The present invention provides a process for the preparation of 6-[(substituted)phenyl]-triazolopyrimidine dicarboxylic acid salt and as a hydrated salt having the structural formula (I)

There is still a need in the art for cytotoxic agents for use in cancer therapy. In particular, there is a need for cytotoxic agents which inhibit or treat the growth of tumors which have an effect similar to paclitaxel and interfere with the process of microtubule formation. Additionally, there is a need in the art for agents which accelerate tubulin polymerization and stabilize the assembled microtubules.
Antimicrotubule drugs are a major category of anticancer agents (Rowinsky, E. K., and Tolcher, A. W. Antimicrotubule agents. In: V. T. Devita, Jr., S. Hellman, and S. A. Rosenberg (eds.), Cancer Principles and Practice, Ed. 6, pp. 431-452. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2001). Antimicrotubule drugs work by interfering with the function of cellular microtubules, particularly the mitotic spindle. The disruption of normal spindle function leads to apoptotic cell death.
Many tumors are inherently resistant (e.g., colon tumors) or become resistant after multiple cycles of treatment, at least in part due to the expression of drug transporters located in cancer cell membranes that pump the drugs out of cells and thereby decrease their efficacy (Gottesman, M. M. Mechanisms of cancer drug resistance. Annu. Rev. Med., 53: 615-627, 2002). The best known of these transporters is P-glycoprotein. Accordingly, there is a need for new agents with taxane-like effects on microtubule polymerization that are not substrates of P-glycoprotein or other such pumps and that therefore will overcome this cause of taxane resistance in patients.
It is an advantage to provide new compounds which provide a method of treating or inhibiting cell proliferation, neoplastic growth and malignant tumor growth in mammals by administering compounds which have paclitaxel like anticancer activity. It is an additional advantage to provide new compounds which provide a method for treating or inhibiting growth of cancerous tumors that express multiple drug resistance (MDR) or are resistant because of MDR. It is an additional advantage to provide new compounds which provide a method of treating or inhibiting the growth of cancerous tumors in a mammal with inherent or acquired resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and in particular antimitotic agents.
Accordingly, while there is ongoing research for new clinical candidates there is also a search for new and improved methods of preparation of those selected clinical candidates.
Described in WO 02/02563 A2 is the use of triazolopyrimidines having the structural formula
in cancer therapy, and in particular as microtubule agents. Previously described in U.S. Pat. Nos.: 5,593,996; 5,756,509; 5,948,783; 5,981,534; 5,612,345; 5,994,360; 6,020,338; 5,985,883; 5,854,252; 5,808,066; 5,817,663; 5,955,252; 5,965,561; 5,986,153; 5,750,766; 6,117,876; 6,297,251 and International Publication Numbers: WO98/46607; WO98/46608; WO99/48893; WO99/41255; EPO 834513A2; EPO 782997A2; EPO550113B1; FR2784381A1; EPO 989130A1; WO98/41496; WO94/20501; EPO 945453A1; EPO 562615A1; EP 077065 and EPO 562615B1 are the methods of preparation and the use of the above triazolopyrimidines in agriculture as fungicides.
Described in copending application No. 60/505,544, filed Sep. 24, 2003 is a series of 6-[(substituted)phenyl]-triazolopyrimidine compounds having the structural formula
which are microtubule inhibitors and useful in the treatment of cancer.
Often, a process which works in the laboratory is not practical for large-scale preparations. In particular, the reported synthesis of 5,7-dichloro-6-(substituted-phenyl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine prepared by cyclization of 2-(substituted-phenyl)-malonic acid diethyl ester with 1-amino-2,3,5-triazole is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,876 and further described in EP 0 770 615 A1 and EP 0 770 615 B1 where 6-(substituted-phenyl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine-5,7-diol is formed and chlorinated by reaction with phosphorus oxychloride to give 5,7-dichloro-6-(substituted-phenyl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine. While the described series of steps may be completed on a small scale in a single vessel, the addition of chlorinating reagent, phosphorous oxychloride at 130° C. following removal of ethanol by distillation, is difficult to perform in large-scale preparations. Further the above described process is limited to small-scale synthesis because the resulting product as an oil is difficult to purify.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,986,135 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,876 describe a method for the preparation of [5-chloro-6-(substituted-phenyl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-yl]-((1S)-2,2,2-trifluoro-1-methyl-ethyl)-amine, through amination of 5,7-dichloro-6-(substituted-phenyl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine with (S)-2,2,2-trifluoro-1-methyl-ethylamine. The method however is not entirely satisfactory because an oily intermediate, which lacks a practical method of purification, is formed when preparing the 5,7-dichloro-6-(substituted-phenyl)-[1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidine and further the subsequent reaction with (S)-2,2,2-trifluoro-1-methyl-ethylamine is performed.
Clearly there is need to provide a new process for the preparation of 6-[(substituted)phenyl]-triazolopyrimidine compounds which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art processes. In particular, there is a need for a process to prepare purified crystalline 6-[(substituted)phenyl]-triazolopyrimidine compounds.
Further there is a need to provide a new process which in comparison with those described in the above mentioned art represents a significant advance over the art.
In light of the usefulness of the triazolopyrimidine compounds in cancer therapy, there is a need to develop simpler and milder methods for their preparation.

Process for the preparation of tubulin inhibitors

Abstract: wherein:    R1 is CF3 or C2F5;    R2 is H or C1-C3 alkyl;    n is an integer of 2, 3, or 4;    X is Cl or Br;    R3 and R4 are each independently H or C1-C3 alkyl; or    R3 and R4 when optionally taken together with the nitrogen atom to which each is attached form a 4 to 6 membered saturated heterocyclic ring having 1-2 nitrogen atoms and 0-1 oxygen atoms or 0-1 sulfur atoms, and optionally substituted with R5;    R5 is C1-C3 alkyl;wherein the dotted line is an optional bond.


One example of a toy system includes a first body, at least one accessory having an activation feature, at least one mechanism adapted to alter the first body, and a first sensor adapted to sense the activation feature and to activate selectively the at least one mechanism when the activation feature is sensed. The body may include first and second body elements that are moveable relative to each other, a drive element, and a sensor mounted relative to the body and adapted to be activated by a user. The second body element may also have a characteristic that is changeable. A first mechanism may have a plurality of operative states, and a function may be controlled based on the operating state.

The present disclosure relates generally to a toy with a body-altering feature, such as a doll that includes one or more telescoping body sections, and/or electronics that modify speech or other simulated behavior, for example, to simulate physical and/or emotional changes in the doll, or for other purposes.
In recent years animation in children's toys has become very popular. Animated toys include a system for generating motion, typically driven by small rotating motors that connect to gears, pulleys or levers. Some animation systems also include electronics for controlling the animation, and for controlling speech. Examples of such toys, including those in which the animation or controlled speech simulates growing or maturation of the doll, are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,741,870; 2,789,393; 3,535,818; 3,670,451; 3,691,679; 3,694,957; 3,698,134; 3,812,613; 4,170,085; 4,246,722; 4,259,807; 4,622,021; 4,801,286; 4,828,528; 5,029,214; 5,067,924; 5,116,277; 5,125,865; 5,129,853; 5,376,038; 5,415,580; 5,507,678; 6,048,209; 6,139,397; 6,149,490; 6,244,926; 6,413,142; PCT patent publications WO0044461 and WO02009834; and in the 1995 toy "Clever Cutie" by Irwin Toys, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.


An apparatus includes a body. The body includes first and second clamping mechanisms that are configured to grip a tubular member of a beam pump unit at first and second axially-offset locations along the tubular member, respectively. The body also includes a base positioned at least partially between the first and second clamping mechanisms. The apparatus also includes a strain gauge coupled to the base and configured to measure a strain on the tubular member as the tubular member moves. The apparatus also includes a gyroscope configured to measure an orientation, an angular velocity, or both of the beam pump unit as the beam pump unit operates. The apparatus also includes an accelerometer configured to measure an acceleration of the beam pump unit as the beam pump unit operates.

Beam pumping is the most widely used type of artificial lift method for oil and gas wells. Typical methods for analyzing the performance of the beam pump unit are based on Gilbert's development of the beam pump dynamometer. Using those methods, the load on the polished rod is recorded graphically as a function of its travel to generate a chart that shows the work undertaken at the surface unit for each pump stroke.
With the advent of high-performance digital data acquisition systems, attention has been directed to a more complete analysis of the performance of the beam pump unit. However, traditional supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems generally have a large footprint at the wellsite, and rely on a costly field-level, local telecommunication infrastructure. In addition, such SCADA systems are oftentimes not compatible with computing systems used at the wellsite. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an improved system and method for analyzing the performance of a beam pump unit.

System and method for determining load and displacement of a polished rod


A data processing device which includes a conversion circuit and a pseudo random number generator including a series connection of plural shift registers. The conversion circuit receives a pseudo random number sequence from an output of one of the plural shift registers excluding a last shift register of the series connection, and converts first data to second data using the received pseudo random number sequence.

Embodiments of the present inventive concept relate to data processing technology, and more particularly, to a data processing device configured to generate a pseudo random number sequence and to a data processing method in which a pseudo random number sequence is generated.
Pseudo random number sequences are utilized in a wide variety of electronic/computer systems which process data, including communication systems and data storage systems. Typically, a pseudo random number sequence is generated using the output of a linear feedback shift register (LFSR). The sequence generated is dependent upon a state or "seed" of the LFSR. For example, a seed may dictate an operational feedback tap configuration of the LFSR. Different pseudo random number sequences can be generated by initializing the LFSR with difference seeds.
One use of pseudo random number sequences is the randomization of transmitted or stored data. Here, a randomizer device converts non-random (original) data into randomized data (for transmission or storage) using a pseudo random number sequence generated by the LFSR, and a de-randomizer device converts the randomized data back to the original non-random data using the same pseudo random number sequence generated by the LFSR.

Device and method for processing data including generating a pseudo random number sequence


In various embodiments, a method is provided. The method comprises obtaining a surgical tool configured to perform a surgical function, wherein the surgical tool comprises a firing member and a lockout, wherein an actuation movement of the firing member is configured to generate the surgical function, and wherein the lockout is configured to prevent the actuation movement of the firing member, engaging a test device with the surgical tool, permanently disabling the lockout while the test device is engaged with the surgical tool, and permanently preventing the surgical function while the test device is engaged with the surgical tool.

The embodiments relate, in general, to surgical sealing and severing tools, such as a surgical stapler or endocutter, and, more particularly, to a test device for such a surgical tool.
An endocutter is a surgical stapler instrument that is capable of applying lines of staples to tissue while cutting the tissue between those staple lines. Surgical staplers have been used in the field to simultaneously make a longitudinal incision in tissue and apply lines of staples on opposing sides of the incision. Such instruments commonly include a pair of cooperating jaw members that, if the instrument is intended for endoscopic or laparoscopic applications, are capable of passing through a cannula passageway. One of the jaw members receives a staple cartridge having at least two laterally spaced rows of staples. The other jaw member defines an anvil having staple-forming pockets aligned with the rows of staples in the cartridge. The instrument includes a plurality of reciprocating wedges which, when driven distally, pass through openings in the staple cartridge and engage drivers supporting the staples to effect the firing of the staples toward the anvil.
An example of a surgical stapler suitable for endoscopic applications is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication. No. 2004/0232196 A1, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, which advantageously provides distinct closing and firing actions. Thereby, a clinician is able to close the jaw members upon tissue to position the tissue prior to firing. Once the clinician has determined that the jaw members are properly gripping tissue, the clinician can then fire the surgical stapler, thereby severing and stapling the tissue. The simultaneous severing and stapling avoids complications that may arise when performing such actions sequentially with different surgical tools that respectively only sever or staple.
It is often advantageous to build an end effector for the surgical stapler that is reusable. For instance, one patient may need a series of severing and stapling operations during a surgical procedure. Replacing an entire end effector for each operation during the procedure tends to be economically inefficient. This is especially true if the end effector is built to be strong and reliable over repeated operations. To that end, staple cartridges are fitted into the end effector prior to each operation of the surgical stapler. Thus, a much smaller amount of the surgical stapler is discarded after each use.
Further, while the staple cartridge provides numerous advantages, it is desirable to prevent inadvertent firing of the surgical stapler when an unfired staple cartridge is not present. Otherwise, the severing of tissue may occur without the staples present to minimize bleeding and/or leaking. Accordingly, some surgical staplers are equipped with a lockout mechanism to prevent firing unless an unfired staple cartridge is present. Exemplary surgical staplers including a lockout mechanism may include those described in the following documents, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their respective entireties: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/441,424, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SINGLE LOCKOUT MECHANISM FOR PREVENTION OF FIRING, (which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,044,352); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/441,565, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SPENT CARTRIDGE LOCKOUT, (which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,649); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/687,503, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING A SINGLE LOCKOUT MECHANISM FOR PREVENTION OF FIRING, (which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,380,695); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/066,371, entitled SURGICAL STAPLING INSTRUMENT HAVING AN ELECTROACTIVE POLYMER ACTUATED SINGLE LOCKOUT MECHANISM FOR PREVENTION OF FIRING, (which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,140,528); U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/266,961, entitled LOCKOUT MECHANISMS AND SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS INCLUDING SAME, (which published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0102475); and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/651,788, entitled INTERLOCK AND SURGICAL INSTRUMENT INCLUDING SAME, (which published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0167670).
The foregoing discussion is intended only to illustrate the present field and should not be taken as a disavowal of claim scope.


A memory integrated circuit includes a memory cell array, data lines 211 for transferring data to and from the memory cell array, data storage circuitry 200 coupled between the memory cell array and the data lines, and programmable circuitry 202, 206, 208 coupled to the data storage circuitry and responsive to control inputs and a clock signal for releasing data in the data storage circuitry. In further embodiments, the data storage circuitry includes a latch and the programmable circuitry includes circuitry for counting a predetermined number of cycles of the clock signal prior to releasing data in the data storage circuitry. The integrated circuit may also include circuitry 302 for transferring data to or from said array in a burst comprising a plurality of data bits.

Dynamic random access memory circuits (DRAMs) are used in computers and other electronic machines needing temporary storage of data. These circuits have advantages over other types of memory circuits in that they provide the greatest density of memory cells for a given area of semiconductor, a low relative cost-per-bit of stored data, and relatively high speed. DRAMs have increased in both size and in operating speed to match the demands of system designers using modem microprocessors, which often have clock rates in excess of 100 MHz. Indeed, with each new generation of DRAM, the number of memory cells on the integrated circuit increases by a factor of four. In an effort to accommodate systems that demand more and faster data, the industry has turned to DRAMs that synchronize the transfer of data, addresses, and control signals with a clock signal, one that is typically tied to the microprocessor if the system is a computer.
While it is desirable to tie the functioning of the memory to an external clock to speed data transfer and synchronize data input and output, the array access complexity and routing parasitics due to the size of the circuits that must be accessed to store or retrieve data in a DRAM make it difficult for the memory circuit to respond on every cycle of a high-frequency clock. A solution to this problem is to allow for memory operation delay by a given number of cycles, but eventually have the memory store or retrieve data on the clock cycle as desired by the system designer. This delay in synchronous DRAMs is referred to as "latency." It is a common design practice for the latency of the memory circuit to be selectable by the system designer, typically in increments of 1, 2, 3, or 4 clock cycles, depending upon the operating frequency of the microprocessor upon which a computing system is based, for example.
The conventional method for implementing latency in memory circuits in the past has been to insert memory registers, similar to D-type flip-flops, in the input/output data paths. For example, if the system latency requirement is three system clock cycles for receiving read data, two registers are placed in each of the memory circuit's output data paths (the latency is three because during one cycle the data occupies a sense amplifier). For a system latency of two, only one register per data path is required. Latency in the write function is achieved through separate registers in the input data path. The memory circuit designer makes the latency selectable by providing circuitry that simply includes more registers in the data path to increase the latency of the memory circuit, or bypass a set of registers if less latency is achievable.
While conceptually simple, the circuitry for implementing the conventional latency scheme is cumbersome and occupies more die space than is desired. For example, each register requires approximately ten transistors for implementation. A memory circuit with 32 data lines, a four-cycle read latency, and a one-cycle write latency would require approximately 128 registers, or 1280 transistors, for implementation using the conventional approach. An added complication is that each data path on every die should be thoroughly tested prior to shipment to a customer. The large number of transistors involved in the latency circuitry certainly adversely affects the yield and increases the test time of DRAMs. These problems motivate the need for a new approach to memory circuit designs.


The invention relates to a catheter comprising a tube-like basic catheter body with a distal and a proximal end, and a balloon member arranged at the distal end. The basic catheter body has been made so as to be at least partially light-conductive, and comprises a light receiving section at the proximal end and a light-emitting section at the distal end.

The invention relates to a balloon catheter comprising in the usual manner a tube-like basic catheter body with a proximal and a distal end. A balloon member is arranged at the distal catheter end and a connecting member at the proximal end. A gas or liquid under pressure can be supplied to the balloon in order to expand the latter via the connecting member, for instance.
The balloon catheter according to the invention has a basic catheter body which is at least partially light-conductive, comprising a light-absorbing (receiving) section at the proximal end and a light-emitting section at the distal end. When treating a patient, light can be supplied from the light-absorbing section at the proximal end to the location of the distal end of the catheter, where it is emitted. There is in particular a need for this when placing a known stent made of a light-curable plastic material inside the patient. The folded or collapsed stent is manoeuvred, carried on the catheter, to the required position in the patient. Next, the stent is expanded and, in expanded state, is cured by means of light irradiation through the catheter. After the curing, the catheter is removed, and the stent remains in expanded state behind inside the patient, for instance in a blood vessel inside of which it has been fitted, in order to keep the blood vessel open.

Ballon catheter with light-conductive basic body


A drive arrangement for a switched output stage, such as an output stage of a gradient intensifier of a tomography apparatus has a pulse-width modulator and drive logic for producing at least two drive signals. The drive logic produces, for each drive signal, an edge of each on-phase pulse at a time made fixed corresponding to a time reference clock signal thereby allowing a fine adjustment of the on-phase of the power transistors of the switched output stage with low components costs, and a prescribed dead time between the individual on-phases is reliably adhered to.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a regulated inverter of the type having a switched output stage, as well as to a driver circuit therefor.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A drive arrangement of the above type suited for all switch output stages of regulated inverse rectifiers (inverters) in half-bridge or full-bridge circuitry, especially for inverse rectifiers wherein high powers must be regulated with extreme exactitude. This is primarily the case with gradient amplifiers in nuclear magnetic resonance tomography devices, however, such a drive arrangement is also applicable to inductive heating means in X-ray devices or for drive control of electromotors.
In the example of utilization in a gradient amplifier, with current on the order of magnitude of 300 A an alternating voltage is created on the order of magnitude of .+-.300 V by means of a bridge circuit. The amplifier must have such a high precision that the current conduction in the mA-range is adjustable. Therefore, the on-phases of the individual switching elements in the bridge circuit basically must be continuously varied as to their respective durations. For this reason, driving circuits of gradient amplifiers heretofore have been purely analog in their structure and operation, because an arbitrarily fine control of the switching time of the switching transistor is thereby permitted. A digital, purely clock-driven circuit is not realistically realizable by today's means, because clock frequencies in the GHz-range would be necessary in order to obtain the required fine time resolution.
Furthermore it is necessary for the driving circuit to insert dead time between the on-phases of the power transistors in a bridge-arm to avoid what is known as a bridge short circuit. Such dead times have been created in known drive circuits by an asynchronous monostable flip-flop in connection with locking logic. Such a circuit is shown in FIG. 2a of the article "Reliable Operation of MOSFETs in Bridge Circuits" by Hans R. Hassig and Patrick Zoller in the journal Elektronik, Volume 10/12 May 1989, pages 55-63.
This simple circuit, however, is not suitable for the much more critical application of a gradient amplifier. There, an analog circuit with a high components cost must be used. Besides, a costly adjustment of the monostable flip-flop is required.
German OS 43 00 981 discloses a drive of the general type described initially. A microcontroller is designed as a pulse-width modulator and creates drive signals (pulse sequences) in cooperation with a drive logic, each of whose on-phases are separated by a dead time. Since the microcontroller is clock-driven, the leading as well as the trailing edges of the pulses of the drive signals are created at fixed times.
The drive arrangement of German OS 43 00 981 disclosed for use for driving an inverse rectifier for a motor or transducer. This known circuit, however, is not suitable for very high-precision demands such as exist in gradient amplifiers. As already discussed, the clock frequency of the microcontroller would have to be in the GHz-range in order to achieve the necessary time resolution.
Likewise, a drive logic circuit is known from Japanese Application 5-276 792 which creates the leading as well as the trailing edges of drive signals at fixed times.

Regulated inverter having a switched output stage and driver circuit therefor


Embodiments of the invention include a microelectronic device that includes a substrate, at least one dielectric layer on the substrate and a plurality of conductive lines within the at least one dielectric layer. The microelectronic device also includes an air gap structure that is located below two or more of the plurality of conductive lines.

The current state of the art for semiconductor material interconnects is copper (Cu) conductive layers and low-k (low dielectric constant) ILD (inter-layer dielectric) films. A first metal layer routing incurs a largest parasitic capacitance between the metal transmission lines of the first metal layer and a substrate due to the close distance between the metal lines of the first metal layer and the substrate. A capacitance Cline between metal lines can be significantly less than the capacitance Csub between the metal lines of the first metal layer and the substrate.
Another prior art approach is silicon on insulator (SOI) technology that uses a layered silicon-insulator-silicon substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor manufacturing to reduce parasitic device capacitance. However, SOI technology is more complex and expensive to manufacture in comparison to a conventional silicon substrate and interconnect structure.

Microelectronic devices having air gap structures integrated with interconnect for reduced parasitic capacitances


A battery pack has a first housing including a first fastening portion and a first rib, and a second housing including a second fastening portion fastened to the first fastening portion and a second rib. The first rib is near the first fastening portion, and the second rib is between the first housing and the first rib.

A battery pack may be used in portable electronic devices such as a notebook computer, a personal digital assistance (PDA), and a camcorder. The battery pack may be manufactured by binding a plurality of bare cells as one unit. For example, the battery pack may include therein a plurality of secondary battery cells.


Systems and methods are provided to facilitate orientation of a plane with respect to a three-dimensional representation. A device is presented utilizing at least one of an accelerometer, gyroscope, or combination thereof, enabling determination of a current position and/or orientation of the device. Outputs from the accelerometer, gyroscope, etc., are captured and orientation of a plane displayed with regard to the three-dimensional representation is accordingly adjusted to correspond with the position of the device. Imaging information relating to the three-dimensional representation and the plane can be captured facilitating analysis of the respective slice of the three-dimensional representation associated with the plane.

A wealth of data is available facilitating the creation of digital representations having a seeming 3-Dimensional (3D) solidity. For example, in the field of medical imaging, digital data is captured from imaging systems such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, and the like, enabling a solid image representation to be rendered on a display device. During analysis of the data, a radiologist can, by means of a mouse, trackball, or other system, advance a plane through the digital representation, and at a desired point, a current plane or slice, can be reviewed. Hence, a radiologist, surgeon, or other medical personnel, can review images slices and compare the images with expected or anticipated results, unexpected results, etc., to facilitate detection of injury, broken limb, or an abnormality such as cancerous growth.
Typically a slice is moved through a 3D image (e.g., created from a data set generated by an imaging system) by employing an orthogonal coordinate system, where any point in a plane is uniquely represented by three orthogonal coordinates signing distances in relation to three mutually perpendicular axes, e.g., x, y, and z. In a conventional system, a plane is orientated in a 3D representation by selecting the position of the plane in any of three orthogonal 2D representations, e.g., a first representation along the x axis, a second representation along they axis, and a third representation along the z axis. Moving a plane in any of the three orthogonal representations results in a corresponding motion of the plane in the 3D representation. However, owing to employing any of the orthogonal 2D representations to facilitate selection and movement of a plane, for any given operation of selection/movement, the orientation of the plane is only effected in two dimensions in the 3D representation. Hence, orientation of a plane, particularly an oblique plane, can be awkward and time consuming.

Orientating an oblique plane in a 3D representation


A metal oxide semiconductor transistor comprising a first doping type substrate, an isolation layer, a plurality of gates, a masking layer, a gate oxide layer, a plurality of second doping type source/drain regions and spacers. The first doping type substrate has a plurality of trenches patterning out a plurality of first doping type strips. The isolation layer is disposed within the trenches. The gates is disposed over the first doping type strips and oriented in a direction perpendicular to the first doping type strips. The masking layer is disposed over the first doping type substrate. The gate oxide layer is disposed between the sidewall of the first doping type strips and the gate. The second doping type source/drain regions are disposed in the first doping type strip on each side of the gate. The spacers are disposed on the sidewalls of the gates and the first doping type strips.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated circuit device and manufacturing method thereof. More particularly, the present invention relates to a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor structure and manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the reduction of line width in metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) fabrication, leakage current in areas between the source and the drain away from the gate is increasingly significant. Although the leakage current can be reduced through a reduction in the thickness of the gate dielectric layer, it is no longer effective when the line width drops to 0.1 μm or below. To deal with this problem, Professor Chenming Hu of the University of California at Berkley has proposed two methods. The first method is to use an extremely thin first doping type semiconductor substrate to fabricate MOSFET so that the substrate no longer has an area away from the gate and hence a leakage current no longer exists. The second method is to use a double gate structure. A gate dielectric layer in the double gate structure surrounds the channel region so that the entire channel region is subjected to the influence of the gate electric field. Ultimately, the 'on' current of the device is increased and the leakage current is reduced.
A fin-type field effect transistor (FinFET) that combines the two aforementioned concepts is shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C. FIG. 1A is a top view of a conventional FinFET device. FIGS. 1B and 1C are schematic cross-sectional views along the cutting lines I–I′ and II–II′ in FIG. 1A. The fin-type field effect transistor is formed in the following steps. First, a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate 100 is provided. The silicon layer (not shown, but is a precursor of the layer labeled 120) on the insulation layer 105 has a thickness of about 100 nm. A thermal oxidation process is carried out to trim the silicon layer into one having a thickness of about 50 nm. Thereafter, a masking layer 110 fabricated from a low-temperature oxide (LTO) material is formed over the silicon layer. After that, a 100 KeV electron beam photolithographic and anisotropic etching process is carried out to define the hard masking layer 110 and the silicon layer. Hence, a fin-like silicon layer 120 having a width between 20 nm to 50 nm is formed. The narrowness of the silicon layer 120 can be seen in FIGS. 1A through 1C. Next, a polysilicon silicon-germanium (poly Si—Ge) layer (not shown, but is a precursor of the layers labeled 140 and 150) and a hard masking layer 130 fabricated from a low-temperature oxide material are sequentially formed over the substrate 100. The poly Si—Ge layer and the hard masking layer 130 are patterned to form a raised source 140 and a drain 150 having a thickness much larger than the fin-like silicon layer 120.
Thereafter, a silicon nitride layer (not shown, but is a precursor to the layer labeled 160) is formed over the SOI substrate 100 and then an anisotropic etching operation is carried out to form spacers 160. In the anisotropic etching operation, an over-etching operation is carried out after the silicon nitride layer on the hard masking 130 is completely removed. Thus, the thin silicon nitride layer on the sidewalls of the fin-like silicon layer 120 is completely removed while spacers 160 are retained on the sidewalls of the raised source 140 and drain 150 as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. Thereafter, the sidewalls of the fin-like silicon layer 120 are oxidized to form gate oxide layers 170. Another polysilicon silicon-germanium (not shown, but is the precursor to the layer labeled 180) is formed over the SOI substrate 100 filling the gap 190 between the spacers 160. After that, the polysilicon silicon-germanium layer is patterned to form a gate 180.
In the aforementioned method of fabricating the FinFET, an electron beam photolithographic process is used to define the fin-like silicon layer 120. Hence, the fin-like silicon layer 120 can be reduced to a width between 20 nm to 50 nm to prevent a leakage current. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C, the two sidewalls of the fin-like silicon layer 120 are designed to sense the electric field produced by the gate 180. Hence, the device can have a larger 'on' current. However, the devices need to be formed on an expensive silicon-on-insulator substrate, thereby increasing the production cost. Besides, the FinFET fabrication process involves some quite complicated steps.

Metal oxide semiconductor transistor and fabrication method thereof


Systems, devices and methods are provided for displaying statistical distributions of cardiac events. A device embodiment comprises circuitry adapted to communicate with a medical device that is adapted to acquire data regarding cardiac events occurring at two or more cardiac sites, and display means for displaying a histogram of the data as two or more statistical distributions for the two or more cardiac sites. The histogram includes a number of histogram bins. At least one of the histogram bins includes both a representation for at least a portion of a statistical distribution of a cardiac event for a first cardiac site and a representation for at least a portion of a statistical distribution of a cardiac event for a second cardiac site. Other embodiments are provided herein.

Medical devices, including cardiac stimulus devices such as implantable cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs), are surgically implanted within a patient. Cardiac stimulus devices have one or more electrical leads with one or more electrodes that conduct signals to and receive signals from the patient's heart. These lead(s) and their electrode(s) are placed in or around the heart. Each of the electrodes may be configured either to produce or pace a cardiac event, or to detect or sense an intrinsic cardiac event. Some medical devices record or otherwise collect these cardiac events.
A programming device or programmer communicates with the medical device through a communication link. The collected data regarding the paced and sensed cardiac events is transferred from the medical device to the programmer through the communication link. One example of a communication link is a telemetry link that provides means for commands and data to be non-invasively transmitted and received between the programmer and the device.
Medical devices collect more cardiac events at more cardiac sites as they provide more leads, electrodes per lead, and programming parameters for the leads. Thus, there is a greater need to present these cardiac events in a meaningful manner for comparison. For example, in the case of heart failure resynchronization, there is a need to determine how often a patient needs therapy and how often the patient is receiving therapy. Heart failure therapy relies on providing programmed paced cardiac events in a chamber or combination of chambers, and failure to deliver these programmed paces is viewed as therapy failure. It is important to provide the clinician with diagnostics that reveal the loss of therapy as well as the reason for the loss of therapy. Based on this information, the clinician attempts to optimize the operation of the medical device for a particular patient by adjusting programmable parameters in the medical device.
Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a system and method for displaying cardiac events in a meaningful manner.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

System and method for displaying a histogram of cardiac events


A completion system including a packer disposed in a wellbore and a tubular string having a bore therethrough configured to land into the packer. The tubular string includes an alignment sub, a seal assembly disposed below the alignment sub and having at least two longitudinal bores disposed through the seal assembly and offset from the bore of the tubular string. The tubular string also includes a sleeve sub disposed below the seal assembly, wherein the sleeve sub allows fluid communication between a bore of the tubular string and an annulus formed between the tubular string and the wellbore. The tubular string also includes at least two control lines operatively connected to the sleeve sub, wherein the at least two control lines are run through he at least two longitudinal bores of the seal assembly.

1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments disclosed here generally relate to a selective completion system for dry or wet tree well. In another aspect, embodiments disclosed herein relate to a method of producing oil from a dry tree well. Embodiments disclosed herein also related to a completion system for oil produced wells or water injection wells.
2. Background Art
The control of oil and gas production wells constitutes an on-going concern of the petroleum industry due, in part, to the enormous monetary expense involved, in addition to the risks associated with environmental and safety issues. Production well control has become particularly important and more complex due to the various environments and formations in which drilling is performed. There is a need for controlling zone production, isolating specific zones and otherwise monitoring each zone in a particular well. Flow control devices such as sliding sleeve valves, downhole safety valves, and downhole chokes are commonly used to control flow between the production tubing and the casing annulus. Such devices are used for zonal isolation, selective production, flow shut-off, commingling production, and transient testing.
In wells with multiple completion zones, valves are also used to isolate the different zones. Typically, during completion of multiple zone wells, a first zone is perforated using a perforating string to achieve communication between the wellbore and adjacent formation after which the zone may be completed (i.e., allow hydrocarbons to flow into the wellbore). If completion of a second zone is desired, a valve and packer may be used to isolate the first zone while the second zone completion operation proceeds. Additional valves may be positioned in the wellbore to selectively isolate one or more of the multiple zones.
In a selective zone completion where flow from each zone is provided and controlled individually, the individual zones are separated by flow tubes. These flow tubes may have to be passed through the valves in an upstream zone to access a downstream zone. To do so, the valves are opened; for example, if flapper valves are used, they are broken by applied pressure or some mechanical mechanism so that the equipment may pass through the upstream zone to the downstream zone. Once the flapper valve is broken; however, the upstream zone is unprotected and the well may start taking fluid until the equipment has been run to and set in the downstream zone. Because zones may be large distances apart (e.g., thousands of feet), the time for the equipment to traverse the distance between the zones may be long, especially if relatively sophisticated equipment such as those in intelligent completion systems are used.
During this time, fluid pressure from the first zone is monitored to detect sudden fluctuations in well pressure which may cause a blowout condition. If well control is required, such as by activation of a blowout preventer (BOP), closing the BOP on tubing which may have cables, flat packs, and hydraulic lines attached to the outer surface of the tubing may damage the attached components and the BOP may not seal properly.
To provide better fluid loss and well isolation control, a formation isolation dual valve (FIDV) may be used. In one example FIDV, a ball valve is used to isolate one zone and a sleeve valve is used to isolate another zone. In conjunction with an isolation packer, the FIDV provides protection for multiple zones while the upper portion of the completion string is being installed.
In a multi-zone wellbore, once an FIDV and associated components are installed, a flow control device may be run into the wellbore and installed above the FIDV to perform flow control of the two or more zones during production. However, installing a separate isolation device (e.g., FIDV) for fluid loss control and flow control device adds to the complexity of completion operations. Effectively, two sets of valves are used for each zone, one for isolation and the other for flow control. Installing the extra components adds to the time and costs of completing a well. In addition, the presence of extra components increases the likelihood that failure of some downhole component may occur, which would then require a work-over operation that typically includes pulling out the completion string, replacing the failed component, and re-installing the completion string. Such work-over operations are extremely expensive and time-consuming.
Various mechanisms may be used to control activation of downhole valves. Such mechanisms may be electrically-activated, pressure-activated, or mechanically-activated. Pressure activation may be accomplished by communicating pressure through production tubing or through one or more control lines running along side the tubing. However, once production of fluids starts, communication of a desired pressure through the tubing may not be possible. Control lines may be used instead. Conventionally, separate hydraulic control lines have been used for different flow control devices. The existence of multiple control lines downhole may make installation of a completion string more difficult and the risk of damage to the control lines may increase, which increases the costs associated with the operation of a well.
The completion systems described above are typically run in subsea systems where the life expectancy of the wells is approximately 15-20 years. The components used in these completion systems are typically very robust, and therefore expensive, such that the components can withstand the high temperatures and pressures associated with deepwater systems for a long life.
A need thus exists for a completion system that is reliable and economically efficient for producing oil from land wells with marginal production.

Selective completion system for downhole control and data acquisition


The present invention relates to a flexible pressure sensor using a multi-material 3D-printed microchannel mold, and a method for manufacturing the same. An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible pressure sensor using a multi-material 3D-printed microchannel mold, the flexible pressure sensor being formed by using a conductive liquid and an elastomer, having a microchannel formed therein, and having improved flexibility, sensitivity, and stability in comparison to the related art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a flexible pressure sensor using a multi-material 3D-printed microchannel mold, in which the flexible pressure sensor is manufactured by using the microchannel mold including microbumps, the microchannel mold being multi-material 3D-printed by using a sacrificial material and a hard material.

Health care and health monitoring mean measurement of vital signs naturally generated from the body of a human, such as a pulse, a blood pressure, and respiration, or monitoring of motions of a human such as a motion of a joint of a finger, a toe, or the like, a walk, and the like. With an increasing interest of people in health and welfare in modern society, investment and development of a technology that utilizes a wearable device for smoothly performing the health care and health monitoring have been actively made for industrial purposes and academic purposes.
A sensor capable of measuring various physical quantities such as a force, a pressure, and a tensile strength is essential for measuring the vital signs and the body motion as described above. Further, there are many requirements for the sensor as a wearable device to enable the health monitoring, the first of which is flexibility (elasticity). The skin of a human is folded or stretched. That is, the skin of a human is subjected to various physical deformations such as stretching and folding. Therefore, for the use as a wearable device, the sensor needs to have flexibility and elasticity as physical properties to be stretchable and foldable like the skin. In a case in which a sufficient elasticity is not provided, the device may be damaged or an uncomfortable feeling may be caused when a user wears the device, which results in deterioration in utilization efficiency.
Second, a sufficient sensitivity needs to be guaranteed, such that the sensor may sense the vital signs. The vital signs such as a pulse and respiration are transferred through the skin. Therefore, a physical quantity of the pressure is very small, and thus the measurement is possible only with a high sensitivity with respect to a small pressure. Further, a sensor signal needs to be transmitted and received through wireless communication to implement an actual use of the sensor as a wearable device. In this case, when the sensitivity is low, the wireless communication may not be performed smoothly, and thus the utilization may become difficult.
Finally, stability of the sensor signal needs to be guaranteed. The wearable device is continuously used by the user in daily life. Therefore, a use frequency thereof is higher than that of other devices, and the wearable device is easily exposed to various external physical environments. In order to implement the sensor with a long life span, an initial value of the sensor signal needs to be stably maintained and stability for repetitive use needs to be ensured.
As such, studies and effort have been actively made to develop a sensor that satisfies the requirements for utilization as a wearable device, that is, flexibility, sensitivity, and stability. For example, a method of using a metal thin film by utilizing a structure capable of tolerating stretching, such as a serpentine pattern, or a method of changing resistance depending on stretching, pressurization, or the like by mixing a conductive material in a polymer are used. However, in the case of the first method, conductivity is high, but a tolerable stretching range is 30% or less, which is very limitative. In addition, peeling due to repetitive stretching and pressurization or the like results in a short life span. In the case of the second method, resistance is very high and viscoelasticity of the polymer itself is also shown in an electric signal as it is. Therefore, recovery of the signal is very slow, and strong hysteresis is shown.
To replace such methods, a study for manufacturing a sensor by using a conductive liquid that is suitably adapted even in a case of severe deformation and has a high conductivity has been actively conducted. Among the conductive liquids, a liquid metal has a high conductivity. However, the liquid metal also has a high surface tension, and thus a manufacturing method is complicated, and sensitivity is insufficient for use as a resistive pressure sensor. Studies of utilizing the liquid metal include Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2018-0102412 ("soft sensor using 3D printing, method for manufacturing the same, and wearable device including the same", published on Sep. 17, 2018, hereinafter, referred to as prior art). The prior art discloses a flexible sensor produced by injecting a conductive liquid metal on an elastic layer by using a syringe to form a microchannel. Particularly, in the prior art, a method of not using a mold is adopted to manufacture a flexible sensor with a smaller thickness, and the microchannel is 3D-printed by using a syringe, instead of using a lithography process for forming a microchannel as in the related art. In general, the lithography process requires various equipment and processing steps. Therefore, it is possible to greatly improve economical efficiency and productivity by not using the lithography process.
However, in a case of manufacturing a flexible sensor by using the method as the prior art, the thickness of the microchannel is determined by a surface tension of the liquid metal. Therefore, it is not possible to adjust the thickness of the microchannel as desired. In addition, there still is a limitation in sensitivity. That is, it is not possible to achieve a sufficiently high sensitivity, which is a problem of the sensor using the liquid metal described above. Therefore, improvement is still required.

Soft pressure sensor using multi-material 3D-printed microchannel molds and method for making the sensor

KOREA ADVANCED INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY


A fully transparent luggage rack having a color illuminant includes a transparent longitudinal rod, an illuminant, a mounting base, a wire and a hollow bolt. The longitudinal rod is connected to the mounting base; the illuminant is arranged in the longitudinal rod; the mounting base is also fixed to a vehicle roof by means of the hollow bolt; and the wire penetrates the hollow bolt and is connected to the illuminant. A vehicle which is arranged with the fully transparent luggage rack having the color illuminant may be provided.

A longitudinal rod of a roof luggage rack may typically be arranged on a top of a suburban utility vehicle (SUV). The longitudinal rod of the roof luggage rack may provide a more aesthetic appearance for the vehicle and further carry articles. The longitudinal rod of the roof luggage rack may be assembled with a cross rod or a luggage box, such that articles of a user, such as a bicycle, a bag, or the like, may be carried on the top of the vehicle to allow a convenient trip for the user.
However, luggage racks in the related art may substantially be arranged for carrying articles, but not to provide an aesthetic appearance or enhance a visual effect. Some luggage racks in a current market may be arranged with a headlight for the purposes of lighting a front of the vehicle. The luggage rack itself may not be decorated by the light.

Fully transparent luggage rack having colored illuminant and vehicle

WINBO-DONGJIAN AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.


The invention proposes a method and an apparatus for attaching a plurality of components having different arrangement densities or arrangement intervals, which can achieve shorter takt time. An object is to provide a low-cost manufacturing method of a semiconductor device and a manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing a semiconductor device at low cost. Plural pairs of components having different arrangement densities are simultaneously attached to each other by temporarily attaching first components to a first flexible substrate while changing an arrangement interval in an X direction, and then connecting the first components to second components over a second flexible substrate while changing an arrangement interval of the first components in a Y direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, in which a semiconductor integrated circuit is electrically connected to a circuit (or an element) provided over a flexible substrate (a substrate having flexibility). The present invention particularly relates to a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device using a roll-to-roll method. The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device, in which a semiconductor integrated circuit is electrically connected to an antenna formed over a flexible substrate. The present invention relates to a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device which performs data input and output by wireless communication via an antenna. The present invention also relates to a manufacturing apparatus of a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Related Art
A semiconductor device including an antenna and a semiconductor integrated circuit electrically connected to the antenna has attracted attention as an RFID tag. The RFID tag is also called an IC tag, an ID tag, a transponder, an IC chip, or an ID chip. A manufacturing method of an RFID tag has been proposed, in which a plurality of antennas are provided over a flexible substrate and a plurality of semiconductor integrated circuits are electrically connected to the respective antennas one by one (see Reference 1: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2005-115646).
In addition, a method has been proposed, in which a plurality of semiconductor integrated circuits are formed over a substrate (hereinafter also referred to as an element substrate), the semiconductor integrated circuits are taken out one by one and mounted over a substrate that is different from the element substrate (see Reference 2: Japanese Published Patent Application No. 2000-299598).

Attachment method, attachment apparatus, manufacturing method of semiconductor device, and manufacturing apparatus of semiconductor device

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


In one embodiment of the invention, a programmable termination structure has first and second termination circuits for corresponding pads and a programmable connection therebetween. The first termination circuit supports first and second sets of termination schemes. A shared resistor is part of at least one termination scheme in each set. The first termination circuit supports a termination scheme between the first pad and a user-defined node connected to an on-chip capacitor such that first pad is connected via the termination scheme to the on-chip capacitor. Control circuitry automatically turns on and off a termination scheme for bidirectional signaling supported by the first termination circuit, wherein (1) the control circuitry turns off the termination scheme if an output buffer is configured to present outgoing signals at the first pad and (2) the control circuitry turns on the termination scheme if the output buffer is disabled in order to terminate incoming signals received at the first pad.

Field-programmable gate arrays are a particular type of programmable device that provides functional flexibility to the user. As opposed to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or other similar device in which the functionality is "hard-wired" in the device, an FPGA allows a user to program the device to support a relatively wide range of functionality. One of the main advantages of FPGAs over ASICs is that a single FPGA hardware design can provide user-programmable functionality to support many different applications, while an ASIC is limited to the particular functions that are hard-wired into the device at the time of fabrication.
In order to communicate with other components, an FPGA must be able to transmit outgoing signals to and/or receive incoming signals from those other components. There are many different signaling standards in use today that define protocols for signal communications between components. For example, different signaling standards may rely on symmetric or non-symmetric differential or complementary signaling having different sets of voltage levels corresponding to data true, data complement, and the intermediate common-mode voltage.
A particular signal-processing system might conform to a particular signaling standard for its inter-component communications. In that case, all of the components in the system would ideally be compatible with that particular signaling standard so that all inter-component communications within the system would conform to that signaling standard.
In the past, an FPGA would be designed to operate in systems that conform to a particular set of signaling standards. Such an FPGA would be able to transmit and/or receive signals conforming to those particular signaling standards. In order for that same FPGA to be configured to operate in a system that conforms to some other signaling standard (outside of the supported set), additional hardware, external to the FPGA (e.g., a board-level discrete device), would have to be provided in order to convert (1) incoming signals (i.e., signals transmitted to the FPGA from other system components) from the system's signaling standard to the different signaling standard supported by the FPGA and (2) outgoing signals (i.e., signals transmitted from the FPGA and intended for other system components) from the FPGA's signaling standard to the system's different signaling standard. Alternatively, a different FPGA would have to be designed to support the system's different signaling standard.
As silicon devices become smaller and faster, device I/O speeds and signal integrity requirements increase. One thing that helps signal integrity and speed is to use terminated interface standards, such as Stub Series Termination Logic or High-Speed Transceiver Logic. The use of impedance and termination helps (1) match board traces thereby reducing reflections and (2) dampen ringing. The closer the termination is to the receiver and driver circuits, the greater the effect. When routing a bus from one chip to another, it helps to match the routing between the bus signals, to minimize the delay skew between the different board routes. Having the termination on the chip rather than on the board reduces the amount of board routing, thereby keeping the skew to a minimum.
One of the most common termination schemes used today is to terminate the board trace at the driver or receiver or both using a resistor to halve the power supply of the driving circuit. The terminating resistor value is set to be equal to the board trace impedance, which is typically 50 ohms. Devices that implement these terminations on the silicon chip, typically use thevenin equivalent circuits, which use more power than non-thevenin termination schemes.
As device sizes shrink, the cost of silicon area increases and the signaling requirements of I/O circuits also increase. In particular, I/O circuits are often required to run faster and support multiple interface standards that require the circuits to use device technologies that do not shrink as fast as the cores devices on the silicon chip.
Low-voltage differential signal schemes are often used to meet increased signaling speed requirements. The reduced signal swing of differential standards allows them to run faster. The differential attribute of the signaling allows them to work in noise environments due to their common-mode noise immunity. Differential signaling schemes work on the premise of one signal's relative potential to the other. Common-mode phenomena such as ground bounce and power droop affect both differential signals together. As the common mode of the differential signals is disturbed, the relative potential of one signal to the other is not. This allows differential signaling to work where single-ended or terminated standards might not.
One way to increase signal integrity of high-speed differential signaling is to use common-mode termination for the differential termination of the receiver. Conventionally, a differential resistor with a common-mode termination uses an external capacitor connected to ground, which allows AC-effects of the common-mode noise to be shunted to ground. Conventional common-mode termination requires extra pads on the silicon to be bonded for the external capacitors.
Due to increased I/O speed requirements and signal integrity requirements, interface standards continue to change. Although differential signaling offers higher speeds and better common-mode noise rejection, they come at a cost of double the interface signals and pads. There is still a realm of performance that requires good speed and signal integrity without the cost of doubling the interface size. Terminated single-ended standards are used for just such interfaces.
One of the newer interface standards requires a dynamic termination scheme involving a bidirectional interface, where the termination is off when the output driver is on and the termination is on when the output driver is off, to enable receipt of an incoming signal. In these types of bidirectional interfaces, a conventional approach is to have each side terminate when it is not driving. This is not available on board because the board does not have access to a signal that states when one or the other device is driving on the board.
As mentioned above, one approach being used today is on-chip thevenin termination with the cost of increased power. By increasing the number of power and ground pins on a chip to meet the power requirements for thevenin termination, the signal-pin-to-power-pin ratio is reduced and therefore the number of signals available on the device for I/O interfaces is reduced. Another approach being used today is off-chip, on-board terminations. These devices are external discrete devices on the board, although this comes at the cost of increased board complexity, routing, and skew, and therefore increased design time and financial cost.
External discrete-device differential termination resistors are also available today but are farther from the receiver and therefore reduce the effectiveness of signal integrity at the receiver. Differential termination schemes are available today with and without common-mode termination both on- and off-chip. The devices available today are costly in resources due to the fact that the differential termination is either a separate circuit on the silicon device with no sharing of resources or a thevenin equivalent scheme with a fixed common-mode termination voltage. The negative effect of a fixed common-mode termination is that the driver's common mode may be different, which could impact the driver's duty cycle and performance. If the driver had a more advance design with an op-amp to control the common mode of the output signal, then the op-amp could go unstable.

Programmable termination for single-ended and differential schemes


A rotation-transmitting mechanism capable of obtaining a high deceleration ratio in a small number of stages, and a conveying apparatus and driving apparatus using the rotation-transmitting mechanism are provided. In one form, a rotation-transmitting mechanism includes an inner rotating body and an outer rotating body arranged coaxially with the inner rotating body. Further, the rotation-transmitting mechanism includes a driving rotating body and rotating body arranged on an input side (lower stage), and two planetary rotating bodies arranged on an output side (upper stage). When the driving rotating body is rotated by a motor on the input side, the two planetary rotating bodies revolve around the inner rotating body while rotating on the output side. At this time, the planetary rotating bodies revolve very slowly around the inner rotating body.

Conventionally, deceleration mechanisms using planetary gears are widely used in various technical fields.
For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-349643 (paragraphs [0026] and [0027], FIG. 1) describes a deceleration mechanism including a rotatable sun gear, a planetary gear that revolves around the sun gear while rotating, and a planetary carrier that converts the revolution of the planetary gear into rotation of a sun gear in the next stage. The deceleration mechanism is formed by superposing the sun gears (including input axis) and the planetary gears and planetary carriers (including output axis) in three stages in an axial direction, and decelerates the rotation of a rotation axis (input axis) of a motor in a stepwise manner and takes out the rotation from the output axis.
Incidentally, in the deceleration mechanisms used in precision equipment or the like required for control with high precision, a high deceleration ratio is required in many cases. However, if a high deceleration ratio is intended to be obtained using the structure of the deceleration mechanism in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-349643, it is necessary to superpose the planetary gears and the like in the axial direction in many stages. Further, if a high deceleration ratio is intended to be obtained without increasing the number of deceleration stages, the width in a radial direction becomes large, and there arises a problem that the downsizing is difficult.

Rotation-transmitting mechanism, conveying apparatus, and driving apparatus


The current invention provides the promoter of the Zea mays nuclear gene encoding glutamine synthetase. Compositions comprising this sequence are described, as are plants transformed with such compositions. Further provided are methods for the expression of transgenes in plants comprising the use of these sequences. The methods of the invention include the direct creation of transgenic plants with the cytoplasmic glutamine synthetase promoter by genetic transformation, as well as by plant breeding methods. The sequences of the invention represent a valuable new tool for the creation of transgenic plants, preferably having one or more added beneficial characteristics.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to transgenic plants. More specifically, it relates to methods and compositions for transgene expression using a promoter naturally associated with a Zea mays nuclear gene encoding a cytoplasmic glutamine synthase.
2. Description of the Related Art
An important aspect in the production of genetically engineered crops is obtaining sufficient levels of transgene expression in the appropriate plant tissues, especially tissues that are involved in reproductive functions. In this respect, the selection of promoters for directing expression of a given transgene is crucial. Promoters which are useful for plant transgene expression include those that are inducible, viral, synthetic, constitutive as described (Paszkowski et al., 1984; Odell et al., 1985), temporally regulated, spatially regulated, and spatio-temporally regulated (Chau et al., 1989).
A number of plant promoters have been described with various expression characteristics. Examples of some constitutive promoters which have been described include the rice actin 1 (Wang et al., 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,641,876), CaMV 35S (Odell et al., 1985), CaMV 19S (Lawton et al., 1987), Ti plasmid nopaline synthase (nos, Ebert et al., 1987), alcohol dehydrogenase (Adh, Walker et al., 1987), and sucrose synthase (Yang and Russell, 1990).
Examples of tissue specific promoters which have been described include lectin (Vodkin et al., 1983; Lindstrom et al., 1990), corn alcohol dehydrogenase 1 (Vogel et al., 1989; Dennis et al., 1984), corn light harvesting complex (Simpson, 1986; Bansal et al., 1992), corn heat shock protein (Odell et al., 1985; Rochester et al., 1986), pea small subunit RuBP carboxylase (Poulsen et al., 1986; Cashmore et al., 1983), Ti plasmid mannopine synthase (Langridge et al., 1989), Ti plasmid nopaline synthase (Langridge et al., 1989), petunia chalcone isomerase (Van Tunen et al., 1988), bean glycine rich protein 1 (Keller et al., 1989), truncated CaMV 35s (Odell et al., 1985), potato patatin (Wenzler et al., 1989), root cell (Conkling et al., 1990), maize zein (Reina et al., 1990; Kriz et al., 1987; Wandelt and Feix, 1989; Langridge and Feix, 1983; Reina et al., 1990), globulin-1 (Belanger and Kriz et al., 1991), α-tubulin (Carpenter et al., 1992; Uribe et al., 1998), cab (Sullivan et al., 1989), PEPCase (Hudspeth and Grula, 1989), R gene complex-associated promoters (Chandler et al., 1989), chalcone synthase promoters (Franken et al., 1991) and glutamine synthetase promoters (U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,725; Edwards et al., 1990; Brears et al., 1991).
Inducible promoters which have been described include ABA- and turgor-inducible promoters, the promoter of the auxin-binding protein gene (Schwob et al., 1993), the UDP glucose flavonoid glycosyl-transferase gene promoter (Ralston et al., 1988); the MPI proteinase inhibitor promoter (Cordero et al., 1994), the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene promoter (Kohler et al., 1995; Quigley et al., 1989; Martinez et al., 1989) and a light inducible plastid glutamine synthetase gene from pea (U.S. Pat. No. 5,391,725; Edwards et al., 1990).
Promoters that are active in functions relating to the development of male or female reproductive tissues as well as seed specific activities have also been described. For example, promoters for anther-specific genes such as apg from Arabidopsis (Roberts et al., 1993) and ra8 from rice (Jeon et al., 1999), and pollen-specific genes such as lat52 and lat59 from tomato (Twell et al., 1990), and ZM13 from maize (Hamilton et al., 1992) have been disclosed. Promoters for genes involved in the development of female tissues such as the Msg gene from soybean (Stromvik et al., 1999) and the chalcone synthase A gene from petunia (van der Meer et al., 1990) have been reported. Regulatory sequences for genes involved in the development of embryos or endosperm have been disclosed, for example the Brassica napin storage protein promoter (NapA; Ellerstrom et al., 1996) and the Opaque2 promoter from maize (Gallusci et al., 1994). However, while a promoter may be expressed in a reproductive tissue, it may also show regulation in an unrelated tissue; for example the ADH1 promoter of maize was found to express in roots as well as in endosperm tissues (Kyozuka et al., 1994). Considering the complex regulation that occurs during the formation of reproductive organs in higher plants, relatively few promoters specifically directing this aspect of development have been identified. It would be of benefit to the art to increase the number and variety of promoters involved in the development of reproductive organs.
Glutamine synthetase (EC 126.96.36.199) plays a key role in nitrogen metabolism in a diverse array of organisms including bacteria, humans and plants. More specifically, the enzyme catalyzes the addition of ammonium to glutamate to synthesize glutamine in an ATP-dependent reaction. Bacterial forms of glutamine synthetase (GS) are well characterized, however, the enzyme has received less study in eukaryotes (reviewed in Eisenberg et al., 2000). Clones for several procaryotic and eukaryotic glutamine synthetase genes have been isolated. Despite significant overall differences at both the nucleotide and protein levels, enzymes from assorted species show highly conserved amino acid residues believed to be important for active site function. This conservation of select residues suggests that the various enzymes function via a similar catalytic mechanism (Eisenberg et al., 2000).
In higher plants, glutamine synthetase is found in a variety of tissues, including leaf, root, seed, root nodule and fruit. In addition, there are two forms of glutamine synthetase: a cytosolic form (GS1) typically found in roots and leaves, and a plastidic form, primarily found in leaves (GS2). The cytosolic form is further characterized as being present in several different isoforms, or isozymes, within a plant.
The various isoforms of glutamine synthetase function as members of a complex cycle in the plant, with roles including the detection of inorganic nitrogen sources, ammonium assimilation, incorporation of acquired nitrogen into organic forms and the reassimilation of nitrogen released during metabolism (reviewed in Coruzzi, 1991; McGrath and Coruzzi, 1991; Lam et al., 1996; Stitt, 1999; Oliveira et al, 2001). Thus, glutamine synthetase affects growth, development and overall plant metabolism, and especially carbon metabolism (see McGrath and Coruzzi, 1991; Lam et al., 1996; Stitt, 1999; Oliveira et al., 2001).
Several glutamine synthetase genes have been isolated and all have been found to be encoded by nuclear genes. The plastidic form of the enzyme appears to be coded for by a single gene while the various isoforms of the cytosolic enzymes are coded for by small, multigene families (Tingey et al., 1987; Sakamoto et al., 1989; Brears et al, 1991; Li et al., 1993; Dubois et al., 1996; Lam et al., 1996). The members of the multigene families are believed to encode different subunits which may combine to form homo- or hetero-octamers (Tingey et al., 1987; Dubois et al., 1996) and various octet formations may account for the multi-faceted roles glutamine synthetase plays in overall nitrogen metabolism.
Plastidic and cytoplasmic glutamine synthetase genes have been studied in a number of plants and show a variety of regulation patterns (Lam et al., 1996). Rice plants, which utilize a C3 carbon metabolism and are typically grown in water flooded soils, appear to express cytosolic forms of GS in the submerged root tissues. In the rice plant leaves, cytosolic forms are found in vascular tissues and a plastidic form shows light-regulated expression (see Tobin and Yamaya, 2001). In barley, which also utilizes a C3 carbon metabolism pathway but is grown in soil with good aeration, both plastid and cytosolic versions are found to be expressed in the root tissues (see Tobin and Yamaya, 2001). In pea, which fixes nitrogen via a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria, only cytosolic forms were found in root tissues and, as found with other plants, the plastidic version is light regulated (Tingey et al., 1988).
Promoters have been isolated for a number of GS genes and have been found to be diverse in sequence and activity. For example, glutamine synthetase γ and β from French bean are both expressed in the roots, yet the two genes showed different spatial and temporal patterns of expression (Forde et al., 1989, 1990). Promoters for cytosolic (GS3A) and chloroplastic (GS2) from pea were isolated and joined to a reporter gene. The assay showed that the two promoters exhibited independent expression patterns which indicated non-redundant functions for these genes (Edwards et al., 1990).
The cereal crop maize (Zea mays or corn) utilizes a C4 type metabolism for managing carbon resources. Li et al., (1993) and Sakakibara et al., (1992) reported that a total of six different GS genes in maize showed five different patterns of transcript accumulation in a variety of plant tissues. Protein studies demonstrated that a pair of glutamine synthetase isozymes were expressed to high levels in kernels during development (Muhitch, 1988; 1989). Detailed studies with monoclonal antibodies distinguished between the isoforms and showed that while form GSp2 was found the pedicel and other tissues, form GSp1 was localized mainly to the pedicel (Muhitch et al., 1995), a tissue that joins the developing kernel to the cob and houses the vascular tissue that feeds the developing kernel. Rastogi et al., (1998) disclosed that the gene for pedicel specific GSp1 was a previously identified cytosolic gene, GS1-2. Earlier research had reported that GS1-2 RNA accumulated mainly in roots (Li et al., 1993), but contradictory studies showed no accumulation of this RNA in roots (Sakakibara et al., 1995). Later work demonstrated that GS1-2 RNA was present in pedicel tissues and increased in accumulation from at least 7 to at least 33 days after pollination (Rastogi et al., 1998).
Seed development in maize, and other crops, requires the transport and transfer of carbon, nitrogen and other nutrients from vegetative plant sources via the phloem, through the pedicel, to the seed, or kernel sink. Uptake of these nutrients is critical for proper kernel development, reducing kernel abortion, grain fill, grain quality and overall grain yield. Nitrogen is carried in the vascular sap in the form of amino acids, in particular, glutamine, glutamate, aspartate, alanine and serine (Lyznik et al., 1982; Muhitch, 1989; 1995) with glutamine being one of the most abundant (Lyznik, et al, 1982; Porter et al., 1987; Oliviera et al., 2001).
Nutrient molecules are unloaded from the pedicel vascular sap via parenchymal cells in the phloem and move through several layers of tissue including the pedicel-placento-chalazal region and the endosperm basal transfer cell layer as they cross from maternal tissue to developing endosperm and embryo (see, for example, Kiesselbach and Walker, 1952; Lyznik et al., 1982; Thorne, 1985; Muhitch, 1993). The role of these tissues in metabolite transfer is very important as the developing kernel lacks vascular tissue of its own. Glutamine synthetase in the pedicel region is neglible very early after pollination, increases beginning about 10 days post-pollination (Muhitch, 1988) and activity increases with kernel development. Maximum glutamine synthetase activity, observed around 28 days post pollination, is coincident with maximum nitrogen assimilation into the kernel followed by a decrease in activity as the kernel matures to completion (Muhitch, 1988; 1989). As the kernel increases in size and matures, movement of nutrient molecules into the kernel decreases significantly, and certain transfer tissue are eventually crushed, effectively sealing off the mature kernel from the parent plant tissue (Kiesselbach and Walker, 1952).
Although the above studies have provided a number of useful tools for the generation of transgenic plants, there is still a great need in the art for novel promoter sequences with beneficial expression characteristics, particularly for promoters which are developmentally regulated in tissues which affect kernel development. The number of effective promoters available for use with transgenes in maize is not abundant and those specific to kernel development even smaller. It would be especially advantageous to identify a promoter which plays a role in the import of nutrients into a developing seed as manipulations with such a promoter may allow for improvements to kernel development, grain yield, grain quality, pest resistance, stress resistance, fertility or decreased kernel abortion.
New promoters, such as that of the present invention, and especially promoters that will express differentially in maize female reproductive tissues, are useful. Such expression specific promoters are useful in minimizing yield drag and other potential adverse physiological effects on maize growth and development that might be encountered by high-level, non-inducible, constitutive expression of a transgenic protein in a plant. A wider range of effective promoters also may make it possible to introduce multiple transgenes into a plant, each fused to a different promoter, thereby minimizing the risk of DNA sequence homology dependent transgene inactivation (co-suppression). Therefore, there is a great need in the art for the identification of novel developmentally regulated, reproductive tissue specific promoters which can be used for the high-level expression of selected transgenes in economically important crop plants.

Maize cytoplasmic glutamine synthetase promoter compositions and methods for use thereof


An article of manufacture, such as a credit card sized health card having a magnetic strip, includes user selected medical information and/or information to obtain medical information of an individual and eligibility of healthcare payments in an embodiment. A user may customize the medical information displayed on the health card. In an embodiment, a method obtains and stores medical information in a machine-readable format. An interface to select a portion of the medical information is provided to a user. In response to a user selection, the portion is displayed on a substrate, such as the health card, and the medical information is accessed by information, such as a URL, user identifier and password, recorded in a machine-readable format on the substrate. In an embodiment, a system includes a healthcare provider processing device obtaining eligibility information from the health card and generating an eligibility request to an entity processing device that forwards the eligibility request to a payer processing device. An eligibility response from the payer processing device is then provided to the healthcare provider processing device via the entity processing device. In an embodiment, medical information in a paper format is faxed using a unique user identifier and password and categorized into a machine-readable format.

A healthcare provider may have difficulty in obtaining medical information desired for a healthcare recipient, such as a patient. The medical information, such as an allergy or an image of a healthcare recipient, may be necessary for a proper diagnosis and/or treatment. Medical information of the healthcare recipient may be distributed in a variety of locations and in a variety of different formats. Medical information may be stored, for example, at a previous healthcare provider, a specialist, a healthcare plan provider (such as insurance company) or the healthcare recipient (or caregiver). Medical information may be stored in either an electronic or paper format. Medical information possessed by different healthcare providers (or the healthcare recipient) may have incompatible electronic formats that prevent one healthcare provider from readily accessing transferred medical information. One healthcare provider may use particular application software for retrieving, creating and viewing images, while another healthcare provider uses different application software for retrieving, creating and viewing images. Medical information also may be incomplete or lost during storage and transfers that may lead to duplicate tests, unnecessary hospitalizations and other side effects contributing to healthcare costs. A request for transferring medical information may also increase healthcare costs. The delay in waiting for the transferred medical information may also lead to a delay in diagnosis or treatment that reduces the effectiveness of the healthcare.
A healthcare provider also may have difficulty in obtaining information regarding eligibility of healthcare payments, such as whether a patient is covered by a particular insurance healthcare plan or insurance carrier. A healthcare recipient may have a document that indicates coverage of a particular healthcare plan, such as a policy number. Typically, a healthcare recipient does not select what information and in what form the information is provided on the document. A healthcare recipient may provide this document to the healthcare provider before diagnosis or treatment. However, this document may not provide current and detailed eligibility information, such as whether a particular test is authorized or whether the healthcare recipient is currently eligible. For example, the healthcare recipient may have changed employment and thus insurance healthcare plans are not reflected by the document or alternatively has reached insurance coverage limits.

Method, system and article of manufacture, such as a card, to provide user selectable medical information and information to obtain eligibility of healthcare payments


The present invention relates to a highly active water gas shift catalyst and a process for producing it, and also a process for converting a gas mixture comprising at least carbon monoxide and water into hydrogen and carbon dioxide in a wide temperature range using this catalyst.

The present invention relates to a highly active water gas shift catalyst and a process for producing it, and also a process for converting a gas mixture comprising at least carbon monoxide and water into hydrogen and carbon dioxide in a wide temperature range using this catalyst.
In a fuel cell, electric energy is obtained by means of chemical reaction. Most fuel cells utilize the reaction of a reducing stream with an oxidizing stream, usually hydrogen and oxygen. To make a fuel usable in a fuel cell, this has to be converted beforehand into a hydrogen-rich stream.
The preliminary processing of fuels is often carried out in three steps:
The fuel is firstly reformed and in this way dissociated into CO and H2. This is followed by a water gas shift stage in which the CO formed is reacted with water in a temperature-dependent equilibrium reaction to give CO2 and H2:CO+H2O→CO2+H2
This equilibrium lies more to the side of H2 and CO2, the lower the temperature. A CO fine purification stage usually follows.
High concentrations (greater than 50 ppm) of CO damage the anode of the fuel cells. The CO content therefore has to be minimized before the actual cell. This is carried out in the water gas shift stage and also in the CO fine purification stage. The water gas shift stage usually occurs in two temperature stages. A reaction at temperatures in the range from 150° C. to 280° C. is referred to as a low-temperature shift reaction (LTS). The LTS is usually carried out catalytically using Cu/Zn oxide catalysts. In the range from 280° C. to 550° C., the reaction is referred to as a high-temperature shift reaction (HTS). This is traditionally carried out over Fe/Cr catalysts. This reaction can also be catalyzed by Mo, Ni and further elements. Noble metals on cerium oxides have likewise been described a number of times as catalysts for this reaction.
The shift reaction not only leads to removal of the catalyst poison CO but also increases the proportion of the desired product H2 in the fuel stream. It is therefore important that a catalyst for the HTS catalyzes the production of H2 from CO and H2O but does not catalyze reactions which lead to elimination or depletion of the desired product H2. Such reactions include, in particular, methanation which can be observed over nickel catalysts at high temperatures and over noble metal catalysts even at temperatures above 350° C. This involves two reaction paths:CO+3H2→CH4+H2OCO2+4H2→CH4+2H2O
Both reactions consume the desired product H2 and therefore reduce the hydrogen yield.
Processes and catalysts which give a very high yield of hydrogen and display a very low tendency for methanation to occur are known from the prior art.
EP 1 571 125 A2 discloses a catalyst for separating carbon monoxide from hydrogen gas. This comprises an oxidic support material comprising zirconium dioxide, titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, silicon dioxide-aluminum oxide, zeolites and cerium oxide. Platinum is present as catalytically active metal. Furthermore, alkali metals such as lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium or cesium can be present as further inorganic compounds so as to improve the activity of the catalyst for removing carbon monoxide by conversion into carbon dioxide in the water gas shift reaction. The catalytically active metal is, according to EP 1 571 125 A2, present in the catalyst in an amount of 2% by weight.
WO 2005/072871 A1 discloses a catalyst for the water gas shift reaction which comprises metallic particles and particles of metal oxide. Suitable metal oxides are, for example, cerium oxide, titanium dioxide, iron oxide, manganese oxide or zinc oxide. Suitable metal particles are, for example, gold or platinum and are present in an amount of from 0.5 to 25% by weight, based on the oxidic material.
US 2006/0002848 A1 discloses a catalyst which has a support material composed of, for example, aluminum oxide, titanium dioxide, silicon dioxide, zirconium dioxide or a combination thereof. Furthermore, alkali or alkaline earth metals and also metals selected from among lead, bismuth, polonium, magnesium, titanium-vanadium-chromium, manganese iron, nickel or cobalt, etc., can be present. Catalytically active metals present are, for example, platinum, palladium, copper, rhodium, etc.
EP 1 908 517 A1 discloses a catalyst for converting H2O/carbon monoxide into hydrogen and the use of this catalyst for increasing the concentration of hydrogen in a stream used for supplying a fuel cell. This catalyst is a solid comprising an active phase comprising elements of group VIII on a support material comprising aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, zirconium dioxide or mixtures thereof and a promoter from the group of the rare earths, for example lanthanum or cerium.
US 2005/0207958 A1 discloses a process for reducing the amount of carbon monoxide in a water gas shift reactor without formation of methane. A catalyst having a support material based on cerium oxide and zirconium oxide or cerium oxide and lanthanum oxide is used for this purpose. As promoters to avoid methanation, use is made of copper, manganese, iron compounds or combinations. Further promoters can be alkali or alkaline earth metals. The amount of platinum present on the catalyst is at least 1% by weight.
US 2005/0191224 A1 discloses a catalyst for separating off carbon monoxide from hydrogen gas. The catalyst used for this purpose has a support composed of metal oxide and has a platinum component and an alkali metal applied to this support. According to this document, zirconium dioxide, titanium dioxide, aluminum oxide, silicon dioxide, silicon dioxide-aluminum oxide, zeolites or cerium oxide, for example, are suitable as support material.


The failure frequency of first communication at the time of activation with a setting management server arranged in the same apparatus is reduced. A client switches the timing of executing the first communication at the time of activation by whether the server is the same apparatus. If the server is the same apparatus, activation of the server is delayed and the first communication at the time of activation for synchronization is performed after the delay. The delay period is, for example, for a predetermined time or for a period until a notification from the server is received.

In recent years, master data of settings of a client apparatus is saved and integrally managed in a server apparatus connected through a network. These values are synchronized so that if a value in the master data on the server apparatus is changed, the client apparatus is notified of the changed value via the network and a corresponding setting of the client apparatus is also changed based on this change. In a similar manner, if a setting of the client apparatus is changed, a corresponding value of the master data on the server is also changed.
Further, it is possible to arrange both the client apparatus and the server apparatus in the same information processing apparatus. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-46981 discloses how a plurality of system boards can be mounted in a single apparatus when a plurality of processing systems are to be arranged in a single information processing apparatus.
The technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-46981 tries to reduce the frequency of access failures by having a CPU mounted on the system board transfer an access request to a firmware hub of another system board when the CPU cannot access the firmware hub of its own system board.
However, the following problem remains in this technique when both of the above-described server and client are arranged as a system board in the same information processing apparatus. When, for example, immediately after power-on, the client which generally has a lighter startup processing load than the server changes to standby and accesses the server in the same information processing apparatus for synchronization, access may be denied because synchronization request reception preparation processing is not complete in the server. Such circumstance often occurs if the initialization processing load of the server apparatus is heavy when the client apparatus and the server apparatus both execute startup, such as at the time of the startup of the information processing apparatus. Additionally, in such a case, many meaningless records of failure history will remain concerning the access to the server apparatus every time the information processing apparatus is activated.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the related art and has as its object to provide an information processing apparatus that can prevent an error arising from a server startup delay, a control method of an information processing apparatus, and a program.

Information processing apparatus with server-location dependent timing, control method thereof, and program