Fine catalyst particles are loaded on a sol-gel method porous carrier having fine pores of 0.1-50 nm and a carbon compound is decomposed to form a carbon nanotube film on the carrier that is aligned perpendicular to the carrier surface. The starting sol to be processed by a sol-gel method is a dispersion of fine alumina particles, fine aluminum hydroxide particles, fine silica particles or mixtures thereof. Alternatively, the starting sol may be an aluminum alkoxide, an alkoxysilane, a mixture thereof or a solution of an aluminum alkoxide, an alkoxysilane or a mixture thereof. If desired, a flammable or a thermally decomposable organic compound may be added as a microporous template.

This invention relates a process for producing an aligned carbon nanotube film comprising a large number of aligned carbon nanotubes. The process is advantageous for producing aligned carbon nanotube films that find use as electron emitters, battery electrodes, gas separation films, sensors and in energy storage.
The carbon nanotube was first discovered by Sumio Iijima in 1991 (Nature, 354, pp. 56-58 (1991)). It is a carbon material, generally in the form of a very long (1-100 μm) hollow tube with a diameter of 1-100 nm. A wide range of potential applications have been proposed for the carbon nanotube and they include the use as electron emitters, battery electrodes, gas separation membranes, sensors and in energy storage. When a multiple of carbon nanotubes are to be used in these applications, the tubes are preferably aligned in one direction so that their individual features are integrated and assembled into a system in an efficient and easy manner. It has been demonstrated that in terms of electron emission characteristics and physical properties such as strength, nanotubes with smaller outside diameters are advantageous.
Commonly employed methods of producing carbon nanotubes include arc discharge with graphite electrodes, laser sublimation of graphite, and vapor-phase decomposition of carbon compounds using suspended catalytic metal particles. However, the many carbon nanotubes produced by these methods lack alignation and are unsuitable for shaping into a bundle or film.
Aligned carbon nanotube films or bundles of aligned carbon nanotubes can be formed by one of two methods, aligning separately produced carbon nanotubes on a substrate (Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-130904) and producing carbon nanotubes directly on a substrate. The latter method provides ease in achieving orientation in one direction and is a more advantageous method. Techniques for producing carbon nanotubes on a substrate include: (1) forming a catalytic metal membrane on a substrate, etching the membrane and thermally decomposing hydrocarbon on the substrate (U.S. Pat. No. 6,350,488); (2) preparing an iron-containing mesoporous silica substrate by a sol-gel method, reducing it with hydrogen and thermally decomposing acetylene on the substrate (Nature, 394, pp. 631-632 (1998)); (3) irradiating a substrate with plasma or microwaves to form carbon nanotubes (WO 99/043613); (4) forming a thin film of silicon carbide single crystal on a silicon substrate by epitaxial growth, separating it from the substrate by etching and heating it at high temperature in an oxygen-containing atmosphere (WO 98/042620); (5) anodizing an aluminum plate, electrodepositing cobalt on the bottom of the oxide film to prepare a substrate, reducing the substrate with carbon monoxide and thermally decomposing acetylene (U.S. Pat. No. 6,129,901); (6) forming a catalytic metal layer on a surface of a substrate by vacuum vapor deposition and thermally decomposing hydrocarbon (Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-220674); (7) preparing fine catalyst particles by a reverse micelle method or the like, loading them on a substrate and thermally decomposing hydrocarbon (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-62299).
However, these methods involve cumbersome steps for preparing the substrate on which to form aligned carbon nanotubes and it is in only limited areas that they can form aligned carbon nanotubes. Hence, it has been difficult to realize economical production of large-area aligned carbon nanotube films that are suitable for use in the above-mentioned applications. In addition, in all approaches except method (4), the carbon nanotubes in aligned films have outside diameters greater than 20 nm.
Under the circumstances, the present inventors conducted intensive studies in order to develop a simple method of preparing an aligned film from carbon nanotubes having outside diameters of 20 nm and less and found that when a carbon compound was decomposed on a substrate that was coated with an element having no catalytic activity by itself and which loaded a metallic element having catalytic activity or a compound thereof, a carbon nanotube film was formed on the substrate surface as it was aligned in a direction perpendicular to the substrate (Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-120357).

Aligned carbon nanotube films and a process for producing them


This disclosure relates generally to potassium ion sensors and monomers derived from such sensors. The disclosure also provides for polymers (e.g., random copolymers, nanoparticles, polymer thin films, and sensors) having polymerized monomeric potassium ion sensors as described herein. These compounds and polymers are useful for measuring intracellular and extracellular potassium ion concentrations.

The accurate measurement of potassium ion (K+) levels in biological samples, in vivo, in vitro, extracellular or intracellular, is essential, given the impact ion levels have on many aspects of homeostasis. Normal levels of potassium are important for the maintenance of heart, and nervous system function. Potassium ion levels that differ from a normal baseline can be associated with various disease states. For example, high levels of potassium are associated with hyperkalemia, kidney damage and diabetes, adrenal dysfunction, and trauma. Low levels of potassium, on the other hand, are associated with hypokalemia, myalgia and muscular weakness, skin related problems, and heart related problems. Traditionally, potassium ions have been measured in plasma or serum using ion-selective electrodes, which are cumbersome to use and costly to maintain. There is a need for the development of alternative methods of measuring potassium ion concentration in a variety of sample mediums.

ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS, A BODY CORPORATE OF THE STATE OF ARIZONA ACTING FOR AND ON BEHALF OF ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY


Embodiments of the present invention disclose an apparatus for managing clock duty cycle. The apparatus comprises a Duty Cycle Control Circuit (DCCC) for receiving at least an input clock signal and generating an output clock signal with adjustable duty cycle, a first Low-Pass Filter with Pull-Up Resistor (LPFPR) for receiving the output clock signal with adjustable duty cycle and simultaneously averaging and raising the common mode of the output thereof, a frequency divider for generating a signal with a 50% duty cycle, a second LPFPR for receiving the generated signal with 50% duty cycle and simultaneously averaging and raising the common mode of the output thereof and an OPAMP for receiving the outputs of the first and second LPFPRs for generating an equivalent reference signal to be fed to the DCCC as a control input, thereby facilitating correction of the duty cycle of the input clock signal.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to managing timing in electronic circuits, and more particularly, to design and implementation of a Duty Cycle Correction Circuit (DCCC), thereby facilitating correcting the duty cycle of a clock signal and outputting a clock signal with a corrected duty cycle.
Description of the Related Art
Electronic systems are often implemented in a micro-electronic circuit typically referred to as an Integrated Circuit (IC). The electronic systems typically include a number of passive and active electronic components, including but not limited to, transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, logic gates, linear amplifiers, voltage regulators, signal processors and converters, and the rest.
Many ICs generate an internal clock signal based on a received clock signal. A number of signal processing, data transfer, and other functions are performed employing the internal clock signal. For example, analog signals are converted into the digital domain, complicated signal processing functions are performed; digital signals are stored, high speed data transfer operations are performed, and the like.
The reliable generation of the internal clock signals is an important aspect of IC design, especially with increasing clock frequencies. Compensation of external and internal non-ideal characteristics of the received and generated clock signals prevent operating inefficiencies and other complications in electronic systems.
As many clock driven digital systems are required to perform at higher speeds, designers are investigating different options to achieve the high speed operation. Designers may decide to use both the rising and the falling edge of a given clock signal to double the total number of operations. However, the usage of both the rising and the falling edge of a given clock signal to double the total number of operations requires a clock to output accurate 50% duty-cycle to prevent or reduce jitters and other timing related aberrations.
At relatively low frequencies of clock signals, one method to provide a desired symmetrical clock signal uses a conventional flip-flop circuit to perform an equivalent division-by-two for deriving an output clock signal frequency. As per the aforementioned method, the source clock frequency must be two times faster than the desired circuit design operating frequency. However, as frequencies increase, the source clock frequency will reach the technology limitation before reaching the circuit design operating frequency. Conventional methods or topologies that have been proposed do not generate a very accurate multiply-by-2 output frequency because some of these methods use a digital controller to select a fixed number of delays. In the case of varying duty-cycles, using a fixed number of delays is not effective to generate accurate multiply-by-2 output frequencies.
However, there is still a need for enhanced methods, apparatuses and systems for managing clock Duty Cycle Correction (DCC).

Apparatus for managing clock duty cycle correction


A HVE tip that includes two tubular members, each of which is formed with a straight portion and a connecting portion, and one of the connecting portions is telescopically received within the other connecting portions so that the two tubular members can be rotated relative to one another between a plurality of configurations, including a straight configuration in which the axes of the two straight portions of the two tubular members extend generally parallel to one another and in the same plane, and a right angle configuration at which these axes extend generally perpendicular to one another in the same plane. An indexing connection is provided between the two connecting portions.

The present invention relates generally to dental equipment used to evacuate from a patient's mouth liquids, residues, aerosols, and debris created as a by-product of many dental procedures, and more particularly to a tip used in conjunction with high volume evacuation (HVE) equipment.
Many dental procedures generate from within the patient's mouth a significant amount of infectious waste in the form of airborne fluids, or aerosols, and solid debris. It is important that this waste be captured and evacuated in order to control the biological contamination of the operatory and the well-known health risks associated therewith. In addition, the liquids and residues that collect within the patient's mouth should be continuously removed to improve the comfort of the patient, the visibility of the operating field and the integrity of the dental procedure, the latter of which is often compromised by excess moisture. Therefore, as is well known in the art, HVE systems are used to remove liquids, residues, aerosols, and debris, and these systems typically include a vacuum source, a hand held device, typically a manual valve that is connected to the vacuum source, and a tip that is removably mounted in the hand held device. In use, the dental technician holds the hand held device in a manner that inserts the HVE tip into the patients mouth, and locates the open end of the tip at the point where it will be most effective in removing the by-products generated by the particular dental procedure.
It is important that the HVE tip not be positioned where it will interfere with the dental procedure, and it is also important that the HVE tip be positioned so that it will be as comfortable as possible for both the patient and dental technician holding and manipulating the hand held device. Further, as the tip is often used to retract the patient's tongue and cheek to increase intraoral visibility and access during the procedure, it is important that the HVE tip be rigid in order to continuously exert the necessary force for retraction. Most HVE tips comprise either a tubular member that extends in a straight line that makes it generally easier for the dental technician to locate the open end of the tubular member at the exact location desired in certain dental procedures, or a tubular member that includes a rigid bend or angle to assist in properly locating the tip during other dental procedures and that improves the ergonomics and comfort of the dental technician. In either case, it is not possible to change the configuration of the HVE tip from its rigid straight or bent configuration, and it is therefore not possible for the dental technician to be able to take advantage of the straight configuration when it needed and to also be able to take advantage of the bent configuration when it would be more desirable.
Some efforts have been made to make HVE tips adjustable. For example, in Lemoine U.S. Patent Application Publication 2005/0004520, a hand held device in a HVE system is constructed to allow the end of the handheld device on which the HVE tip is located to rotate. While this arrangement makes it possible to change the rotational position of the tip relative to the hand held device, it is not possible to change the angle of the tip. In Levkowicz U.S. Pat. No. 950,109, a low volume saliva ejector is provided that permits parts of the tubular member to rotate and slide relative to one another, but the tubular member is bent at a plurality of sharp angles that inherently interferes with the smooth flow of liquid and debris therethrough, and the movable, slidable parts do not lend themselves to quickly and easily providing both a straight configuration and a right angle configuration.
Therefore, there is a need for HVE tips that are simultaneously adjustable and rigid, and that can be quickly and easily configured in either a generally straight configuration or a right angle configuration, as well as a plurality of other configurations, all of which result in a HVE tip that is easy to use and versatile in providing a variety of configurations that can be used effectively in a variety of dental procedures.


In one embodiment, a radar is provided that is configured to construct an image of a target within or adjacent to a substrate according to scan points associated with a surface of the substrate while the radar is scanned in a first direction. The radar includes a transceiver that transmits radar pulses and receives reflected radar pulses using an antenna directed at the surface; and an image processor configured to use a plurality of processed received radar pulses to generate an image portion according to each scan point; and at least one laser range finder being configured to illuminate a first surface portion within a surface portion illuminated by the antenna and to illuminate a second surface portion displaced in the first direction from the first surface portion, the laser range finder determining a first range between the laser range finder and the first surface portion and determining a second range between the laser range finder and the second surface portion, wherein the radar is configured to process the first and second ranges to determine a range translation of the radar during the scan in the first direction, and wherein the image processor is further configured to compensate the image portions according to the determined range translation so at construct an image of the target.

See-through-wall and Ground Penetrating Radars (GPR) have broad civilian and military applications in finding objects or explosives such as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) inside or behind walls or buried under ground. The radar transmits impulses or continuous waveforms that can penetrate soil, concrete, glass or wood and captures the reflected signals. The time difference between transmission of a waveform and reception of the reflected signals (round-trip time) as well as amplitude and phase information are utilized to detect the target range and to identify the target from its cross section. In more advanced radars, a signal processor is employed to construct a 2-D or 3-D image of the scanned area using the reflected pulses from the target. For example, land-survey GPRs are mounted on a vehicle to scan the roads to explore the subsurface of the ground. An example GPR scan scenario is illustrated in FIG. 1a, which shows a GPR 100 scanning in the x direction at various scan points. A radar beam from GPR 100 propagates into the ground in the y direction, which contains a buried target 105. At every scan point GPR 100 emits radar pulses and records the received reflected pulses, which come from different depths to thereby allow an imaging of the ground. The GPR performs the appropriate signal processing on the returned pulses to transform the information into a two-dimensional (2-D) image as seen in FIG. 1b. The translation of the GPR in the x-direction (which is the scan speed) is typically on the order of a few miles per hour. To precisely map an area, the scan points should be as close as possible to each other, provided that the antenna beam is narrow. To construct the RF image, the radar antenna distance to the ground should be unchanged during the scan and the scan speed should also be constant. Any translation of the GPR in range with respect to the target (in this example, in the y-direction) will result in variations in round-trip time of transmitted pulses which translate to changes in detected depths of different points of an object.
FIG. 2a illustrates the errors introduced by a translation of GPR 100 in range (in this example, the y direction) with respect to the target as it scans. Although the target is unchanged from FIG. 1a, the resulting radar image of the ground shown in FIG. 2b indicates a concavity in the target (and the ground surface) corresponding to a mirror image of the y-direction translation of the radar. Such fluctuations in the height of the radar as it scans are inevitable if the radar is hand-held or transported by a helicopter or other type of aircraft. Moreover, even if the radar is mounted on a vehicle, it will have height variations as the suspension accommodates rocks and other uneven terrain.
Variations in the speed of the vehicle also affect the quality of the produced images by introducing uncertainty in the exact position of scan points along the scan path. More specifically, the constructed image and targets dimensions will be unevenly skewed or smeared responsive to the scan speed variations. To alleviate this problem, vehicle speed data are fed to the radar by a tachometer attached to a wheel or through an analog/digital interface to the vehicle's speedometer to calculate the relative position of each scan point. This method develops inaccuracies as the position error will accumulate through the scan. Moreover, radar scan speed is typically greater than the response time of conventional vehicle-mounted speedometers, especially tachometers such that the position information associated with every scan point may not be updated accordingly. The above mentioned problems are more serious for hand-held radars as the scanner motion is solely controlled by the operator's skills. Uneven speed of manually sliding the scanner over the target and operator's hand vibrations and unintentional drifts in the radar distance to the surface during the scan result in significant degradation in image quality.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for radars which compensate for range translation as they scan. In addition, there is a need in the art for radars which compensate for scan speed variations.


A spring member for disc-brake calipers is interposed between a lateral edge of at least one pad and reaction surfaces of the caliper so as to act resiliently on the pad. The spring member comprises a ‘U’-shaped portion suitable for forming a connection with a protuberance of the reaction surfaces, a first resilient portion suitable for acting on the pad in a tangential direction, and a second resilient portion suitable for acting on the pad in a radial direction. The first and second resilient portions constitute a single body projecting from a first connection end of the first resilient portion that is connected to the ‘U’-shaped portion, so that, when the at least one pad is in a mounted configuration, it is acted on resiliently by the spring member both in a radial direction and in a tangential direction.

As is known, owing to the tolerances between the plates of the pads and the respective housing spaces in disc-brake calipers, the pads are subjected to movements, predominantly in axial and tangential directions, which very frequently set up vibrations that lead to annoying noise.
To prevent these problems, there are known constructions of spring members which are interposed between the pads and the reaction shoulders of the calipers so as to exert a resilient force against the pads to prevent undesired movements thereof. However, these spring members nevertheless permit movements of the pads which can give rise to the above-mentioned vibrations and effective anchorage of the spring members to the caliper is not ensured.
The problem of the present invention is that of providing a spring member for disc-brake calipers which overcomes the problems mentioned with reference to the prior art.

Spring member for disc-brake calipers and disc-brake caliper


A system for processing a workpiece includes a process head assembly and a base assembly. The process head assembly has a process head and an upper rotor. The base assembly has a base and a lower rotor. The base and lower rotor have magnets wherein the upper rotor is engageable with the lower rotor via a magnetic force created by the magnets. The engaged upper and lower rotors form a process chamber where a semiconductor wafer is positioned for processing. Process fluids for treating the workpiece are introduced into the process chamber, optionally while the processing head spins the workpiece. Additionally, air flow around and through the process chamber is managed to reduce particle adders on the workpiece.

The semiconductor manufacturing industry is constantly seeking to improve the processes and machines used to manufacture microelectronic circuits and components, such as the manufacture of integrated circuits from wafers. The objectives of many of these improved processes and machines include: decreasing the amount of time required to process a wafer to form the desired integrated circuits; increasing the yield of usable integrated circuits per wafer by, for example, decreasing contamination of the wafer during processing; reducing the number of steps required to create the desired integrated circuits; improving the uniformity and efficiency of processes used to create the desired integrated circuits; and reducing the costs of manufacture.
As the semiconductor industry advances particle "adder" specifications, the number and size of the permitted particulate contamination in the manufacture of semiconductor wafers is continuously being reduced. Existing machines are not sufficient for future particle specifications.
Further, in the processing of wafers, it is often necessary to subject one or more sides of the wafer to a fluid in liquid, vapor or gaseous form. Such fluids are used to, for example, etch the wafer surface, clean the wafer surface, dry the wafer surface, passivate the wafer surface, deposit films on the wafer surface, remove films or masking materials from the wafer surface, etc. Controlling how the processing fluids are applied to the wafer surfaces, reducing the potential for cross contamination of the processing fluids, and effectively cleaning or rinsing process fluids from process chamber surfaces are often important to the success of the processing operations.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


Described herein are compounds that are useful as protein kinase inhibitors of formula I:

The search for new therapeutic agents has been greatly aided in recent years by a better understanding of the structure of enzymes and other biomolecules associated with target diseases. One important class of enzymes that has been the subject of extensive study is protein kinases.
Protein kinases constitute a large family of structurally related enzymes that are responsible for the control of a variety of signal transduction processes within the cell. Protein kinases are thought to have evolved from a common ancestral gene due to the conservation of their structure and catalytic function. Almost all kinases contain a similar 250–300 amino acid catalytic domain. The kinases may be categorized into families by the substrates they phosphorylate (e.g., protein-tyrosine, protein-serine/threonine, lipids, etc.). Sequence motifs have been identified that generally correspond to each of these kinase families.
In general, protein kinases mediate intracellular signaling by effecting a phosphoryl transfer from a nucleoside triphosphate to a protein acceptor that is involved in a signaling pathway. These phosphorylation events act as molecular on/off switches that can modulate or regulate the target protein biological function. These phosphorylation events are ultimately triggered in response to a variety of extracellular and other stimuli. Examples of such stimuli include environmental and chemical stress signals (e.g., osmotic shock, heat shock, ultraviolet radiation, bacterial endotoxin, and H2O2), cytokines (e.g., interleukin-1 (IL-1) and tumor necrosis factor a (TNF-a)), and growth factors (e.g., granulocyte macrophage-colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF)). An extracellular stimulus may affect one or more cellular responses related to cell growth, migration, differentiation, secretion of hormones, activation of transcription factors, muscle contraction, glucose metabolism, control of protein synthesis, and regulation of the cell cycle.
Many diseases are associated with abnormal cellular responses triggered by protein kinase-mediated events. These diseases include autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, bone diseases, metabolic diseases, neurological and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, allergies and asthma, Alzheimer's disease and hormone-related diseases. Accordingly, there has been a substantial effort in medicinal chemistry to find protein kinase inhibitors that are effective as therapeutic agents. However, considering the lack of currently available treatment options for the majority of the conditions associated with protein kinases, there is still a great need for new therapeutic agents that inhibit these protein targets.
Mammalian cells respond to extracellular stimuli by activating signaling cascades that are mediated by members of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase family, which include the extracellular signal regulated kinases (ERKs), the p38 MAP kinases and the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs). MAP kinases (MAPKs) are activated by a variety of signals including growth factors, cytokines, UV radiation, and stress-inducing agents. MAPKs are serine/threonine kinases and their activation occur by dual phosphorylation of threonine and tyrosine at the Thr-X-Tyr segment in the activation loop. MAPKs phosphorylate various substrates including transcription factors, which in turn regulate the expression of specific sets of genes and thus mediate a specific response to the stimulus.
ERK2 is a widely distributed protein kinase that achieves maximum activity when both Thr183 and Tyr185 are phosphorylated by the upstream MAP kinase kinase, MEK1. Upon activation, ERK2 phosphorylates many regulatory proteins, including the protein kinases Rsk90 and MAPKAP2, and transcription factors such as ATF2, Elk-1, c-Fos, and c-Myc. ERK2 is also a downstream target of the Ras/Raf dependent pathways and relays the signals from these potentially oncogenic proteins. ERK2 has been shown to play a role in the negative growth control of breast cancer cells and hyperexpression of ERK2 in human breast cancer has been reported. Activated ERK2 has also been implicated in the proliferation of endothelin-stimulated airway smooth muscle cells, suggesting a role for this kinase in asthma.
Overexpression of receptor tyrosine kinases such as EGFR and ErbB2, as well as activating mutations in the Ras GTPase proteins or B-Raf mutants are major contributors to human cancer. These genetic alterations are correlated with poor clinical prognosis and result in activation of the Raf-1/2/3-MEK1/2-ERK1/2 signal transduction cascade in a broad panel of human tumors. Activated ERK (i.e. ERK1 and/or ERK2) is a central signaling molecule that has been associated with the control of proliferation, differentiation, anchorage-independent cell survival, and angiogenesis, contributing to a number of processes that are important for the formation and progression of malignant tumors. These data suggest that an ERK1/2 inhibitor will exert pleiotropic activity, including proapoptotic, anti-proliferative, anti-metastatic and anti-angiogenic effects, and offer a therapeutic opportunity against a very broad panel of human tumors.
There is a growing body of evidence that implicates constitutive activation of the ERK MAPK pathway in the oncogenic behavior of select cancers. Activating mutations of Ras are found in ˜30% of all cancers, with some, such as pancreatic (90%) and colon (50%) cancer, harboring particularly high mutation rates (ref). Ras mutations have also been identified in 9–15% of melanomas, but B-Raf somatic missense mutations conferring constitutive activation are more frequent and found in 60–66% malignant melanomas. Activating mutations of Ras, Raf and MEK are able to oncogenically transform fibroblasts in vitro, and Ras or Raf mutations in conjunction with the loss of a tumor suppressor gene (e.g. p16INK4A) can cause spontaneous tumor development in vivo. Increased ERK activity has been demonstrated in these models and has also been widely reported in appropriate human tumors. In melanoma, high basal ERK activity resulting from either B-Raf or N-Ras mutations or autocrine growth factor activation is well documented and has been associated with rapid tumor growth, increased cell survival and resistance to apoptosis. Additionally, ERK activation is considered a major driving force behind the highly metastatic behavior of melanoma associated with increased expression of both extracellular matrix degrading proteases and invasion-promoting integrins as well as the downregulation of E-cadherin adhesion molecules that normally mediate keratinocyte interactions to control melanocyte growth. These data taken together, indicate ERK as promising therapeutic target for the treatment of melanoma, a currently untreatable disease.
Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a serine/threonine protein kinase comprised of α and β isoforms that are each encoded by distinct genes. GSK-3 has been implicated in various diseases including diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, CNS disorders such as manic depressive disorder and neurodegenerative diseases, and cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. These diseases are associated with the abnormal operation of certain cell signaling pathways in which GSK-3 plays a role.
GSK-3 has been found to phosphorylate and modulate the activity of a number of regulatory proteins. These include glycogen synthase, which is the rate-limiting enzyme required for glycogen synthesis, the microtubule-associated protein Tau, the gene transcription factor β-catenin, the translation initiation factor e1F-2B, as well as ATP citrate lyase, axin, heat shock factor-1, c-Jun, c-myc, c-myb, CREB, and CEPBα. These diverse targets implicate GSK-3 in many aspects of cellular metabolism, proliferation, differentiation and development.
In a GSK-3 mediated pathway that is relevant for the treatment of type II diabetes, insulin-induced signaling leads to cellular glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis. GSK-3 is a negative regulator of the insulin-induced signal in this pathway. Normally, the presence of insulin causes inhibition of GSK-3-mediated phosphorylation and deactivation of glycogen synthase. The inhibition of GSK-3 leads to increased glycogen synthesis and glucose uptake. However, where the insulin response is impaired in a diabetic patient, glycogen synthesis and glucose uptake fail to increase despite the presence of relatively high blood levels of insulin. This leads to abnormally high blood levels of glucose with acute and chronic effects that may ultimately result in cardiovascular disease, renal failure and blindness. In such patients, the normal insulin-induced inhibition of GSK-3 fails to occur. It has also been reported that GSK-3 is overexpressed in patients with type II diabetes. Therapeutic inhibitors of GSK-3 are therefore useful for treating diabetic patients suffering from an impaired response to insulin.
Apoptosis has been implicated in the pathophysiology of ischemic brain damage. Recent publications indicate that activation of GSK-3β may be involved in apoptotic mechanisms. Studies in rat models of ischemic stroke induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) showed increased GSK-3β expression is following ischemia. Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) reduced ischemic brain injury after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCO) in rats. Indeed, the neuroprotective effects of FGF demonstrated in ischemia models in rats may be mediated by a PI-3 kinase/AKT-dependent inactivation of GSK-3β. Thus, inhibition of GSK-3β after a cerebral ischemic event may ameliorate ischemic brain damage.
GSK-3 is also implicated in mycardial infarction, head trauma, and psychiatric disorders. It has been shown that GSK3 inhibition by lithium and valproic acid induces axonal remodeling and change synaptic connectivity.
GSK-3 activity is also associated with Alzheimer's disease. This disease is characterized by the presence of the well-known β-amyloid peptide and the formation of intracellular neurofibrillary tangles. The neurofibrillary tangles contain hyperphosphorylated Tau protein, in which Tau is phosphorylated on abnormal sites. GSK-3 has been shown to phosphorylate these abnormal sites in cell and animal models. Furthermore, inhibition of GSK-3 has been shown to prevent hyperphosphorylation of Tau in cells. In transgenic mice overexpressing GSK3, significant increased Tau hyperphosphorylation and abnormal morphology of neurons were observed. Active GSK3 accumulates in cytoplasm of pretangled neurons, which can lead to neurofibrillary tangles in brains of patients with AD. Therefore, inhibition of GSK-3 slows or halts the generation of neurofibrillary tangles and thus treats or reduces the severity of Alzheimer's disease.
Evidence for the role GSK-3 plays in Alzheimer's disease has been shown in vitro and in vivo. Presenilin-1 and kinesin-1 are also substrates for GSK-3 and relate to another mechanism for the role GSK-3 plays in Alzheimer's disease. It was found that GSK3beta phosphorylates kinesin-I light chain, which results in a release of kinesin-1 from membrane-bound organelles, leading to a reduction in fast anterograde axonal transport. The authors suggest that the mutations in PS1 may deregulate and increase GSK-3 activity, which in turn, impairs axonal transport in neurons. The consequent reductions in axonal transport in affected neurons ultimately lead to neurodegeneration.
GSK-3 is also associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). GSK-3 activity is also linked to spinal cord and peripheral nerve injuries. It has been shown that GSK3 inhibition by lithium and valproic acid can induce axonal remodeling and change synaptic connectivity.
Another substrate of GSK-3 is β-catenin, which is degraded after phosphorylation by GSK-3. Reduced levels of β-catenin have been reported in schizophrenic patients and have also been associated with other diseases related to increase in neuronal cell death. Furthermore, β-catenin and Tcf-4 play a dual role in vascular remodeling by inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell apoptosis and promoting proliferation. Accordingly, GSK-3 is associated with angiogenic disorders.
Association between GSK-3 and Huntington's disease has been shown. Overexpression of GSK3 reduced the activation of heat shock transcription factor-1 and heat shock protein HSP70 that are shown to decrease both poly-(Q) aggregates and cell death in in vitro HD model.
GSK-3 effects the levels of FGF-2 and their receptors are increased during remyelination of brain aggregate cultures remyelinating rat brains. It was also found that FGF-2 induces process outgrowth by oligodendrocytes implicating involvement of FGF in remyelination and that FGF-2 gene therapy has shown to improve the recovery of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice.
GSK-3 has also been associated with hair growth because Wnt/beta-catenin signaling is shown to play a major role in hair follicle morphogenesis and differentiation. It was found that mice with constitutive overexpression of the inhibitors of Wnt signaling in skin failed to develop hair follicles. Wnt signals are required for the initial development of hair follicles and GSK3 constitutively regulates Wnt pathways by inhibiting beta-catenin. A transient Wnt signal provides the crucial initial stimulus for the start of a new hair growth cycle, by activating beta-catenin and TCF-regulated gene transcription in epithelial hair follicle precursors.
Because GSK-3 activity is associated with sperm motility, GSK-3 inhibition is useful as a male contraceptive. It was shown that a decline in sperm GSK3 activity is associated with sperm motility development in bovine and monkey epididymis. Furthermore, tyrosine & serine/threonine phosphorylation of GSK3 is high in motile compared to immotile sperm in bulls. This effect was also demonstrated with human sperm.
Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKS) are serine/threonine protein kinases consisting of a b-sheet rich amino-terminal lobe and a larger carboxy-terminal lobe that is largely a-helical. The CDKs display the 11 subdomains shared by all protein kinases and range in molecular mass from 33 to 44 kD. This family of kinases, which includes CDK1, CKD2, CDK4, and CDK6, requires phosphorylation at the residue corresponding to CDK2 Thr160 in order to be fully active.
Each CDK complex is formed from a regulatory cyclin subunit (e.g., cyclin A, B1, B2, D1, D2, D3, and E) and a catalytic kinase subunit (e.g., CDK1, CDK2, CDK4, CDK5, and CDK6). Each different kinase/cyclin pair functions to regulate the different and specific phases of the cell cycle known as the G1, S, G2, and M phases.
The CDKs have been implicated in cell proliferation disorders, particularly in cancer. Cell proliferation is a result of the direct or indirect deregulation of the cell division cycle and the CDKs play a critical role in the regulation of the various phases of this cycle. For example, the over-expression of cyclin D1 is commonly associated with numerous human cancers including breast, colon, hepatocellular carcinomas and gliomas. The CDK2/cyclin E complex plays a key role in the progression from the early G1 to S phases of the cell cycle and the overexpression of cyclin E has been associated with various solid tumors. Therefore, inhibitors of cyclins D1, E, or their associated CDKs are useful targets for cancer therapy.
CDKs, especially CDK2, also play a role in apoptosis and T-cell development. CDK2 has been identified as a key regulator of thymocyte apoptosis. Stimulation of CDK2 kinase activity is associated with the progression of apoptosis in thymocytes, in response to specific stimuli. Inhibition of CDK2 kinase activity blocks this apoptosis resulting in the protection of thymocytes.
In addition to regulating the cell cycle and apoptosis, the CDKs are directly involved in the process of transcription. Numerous viruses require CDKs for their replication process. Examples where CDK inhibitors restrain viral replication include human cytomegalovirus, herpes virus, and varicella-zoster virus.
Inhibition of CDK is also useful for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The appearance of Paired Helical Filaments (PHF), associated with Alzheimer's disease, is caused by the hyperphosphorylation of Tau protein by CDK5/p25.
PIM-1 is the protooncogene activated by murine leukemia virus (Provirus Integration site for Moloney murine leukemia virus). The expression of the protoconcogene produces a non-transmembrane serine/threonine kinase of 313 residues, including a kinase domain consisting of 253 amino acid residues. Two isoforms are known through alternative initiation (p44 and p33). Two PIM-1 homologs have been described. PIM-2 and PIM-3 are respectively 58% and 69% identical to Pim-1 at the amino acid level. PIM-1 is highly expressed in the liver and spleen during hematopoiesis, and expression is induced by cytokines such as GM-CSF, G-SCF, IL-3, IF-α, and IL-6.
Another kinase family of interest is Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein serine/threonine kinase (ROCK), which is believed to be an effector of Ras-related small GTPase Rho. The ROCK family includes p160ROCK (ROCK-1) and ROKα/Rho-kinase/ROCK-II, protein kinase PKN, and citron and citron kinase. The ROCK family of kinases have been shown to be involved in a variety of functions including Rho-induced formation of actin stress fibers and focal adhesions and in downregulation of myosin phosphatase, aortic smooth muscle contraction by various stimuli, thrombin-induced responses of aortic smooth muscle cells, hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes, bronchial smooth muscle contraction, smooth muscle contraction and cytoskeletal reorganization of non-muscle cells, activation of volume-regulated anion channels, neurite retraction, neutrophil chemotaxis, wound healing, tumor invasion and cell transformation. Accordingly, the development of inhibitors of ROCK kinase would be useful as therapeutic agents for the treatment of disorders mediated by the ROCK kinase pathway.
The Janus kinases (JAK) are a family of tyrosine kinases consisting of JAK1, JAK2, JAK3 and TYK2. The JAKs play a critical role in cytokine signaling. The down-stream substrates of the JAK family of kinases include the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins. JAK/STAT signaling has been implicated in the mediation of many abnormal immune responses such as allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases such as transplant rejection, rheumatoid arthritis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis as well as in solid and hematologic malignancies such as leukemias and lymphomas. The pharmaceutical intervention in the JAK/STAT pathway has been reviewed.
JAK1, JAK2, and TYK2 are ubiquitously expressed, while JAK3 is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells. JAK3 binds exclusively to the common cytokine receptor gamma chain (γc) and is activated by IL-2, IL-4, IL-7, IL-9, and IL-15. The proliferation and survival of murine mast cells induced by IL-4 and IL-9 have, in fact, been shown to be dependent on JAK3- and γc-signaling.
Cross-linking of the high-affinity immunoglobulin (Ig) E receptors of sensitized mast cells leads to a release of proinflammatory mediators, including a number of vasoactive cytokines resulting in acute allergic, or immediate (type I) hypersensitivity reactions. A crucial role for JAK3 in IgE receptor-mediated mast cell responses in vitro and in vivo has been established. In addition, the prevention of type I hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, mediated by mast cell-activation through inhibition of JAK3 has also been reported. Targeting mast cells with JAK3 inhibitors modulated mast cell degranulation in vitro and prevented IgE receptor/antigen-mediated anaphylactic reactions in vivo.
A recent study described the successful targeting of JAK3 for immune suppression and allograft acceptance. The study demonstrated a dose-dependent survival of Buffalo heart allograft in Wistar Furth recipients upon administration of inhibitors of JAK3 indicating the possibility of regulating unwanted immune responses in graft versus host disease.
IL-4-mediated STAT-phosphorylation has been implicated as the mechanism involved in early and late stages of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Up-regulation of proinflammatory cytokines in RA synovium and synovial fluid is a characteristic of the disease. It has been demonstrated that IL-4-mediated activation of IL-4/STAT pathway is mediated through the Janus Kinases (JAK 1 & 3) and that IL-4-associated JAK kinases are expressed in the RA synovium.
Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder affecting about 10% of ALS patients. The survival rates of FALS mice were increased upon treatment with a JAK3 specific inhibitor. This confirmed that JAK3 plays a role in FALS.
Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins are activated by, among others, the JAK family kinases. Results form a recent study suggested the possibility of intervention in the JAK/STAT signaling pathway by targeting JAK family kinases with specific inhibitors for the treatment of leukemia. JAK3 specific compounds were shown to inhibit the clonogenic growth of JAK3-expressing cell lines DAUDI, RAMOS, LC1; 19, NALM-6, MOLT-3 and HL-60.
In animal models, TEL/JAK2 fusion proteins have induced myeloproliferative disorders and in hematopoietic cell lines, introduction of TEL/JAK2 resulted in activation of STAT1, STAT3, STAT5, and cytokine-independent growth.
Inhibition of JAK 3 and TYK 2 abrogated tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT3, and inhibited cell growth of mycosis fungoides, a form of cutaneous T cell lymphoma. These results implicated JAK family kinases in the constitutively activated JAK/STAT pathway that is present in mycosis fungoides. Similarly, STAT3, STAT5, JAK1 and JAK2 were demonstrated to be constitutively activated in mouse T cell lymphoma characterized initially by LCK over-expression, thus further implicating the JAK/STAT pathway in abnormal cell growth. In addition, IL-6 —mediated STAT3 activation was blocked by an inhibitor of JAK, leading to sensitization of myeloma cells to apoptosis.
As a result of the biological importance of protein kinases, there is current interest in therapeutically effective protein kinase inhibitors. Accordingly, there is still a great need to develop inhibitors of protein kinases that are useful in treating various diseases or conditions associated with protein kinase activation.

Heterocyclic protein kinase inhibitors and uses thereof

Abstract: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, wherein Ring B, Z1, Z2, U, p, Q, R1, R2, R3, and R3 are as defined herein. These compounds, and pharmaceutically acceptable compositions thereof, are useful for treating or lessening the severity of a variety of disorders, including stroke, inflammatory disorders, autoimmune diseases such as SLE lupus and psoriasis, proliferative disorders such as cancer, and conditions associated with organ transplantation.


A homogenous brazing material essentially consisting of relatively low amounts of silver and nickel together with copper, zinc, and other constituents is provided. The brazing material has a working temperature exceeding 630° F. and is preferably between about 1250° F. and 1500° F. The brazing material preferably has about 30 percent by weight of silver, about 36 percent by weight of copper, about 32 percent by weight of zinc, and about 2 percent by weight of nickel. The addition of nickel in the above-specified amount improves resistance against interface corrosion in aqueous solutions, aids in the strength of the alloy, and provides improved wettability on ferrous and non-ferrous substrates. The brazing material may also include a flux, such as a core or a coating.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to brazing material and, more particularly, to a low silver, low nickel brazing materials.
2. Related Art
As is known to those skilled in the art, brazing is a joining process whereby a filler metal is heated to a melting temperature which is lower than the melting temperature of the base metal and distributed between two or more close-fitting parts. The molten filler metal interacts with the base metal and then cools to form a strong, sealed joint. A wide variety of filler metals and alloys may be used. In some cases, flux, in addition to the filler metal, is used.
Brazing with silver-based filler metals has commonly been used as an alternative to bronze brazing because silver brazing does not suffer from the disadvantages that prior forms of bronze brazing have, such as, for example, the left-behind residue and oxide layer formation on the base metal which is heavy, aesthetically displeasing, and difficult to remove. Brazing with silver-based filler metal, however, is disadvantageous in that the silver alloys are costly.
Thus, there is a desire for a brazing material that provides the benefits of silver-based fillers but that generally avoids the costs typically associated with such silver based fillers.


A computer-implemented method for pre-processing data. The method may include detecting one or more erroneous vectors in a plurality of vectors, detecting one or more erroneous elements in the one or more erroneous vectors, and deleting the detected one or more erroneous elements. The method may also include detecting one or more missing elements in the plurality of vectors. Further, the method may include populating one or more offending vectors that include one or more missing elements and/or deleted erroneous elements with one or more elements that are based on a distance metric.

Predictive modeling refers to generating a model from a given set of data records of both input parameters and output parameters and predicting actual output parameters corresponding to actual input parameters based on the model. Predictive modeling techniques are often used to build relationships among variables by using data records collected through experimentation, simulation, or physical measurement or other techniques. Predictive models may be built from data by using various methods for many different families of models, such as decision trees, decision lists, linear equations, and neural networks.
The data records used to build a model are known as training data records. In certain situations, the number of data records may be limited by the number of systems that can be used to generate the data records. In these situations, the number of variables may be greater than the number of available data records, which creates so-called sparse data scenarios. In certain other situations, the training data records may be unable to cover the entire input space of the input parameters or the training data records may be discrete such that uniform relationships represented by a single predictive model between input parameters and output parameters may be unavailable across the entire input space and/or output space. In certain further situations, the training data records may include variables with missing or erroneous values.
Techniques exist for determining and discarding variables with missing or erroneous data. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,519,591 (the '591 patent) issued on Feb. 11, 2003 to Cereghini et al., discloses a method for performing cluster analysis inside a relational database management system. The method defines a plurality of tables for the storage of data points and Gaussian mixture parameters and executes a series of SQL statements implementing an Expectation-Maximization clustering algorithm. A distance-based clustering approach identifies those regions in which points are close to each other according to some distance function. The squared Mahalanobis distance function is the basis of implementing Expectation-Maximization clustering in SQL. One advantage is that Expectation-Maximization clustering is robust to noisy data and missing information.
However, while the system and method of the '591 patent are useful for implementing a distance-based clustering algorithm, and may be robust to noisy data and missing information, the method of the '591 patent cannot repair abnormal input variables. The method also cannot replace a missing data point in an input variable, thereby increasing the number of input variables that may be used to generate a virtual sensor process model.
The disclosed embodiments are directed to improvements in the existing technology.

Method and system for pre-processing data using the mahalanobis distance (MD)


An object of the present invention is to provide a composite soft magnetic sintered material that has high density, high mechanical strength and high relative magnetic permeability at high frequencies and, in order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a method of producing the composite soft magnetic sintered material, which comprises mixing a composite soft magnetic powder, that consists of iron powder, Fe—Si based soft magnetic iron alloy powder, Fe—Al based soft magnetic iron alloy powder, Fe—Si—Al based soft magnetic iron alloy powder, Fe—Cr based soft magnetic iron alloy powder or nickel-based soft magnetic alloy powder (hereinafter these powders are referred to as soft magnetic metal powder) of which particles arc coated with a ferrite layer which has a spinel structure, with 0.05 to 1.0% by weight of silicon dioxide powder having a mean powder particle size of 100 nm or less and sintering the mixed powder after compression molding, or processing two or more kinds of the composite soft magnetic powders, of which particles are coated with ferrite layer having a spinel structure of a different compositions, by compression molding and sintering.

Soft magnetic sintered materials are used in magnetic cores for such devices as low-loss yoke, transformer and choke coil used in motors, actuators or the like. And it is known that the soft magnetic sintered materials can be obtained by sintering a soft magnetic metal powder such as:                iron powder such as pure iron powder;        Fe—Si based soft magnetic iron alloy powder containing 0.1 to 10% by weight of Si with the rest consisting of Fe and inevitable impurities (for example, iron alloy powder of Fe-3% Si);        Fe—Si—Al based soft magnetic iron alloy powder containing 0.1 to 10% by weight of Si and 0.1 to 20% by weight of Al with the rest consisting of Fe and inevitable impurities (for example, Sendust iron alloy powder having a composition of Fe-9% Si-5% Al);        Fe—Al based soft magnetic iron alloy powder containing 0.1 to 20% by weight of Al with the rest consisting of Fe and inevitable impurities (for example, Alperm iron alloy powder having a composition of Fe-15% Al);        Fe—Cr based soft magnetic iron alloy powder containing 1 to 20% by weight of Cr and, as required, one or two of 5% or less Al and 5% or less Si with the rest consisting of Fe and inevitable impurities; or        nickel-based soft magnetic alloy powder containing 35 to 85% of Ni and, as required, one or more of 5% or less Mo, 5% or less Cu, 2% or less Cr and 0.5% or less Mn with the rest consisting of Fe and inevitable impurities (for example, powder of Fe-79% Ni) (hereinabove percentages are by weight). It is also known that soft magnetic sintered materials can be obtained by sintering a powder of a metal oxide such as ferrite that has a spinel structure. The ferrite having a spinel structure is generally represented by formula (MeFe)3O4 (where Me represents Mn, Zn, Ni, Mg, Cu, Fe or Co, or a mixture of some of these elements).
However, although the soft magnetic sintered metals have high saturation magnetic flux densities, they are inferior in high frequency characteristics. The soft magnetic sintered metal oxides that are made by sintering powder of a metal oxide such as ferrite having a spinel structure, on the other hand, have good high frequency characteristics and relatively high initial magnetic permeability, but have low saturation magnetic flux densities. In order to overcome these drawbacks, a composite soft magnetic sintered material has been proposed that is obtained by sintering a composite soft magnetic powder formed from a soft magnetic metal powder of which particles are coated with layers of ferrite having a spinel structure on the surface thereof (refer to Unexamined Japanese Patent Application, First Publication No. Sho 56-38402).
However, in the composite soft magnetic sintered material that is obtained by sintering the composite soft magnetic powder formed from the soft magnetic metal powder of which particles are coated with layers of ferrite having a spinel structure on the surface thereof, the ferrite layer having a spinel structure is made of an oxide and it is therefore difficult to sinter, thus resulting in a problem that the composite soft magnetic sintered material that has a sufficient density cannot be obtained. Thus there is a demand for a composite soft magnetic sintered material having further improved magnetic characteristics.

Composite soft magnetic sintered material having high density and high magnetic permeability and method for preparation thereof


An electric vehicle may include: a body comprising a compartment on a front side of a cabin; a component frame located in the compartment, and connected to the body; and a circuit case located on the component frame, comprising therein a control circuit configured to control a traction motor, and constituted of metal. The component frame may comprise: a plurality of crossmembers extending along a vehicle left-right direction; and a connection member connecting the plurality of crossmembers to each other. The plurality of crossmembers may comprise a rear crossmember which is a rearmost crossmember of the plurality of crossmembers. The circuit case may be on the front side of a rear end of the rear crossmember in a top view.

An electric vehicle described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2011-020628 has a compartment (motor room) on a front side of a cabin. In the compartment, a traction motor and a control circuit configured to control the traction motor (such as inverter and DC/DC converter) are disposed. Further, in the compartment, a component frame is provided. The control circuit is arranged on the component frame.


Crown pad of flexible material including a central body portion and a plurality of radially disposed members for flexing inwardly to conform to the crown of a person's head. The crown pad is for being connected to the central portions of head straps residing interiorly of a head-protective helmet. The flexible crown pad may be compressible causing the crown pad to attenuate or absorb some force or energy upon an object striking the helmet. A head-protective helmet in combination with such crown pad.

This invention relates to a crown pad particularly useful with a head-protective helmet and also relates to a head-protective helmet including such crown pad.
Numerous head-protective helmets are known to the prior art. Certain head-protective helmets include a plurality of flexible head straps, sometimes referred to in the art as a web or cradle of head straps, mounted interiorly of the helmet for engaging the head of a wearer of the helmet. Such head-protective helmets include a fireman's head-protective helmet and the present invention will be disclosed in the context of a fireman's head-protective helmet although it will be understood that the present invention is not so limited and is applicable to other head-protective helmets including a plurality of interior head straps which engage the head of the wearer of the helmet.
A fireman's head-protective helmet known to the art, typically includes an outer shell and a cradle or web of flexible head straps provided in the interior of the shell which engage and generally conform to the head of a wearer of the helmet. A head-protective helmet, e.g., a fireman's head-protective helmet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,016, Christopher E. Coombs inventor, patented Sep. 3, 1991, and assigned to Cairns & Brother, Inc. of Clifton, N.J.; this patent is incorporated herein by reference as if fully reproduced herein. The head-protective helmet 10, FIG. 2, includes a hard outer shell 12 and an inner impact cap or attenuation liner assembly indicated generally as 14. A cradle 28 of a plurality of flexible web straps 30 resides interiorly of the helmet particularly interiorly of the attenuation liner assembly 14. Each strap 30 is formed of a strong flexible webbing, such as Nylon, stitched together at the central apex of the cradle 28, and proceeds from the apex to the rim 42 of the foam liner 26 at a notch formed in the rim 42. Each strap 30 wraps around the rim 42 and proceeds upwardly along the outer surface of the foam liner 26, is wrapped around a tube member 44 inset in a groove 46 formed in the outer surface of the liner 26 and then proceeds back around the lower rim 42 of the foam liner 26 to approach the apex as a free end with a loop 48. The loops 48 of the free ends of the straps 30 are collected, or interconnected, by draw string 50 knotted to allow adjustment of the cradle 28 to suit the individual head of a wearer of the helmet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,691, patented May 21, 1996, Bruce H. Blake inventor, assigned to Lion Apparel, Inc., also discloses a head-protective helmet; this patent is incorporated herein by reference as if fully reproduced herein. This patent discloses a head-protective helmet, namely, a fire helmet 10 including an outer shell 20 and an impact attenuation system 30 including an impact cap 32 and a suspension system 40 including a plurality of flexible head straps 42-44 and an adjustable head band assembly 50. The outer ends of the flexible head straps 42-44 are mounted to the inner impact cap 32, as shown in FIG. 3, by a rib 46 residing in a recess 48. The flexible head strap 42-44 includes central head strap portions and as shown in FIG. 4, a circular crown pad 45 is associated with the flexible head straps 42-44 and is positioned at the central apex portion, or point of intersection, of the central head strap portions of the head straps 42-44. The circular crown pad 45 includes pairs of diametrically opposed slits through which the central head strap portions of the head straps 42-44 pass. For example, head strap 42 passes through a pair of diametrically opposed slits 45a and 45b.
While the above-noted structures included in the patents incorporated herein by reference have worked reasonably well in interconnecting the inner portion of a cradle or plurality of head straps residing in the interior of a head-protective helmet, it is believed that there exists a need in the art for a new and improved crown pad which is flexible so as to conform to the crown of the head of a wearer of the helmet into which the crown pad is incorporated. Still further, there appears to exist a need in the art for a crown pad which also absorbs or attenuates at least some of the energy or force directed to the head of a wearer of the helmet into which the crown pad is incorporated upon an object striking the helmet and forcing the helmet, and therefore the cradle or web of head straps downwardly against the head of the wearer of the helmet. There also appears to exist a need in the art for a head-protective helmet including a crown pad having the aforementioned features.


A non-leaded semiconductor device comprises a sealing body for sealing a semiconductor chip, a tab in the interior of the sealing body, suspension leads for supporting the tab, leads having respective surfaces exposed to outer edge portions of a back surface of the sealing body, and wires connecting pads formed on the semiconductor chip and the leads. End portions of the suspension leads positioned in an outer periphery portion of the sealing body are unexposed to the back surface of the sealing body, but are covered with the sealing body. Stand-off portions of the suspending leads are not formed in resin molding. When cutting the suspending leads, corner portions of the back surface of the sealing body are supported by a flat portion of a holder portion in a cutting die having an area wider than a cutting allowance of the suspending leads, whereby chipping of the resin is prevented.

The present invention relates to a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same. Particularly, the present invention is concerned with a technique applicable effectively to improving the quality of a non-leaded semiconductor device.
In the conventional method of manufacturing a resin-sealed type semiconductor device, a sealing sheet is brought into close contact with bottoms of at least lead portions of a lead frame with a semiconductor chip mounted thereon. The sealing sheet is a functional member for protecting the bottoms of the lead portions lest a sealing resin should lap on the lead bottoms and for exposing the lead bottoms as stand-off portions of a desired value (see, for example, Patent Literature 1).
Alternatively, the sealing sheet is a functional member for protecting the bottoms of the lead portions lest a sealing resin should lap on the lead bottoms and for exposing the lead bottoms and bottoms of land electrodes as stand-off portions of a desired value (see, for example, Patent Literature 2).

Method of manufacturing a semiconductor device


A semiconductor module includes a chip formed with an integrated circuit, a first external connecting terminal electrically connected to the integrated circuit, a printed wiring board having a second external connecting terminal, and a conductive material electrically connecting the first external connecting terminal with the second external connecting terminal, wherein the conductive material is formed so as to cover a sidewall of the second external connecting terminal. Accordingly, a semiconductor module is provided that can avoid an inferior connection caused by a crack between the lead and the pad.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a semiconductor module, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a pattern shape for a contacting portion formed on a printed wiring board.
This application is a counterpart of Japanese application Serial Number 096414/1999, filed Apr. 2, 1999, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a semiconductor module of a conventional art.
As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of surface mounting type semiconductor packages 101 (e.g. T-SOP (Thin-small Outline Package) is mounted on a memory module. Concretely, for forming an electric circuit, the plurality of surface mounting type semiconductor packages 101 are formed on a printed wiring board 102 (e.g. a glass epoxy resin substrate, or a ceramic substrate). The printed wiring board 102 has a structure formed of a conductive pattern on an insulating material. For electrically connecting a module product with an external device (e.g. a personal computer), a plurality of external terminals 103 is formed on the printed wiring board 102.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line axe2x80x94a of FIG. 3.
As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of surface mounting type semiconductor packages 101 is made up of a semiconductor device 201 having an integrated circuit, a lead 2020 for transferring an electrical signal of the semiconductor device 201 to an external portion, a wiring 203 (e.g. the wiring made of a gold or aluminum) for transferring an electrical signal of the semiconductor device 201 to the lead 202, a resin 204 (e.g. an epoxy resin, a silicon resin) for protecting the semiconductor device 201 and the wiring 203 from an external force, a printed wiring board 205 (e.g. a glass epoxy substrate, a ceramic substrate) formed of a conductive pattern, a pad 206 for transferring an electrical signal of the semiconductor device 201 formed on the printed wiring board 205 to the external portion, a conductive material 3.g. a solder, a conductive resin, an Ag paste) electrically connecting the lead 202 with the pad 206. The plurality of surface mounting type semiconductor packages 101 constructed as mentioned above is mounted on an upper surface and a lower surface of the printed wiring board 205.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged plane view of b portion in FIG. 3. As shown in FIG. 5, a pad 302 formed on a printed wiring board 301 has a width wider than a lead 304.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken in the direction of the arrows substantially along the line cxe2x80x94c of FIG. 3.
As shown in FIG. 6, a lead 403 for the plurality of surface mounting type semiconductor packages 101 is electrically connected to a pad 402 formed on a printed wiring board 401 via a conductive material. The pad 402 is set to a width wider than a lead 403.
In the conventional art, it is desired to avoid inferior connections caused by cracks between the lead and the pad.
An object of the present invention is to provide a semiconductor module that can avoid inferior connections caused by cracks between the lead and the pad.
According to one aspect of the present invention, for achieving the above object, there is provided a semiconductor module comprising a chip formed with an integrated circuit, a first external connecting terminal electrically connected to the integrated circuit, a printed wiring board having a second external connecting terminal; and a conductive material electrically connecting the first external connecting terminal with the second external connecting terminal, wherein the conductive material is formed so as to cover a sidewall of the second external connecting terminal.


A hydro-static transmission travel system for a working machine enables the working machine to travel over a range from low speed to high speed with a simplified circuit arrangement. By referring to a machine traveling speed (vehicle speed) based on a detected signal from a rotation sensor, a controller computes respective target tilting amounts of hydraulic motors 10, 20 and controls the tilting amount for the hydraulic motors and a clutch. Depending on whether the traveling speed exceeds a setting speed as a reference boundary, the controller selectively switches over a drive mode between low-speed four-wheel drive, in which travel units 12, 22 are both driven, and high-speed two-wheel drive, in which the front-wheel side hydraulic motor 10 is controlled to zero displacement and only the rear-wheel side travel unit 22 is driven.

In known HST travel systems, as disclosed in, e.g., JP,A 5-306768, it is general that one hydraulic pump and one hydraulic motor are connected to each other in a closed circuit and a travel unit is driven by the one hydraulic motor. In that case, the hydraulic motor is connected to front and rear wheels through a transmission and a propeller shaft such that the front and rear wheels are driven at the same time with rotation of the propeller shaft.
In another type of HST travel system, as disclosed in, e.g., JP,A 11-166623 and JP,A 11-230333, one hydraulic pump is connected in parallel to two hydraulic motors in a closed circuit and a travel unit is driven by the two hydraulic motors. In that case, the two hydraulic motors are connected to front and rear wheels through a reduction gearing and a propeller shaft such that the front and rear wheels are driven at the same time with rotation of the propeller shaft. Further, one hydraulic motor is connected to the reduction gearing through a clutch, thus enabling a low speed (high torque) mode (clutch-ON) and a high speed mode (clutch-OFF) to be switched over with ON/OFF control of the clutch. Accordingly, a transmission is not required.
Moreover, still another type of HST travel system is known in which one hydraulic pump is connected in parallel to two hydraulic motors in a closed circuit and the two hydraulic motors are connected respectively to front and rear wheels such that the front and rear wheels are driven by the separate hydraulic motors. For example, JP,A 2000-1127 discloses an HST travel system for a lawn mower which is operated in four-wheel drive with the front and rear wheels both held in a high torque state at low speed, and which is operated in a four-wheel drive mode with the front wheels held in a low torque state and the rear wheels held in a high torque state at high speed, thereby enabling a driving force to be hydraulically transmitted to the front wheels as well during travel. Further, when the lawn mower turns, it is operated in two-wheel drive with only the rear wheels driven, to thereby prevent drag of the front wheels during the turn. To change driving torque of the front-wheel hydraulic motor, a constant-ratio distribution valve is disposed at a supply/drain hydraulic port of the hydraulic pump, and a shuttle valve is disposed between main lines on the side including the front-wheel hydraulic motor. Further, a high-pressure relief valve and a low-pressure relief valve are connected in parallel on the output side of the shuttle valve.
GB2136371A discloses an HST travel system for an agricultural machine. More specifically, one of two hydraulic motors is constituted as an auxiliary motor with small displacement, the auxiliary motor is connected to front or rear wheels through a clutch and a reduction gearing, and an open/close valve is disposed between a hydraulic pump and the auxiliary motor. Connection and disconnection between the auxiliary motor and the hydraulic pump or between the auxiliary motor and the wheels are performed by switching over the clutch and the open/close valve at the same time.
Patent Document 1: JP,A 5-306768
Patent Document 2: JP,A 11-166623
Patent Document 3: JP,A 11-230333
Patent Document 4: JP,A 2000-1127
Patent Document 5: GB2136371A

Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd.


A low voltage light novelty decoration that includes a substantially hollow and decorative main portion, a generally circular-shaped base portion, and adjusting apparatus. The substantially hollow and decorative main portion has a shape that identifies a specific event and provides an optical recognition that associates the specific event in a mind of a viewer. The generally circular-shaped base portion is integrally formed and has an exposed outer surface, a substantially concealed inner surface, a center, and a centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore. And, the adjusting apparatus is associated with the generally circular-shaped base portion for adjusting the diameter of the centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore to substantially equal the diameter of the light portion if the diameter of the centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore is not substantially equal to the diameter of the light portion, so that the centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore can be adjusted by the adjusting apparatus to properly fit on the light portion when the top cap of the light portion is removed and replaced by the voltage light novelty decoration.

The present invention relates to a light decoration. More particularly, the present invention relates to a low voltage light novelty decoration that includes a substantially hollow and decorative main portion with a shape that identifies a specific event and provides an optical recognition that associates the specific event in a mind of a viewer, a generally circular-shaped base portion that has a centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore, and adjusting apparatus that is associated with the generally circular-shaped base portion for adjusting the diameter of the centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore to substantially equal the diameter of the light portion if the of the centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore is not substantially equal to the diameter of the light portion.
People love to decorate for various holidays. This is done primarily using 110/120 volt lighting fixtures which are expensive to operate and potentially dangerous.
As is known, it is customary to in-line walks, driveways, or the like with illuminated makers, such typically being low to the ground, operate on low voltage, and include a shade-cover for light diffusion. The preceding units come in various sizes, typically being placed through staking action, with an electrical cord passing between successive units and to a power source.
Numerous innovations for decorative lights have been provided in the prior art that will be described. However, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they differ from the present invention in that they do not teach a low voltage light novelty decoration that includes a substantially hollow and decorative main portion with a shape that identifies a specific event and provides an optical recognition that associates the specific event in a mind of a viewer, a generally circular-shaped base portion that has a centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore, and adjusting apparatus that is associated with the generally circular-shaped base portion for adjusting the diameter of the centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore to substantially equal the diameter of the light portion if the diameter of the centrally-disposed, inwardly-tapering, longitudinally-oriented, and generally circular-shaped throughbore is not substantially equal to the diameter of the light portion.
FOR EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 1,349,374 to Gruenfeld, Jr. teaches a device of the character described comprising an electric lamp socket, a lamp therefor having a screw threaded plug adapted to fit the socket, and an ornament carrier having an ornament supporting ring and an insulating plate contained within the ring, the plate having a screw threaded opening adapted to be engaged by the plug to thereby support the carrier on the lamp.
ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 2,059,653 to Pretzfelder teaches as an article of manufacture, a reflector ornament adapted for use in the decoration of a Christmas tree, comprising a plurality of substantially conical sections joined together at their lower extremities to form a unitary body, means for securing the unitary body to a Christmas tree in upright position, and an annular disc secured centrally of the rear face of the ornament and having a plurality of spring fingers extending into the body of the ornament and securing an electric light bulb within the body of the ornament.
STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 2,339,385 to Dupler teaches the combination of a glass globe having an opening therein, a tubular sleeve of plastic material fitting into the opening, an annular series of relatively narrow outwardly extending resilient ribs integral with the sleeve and frictionally engaging the edge wall of the opening, the ribs normally extending outwardly beyond the circumference of the opening and being compressed during application of the sleeve to the globe, each rib being of gradually increasing thickness with the thinner end at the inner end portion of the sleeve.
YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 2,465,700 to Tuttle teaches an ornamental lighting fixture comprising a body having an electric lamp socket mounted centrally thereon and a reflector surface surrounding the socket, the reflector being adapted to receive downwardly directed light from a light-transmitting ornament mounted above the socket, the body having on its upper side an outside threaded hollow boss coaxial with the socket adapted to support an inside threaded collar, and the body having on its lower side opposite the socket a cylindrical cavity within a cylindrical wall having an interrupted flange extending outwardly from the wall, with openings through the cylindrical wall adapted for the entrance and exit of a pair of side-by-side insulated electrical conductors, and sharp-pointed electrical contact members electrically connected to the socket terminals embedded in opposite positions in the wall with the points directed inwardly and adapted to penetrate the insulation to make electrical contact with the conductors; a threaded collar attachable to the boss, the upper end of the collar being arranged for removably attaching a light-transmitting ornament; and a closure member for the cylindrical cavity in the holder, including a cam member extending into the cavity between the side-by-side conductors and adapted upon rotation to press each of the conductors into contact with one of the pointed members, and flange-engaging lips arranged to pass through the gaps in the flange and upon rotation of the closure adapted to frictionally engage the flange; and spring clamp means attached to the closure member for removably attaching the fixture to a Christmas tree or the like.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 2,590,279 to Soss teaches a toy comprising a transparent tube, a volatile liquid, means for maintaining the liquid at a level in the tube, an image within the tube and adapted to float upon the liquid, a heater for causing the liquid to bubble, whereby the image is caused to bob, and means for heating the heater.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 2,749,432 to Dorsey teaches an illuminated unit comprising in combination, an incandescent lamp having a glass bulb of substantially ovoidal shape and a base secured to the larger end of the bulb, a body of light transmitting material shaped to receive the lamp bulb and a collar support the body around the lamp bulb, the wall of the larger end portion of the bulb being irregular, the irregular portion of the wall extending circumferentially of the bulb at a region closely adjacent the base thereon and comprising a recess which is annularly discontinuous around the bulb to provide transversely facing locking shoulders thereon, the irregular wall portion providing a seat for the collar around the end portion of the bulb, the collar having spaced spring fingers extending inwardly from a solid ring and engaging the irregular wall portion of the bulb and within the recess thereof to lock the collar in place on the bulb against both rotative and axial movement relative thereto, the body being attached to the solid ring part of the collar whereby the light transmitting body is supported by the lamp bulb.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 4,714,984 to Spector teaches a night light assembly which plugs into and is supported by an electrical wall outlet whose orientation on the wall is either horizontal or vertical. The assembly, which switched on, produces low-level illumination and at the same time exudes an aromatic vapor. The assembly includes a reflector shell having housed therein a low-wattage bulb. Attached to the open front of the shell is a frame adapted to accommodate a removable window cartridge having a transparent plate whose rear face is covered by a thin pad of light-permeable porous material impregnated with a volatile aromatic liquid. The shell is vented, and as the air therein is heated and expanded by heat emanating from the bulb, a convection current is produced which flows across the pad to volatilize the liquid, thereby creating an aromatic vapor that is discharged through the vent. Adherable to the front face of the window plate is a translucent sheet having a picture thereon of an object possessing a characteristic odor, the fragrance of the aromatic vapor being thematically related thereto. The sheet is so adhered to the plate as to orient the picture thereon to conform to the existing orientation of the outlet into which the assembly is plugged.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,105,343 to Wakimoto teaches a decorative illuminating torch that, by reflecting and refracting light emitted to the side and rear of a light source through transparent thread members and down the length of a grip portion, the grip portion is illuminated. The light emitted from the front of the light source can be used to illuminate further novelty items.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,537 to Altman teaches a decorative lighting arrangement utilizing a standard commercial illuminated marker, such as one which outlines a walk, a driveway or the like. Importantly, the invention provides a substitute decorative component or structure which serves to replace the shade-cover typically found on the presently available marker. In other words, and through, for example, rotating action, the decorative component serves to present a holiday or special occasion motif through the use of and by modifying an existing light providing marker. The end effects of the invention are manyfold, serving to satisfy a variety of festive occasions.
YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,333 to Kandampully teaches a light emitting foldable decoration is provided for a socket holder fixture with a light bulb suspended by a power cord from a mounting plate on a ceiling of a building. The decoration consists of a structure connected to the socket holder fixture for screening the light bulb and another structure for covering the screening structure, so that the covering structure will allow some of the light illuminating from the light bulb to enhance the appearance of the covering surface.
STILL YET ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,526,243 to Masters teaches a decorative enclosure or cover is adjustably fitted over a low voltage light fixture. The light fixture is of the type that has a stake adapted to be partially inserted into the ground, a support extending upwardly from the stake, a light bulb assembly mounted atop the support, a light cover positioned over the light bulb assembly and a power source connected to the bulb assembly for supplying electricity to the same. The light cover includes a sleeve that extends downwardly from the bottom thereof. The sleeve is slidable along the support and has at least one opening formed therethrough. A screw is threaded through the opening in the sleeve wall in order to engage the support and maintain the enclosure in place.
FINALLY, YET STILL ANOTHER EXAMPLE, U.S. Pat. No. 5,537,297 to Ghandehari teaches an apparatus is provided for reflecting light, and includes a transparent tube having two end surfaces and a cylindrical side wall. A light source includes both an illuminating light beam and a tube holding member that holds at least one of the end surfaces close to the light source so that the light beam propagates through at least one of the end surfaces and then along the tube. A color light filter may be positioned between the light source and at least one end surface of the tube so that the color of the light beam is selectable. At least one opaque thin film strip is adhered to or etched into a minor portion of the circumference of the outer surface for reflecting a portion of the light beam transversely through the tube such that the portion of the light beam is visible along the side wall of the tube.
It is apparent that numerous innovations for decorative lights have been provided in the prior art that are adapted to be used. Furthermore, even though these innovations may be suitable for the specific individual purposes to which they address, they would not be suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described.


A data storage system includes a plurality of storage devices organized as a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) storage array and a RAID controller. The RAID controller monitors the plurality of storage devices in the RAID storage array. The RAID controller also detects that a host read request of a host has a latency exceeding a latency threshold. Based on the monitoring, the RAID controller determines whether a proactive rebuild of a data requested by the host read request in absence of a data error would likely be beneficial to performance. Based on determining that a proactive rebuild of the data requested by the host read request would likely be beneficial to performance, the RAID controller initiates the proactive rebuild of the data and sends the requested data to the host.

The present disclosure is generally directed to data storage and, more particularly, to non-volatile storage systems. Still more particularly, the present disclosure is directed to a non-volatile storage system implementing a RAID architecture that can also be selectively leveraged to reduce the response times of read input/output operations.
NAND flash memory is an electrically programmable and erasable non-volatile memory technology that stores one or more bits of data per memory cell as a charge on the floating gate of a transistor or a similar charge trap structure. In a typical implementation, a NAND flash memory array is organized in physical blocks (also referred to as "erase blocks") of memory, each of which includes multiple physical pages each in turn containing a multiplicity of memory cells. By virtue of the arrangement of the word and bit lines utilized to access memory cells, flash memory arrays can generally be programmed on a page basis, but are erased on a block basis. NAND flash memory is commonly used to implement solid state disks (SSDs), which provide non-volatile storage having a low average access latency.
Although SSDs are characterized by low average access latencies, particularly as compared to older storage technologies such as rotating magnetic disk storage and tape drives, SSDs often have high read tail latencies. That is, in SSDs, infrequently some read requests exhibit an access latency that is significantly longer than average, for example, 10 to 100 times the average read access latency. These high read tail latencies occur for a variety of reasons, including transient latency degradation due to the occurrence of one or more asynchronous background management activities such as garbage collection, voltage calibration, wear leveling, and data scrubbing or the coincidence of the read request with a high latency I/O operation such as page programming or block erasure. In other cases, high read tail latencies may be due to characteristics of the SSD architecture, for example, queuing delays resulting from read requests targeting a same channel, chip, or plane as recent prior I/O requests or the fill level of caches.
In the prior art, many existing strategies have been employed to reduce read tail latencies, including implementing program and erase suspend for NAND flash chips, improving I/O command scheduling (e.g., advancing reads before writes, enabling request priority levels, etc.), imposing higher level control over the background maintenance activities, or redirecting interfering write requests to non-conflicting flash devices and/or serving read requests from different storage devices by leveraging the redundancy inherent in an implemented RAID scheme. The present application recognizes that these existing approaches either do not fully solve the issue of the high read tail latencies for data storage systems or require significant changes to the storage system and the underlying storage devices.

International Business Machines Corporation


A power takeoff unit for an automobile combined with a transmission is comprised of a first rotatable shaft including a first gear; a second rotatable shaft including a second gear, the second shaft being so disposed as to have the second gear engaged with the first gear and intersecting with, or being not parallel and not intersecting with, the first shaft to establish driving link between the first shaft and the second shaft; a casing including an attachment portion having a first internal face having a first internal diameter and an end portion and a second internal face being disposed inward than the first internal face relative to the casing and having a second internal diameter; and a seal member interposed between the first shaft and the second internal face.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power transmission device of an automobile, and in particular relates to a power takeoff unit for distributing torque from first axles to second axles in a four-wheel drive vehicle for example.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a front-wheel drive vehicle for example, an engine installed on the front of a vehicle body generates torque and a differential receives and distributes the torque to left and right front wheels. In a case of a four-wheel drive vehicle, for the purpose of distributing part of torque to rear wheels, a power takeoff unit (PTU) is in general used in combination with a transmission including a differential. A casing of the PTU and a transmission case are mutually securely combined in order to prevent eccentricity of these rotation shafts and then used.
Oil is required to circulate throughout the interior of the transmission case for the purpose of lubrication. Separate from this circulation, another oil is required to circulate within the PTU. To prevent mutual mixing, an oil seal is in general disposed at the boundary between the transmission case and the PTU. This oil seal is required to intervene there with sufficient repulsive force in order to prevent oil leakage through the periphery of the rotation shaft. Thus, in a case where the oil seal is disposed within the PTU at the side opposed to the casing, the oil seal is, after assembly of the PTU, pressed from its end into the PTU around the periphery of the rotation shaft with considerably great pressure.
Japanese Patent Applications Laid-open No. 2004-314796, 2009-115309, U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,678 A, and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 5-155265 disclose related arts.