalls, or with a rounded vertical cross-sectional shape that is obtained by a thermal anneal of a semiconductor nanowire with a rectangular vertical cross-sectional shape. The surface orientations of the parallel pair of vertical sidewalls may not be optimal for providing high charge carrier mobility for semiconductor devices such as fin field effect transistors. Surfaces of a rounded semiconductor nanowire include many different crystallographic orientations, and provide a characteristic that is an average of many different crystallographic orientations.

International Business Machines Corporation