This invention provides methods of regulating contraction of a subject""s heart and of treating heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia. This invention also provides methods of obtaining compounds that bind to, and activate or inhibit the activation of a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, and methods for screening for compounds that alleviate heart disease.

Throughout this application, various publications are referenced in parentheses by author and year. Full citations for these references may be found at the end of the specification immediately preceding the claims. The disclosures of these publications in their entireties are hereby incorporated by reference into this application to more fully describe the state of the art to which this invention pertains.
The contraction of striated muscle is initiated when calcium (Ca2+) is released from tubules within the muscle cell known as the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Calcium release channels (ryanodine receptors) on the sarcoplasmic reticulum are required for excitation-contraction (EC) coupling. The type 2 ryanodine receptor (RyR2) is found in the heart, while the type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) is found in skeletal muscle. The RyR2 receptor is a tetramer comprised of four 565,000 dalton RyR2 polypeptides and four 12,000 dalton FK-506 binding proteins (FKBP12.6). FKBP12s are regulatory subunits that stabilize RyR channel function (Brillantes et al., 1994) and facilitate coupled gating between neighboring RyR channels (Marx et al., 1998) which are packed into dense arrays. in specialized regions of the sarcoplasmic reticulum that release intracellular stores of Ca2+ triggering muscle contraction.
RyRs are ligand activated channels, and Ca2+ is the important physiological ligand that activates the channels in cardiac muscle during excitation-contraction coupling. The Ca2+-dependence of RyR channel activity is biphasic such that low cytosolic Ca2+ concentration (xcexcM) activates the channels and high Ca2+ concentration (mM) inactivates the channels (Bezprozvanny et al., 1991). One FKBP12 molecule is bound to each RyR subunit. Dissociation of FKBP12 significantly alters the biophysical properties of the channels resulting in the appearance of subconductance states, and increased open probability (Po) due to an increased sensitivity to Ca2+-dependent activation (Brillantes et al., 1994; Kaftan et al., 1996). In addition, dissociation of FKBP12 from RyR channels inhibits coupled gating of RyR channels resulting in channels that gate stochastically rather than as an ensemble (Marx et al., 1998). Coupled gating of arrays of RyR channels is thought to be important for efficient excitation-contraction coupling that regulates muscle contraction (Marx et al., 1998).
FKBPs are cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerases that are widely expressed and subserve a variety of cellular functions (Marks, 1996). FKBP12s are tightly bound to and regulate the function of the skeletal (RyR1) (Brillantes et al., 1994; Jayaraman et al., 1992) and cardiac (RyR2) (Kaftan et al., 1996) muscle Ca2+ release channels, as well as a related intracellular Ca2+ release channel known as the type 1 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R1) (Cameron et al., 1997), and the type I transforming growth factor xcex2 (TGFxcex2) receptor (Txcex2RI) (Chen et al., 1997).
The present application discloses the following. Protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation regulates the binding of FKBP12.6 to the RyR channel both in vitro and in vivo. PKA phosphorylation of the cardiac Ca2+ release channel (RyR2) on the sarcoplasmic reticulum dissociates the regulatory subunit FKBP12.6 from the RyR2 channel resulting in altered channel function manifested as an increased open probability, increased sensitivity to Ca2+-induced activation, and destabilization of the RyR2 channel resulting in subconductance states. RyR2 PKA phosphorylation is physiologically regulated in vivo. RyR2 channels from failing hearts were PKA hyperphosphorylated and exhibited decreased binding of the FKBP12.6 regulatory subunit resulting in the same severe defects in single channel properties observed in in vitro PKA hyperphosphorylated RyR2 channels. The RyR2 channel comprises a macromolecular complex that includes the regulatory subunit FKBP12.6, protein kinase A (PKA), the PKA regulatory subunit RII, protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), protein phosphatase 1 (PP1), and muscle A kinase anchoring protein (mAKAP). Taken together these data demonstrate that local regulation of the RyR2 channel via PKA phosphorylation is a potent mechanism for modulating Ca2+ release from the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum. Dysregulation of this control mechanism occurs in failing hearts and can explain the observed defects in excitation-contraction coupling that contribute to cardiac dysfunction. Methods for treating heart disease are disclosed, as are methods for screening for compounds that alleviate heart disease.
This invention is directed to a method of regulating contraction of a subject""s heart by administering to the subject a compound which regulates protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor of the subject""s heart.
This invention provides a method of treating a subject""s heart failure by administering to the subject a compound which decreases protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor of the subject""s heart, thereby alleviating the subject""s heart failure. This invention also provides a method of treating a subject""s heart failure by administering to the subject a compound which decreases dissociation of a FKBP12.6 binding protein from a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor of the subject""s heart, thereby alleviating the subject""s heart failure. This invention in addition provides a method of treating a subject""s heart failure by administering to the subject a compound which mimics binding of a FKBP12.6 binding protein to a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor of the subject""s heart, thereby alleviating the subject""s heart failure.
This invention provides a method of treating a subject""s cardiac arrhythmia by administering to the subject a compound which decreases protein kinase A (PKA) phosphorylation of a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor of the subject""s heart, thereby alleviating the subject""s cardiac arrhythmia. This invention also provides a method of treating a subject""s cardiac arrhythmia by administering to the subject a compound which decreases dissociation of a FKBP12.6 binding protein from a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor of the subject""s heart, thereby alleviating the subject""s cardiac arrhythmia. This invention in addition provides a method of treating a subject""s cardiac arrhythmia by administering to the subject a compound which mimics binding of a FKBP12.6 binding protein to a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor of the subject""s heart, thereby alleviating the subject""s cardiac arrhythmia.
This invention provides a method for identifying a chemical compound which specifically binds to a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, which comprises contacting cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with the chemical compound under conditions suitable for binding and detecting specific binding of the chemical compound to the RyR2 receptor. This invention also provides a method for identifying a chemical compound which specifically binds to a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, which comprises contacting a fraction containing sacroplasmic reticulum or endoplasmic reticulum from a cell extract of cells expressing the RyR2 receptor, with the chemical compound under conditions suitable for binding and detecting specific binding of the chemical compound to the RyR2 receptor.
This invention provides a method involving competitive binding for identifying a chemical compound which specifically binds to a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, which comprises separately contacting cells expressing the RyR2 receptor, with both the chemical compound and a second chemical compound known to bind to the RyR2 receptor, and with only the second chemical compound, under conditions suitable for binding of both compounds, and detecting specific binding of the chemical compound to the RyR2 receptor, a decrease in binding of the second chemical compound to the RyR2 receptor in the presence of the chemical compound indicating that the chemical compound binds to the RyR2 receptor. This invention also provides a method involving competitive binding for identifying a chemical compound which specifically binds to a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, which comprises separately contacting a fraction containing sacroplasmic reticulum or endoplasmic reticulum from a cell extract of cells expressing the RyR2 receptor, with both the chemical compound and a second chemical compound known to bind to the RyR2 receptor, and with only the second chemical compound, under conditions suitable for binding of both compounds, and detecting specific binding of the chemical compound to the RyR2 receptor, a decrease in binding of the second chemical compound to the RyR2 receptor in the presence of the chemical compound indicating that the chemical compound binds to the RyR2 receptor.
This invention provides a method of screening a plurality of chemical compounds not known to bind to a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor to identify a compound which specifically binds to the RyR2 receptor, which comprises:
(a) contacting cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with a compound known to bind specifically to the RyR2 receptor;
(b) contacting the cells of step (a) with the plurality of compounds not known to bind specifically to the RyR2 receptor, under conditions permitting binding of compounds known to bind to the RyR2 receptor;
(c) determining whether the binding of the compound known to bind to the RyR2 receptor is reduced in the presence of the plurality of compounds, relative to the binding of the compound in the absence of the plurality of compounds; and if so
(d) separately determining the binding to the RyR2 receptor of each compound included in the plurality of compounds, so as to thereby identify any compound included therein which specifically binds to the RyR2 receptor.
This invention also provides a method of screening a plurality of chemical compounds not known to bind to a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor to identify a compound which specifically binds to the RyR2 receptor, which comprises:
(a) contacting a fraction containing sacroplasmic reticulum or endoplasmic reticulum from a cell extract of cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with a compound known to bind specifically to the RyR2 receptor;
(b) contacting the fraction of step (a) with the plurality of compounds not known to bind specifically to the RyR2 receptor, under conditions permitting binding of compounds known to bind to the RyR2 receptor;
(c) determining whether the binding of the compound known to bind to the RyR2 receptor is reduced in the presence of the plurality of compounds, relative to the binding of the compound in the absence of the plurality of compounds; and if so
(d) separately determining the binding to the RyR2 receptor of each compound included in the plurality of compounds, so as to thereby identify any compound included therein which specifically binds to the RyR2 receptor.
This invention provides a method for determining whether a chemical compound activates a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, which comprises contacting cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with the chemical compound under conditions suitable for activation of the RyR2 receptor and measuring RyR2 receptor activation in the presence and in the absence of the chemical compound, an increase in RyR2 receptor activation in the presence of the chemical compound indicating that the chemical compound activates the RyR2 receptor. This invention also provides a method for determining whether a chemical compound activates a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, which comprises contacting a fraction containing sacroplasmic reticulum or endoplasmic reticulum from a cell extract of cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with the chemical compound under conditions suitable for activation of the RyR2 receptor and measuring RyR2 receptor activation in the presence and in the absence of the chemical compound, an increase in RyR2 receptor activation in the presence of the chemical compound indicating that the chemical compound activates the RyR2 receptor.
This invention provides a method of screening a plurality of chemical compounds not known to activate a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor to identify a compound which activates the RyR2 receptor which comprises:
(a) contacting cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with the plurality of compounds not known to activate the RyR2 receptor, under conditions permitting activation of the RyR2 receptor;
(b) determining whether the activity of the RyR2 receptor is increased in the presence of one or more of the compounds; and if so
(c) separately determining whether the activation of the RyR2 receptor is increased by any compound included in the plurality of compounds, so as to thereby identify each compound which activates the RyR2 receptor.
This invention also provides a method of screening a plurality of chemical compounds not known to activate a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor to identify a compound which activates the RyR2 receptor which comprises:
(a) contacting a fraction containing sacroplasmic reticulum or endoplasmic reticulum from a cell extract of cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with the plurality of compounds not known to activate the RyR2 receptor, under conditions permitting activation of the RyR2 receptor;
(b) determining whether the activity of the RyR2 receptor is increased in the presence of one or more of the compounds; and if so
(c) separately determining whether the activation of the RyR2 receptor is increased by any compound included in the plurality of compounds, so as to thereby identify each compound which activates the RyR2 receptor.
This invention provides a method for determining whether a chemical compound inhibits activation of a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, which comprises separately contacting cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with both the chemical compound and a second chemical compound known to activate the RyR2 receptor, and with only the second chemical compound, under conditions suitable for activation of the RyR2 receptor, and measuring RyR2 receptor activation in the presence of only the second chemical compound and in the presence of both the second chemical compound and the chemical compound, a smaller RyR2 receptor activation in the presence of both the chemical compound and the second chemical compound than in the presence of only the second chemical compound indicating that the chemical compound inhibits activation of the RyR2 receptor. This invention also provides a method for determining whether a chemical compound inhibits activation of a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor, which comprises separately contacting a fraction containing sacroplasmic reticulum or endoplasmic reticulum from a cell extract of cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with both the chemical compound and a second chemical compound known to activate the RyR2 receptor, and with only the second chemical compound, under conditions suitable for activation of the RyR2 receptor, and measuring RyR2 receptor activation in the presence of only the second chemical compound and in the presence of both the second chemical compound and the chemical compound, a smaller RyR2 receptor activation in the presence of both the chemical compound and the second chemical compound than in the presence of only the second chemical compound indicating that the chemical compound inhibits activation of the RyR2 receptor.
This invention provides a method of screening a plurality of chemical compounds not known to inhibit the activation of a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor to identify a compound which inhibits the activation of the RyR2 receptor, which comprises:
(a) contacting cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with the plurality of compounds in the presence of a known RyR2 receptor activator, under conditions permitting activation of the RyR2 receptor;
(b) determining whether the amount of activation of the RyR2 receptor is reduced in the presence of one or more of the compounds, relative to the amount of activation of the RyR2 receptor in the absence of such one or more compounds; and if so
(c) separately determining whether each such compound inhibits activation of the RyR2 receptor for each compound included in the plurality of compounds, so as to thereby identify any compound included in such plurality of compounds which inhibits the activation of the RyR2 receptor.
This invention also provides a method of screening a plurality of chemical compounds not known to inhibit the activation of a type 2 ryanodine (RyR2) receptor to identify a compound which inhibits the activation of the RyR2 receptor, which comprises:
(a) contacting a fraction containing sacroplasmic reticulum or endoplasmic reticulum from a cell extract of cells expressing the RyR2 receptor with the plurality of compounds in the presence of a known RyR2 receptor activator, under conditions permitting activation of the RyR2 receptor;
(b) determining whether the amount of activation of the RyR2 receptor is reduced in the presence of one or more of the compounds, relative to the amount of activation of the RyR2 receptor in the absence of such one or more compounds; and if so
(c) separately determining whether each such compound inhibits activation of the RyR2 receptor for each compound included in the plurality of compounds, so as to thereby identify any compound included in such plurality of compounds which inhibits the activation of the RyR2 receptor.
This invention provides a chemical compound identified by any of the methods described herein.
This invention provides a method for making a composition of matter which comprises identifying a chemical compound using any of the methods described herein, and then synthesizing the chemical compound or a novel structural and functional analog or homolog thereof.
This invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising (a) an amount of a chemical compound identified using any of the methods described herein, or a novel structural and functional homolog or analog thereof, capable of passing through a cell membrane and effective to activate, or inhibit the activation of, a RyR2 receptor and (b) a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier capable of passing through the cell membrane.
This invention provides a method for preparing a composition which comprises admixing a carrier and a pharmaceutically effective amount of a chemical compound identified by any of the methods described herein or a novel structural and functional anaolog or homolog thereof.
This invention provides a method of treating a subject with a heart disease which comprises administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a chemical compound identified by any of the methods described herein.
This invention provides the use of a chemical compound identified by any of the methods described herein for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for treating an abnormality, wherein the abnormality is alleviated by activating, or by inhibiting the activation of, a RyR2 receptor.

Methods for identifying chemical compounds that inhibit dissociation of FKBP12.6 binding protein from type 2 ryanodine receptor

The Trustees of Columbia University In The City of New York


A semiconductor device that does not include a molded body or package. The semiconductor device includes a substrate and a die coupled to the substrate. The die is coupled to the substrate such that the source and gate regions of the die, assuming a MOSFET-type device, are coupled to the substrate. Solder balls are provided adjacent to the die such that when the semiconductor device is coupled to a printed circuit board, the exposed surface of the serves as the drain connections while the solder balls serve as the source and gate connections.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a package for a semiconductor device, and more particularly, to a package for a semiconductor device that does not require a molded body.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Semiconductor devices, especially MOSFET devices, generally desire very low package resistance (RDSon) with good thermal performance. It is also generally desirable to have simple, quick and efficient methods of packaging semiconductor devices. Thus, numerous packaging concepts and methods have been developed in the prior art.
An example of one such packaging concept involves a ball grid array (BGA). Such a concept involves an array of source, gate and drain solder balls that are connected directly to the printed circuit board (PCB). This requires a bumped die and a leadframe is used to facilitate the drain contact. Another packaging concept is commonly referred to as Flip Chip in Leaded Molded Package (FLMP), which comprises a molded leaded surface mount package where a bumped die is connected to gate and source terminals of the frame. The drain, which is the back side of the die, is exposed from the mold compound or body and is connected to the PCB via solder reflow during a standard board mounting process. Other packaging concepts use copper straps and/or wire bond technology.
These prior art concepts involve various components and may result in complicated manufacturing (packaging) processes.

Unmolded package for a semiconductor device


A magnetic hook, jaw-type clip or spring clip has a rectangular housing containing magnets. A conventional hook or clip is attached to the housing. A finger tab extends from one edge or wall of the housing. When a user desires to remove the magnetic hook from a mounting surface he or she places a fingertip on a curved portion of the finger tab causing the upper edge of the magnetic hook to move away from the mounting surface. This results in a pivoting action forcing the magnetic hook away from the mounting surface with little or no sliding. A flexible fin may be adjacent the magnets and extend slightly beyond the housing. When the magnet is placed against a metal surface the flexible fin will bend to a smaller height and bear against the metal surface thereby improving the load carrying capacity of the device.

This invention relates to hooks and clips having a magnet attached for holding objects on metal surfaces.
There have been a wide variety of hooks and jaw-type clips which have magnets attached thereto for holding objects on refrigerator doors and other metal surfaces. For example, the jaw-type clip of my U.S. Design Pat. No. Des. 286,013 has been sold for many years with a magnet attached to the back surface. For that product I have used the magnet arrangement shown in my U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,634 and U.S. Pat. No. Des. 350,943. A rectangular magnet is held in a U-shaped magnet holder. A fastener passes through a hole in the magnet and magnet holder and into the jaw-type clip. I have used metal and plastic rivets as fasteners.
The load carrying capability of a magnetic hook or magnetic jaw-type clip is dependent upon the size and strength of the magnet as well as the type of mounting surface to which the magnet is attached. Conventionally, magnets used for hooks have been rectangular or square in shape ranging from approximately one to two inches in length and width. A clip or hook having a magnet approximately one inch square attached to a metal surface such as a refrigerator door will hold from about one half to one pound before sliding. Larger magnets have been proposed to hold more weight. For example, a flat circular magnet two inches in diameter has been sold for hanging Christmas wreaths on metal doors or other metal surfaces.
Efforts have been made to increase the holding power of a magnet mounted hook. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,231, Buck discloses a suction cup in the center of a circular magnet. Sheiner et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,526 provide a washer formed of a medium durometer elastomer such as rubber or neoprene around the rivet which attaches the magnet to the body of the fastener. They teach that the thickness of the washer should be such that the washer protrudes slightly above the housing containing the magnet. The suggested slight protrusion is one mil. The height of the washer is critical. If the washer is too thick, the magnetic attraction between the magnet and the metal mounting surface will be reduced. If the washer is too thin, the washer will not press against the mounting surface.
There are several variables which affect the amount by which a washer or spacer attached to a magnet will protrude above the magnet holder which holds the magnet. Magnets vary in thickness by as much as xc2xd mil. The height of a plastic or metal channel which serves as a magnet holder can vary by as much as xc2xd mil. A plastic rivet which fits through the magnet and the socket into which the rivet fits can vary in height or depth by up to 1 mil.
Magnet mounted hooks usually are made to be both decorative and functional. Often the manufacturer wishes to offer the product in a variety of colors. I have found that the pigment placed in both the molded vinyl washer and the plastic on which it is mounted affects the thickness of the washer. Two pieces of plastic made in the same mold but of two different colors may differ in thickness from xe2x85x9 to xc2xd mils depending upon the thickness of the part. If one is attempting to obtain precisely the one mil protrusion needed, and recommended by Steiner et al, a different mold may be required for each color washer and for each color of plastic base. Obviously, this is impractical. Furthermore, separate molds for each washer color will not overcome the combinations of variations in heights or thickness of the magnet, magnet holder, rivet and socket.
Other variables are introduced by ambient temperatures and humidity around the molding machine. Differing rates of shrinkage in washer, base, and plastic rivet make it impossible for one size or thickness of washer to guarantee high-quality magnetic attraction and maximum slide-resistance. Other changes in thickness are caused by material changes. If the rivet is made of polycarbonate, it will be a different length than if it is polypropylene, even though it is made in exactly the same cavity. A manufacturer must compensate for these minute changes.
As Sheiner et al. disclose and those skilled in the art recognize, the magnetic attraction between a magnet and a metal surface decreases as the distance between the magnet and the metal surface increases. Furthermore, a magnetic hook placed on a smooth flat surface will hold more weight than the same magnetic hook placed on a curved or irregular surface.
It is quite common for a magnetic hook to attract metal filings and other grit during storage or prior to being placed upon a metal surface. If the magnetic hook is slid across that surface the grit on the magnet may scratch the surface. Very often a person seeking to remove the magnetic hook from a metal surface will slide the hook across the surface during removal, scratching the surface. Consequently, there is a need for a magnetic hook that can be easily removed from a magnetic surface without sliding. More particularly the magnetic hook should be configured to encourage and facilitate removal without sliding the magnet across the surface.
There is a need for magnetic hooks and clips which will have increased holding power and can be made in a variety of colors. Preferably, the size of the magnets in these hooks should not be significantly larger or more expensive than those currently in use. Indeed, the optimal solution would utilize the same magnets, magnet holders and rivets that are commercially available and make them more effective. Then the cost of adopting the improvement would be small and perhaps insignificant. Furthermore, those magnetic hooks should be configured to facilitate removal from a metal surface without sliding the magnet across the metal surface.
I provide a magnetic hook or clip which has a plurality of magnets attached to a plastic housing. The housing is preferably rectangular and has a hook or clip near the bottom edge. A finger tab is provided on the housing for removal of the hook from a surface without the hook sliding across the surface to which it is attached.
The housing has a base and a wall extending from the perimeter of the base a distance greater than the thickness of the magnets attached to the base. The difference in distance should not exceed {fraction (1/32)} of an inch. Each magnet is attached by a metal or plastic fastener having a head and a shaft. The shaft extends through a hole in the magnet and into the housing. The length of the shaft may be somewhat greater than the thickness of the magnet allowing the magnet to pivot and move up and down on the shaft. A flexible wall having a height slightly greater than the height of the housing may be provided between or around magnets. The wall extends slightly beyond the housing. When the magnet is placed against a mounting surface, the flexible wall will bend and press against the mounting surface. The wall provides increased frictional contact between the magnet and the mounting surface thereby increasing the holding power of the hook. This product can be made using the same magnets as are presently being used for comparable hooks and clips presently available in the marketplace.
These and other advantages and features of the present invention will become more fully understood upon reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating certain presently preferred embodiments of the invention.


A method of arraying self-scanning light-emitting element array chips is provided, in which it is possible to remove defective chips completely. A plurality of self-scanning light-emitting array chips in a zigzag manner on a substrate, each chip being rectangular and comprising an array of light-emitting elements arrayed in a line facing to one end of the chip and a plurality of bonding pads provided on the other end of the chip. The plurality of chips are arrayed in such a manner that one ends of neighboring chips are arranged without overlapping in an array direction of chips so that an array pitch of chips is constant, and the other ends of the chips are arranged with overlapping in a direction perpendicular to an array direction of chips so that an array pitch of chips is constant.

The present invention relates to a method of arraying self-scanning light-emitting element array chips, in which it is possible to remove defective chips. The present invention further relates to a self-scanning light-emitting device comprising a plurality of chips arrayed by said method, and a method of removing defective chips from arrayed chips.
A self-scanning light-emitting element array chip has a characteristic such that the number of bonding pads is more less than that of a conventional light-emitting element array chip. Due to this characteristic, the size of a chip may be effectively small. For example, if bonding pads are provided at both ends of a rectangular chip, the width of the chip may be short to that required only by bonding pads themselves. However, when a plurality of self-scanning light-emitting element chips are arrayed in a straight line manner to form a self-scanning light-emitting device used for an optical printer head, an array pitch of light-emitting elements can not be constant at the ends of the neighboring chips. In order to avoid this, a plurality of chips are arrayed in a zigzag manner such that the ends thereof are overlapped (see Japanese Patent Publication No. 8-216448).
FIG. 1 shows a schematic drawing for explaining a method of arraying chips in a zigzag manner. For assistance of explanation, an x-y coordinate axis is designated in the figure. An x-axis direction shows an array direction of chips and a y-axis direction perpendicular thereto.
At the both ends of a self-scanning light-emitting element array chip 10, there are provided bonding pads 12 between thereof a plurality of light-emitting elements 14 are arrayed in a straight line manner. A plurality of self-scanning light-emitting element array chips 10 are arrayed and fixed by means of an adhesive on a substrate (not shown in the figure) in a zigzag manner in an x-axis direction, i.e. in such a manner that the ends of neighboring chips are overlapped in a y-axix direction. According to this method, an array pitch of the light-emitting elements may be constant through all of the chips.
A few chips may be defective by any reason after a die bonding process and wire bonding process to the chips arrayed on the substrate. In this case, it is not effective in cost to discard the substrate itself thereon the defective chips are mounted. Therefore, the method is adopted such that only defective chips are removed and replaced by normal chip. In fact, the defective chip is removed in such a manner that a metallic tool is push against the side of the chip. In the conventional chip array in a zigzag manner, neighboring chips are overlapped at their ends in a y-axis direction. In order to remove one chips in the conventional chip array, that one chip only must be push by means of a narrow metallic tool 16 as shown in FIG. 1. A light-emitting element array chip is generally made of fragile compound semiconductor such as GaAs. Therefore, when a force is applied to a part of the defective chip fixed on the substrate by an adhesive, the chip is generally crushed leaving a portion of the chip overlapped in a y-axis direction on the substrate. It is quite difficult to remove the left portion without damaging the neighboring chips.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of arraying self-scanning light-emitting element array chips, in which it is possible to remove defective chips completely.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a self-scanning light-emitting device comprising a plurality of self-scanning light-emitting element array chips arrayed by said method.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of removing defective chips.
A first aspect of the present invention is a method of arraying a plurality of self-scanning light-emitting array chips in a zigzag manner on a substrate, each chip being rectangular and comprising an array of light-emitting elements arrayed in a line facing to one end of the chip and a plurality of bonding pads provided on the other end of the chip. In this method, the plurality of chips are arrayed in such a manner that one ends of neighboring chips are arranged without overlapping in an array direction of chips so that an array pitch of chips is constant, and the other ends of the chips are arranged with overlapping in a direction perpendicular to an array direction of chips so that an array pitch of chips is constant.
Each self-scanning light-emitting element array chip comprises an array of transfer elements having such a structure that a plurality of three-terminal transfer elements each having a control electrode for controlling threshold voltage or current are arranged, the control electrodes of the transfer elements neighbored to each other are connected via first electrical means, a power supply line is connected to the control electrodes via second electrical means, and a clock line is connected to one of two terminals except the control electrode of each of the transfer elements; and the array of light-emitting elements having such a structure that a plurality of three-terminal light-emitting elements each having a control electrode for controlling threshold voltage or current are arranged.
A second aspect of the present invention is a self-scanning light-emitting device comprising a plurality of self-scanning light-emitting array chips which are arranged by the method of arraying the plurality of self-scanning light-emitting array chips in a zigzag manner on a substrate.
A third aspect of the present invention is a method of removing a defective chip in a plurality of self-scanning light-emitting array chips arrayed on a substrate by the method of arraying the plurality of self-scanning light-emitting array chips in a zigzag manner on a substrate. In this method, the defective chip is removed together with a chip overlapped with the defective chip in a direction perpendicular to an array direction of chips by applying force to one side of the defective chip or the chip overlapped therewith in a direction perpendicular to an array direction of chips.

Method of arraying self-scanning light-emitting element array chips


A non-water cooled burner is provided for preparation of synthesis gas by partial oxidation of hydrocarbon-containing fuel and an oxygen-containing gas applied as oxidiser. The burner comprises a burner head and an arrangement of passages or channels for feeding the fuel and oxidiser and optionally a moderator gas to a reactor. The burner head is provided with a non-ceramic lining or thin-walled mantle mounted at its one end on the burner head and its other end directed to the reactor and surrounding the passages. The non-ceramic lining is externally provided with a protection shield against hot synthesis gas, the protection shield comprising a plurality of separate ceramic members which join sideways at least partially in such a manner that the non-ceramic lining at its the other end is encircled over a determined part of its length by the plurality of separate ceramic members. The plurality of ceramic members is fixed on the non-ceramic lining.

Synthesis gas is a gas comprising carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and it is used, for example, as a fuel gas or as a feedstock for the synthesis of methanol, ammonia or hydrocarbons, which latter synthesis yields gaseous hydrocarbons and liquid hydrocarbons such as gasoline, middle distillates, lub oils and waxes.
The oxygen-containing gas applied as oxidiser is usually air or (pure) oxygen or steam or a mixture thereof. Further, in order to control the temperature in the gasification zone a moderator gas (for example, steam, water or carbon dioxide or a combination thereof) can be supplied to the zone. Those skilled in the art will know the conditions of applying oxidiser and moderator gas.
Further, the gasification process can be carried out at any suitable pressures, for example at 0.1-12 MPa abs.
In particular, the invention relates to a burner as described in the foregoing, wherein a hydrocarbon-containing liquid or gas is applied as fuel.
For example, (heavy) residue feedstock or natural gas can be used as fuel.
According to an established process, synthesis gas is produced by partially oxidising in a reactor vessel a fuel such as liquid hydrocarbon, in particular heavy oil residue, at a temperature in the range of from 1000.degree. C. to 1800.degree. C. and at a pressure in the range of from 0.1 MPa to 6 MPa abs. with the of an oxygen containing gas.
Synthesis gas will often be produced near or at a crude oil refinery because the produced synthesis gas can directly be applied as a feedstock for the production of middle distillates, ammonia, hydrogen, methanol or as a fuel gas, for example, for heating the furnaces of the refinery or more efficiently for the firing of gas turbines to produce electricity and heat.
It is known to apply burners in partial oxidation processes of hydrocarbon-containing fuel which are provided with cooling channels and are cooled by a cooling fluid (e.g. water) flowing through the channels. Reference can e.g. be made to EP-A-0,545,281 disclosing a multi-orifice burner applicable in partial oxidation processes of hydrocarbon-containing fuel which comprises three or more concentrically arranged tubes, having a conical tapering at the burner exit and hollow wall members with internal cooling fluid (e.g. water) passages. A cooling chamber for cooling fluid is arranged in the rear of the burner surrounding the burner exit.
The rear side is covered with a layer of ceramic plates arranged next to one another.
However, the capital expenditure and maintenance of a fail safe water-cooled system is significant. Further, it has appeared that in large burners problems arise with respect to withstanding the cooling water pressure when the reactor pressure is at ambient.
Instead of comprising internal cooling fluid passages, burners may be provided with a suitable ceramic or refractory lining applied onto or suspended by a means closely adjacent to the outer surface of the burner (front) wall for resisting the heat load during operation or heat-up/shut down situations of the burner.
Reference can e.g. be made to EP-A-0,312,133 disclosing a ceramic burner for use in partial oxidation processes of hydrocarbon-containing fuel.
This known burner comprises a burner head which is provided with a ceramic burner mantle protruding into a reactor through a refractory dome. The mantle is connected at one of its ends to the burner head and the protruding mantle separates the burner internals from the reactor environment. There are no separate channels for cooling fluid such as water.
However, it has appeared that the lifetime of this known burner is restricted, since the ceramic mantle is not able to stand thermal stresses and the ceramic material goes to pieces after starting-up the burner. Further, the choice of the ceramic material is critical, only a limited number of ceramic materials can be applied.
It is an object of the invention to provide a burner with a long lifetime which does not require separate cooling channels or passages for cooling fluid and which has virtually no scale-up limitations, is relatively cheap and virtually maintenance-free.
It is another object of the invention to provide such a burner which can operate at severe reactor conditions and limits the heat flux from the flame in front of the burner to the reactor dome and wherein the choice of ceramic materials is not restricted to specific ceramics.

Burner for partial oxidation of a hydrocarbon-containing fuel


To provide a resin composition for e.g. a temporary fixing adhesive which has a high adhesive strength and which is readily removable in water, and a temporary fixing method for a member by means thereof.

When semiconductor wafers, optical components, etc. are to be made thin, it is common to process them by a so-called rear surface grinding method wherein a circuit surface of a wafer or a surface to be processed of an optical component is protected by a surface protecting sheet, and the protected wafer or component is temporarily fixed to a substrate via the surface protecting sheet, and the rear surface opposite to the circuit surface is ground.
At present, the wall thickness of a wafer is usually 150 μm at an industrial level, however, a thinner wafer is desired. When a wafer is to be made thinner, a phenomenon wherein the ground surface (the rear surface) tends to be non-uniform by an influence of irregularities of the circuit surface, i.e. a rear surface transfer phenomenon of the circuit pattern, tends to be distinct.
The cause for such a rear surface transfer phenomenon may be explained as follows. A pressure sensitive adhesive surface-protecting sheet presently available is limited in its conformability to circuit irregularities of a semiconductor wafer. Therefore, there will be spaces (air pockets) between the adhesive layer and the circuit surface, and the wafer at such regions are not directly supported by the adhesive layer (protective layer). When the wafer is to be made very thin by grinding, at the non-supported scribe line (street), the wafer tends to move in a vertical direction between the circuit and the die while compressing the air pocket, and consequently, such a region will not be ground and will be thicker than other portions. On the other hand, in a case where a hard projection such as a bump is present, the wafer will be ground more, and consequently, such a portion will be thinner than other portions.
Such a phenomenon will not be problematic when the finishing thickness of the wafer is at least 150 μm. However, in a case where the wafer is to be made thinner than 100 μm (particularly when it is to be finished to have a thickness of at most 50 μm) or in a case where a projection such as a bump on the wafer circuit surface is very large (e.g. when it is at least 100 μm), not only the deflecting strength of the wafer is thereby substantially decreased, but also the wafer may be broken during the grinding in an extreme case.
In a case where a wafer is to be ground to be thin at a level of about 50 μm, chipping of the edge of the wafer or penetration of the grinding water between the wafer and the surface protecting layer will, for example, be problematic, and the cause is again due to a defect in adhesion of the surface protecting sheet to the edge of the wafer. Further, with a semiconductor wafer having a projection of at least 100 μm represented by a bump on the circuit surface, not only the thinning of the wafer, but also grinding itself tends to be difficult which is carried out by bonding a typical semiconductor surface protecting sheet.
A conventional surface protecting sheet is usually a sheet having an adhesive layer as a surface protecting layer on a polymer film material. The adhesive is designed so that it has a low elastic modulus so that it will conform to irregularities of the circuit surface. However, if such a tendency is too much, when the sheet is to be peeled off from the wafer, a large stress will be exerted to the wafer, thus leading to breakage.
Accordingly, an energy ray-facilitated release type protecting sheet has been developed whereby before peeling the sheet, the adhesive is cured by irradiation with energy rays such as ultraviolet rays to decrease the bond strength between the wafer and the protecting sheet. However, if the adhesive layer is in a non-cured state during the grinding, there is a problem that it is so flexible that the wafer will be broken during the grinding.
The Patent Document 1 discloses a method for grinding a wafer wherein an energy ray-facilitated release type protecting sheet as described above, is bonded on a wafer having a circuit formed, and the adhesive layer is cured by energy rays, whereupon grinding of the rear surface of the wafer is carried out. However, the adhesive is not a fluid, whereby the conformability to irregularities on the wafer circuit is surface is not sufficient.
Patent Document 2 discloses a hot melt type semiconductor surface-protecting sheet. The hot melt type sheet to be melted to show fluidity when heated to a level of from 60 to 100° C., conforms to irregularities on the circuit surface to present excellent grinding properties. However, this sheet has such a nature that it melts every time when the temperature becomes higher than the melting point.
On the other hand, a semiconductor wafer may usually be subjected to e.g. a heating step between a step of bonding a die attachment film (hereinafter referred to also as "DAF") i.e. a film to be used for fixing a chip after the wafer is bonded to the protecting sheet and a step of forming a metal film by sputtering. Therefore, by the temperature rise in such a step, there has been a trouble such that the protecting sheet will be melted again.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-11-026406
Patent Document 2: JP-A-2000-38556

Resin composition, and temporary fixing method and surface protecting method for members to be processed, by means thereof

Abstract: A resin composition comprising component (A): N,N-diethylacrylamide and/or N-isopropylacrylamide, component (B): at least one member selected from the group consisting of a homopolymer of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, a homopolymer of N,N-dimethylacrylamide, a homopolymer of N,N-diethylacrylamide, a homopolymer of acryloylmorpholine, a homopolymer of N-isopropylacrylamide, and a copolymer of at least two monomers selected from the group consisting of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone, N,N-dimethylacrylamide, N,N-diethylacrylamide, acryloylmorpholine and N-isopropylacrylamide, and component (C): a polymerization initiator. A temporary fixing method for a member and a surface protecting method for a member, by means the resin composition.


A mobile terminal and method of controlling the same are disclosed. The mobile terminal includes a touchscreen and a control unit for receiving a first command according to a state of an object in near-proximity to the touchscreen, and receiving a second command according to a state of the object contacting the touchscreen.

A mobile terminal is a device which may be configured to perform various functions. Examples of such functions include data and voice communication, capturing images and video via a camera, recording audio, playing music files and outputting music via a speaker system, and displaying images and video on a display. Some terminals include additional functionality which supports game playing, while other terminals are also configured as multimedia players. More recently, mobile terminals have been configured to receive broadcast and multicast signals which permit viewing of contents, such as videos and television programs.
There are ongoing efforts to support and increase the functionality of mobile terminals. Such efforts include software and hardware improvements, as well as changes and improvements in the structural components which form the mobile terminal.
When the terminal operates as a multimedia device capable of performing the above-mentioned complicated functions, various menus corresponding to the complicated functions exist within the terminal. However, the various menus often cause confusion to a user manipulating the terminal. Therefore, a demand has risen for additional terminal functions and capabilities which aid a user in manipulating the various menus.

Terminal and method of controlling the same


This invention relates to a method of producing a taxane-type diterpene(s) wherein tissues or cells of a plant which produces taxane-type diterpene(s) is cultured in the presence of at least one selected from the group consisting of jasmonic acids, compounds containing a heavy metal, complex ions containing a heavy metal, heavy metal ions, amines and antiethylene agents, a method of producing a taxane-type diterpene wherein the tissues or the cells of the plant are cultured by controlling the oxygen concentration in a gas phase in a culture vessel to less than the oxygen concentration in the atmosphere from the initial stage of the culture, or by controlling the dissolved oxygen concentration in a fluid medium which is in contact with the tissue or the cell to less than the saturated dissolved oxygen concentration at that temperature from the initial stage of the culture, a method of producing a taxane-type diterpene wherein the tissue or the cell of the plant is cultured in a culture vessel, while oxygenic gas containing 0.03-10% of carbon dioxide is used as aeration gas to be introduced to the vessel, and a method of obtaining highly productive cultured cells for the taxane-type diterpene wherein cultured cells of the plant which produces the taxane-type diterpene are separated into a plurality of layers according to the difference in their specific gravities, and the cells contained in at least one layer are cultured, then highly productive cultured cells for the taxane-type diterpene are selected from among those cultured cells.. The present invention allows industrial production of a taxane-type diterpene such as taxol which is useful as a therapeutic agent for cancer.

Taxol, which is useful as a therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer, mammary cancer, lung cancer and the like, is a taxane-type diterpene identified after being isolated from Taxus brevifolia NUTT, which is a plant belonging to genus Taxus, family Taxaceae and has a complex ester group which is related to its activity. Taxol can be found in all the parts of the plant body of Taxus brevifolia NUTT, but the bark has been reported to exceed all others in its content of the taxol. At present, taxol is collected from a natural or a cultivated plant body, however, the plant belonging to genus Taxus grows slowly, and it takes more than 10 years to grow to a height of 20 cm above the ground, besides the tree dies after its bark is taken off, thus it has been difficult to easily obtain a large amount of taxol. It would be advantageous if a taxane-type diterpene such as taxol and baccatin III which is a precursor of taxol, can be produced by the use of tissue culture, since a large amount of taxol can be easily obtained without cutting down the trees.
As a conventional method of producing taxol by utilizing cultured plant cells, a US patent was issued on a production method utilizing cultured cells of Taxus brevifolia NUTT (U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,504), however, the yield of taxol production described therein is 1-3 mg/l, and that is insufficient for the industrial production. Besides, the production of taxol by the cell culture is unstable and even when a primary cell of high productivity can be obtained by selection, it is difficult to keep its content by subculturing [E. R. M. Wickremesine et al., World Congress on Cell and Tissue Culture (1992)].
On the other hand, as a prior art in the taxol production, a semisynthetic method from baccatin III, which is a precursor in biosynthesis of taxol, is disclosed in the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,744 issued to Holton et al. By the use of the plant tissue culture, a raw material for the semisynthetic process such as baccatin III can be produced, thus the plant tissue culture can be also utilized for taxol production by the above-mentioned semisynthetic process.

Method of producing a taxane-type diterpene and a method of obtaining cultured cells which produce the taxane-type diterpene at a high rate


High-heeled footwear has a heel with a resilient compressible element allowing the heel of the foot to be lowered at heel strike to approximate a normal walking pattern in low-heeled shoes. Preferably, the footwear also includes a midfoot support structure, which may be a sprung footbed, or a sling and reinforcement girder, and which serves to redistribute load from the wearer's forefoot to her midfoot.

Conventional high heeled footwear is often uncomfortable, tiring, and even painful to wear and to walk in. There are several medical problems associated with wearing high heels, including foot, ankle, knee, hip, and lower back problems. Yet many women still wear high-heeled footwear regularly because it can make the wearer more stylish, elegant, professional, and/or sexy, and to make the wearer look taller. Some men also wear such high-heeled footwear, for example in certain oriental cultures; also, high-heeled footwear is often worn by cross-dressing transvestite men.
The discomfort and pain from wearing high-heeled footwear arises because high-heeled footwear significantly alters the wearer's stance/posture and natural walking gait cycle. In flat shoes, the weight distribution is approximately 5% over the phalanges, 40% over the metatarsals, 5% over the midfoot, and 50% in the heel areas of the foot. Thus body weight is relatively evenly distributed between the front part and the rear part of the foot. High-heeled footwear alters the angle that the wearer's foot projects forwardly from the leg, so that the weight load of the body cannot be supported in the same way as the foot in a natural position. In a high heeled shoe with a two inch heel, 70% of the wearer's body weight is borne by the balls of the wearer's foot. As heel height increases, the percentage of body weight carried by the balls of the foot is increased. The raised heel causes disproportionate loading in the forefoot and slippage of the foot into the toe part when standing or walking. A substantial percentage of high-heeled shoe wearers report pain associated with the wearing of such footwear within one to four hours of typical walking, standing, and sitting found in a work or social environment. In many high-heeled shoes the steep ramp of the shoe causes the foot to slide downwardly, crowding and cramping the toes. Without a doubt, high-heeled shoes are uncomfortable to stand in or walk in for long periods of time.
Foot problems from wearing high heeled shoes also arise because regular use of high heels causes calf muscles and tendons to shorten relative to their normal length without shoes. The higher the heel height, the more contracted the calf muscles will become over time. At first, the symptoms include a temporary effect in which the calf muscles can still be stretched out after wearing high heels all day. Eventually, a permanent shortening of the muscles and tendons occurs. Once shortened there is a risk that the Achilles tendons can tear if the calf muscles and Achilles tendons are stretched beyond their new shorter length. Ironically, there are many women who cannot wear flat shoes because of this problem, and the pain associated with it. To avoid this problem a woman must remember to stretch the muscles and tendons after wearing high heels.
Normal walking involves at each step a "heel strike" when the heel comes in contact with the ground, a "roll" from the heel through the ball of the foot, and then lifting the ball of the foot from the ground at the "toe off." Heel contact at the heel strike is more abrupt when wearing high heels, causing the wearer to slam her body weight onto the balls of the feet to complete the roll, thus subjecting the ball of the foot to abnormal pressure levels. With greater impact and higher dynamic loads at the heels and metatarsals due to raised heels, the natural shock absorbers of the foot do not provide sufficient protection, resulting in various degenerative changes and injury.

High-heeled fashion shoe with comfort and performance enhancement features


A dozer blade control system controls the position of a bulldozer blade, maintaining the blade at a constant position as the dozer travels through a worksite. The control system monitors the angle of the dozer blade with respect to the earth and when it senses that the dozer blade is tilting, it corrects the dozer blade's position by extending or retracting hydraulic cylinders that couple the dozer blade to the chassis of the crawler-tractor. When the dozer chassis pitches forwards, the blade begins to tilt forward and to drop closer to the ground. The control system senses this forward rotation of the blade and retracts the hydraulic cylinders that couple the blade to the chassis, causing the blade to return to and maintain its original position. Conversely, when the dozer chassis pitches backwards and the blade begins to tilt backward and rise higher above the ground, the control system extends the hydraulic cylinders coupling the blade to the chassis and lowers the blade, causing the blade to return to and maintain its original position with respect to the earth.

"Bulldozers" or "dozers", as those terms are used herein, refer to crawler-tractors that are equipped with a blade for scraping the ground or pushing material along the ground. The blade is pivotally connected to the crawler-tractor chassis such that they can pivot up and down. Blade controls are provided to the operator in the cab of the vehicle. These controls permit the operator raise and lower the blade with respect to the chassis of the crawler-tractor. One of the most common uses for blades on bulldozers is to level or otherwise contour ground for construction of houses, buildings, parking lots, and roads. Often the terrain that the bulldozer starts working is quite uneven and rough. As it passes over this rough terrain, the bulldozer chassis often begins to pitch.
When the chassis pitches up and down, the blade pitches as well. As the blade pitches up the blade digs the earth shallower. As the blade pitches down, it digs into the earth deeper, duplicating in the earth the fluctuations of the dozer chassis as it pitches over the rough terrain. Instead of evenly leveling the terrain, a bulldozer tends to reproduce the very rough terrain over which it drives.
A skilled operator can reduce the pitching of the blade by anticipating the pitching of the chassis and moving the blade in the opposite direction. By manually pitching the blade in a direction opposite to the direction the chassis pitches and at exactly the same time, the operator can grade the terrain more level than if the blade merely pitches with the chassis. This ability to anticipate the motion of the chassis and pitch the blade in the opposite direction takes a good deal of skill, and that skill can only be acquired through experience.
Even a talented driver, however, cannot travel at full speed over rough terrain, but must reduce his speed to accommodate the pitching of the dozer blade as the dozer chassis pitches up and down as it travels over the ground.
The process of leveling the ground using a bulldozer blade is called "grading". Systems for automatically grading the ground have been devised that use sensors mounted on a bulldozer blade and laser light sources located at the corners of a field to be graded. These light sources transmit light to the sensors attached to the bulldozer blade.
As a bulldozer equipped with these systems pitches backward or forward, the blade begins to pitch up or down, causing the light falling on the sensor to fall or rise, respectively. A controller coupled to the sensor controls blade pitching by raising and lowering the blade to keep it in the same position with respect to the ground.
This system, however, requires the careful placement and adjustment of light sources and an unobstructed view of the bulldozer blade.
What the inventors have discovered is that for many applications this laser-guided whole-field system is overkill. Many operators, especially novice operators, would be significantly benefited by a system that merely monitors bulldozer pitching as it goes over rough terrain and keeps the blade in a relatively constant position and at a relatively constant height as the chassis of the bulldozer pitches forward and backward.
What is needed, therefore, is a system for reducing dozer blade pitching as the dozer chassis pitches. What is also needed is a dozer that has a system for reducing dozer blade pitching. What is also needed is a system for keeping the dozer blade at a relatively constant height and at a relatively constant position as the chassis of the tractor-crawler pitches. What is also needed is a system that at least partially relieves the operator of the burden of manually raising and lowering the blade as the vehicle pitches while traveling over the ground. What is also needed is a system that permits the operator to grade faster by automatically controlling blade pitching. What is also needed is a system that automatically controls blade pitching faster than an operator can manually control blade pitching. It is an object of this invention to provide such system and bulldozer.


A dipping type wafer treatment apparatus includes a treatment solution bath capable of forming a uniform rising flow of a treatment solution inside from an inlet to an outlet, a treatment solution supplying unit for supplying a treatment solution at a constant velocity to the inlet of the treatment solution bath to form a uniform rising flow of the treatment solution inside the treatment solution bath and a device for dipping and retrieving the wafer into and out of the uniform flow of the treatment solution. The treatment solution is supplied from the inlet in the treatment solution bath and drown off through an outlet of the treatment solution bath. Accordingly, the treatment solution can be rapidly substituted, and the wafers to no experience contact with air during replacement of the treatment solutions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and systems for treating surfaces of laminated semiconductor substrates or liquid crystal glass substrates and the like (hereinafter, simply referred to as a wafer), and particularly to an apparatus and a system for performing surface treatment of wafers in which the wafers are dipped into treatment solution and composition of the treatment solution is changed, and a gate device for chemical agent included in the apparatus and the system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Cleaning of wafers greatly contributes to the improvement of the yield of semiconductor devices, for example, by removing contaminations from the wafers. A conventional technique of this kind is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2-13459 (Japanese application No. 60-243025, filed on Oct. 31, 1985, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 61-295635, layed open on Dec. 26, 1986, corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,633, 893, U.S. Ser. No. 747894 filed in the United States in Jun. 24, 1985). Referring to FIG. 1, a wafer treatment apparatus described in the document includes a wafer treatment bath 101, and a treatment solution supplying unit 104 for supplying a treatment solution 102 into wafer treatment bath 101.
Treatment solution supplying unit 104 includes a treatment solution drawing line 103 communicating with a treatment solution input port of wafer treatment bath 101, and chemical agent containers 106A-106D communicating with treatment solution drawing line 103 through chemical agent supplying lines 107A-107D and chemical agent introducing valves 108A-108D on the upstream of wafer treatment bath 101 for containing plural kinds of chemical agents Q.sub.A - Q.sub.D.
Etching agents such as hot sulfuric acid and hydrogen fluoride, or demineralized water, for example, are contained in chemical agent containers 106A-106D.
Wafer treatment bath 101 can be hermetically closed except for an inlet port and an outlet port for treatment solution. The outlet port communicates with drain 111.
Referring to FIG. 1A, wafers W are loaded in a cassette 51 and carried into wafer treatment bath 101 to be subjected to surface treatment. A space for accommodating a plurality of wafers W is formed inside cassette 51. Groves 52 for holding edges of wafers W are formed on side portions of the space.
The conventional apparatus shown in FIG. 1 operates as follows. Before treatment, cassette 51 in which wafers W are provided is carried into wafer treatment bath 101. Wafer treatment bath 101 is hermetically closed. Selectively controlling respective chemical agent introducing valves 108A-108D to open or close the same, desired chemical agents Q.sub.A - Q.sub.D are introduced into treatment solution drawing line 103. The introduced chemical agents are mixed and flow into wafer treatment bath 101. The surface of wafer W is treated with the flowing treatment solution. The treatment solution flows from the inlet to the outlet of wafer treatment bath 101 and let out into drain 111 from the outlet.
When the position of the treatment solution is to be changed in the course of the treatment, states of chemical agent introducing valves 108A-108D are selectively changed. In this case, the treatment solution in which the composition is changed flows into wafer treatment bath 101 following the treatment solution before the change and smoothly displace the same from wafer treatment bath 101. In the document, it is described that this is because a plug flow of the treatment solution is formed in wafer treatment bath 101.
After finishing the wafer treatment, chemical agent introducing valves 108A-108D are all closed. The treatment bath 101 is emptied. A wafer take-out port not shown provided in treatment bath 101 is opened and cassette 51 is taken out.
According to the conventional apparatus, when treatment solution 102 in treatment bath 101 is to be replaced with another treatment solution, the replacement can be completed in a short time. Accordingly, rapid surface treatment can be performed. Also, in substituting treatment solution 102 in bath 101, it is not necessary to draw all the treatment solution 102 from bath 101. Accordingly, wafers W never touch the air during treatment, so that troubles such as formation of an oxidized film on its surface will not occur.
However, the conventional apparatus still has the following problems to be solved. In this apparatus, quantities of chemical agents introduced into treatment solution 103 may fluctuate according to the fluctuations of the inner pressure in chemical agent containers 106A-106D and quantities of chemical agents remaining inside when introducing chemical agents Q.sub.A - Q.sub.D into treatment solution drawing line 103. Accordingly, demineralized water and chemical agents can not be precisely proportioned so that good surface treatment may not be applied to wafers W.
The conventional apparatus also has other problems to be solved as described below. Wafer treatment bath 101 is hermetically closed during treatment. Accordingly, it is necessary to draw all the treatment solution 102 from treatment bath 101 when loading wafers W into treatment bath 101 before treatment and taking out the same therefrom after the treatment. Furthermore, an outlet port must be provided in wafer treatment bath 101 and a mechanism is required for automatically opening and closing the outlet port when all the treatment solution is drawn out of bath 101. Such a mechanism is so complex that the process of manufacturing the apparatus and the method of operating the same become unnecessarily complex. The time required before and after the treatment also increases and the surface treatment of wafers is not conducted rapidly enough.
Also, the surfaces must be rapidly dried after surface treatment using the conventional apparatus. Accordingly, there has been a great demand for a system capable of integrally performing these works.

Apparatus and system for treating surface of a wafer by dipping the same in a treatment solution and a gate device for chemical agent used in the apparatus and the system


An electric multi-pencil sharpener includes an entering pencil vase, a sending mechanism, a hustling mechanism, a sharpening mechanism, and an exit pencil vase. The entering pencil vase includes a pushing mechanism for pushing pencils. The hustling mechanism is for clamping pencils to take the pencils into or out of the sharpening mechanism. The sharpening mechanism is for sharpening the pencils. The exit pencil vase has an exit mechanism. The sending mechanism connects the pushing mechanism, the hustling mechanism, and the exit mechanism, to move the pencils from the pushing mechanism to the hustling mechanism and move the pencils sharpened by the sharpening mechanism to the exit mechanism.

The present invention relates to electronic pencil sharpeners, and particularly to an electric multi-pencil sharpener which can automatically and continuously sharpen pencils.
Currently, a traditional electric pencil sharpener includes a motor, a transmission mechanism, and a sharpening mechanism. When a pencil is inserted into the electric pencil sharpener, the transmission mechanism driven by the motor drives the sharpening mechanism to work, and a cutter of the sharpening mechanism rotates to automatically sharpen the pencil. However, such pencil sharpener is incapable of sharpening pencils continuously. The pencils must be replaced one by one by operators, which is inefficient.
What is needed is to provide an electric multi-pencil sharpener that automatically continues to sharpen pencils.

Yurisheng Electronic (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd


A system is described for servicing a full cache line in response to a partial cache line request. The system includes a storage to store at least one cache line, a hit/miss detector, and a data mover. The hit/miss detector receives a partial cache line read request from a requesting agent and dispatches a fetch request to a memory device to fetch a full cache line data that contains data requested in the partial cache line read request from the requesting agent. The data mover loads the storage with the full cache line data returned from the memory device and forwards a portion of the full cache line data requested by the requesting agent. If data specified in a subsequent partial cache line request from the requesting agent is contained within the full cache line data specified in the previously dispatched fetch request, the hit/miss detector will send a command to the data mover to forward another portion of the full cache line data stored in the storage to the requesting agent. In one embodiment, the system also includes a write combining logic to combine two or more consecutive write requests that meet defined conditions into a single write request.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer systems, and in particular, to a method and a corresponding system for servicing memory access requests.
2. Description of the Related Art
In computer systems, instructions and data required by a requesting agent (e.g., processor or an input/output (I/O) device) may be retrieved from a main memory or other storage device. However, the latency involved with retrieving information from the main memory can impose a burden on system performance. To improve system performance, prefetching techniques may be implemented to prefetch instructions/data into a faster memory device prior to the time the instruction/data is requested by the requesting agent. In some implementations, the faster memory device may be located external to the requesting agent so that the faster memory device can be loaded without effecting the bandwidth of a bus coupling the requesting agent to the rest of the computer system.
Typically, processors are configured to implement cache line size transfers. Due to demand for faster and more powerful computer systems, processors capable of supporting a larger cache line size are being developed and produced. For example, some conventional processors are configured to support 32-byte cache lines, while some recently developed processors are capable of supporting 64-byte cache lines. Components of a computer system such as I/O devices may be configured to support a certain cache line size.
Situations may arise in which the cache line size supported by a computer component is different from the cache line size supported by a processor, resulting in a cache line size mismatch. For example, a computer component (e.g., I/O controller, I/O devices) may be configured to implement a certain cache line size transfer (e.g., 32 bytes), perhaps, because it was developed for use with a processor supporting a 32 byte cache line scheme. If such component is coupled to a processor utilizing a larger cache line size (e.g, 64 bytes), partial cache line memory requests (e.g., 32 byte data request) from such component may result in additional snoop requests occurring on the processor bus due to mismatch in cache line sizes, wasting the processor bus bandwidth and reducing overall system performance.

Method and system for servicing cache line in response to partial cache line request


In a secondary cell charging apparatus and secondary cell charging method, an internal power supply circuit of a personal computer is used as a power supply for performing a charging operation on a secondary cell. The personal computer uses a charging processing operation program and displays information relating to the charging operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a charging apparatus and a charging method, and more specifically to a novel, next-generation charging apparatus and charging method for secondary cells requiring charging.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, there has arisen an urgent need for the development of a charging apparatus or charging method for efficiently executing charging processing of a secondary cell.
More specifically, while at present a huge number of secondary cells are used in a wide range of fields, because there is no simple, efficient charging apparatus or method available, secondary cells which can still be charged are treated as if they are secondary cells that cannot be charged, there being an increasingly large number of such secondary unutilized secondary cells to be found in homes, resulting in not only worsening environmental problems, but also a great amount of waste and increase in cost.
In the past, equipment manufacturers made products that could not be used unless the secondary cells therein were charged by a charger, designing equipment that encompassed the characteristics of the secondary cell to be used, thereby forcing consumers to purchase a charger as part of the product.
For this reason, consumers themselves unconsciously came to think of the charger as being part of the product, so that even if better batteries or chargers were to be available on the market, there was absolutely no effort made to correct the mistaken impression of consumers that these would be an added expenses, and that only the batteries and charger provided by the manufacturer could be considered proper components that could enable them to avail themselves of the maximum performance, so that in the extreme cases batteries and chargers were considered inviolable holy cows, with all second-source batteries and chargers considered inferior by comparison, these concepts controlling the minds of consumers.
The only exception to the above-noted situation is that which occurs when a single primary cell of a toy, a flashlight or a TV terminal or the like becomes depleted, in which case the users gets by with another battery purchased at a supermarket or appliance store.
The most common typical example of the current situation is that of cellular telephones, the reason for this being that sealed battery covers of the slide-in type are common in the field of secondary cells, the secondary cell being housed therewithin. It is not even possible for the consumer to open the sealed secondary cell cover, and even if a second source battery maker were to manufacture a good secondary cell, it would be nearly impossible to accommodate hundreds of different types of cellular telephone covers, not to mention the fact that cellular telephone manufacturers continue to introduce new models to the market every three months, making it impossible to keep up with manufacturing of secondary cell covers to accommodate the constantly appearing new models of cellular telephones.
Large-capacity electrical tools also fall into this category.
Given the above-described situation, nickel-hydrogen secondary cells that should be able to tolerate more 1000 charges and nicad batteries that should be able to tolerate over 1500 charges are no longer able to hold their capacity after just 200 or 300 charges, thereby forcing consumers to replace relatively high-cost pack batteries prematurely.
The main reason for this is that the a charging method developed more than 40 years ago, this being the negative delta V method, in which overcharging, which is the most severe treatment of secondary cells, inevitably occurs is used in the chargers provided by all manufacturers. The resulting overcharging causes a breakdown of the chemical function with in the secondary cell, so that at 200 to 300 charges the consumer is forced to spend a high amount of money to replace the secondary cell.
In a negative delta V charging system of the past, nicad and particularly nickel-hydrogen charging requires as long a time as 2 hour and 30 minutes, and even after this charging discharging tests on nickel-hydrogen batteries of typical Japanese manufacturers reveals no more than 60% or 75% charge ratio, and it is not possible to expect 100% charge ratio.
In particular in the case in which there is, for example, 25% of capacity remaining in a battery, the ideal method for increasing the charging ratio is to achieve a 100% discharge, so as to bring the battery to the 0% charge level, and then perform charging. Unless this is done, it is almost impossible with negative delta V charging to raise the charge of the battery from the residual charge of 25%, that is to raise the charge level from 26% to 100%. This being the case, if the discharging time is 1 hour, a charging time of 3 hours is necessary, this representing a considerable disadvantage to a user wishing to quickly charge the battery.
The above situation is caused by the "memory effect," which is a characteristic of nicad and nickel-hydrogen batteries.
In the case of an electric drill, of course, unless the battery can be charged completely in approximately 10 minutes, it would be necessary for an electrical worker to carry five or six electric drills with fully charged batteries. Recently, however, if slight battery damage is allowed, rechargeable electric drills with a charging rate of 6 C (10 minutes) have become available. These products, however, make a high-cost switching regulator type power supply in order to source a high current at one time an essential part, so that such electric drills that can be charged in 10 minutes must be priced at approximately 40,000 yen or higher for retail sale.
Because of overheating of the secondary cells that are used, replacement is necessary after approximately 100 charges.
What is most required when performing charging is a charging method that is suited to the characteristics of the battery or battery pack at the time of charging.
This is easy to express in words, but in reality (1) the characteristics and internal resistances of batteries of various battery manufacturers are mutually different, (2) there are differences in charging characteristics of batteries of even the same manufacturer, (3) if a battery or battery pack is left unused for a long period of time, in the case of an absolutely new battery there are a great many cases in which the battery is almost entirely unactivated (unformed), and such batteries must be activated when being charged, and (4) in particular in the case of a battery pack formed by 4 or 6 single cells connected in series, if just one of the cells is unformed or faulty, it is almost impossible to achieve the desired battery capacity.
A charging method for a secondary cell that reliably solves the numerous above-noted problems is a pre-requisite as a next-generation secondary cell charging method.
The present invention is directed not only at educating consumers with regard to the various above-described problems, but also at removing the above-noted problems by operating a PC, a device which is highly accessible to today's consumers, thereby providing an ideal method of charging, thereby providing consumers with a significant social advance.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention, to improve on the above-noted drawbacks in the prior art, to provide a charging apparatus and a charging method capable of reliably achieving full charging of a prescribed secondary cell in a short period of time and using a simple apparatus. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a charging apparatus and charging method which, by extending the life of a secondary cell, can solve both environmental and resource problems, and which can execute charging processing of a secondary cell, making easy use of a home-use PC(PC) in an interactive manner.

Method and apparatus for charging a rechargeable battery


Roller conditioning sheet and a method for conditioning roller conveyors in an office machine are disclosed. The roller conditioning sheet is impregnated with a liquid conditioning material that contains at least 30 weight percent of tri-ethylene glycol. The liquid conditioning material may further contain at least 20 weight percent of methoxy-ethanol. The roller conditioning sheet of the present invention not only conditions the cover material on roller conveyors, may also serve a cleaning function for the roller conveyors. The roller conditioning sheet is impregnated with a liquid conditioning material and then protected from evaporation by cover sheets such as plastic or wax paper.

Roller conveyors are widely used in handling sheet stocks in the materials handling industry. Roller conveyors are used for moving sheets from one location to another such that the sheets can be chemically processed, i.e. printing by ink or fixing images by thermal reaction.
In a conventional office environment, roller conveyors are widely used in office machines such as computer printers, fax machines, copy machines, image scanners and various products that combine such uses. For instance, roller conveyors may be included as a part of a series of rollers that are rotatably supported on a rigid frame structure in one of those office machines. Roller conveyors are generally constructed in an elongated cylindrical-shaped body that is rotatably mounted between a pair of frame rails. The cylindrical-shaped roller body may be fixed to a rigid support shaft that extends between the frame rails, and most likely, supported by low-friction bearings mounted in the frame rails. In order to impart the necessary frictional or gripping capability of the roller conveyors, the conveyors are normally provided with a layer of a cover material on the outer surface of the cylindrical-shaped roller body. The layer of the cover material can be provided in rubber, urethane or other flexible and resilient materials in order to avoid damages to the objects being conveyed by the roller conveyor, i.e. such as paper, and moreover, to assist in the frictional movement of the objects by the rollers.
Irrespective of the type of flexible material used in the roller cover, the outermost contact surface of the cover material frequently becomes hardened due to the continuous conveying motion and the continuous contact with the objects conveyed in a hostile environment of high heat and low humidity. As a result, the roller conveyors gradually loose their frictional or gripping capability for transporting objects between the rollers and thus, renders the office machine disabled in performing its function. Instead of replacing the roller conveyors at a high cost, it is desirable to have a method for restoring the cover material on a roller conveyor to its original flexibility and resiliency.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and a method for restoring the flexibility and resiliency of a cover material on a roller conveyor.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a roller conditioning sheet and a method for using the sheet for conditioning an aged cover material on a roller conveyor such that its flexibility and resiliency are restored.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a roller conditioning sheet that conditions and cleans the outermost surface of a cover material on a roller conveyor and a method for conditioning and cleaning a roller.

Roller conditioning sheet and method thereof


A multivariable sensing device for sensing one or more parameters of a process fluid disposed in a container is provided. The multivariable sensing device includes a radio frequency based sensor configured to sense a physical parameter, a chemical parameter, a biological parameter, or combinations thereof, representative of the process fluid. The radio frequency based sensor includes a sensor substrate, a radio frequency coil disposed on at least a portion of the sensor substrate, and a support structure configured to be physically coupled to the container. Further, the support structure is configured to position the radio frequency based sensor in operative proximity to an inside of the container.

The invention relates to sensing devices, and more particularly to multivariable sensing devices.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are widely employed for automatic identification of objects (e.g. animals, garments, etc.) and monitoring and detection of containers (such as, unauthorized access to contents of containers). Generally, RFID readers are used to obtain digital data from the RFID tags for such automatic identification. Digital data may include, for example, digital identification of the tag, or any other information written and/or stored in a memory chip of the RFID tags. The RFID tags transmit electromagnetic signals at different relative levels of transmitted power at different times. Signals received by the RFID reader in combination with the transmitted relative power levels of the received signals from the RFID tags are employed to locate the RFID tags, and read the digital identification information from the RFID tags (e.g., from a memory chip or a back-reflector structure of a RFID tag).
Further, radio frequency based sensors are used for sensing physical, chemical and biological constituents in a sample. Moreover, the radio frequency based sensors are cost-effective, and easy to incorporate in a component or a system for measuring physical, chemical or biological constituents of the component or the system. Typically, analog or sensor data from the radio frequency based sensors is read using an impedance reader. Further, the sensor data is read with the help of a pick-up coil that is integral part of the radio frequency based sensor.

Disposable multivariable sensing devices having radio frequency based sensors


Described is a technology by which machines of a (typically small) network have associated public key-based certificates for use in authentication with a server and validation of other machines in the network. This provides an inexpensive and straightforward mechanism to control, manage and maintain client machines, as well as to allow valid client machines to securely communicate with one another and recognize machines that are not valid on the network. Certificates are maintained on the server and checked for validity as needed.

Small computer networks such as found in small businesses or homes typically do not have the facilities of larger networks, e.g., based upon technology such as domains, Active Directory® and so forth. Further, the machines in small networks may run on various platforms, including operating systems from different vendors and/or having different versions, and may be of different types (e.g., laptops, personal computers, smartphones and other devices).
As a result, concepts such as authentication that facilitate control, management, maintenance and the like of the network's machines are not straightforward to implement in a small network. What is desirable is a solution for providing a unified way to authenticate machines as valid and trusted, such as to control, manage and maintain a machine of basically any platform in the local network or Internet, and to facilitate trusted communication between machines.


Systems and methods to analyze blood or other fluid sample. The systems and methods utilize bi-directional magnetic forces to push or pull a magnetic object along a post in a chamber housing the fluid sample both before and after clot initiation has been implicated. The magnetic object can be threadably connected to the post. In other embodiments, the chamber is configured such that the magnetic object does not rotate but only slides along the post. Once a clot has been detected, the washer can be moved either up or down to apply either compressive force or strain within the clot, as desired, to evaluate elastic properties or firmness of the clot.

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods of detecting and assessing changes in viscosity and viscoelasticity of a fluid sample (e.g., human blood) during a clot test.
The ability to detect changes in a property of a liquid that has been placed under the influence of a reagent that is capable of changing that property has great practical value. Changes in viscosity, translucence, color, electrical conductivity, optical density, chemical component concentration, and many other properties have been used in a wide variety of tests. For example, detection of changes in the viscosity of liquids such as blood, food products, and various other liquid compositions (e.g., industrial fluids, oil well injection fluids, etc.) form the basis of many very practical tests.
Indeed, the ability to detect changes in the viscosity of human blood can even have life and death consequences. This follows from the fact that a proper balance between normal hemostasis and coagulation or anticoagulation is absolutely essential in maintaining the integrity of the human circulatory system—and in stopping both external and internal bleeding. It is, however, sometimes necessary to modify the natural coagulation system, either by increasing or decreasing the rate of blood coagulation. During open heart surgery for example, a patient is usually supported by a heart/lung bypass machine that provides extracorporeal blood circulation while the heart is stopped. To prevent blood from clotting upon exposure to the bypass system, the patient is treated with high doses of heparin, a naturally occurring substance that significantly prolongs the clotting time of blood. When the time comes to remove the patient from the heart/lung bypass machine, however, it is desirable for the patient's blood to regain its normal coagulation characteristics so that it will again be able to clot and assist in healing incisions and stopping internal or external bleeding. This reversal of the effects of heparin is achieved by treating the patient's blood with an anticoagulant-reversing substance (e.g., protamine) capable of neutralizing heparin or other anticoagulating substances.
To successfully maintain anticoagulation during a surgical procedure, and neutralize the heparin at the conclusion of surgery, it is highly desirable to be able to quickly and accurately determine the concentration of heparin in the patient's blood. Unfortunately, since the activity of heparin varies significantly from batch to batch, and from patient to patient, these determinations cannot be made simply on the basis of the amount of heparin administered. Protamine also varies in potency from batch to batch and from patient to patient. Furthermore, protamine itself can act as an anticoagulant. Thus, for optimal reversal of a given heparin action, it is essential to use only that amount of protamine that will directly neutralize the amount of active heparin in a particular patient's blood.
Such reversals of a heparin action are detected by dose-response tests which measure changes in blood clotting time in response to differing doses of anticoagulant in order to determine the correct dose of anticoagulant for a particular patient. Clotting time or activated clotting time tests are used to determine whether a patient's blood has achieved the desired level of anticoagulation. Heparin/protamine (anticoagulant/neutralizer) titration tests have been developed to provide accurate determinations of heparin (anticoagulant) levels. Such tests are based on measuring the time necessary for the blood to coagulate. Consequently, these titration tests measure coagulation time as an empirical measure of blood viscosity.
Optimal hemostasis management in cardiac surgery not only requires careful dosing and monitoring of anticoagulant, such as heparin, it is also important to monitor platelet function and other clotting factors, such as fibrinogen. Platelet dysfunction is believed to be the primary cause of excessive microvascular bleed following cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Activated platelet exert contractile force, when allowed to interact with polymerizing fibrin, they significantly increase its tensile strength. While the measurement of clotting time can be achieved by measuring blood viscosity change, the measurement of blood clot tensile strength change is best achieved by blood elasticity change.
By way of example only, U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,209 to Braun, Sr. et al. ("the '209 patent") discloses apparatus and methods for detecting changes in human blood viscosity through use of cartridges that, in conjunction with a test apparatus, are used to detect changes in blood viscosity. Heparinized blood is introduced into the cartridge through an injection port and fills the blood receiving/dispensing reservoir. The blood then moves from the reservoir through at least one conduit into at least one blood-receiving test chamber where it is subjected to a viscosity test. In this test, a freely movable ferromagnetic object is placed within the blood-receiving test chamber. The ferromagnetic object is moved up by an electromagnet in the test apparatus and falls via gravitational pull. Changes in the viscosity of the blood through which the ferromagnetic object falls are detected by determining the position of the ferromagnetic object in the blood-receiving test chamber over a given time period or a given number of rises and falls of the ferromagnetic object. The incoming blood sample can be mixed with a blood viscosity altering agent (e.g., protamine) as it passes through the conduit to the blood-receiving test chamber. Any air in the fluid communication system in front of the incoming blood sample is vented through an air vent/fluid plug device. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,613,286 to Braun, Sr. et al. discloses a related apparatus having constructed passages for increasing the velocity of the fluid flow though said constricted passage and thereby more thoroughly mixing the liquid (blood) and a reagent.
The present disclosure provides improvements generally related to the above.

Systems and methods for controlling bi-directional forces for clot assessment