A two step antimicrobial treatment of animal carcasses prior to chill storage in a commercial slaughter operation. As a first step, the carcass is isolated in a hot water pasteurization chamber and sprayed with recirculation water at a minimum temperature of at least 165.degree. F. (74.degree. C.) over its entire surface for a minimum time sufficient to kill bacteria. Isolation is achieved with air curtains across the entrance and exit openings, an exhaust system and a liquid level control in the bottom of the chamber. Recirculation water collected in the bottom of the chamber is filtered, combined with makeup water, heated and recirculated to the chamber. As a second step, the carcass is isolated in an acid application chamber and sprayed with an organic acid solution immediately prior to delivery to the chill storage.

During the processing of animal carcasses in a commercial slaughter facility, certain bacterial contaminants are introduced or are otherwise associated with the carcasses that subsequently impact the safety and storage life of meat products. During the dressing and fabrication of animal carcasses, bacteria are transferred by the hands of workers and by processing equipment from the animal skin to the carcass. Opportunistic pathogenic and spoilage bacteria, which survive the processing, thrive and multiply in the post-processing environment, thus causing health concerns and reducing the storage life of the end products. There are health and commercial benefits which result from decreased populations of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria on meat including increased safety; increased storage life; improved resistance to the subsequent effects of variable storage and shipping conditions; and compliance with strict foreign importing requirements.
The transfer of bacteria from the skins of animals to meat is a major hygienic problem in processing all animal carcasses including poultry, hogs, sheep and cattle. This problem has been dealt with for many decades in commercial slaughter facilities. The initial approaches to reducing bacteria on the surface of the carcass centered on improving handling and dressing procedures on the slaughter floor and overall sanitation procedures in the entire facility. These efforts have been only partially effective. Since bacterial contamination cannot be wholly avoided, improved equipment and techniques for removing or destroying the bacteria on skinned and eviscerated carcasses are needed.
Several process technologies have been developed and applied in the recent past to reduce bacteria on the surface of the carcass in meat and poultry slaughter operations. The most common antimicrobial treatments currently in use on the slaughter floor include varying stages of water wash, acid wash and steam or hot water pasteurization.
In general, destruction or inactivation of bacteria may be accomplished by the process of pasteurization. Pasteurization, as the term is applied in the food industry, is a process by which a very high percentage of food borne population of microorganisms is killed or rendered incapable of reproduction by raising the internal temperature of the microorganisms to a lethal or critically damaging level in a controlled way (usually by holding the temperature of the microorganisms at a fixed temperature for a fixed time). In contrast to food sterilization processes, more care is given in pasteurization to the inherent sensitivity of the food product to heat exposure to provide an optimum balance between the level of microbial destruction and thermal alteration of the food product. A low-temperature, long-time pasteurization process can achieve the same level of microbial destruction as a high-temperature, short-time process, but the effect on the food product will be vastly different. Negative alteration of the carcass meat (cooking) is minimized by selecting short exposure times at higher temperatures.
The prior art discloses several systems for washing, scalding or decontaminating carcasses prior to refrigeration. Proposals for decontamination include spraying dressed carcasses with solutions of chlorine or organic acids; heating carcass surfaces to pasteurizing temperatures with infrared heaters; and water sprays or sheets of water. Simple cleaning of carcasses with water using an oscillating system of sprayers is proposed by Anderson in U.S. Pat. No. 4,377,549. A hot spray scalding apparatus for fowl carcasses is proposed by Harben in U.S. Pat. No. 4,868,950. Most of the prior art proposals process animal carcasses that are moving on the overhead dressing rail.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,911 to Davey and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,326 to Ambill, systems are disclosed in which heated water is directed onto carcasses. These references use differing approaches for delivering heated water to the upper, lateral and convoluted areas of carcasses. These areas are often time shielded from the direct line-of-sight trajectory of the water issuing from the distributing means.
The Davey apparatus is designed for treating dressed beef sides. A plurality of longitudinally aligned vertical sheets of heated water (83.5.degree. C.) are introduced from an overflow weir-type distributing means above the carcass. In order to adapt to convoluted surfaces on the lateral surfaces of a carcass, Davey requires a plurality of baffles positioned at various elevations on either side of the carcass. The baffles impinge the vertically descending sheets of water and deflect them laterally to somewhat better contact the carcass's lateral surfaces. Changes in the size and geometry of the carcass requires manual repositioning of the baffles. Furthermore, the use of deflecting baffles has the tendency of breaking up the descending sheets of water and rapidly cooling the water before contacting the surface of the carcass.
In Ambill's apparatus, carcasses are scaled prior to dehairing, using heated water (about 60.degree. C.) introduced from distributing means located on either side of the carcass. The water is deflected laterally under very low pressure to contact the lateral areas of the carcass. The point of discharge of the distributing means is close to the carcass and vertically movable to oscillate between upper and lower positions, thereby accessing the vertical extent of the carcass. A mechanically complex framework is required to enable the vertical movement of the Ambill's water distributing means. Also, the oscillating, vertical movement of the water distributing means provides only intermittent wetting of portions of the carcass surface. The oscillating vertical movement also contributes to the spray-like pattern of the water trajectory.
The foregoing prior art techniques for reducing the bacteria counts on the surface of the carcass during the slaughter operation suffer various drawbacks. Some techniques have not proven effective in the long term elimination of bacteria on the carcass. This is, quite naturally, the major problem that the commercial slaughter industry faces.
Steam and hot water pasteurization, although both are partially effective in eliminating bacteria, add significant expense to the operation. Steam pasteurization has high equipment and operating costs. Hot water pasteurization, while having reduced equipment costs compared to steam, has very high operating costs as a result of the large volume of water necessary in practicing this technique.

Method and apparatus for antimicrobial treatment of animal carcasses


A system and method for tracking and restoring computer configuration are disclosed. In one aspect, the system and method monitors for a series of changes in watched one or more computer configuration variables. The changes are registered into a series of saved states. The one or more computer configuration variables may be restored to a desired saved state using the registry of saved states. In one aspect, the system and method monitors the changes by intercepting system calls, determining which system calls affect the one or more computer configuration variables, and logging the system calls and the results of the system calls that affect the one or more computer configuration variables. A recovery script may be dynamically generated to restore to a saved state.

A computer system comprises a large number of independent variables. A variable can represent an arbitrary data structure. It can be as simple as memory location content, or as complex as the representation of a device. Variables are identified by a name, which is a label containing a reference. This label allows both human users and program to identify the variable and locate its value in the system. The value of a variable is dictated by the content of the data structure it represents. It can be as simple as a single boolean or can be a long series of bytes. The name-value pair that identifies a variable at any given time t is noted (N(t), V(t)). Variables are said to be independent if they cannot be algorithmically derived from other variables.
A user or program performing some work on the computer system is constantly changing a large number of variables. Among these variables, a small subset of independent variables, called the variable working set (VWS), is of particular interest because it is sufficient to describe the state of the system at a certain point in time for the user's purpose. For example, if a user is working on the storage subsystem, his variable working set could be the set of currently available storage devices, their access modes and their mount points. This information would be sufficient for the user to recreate the configuration of the storage subsystem in which he is interested. Variables can be added to or removed from the working set, and the value of variables can change. At any given point in time, the variable working set S(t) is composed of a set of k pairs of variable names and values S(t)={(N1(t), V1(t)), (N2(t), V2(t)), . . . , (Nk(t), Vk(t))}.
This set of variables can be extracted from the current state of the running system and stored. This extraction can either be automatic or performed through well-chosen system commands. It can happen either by examining the current state, or by examining the commands that change this state. The operation that obtains the value of a variable is said to be the "getter" of the variable. Conversely, the operation that allocates a new value to the variable is said to be the "setter" of the variable. The state of the system is affected by its initial configuration, generally stored as files in non-volatile memory or disks. The system, when it initializes, reads the set C of initial configuration files and brings up the computer to a certain initial state S(0). After initialization, a set P of setter programs can be run automatically to bring the system back to the desired state S. A system state S is said to be automatically reachable if there exist a set C of configuration files and a set P of programs such that state S can be attained by the system by initializing on configuration set C and then running program set P.
A user can easily bring the system to an undesirable state, either by mistake or because of a program error. The user will then want to bring the system back to a known-good state, either by issuing command to change variables, or by reinitializing the system. This recovery process is error-prone and tedious if done manually. Unless he is very careful, the user will have to spend a lot of time to recreate the known-good state from which he can resume useful work.
A popular existing solution for this problem is to run virtualized system, also referred to as virtual machines. Virtualizers such as EMC Corporation's VMW allow the user to take "snapshots" of the system status by storing in a large file the current content of the virtual machine's memory, and then restore the whole system state by reloading the snapshot. However, only a few limited hardware architectures can benefit from this system. In addition, snapshots take considerable amount of time and storage for execution. Virtualizers have well-known benefits as well as performance trade-offs that may not be acceptable in some environments. Virtual machines are therefore not always desirable or achievable. Accordingly, a simpler, faster way to restore a configuration—for instance, when only a limited set of state variables are to be restored—is desirable.
Another popular solution is to have system administrators create ad-hoc startup scripts to bring the system into the desirable state. However, this is a manual, error-prone, time-consuming approach. Accordingly, it is also desirable to have systematic, automatable method to recreate a given state on a machine.

Computer configuration tracking system able to restore a previous configuration

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention relates to a control panel for video apparatus. For realizing greater flexibility with such control panels there is proposed that the control panel comprises at least an operating module (31) and a control module (32), the control module (32) having a first interface (37) for connection to a control panel (2) and at least a second interface (35) for connection to the operating module (31), and the operating module (31) having at least an interface (34) for connection to the control module (32).

The invention relates to a control unit for video apparatus.
Operating panels for video apparatus generally comprise control elements by means of which for example switch operations can be triggered by a person using the control unit, display elements for instructing the user, and at least one interface to which apparatus to be controlled such as, for example, routers or mixing devices, can be connected. Depending on the selected interface between the video apparatus and the control unit, the control unit can be set up while it is not in the neighborhood of the apparatus to be controlled.
It is an object of the invention to provide a control unit that has a higher degree of flexibility compared to known control units for video apparatus.

Modular control panel for video apparatus


An electrically conductive, compliant elastomer material that is impregnated with a metal is formed by combining a metal salt with an elastomer precursor material to form a metal salt/precursor mixture, curing the metal salt/precursor mixture to form an elastomer impregnated with metal salt, and treating the elastomer impregnated with metal salt with a chemical reducing composition so as to convert at least a portion of the metal salt impregnated within the elastomer to a metal. The elastomer can be subjected to a suitable solvent that swells the elastomer during the chemical reduction of the metal salt to metal, which enhances the mechanical and electrical properties of the resultant metal impregnated elastomer material.

Flexible and compliant electrodes have been in development for some time. This is due at least in part to the increasing interest in products (e.g., flexible electronic components and "smart" clothing) which require compliant electrodes for providing interconnections between chips and other components.
One area in which compliant electrodes is desirable is in the manufacture of electroactive polymer (EAP) materials for use as "artificial muscles". EAP materials undergo a strain upon application of a voltage or current, and thus they can be used as actuators. One example of EAP materials is a dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA), which can expand in area up to 300% from a relaxed state when a voltage is applied to compliant electrodes on each face of an elastomer film. Dielectric elastomer actuators are parallel plate capacitors with an elastomeric dielectric between two compliant electrodes. When a large voltage is applied across the electrodes, the two plates are attracted to each other, applying a stress to the elastomeric dielectric between them that is transmitted laterally through Poisson's ratio. These actuators can only function properly when the electrodes are at least as compliant as the elastomeric dielectric.
There are a number of approaches known in the art for making flexible and/or compliant electrodes. One approach is to use carbon grease, which consists essentially of a grease containing carbon particles. The grease material is applied onto both surfaces of an elastomeric material. However, the disadvantage with using grease is that it is not a solid material block or film and, therefore, cannot be used in microfabricated structures or in the construction of shaped materials. In addition, the grease can be easily rubbed from the surface to which it is applied.
Another approach is to produce flexible electrodes consisting of thin layers of metal deposited on the surface of a polymer. Thin film metal electrodes can maintain their conductivity up to tens of percent strain. However, metal films can easily delaminate, particularly at defects, and expensive equipment is typically required to deposit the films.
The strain achieved with thin film metal electrodes can be increased by patterning the films into zig-zag or serpentine designs onto the polymer surface, where the zig-zag pattern is in the plane of the surface. The metal features twist out-of-plane when the polymer is stretched. However, the patterning of metal electrodes on a polymer material, typically performed using photolithography, can be difficult. Polymers can swell in, or react with, solvents and etchants, and the metal may not adhere well to the polymer. In addition, the total area of the device is limited to what can be fit into microfabrication equipment. Still another problem that is prevalent is delamination at the polymer/metal interface during stretching due to the large mismatch of mechanical moduli between the polymer and metal. Another approach to patterning the metal electrodes inplane is to use a shadow mask during metal deposition. While this process reduces complexity, shadow masks can only be used to form relatively thick lines, and the problem of lack of adhesion of the metal to the polymer is still present.
Flexible electrodes formed by metal deposition on a polymer material can also be produced with corrugation of the metal film in the z-direction. For example the polymer material can be stretched prior to depositing the metal film on the surface. Once coated, the stress on the polymer is removed, allowing it to relax to its original shape. This produces a compressive stress on the metal, which therefore wrinkles, creating a corrugated structure on the surface of the polymer. While corrugated surfaces can work well for macro-scale devices, the pre-stretching that is required to form such corrugation would be difficult to implement (and in certain applications impossible) in the formation of micro-scale devices.
Still another approach to forming flexible and/or compliant electrodes is to mix conducting particles (e.g., graphite, carbon nanotubes or silver) into a polymer matrix such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) or polyurethane. A conductive path is made through the material by the particles when the particle concentration reaches the percolation threshold. Advances have been made in producing conductive polymer composites that are compatible with micromachining techniques. For example, graphite and silver particles have been mixed into polyimide and SU-8 matrices to yield conductive polymers that can be incorporated into micromachined devices. In another example, carbon nanotubes have been mixed into PDMS to form deformable capacitor electrodes. In addition, a ternary composite based on polypyrrole, PDMS, and carbon fiber has been tested as a compliant electrode material. However, the major drawback of utilizing this technique is that, as the concentration of particles increases, the elasticity of the material substantially decreases, as determined by a substantial increase in the Young's modulus of the material and/or a reduction in the ultimate strain. In addition, if a photo-patternable polymer is to be employed as the matrix, the mixture loses its ability to be patterned with light if the particles absorb or scatter light at the curing wavelength.
Inherently conductive polymers, or conjugated polymers, have also been mixed into non-conducting host polymers to form compliant electrodes. For example, elastomeric conductors have been formed by mixing polyaniline particles into gel matrices. However, this approach also results in an increase in Young's modulus. Another drawback is that polyaniline absorbs UV light, so this technique cannot be used with most photopatternable polymers.
A further approach for forming an electrically-conductive, stretchable or compliant polymer material is based upon an electrostatic assembly (ESA) technique that is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,316,084. Using the ESA technique, hundreds of alternating layers of positively charged gold nanoclusters and negatively charged polyelectrolytes are deposited onto a substrate. This substrate can then be removed to yield a free-standing conductive rubber material. While this technique yields a compliant electrode with suitable conductivity and elasticity, it is also time consuming and very expensive.
Ionic polymer metal composites (IPMCs) can also be formed in ion-conducting polymers such as Nafion. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,010, a technique is disclosed in which platinum salts are impregnated into an ion-exchange polymer matrix by swelling the polymer and then reducing the salts to achieve a conductive electrode of platinum metal on the ion-exchange surface. While ionic polymer-metal composite electrodes are conductive and flexible, they are not compliant, because the ion conducting material is not elastomeric. In addition, the impregnation step is difficult or impossible to perform in non-ionic polymers such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).
Thus, it is desirable to manufacture a compliant electrode with a suitable conductivity and utilizing a method that is rapid while minimizing cost. It is even more desirable that such a compliant electrode be patternable.

Electrically conductive metal impregnated elastomer materials and methods of forming electrically conductive metal impregnated elastomer materials


This invention is directed to a method for preventing or treating bipolar disorder comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of an enantiomer of Formula (I) or enantiomeric mixture wherein one enantiomer of Formula (I) predominates:

Bipolar disorder is a progressive psychiatric disorder (F. Goodwin and K. R. Jamison, Manic-Depressive Illness, Oxford University Press, New York, 1990). Bipolar disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of changes in mood. The episodes may exhibit symptoms of mania, hypomania (less severe form of mania), depression, or a combination of mania and depression (Bipolar Disorder, Cognos Study #53, Decision Resources, March 2000). Bipolar disorder type I features more manic or mixed mood symptoms, while bipolar disorder type II is distinguished by primarily depressive episodes but also by spontaneous hypomanic episodes (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition 4, American Psychiatric Association, Washington D.C., 1994; Bipolar Disorder, Cognos Study #53, Decision Resources, March 2000; Akiskal H. S., Bourgeois M. L., Angst J., Post R., Moller H., Hirschfeld R., Re-evaluating the prevalence of and diagnostic composition within the broad clinical spectrum of bipolar disorders, J. Affect. Disord., 2000, 59 (Suppl 1), S5–S30). Acute mania is associated with an elevated or irritable mood and at least three to four classical mania signs and symptoms (e.g., abnormally elevated or irritable mood, grandiosity or inflated self-esteem, decreased sleep, racing thoughts, distractibility) (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition 4, American Psychiatric Association, Washington D.C., 1994). Hypomania is associated with a period of mild mood elevation, sharpened positive thinking and increased energy and activity levels, but without the impairment associated with maniac episodes (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition 4, American Psychiatric Association, Washington D.C., 1994). Rapid cycling is defined as alternation of depression and mania/excitation (Akiskal H. S., Bourgeois M. L., Angst J., Post R., Moller H., Hirschfeld R., Re-evaluating the prevalence of and diagnostic composition within the broad clinical spectrum of bipolar disorders, J. Affect. Disord., 2000, 59 (Suppl 1), S5–S30). Cyclothymic disorder is an attenuated bipolar disorder characterized by frequent short cycles of subsyndromal depression and hypomanic episodes (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Edition 4, American Psychiatric Association, Washington D.C., 1994).
Recurrences of bipolar disorder illness have been hypothesized to be caused by electrophysiologic/neurophysiologic kindling (F. Goodwin and K. R. Jamison, Manic-Depressive Illness, Oxford University Press, New York, pp 405–407,1990; Ghaemi S. N., Boiman E. E., Goodwin F. K., Kindling and second messengers: an approach to the neurobiology of recurrence in bipolar disorder, Biol. Psychiatry, 1999, 45(2), 137–44; Stoll A. L., Severus W. E., Mood stabilizers: shared mechanisms of action at postsynaptic signal-transduction and kindling processes, Harv. Rev. Psychiatry, 1996, 4(2), 77–89; Goldberg J. F., Harrow M., Kindling in bipolar disorders: a longitudinal follow-up study, Biol. Psychiatry, 1994, 1; 35(1), 70–2).
Mood stabilizers are used to treat bipolar disorder (Sadock B. J., Sadock B. A., Post RM. Treatment of bipolar disorders, Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 2000, vol. 1, 1385–1430). Established mood stabilizers exhibit anti-kindling effects (Stoll A. L., Severus W. E., Mood stabilizers: shared mechanisms of action at postsynaptic signal-transduction and kindling processes, Harv. Rev. Psychiatry, 1996, 4(2), 77–89). Anticonvulsants and anti-epileptics which show anti-kindling effects are important alternatives and adjuncts in the treatment of bipolar illness (Post R. M., Denicoff K. D., Frye M. A., Dunn R. T., Leverich G. S., Osuch E., Speer A., A history of the use of anticonvulsants as mood stabilizers in the last two decades of the 20th century, Neuropsychobiology, 1998, 38(3), 152–66; Janowsky D. S., New Treatments of Bipolar Disorder, Curr. Psychiatry Rep., 1999, 1(2), 111–113) including in rapid cycling bipolar disorder (Shelton M. D., Calabrese J. R., Current Concepts in Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder, Curr. Psychiatry Rep., 2000, 2(4), 310–315) and in the treatment and prevention of acute mania (Lennkh C., Simhandl C., Current aspects of valproate in bipolar disorder, Int. Clin. Psychopharmacol, 2000, 15(1), 1–11; Tohen M., Grundy S., Management of acute mania, J. Clin. Psychiatry, 1999, 60 (Suppl 5) 31–4; Muller-Oerlinghausen B., Retzow A., Henn F. A., Giedke H., Walden J., Valproate as an adjunct to neuroleptic medication for the treatment of acute episodes of mania: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study, European Valproate Mania Study Group, J. Clin. Psychopharmacol., 2000, 20(2), 195–203; Sachs G. S., Printz D. J., Kahn D. A., Carpenter D., Docherty J. P., The Expert Consensus Guideline Series: Medication Treatment of Bipolar Disorder 2000. Postgrad. Med., 2000, Spec No: 1–104).
Substituted phenyl alkyl carbamate compounds have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,265,728 to Bossinger, et al (hereby incorporated by reference), as useful in treating the central nervous system, having tranquilization, sedation and muscle relaxation properties of the formula:
wherein R1 is either carbamate or alkyl carbamate containing from 1 to 3 carbon atoms in the alkyl group; R2 is either hydrogen, hydroxy, alkyl or hydroxy alkyl containing from 1 to 2 carbons; R3 is either hydrogen or alkyl containing from 1 to 2 carbons; and X can be halogen, methyl, methoxy, phenyl, nitro or amino.
A method for inducing calming and muscle relaxation with carbamates has been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,313,692 to Bossinger, et al (hereby incorporated by reference) by administering a compound of the formula:
in which W represents an aliphatic radical containing less than 4 carbon atoms, wherein R1 represents an aromatic radical, R2 represents hydrogen or an alkyl radical containing less than 4 carbon atoms, and X represents hydrogen or hydroxy or alkoxy and alkyl radicals containing less than 4 carbon atoms or the radical:
in which B represents an organic amine radical of the group consisting of heterocyclic, ureido and hydrazino radicals and the radical —N(R3)2 wherein R3 represents hydrogen or an alkyl radical containing less than 4 carbon atoms.
Optically pure forms of halogen substituted 2-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol monocarbamates and dicarbamates have also been described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,103,759 to Choi, et al (hereby incorporated by reference), as effective for treating and preventing central nervous system disorders including convulsions, epilepsy, stroke and muscle spasm; and as useful in the treatment of central nervous system diseases, particularly as anticonvulsants, antiepileptics, neuroprotective agents and centrally acting muscle relaxants, of the formulae:
wherein one enantiomer predominates and wherein the phenyl ring is substituted at X with one to five halogen atoms selected from fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine atoms and R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 are each selected from hydrogen and straight or branched alkyl groups with one to four carbons optionally substituted with a phenyl group with substituents selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, halogen, alkyl, alkyloxy, amino, nitro and cyano. Pure enantiomeric forms and enantiomeric mixtures were described wherein one of the enantiomers predominates in the mixture for the compounds represented by the formulae above; preferably one of the enantiomers predominates to the extent of about 90% or greater; and, most preferably, about 98% or greater.
A halogen substituted 2-phenyl-1,2-ethanediol dicarbamate enantiomer of Formula (I) or enantiomeric mixture wherein one enantiomer of Formula (I) predominates has not been previously described as useful for preventing or treating bipolar disorder. Recent preclinical studies have revealed previously unrecognized pharmacological properties which suggest that an enantiomer of Formula (I) or enantiomeric mixture wherein one enantiomer of Formula (I) predominates is useful in preventing or treating bipolar disorder. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to teach a method for use of an enantiomer of Formula (I) or enantiomeric mixture wherein one enantiomer of Formula (I) predominates in preventing or treating bipolar disorder.

Carbamate compounds for use in preventing or treating bipolar disorder

Abstract: wherein phenyl is substituted at X with one to five halogen atoms selected from the group consisting of fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine; and, R1, R2, R3 and R4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and C1–C4 alkyl; wherein C1–C4 alkyl is optionally substituted with phenyl (wherein phenyl is optionally substituted with substituents independently selected from the group consisting of halogen, C1–C4 alkyl, C1–C4 alkoxy, amino, nitro and cyano).


An NMR apparatus has a circuit adapted to improve the degree freedom of design and generate an excitation radiofrequency wave pulse suited for a sample to be measured. The radiofrequency wave transmission circuit includes a local oscillator, an IQ modulator having two mixers and two arbitrary waveform generators connected to the IQ modulator. Fourier inverse transform is applied to data inputted to the arbitrary waveform generators.

The present invention relates to an NMR apparatus having a radiofrequency wave transmission circuit.
Generally, in a nuclear magnetic resonance (hereinafter referred to as NMR) measuring apparatus, a radiofrequency wave is shaped into a pulse having a width of several microseconds and the pulse is irradiated on a sample, so that the level of a nuclear spin in the sample can be excited and a free induction decay signal from the nuclear spin can be received. Conventionally, when exciting the sample by selectively applying a frequency range to it, an excitation pulse is obtained by changing the phase and the amplitude of a pure sine wave independently of each other in a unit of several tens of nanoseconds.
In the NMR measuring apparatus, excitation frequencies in a wide range spreading around a single frequency need to be generated. In this connection, a method called MREV or WALTZ for finely changing only the phase and a method such as E-BURP for changing the amplitude have hitherto been realized. On the other hand, for creation of an adiabatic pulse, a pulse creation method such as CHIRP or WURST has been developed.
Further, a method using a modulator of IQ type in a radiofrequency wave transmission system of NMR measuring apparatus is described in Review of the Science Instruments, 62(11), pp. 2810–2815, 1991.

Radiofrequency wave transmission circuit using arbitrary waveform generator and NMR apparatus using the same


A hydrated cementitious blend, and method of using same, the blend comprising:                a dry cementitious blend comprising the following, based on the total weight of the dry cementitious blend:                    aggregate comprising less than 3 wt. % calcium, based on the total weight of the aggregate;            from about 75 wt. % to 82 wt. % pozzolonic material comprising improved ash comprising particles meeting the ASTM C 989-2010 testing protocol for grade 100 slag quality or higher, the improved ash being selected from the group consisting of fly ash, calcined or uncalcined volcanic ash, rice hull ash, and combinations thereof;            a catalytically effective quantity of catalyst selected from the group consisting of alkali-containing zeolite, alkali-containing feldspathoid, and combinations thereof; and,            an amount of water reducing component;                        the hydrated cementitious blend further comprising an amount of water producing a ratio of water to cementitious blend of from about 0.20 to about 0.30 and a slump of 6 or more;        the hydrated cementitious blend producing a product cement exhibiting a compressive strength of 4000 psi or more after curing for 28 days at 75° F. or more.

Pozzolan accelerators comprising "zeolite" or "feldspathoid" catalysts have been used to increase the practical amount of Portland Cement replacement with pozzolan in cementitious blends. Unfortunately, cementitious compositions comprising pozzolans and "zeolite" or "feldspathoid" catalysts do not tend to exhibit a sufficiently high 28 day compressive strength in actual use in certain applications.


A mechanism is provided for unique identification of each endpoint in a storage area network interconnect that is bridged by a specialized cable. Each endpoint is capable of querying peer endpoints for a unique identification. Once a unique identifier is obtained for all peer connections to a given endpoint, the endpoint may perform a comparison to validate that the cable connection terminations are connected to valid endpoints. If all endpoints are valid, then the mechanism enables the ports connected to the cable.

1. Technical Field
The present application relates generally to an improved data processing system and method. More specifically, the present application is directed to an apparatus and method to detect miscabling in a storage area network.
2. Description of Related Art
Small computer system interface (SCSI) is a hardware interface that allows for the connection of peripheral devices to a system expansion bus, such as a single peripheral component interconnect (PCI) board called a "SCSI host adapter" that plugs into the motherboard. SCSI uses a bus structure and functions like a miniature local area network (LAN). SCSI allows any two devices to communicate at one time (host to peripheral, peripheral to peripheral). SCSI is widely used in servers, mainframes, and storage area networks (SANs).
Serial attached SCSI (SAS) is a serial version of the SCSI interface. SAS is a point-to-point architecture that uses a disk controller (host bus adapter) to allow one or more channels to operate simultaneously in independent point to point relationships. Emerging SAS storage technology provides for new "starred" topologies in storage subsystems. These new system configurations and how they interconnect provide unfortunate opportunities for miscabled configurations.

Detecting miscabling in a storage area network


Clock recovery for a data receiving unit is disclosed. Clock recovery can include obtaining an early/late signal from an incoming data stream. The early/late signal indicates if a set of one or more data samples of the incoming data stream tends to be earlier or later than an edge of a phase-rotated clock signal provided depending on a phase offset value. Clock recovery can include updating a phase rotation counter value in response to the early/late signal. Clock recovery can include determining the phase offset value depending on a rounded phase rotation counter value. The phase offset value can be further determined by selecting one of a set of options including maintaining, increasing, or decreasing the rounded phase rotation counter value. The selecting is performed depending on the early/late signal and depending on the phase rotation counter value.

The present invention relates to techniques for clock recovery comprising a digital phase-locked loop circuitry and a plurality of phase rotators.
Clock recovery is an important technique to be used on the receiving side of electronic units. It is generally applied on received high-speed serial data streams which are transmitted without any reference clock signal.
New I/O standards applying clock recovery, such as PCI express generation 3 and 4, impose stringent requirements on the clock recovery jitter tolerance specifications. In some approaches, the circuitry for recovering clock signals uses a digital tracking loop and a phase rotator. A phase offset to be set by the phase rotator is tuned by the digital tracking loop depending on a relative phase shift of the incoming data with respect to a basic clock signal, wherein the phase rotator applies the phase offset to the basic clock signal to latch the incoming data stream. The tracking loop can generally be implemented as second order digital control loop, hence having a proportional and integral path to track phase and frequency, respectively.
However, in some instances, a clock recovery unit requires processing time before a timing of an analyzed data sample of an incoming data stream has its effect on a phase rotation of the basic clock signal. In some instances, the latency of a clock recovery unit is about several clock cycles. This latency has a negative effect on the stability of the phase control loop, which manifests itself as jitter peaking in jitter tolerance measurements.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 8,138,840 B2 discloses a method for controlling jitter in a digital phase-locked loop. The digital phase-locked loop comprises an adjustable delay line configured to receive at least one of a reference clock signal and a feedback clock signal as an input and to output a dithered signal, a phase and frequency detector configured to compare the reference clock signal and the feedback clock signal, wherein at least one of the clock signals is the dithered signal, to determine phase and frequency differences between the clock signals, and a digitally controlled oscillator configured to receive early or late determinations from the phase and frequency detector to adjust an output in accordance therewith, wherein the dithered signal distributes a jitter response to enhance the overall operation of the digital phase-locked loop.
Document US 2008/0056426 A1 discloses a clock recovery method and apparatus providing the flexibility to choose between a low jitter mode and a low latency mode. This is achieved by switching between a retime mode and a resync mode, wherein data can be synchronized or retransmitted with simultaneously reduced latency and jitter.
Document U.S. Pat. No. 7,724,862 B2 discloses an adjustable phase-locked loop with an adjustable phase shift. The phase-locked loop comprises a voltage-controlled oscillator configured to generate multiple phase-shifted output signals, multiple phase detectors configured to determine phase differences between the phase-shifted output signals and a reference clock, and a weighting device configured to weight the phase differences and generate a control signal for the voltage-controlled oscillator. Thereby, the function of phase generation and phase rotation is combined in a single compact unit.
Document Reutemann, R. et al., "A 4.5 MW/GB/S 6.4 GB/S 22+1-LANE SOURCE SYNCHRONOUS RECEIVER CORE WITH OPTIONAL CLEANUP PLL IN 65 NM CMOS", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Volume: 45, Issue: 12, December 2010 discloses a low-power source-synchronous link receiver macro for data rates of 3.2-6.4 Gb/s. A pulsed clock recovery with programmable bandwidth is implemented to save power in the clock recovery. Time dithering is applied to the clock recovery to avoid notches in the jitter tolerance curve. The receiver clock path incorporates both a clean-up PLL and a polyphase filter for RX clock generation, one of which can be chosen to generate the receive clock.
Document Heesoo Song et al., "A 1.0-4.0-GB/S ALL-DIGITAL CDR WITH 1.0-PS PERIOD RESOLUTION DCO AND ADAPTIVE PROPORTIONAL GAIN CONTROL", IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, Volume: 46, Issue: 2, February 2011, discloses an all-digital recovery circuit for multigigabit/s operation. The proposed digitally controlled oscillator incorporating a supply-controlled ring oscillator with a digitally controlled resistor generates wide-frequency-range multiphase clocks with fine resolution. With an adaptive proportional gain controller, which continuously adjusts a proportional gain, the proposed digital recovery circuit recovers data with a low-jitter clock and tracks large-input jitter rapidly, resulting in enhanced jitter performance. A digital frequency acquisition loop with a proportional control greatly reduces acquisition time.


A wall stud assembly for a wall of an in-plant/portable building wherein the wall includes interfitting wall stud assemblies and wall panels is disclosed. The stud assembly comprises first and second stud members, each of which is generally U-shaped in cross-section and has an open side and a base side. In addition, a strut is positioned longitudinally between the first and second stud members and affixed to the base sides of the stud members, with the open sides of the stud members facing outwardly. Each stud member has laterally extending flanges. The flanges of one stud member are in spaced generally parallel relation to the flanges of the other stud member to sandwich a wall panel therebetween.

This invention relates to a wall stud assembly and more particularly to a wall stud assembly for a portable/in-plant building.
The buildings of the type to which the wall stud assembly of this invention relates are prefabricated and ready for assembly at the building site. Such buildings include in-plant offices, guard houses, food service buildings, control rooms, toll booths, parking lot booths, noise control buildings, clean rooms, and the like. Such buildings are formed from load-bearing wall structures as opposed to mere partitions. These portable buildings must be of quality construction, strong and durable. They should be energy efficient, have good sound control and low maintenance. Other characteristics of such buildings are that they must be relatively easy to assemble at the job site and easily disassembled for moving to a different location if desired. They should also be economical.
Such building structures are well-known in the art as are wall studs for use with such building structures. Typically, such wall studs are of steel or extruded aluminum and have side recesses for receiving the side edges of wall panels to form the walls of the building.
One such prior art wall stud has first and second stud members, each of which is generally U-shaped in cross-section with a base and opposing sides forming an open side and a base side of each stud member. Each of such stud members has laterally extending flanges extending outwardly from the side walls at the open side. The base sides of the stud members are affixed in surface engagement with the open sides of the stud members facing outwardly, therefore to sandwich a wall panel between the outwardly extending flanges of the stud members. The base sides are affixed to each other by means of anchoring screws which extend through the base sides of the stud members. Thus, the fasteners or screws are oriented along a single longitudinal line.
Such assemblies suffer certain drawbacks, however. Fur example, such assemblies are not as strong as desired. Thus, in order to withstand typical loads, the stud assemblies are generally limited to twelve feet in height. Moreover, such assemblies are adapted to walls of limited thickness, generally about 3 inches thick, while in certain situations thicker walls (such as 4 to 5 inches thick) are desired for temperature or sound insulation, ventilation passageways or other reasons. Although the width of the sides of the U-shaped stud members may be increased thereby to deepen the U-shaped cross-sectional to accommodate thicker walls, it has been found that retooling costs to effect such changes increases the cost of the stud assembly significantly. In addition, it does not adequately address the desire for stronger stud assemblies.


In a vacuum valve including a main flow path and an auxiliary flow path for connecting a chamber port and a pump port in parallel, a main valve body for opening and closing a main valve seat in the main flow path, and an auxiliary valve body for opening and closing an auxiliary valve seat in the auxiliary flow path, the main valve body includes, in addition to a valve sealing member for opening and closing the main valve seat in a poppet manner, a flow rate adjusting portion in a gradually-tapered shape to be fitted in an inner hole of the main valve seat and the flow rate adjusting portion functions to gradually increase an exhaust flow rate when the main valve body opens after opening of the auxiliary valve body.

The present invention relates to a pilot-type two-port vacuum valve connected between a vacuum chamber and a vacuum pump and used for gradually reducing pressure in the vacuum chamber to vacuum pressure.
In general, if gas at atmospheric pressure or high pressure in a vacuum chamber is exhausted rapidly in reducing internal pressure of the vacuum chamber to vacuum pressure by a vacuum pump in a manufacturing process and the like of a semiconductor, a large amount of gas flows temporarily. As a result, gas turbulence occurs in the vacuum chamber, a cloud of particles deposited on a vacuum chamber inner wall or the like is raised, and the particles may be deposited on a workpiece or the workpiece moves and a set position of the workpiece may be displaced.
Therefore, a vacuum valve having a main valve body having a large flow path area and an auxiliary valve body having a small flow path area is disposed in a flow path connecting the vacuum chamber and the vacuum pump. As shown in FIG. 7, after carrying out initial exhausting by opening the auxiliary valve body with the small flow path area, the main valve body with the large flow path area is opened to thereby to thereby change a gas inhalation amount in stages.
However, because the flow path area of the main valve body was much greater than that of the auxiliary valve body, it was found that a sudden change in a flow rate occurred and that the gas turbulence was likely to occur in the vacuum chamber even if the main valve body was opened immediately after the auxiliary valve body had been opened to carry out the initial exhausting.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pilot-type two-port vacuum valve in which a valve opening degree is gradually increased in opening of a main valve body to make change of a flow rate smooth to thereby prevent occurrence of gas turbulence in a vacuum chamber and to stably carry out exhausting.
To achieve the above object, according to the invention, there is provided a pilot-type two-port vacuum valve comprising: a chamber port to be connected to a vacuum chamber and a pump port to be connected to a vacuum pump; a casing including the ports; a main flow path having a large cross-sectional area and an auxiliary flow path having a smaller cross-sectional area than the main flow path for connecting the chamber port and the pump port in parallel; a main valve body for opening and closing a main valve seat in the main flow path and an auxiliary valve body for opening and closing an auxiliary valve seat in the auxiliary flow path; a first piston connected to the main valve body through a first shaft and a second piston connected to the auxiliary valve body through a second shaft; a main pressure operating chamber for applying air pressure in a valve-opening direction to the first piston and an auxiliary pressure operating chamber for applying air pressure in a valve-opening direction to the second piston; and first spring means for repulsing the main valve body in a valve-closing direction and second spring means for repulsing the auxiliary valve body in a valve-closing direction; wherein the main valve body includes a valve sealing member for coming in contact with and separating from the main valve seat to thereby open and close the main valve seat in a poppet manner and a pillar-shaped flow rate adjusting portion to be fitted in an inner hole of the main valve seat to move in the inner hole by opening and closing of the valve sealing member and the flow rate adjusting portion is formed in a gradually-tapered shape to thereby have a function of gradually increasing a flow rate of air flowing through the main flow path in opening of the valve sealing member.
In the vacuum valve of the invention having the above structure, in a case of exhausting gas from the vacuum chamber, after the auxiliary valve body is actuated by air pressure to open the auxiliary valve seat with a small flow path area to thereby carry out initial exhausting, the main valve body is actuated to open the main valve seat with a large flow path area to thereby carry out remaining exhausting, for example. At this time, the main valve body has the gradually-tapered pillar-shaped flow rate adjusting portion and the flow rate adjusting portion functions to gradually increase the flow rate of air flowing through the main flow path in opening of the main valve body. Therefore, generation of turbulence in the vacuum chamber due to rapid exhausting is prevented.
According to a concrete embodiment of the invention, the main valve body includes a locking portion having a larger diameter than the flow rate adjusting portion in a position extending from the flow rate adjusting portion, a stepped portion with and to which the locking portion is to be fitted and locked is formed in the inner hole of the main valve seat, and a valve-closing position of the main valve body is defined by the locking portion and the stepped portion.
The flow rate adjusting portion of the main valve body has a plurality of tapered faces with different gradients successively in an axial direction or is formed of a smooth curved face in a gradually-tapered shape.
According to another concrete embodiment of the invention, the auxiliary flow path and the auxiliary valve body are incorporated in the main valve body, the second piston and the auxiliary pressure operating chamber are incorporated in the first piston, the second shaft is incorporated in the first shaft, the main valve body includes a locking portion having a larger diameter than the flow rate adjusting portion in a position extending from the flow rate adjusting portion, a stepped portion with and to which the locking portion is to be fitted and locked is formed in the inner hole of the main valve seat, and a valve-closing position of the main valve body is defined by the locking portion and the stepped portion.
In this case, the first piston has a connecting hole for connecting the main pressure operating chamber and the auxiliary pressure operating chamber and the casing has one operating port for supplying pressure air to the main pressure operating chamber. It is also possible that the casing has first and second operating ports for individually supplying pressure air to the main pressure operating chamber and the auxiliary pressure operating chamber, that the first operating port communicates with the main pressure operating chamber through a through hole provided to the casing, and that the second operating port communicates with the auxiliary pressure operating chamber through a through hole provided in the casing and the first shaft.


A handrail assembly configured for grasping by a pedestrian includes a railing formed from an extruded metal such as aluminum. The railing includes an integrally formed channel running a length thereof within the interior of the railing. The channel includes a threaded portion for receiving a fastener for mounting the handrail assembly to a mounting assembly for interconnection to a wall. The mounting assembly includes a fastener secured within a bracket post that extends downwardly from the railing of the handrail assembly. The fastener of the bracket post is self-threaded onto the railing through a pilot hole drilled into the bottom surface of the railing. The bracket post is coupled to a bracket by way of a fastener to thereby mount the bracket to a wall so as to secure the handrail assembly to the wall.

The present invention relates generally to handrails, and more particularly, to a handrail assembly that includes an internal channel for allowing a bracket to self-thread into the handrail.
Handrail assemblies constructed from aluminum, steel, and other such metals are commonly used in a variety of applications and locations. For example, such handrails are often used in institutional locations such as hospitals, elderly care facilities, and other such public buildings. Such handrail assemblies typically include a generally horizontally extending handrail railing for grasping by a pedestrian. The handrail railing is mounted to the wall by way of a bracket assembly that is connected to the bottom of the rails. Such bracket assemblies typically require arm or saddle members for interconnection between the bottom of the handrail railing and the wall.
Bracket assemblies of this type are often difficult to assemble as they require a number of tools for mounting the handrail railing to the bracket assemblies. In addition, such bracket assemblies are known to interfere with the ability of pedestrians to grasp the handrail railing with their hands, thereby creating an unsafe environment especially when used in hospitals, elderly care facilities, and other locations where the handrail assemblies will be utilized to support individuals requiring the handrail for support as they walk. Further, these bracket assemblies are often quite conspicuous and create an aesthetically displeasing look.
Oftentimes, especially in hospitals and elderly care facilities, wall guards are provided along with the handrail assemblies for protecting the wall from the wear and tear associated with use in such facilities where the walls and corners of walls will be exposed to damage from impacts with various kinds of wheeled vehicles such as stretchers, wheelchairs, dining carts, and the like. Traditional handrail assemblies employing bracket assemblies make it difficult to employ wall guards.
Therefore, there is a need for a handrail assembly that is relatively simple and easy to assembly. Further, there is a need for a handrail assembly that does not interfere with a pedestrian's ability to grasp the handrail. In addition, there is a need for a handrail assembly that is aesthetically pleasing. Finally, there is also a need for a handrail assembly that is easy to interconnect with wall guard assemblies of the kind commonly found in hospitals and elder care facilities.


The invention relates to a method of inspecting and correcting a thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate and an apparatus therefor, where a plurality of scan lines and signal lines are connected electrically in common at each one terminal side respectively, and an infrared image outside the pixel domain is detected after lapse of a prescribed time from the time point of applying voltage between the scan lines and the signal lines, and an infrared image outside the pixel domain is detected after lapse of a prescribed time from the time point of stopping the voltage application, and the scan lines and the signal lines relating to variation of the heating state are detected from difference or quotient between an infrared image at the voltage applying state and an infrared image at the stopping state of voltage application, thereby a pixel address with a shortcircuit defect occurring is specified. If an image part being equal to the set threshold value or more does not exist in the difference infrared image in the pixel address, a wiring pattern position in the pixel address is detected from a visible image of the pixel address, and this wiring pattern and one from a neighboring pixel address are compared to detect a short circuit defect which can be removed by laser.

The present invention relates to an inspection method of detecting defects of a pattern to be inspected and an apparatus therefor, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for inspecting a thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate used for a liquid crystal display apparatus, as a pattern to be inspected.
FIG. 1 shows an example of an electric wiring construction of a thin film transistor active matrix substrate (hereinafter referred to simply as "thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate") in the case of arrangement in 5.times.5 pixels. As seen from this, the thin film transistor liquid crystal comprises scan lines 11-15 and signal lines 21-25, and intersections between the signal lines and the scan lines are provided with a thin film transistor 7 and a transparent pixel electrode 8 formed on a glass substrate. When the thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate and a common electrode substrate are opposed in parallel to each other, a liquid crystal display apparatus is basically constructed by enclosing a liquid crystal between both substrates. In FIG. 1, numerals 11p-15p designates electrode terminal pads corresponding to the scan lines 11-15, and numerals 21p-25p designate electrode terminal pads corresponding to the signal lines 21-25.
In the thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate constructed as above described, if a short circuit defect 3 is produced between the scan line 13 and the signal line 23 for example, the display failure along the scan line 13 and the signal line 23 is produced linearly. The short circuit defect 3 includes a short circuit defect 3a which occurs at an intersection point between the scan line and the signal line and a short circuit defect 3b which occurs within the thin film transistor 7 as shown in FIG. 2(a). As measure for correcting these short circuit defects 3a and 3b, a method of providing the intersection between the signal line and the scan line and the thin film transistor 7 plurally has been considered as shown in FIG. 2(b). According to this method, the wiring is cut at wiring cutting positions 9a, 9b such that the short circuit defects 3a, 3b can be corrected. When this method is actually applied, however, the position of the short circuit defect must be previously specified.
FIG. 3 shows an inspection method in the prior art confirming whether a short circuit defect exists or not. According to this inspection method, one end of each of the scan lines 11-15 is connected in common through scan line electrode terminal pads 11p-15p, external wirings 11d-15d, and a connection wiring 1c, and on the other hand, one end of each of the signal lines 21-25 is connected in common through signal line electrode terminal pads 21p-25p, external wirings 21d-25d, and a connection wiring 2c. In such a connection state, if probes are contacted with the connection wirings 1c, 2c, and a voltage V is applied between the scan lines 11-15 and the signal lines 21-25, and a current value is measured by a current meter 4, a decision can be effected regarding whether a short circuit defect exists or not. According to this method, however, even if it can be confirmed that a short circuit defect exists, the pixel address of the short circuit defect producing pixel cannot be specified.
In order to specify the pixel address, when the thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate having the wiring structure shown in FIG. 1 is used as an object, measurement of a current value in the state of applying the voltage V only to one scan line and one signal line at a time may be carried out for all of the combinations of the scan lines and the signal lines in sequence. According to this method, however, since the current value must the number of signal lines, in order to specify the pixel address of the short circuit defect producing pixel, not only is the current measuring work troublesome but also much time is required.
In addition to such disadvantages, damage of an electrode terminal part due to contact of a probe becomes a problem. In order to reduce the inspection time, many probes may be contacted simultaneously such that the pixel address of the short circuit defect producing pixel can be quickly specified. However, in the thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate where the intersection between the scan line and the signal line and the thin film transistor are provided plurally as shown in FIG. 2(b), it cannot be specified at which intersection between the scan line and the signal line or at which thin film transistor a short circuit defect exists.
The inspection time, Japanese patent application laid-open No. 1-154092 discloses a method of detecting defects from a coloring state of a color film of an electrochromic display panel. According to this, since the color film is in a non-coloring state or a coloring state depending on the conduction state of each pixel electrode, the defective pixel can be specified. However, according to this method, since the pixel electrode of the thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate and the color film of the electrochromic display panel must be conduction-connected through an electrolyte, a problem of contamination remains in the case of using a liquid electrolyte, and a problem of damage remains in the case of using a solid electrolyte.
As described above, in the prior art, in actual use, the short circuit defect on the thin film liquid crystal substrate cannot be detected rapidly with high accuracy without causing damage to the substrate itself. Even if the pixel when the intersection between the scan line and the signal line and the thin film transistor itself are pluralized for each pixel, it cannot be specified at which intersection or at which thin film transistor the short circuit defect exists.

Method of inspecting thin film transistor liquid crystal substrate and apparatus therefor


Provides an image blur correction device capable of accurately moving an imaging element, and an imaging device equipped therewith. The image blur correction device of the present invention includes a fixed plate (12); a moving base (14) to which an imaging element (16) is attached; support means (18) supporting a movable member; at least three drive coils (20) disposed on the movable member; a position sensor (24) disposed on the fixed member; at least three drive magnets (22) respectively attached to the fixed member in positions opposing each of the drive coils; detection means (34) for detecting blurring of an optical axis; and control means (36) for sourcing current to each of the drive coils so as to drive the movable member based on the blur of the optical axis and the position of the movable member, thereby controlling blurring of the image formed on the imaging device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image blur correction device and imaging device furnished therewith, and in particular to an image blur correction device and imaging device furnished therewith for suppressing the blurring of images formed on imaging elements by driving said imaging elements.
2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR §§1.97 and 1.98
Proposals have been made for cameras provided with an image blur correction device, whereby blurring of an image formed on an imaging element is suppressed by deflecting imaging elements such as CCDs or the like. Published Unexamined Application 2000-307937 (Patent Document 1) describes an imaging device furnished with a hand-induced blur prevention mechanism of this type. In that imaging device, an imaging element is attached to an L-shaped member via a first actuator, and the imaging element is driven by attaching this L-shaped member to the imaging device main body via a second actuator. The first actuator, that is, drives the imaging element in a first direction relative to the L-shaped member, and the second actuator drives the L-shaped member in a second direction relative to the imaging device main body. The imaging elements are moved in parallel to a desired position by the combination these first and second deflections.
Published Unexamined Application H6-46322 (Patent Document 2) describes an imaging device with a vibration damping function. In this imaging device, the imaging elements are slidably supported with respect to two perpendicular bars, and are driven in each direction by the repulsion between electromagnets and permanent magnets attached to each bar.
Published Unexamined Application 2003-110919 (Patent Document 3) describes an imaging device. In this imaging device, the imaging element is moved by a drive device having a base plate, a first slider moving in a direction parallel to the base plate, and a second slider moving in a direction perpendicular to the direction of movement of the first slider. Each slider is driven in each direction by an actuator using a piezoelectric element.
Published Unexamined Application 2004-77686 (Patent Document 4) describes an image stabilizing camera. In this image stabilizing camera, CCD imaging elements are supported by a first set of leaf springs constituted to be elastically deformable in a first direction, and another set of leaf springs constituted to be elastically deformable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The CCD imaging elements are deflected by pressing in each direction using actuators furnished with piezoelectric elements.
Published Unexamined Application 2004-77711 (Patent Document 5) describes a camera with a hand vibration correction function. In this camera, the imaging elements are supported so as to be rotatable about two mutually perpendicular axial lines parallel to the light receiving surfaces of the imaging elements. Image blurring is corrected by rotating the imaging elements about these two axial lines using piezoelectric elements.    Patent Document 1: Published Unexamined Application 2000-307937    Patent Document 2: Published Unexamined Application H6-46322    Patent Document 3: Published Unexamined Application 2003-110919    Patent Document 4: Published Unexamined Application 2004-77686    Patent Document 5: Published Unexamined Application 2004-77711

Image blur correction device and imaging device furnished therewith


A grating manufactured by a micro-structure gap control technique is provided in this invention. The grating includes a first structural part, a second structural part and a substrate. The first structural part includes a first micro-structure and a concavity, the second structural part includes a second micro-structure and an island structure located within the concavity, wherein a gap exists between the inland structure and the concavity. Further, the substrate is bonded to the first structural part and the second structural part for supporting the first structural part and the second structural part.

Micro Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) is called Micro-System-Technology in Europe. MEMS is started in combining the semiconductor manufacturing process with the precisely mechanical technology for researching and developing the micro bio-mechanical photoelectric element and the micro system with integrated function. The MEMS is a tiny system with the ability of performing a predetermined action, and its size has become more compact with the improvements of science and technology. A compact system has lots of advantages, such as space-saved, material-saved, low-pollution, and energy-saved. Further, once the relevant technology matures, it would be possible to manufacture the compact system on a large scale economically.
Nowadays, the MEMS is a growing trend for the whole world, but the relevant definitions are not quite the same between different areas, for example it is generally called Micro-System-Technology in Europe but called Micro-Machines in Japan. A general definition of the MEMS is an intelligent tiny system with the capabilities of sensing, processing, actuating and so on. MEMS integrates the properties of electronics, mechanism, optics, chemistry, biology, magnetics or other sciences into a signal or more chips. In the U.S., the MEMS means an integrated micro element or an integrated micro system which includes the electronic and mechanical elements produced by the integrated circuit (IC) compatibility batch processing technology. Further, the size thereof is in the micrometer level to the millimeter level.
In Taiwan, the definition of MEMS includes the definitions of U.S., Europe, and Japan, and it is usually called MEMS technology. The relevant technologies included therein are silicon-based technologies, the LIGA technology, that means the "lithograpie galvanoformung abformung" in German and the lithography electroforming micro molding in English, and other traditional technologies. The LIGA technology includes the technologies of photoetching, electroforming, molding and so on, and can be divided into two parts of laser LIGA and X-ray LIGA. The MEMS is used to manufacture micro sensors, signal processors, micro actuators and so on by applying the system technology, the micro technology, and the material effect technology. The MEMS can be used in various industries, such as the manufacturing industry, the automation industry, the information and transmission industries, the aerospace industry, the traffic transportation industry, the construction industry, the environmental-protection industry, agriculture, the medical equipment industry and so on.
A general MEMS includes a micro sensor, a micro actuator and an integrated circuit, and its main feature is being compact. A compact size makes the MEMS to have some advantages such as being capable to be used in the structure with high precision and high stability, being capable to manufacture lots of identical elements into a tiny area, and being capable of manufacturing the products in batches for saving money and increasing the production efficiency. To sum up the above, the advantages of the MEMS are space-saving, money-saving, highly competitive due to its compact size.
Three main semiconductor manufacturing processes are the thin film growing, the photolithography, and the etching. However, the MEMS manufacturing process is based on and extended from the present semiconductor manufacturing processes. Further, the manufacturing process of MEMS is more flexible and variable than that of a general IC. For example, the MEMS manufacturing process includes the thin film growing, the photolithography, the wet etching, the dry etching, the anisotropic etching, the electroform, the silicon micromachining, and so on. In which, the silicon micromachining includes the bulk micromachining, the surface micromachining, and the LIGA technology.
1. Bulk micromachining: A bulk micromachining is a processing technology that uses a silicon chip as the base material for etching and segmenting. Since the commonly used materials are silicon chips and glasses, the micromachining process has some limitations, i.e. it has a bonding temperature limitation during a doping process therein, and it has an electric field limitation for a base material having electric circuits located thereon. In addition, it is common to accelerate the micromachining and increase the boding strength by increasing the processing temperature. However, since the expanding factors of various materials are different from each other, once the processing temperature cools down, a thermal stress occurs between the materials and leads to some breakages. In the other words the yields of the manufactured elements will be reduced. In addition, since some elements are specific in purpose use, they have the limitations about the base materials. For example, an insulating material, such as a glass, is essential for manufacturing an electrophoresis chip. Furthermore, the bulk micromachining usually includes an etching process, preferably a wet etching. The chip for bulk micromachining usually has a size from several millimeters to micrometers and the etching depths into the chip are from millimeters to micrometers.
2. Surface micromachining: A surface micromachining is similar to the traditional IC semiconductor manufacturing process. In tradition, a semiconductor component is formed by stacking multiple thin layers together via the processes of evaporation, sputtering or chemical deposition. Since every micromechanical structure of the component is formed by depositing thin films, the precision and the resolution of the component manufactured by the surface micromachining are better than those manufactured by the bulk micromachining. Therefore, while processing a one-chip circuit, a microstructure or a micro sensor, the surface micromachining is more advantageous than the bulk micromachining. However, for manufacturing a MEMS component, the two micromachinings are incomparable with each other, since it depends on the desirous property and the function of the component.
3. LIGA process: The LIGA process is a technology from Germany and its original text is "lithographic galvanoformung abformung", which is called as LIGA for short. The LIGA process includes the technologies related to the optics, electroplating, and modeling. The LIGA process is an optical etching mainly using an X-ray as its light source. During the LIGA process, some patterned masks or photoresist (for example, the polymethyl methacrylate PMMA) are used to selectively covers some surfaces of the substrate, and then the exposed parts are etched by various light. After etched, the substrate is electroformed and processed with an injection-modeling so as to form the desirous product. Further, the application fields of the LIGA process are wider than those of bulk micromachining and surface micromachining.
In addition, since the MEMS also includes the micro-manufacturing technology, the bonding technology, the packaging technology, and the checking technology, the MEMS is also called micro-system basic technology.
In the past, during the process of manufacturing an element via the traditional bulk micromachining of the MEMS, different parts of the element are made from different silicon chips. After manufactured, the different parts are combined together and formed the element via a micro-assembling technology. That is to say the MEMS element is formed from different components manufactured independently. However, since the thicknesses of the different silicon chips are different from each other, to assemble them is quite difficult. In order to solve the above problem, it is desirable to manufacture the different parts of an element from a single one silicon chip is desirable. In addition, to manufacture an element via a MEMS surface micromachining is limited by the thicknesses of the deposition materials and the internal stresses formed during the deposition process, so that it is difficult to manufacture an element with wide area, high flatness, and great displacement via a MEMS surface micromachining. Therefore, it is also desirable to manufacture an element via a MEMS bulk micromachining.

Micro-structure gap control technology and structure formed therefrom


A novel putting device is provided having a handle comprised of two relatively broad and flat surfaces for gripping the device, wherein the flat surfaces of the handle are positioned parallel to the striking surface of the device. A novel method of putting using the device is also claimed, wherein a golfer may grasp the handle by pressing the flattened palms of his or her hands against the flat surfaces and swing the device ("putt") by simply moving his or her wrists back and forth, such that the device swings like a pendulum. In an alternative embodiment, a weight assembly may optionally be added to the upper handle end of the putting device to shift the weight center and adjust the overall "feel" of the device to meet the individual golfer's needs.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to the field of sports and sporting equipment, and is more particularly directed to a novel golf putting device and method of using the same for putting golf balls, wherein the putting device and related method provide the golfer a high degree of control over his or her putting stroke.
2. Description of the Related Art
The game of golf is an extremely popular sport in the United States and in many other countries throughout the world. A variety of different types of golf clubs are needed in the game to hit the golf ball toward and into the designated hole. For example, a conventional set of golf clubs will include wood or metal drivers for hitting the ball from the tee, a set of irons for hitting the ball from the fairway, and a putter for hitting the ball on the green and into the hole. Various configurations and materials have been developed over the years for golf clubs, and those in the art continue to strive to develop new golf club designs and materials that will enhance the golfer's game. In developing these new designs and materials, the rules of professional golf governed by the United States Golf Association (USGA) are taken into consideration in an effort to provide clubs that are not only more effective for purposes of playing the game, but also conform with specifications established by the USGA.
Of particular import to the present invention is the continuing development of putters that enable the golfer to putt the ball more accurately. One of the most difficult aspects of the game of golf is putting the ball. Extreme accuracy is required in determining the line on which the ball should roll, determining the speed at which the ball should roll, and striking the ball squarely with the striking surface of the putter so that the ball rolls along the adjudged line and at the proper speed.
The traditional putting stroke requires the golfer to move his or her upper body, arms, and hands and teaches against a breaking of the wrists. In the traditional putting method, using a conventional putter design, the golfer must control the muscles of the entire upper body, providing many opportunities for error in the swing. These errors in swinging are often referred to as "pushing" or "pulling" a putt. Although persons in the art have refined the traditional putting stroke, few, if any, attempts have been made to modify the basic method of putting.
Conventional putters used in conjunction with the traditional putting swing include a putter head having a striking surface for hitting the ball, an elongated shaft, and a generally cylindrical handle. The golfer wraps his or her palms around the cylindrical handle locking his or her fingers so that one hand is positioned above the other. While conventional putters have proven useful for putting, those in the art are continuously seeking to improve putting devices to increase the accuracy and reproducibility of the golfer's putt. For example, a variety of putter head configurations and materials have been developed to assist a golfer to obtain a more accurate or more controlled putting stroke.
It is also known to provide weights in the head or handle of the putter to move the weight center of the putter closer to the point at which the golfer grasps the device. In the conventional golf putter and method of putting, a major portion of the putter's weight is in the head of the device, such that the weight center of the putter is located nearer to the head than to the handle of the device. When a golfer grasps the handle of a conventional putter, the golfer's hands are some distance from the weight center of the putter, making it difficult for some golfers to control the putter. Grasping the putter nearer the weight center may increase the golfer's control of the device, thereby increasing the accuracy of the golf swing.
Various attempts have been made to move the weight center of a putter by designing a golf putter with increased weight toward the handle end, and a number of weighted golf putters are known in the art. For example, it is known in the art to add a weighted grip or a detachable weight to the putter handle. Because these single-unit weight assemblies must either be attached or removed in their entirety, such weight assemblies do not allow a golfer to fine tune the handle weight to the specific weight that is optimal for that particular golfer.
Similarly, in other known golf putter weight assemblies, one or more of the weights is permanently affixed to or embedded within the shaft. After the weight is affixed or inserted, it becomes difficult or impossible to remove the weight without the assistance of a golf professional, such that the golfer cannot easily alter the weights during a round of golf. Furthermore, embedded weights are not visible by simply looking at the putter, which forces a golfer to remove the weight assembly to determine how many weights, if any, were added during the last use of the putter. Finally, only putters constructed so that the weights may be inserted into the handle may be used with such weight assemblies.
It is also known to provide a weight assembly that may only be added or adjusted by removing and adding new gripping tape. This "regripping" process is complex and time-consuming so as to deter changing the weight while on the golf course. In some devices the regripping process is so involved that the golfer must seek the assistance of a golf professional to make any weight adjustments.
Although these prior methods and devices known for putting golf balls are suitable for such purposes, a need remains in the art for an improved method of putting and/or putting device that increases the golfer's control over the swing resulting in improved accuracy and reproducibility of the swing. To this end, one of the primary objects of the invention is to provide a putting device and method of putting that enable the golfer to consistently hit the ball squarely by eliminating many of the variables involved in putting.
Another object of the invention is to provide a putting device and method of putting that allow the golfer to more effectively control his or her swing and avoid "pushing" or "pulling" the putt.
Another object of the invention is to provide a putting device and method of putting that allow a golfer to grip the device in a natural and relaxed stance by comfortably grasping the device.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method of putting that uses primarily a motion of the wrists, thus reducing the number of muscles needed for the putt and, as a result, reducing the chances for error.
A further object of the invention is to provide a golf putting device that a golfer may accurately swing using only a motion of the wrists.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a weight assembly for a putting device that allows a golfer to vary the weight of the device quickly and conveniently on the golf course without changing the grip of the device.
A further object of the invention is to provide a weight assembly for a putting device that does not extend into the interior of the handle so that the assembly may be used in conjunction with any shape of putter handle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a weight assembly for a putting device that allows the golfer to use a combination of weights such that the weight center of the putting device corresponds to the point at which the golfer grasps the device.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a putting device that meets the foregoing objectives and also fulfills the requirements set forth by the USGA.

Golf putting device and method of using the same to putt a golf ball


A dual bearing reel has a plurality of friction plates that are arranged so as to contact an end portion of a spool shaft, a cap member that is detachably mounted on a boss portion and a spring member. A friction force is adjusted by press fitting the friction plates onto the end portion of the spool shaft 16 with the spring member. The spring member is fixed and mounted on the boss portion to provide an urging force between the cap member and a bearing. The spring member retains the bearing with respect to the boss portion and restricts rotation of the cap member. The spring member has a small diameter portion that contacts the cap member and a large diameter portion fixed to the boss portion to contact an end portion of the bearing.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a dual bearing reel. More specifically, the present invention relates to a dual bearing reel that enables fishing line to be reeled out and retrieved.
2. Background Information
Generally, a dual bearing reel is comprised of a reel unit and a spool that is rotatably mounted on the reel unit. A dual bearing reel in this type of a spinning reel is provided with a casting control mechanism in order to adjust resistance force when the spool is rotating. The casting control mechanism includes a plurality of friction plates and a cap member. The friction plates are arranged so as to contact both end portions of the spool shaft. At least one of the friction plates is arranged on a bottom portion in the inner peripheral side of the cap member. The cap member is threaded to a peripheral surface of a boss portion protruding one side of the reel unit The cap member adjusts friction force by press fitting the friction plates onto end portions of the spool shaft. In addition, both end portions of the spool shaft are rotatably supported by bearings. One of the bearings is disposed at the inner peripheral side of the boss portion. A spring member that restricts rotation of the cap member is press fitted between an outer end portion in the axial direction of the bearing and the friction plates mounted on the bottom portion in the inner peripheral side of the cap member. (See, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-238581.)
In the conventional configuration, rotation of the cap member is restricted because the spring member is press fitted between the outer end portion in the axial direction of the bearing and the friction plates mounted on the bottom portion in the inner peripheral side of the cap member to restrict rotation of the cap member. However, because the spring member is not fixed to the boss portion or the cap member and the outer end portion in the axial direction of the bearing is only fitted by the spring member, the spring member or the bearing may be inclined to fall off outwardly. Thus, arranging an E-shaped retaining ring and the like on the outer end portion in the axial direction of the bearings has been considered, however, the overall number of parts will be increased and the manufacturing cost will also be increased.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved dual bearing reel in which the spring member and the bearing can be retained with respect to the boss portion with an inexpensive structure. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.


The present invention relates to a bone carving tool for creating a convex ridge for the inner border of the initial hole for placement of an implant hole, and comprises: a bone carving unit with tapering diameters ranging from 2 to 7 mm, which has a plurality of triangular-shaped projections disposed on the lateral sides thereof forming a triangular prism-shape; and a supporting portion for supporting the bone carving unit connected to the bone carving unit at a lower aspect thereof, wherein the diameter of the bone carving unit gradually narrows towards the upper aspects thereof and the uppermost aspects of the plurality of triangular-shaped projections and the triangular prism-shape coalesce to a single point.

Generally, implant originally refers to a substitute which restores the tissue of a human body when the tissue is lost, but in dental medicine, implant refers to transplantation of artificial teeth.
Implant is an advanced operation which allows restoration of the original function of teeth by fixing artificial teeth after implanting artificial dental root made of titanium without rejection in the body to substitute the dental root of the lost teeth, and in the case of a general dental prosthesis or artificial teeth, as time goes by, the surrounding teeth and bones are damaged, but in the case of implant, the surrounding dental tissues are not damaged and the implant is not decayed while having the similar function and shape as those of natural teeth, and thus implant may be used relatively for a long time.
Generally, when implant operation is performed at the alveolar bone, the width of the alveolar bone needs to be secured, and when implant operation is not possible due to the narrow width of the alveolar bone of a patient, the cortical bone is incised and the alveolar bone is split by using a chisel, and then the split crack is extended by using the spreader or osteotome for implant operation.
However, in such an operation, the cortical bone is significantly incised, and thus the damaged range gets large and the bone grafts may be separated. Further, the bone graft materials and blocking membrane need to be necessarily used, which is inconvenient and economically burdensome, and thus there have been many studies on solving such a problem.
For example, Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2007-0119628 discloses a new platform including an implant 1 for teeth and related parts. Here, the implant 1 and the related parts have a reduced diameter, and thus are appropriate for a predetermined use for healing the narrow width area of the bone. It discloses the technology of readjusting or optimizing a predetermined feature and geometric form of the implant 1 for teeth and the related parts in order to obtain narrow, but strong and reliable implant 1 for teeth and related parts.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0821074 discloses a bone tissue extender for maintaining the extended state of the incised bone tissue of the region where the implant operation is performed. The bone tissue extender for implant operation includes a support 20 which is horizontally formed at the body 10, where a hole 24 having a spiral groove 22 at the inner circumference is formed, a fix structure which is vertically formed to the body 10, where an insertion space is formed at the center, an operation structure 40 which moves forwards or backwards at the internal side of the hole 24 as the spiral groove 42, which is spirally coupled with the spiral groove 22 of the inner circumference of the hole 24, is formed at the outer circumference, and the screw driver 60 is inserted into the spiral groove 42, and a movement extension structure 50 which is located on the same line as that of the fix structure 30 in the insertion space 32 of the center of the fix structure 30, where the operation axis 52 linked with the operation structure 40 is formed at the backside.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0630304 discloses a reamer for implant operation including an incision unit for forming a hole for implant placement, and a connection unit which is extended to the lower part of the incision unit and has a diameter smaller than that of the incision unit. The incision unit includes a projected side which is formed by lifting one surface including an outer circumference of the upper front surface of the incision unit, a depressed side which has a reverse slope to the clockwise direction where one side of the upper front surface of the incision is fallen, a discharge path from a certain part between the projected side and the depressed side to the region close to the bottom of the incision unit.
Korean Patent Publication No. 10-0884211 discloses piezotome for vertical approach operation maxillary sinus including piezo body whose one end is inserted into and fixed at the hand piece of the piezo main device, a piezo pole which is extended to the other end of the piezo body and has a linear or bended structure, and a piezo tip where a plurality of cutting blades are formed at regular intervals to continue the cutting at a part of the piezo pole.
A plurality of cutting blades 14 of the piezo tip 13 are formed in a hemisphere shape. Further, the a hole 15 for water supply, which penetrates the piezo body 11, the piezo pole 12, and the piezo tip 13, are formed at the inner center of the piezotome. Further, the stopper 16 for restricting the inserting distance according to the thickness of the remaining bone is integrally projected at the outer circumference of the piezo pole.

Bone carving tool for creating convex ridge for inner border of initial hole for placement of implant hole


Systems, devices and methods are provided for selecting a desired track log from a set of track log points so as to provide electronic systems, such as navigational aid devices, with the capability of more powerful and flexible applications. In one embodiment, a desired first endpoint and a desired second endpoint are specified for a desired track log. An actual first endpoint is assigned based on the desired first endpoint and a set of track log points. An actual second endpoint is assigned based on the desired second endpoint and the set of track log points. The desired track log is identified using the actual first endpoint, the actual second endpoint, and at least one track log point. At least one of the desired first endpoint and the desired second endpoint is capable of being specified by specifying a location. Other aspects and embodiments are provided herein.

Track logs are used in navigational aid devices to provide an indication of where the device has been. One description of a track log is an array of points used to track a location of the navigational aid device. Track logs may be visualized as a trail of electronic bread crumbs, where each bread crumb is a track log point that identifies the time and position of the device.
One type of navigational aid device in which track logs have been used is a device with Global Positioning System (GPS) capabilities. For one of these devices with GPS capabilities, one description of a segment start point for a device with GPS capabilities is the first point recorded after the unit obtains a satellite fix. A device that stays powered-on may lose and regain its satellite fix multiple times and thus record multiple segments per session. As such, the segment start point may not be the first point recorded after powering-on the device.
An active track log is one that is currently being recorded by the device. It is known to extract an end portion of an active track log by presenting a user with a menu that shows the times of the recorded segment start points, and then saving the range of track points between the time the user selects and the most recently recorded track point in the active track log. Known track log points include position information (such as latitude and longitude information), a timestamp, and a flag that specifies whether the track log point is a segment start point for a track log. The flag is used to identify the segment start point in order to extract the end portion of an active track log.
Therefore, there exists a need for systems and methods that are not limited to selecting track logs from an end portion of an active track log so as to allow more powerful and flexible applications for the navigational aid devices.

Systems and methods for track log selection