There is provided a method for a producing prints from a print job with a plurality of electronic pages divided into a first print job segment having a first number of electronic pages and a second print job segment having a second number of electronic pages. The method includes the steps of: a) storing the first print job segment in the electronic precollation memory, wherein the first print job segment is about equal to the electronic page capacity of the electronic precollation memory; b) printing N copies of each electronic page of the first print job segment stored in the electronic precollation memory; c) storing the second print job segment in the electronic precollation memory; and d) printing N copies of each electronic page of the second print job segment stored in the electronic precollation memory. In practice, the N copies of the first print job segment are combined with the N copies of the second print job segment to obtain N print job sets, each of which N print job sets is representative of the plurality of electronic pages.

This invention relates generally to a printing system in which prints are produced from an electronic document of a print job having a printer and a memory in which electronic pages of the print job are electronically precollated in the memory and, more particularly, to a system for managing the memory in such a manner that the print job is printed in segments under those circumstances where the size of the print job exceeds the capacity of the memory.
Electronic printing systems typically include an input section, sometimes referred to as an input image terminal ("IIT"), a controller, sometimes referred to as an electronic subsystem ("ESS") and an output section or print engine, sometimes referred to as an image output terminal ("IOT"). In one type of electronic printing system, manufactured by Xerox Corporation, known as the DocuTech ("DocuTech" is a Registered Trademark of Xerox Corporation) Production Publishing System, a job can be inputted to the IIT from, among other sources, a network or a scanner. An example of an IIT with both network and scanner inputs is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,340 to Prokop et al. (Issued: Dec. 8, 1992).
When a scanner is employed to generate the job, image bearing documents are scanned so that the images therein are converted to image data for use in making prints. When a network is used to generate the job, a stream of data, including various job related instructions and image data, expressed in terms of a page description language is captured, decomposed and stored for printing. As is known, a network job can have its origin in a remote client, such as a workstation, or a print server with a storage device. Jobs provided at the IIT may be stored in a memory section, sometimes referred to as "electronic precollation memory". An example of electronic precollation memory may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,0047,955 to Shope et al. (Issued: Sep. 10, 1991).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,955 discloses a system in which input image data of a job is rasterized and compressed. The compressed, rasterized image data is then stored, in collated form, in a job image buffer. Once the job has been stored in the job image buffer, a selected number of job copies can be decompressed and printed without further job rasterization.
In one area related to electronic printing, namely digital copying, a demand for "multifunctionality continues to grow. As illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,957,071 to Jones (Issued Jul. 7, 1971), a multifunctional digital copier can assume the form of an arrangement in which a single electrostatic processing printer is coupled with a plurality of different image input devices, with such devices being adapted to produce image related information for use by the printer. Additionally, image-related information, in one example of the '071 Patent could have its origin in video facsimile signals, microfilm, data processing information, light scanning platens for full size documents, aperture cards and microfiche.
The following patents also relate to the area of multifunctional digital copying: U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,107 to Naito et al. (Issued: Apr. 11, 1989): U.S. Pat. No. 5,021,892 to Kita et al. (Issued: Jun. 4, 1991); U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,633 to Saito et al. (Issued: Dec. 29, 1992); U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,948 to Sakurai et al. (Issued: Jun. 29, 1993); U.S. Pat. No. 5,276,799 to Rivshin (Issued: Jan. 4, 1994); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,458 to Freiburg et al. (Issued: Apr. 26, 1994).
Since digital printing systems store images electronically, a significant amount of memory is often required for storage. In a multifunctional digital printing system, various clients, i.e. various input/output devices of the printing system, seek to use the memory. That is, input clients seek to access the memory for storing image data and output clients seek to access the memory for the sake of consuming image data. Without some sort of arrangement for controlling employment of the memory by these clients, operation of the system can be impaired greatly. For example, a client with relatively slow processing capability can monopolize use of the memory at the expense of a client with relatively fast processing capability. Moreover, the memory needs of a group of clients may vary, among individual clients, over time. In the area of computer architecture, it is known that memory or resource management is a desirable approach for insuring that allocation of memory among a group of clients is performed in an orderly manner. As disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,566 to U. et al. (Issued: May 18, 1993), the application of resource management has been extended to the area of printing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,566 is directed toward a resource allocation scheme for a memory arrangement including disk and system memories, the system memory including a plurality of buffers. A system state controller communicates with the system memory, by way of a resource manager, and with a scanner, by way of a scan management arrangement, the scan management arrangement including a scan scheduler and a scan controller. In operation, the scanner, along with each client requesting use of the system memory, is allocated a set of buffers. During run time, the scanner fills buffers allocated to it with scanned data of a scan job, obtained by reading a document, and stores each filled buffer out to disk. If the scanner requires more buffers than are allocated to it, then a fault will occur. In response to the fault, a fault command flows from the scan controller to the system state controller, which system state controller, in turn, transmits a control command requesting the resource manager to adjust buffer allocation in the system memory. Under ideal circumstances, the scanner receives the buffers it needs to complete the scan job. As disclosed, reallocation includes obtaining a previously allocated buffer from a client other than the scanner.
The above-described system is believed to be well suited for a system in which a substantial amount of memory is allocatable among a plurality of subsystems or memory clients, such as a scanner, interpreter and printer. For instance, in relatively smaller printing systems where various memory users (e.g. scanner, network client and fax subsystem) employ a common electronic precollation memory, allocating memory among various memory clients, in accordance with the scheme of U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,566, may not be feasible. U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,452 to Ambalavanar et al. (Issued: Nov. 26, 1996) offers a memory management system for coordinating memory allocation between disk and electronic precollation memory which advantageously accommodates memory clients in relatively smaller printing systems.
In the memory management system of the '452 Patent, a given memory client accesses a database to determine which memory blocks stored in a memory system are available for use by that given memory client with the electronic precollation memory. Normally, the memory blocks of the given memory client would be placed in the electronic precollation memory for transmission to the printer for printing; however, under those circumstances where memory is filling up with blocks from other memory clients, one or more of the blocks of the given memory client can be copied to disk for later use when a suitable amount of memory is made available in the electronic precollation memory.
Memory space in a printing system can be exhausted due to, among other things, a lack of disk space or a failure to have a disk drive device in the first place. In certain known printing systems, exhausting memory capacity can result in a faulting of one or more jobs being processed since image data generated by the input source has no where to go. U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,172 suggests a system for managing memory in a situation where the capacity of a print buffer is exhausted. More particularly, in one embodiment of the system of the '172 Patent, when it is determined that the print buffer is filled with a copy of a first subset of a set of print-related information, but one or more copies of other subsets of the set of print-related information have not been loaded into the print buffer, then input to the print buffer is temporarily halted and a selected portion of the copy of the first subset of print related information is printed. Portions of a copy of a second subset of print-related information are then loaded, at appropriate intervals, and printed out. This process continues for any other subsets of the set of print-related information until the a copy of the print-related information set has been printed. If a second copy of the print-related information set is desired, another copy of the first subset of the set of print-related information is loaded into the print buffer and the above loading technique is repeated until a second copy of the set of print-related information is printed. Essentially for a job requiring N print sets, the above loading technique is executed N times.
While the approach of U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,172 is well suited for its intended purpose, namely to print a job from a print buffer when a set of print-related information corresponding with the job is greater than the capacity of the print buffer, it may not necessarily be well suited for use in printing machines with limited memory capacity. More particularly, the approach of the '172 Patent assumes that the job being loaded into the print buffer has been previously stored in mass memory (e.g. disk drive) of a host printing machine. It does not address those situations in which a job cannot be "prestored" in mass memory because such mass memory (e.g. disk memory) has been exhausted or such mass memory never existed. It would desirable to provide a technique that is completely general in that it permits a job with a document exceeding the capacity of electronic precollation memory to be printed at the printing system notwithstanding the ability of the printing system to store the document in mass memory prior to the loading of the document into the electronic precollation memory.
The disclosures of all of the references designated in the above Background section are incorporated herein by reference.

Memory management system for printing a print job with limited capacity


Enantiomerically pure compounds of general formula 1

Betamimetics (β-adrenergic substances) are known from the prior art. For example reference may be made in this respect to the disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,581, which proposes betamimetics for the treatment of a range of diseases.
For drug treatment of diseases it is often desirable to prepare medicaments with a longer duration of activity. As a rule, this ensures that the concentration of the active substance in the body needed to achieve the therapeutic effect is guaranteed for a longer period without  the need to re-administer the drug at frequent intervals. Moreover, giving an active substance at longer time intervals contributes to the well-being of the patient to a high degree.
It is particularly desirable to prepare a pharmaceutical composition which can be used therapeutically by administration once a day (single dose). The use of a drug once a day has the advantage that the patient can become accustomed relatively quickly to regularly taking the drug at certain times of the day.
The aim of the present invention is to provide betamimetics which on the one hand confer a therapeutic benefit in the treatment of respiratory complaints and are also characterized by a longer duration of activity and can thus be used to prepare pharmaceutical compositions with a longer duration of activity. A particular aim of the invention is to prepare betamimetics which, by virtue of their long-lasting effect, can be used to prepare a drug for administration once a day for treating respiratory complaints. A further objective of the invention, apart from those mentioned above, is to prepare betamimetics which are not only exceptionally potent but are also characterized by a high degree of selectivity with respect to the β2-adrenoceptor.
A further aim of the present invention is to prepare betamimetics which by virtue of their physicochemical properties are particularly suitable for preparing pharmaceutical formulations for use by inhalation. The present invention sets out in particular to prepare betamimetics which, in addition to the abovementioned properties, are particularly suitable for preparing inhalable powders and suspension aerosols.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Enantiomerically pure beta agonists, process for the manufacture thereof and use thereof as medicaments

Abstract: wherein the groups R1, R2, R3, R4, and X− may have the meanings given in the claims and in the specification, processes for preparing them and the use thereof as pharmaceutical compositions, particularly as pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of respiratory complaints.


The present voice and data telecommunications connector includes a set of wires each having a first end terminating in a first 50-pin amphenol connector for connecting to a 50-pin amphenol socket of a converged voice and data telecommunications device; a first group of said set of wires each having a second end terminating in a 50-pin amphenol connector for connecting to a 50-pin amphenol trunk socket of a compact integrated communications system device; and a second group of the set of wires each having a second end terminating in a 50-pin amphenol connector for connecting to a 50-pin amphenol station socket of the compact integrated communications system device. Another embodiment provides for a voice and data telecommunications connector that includes a set of wires having a first end terminating in a 50-pin amphenol connector and three 50-pin amphenol connectors for connecting to a modular integrated communications device.

Private branched exchanges ("PBXs") and key telephone systems have been used for many decades to provide small to large businesses with multi-line access to the public switched telephone network ("PSTN"). Typically, PBXs have been used by large companies to enable their employees to share incoming and outgoing PSTN trunk lines, so that the company does not have to dedicate individual PSTN lines to each employee. Key telephone systems, commonly referred to "key systems," are typically smaller versions of PBXs that historically use individual lines instead of sharing anonymous trunk lines. Nevertheless, technology has all but eliminated this distinction by enabling key systems to operate within their smaller scale yet with the full functionality of modern day PBXs.
Small-to-medium sized companies may still prefer to use key systems instead of PBXs because of their cost. Technology is currently bringing together the worlds of voice and data transmissions to key systems. In addition to analogue signals, the modem key system is generally fully capable of handling digital signals as well, thus enabling it to work within a voice over internet protocol ("VoIP") environment. Nonetheless, interconnecting today's key systems with VoIP devices typically includes re-cabling and wiring at a customer's site, which is time and labor intensive.

Voice and data telecommunications connector


The use of plant suspension cultures to remove ionic metallic species and TNT-based explosives and their oxidation products from aqueous solution is described. Several plant strains were investigated including D. innoxia, Citrus citrus, and Black Mexican Sweet Corn. All showed significant ability to remove metal ions. Ions removed to sub-ppm levels include barium, iron, and plutonium. D. innoxia cells growing in media containing weapons effluent contaminated with Ba.sup.2+ also remove TNT, other explosives and oxidation products thereof from solution. The use of dead, dehydrated cells was also found to be of use in treating waste directly.

The present invention relates generally to water purification, and more particularly to the use of plant cells in suspension to remove metal atoms and explosives from aqueous solution.
Barium ion (Ba.sup.2+) has been used extensively in the production of conventional explosives in the explosive formulation Baratol, a 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene-based (TNT-based), castable mixture which consists of 76% (w/w) barium nitrate ground to a specific particle size and 24% TNT. Explosives are routinely machined underwater, resulting in the contamination of the aqueous solution with Ba.sup.2+ and TNT.
Four families of high-temperature superconducting ceramic oxides are currently being investigated. Three of these families contain significant amounts of Ba.sup.2+. The environmental impact of the production of such materials on a large scale will likely include the production of effluent containing high concentrations of barium and other toxic metal ions.
Barium is toxic to humans and to other species and must be removed prior to environmental discharge of effluents from production facilities. Environmental Protection Agency standards presently require the removal of this ion to concentrations below 100 ppm. New guidelines may require that substantially less Ba.sup.2+ can be released. Current methods for barium removal include the conversion of barium nitrate into less soluble barium sulfate which can be precipitated from effluent waters prior to their release. The resulting precipitate is subsequently buried. The overall process is relatively expensive and some barium is still released into the environment.
TNT, oxidation products thereof, and other soluble explosive materials are also found in these effluent waters. Most of these compounds are similarly toxic and must be reduced to environmentally acceptable levels before the water may be released. Current technology requires the step-wise removal of Ba.sup.2+ followed by the removal of these explosive compounds with activated charcoal and incineration of the charcoal. A simpler, more efficient process, and one which also removes other toxic materials from the effluent, is needed for the processing of large amounts of effluent prior to environmental discharge.
Remediation of water-borne plutonium and other actinide elements is likewise a well-known problem for the nuclear power industry and for the nuclear weapons complex. Simple, inexpensive, and efficient removal procedures are actively being sought to enable these industries to comply with increasingly stringent environmental regulations and with public concerns.
Plant cell suspension cultures can be selected for growth in concentrations of certain metal ions which are toxic to many other species. Survival may result from the production of small, metal-binding polypeptides which tightly bind all of the toxic ions entering the cells. See, e.g., P. J. Jackson, C. J. Unkefer, J. A. Watt, and N. J. Robinson, "Poly(.gamma.-glutamylcysteinyl)glycine: Its Role In Cadmium Resistance In Plant Cells," Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 84, 6619 (1987). Alternatively, tolerance may be associated with the ability to exclude the metal ions from the cells. See, e.g., C. D. Foy, R. L. Chaney, and M. C. White, "The Physiology of Metal Toxicity In Plants," Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 29, 511 (1978). The latter reference describes the uptake of metals by whole plants and suggests a role of whole plants in environmental cleanup and stabilization of contaminated sites, but no parallel action has been observed or predicted for plant cell cultures. Certain plants are already being used to stabilize sites contaminated with toxic trace metal ions (See, e.g., R. R. Gemmel, "Colonization of Industrial Wasteland" (Arnold Publishing Company, London, 1977)).
Fletcher et al. have demonstrated in "Metabolism of 2-chlorobiphenyl by Suspension Cultures of Paul's Scarlet Rose," by J. S. Fletcher, A. W. Groeger, and J. C. McFarlane, Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 39, 960 (1987) that suspension cultures of Rose remove PCBs from solution and chemically modify them.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to substantially reduce the concentration of chosen metal ions from aqueous solution.
Another object of my invention is to substantially reduce the concentration of TNT in aqueous solution.
Yet another object of the invention is to substantially reduce the concentration of other explosives and explosive oxidation products in aqueous solution.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Method for removal of explosives from aqueous solution using suspended plant cells


Expanded metal machine includes a fixed blade, a displaceable blade, displaceable in a vertical and a transverse direction and which has a cutting edge with cutting projections interspaced in the transverse direction. Conveying device for conveying a flat material in a direction of conveyance between the blades. Ram for effecting a periodic vertical movement of displaceable blade, and a transverse displacing device for effecting a transverse displacement of displaceable blade that is synchronized with reciprocating motion. To enable a precise fine adjustment of the cutting gap, fixed blade is held in a fixed one-piece or multiple piece blade holding fixture vertically adjustable by a depth of cut adjusting device for adjusting a vertical depth of cut between the blades. Depth of cut adjusting device has at least two oppositely tapering wedges, displaceable in a coupled manner and having parallel sloped surfaces held in blade holding fixture in a sliding manner.

Expanded metals are materials with orifices in the surface, which are produced by offset cuts without loss of material, while performing an expanding deformation at the same time, using flat materials, particularly metal sheets or metal strips.
In this process (with vertical orientation of the machine), the following steps are performed in consecutive cycles: the flat starting material is guided between blades, the starting material is cut by the moving blade while undergoing an expanding deformation, the blade is retracted vertically and then displaced laterally by half a mesh length, the blade is again displaced vertically for cutting into the starting material, thus creating the first meshes, and subsequently the blade is again vertically retracted and displaced laterally in the starting position, whereupon the starting material can again be fed. Thereafter, the expanded metal can be further processed, such as flat-rolled.
The expanded metals produced in this way are generally made of a high number of meshes in the longitudinal and transverse directions. During production, an even vertical cutting depth or immersion depth between the two blades is required since even minor deviations in the lateral direction, which is to say minor expansion differences of the meshes produced in one reciprocating movement, can form distortions in the finished mesh pattern, which are immediately apparent to the observer due to the regularity of the pattern, particularly in the case of larger widths and lengths. This may result in considerable visual impairment of the otherwise very aesthetic expanded metal. In the case of longer expanded metals, these distortions occurring in the longitudinal direction can add up and result in larger warping.
So as to correct and/or adjust the height positions of blades received in blade holding fixtures, at times a rough setting is performed in that cigarette paper or the like is placed between the blade and blade holding fixture. Such settings, however, are imprecise and only allow rough adjustments within discrete values.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,597 describes an expanded metal machine having a fixed blade, a displaceable blade, and the displaceable blade being vertically and transversely displaceable with a reciprocating motion in a vertical and a transverse direction, respectively. In that invention, cutting projections are formed both on the upper blade and on the lower blade, the projections engaging each other such that the flat material is received between the cutting projections disposed offset from one another during the cutting movement. Both the upper and the lower blades are displaced periodically in the lateral direction.
DE 197 28 913 C1 discloses an expanded metal machine, wherein for setting the cutting stroke and hence the mesh size of the expanded metal or mesh pattern to be produced a maximum cutting stroke can be reduced by means of adjusting wedges controlled by step motors. The maximum cutting stroke here is defined by eccentric disks provided on upper blade carriers or an upper blade holding fixture, the disks being driven by a shaft and pressing the upper blade carrier downward by means of the adjusting wedges.


A method for controlling an internal combustion engine calculates the generated internal torque for each cylinder on the basis of the signal generated by an angle of rotation sensor for detecting the angle of rotation of the crankshaft, so that a rapid and precise regulation of the torque supplied by the internal combustion engine may be achieved.

Internal combustion engines generally use the torque supplied by the internal combustion engine at the crankshaft to control and regulate the internal combustion engine. The reference variable in this control is a setpoint torque. This setpoint torque can be input by the driver via a particular position of the accelerator pedal or by various systems of the motor vehicle such as an electronic stability program, traction control system or the control of an automatic transmission, for example. The control and regulation of the internal combustion engine translates the setpoint torque into corresponding control actions of, for instance, the throttle valve, the ignition timing, fuel-injection blank-outs, etc.
The torque supplied by the internal combustion engine is not measured directly in these internal combustion engines, but calculated via, for instance, a mass air-flow sensor as well as the lambda probe and corresponding models of the internal combustion engine. However, this calculation is sufficiently precise only in the case of Otto engines having manifold injection. In Otto engines having direct gasoline injection or in diesel engines, there is no clear correlation between the air mass aspirated by the internal combustion engine and the torque output by the internal combustion engine.
Compared to an internal combustion engine having manifold injection, in stratified-charge operation (lambda>1) and homogenous lean-mixture operation there are the following changed margin conditions in internal combustion engines having direct gasoline injection (DGI):
The air mass is no measure for the torque supplied by the internal combustion engine since only the injected fuel quantity is determinative of the torque.
A measurement of the exhaust gas composition with the aid of a continuous lambda probe is too imprecise.
The torque-affecting actuating variables are more numerous in internal combustion engines having direct injection. In particular, the start of injection, the exhaust-gas recirculation rate, the lambda value and the position of a throttle valve must be taken into account.
The calculation of torque Meff output by the internal combustion engine on the basis of the aforementioned measured influence variables can therefore be realized only by setting up numerous models and a complicated application of these functions in a control device. Nevertheless, the accuracy of such a determination of the torque supplied by the internal combustion engine is unsatisfactory, so that, for instance, drivability problems of the motor vehicle may arise in interaction with an automatic transmission. In addition, the inaccuracies in determining the torque supplied by the internal combustion engine may lead to increased fuel consumption since large safety margins must be observed in the application of operating limits for different operating types. Monitoring of the internal combustion engine with a view toward an unintentionally high torque output by the internal combustion engine is barely able to be implemented.
German Published Patent Application No. 197 49 434 describes a method for controlling an internal combustion engine in which the torque output by the internal combustion engine is determined with the aid of a pressure sensor, which records the pressure in the combustion chamber of a cylinder, and an angle-of-rotation sensor, which records the position of the crankshaft. In order to individually record the torque for each cylinder of the internal combustion engine, a separate pressure sensor is required for each cylinder. Because of the pressure sensors required for each cylinder, the implementation of this method entails considerable expense.

Method and device for operating an internal combustion engine


A method of making a formed, dried lignocellulose fiber material comprising (a) providing an aqueous lignocellulose fiber pulp slurry having an effective consistency; (b) de-watering the slurry to provide a de-watered material at an effective de-watering rate under an effective pressure to prevent or reduce the formation of fissures and voids within the material; (c) drying an effective amount of the de-watered material at an effective temperature and period of time to provide the formed, dried lignocellulose fiber material having a thickness of at least 5 mm. The formed, dried lignocellulose material may be used to make a lignocellulose fiber-resin composite material of use as a cost effective structural member, as a substitute for steel, in, for example, bridges, processing equipment, and the like.

Presently, carbon steel is the material of choice for most exterior infrastructure applications because of its superior strength properties and relatively low cost per unit weight. However, frequently, the limitations of steel, which include corrosion and maintenance challenges, excessive weight and high erection costs are being recognized. As an example, in bridge construction it is estimated that within the next 25 years, over 50% of all of the bridges in North America will either require extensive repair or complete replacement due to the lack of sustained infrastructure funding. Most of the major civil engineering and government authorities have expressed their lack of enthusiasm for approaching this problem with traditional steels because of their desire to avoid the same predicament in the future. For this reason, new advanced materials are being sought that can rival the tensile/impact strengths and initial installed cost of steel, while at the same time outperform it in terms of strength to weight, life-span and cost of upkeep.
In other areas, such as in industrial processing equipment markets, where strength to weight is important, replacement of steel with a suitable alternative is desired. For example, large industrial roll cores for pulp and paper dry machines are fabricated from steel. Because of steel's flexibility, a roll made from it must be thick enough to overcome its own dead weight in order to span a certain distance with minimal flex under load. This extreme weight accelerates bearing failure, and results in slow and difficult roll installation and removal. Substitution of the steel with a material having less flex over the same length at a fraction of the weight should provide significant cost advantages in installation and maintenance.
There is, therefore, a need for materials as substitutes for steel in structural environments which provide better strength to weight ratios, easier installation and lower installation and maintenance costs.

Lignocellulose fiber-resin composite material


A method of characterizing an analyte sample is provided that includes the steps of: (a) anchoring the analyte to a nucleic acid template of known sequence; (b) conducting a DNA polymerase reaction that includes the reaction of a template, a non-hydrolyzable primer, at least one terminal phosphate-labeled nucleotide, DNA polymerase, and an enzyme having 3′→5′ exonuclease activity which reaction results in the production of labeled polyphosphate; (c) permitting the labeled polyphosphate to react with a phosphatase to produce a detectable species characteristic of the sample; (d) detecting the detectable species. The method may include the step of characterizing the nucleic acid sample based on the detection. Also provided are methods of analyzing multiple analytes in a sample, and kits for characterizing analyte samples.

Methods are known for detecting analytes in a sample with high specificity and sensitivity. These methods include antigen-antibody assays as well DNA hybridization based assays. Detection of analytes using immunodetection is well known in the art. Methods include direct labeling of antibodies using radioisotopes, fluorescent or chemiluminescent tags, or ELISA assays where an enzyme linked to the antibody catalyzes conversion of a chromogenic substrate to a detectable species. Latter are generally more desirable as multiple detectable moieties can be generated per binding event thereby increasing sensitivity. Similar methods have been incorporated into DNA hybridization based assays, which are generally more sensitive and in most diagnostic assays can be used at an earlier stage of disease progression. Enhanced sensitivity is achieved by first amplifying nucleic acid sequence based on the presence of a specific target sequence. Following amplification, the amplified sequences are detected and quantified. As a method of amplifying a nucleic acid sequence, the PCR (polymerase chain reaction) process is known. Presently, PCR is the most conventional means for in vitro amplification of nucleic acid. However, PCR has certain disadvantages, including the requirement for strict temperature control, inadequate quantification due to logarithmic amplification, and the danger of erroneous results brought about by simultaneous amplification of trace amounts of contaminated DNA. Additionally, except for nucleic acids, most other analytes are not easily amplified. In such cases, signal amplification methods are more desirable. These detect amplified decomposition products, i.e., a product or by-product of a reaction is amplified as the signal from a target analyte.
The traditional methods of amplifying the signal use enzyme linked to antibodies or polynucleotides and are limited by the amount of multiplexing one can achieve. There are only a few enzymes, such as alkaline phosphatase or horse radish peroxidase, that have been linked to antibodies or DNA probes. Other methods of signal amplification are based on nucleic acid metabolizing enzymes.
A cycling assay has been developed which utilizes λ-exonuclease to specifically cleave double stranded DNA (C. G. Copley et al., Bio Techniques, Vol. 13, No. 6, pp 882–892, 1992). This method involves hybridizing an oligonucleotide probe with a nucleic acid sequence complimentary thereto, allowing λ-exonuclease to act on the formed double-stranded DNA to decompose the hybridized probe. The probe is replaced by another probe, which is then decomposed. In this way, a cycling reaction repeats. In this method, the presence of a target DNA sequence is estimated by the detection of the decomposed probe. A disadvantage of this method is that the λ-exonuclease requires a probe which is phosphorylated at its 5′-terminal as the substrate. Following chemical synthesis of the probe by known methods, the 5′-terminal needs to be phosphorylated, and it is often difficult to confirm that all 5′-terminals are phosphorylated completely. An additional problem of this method is the low turnover number of cycling reactions, i.e., the number of times hybridization between the primer and target nucleotide occurs. The turnover number is low since the hybridization step must repeatedly occur.
An additional cycling assay by an exonuclease has been disclosed in EP 500224/A1. In this method, the synthesis of a DNA strand complimentary to a target DNA proceeds from a primer simultaneously with the decomposition of the same primer from the other side by a 5′→3′ exonuclease such that another primer hybridizes with the target sequence in place of the decomposed primer hybridized before. Therefore, in a single cycle reaction both the synthesis of a complimentary strand by DNA polymerase as well as the degradation of the synthesized strand repeatedly occurs. A disadvantage of this method is the low turnover number, with the hybridization step being rate limiting in that it must repeatedly occur.
A further cycling assay for detection of a polynucleotide containing a specific sequence is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,487. This method relies on signal amplification and detection of decomposition products. This method includes using a combination of nucleic acid polymerase, 3′→5′ exonuclease, a nuclease-resistant primer, a target nucleic acid, which may be DNA at limiting concentration, and at least one deoxynucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) to detect the target nucleic acid sequence. The method further includes synthesizing a complimentary strand being a nucleotide species located adjacent to the 3′-terminal of the nuclease-resistant primer, followed by decomposition of the nucleotide species joined to the end of the primer and detection of the resulting pyrophosphoric acid or deoxynucleoside monophosphate, the synthesis and decomposition of the nucleotide species being repeated one or more times. A disadvantage of this method as well as other detection methods presently widely in use is the need to separate labeled starting material from a final labeled product or by-product. Such separations generally require gel electrophoresis or immobilization of a target nucleic acid sequence onto a membrane for detection. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,487, the deoxynucleoside monophosphate formed by a nuclease reaction is separated by chromotography and optically measured. Alternatively, the pyrophosphoric acid which is formed upon incorporation of a complimentary base by DNA polymerase may be allowed to react with adenosine-5′-phosphosulfate and adenosine triphosphate sulfurase to form adenosine triphosphate, which is then detected using a luciferin-luciferase reaction; this presents the disadvantage of requiring additional reagents and incubation steps.
It has been known that DNA and RNA polymerases are able to recognize and utilize nucleosides with a modification at or in place of the gamma position of the triphosphate moiety. It is further known that the ability of various polymerases to recognize and utilize gamma-modified nucleoside triphosphates appears to vary depending on the moiety attached to the gamma phosphate.
A colorimetric assay for monitoring RNA synthesis from RNA polymerases in the presence of a gamma-phosphate modified nucleotide has been reported (Ref. Vassiliou W, Epp J B, Wang B B, Del Vecchio A M, Widlanski T, Kao C C. Exploiting polymerase promiscuity: A simple colorimetric RNA polymerase assay. Virology. Sep. 1, 2000; 274(2):429–37). In this report, RNA polymerase reactions were performed in the presence of a gamma-modified, alkaline phosphatase resistant nucleoside triphosphate which was modified at its gamma phosphate with a dinitrophenyl group. When RNA polymerase reactions were performed in the presence of this gamma-modified NTP as the sole nucleoside triphosphate and a homopolymeric template, it was found that RNA polymerase could recognize and utilize the modified NTP. Moreover, when the polymerase reactions were performed in the presence of an alkaline phosphatase, which digested the p-nitrophenyl pyrophosphate aldo-product of a phosphoryl transfer to the chromogenic p-nitrophenylate, an increase in absorbance was reported. A disadvantage of this detection method is that the real-time colorimetric assay, performed in the presence of an alkaline phosphatase, only works with a homopolymeric template.
It would, therefore, be of benefit to provide methods of detecting and characterizing an analyte, which methods would include utilization of terminal-phosphate-labeled nucleotides as substrates for DNA polymerase in a cycling assay by an exonuclease. It would further be of benefit if such methods would employ enzyme-activatable labels at the terminal phosphate of the nucleotide for production of an amplified detectable species from a target nucleic acid which would eliminate the need to separate labeled starting materials from labeled products or by-products. Moreover, it would be highly desirable if such methods for detecting and characterizing nucleic acids would allow for real-time monitoring of a heteropolymeric target nucleic acid using routine lab instrumentation. Finally, it is additionally desirable if such methods are easily multiplexed to analyze four or more analytes per reaction compartment simultaneously or in sequential manner.


This disclosure presents an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for the selective detection of anti-Mycoplasma hyorhinis IgG in porcine serum, which may contain antibodies specific to multiple other Mycoplasma spp.

Mycoplasma hyorhinis is an important pathogen of swine that can often occur as a respiratory co-infection with viral pathogens2,3 but has also been shown to cause arthritis and polyserositis in infected animals4. The economic impact of disease associated with M. hyorhinis in the United States swine industry has not been evaluated previously. Nonetheless, this organism remains a significant source of infectious disease in commercially raised swine2,3,4. Currently, no diagnostic assay is available to assess the degree of exposure to this pathogen in the field, nor is there currently a method which would allow researchers the ability to monitor the serologic response of swine to vaccines administered against this pathogen.
Mycoplasma hyorhinis is an important pathogen in the United States swine industry. Each year infections caused by this pathogen impact the productivity of the swine industry through increased veterinary costs, decreased productivity, and mortality. The Mycoplasma genus consists of small, fastidious organisms of about 0.1 μM in size and lack cell wall6. A number of pathogenic species of Mycoplasma that have been shown to infect swine and induce significant lesions upon infection including M. hyopneumoniae, M. hyorhinis, and M. hyosynoviae7,8. M. hyopneumoniae is a major cause of respiratory illness in swine, especially as a secondary infection with Porcine circovirus type 22 and Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus3. M. hyosynoviae has been shown to cause of severe arthritis in the joints of infected animals and has also induces a carrier state in the tonsils of pigs9,10. M. hyorhinis is pathogenic to both swine and humans7,11. In humans, M. hyorhinis has been implicated as a causative agent in gastric carcinoma11 and prostate cancer1,12, though it is not a common cause of classical infectious disease.
In swine, the organism can be a found as a commensal resident of the nasal cavity and respiratory tract14 and virulence and pathogenicity have been shown to vary amongst strains13. When a pathogenic strain infects an animal the most common clinical signs are severe arthritis and polyserositis. Occasionally animals may develop otitis and conjunctivitis as a result of infection as well13. Treatment options include tetracycline, fluoroquinolone, and macrolide antibiotics as well as tylosin and a number of other antimicrobials8.
Very little research has been done to determine what specific factors make some strains of M. hyorhinis virulent while others remain non-pathogenic. A significant source of variability in M. hyorhinis strains is the variable lipoproteins (VLPs) that constitute the major membrane proteins expressed by the organism16,17. VLPs can change over the course of an infection via a mechanism involving phase variation, differential regulation in expression of multiple VLPs, and changes in VLP size due to the gain or loss of repetitive sequences encoding groups of amino acids 12-13 residues in length18. These mechanisms can be used as a means of continuously escaping the host immune system as immunity directed against these proteins can become irrelevant when the population shifts to the use of a new VLP19. Another potential source of virulence in M. hyorhinis strains is the ability of at least some strains to modulate the immune response. Previous studies have demonstrated that M. hyorhinis has the ability to suppress IL-2 production in murine T-cells21 and T-cell activation by mesenchymal stem cells in rats22.
M. hyorhinis p37 is a 43.5 kD membrane spanning protein that is thought to function in thiamine pyrophosphate binding23 and in adherence to host cells (cite). Its role in aggravating human gastric cancers is thought to be a result of its activation of matrix metalloprotease 2 (MMP2) and activation of the phosphorylation of epidermal growth factor receptor20. M. hyorhinis p37 is thought to bind to sialic acid on the surface of cells via a carboxy-terminal jelly-roll motif24 and binding of p37 to cancer cells has been shown to facilitate increased invasiveness and metastases24,20. One relevant assay uses human sera to determine whether a link exists between M. hyorhinis and prostate cancer,1 but prior to the instant disclosure, it was not known whether M. hyorhinis p37 could be used to diagnose exposure to M. hyorhinis via vaccination or natural infection.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of anti-mycoplasma hyorhinis IgG in swine serum

Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc.


A sidewall portion of a plastic container adapted for vacuum pressure absorption. The sidewall portion including generally rectangular shaped vacuum panels equidistantly spaced about the container. The vacuum panels having, at least in part, a convex shaped surface and a series of equidistantly spaced indents disposed therein. The vacuum panels being moveable to accommodate vacuum forces generated within the container thereby decreasing the volume of the container.

As a result of environmental and other concerns, plastic containers, more specifically polyester and even more specifically polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers, are now being used more than ever to package numerous commodities previously packaged in glass containers. Manufacturers and fillers, as well as consumers, have recognized that PET containers are lightweight, inexpensive, recyclable and manufacturable in large quantities.
Manufacturers currently supply PET containers for various liquid commodities, such as juice and isotonic beverages. Suppliers often fill these liquid products into the containers while the liquid product is at an elevated temperature, typically between 68° C.-96° C. (155° F.-205° F.) and usually at approximately 85° C. (185° F.). When packaged in this manner, the hot temperature of the liquid commodity sterilizes the container at the time of filling. The bottling industry refers to this process as hot filling, and containers designed to withstand the process as hot-fill or heat-set containers.
The hot filling process is acceptable for commodities having a high acid content, but not generally acceptable for non-high acid content commodities. Nonetheless, manufacturers and fillers of non-high acid content commodities desire to supply their commodities in PET containers as well.
For non-high acid commodities, pasteurization and retort are the preferred sterilization process. Pasteurization and retort both present an enormous challenge for manufactures of PET containers in that heat-set containers cannot withstand the temperature and time demands required of pasteurization and retort.
Pasteurization and retort are both processes for cooking or sterilizing the contents of a container after filling. Both processes include the heating of the contents of the container to a specified temperature, usually above approximately 70° C. (approximately 1550° F.), for a specified length of time (20-60 minutes). Retort differs from pasteurization in that retort uses higher temperatures to sterilize the container and cook its contents. Retort also applies elevated air pressure externally to the container to counteract pressure inside the container. The pressure applied externally to the container is necessary because a hot water bath is often used and the overpressure keeps the water, as well as the liquid in the contents of the container, in liquid form, above their respective boiling point temperatures.
PET is a crystallizable polymer, meaning that it is available in an amorphous form or a semi-crystalline form. The ability of a PET container to maintain its material integrity relates to the percentage of the PET container in crystalline form, also known as the "crystallinity" of the PET container. The following equation defines the percentage of crystallinity as a volume fraction:
      %                          Crystallinity    =                    ρ        -                  ρ          a                                      ρ          c                -                  ρ          a                      ×    100  where ρ is the density of the PET material; ρa is the density of pure amorphous PET material (1.333 g/cc); and ρc is the density of pure crystalline material (1.455 g/cc).
Container manufactures use mechanical processing and thermal processing to increase the PET polymer crystallinity of a container. Mechanical processing involves orienting the amorphous material to achieve strain hardening. This processing commonly involves stretching a PET preform along a longitudinal axis and expanding the PET preform along a transverse or radial axis to form a PET container. The combination promotes what manufacturers define as biaxial orientation of the molecular structure in, the container. Manufacturers of PET containers currently use mechanical processing to produce PET containers having approximately 20% crystallinity in the container's sidewall.
Thermal processing involves heating the material (either amorphous or semi-crystalline) to promote crystal growth. On amorphous material, thermal processing of PET material results in a spherulitic morphology that interferes with the transmission of light. In other words, the resulting crystalline material is opaque, and thus, generally undesirable. Used after mechanical processing, however, thermal processing results in higher crystallinity and excellent clarity for those portions of the container having biaxial molecular orientation. The thermal processing of an oriented PET container, which is known as heat setting, typically includes blow molding a PET preform against a mold heated to a temperature of approximately 120° C.-130° C. (approximately 248° F.-266° F.), and holding the blown container against the heated mold for approximately three (3) seconds. Manufacturers of PET juice bottles, which must be hot-filled at approximately 85° C. (185° F.), currently use heat setting to produce PET bottles having an overall crystallinity in the range of approximately 25-35%.
After being hot-filled, the heat-set containers are capped and allowed to reside at generally the filling temperature for approximately five (5) minutes at which point the container, along with the product, is then actively cooled prior to transferring to labeling, packaging, and shipping operations. The cooling reduces the volume of the liquid in the container. This product shrinkage phenomenon results in the creation of a vacuum within the container. Generally, vacuum pressures within the container range from 1-300 mm Hg less than atmospheric pressure (i.e., 759 mm Hg −460 mm Hg). If not controlled or otherwise accommodated, these vacuum pressures result in deformation of the container, which leads to either an aesthetically unacceptable container or one that is unstable.
In many instances, container weight is correlated to the amount of the final vacuum present in the container after this fill, cap and cool down procedure, that is, the container is made relatively heavy to accommodate vacuum related forces. Similarly, reducing container weight, i.e., "lightweight" the container, while providing a significant cost savings from a material standpoint, requires a reduction in the amount of the final vacuum. Typically, the amount of the final vacuum can be reduced through various processing options such as the use of nitrogen dosing technology, minimize headspace or reduce fill temperature. One drawback with the use of nitrogen dosing technology however is that the maximum line speeds achievable with the current technology is limited to roughly 200 containers per minute. Such slower line speeds are seldom acceptable. Additionally, the dosing consistency is not yet at a technological level to achieve efficient operations. Minimizing headspace requires more precession during filling, again resulting in slower line speeds. Reducing fill temperature is equally disadvantageous as it limits the type of commodity suitable for the container.
Typically, container manufacturers accommodate vacuum pressures by incorporating structures in the container sidewall. Container manufacturers commonly refer to these structures as vacuum panels. Traditionally, these paneled areas have been semi-rigid by design, unable to accommodate the high levels of vacuum pressures currently generated, particularly in lightweight containers.
Thus, there is a need for an improved container sidewall that readily distorts inwardly in a controlled manner under vacuum pressure from the hot-filling process thereby accommodating for this vacuum pressure without undesirable deformation in the container sidewall while allowing for a lightweight container that accommodates a higher fill temperature and is capable of reducing panel surface area. It is therefore an object of this invention to provide such a container sidewall.

Inverting vacuum panels for a plastic container


A stereo image output method includes: providing a request command; outputting current image frame information from a storage unit in response to the request command, and triggering an image synchronization operation to update the image frame information in the storage unit; and outputting a set of stereo images from a memory according to the image frame information.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to a stereo image output apparatus, and more particularly to a stereo image output apparatus and associated method capable of outputting synchronized stereo images within a limited time period.
2. Description of the Related Art
When rendering stereo images in the prior art, an image output unit typically sends a request command to a control unit during a constant time interval in order to retrieve information of required left-eye image frame information and right-eye image frame information. Upon receiving the request command, the control unit first synchronizes the left-eye frame and the right-eye image, and outputs a synchronized result and information associated with the left-eye frame and the right-eye frame to the image output unit. If the time consumed by the synchronization operation on the left-eye frame and the right-eye frame becomes too long, the current procedure is considered erroneous, and the image output unit sends a black frame to a rear-end display device, on which the black frame is displayed. When this happens, a display flaw results The current invention relates to eliminating display errors during the rendering of stereo images on a suitable display.

Stereo image output apparatus and associated method


The present invention provides a magnetic sensing device capable of stably sensing a signal magnetic field with high sensitivity by suppressing occurrence of a hysteresis to reduce 1/f noise. A magnetic sensing device has a stacked body including a pinned layer having a magnetization direction pinned to a predetermined direction (Y direction), a free layer having a magnetization direction which changes according to an external magnetic field and, when the external magnetic field is zero, becomes parallel to the magnetization direction of the pinned layer, and an intermediate layer sandwiched between the pinned layer and the free layer. Consequently, as compared with the case where the pinned layer and the free layer have magnetization directions which are orthogonal to each other when the external magnetic field is zero, variations in the spin directions of magnetic domains in the free layer can be reduced. In the case of passing read current, appearance of a hysteresis in the relation between a change in the external magnetic field and a resistance change can be suppressed. As a result, 1/f noise is suppressed and a signal magnetic field can be stably sensed with high sensitivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic sensing device capable of sensing a change in a signal magnetic field at high sensitivity, method of forming the same, a magnetic sensor having the magnetic sensing device, and an ammeter having the magnetic sensing device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus for writing/reading magnetic information to/from a recording medium such as a hard disk has a thin film magnetic head including a magnetic recording head and a magnetic reproducing head. The reproducing head has a giant magneto-resistive effect element (hereinbelow, GMR element) executing reproduction of a digital signal as magnetic information by using so-called giant magneto-resistive effect.
The GMR element used for a thin film magnetic head generally has a spin valve structure as shown in FIG. 19. Concretely, the GMR element is a stacked body 120 including a pinned layer 121 whose magnetization direction is pinned in a predetermined direction, a free layer 123 whose magnetization direction changes according to an external magnetic field, and an intermediate layer 122 sandwiched between the pinned layer 121 and the free layer 123 (refer to, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,159,513 and 5,206,590). Each of the top face (the face on the side opposite to the intermediate layer 122) of the pinned layer 121 and the under face (the face on the side opposite to the intermediate layer 122) of the free layer 123 is protected with a not-shown protection layer. In the pinned layer 121, specifically, as shown in FIG. 20 for example, a magnetization pinned film 124 and an antiferromagnetic film 125 are stacked in order from the side of the intermediate layer 122. The magnetization pinned film 124 may be a single layer or a synthetic layer in which a ferromagnetic layer 141, an exchange coupling film 142, and a ferromagnetic layer 143 are formed in order from the side of the intermediate layer 122 as shown in FIG. 21. The free layer 123 may be a single layer or may have a configuration that, for example as shown in FIG. 22, a ferromagnetic film 131, an intermediate film 132, and a ferromagnetic film 133 are formed in order from the side of the intermediate layer 122 and the ferromagnetic films 131 and 133 are exchange-coupled. Such a spin valve structure is formed by a method of sputtering, vacuum deposition, or the like.
The materials and the like of the pinned layer and the free layer in the GMR element used for a thin film magnetic head are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,978. The material of the intermediate layer sandwiched by the pinned layer and the free layer is generally, for example, copper (Cu). A GMR element capable of using so-called tunnel effect obtained by making a very thin intermediate layer (tunnel barrier layer) of an insulating material such as aluminum oxide (Al2O3) in place of copper was also developed.
In the GMR element used for a thin film magnetic head, the magnetization direction of the free layer freely changes according to a signal magnetic field generated from a magnetic recording medium. At the time of reading magnetic information recorded on a magnetic recording medium, for example, read current is passed along a stacked-body in-plane direction to the GMR element. At this time, the read current displays an electric resistance value which varies according to the state of the magnetization direction of the free layer. Consequently, a change in the signal magnetic field generated from the recording medium is detected as a change in electric resistance.
This phenomenon will be described in more detail by referring to FIGS. 23A and 23B. FIGS. 23A and 23B show the relation between the magnetization directions of the pinned layer 121 and free layer 123 and the electric resistance of the read current in the spin valve structure. The magnetization direction of the pinned layer 121 is indicated by reference numeral J121 and that of the free layer 123 is indicated by reference numeral J123. FIG. 23A shows a state where the magnetization directions of the pinned layer 121 and the free layer 123 are parallel to each other, and FIG. 23B shows a state where the magnetization directions of the pinned layer 121 and the free layer 123 are anti-parallel to each other. In FIGS. 23A and 23B, in the case of passing read current in the stacked-body in-plane direction, it is estimated that the read current flows mainly in the intermediate layer 122 having high electric conductivity. Electrons "e" flowing in the intermediate layer 122 are subjected to either scattering (which contributes to increase in electric resistance) or mirror-reflection (which does not contribute to increase in electric resistance) in an interface K123 with the free layer 123 and an interface K121 with the pinned layer 121. In the case where the magnetization directions J121 and J123 are parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 23A, the electrons "e" having spins Se parallel to the directions are not so scattered by the interfaces K121 and K123 and relatively low electric resistance is displayed. However, in the case where the magnetization directions J121 and J123 are anti-parallel to each other as shown in FIG. 23B, the electrons "e" are easily scattered by the interface K121 or K123 and relatively high electric resistance is displayed. FIG. 23B shows a state where the electron "e" having the spin Se to the right side of the drawing sheet is scattered by the interface K123 with the free layer 123. As described above, in the GMR element having the spin valve structure, electric resistance of the read current changes according to the angle of the magnetization direction J123 with respect to the magnetization direction J121. Since the magnetization direction J123 is determined by the external magnetic field, as a result, a change in the signal magnetic field from a recording medium can be detected as a resistance change in the read current.
Usually, a GMR element having the spin valve structure is constructed so that the magnetization direction of the free film (free layer) and that of the magnetization pinned film (pinned layer) are orthogonal to each other when an external magnetic field is not applied (H=0). The direction of the easy axis of magnetization of the free layer is set to be the same as the magnetization direction of the pinned layer. The GMR element with such a configuration is disposed so that the magnetization direction of the pinned layer is parallel to the direction of application of the external magnetic field. In such a manner, the center point of an operation range of the magnetization direction in the free layer can be set to the state where no external magnetic field is applied (H=0). That is, the state where the external magnetic field is zero can be set to the center of an amplitude of electric resistance which can be changed by a change in the external magnetic field. Consequently, it is unnecessary to apply a bias magnetic field to the GMR element.
The above will be concretely described with reference to FIGS. 24A to 24C and FIG. 25. FIGS. 24A to 24C show a state where magnetic information on a recording medium is read by a thin film magnetic head on which the GMR element is mounted in a general hard disk drive. As shown in FIG. 24A, the GMR element 120 is disposed close to the recording face 110 of a recording medium so that the magnetization direction J121 of the pinned layer 121 is the +Y direction along the direction (Y axis direction) orthogonal to the recording face 110 of the recording medium and the magnetization direction J123 of the free layer 123 is the +X direction along the direction (X axis direction) of the track width of the recording medium. It is assumed that there is no influence of the signal magnetic field from the recording medium at this time point. When the hard disk drive is driven and, for example as shown in FIG. 24B, a magnetic field in a signal magnetic filed direction J110 in the −Y direction is generated from a recording medium, the magnetization direction J123 becomes the −Y direction which is the opposite to the magnetization direction J121. Therefore, the resistance value of the read current increases as described with reference to FIGS. 23A and 23B. On the other hand, for example, in the case where a signal magnetic field in the signal magnetic field direction J110 from the recording medium is in the +Y direction as shown in FIG. 24C, the magnetization direction J123 becomes the +Y direction which is the same as the magnetization direction J121. Therefore, the resistance value of the read current decreases. By making, for example, the state of FIG. 24B associated with "0" and making the state of FIG. 24C associated with "1" by using the resistance change, the signal magnetic field can be detected as binary information. As obvious from FIGS. 24A to 24C, the center of the amplitude of the magnetization direction J123 is the state of FIG. 24A (H=0). FIG. 25 shows the relation between the external magnetic field (signal magnetic field) H and electric resistance R in the GMR element 120. In FIG. 25, the external magnetic field in the −Y direction in FIGS. 24A to 24C is set as H>0 and that in the +Y direction is set as H<0. As shown in FIG. 25, as the intensity of the signal magnetic field in the −Y direction increases, the electric resistance R increases and is saturated in the end. As the intensity of the signal magnetic filed in the +Y direction increases, the electric resistance R decreases and is saturated in the end. In such a manner, the electric resistance R changes around the state where the external magnetic field H is zero as a center. Therefore, the GMR element in which the magnetization direction of the free layer and that of the pinned layer are orthogonal to each other at the zero magnetic field does not have to have bias applying means in particular, so that it is generally applied to read magnetic information recorded on a hard disk, a flexible disk, a magnetic tape, or the like. Orthogonalization of the magnetization directions is realized by performing, mainly, a regularization heat treatment process which determines the magnetization direction of the pinned layer and an orthogonalization heat treatment process which follows the regularization heat treatment process and determines the magnetization direction of the free layer.
FIGS. 26A to 26C show the outline of a process of forming the stacked body 120 in which the magnetization direction J121 of the pinned layer 121 and the magnetization direction J123 of the free layer 123 are orthogonal to each other. Concretely, first, while applying a magnetic field H101 in the +X direction for example, the free layer 123 is formed by sputtering or the like and the direction AE123 of the easy axis of magnetization is pinned (refer to FIG. 26A) and, after that, the intermediate layer 122 and the pinned layer 121 are sequentially formed. As shown in FIG. 26B, while applying a magnetic field H102 in the direction (for example, +Y direction) orthogonal to the magnetic field H101, annealing process is performed at a predetermined temperature (regularization heat treatment process). By the process, the magnetization directions J121 and J123 are aligned in the direction of the magnetic field H102. Further, as shown in FIG. 26C, while applying a magnetic field H103 of relatively low intensity in the direction (+X direction) orthogonal to the magnetic field H102, annealing process is performed at a rather low temperature (orthogonalization heat treatment process). By the processes, while the magnetization direction J121 is pinned, only the magnetization direction J123 is directed again to the +X direction. As a result, the stacked body 120 in which the magnetization directions J121 and J123 are orthogonal to each other is completed.
The GMR element having the spin valve structure subjected to the orthogonalization heat process is effective to obtain a high dynamic range as well as high output and is suitable for reproducing a magnetization inverted signal which is digitally recorded. Before such a GMR element is used, an AMR element using anisotropic magneto-resistive (AMR) effect was generally used as means for reproducing a digital recording signal. Hitherto, the AMR element is used as means for reproducing not only a digital signal but also an analog signal (refer to, for example, Translated National Publication of Paten Application No. Hei 9-508214).
Application of the GMR element as means for reproducing an analog signal as well as the foreign AMR element has been being examined. However, when the free layer 123 in the GMR element subjected to the orthogonalization heat treatment is observed from a microscopic viewpoint, as shown in FIG. 27, it is found that spin directions 123S in magnetic domains 123D partitioned by magnetic walls 123W are various and are not aligned in a predetermined direction. Such variations in the spin direction 123S appear as a hysteresis characteristic in the relation between the external magnetic field H and the electric resistance R. FIG. 25 corresponds to an ideal state in which the spin directions in the magnetic domains in the free layer are perfectly aligned in one direction. In reality, however, the spin direction 123S varies, so that a hysteresis curve HC1 is drawn as shown in FIG. 28 and an offset value occurs at the zero magnetic field. The occurrence of the offset value appears as 1/f noise in a relatively low frequency band as shown in FIG. 29. The 1/f noise occurs at a frequency "f" or lower and becomes more conspicuous as the frequency "f" decreases. FIG. 29 shows a state where the influence of a 1/f noise component N2 on "noise voltage density" increases as compared with a white noise component N1 as the frequency "f" decreases. Increase in the 1/f noise is unpreferable since it is a big factor of deteriorating the reliability of the whole system.

Magnetic sensing device, method of forming the same, magnetic sensor, and ammeter


A sweeping device such as a head for a broom. The device has a first portion (22), including a socket (18) formed as an integral moulding of a relative hard polymeric material. A bristle portion (24) formed from a relatively soft polymeric material is molded to partially envelop the first portion and to engage positively with a groove (32) and undercut (34) formed in the first portion in order to attach the bristle portion to the first portion. The bristle portion is formed with a plurality of integral bristles (20) some of which may have a different cross section from that of the remainder of the bristles.

There are numerous types of broom head constructions. A typical broom head construction of the same general nature as that provided by applicant's invention includes a head portion which may often be formed of wood or similar material having a plurality of holes drilled therethrough. The holes are used to locate and attach a number of bristles which protrude below the broom head. In addition, a socket may be provided as a separate element attached to the head or alternatively it may simply comprise a hole drilled in the upper part of the head. Whilst such broom head constructions are effective, there is an unacceptably high number of operations involved in the shaping of the head, the formation of the holes, the cutting of the bristles to size, attachment of socket and broom handle and finally the attachment of the bristles in the plurality of holes.
More recently it has been proposed to produce broom heads by a plastics moulding operation. Thus it is possible to mould the broom head, the socket for a broom stick and the bristles in one operation. However, construction of a broom head in this manner leads to unacceptable compromises as it is generally necessary to use a relatively soft material for the material forming the bristles whereas it is preferred that the material of the head portion and socket be relatively hard. This is because the head portion and socket must be used to transfer the force of a broom user to the bristles without the head and socket bending or becoming distorted. Where the broom is made in a single moulding operation, because the bristles, head and socket are all made of the same material, generally speaking, the bristles may be too hard because the plastics material has been chosen to provide sufficient hardness for the head and socket, or alternatively the head and socket are too soft because the plastics material has been chosen to provide good bristle properties.
Thus there is a need for an alternative broom construction which can be formed using a plastics moulding operations yet can provide a broom with relatively soft bristles and a relatively hard head and socket.


A power supply device disclosed in the present specification has an output portion which generates an output voltage from an input voltage by means of on-off control of an output transistor and feeds the output voltage to a load, an output feedback controller which drives the output portion by performing output feedback control, and a detector which detects, by means of an electromagnetic induction method, a ripple component in a monitoring target current resulting from the on-off control of the output transistor. The output feedback controller performs the output feedback control based on the result of detection by the detector.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power supply device.
2. Description of Related Art
Power supply devices (switching regulator, LDO [low drop out] regulator and the like), which generate a desired output voltage from an input voltage and supply the output voltage to a load, are used in various kinds of applications.
As an output feedback method of a power supply device, voltage mode control is general, which detects a change in an output voltage by means of an error amplifier, a comparator or the like and, based on the detection result, controls power transistors (output transistor and synchronization rectification transistor). However, in the voltage mode control, a phase delay occurs because of an output capacitor; accordingly, there is a problem that a load response is low. In the meantime, if an output capacitor having large ESR [equivalent series resistance] is used, it is possible to reduce the phase delay and raise the load response. However, the larger the ESR of the output capacitor becomes, the larger the output ripple becomes; accordingly, there is a risk of impairing output stability.
Besides, as an output feedback method having a high load response, current mode control is known, which uses a ripple component of an inductor current to control a power transistor. In the meantime, as methods for detecting an inductor current, general methods include: a method which inserts a sense resistor in a route where an inductor current flows; and a method which uses on-resistance of a power transistor. However, there are problems that in the method which inserts a sense resistor, an unnecessary power loss occurs; and in the method which uses on-resistance of a power transistor, accuracy of detecting an inductor current deteriorates.
Besides, in both the voltage mode control and the current mode control, a cut-off frequency of an output feedback loop is curbed to about ⅕ to 1/10 of a switching frequency in light of stability of a system, and critical inductance resides in the system. Accordingly, there are problems that it is impossible to sharply change an inductor current and a long time is required until an output current reaches a desired value at a load sudden change.

Power supply device including an electro-conductive cable wound around an inductor or output capacitor


A semiconductor package includes a redistribution substrate including a first redistribution layer; a semiconductor chip electrically connected to the first redistribution layer; a vertical connection structure adjacent a periphery of the semiconductor chip and electrically connected to the first redistribution layer; and an encapsulant on the vertical connection structure. The vertical connection structure includes a metal pillar having a bottom surface facing the redistribution substrate, a top surface positioned opposite to the bottom surface, and a side surface positioned between the bottom surface and the top surface. The vertical connection structure further includes a plating layer on each of the bottom surface, the top surface, and the side surface of the metal pillar, and having a roughened surface.

With miniaturization and improvements in performance of a semiconductor chip, interest is growing in a semiconductor package having improved rigidity and heat dissipation characteristics and a package-on-package (POP) structure in which a plurality of packages are coupled. For example, a semiconductor package that has improved rigidity and heat dissipation characteristics while implementing the POP structure by introducing a conductive structure into the package may be desired.


A semiconductor device and a fabrication method are provided. The method includes: providing a base substrate; forming a first gate structure and doped source/drain layers on the base substrate; forming a dielectric layer on a surface of the base substrate; forming a first trench on the doped source/drain layers through the dielectric layer, where the first trench includes a first region and a second region under the first region, and an angle between a sidewall of the first region and the surface of the base substrate is a first angle; forming a first conductive structure in the second region of the first trench; after forming the first conductive structure, forming an insulation layer in the first region of the first trench; forming a recess, exposing the first gate structure, in the dielectric layer using the insulation layer as a mask; and forming a second conductive structure in the recess.

With continuous development of the semiconductor technology, the memory may develop a trend with high integration, high speed and low power consumption.
The memory may be categorized into random-access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) according to the function. When RAM operates, data may be read from any specified address at any time, and data may be written to any specified storage unit at any time. RAM may be convenient to read, write, and be flexible to use.
RAM may be categorized into static random-access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random-access memory (DRAM). SRAM may use a trigger with positive feedback to implement data storage, and mainly rely on continuous power supply to maintain data integrity. SRAM may not need to be refreshed in use and have been widely used in computer's high-speed caching and frequent data processing.
However, SRAM in the conventional technology may have poor electrical performance.

Semiconductor device and fabrication method thereof

Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Shanghai) Corporation

Semiconductor Manufacturing International (Beijing) Corporation


The lower extremity exoskeleton comprises two leg supports connectable to person's lower limbs and configured to rest on the ground during their stance phase. Each leg support comprises a thigh link and a shank link; a knee joint configured to allow flexion and extension between the shank link and the thigh link. The lower extremity exoskeleton further comprises an exoskeleton trunk connectable to the person'supper body. The exoskeleton trunk is connectable to the thigh links of the leg supports allowing for the flexion and extension between the leg supports and the exoskeleton trunk. Two torque generators are coupled to each of the knee joints. A power unit, capable of providing power, is coupled to the torque generators. In operation when a leg support is in a stance phase and climbing a slope or stairs, the power unit injects power into the respective torque generator thereby extending the respective knee angle. When a leg support is in stance phase and not climbing a slope or stairs, the power unit does not inject any power to the respective torque generator, but without dissipating any stored power in said power unit, it forces the torque generator to resist flexion of the respective knee joint. When a leg support is in a swing phase, the power unit does not inject any power to the respective torque generator, but without dissipating any stored power in said power unit, it forces the torque generator to minimize its resistance to knee flexion and extension.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of lower extremity exoskeletons and more specifically to the field of semi-powered lower extremity exoskeletons.
2. Related Art
In a wide variety of situations, people of ordinary ability are often frustrated in attempting to carry excessively heavy or bulky objects while walking on slopes and stairs. Some people cannot even carry their own weights without becoming tired quickly or injured. Opportunities exist, therefore, to provide a compact, easy-to-operate, fast, and general purpose device to carry load while the device is being worn by a person.

Semi-powered lower extremity exoskeleton

The Regents of the University of California


A semiconductor wafer probe assembly (10) includes a chuck assembly (18, 20) configured to receive a back surface (30) of a semiconductor wafer (14) and an electrical contact (20) for contacting the semiconductor wafer (14). A probe (36) having an elastically deformable conductive tip (38) is movable into contact with a semiconducting material forming a front surface (13) of the semiconductor wafer (14) or with a front surface (34) of a dielectric (12) formed on the front surface of the semiconducting material. A tester (82) is connected for applying an electrical stimulus between the electrical contact (20) and the conductive tip (38) for measuring a response to the electrical stimulus and for determining from the response at least one electrical property of the semiconducting material and/or the dielectric (12).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for measuring electrical properties of a semiconductor wafer.
2. Description of the Background Art
The determination of electrical properties of a dielectric on a semiconductor wafer and/or a carrier density profile within the semiconductor wafer is a critical factor in the production of such wafers. Measurements based on capacitance-voltage (CV) techniques, such as measurements of dielectric thickness, oxide charge, threshold voltage, implant dose and carrier profile, and measurements based on current-voltage (IV) techniques, such as dielectric leakage current and breakdown voltage, are typically accomplished by first fabricating metal or doped polysilicon gates on the dielectric. These gates become part of a metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) structure which is used to make the appropriate CV or IV measurement.
Fabrication of the metal or polysilicon gates is time-consuming and costly. It typically involves depositing and forming aluminum metal or polysilicon gates on the dielectric in a manner known in the art.
An alternative to these fabricated gates is described in an article entitled xe2x80x9cVacuum Operated Mercury Probe for CV Plotting and Profilingxe2x80x9d by Albert Lederman, Solid State Technology, August 1981, pp. 123-126. This article discloses utilizing mercury contacts for replacing the aluminum or polysilicon gates in CV measurement techniques designed to characterize dielectric and semiconductor properties. The Lederman paper discloses a vacuum operated mercury probe for performing measurements of metal oxide semiconductors, homogeneous semiconductor wafers, non-homogeneous semiconductor wafers, and semiconductor wafers on insulating substrates. Problems may arise utilizing the Lederman mercury probe in that mercury may react chemically with the materials of the wafer under study. Mercury also poses a significant safety problem in its use and mercury sublimes at elevated temperatures when accelerated temperature testing of the semiconductor wafer is desired. Thus, a mercury probe has limited application.
An alternative to fabricated gates or vacuum operated mercury probes is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,561 to Hillard which issued on Jun. 11, 1991 and which is incorporated herein by reference.
The Hillard patent discloses a kinematic probe arm having at one end thereof a probe including a tip having a uniformly flat surface of predetermined dimensions. A probe stand supports the kinematic arm and a chuck supports the semiconductor wafer. The probe stand, the kinematic arm, and the chuck are configured so that a planar contact can be realized between the uniformly flat portion of the tip and the front surface of the dielectric layer of the semiconductor wafer.
When the Hillard patent was filed in the early 1990""s, a typical gate oxide thickness in the semiconductor industry was on the order of hundreds of angstroms. The relatively small planar contact area between the uniformly flat tip of the probe and the outer surface of the dielectric layer on the wafer resulted in a poor capacitance signal-to-noise ratio when applied to these relatively thick oxides. Hence, while the probe having the uniformly flat tip could be utilized for performing CV measurements, this probe was preferably utilized to perform IV measurements.
In contrast, today, gate oxides are very thin, on the order of 3.5 nm. With these thin oxides, the capacitance signal-to-noise ratio is increased whereby CV measurements made with conductive pressure contacts can be effectively utilized to characterize gate oxides.
A problem with utilizing the probe disclosed in the Hillard patent for performing CV measurements is the need to grind the tip uniformly flat. Another problem is the need to establish a planar contact between the uniformly flat tip and the outer surface of the dielectric layer of the wafer. The use of a uniformly flat tip to form a planar contact within the outer surface of the dielectric layer is particularly a problem with today""s thin oxide layers since a lack of perfect parallelism between the uniformly flat tip and the outer surface of the dielectric layer may result in an edge surrounding the uniformly flat tip damaging the oxide layer.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to avoid or overcome the above problems and others by providing a probe having an improved tip configuration that enables improved CV measurements of dielectric layers on a semiconductor wafer. Still other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.
Accordingly, we have invented an apparatus for measuring at least one electrical property of a semiconductor wafer. The apparatus includes an assembly for supporting a semiconductor wafer and a probe having an elastically deformable conductive tip for contacting a front surface of the semiconductor wafer. The front surface of the semiconductor wafer can be (i) a dielectric formed on a front surface of semiconducting material which forms the semiconductor wafer or (ii) the semiconducting material. Also provided are an electrical contact for contacting the semiconductor wafer and a means for applying an electrical stimulus between the elastically deformable conductive tip and the electrical contact. A means is provided for measuring a response to the electrical stimulus and for determining from the response at least one electrical property of the dielectric and/or the semiconducting material.
The response to the electrical stimulus occurs at a boundary of the dielectric and the semiconducting material or in a region adjacent the front surface of the semiconducting material.
The dielectric includes at least one dielectric layer. The at least one dielectric layer can include a native dielectric layer which forms in response to exposure of the semiconducting material to air. Preferably, the conductive tip is formed from metal, such as tantalum, conductive elastomer, or conductive polymer.
A surface of the conductive tip for contacting the front surface of the semiconductor wafer has the form of a truncated sphere, e.g., a hemisphere, having a radius of curvature between 10 xcexcm and 100 cm. When the conductive tip is in contact with the dielectric, an effective air gap is formed therebetween having an insulating value equivalent to an actual air gap of less than or equal to 1 nm, 0.8 nm, or 0.2 nm.
An electrically conductive sleeve can surround the probe and an insulator can be disposed between the probe and the sleeve. The sleeve can be connected to an electrical ground or can be connected to receive an electrical signal which biases the sleeve to the same potential as the conductive tip.
A kinematic probe arm assembly can be connected to the probe for controlling a force of the conductive tip on the front surface of the semiconductor wafer and the rate this force is applied to the front surface. The kinematic probe arm assembly can also avoid scrubbing of the elastically deformable conductive tip on the front surface of the semiconductor wafer when the tip moves into contact therewith.
We have also invented a semiconductor wafer probe assembly having a chuck assembly configured to receive a back surface of a semiconductor wafer and an electrical contact for contacting the semiconductor wafer. A probe is provided having an elastically deformable conductive tip which is movable into contact with (i) a front surface of a dielectric formed on a front surface of semiconducting material forming the semiconductor wafer or (ii) a front surface of the semiconducting material. A means is provided for applying an electrical stimulus between the electrical contact and the elastically deformable conductive tip, for measuring a response to the electrical stimulus, and for determining from the response at least one electrical property of the dielectric and/or the semiconducting material.
The electrical contact can contact the back surface of the semiconductor wafer or the front surface of the semiconducting material.
Lastly, we have invented a method of measuring at least one electrical property of a semiconductor wafer. The method includes providing a probe having an elastically deformable conductive tip and forming a first electrical contact between the tip and (i) a front surface of a dielectric formed on a front surface of semiconducting material forming the semiconductor wafer or (ii) a front surface of the semiconducting material. A second electrical contact is formed with the semiconductor wafer and an electrical stimulus is applied between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact. A response to the electrical stimulus is measured and at least one electrical property of the dielectric and/or the semiconducting material is determined from the response.
A flow of inert gas can be supplied to a contact area between the conductive tip, the front surface of the dielectric layer, and the front surface of the semiconducting material.

Non-invasive electrical measurement of semiconductor wafers


A scanner device including a line sensor, an AD conversion circuit for AD-converting an inputted image signal, a memory for storing therein a digital signal which is outputted from the AD conversion circuit, a DA conversion circuit for DA-converting the digital signal which is stored in the memory, an encoder for executing conversion to a video signal on the basis of an output from the DA conversion circuit, and a controller for outputting an image signal which is outputted from the line sensor, to digital RGB data which are more in the number of picture elements than the number of stored picture elements of the memory by the auxiliary utilization of said memory. Thus, the scanner device makes it possible to execute video output with respect to a domestic television monitor, although the scanner device is a scanner having high resolution, and further, at a reduced memory capacity.

1. Field of the Invention:
The invention relates to scanner devices, particularly, to a scanner device which has a video-signal output part so as to be capable also of outputting an image signal which is higher in resolution.
2. Related Art Statement
A film video player which has already been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,300 (Japanese Patent Publication No. HEI 4-11072 (11072/1992)) relates to a technique in which a contrivance is made such that an image on a silver-salt film is converted to a video signal, and perforations or the like in the film upon conversion do not appear on a display monitor.
Further, a scanner device disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. HEI 4-68877 (68877/1992) is a device in which image data which are inputted by a line sensor are AD converted (ANALOG-DIGITAL converted), the image data are once stored in a frame memory, thereafter, the image data are DA converted (DIGITAL-ANALOG converted), a synchronizing signal is added thereto, and this resulting signal is converted to an image signal. This device has also a digital output, and is a device which is capable of executing outputting to both a television and a personal computer.
However, as to the description concerning the film video player in U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,300, there is no technical description of the fact other than a method of converting the image on the film to the video signal.
Moreover, in the scanner device in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. IIET 4-68877 (68877/1992), an assumption is made to an image signal for hi-vision. An example in which the image signal is outputted to the domestic monitor is not concretely shown. A capacity of the frame memory is not touched to the scanner device. However, it is estimated that an extremely high or large memory capacity will be required in order to get image data of high resolution.