A user-defined rule that specifies a condition and an action to be performed is processed in an electronic messaging system that includes a server and a client by determining at the server whether the condition is satisfied upon an occurrence of an event. Once the condition is satisfied, the action is performed at the server if all resources for performing the action are resident on the server. If one or more of the resources for performing the action are resident on the client, a deferred action message representative of the action is generated. The deferred action message is processed by the client, either immediately if the client is presently logged in to the server, or later when the client next logs in to the server, and the action is performed at the client based on the deferred action message.

This invention relates to the handling of electronic mail ("e-mail") messages within an e-mail messaging system.
An e-mail messaging system generally is composed of one or more sites interconnected through a local area network ("LAN"). A typical e-mail site 10 as shown in FIG. 1 includes one or more servers 12 and 14 interconnected by a communications path 28. Each server 12 and 14 respectively serves one or more clients 16, 18, 20 and 22, 24, 26 (e.g., individual workstations). A client in turn interacts through a user interface application with an end-user--for example, a human operator who seeks to use the e-mail system to communicate with other end-users.
Each end-user of the e-mail system has a unique "mailbox" 30-35 located on one of the servers in the e-mail system through which the end-user sends, receives, stores or otherwise processes messages. A mailbox is an abstraction for an electronic workspace associated with a single, specific end-user. As shown in FIG. 2, a mailbox 50 may be subdivided logically into a number of constituent workspaces, for example, an in-box 52 in which some of newly received messages are placed; one or more user-specified folders 54, 56, 58 for organizing and storing e-mail messages by subject matter; a "trash" folder 60 in which unwanted messages are placed; and so on. Ordinarily, the various elements of an end-user's mailbox are graphically represented as various abstractions on the screen display of the client (e.g., icons of file folders, a trash bin).
An end-user may access his or her mailbox by logging on to the appropriate server through a client connected to that server. For example, the end-user who owns mailbox 31 in FIG. 1 may log on to server 14 through any one of clients 22, 24 or 26 to access his or her mailbox. Client 22 might be a desktop PC at the office while client 24 might be the same user's laptop computer. Once an end-user has gained access to his or her mailbox, he has a number of operations available including preparing and sending new messages; reading and replying to messages received from other end-users of the e-mail system; forwarding messages on to other end-users; deleting unwanted messages; organizing saved messages by moving or copying them into new or existing folders; and so on. In the simplest case, these operations are performed interactively (e.g., manually by the user); each operation requiring input from and/or acknowledgement by the end-user before its execution may be completed.
Often an end-user will want to perform the same operations on messages having the same characteristics (e.g., identity of the end-user who sent the message, subject matter of message, priority assigned to message, etc.). An agent known as a "rule" allows the end-user to specify one or more "actions" that will be performed by the e-mail system automatically during message delivery phase, based upon one or more triggering conditions being satisfied. For example, an end-user may create a rule that all incoming messages on a specified topic (the condition) are to be forwarded (the action) to another end-user. In another example, the end-user may want to be notified whenever a new "urgent priority" message (first condition) is received from his or her boss (second condition) by having a pop-up alert window displayed (first action) and a tone generated (second action) at the client through which the end-user is logged on to the server.
Rules are created by the client on a client by an end-user using an appropriate rule building tool (e.g., dialogue boxes with menus of conditions and actions built into the e-mail messaging system). An end-user may create new rules, edit existing rules, change the order in which rules are to be evaluated or delete unwanted rules according to personal requirements and preferences. Once a rule has been created by the client it is communicated to and stored on the server in association with the end-user's mailbox.
Whenever a messaging "event" occurs for a particular end-user, the server associated with that end-user evaluates the end-user's present collection of rules to determine if the conditions of one or more of the rules have been met. Ordinarily, an event is the receipt of a new message but it also could be the sending of a message. If the event satisfies the conditions of a rule, the server performs the actions associated with that rule. Rule based messaging systems are described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,238,856 (Gross et al.), issued Feb. 1, 1994, which is incorporated by reference.
What is needed are tools and techniques that allow automated rules for handling e-mail messages in a server-based system to be processed in a seamless and efficient manner over multiple client types for a given user.

Client side deferred actions within multiple MAPI profiles


A micro-electromechanical (MEM) device includes a proof mass resiliently mounted to a substrate. The proof mass has first and second combs formed on opposite sides thereof and is electrically coupled to ground. A fixed drive comb is interleaved with the first comb of the proof mass. A fixed pick-off comb is interleaved with a portion of the second comb of the proof mass. A fixed bias comb is interleaved with the second proof mass comb. A substantially direct current (DC) bias is applied to the fixed bias comb. A substantially constant voltage is also exerted on a sense plate beneath the proof mass. The sense plate and bias comb are coupled to a charge amp through capacitors such that transient currents induced by motion of the proof mass will cause current to flow to a charge amp.

A tuning fork gyro, such as is shown in FIG. 1, induces oscillation of a proof mass 10 in a drive direction 12. Rotational movement in direction 14 perpendicular to the drive direction 12 results in acceleration of the proof mass 10 in a sense direction 16 perpendicular to the drive direction 12 in a phenomenon known as Coriolis' force. In the typical set up, two proof masses 10 are used. The two proof masses 10 oscillate 180 degrees out of phase, such that they are always moving in opposite directions. As a result, the Coriolis's force imposed on the proof masses 10 will also be in opposite directions.
Movement of the proof mass 10 along the sense direction 16 changes the capacitance between the proof mass 10 and a sense plate 18 positioned below the proof mass 10. The sense plate 18 is maintained at a constant voltage (±VS) such that changes in capacitance will induce a voltage in the proof mass 10. The proof mass 10 is connected to a charge amp 20, which converts the current induced by the changing capacitance into an output voltage (VO). VO may therefore be used to calculate the extent of Coriolis' force experienced by the proof mass 10.
Oscillation is induced by a drive comb 22 and pick-off comb 24. An alternating current (AC) drive voltage (VD+,VD−) applied to the drive comb 22 attracts the proof mass 10 due to capacitative charge build-up on the drive comb 22 and proof mass 10. Movement of the proof-mass 10 changes the capacitance between the proof mass 10 and the pick-off comb 24, resulting in a signal (VPO), which is fed back to a drive circuit 26 and used to determine the magnitude and phase of VD effective to cause the proof mass 10 to oscillate.
The proof mass 10 is elastically mounted to a substrate 28 by means of flexures 30 secured to the substrate 28 by means of pads 31. Due to imperfections in the flexures 30, oscillation of the proof mass 10 induced by VD is not entirely parallel to the drive direction 12. Instead, the proof mass 10 moves along a trajectory having components parallel to both the drive direction 12 and the sense direction 16. The extent of this movement along the sense direction 16 is often large enough to saturate the output of the gyro such that movement along the sense direction 16 induced by Coriolis' force cannot be distinguished.
Prior systems compensated for out-of-plane movement caused by the flexures by adding a direct current (DC) bias voltage (VB) to VD. As the proof mass 10 oscillates relative to the drive comb 24, the voltage VB applied to the drive comb 24 induces an oscillating current flow in the proof mass 10 due to changes in the capacitative distance between the drive comb 24 and proof mass 10. The value of VB is selected such that the magnitude of the current flow induced in the proof mass 10 has the opposite polarity but the same magnitude as current flow induced by out-of-plane movement caused by imperfections in the flexures 30.
The primary weakness of this system is that imperfections in the input signal (VD+VB) pass directly to the proof mass 10 and therefore to VO. As a result, bias, noise, and the like, caused by imperfections in the drive electronics show up in the output signal. Inasmuch as VD and VB are both large relative to the signals generated by Coriolis' force, the noise inherent in them significantly degrades the accuracy of measurements.
It would therefore be an advancement in the art to provide a tuning fork gyro compensating for out-of-plane movement induced by flexure imperfections without introducing input signal noise into the output signal.

Tuning fork gyro with sense plate read-out


A semiconductor memory device is disclosed, which includes a plurality of NAND cells each comprising a plurality of series-connected memory cell transistors, and a drain-side select transistor and a source-side select transistor connected to a drain-side end and a source-side end of the series-connected memory cell transistors, respectively, a source line commonly connected to the source-side select transistors in the plurality of NAND cells, a first discharge circuit which is connected between the source line and a reference potential and whose conduction/non-conduction is controlled by a first control signal, and a second discharge circuit which is connected between the source line and the reference potential and whose conduction/non-conduction is controlled by a second control signal different from the first control signal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory device, and particularly to a discharge circuit in a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device such as a NAND flash memory.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a core portion of a NAND flash memory, and FIG. 2 shows a structure of a NAND cell 1 of FIG. 1. Further, FIG. 3 shows signal waveforms at the time of programming in the NAND flash memory of FIG. 1. Hereinafter, a programming operation of the NAND flash memory will be briefly described with reference to the drawings.
Each of NAND strings 1 comprises, as shown in FIG. 2, a drain-side select transistor 20 connected to a bit line, a plurality of memory cell transistors 21, and a source-side select transistor 22 connected to a cell source line CELLSRC. A gate of the select transistor 20 is connected to a select gate SGD, and a gate of the select transistor 22 is connected to a select gate SGS, respectively. When data is programmed in one of the plurality of memory cell transistors 20 in the NAND string 1, the data to be programmed is transmitted to a selected bit line 5 via a sense amplifier 3. The adjacent non-select bit line 4 is charged to a power supply potential Vdd via a bit line shield line BLCRL. The bit line 4 corresponds to an even-numbered page in a memory cell array, and the bit line 5 corresponds to an odd-numbered page in the memory cell array, respectively. The cell source line CELLSRC is precharged to a potential not ground potential Vss (a Vdd potential or a potential which is lower than Vdd by a threshold voltage of the transistor) in order to suppress a current leakage to the select gate SGS side in channel boosting. When a word line WL is driven and data programming into the memory cell is terminated, a recovery operation is carried out. In the recovery operation, the bit line shield line BLCRL and the cell source line CELLSRC are discharged via discharge circuits 11 and 10, respectively. The discharge circuit 10 is controlled by a control signal CELLSRCVSS, and the discharge circuit 11 is controlled by a control signal BLCRLVSS, respectively (Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 8-87895).
As shown in the signal waveforms of FIG. 3, the cell source line CELLSRC is discharged to Vss via the discharge circuit 10. Substantially at the same timing, the bit lines 4 and 5 are equalized and then are discharged to Vss via the bit line shield line BLCRL and the discharge circuit 11. FIG. 4 shows a row decoder 40 including a SGD driver which drives the select gate SGD, a WL driver which drives word lines WL0 to WL31, and a SGS driver which drives the select gate SGD. The inventors of the present application have found that when the cell source line CELLSRC and the bit lines 4, 5 are discharged, a PN junction in the row decoder 40 is biased in a forward direction to cause a bipolar operation. This is assumed to be based on the following reasons.
FIG. 5 shows a cross sectional view of the select gate SGS and the memory cell transistors in the NAND string. The select gate SGS has strong capacitive coupling of about 20% to 40% to the cell source line CELLSRC formed of a metal wiring M0. Further, the select gate SGD (not shown) has strong capacitive coupling of about 20% to 40% to a bit line formed of a metal wiring (not shown). Thus, when the cell source line CELLSRC and the bit lines 4 and 5 are rapidly discharged to Vss in the recovery operation, the potentials of the select gates SGS and SGD tend to lower from Vss, which is supplied from the driver side, to a negative potential. How much the select gates SGS and SGD lower depends on a discharge rate at which the cell source line CELLSRC and the bit lines are discharged to Vss, the strength of the capacitive coupling of the select gates SGS and SGD, a potential supply capability of the driver, and the like.


An extracorporeal blood circulation system for treating inflammatory diseases includes a blood collection device for collecting blood from a patient suffering from an inflammatory disease, an anticoagulant mixing device for mixing an anticoagulant into the collected blood, blood transportation device for transporting the anticoagulant-containing blood at a flow rate in the range of from 20 to 200 ml/minute, a blood treating device having a blood inlet and a blood outlet and containing a platelet activating device, and a blood returning device for returning the treated blood to the patient, each being liquid-tightly connected in this order through a tubing so that when extracorporeal blood circulation is conducted using the system with respect to blood from the patient, the system is capable of providing treated blood satisfying at least one requirement selected from requirement (1) of having a .beta.-thromboglobulin concentration in the range of from 1,000 to 20,000 ng/ml and requirement (2) of having a platelet factor 4 concentration in the range of from 500 to 10,000 ng/ml. Also disclosed is an extracorporeal blood circulation method which provides treated blood in which platelets are activated to a specific degree that the above-mentioned requirement (1) and/or requirement (2) is satisfied and so as to achieve a high therapeutic effect on inflammatory diseases.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an extracorporeal blood circulation system for treating inflammatory diseases. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with an extracorporeal blood circulation system for treating inflammatory diseases, which has a construction such that, when extracorporeal blood circulation is conducted using the system with respect to blood from a patient, the system is capable of providing treated blood in which platelets are activated to a specific degree. By the use of the extracorporeal blood circulation system of the present invention, a high therapeutic effect on inflammatory diseases can be achieved, as compared to a therapeutic effect achieved by conventional extracorporeal blood circulation therapies (such as plasmapheresis and a method using a leukocyte trapping filter).
2. Prior Art
An inflammatory disease is a disease in which an infiltration of leukocytes into a diseased site occurs, or a disease in which an inflammation markedly occurs due to active oxygen and various cytokines which are released from leukocytes.
Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract. Currently, ulcerative colitis is generally believed to be a cryptogenic disease; however, it has been suspected that ulcerative colitis is attributable to an antilarge intestine antibody, an autoimmune T cell and the like.
Methods for treating these diseases can be classified into internal-medical treatment and surgical treatment. In an internal-medical treatment, drugs are used for the treatment, wherein such drugs are appropriately selected in accordance with the degree of seriousness of the symptoms and the location of the ulcer. Examples of such drugs include salazosulfapyridine (manufactured and sold by The Green Cross Corporation, Japan), prednisolone (manufactured and sold by Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Japan), azathioprine (manufactured and sold by Sumitomo Pharmaceuticals Co., Ltd., Japan and Nippon Wellcome K. K., Japan) and tranilast (manufactured and sold by KISSEI PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD., Japan). Such internal-medical treatments are effective for most cases of ulcerative colitis; however, the use of a drug for treating ulcerative colitis poses the danger of the occurrence of a side effect.
In a surgical treatment, excision of the diseased site is performed by a surgical operation. However, with respect to Crohn's disease, after the excision, the probability of the recurrence of the disease is high. Further, with respect to both of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, after the excision, it is frequently necessary that the patient be fitted with an artificial anus, inevitably leading to a lowering of the quality of life (QOL).
Articular rheumatism is a cryptogenic generalized inflammatory disease in which the cardinal symptom is polyarthritis, and which may also exhibit various extra-articular symptoms, such as subcutaneous nodule, angiitis, pleurisy and diffuse interstitial pneumonia. It has been known that an autoantibody, which is called a rheumatoid factor, is present in serum and synovia from a patient suffering from articular rheumatism.
For treating this disease (articular rheumatism), various drugs are used in combination, wherein such drugs are selected from, for example, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, a steroidal drug, an immunosuppressant and an immunomodulator. A treatment using drugs is effective for most patients suffering from articular rheumatism; however, this treatment poses the danger of the occurrence of a side effect. With respect to inflammatory diseases which do not favorably respond to any drug or which cannot be treated with drugs due to serious side effects of the drugs, it has been reported that such inflammatory diseases have been effectively treated by using plasmapheresis, such as double filtration plasmapheresis and immunoadsorption plasmapheresis. Plasmapheresis is a therapeutic method in which a rheumatoid factor and an immune complex, both which are thought to be causative of inflammation, are removed from the patient. {With respect to plasmapheresis, reference can be made to, for example, the following literature: Y. Itakura et al., Effects of Double Filtration Plasmapheresis for Rheumatoid Arthritis, p.133-136, Therapeutic Plasmapheresis (VII), Proceedings of the Seventh Symposium on Therapeutic Plasmapheresis, Tokyo, Jun. 5-6, 1987, Japanese Society for Therapeutic Plasmapheresis; N. Kobayashi et al., Plasma Cleaning Using Immunoadsorbent IM-P for Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, p.153-157, Therapeutic Plasmapheresis (IV), Proceedings of the 4th Symposium on Therapeutic Plasmapheresis, Tokyo, Jun. 2nd, 1984, Japanese Society for Therapeutic Plasmapheresis. } However, the convntional techniques of plasmapheresis are unsatisfactory in therapeutic effect. It is desired to improve the therapeutic effect of plasmapheresis.
In recent years, it has been suggested that inflammatory diseases (such as ulcerative colitis and articular rheumatism) can be treated by reducing the number of leukocytes present in the blood of a patient, using a device comprising a fibrous filter (see European Patent Application Publication No. 478,914, Pall Corporation). Further, there is also a report that, when a patient suffering from articular rheumatism was subjected to a lymphocyte removal therapy, the symptoms of the patient were alleviated (Artificial Organs, Vol. 15, No. 3, 1991).
However, the alleviation of clinical symptoms accompanying inflammatory diseases, which can be achieved by an extracorporeal blood circulation using a known leukocyte trapping filter, is at best similar to that obtained by plasmapheresis. Therefore, it is desired to improve the therapeutic effect of the extracorporeal blood circulation therapy.

System and method of extracorporeally treating blood to alleviate the symptoms of inflammatory diseases


A solid-state imaging device comprises a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of pixels formed on the semiconductor substrate and generating imaging signals, and an output amplifier converting a pixel signal generated from the pixel to an imaging signal, and outputting the image signal. The pixel includes a photoelectric converting portion generating a charge in accordance with the amount of received light, a capacitor storing a charge generated from the photoelectric converting portion, and a switching portion for reading out the charge stored in the capacitor as the pixel signal. The capacitor includes a storing region formed on at least one of a part or an adjacent portion of the photoelectric converting portion, a capacitor insulating film formed on the storing region, the capacitor insulating film being made of a high dielectric material having a high relative dielectric constant, and a capacitor electrode formed on the capacitor insulating film.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a solid-state imaging device used in the field of imaging techniques and the field of measuring instruments and applied to, for example, an XY-address type MOS imaging element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a solid-state imaging device for converting an image of an object to an electrical imaging signal, a dynamic range is increased in order to cope with various objects having a wide luminance distribution.
A device for increasing the dynamic range of the solid-state imaging device is disclosed in Published Unexamined Japanese Patent Application (PUJPA) No. 63-232591. In a method for increasing the dynamic range disclosed in the above application, a plurality of images each obtaining a different exposure period are non-destructively read out from non-destructive read-out imaging elements, and the plurality of images are added to each other on the outside of the imaging elements. Consequently, an image obtained from the plurality of images, has an increased dynamic range, and has wide luminance information from low luminance to high luminance.
However, when the dynamic range is increased by the above method, a driving circuit for successively changing the exposure period and a circuit for summing a plurality of images are required; the structure of the device becomes complex and the size of the element is increased.

Solid-state imaging device using high relative dielectric constant material as insulating film


A board connecting terminal includes a contact which comes into contact with a mate side terminal, and a solder part soldered to a pad part formed in a circuit board and connected to the contact. The solder part includes a solder part main body soldered to the pad part, a first engaging piece extended from the solder part main body and a second engaging piece extended from the solder part main body. The solder part main body is soldered to the pad part under a state that the first engaging piece and the second engaging piece are engaged with the circuit board.

Usually, a connector for connecting a board is proposed that connects a terminal attached to a connector housing to a pad part on a circuit board (for instance, see JP-A-2000-182694). The connector 1 for connecting the board includes, as shown in FIG. 14, an upward male connector housing (a connector housing) 2 made of a synthetic resin, terminals 3 protruding downward from the male connector housing 2 and having curved resilient contact parts 4 in their end sides and a pair of attaching parts (brackets) 7 and 7 provided both sides of the male connector housing 2 and having semispherical engaging protrusions to which a circuit board 6 is inserted and engaged.
The male connector housing 2 is formed so as to be divided into an upper part and a lower part. In an upper housing part 2a, a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers 8 are provided upward. In a lower housing part 2b, the terminals 3 are fixed by means of, for instance, an insert molding under a state that the lower half parts of the terminals 3 protrude. In the terminal accommodating chambers 8, female type electric contact parts (not shown in the drawing) as the upper half parts of the terminals 3 are accommodated. Further, in both side walls 9 of the lower housing part 2b, the attaching parts 7 are integrally formed to protrude.
The lower half part of the terminal 3 includes a vertically extending flat plate shaped straight part 10, a horizontally short support part 11 bent at right angles to a detaching direction of the circuit board 6 from a lower end of the straight part 10 to form a stepped part and a resilient contact part 4 protruding downward from a front end of the support part 11 and curved in a circular arc shape substantially in the shape of U or substantially in the shape of J (either may be used). The support part 11 may be resiliently bent when a strong pressing force is applied upward thereto and serves to improve a flexural rigidity of the resilient contact part 4.
The resilient contact part 4 can come into linear contact or planar contact with an electrically conductive pad part 13 (a part of a circuit 12) continuous to a printed circuit 12 or an electric wire (either may be used, refer it to as a circuit, hereinafter). The direction of a linear contact is a direction orthogonal to an inserting direction (a direction shown by an arrow mark a) of the circuit board 6. The curved resilient contact part 4 can be resiliently bent in such a direction as to enlarge a diameter.
The resilient contact part 4 of this example includes a front side guide inclined part inclined somewhat forward, a circular arc shaped contact surface part continuous to the guide inclined part and a base part rising vertically from the contact surface part and continuous to the support part 11.
In the connector for connecting the board having such a structure, the circuit board 6 is slid in the direction shown by the arrow mark a to be engaged with the one pair of attaching parts 7 and 7, so that the resilient contact part 4 of the terminal 3 can be allowed to come into resilient contact with the pad part 13 of the circuit 12. Therefore, the resilient contact part 4 is pressed to an upper surface of the pad part 13 by a strong contact pressure. Accordingly, the terminal 3 can be simply, assuredly and stably connected to the circuit 12 to improve an attaching workability.
The connector 1 for connecting the board has a structure in which the terminals 3 are respectively aligned and formed so that each of the terminals 3 is accommodated and fixed in each of the terminal accommodating chambers 8 formed in the male connector housing 2. Accordingly, a pitch accuracy of each terminal 3 is held so that the terminals 3 respectively correspond to the arrangement of the plurality of pad parts 13 on the circuit board 6, and the terminals 3 may respectively hold strength to an external force received during an attachment and detachment of a mate side connector housing at the same time.


An interchangeable socket for a socket wrench or other tool is disclosed. The socket has a fastener-receiving end, dimensioned to receive and fit a specified fastener. The socket has a post-receiving end dimensioned to receive and fit a square cross-section drive post. The post-receiving end has a square cross-section hollow bounded by four walls intersecting at corners of the hollow. The post-receiving end has guide surfaces that intersect with the four walls and each other. The guide surfaces cooperate with the drive post to rotate and align the drive post with the square cross-section hollow. The guide surfaces are symmetric with respect to the four walls. The guide surfaces are symmetric with respect to the corners of the square cross-section hollow.

A socket wrench set commonly includes a socket wrench 102 and interchangeable sockets in various sizes. The socket wrench 102 has a drive post 106 or shank, usually of quarter (¼) inch drive, three eighths (⅜) inch drive or half (½) inch drive, onto which a socket 104 fits, as shown in FIGS. 1-3. Sockets are available in metric or English sizes, to fit metric or English hex bolts or nuts respectively. Usually, each socket has a six point receptacle 108 or socket, or a twelve point receptacle or socket (not shown, but widely known and readily understood) at one end of the socket body, and a square receptacle 302 at an opposed end of the socket body 304, although other types of sockets fitting other types of specified fasteners are known. The six point socket, also known as a hex socket, or the twelve point socket is sized to fit the bolt head or nut, and is usually just slightly larger across than the bolt head or nut so as to allow for working clearance. The square receptacle 302 is sized to fit the drive post 106 or shank of the socket wrench 102, and is sized slightly larger across so as to allow for working clearance. Usually, the drive post 106 or shank of the socket wrench 102 and the socket 104 have a ball-detent mechanism (not shown, but readily understood), with the drive post 106 or shank having one, two or four balls that are either spring-loaded and retractable by pressing or retractable with the use of a spring-loaded post 202 extending from the top 204 of the ratchet mechanism 206 on the socket wrench 102. Each socket has a corresponding set of four depressions equally spaced inside of the square receptacle 302, into which the ball or balls of the drive post 106 or shank fit.
In order to insert the drive post 106 or shank of the socket wrench 102 into the square receptacle 302 of the socket 104, the drive post 106 is aligned rotationally and longitudinally with the square receptacle 302 of the socket 104 as shown in FIG. 3, and the socket 104 is pushed onto the socket wrench 102, with the drive post 106 mating with the square receptacle 302. If the socket 104 is not correctly oriented relative to the drive post 106, the socket 104 cannot be pressed onto the drive post 106 and the socket wrench 102, and the user must then manually rotate the socket 104, the socket wrench 102 or the drive post 106 until the socket 104 is aligned with the drive post 106. Such rotation is in a rotation direction 306 about a longitudinal axis 308 of the drive post 106. The socket 104 is removed from the socket wrench 102 by pulling the socket 104 off of the drive post 106, retracting the balls of the drive post 106 either by the pulling action or by pressing the spring-loaded post 202.
Interchangeable sockets are also usable with torque wrenches, nut drivers, breaker bars and impact drivers, although sockets for the latter two generally require specially hardened steel. Socket wrenches and torque wrenches usually have a lever that establishes or reverses direction of a ratchet mechanism, which nut drivers and breaker bars lack. Impact drivers are usually one-way, for loosening stuck nuts or bolts, and can have an electric motor or an impact head that is manually hit with a hammer. Sockets are available in short, medium and extended lengths, and with special inserts for spark plugs. Improvements in the sockets are sought.


An inventive electric washing machine is configured so that a gas to be used for performing a specific process (decontamination process) on laundry is prevented from leaking to the outside. In the electric washing machine, a packing (120) to be brought into intimate contact with a door (12) for sealing a gap defined between the door (12) and a peripheral edge of an outer tub opening (118) when the door (12) is closed is opposed to a housing opening (14) with a space (129) defined between a lower edge portion of the housing opening (14) and the packing (120). If the door (12) is closed with laundry protruding through the lower edge portion of the housing opening (14), the protruding laundry is caught between the door (12) and the packing (120), so that the packing (120) is not brought into intimate contact with the door (12). If ozone is supplied into an outer tub (21) in this state, the ozone flows toward the housing opening (14) through a gap between the door (12) and the packing (120) at which the laundry is caught. However, the ozone flows into the space (129) (as indicated by a broken-line arrow X) and is retained in a housing (11) to be thereby prevented from leaking to the outside.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electric washing machine such as a drum-type washing machine.
2. Description of Related Art
There have been conventionally known electric washing machines which are configured to supply ozone into a laundry containing tub which contains laundry and clean the laundry in the laundry containing tub with the use of the supplied ozone (see, for example, JP-A1-2005-334636).
A drum-type washing machine disclosed in JP-A1-2005-334636 includes a tub (laundry containing tub), an odor sensor which detects the odor of air in the tub, a fragrance supplying device which generates fragrance, and an ozone generating device which generates ozone. In the drum-type washing machine, a laundry deodorizing process is performed independently of a washing process by supplying ozone to the laundry when the odor sensor detects the air odor in the tub, i.e., unpleasant odor of the laundry. Unless the odor sensor detects the air odor in the tub, it is judged that the laundry has no unpleasant odor, and a fragrance imparting process is performed on the laundry by supplying the fragrance to the laundry.
In the drum-type washing machine disclosed in JP-A1-2005-334636, it is necessary to sufficiently prevent the ozone, the fragrance and other gases from leaking to the outside. Particularly, if an opening of the tub through which the laundry is loaded and unloaded is closed by a door with the laundry protruding out of the tub through the opening, the protruding laundry is caught between the peripheral edge of the opening and the door to form a gap between the peripheral edge of the opening and the door. Therefore, the gases are liable to leak to the outside.


A receiving system for estimating symbol timing in a feed-forward manner comprises: a matched filter for receiving baseband signals and dividing them into real and imaginary numbers; a symbol timing estimator for receiving signals from the matched filter and estimating symbol timing using variables; a storage unit for storing the variables and outputting them according to requests of the symbol timing estimator; an interpolator for receiving a symbol timing estimate from the symbol timing estimator, and interpolating symbol-reading timing of the baseband signal; a delayer for delaying the baseband signal input to the interpolator; an RF/IF signal processor for receiving RF signals and performing RF/IF signal processing; and a baseband converter for converting the signal output from the RF/IF signal processor into baseband signals, and outputting them to the matched filter.

(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a receiving system for estimating symbol timing in a feed-forward manner and a method for estimating the symbol timing in a feed-forward manner. More specifically, the present invention relates to a receiving system for estimating symbol timing in a feed-forward manner and simply estimating the symbol timing, and a method for estimating the symbol timing in a digital phase modulation communication system.
(b) Description of the Related Art
In general, a receiving system in a communication system receives signals, converts them into baseband signals, performs symbol timing estimation, interpolation, and demodulation in the baseband, and extracts available target signals.
Since symbol intervals of a communication system become very short as high-speed information transmission develops, it is required to accurately control the symbol timing for extracting desired signals so as to extract accurate data, and algorithms for estimating symbol timing are also required.
The algorithms are classified as a feedback configuration and a feed-forward configuration, and the symbol timing estimation algorithm of the feed-forward configuration can operate with two samples per symbol, but the generally-used symbol timing estimation algorithms of the feedback configuration require at least three samples per symbol in most cases, wherein the symbol represents data of a plurality of bits.
However, since it is difficult to use the feedback symbol timing estimation algorithm in the packet transmission communication system, a feed-forward symbol timing estimation algorithm is used, one example of which is disclosed in a thesis entitled "Digital filter and square timing recovery" from IEEE Trans. Communications, Vol. 36, No. 5, Pp. 605–612, of May 1988.
The thesis relates to a symbol timing recovery algorithm suitable for high-speed data transmission, and by applying the algorithm, a free-running oscillator that is not influenced by symbol timing control operation can be used for an analog-digital (A/D) converter.
In general, in the case of using a feedback symbol timing recovery method, sampling time of the A/D converter is controlled by symbol timing errors, and hence a free-running oscillator cannot be used in this case. Using a free-running oscillator for A/D conversion necessitates enabling feed-forward symbol timing recovery. Since a feedback configuration generally requires a long preamble which is used only for signal synchronization but not for user information, it is suitable to use a feed-forward configuration to perform symbol timing recovery in the case of packet transmission.
When the number of required samples per symbol is low, the operation speed of the A/D converter may be slow, and the operation speed of the symbol timing estimation algorithm may also be slow, thereby providing easy implementation.
However, the prior art disclosed in the above thesis requires at least 3 to 4 samples to accurately estimate symbol timing, and accordingly, it problematically generates heavy loads in providing a whole communication service since it has many samples to process for a predetermined time.
That is, the detailed symbol timing estimation algorithm suggested by the prior art thesis is expressed in Equation 1.
                              τ          ^                =                              1                          2                            π                                                      arg                                      (                                                ∑                                      k                    =                    0                                    L                                                                                |                                      r                                                              (                                              kT                        s                                            )                                                                                |                    2                                                                          ⅇ                                                                  -                        j2                                                                                π                                                                                T                          s                                                T                                                                                )                                                          Equation                                                  1                            where r( ) represents a complex number value of a receiving signal, |x| denotes a magnitude of a complex number x, Ts shows a sampling interval, and T indicates a symbol interval.
      If                                T      s        =            T      2        ,                            ⅇ                        -          jk2                                                          π                                      T            s                    T                                    always represents a real number, and hence the estimate of the above equation only is either 0 or ½, thereby failing to execute a normal operation.
Therefore, in order for the equation to normally function, a condition
            T      s        T    <      1    2  must be satisfied, and since a condition
            T      s        T    =      1    4  is generally used, 4 samples are required.

Method for estimating symbol timing in feed-forward manner

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute


A contact lens for wearing on a patient's eye comprises an anterior surface adapted to face away from the eye and a posterior surface adapted to face toward the eye. The posterior surface has an optical zone disposed in the center of the lens, a secondary zone coupled to the optical zone and extending radially therefrom, and a peripheral zone coupled to the secondary zone and extending radially therefrom. The curve of the optical zone is spherical and rearwardly concave, the curve of the secondary zone is aspheric and rearwardly concave, and the curve of the peripheral zone is spherical and rearwardly concave.

Following surgical procedures performed on the cornea of the eye, e.g., cornea transplants, LASIK (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis), RK (radial keratotomy) or other refractive correction procedures, it is sometimes necessary for the post-operative patient to be fitted with rigid gas permeable ("RGP") contact lenses to provide satisfactory vision, or to address other medical concerns. Unfortunately, RGP contact lenses often rest on the same area of the eye in which the post-operative sutures or scar tissue are present. Since the sutures or scar tissue may be very sensitive to touch, it can be very difficult to fit post-operative patients with conventional RGP contact lenses that do not irritate the traumatized tissue. In some cases, practitioners must re-fit the post-operative patient dozens of times before satisfactory lenses are found. In other cases, no satisfactory lens can be found, and the patient's vision needs remain unmet. A need therefore exists, for a contact lens that is relatively comfortable when worn over sutures or scar tissue in the eye of a post-operative patient.
For example, it has become standard practice for donor corneas intended for use in cornea transplants to be harvested in the form of uniformly sized, circular-shaped pieces approximately 8 mm in diameter, known as "buttons." During the transplant procedure, a corresponding 8 mm circle is incised from the center of the patient's damaged cornea. The donor cornea "button" is then inlayed into the incised area and stitched around its periphery onto the remaining portion of the old cornea. Thus, the typical cornea transplant patient has a traumatized "surgical junction" area on their post-transplant eye(s) that is disposed in a generally circular pattern having a median diameter of about 8 mm. This surgical junction area is extremely sensitive to touch for some time after surgery, and may remain sensitive in some patients for an indefinite period. Unfortunately, most conventional RGP contact lenses have abrupt curvature junctions or other discontinuities in the annular region of approximately 8 mm in diameter, frequently making them uncomfortable for use by post-transplant patients. A need therefore further exists, for a RGP contact lens that has no abrupt curvature junctions or discontinuities in the annular region around 8 mm in diameter.
It is known that severe corneal astigmatism is frequently encountered in post-cornea transplant cases. Severe corneal astigmatism can also result from non-transplant causes such as disease, aging and hereditary factors. Regardless of the astigmatism's cause, the conventional literature teaches that using RGP contact lenses to successfully correct severe corneal astigmatism, i.e., where "severe" is usually characterized as corneal astigmatism in excess of 2.0 diopters (although sometimes characterized as corneal astigmatism in excess of 3.0 diopters), requires the use of so-called "bi-toric" lens prescriptions. Unlike standard lenses, which have a curvature prescription that is radially uniform (i.e., the same in all radial planes), bi-toric lenses have two different curvatures prescriptions, typically specified for roughly perpendicular radial planes. Although most practitioners can easily do the calculations required to fit a patient with a standard (i.e., radially uniform curvature) prescription, many practitioners find the calculations required to fit a patient with a bi-toric prescription to be prohibitively complex. In addition to being difficult to prescribe, bi-toric lenses are difficult to manufacture, resulting in a materially higher cost than standard lenses. This problem is further exacerbated if the practitioner must multiple fittings are required on the patient. A need therefore exists, for a RGP contact lens having a simple radially symmetrical curvature that can be used to treat severe corneal astigmatism in excess of 3.0 diopters.
It is further known that the precision of the refractive correction achievable using conventional rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses is typically much better than that achievable using so-called "soft" contact lenses. Nonetheless, many patients choose to wear soft contact lenses because they are found to be more comfortable than conventional RGP lenses. It is believed that some of the comfort problems associated with conventional RGP contact lenses are the result of inadequate tear flow under the lens due to poor lens design. A need therefor exists, for a RGP contact lens design that provides improved tear flow under the lens, resulting in improved comfort to the wearer.

Rigid gas permeable contact lens with 3-part curvature


A helical-ribbon mixer having a rotation-symmetrical inner mixing vessel wall (2), a motor-driven central agitator axis (3) therein, on which, on lateral agitator arms (5), at least one helical ribbon (4) is held close to the vessel wall downwardly sloping with a circular slope (SZ) in a direction of rotation (D), wherein the helical ribbon (4), vectorially combined circularly and radially, has a helical ribbon angle of slope (SN) relative to the horizontal that is greater than a gliding angle (G) on the helical ribbon (4) of a material (M) to be mixed.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a helical-ribbon mixer having a rotation-symmetrical inner mixing vessel wall, a motor-driven central agitator axis therein, on which, on lateral agitator arms, at least one helical ribbon is held close to the vessel wall, downwardly sloping with a circular slope in a direction of rotation.
2. Prior Art
A helical-ribbon mixer of this type is known from DE 195 47 220 C2. The helical ribbon serves to convey the material to be mixed in an upward flow near the wall, whereupon it flows back in a downflow near the axis and intermixes in the process. One problem associated with these mixers is emptying them as residue-free as possible, for which purpose the agitator arm that holds the helical ribbon at its lower end is designed with a special shape, so that it clears the vessel bottom while placing little stress on the material to be mixed. The helical ribbon is oriented radially relative to the central agitator axis and designed in a circular helical shape with the helix pitch preferably being relatively small near the bottom and increasingly larger from there, to allow for the initial acceleration of the material to be mixed. However, the slope of the helix surface relative to the horizontal is altogether less than the gliding angle so that the material to be mixed does not completely run off it during idling, so that additional measures must be taken to free the helix surface from the material to be mixed when a complete change of the mixing batch is to take place. Furthermore, the radially flat orientation of the helix surface has the shortcoming that it must be designed narrow relative to the mixer radius, as the screw helix, in the case of a cylindrical vessel chamber, will otherwise only rotate a hollow-cylindrical portion of the material in the mixer in a circular motion, with relatively stable separating borders forming in this rotating region and no up and down flows resulting. The essential precondition for the upward conveyance is the presence of a friction with a circular action whereby the material to be mixed is imparted with a lifting force component by the upwardly sloped helix surface, which, however, especially in the case of wider screw helixes, which are gentle on the material, and a relatively wide gap between the helix and the mixer wall, which also has a gentle effect, is only moderately developed.
Furthermore, a mixing apparatus is known from EP 1 123 731 A2, the housing of which conically widens from the bottom up at a cone angle of 60–120 degrees and subsequently transitions into a vertical cylinder space. A flat screw helix is located at the lower outlet and disposed adjoining same close to the wall are flat, strip-shaped mixer blades, which are elliptical on their outside, which may be pitched between 15 degrees and 60 degrees relative to the horizontal. These mixer blades produce a pronounced material displacement toward the center and a minor upward flow since the upper side of the blades is in each case sloped at an obtuse angle to the vessel wall and only a low pushing resistance is offered to the material to be mixed, which is required for a lifting force. Furthermore, no self-emptying takes place at the flat helix surface and with the flat mixer blade pitch. Also, at cone angles above 90° the housing is not self-emptying.


A controlling device is automatically configured to issue a communication directly to a first controllable appliance to control a functional operation of the first controllable appliance in the event that the first controllable appliance is determined to be unresponsive to a command communication transmitted to the first controllable appliance via a digital communications link or to issue a communication to a second controllable appliance to control the functional operation of the first controllable appliance via a digital communications link in the event that first controllable appliance is determined to be responsive to a command communication transmitted to the first controllable appliance via a digital communications link.

Consumer electronic appliances such as set top boxes for receiving and decoding cable and satellite signals, televisions, DVD players, game systems, etc. are well known in the art, as are the hand held controlling devices, for example remote controls, which may be provided for use in issuing commands to these appliances. Frequently, such controlling devices may be "universal," that is, capable of issuing commands suitable for the control of more than one appliance of differing type and/or manufacture.
Increasingly, the interconnections between consumer appliances such as those mentioned above may take the form of digital interfaces based upon, for example, the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) standard. The utilization of such digital interconnections may facilitate the exchange of identity information, commands, and capability data between devices and/or the discovery of system topology, which information may be advantageously used when configuring a controlling device.

System and method for configuring controlling device functionality


A control (20) and a method of controlling a tunable laser having a gain section (4), a phase change section (5) and a segmented Bragg grating reflector section (6) comprising a series of grating units (9-17) each of a different pitch, and an electrode (9a-17a) associated with each grating so that an electrical current is applicable to each individual grating. The control (20) includes a plurality of digitally controlled sources (31, 32) of electrical current which are each connected to switch means (33 or 35, 36) operable to independently connect each of said sources (31, 32) to a respective electrode (e.g. 11a or 12a) associated with a grating (e.g. 11 or 12) which is one of a subset of consecutive gratings (e.g. 11 & 12) selected from said series of grating units (9-17).

Tunable lasers for use in optical communications systems, particularly in connection with wavelength division multiplex (WDM) telecommunication systems, are known. A known tunable system comprises stacks of single wavelength distributed Bragg reflectors (DBR) lasers, which can be individually selected; or tuned over a narrow range, or by a wide range tunable laser that can be electronically driven to provide the wavelength required. Limited tuning range tunable lasers that rely upon thermal effects for tuning are also known.
Atypical optical fibre telecommunications band is the 1550 nm C-band, located in the infra-red spectrum with International Telecommunication Union (YrU) 200, 100 or 50 GHz channel spacing (the so-called ITU Grid) spread between 191 THz and 197 THz.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,325 discloses a wavelength tunable laser having sampled gratings at the front and rear of its gain region. The laser described in that specification relies on the use of two different gratings which produce slightly different reflection combs in the front and rear gratings. These provide feedback into the device. The gratings can be current tuned in wavelength with respect to each other. Co-incidence of a maximum from each of the front and rear gratings is referred to as a supermode. To switch the device between supermodes requires a small incremental electrical current into one of the gatings to cause a different pair of maxima to coincide in the manner of a vernier. By applying electrical currents to the two gratings so that the corresponding maxima track, continuous tuning within a supermode can be achieved.
Alternative forms of electrically tunable comb reflection gratings are commonly known as superstructure gratings such as described in "Broad-Range Wavelength-Tunable Superstructure Grating (SSG) DBR Lasers", Y Thomori et al, IEEE Photonics Technical Letters, Volume 5, No. 6, Jul. 1993.
The applicant's co-pending UK application 0106790.9 discloses a tunable laser having a gain section, a phase section and a segmented Bragg grating reflector comprising a series of grating units, at least two of which have a different pitch, wherein an electrical current is applicable to the grating having a longer pitch such that the wavelength of the longer pitch grating can be tuned to the wavelength of the shorter pitch grating.
Another tunable laser is disclosed in the applicant's copending UK application 0118412.6 in which there is disclosed a tunable laser including a gain section bounded at one end by a first reflector in the form of a distributed Bragg grating reflector producing a first comb of reflective peaks and on the other end by a second reflector in the form of a segmented distributed Bragg grating reflector with each segment capable of producing a peak corresponding to one of the peaks in the first comb, some at least of the segments in the segmented distributed Bragg grating reflector being capable of modification so as to reflect light at the wavelength of another peak so as to form a reinforced peak, so that the laser is capable of lasing at the wavelength of the reinforced peaks.
The segmented distributed Bragg grating reflector comprises a plurality of segments, typically eight or nine, each comprising gratings, the different segments having a grating which may be each of different pitch and their preferred organization being the longest pitch is at the facet end of the reflector, and the shortest pitch is closest to the gain section, with progressive pitch size change therebetween.
The segments are modified to change the reflecting wavelength by altering the refractive index of the material of which the segments are formed, and the refractive index may be varied by passing an electrical current through the segments. Each segment has an associated electrode to permit the passage of current through the segment arid each electrode is actuable independently of the other electrodes.
The common method of controlling multi-section lasers is to provide one digitally controlled current source per electrode and it is common to implement each current source digitally using a digital-to-analogue-converter (DAC). However for a tunable laser having multiple sections and a plurality of independently actuable grating segments, to provide one digitally controlled DAC per section or segment has major disadvantages in circuit size, control complexity and consequential costs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a suitable control for a tunable laser having a segmented distributed Bragg grating reflector, which ameliorates these problems.


A dual-cup assembly includes an inner cup and an outer cup in which the inner cup is inserted. Each of the inner and outer cups has flange extending from the outside thereof. A fastening unit is mounted to the two respective flanges to connect the inner cup and the outer cup together. A room is defined between the inner cup and the outer cup.

1. Fields of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dual-cup assembly, and more particularly, to a dual-cup assembly that is easily assembled and has an inner cup and an outer cup.
2. Descriptions of Related Art
The conventional dual-cup assembly generally is composed of an inner cup and an outer cup in which the inner cup is received, and a space is defined between the inner and outer cups. The space is made to be a vacuum space so as to isolate air from being in contact with the inner cup so that the temperature of the liquid in the inner cup can be maintained for a longer period of time. The vacuum space does not have air received therein and the heat of the liquid is then kept in the inner cup.
A conventional dual-cup assembly is disclosed in Taiwan Utility Model M339276 and has a jar with an opening. A first connection portion is formed at the opening. The jar has an outer portion and an inner portion, and a space is formed between the inner and outer portions. A cap has a second connection portion to be connected with the first connection portion to seal the opening.
The space is made to be a vacuum space, and the inner portion and the outer portion are connected to each other by a special method. These requirements make the dual-cup assembly be expensive. Besides, the inner portion cannot have replaceable patterns to provide visual characters.
The present invention intends to provide a dual-cup assembly to eliminate the shortcomings mentioned above.


The present invention relates to an implant comprising two or more bone fragments that are combined to form a single unit. Cancellous bone or cortical bone is removed from a source and fashioned into bone components with desirable shapes and sizes. The bone components may be integrated to form implants for implantation in the body. Bone stock may be formed by combining sections of various bones of the body, and the bone stock may be further fashioned for use as implants with particular geometries.

Bone grafts have become an important and accepted means for treating bone fractures and defects. In the United States alone, approximately half a million bone grafting procedures are performed annually, directed to a diverse array of medical interventions for complications such as fractures involving bone loss, injuries or other conditions necessitating immobilization by fusion (such as for the spine or joints), and other bone defects that may be present due to trauma, infection, or disease. Bone grafting involves the surgical transplantation of pieces of bone within the body, and generally is effectuated through the use of graft material acquired from a human source. This is primarily due to the limited applicability of xenografts, transplants from another species.
Orthopedic autografts or autogenous grafts involve source bone acquired from the same individual that will receive the transplantation. Thus, this type of transplant moves bony material from one location in a body to another location in the same body, and has the advantage of producing minimal immunological complications. It is not always possible or even desirable to use an autograft. The acquisition of bone material from the body of a patient typically requires a separate operation from the implantation procedure. Furthermore, the removal of material, oftentimes involving the use of healthy material from the pelvic area or ribs, has the tendency to result in additional patient discomfort during rehabilitation, particularly at the location of the material removal. Grafts formed from synthetic material have also been developed, but the difficulty in mimicking the properties of bone limits the efficacy of these implants.
As a result of the challenges posed by autografts and synthetic grafts, many orthopedic procedures alternatively involve the use of allografts, which are bone grafts from other human sources (normally cadavers). The bone grafts, for example, are placed in a host one and serve as the substructure for supporting new bone tissue growth from the host one. The grafts are sculpted to assume a shape that is appropriate for insertion at the fracture or defect area, and often require fixation to that area as by screws or pins. Due to the availability of allograft source material, and the widespread acceptance of this material in the medical community, the use of allograft tissues is certain to expand in the field of musculoskeletal surgery.
FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D show the relative sizes of the femur 10 (thigh), tibia 11 (lower leg), humerus 12 (upper arm), and radius 13 (lower arm) respectively for an adult. As can be seen when comparing these bones, their geometry varies considerably. The lengths of these bones may have a range, for example, from 47 centimeters (femur), to 26 centimeters (radius). In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1E and 1F, the shape of the cross section of each type of bone varies considerably, as does the shape of any given bone over its length. While the femur 10, as shown in FIG. 1E, has a generally rounded outer shape, the tibia 11 has a generally triangular outer shape as shown in FIG. 1F. The wall thickness also varies in different areas of the cross-section of each bone. For example, femur 10 has a wall thickness X1 that is much smaller than wall thickness X2. Similarly, tibia 11 has a wall thickness X3 that is much smaller than wall thickness X4. Even after clearing the inner canal regions 14 and 15 within the bones, the contours of these canals vary considerably. Thus, machining of the bone to have standardized outer dimensions and/or canal dimensions is necessary in many applications.
Sections of bones with regions having narrow cross-sections, as seen for example with thicknesses X1 and X3, may be rejected for use in certain applications because the wall thickness does not have sufficient strength. Preferably, no region of a bone section has a thickness less than 5 millimeters, although in some applications smaller wall thicknesses may be employed. Thus, in the case that a bone section is found to have a region with a wall thickness less than a minimum acceptable thickness, such a bone section is rejected as being unsuitable for use in a bulk configuration. Often, such a section is ground into bone particulate that is then used in other applications. The minimum thickness standards imposed on the use of bone sections results in the rejection of substantial quantities of bone sections, and thus an inefficient use of the material. Bone sections that do not meet the minimum thickness standards are often found in older individuals.
As a collagen-rich and mineralized tissue, bone is composed of about forty percent organic material (mainly collagen), with the remainder being inorganic material (mainly a near-hydroxyapatite composition resembling 3Ca3(PO4)2Ca(OH)2)Structurally, the collagen assumes a fibril formation, with hydroxyapatite crystals disposed along the length of the fibril, and the individual fibrils are disposed parallel to each other forming fibers. Depending on the type of bone, the fibrils are either interwoven, or arranged in lamellae that are disposed perpendicular to each other.
There is little doubt that bone tissues have a complex design, and there are substantial variations in the properties of bone tissues with respect to the type of bone (i.e., leg, arm, vertebra) as well as the overall structure of each type. For example, when tested in the longitudinal direction, leg and arm bones have a modulus of elasticity of about 17 to 19 GPa, while vertebra tissue has a modulus of elasticity of less than 1 GPa. The tensile strength of leg and arm bones varies between about 120 MPa and about 150 MPa, while vertebra have a tensile strength of less than 4 MPa. Notably, the compressive strength of bone varies, with the femur and humerus each having a maximum compressive strength of about 167 MPa and 132 MPa respectively. Again, the vertebra have a far lower compressive strength of no more than about 10 MPa.
With respect to the overall structure of a given bone, the mechanical properties vary throughout the bone. For example, a long bone (leg bone) such as the femur has both compact bone and spongy bone. Cortical bone, the compact and dense bone that surrounds the marrow cavity, is generally solid and thus carries the majority of the load in major bones. Cancellous bone, the spongy inner bone, is generally porous and ductile, and when compared to cortical bone is only about one-third to one-quarter as dense, one-tenth to one-twentieth as stiff, but five times as ductile. While cancellous bone has a tensile strength of about 10–20 MPa and a density of about 0.7, cortical bone has a tensile strength of about 100–200 MPa and a density of about 2. Additionally, the strain to failure of cancellous bone is about 5–7%, while cortical bone can only withstand 1–3% strain before failure. It should also be noted that these mechanical characteristics may degrade as a result of numerous factors such as any chemical treatment applied to the bone material, and the manner of storage after removal but prior to implantation (i.e. drying of the bone).
Notably, implants of cancellous bone incorporate more readily with the surrounding host bone, due to the superior osteoconductive nature of cancellous bone as compared to cortical bone. Furthermore, cancellous bone from different regions of the body is known to have a range of porosities. Thus, the design of an implant using cancellous bone may be tailored to specifically incorporate material of a desired porosity.
It is essential to recognize the distinctions in the types and properties of bones when considering the design of implants. Surgeons often work with bones using similar tools as would be found in carpentry, adapted for use in the operating room environment. This suggests that bones have some properties which are similar to some types of wood, for example ease in sawing and drilling. Notably, however, are many differences from wood such as the abrasive nature of hydroxyapatite and the poor response to local heating during machining of a bone. The combination of tensile and compressive strengths found in bone, resulting from the properties of the collagen and hydroxyapatite, is thus more aptly compared to the tensile and compressive strengths found in reinforced concrete, due to steel and cement. Furthermore, while wood is readily available in considerable quantity, bone material is an extremely limited resource that must be used in an extremely efficient manner.
Various types of bone grafts are known. For example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,289 to Coates et al., a spinal spacer includes a body formed of a bone composition such as cortical bone. The spacer has walls that define a chamber that is sized to receive an osteogenic composition to facilitate bone growth.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,939 to Boyce et al. discloses a bone-derived implant for load-supporting applications. The implant has one or more layers of fully mineralized or partially demineralized cortical bone and, optionally, one or more layers of some other material. The layers constituting the implant are assembled into a unitary structure, as by joining layers to each other in edge-to-edge fashion in a manner analogous to planking.
Another bone-grafting material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,678,470 to Nashef et al., and is formed using a tanning procedure involving glutaraldehyde that renders the material osteoinvasive. A bone block is shaped into a precise predetermined form and size using conventional machining techniques. A paste-like suspension is also formed using known methods of comminuting bone, such as milling, grinding, and pulverizing, and adding the pulverized or powdered bone to a carrier. The treatment with glutaraldehyde allows the use of bovine, ovine, equine, and porcine bone sources. However, if the final desired form of the bone grafting material is a block of bone or machined shape, the bone stock must be large enough to provide a block of the required size.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,981,828 to Nelson et al. discloses a "composite" acetabular allograft cup for use in hip replacement surgery. A press is used to form the cup from impacted cancellous bone chips and cement. The composite is a hollow hemispherical dome having an outer surface comprised essentially of exposed cancellous bone chips and an inner surface comprised essentially of hardened bone cement. The cancellous bone chips are first placed in a mold and subjected to a load to form a compact and consolidated mass that conforms to the shape of the mold. The mold is then opened, cement is applied, and the mold is then reapplied. While an allograft of a particular shape may be formed using this process, the process is limited to forming an allograft by compressing cancellous bone chips. Thus, numerous molds are required in order to produce allografts of different sizes, and the use of bulk-size allograft source material is not facilitated.
With a rapidly increasing demand in the medical profession for devices incorporating bone material, the tremendous need for the tissue material itself, particularly allograft tissue material, presents a considerable challenge to the industry that supplies the material. Due to the size and shape of the bones from which the material is harvested, and the dimensional limitations of any particular type of bone in terms of naturally occurring length and thickness (i.e. cortical or cancellous), there is a need for a means by which individual bone fragments can be combined to form larger, integral implants that are more suitable for use in areas of larger fractures or defects. For example, the size of cortical bone fragments needed to repair a fracture or defect site is often not available in a thick enough form. While multiple fragments may together meet the size and shape requirements, several prominent concerns have placed a practical limitation on the implementation of this concept. There is considerable uncertainty regarding the structural integrity provided by fragments positioned adjacent to one another without bonding or other means of securing the fragments to each other. Moreover, there is concern over the possibility that a fragment may slip out of position, resulting in migration of the fragment and possible further damage in or near the area of implantation.
In addition, due to the geometry of bones such as the femur and tibia, all portions of the bones are not readily usable as a result of size limitations. Thus, prior art implants, specifically allografts, are produced with an inefficient use of source bones.
There is a need for new, fundamental approaches to working with and processing tissues, in particular allograft material, especially with regard to machining, mating, and assembling bone fragments. Specifically, there is a need for an implant that allows more efficient use of source material. More specifically, there is a need for an implant that is an integrated implant comprising two or more bone fragments that are interlocked to form a mechanically effective, strong unit.

Multipiece implants formed of bone material


A microscope apparatus comprises a focusing unit for changing the relative position between a specimen and the focus position of an object lens; and a setup unit for setting a plurality of import regions in the optical axis of the object lens, with a position at which a specimen is focused being established as a reference. It further comprises a control unit for obtaining a plurality of extended time exposure images by changing the relative positions from each respective start position to the end position of each of the plurality of import regions by means of the focusing unit under an import condition determined by desired exposure time and emission light volume; and an image generation unit for generating a focal-depth enlarged image by adding together the obtained plurality of extended time exposure images.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a microscope apparatus used for an observation or examination of a specimen and to a focal-depth enlarged image generation method used therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
Microscopes are widely used for defect inspection and structural observation of a device pattern in the processes for producing a semiconductor, et cetera. Associated with rapid progress in further miniaturization and complexity of device patterns in recent years, there have been increased demands on the optical microscopes for further improvement in resolution. In order to meet such demands, the use of an object lens with a large numerical aperture NA and the use of light with shorter wavelengths, such as infrared, for an illumination light have been tried.
Enlarging the NA of an object lens or shortening the wavelength of an illumination light causes a focal depth to become shallower. In such a case, if there is a step that is larger than the depth of focus in the specimen, a blurred image will result. Therefore, it is desired that the microscopes obtain a high resolution, large focal depth image.
Meanwhile, the materials used for producing a semiconductor, such as aluminum (Al) and copper (Cu), possess different reflectivities and absorptivities against infrared with different wavelength bands so that a defect analysis and a structural analysis that take advantage of these characteristics can be performed on an infrared microscope. In a specific example, a semiconductor device is observed by changing the wavelength band of an infrared light used as the illumination and a change in the reflectivities of a device material is detected by a change in the pixel value of an observation image, and thereby the device material can be identified. Such a microscope using infrared lights with a plurality of wavelength bands is called a plural wavelengths infrared microscope.
The depth of focus is different depending on the wavelength in the plural wavelengths infrared microscope and therefore there is a possibility that an observation image picked up with a long wavelength band will be in focus, while a part of the observation image picked up with a short wavelength may be out of focus. Therefore, a depth of focus needs to be increased for a shorter wavelength band.
There have conventionally been various concepts as methods for increasing a depth of focus. For example, reference patent document 1 has disclosed a technique that adds together plural pieces of images (the resultant image is noted as "addition image" hereinafter) with different positions respectively in focus in the optical axis direction and applies a restoration process to the addition image using a restoration filter, thereby restoring one piece of a focused image.
A conceivable method for obtaining an addition image is to change the focus positions continuously and to also accumulate the images imaged on the photo acceptance unit of an imaging element. In this method, the input and addition of images with their focuses being changed continuously are performed in the imaging element by utilizing an accumulation effect of a photo energy of the imaging element.
In the meantime, the above described method of continuously changing the focus position and obtaining an addition image utilizing the accumulation effect of the imaging element is faced with a limitation in the dynamic range of a camera in which an imaging element is incorporated and therefore an addition image with saturated brightness tends to be produced. In order to prevent the occurrence of such saturated brightness, it is conceivable to reduce the exposure time of the camera or the irradiation light volume of a light source; either case, however, is faced with the problem of a degraded S/N ratio in the addition image.
In the method of obtaining an addition image according to patent document 1, there is a possibility that saturated brightness will occur in the high reflectance part of the addition image if the exposure time of a camera and the emission light volume of a light source are set in line with the low reflectance part of a specimen.
Patent document 1: Registered Japanese Patent No. 3191928

Microscope apparatus and focal-depth enlarged image generation method used therefor


An irrigation sprinkler nozzle comprising a nozzle body having a range nozzle passage therethrough and a spreader nozzle disposed therebelow, the spreader nozzle being formed by a generally rectangular cross-sectional chamber having a generally rectangular cross-sectional outlet orifice, the chamber and outlet orifice being oriented with their long dimensions extending in a generally lateral direction substantially horizontal with the ground, the outlet orifice being laterally but not vertically smaller in size than the size of the chamber so that a vertically oriented fan-shaped spray pattern is produced by water projected from the outlet orifice.

This invention relates to irrigation sprinkler nozzles, and more particularly to a new and improved sprinkler nozzle construction for producing a highly controllable and enhanced spray pattern from a nozzle of the type including a primary or range nozzle and a secondary or spreader nozzle.
In many irrigation applications, particularly in commercial irrigation situations, irrigation sprinklers will employ nozzles having two or more outlets. Typically, one nozzle outlet, referred to as a "range nozzle", is designed to produce a relatively large volume stream intended to be projected outwardly from the sprinkler for maximum distance of throw, and another nozzle outlet referred to as a "spreader nozzle", is designed to produce a smaller volume stream, typically as a relatively small droplet size spray, which is intended to fall-out close in to the sprinkler for close-in watering. In some cases, a third nozzle outlet is provided to produce an intermediate range stream, the object being to insure that water is distributed over the entire area between the sprinkler and the maximum range of the water projected outwardly therefrom.
While it is relatively straight forward to design a range nozzle to achieve maximum distance of throw, it is much more difficult to design a spreader nozzle to fill in the area between the sprinkler and the doughnut shaped area of coverage produced by the range nozzle. One reason why it is more difficult to design spreader nozzles to supply close-in water is that small sized orifices and passageways have typically been required so that a relatively small droplet size spray will be produced, the finer the spray, the more rapidly the water will fall out to the ground. Small size orifices and passageways, however, suffer from being easily clogged and restricted by particulate material such as sand and dirt carried by the water, thereby rendering the nozzle ineffective. Further, such fine, sometimes mist-like sprays are difficult to control and highly susceptible to being blown by wind so that the water distribution pattern produced may be quite irregular. Moreover, the typical spray produced by prior art spreader nozzles tends to be generally conical in shape so that the spray extends laterally to the side of the range nozzle stream, thereby producing significant lateral overspray when used with part circle sprinklers.
Thus, there exists a need for a new and improved nozzle construction which will provide an effective and reliable spreader nozzle for close-in watering, yet which does not require small size orifices and passageways, and will produce a spray pattern of controlled size and shape that is substantially unaffected by wind and does not produce objectionable lateral overspray. As will become more apparent hereafter, the nozzle construction of the present invention satisfies this need in a novel and unobvious manner.


A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of forming a first conductive film over a substrate; forming an insulating film over the first conductive film; forming an oxide semiconductor film over the insulating film to overlap with the first conductive film; forming a second conductive film including a metal film containing molybdenum as its main component and a metal film containing copper as its main component over the oxide semiconductor film; and etching the second conductive film by an etchant. At the time of etching the second conductive film by the etchant, the oxide semiconductor film is used as an etching stopper film. In addition, the etchant which can be used for a transistor including the oxide semiconductor film is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an object, a method, or a manufacturing method. Further, the present invention relates to a process, a machine, manufacture, or a composition of matter. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a semiconductor device, a display device, a light-emitting device, an electronic device, a manufacturing method thereof, or a driving method thereof. Specifically, one embodiment of the present invention relates to, for example, a semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor and a method for manufacturing the same. Furthermore, one embodiment of the present invention relates to, for example, an etchant which can be used for a semiconductor device using an oxide semiconductor.
Note that in this specification, a semiconductor device refers to a semiconductor element itself or a device including a semiconductor element. As an example of such a semiconductor element, for example, a transistor (a thin film transistor and the like) can be given. In addition, a display device such as a liquid crystal display device includes a semiconductor device in some cases.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a trend in a display device using a transistor (e.g., a liquid crystal panel and an organic EL panel) toward a larger screen. As the screen size becomes larger, in the case of a display device using an active element such as a transistor, a voltage applied to an element varies depending on the position of a wiring which is connected to the element due to wiring resistance, which cause a problem of deterioration of display quality such as display unevenness and a defect in grayscale.
Conventionally, an aluminum film has been widely used as a material used for the wiring, the signal line, or the like; moreover, research and development of using a copper film as a material is extensively conducted to further reduce resistance. However, the copper film has poor adhesion to a base film. In addition, diffusion of a copper element in the copper film into a semiconductor layer of a transistor causes degradation in characteristics of the transistor. Note that a silicon-based semiconductor material is widely known as a material for a semiconductor thin film applicable to a transistor, and as another material, an oxide semiconductor has attracted attention (see Patent Document 1).
Furthermore, as a method for manufacturing an array substrate for a TFT-LCD, an etchant containing at least one selected from neutral salt, inorganic acid, and organic acid in addition to hydrogen peroxide which can collectively etch a double metal layer including copper is disclosed (see Patent Document 2).

Semiconductor device, method for manufacturing the same, and etchant used for the same

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


In a control system of a variable displacement compressor, a pressure sensing means mechanically detects at least one pressure in the refrigerant circuit. A varying means varies a reference value for positioning a valve body. A pressure detector electrically detects the pressure detected by the pressure sensing means in the refrigerant circuit and/or physical quantity which correlates with the detected pressure. A calculator calculates a maximum value of urging force applied to the valve body by the varying means toward an increasing side of the displacement of the compressor. The urging force applied to the valve body is controlled not to exceed the maximum value toward the increasing side of the displacement. The displacement of the compressor is maximized by the pressure sensing means under the pressure for calculating the maximum value when the varying means applies urging force of the maximum value to the valve body.

The present invention relates to a control system for adjusting displacement of a variable displacement compressor of a refrigerant circuit (a refrigeration cycle) in an air conditioner and is configured to optionally vary the displacement, while refrigerant gas is compressed by rotation of a drive shaft of the compressor.
As disclosed in page 7 to 11 and FIG. 3 of Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-173556, a control system of the above type includes an external control valve having an electromagnetic actuator in a pressure sensing valve. Namely, the external control valve includes a valve body, a pressure sensing member and the electromagnetic actuator. The valve body optionally adjusts the opening degree of a supply passage that interconnects a discharge chamber of a variable displacement swash plate type compressor (hereinafter, the compressor) and a crank chamber, which is an accommodating chamber for accommodating a swash plate of the compressor. The pressure sensing member mechanically detects pressure difference between two pressure monitoring points located in a discharge pressure region in a refrigerant circuit. The pressure difference between the above two points reflects the flow rate of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit. The pressure sensing member moves the valve body in such a manner that the displacement of the compressor is varied to cancel the variation n of the pressure difference between the above two points, that is, the variation of the flow rate of refrigerant.
The above electromagnetic actuator varies electromagnetic urging force (particularly, urging force that resists against urging force applied to the valve body by the pressure sensing member in a direction to open the valve) applied to the valve body in a direction to close the valve by electric power externally supplied so that a set pressure difference between the two pressure monitoring points is optionally varied. Incidentally, the set pressure difference is a reference value for positioning the valve body by the pressure sensing member. Namely, for example, as the electric power externally supplied to the electromagnetic actuator increases, the electromagnetic actuator strengthens the electromagnetic urging force applied to the valve body and increases the set pressure difference. On the contrary, as the electric power externally supplied to the electromagnetic actuator decreases, the electromagnetic actuator weakens the electromagnetic urging force applied to the valve body and decreases the set pressure difference.
The flow rate of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit positively correlates with the displacement of the compressor and the rotational speed of the vehicle engine for driving the compressor. Generally, the maximum value of the set pressure difference, that is, the maximum value of the electromagnetic urging force applied to the valve body by the electromagnetic actuator, is predetermined at a flow rate of refrigerant that is optionally performed in a state when the displacement of the compressor is maximum and the engine is rotated in a range of regular rotational speed. Accordingly, even if the displacement of the compressor is maximum, the flow rate of refrigerant corresponding to the maximum set pressure difference is impossibly performed in a state when the engine is rotated in a range of relatively low rotational speed, which is close to an idling of the engine.
An unwanted feature is that in a prior art since the rotational speed of the engine is not reflected to calculate the set pressure difference (the magnitude of electric power supplied to the electromagnetic actuator), the impossibly performed flow rate of refrigerant between the two pressure monitoring points is possibly ordered to the electromagnetic actuator in a state when the engine is rotated at a range of relatively low rotational speed. Accordingly, for example, when cooling is required, the set pressure difference ordered to the electromagnetic actuator largely deviates from the optionally performed pressure difference between the two pressure monitoring points at the moment in such a manner that the set pressure difference is greater than the pressure difference between the two pressure monitoring points.
Even if the rotational speed of th compressor rapidly increases due to th rapid acceleration of the vehicle and tends to increase the flow rat of refrigerant in the refrigerant circuit in the above state, the valve body cannot leave from a fully-closed state until the flow rate of refrigerant increases to correspond to the set pressure difference ordered to the electromagnetic actuator. Accordingly, it takes a relatively long time to initiate to leave from the maximum displacement of the compressor after the engine commences rapid increasing in rotational speed. As a result, discharge pressure of the compressor excessively increases so that a problem, such as a trouble with the compressor or with a conduit of the refrigerant circuit, has occurred.
Not only the above problem occurs in the control valve that has the pressure sensing member to sense the pressure difference between the two monitoring points in the refrigerant circuit, but also a similar problem occurs in a control valve that has a pressure sensing member to move by detecting at least one kind of pressure in the refrigerant circuit. Namely, for example, even if a control valve optionally varies set suction pressure in such a manner that the pressure sensing member senses pressure in a suction pressure region in the refrigerant circuit, the set suction pressure ordered to the electromagnetic actuator is possibly set to an excessively low value that is impossibly performed in the state of relatively low rotational speed of the engine at the moment when cooling is required.
Incidentally, a relief valve may be arranged in a discharge pressure region or a means may be employed for decreasing the displacement of the compressor by detecting acceleration of the vehicle through an acceleration pedal and the like. However, when the relief valve is applied, the relief valve needs be exclusive so that the number of components increases. When the means for decreasing the displacement of the compressor is applied, in a state when discharge pressure just before rapid acceleration of the vehicle is relatively high, an external control after detecting the rapid acceleration is so late that the discharge pressure excessively increases. Therefore, there is a need for a control system that immediately decreases the displacement of a compressor from the maximum and prevents an excessive increase in discharge pressure when rotational speed of the compressor rapidly increases.

Control system for variable displacement compressor


The present invention provides methods of using EGFL8 antagonists to inhibit vascular development and to treat related disorders.

It is now well established that angiogenesis is an important contributor to the pathogenesis of a variety of disorders. These include solid tumors and metastasis, atherosclerosis, retrolental fibroplasia, hemangiomas, chronic inflammation, intraocular neovascular diseases such as proliferative retinopathies, e.g., diabetic retinopathy, retinal vein occlusion (RVO), age-related macular degeneration (AMD), neovascular glaucoma, immune rejection of transplanted corneal tissue and other tissues, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. Duda et al. J. Clin. Oncology 25(26): 4033-42 (2007); Kesisis et al. Curr. Pharm. Des. 13: 2795-809 (2007); Zhang & Ma Prog. Ret. & Eye Res. 26: 1-37 (2007).
In the case of tumor growth, angiogenesis allows tumor cells to acquire a growth advantage and proliferative autonomy compared to normal cells. A tumor usually begins as a single aberrant cell which is able to grow only to a size of a few cubic millimeters due to the distance from available capillary beds and it can stay 'dormant' without further growth or dissemination for a long period of time. Some tumor cells then switch to the angiogenic phenotype to activate endothelial cells (ECs), which proliferate and mature into new capillary blood vessels. These newly formed blood vessels not only allow for continued growth of the primary tumor, but also for the dissemination and recolonization of metastatic tumor cells. The mechanisms that control the angiogenic switch are not well understood, but it is believed that neovascularization of tumor mass results from the net balance of a multitude of angiogenesis stimulators and inhibitors.
To date, a significant number of molecules, mostly secreted factors produced by surrounding cells, have been shown to regulate EC differentiation, proliferation, migration and coalescence into cord-like structures. For example, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been identified as the key factor involved in stimulating angiogenesis and in inducing vascular permeability. Ferrara et al., Endocr. Rev. 18:4-25 (1997). In addition, an ECM-associated protein designated epidermal growth factor-like 7 (EGFL7) has been shown to be expressed by endothelial cells and to have a role in angiogenesis. Parker et al., Nature 428: 754-58 (2004); Fitch et al., Dev. Dynamics 230: 316-24 (2004); Campagnolo et al., Am. J Path. 167(1): 275-284 (2005); Schmidt et al., Development, 134(16): 2913-23. (2007), US patent application US2007/0031437. Fitch et al. also describe a paralog of Egfl7 designated Egfl8 and indicate that its expression is similar to that of Egfl7, but that EGFL7 and EGFL8 may not overlap in function.
Despite the many advances in the field of angiogenesis, there remains a need to identify targets and develop means that can supplement or enhance the efficacy of existing anti-angiogenesis therapies.

Methods for inhibiting angiogenesis using EGFL8 antagonists