An adjustable equalizer network has a series chain of N all pass amplifier stages driving N+1 scaling circuits connected to a final summing circuit that adjusts the frequency response at M+1 frequency control points to obtain a predetermined ripple free minimum phase shift frequency response over a given frequency range. The scaling circuits have scaling coefficients, of magnitude and sign determined by Fourier analysis and an appropriate truncation function, such that the filter has a pass band representative of M+1 contiguous bands conjointly encompassing the frequency range. Calculation of the scaling coefficients and control of the scaling circuits is accomplished through digital computation and manipulation. Some embodiments may use passive circuits or linear analogue circuits as scaling circuits, controlled manually or by a computing device.

This invention is an improvement on the equalizer networks and methods of developing scaling coefficients therefor of Peters U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,119, which defines an equalizer and discusses implementations thereto, specifically, Davis, Weiner and Lee, and Tattersall, describing the shortcomings of each. The equalizer networks described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,119 are based on a set of minimum phase transversal filters derived from a single active element all pass chain, each of the filters consisting of the summation of scaling circuit outputs from the all pass chain, the outputs of the filters being scaled and summed to provide the adjustable equalizer realization. An equalizer as described thus offers virtually ripplefree frequency response with minimal interaction from band to band and a reasonable approximation of the desired frequency response. It was stated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,119 that calculations involving both the real and imaginary components of the Fourier series were unwieldy and indeed "virtually impossible" due to a non-linear relationship between the frequency response and the scaling coefficients. Thus a linear approximation to the requested frequency response, calculated only from the real component of the series, was implemented.
While the method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,119 is of great utility, it is subject to some shortcomings. The method of determining the scaling coefficients produces a linear approximation to the real part of the desired frequency response and forces the imaginary part to follow by imposing minimum phase constraints. Hence, the selectivity (Q) of the equalizer filters is compromised. In addition, the method used forces equal errors in the pass band and stop band when measured arithmetically, resulting in response curves which are not reciprocal (mirror image) in stop band (cut) and pass band (boost) response when measured in decibels.

Computer controlled transversal equalizer


A method of forming an injection-bonded joint may include forming a chamber wall within a bondline region between mating surfaces of a first part and a second part. The chamber wall may divide a bondline length and define at least one adhesive chamber. The method may include injecting a structural adhesive into the adhesive chamber through an injection port, and discharging excess adhesive from the adhesive chamber through a bleed hole.

Bonded joints are typically formed by applying a layer of adhesive to the mating surfaces of one or more parts to be joined. The parts are then brought together and held in position relative to one another while allowing the adhesive in the bondline to cure. For example, when bonding an end ring having a C-channel cross-section to an edge of a cylinder, the end ring may be oriented such that the C-channel is facing upwardly. A pool of adhesive may be installed within the C-channel and the cylinder edge may be lowered down into the C-channel. The adhesive may spill out of the C-channel until the cylinder edge contacts the bottom of the C-channel. The cylinder and the end ring may be held in position while the adhesive cures.
Unfortunately, the above-noted process may produce less-than-desirable results in the final bonded joint between the end ring and the cylinder. In this regard, the relatively long length of the bondline extending around the cylinder circumference may result in unpredictability with regard to the flow of adhesive in the C-channel as the cylinder is lowered into the end ring. For example, the long length bondline may affect the ability of the adhesive to flow from the bottom of the C-channel to the top edge of the C-channel at all locations around the cylinder circumference as the cylinder edge is lowered into the C-channel.
Such unpredictability with regard to adhesive flow may result in reworking the bonded joint to bring the bonded joint to within design tolerances. In cases where repair of the bonded joint is not possible, it may be necessary to scrap the bonded parts and assemble a replacement which may have a detrimental impact on cost and schedule. The unpredictability associated with adhesive flow may also require the installation of anti-peel fasteners along the bondline to prevent peeling of the bonded joint at the edges of the bondline. Unfortunately, the installation of anti-peel fasteners may add to the cost, complexity, and weight of the structural assembly.
As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a system and method of forming a bonded joint that provides a means for controlling the flow of adhesive within the bondline during the bonding process. In this regard, there exists a need in the art for a system and method of forming a bonded joint that provides predictability with regard to the flow of adhesive in long length bondlines.

System and method of forming an injection-bonded joint


The invention provides a frost-preventive composition which strongly defrosts and melts ice and which prevents frosting for a long period of time and which does not run or sag when applied to a wall surface or the like.

In refrigerating storehouses, inner walls are covered with frost, which is formed from moisture contained in air and objects stored in the storehouses. If such frost is left unremoved, the walls are gradually covered with ice, resulting in a considerable drop in thermal efficiency of the refrigerating storehouses. Therefore, frost and ice must be removed periodically. In order to remove frost and ice, objects in a refrigerating storehouse must firstly be moved to the outside while refrigeration is temporarily stopped, and the defrosting operation is performed manually.
In order to solve the above problems, there have heretofore been proposed chemical compositions for preventing icing; for example, a thickening organic composition formed from water-miscible organic liquid with alumina (Patent Document 1). However, such an organic composition is not suited for use in a refrigerator for storing food, since undesired contact of alumina with food may occur. Another known composition is formed from ethyl alcohol with bentonite, acid clay, abrasive powder, and talc (Patent Document 2). This alcohol-based composition encounters difficulty in maintaining anti-frost effect, since ethyl alcohol readily evaporates. In addition, the aforementioned compositions disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are formed of a liquid anti-freeze thickened by specific solid additives, and have a problem in that a long-term stable anti-freeze effect cannot be attained due to poor stability of base oil, separation of anti-freeze liquid from the compositions, and a change in consistency of the compositions. Thus, these compositions are different from the composition of the present invention assuming a grease-like consistency (hereinafter referred to as greasy composition).
Still another disclosed composition is a gel material which is formed by mixing an alcohol such as ethylene glycol or propylene glycol with a thickener such as hydroxymethyl cellulose (Patent Document 3) and which exhibits its anti-freeze effect only by the freezing-point-depressing action of the alcohol and other ingredients. Therefore, the composition can be applied to short-term prevention of icing of a front window pane of an automobile but may exhibit unsatisfactory defrosting and anti-freezing effects over a long period of time under severe circumstances found in refrigerating storehouses. Besides the aforementioned compositions, a variety of chemical compositions mainly for melting snow on road surfaces and anti-icing roads have also been proposed. For example, Patent Document 4 discloses an anti-freeze containing a mixture of a C1 to C10 carboxylic acid salt and a water-soluble polyhydric alcohol, a water-soluble polymer, and an inorganic substance. If these anti-freezes are employed for defrosting inner walls of a refrigerating storehouse, their performance must be maintained for at least half a year. However, when actually applied onto a vertical surface, these anti-freezes for the application to road surfaces problematically fall within a short period.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Kohyo (PCT) Patent Publication No. 1996-506130    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent No. 144709    [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2000-328047    [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 10-251622

Abstract: The frost-preventive greasy composition of the invention contains (a) at least one species selected from among glycols, glycol ethers, polyalkylene glycols, polyalkylene glycol derivatives, glycerin, and glycerin derivatives, (b) at least one species selected from among soaps, urea compounds, silica gel microparticles, lecithin, and polysaccharides, (c) at least one metal salt selected from among carboxylic acid metal salts, nitric acid metal salts, phosphoric acid metal salts, metal chlorides, and metal bromides, and (d) at least one species selected from among sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyoxyalkylene sorbitan fatty acid esters, polyoxyalkylene alkyl ethers, castor oil, hydrogenated castor oil, polyoxyalkylene castor oils, and polyoxyalkylene hydrogenated castor oils, in specified proportions, respectively.


For a task that has been partially executed, a residual complexity index is computed, the task being of a complexity that cannot be ascertained prior to executing the task. An evaluation is made whether the residual complexity index exceeds a cost of a resource that should be considered for allocation to the task. When the evaluation is affirmative, a priority of the task is established relative to a second task. The resource is scheduled to perform the task according to a timing, the timing being determined using the cost of the resource. The resource is allocated to the task according to the timing.

Tasks take a variety of forms. In some cases, a task is a workload that has to be processed on a computing platform. In some other cases, the task is a job opportunity that has to be filled using a suitable candidate.
In one case, the resource that is needed to complete the workload-type task is a computing resource. In another case, the resource that is needed to complete the recruitment-type task is a recruiter.
Regardless of the type, a task has to be planned in such a way that the task has a desired level of likelihood of completion. Regardless of the type, each resource has a cost associated with it, which adds to the cost of completing the task.
A complexity of a task is an indication of a level of difficulty in completing the task or a phase in the task. In many cases, a complexity of a task is known at the planning stage and adequate resources can be assigned to the task to ensure that the task reaches completion. For example, in a workload-type task, a history of executing similar workloads can be used to establish a complexity of the task at hand, and resources similar to those used in the historical execution of similar workloads can be assigned to the task at hand. As another example, recruiting a CEO for a company has a known level of difficulty from other companies' experience in recruiting CEOs, and therefore, a suitable recruiter can be engaged from the beginning of the search to afford the recruitment effort a desirable likelihood of success.
In many cases, the complexity of a task is unknown or undeterminable at the planning stage. A determination about the suitable types of resources to assign to the task, when to assign those resources to the task, and whether those resources will be available at that time are difficult to make. For example, in a workload-type task, a workload that has highly variant characteristics from execution to execution, or a workload that has not been processed before, or a workload whose outcome and requirements are unknown, form some example of workloads with such complexity. As an example, a workload that simulates the evolution of galaxies in a specific area of the universe can run for an amount of time that is not known a prior, can consume resources that are not identifiable a priori, or both. It is difficult to know at the planning stage of such a workload whether supercomputing resources should be assigned to the workload, when they should be assigned, and in what priority relative to other tasks demanding the supercomputing resources.
Similarly, a job specification that calls for a specific mix of skills and experience in a job candidate can be of an unknown complexity. It is difficult to determine whether assigning a recruiter to the recruitment effort is justified or needed for that specific mix, at what point in time would such assignment improve the likelihood of successful recruitment or be too late for the project that needs the skills, and what priority should the recruiter give to this job specification versus other job specifications that also demand the recruiter's attention.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Resource allocation for tasks of unknown complexity

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


Provided herein are methods for assessing response to inflammatory disease therapy. The methods include placing a subject on a therapeutic regimen and subsequently performing an immunoassay to generate a score based on quantitative data for expression of biomarkers relating to inflammatory biomarkers. The methods further include recommending that the subject either remains on the therapeutic regimen, or is removed from the therapeutic regimen, based on the score.

This application is directed to the fields of bioinformatics and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, with methods of assessing response to inflammatory disease therapy withdrawal. RA is an example of an inflammatory disease, and is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disorder. It is one of the most common systemic autoimmune diseases worldwide. The immune system of the RA subject targets the subject's joints as well as other organs including the lung, blood vessels and pericardium, leading to inflammation of the joints (arthritis), widespread endothelial inflammation, and even destruction of joint tissue. Erosions and joint space narrowing are largely irreversible and result in cumulative disability.
The precise etiology of RA has not been established, but underlying disease pathogenesis is complex and includes inflammation and immune dysregulation. The precise mechanisms involved are different in individual subjects, and can change in those subjects over time. Variables such as race, sex, genetics, hormones, and environmental factors can impact the development and severity of RA disease. Emerging data are also beginning to reveal the characteristics of new RA subject subgroups and complex overlapping relationships with other autoimmune disorders. Disease duration and level of inflammatory activity is also associated with other comorbidities such as risk of lymphoma, extra-articular manifestations, and cardiovascular disease. See, e.g., S. Banerjee et al., Am. J. Cardiol. 2008, 101(8):1201-1205; E. Baecklund et al., Arth. Rheum. 2006, 54(3):692-701; and, N. Goodson et al., Ann. Rheum. Dis. 2005, 64(11):1595-1601.
Traditional models for treating RA are based on the expectation that controlling disease activity (i.e., inflammation) in an RA subject should slow or prevent disease progression, in terms of radiographic progression, relapse, flare, tissue destruction, cartilage loss and joint erosion. There is evidence, however, that disease activity and disease progression can be uncoupled, and may not always function completely in tandem. Indeed, different cell signaling pathways and mediators are involved in these two processes. See W. van den Berg et al., Arth. Rheum. 2005, 52:995-999. The uncoupling of disease progression and disease activity is described in a number of RA clinical trials and animal studies. See, e.g., P E Lipsky et al., N. Engl. J. Med. 2003, 343:1594-602.; A K Brown et al., Arth. Rheum. 2006, 54:3761-3773; and, A R Pettit et al., Am. J. Pathol. 2001, 159:1689-99. Recent advances in assessing inflammatory disease activity and progression are described in US 2011/0137851, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
To best study the uncoupling of disease progression and activity, e.g., relapse, and to analyze the relationship between disease activity, treatment, and progression, RA subjects should be assessed frequently for both disease activity and progression during therapy to determine the necessity of remaining on said therapy.
There is a need to classify subjects by disease activity when considering therapy withdrawal in order to ensure that each receives treatment that is appropriate and optimized for that patient. Prediction of which inflammatory disease patients with low disease activity can successfully discontinue therapy can improve the cost-effectiveness of inflammatory disease management.

Methods for assessing response to inflammatory disease therapy withdrawal


An improved thermoplastic resin composition obtained by subjecting a mixture of at least an engineering plastic and a rubber material containing an .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated carboxylic acids or their derivatives, to dynamic heat treatment in the presence of a carbon radical inducing agent. The thermoplastic resin composition of the invention excels in thermal resistance, rigidity, impact resistance, and moldability.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved thermoplastic resin composition and a method for producing the same. The thermoplastic resin composition of the invention has excellent properties and is prepared by subjecting a mixture of an engineering plastic and a rubber material containing .alpha.,.beta.-unsaturated carboxylic acids or its derivative to dynamic heat treatment in the presence of a carbon radical inducing agent.
(2) Description of Prior Art
Although the engineering plastic is light in weight, it excels in thermal resistance and rigidity. Accordingly, the utility of the engineering plastic has been widened for structural materials in place of hitherto used metals. In the field of structural materials for automobiles and for electric and electronic parts and accessories, the improvement in physical properties such as impact resistance are required. For this reason, the improvement of the material by blending several kinds of rubber-like materials having functional groups or ethylene copolymer, has been proposed. For example, proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 62-37671 is a composition comprising polycarbonate, polyester and acrylate rubber-like copolymer. In Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 2-381 is proposed a composition comprising polyester and epoxy-containing olefin; in Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 63-53225, a composition comprising polyester and olefin modified with unsaturated carboxylic acids; and in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 1-203459 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,895,899), a composition comprising polyester, polycarbonate and rubber of ethylene-propylene non-conjugated diene-copolymer grafted with styrene-acrylonitrile resin.
However, there is no proposal to improve these compositions further by utilizing the radical reaction. In the conventional art, when the compatibility of a resin must be improved by the radical reaction among various blended materials, it is carried out in the presence of a radical forming agent such as organic peroxides and azo compounds. The resins which are cross-linked by a radical forming agent such as an organic peroxide, the thermoplasticity (fluidity, etc.) is lost by cross-linking of molecules. Therefore, it was necessary to add a component which is not cross-linked by an organic peroxide in order to avoid the loss of thermoplasticity (for example, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Sho 63-30547). The reason why the above measure has not been taken is considered that it cannot always be applied to any kind of blended resins.
As compositions which are similar to the composition of the present invention containing bismaleimide compounds are exemplified by a resin composition which is prepared by melt-kneading several thermoplastic resins with maleimide compounds having unsaturated bonds (Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 56-18613), a resin composition which is prepared by melt kneading a polyolefin resin, another resin having carboxyl groups in molecules and maleimide compounds (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 2-269751), and a resin composition which is prepared by melt kneading a polyamide, a modified polyolefin and a maleimide compound (Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 62-179546). It has, however, not yet been tried to improve the engineering plastic positively by using a radical forming agent.
The inventors of the present application have proposed a method to modify a thermoplastic resin using a carbon radical inducing agent which hardly causes side reaction and is different from conventional vigorous radical forming gents such as organic peroxides (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 2-49065, corres. to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 290,362).

Thermoplastic resin composition and method for producing the same


A method is provided to treat inflammatory bowel disease by topically administering to the colon an effective amount of azathioprine or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, preferably via formulations adapted for delayed-release oral or rectal administration.

Inflammatory bowel disorders or diseases (IBD) encompass a spectrum of overlapping clinical diseases that appear to lack a common etiology. IBD, however, are characterized by chronic inflammation at various sites in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Illustrative IBD are regional enteritis (or Crohn's disease), idiopathic ulcerative colitis, idiopathic proctocolitis, and infectious colitis. Most hypotheses regarding the pathogenesis of IBD concern the implication of immunologic, infectious, and dietary factors.
6-mercaptopurine (6MP) and its prodrug azathioprine (AZA) have been used in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) for over 25 years. Multiple controlled trials and a recent meta-analysis support the efficacy of 6MP and AZA in Crohn's disease. See, J. M. T. Willoughby et al., Lancet, ii 944 (1971); J. L. Rosenberg et al., Dig. Dis., 20, 721 (1975). Several controlled trials support the use of AZA in ulcerative colitis, the most recent by Hawthorne and colleagues, in Brit. Med. J., 305, 20 (1992). However, use of 6MP and AZA has been limited by concerns about their toxicities. Dose-related leukopenia is seen in 2-5% of patients treated long-term with 6MP or AZA for IBD. See, for example, D. H. Present et al., Am. Int. Med., 111, 641 (1989); W. R. Connell et al., Gut, 34, 1081 (1993).
Therefore, a need exits for effective, nontoxic therapies for IBD.

Topical formulations of azathioprine to treat inflammatory bowel disorders

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research


A distance measuring and display system for use on a vehicle having a mirror assembly thereon comprises at least one front distance measuring sensor for measuring the distance to an obstacle in front of the vehicle, at least one rear distance measuring sensor for measuring the distance to an obstacle to the rear of the vehicle, and a display coupled to the front distance measuring sensor and to the rear distance measuring sensor for displaying a distance and an indication of whether it is a front distance or a rear distance.

In most circumstances, the operator of a vehicle such as an automobile, truck, and the like has adequate visibility for the safe operation of the vehicle. Furthermore, the operator's visibility is enhanced through the well known use of rearview and sideview mirrors. Despite this, however, there are situations when a driver's visibility is limited or eliminated entirely. For example, when a driver is maneuvering a vehicle into a parking space on the side of the road between two other vehicles, the driver is often required to perform one or more iterations of backing up and pulling forward between the two vehicles without contacting either vehicle. The driver, however, generally cannot see that portion of the driver's vehicle that might make such contact. In addition, difficulty is often encountered when the operator of a vehicle is pulling forward towards an obstacle such as when driving into a garage, and the driver has no line of sight to that region of the vehicle that will make contact with the obstacle. This is especially true when, for example, a truck is backing up to a loading dock for the purpose of unloading the truck's contents.
In an attempt to solve problems of this nature, vehicular collision avoidance systems have been developed and are now relatively common. Such systems may include an apparatus for determining the distance between a vehicle and an obstacle in the vehicle's path and apparatus for displaying that distance or at least alerting the operator of an impending collision. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,004 issued Feb. 20, 1990, and entitled "All-Weather Digital Distance Measuring and Signaling System" describes a distance measuring and signaling system for a vehicle specifically intended for accurately measuring distances from obstructions, such as those behind a truck as it is being backed up. An array of transducer devices having independent sending and receiving capabilities are mounted on a support frame, such as a rear bumper. A pulsed signal emanating from a transistor amplifier circuit is timed as it is converted to an ultrasonic wave signal by each transducer device, is simultaneously emitted and received by the transducer devices, and is returned as a pulsed signal. This signal is returned after bouncing back from an obstruction, and the time of the return is converted into a distance value by digital converter circuitry. The digital converter circuitry in turn sends the signal to a digital display device. U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,073 issued Jun. 16, 1987, and entitled "Reflective Object Detecting Apparatus" describes an apparatus wherein a plurality of ultrasonic transmitting elements and ultrasonic receiving elements are provided and are electrically switched in a sequential manner to allow the existence of an obstacle to be detected. The distance to the object and a particular region at which it is detected is displayed. The ultrasonic transmitting elements and the ultrasonic receiving elements are alternately disposed in a linear array.
Unfortunately, known systems of the type described above generally require the operator to divert his attention from performing functions critical to the safe operation of the vehicle in order to look at the display.
In view of the above, it would be desirable to provide a distance detection and display system which avoids the above described disadvantage by providing a distance display that is easily viewed by an operator of a vehicle so as not to distract the driver from more important driving operations.

Distance detection and display system for use in a vehicle


An orthopedic flip-wing tissue retainer (2) comprises a flip-wing (7), tissue-retaining means (8) and a joint formed between the flip-wing (7) and the tissue-retaining means (8). The tissue retainer (2) is easily installed and used to anchor a biological tissue. The tissue retainer (2) can be used in combination with other devices to replace or repair a ligament or tendon in a joint. In particular, when used for ligament replacement, the tissue retainer (2) eliminates or at least minimizes the twisting that typically occurs during conventional surgery. In addition, the tension of the ligament graft can be precisely adjusted by using a tension-adjusting device (3 or 203) in combination with the flip-wing tissue retainer (2). The tension-adjusting device (203) can include a ball (204)-and-socket (205) joint.

The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) spans the knee joint and attaches to the upper bone, the femur, and the lower bone, the tibia, to maintain smooth movement between their adjacent surfaces as the knee is bent. The ACL is known to tear during sporting accidents, thereby requiring replacement with a graft.
Orthopedic surgeons who conduct ACL repair, which includes replacement surgery, are continuously in search of methods and devices to improve the outcome of the surgery. A common problem in conventional ACL repair surgery is the lack of adjustability of the tension placed upon ligament graft, which results in poor graft performance. It is desirable, during installation of the ACL graft to keep the graft from becoming unduly twisted, since twisting of the graft causes it to become unduly stressed and thereby more prone to failure.
Conventional surgical techniques for repairing the ACL require drilling a bore through the tibia, across the knee jont and into the upper bone, the femur, and passing a ligament or tendon graft up the bore and fastening one end of the graft to the upper bone, the femur, and, attaching the opposite end of the graft to the Tibia. Typically, bone screws and bone staples are placed through the end of the ligament graft that protrudes from the bore, fastening it to the Tibia. Such fasteners are almost never removed and replaced during surgery to adjust ligament tension. Hence, if, during surgery, the replacement ligament in perceived to be loose, allowing excessive play between the upper bone, the femur, and the lower bone, the tibia, it is often left this way, leading to discomfort and pain in the knee postoperatively.
In methods where the ligament graft is attached to a femoral screw prior to surgery, with the attachment being where the ligament graft passes through a ring at the end of the screw, the screw is rotated into the femur and the ligament graft can twist and weaken during insertion.
When a pre-formed ligament or tendon is affixed to the femur with with prior art devices, the tissue is generally affixed to the surface of a bone with a screw with a ring at the end, a button with a loop of material to which the graft is attached, or other attachment means. Commercial embodiments of such devices that allow the graft to be preformed and attached to a ringed screw that screws into the femur, include the ACL Anchor System, manufactured by T.A.G. Medical Products of Israel. Embodiments of buttons and wing-like pieces that rest on the upper surface of the femur and are attached to a graft that is suppended below by a ring or loop, include, the ENDO-BUTTON™ by Smith and Nephew Endoscopy of Andover Mass., and the COBRA LFD™ by Atlantech Medical Devices of Harrogate, England.
In this last category of fastener, the button or wing-like device is rotated from the vertical position when it is being passed through the bore, to the horizontal position so that it sits on the surface of the femur, by marionette-like strings that are manipulated from above the femoral surface. The manipulation of these marionette-like strings requires that the strings are passed through the femoral bore and up through the muscle and skin above the femoral surface prior to installation of the device and then used to pull the device up through the bore and rotate it into position. This necessitates considerable finesse and requires additional incisions in the skin for the exit of the strings. For example, an incision would be required in the thigh and upper shin of a leg in order to install prior art devices. As the wing or button is not rotated via a solid shaft, but via strings, the surgeon cannot easily judge the exact position of the button or wing vis-à-vis the bone. With such devices, the button or wing, rather than resting on the bone, rests on soft tissue above the bone. As the button or wing works its way through the soft tissue, the graft becomes loose. Additionally, the tissue below the wing or button can necrose, resulting in less than optimal muscle function.
None of these devices include a flip-wing tissue retainer with an installation method as described herein. A need remains for a surgical method and device that overcomes the disadvantages inherent in conventional surgical methods of tissue repair.


The present invention provides luminescent complexes between a lanthanide ion and an organic ligand which contains 1,2-hydroxypyridinone units. The complexes of the invention are stable in aqueous solutions and are useful as molecular probes, for example in medical diagnostics and bioanalytical assay systems. The invention also provides methods of using the complexes of the invention.

Luminescent metal complexes are valuable as probes and labels in a variety of applications such as diagnostic products and bioanalytical assay systems.
There is a continuing and expanding need for rapid, highly specific methods of detecting and quantifying chemical, biochemical and biological substances as analytes in research and diagnostic mixtures. Of particular value are methods for measuring small quantities of proteins, nucleic acids, peptides, pharmaceuticals, metabolites, microorganisms and other materials of diagnostic value. Examples of such materials include small molecular bioactive materials (e.g., narcotics and poisons, drugs administered for therapeutic purposes, hormones), pathogenic microorganisms and viruses, antibodies, and enzymes and nucleic acids, particularly those implicated in disease states.
The presence of a particular analyte can often be determined by binding methods that exploit the high degree of specificity, which characterizes many biochemical and biological systems. Frequently used methods are based on, for example, antigen-antibody systems, nucleic acid hybridization techniques, and protein-ligand systems. In these methods, the existence of a complex of diagnostic value is typically indicated by the presence or absence of an observable "label" which has been attached to one or more of the interacting materials. The specific labeling method chosen often dictates the usefulness and versatility of a particular system for detecting an analyte of interest. Preferred labels are inexpensive, safe, and capable of being attached efficiently to a wide variety of chemical, biochemical, and biological materials without significantly altering the important binding characteristics of those materials. The label should give a highly characteristic signal, and should be rarely, and preferably never, found in nature. The label should be stable and detectable in aqueous systems over periods of time ranging up to months. Detection of the label is preferably rapid, sensitive, and reproducible without the need for expensive, specialized facilities or the need for special precautions to protect personnel. Quantification of the label is preferably relatively independent of variables such as temperature and the composition of the mixture to be assayed.
A wide variety of labels have been developed, each with particular advantages and disadvantages. For example, radioactive labels are quite versatile, and can be detected at very low concentrations, such labels are, however, expensive, hazardous, and their use requires sophisticated equipment and trained personnel. Thus, there is wide interest in non-radioactive labels, particularly in labels that are observable by spectrophotometric, spin resonance, and luminescence techniques, and reactive materials, such as enzymes that produce such molecules.
Labels that are detectable using fluorescence spectroscopy are of particular interest, because of the large number of such labels that are known in the art. Moreover, the literature is replete with syntheses of fluorescent labels that are derivatized to allow their facile attachment to other molecules, and many such fluorescent labels are commercially available.
In addition to being directly detected, many fluorescent labels operate to quench or amplify the fluorescence of an adjacent second fluorescent label. Because of its dependence on the distance and the magnitude of the interaction between the quencher and the fluorophore, the quenching of a fluorescent species provides a sensitive probe of molecular conformation and binding, or other, interactions. An excellent example of the use of fluorescent reporter quencher pairs is found in the detection and analysis of nucleic acids.
An alternative detection scheme, which is theoretically more sensitive than autoradiography, is time-resolved fluorimetry. According to this method, a chelated lanthanide metal with a long radiative lifetime is attached to a molecule of interest. Pulsed excitation combined with a gated detection system allows for effective discrimination against short-lived background emission. For example, using this approach, the detection and quantification of DNA hybrids via an europium-labeled antibody has been demonstrated (Syvanen et al., Nucleic Acids Research 14: 1017-1028 (1986)). In addition, biotinylated DNA was measured in microtiter wells using Eu-labeled streptavidin (Dahlen, Anal. Biochem, 164: 78-83 (1982)). A disadvantage, however, of these types of assays is that the label must be washed from the probe and its fluorescence developed in an enhancement solution. A further drawback has been the fact that the fluorescence produced has only been in the nanosecond (ns) range, a generally unacceptably short period for adequate detection of the labeled molecules and for discrimination from background fluorescence.
In view of the predictable practical advantages it has been generally desired that the lanthanide chelates employed should exhibit a delayed luminescence with decay times of more than 10 μs. The fluorescence of many of the known fluorescent chelates tends to be inhibited by water and require augmentation with e.g. fluoride or micelles. As water is generally present in an assay, particularly an immunoassay system, lanthanide complexes that undergo inhibition of fluorescence in the presence of water are viewed as somewhat unfavorable or impractical for many applications. Moreover, the short fluorescence decay times is considered a disadvantage of these compounds. This inhibition is due to the affinity of the lanthanide ions for coordinating water molecules. When the lanthanide ion has coordinated water molecules, the absorbed light energy (excitation energy) is transferred from the complex to the solvent rather than being emitted as fluorescence.
Thus, stable lanthanide chelates, particularly coordinatively saturated chelates having excellent luminescence properties are highly desirable. In the alternative, coordinatively unsaturated lanthanide chelates that exhibit acceptable luminescence in the presence of water are also advantageous. Such chelates that are derivatized to allow their conjugation to one or more components of an assay, find use in a range of different assay formats. The present invention provides these and other such compounds and assays using these compounds.
Derivatives of 1-hydroxy-2-pyridinone (Structure 1) are of particular interest, since the ligand and its mono-anion (Structure 2) have a zwitterionic resonance form (Structure 3) that is isoelectronic with the catechol dianion.
Further, the 1-hydroxy-2-pyridinone structure possesses synthetic advantages, since the 6-carboxylic acid derivative (Structure 4) can be made in a straightforward manner.

Since the 1,2-HOPO ligands are useful sequestering agents for hard metal ions, especially for the f-elements, effort has been directed towards improving the initial synthesis of complexing ligands based on 1,2-HOPO. The original synthesis of multidentate 1,2-HOPO ligands, reported a decade ago, involves several low yield steps, difficult purifications and the use of phosgene (White et al., J. Med. Chem. 31: 11-18 (1988). The use of phosgene gas is undesirable for a number of reasons: the procedure is tedious; phosgene is highly toxic and volatile; the yield of the amine conjugate is low (e.g., yields of 3,4-LI-1,2-HOPO, and 3,4,3-LI-1,2-HOPO using phosgene were 34% and 15%, respectively); and the separation of the resulting product is difficult, often requiring the use of HPLC.
Uhlir reported that, following benzyl protection of the N-hydroxyl group of 6-carboxy-1,2-HOPO, this protected species could be activated and coupled to an amine scaffold (Uhlir, L. C. MIXED FUNCTIONALITY ACTINIDE SEQUESTERING AGENTS. Ph.D. thesis, University of California, Berkeley, 1992). Uhlir activated the HOPO carboxyl group using NHS/DCC and HOBT/DCC (see, Bodansky, M.; Bodanszky, A., THE PRACTICE OF PEPTIDE SYNTHESIS 2nd Ed., Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1994, pp 96-125). Uhlir did not disclose the formation of an acid halide from the benzyl protected HOPO derivative.
Bailly et al. reported the multistep preparation of a benzyl protected 1,2-HOPO acid chloride and the use of the protected acid chloride to form amine conjugates of 1,2-HOPO (C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris 1, Serie II: 241-245 (1998)). The procedure of Bailly et al. is cumbersome, requiring conversion of the carboxylic acid to the corresponding methyl ester, activation and protection of the N-hydroxyl group, saponification of the methyl ester, followed by the activation of the carboxylic acid as the acid chloride. Bailly et al. does not suggest that the hydroxyl group can be protected in the presence of the free acid at the 6-position.
Other related art includes U.S. Pat. No. 4,698,431, which discloses polyvalent 1,2-HOPO chelators having an amide or a carboxylic acid moiety in the 6-position. The chelating agents are useful in selectively removing certain cations from solution and are particularly useful as ferric ion and actinide chelators. U.S. Pat. No. 5,892,029 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,901 also set forth polyvalent 1,2-HOPO chelators. None of the patents discloses or suggests preparing a polyvalent chelator from a protected, acid halide intermediate.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,927, discloses a number of chelating agents having 1,2-HOPO, 3,2-HOPO, or 3,4-HOPO moieties incorporated within their structures that are linked through a number of possible combinations of linking groups, including —CONH— groups. However, U.S. Pat. No. 4,666,927 teaches against a HOPO moiety having a substitution ortho to the hydroxy or oxo group of the HOPO ring, and does not disclose or suggest an acyl halide 1,2-HOPO intermediate.
A need for luminescent complexes, which are stable under biological relevant conditions and at low concentrations, remains. The current invention addresses these and other needs.

Luminescent 1-hydroxy-2-pyridinone chelates of lanthanides

THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA


The invention relates to a milling tool for gear milling. The tool body is equipped with tangentially mounted milling inserts having four cutting edges and two holes, only one of which is utilized for a fixing screw in two of totally four index positions. By locating a screw hole in the seat of the milling insert at a distance from the radial support surface of the seat that is greater than the distance between an individual hole and a distal end of the milling insert, a clamping force is provided by means of the inherent elasticity of the fixing screw. In such a way, the milling insert is pressed against the radial support surface. By means of a transversal eccentricity, the milling insert is also pressed against a tangential support surface in the seat. By means of this construction, the two holes in differently long milling inserts can be formed with equally large distances from distal ends. Thereby, one and the same tool body can be equipped with differently long milling inserts.

Milling tools of the type generally mentioned above are generally used for recessing slots or gaps in work pieces of metal (or composite material), e.g. with the purpose of providing cogs, spline bars, or the like. In this connection, the surface of the work piece, in which the milling is to be made, may be plane as well as round, e.g. circular or cylindrical as in cogwheels.
In one embodiment, the tool body, the basic body of the tool, has the shape of a circular plate or disc, the plane of which extends perpendicular to the centre axis. Such a tool can only mill out a single slot. With the purpose of providing simultaneous milling of several parallel slots, such tool bodies may be composed to a roll-like construction or long-edge milling cutter having a desired a number of plates situated parallel and close to each other. A disadvantage of the long-edge milling cutter as well as the simple slitting cutter is, however, that the machining becomes comparatively time-consuming and thereby expensive, more precisely as a consequence of the milling having to be carried out in steps in a number of reciprocating relative motions. Thus, in a first step, a fairly shallow slot is produced by the milling cutter being moved rectilinearly in a direction in relation to the workpiece (or vice versa), whereupon the tool is brought back to its initial position for a renewed milling operation, during which the slot is further deepened. These reciprocating motions are repeated until the milled slot has got the desired depth.
In order to make the machining more effective, hob cutters have recently been developed (by those skilled in the art also denominated "hobbing tools"). In such tools, the insert-carrying cams are running along a helical line that is tangent to an imaginary cylinder generated by a straight generatrix parallel to the centre axis. The helicoidal cam is running in a suitable number of turns at a predetermined, uniform pitch. Usually, the screw formation extends in at least four and at most eight turns. In certain embodiments, the tool body is made from one solid piece of material, usually of steel, but in other cases, the same may be composed of a plurality of separate segments that are formed so that the individual cams follow a common helical line. Irrespective of embodiment, such hob cutters are expensive to manufacture. The large investment cost of the tool body is, however, compensated more than enough by the efficiency of the milling cutter.
The tools in question may, independently of the different concrete embodiments of the basic bodies, be equipped with replaceable milling inserts of most varying types. A first variant is denominated full profile insert and includes only one cutting edge, which has a V-shape and can, in one and the same pass, generate the two opposite flanks as well as a gap bottom between two adjacent cogs (or spline bars and the like) to be made. A disadvantage of these milling inserts is, however, just the fact that they have only one usable cutting edge. Therefore, the total machining cost is severely burdened by the costs of the milling inserts.
Furthermore, two types of multi-edged milling inserts occur, viz. milling inserts having either two or four usable cutting edges. The two-edged milling inserts (see, for instance, WO 2011/136275 A1) are formed with one clearance surface and two opposite, identical chip surfaces, which transform into the common clearance surface via two identical cutting edges. When the milling insert is mounted in a seat on one side of the cam of the basic body, one of the cutting edges can remove chips. In order to enable use of the other cutting edge, the milling insert is moved over to a seat in the opposite side of the cam, the previously inactive chip surface being turned forward in the direction of rotation of the tool. In other words, the two-edged milling inserts are non-indexable in one and the same seat. It should also be mentioned that these milling inserts usually include two through holes for two fixing screws.
Four-edged milling inserts, which reduce the insert costs to an absolute minimum, are formed with not only one pair of identical chip surfaces, but also a pair of opposite and identical clearance surfaces, whereby the milling insert obtains four identical cutting edges. In such a way, the two cutting edges adjacent to a first chip surface, after indexing (turning 180°) of the milling insert, can be used in one and the same seat on one side of the cam. To utilize the two other cutting edges, the milling insert is moved over to a seat on the opposite side of the cam, wherein each one of the cutting edges along the second chip surface can work in the same way. Previously known, invertible milling inserts having four cutting edges are formed with a single centrally situated hole for the screw. This may extend either at a right or at an acute angle to the neutral plane of the milling insert.
The invention concerns itself exclusively with milling tools that are equipped with four-edged milling inserts of the type initially mentioned.
When previously known milling tools having four-edged milling inserts are used for the gear milling of, for instance, cogwheels, problems may arise as a consequence of the requirements of dimensional accuracy and surface smoothness of the cog flanks varying. In many cases, the requirements of dimensional accuracy are moderate, and therefore the precision that is obtained only by milling by the use of simple standard inserts is fully satisfactory. In other cases, the requirements are greater, involving that the cog flanks have to be ground or in another way finished after completed milling. In this connection, it is necessary, during the initial milling, to leave a certain (moderate) grinding allowance in the cog flanks. This is carried out by the use of so-called protuberance inserts. These are formed with bulge-like knobs or protuberances in the part of the milling insert where an otherwise plane clearance surface transforms into an end of the milling insert. The difference between a standard insert and a protuberance insert is seen in a comparison between FIGS. 18 and 19 in the appended drawings. In the standard insert according to FIG. 18, the cutting edge is straight up to the transition to an end, more precisely as a consequence of the clearance surface being plane up to said transition. The protuberance insert according to FIG. 19 differs from the standard insert not only in that the same includes a protuberance between the end of the milling insert and an otherwise plane clearance surface, but also in that the same is somewhat longer than the standard insert, more precisely to generate a gap bottom that is deeper situated between the cog flanks.
The fact that previously known standard inserts and protuberance inserts are differently long, in combination with the same including a single central hole to allow indexing, means that they cannot be used in one and the same tool body. Therefore, workshops that should be able to provide roughed as well as finished cog details have to invest in two separate tool bodies, which individually are extraordinarily expensive, in particular when it comes to hob cutters of a complicated shape.
Another disadvantage of previously known milling tools of the kind in question is based on the fact that the only hole included in the milling insert is centrally placed in the same, i.e., halfway between the two ends of the milling insert as well as the two chip surfaces thereof. If the hole is oriented perpendicular to the neutral plane of the milling insert—to be tightenable in a threaded screw hole oriented perpendicular to the axial support surface of the receiving seat—the tightening of the fixing screw is made more difficult in those cases (long-edge milling cutters and hob cutters, respectively) when the tool includes a plurality of cams situated close to each other. The central location of the hole then means that a key grip included in the head of the screw becomes particularly difficult to access. Considering that the tools include a considerable number of milling inserts, the requisite and fairly frequent insert replacements become time-consuming and cumbersome.


A suspension assembly for a vehicle may include a first stabilizer bar operably coupled to a first wheel on a first side of the vehicle, a second stabilizer bar operably coupled to a second wheel on a second side of the vehicle, and an chassis coupler comprising an inverter housing and an actuator assembly. The actuator assembly may be operable to arrange the first stabilizer bar and the second stabilizer bar in a selected one of a connected state, a disconnected state, and an inverted state. The inverter housing may be alternately constrained to one of the first stabilizer bar or the chassis coupler based on a position of the actuator assembly to define each of the connected state, the disconnected state and the inverted state.

Off-road and on-road performance targets are often difficult to meet with conventional suspension systems. In this regard, for example, soft suspension with high suspension articulation is desirable at low speeds for off-road driving, but high roll-stiffness to reduce roll gain of the vehicle is desirable for improved handling for on-road driving. Additionally, high levels of understeer are required to achieve low yaw response at high speeds, whereas high yaw gains are preferred at low speeds. Given that the suspension characteristics desired for off-road and on-road driving may be contradictory, the provision of desirable characteristics for both on-road and off-road driving is a significant challenge.
A stabilizer bar (or ARB) increases the roll rate of a vehicle suspension system to provide improved handling characteristics on-road, at higher speeds, or during significant maneuvering. The increased roll rate is, however, not advantageous for off-road driving scenarios since the stabilizer bar directly resists the undulating terrain to hinder the ability of the suspension system to articulate independently.
One way this challenge is often dealt with is by providing a disconnect system for the stabilizer bar or ARB, which is also often referred to as a sway bar, roll bar or the like. An ARB disconnect system typically allows an ARB to provide a high degree of roll-stiffness when connected, but improves suspension articulation when disconnected. However, typical ARB disconnect systems can be complicated, introduce undesirable lash, or be difficult to reengage when manually operable. Additionally, some vehicles may use increased spring rates to achieve higher roll rates or use increased spring rates or preloads to achieve high ground clearance. In these cases, a disconnected stabilizer bar alone may not allow full articulation of the suspension.
Thus, there remains a need to improve suspension designs to provide improved responsiveness to different driving conditions to maintain high degrees of driver confidence and enjoyment of the driving experience.

Invertible stabilizer bar and system incorporating the same


A contact block includes a contact having a pair of contact pieces spaced apart, and an electrically insulating combining block for combining the contact pieces. Each contact piece is provided with a horizontal U-shaped or a horizontal V-shaped intermediate region having a folded end portion and a pair of arm portions vertically spaced apart from the folded end portion; a first tip region extending downward from the tip portion of one of the arm portions; and a second tip region extending upward from the tip portion of the other arm portion. The folded end portions of both contact pieces are buried within the combining block and the remaining parts of both contact pieces are projected from the combining block. Thereby, in a state of being assembled into the electrical connecting apparatus, adjoining contacts are positioned by the combining block, and contacts can be exchanged by exchanging contact blocks.

An inspection or a test of a packaged or molded semiconductor device, and more particularly, of an integrated circuit (IC), is generally conducted by using an electrical connecting apparatus such as an inspection socket, that is, a test socket which can mount a semiconductor device removably as an auxiliary means for inspection.
As a type of such an electrical connecting apparatus, can be given one that tests a semiconductor device by a Kelvin connection which improves the accuracy in measurement by canceling circuit resistance within the electrical connecting apparatus or an apparatus for electrical test as well as contact resistance and the like between a contact, a conductive portion and a lead electrode (Japanese Patent Appln. Public Disclosure No. 3-176676 Official Gazette), and one that uses a plurality of contacts curved substantially like a shape of J (Japanese Patent Appln. Public Disclosure No. 2003-123874 Official Gazette).
In the former apparatus, each contact uses a pair of contact pieces (socket leads) having a first and a second contact portions (lead portions), and each second contact portion, when inserted into a corresponding hole of a base plate such as a wiring base plate, is brought into contact with a corresponding conductive portion of the base plate.
In the former apparatus, however, both contact pieces of each contact are independent from each other, making it difficult to correctly position one contact piece relative to the other contact piece and an adjacent contact piece when exchanging the contact pieces. Therefore, it is troublesome to exchange the contact pieces.
In the latter apparatus, each contact has a sandwich-type three-layer structure with a substantially J-shaped thin electrical insulator interposed between a pair of plate-like contact pieces. The contacts are arranged in parallel at intervals in one direction in a cover, with their needle points inserted into a slit formed in the cover, and with the cover assembled into the base plate, the curved portion of a stick-like elastic body such as rubber disposed in the cover is pressed against the corresponding conductive portion of the base plate.
In the latter apparatus, however, the cover must be separated from the base plate when exchanging the contacts. Such separation releases pressing of all the contacts by the elastic body against the conductive portion of the base plate, so that many contacts cannot be prevented from falling off the cover. Consequently, when reassembling the cover into the base plate, the contacts which have fallen off should be rearranged in the cover in parallel at intervals in one direction. Therefore, it is troublesome to exchange the contacts.

Contact block and electrical connecting apparatus


An automated transmission system includes a transmission brake which is used to apply a braking torque to the transmission, while the engine torque is negative and a transmission clutch is disengaged to effect a gear downshift, in order to avoid acceleration of the vehicle when the clutch is released and abrupt deceleration of the vehicle upon completion of the gear downshift.

The present invention relates to automated transmission systems and in particular to automated transmission systems in which an automatically operated transmission clutch is provided between a vehicle engine and a multi-ratio gear box.
The invention particularly relates to the control of such systems when gear downshifting on an incline, in order to provide engine braking of the vehicle. In such circumstances when the clutch is automatically released in order to permit engagement of a lower gear, engine braking which was applied in the higher gear will be lost, thus allowing the vehicle to speed up. In similar circumstances with a manual transmission, this would be expected and the driver can take appropriate action to mitigate the effect. However, with an automated transmission system, when the system downshifts automatically, without input from the driver, the acceleration of the vehicle will be unexpected and would be disconcerting to the driver.

LuK Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG


A MISFET having a graded semiconductor alloy channel layer of silicon germanium in which the germanium is graded to a single peak percentage level. The single peak percentage level defines the location of the charge carriers within the layer. The transconductance of the device can be optimized by controlling the location of the carriers within the channel.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to semiconductor devices and in particular to a metal insulator field effect transistor having a graded silicon germanium channel for improved transconductance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Field effect transistors are horizontal devices including a source, a drain spaced from the source and a gate disposed between the source and the drain. A channel region lies underneath the gate and between the source and the drain. A metal insulator field effect transistor (MISFET) has a metal electrode affixed to an insulator layer disposed on top of the channel. A voltage imposed upon the gate electrode controls the flow of current from the source to the drain within the channel.
One of the disadvantages of silicon as a semiconductor is its hole mobility compared to its electron mobility. The passage of electrons through silicon is limited by the crystal lattice structure. Other materials, such as germanium, have different energy band structures resulting in higher carrier mobilities. Such higher carrier mobilities are desirable because the mobility of carriers ultimately determines the switching speed of the device. The faster the switching speed, the more operations the given device can perform within a given unit of time.
Silicon-germanium alloys can be grown commensurate on a silicon substrate so long as the alloy layer is thin enough. See, T. P. Pearsall, and J. C. Bean, "Enhancement- and depletion-mode p-channel Ge.sub.x Si.sub.1-x modulation doped FETs", IEEE Electron Device Letters, EDL-7, pp. 308-310, 1986, and R. C. Taft, J. D. Plummer and S. S. Iyer, "Fabrication of a p-channel BICFET in the Ge.sub.x Si.sub.1-x /Si system", International Electron Device Conf. Digest, pp. 570-573, 1988. Since the lattice spacing of a crystal of germanium is larger than the lattice of a crystal of silicon, a layer that includes an alloy of germanium and silicon is placed under strain when grown comensurately. The germanium crystal lattice is compressed and provides a so-called pseudomorphic layer. See K. Casper, "Growth Improprieties of Si/SiGe Superlattices" MSS-II Proceedings, page 703, Kyoto, Japan, September 1975; D. V. Lang et al., "Measurement of the Band Gap of Ge.sub.x Si.sub.1-x /Si Strained Layer Heterostructures", Applied Physics Letters, 47, page 1333 (1985). With such strained layers, several groups have demonstrated that two-dimensional electron and hole gas layers can be formed. It has recently been shown that the mobility of holes is higher in layers formed of an alloy of silicon and germanium than in pure silicon. See, P. J. Wang, et al., "Two-dimensional hole gas in Si/Si.sub.0.85 Ge.sub.0.15 /Si modulation-doped double heterostructures", Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 54, No. 26, p. 2701 (1989).
It is possible that the hole mobility in such a system is enhanced by the strain in the alloy layer which decreases the energy of the light hole band relative to the heavy hole band. In that system, the conduction and valence band discontinuities are relatively low compared to III-V compound materials. In addition, small Schottky barriers heights on silicon would make commercial utilization of the MODFET devices of Pearsall et al. very difficult because of high gate leakage current, particularly at room temperature.
European Patent 0 323 896 AZ discloses a conventional MOSFET device which incorporates a germanium channel region formed of 90-100% Ge in Si alloy. The channel is symmetric, where at each edge of the channel there is an identical transition region from the 90-100% Germanium in Silicon alloy to the surrounding regions of pure Si. Graded regions are provided at each channel edge to accomodate the well known lattice mismatch between silicon and germanium, that mismatch being 4.0%. This results in the generation of in excess of several thousand billion defects per square centimeter in this mostly germanium layer due to the severe mismatch between this layer's lattice constant and that of the Si substrate. Such defects are well known to limit carrier mobility. Apart from this mechanical consideration, the Ge profile in the channel, as in all other known prior art, is symmetric and uniform throughout the mostly Ge region. Thus, two active transport regions will be formed at the edges of this channel, one at the transition from the silicon substrate to the 90-100% germanium channel, and the other at the transition region back to pure silicon at the surface of the device. Each transport region contains one hole gas, centered at each edge of the Ge plateau. Each hole gas has a finite spatial extent, such that half the carriers overlap the defected transition region beyond each plateau edge. This also degrades the mobility of carriers residing in these defected regions. Equally important, hole mobility decreases when holes travel in a region of reduced Ge content, as is the case in all prior SiGe channel MOSFET designs.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/351,630, filed May 15, 1989, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,882 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, there is disclosed a MOSFET having a SiGe channel layer grown on a Si substrate. A silicon cap layer separates the silicon dioxide insulator layer from the channel layer. A suitably applied voltage will result in a region of high mobility charge carriers at the interface between the SiGe alloy layer and the silicon cap layer. This region will contain a two-dimensional electron or hole gas. By forming the electron or hole gas at the SiGe/Si interface rather than the Si/SiO.sub.2 interface as in previous devices, interface scattering is decreased or eliminated. The region of high mobility charge carriers is as near as possible to the gate (at the Si/SiGe interface), and thus the capacitance is maximized and device performance is enhanced. However, carrier mobility is actually at its lowest nearest the gate. Hence, the device transconductance, which is a figure of merit that is linearly proportional to both capacitance and mobility is not optimized. Furthermore, the channel region described in this earlier work is symmetric as in all known prior art. The abrupt transitions between silicon and silicon germanium regions in such a symmetric structure result in a number of carriers being transported outside of the channel region.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a MOSFET type device having a SiGe channel with optimized transconductance in order to increase the amount of current that can be passed through the device.

Method of making graded channel effect transistor

International Business Machines Corporation


A method and system for routing data in a wireless network (400) that enables all nodes (106, 402, 404, 406, 408) to find routes to each other even if the nodes (106, 402, 404, 406, 408) are non-meshed which are incapable of operating as a router to route packets received from other nodes (106, 402, 404, 406, 408), and for associating and reassociating the non-meshed and meshed nodes with other meshed nodes (106, 402, 404, 406, 408). The non-meshed nodes (STA 13-STA 15) request association with one of the meshed nodes (AP5) which are capable of performing packet routing, to request that the meshed node (AP5) with which the non-meshed node (STA 13) is associating operate as a proxy node to route packets between the associated non-meshed node (STA 13) and other meshed or non-meshed nodes (106, 402, 404, 406, 408). Some of the meshed nodes (106) further operate as intelligent access points (106) to provide the non-meshed nodes (STA 13-STA 15) and other meshed nodes (402) with access to other networks, such as the Internet (402), as well as to effect the association and reassociation of the non-meshed and meshed nodes (106, 402, 404, 406, 408).

In recent years, a type of mobile communications network known as an "ad-hoc" network has been developed. In this type of network, each mobile node is capable of operating as a base station or router for the other mobile nodes, thus eliminating the need for a fixed infrastructure of base stations. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, network nodes transmit and receive data packet communications in a multiplexed format, such as time-division multiple access (TDMA) format, code-division multiple access (CDMA) format, or frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) format.
More sophisticated ad-hoc networks are also being developed which, in addition to enabling mobile nodes to communicate with each other as in a conventional ad-hoc network, further enable the mobile nodes to access a fixed network and thus communicate with other mobile nodes, such as those on the public switched telephone network (PSTN), and on other networks such as the Internet. Details of these advanced types of ad-hoc networks are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,072,650 entitled "Ad Hoc Peer-to-Peer Mobile Radio Access System Interfaced to the PSTN and Cellular Networks", granted on Jul. 4, 2006, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,157 entitled "Time Division Protocol for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer Radio Network Having Coordinating Channel Access to Shared Parallel Data Channels with Separate Reservation Channel"22, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,165, and in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/815,164 entitled "Prioritized-Routing for an Ad-Hoc, Peer-to-Peer, Mobile Radio Access System", filed on Mar. 22, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,873,839, the entire content of each being incorporated herein by reference.
Most of today's wireless standards specify a network with a star topology in which a single node, called the Access Point (or Master Node) is responsible for providing communication to other nodes which are typically called stations (or slave nodes). The stations are typically described as being "associated with" the Access Point. Typically the Access Points or Master Nodes are connected to other Access Points or Master Nodes and rest of the Internet.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

System and method for associating different types of nodes with access point nodes in a wireless network to route data in the wireless network


The present invention is directed to a method for combining assessment of different factors of dyssynchrony into a comprehensive, non-invasive toolbox for treating patients with a CRT therapy device. The toolbox provides high spatial resolution, enabling assessment of regional function, as well as enabling derivation of global metrics to improve patient response and selection for CRT therapy. The method allows for quantitative assessment and estimation of mechanical contraction patterns, tissue viability, and venous anatomy from CT scans combined with electrical activation patterns from Body Surface Potential Mapping (BSPM). This multi-modal method is therefore capable of integrating electrical, mechanical, and structural information about cardiac structure and function in order to guide lead placement of CRT therapy devices. The method generates regional electro-mechanical properties overlaid with cardiac venous distribution and scar tissue. The fusion algorithm for combining all of the data suggests cardiac segments and routes for implantation of epicardial pacing leads.

Heart failure is a major public health problem in the United States. Approximately 5 million people are affected, and an increasing number of hospitalizations and deaths are attributed to this disease. Biventricular (Biv) pacing delivered during cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) has emerged as a meaningful non-pharmacological therapy for patients with moderate to severe heart failure and left bundle branch block (LBBB). CRT has been shown in a number of large randomized clinical trials to improve clinical status as well as slow down or reverse left-ventricular (LV) remodeling that occurs as a result of the progression of heart failure in selected patients. However, the non-response rate among patients who receive CRT devices remains high, in a range of 30% to 40%. Among the factors that have been hypothesized to contribute to the high patient non-response rate to CRT therapy include mechanical dyssynchrony, electrical dyssynchrony, scar burden, and LV pacing lead location. Approaches to address these factors in patients receiving CRT devices include looking at one component of dyssynchrony separately (i.e. mechanical only, electrical only, scar only), using low-resolution imaging techniques (i.e. a handful of body surface leads, echocardiography, nuclear SPECT/PET) or invasive methods (i.e. catheters).
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a comprehensive, non-invasive imaging strategy for characterizing each of these factors to better optimize and personalize delivery of the therapy.

Imaging toolbox for guiding cardiac resynchronization therapy implantation from patient-specific imaging and body surface potential mapping data


This invention relates to purification of a multicomponent gas while purifying and circulating a gas medium, such as a laser gas medium or the like. An object of the present invention is to provide a gas laser apparatus operating method and a gas laser apparatus in which it is easy to keep the laser output power constant for a long time. Disclosed is a method which performs laser oscillation while circulating a laser multicomponent gas medium containing a rare gas and in which the laser gas medium is circulated through an absorbent (10) which has been refrigerated to a temperature where all the components of the laser gas medium necessary for laser oscillation are not solidified.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a gas laser and particularly relates to a multicomponent gas purification, in which a gas medium such as a laser gas medium or the like is used while being circulated and purified.
2. Description of the Related Art
Although a description will be set forth, by way of example, of the case where the present invention is applied to a KrF excimer laser, the invention is not limited to such KrF excimer laser. For example, the invention may be applied to an ArF excimer laser, purification of multicomponent gases, and so on.
A KrF excimer laser is operated in a manner so that a mixture of gas of about 95-99% of Ne, about 1-5% of Kr and about 0.1-0.5% of F.sub.2 is contained as a laser gas medium in a laser tube, which is made of metal, glass, plastics, ceramics or the like, and has mirrors disposed at the opposite ends of the laser tube, and light emission is caused in the laser gas medium through electric discharge to thereby cause resonance.
In general, fluorine gas is strong in reactivity and, in particular, fluorine gas excited by electric discharge or other excitation means is so strong in reactivity that a reaction between the florine gas and constituent materials of the laser vessel is caused by the electric discharge. This can generate a level of impurities in the laser gas which causes the laser output from the KrF excimer laser to decrease as the number of discharge pulses increases due to the presence of these impurities.

Circulation type gas purification apparatus and method of operating the same


A foldable display apparatus for minimizing stress applied to a bending area of a display panel. The foldable display apparatus can include a display panel configured to include a display area which includes a first display area, a second display area, and a bending area which is defined between the first and second display areas, a housing configured to include a first housing member, which supports a first area of the display panel corresponding to the first display area, and a second housing member which supports a second area of the display panel corresponding to the second display area, and a hinge part connected between the first and second housing members, and configured to enable the display panel to be folded or unfolded with respect to the bending area.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a foldable display apparatus, and more particularly, to a foldable display apparatus for minimizing stress applied to a bending area of a display panel.
Discussion of the Related Art
A display apparatus using a flat display panel, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatus, a plasma display apparatus, an organic light emitting display apparatus, an electrophoretic display apparatus, or an electro-wetting display apparatus, is generally applied to notebook computers, portable electronic devices, televisions (TVs), and monitors.
Recently, even in portable electronic devices, the demand for a large screen is increasing, and thus, an apparatus including a display unit displaying a large screen is being developed and commercialized by connecting a flat display panel. In particular, foldable display apparatuses using the merits of a flexible display panel which is bendable or foldable provide portable convenience and include a display unit which displays a large screen, and thus are attracting much attention as next-generation technology of the display field. The foldable display apparatus may be applied to various fields such as TVs and monitors, in addition to portable electronic devices such as mobile communication terminals, electronic notes, e-books, portable multimedia players (PMPs), navigation devices, ultra mobile personal computers (PCs), mobile phones, smartphones, tablet PCs.
Examples of the foldable display apparatuses may include a foldable display apparatus disclosed in Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2014-0015881 (hereinafter referred to as a background art reference).
The foldable display apparatus disclosed in the background art reference unfolds a flexible display panel with respect to a hinge, thereby providing a large screen.
However, in the background art reference, a crack occurs in a bending area of the flexible display panel due to stress which is applied when the flexible display panel is repeatedly folded and unfolded with respect to the hinge, and for this reason, reliability of the flexible display panel of a display unit is reduced. That is, in the background art reference, since one area and the other area of the flexible display panel is fully folded with respect to the bending area so as to contact each other, a crack easily occurs in the bending area of the flexible display panel.


A received analog signal applied to a data modem receiver is sampled and converted into a digital signal which is demodulated into a complex baseband signal. If the demodulated complex baseband signal is deviated in phase from a QAM signal point due to phase jitter, the phase error is detected, and a replica of the phase jitter is calculated and applied to impart phase rotation for canceling out the phase jitter that is contained in the complex baseband signal. In each sampling cycle, the phase error between the phase-rotated signal and the modem output signal is detected in order to correct equations for calculating the replica of the phase jitter in the next sampling cycle.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data transmission system for transmitting QAM data over an analog line such as a telephone line, and more particularly, to an apparatus method for canceling periodic carrier phase jitter over transmission lines, in a data modem receiver.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital data transmission using data modem receivers suffers transmission error caused by carrier phase jitter that is produced over the transmission line, resulting in a reduction in the data transmission efficiency. Various efforts have been made to reduce the phase jitter within data modem receivers.
Generally, apparatus for canceling carrier phase jitter comprises a carrier reproducing circuit for absorbing the carrier phase jitter, the carrier reproducing circuit comprising a phase-locked loop in the data modem receiver. However, as the response speed of the carrier reproducing circuit is increased for greater carrier phase jitter absorption, the carrier reproducing circuit becomes more sensitive to thermal noise from a transmission line. As the known result, the apparatus for canceling carrier phase jitter are degraded in-their overall characteristics.
Another known jitter canceler is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,639,939 assigned to NEC Corporation. The disclosed jitter canceler is more capable, in principle, of separating carrier phase jitter and thermal noise. However, since the jitter canceler is basically composed of an FIR filter, the scale and complexity of the circuit arrangement tends to be increased in order to provide sufficient jitter canceling characteristics.

Apparatus and method of canceling periodic carrier phase jitter


There is disclosed a system, method, apparatus and computer program product for managing a storage system including a SAN within a computer network. The storage system can be managed in object-oriented computer language. Object trees of each component in the storage system or SAN are obtained and combined on each storage processor in the storage system. The user interface (UI) can therefore select one storage processor within the storage system, and request such combined object tree information for the entire storage system or SAN from only that singular storage processor on which such combined information is stored. This eliminates a severe computational drain on the UI, which otherwise would be required to make these object tree combinations, and further allows a single point of storage management contact between UI and storage system or SAN by way of that singular storage or portal processor. Commands from the UI destined for any node within the storage system or SAN are thus always addressed to that same single point of contact or portal processor allowing for ease of use and other advantages.

Virtually all human activity in our modern society is now impacted to at least some degree by computer networks, although we are probably not always aware of that impact. One prime example is the Internet network, which has made its influence felt in ways not imagined just a few years ago. The vast amount of information made available thereby, and the ease of communication provided thereby between far-flung communities remains astonishing. Of course, there are smaller networks, some of which are sometimes referred to as LANs (Local Area Networks) which can be used within corporate organizations, certain government organizations or other limited areas which likewise provide techniques for enhancing human productivity.
Certain kinds of networks can employ a client workstation or user interface interacting with or controlling other sections of the network such as storage system sections. Because of today's widespread demand for computer networks, they may frequently be worked to their limits in whatever applications they are employed. In storage area networks (SANs) which encompass storage systems often comprised of multiple manageable components, connected servers (computers) and other network nodes including interconnects such as switches and hubs, it is a large task to manage all such nodes. This task may be handled through application of what is generically termed "management software". This software normally runs on the client or user interface (UI) computer while, at the same time, also being deployed and running as agent software on various network nodes such as servers connected between the client computer and the storage systems, or, more recently, as agent software on storage processors (yet other computers) within such storage systems.
Accordingly, current management software is employed in certain client-server network architectures to manage disk arrays by communicating with its agent software that runs on the array's storage processors and on attached hosts (servers). But, to fully manage such an array, the user has to connect to and communicate with all storage-23 related nodes including storage processors and any attached hosts. This means that there are a vast number of individual connections and communications between the client (user interface) and various network nodes. This configuration imposes a heavy burden on the client computer in dealing with all of the nodes in its network.
As a simplified example of multiple UI-to-storage-system connections and communications in the prior art, refer to prior art FIG. 1, where a network is shown comprising user interface (client workstation) 100 and storage system 103. UI 100 is connected by two bus connections 101 and 102 to two storage processors 104 and 105 respectively. Those processors and disk drives 106 and 107 connected therefrom by network paths 108 and 109 respectively all are contained within storage system 103. (Cross coupling 111 and 110 between storage processor 104 and disk drive 107, and storage processor 105 and disk drive 106 respectively, are shown as dashed lines to suggest secondary or back-up connectivity.) As noted above, it would not be atypical for servers to be included in such configuration and located between the UI and each storage processor directly in the path of bus connections 101 and 102, but are not shown herein to enhance clarity of presentation.
As another example of multiple UI connection and communication shortcomings of certain prior art configurations, refer to prior art FIG. 2. The same network as that of FIG. 1 is shown, but, in addition, with a number of servers 213, 214, and 215 attached to the storage system via bus 212 (typically a Small Computer System Interface or SCSI bus), in a Storage Area Network (SAN) configuration and not attached in the server capacity or configuration mentioned in the prior paragraph. It can be seen that this configuration entails three more connections, 216, 217, and 218 between these SAN servers and user interface 100, with their respective communications. Boundary 219 circumscribes all storage-related nodes shown in this Figure, and is therefore a boundary for the SAN which could contain yet additional nodes. It should be understood that only three servers are shown herein for purposes of simplification, but, in reality, there can be up to fifteen or more such servers per SAN, each having its own connection and communication to the UI. And, there can be many SANs, perhaps 100 or more per UI, in a local area network (LAN) as a function of need. For this example, this translates to some 1700 separate and concurrent communication links to the UI!
Obviously, the point of these examples is to clearly show that the number of nodes per network requiring UI direct handling over dedicated lines can multiply significantly. The UI computer resource can be overburdened in managing each node in the SAN via a dedicated line to each such node. Furthermore, even before such managing can take place, this multi-connection arrangement requires the user to initially determine what hosts or servers are attached to the storage system and what their names or Internet addresses are, in order to properly deal with them. Thus, even if managing only a single storage system (even if employing only one array), the human user has to provide the client application software with the Internet addresses of all storage processors and all attached hosts which requires manual adjustments when new hosts are added or removed or when any addresses change. This increases the likelihood of imposing human error on the system. Additionally, since the client application software is required to communicate with multiple storage processors and all attached hosts, management performance is slow and only a limited number of nodes can be managed.
In the foregoing prior art examples, object-oriented programming languages such as "C++" have been employed. An object, in computer software terms, is a dedicated area of memory which can be thought of as an impervious "container" holding both data and instructions within itself, both defining itself and its relationships to other objects in the system or network. An object sends and receives messages to and from other objects, responds and reacts to such messages (e.g. commands) but is normally impervious to internal scrutiny. For example, a storage processor (which is a kind of computer) can be characterized as a "family" or "tree" of objects, where each such object may describe or relate to a specific detail in the processor (e.g. a fan, power switch, cache memory, power supply, disk drive interface, etc.), where these objects in the storage processor can send messages to each other and to other objects outside the processor. In prior art object-oriented computer networks, these objects defining various storage processors, servers and other nodes in the storage system, and relationships between them, were transferred back to the client application software running on the user interface computer where those objects were reassembled in the UI computer into a complete object tree reflecting the entire configuration of the storage system. This imposed a large burden on the user interface computer's processing power, which prevented it from performing other required tasks more efficiently, and from being optimized as a processing resource. In addition, to the overburdening shortcoming, users are sometimes confused by the complexity of having multiple operative connections into a single storage system or SAN.
These various shortcomings and problems of the prior art are overcome through the welcome arrival of applicants' present invention. Not only is the overburdening problem alleviated, but the overall configuration is simpler and more readily understood by users of the system.

Single management point for a storage system or storage area network