A thermoelectric cooler and a system and method for fabricating the thermoelectric cooler are provided. In one embodiment, the thermoelectric cooler includes a first magnetic element, a second magnetic element composed of magnetic or magnetically susceptible material, a first thermoelectric sub-component, and a second thermoelectric sub-component. The first thermoelectric sub-component and the second thermoelectric sub-component are situated between the first and second magnetic elements. The first and second magnetic elements are selected such that a compressive force is exerted on the first and second thermoelectric elements. The magnetic elements are selected and adjusted in magnetic attraction such that the force exerted on the first and second thermoelectric elements establishes and maintains a contact of selected pressure between the first and second thermoelectric sub-components. Preferably, one of the magnetic elements is an electromagnet and the other magnetic element is a ferrous magnetically susceptible material or a permanent magnet. The current through the electromagnet is chosen such that the force, whether attractive or repulsive, increases or decreases the pressure as appropriate to produce a compressive force of specified pressure which is desired for optimal or near optimal operation of the thermoelectric cooler.

1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to devices for cooling substances such as, for example, integrated circuit chips, and more particularly, the present invention relates to thermoelectric coolers.
2. Description of Related Art
As the speed of computers continues to increase, the amount of heat generated by the circuits within the computers continues to increase. For many circuits and applications, increased heat degrades the performance of the computer. These circuits need to be cooled in order to perform most efficiently. In many low end computers, such as personal computers, the computer may be cooled merely by using a fan and fins for convective cooling. However, for larger computers, such as main frames, that perform at faster speeds and generate much more heat, these solutions are not viable.
Currently, many main-frames utilize vapor compression coolers to cool the computer. These vapor compression coolers perform essentially the same as the central air conditioning units used in many homes. However, vapor compression coolers are quite mechanically complicated requiring insulation and hoses that must run to various parts of the main frame in order to cool the particular areas that are most susceptible to decreased performance due to overheating.
A much simpler and cheaper type of cooler are thermoelectric coolers. Thermoelectric coolers utilize a physical principle known as the Peltier Effect, by which DC current from a power source is applied across two dissimilar materials causing heat to be absorbed at the junction of the two dissimilar materials. Thus, the heat is removed from a hot substance and may be transported to a heat sink to be dissipated, thereby cooling the hot substance. Thermoelectric coolers may be fabricated within an integrated circuit chip and may cool specific hot spots directly without the need for complicated mechanical systems as is required by vapor compression coolers.
Many types of thermoelectric coolers are not as efficient as vapor compression coolers requiring more power to be expended to achieve the same amount of cooling. However, a recent improvement in thermoelectric coolers using quantum cold point coolers as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/015,237 filed Dec. 13, 2001 and incorporated herein by reference, improves the performance of thermoelectric coolers significantly demonstrating thermodynamic cooling efficiencies comparable to the mechanical vapor compression refrigerators. The construction of these quantum cold point coolers consists in the assembly of two partsxe2x80x94a substrate with sharp cold points overcoated with thermoelectric materials and a substrate with planar thermoelectric films. The assembly is difficult and the bonding is usually performed using passive adhesives or films of low thermal conductivity. However, it would be desirable to have a better and more robust method for assembling the two sub-components of the quantum cold point cooler to form a complete thermoelectric cooler.
The present invention provides a thermoelectric cooler and a system and method for fabricating the thermoelectric cooler. In one embodiment, the thermoelectric cooler includes a first magnetic element, a second magnetic element composed of magnetic or magnetically susceptible material, a first thermoelectric sub-component, and a second thermoelectric sub-component. The first thermoelectric sub-component and the second thermoelectric sub-component are situated between the first and second magnetic elements. The first and second magnetic elements are selected such that a compressive force is exerted on the first and second thermoelectric elements. The magnetic elements are selected and adjusted in magnetic attraction such that the force exerted on the first and second thermoelectric elements establishes and maintains a contact of selected pressure between the first and second thermoelectric sub-components. Preferably, one of the magnetic elements is an electromagnet and the other magnetic element is a ferrous magnetically susceptible material or a permanent magnet. The current through the electromagnet is chosen such that the force, whether attractive or repulsive, increases or decreases the pressure as appropriate to produce a compressive force of specified pressure which is desired for optimal or near optimal operation of the thermoelectric cooler.

Assembly of quantum cold point thermoelectric coolers using magnets

International Business Machines Corporation


The invention provides a simple and selective method for the deacylation of 4-acylated statins during the preparation of statins from a fermentation broth, more specifically a reduction of impurities from the process, by increasing the pH of the fermentation broth.

The present invention provides an improvement for the recovery of lovastatin, compactin or pravastatin from fermentation broths.
Lovastatin for instance is produced as a secondary metabolite by various microorganisms such as Aspergillus terreus (U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,938) or Monascus ruber (U.S. Pat. No. 4,323,648). During the fermentation also lovastatin related byproducts such as 4-acetyl lovastatin are produced.
Lovastatin, usually in the acid form, can be isolated from the fermentation broth in different ways. The first stage is formed by purification yielding crude crystals. These crude crystals still comprise related compounds like 4-acetyl lovastatin. As lovastatin is a pharmaceutical compound that has to meet high purity requirements, additional purification in order to remove the lovastatin related impurities is necessary. The lovastatin-related impurities are generally removed by multiple recrystallizations, by column chromatography as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,231,938 or preparative HPLC (WO 92/16276), decreasing the yield significantly.

Selective process for the deacylation of acylated compounds


A steering apparatus includes: an outer column and an inner pipe retained by the outer column for movement in a front-rear direction of a vehicle, an inner-pipe retaining section with opposed leg sections interconnected via a fastening mechanism. The apparatus further includes an impact energy absorbing member provided on the inner pipe and having a generally U sectional shape along the axis line of the inner pipe. The absorbing member includes: a base section mounted to the inner pipe; an abuttable section bent from the rear end of the base section such that it is abuttable against the fastening mechanism; and an energy absorbing section bent forward from one end of the abuttable section such that, when an impact is input to the inner pipe, the absorbing section absorbs energy of the impact while deforming by abutting against the fastening mechanism.

Steering apparatus of a type where a steering wheel operable by a human driver is adjustable in position in a front-rear direction of a vehicle are commonly known. In one example of such steering apparatus, an outer column is supported by a bracket, and a cylindrical inner pipe is retained by the outer column for movement in the front-rear direction of the vehicle (i.e., in such a manner that it is movable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle), as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2012-40949.
FIG. 8 hereof shows the steering apparatus 100 disclosed in the above-mentioned No. 2012-40949 publication. As shown in FIG. 8(a), the steering apparatus 100 includes; the outer column 103 supported by the bracket 101 and having a bolt 102 passed therethrough; the inner pipe 104 retained by the outer column 103 for movement in the front-rear direction (left-right direction in the figure); and an impact energy absorbing member 110 mounted on the upper surface of the inner pipe 104 for absorbing impact energy when an impact has been input from the steering wheel.
The impact energy absorbing member 110, which is formed by bending a metal plate, includes: a base section 111 fixed to the upper surface of the inner pipe 104; an upward projecting section 112 extending upward from the rear end of the base section 111; an upper plate section 113 extending rearward from the upper end of the upward projecting section 112; an abuttable section 114 projecting downward from the rear end of the upper plate section 113 and abuttable against the bolt 102; an energy absorbing section 115 extending forward from the lower end of the abuttable section 114 and constructed in such a manner that, when an impact has been input to the inner pipe 104, it absorbs impact energy while deforming by abutting against the inner pipe 104; and a front stopper 116 projecting upward from the front end of the energy absorbing section 115 for restricting rearward movement of the inner pipe 104.
Referring to FIG. 8(a) and FIG. 8(b) as well, the bracket 101, the bolt 102 and the outer column 103 are immovably fixed, while the inner pipe 104 and the impact energy absorbing member 110 are movable in the front-rear direction. By sliding the inner pipe 104 in the front-rear direction, the human driver can adjust the steering wheel to a desired position. Retaining force imparted by the outer column 103 to the inner pipe 104 can be increased as fastening force by the bolt 102 is increased. By the increased retaining force, the movement of the inner pipe 104 in the front-rear direction can be restricted.
The abuttable section 114 can be said to be a rear stopper for restricting forward movement of the inner pipe 104 in normal operating conditions. FIG. 8(b) shows the inner pipe 104 and the impact energy absorbing member 110 having moved to their respective forward movement limit positions.
If an impact load has been input from the rear to the steering apparatus 100 in the state shown in FIG. 8(a) and if the input impact load is large, the inner pipe 104 moves forward against the fastening force of the bolt 102, so that the abuttable section 114 abuts against bolt 102 as shown in FIG. 8(b). If the impact load is further input in this state, the inner pipe 104 further moves forward and thus the energy absorbing section 115 absorbs energy of the impact (impact energy) while deforming by abutting against the bolt 102, as shown in FIG. 8(c).
In such a steering apparatus 100 equipped with impact energy absorbing performance or function, it is desirable that constant impact absorbing characteristics be achieved stably. In other words, it is desirable that constant impact absorbing characteristics be achievable stably per product (per steering apparatus).
However, the manner in which the energy absorbing section 115 abuts against the inner pipe 104 would vary per product. In the steering apparatus 100, the energy absorbing section 115 moves while contacting the upper surface of the inner pipe 104. Thus, it is supposed that impact energy absorbing characteristics of the energy absorbing section 115 are influenced by friction between the inner pipe 104 and the energy absorbing section 115. Due to the variation in the manner in which the energy absorbing section 115 abuts against the inner pipe 104, the impact energy absorbing characteristics would differ per different product.


A TE.sub.101 mode cavity resonator housing 60 has a truss 70 securely mounted to one of its broadwalls 72. The truss 70 is fabricated from a material having a lesser coefficient of expansion than that of the material from which the housing 60 is fabricated. The difference between the coefficients of expansion results in a difference in expansion and contraction of the materials over temperature. The thermal expansions and contractions in the housing 60 material result in variations in the natural resonant frequency of the housing 60. These variations in natural resonant frequency are compensated by offsetting thermal expansions and contractions in the truss 70 material.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cavity resonators and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for providing temperature compensation in TE.sub.101 mode and TM.sub.010 mode cavity resonators.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of a cavity resonator for high frequency filtering purposes is well known in the art. The cavity resonator is generally realized in the form of an enclosed housing that is constructed from a material having a high conductivity. This conductive housing furnishes large areas for current to flow and confines electromagnetic fields therein. Such a housing exhibits a natural resonant frequency and generally has a very high quality factor (Q). However, when the cavity resonator housing is subject to temperature variations, there are corresponding variations in the natural resonant frequency and the Q due to thermal expansions and contractions of the housing material. For example, if a cavity resonator housing is constructed of copper, which has a coefficient of expansion of about 9.3 ppm/.degree.F., an increase in temperature will cause a corresponding increase in the housing dimensions and thereby a decrease in the resonant frequency. Specifically, in the above case the frequency will decrease by 9.3 Hz/MHz/.degree.F., which is too large a variation for applications requiring a high operating selectivity. It is therefore desirable to provide compensation for such thermal variations so as to maintain consistent cavity resonator frequency characteristics.
One prior art method for providing temperature compensation for the thermal expansion and contraction of a cavity resonator housing has been to construct the housing from a material commonly known as Invar. Invar is a metallic compound having a coefficient of expansion of approximately 0.5 ppm/.degree.F. Thus, when a cavity resonator constructed of Invar is subject to temperature variations, the resulting frequency variations are very small when compared to a cavity resonator constructed of copper. However, the resulting frequency variation with temperature of a cavity resonator constructed with Invar may still be too large in high selectivity applications. Furthermore, due to a high cost of Invar it would be more desirable to construct a cavity resonator housing of a more conventional and less costly material, such as copper, copper plated steel, or copper plated aluminum.
Another prior art method for providing temperature compensation in a cavity resonator housing is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,423,398, entitled, Internal Bi-Metallic Temperature Compensating Device For Tuned Cavities, issued Dec. 27, 1983. This patent described how a strip of temperature sensitive bi-metallic material is used to provide temperature compensation by way of a reformation of the bi-metallic material over temperature. A problem with this method, however, is that the temperature compensating effects can be somewhat inconsistent because of a dependence on a large number of variables; i.e., position of the strip, dimensions of the strip, relative angle of the strip, material of the strip, etc. It is therefore desirable to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings while providing a simple, low cost, highly reliable and accurate temperature compensation scheme for high frequency cavity resonators.

Apparatus and method for providing temperature compensation in Te.sub.101 mode and Tm.sub.010 mode cavity resonators


An exterior lighting device based on a light emitting diode in conjunction with an optic fiber is disclosed. The device has a cylindrical housing having a closed end and an open end. The light emitting diode is placed on the interior of the on the closed end of the cylindrical housing. A clear lens having one end in proximity with the light emitting diode and an opposite end with a flat surface is provided. A top cap is installed over the open end of the cylindrical housing. The top cap forms a water tight seal with the cylindrical housing using O-rings. A retaining plate is held in place between the top cap and the cylindrical housing. The retaining plate is locked with the flat surface of the lens thus holding the lens in place over the light emitting diode. An optic fiber has a receiving end held by the retaining plate in proximity to the light emitting diode and an opposite emitting end extending from a socket in the top cap. A coupling assembly sits in the socket in the top cap and holds the optic fiber in relation to the top cap.

Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are well known solid state light sources. LEDs have many advantages over traditional lighting sources such as incandescent bulbs as they are cheaper to produce, more robust, and require less power. LEDs are especially desirable as they emit light with high power efficiency over specific colors in the spectrum. However, LEDs are not a focused light source and suffer from relatively low light output. The lack of focused light and low light output prevents application of LEDs to uses where high light intensity is desired. Further LEDs cannot be fabricated in different shapes for decorative purposes. Finally, the light output of LEDs cannot be intensified without an optical device to focus the light.
There are many commercial applications requiring high light output. For example, there is a great demand for outdoor and indoor decorative or architectural lighting. Neon lighting is presently used for such applications. Neon or fluorescent lighting uses a glass tube which is filled with neon gas which is then electrified. Such devices may be used for lighting but also for advertising and signs as the tubes may be fabricated into different shapes. Such tubes may have different colors or generate simple white light. The light intensity of a neon tube depends on the color generated.
However neon lighting suffers from a number of problems. Neon lights require a relatively large amount of electricity resulting in greater costs for applications requiring long term use such as outdoor signs. Also, neon lights require periodic replacement and maintenance because such lights experience a significant drop off in output after continual use. Further, the maximum length of a neon tube is around seven feet which necessitates more units for large scale uses. All of these factors may create cost issues. Neon lights require a high voltage transformer which may create safety issues. Finally, neon lights must be installed with care in outdoor situations as the electrical components require considerable shielding in order to remain resistant to water.
Thus, there is a need for a light emitting diode based optic fiber lighting source which has high reliability. There is a further need for an LED based lighting system which may be used for outdoor applications and is therefore durable and water resistant. There is also a need for a LED based lighting system which may be used for applications requiring water tight housings such as underwater lighting. There is also a need for a LED based lighting system which may be used for commercial applications for attractive and signage based lighting.


A face mill type cutter, preferably a rotary ring cutter, having coolant passages located within the cutter to supply coolant to discharge outlets located between and/or in the stock removing surfaces located on the cutter. Coolant is supplied to the face mill cutter either by a coolant shroud arranged about at least a portion of the periphery of the cutter, or, by at least one coolant delivery passage arranged in the spindle of a machine tool.

In metal working operations, coolant is commonly applied to the contact point or area of the tool and workpiece. The coolant prevents overheating by absorbing heat due to the working operation and also lubricates the contact area to reduce friction therefore reducing the amount of heat generated by frictional contact of the tool and workpiece. In stock removing processes, coolant further serves to flush metal chips away from the contact area.
In stock removing processes, a conventional tool utilized comprises a generally disc-shaped tool body with stock removing surfaces arranged thereon. The stock removing surfaces may be located about the periphery of the tool body as shown by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,176,675 to Bomba or 3,777,443 to Shaw. Alternatively, the stock removing surfaces may project from one of the faces of the tool body as exemplified by WIPO Publication No. WO 92/06817 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,137,402 to Ball et al. This latter type of tool is generally referred to as a "face-mill" type tool.
Regardless of the arrangement of stock removing surfaces on the body of a tool, processes of removing stock material from workpieces usually necessitates coolant being delivered to the area of contact of the tool and workpiece for reasons such as those discussed above.
In tools having stock removing surfaces located about the periphery thereof, it is conventional to provide a reservoir means in the tool which is connected via unidirectional passages to the periphery of the tool. Upon rotation of the tool and introduction of coolant into the reservoir, centrifugal force causes the coolant in the reservoir to flow through the passages and exit at the periphery of the tool. Examples of this type of structure are shown in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,176,675 and 3,777,443. In the production of gears and the like, gear type tools possessing this same type of reservoir and coolant passage structure are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,094,039 to Yoshioka and Japanese Patent Application No. 63-16921.
Another means for providing coolant to a rotating cutter having blades on the periphery thereof is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,414,783 to Vincent. In this arrangement, a coolant system is combined with a blade guard. Coolant channels are included in the blade guard and coolant is delivered over most of the cutter radius and on both sides of the cutter in order to contact the entire cutting area.
Of course, it can be seen that in tools having stock removing surfaces arranged on a face of the tool body, the reservoir and unidirectional passage arrangement applicable to those peripheral-type of tools discussed above will not provide coolant to the stock removing surfaces. Therefore, other approaches of providing coolant to a face of a tool body have been developed.
In tools having stock removing surfaces arranged on a face of the tool body it is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,780 to Lincoln to substantially surround the entire tool with a housing. In the housing, coolant is directed against the tool to clean it while the rotation of the tool sprays the coolant against the workpiece.
In another arrangement, U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,779 to Wiener teaches grinding gears with the tool and workpiece immersed in a cooling lubricant bath to ensure coolant always being available at the grinding point. However, this procedure is very cumbersome and time consuming.
In grinding spiral bevel gears, passing a perforated grinding wheel through a feeder block comprising a sump containing grinding fluid is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,951,426 to Kurono et al. The rotating wheel passes through the feeder block and grinding fluid flows into the perforations in the grinding wheel. The grinding fluid is then carried to the workpiece. While this apparatus may be applicable to a grinding wheel, it does not lend itself to a plurality of cutting blades arranged about the face of a tool body.
In the tools where a plurality of stock removing surfaces, such as cutting blades, are arranged about the face of a tool body or head, it has been conventional to supply coolant to the contact area by spraying. An example of this is shown by the previously mentioned WO 92/06817 which discloses spraying coolant from the central attachment screw of a milling tool onto the stock removing surfaces of the tool. It is also well known to spray coolant onto a tool and workpiece via one or more externally arranged coolant hoses having their outlets located near the contact area.
In spraying, however, delivery of coolant originates from outside of the contact area and does not always adequately supply the tool and workpiece with sufficient coolant. There remains a need for supplying coolant directly to the point of contact of the tool and workpiece in tools having a plurality of stock removing surfaces arranged about the face of the tool body.

Rotary ring cutter having coolant distribution and discharge means


A system for controlling contaminant deposition in an exhaust recirculation cooler mounted in a vehicle to allow exhaust gas to recirculate along a gas recirculation path from the exhaust assembly of the engine to the intake assembly of the engine. The cooler includes a housing defining an exhaust gas inlet leading to an internal gas cooling passageway which, in turn, leads to an exhaust gas outlet. A controller receives flow dependent signals and, in turn, regulates the flow of exhaust gas through the cooler to establish a turbulent flow in order to control the production of deposits in the cooler. Multiple, varying size coolers can be employed, with separate exhaust flows to the coolers being varied in by determining which coolers should be active, while still maintaining turbulent flow patterns.

Conventional internal combustion engines produce various pollutants during operation. Generally, most internal combustion engines develop power by burning a hydrocarbon fuel in the presence of air, a mixture of mostly nitrogen and oxygen along with other minor components. During the burning, several exhaust constituents are produced. Some, such as water, are considered rather harmless. Others, such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) are regulated and the production of this pollutant must be controlled. In order to reduce the production of nitrogen oxides, often an exhaust gas recirculation system, hereinafter an EGR system, is provided. In an EGR system, a portion of the exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine is recirculated along a path back into an air intake of the engine. The recirculation of exhaust generally reduces the relative amount of oxygen available for combustion and thus reduces the flame temperature in the engine during combustion. A lower flame temperature greatly reduces the production of nitrogen oxides. Another way to reduce the combustion temperature is to reduce the temperature of the recirculated exhaust. Typically, a cooler is placed in the recirculation path and causes the recirculated exhaust gas to enter the engine at a reduced temperature, thus further reducing the temperature of combustion. Indeed, to reach certain legislative guidelines for emission levels, the exhaust gases must be cooled to some extent.
EGR systems have been used in gasoline engines for at least 30 years and such use is ubiquitous. The use of EGR systems in Diesel engines is more recent. Diesel engines will tolerate more EGR flow than gasoline engines and thus EGR cooling in a Diesel EGR system is important. The coolers in such systems usually have a large heat transfer surface to aid in the transfer of heat from the recirculating exhaust gas to a coolant. Generally, the coolant is introduced behind the heat transfer surface to allow heat to easily pass from the recirculating exhaust gas to the coolant. Unfortunately, during operation of an EGR system, various deposits of soot and other contaminants may accumulate on the heat transfer surface in the cooler and on other conduit portions of the EGR system. The layer of soot will build up in as little as one hundred hours of operation and significantly reduce the ability of the cooler to transfer heat from the recirculating exhaust gas. More specifically, the layer of soot and other contaminants greatly reduces the efficiency of the coolers, thus leading to relatively hot recirculating exhaust gas arriving at the engine intake and reducing the engine's ability to produce power while meeting emissions standards. Such a problem is particularly acute in connection with a Diesel engine.
One approach to this problem has been to employ large coolers. However, the use of large coolers has been considered undesirable because of the high cost and large size. Other approaches have been directed at reducing the amount of deposits. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0131207 to Nakamura teaches regulating coolant flow through a cooler based on sensed inlet temperature to reduce deposits. Unfortunately, such a system is based on the principle of increasing the temperature of the recirculating gas. The system is therefore undesirable because it is directly contrary to the concept of reducing the temperature of recirculating exhaust gas to reduce combustion temperature and nitrous oxide production.
Based on the above there is a need in the art for a system designed to control the build up of contaminants in EGR coolers while avoiding the disadvantages set forth above.

System for controlling contaminant deposition in exhaust gas recirculation coolers


A polishing apparatus comprises a first surface plate for supporting a polishing object, a driving mechanism for rotating the first surface plate, a second surface plate arranged so as to oppose to the first surface plate, an abrasive cloth stuck to the second surface plate, a vibration detector attached to the first surface plate or the second surface plate for detecting vibration in polishing, a controlling portion for controlling polishing operation of the first surface plate and the second surface plate, and signal analyzing unit for analyzing vibration intensity detected by the a vibration detector through frequency analysis, integrating the vibration intensity relative to time, and transmitting a polishing stop signal to stop polishing operation of the first surface plate and the second surface plate to the controlling portion when variation in a resultant integral value relative to time is less than a first reference value or when the resultant integral value is less than a second reference value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polishing apparatus and a polishing method and, more particularly, a polishing apparatus and a polishing method for use in planalization of insulating film, conductive film, etc. constituting a semiconductor device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An integration density of semiconductor devices such as a semiconductor memory device is increasing with the years, and a multilayer structure of interconnection in their internal circuits is in progress more and more. Interlayer insulating films formed on the interconnection may be planalized by means of a Chemical Mechanical Polishing (referred to as "CMP" hereinafter) technique to permit such multilayer structure of interconnection. The CMP technique makes much account of end-point detection and automation of polishing in light of time and cost.
However, since polishing rate cannot be kept constant from various causes such as degradation of the abrasive cloth, it has been difficult to determine end of polishing strictly even if a polishing time is controlled. For this reason, up to now such working steps have been repeated until a planalized surface can be implemented that polishing is carried out for a short time and is then interrupted once to examine polished state of the object. The above working steps are not practical because these steps take much time and labor.
As a method of an end-point detection of the CMP, there has been up to this time a method wherein variation in torque of a motor for rotating a surface plate (to be also called as "head" hereinafter) is first detected and then frictional resistance of polished surface of the object is monitored based on the detected variation. But the method have little sensitivity since it can detect no high frequency component and thus it can detect only positional and time averages of a sliding friction caused between the polished surface of the object and the head. In addition, the method cannot be applied in some cases because of the structure of the head. For instance, in an air-back system in which the head and its enclosure are coupled to each other via an elastic material, it is difficult to transfer influence of friction caused by the polished surface to the rotation axis, so that detection sensitivity is extremely decreased. Therefore, the air-back system has not been adequate to practical use.
There has been another method in which the end-point of polishing is detected by measuring the polishing object through an optical thicknessmeter. But the end-point cannot be detected by the method in real time. Moreover, in case both a silicon nitride film and an SiO.sub.2 film have to be polished concurrently, a polished film thickness cannot be measured precisely through the optical thicknessmeter.
Hence, there have been proposed an end-point detection of polishing based on variations in a rotating torque of the motor and vibration of the surface plate in Patent Application Publications (KOKAIs) 6-320416 and 6-45299. However, in these Publications (KOKAIs), the end-point cannot be detected when the polished surface has been planalized simply, but it can be detected when different material is exposed to the polished surface with progress of polishing thereby to cause a change in frictional resistance of the polished surface and also a change in vibration.
There has been recited a method of measuring distortion of the surface plate due to friction between the polished surface and the abrasive cloth through a distortion sensor in Patent Application Publication (KOKAI) 6-320416.
However, since vibration caused by polishing is weak in a polishing apparatus in which a distortion sensor is put, mechanical vibrations (sound) such as motor vibration in the polishing apparatus are picked up by the distortion sensor as a background noise. Thus, sufficient sensitivity cannot be attained by the polishing apparatus. As a result, it become difficult to detect precisely polishing condition of the polished surface in an entire area or detect the end-point of polishing, and therefore additional polishing is required after fundamental polishing being completed.
If distortion of the head caused by friction between the polished surface and the abrasive cloth is to be measured by the distortion sensor, the distortion does not appear so obviously as to be picked up by the distortion sensor. Further, change in unevenness of the wafer surface cannot be detected by the distortion sensor in the actual circumstances even if vibration of the polishing apparatus itself is reduced by a filter, for the distortion sensor has no sensitivity to high vibration frequency.
In the conventional polishing apparatus, because no objective index concerning setting and replace timing of the abrasive cloth has been established, these workings are often executed wastefully.
In addition, if the polished surface has been scratched by dust (foreign materials) once in polishing, such scratch cannot be detected until the polishing object is taken out after the polishing to observe or check the polished surface through a microscope. No countermeasure has been taken against the dust which is produced and entered in the course of polishing the surface by virtue of the CMP. The polished surface has been merely estimated indirectly by observing scratches formed on the polished surface through the microscope.
Meanwhile, in the prior art, polishing condition has been estimated after completing the polishing. Therefore, even if the dust is entered into the polished surface in an initial stage of polishing the lot (usually 25 wafers) to begin scratching of the polished surface of the polishing object, mixture of the dust has not been able to be found until polishing of the concerned lot is terminated. For this reason, the objects to be polished after the dust acting to scratch the polished surface is entered have been scratched as a matter of course, so that the objects of polishing such as a semiconductor wafer are wasted. In addition, a part of the polished surface has been broken off as the dust from the scratched surface to thus increase the dust still more.
Moreover, location of the dust on the polished surface cannot be identified even if the dust exists in polishing the surface, and therefore in some cases the abrasive cloth must be exchanged as a whole to remove the dust. In such cases, it takes much time and labor to exchange the abrasive cloth.
Furthermore, in the foregoing Patent Application Publications (KOKAIs), to transmit the detection signal of the surface plate vibration from the surface plate to the amplifier has been recited. In the event that it is intended to transmit the signal via a radio system, the radio signal is interrupted temporarily by the shaft of the motor for rotating the surface plate.
In the meanwhile, an amount of polishing is dependent on profiles of patterns and in addition it changes widely according to polishing conditions such as applied pressure, number of revolution, flow rate of abrasive liquid, and surface conditions of the abrasive cloth. Accordingly, if an amount of polishing is controlled according to an elapsed time, trial-polishing would be carried out once lot by lot so as to confirm the polishing rate. However, a plenty of time and labor are required for such trial-polishing. Further, in the case that several kinds of lots including different patterns therein are polished, a time required for the trial-polishing is increased in the whole polishing time to thus reduce a throughput.

Polishing apparatus and polishing method


A method for encapsulating a cellulose based substrate with polymeric films involves heating the respective films using a non-electrogmagnetic radiation heating source and providing a pressure differential between an environment defined between the films and an environment external to the films so that conformance of the film to the cellulose based substrate is promoted. The cellulose based substrate is entirely encapsulated by the films and the films are sealed around the peripheral edges of the container as well as edges that are defined adjacent slots and cutouts.

Containers made from fibreboard are used widely in many industries. For example, fibreboard containers are used to ship products that are moist or packed in ice such as fresh produce or fresh seafood. It is known that when such containers take up moisture, they lose strength. To minimize or avoid this loss of strength, moisture-resistant shipping containers are required.
Moisture-resistant containers used to date have commonly been prepared by saturating container blanks with melted wax after folding and assembly. Wax-saturated containers cannot be effectively recycled and must generally be disposed of in a landfill. In addition, wax adds a significant amount of weight to the container blank, e.g., the wax can add up to 40% by weight to the container blank.
Other methods for imparting moisture resistance to container blanks have included impregnation with a water-resistant synthetic resin or coating the blank with a thermoplastic material. In the latter case, forming water-resistant seals around container blank peripheral edges and edges associated with slots or cutouts in the container blank has been an issue. When seals along these edges are not moisture resistant or fail, moisture can be absorbed by the container blank with an attendant loss of strength. In addition, obtaining consistent and reproducible bonding of the thermoplastic material to the container blank and around edges has been a challenge.
Faced with the foregoing, the present inventors have worked to develop a method for producing a container blank encapsulated with a polymeric film that is recyclable and lighter in weight than previous wax-saturated containers and does not suffer from inconsistent bonding, sealing, and conformance of a film to the substrate.

Process for encapsulation of cellulose based substrate using non-electromagnetic heating


A device and method is provided whereby application is made to at least part of the sole of a suitably positioned foot for inverting or everting the foot. The device (1) (FIGS. 1 and 2) comprises a member or plate (20) having a planar surface (21) for pressure application to the sole by a handle (28) and in one arrangement is hingedly mounted (22, 24, 26) about horizontal axes from a leg rest (10) which lies in use on a seat or couch for the patient. This enables the surface (21) to be brought against the sole and also tilted for required contact with the latter. The plate (20) is also shown mounted for angular movement about a vertical axis X for additional tilting of the surface (21). An electronic unit (30) on the plate (20) has an LCD display (32) for showing angles of tilt. With the surface (21) in appropriate contact the sole can be manually palpated or manipulated e.g. for contact of the surface (21) with metatarsal joints or points, and/or the subtalar joint palpated for the neutral condition etc. The required position of the surface (21) is maintained while moulding material such as plaster of Paris (e.g. as a bandage) is applied to the sole and foot and allowed to set in providing a mould for use in the manufacture of orthoses. Alternatively, the plate may be simply hand held for similar operation. The planar surface may have buttons each for initial contact with a metatarsal point for indicator lamp operation when the metatarsal point lifts away. The handle may operate strain gauge means of the electronic unit to indicate application pressure at the LCD display.

This invention relates to a device for a foot.
Foot orthotics are an essential part of conservative orthopaedic treatment for correction of biomechanical abnormalities, congenital deformities and abnormal positions acquired through accident or disease processes. The taking of accurate plaster of Paris moulds or three-dimensional impressions of feet is a necessary part of the process of manufacture of foot orthotics.
At present, the plaster of Paris casts and three-dimensional impressions of feet are taken in the following positions.
With a patient sitting with the knee extended, or lying in a prone or supine position, the clinician palpates the subtalar joint to a neutral position with one hand, whilst the remaining hand applies dorsiflexory pressure to the fifth metatarsophalangeal joint or to the plantar surface of the webbing of the fourth and fifth toes.
Alternatively, with a patient sitting with the knee flexed, the foot is allowed to semi-weight bear whilst the clinician maintains the subtalar joint in a neutral position with one hand, as the plaster of Paris bandage or three-dimensional moulding material is placed around the foot and hardens.
A major problem with conventional methods of making casts and impressions of feet is their inherent lack of reproducibility. This can lead to the production of ill-fitting orthotics which may be uncomfortable and/or detrimental to the user.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A navigation assistance system for a vehicle enables possible routes from the starting point to a destination to be ascertained with the aid of route network data, a preferred route being specified, and at least one driving recommendation that guides at least one user along the specified route being output, such that no driving recommendations are output that are superfluous for and therefore irritating and/or disturbing to the operator of the vehicle. The number of times or the frequency with which the vehicle has already previously passed at least one location point or junction point of the preferred route is ascertained, and the at least one driving recommendation for this point of the preferred route is suppressed if the ascertained number of times or frequency reaches at least one threshold value.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a system for navigation assistance.
2. Description of Related Art
In known navigation systems, routes may be defined and calculated. As a result, the user or the operator of a means of transportation, in particular of a motor vehicle, is directed from his location to the desired destination in that the navigation system constantly gives the user or driver driving instructions until he has reached his destination.
In doing this, conventional navigation systems attempt to direct the user or driver along the most convenient route, which is ascertained by the navigation system. The user or driver can define a home address in these known navigation systems; however, this has no influence on the route guidance.
In an area with which the user or driver is familiar, for example, the area surrounding his home, it is rarely advantageous to use a navigation system, however. For one thing, the input of destination addresses is associated with additional effort, and for another thing, the driving instructions or driving recommendations in the known area present a disturbance, because the way to drive is obvious to the user or the driver. It would be obvious, of course, to turn off the navigation system in the nearby area.
However, if the user or driver is forced by circumstances to leave the route known to him, the navigation system could calculate an alternative route for him in the known way and lead him to the destination on this route. However, for this purpose, the navigation system must also be used in the nearby area.
A navigation system that takes into account whether the user or driver knows the section of road being passed is described in the published German patent document DE 102 42 125. This known navigation system does not provide any correction messages after a specified route has been left if the means of transportation is located in an area that is known to the user or driver.
However, this known navigation system operates relatively schematically with regard to the suppression of correction messages, whereby the flexibility of this known system is restricted.

Navigation assistance, driver assistance system, as well as method for navigating at least one means of transportation


A memory element in which data recording and data readout can be performed stably without difficulties and which can be manufactured with a comparatively simplified method is provided.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory element in which data can be recorded and a memory device including the memory element.
2. Description of the Related Art
In information devices such as a computer, a DRAM capable of high speed operation and having high density is widely used as a random access memory.
However, since the DRAM has a complicated manufacturing process compared with a typical logic circuit LSI and signal processing employed in an electronic apparatus, manufacture costs increase.
Further, since the DRAM is a volatile memory in which data disappears when the power is shut off, such refreshing operation that data written therein is frequently read out to be again amplified and rewritten is needed.
Then, as a nonvolatile memory in which data does not disappear even if the power is shut off, FeRAM (Ferroelectric Random Access Memory), MRAM (Magnetic Random Access Memory) and the like are proposed, for example.
With such memory, written data can be retained for a long time without power supply.
Further, in case of those memories, a refreshing operation is unnecessary, because the memory is made nonvolatile, and it is assumed that the power consumption be reduced to that extent.
However, in the above-described nonvolatile memory, it becomes difficult to secure properties as a memory element due to a miniaturization of a memory element that constitutes each memory cell.
Therefore, it is difficult to miniaturize the element to the limit of a design rule and to the limit in a manufacturing process.
Hereupon, a memory element of a new type has been proposed as a memory having a suitable structure for miniaturization.
This memory element has a structure in which an ion conductor containing a certain metal is positioned between two electrodes.
Further, since the metal contained in the ion conductor is contained in one of the two electrodes, the metal contained in the electrode is diffused as an ion in the ion conductor when a voltage is applied between the two electrodes, and thereby an electric characteristic such as a resistance value or capacitance of the ion conductor changes.
A memory device can be made using this characteristic (for example, refer to Patent Reference 1 and Non-patent Reference 1) Specifically, the ion conductor is made of a solid solution of a chalcogenide and metal, further specifically, the ion conductor is made of a material in which Cu, Ag, Zn are solidly solved into AsS, GeS, and GeSe, and one of the two electrodes contains Cu, Ag, Zn (refer to the-above described Patent Reference 1).
Furthermore, various kinds of nonvolatile memories using a crystalline oxide material have also been proposed, and a memory in a device, for example, having a structure in which a Cr-doped SrZrO3 crystalline material is positioned between a lower electrode made of SrRuO3 or Pt and an upper electrode made of Au or Pt is proposed, where a resistance is changed reversibly when applying a voltage of a different polarity (refer to the Non-patent reference 2). However, details of the principle and so on are not clear.
[Patent Reference 1] Japanese Translation of PCT International Application No. 2002-536840
[Non-patent Reference 1] Nikkei Electronics, Jan. 20, 2003 issue (page 104)
[Non-patent Reference 2] A. Beck et al., Appl. Phys. Lett., 77, (year 2000), p. 139

Memory device comprising a memory layer and a metal chalcogenide ion-source layer

Abstract: The memory element 10 includes a memory layer 4 and an ion source layer 3 positioned between the first electrode 2 and the second electrode 6, in which the ion source layer 3 contains any of elements selected from Cu, Ag, Zn and any of elements selected from Te, S, Se, and the ion source layer further contains boron (or rare-earth elements and silicon).


The present invention relates to a method for the production of substituted or unsubstituted chloromethyl and bromomethyl cyclopropane having a degree of purity above 85%, particularly above 90%, by reacting a hydroxymethyl cyclopropane of the formula ##STR1## where R is H, or one or two R groups are alkyl of from 1 to 10 carbon atoms or phenyl, with methane sulfonic acid chloride or methane sulfonic acid bromide in the presence of a trialkylamine and, if necessary, an organic solvent, preferably an organic solvent containing oxygen, at a temperature of from -20.degree. C. to +30.degree. C. over a period of time of from 1 to 30 hours, then heating the reaction mixture to a temperature of from 40.degree. to 80.degree. C., or to reflux temperature, without isolating the intermediate mesylate.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the production of chloromethyl cyclopropane and bromomethyl cyclopropane having the formula (1) shown below, as well as corresponding compounds bearing ring substituents. The present method comprises reacting hydroxymethyl cyclopropane (2) or the corresponding substituted compound with methane sulfonic acid chloride or methane sulfonic acid bromide (referred to as "mesyl chloride" or "mesyl bromide") in the presence of a tertiary alkyl amine in a so-called "single-pot" reaction: ##STR2##
Syntheses of haloalkanes from alcohols, particularly primary haloalkanes having a cyclopropyl group bound thereto, tend to result in isomerization (as shown below). For example, in the reaction of the compound of formula (2) with hydrochloric acid, 4-chlorocyclobutane is obtained in a good yield as the main product: ##STR3## (see Lee, C. C., and Cessna, A. J., Can. J. Chem., vol. 58 (1980) 11, 1075-79).
Special measures are required to avoid such isomerization. To suppress this isomerization, the so-called "tosylate' procedure is recommended in the literature (see Weygand/Hilgetag, "Organisch-Chemische Experimentierkunst [The Art of organic Chemistry Experimentation]," 4th edition, 1970, J. Ambrosius Barth, Leipzig, page 232). In contrast to other methods, which lead intermediately via sulfinates or phosphorous acid ester derivatives, the tosylate method requires two steps. First, a toluene sulfonic acid ester (a "tosylate") or a methane sulfonic acid ester (a "mesylate") of the alcohol is produced, and this product is reacted with an alkali metal halide or alkaline earth metal halide in another solvent (e.g., 2-ethoxyethanol or acetone) to provide the alkyl halide product.
The production of the tosylates or mesylates takes place in known manner, by reaction of the alcohols with tosyl chloride or mesyl chloride, in the presence of a strong base, such as pyridine or a pyridine derivative (see the above literature references and the citations therein). For liquid alkyl tosylates and mesylates, post-reaction processing (also referred to as the "work-up") involves ice water washing, extraction and distillation. The pyridine, used in great excess as the solvent, is soluble in water, and thus is completely washed out with water, and is discarded as an aqueous solution. Prior to water washing, the pyridine is sometimes acidified to form an even more water-soluble salt. Processing of this waste water to recover the water-soluble pyridine is very complicated and costly.
The second stage of the tosylate method, reaction of the alkyl tosylate or mesylate with an alkali or alkaline earth halide, also requires a polar, water-soluble solvent. The separation of the polar, water-soluble solvent from the resulting by-product, an alkali or alkaline earth salt of toluene or methane sulfonic acid, is also possible only with very complicated and costly technical measures.
All known tosylate and mesylate methods have a high consumption of chemicals, are technically complicated and time-consuming, and lead to problems in waste disposal. Therefore, a method in which hydroxymethyl cyclopropane is converted to chloromethyl cyclopropane or bromomethyl cyclopropane with mesyl chloride or mesyl bromide which permits easy recovery of the solvents is desirable. There is great interest in such a method, which produces chloromethyl cyclopropane or bromomethyl cyclopropane from hydroxymethyl cyclopropane with little technical effort and without the consumption of environmentally harmful reagents such as pyridine and alcohol glycol ethers. Specifically, such a method which provides chloromethyl cyclopropane or bromomethyl cyclopropane having a purity of more than 85%, preferably more than 90%, is strongly desired because these products are important raw materials for pharmaceutical products.
It has been surprisingly found that in the reaction of a hydroxymethyl cyclopropane with a mesyl halide, the water-soluble pyridine base previously considered necessary can be advantageously replaced with such a trialkylamine, which is either not very soluble or even insoluble in water.
Furthermore, it has been surprisingly found that suitable temperature control and a precisely selected time of mesyl halide addition result in direct formation of chloromethyl cyclopropanes and bromomethyl cyclopropanes in a good yield. That is, the intermediate mesylate does not have to be isolated, but rather, continues to react with the halide present in the reaction mixture to form the target product.

Method for the production of substituted or unsubstituted chloromethyl cyclopropane and bromomethyl cyclopropane


A fixed multifunction probe, e.g., for aircraft and configured to measure air flow parameters near an airplane. The probe includes a body closed by a rounded cap, at least three pressure taps situated at specified positions of the body, a pressure measurement mechanism for measuring at least as many pressures as pressure taps, and a calculation device for calculating the air flow parameters.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a multifunction probe intended for measuring the static and total pressures, as well as the angle of attack of the flow of a fluid near an aircraft. The probe is especially intended for measuring the flow parameters of the air near an airplane.
2. Discussion of the Background
The static pressure is a very important parameter for the safety of an airplane. An international standard establishes a correspondence between the static pressure and the altitude. This correspondence is used to associate an aircraft with an altitude in a unique manner by allocating it a static pressure value to be complied with during the flight thereof.
The total pressure is not utilized as it stands, but it makes it possible to determine the dynamic pressure by calculating the differential pressure between the total pressure and the static pressure. The dynamic pressure is a very important parameter since it makes it possible to determine the velocity of the air flow; the velocity of the air flow coming into play, for its part, in calculating the lift of the airplane.
The pressure measurements are performed by way of pressure taps. The first known probes were equipped with a single pressure tap. This limitation compelled the use of several probes in order to be able to perform the various pressure measurements.
The configuration customarily adopted comprises:
a static pressure probe for measuring the local static pressure Ps
a total pressure probe for measuring the total pressure Pt
and a vane for measuring the local angle of attack xcex1.
With such a configuration, the calculation of the parameters, static pressure Ps, total pressure Pt and local angle of attack xcex1, requires the accurate knowledge on the one hand of the characteristics of the three probes, and on the other hand of the aerodynamic field of the airplane at the points of position of the probes on the fuselage. Furthermore, each probe requires its de-icing system.
To remedy these drawbacks, the person skilled in the art may resort to a multifunction probe. A multifunction probe advantageously makes it possible to measure the above parameters at one and the same point of the airplane. Optimization of the position of the probe eases the calculations. The use of a multifunction probe makes it possible to reduce the number of probes, and consequently, it makes it possible to reduce the heating power required for de-icing. There are various types of multifunction probe.
A first type encompasses moveable multifunction probes. A probe of this type comprises a moveable part, generally referred to as the vane, which positions itself in the direction of the air stream and which carries static and total pressure taps. The manufacture of probes of this type presents significant difficulties. The vane compels a complex mechanical link with the fixed part of the probe. The link must allow rotation of the vane while ensuring continuity of the pressure ducts between the vane and the fixed part, while this continuity must not exhibit any leaks. Sealing is therefore difficult to achieve since it must be compatible with the rotation of the vane.
A second type encompasses fixed multifunction probes. A typical probe is described in the patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,744. This probe comprises pressure taps distributed at various locations of the probe. This distribution gives the possibility, after calculation, of accessing the altitude, velocity and angle of attack information. However, this probe comprises a total pressure tap Pt at the front extremity of the probe; this tap is often referred to by the name xe2x80x9cPitotxe2x80x9d. The Pitot tap renders the nose of the probe fragile. U.S. Pat. No. 5,628,565 describes an elaborate probe which is capable, simultaneously, of measuring various pressures and of measuring the temperature of the air stream. However, this probe is also equipped with a Pitot tap which renders the nose of the probe fragile.
An aim of the invention is to provide a fixed multifunction probe for aircraft which does not have the drawback recalled above.
Accordingly, the subject of the invention is a fixed multifunction probe for aircraft having a closed front part and having at least three pressure taps distributed in various sections at specified points of the body of the probe. The fixed multifunction probe according to the invention makes it possible to measure the flow parameters of the fluid moving with respect to the probe. To this end, it comprises:
a body having symmetry of revolution about a longitudinal axis, closed by a rounded cap, the body being placed in the flow,
at least three pressure taps situated at specified points of the body and distributed in various sections so as to tap a first pressure, a second pressure and a third pressure,
pressure measurement means associated with the pressure taps for measuring at least as many pressures P1, . . . , Pn as pressure taps,
calculation means for calculating the local angle of attack xcex1 of the flow by expressing a specified ratio of measured pressures as a function of the local angle of attack a in the form:             P1      -      P2              P1      +      P2        =            A      +                        B          ·          cos                                  xe2x80x83                        2                          xe2x80x83                        α            +                        C          ·          sin                                  xe2x80x83                        2                          xe2x80x83                        α                    D      +                        E          ·          cos                                  xe2x80x83                        2                          xe2x80x83                        α            +                        F          ·          sin                                  xe2x80x83                        2                α
A, B, C, D, E, F being constants dependent solely on the coordinates of the pressure taps, the specified position of the pressure taps being such that the expression for the ratio as a function of the local angle of attack xcex1 is quasi linear,
and for calculating the total pressure Pt of the flow at the level of the probe, the static pressure at upstream infinity of the probe Ps∞ and the dynamic pressure Ptxe2x88x92Ps∞ from the pressure coefficients kP of the pressure taps.
By virtue of the absence of any Pitot pressure tap, a probe according to the invention is more robust than a fixed multifunction probe equipped with such a tap. Furthermore, the absence of a Pitot tap makes it possible to free up some room for installing a heating circuit, thereby making it possible to improve the de-icing of the extremity of the probe.
The fixed structure of the probe eases the inspection of the integrity of the probe before flight as well as the transmission of the heating energy and the pneumatic pressures. The structure of the probe allows installation at the nose of the airplane, in a similar manner to the installation of a nose boom, and also installation along the fuselage, by way of a mast acting as support and by way of a fixing pad.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the probe comprises three pressure taps. The pressure taps are associated with pressure measurement means and with calculation means. The probe makes it possible to retrieve the local angle of attack, the total pressure and the static pressure of the aerodynamic flow in which it is placed. Advantageously the probe comprises no total pressure tap.
According to a second embodiment of the invention, the probe comprises a fourth pressure tap associated with pressure measurement means. Such a probe also makes it possible to retrieve the parameters listed above (local angle of attack, total pressure and static pressure of the flow), but with a securing of the information which the first embodiment does not allow. A fault with one of the pressure taps, or with one of the pressure measurement means, may be detected and signaled on completion of a comparison between the various values calculated from the various measurements. As in the first embodiment, the probe comprises no total pressure tap.


Some embodiments are directed to the manufacture of functional composites (electrical conductors, thermal conductors, etc.) produced from coated powders.

Some embodiments are directed to the manufacture of functional composite materials (electrical conductors, thermal conductors, etc.) which are produced from coated powders. The composite material in question is composed of an organic phase, which may be a polymer, and of a thermally and/or electrically conductive phase. This conductive phase allows an organic material, which is usually insulating, to be endowed with the characteristic of electrical and/or thermal conductivity.
At the present time, these conductivity properties are obtained by mixing conductive fillers, especially metallic or ceramic fillers, with an organic base. Consequently, various types of fillers are used, in highly variable proportions, to produce a desired thermal and/or electrical conductivity value.
In the manufacturing processes used in the related art, the adjustment parameters for obtaining a thermally and/or electrically conductive material are as follows:                the natures of the fillers incorporated into the organic matrix,        their morphologies (forms),        their particle sizes, and        the proportion by mass of conductive fillers relative to the total weight of the mixture of conductive fillers and organic matrix.
When the desire is for high conductivity values, the proportions by mass of fillers to be incorporated into the organic matrix may be very substantial.
By way of example, in order to obtain electrical resistivities of less than 1 ohm·cm in an organic material, the proportions by mass of fillers of a conductive material such as silver may exceed 50% relative to the total weight of the mixture.

Conductive composite produced from coated powders


This invention relates to polymeric nanoparticles useful for drug delivery with target molecules bonded to the surface of the particles and having sizes of up to 1000 nm, preferably 1 nm to 400 nm, more preferably 1 nm to 200 nm, that are dispersed homogeneously in aqueous solution. The target drug/target substance is covalently bonded to the novel polymeric nanoparticles to secure them from outer intervention in vivo or cell culture in vitro until they are exposed at the target site within the cell. This invention also relates to microemulsion polymerization techniques useful for preparing the novel nanoparticles.

The subject invention relates to the art of delivering bioaffecting agents, such as drugs, to bio-systems, and, in particular, for rendering agents which are substantially non-dissoluble in an aqueous environment available for interaction with a host bio-system, such as a human or other animal.
Bio-systems, such as humans, plants, insects, fish, birds, and mammals, are primarily aqueous systems. In order to effectively deliver a bioaffecting agent to such bio-systems, it is necessary to make the agent available for interaction with physiological activity in the bio-system. This is referred to herein as "bio-availability". In the case of bioaffecting agents that are non-dissoluble in an aqueous environment, as well as in the case of those that are only poorly water-soluble, effective administration of the bioaffecting agent can be difficult due to inadequate bio-availability of the agent and consequent low pharmacological activity. These solubility problems affect many parameters of delivery, such as the method of administration, the rate of administration, the concentration of administration, etc.
It is known that rate of dissolution of drug particulates can be increased by increasing the ratio of surface area/mass of the solid, for example, by decreasing the particle size. Consequently, methods of making finely divided drugs have been studied, and efforts have been made to control the size and size range of drug particles in pharmaceutical compositions. For example, dry milling techniques have been used to reduce particle size and thereby influence drug absorption. However, in conventional dry milling, as discussed by Lachman et al., The Theory and Practice of Industrial Pharmacy, Chapter 2, "Milling", p. 45 (1986), the limit of fineness is reached in the region of about 100 μm (=100,000 nm), where the milled material begins to cake onto the surfaces of the milling chamber. Lachman et al. note that wet grinding is beneficial in further reducing particle size, but that flocculation restricts the lower particle size limit to approximately 10 μm (=10,000 nm). There tends to be a bias in the pharmaceutical art against wet milling due to concerns associated with contamination. Commercial airjet milling techniques have provided particles ranging in average particle size from as low as about 1 μm to 50 μm (=1,000 nm to 50,000 nm).
Other techniques for preparing pharmaceutical compositions with enhanced aqueous solubility properties include loading drugs into liposomes or polymers, such as, for example, during emulsion polymerization. However, such techniques have inherent problems and limitations. For example, a lipid-soluble drug is often required in preparing suitable liposomes. Further, unacceptably large amounts of the liposome or polymer are often required to prepare unit drug doses. Further still, techniques for preparing such pharmaceutical compositions tend to be complex. A principal technical difficulty encountered with emulsion polymerization is the removal of contaminants, such as unreacted monomer or initiator (which can be toxic) at the end of the manufacturing process.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,602 discloses a solid drug pulverized in an aqueous solution of a water-soluble high molecular weight substance using a wet grinding machine. However, the '602 patent teaches that, as a result of such wet grinding, the drug is formed into finely divided particles ranging from 0.5 μm (500 nm) to less than 5 μm (5,000 nm) in diameter.
EPO 275,796 describes the production of colloidally dispersible systems comprising a substance in the form of spherical particles smaller than 500 nm. However, the method involves a precipitation effected by mixing a solution of the substance and a miscible non-solvent for the substance, and results in the formation of non-crystalline nanoparticles. Furthermore, precipitation techniques for preparing particles tend to provide particles contaminated with solvents. Such solvents are often toxic and can be very difficult, if not impossible, to adequately remove to pharmaceutically acceptable levels. Accordingly, precipitation methods are usually impractical.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,288 describes particles in the size range from 10 to 1,000 nm containing a biologically or pharmacodynamically active material. However, the particles comprise a crosslinked matrix of macromolecules having the active material supported on or incorporated into the matrix.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,684 describes a method for providing drug particles having an effective average particle size of less than about 400 nm. The method includes wet milling the drug in the presence of a grinding medium in conjunction with a surface modifier. As in previous methods, the '684 protocol requires grinding or milling to achieve size reduction. The method further requires the use of an additive in the form of a surface modifier.
Moreover, drugs prepared by milling, even wet milling such as that described in the '684 disclosure, are subject to degradation resulting from heat as well as physical and chemical trauma associated with fracture. Grinding also creates "hot spots," i.e., volumes of localized higher temperatures that can exceed the melting point or degradation of the drug. The process is also lengthy, requiring attrition exposure over several days. This type of process effectively exposes the drug to a long "heat history", wherein exposure to elevated temperatures has been significant, and the purity and potency of the drug is diminished to a significant extent. Furthermore, particles reduced by milling are often contaminated by, the residue of the grinding operations, especially when ball milling is used and the grinding balls are worn down by abrasion.
It has also been known in the art of drug delivery to improve bio-availability by aggregating substantially non-dissoluble active ingredients on the surface of soluble substrates, such as water-soluble beads. The active ingredient can be deposited on such substrates by spraying a solution of the active ingredient over a fluidized bed while "flashing off" the solvent used for the active ingredient. This method is highly inefficient in that it requires several hours to deposit a sufficient amount of active ingredient to prepare a useable delivery system. Furthermore, an additional ingredient which is unnecessary to the system must be used, i.e., the solvent required to dissolve the active ingredient. As previously mentioned, the solvent must be flashed off during aggregation. Thus, this system is a long and cumbersome process and does not provide efficiency of dosage delivery.
Solubilization techniques for drugs that have low aqueous solubility require the use of organic solvents for processing in a solution state. This requires the use of expensive recovery systems for solvent handling capability. When general melt processing techniques are used to form dispersions, bulk melting and mixing steps often expose the drug to a prolonged heat history.
Particulate carriers have been used in order to achieve controlled, parenteral delivery of therapeutic compounds. Such carriers are designed to maintain the active agent in the delivery system for an extended period of time. Examples of particulate carriers include those derived from polymethyl methacrylate polymers, as well as microparticles derived from poly(lactides) (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,919), poly(lactide-co-glycolides), known as PLG (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,767,628) and polyethylene glycol, known as PEG (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,095). Polymethyl methacrylate polymers are nondegradable, while PLG particles biodegrade by random nonenzymatic hydrolysis of ester bonds to lactic and glycolic acids, which are excreted along normal metabolic pathways.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,648,095 describes the use of microspheres with encapsulated pharmaceuticals as drug delivery systems for nasal, oral, pulmonary, and oral delivery. Slow-release formulations containing various polypeptide growth factors have also been described. See, for example, International Publication No. WO 94/12158, U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,122 and International Publication No. WO 96/37216.
Fattal et al., Journal of Controlled Release 53:137-143 (1998) describes nanoparticles prepared from polyalkylcyanoacrylates (PACA) having adsorbed oligonucleotides.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,814,482 and 6,015,686 disclose Eukaryotic Layered Vector Initiation Systems (ELVIS vectors), particularly those derived and constructed from alphavirus genomes (such as Sindbis virus), for use in stimulating an immune response to an antigen, in methods of inhibiting pathogenic agents, and in delivery of heterologous nucleotide sequences to eukaryotic cells and animals, among others.
While antigen-adsorbed PLG microparticles offer significant advantages over other more toxic systems, adsorption of biologically active agents to the microparticle surface can nonetheless be improved. For example, it is often difficult or impossible to adsorb charged or bulky biologically active agents, such as polynucleotides, large polypeptides, and the like, to the microparticle surface. Thus, there is a continued need for flexible delivery systems for such agents, and particularly for drugs that are highly sensitive and difficult to formulate.
"Controlled release" refers to the release of an agent such as a drug from a composition or dosage form in which the agent is released according to a desired profile over an extended period of time. Controlled release profiles include, for example, sustained release, prolonged release, pulsatile release, and delayed release profiles. In contrast to immediate release compositions, controlled release compositions allow delivery of an agent to a subject over an extended period of time according to a predetermined profile. Such release rates can provide therapeutically effective levels of agent for an extended period of time and thereby provide a longer period of pharmacologic or diagnostic response as compared to conventional rapid release dosage forms. Such longer periods of response provide for many inherent benefits that are not achieved with the corresponding short acting, immediate release preparations. For example, in the treatment of chronic pain, controlled release formulations are often highly preferred over conventional short-acting formulations.
Controlled release pharmaceutical compositions and dosage forms are designed to improve the delivery profile of agents, such as drugs, medicaments, active agents, diagnostic agents, or any substance to be internally administered to an animal, including humans. A controlled release composition is typically used to improve the effects of administered substances by optimizing the kinetics of delivery, thereby increasing bioavailability, convenience, and patient compliance, as well as minimizing side effects associated with inappropriate immediate release rates such as a high initial release rate and, if undesired, uneven blood or tissue levels.
As indicated above, the term "bioavailability" is used to describe the degree to which a drug becomes available at the site(s) of action after administration. The degree and timing in which an agent such as a drug becomes available to the target site(s) after administration is determined by many factors, including the dosage form and various properties such as dissolution rate of the drug. It is well known that some drug compositions suffer from poor bioavailability because of poor solubility of the active ingredient itself.
Numerous methods have been developed for enhancing the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. Particle size reduction, such as nanoparticulate forms of the agent, is one such method since the dissolution rate of a compound is related to the particle size. Nanoparticulate compositions comprise poorly water-soluble drug or agent particles having an extremely small particle size, i.e., less than one micron. With a decrease in particle size, and a consequent increase in ratio of surface area/mass, a composition tends to be rapidly dissolved and absorbed following administration. For certain formulations, this characteristic can be highly desirable, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,145,684; 5,510,118; 5,534,270; and 4,826,689; which are specifically incorporated by reference. However, rapid dissolution is contrary to the goal of controlled release. Known controlled release formulations do not present a solution to this problem.
Prior art teachings of the preparation and use of compositions providing for controlled release of an active compound provide various techniques for extending the release of a drug following administration. However, none of the techniques suggest a successful method of administering a nanoparticulate formulation.
Exemplary controlled release formulations known in the art include specially coated pellets, microparticles, implants, tablets, minitabs, and capsules in which the controlled release of a drug is brought about, for example, through selective breakdown of the coating of the preparation, through release through the coating, through compounding with a special matrix to affect the release of a drug, or through a combination of these techniques. Some controlled release formulations provide for pulsatile release of a single dose of an active compound at predetermined periods after administration.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,605 refers to a calcium polycarbophil-alginate controlled release composition. U.S. Pat. No. 5,215,758 refers to a controlled release suppository composition of sodium alginate and calcium salt. U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,388 to refers to a solid alginate-based formulation including alginate, a water-swellable polymer, and a digestible hydrocarbon derivative for providing controlled release of orally administered compounds.
WO 91/13612 refers to the sustained release of pharmaceuticals using compositions in which the drug is complexed with an ion-exchange resin. The specific ion-exchange resin described in this published patent application is AMBERLITE IRP 69®, a sodium polystyrene sulphonate resin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,425 refers to injectable depot forms of controlled release drugs made by forming microencapsule matrices of the drug in biodegradable polymers, liposomes, or microemulsions compatible with body tissues. U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,422 refers to controlled release compositions obtained by coupling a class of drugs to biodegradable polymers, such as polylactic acid, polyglycolic acid, copolymers of polylactic and polyglycolic acid, polyepsilon caprolactone, polyhydroxy butyric acid, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,404 refers to the use of liposomes having prolonged circulation half-lives to provide for the sustained release of drug compositions.
Following an administration of a drug in a living system, the active substance is distributed throughout the body as a function of its physicochemical properties and molecular structure. The final amount of drug reaching its target site may only be a small fraction of the administered dose. Accumulation of drug at the non-targeted site may lead to adverse effect and undesirable side reactions. Therefore, targeting of drug to specific body sites is desirable.
One way of modifying the biodistribution of drugs in the body is to entrap them in ultrafine drug carriers. Among these carriers, liposomes, nanoparticles and pharmacosomes have been extensively studied. The use of liposomes as drug targeting agents is found to be limited due mainly to the problems of low entrapment efficiency, drug instability, rapid drug leakage, and poor storage stability. With the aim of overcoming these problems, the production of polymeric nanoparticles has been investigated since the last two decades. Nanoparticles are defined as solid colloidal particles ranging in size from about 10 nm to 1000 nm.
A large number of studies have reported recent advances in drug targeting possibilities and sustained release action with nanoparticles encapsulating drugs. In vivo studies have also been reported with special attention to the reticuloendothelial system (RES). Some in vivo studies concerning nanoparticles administration by oral and ocular routes have also been reported in the literature with respect to the possible improvements of bioavailability. These polymeric nanoparticles should be non antigenic, biocompatible, and biodegradable.
The important characteristics of the particles used for targeting at specific body sites have been found to be influenced mainly by two factors: (i) the size of the nanoparticles and (ii) the surface characteristics of the nanoparticles. Particles smaller than 7 μm, and especially nanoparticles, are not filtered in the lung and their biodistribution is dependent on their interaction with reticuloendothelial system (RES). Biodegradable nanoparticles are mainly taken up by the Kupffer cells in the liver while a small amount of these particles go to macrophages in spleen and bone marrow. Bone marrow uptake and targeting at other sites can be modified drastically by reducing the particle size. Nanoparticles of 200 nm diameter and above have biodistribution dependent on their interaction with RES. The distribution, however, can be reversed if the particle size is made much smaller (for example, below 100 nm) and particle surfaces are made hydrophilic. These small particles in the blood serum do not adsorb serum protein through opsonisation and, as a result, their circulation time in blood is considerably increased. Hydrophobic particles are removed from the circulation very rapidly due to opsonisation. Nanometer-sized particles with a hydrophilic surface remain in blood for a longer period of time so that targeting at specific sites may be facilitated.
It is desirable to provide stable dispersible drug particles in the sub-micrometer size range that can be readily prepared in the absence of size reduction by grinding or milling. Moreover, it would be highly desirable to provide pharmaceutical compositions having enhanced bio-availability. There also remains a need in the art for controlled release nanoparticulate compositions.


An example method for determining a software classification is provided. The example method may include determining a plurality of substream boundaries including a first substream boundary within a representation of a software binary, and segmenting the representation of the software binary into a plurality of substreams. The example method may further include generating a first count string for a first substream based on operational class token counts in a tokenization of the first substream, where the tokenization of the first substream may be based on a mapping of commands within the first substream to operational classes. The example method may further include performing a first count string comparison with a reference database to determine a first count string match, where the first count string comparison being based on the first count string, and classifying the software binary based on the first count string match.

As the number of "smart" and interconnected devices increases, the amount of software being executed by these devices also increases. It has become increasingly important to be able to analyze software running on devices to determine attributes about the software. For example, being able to analyze software to determine attribution information about the software may be valuable when attempting to identify the presence of malware or unlicensed software.

Apparatus and method for identifying constituent parts of software binaries


The invention is directed to in vitro methods of inducing differentiation of anterior foregut endoderm and the enriched populations of anterior foregut endoderm produced by such methods. Such enriched populations are useful for studies of the molecular events that occur during differentiation and for generating cells for cell replacement therapy.

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst and can be maintained in the pluripotent state in defined conditions in both human and mouse. ES cells can theoretically be differentiated into every somatic and germ cell type. The development of appropriate conditions to differentiate ES cells into a variety of cell types and tissues therefore holds major promise for future cell replacement therapy. Pluripotent cells may also be obtained by reprogramming adult somatic cells into a pluripotent state (e.g., induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells), providing a path for the generation of patient-specific pluripotent cells, which would overcome rejection problems associated with transplantation of ES cell-derived tissues.
Development begins with the process of gastrulation, during which undifferentiated cells from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst differentiate into the three germ layers from which all tissues of the body are generated. Ectoderm gives rise to skin and its appendages, the nervous system, and adrenal tissues. Mesoderm develops into the genito-urinary system, connective tissue, muscle, bone, cartilage, blood vessels, blood and heart. Endoderm produces the intestine, liver, pancreas, esophagus, trachea, lung and the pharyngeal apparatus, which is derived from the most anterior foregut endoderm.
Complex patterning processes along the dorsoventral, anteroposterior and left-right axis of the embryo occur, leading to the definition of specific domains in these germ layers that will later on give rise to specific tissues and organs. Patterning is accompanied by complex molecular changes. It therefore appears critical that to obtain enriched or pure and functional populations of mature cells, developmental cues need to be sequentially applied to guide the differentiation of pluripotent cells in vitro.

Generation of anterior foregut endoderm from pluripotent cells


An anti-HIV vaccine composition is disclosed. The vaccine comprises an combination of immunogenic peptide mixtures, which mixtures may be prepared in a single synthesis. The composition collectively represents the in vivo variability seen in immunogenic epitopes from highly variable regions of HIV. Immunization with the vaccine elicits broadly reactive immunity (CTL and T helper cell responses) against the divergent strains of HIV upon which it is based. The vaccine may be formulated to target regionally distinct variability based on an HIV clade predominant in a geographical region.

To date, no effective vaccine against HIV is commercially available. Different HIV clades predominate in certain regions of the world. For example, clade C is found predominantly in India, clade E in south east Asia, and clade B in North America. There is a need to develop vaccine that can be formulated either as broadly reactive against a variety of clades, or which is specifically tailored to a regional clade.
Infection of humans with HIV-1 results in immunity that while rarely protective, nonetheless creates strong negative pressure on viral replication in vivo manifested as antigenic variation. Indeed, a recent study has demonstrated that cellular immunity is directed against variable epitopes much more frequently than previously appreciated (Altfeld, M., et al., J Virol (2003), 77(13), 7330-7340).
A process for preparation of an immunogenic peptide mixture is described by Torres in co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/072,084 (publication number 2002/0183484), herein incorporated by reference. According to this process, immunogenic eptitope sequences of a pathogen are assessed, and variability is evaluated. A peptide mixture is synthesized comprising different peptides representative of the frequency with which different amino acids are found at variable residues of selected epitopes of pathogenic proteins. Although this document teaches the specific method by which a peptide mixture can be formulated, there is still a need to formulate specific anti-HIV vaccine compositions.

Multivalent HIV immunogenic compositions comprising a pool of lipidated and nonlipidated peptides representing Gag and Env variable regions


An electric power distribution system having a number of automatic protection breakers distributed on various levels is disclosed herein. Each protection breaker includes an electronic protection unit to open the breaker, which is controlled based on the amount of current flowing through the breaker and its derivative. Each of the breakers is preferably connected in order to exchange information concerning their respective status. Also disclosed herein is method for controlling the intervention sequence of the mutually interlocked breakers, in which a breaker reports a detected fault condition to its next higher level breaker.

The present invention relates to a system for distributing electric power, particularly systems for low and medium voltage which comprise automatic protection breakers.
More specifically, the invention relates to a distribution system which comprises automatic protection breakers which are distributed hierarchically on various levels. The invention further comprises a method for controlling the intervention sequence of the automatic breakers, which are mutually interlocked so as to intervene selectively in order to cut out the faulty parts of the system.
These distribution systems are currently protected by means of automatic breakers, in which protection against a short-circuit fault with current values close to the breaking capacity is provided by means of classical electromechanical devices based on the electrodynamic effect of fault currents, which have a reaction time on the order of milliseconds.
Electric power distribution grids have a plurality of said breakers, which are distributed radially on various levels in order to selectively limit the power outage to the part or region of the network affected by the fault.
This selectivity among the various breakers is currently achieved by utilizing the different values of the current and of the intervention times of the protection devices and their different mechanical inertia, which depends on their size (and therefore on the masses involved in the opening movement).
In other words, a breaker to which several other breakers supplying an equal number of loads or subsections of the system are connected has higher settings for the protection device, is larger and has greater inertia than the breakers that it supplies, and therefore does not intervene in case of a fault downstream of the smaller breakers that it supplies. This of course occurs for all the higher levels to which the fault current can propagate.
The size of the breakers is in turn a function of the nominal current of the breaker, and therefore the size allocation of the system, by having to ensure the selectivity requirements, is based not only on the values of the working currents that are present in each node but also on the selectivity requirements, which often require to keep the short-circuit current in the system for longer than actually necessary to interrupt the fault current.
While the need to minimize the fault energy, i.e., damage, requires the fastest possible intervention, the need to select among the breakers the one that must intervene in fact entails slowing the protective intervention. Accordingly, the conventional systems of the prior art do not allow to optimize the size allocation of an electric power distribution system as regards the protection breakers.

Electric power distribution system with automatic protection breakers and related method


The present invention provides a connecting means for hearing devices having a housing, said housing comprising at least two shells (1;2) to be connected to each other, said connecting means comprising a single-piece pin (6), extending straight along its longitudinal axis (L) and having retaining surfaces (9) arranged at the region of both ends of said pin and being tapered outwardly towards the outside of both ends of said pin (6). Said pin (6) may thus be inserted into two proximately adjacent arranged openings or bores (7) of the shells (1;2) serving as connecting means.

Hearing devices, such as hearing aids, are usually placed within housings comprising of at least two shells. The shells are connected to each other to form the assembled, closed housing of the hearing device.
Screws are commonly used for the connection of such shells. If the shells are made of plastic, so called self-cutting screws may be used. Such self-cutting screws do not need to be inserted into threads, in contrary to regular screws, but only need a bore with a smaller diameter than the diameter of the screw thread. Cutting surfaces are provided at the coin point of such a screw for cutting themselves into the bore and thus producing themselves a thread.
Regular screws engaging into nuts may alternatively be used, said nuts being provided within receiving openings at the inside of the shells.
For both known solutions described above, the screw head is visible from the outside of the housing because the screw has to be operated from the outside. Thus, those solutions are unconvincing and the respective openings for the screws at the outside of the housing are subject to contamination.
Alternative housings are known with shells that are connected via pins with a smooth surface. Such housings are separated parallel with respect to the axis of the pins in contrary to housings with screws that are separated transversally with respect to the axis of the screws. The design of the shells are therefore more complex involving more expensive injection molding tools in contrary to common shells for screws. That arises from the characteristic of the pins to be stressed only transversally to its longitudinal axis. Thus, eyelets have to be provided at the shell for receiving the pins that rises the complexity of the injection molding tools. Furthermore, the pin heads are visible from the outside and the respective receiving bores tend to collect dirt even though they are smaller in diameter with respect to the bores used for screws.
Further solutions are known with shells that interconnect via resilient tongues with hooks. The hooks of said tongues interlock with engaging means arranged at the shell after assembling of the shells. The respective injection molding tools to form such means are as well complex and therefore expensive. Furthermore, such connections are usually not very stable or robust. The hooks, tongues and/or engaging means will often be damaged when opening the housing or already by closing the shells of the housing. A further disadvantage lies in the fact that such connecting means usually require a lot of space that has a negative impact onto the dimension of the housing which is usually required to be highly miniaturized.

Connecting means for housings of hearing devices