A calibration method is for a photographic device that photographs an object through a transparent body. The calibration method includes: acquiring a first photographic image by photographing the object without interposing the transparent body; acquiring a second photographic image by photographing the object through the transparent body; calculating an absolute positional deviation that indicates a deviation in coordinates of an image of the object due to the transparent body based on coordinates of an image of the object on the first photographic image and coordinates of an image of the object on the second photographic image; calculating a correction parameter for calibrating the absolute positional deviation; and storing the correction parameter in the photographic device.

Stereo cameras have been used that can measure the distance to an object. For example, techniques have been in practical use that control a vehicle by measuring the distance to an object existing in front of the vehicle by using a stereo camera (hereinafter referred to as an "in-vehicle stereo camera") mounted on the vehicle. The distance measured by using the in-vehicle stereo camera is used in alerting a driver and controlling the brake, steering, and/or the like for the purpose of preventing a crash of the vehicle, controlling the distance between vehicles, and others.
General in-vehicle stereo cameras are installed inside a windshield of a vehicle, because higher durability particularly in water resistance and dust resistance is required of an in-vehicle stereo camera installed outside a vehicle. A stereo camera installed inside a vehicle photographs views outside the vehicle through the windshield. General windshields, however, have a complexly curved shape, and the shape is distorted compared with optical parts such as a lens inside a camera. A windshield thus causes distortion on images photographed through the windshield.
Techniques to correct an image photographed by a stereo camera are conventionally known. For example, Japanese Patent No. 4109077 describes a device that transforms each of a pair of image data output from a pair of cameras constituting a stereo camera by using a calibration parameter based on a deviation in coordinates between one of the image data and the other image data and adjusts optical distortion and a positional deviation in the stereo camera through image processing.
Such conventional techniques can correctly calibrate a deviation (hereinafter referred to as a "relative positional deviation") in a parallax (a relative position) between object images on a pair of image data; however, those techniques cannot correctly calibrate a deviation (hereinafter referred to as an "absolute positional deviation") in coordinates of the object image on the image data due to a transparent body such as a windshield. This configuration problematically causes an error on three dimensional coordinates, which indicate the position of an object, when the three dimensional coordinates are calculated from the distance to the object calculated based on the parallax in the object image and from the coordinates of the object image on the image data.
In view of the above, there is a need to provide a calibration method, a calibration device, and a computer program product that can accurately calibrate an absolute positional deviation in image data due to a transparent body.

Calibration method, calibration device, and computer program product


An insulation monitoring device that carries out insulation monitoring of a power system or load apparatus using, for example, an Igr method includes a table in which a monitoring setting value Irref greater than a resistance component error current flowing in accordance with the sum of the electrical capacitance of a capacitor configuring a noise filter on the input side of the load apparatus and the ground insulation capacitance of the power system is set in advance in accordance with an operating schedule of the load apparatus, a monitoring setting value computing unit that outputs the monitoring setting value Irref read from the table in accordance with a current time according to a clock, and an insulation evaluation unit that detects an insulation failure caused by a decrease in ground insulation resistance when a resistance component current extracted by an Igr extraction unit exceeds the monitoring setting value Irref.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates to an insulation monitoring device that monitors the insulation state of a power system or a load apparatus connected to the power system (hereafter, this will also be referred to collectively as a power system).
2. Description of Related Art
So-called Igr type and IOr type are known as insulation monitoring methods for monitoring the insulation state of a power system, as described in Japanese Patent No. 4,738,274 (e.g., paragraphs [0005] to [0011], FIG. 13, and FIG. 14).
Of these, the Igr type is such that a supervisory signal of a predetermined frequency differing from the system frequency is implanted in the grounding wire of a power receiving transformer, the supervisory signal, which has flowed back via a ground electrical capacitor or ground insulation resistor, is extracted from the system wiring, and the insulation state of the power system is monitored by the size of a resistance component current included in the extracted supervisory signal being compared with a predetermined monitoring setting value.
Also, the I0r type is such that, rather than a supervisory signal being implanted in the power system, a resistance component current of the same phase as the voltage to ground of the system is extracted from a zero-phase current flowing through the grounding wire of a power receiving transformer, and the insulation state of the power system is monitored by the size of the resistance component current being compared with a predetermined monitoring setting value.
Meanwhile, it is known that when the load apparatus is a large capacity inverter or the like, a noise filter including at least a capacitor is connected to the input side of the load apparatus.
FIG. 13 shows the whole configuration of an Igr type insulation monitoring device applied to a power system including this kind of load apparatus and noise filter.
In FIG. 13, 10 is a power receiving transformer, 11 is a grounding wire connected to the secondary side thereof, 20 is wiring, 21 is a circuit breaker provided in the wiring 20, 22 is a ground electrical capacitor, 23 is a ground insulation resistor, 30 is a load apparatus such as a large capacity inverter, 31 is a noise filter (capacitive filter) having a capacitor, 41 is a supervisory signal superimposing unit for superimposing a supervisory signal on the grounding wire, 42 is a monitoring device main body that carries out insulation monitoring by extracting a resistance component current of the same phase as a reference voltage, to be described hereafter, from leakage current flowing through the grounding wire 11, carries out alarm output, and the like, and 43 is a reference voltage measurement unit that measures the voltage of the grounding wire 11 as the reference voltage.
Next, FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the basic configuration of the monitoring device main body 42.
The monitoring device main body 42 is such that a frequency component the same as the supervisory signal is extracted from a reference voltage Vst and leakage current IO by frequency extraction units 42a and 42b, and a resistance component current Igr of the same phase as the reference voltage Vst is extracted by an Igr extraction unit 42c. Further, an insulation evaluation unit 42d compares the size of the resistance component current Igr with a predetermined monitoring setting value Irref, determines that there is an insulation failure when Igr exceeds the monitoring setting value Irref, and sends a signal to an alarm output unit 42e, thus causing an appropriate alarm to be output by a visual display or signal transmission to the exterior.

FUJI ELECTRIC FA COMPONENTS & SYSTEMS CO., LTD.


A process for preparing a composite for preventing the growth of bacteria, molds, fungi and viruses by dissolving a chlorite salt in a hydrophilic material, and then mixing the hydrophilic material with a hydrophobic material containing an acid releasing agent. The hydrophilic and hydrophobic materials are adjacent and substantially free of water, and the hydrophilic material is capable of releasing chlorine dioxide upon hydrolysis of the acid releasing agent.

The present invention relates generally to a process for preparing a biocidal composition that releases chlorine dioxide upon being activated. The invention particularly relates to the preparation of a two component composite.
Chlorine dioxide (ClO.sub.2) is a superior oxidizing agent widely used as a bleach, disinfectant, fumigant or deodorizer. It can penetrate the cell wall or membrane and cytoplasm of mold spores, bacteria and other microbiological contaminants at concentrations below one part per million and destroy them.
The incorporation of chlorine dioxide or sodium chlorite in food packaging has prompted studies to determine whether residual levels of such preservatives result in a significant genetic or carcinogenic hazard to humans. Meier et al. studied the effect of subchronic and acute oral administration of chlorine, chlorine dioxide, sodium chlorite and sodium chlorate on the induction of chromosomal aberrations and spermhead abnormalities in mice [Environ. Mutagenesis, 7, 201 (1985)]. Only the highly reactive hypochlorite resulted in a weak positive effect for mutagenic potential. The other compounds, including chlorine dioxide and sodium chlorite, failed to induce any chromosomal aberrations or increased numbers of micronuclei in the bone marrow of mice. Vilagines et al. attribute the relatively innocuous effect of chlorine dioxide to its inability to produce halomethanes, unlike hypochlorite and chlorine [Proc. AWWA Disinfect. Semin., 24 pp. (1977); Chem. Abs. 93, 173513f]. Recently, Richardson et al. reported that an extensive study of the reaction of chlorine dioxide with water borne organics by the Environmental Protection Agency confirmed this observation [Environ. Sci. Technol., 28, 592 (1994)].
Japanese Kokai Nos. 63/296,758, 63/274,434, and 57/168,977 describe deodorants containing chlorine dioxide incorporated in a polymer, ceramic beads, or calcium silicate wrapped in nonwoven cloth, respectively. Gels that generate chlorine dioxide for use as topical applications for disinfection are disclosed by Kenyon et al., Am. J. Vet. Res., 45(5), 1101 (1986). Chlorine dioxide generating gels are generally formed by mixing a gel containing suspended sodium chlorite with a gel containing lactic acid immediately prior to use to avoid premature chlorine dioxide release. Chlorine dioxide releasing gels have also been used in food preservation.
Encapsulation processes have also been used in preparing sources of chlorine dioxide. Canadian Patent No. 959,238 describes generation of chlorine dioxide by separately encapsulating sodium chlorite and lactic acid in polyvinyl alcohol and mixing the capsules with water to produce chlorine dioxide.
Tice et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,482 describe gradual hydrolysis of alternating poly(vinyl methyl ether-maleic anhydride) or poly(lactic-glycolic acid) to generate acid which can release chlorine dioxide from sodium chlorite. A polyalcohol humectant and water are encapsulated with the polyanhydride or polyacid in a nylon coating. After sodium chlorite is diffused into the capsule through the nylon wall, an impermeable polystyrene layer is coacervated around the nylon capsule. Solvents are required for reaction and application of the capsules. The capsules can be coated onto surfaces to release chlorine dioxide. Although the capsules are said to provide biocidal action for several days to months, chlorine dioxide release begins immediately after the capsules are prepared. The batchwise process used to prepare the capsules also involves numerous chemical reactions and physical processes, some of which involve environmental disposal problems.
There is a need for a composite that can be easily activated to initiate chlorine dioxide release in use. Such a composite that can be prepared by performing relatively few chemical reactions and physical processes without the use of solvents which may pose safety hazards or disposal problems would be advantageous.

Method of making a sustained release biocidal composition


Techniques for customization of Java runtime environments are disclosed. The techniques can be used to provide Java runtime environments that are specifically tailored for various Java applications. Accordingly, for a particular Java application, an optimized runtime environment can be created. One or more optional attributes which represent the desired runtime customizations are generated. As will be appreciated, the optional attributes can be generated in the attribute table in the class file. The optional attributes can then be parsed and appropriate features can be loaded into the virtual machine. In this way, Java runtime environments can be customized based on a particular Java application requirement. Moreover, customizations can be automated using a runtime performance manager that interacts with various other components that operate to first generate and then load optional attributes into the Java runtime environment.

The present invention relates generally to object-based high level programming environments, and more particularly, to techniques suitable for customization of a Java runtime environment.
One of the goals of high level languages is to provide a portable programming environment such that the computer programs may easily be ported to another computer platform. High level languages such as "C" provide a level of abstraction from the underlying computer architecture and their success is well evidenced from the fact that most computer applications are now written in a high level language.
Portability has been taken to new heights with the advent of the World Wide Web ("the Web") which is an interface protocol for the Internet which allows communication between diverse computer platforms through a graphical interface. Computers communicating over the Web are able to download and execute small applications called applets. Given that applets may be executed on a diverse assortment of computer platforms, the applets are typically executed by a Java™ virtual machine.
Recently, the Java programming environment has become quite popular. The Java programming language is a language that is designed to be portable enough to be executed on a wide range of computers ranging from small devices (e.g., pagers, cell phones and smart cards) up to supercomputers. Computer programs written in the Java programming language (and other languages) may be compiled into Java Bytecode instructions that are suitable for execution by a Java virtual machine implementation. The Java virtual machine is commonly implemented in software by means of an interpreter for the Java virtual machine instruction set but, in general, may be software, hardware, or both. A particular Java virtual machine implementation and corresponding support libraries together constitute a Java runtime environment.
Computer programs in the Java programming language are arranged in one or more classes or interfaces (referred to herein jointly as classes or class files). Such programs are generally platform, i.e., hardware and operating system, independent. As such, these computer programs may be executed without modification on any computer that is able to run an implementation of the Java runtime environment.
Object-oriented classes written in the Java programming language are compiled to a particular binary format called the "class file format." The class file includes various components associated with a single class. These components can be, for example, methods and/or interfaces associated with the class. In addition, the class file format can include a significant amount of ancillary information that is associated with the class. The class file format (as well as the general operation of the Java virtual machine) is described in some detail in The Java Virtual Machine Specification, Second Edition, by Tim Lindholm and Frank Yellin, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIG. 1A shows a progression of a simple piece of a Java source code 101 through execution by an interpreter, the Java virtual machine. The Java source code 101 includes the classic Hello World program written in Java. The source code is then input into a Bytecode compiler 103 that compiles the source code into Bytecodes. The Bytecodes are virtual machine instructions as they will be executed by a software emulated computer. Typically, virtual machine instructions are generic (i.e., not designed for any specific microprocessor or computer architecture) but this is not required. The Bytecode compiler outputs a Java class file 105 that includes the Bytecodes for the Java program. The Java class file is input into a Java virtual machine 107. The Java virtual machine is an interpreter that decodes and executes the Bytecodes in the Java class file. The Java virtual machine is an interpreter, but is commonly referred to as a virtual machine as it emulates a microprocessor or computer architecture in software (e.g., the microprocessor or computer architecture may not exist in hardware).
FIG. 1B illustrates a simplified class file 100. As shown in FIG. 1B, the class file 100 includes a constant pool 102 portion, interfaces portion 104, fields portion 106, methods portion 108, and attributes portion 110. The attributes (or attributes table) 110 portion represents the attributes associated with the class file 100. This allows for one or more attributes to be defined, each of which can be associated with one or more components of the class file. As is known to those skilled in the art, the Java virtual machine implementations are allowed to define and use various attributes. In addition, the virtual machine's implementations ignore attributes that they do not recognize. Thus, a class file may contain one or more attributes, all or none of which may be recognized by a particular virtual machine implementation.
As is known to those skilled in the art, execution of a Java application typically requires various Java features to be available at runtime. Unfortunately, however, one problem with conventional virtual machine implementation is that typically most of the available features are loaded regardless of whether they are going to be used at runtime by a particular Java application. This, of course, can result in a grossly inefficient use of system resources. In some circumstances, particularly in systems with limited computing power and/or memory, this inefficient use of resources is a serious disadvantage. As such, it is highly desirable to customize Java runtime environments so as to optimize performance of Java applications.
Accordingly, there is a need for techniques that allow customization of Java runtime environment of virtual machines that operate with limited computing power and/or memory (e.g., embedded systems).

Object band customization of Java runtime environments


An aircraft has a fuselage, an engine disposed within the fuselage, a rotatable wing disposed above the fuselage and selectively rotatable about a wing rotation axis, and a plurality of interconnect driveshafts disposed within the rotatable wing, and at least one drive system component that is connected between the engine and the interconnect driveshaft is disposed along the wing rotation axis.

In some cases, mounting an engine of an aircraft within a fuselage can be desirable to simplify rotor pylon and nacelle configuration, reduce space constraints, and/or reduce aircraft moment of inertia for improved maneuverability. In some cases, it can also be desirable to provide for stowing of an aircraft by rotating wings and/or folding wing extensions. However, providing an engine in a fuselage combined with rotating wings and/or folding wing extensions has remained a technical challenge.


A chain-termination method of nucleic acid sequence determination is provided wherein nucleoside triphosphate precursors are replaced with their 1-thiotriphosphate analogs in the polymerization step. This substitution results in more uniform bands of electrophoretically separated DNA fragments which, in turn, results in more accurate base determination.

The ability to determine DNA sequences is crucial for understanding the function and control of genes and for applying many of the basic techniques of molecular biology. Native DNA consists of two linear polymers, or strands of nucleotides. Each strand is a chain of nucleosides linked by phosphotidester bonds. The two strands are held together in an antiparallel orientation by hydrogen bonds between complementary bases of the nucleotides of the two strands: deoxyandenosine (A) pairs with thymidine (T) and deoxyguanosine (G) pairs with deoxycytidine (C).
Presently there are two basic approaches to DNA sequence determination: the dideoxy chain termination method, e.g. Sanger et al, Proc. Natl. Acd. Sci., Vol. 74, pgs, 5463-5467 (1977); and the chemical degradation method, e.g. Maxam et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Vol. 74, pgs. 560-564 (1977). The chain termination method has been improved in several ways, and serves as the basis for all currently available automated DNA sequencing machines, e.g. Sanger et al, J. Mol. Biol., Vol. 143, pgs, 161-178 (1980); Schreier et al. J. Mol. Biol., Vol. 129, pgs, 169-172 (1979); Mills et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Vol. 76, pgs, 2232-2235 (1979); Smith et al, Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 13, pgs, 2399-2412 (1985); Smith et al., Nature, Vol. 321, pgs, 674-679 (1987); Prober et al, Science, Vol. 238, pgs, 336-341 (1987), Section II, Meth. Enzymol., Vol. 155, pgs, 51-334 (1987); Church et al, Science, Vol. 240, pgs, 185-188 (1988); Tabor et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Vol. 84, pgs, 4767-4771 (1987); Tabor et al, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Vol. 86, pgs, 4076-4080 (1989); Innis et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., Vol. 85, pgs, 9436-9440 (1988); and Connell et al., Biotechniques, Vol. 5, pgs, 342-348 (1987).
Both the chain termination and chemical degradation methods require the generation of one or more sets of labeled DNA fragments, each having a common origin and each terminating with a known base. The set or sets of fragments must then be separated by size to obtain sequence information. In both methods, the DNA fragments are separated by high resolution gel electrophoresis. Usually, the DNA fragments are labelled by way of radioactive nucleoside triphosphate precursors or by way of fluorescent dyes.
In most automated DNA sequencing machines, fragments having different terminating bases are labeled with different fluorescent dyes, which are attached either to a primer, e.g. Smith et al (1987, cited above), or to the base of a terminal dideoxynucleotide, e.g. Prober et al (cited above). The fluorescently labeled fragments are combined and loaded onto the same gel column for electrophoretic separation. Base sequence is determined by analyzing the fluorescent signals emitted by the fragments as they pass a stationary detector during the separation process.
Such analysis has been complicated by a number of phenomena, such as band compression, overlapping emission bands of the fluorescent labels, the appearance of artifactual bands, noise due to misincorporation of labeled dideoxynucleosides, and bands that vary widely in intensity in a highly sequence dependent manner, e.g. Mills et al (cited above), Connell et al (cited above), and Tabor et al (1987 and 1989, cited above). The latter two phenomena are believed to be caused by difficulties that some DNA polymerases have in reading through certain template sequences and/or in accommodating some commonly used nucleoside analogs. Band uniformity has been improved in many instances by the use of a modified T7 DNA polymerase (Sequenase.TM.) and the substitution of Mn.sup.+2 for MG.sup.+2 as the divalent cation in the polymerase reactions, Tabor et al (1987 and 1989, cited above). However, the problem persists and still presents an important limitation to current automated DNA sequencing approaches.

Nucleic acid sequence analysis with nucleoside-5'-O-(1-thiotriphosphates)


A method for calendering the sheet material web includes carrying the sheet material web on one or more carrier fabrics through the calender nip formed by the first and second calender rolls and applying a load to the carrier fabric, and sheet material carried thereby, so as to reduce the thickness of the sheet material web.

The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for calendering a sheet material web, and in particular, to a method and apparatus for calendering a sheet material web while being carried by one or more carrier fabrics.
It is well known in the field of paper making, and particularly in the field of manufacturing tissue products such as facial tissues, bath tissues, paper towels and the like, to provide for a continuous running sheet material web to traverse an "open draw" before being wound into rolls. The area of open draw, where the dried sheet web is momentarily unsupported before being wound, can provide one location to calender the web, i.e., press the web to reduce the caliper or thickness thereof.
As described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,309, issued Jan. 7, 1997 to Rugowski et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,593,545, issued Jan. 14, 1997 to Rugowski et al., both assigned to Kimberly-Clark Corporation, the same assignee as the present application, open draws are a frequent source of sheet breaks and associated production delays. As a result, tissue sheets often are designed to have high machine direction strengths in order to remain intact as they are pulled through the open draw. However, high machine direction strengths can adversely affect the quality of the web in terms of its desired softness. Therefore, as explained in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,591,309 and 5,593,545, the elimination of open draws in the tissue manufacturing process can result in a sheet material being made more efficiently at less cost and with more desirable properties.
As a result of eliminating the open draw, the sheet material web is typically wound onto a roll and thereafter subjected to a calendering operation in a subsequent converting or finishing process. Often, the sheet material web, such as that made by the uncreped through-air-dried (UCTAD) process described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,591,309 and 5,593,545, will have a relatively high bulk, with the attendant benefits of increased absorbency and improved fiber utilization. In order to achieve certain operating efficiencies, however, the high-bulk sheet material web typically must be wound onto relatively large diameter rolls. Without adequate yardage deposited on each roll, the time increment between the changing of the windup rolls can sometimes be too short from a logistic and resource management standpoint.
However, large diameter rolls, comprised of relatively loosely wound high bulk basesheets that may be susceptible to shifting between layers, may require special handling at the windup reel, during transportation from the reel to the converting or finishing stations, and/or during the converting and finishing process. For example, larger spaces may be required for interim storage, passageways between lines may need to be expanded and additional personnel and lift trucks may be needed for transportation. Moreover, line speeds at the converting and finishing lines may need to be reduced to minimize the risks typically associated with unwinding loosely wound rolls having low interlayer pressures.

Method of calendering a sheet material web carried by a fabric


A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a preliminary gate pattern on a semiconductor substrate. The preliminary gate pattern includes a gate oxide pattern, a conductive pattern, and a sacrificial insulating pattern. The method further includes forming spacers on opposite sidewalls of the preliminary gate pattern, forming an interlayer dielectric pattern to expose the sacrificial insulating pattern, removing the sacrificial insulating pattern to form an opening to expose the conductive pattern, transforming the conductive pattern into a metal silicide layer and forming a metal barrier pattern along an inner profile of the opening and a metal conductive pattern to fill the opening including the metal barrier pattern. The metal silicide layer and the metal conductive pattern constitute a gate electrode.

The present disclosure relates to semiconductor devices and methods of fabricating semiconductor devices. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device including a fully silicided (FUSI) gate electrode and a method of fabricating the same.
Generally, a gate electrode of a semiconductor device is formed of polysilicon because a work function can be controlled by implanting dopants into the polysilicon. Thus, a threshold voltage of a transistor may be controlled to be low. For example, in the case of a contemporary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device where an N-channel MOS (NMOS) transistor and a P-channel MOS (PMOS) transistor are formed parallel to each other, characteristics between the NMOS and PMOS transistors may be readily controlled by forming a gate electrode formed of polysilicon.
However, as semiconductor devices continue to be scaled down, semiconductor devices having a thickness of 50 nanometers or less may encounter difficulties such as depletion and boron penetration which occur at a conventional gate electrode formed of polysilicon. Consequently, a metal gate electrode may be required to address the above-mentioned difficulties.
Unlike with polysilicon, it may be difficult to control a characteristic work function of a metallic material. For this reason, when one material is employed as a gate electrode of a CMOS device, it may be difficult to control characteristics between an NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor. As a result, two suitable metallic materials may need to be employed to the NMOS transistor and the PMOS transistor, respectively, and thus, a process for forming a CMOS device may become complex and the costs associated therewith may increase.
To overcome the above-mentioned difficulties, methods of forming a fully silicided (FUSI) gate electrode have been proposed in recent years. A FUSI gate electrode is a metal silicide having high melting point formed throughout a gate. In a FUSI gate electrode, an NMOS transistor and/or a PMOS transistor may have a dual work function due to the snowplow effect where dopants injected into polysilicon are segregated at the interface of a gate oxide during an annealing process performed to form a metal silicide. As a result, a CMOS device may be beneficial in readily controlling characteristics between an NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor and reducing depletion occurring at a gate electrode. Moreover, a silicide is formed at not only a surface of polysilicon but also at the entirety thereof to thereby exhibit improved performance in comparison to a typical metal gate electrode.
Nickel silicide (NiSi) is attractive as a promising silicide material to overcome the difficulties arising from silicide materials such as titanium silicide (TiSi2) or cobalt silicide (CoSi2). Thus, NiSi is increasingly applied to fabrication of high-performance semiconductor devices. Nickel silicide (NiSi) has low resistance and can be silicided at a low temperature, and a small amount of silicon (Si) is consumed to form a silicide having a predetermined thickness. In particular, the amount of silicon in NiSi consumed is significantly smaller than that of silicon in CoSi2. As a result, NiSi is considered to be a silicide material desirable for semiconductor devices having a thin junction.
In view of the foregoing, the study for a FUSI gate electrode acting as a metal gate electrode is focusing on NixSiy. Depending on a deposition thickness of nickel (Ni) and an annealing condition, nickel silicides (NixSiy) may take on various states such as Ni3Si, NiSi, and NiSi2. As a work function varies with the respective states, methods have been developed for forming a state control NixSiy FUSI gate electrode.
The resistivity of NiSi is about 15 to about 20 micro-ohm/cm, which may be suitable for a FUSI gate electrode having low resistance. On the other hand, a work function of NiSi is about 4.6 eV which is equivalent to midgap of silicon used as a semiconductor substrate. Therefore, as a result it may be difficult to apply NiSi to a CMOS device where an NMOS transistor and a PMOS transistor should be used at the same time.
A work function of Ni3Si is about 4.8 eV, which may be applied to a PMOS transistor. A work function of NiSi2 is about 4.4 eV, which may be applied to an NMOS transistor. Nonetheless, as Ni3Si or NiSi2 each have a considerably high resistivity of about 30 to about 100 micro-ohm/cm, it may be difficult to fabricate a FUSI gate electrode having low resistance. As a result, the operating speed and the integration density of a semiconductor device may decrease.

Semiconductor device and method of fabricating the same


The patient transport system has a mobile patient transport device for docking at a medical device, an acquisition device for acquiring suitable information for docking, and a control device for docking control of the mobile patient transport device. An evaluation device is coupled to the acquisition device and used the information acquired by the acquisition device to establish a path of the patient transport device. An optical or acoustic designation device specifies the established path of the patient transport device by at least one optical marking and/or acoustic signals. The optical marking and/or the acoustic signals are detected and control information is derived therefrom.

Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a patient transport system, and to a method for docking a mobile patient transport device belonging to the patient transport system.
Description of the Prior Art
In hospitals a patient transport device, e.g. a mobile patient table, also known as a trolley, that is able to be mechanically coupled to another device can be used for the transport of a patient from a treatment room to a magnetic resonance tomography (MRT) apparatus (for a neurological operation, for a cardiovascular intervention or for radiation therapy planning). In many hospitals or medical practices, however, a room in which there is an MRT apparatus is not always directly connected to the treatment room. This means that the trolley must be transported from one room to the other and when this is done it has to be decoupled in one room and connected or coupled to the MRT device in the other room. Because of space problems the trolley cannot be coupled directly to the MR bore (scanner) or the therapy system. Because of the mechanical requirements on the trolley and the weight of the patient, the trolley can be very heavy and easily uncoupled or not correctly coupled, which can lead to damage to the coupling system. This may possibly mean that an examination cannot take place.
Therefore a support system is needed that guides the trolley to the coupling system of the MR system or therapy system and couples it to such systems, in order to avoid damage to the coupling system.
The docking of a patient transport device to a medical device ideally should be done quickly and efficiently in order to keep the stress on the patient low and to not interrupt the medical workflow. A trolley is disclosed in the US 20060167356 A1 that provides automatic support for the docking process. The latching of the trolley to the medical device is assisted by sensors, in order to avoid operators from having difficulty in connecting the trolley and the medical device.
A patient transport device is described in DE 102013208610.5 that has a central fifth wheel that can be controlled in rotation around a vertical axis, to facilitated maneuverability of the transport device.
A movable device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,117,090 B2 to which a rotatable camera is attached that can record panoramic images around the device, so that potential collisions with obstacles can be prevented.


A light shielding helmet system includes a helmet shell (2) configured for placement on the head of a user and at least two interchangeable lens holders (8, 70) having different lens-holding configurations. Each lens holder holds one or more lens plates (12) and each can be releasably mounted on the helmet shell (2). The lens holders (8, 70) can be of different styles (e.g., flip up or fixed front) and/or hold lens plates (12) of different sizes.

The present invention relates to a light shielding helmet which includes a helmet shell and one or more lens assemblies to be mounted on the shell.
The invention has been developed primarily for use in welding operations and will be described hereinafter with reference to that application. It will be appreciated, however, that the invention is not limited to that particular field of use and is also applicable to helmets used during cutting or grinding operations, in metal production, or other applications where an operator using the helmet is subjected to high intensity radiation and particle splatter (e.g., molten metal fragments).
Many welding helmets are known. A common helmet includes a shell with a fixed lens for protecting the eyes of a user during a welding operation. It is also known to use a filter lens which automatically darkens in response to high intensity light from the welding operation, thereby attenuating that light to avoid damage to the user's eyes. In another known arrangement, referred to as a "lift front" helmet, the filter lens is moveable between filtering and non-filtering positions, and must be manually toggled between the two positions by the user in response to the timing of the steps of the welding operation. It is also known to releasably mount a lens cartridge to a helmet, such as that manufactured and sold by Hornell Elektrooptic AB and designated the Speedglas.RTM. 9000 helmet.
As will be understood by those skilled in the welding industry, different lens sizes are used for different welding applications and according to personal preference. For example, lens sizes of 133.times.144 mm (5.times.4 in.) and 83.times.108 mm (2.times.4 in.) are commonly used in the United States and Australia. Each lens size usually requires a helmet shell having a specific configuration. As a result, helmet shells of multiple configurations must be made and stocked. This increases the expense of manufacture because different helmet configurations require different tooling, the expense of distribution because multiple helmet configurations must be stocked, and user expense because more than one helmet configuration is typically required to meet different applications. Also, storing and handling multiple helmets is often inconvenient to the user.
Conventional welding helmets also have other drawbacks. For example, with respect to welding helmets having lift-front style lens holders, the pivoting frame carrying the filter lens typically includes an overcenter spring and cam mechanism which functions to urge the frame toward its up (non-filtering) and down (filtering) positions. Different helmets use different mechanisms but most involve the use of numerous separate parts. This increases production and assembly costs.


A system for receiving and auditing objects according to an embodiment of the invention includes a housing having a front panel, a receiving area, an auditing area, and a drop chute, wherein the receiving area includes a shelf, the front panel includes an opening, a door assembly having a pushing wall and a second pushing wall and assembly moveable between an open position in which an object can be inserted through the opening and into the receiving area, and a closed position in which the door assembly prevents access to the receiving area, wherein the pushing wall moves the object from the shelf into the auditing area as the door assembly closed; and a control system coupled to a camera and switch, wherein the door assembly activates the switch when it is in the closed position, the control system images the object with the camera in response to switch activation.

Current automated vending and/or receiving systems often do not permit precise control of inventory and sale of particular products within the vending systems, or log confirmation of appropriate product delivery or used item receipt. Complex product or object imaging and identification systems are costly and often cost prohibitive for stand-alone automated vending or receiving units, and such components often require greater maintenance and/or are more sensitive to environmental conditions. When something goes wrong with product receipt and/or product delivery, the owners of such automated systems must often rely solely upon customer or user input to determine what went wrong.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Camera audit accepter mechanism and camera audit dispensing mechanism


A method of communicating between a print client and a print server is described. The method comprises obtaining an indication of the viability of communication of User Datagram Protocol (UDP) messages from the server to the client. If the indication is that UDP messages are viable, messages are sent from the server to the client using UDP. Otherwise a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request is made from the client to the server, that request is left open, and when the server wishes to send a message to the client, the message is sent as the response to the open HTTP request.

The present invention relates to communication between a print server and print clients on a computer network.
In a known print server system 1 (See FIG. 1) a print server 3 acts as an intermediary between clients 2 and one more printers 8 in arranging for print jobs generated on the clients 2 to be printed on the printers. The server 3 provides functions such as queuing of jobs and logging of the amounts of printing done.
In this known system the client 2 communicates with the print server 3 by means of an open HTTP request 4, i.e. one in which the server does not immediately send a response leaving the possibility of a later response. (HTTP stands for the "Hypertext Transfer Protocol".) This means that each client keeps a respective HTTP request to the server open and waits for information 5 to be transmitted back to it from the server 3 via this open HTTP request, i.e. as the HTTP response. The information 5 transmitted back to the client may be, for example, about some event, such as the completion of a print job, and so on. The information may be in the form of an HTML page which is displayed to the user as a popup window. An example of that would be a job ticket for a print job with input fields for print settings (e.g. stapling, duplex printing etc.); when the user the user has completed those the setting data is returned to the server in HTML format. The "UNIFLOW OM"® (trademark) print servers and clients are ones that use this form of HTTP communication.

Multi-protocol print client-server communication


A silver halide photographic element comprising a silver halide emulsion which is greater than 50 mole % silver chloride and a pyrimidine compound represented by Formula I

This invention relates to the use of a certain class of pyrimidine compounds to control fog growth in silver halide photographic elements.
The photographic industry is engaged in a continual effort to improve on the stability of its products. Stability can take at least two forms: raw stock stability or latent image stability. Each form of stability is due to a unique interaction between the components of a photographic element. Thus, compounds and processes capable of being utilized to improve one aspect of stability will not necessarily, and often do not, improve other aspects of stability.
When conventional silver halide photographic elements are exposed to actinic radiation, a record of the exposure invisible to the unaided eye is formed. This invisible record of exposure is referred to as a latent image. Formation of the latent image is believed to be the result of the interaction of silver ions with photoelectrons generated by the absorption of actinic radiation by silver halide grains. It is generally agreed that the latent image comprises minute specks of metallic silver formed in, or on, individual silver halide grains. When the exposed silver halide material is processed, a visible image is obtained.
It is known that the latent image is not permanent. The silver specks that form the latent image are metastable, and with the passage of time, they may become undevelopable. This phenomenon is termed latent image fading and manifests itself as a loss in image density in the developed image and a consequent loss in speed in the silver halide photographic material. It is equally plausible that the latent image, may, with the passage of time, grow such that some of the undevelopable silver specks become developable. In this case, the phenomenon is known as latent image gain. This manifests itself in a gain in image density and an increase in an undesirable speed gain.
Latent images of exposed high chloride emulsion photographic materials are prone to change with time if not immediately processed. When exposed color-paper products are left undeveloped, the delay following exposure (which may last from five seconds to thirty minutes) may result in a speed increase. Such increases are variable depending on the duration of the delay before processing. These increases may also vary from one color record to another, resulting in unacceptable color balances. These variabilities could degrade the quality of the image obtained and is a dissatisfier for the consumer. Hence, latent image changes are a significant problem to product builders.
However, latent image changes can be eliminated or substantially reduced by application of known latent image stabilizers, many of which function by mechanisms not completely understood. It is believed that different kinds of latent image stabilizers may function by different mechanisms. U.S. Pat. No. 5,089, 381 describes a class of mercaptotriazole latent image stabilizers and EP 0 377 889 describes a class of triazolomercaptan latent image stabilizers. U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,426 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,557 teach the use of alkynyl heterocycles as latent image stabilizing compounds. U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,721 teaches the use of certain benzothiazolium salts for stabilizing photographic latent images in color negative films.
Stabilization also embodies raw stock stabilization, often referred to as storage stability or raw stock keeping (RSK). This form of stabilization typically manifests itself in a photographic element""s resistance to fog formation or sensitivity change during prolonged storage, particularly during prolonged storage under conditions of high temperature and relative humidity. Because of the recent increased use in the photographic industry of silver chloride emulsions, which exhibit a greater propensity for storage deterioration than silver bromide or silver iodobromide emulsions, considerable effort has gone into finding effective raw stock stabilizers.
Attempts have been made to improve raw stock stabilization by the addition of inhibitory agents to the silver halide emulsions. These fog-inhibiting agents, however, have often proved inadequate. Examples of raw stock stabilizers are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,772,164; 2,819,965, 2,897,081; 2,919,985; 2,952,539, 2,981,624; 3,051,570; GB 858,326; and JP-A-094626. The compounds in these references generally comprise heterocyclic carboxy- or alkoxycarbonyl-alkyl mercapto structures. Still other forms of stabilizers are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,830, for example, describes the use of arylmercaptoethyl or arylsulfonylethyl esters of carbonthioic acids as antifoggant precursors for stabilizing a photographic element against overdevelopment. U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,707 describes the use of certain aminotriazolomercapto compounds for fog control when processing silver halide photographic element at elevated temperatures. Other alkoxycarbonylmercapto compounds are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,009 and JP 63-046458 as alkali cleavable precursors to mercapto compounds in reversal reflective printing materials, or direct positive internal latent image silver halide emulsions. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,917 a photographic element is described which contains a compound capable of undergoing alkali hydrolysis during development to release a photographically useful group comprising an amino moiety. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,491 mercaptoazoles or their precursors are described for use in tabular grain emulsions comprising at least about 50 mol % of silver chloride. These compounds, however, have been found to cause a substantial loss in emulsion sensitivity. Despite the myriad forms of stabilizers known in the art, there has yet been provided a sufficiently effective class of stabilizers that are particularly suited for the raw stock stabilization of color negative silver chloride reflective photographic elements.
Few chemicals have the ability to stabilize both the latent image and the raw stock of the silver photographic element. One exception is described in European Patent Application 0 335 107 which discloses the use of polyhydroxy aromatic compounds as suitable for control of raw stock and latent image. Another disclosure, U.S. Pat. No. 5,763,146, teaches the use of water soluble amino hexose reductones for minimizing latent image changes and from raw stock keeping.
Developing agents are chemicals used in the processing of the exposed photographic materials containing the latent image. These agents are known as developers in the photographic trade and are often added to the processing solution for reduction of the silver ion to metallic silver. Hydroxypyrimidines and aminopyrimidines have been reported as useful photographic developing agents (GB 479,446; J. Chem. Soc. (London) 3232 1956, J. Soc. Chem. Ind. London Trans., vol. 60, 313, 1941; U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,891; Photogr. Sci. Eng. vol. 3, 135, 1959, FR 2,065,793). Spectrally sensitized silver halide photographic material for laser exposure and its treatment with hydroxypyrimidinethiol developer has been claimed in JP-09185142. Hydroxymercaptopyrimidines are used in the processing of silver halide photographic materials in JP-06308679. Ruthenium complexes of pyrimidines have been reported to be useful as development accelerators in U.S. Pat. No. 3,964,912. Some of the pyrimidine developing agents exhibit strong reducing properties, i.e., they are readily oxidizable. If added directly to the silver halide emulsion prior to coating, strong reducing agents may reduce silver ion to metallic silver and cause fog, resulting in unacceptable photographic image quality.
Other uses for pyrimidines have also been claimed. Specific aminopyrimidines have been alleged as crystal habit stabilizers of high chloride emulsion grains in European Patent Application 0 430 196. Bisaminopyrimidine derivatives have been described for use in photographic films in JP 89-150264 and JP 89-117117. The use of metal complexes of pyrimidines in silver halide photographic emulsions with improved sensitivity-fog ratio has been discussed in DD 85-276156.
There continues to be a need in the photographic industry for color negative silver chloride reflective photographic elements which exhibit good raw stock keeping. There is also a need for improving the latent image stability of such photographic elements.
This invention provides a silver halide photographic element comprising a silver halide emulsion which is greater than 50 mole % silver chloride and a pyrimidine compound represented by Formula I
wherein R1, R2, and R3 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy, alkoxy, amino, alkylamino, cyanoamino or alkyl group, and R4 is a hydroxy, alkoxy, amino, alkylamino, cyanoamino or alkyl group, provided that at least one of R1, R2, R3, and R4 is a hydroxy or an amino group.
The pyrimidine compounds utilized in the photographic elements of the invention provide improved raw stock keeping, particularly when the elements are stored under high temperature and humidity conditions. Additionally, certain of these pyrimidine compounds that fall within a narrow range of reducing strength are very effective at controlling short term latent image changes in silver chloride emulsions.
The class of pyrimidine compounds utilized in this invention is represented by Formula (I):
wherein R1, R2,and R3 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy, alkoxy, amino, alkylamino, cyanoamino, or alkyl group, and R4 is a hydroxy, alkoxy, amino, alkylamino, cyanoamino, or alkyl group, provided that at least one of R1, R2, R3, and R4 must be a hydroxy or an amino group. Preferably when R1, R2, R3, and R4 are an alkyl or alkylamino group, the alkyl has 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
In a preferred embodiment at least two of R1, R2, R3, and R4 are a hydroxy or an amino group. In one suitable embodiment at least one of R1, R2, R3, and R4 is an amino group adjacent to a hydroxy group. Additionally, certain of these pyrimidines that fall within a narrow range of reducing strength, as measured by their oxidation potential, can be used for control of short term latent image changes in silver chloride emulsions. The preferred range of oxidation potential is 0.2 to 0.25 V vs. SCE (Saturated Calomel Electrode) in potassium hydrogen phthalate buffer at pH 5.50xc2x10.1.
Examples of these pyrimidines include, but are not limited to, the following:
Unless otherwise specifically stated, substituent groups which may be substituted on molecules herein include any groups, whether substituted or unsubstituted, which do not destroy properties necessary for photographic utility. When the term xe2x80x9cgroupxe2x80x9d is applied to the identification of a substituent containing a substitutable hydrogen, it is intended to encompass not only the substituent""s unsubstituted form, but also its form further substituted with any group or groups as herein mentioned. Suitably, the group may be halogen or may be bonded to the remainder of the molecule by an atom of carbon, silicon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous, or sulfur. The substituent may be, for example, halogen, such as chlorine, bromine or fluorine; nitro; hydroxyl; cyano; carboxyl; or groups which may be further substituted, such as alkyl, including straight or branched chain alkyl, such as methyl, trifluoromethyl, ethyl, t-butyl, 3-(2,4-di-t-pentylphenoxy) propyl, and tetradecyl; alkenyl, such as ethylene, 2-butene; alkoxy, such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, butoxy, 2-methoxyethoxy, sec-butoxy, hexyloxy, 2-ethylhexyloxy, tetradecyloxy, 2-(2,4-di-t-pentylphenoxy)ethoxy, and 2-dodecyloxyethoxy; aryl such as phenyl, 4-t-butylphenyl, 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl, naphthyl; aryloxy, such as phenoxy, 2-methylphenoxy, alpha- or beta-naphthyloxy, and 4-tolyloxy; carbonamido, such as acetamido, benzamido, butyramido, tetradecanamido, alpha-(2,4-di-t-pentyl-phenoxy)acetamido, alpha-(2,4-di-t-pentylphenoxy)butyramido, alpha-(3-pentadecylphenoxy)-hexanamido, alpha-(4-hydroxy-3-t-butylphenoxy)-tetradecanamido, 2-oxo-pyrrolidin-1-yl, 2-oxo-5-tetradecylpyrrolin-1-yl, N-methyltetradecanamido, N-succinimido, N-phthalimido, 2,5-dioxo-1-oxazolidinyl, 3-dodecyl-2,5-dioxo-1-imidazolyl, and N-acetyl-N-dodecylamino, ethoxycarbonylamino, phenoxycarbonyl amino, benzyloxycarbonylamino, hexadecyloxycarbonylamino, 2,4-di-t-butylphenoxycarbonylamino, phenylcarbonylamino, 2,5-(di-t-pentylphenyl)carbonylamino, p-dodecyl-phenylcarbonylamino, p-toluylcarbonylamino, N-methylureido, N,N-dimethylureido, N-methyl-N-dodecylureido, N-hexadecylureido, N,N-dioctadecylureido, N,N-dioctyl-Nxe2x80x2-ethylureido, N-phenylureido, N,N-diphenylureido, N-phenyl-N-p-toluylureido, N-(m-hexadecylphenyl)ureido, N,N-(2,5-di-t-pentylphenyl)-Nxe2x80x2-ethylureido, and t-butylcarbonamido, sulfonamido, such as methylsulfonamido, benzenesulfonamido, p-toluylsulfonamido, p-dodecylbenzenesulfonamido, N-methyltetradecylsulfonamido, N,N-dipropyl-sulfamoylamino, and hexadecylsulfonamido; sulfamoyl, such as N-methylsulfamoyl, N-ethylsulfamoyl, N,N-dipropylsulfamoyl, N-hexadecylsulfamoyl, N,N-dimethylsulfamoyl, N-[3-(dodecyloxy)propyl]sulfamoyl, N-[4-(2,4-di-t-pentylphenoxy)butyl]sulfamoyl, N-methyl-N-tetradecylsulfamoyl, and N-dodecylsulfamoyl; carbamoyl, such as N-methylcarbamoyl, N,N-dibutylcarbamoyl, N-octadecylcarbamoyl, N-[4-(2,4-di-t-pentylphenoxy)butyl]carbamoyl, N-methyl-N-tetradecylcarbamoyl, and N,N-dioctylcarbamoyl; acyl, such as acetyl, (2,4-di-t-amylphenoxy)acetyl, phenoxycarbonyl, p-dodecyloxyphenoxycarbonyl methoxycarbonyl, butoxycarbonyl, tetradecyloxycarbonyl, ethoxycarbonyl, benzyloxycarbonyl, 3-pentadecyloxycarbonyl, and dodecyloxycarbonyl; sulfonyl, such as methoxysulfonyl, octyloxysulfonyl, tetradecyloxysulfonyl, 2-ethylhexyloxysulfonyl, phenoxysulfonyl, 2,4-di-t-pentylphenoxysulfonyl, methylsulfonyl, octylsulfonyl, 2-ethylhexylsulfonyl, dodecylsulfonyl, hexadecylsulfonyl, phenylsulfonyl, 4-nonylphenylsulfonyl, and p-toluylsulfonyl, sulfonyloxy, such as dodecylsulfonyloxy, and hexadecylsulfonyloxy sulfinyl, such as methylsulfinyl, octylsulfinyl, 2-ethylhexylsulfinyl, dodecylsulfinyl, hexadecylsulfinyl, phenylsulfinyl, 4-nonylphenylsulfinyl, and p-toluylsulfinyl; thio, such as ethylthio, octylthio, benzylthio, tetradecylthio, 2-(2,4-di-t-pentylphenoxy)ethylthio, phenylthio, 2-butoxy-5-t-octylphenylthio, and p-tolylthio; acyloxy, such as acetyloxy, benzoyloxy, octadecanoyloxy, p-dodecylamidobenzoyloxy, N-phenylcarbamoyloxy, N-ethylcarbamoyloxy, and cyclohexylcarbonyloxy, amine, such as phenylanilino, 2-chloroanilino, diethylamine, dodecylamine, imino, such as 1 (N-phenylimido)ethyl, N-succinimido or 3-benzylhydantoinyl, phosphate, such as dimethylphosphate and ethylbutylphosphate; phosphite, such as diethyl and dihexylphosphite, a heterocyclic group, a heterocyclic oxy group or a heterocyclic thio group, each of which may be substituted and which contain a 3- to 7-membered heterocyclic ring composed of carbon atoms and at least one hetero atom selected from the group consisting of oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur, such as 2-furyl, 2-thienyl, 2-benzimidazolyloxy or 2-benzothiazolyl; quaternary ammonium, such as triethylammonium, and silyloxy, such as trimethylsilyloxy.
If desired, the substituents may themselves be further substituted one or more times with the described substituent groups. The particular substituents used may be selected by those skilled in the art to attain the desired photographic properties for a specific application and can include, for example, hydrophobic groups, solubilizing groups, blocking groups, releasing or releasable groups, etc.
Pyrimidines are readily available materials. They may be synthesized from standard textbook procedures or they may be commercially available. Certain 2-alkyl and 2-aryl substituted pyrimidines may be prepared from condensation of alkyl or aryl amidine acetate with ethylcyanoacetate followed by ammonium persulfate oxidation according to the method of R. Hull in J. Chem. Soc. (1956) 2033.
The aminopyrimidine and hydroxypyrimidine compounds may be added either to the photographic emulsion or to the coupler dispersion using any technique suitable for this purpose. They may be dissolved in most common organic solvents, for example, methanol or acetone. They can be added to the emulsion in the form of a liquid/liquid dispersion similar to the technique used with certain couplers. They can also be added as a solid particle dispersion or in the form of a water soluble amine salt. The pyrimidine compounds may be used in addition to any conventional emulsion stabilizer or antifoggant as commonly practiced in the art. Combinations of more than one pyrimidine compound may be utilized.
Useful levels of pyrimidines of the present invention may range from 0.01 mmol to 1000 mmol per silver mole. A preferred range is from 0.1 mmol to 100 mmol per silver mole, a more preferred range is from 0.5 mmol to 50 mmol per silver mole, and the most preferred range is from 1 mmol to 10 mmol per silver mole.
The pyrimidines may be added to any layer of the photographic element where they are in reactive association with the silver halide. By xe2x80x9cin reactive association withxe2x80x9d it is meant that the compounds must be contained in the silver halide emulsion layer or in a layer whereby they can react or interact with, or come in contact with the silver halide emulsion. For example, the compounds can also be added to gelatin-only overcoats or interlayers.
The photographic emulsions of this invention are generally prepared by precipitating silver halide crystals in a colloidal matrix by methods conventional in the art. The colloid is typically a hydrophilic film forming agent such as gelatin, alginic acid, or derivatives thereof.
The crystals formed in the precipitation step are washed and then chemically and spectrally sensitized by adding spectral sensitizing dyes and chemical sensitizers, and by providing a heating step during which the emulsion temperature is raised, typically from 40 xc2x0 C. to 70 xc2x0 C., and maintained for a period of time. The precipitation and spectral and chemical sensitization methods utilized in preparing the emulsions employed in the invention can be those methods known in the art.
Chemical sensitization of the emulsion typically employs sensitizers such as sulfur-containing compounds, e.g., allyl isothiocyanate, sodium thiosulfate and allyl thiourea; reducing agents, e.g., polyamines and stannous salts; noble metal compounds, e.g., gold, platinum; and polymeric agents, e.g., polyalkylene oxides. As described, heat treatment is employed to complete chemical sensitization. Spectral sensitization is effected with a combination of dyes, which are designed for the wavelength range of interest within the visible or infrared spectrum. It is known to add such dyes both before and after heat treatment. After spectral sensitization, the emulsion is coated on a support. Various coating techniques include dip coating, air knife coating, curtain coating, and extrusion coating.
The pyrimidine compounds may be added to the silver halide emulsion at any time during the preparation of the emulsion, i.e., during precipitation, during or before chemical sensitization or during final melting and co-mixing of the emulsion and additives for coating. Alternatively, the pyrimidines may be added as a component to the coupler dispersion, which is simultaneously coated with the silver halide emulsion. In one preferred embodiment the pyrimidine compounds are added as an aqueous solution to the coupler dispersion.
The silver halide emulsions utilized in this invention may be comprised of, for example, silver chloride, silver bromochloride, silver iodochloride, silver bromoiodochloride and silver iodobromochloride enulsions. The silver halide emulsions are predominantly silver chloride emulsions. By predominantly silver chloride, it is meant that the grains of the emulsion are greater than about 50 mole percent silver chloride. Preferably, they are greater than about 90 mole percent silver chloride; and optimally greater than about 95 mole percent silver chloride.
It is contemplated that the predominantly silver chloride emulsions may take the form of a variety of morphologies including those with cubic, tabular and tetradecahedral grains with {111} and {100} crystal faces. The grains may take the form of any of the naturally occurring morphologies of cubic lattice type silver halide grains. Further, the grains may be irregular such as spherical grains. Additionally, these emulsions may contain iodides or bromides of less than 10% of the total halide composition.
The grains can be contained in any conventional dispersing medium capable of being used in photographic emulsions. Specifically, it is contemplated that the dispersing medium be an aqueous gelatino-peptizer dispersing medium, of which gelatinxe2x80x94e.g., alkali treated gelatin (cattle bone and hide gelatin) or acid treated gelatin (pigskin gelatin) and gelatin derivativesxe2x80x94e.g., acetylated gelatin, phthalated gelatin and the like are specifically contemplated. When used, gelatin is preferably at levels of 0.01 to 100 grams per total silver mole
The photographic elements of the invention can be black-and-white elements, single color elements, or multicolor elements. The supports utilized in this invention are generally reflective supports such as are known in the art. Multicolor elements contain image dye-forming units sensitive to each of the three primary regions of the spectrum. Each unit can comprise a single emulsion layer or multiple emulsion layers sensitive to a given region of the spectrum. The layers of the element, including the layers of the image-forming units, can be arranged in various orders as known in the art. In an alternative format, the emulsions sensitive to each of the three primary regions of the spectrum can be disposed as a single segmented layer.
A typical multicolor photographic element comprises a support bearing a cyan dye image-forming unit comprised of at least one red-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one cyan dye-forming coupler, a magenta dye image-forming unit comprising at least one green-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one magenta dye-forming coupler, and a yellow dye image-forming unit comprising at least one blue-sensitive silver halide emulsion layer having associated therewith at least one yellow dye-forming coupler. The element can contain additional layers, such as filter layers, interlayers, overcoat layers, subbing layers, and the like. In one suitable embodiment the pyrimidine compounds utilized in the invention are added to the yellow dye image-forming unit either in the silver halide emulsion or in the coupler dispersion.
If desired, the photographic element can be used in conjunction with an applied magnetic layer as described in Research Disclosure, November 1992, Item 34390 published by Kenneth Mason Publications, Ltd., Dudley Annex, 12a North Street, Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7DQ, ENGLAND, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
In the following Table, reference will be made to (1) Research Disclosure, December 1978, Item 17643, (2) Research Disclosure, December 1989, Item 308119, (3) Research Disclosure, September 1994, Item 36544, and (4) Research Disclosure, September 1996, Item 38957, all published by Kenneth Mason Publications, Ltd., Dudley Annex, 12a North Street, Emsworth, Hampshire PO10 7DQ, ENGLAND, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The Table and the references cited in the Table are to be read as describing particular components suitable for use in the elements of the invention. The Table and its cited references also describe suitable ways of preparing, exposing, processing and manipulating the elements, and the images contained therein. High chloride photographic elements and methods of processing such elements particularly suitable for use with this invention are described in Research Disclosure, February 1995, Item 37038, in Research Disclosure, September 1997, Item 40145 and, of particular interest, Research Disclosure, September 2000, Item 437013 published by Kenneth Mason Publications, Ltd., Dudley Annex, 12a North Street, Emsworth, Hampshire PO 10 7DQ, ENGLAND, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The photographic elements may utilize any traditional support known to those skilled in the art. One conventional photographic quality paper comprises cellulose paper with polyethylene resin waterproof coatings. The support may also consist of a multilayer film of biaxially oriented polyolefin which is attached to both the top and bottom of a photographic quality paper support by melt extrusion of a polymer tie layer. The biaxially oriented films may contain a plurality of layers in which at least one of the layers contains voids. The voids provide added opacity to the imaging element. This voided layer can also be used in conjunction with a layer that contains at least one pigment from the group consisting of TiO2, CaCO3, clay, BaSO4, ZnS, MgCO3, talc, kaolin, or other materials that provide a highly reflective white layer in said film of more than one layer. The combination of a pigmented layer with a voided layer provides advantages in the optical performance of the final image. These supports are described in more detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,866,282; 5,888,681; 6,030,742; 6,030,759; 6,107,014; and 6,153,351. Such biaxially oriented films may also be utilized for display materials having translucent or transparent supports.
The photographic elements comprising the radiation sensitive high chloride emulsion layers can be conventionally optically printed, or can be image-wise exposed in a pixel-by-pixel mode using suitable high energy radiation sources typically employed in electronic printing methods. Suitable actinic forms of energy encompass the ultraviolet, visible and infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as electron-beam radiation and is conveniently supplied by beams from one or more light emitting diodes or lasers, including gaseous or solid state lasers. Exposures can be monochromatic, orthochromatic or panchromatic. For example, when the recording element is a multilayer multicolor element, exposure can be provided by laser or light emitting diode beams of appropriate spectral radiation, for example, infrared, red, green or blue wavelengths, to which such element is sensitive. Multicolor elements can be employed which produce cyan, magenta and yellow dyes as a function of exposure in separate portions of the electromagnetic spectrum, including at least two portions of the infrared region, as disclosed in the previously mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,892. Suitable exposures include those up to 2000 nm, preferably up to 1500 nm. Suitable light emitting diodes and commercially available laser sources are known and commercially available. Imagewise exposures at ambient, elevated or reduced temperatures and/or pressures can be employed within the useful response range of the recording element determined by conventional sensitometric techniques, as illustrated by T. H. James, The Theory of the Photographic Process, 4th Ed., Macmillan, 1977, Chapters 4, 6, 17, 18, and 23.
The quantity or level of high energy actinic radiation provided to the recording medium by the exposure source is generally at least 10xe2x88x924 ergs/cm2, typically in the range of about 10xe2x88x924 ergs/cm2 to 10xe2x88x923 ergs/cm2, and often from 10xe2x88x923 ergs/cm2 to 102 ergs/cm2. Exposure of the recording element in a pixel-by-pixel mode as known in the prior art persists for only a very short duration or time. Typical maximum exposure times are up to 100xcexc seconds, often up to 10xcexc seconds, and frequently up to only 0.5xcexc seconds. Single or multiple exposures of each pixel are contemplated. The pixel density is subject to wide variation, as is obvious to those skilled in the art. The higher the pixel density, the sharper the images can be, but at the expense of equipment complexity. In general, pixel densities used in conventional electronic printing methods of the type described herein do not exceed 107 pixels/cm2 and are typically in the range of about 104 to 106 pixels/cm2. An assessment of the technology of high-quality, continuous-tone, color electronic printing using silver halide photographic paper which discusses various features and components of the system, including exposure source, exposure time, exposure level and pixel density and other recording element characteristics is provided in Firth et al, A Continuous-Tone Laser Color Printer, Journal of Imaging Technology, Vol. 14, No. 3, June 1988, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. A description of some of the details of conventional electronic printing methods comprising scanning a recording element with high energy beams such as light emitting diodes or laser beams, are set forth in Hioki U.S. Pat. No. 5,126,235, European Patent Applications 479 167 A1 and 502 508 A1.
The photographic elements can then be processed to form a visible dye image. Processing to form a visible dye image includes the step of contacting the element with a color developing agent to reduce developable silver halide and oxidize the color developing agent. Oxidized color developing agent in turn reacts with the coupler to yield a dye. With negative-working silver halide, the processing step described above provides a negative image. In one embodiment the described elements can be processed in the known color print processes such as the RA-4 process of Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N.Y.

High chloride silver halide elements containing pyrimidine compounds

Abstract: wherein R1, R2, and R3 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy, alkoxy, amino, alkylamino, cyanoamino or alkyl group, and R4 is a hydroxy, alkoxy, amino, alkylamino, cyanoamino or alkyl group; provided that at least one of R1, R2, R3, and R4 is a hydroxy or an amino group.


A method is provided wherein natural-language formulas are translated to obtain structured expressions or rules. When a query is received requiring analysis of data, the rules are evaluated to obtain a solution. The evaluation includes: obtaining the solution from a stack of existing solutions; searching a database of rule definitions if the solution is not available from the stack; calculating a solution using an explicit definition for each rule and the data, if the explicit definition is available for a given rule; calculating a solution using an implicit definition for each rule and the data, if the explicit definition is not available; and determining a best solution according to a predefined priority of data types. The solution is then supplied to an output format, such as a spreadsheet. The rules are received from a plurality of files, include descriptive variable names, and are applied to all cells in the spreadsheet.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to financial analysis and, more particularly, to a method for creating and processing data and other information using natural language formulas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Spreadsheets are commonly employed in performing financial (numerical) analysis. In a typical spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft's Excel® program, a user creates formulas and inputs data into a spreadsheet template on a cell-by-cell basis. While this cell-by-cell spreadsheet allows a great deal of flexibility, maintaining data and equations within the individual cells has many significant limitations and disadvantages.
One disadvantage of a typical spreadsheet program is that it is complicated and cumbersome to create formulas for individual cells. For example, formulas in spreadsheet programs typically refer to other cell locations. As a result, formulas must be checked and updated whenever the referenced cells are moved, modified, amended, deleted or supplemented. In addition, the cell-by-cell format requires considerable storage space, even when the formula is the same for each cell.
It is also difficult to maintain historical changes when using a spreadsheet, whether in paper or electronic format. When records are kept electronically, one must maintain the cell-by-cell formatted equations and the data that is referenced therein (which may be stored in separate spreadsheets or other electronic files). Thus, when creating complex financial analyses, with multiple what-if? type scenarios, maintenance of this information becomes inefficient, complex and costly. Likewise, it is no easy task to generate or maintain paper copies of such information, since multiple paper files would need to be printed (the spreadsheet must be printed in a manner that reveals the equations, the spreadsheet must be printed in a manner that shows the results, and all of the referenced data must be printed). At present, spreadsheets do not store cell-by-cell formulas in databases for the same reason.
Reviewing and updating a spreadsheet is often burdensome for the user. While it is possible to print and review spreadsheet formulas, the user must then contend with many pages of detail. Furthermore, a spreadsheet's cell-by-cell technology requires the user to change the formula as the source data changes. For instance, if an analysis requires 100 rows, and a new set of data is 120 rows, spreadsheet users typically must manually manipulate all of the dependent formulas. Obviously, this is a time consuming and error prone process.

Automated natural language formula translator and data evaluator


The low-power relaxation oscillator comprises a first module (21) having a ramp generator formed by a reference current source (31) and a storage capacitor (32) defining a ramp voltage (Vramp1), and a voltage comparator (m1, m2) for comparing the ramp voltage with a reference voltage, a second module (22, 41, 42, Vramp2, m3, m4) similar to the first module and an asynchronous flip-flop (23) receiving the output signal of the comparator of the first module at a first input (s) and the output signal of the comparator of the second module at a second input (r). For each module a generator of said reference voltage is configured by adding a reference resistance (33, 43) between the reference current source and the storage capacitor. Thus, the generation of the reference voltage and the ramp voltage is conducted on the very same current branch. This enables the electrical power consumption of the oscillator to be reduced.

A relaxation oscillator is known from the prior art and its basic diagram is provided in FIG. 1. Such a relaxation oscillator comprises two like modules 1, 2, each having a ramp generator 3, 4 formed by a reference current source 5, 6 and a storage capacitor 7, 8 defining a ramp voltage (Vramp1, Vramp2), a reference voltage generator 9 and a voltage comparator 10, 11 for comparing the ramp voltage (Vramp1, Vramp2) with the reference voltage (Vref). An asynchronous RS type flip-flop 12 receives the output signal of the comparator 10 of the first module at a first input (s) and the output signal of the comparator 11 of the second module 2 at a second input (r). Then as a result of the bias of the output terminals q and qb the flip-flop 12 alternately supplies control signals for charging the capacitor 7 of the first module and for charging the storage capacitor 8 of the second module. For this, each ramp generator 3, 4 is controlled by means of a switch 13, 14.
The operation of such a relaxation oscillator is described in association with FIG. 2 that shows the ramp voltages (Vramp1, Vramp2) in relation to time. In an initial stage, the switch 13 is open, the reference current source 5 charges the storage capacitor 7 by means of the reference current Iref. At the same stage, the switch 14 is closed so that the storage capacitor 8 is short-circuited and is therefore not charged. When the ramp voltage Vramp1 reaches the level of the reference voltage Vref, the voltage comparator 10 detects this and the signal that it outputs is modified so that the flip-flop 12 changes state. The output signals at terminals q and qb are inverted. Thus, switches 13 and 14 are closed and open respectively. The charge stored on the capacitor 7 is then discharged to Vss by short-circuit, while charging the capacitor 8 begins. Similarly, when the ramp voltage Vramp2 reaches the level of the reference voltage Vref, the voltage comparator 11 detects this and the signal that it outputs is modified so that the flip-flop 12 changes state. The output signals at terminals q and qb are once again inverted and the initial cycle can start again. These two charge phases successively of capacitor 7 and capacitor 8 represent an oscillation period.
Another relaxation oscillator of the prior art is described in patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6,720,836. This document describes a relaxation oscillator with current sources coupled to one another.
For radio-frequency identification applications involving RFID transponders, the consumption of current sources used in such relaxation oscillators is one of the most critical parameters. The theoretical minimum current consumption for such a relaxation oscillator is given by the formula C*Vref/T=Iref. To minimise current consumption for a set oscillation period, the storage capacitor C and the reference voltage Vref must be reduced to the full. For this purpose, it is important to note that the reference voltage Vref corresponds to the oscillation amplitude.
The existing solutions have one or more disadvantages listed below and are therefore further removed from the theoretical minimum consumption.
Firstly, an oscillator like that shown in FIG. 1 consumes the equivalent of the theoretical minimum current consumption just with the ramp generator (via the source of reference current Iref). Therefore, all the other consumer circuits will take such an oscillator further away from the theoretical minimum consumption. These other consumer circuits comprise in particular the reference voltage generator, comparators of the ramp voltage with the reference voltage.
An oscillator such as that described in patent document U.S. Pat. No. 6,720,836 has the major disadvantage of having an oscillation amplitude associated with the gate-source voltage Vgs of a CMOS type transistor that can thus not be decreased in order to reduce current consumption. Moreover, such a relaxation oscillator uses a current mirror with a size ratio of 1 to 10 between the transistors of the mirror, and this requires a significant surface over an integrated circuit.
In addition, it must also be noted that the voltage amplitude is only in theory equal to Vref. In reality, a phenomenon of overrun occurs in the switching phases as a result of the reaction time of the comparators. This is the case in particular in oscillator solutions using transistors that do not operate fully in saturated mode.
Finally, the minimum value for the storage capacitor is determined in particular by the value of the interference capacitor on the upper plate of the storage capacitor. These interference capacitors come from metal connections and other devices connected to the upper plate of the storage capacitor. Previous solutions based in particular on the Vittoz loop connect numerous or extensive devices to this capacitor. The operation of these devices in weak inversion increases the capacitor compared to an operation of these devices in strong inversion. Therefore, it will be important to ensure that a limited storage capacitor is maintained.


A discrete semiconductor transistor includes a gate resistor electrically coupled between a gate electrode terminal and a gate electrode of the discrete semiconductor transistor. A resistance R of the gate resistor at a temperature of −40° C. is greater than at the temperature of 150° C.

Semiconductor devices, in particular field-effect controlled switching devices such as a junction field effect transistor (JFET), a metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) and an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) are typically used for various applications including but not limited to switches in power supplies and power converters, electric cars, air-conditioners, and inverters in motor drives.
When switching off transistors, switching losses and an overvoltage typically occur between first and second load terminals such as drain and source of an FET or collector and emitter of an IGBT. Since one characteristic of transistors is a specified breakdown voltage Vbr between the first and second load terminals, a goal of transistor design is to avoid electric breakdown caused by overvoltages during turn-off operation over a specified operation temperature range.
Accordingly, there is a need to improve a voltage margin between the specified breakdown voltage Vbr and overvoltages occurring during turn-off operation over a specified operation temperature range without deteriorating switching losses.


An audio mixer system using a serial editor interface is disclosed. Use of a microprocessor control circuit is disclosed to control various functions a plurality of multiple channel VTRs under the control of a mixer. Serial control signals are supplied from a video editor to a serial interface which includes a microprocessor. These control signals are decoded, and the appropriate controls of the VTRs are implemented. These controls include crossfading as well as PREVIEW/REVIEW monitoring.

In order to accomplish audio editing, it is known to use a mixer to control a plurality of multi-channel devices, such as VTRs, for example. It is also known that an editor may be advantageously used to control the mixer via an editor interface to enable various VTR functions including PREVIEW/REVIEW and FADE UP/DOWN, for example. Accordingly, control signals can be sent from an editor to the mixer in order to preview audio signals at an edit-in point on a recording medium of a recorder VTR. Similarly, control signals may be sent from an editor in order to review audio signals output from a recorder VTR. In general, the PREVIEW/REVIEW functions require a digital signal (e.g. to be supplied to an appropriate channel) to activate the channel.
The FADE UP/DOWN functions generally require analog signals to be supplied to the appropriate channels. These signals are commonly referred to as VCA signals and are supplied to voltage controlled amplifiers associated with the channels. Other analog and digital control signals may be used to implement other known functions.
Generally, in a mixer system, a mixer is connected to a plurality of devices such as VTRs or other multi-channel devices, for example. The mixer may also be connected to an editor via an editor interface to enable editor control of the mixer. The editor interface may comprise either a parallel interface or a serial interface. Editor interfaces of the latter type offer several advantages. Primarily, however serial interfaces are advantageous in that they require fewer connections between the mixer and the editor.
Several drawbacks are found in prior art mixer systems used for audio editing. For example, prior systems generally enable editor control of either only all four-channel devices or only all two-channel devices. This is clearly an undesirable limitation. Some systems allow for the use of hard-wired jumpers to enable various combinations of two and four-channel devices to be used. This avoids the aforedescribed undesirable limitation, but adds a new drawback in that using hard wired jumpers is time consuming and can be difficult if several devices are to be connected. Additionally, if it is desired to reconfigure the devices, for example, to replace a four-channel device with 2 two-channel devices, rewiring is necessary, once again requiring a time consuming operation.
The system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,771 provides a solution to this drawback, offering a more convenient method to configure different combinations of two or four-channel VTRs without hard-wiring. This method utilizes a parallel interface between the editor and the audio mixer and a configuration selector to selected a desired configuration of a plurality of multichannel devices to enable the convenient mixing of such various configurations. One way of achieving such configuration selection is through the use of an output of the configuration selector provided to a memory to select prestored commands to be provided to appropriate channels. In another embodiment there disclosed, the configuration selection signals are decoded and supplied to multiplexers in combination with editor control signals through a parallel interface to enable the editor control signals to be routed to appropriate channels.
However, there remains a need to provide a method of controlling a mixing of audio channels input from a selected configuration of multichannel VTRs with an editor through a serial interface. There is a further need to incorporate into a mixer system the advantages of serial interfacing.

Microprocessor controlled multiple channel VTR configuration of an audio follow video mixer


A loop structure for supporting operative elements in contact with bodily tissue including an elongate body. The elongate body may include an area with a preset curvature and/or a hinge area.

1. Field of Inventions
The present invention relates generally to medical devices that support one or more diagnostic or therapeutic elements in contact with body tissue.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many instances where diagnostic and therapeutic elements must be inserted into the body. One instance involves the treatment of cardiac conditions such as atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter which lead to an unpleasant, irregular heart beat, called arrhythmia.
Normal sinus rhythm of the heart begins with the sinoatrial node (or "SA node") generating an electrical impulse. The impulse usually propagates uniformly across the right and left atria and the atrial septum to the atrioventricular node (or "AV node"). This propagation causes the atria to contract in an organized way to transport blood from the atria to the ventricles, and to provide timed stimulation of the ventricles. The AV node regulates the propagation delay to the atrioventricular bundle (or "HIS" bundle). This coordination of the electrical activity of the heart causes atrial systole during ventricular diastole. This, in turn, improves the mechanical function of the heart. Atrial fibrillation occurs when anatomical obstacles in the heart disrupt the normally uniform propagation of electrical impulses in the atria. These anatomical obstacles (called "conduction blocks") can cause the electrical impulse to degenerate into several circular wavelets that circulate about the obstacles. These wavelets, called "reentry circuits," disrupt the normally uniform activation of the left and right atria.
Because of a loss of atrioventricular synchrony, the people who suffer from atrial fibrillation and flutter also suffer the consequences of impaired hemodynamics and loss of cardiac efficiency. They are also at greater risk of stroke and other thromboembolic complications because of loss of effective contraction and atrial stasis.
One surgical method of treating atrial fibrillation by interrupting pathways for reentry circuits is the so-called "maze procedure" which relies on a prescribed pattern of incisions to anatomically create a convoluted path, or maze, for electrical propagation within the left and right atria. The incisions direct the electrical impulse from the SA node along a specified route through all regions of both atria, causing uniform contraction required for normal atrial transport function. The incisions finally direct the impulse to the AV node to activate the ventricles, restoring normal atrioventricular synchrony. The incisions are also carefully placed to interrupt the conduction routes of the most common reentry circuits. The maze procedure has been found very effective in curing atrial fibrillation. However, the maze procedure is technically difficult to do. It also requires open heart surgery and is very expensive.
Maze-like procedures have also been developed utilizing catheters which can form lesions on the endocardium (the lesions being 1 to 15 cm in length and of varying shape) to effectively create a maze for electrical conduction in a predetermined path. The formation of these lesions by soft tissue coagulation (also referred to as "ablation") can provide the same therapeutic benefits that the complex incision patterns that the surgical maze procedure presently provides, but without invasive, open heart surgery.
Catheters used to create lesions typically include a relatively long and relatively flexible body portion that has a soft tissue coagulation electrode on its distal end and/or a series of spaced tissue coagulation electrodes near the distal end. The portion of the catheter body portion that is inserted into the patient is typically from 23 to 55 inches in length and there may be another 8 to 15 inches, including a handle, outside the patient. The length and flexibility of the catheter body allow the catheter to be inserted into a main vein or artery (typically the femoral artery), directed into the interior of the heart, and then manipulated such that the ablation electrode contacts the tissue that is to be ablated. Fluoroscopic imaging is used to provide the physician with a visual indication of the location of the catheter.
In some instances, the proximal end of the catheter body is connected to a handle that includes steering controls. Exemplary catheters of this type are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,609. In other instances, the catheter body is inserted into the patient through a sheath and the distal portion of the catheter is bent into loop that extends outwardly from the sheath. This may be accomplished by pivotably securing the distal end of the catheter to the distal end of the sheath, as is illustrated in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/769,856, filed Dec. 19, 1996, and entitled "Loop Structures for Supporting Multiple Electrode Elements." The loop is formed as the catheter is pushed is the distal direction. The loop may also be formed by securing a pull wire to the distal end of the catheter that extends back through the sheath, as is illustrated in co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/960,902, filed Oct. 30, 1997, and entitled, "Catheter Distal Assembly With Pull Wires," which is incorporated herein by reference. Loop catheters are advantageous in that they tend to conform to different tissue contours and geometries and provide intimate contact between the spaced tissue coagulation electrodes (or other diagnostic or therapeutic elements) and the tissue.
One type of lesion that has proven to be difficult to form with conventional loop catheters is the so-called "flutter lesion" that is used to cure atrial flutter and also forms part of the curative lesion pattern in some instances of atrial fibrillation. The flutter lesion, which blocks a re-entrant pathway that encircles the tricuspid annulus, extends from the inferior vena cava to the tricuspid annulus along the isthmus region of the heart. This area includes a mass of tissue known as the Eustachian ridge. The irregular geometry of the tissue in this area often prevents conventional loop catheters from achieving the level of tissue contact necessary to form a curative lesion. Thus, the flutter lesion must be formed by dragging the tip electrode of a steerable catheter over the target region while the steering mechanism deflects the tip electrode into contact with the tissue. This process must be repeated many times to form a complete lesion with bi-directional block. As a result, and despite the fact that the flutter lesion is relatively short (at 1-2 cm, it is the shortest lesion in the set that cures atrial fibrillation), its formation takes a relatively long time. The flutter lesion typically takes 30 to 60 minutes to complete. To put that in perspective, the lesion that isolates the pulmonary vein, which is about 15 cm in length, also takes about the 30 to 60 minutes to complete.
Accordingly, the inventors herein have determined that a need exists for loop structures that can be used to create lesions within bodily regions, such as the isthmus region of the heart, which have an irregular geometry. In particular, the inventors herein have determined that a need exists for loop structures that can exert enough force on the tissue to form a curative lesion in tissue that has an irregular geometry, such as tissue within the isthmus region of the heart.

Loop structure having improved tissue contact capability