The present invention is related to a method for the production of cell sheets comprising at least two different cell types, said method comprising the steps of providing a continuous cell sheet which is disposed on a substrate comprising shape transition properties and/or alterable surface characteristics; exposing said continuous cell sheet to a releasing agent in a patterned fashion; washing the cell sheet after exposure to the releasing agent in order to remove cells which have been affected by the releasing agent, and repopulating the gaps remaining after the cells which have been affected by the releasing agent have been removed with a second cell type.

This invention relates to a the field of tissue engineering. More specifically, the invention relates to patterned cell sheets and to a method for their production.
Regenerative medicine is a new upcoming discipline within the field of medical sciences. There are numerous methods and approaches used in regenerative medicine. They can coarsely be divided into four areas, including tissue engineering in vitro and in vivo:
In tissue engineering in vitro, tissue is grown outside the body utilising scaffolds and cells. The engineered tissue is subsequently implanted in a patient in order to replace damaged or lost tissue.
In tissue engineering in vivo, scaffolds are placed in damaged tissue areas with the aim of inducing growth of cells from the surrounding healthy tissue to restore damaged tissue.
However, the use of scaffold suffers from many disadvantages and short-comings. In specific applications, cell sheet engineering can avoid the limitations of scaffold based tissue reconstruction and cell therapies. Cell sheets have been used for the reconstruction of ocular surface tissue, periodontal ligaments, cardiac patches and bladder augmentation. For more complex applications it is required that cells are placed in specific locations or predetermined patterns, hence patterned cell-sheets are desired. For the reconstruction of even more complex tissues, the use of heterogeneous multicellular sheets is needed. For this purpose different cell types have to be co-cultured in a patterned fashion in order to obtain a cell sheet in which the different cell types are micro-patterned in a desired pattern.
State of the art methodologies to obtain patterned cell sheets are based upon patterning the surface on which the cells are cultured. These methodologies require that each substrate is patterned separately using (soft)lithography. Furthermore these methodologies do not facilitate the production of freestanding patterned cell sheets.

Patterned cell sheets and a method for production of the same


Techniques for reducing non-compliance of medication use are described. The techniques involve generating and storing an identifier for a specific dosage instance of a specific patient, and creating a package that includes a mechanism for conveying the identifier. Once the package is created, a set of one or more medications that are prescribed to be taken by the specific patient at the specific dosage instance are placed in the package. The set of medications within the package in a manner that prevents the identifier from being perceived from the mechanism until the package is opened. Once opened, the identifier is perceived and communicated back to an automated compliance system.

In many oral medication regimes, patients or experimental subjects are required to take multiple oral medications and/or doses at specified intervals during the day. There are several reasons why such patients do not comply with their regimens, but a large percentage (1) simply forget, (2) cannot get prescriptions filled or delivered, or (3) do not like the side effects. It is common for such patients to forget to take the medications at the proper time or even to take multiple doses because of difficulties in remembering what they have already taken. The risks of not complying with the prescribed regimens and suffering the symptoms of under-dosing or over-dosing are well documented. The costs of treating the resulting medical problems have been estimated at over $100 billion per year in the US alone.
A large factor in the lack of compliance is inconvenience. While bottles are ideal as a delivery system for tablets or capsules from the pharmacy to the patient, they are not conducive to patient compliance. The inconvenience for a given patient increases dramatically with: (1) the number of medications in separate containers that the patient has to take, (2) the number of daily repetitions of each medication, (3) the complexity of the rules governing the how and when to take the medications, especially if some have to be taken during normal sleeping times, or with food, or on an empty stomach, and (4) under-dosing or the side-effects that arise out of the slight overdosing because the medications can only be roughly titrated to the specific patient's metabolism (in order to balance efficacy and side-effects). This is because medications are available only in certain dosages in relatively large increments.
Products and services have been introduced to the market in an attempt to improve compliance. There are online services that offer free or fee-based automated reminders on a daily or other user-selected basis, via email or cell phone, to remind patients to take their medicines (such as services offered by Freeminder.com and Iping.com). Over time, some patients begin to ignore the reminders, while others dislike the 'automated' nature of the reminders and prefer a 'human touch'.
Some existing solutions also provide a multi-dose package containing all the medications to be taken by a particular patient at a particular time of day. These take the form of cups containing pills and capsules such as in the MD2 product from E-Pill.com, and rely on caregivers to fill the containers with the appropriate medications, leaving open the possibility of errors, especially for complex regimens. In some cases, reminders may be programmed into a device by the patient or caregiver. Some solutions automate the process of dispensing the appropriate pills and capsules, such as a system described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,257, and rely on a nurse or other licensed practitioner to administer the multi-dose to the patient and record the compliance event, typically in a hospital or managed facility setting. Due to cost and other factors, these may not be suited for patient self-administration. Yet other solutions use specially constructed blister packaging incorporating specialized electronics to detect compliance events. Some even provide remote dispensing of medications of different dosage strengths. These solutions are expensive since they rely on proprietary packaging and do not provide the convenience of a single package. There are also combinations of multiple drugs into a single pill or capsule, referred to as 'cocktail' therapy, but due to size limitations, these are usually for a single disease.
More recently, electronics-enabled blister packs have become available—these provide multiple medications and automated compliance recording, but are either expensive or have size limitations and thus may not be able to handle complex regimens. Other solutions such as a 'Smart Tray' with embedded RFID enabled medication containers, record which medication vials are removed from the tray and the time of removal; the data are transmitted to an online database as compliance events. In yet another solution, each medication vial is fitted with an RFID enabled detector that records the opening of the vial as a compliance event. The drawback in recording the opening of each container is that the patient still has to open each individual vial and manually assemble the requisite pills or capsules before taking them. In addition, the amount of data recorded is dependent on the number of containers rather that just the act of opening a single package. In many of the above cases, a special device or computer interface hardware and software must also be provided to patients, posing limits on scalability and speed of adoption.
In general, the above solutions address specific parts of the overall problem and have thus far failed to make a significant impact on patient compliance. The system described hereafter builds on some of these existing solutions, or parts thereof, to provide a more comprehensive solution.

Unified ingestion package and process for patient compliance with prescribed medication regimen


The atmosphere temperature calculator calculates an estimated atmosphere temperature value by subtracting a temperature rise amount of a temperature sensor which is calculated based on a motor drive detected current value from a detected temperature value of the temperature sensor. The overheating prevention calculator calculates estimated temperature values of a plurality of protection objects to be protected from overheating based on the estimated atmosphere temperature value and the motor drive detected current value and determines an upper limit of target current of driving a motor based on such estimated temperature values. The temperature compensation calculator calculates a temperature compensation current value to be added to a target current value in order to compensate a temperature characteristic of a predetermined portion based on the estimated atmosphere temperature value.

The present invention relates to an electric power steering apparatus, and more specifically, to overheating prevention and temperature compensation in the electric power steering apparatus.
Generally, an electric power steering apparatus for applying a steering auxiliary force to a steering mechanism by driving an electric motor in response to a steering torque applied to a handle (steering wheel) by a driver has been used. The electric power steering apparatus is provided with a torque sensor for detecting a steering torque applied to the handle that is an operating member to steer, and a target value of a current to flow to the electric motor based on the steering torque detected by the torque sensor is set. Then, a command value to be given to a driver of the electric motor is generated based on the target value, and the voltage correspond to the command value is applied to the electric motor. The current is provided to the electric motor by applying the voltage.
In the above operation, a current flows into not only the electric motor but also the inside of an electronic control unit (ECU). As the current flows, heat is generated in the apparatus. As a result of the heat generation, the temperature of each of components constituting the apparatus gradually rises and the components may be damaged when the temperature of the components exceeds a predetermined temperature. In order to prevent the components from being damaged due to overheating, an upper limit of the value of a current for driving the motor has been set.
For example, in order to prevent the ECU from being overheated, the rise temperature of a component, such as a power transistor, etc., within the ECU is estimated and an estimated temperature of each component is calculated based on the estimated rise temperature of the component. Further, the estimated temperature of each component and the value of a current capable of being supplied to the motor may be caused to correspond to each other. The ECU is prevented from overheating by limiting the current value supplied to the motor based on the estimated temperature of each component (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-284375A, and Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 2586020Y)
In a related technique, the weakest portion of an object to be protected from overheating is generally specified and protected. However, when there are various portions in which temperature rises to the highest depending on current output conditions based on steering situations, a plurality of objects should be protected from overheating. In this case, since it is required to provide a temperature sensor to each of the plurality of objects to be protected from overheating, cost increases. Further, since a temperature sensor is required to be provided in the vicinity of each object to be protected from overheating, a temperature sensor, the degree of freedom in designing a controller is lowered.
Further, a temperature sensor is required when compensating a temperature characteristic of a predetermined portion. For example, since the viscosity of grease for a reduction gear used to transmit a steering auxiliary force generated by the electric motor to a steering shaft has a temperature characteristic, a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of a reduction gear is required for compensating the temperature characteristic.
Alternatively, overheating of the motor can also be prevented by estimating temperature rise of a mass part, a coil and a brush in the motor. In this case, the temperature rise of the mass part, the coil and the brush is estimated, and estimated temperatures of the respective portions are then calculated based on estimated rising temperatures of those portions. Further, the estimated temperatures of the respective portions correspond to a maximum value of a current which can be supplied to the motor. Also, the maximum value of a current which can be supplied to the motor is calculated by the estimated temperatures calculated for the respective portions by referring to the correspondence relationship. This limits the value of a current to be supplied to the motor and suppresses overheating of the motor.
Further, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-284375A discloses a motor temperature estimating device that determines whether an electric motor rotates or stops and then estimates the temperature of the motor in different calculating ways according to the determination results. The following points are described in this Publication. That is, the difference in temperature rise between a current flowing to a coil during the rotation of the electric motor and a current flowing to the coil during the stop of the electric motor is taken into consideration, so that the estimation precision of the temperature of the electric motor can be enhanced and the current can be controlled correctly.
However, in temperature estimating processing of the power steering apparatus in the related art, an error occurs between an estimated temperature and an actual temperature in devices such as a motor having, particularly, a large thermal resistance or a large capacity. These matters will be described referring to FIGS. 14 and 15. FIGS. 14 and 15 shows temperature change characteristics of a brush of a motor. FIG. 14 shows a temperature change characteristic of the brush in a case in which an input current is ON before a point of time denoted by a symbol t1 (a state in which a constant current flows) and the input current is OFF after the point of time denoted by the symbol t1 (a state in which the input current is cut off). FIG. 15 shows a temperature change of the brush in a case in which an input current is ON before the point of time denoted by the symbol t1 and after a point of time denoted by a symbol t2 and the input current is OFF during a period from the point of time denoted by the symbol t1 to the point of time denoted by the symbol t2. Here, when the temperature (actual temperature) of the brush falls down to the vicinity of the atmosphere temperature as shown in FIG. 14 after the input current is OFF, an error hardly occurs between an estimated temperature and the actual temperature even if the brush rises in temperature again. On the other hand, when the temperature of the brush does not fall down to the vicinity of the atmosphere temperature as shown in FIG. 15 until the input current is again ON after the input current is OFF, an error occurs between an estimated temperature and the actual temperature by the following reason. In this regard, in the temperature estimating processing in the related art, the estimated temperature is calculated according to a calculating formula that is defined based on actually measured data during temperature rise irrespective of whether the temperature is rising or falling. However, the temperature change characteristics of respective portions in the motor are different during temperature rise and during temperature fall. For this reason, in the temperature estimating processing in the related art, the estimated temperature when the temperature is falling cannot be obtained precisely, which causes the above-mentioned error. As a result, in controlling a current, the value of the current may be limited by a temperature different from the actual temperature, and the current may be excessively supplied to damage parts during overheating.


A position measuring apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus has a receiver for receiving signals from multiple satellites and measuring the position of a mobile station based on the received signals. In addition, an angle determination unit determines angle range depending on the positional relation between the measured position of the mobile station and an obstacle. An orbit information extraction unit extracts orbit information indicating orbits of the satellites from the received signals. A measurement unit measures the quality of the signals from at least one satellite that is expected to exist within the angle range based on the extracted orbit information. Finally, a correction unit corrects the position of the mobile station to another position having a different height, according to the measured quality of the signal from the within-angle range satellite.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a position measuring technical field using radio signals, and especially relates to a position measuring apparatus employing the GPS (Global Positioning System).
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years and continuing, apparatuses for measuring positions utilizing the GPS are increasing. In general, the GPS is a system in which positions of two or more dimensions can be very precisely measured utilizing signals from at least three satellites out of about 24 satellites orbiting the earth. More specifically, triangulation type measurement, PHS type measurement, differential GPS type and other types of measurement are employed for measuring positions. These technologies are used for car navigation or in PDAs, and the positions of mobile stations or PDA's users are measured. The GPS utilizes radio waves emitted from satellites, and therefore satisfactory position measurement is not obtained in bad communication environments where the lines-of-sight between satellites and a position measuring apparatus (GPS receiver) are disturbed.
In this regard, conventionally Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 2000-111648 discloses a position measuring technology in which a position ID oscillator emitting infrared signals containing a position ID is provided indoors, a mobile station receives radio waves from satellites outdoors and receives the infrared signals indoors, and accordingly position measurement can be done outdoors and indoors.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication 9-297171 discloses another technology in which a mobile object to be monitored is equipped with a detector for determining whether to receive signals from satellites, and accordingly it can be determined whether the object is located indoors or outdoors.
By the way, although position measurement techniques such as GPS provide highly precise position determination, errors of about 10 meters are normally unavoidable. Such errors cause no problem in wide space flatlands, but there exists a serious problem if an object to be monitored is on the boundary between a building and a road because there is a big difference between whether the object is on a roof of the building or on the road at the periphery of the building.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating positional variations of a mobile station, a building and measured coordinates. FIG. 1(A) is a top plan view seen from above a building, and FIG. 1(B) is a perspective view. It is assumed that a mobile station or its user 102 is actually located on a roof of the building 104, as seen in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B). The position coordinates measuring is performed periodically at every one second, and measured coordinates 106 are obtained at every one second. However, the measured coordinates vary within a certain area 108. In FIG. 1, the variation area is indicated by a circle having a radius of several meters. This circle area includes two regions; one region is on the building 104 and the other region is on a road adjacent to the building 104. Accordingly it is unclear whether the mobile station 102 is located on the roof of the building or not, and therefore there is large uncertainty regarding the position of the object to be monitored.
With reference to FIG. 2 showing schematic views similar to FIG. 1, in a case where the mobile station 102 is actually on a road adjacent to the building 104, signals from some satellites are blocked off by the building. Accordingly the variation area becomes larger, because the signals utilized for measuring the position are limited, resulting in lower precision. Therefore, it is more uncertain whether the mobile station 102 is located on the roof of the building, than in FIG. 1.
Both of the conventional techniques disclosed in the above two Japanese Patent Documents determine whether a mobile station is located indoors or outdoors. However, a roof of a building and a road adjacent the building are both outdoors, and therefore it is difficult for those conventional techniques to determine whether a mobile station is located on the roof of the building or a road adjacent to the building.
On the other hand, it is theoretically possible to solve the above problem by measuring a position of a mobile station in a three-dimensional mode including height measurement. However, three dimensional measurement needs to receive satisfactory signals from four or more satellites. When more than three satellites cannot be captured (signals received satisfactorily), it is difficult to perform three-dimensional measurement. Further, even if more than three satellites can be captured, the measurement accuracy in the height direction is generally worse (for example, 1.5 times worse) than that in the horizontal direction. Therefore, it is difficult to determine whether a mobile station is located on a roof of a building having a height lower than 10 meters or not, although that information is of great practical use.
A DOP scheme for improving measurement accuracy is known, in which an amount called DOP (Dilution of Precision) is utilized to stop outputting unreliable measured coordinates. The DOP is a parameter that indicates the probabilities of measured coordinates based on geometric configurations of used satellites with regard to a mobile station. For example, if all the three satellites used for measuring position exist in similar directions, DOP has a large value, which means reliability of the position coordinates is low. By limiting measured coordinates having large DOPs and allowing only small DOP coordinates to be output, it becomes possible to output highly reliable measured coordinates only. However, when the mobile station 102 is on a road close to the building 104 as shown in FIG. 2, its DOP is generally large, and therefore it becomes impossible to output measured coordinates.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a position measuring apparatus that can measure the position of a mobile station very precisely using the GPS.


The disclosure provides fusion polypeptides and constructs useful in delivering anionically charged nucleic acid molecules including diagnostics and therapeutics to a cell or subject. The fusion constructs include a protein transduction domain and a nucleic acid binding domain, or a protein transduction domain and a nucleic acid that is coated with one or more nucleic acid binding domains sufficient to neutralize an anionic charge on the nucleic acid. Also provided are methods of treating disease and disorders such as cell proliferative disorders.

The discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) as a cellular mechanism that selectively degrades mRNAs allows for both the targeted manipulation of cellular phenotypes in cell culture and the potential for development of directed therapeutics (Behlke, Mol. Ther. 13, 644-670, 2006; Xie et al., Drug Discov. Today 11, 67-73, 2006). Although short interfering RNA's (siRNAs) have great potential for manipulation of cellular phenotypes, due to their size and negative (anionic) charged nature, siRNAs are macromolecules with no ability to enter cells. Indeed, siRNAs are 25× in excess of Lipinski's "Rule of 5s" for cellular delivery of membrane diffusible molecules that generally limits size to less than 500 Da. Consequently, in the absence of a delivery vehicle or transfection agent, naked siRNAs do not enter cells, even at millimolar concentrations (Barquinero et al., Gene Ther. 11 Suppl 1, S3-9, 2004). Significant attention has been focused on the use of cationic lipids that both condense the siRNA and punch holes in the cellular membrane to solve the siRNA delivery problem. Although widely used, transfection reagents fail to achieve efficient delivery into many cell types, especially primary cells and hematopoietic cell lineages (T and B cells, macrophage). Moreover, lipofection reagents often result in varying degrees of cytotoxicity ranging from mild in tumor cells to high in primary cells.

Transducible delivery of nucleic acids using modified dsRNA binding domains

The Regents of the University of California


A new scene-based wavefront sensor is useful in a device as, for example, a telescope or camera that provides information of aberrations (e.g., out-of-focus condition) directly from light received from a scene in object space being scanned by movement of either the wavefront sensor or elements in the scene. The wavefront sensor includes an imaging system defining a predetermined pupil, a light opaque material having a surface and defining a probe hole (pinhole) therethrough, a linear image sensor array, a relay lens, and a pupil sensor array including a plurality of light sensors. The probe hole and image sensor array are disposed at a focal plane of the imaging system while the pupil sensor array is disposed at a focal plane of the pupil of the imaging system. As the wavefront sensor is moved to scan a predetermined scene in a direction normal to the orientation of the image sensor array, output signals of light intensity versus time detected by each of the sensors of the image and pupil sensor arrays are transmitted to a controller. The controller uses such output signals for determining if, for example, aberrations exist in the scanned scene and for generating control signals to a user device for correcting for such aberrations.

Wavefront sensors are used to provide image control in, for example, active optical systems used in various devices such as satellites, telescopes, and cameras. More particularly, known wavefront sensors include elements which provide information about phase distortions in a received wavefront, and/or which analyze, measure, and provide information signals to correct for aberrations (phase distortions) received in optical wavefronts. Such phase distortions or aberrations are produced in an image by, for example, a thermal expansion or contraction of a structure in, for example, a telescope or camera due to varying temperatures which changes distances between lenses and/or mirrors therein. It is to be understood that the wavefront sensor is a first element of an active control system which includes three elements. The second element is a controller which processes signal information generated by the wavefront sensor using an appropriate algorithm (software device) to analyze and determine what should be done with the signal information from the wavefront sensor. The third element actually actively provides a change to correct a problem (e.g., defocussing) detected by the controller from the signal information of the wavefront sensor. In this regard see, for example, the article by Peter A. Jones entitled "Alignment And Focus Control Of A Telescope Using Image Sharpening", published in the SPIE Proceedings. Vol. 1542-18, 1991, at pages 194-204, which discusses a thought process for using information from a wavefront sensor in active optical systems.
Various types of wavefront sensors are known in the prior art. For example, it is known in radar, sonar, and camera focussing technology to send out a signal wavefront and measure the round trip time of such signal wavefront to determine distance to an object. Such distance information is then used to focus the camera or determine where an object is located in object space.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,103 (J. T. Watson et al.), issued on May 19, 1987, discloses a wavefront sensor for a large optical system, such as a telescope, comprising an objective lens, a reticle with at least one slit therein to provide an aperture, a field lens, and an array of infrared sensor cells. The objective lens images an infrared ground scene onto the reticle which provides image signatures for various portions of the aperture to an array of infrared sensor cells via the field lens. The resulting time difference between the image signatures of the aperture represents relative image displacement caused by a wavefront slope variation in the actual received wavefront.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,712,913 (N. Bareket), issued on Dec. 15, 1987, discloses a linear-scanned-array wavefront sensor. In the wavefront sensor, a plurality of sample beam wavefronts derived from selected portions of a wide aperture optical beam wavefront enter an entrance pupil located adjacent a focal surface on which the sample beams are individually focussed. A relay lens system transmits the sample beams to a beam splitter which divides each of the sample beams into an undeviated and a deviated component. The undeviated components of the sample beams image the entrance pupil onto a first dithering scanning mirror, and the deviated components of the sample beams image the entrance pupil onto a second dithering scanning mirror. The first and second scanning mirrors are dithered to sweep sample beam spots across first and second focal planes, respectively, where a plurality of linear photodetector arrays are positioned. Line centroids of the sample beam spots at the first and second focal planes are calculated by a processor. Any deviation in the line centroid provides an indication of an aberration in the received wavefront.
Prior art wavefront sensors for use with active optical systems require moving parts and many components such as reference lasers, lenses, gratings, beam splitters, stationary and movable mirrors, multiple light beam paths, and a plurality of detector arrays which make such wavefront sensors complicated and expensive. Still further, many prior art wavefront sensors use a point source, as a star or a reference laser, to determine whether an out-of focus condition exists, and are unable to provide such information when looking at a wide area (extended scene) in object space.
It is desirable to provide a wavefront sensor which is simple and relatively inexpensive, and provides output signals from which information relating to aberrations in wavefronts received directly from an extended scene in object space can be determined and, in turn, used by separate active devices to correct for such aberrations.

Scanning scene-based wavefront sensor having a linear image sensor array and a pupil sensor array


Electronic information input via an input means is divided into first and second groups e.g. representing information which may not be modified except by a skilled operator, and information which may be modified freely. The information is stored in an information file and display elements are stored in e.g. a related information file. If a request for modification of one of the information elements is input via the input means, a judging means determines, on the basis of controlling information in a controlling information area, whether the information element belongs to the first or second group. If it belongs to the first, a display means displays one of the display elements as e.g. a warning to the operator that the information element may be modified only by a skilled operator. A password system may be provided to identify such a skilled operator.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of processing electronic information, and also to a device for carrying out such a method. It is particularly, but not exclusively, concerned with a method of processing electronic information by modification of at least some of that information, such as modification of electronic documents prepared by word processor or modification of the source program for a computer.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
Several methods for processing electronic information have been proposed, which seek to control the modification of a source program of a computer, so as to prevent modifications which reduce the effectiveness of the source program. For example, in Japanese patent application No 63-80329 there was proposed a method of verifying a modification of a source program, in which the modified and unmodified source programs are compared. This method was particularly designed for error prevention during development of the source program. Also, in Japanese patent publication No 58-53377 there was proposed a method in which a record was made of which parts of the source program had been modified, and further modification of those already modified parts was limited, thereby limiting repeated modification of the program.
Furthermore, in the context of modifying electronic documents such as text or diagrams, it is known to provide a visual display of the modified document, for comparison with the unmodified document, either in printed form or in a display on a CRT (VDU).
It has been found, however, that the above methods of processing electronic information do not adequately control the modification of the information to prevent its effectiveness being reduced. For example, in Japanese 63-80329, the checking process is wholly automatic, and therefore the operator is given no warning when the proposed modification is unsatisfactory. In the method described in Japanese 58-53377, the control of modification is limited to those parts which have already been modified, and does not provide a general rule for controlling modification, irrespective of the previous history of modification.

Electronic information processing method and device for modifying electronic information without losing high quality thereof

Hitachi Prosess Computer Engineering, Inc.


A termination component that is capable of configuring itself to accommodate buses having different electrical characters that connect to it. The termination component includes resistor lines and resistor-diode lines that connect to a power source. These resistor lines and resistor-diode lines when properly powered permit the self-configuration of the termination component.

In many computer network applications, several different types of systems or devices may be connected to a common backplane. From within a computer system enclosure, storage units may connect to the common backplane and from without that enclosure, devices or systems that may desire to connect to the storage units do so through the backplane. The system or device that connects to the storage device through the backplane may do so through an interconnect bus that operates according, for example, the Small Computer Storage Interconnect ("SCSI") protocol, an industry standard. The storage units to which this interconnect bus connects also operate according to the SCSI protocol.
Another protocol which a system or device may use for its interconnection bus is the Digital Small System Interconnect ("DSSI") protocol. The DSSI protocol has been developed by Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Massachusetts, and is the subject of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 07/562,433, filed Jul. 19, 1990.
The interconnect bus for using either SCSI or DSSI protocol may be part of an interface. Therefore, the interconnect buses will be referred to as a SCSI bus or a DSSI bus to denote the operable protocol.
Electrical signals that form the SCSI or DSSI bus operate as transmission lines. As such, it is necessary to terminate these transmission lines at both ends with a termination component. This termination component must have an impedance equivalent to the electrical characteristics of the transmission lines.
The DSSI bus has different electrical characteristics than the SCSI bus. For example, the impedance, bus driver, and receiver components are different for each bus. The existence of the different electrical characteristics for the DSSI and SCSI buses results in the DSSI bus having improved signal integrity by preventing voltage overshoots and undershoots. This improves the noise margin between logic "0" and logic "1" values.
With regard to the bus driver components for the two buses, the driver for SCSI bus is capable of sinking a load of up to 48 mA of current, while the driver for the DSSI bus is capable of sinking loads as high as 100 mA of current. Therefore, the DSSI bus drivers can be used to drive a SCSI bus since the DSSI driver components are under stressed when operated to perform this task. However, the DSSI and SCSI buses have distinctive impedances. As such, a storage device operating under the SCSI protocol cannot connect to a DSSI bus and vice versa because the bus termination component could not match the impedance in both directions.
Even though logical signalling of information on a SCSI or DSSI bus is the same, the SCSI bus requires a termination impedance of 132 .OMEGA., while the DSSI bus requires a termination impedance of 85 .OMEGA.. Normally, the electrical characteristics of the termination component associated with either the SCSI or DSSI bus match those of that bus. This, however, causes problems when a system is configured with termination components that are married to either SCSI or DSSI technology because storage units that are supported by storage assemblies may change or at the time of manufacture may not be known. Therefore, every time a storage unit is changed or a decision is reached with regard to storage units, it may result in the necessity to change the termination component to accommodate the particular bus and storage unit connected to it through the termination component.
Changing termination components either at the manufacturing site or in the field requires time and expertise which is not always available. Moreover, the removal or swapping of termination components requires that unused components be saved in case the original storage units are needed again. Mechanical switches to select the proper termination components are cumbersome and expensive.
Accordingly, it would be desirous to have a termination component that is capable of operating at more than one impedance to accommodate more than one bus type to be connected to it.

Self-configuring bus termination component


A drug delivery device is formed from an elastomeric element, including an inflatable drug reservoir and a flexible sleeve, and an insert inserted within the flexible sleeve. The insert cooperates with the flexible sleeve to form an at least partially pressure compensated flow regulating mechanism.

The present invention relates to slow release liquid drug delivery devices.
It is known to provide an implantable device which delivers a drug slowly over a period of time. This approach avoids problems of patient compliance, and provides particular advantages where delivery of a drug to a specific target location allows use of much lower overall dosage than would be required for systemic delivery, possibly avoiding undesirable side effects.
In most cases of implantable drug delivery devices, a first surgical procedure is required to implant the device and then another surgical procedure is required to remove the device. Examples of implantable devices for delivery of liquid drugs include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,163,920, 4,428,397, 4,820,273, 5,061,242, 5,993,414, 6,183,461 and 5,836,935.
Notably, U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,414 highlights particular problems encountered when trying to achieve reliable and leak proof weld joints between components.
In order to avoid the need for a second surgical procedure to remove the device, resorbable devices have been proposed. Such devices are generally limited to structures in which the drug is dispersed in a matrix of resorbable material and is gradually released as the matrix breaks down in the body. Examples of this approach may be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,351,337 and 4,450,150 to Sidman. Although this approach has potential advantages, it does not achieve highly uniform drug release rates, and is not suitable for drugs which must be delivered in a liquid form or which have high diffusion rates through the matrix materials.
There is therefore a need for an implantable drug delivery device which would deliver a liquid drug over an extended period at a relatively constant rate without requiring surgical removal of the device after use.

Slow release liquid drug delivery device


There is provided a testing apparatus for testing a device under test, wherein the testing apparatus is provided with a timing generator for generating a timing signal indicating the timing at which a test signal is applied; a plurality of timing delay units for delaying the timing signal; a plurality of drivers for applying the delayed test signals; a sampler for sampling the test signal and outputting a sample voltage; a comparator for outputting a comparison result indicating whether the sample voltage is higher than the reference voltage; a determination part for determining whether the sample voltage matches the reference voltage; and a timing calibration part for calibrating the delay time caused in the timing signal by the plurality of timing delay units in order to synchronize the timing at which the test signals are applied to the device under test.

A testing apparatus has conventionally been used for applying a test signal to a device under test in the case of semiconductor device testing. When the device being tested by this testing apparatus is provided with a plurality of terminals, it is sometimes necessary for the test signal to be applied to each of the plurality of terminals at a consistent timing.
FIG. 1 shows an example of the structure of the testing apparatus 10 according to the background art of the present invention. The testing apparatus 10 performs testing of the DUT (Device Under Test: device being tested) 130 by applying a test signal to each of a plurality of terminals of the DUT 130. The testing apparatus 10 is provided with a timing generator 100, a plurality of test boards 110, and a plurality of transmission channels 120. The timing generator 100 generates a timing signal indicating the timing at which the test signal is applied to the DUT 130, and feeds the timing signal to each of the plurality of test boards 110. Each of the plurality of test boards 110 is provided so as to correspond to one of the plurality of terminals of the DUT 130, and has a timing delay unit 112 for delaying the timing signal generated by the timing generator 100, and a driver 114 for applying the test signal to corresponding one of the terminals of the DUT 130 via a transmission channel 120 at the timing indicated by the timing signal thus delayed.
The plurality of drivers 114 each have varying characteristics, and since the transmission channel length is not necessarily the same in each of the plurality of transmission channels 120, there is sometimes variation in the timing at which the test signals are applied to the DUT 130 by the plurality of drivers 114. Therefore, the waveform of the test signal applied to the DUT 130 by each of the plurality of drivers 114 is observed using an oscilloscope on the point nearest to the DUT 130. The timing at which the test signal is applied to the DUT 130 by each of the plurality of drivers 114 is synchronized based on the observed waveform by calibrating the delay time caused in the timing signal by the plurality of timing delay units 112.
FIG. 2 shows the structure of a testing apparatus 20 according to the background art of the present invention. The testing apparatus 20 performs testing of the DUT by applying a test signal to each of a plurality of terminals of the DUT. The testing apparatus 20 is provided with a timing generator 200, a plurality of test boards 210, a plurality of transmission channels 215, and a calibration apparatus 220. The timing generator 200 generates a timing signal indicating the timing at which the test signal is applied to the DUT, and feeds the timing signal to each of the plurality of test boards 210. The timing generator 200 also generates a strobe signal and feeds the strobe signal to the calibration apparatus 220. Each of the plurality of test boards 210 is provided so as to correspond to one of the plurality of terminals of the DUT, and has a timing delay unit 212 for delaying the timing signal generated by the timing generator 200, and a driver 214 for applying the test signal to corresponding one of the terminals via a transmission channel 215 at the timing indicated by the timing signal thus delayed.
The calibration apparatus 220 has a comparator 222, a determination part 224, and a timing calibration part 226. The comparator 222 acquires in place of the DUT the test signal outputted by each of the plurality of drivers 214, compares the test signal thus acquired with a reference voltage VREF, and outputs the comparison result to the determination part 224. The determination part 224 detects the comparison result outputted by the comparator 222 at the timing indicated by the strobe signal generated by the timing generator 200, and determines whether the voltage of the test signal matches the reference voltage VREF at that timing. The timing calibration part 226 synchronizes the timing at which the test signal is applied to the DUT by each of the plurality of drivers 214, by calibrating the test signals applied to the DUT by each of the plurality of drivers 214 by calibrating the delay time caused in the timing signal by the plurality of timing delay units 212, based on the timing at which it is determined in the determination part 224 that the voltage of the test signal matches the reference voltage VREF.
Drawbacks are known to occur in the conventional testing apparatus for testing a DUT by applying test signals to the DUT whereby the high frequency components of the test signals are attenuated by resistance in the transmission channels and other effects, and test signals having waveforms different from desired waveforms are applied to the DUT. Techniques have been proposed for overcoming these drawbacks by using an oscilloscope to acquire waveforms of the test signals outputted by the testing apparatus and correcting the waveforms of the test signals based on the acquired waveforms (see the specification of International Patent Application Laid Open No. 03/044550, for example).

Testing apparatus for testing a device under test and comparator circuit and calibration apparatus for the testing apparatus


The invention relates to an apparatus for processing signals, comprising parameter control means for controlling parameters of said signals in response to manual adjustments by the user as well as automatically generated adjustments based on current ambient factors or properties of said signals. The apparatus according to the invention comprises indicator means for presenting a level indicator which is indicative of the combined result of the manual and automatic adjustments.

An apparatus of the above type is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,045,926. The known apparatus is a display apparatus or television receiver which comprises means for automatically adjusting picture parameters, such as sharpness and luminance level, in response to variations of signal properties, such as signal strength and picture content. For example, the known apparatus raises the picture sharpness in the case of a light image, while the sharpness is lowered in the case of either a dark image or an image received with a small electric field strength, since the preshoot and overshoot of the video signal for raising the sharpness of the image emphasize the noise. As another example, the luminance is lowered in the case of a light image and raised in the case of a dark image, thereby preventing 'black deformation' or 'black separation' regardless of the video content of each image.


A molybdenum silicide type-heating element and a method of manufacturing a heating element of the molybdenum silicide type. The heating element contains substantially Mo(Si1-x Alx)2 and Al2O3 and is prepared by mixing a molybdenum aluminum silicide-type material Mo(Si1-yAly)2 with SiO2, wherein the SiO2 has a purity of at least 98%.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a heating element of the molybdenum silicide type and also to a heating element.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electrical resistance element of the molybdenum silicide type is described in Swedish Patent Specifications 0003512-1 and 0004329-9. According to patent specification 0003512-1 the resistance material of the heating element includes Mo(Si1-x Alx)2 which contains aluminum to an extent at which the formation of pest is essentially prevented.
It has been found that when such material is operated in a temperature range of 400-600° C. no pest, or only a slight amount of pest, is formed. Pest is formed by virtue of the formation of MoO3 from MoSi2 and O2.
The reason why the formation of pest is significantly reduced or is eliminated is due to the formation of Al2O3 on the surface of the element.
According to one preferred embodiment x lies in the range of 0.2-0.6.
The other patent specification, 0004329-9, teaches a method of increasing the useful life span of heating elements that consist chiefly of molybdenum silicide and alloys of this basic material where the element operates at high temperatures.
According to that patent specification, the heating element contains aluminum to an extent which is sufficient to maintain a stable, slowly growing layer of aluminum oxide on the surface of the heating element.
According to a preferred embodiment the heating element material contains Mo(Si1-x Alx)2 where x lies in the range of 0.2-0.6.
A material of the molybdenum silicide type that contains aluminum has been found to possess improved corrosion properties at both low and high temperatures.
Such material is often produced by mixing MoSi2 powder with oxidic raw material, such as aluminosilicates. When the raw material is bentonite clay, there is obtained a relatively low melting point which contributes towards so-called smelt phase sintering, which results in a dense material that contains MoSi2 and a proportion of aluminum silicate corresponding to 15-20 percent by volume.
Bentonite clay has different compositions. Some bentonites include 60% by weight SiO2 while some contain somewhat more than 70% by weight SiO2. Although the Al2O3 content varies, it normally lies between 13-20% by weight. The melting point varies between about 1200-1400° C.
Bentonite clay that contains chiefly SiO2 can be used in the production of heating elements containing Mo(Si1-x Alx)2. When sintering with an Al-alloyed silicide there takes place a chemical exchange reaction in which the greater affinity of the oxygen to Al than to Si results in Si leaving the aluminum silicate and entering the silicide as a result of Al leaving the silicide and being taken up by the oxide phase. This exchange reaction also contributes towards improved sintering properties of the composite material. The final material contains Mo(Si1-x Alx)2 that is substantially depleted of Al, where the oxide phase contains Al2O3 in all essentials.
The standard procedure of manufacture involves mixing molybdenum, silicon, and aluminum in powder form and firing the powder mix normally under a shielding gas atmosphere. This results in a cake of the material Mo(Si1-yAly)2, where y is larger than x in the above formula as a result of said exchange reaction. The reaction is exothermic. The cake is then crushed and ground down to a fine particle size normally in the order of 1-20 μm. The resulting powder is mixed with bentonite clay to form a wet ceramic material. The material is extruded and dried to a rod form whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the subsequent element. The material is then sintered at a temperature that exceeds the melting temperature of the included components.
However, there is a drawback with a heating element of that kind. The problem is that the oxide that forms on the surface of the element, namely Al2O3, sometimes peels away or flakes off, i.e., loosens from the surface of the element, in the case of cyclic operation.
A peeling oxide gives poorer protection against continued oxidation of aluminum which becomes impoverished in the outer surface of the element more quickly. Moreover, a peeling oxide can contaminate the oven in which the element is fitted, with the risk that performance and the appearance of products heat treated in ovens that have such elements will be significantly impaired. This restricts the use of such elements in heating processes.
This problem is solved by the present invention.

Method of making a heating element of the molybdenum silicide type and a heating element

Sandvik Intellectual Property Aktiebolag


Improved slats for cutting tables are provided by forming from steel elongate receiver plates having a plurality of receiver slats and forming from copper a plurality of insert members. The insert members each have an interlocking section and a tip section. The interlocking sections of the insert members are mated and pressed into the receiver slots so the tip sections extend above the top of the receiver plates and are able to support a work piece above and away from the receiver plates during a cutting operation.

I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to devices used to support a metal plate or other object as it is being cut using a laser or waterjet cutter. More particularly, the present invention relates to slats used to form a support surface for supporting such a metal plate or object.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Laser and waterjet cutting workstations typically include a table upon which a work piece may be placed and supported. Such devices typically include a plurality of slats, a grid made up of honeycomb-shaped cells or the like. Such devices support the work piece beneath the laser or waterjet during a cutting operation. When a plurality of slats are used, the upper surfaces of such slats are relatively thin, the goal being to prevent the support surface from being damaged by the laser or waterjet after the item to be cut has been perforated.
In the prior art, slats have typically been made out of steel or copper. Steel slats offer the advantage of being relatively low in cost. The disadvantage of using steel to form a slat is that slag generated during the cutting operation will stick to the steel surfaces of the slats making the slats unusable after a very short period of time. While this is not as significant of a problem with copper slats, the high cost of copper drives many away from using slats made cut of copper. Thus, there is a real need to have a slat which is low cost like a steel slat and offers the solution to the slag problem like a copper slat.
Various attempts have been made in the prior art to achieve the low cost of steel or aluminum slats and, at the same time, obtain the benefits derived from using copper. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,903 to Anderson granted on Dec. 1, 1991 discloses a plurality of support bars having lugs which extend from the upper edge of the support bars and caps covering the lugs. The Anderson patent also describes the use of support bars having an upper edge covered by a conductive cap. The Anderson patent suggests that copper may be employed as the conductive cap. European Patent Publication No. EP2255914 B1 dated May 23, 2012 by Jorg Buchmüller describes support bars with a plurality of raised elements. Specifically, Buchmüller describes these support bars as comprising a steel strip supporting steel sleeves. Copper pins or pegs are inserted into and supported by the steel sleeves to join the copper pins to the steel strip. Adding such sleeves to the support bars, of course, increases the cost of the support bars. Further, the sleeves increase the overall thickness of the slat which can create other issues when cutting.


The disclosed is a page buffer of a flash memory device. In accordance with the present invention, a latch is controlled through a program verification signal, a latch signal, and latch data in a page buffer during a program verification. As a result, there are many advantages. First, in the event that the program verification is performed after programming once more, a passed cell is not sensed again and maintains its value. Second, it is possible to prevent a problem caused by a sensing operation as well as a verification error due to an external factor. As a result, program operation errors can be prevented.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a page buffer of a flash memory device and more particularly, a page buffer circuit capable of reducing a program error.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, program verifications whether data is exactly programmed or not are performed after programming data in NAND-type flash memory devices. If data is not programmed, it is programmed once more. To the contrary, if data is programmed, next operation is performed.
In this progress, if a passed cell at first is influenced by an external factor, or if the program verification is performed without a margin of threshold voltage, a previous passed cell would be failed. Thus, a cell with increased threshold voltage is programmed again, and thereby more increasing the threshold voltage of a cell so that a program error may occur.


A coupling assembly for a multiple-tube roller shade includes a support assembly for rotatably supporting and connecting adjacently located tube-end portions and a clutch mechanism providing relative rotation therebetween. The support assembly includes a tube-end fitting and a torque-transferring drive transfer member contacting the tube. The clutch mechanism includes first and second clutch members respectively engaged and separated in closed and opened positions. A pull bar is translatable within one of the shafts and is moved by a draw pin received in aligned openings of the second clutch member, the shaft and the pull bar. The shaft openings are elongated for movement of the second clutch member between the closed and opened positions. An adjustment member threadedly engages the tube-end fitting for vertical adjustment of the fitting with respect to a support panel. The tube-end fitting is secured to a bracket having elongated openings for horizontal adjustment.

Motorized roller shade systems include a flexible shade fabric windingly received on a roller tube. The roller tube is supported for rotation about a central axis and is driven by a drive system motor to wind the shade fabric.
Roller shade systems having separate roller tubes secured together for simultaneous rotation are known. The roller tubes are rotatably supported such that the central axes of the tubes are substantially aligned. The tubes of known shade roller systems are fastened together to transfer rotation of one of the tubes, provided by the drive system motor, to the other one of the tubes.
The space occupied by the fastening elements securing roller tubes of known shade systems creates a gap between the ends of the tubes. A corresponding gap, therefore, is also created between the associated shade fabrics wound onto the roller tubes. Reduction in the space occupied by the tube fastening structure in a multiple-tube shade system, therefore, is desirable for limiting potential light gaps between shade fabrics supported by the tubes.
The assembly of the fastening structure for multiple-tube shade systems can be difficult and time-consuming, and may require the use of a specific tool, or tools. Also, the steps involved in fastening the tubes, and in mounting the multiple-tube roller shade to its supporting structure, may render assembly and installation of the roller shade impractical or impossible in applications where only limited clearance is provided.
When position adjustment of one of the shade fabrics of a known multiple-tube shade system is desired, either the tubes must be unfastened to allow for relative rotation between the tubes or the shade fabric must be removed from the associated tube and re-attached. The procedures and time required for unfastening the tubes of a known multiple-tube shade system, therefore, tends to deter a user from adjusting shade position by unfastening the tubes. A multiple-tube shade system having a construction that facilitates uncoupling of the tubes for relative rotation to adjust shade fabric position is desired.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.


A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a test target circuit, a control circuit, and an observation circuit. The control circuit generates a reset signal, and an operation mode signal. The observation circuit is controlled by the signals, and receives input data from observation points in the test target circuit. The observation circuit includes a plurality of flip-flops. The observation circuit performs a reset operation in response to the reset signal. The observation circuit selectively performs a signature-compression operation, and a serial operation of outputting the test result, in response to the operation mode signal. The signature-compression operation is performed, using input data generated in the test target circuit in accordance with test patterns for a normal functional operation.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) device and a test method thereof, and particularly to a fault detection technique for a semiconductor IC device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, test patterns for normal (ordinary) operations are manually generated with the aim of function verification, and are also used for shipping tests in mass production of LSI (Large Scale Integrated circuit) products, such as microcomputers. In order to improve the fault coverage (detection rate of faults), this method may proceed with the following procedures. First, a fault simulation is performed on a target LSI, using test patterns, and a non-detected fault list obtained thereby is checked. Then, test patterns, which seem to allow non-detected faults to be detected, are added, and a fault simulation is performed again to confirm effects of the test patterns.
This method is the lowest in area cost, because there is no need to add any test circuit. In addition, this method easily achieves a relatively high fault coverage (about 85% to 92%). However, with this method, it is very difficult, using only test patterns from the outside, to completely detect non-detected faults of logics deep in an LSI or non-detected faults that are hardly detected by setting a test environment of an LSI. Consequently, it is necessary to take great effort to achieve a high fault coverage of, e.g., 95% or more, which is required for LSI products in recent years. This method also entails another problem in that it cannot necessarily guarantee to reach a target value.
On the other hand, a design for testability (test facilitating design) on the basis of full scan design, which is used for large-scale system LSI products, easily provides test patterns achieving a fault coverage of 95% or more by an ATPG (Automatic Test Pattern Generation) tool. However, this design method requires almost all the internal flip-flops and latches to be scannable (a circuit structure that can be scan-operable), which may give rise to an increase in area of from 5% to 20%. For this reason, this design method is not necessarily a satisfactory solution for microcomputer products or the like, which are manufactured in a very high volume over a long period of time and suffer severe cost competition.
FIG. 17A is a block diagram schematically showing the internal structure of a conventional semiconductor integrated circuit device (LSI). As shown in FIG. 17A, a combinational logic (random logic) 200, and flip-flops 210-1 to 210-4 used as memory elements of an LSI 100 are arranged in the LSI 100.
FIG. 17B is a block diagram schematically showing the internal structure of a conventional semiconductor IC device, formed by modifying the structure shown in FIG. 17A with a basic scan design method, in which a clock for scanning is common to the system clock. An explanation will be given of the basic scan design method with reference to FIG. 17B.
As shown in FIG. 17B, multiplexers 220-1 to 220-4 to be controlled by a test mode signal TEST are disposed immediately before the inputs D of the flip-flops 210-1 to 210-4, respectively. The multiplexer 220-1 at the first stage receives as inputs a test pattern inputted from a scan-in terminal SI, and an output of the combinational logic 200. These inputs are subjected to a selection operation by the multiplexer 220-1 on the basis of the TEST signal, so that the selected one is inputted into the flip-flop 210-1. The multiplexer 220-2 at the next stage receives as inputs the output Q of the flip-flop 210-1 and an output of the combinational logic 200. These inputs are subjected to a selection operation by the multiplexer 220-2 on the basis of the TEST signal, so that the selected one is inputted into the flip-flop 210-2. A similar arrangement is formed for each of the flip-flops 210-3 and 210-4 at the following stages. The output of the flip-flop 210-4 at the final stage comes to a scan-out terminal SO.
In the device described above, when TEST=0, a normal (ordinary) operation is performed. Specifically, outputs of the combinational logic 200 in the ordinary operation are respectively stored in the flip-flops 210-1 to 210-4 in synchronism with a clock. When TEST=1, a scanning operation is performed. Specifically, all the flip-flops 210-1 to 210-4 operate as a shift register, using the scan-in terminal SI as the input, and the scan-out terminal SO as the output. Accordingly, arbitral test data can be serially inputted from the outside of the LSI 100 into the flip-flops 210-1 to 210-4. Furthermore, these contents can be read out of the LSI 100 (scan-operable).
The scanning test is performed by repeating the following two steps.
(1) When TEST=1, setting of the necessary test data, and readout of a test result are serially performed.
(2) When TEST=0, a test result in a normal operation is stored in the respective flip-flops.
As described above, with this scan design method, flip-flops and latches in an LSI can be treated imaginarily equivalently to input and output terminals of the LSI. Accordingly, a test pattern generating algorithm on a combinational circuit can be applied to this test pattern generation, thereby, at present, allowing a high fault coverage to be relatively easily obtained, using a commercially available ATPG tool. However, as mentioned above, the scan design method requires almost all the internal flip-flops and latches to be scannable in order to reliably obtain a high fault coverage. This brings about a problem of a remarkable increase in area. Furthermore, depending on the method of implementation, such as adding multiplexers or the like, as shown in FIG. 17, the performance (e.g., operation frequency) in the normal operations may be lowered.
On the other hand, there is a method of adding observation points to improve a fault coverage on a test target LSI. The simplest method is to lead a node to be observed to an output terminal of an LSI, and to directly observe it when a test is executed. However, this method cannot be a practical solution, because the number of terminals increases with an increase in the number of observation points. As a countermeasure against this problem, there is a proposal to input the data from observation points into an exclusive OR (XOR) gate, and to observe only its output. In this case, however, it is difficult to analyze a generated fault at one of the observantion points. Furthermore, where an even number of the observation points output at the same time a logical value, which is not correct due to a fault in an LSI, the output of an XOR gate becomes the same as the normal state, thereby preventing the fault from being detected (fault masking). Accordingly, not allowing a number of observation points to be put together, this method cannot essentially solve the problem described above in which the number of terminals of an LSI increases with an increase in the number of observation points.
In light of the problems described above, where an LSI includes a number of observation points therein, a parallel-input signature-compression (compressing pieces of applied test data to generate own signatures corresponding to the pieces of test data) register is used in general as a conventional method to prevent the number of terminals of the LSI from increasing. This method is utilized in the manner of, e.g., arranging an observation register in a microprocessor or the like. FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional observation circuit in a semiconductor IC device for this method. FIG. 18 shows a basic structure including a part other than signature-compression (four bit width). This is almost the same as that of a circuit known as BILBO (Built-In Logic Block Observer).
As shown in FIG. 18, this device includes four flip-flops 210-5 to 210-8 operated by a clock CLK. The output of the flip-flop 210-7 at the third stage and the output of the flip-flop 210-8 at the fourth stage are subjected to an exclusive OR operation by an XOR gate 230-1. This operation result and a test pattern from a scan-in terminal SI are subjected to a selection operation by a multiplexer 240 on the basis of a signal A. The scan-in terminal SI is an input terminal of an LSI 100, for example.
Where respective signals observed at observation points are named signals D[0] to D[3], the respective signals D[0] to D[3] and the signal A are subjected to an AND operation by AND gates 250-1 to 250-4. A signal selected by the multiplexer 240 and the signal B are subjected to an AND operation by an AND gate 250-5. This operation result and the output of the AND gate 250-1 are subjected to an exclusive OR operation by an XOR gate 230-2. This operation result comes to the input D of the flip-flop 210-5. The output Q of the flip-flop 210-5 and the signal B are subjected to an AND operation by an AND gate 250-6. This operation result and the output of the AND gate 250-2 are subjected to an exclusive OR operation by an XOR gate 230-3. This operation result comes to the input D of the flip-flop 210-6.
Then, similarly, the respective outputs Q of the flip-flops 210-6 and 210-7 and the signal B are subjected to an AND operation by AND gates 250-7 and 250-8. These operation results and the outputs of AND gates 250-3 and 250-4 are subjected to an exclusive OR operation by XOR gates 230-4 and 230-5, respectively. These outputs come to the inputs D of the flip-flops 210-7 and 210-8 at the following stages, respectively. The output Q of the flip-flop 210-8 is outputted from a scan-out terminal SO through a buffer 260. The scan-out terminal SO is an output terminal of the LSI 100, for example. In general, the outputs Q[0] to Q[3] of the flip-flops 210-5 to 210-8 come to inputs of another circuit block in the LSI 100.
Operations of the circuit are controlled by the signals A and B, as shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1ABOPERATION00RESET ("0" INTO ALL FLIP-FLOPS)01SERIAL10TEST DATA CAPTURE (NORMAL)11SIGNATURE-COMPRESSION
An explanation will be given of the operations, focusing on one bit (the flip-flop 210-6) shown in FIG. 18.
When A=0 and B=0, both the outputs of the AND gates 250-2 and 250-6 become "0", and the output of the XOR gate 230-3 also becomes "0". Accordingly, "0" is inputted into all the flip-flops including the flip-flop 210-6, thereby performing a reset operation.
When A=0 and B=1, the multiplexer 240 selects data inputted from the scan-in terminal SI. The output of the XOR gate 230-3 becomes the same as the output of the AND gate 250-6 (, which is equivalent to the output of the flip-flop 210-5). As a whole, the four flip-flops 210-5 to 210-8 are in a state of being connected in series, and perform a serial operation in synchronism with a clock.
When A=1 and B=0, a value the same as the D[1] is stored in the flip-flop 210-6. As a whole, they perform an operation of capturing the outputs of the observation points.
When A=1 and B=1, an exclusive OR between the D[1] and the output Q of the flip-flop 210-5 (one stage prior to the flip-flop 210-6) is stored in the flip-flop 210-6. At the same time, an exclusive OR between the output of the XOR gate 230-1 and the D[0] is stored in the flip-flop 210-5 at bit "0". Consequently, as a whole, they become a signature-compression register to perform a signature-compression operation. In this operation, on the basis of data in the flip-flop and the outputs newly applied from observation points, pseudo-random data is generated in the flip-flops. When the test is completed, data (a signature) peculiar to the sequence of the output data from the observation points is stored in the flip-flops as a test result.
The steps of the test are as follows. Specifically, A=0 and B=0 are first set to cause the contents of the flip-flop to be "0", before the first data to be observed is outputted. Then, A=1 and B=1 are set to perform signature-compression on all the effective output from the observation points. After the test is completed, A=0 and B=1 are set to cause the flip-flops, which are inside the signature-compression register, to perform a serial operation. Then, a test result is serially read out of the LSI, and is compared with an expected value for the normal circuit to judge whether there is a fault or not. There are various methods logically realized as a method of performing this readout, including the relationship relative to test mode signals.
When A=1 and B=0, the outputs from the observation points can be stored in the flip-flops, just as they are. Accordingly, fault diagnosis can be performed on the observation point in the LSI by the following method. Specifically, in arbitral one cycle of the normal operations, A=1 and B=0 are first set to store data from the observation points in a normal operation, and then A=0 and B=1 are set to serially output the stored data out of the LSI.
However, the conventional method of inserting observation points described above has been no more than a unsatisfactory method using an observation circuit to improve observation, thereby expecting an improvement in the fault coverage to some extent. In this method, observation points are arranged without clearly recognizing faults to be detected. Consequently, it is not satisfactory in terms of optimizing or minimizing circuits added for observation. Furthermore, this method pays no attention to the technique of determining a control system, sufficiently considering characteristics of test patterns applied to a test target LSI. Consequently, it may not improve the fault coverage up to the expectation, even though an observation circuit is added.
As described above, the conventional method of inserting observation points for fault detection and diagnosis on an LSI is performed without clearly recognizing faults to be detected. As a result, the area efficiency of the LSI is deteriorated, although the fault coverage is improved to some extent. Furthermore, the conventional method pays no attention to a technique of determining a control system sufficiently considering characteristics of test patterns. As a result, the effect of improving the fault coverage is not sufficient.

Semiconductor integrated circuit device and test method thereof


A self-adjusting mechanism for a friction clutch is disclosed. The mechanism includes first and second hub members with mating ratchet teeth, and an adjustment arm having a non-slip connection with the first hub member for driving the first hub member in opposite rotational directions, and a worm gear which, when rotated, moves an adjustment ring of the clutch to adjust the friction surfaces to compensate for wear. The mechanism also includes a lost-motion connection located between the worm gear and the release mechanism of the clutch. The adjustment arm on the first hub member has a connection with the release mechanism of the clutch. The release mechanism is movable through an adjustment cycle during which the worm gear is rotated to move the adjustment ring of the clutch to adjust friction surfaces to compensate for wear.

Self-adjusting devices that automatically compensate for the wear of friction surfaces of spring-loaded clutches are known in the art. Exemplary devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,752,286 and 5,251,737. However, such devices use wire spring components that have the potential to slip and/or require resetting after an adjustment occurs.

Self-adjusting mechanism for a friction clutch


An improvement in a magnetic recording medium having an underlayer and first and second magnetic recording layers is described. The improvement, effective to reduce media noise, includes deposition of an interlayer between the first and second magnetic recording layers. The interlayer is deposited to a thickness of between 5-50 .ANG. and is composed of an CoCr-based alloy having a defined saturation magnetization.

Magnetic recording media having a plurality of magnetic recording layers separated by non-magnetic isolation layers have been shown to exhibit an improvement in some magnetic recording properties, in particular a reduction in media noise, hence an improved signal-to-noise ratio (Hata, et al., 1990a, 1990b; Ranjan, et al., 1991). The reduction in media noise is often attributed to the decrease in thickness of the magnetic layers in such media, since inter-granular exchange coupling is reduced in thinner films (Hata, et al., 1990b; Ranjan, et al., 1991; Sanders, et al., 1989).
However, as the magnetic recording layer decreases in thickness and as the inter-granular exchange coupling is reduced, other magnetic recording properties are compromised. For example, the signal amplitude is reduced in proportion to film thickness (Lambert, et al., 1990), and thinner magnetic recording layers may provide insufficient amplitude of read-back signal because of a low remanence thickness product (Hata, et al., 1990a). Further, a decrease in intergrain exchange coupling is accompanied by a reduction in coercive squareness, S* (Hata, et al., 1990a, 1990b). A consequence of a decrease in coercive squareness is a degradation in overwrite with a larger field required to saturate the medium (Yogi, et al., 1991).
Another factor contributing to degradation in overwrite in magnetic recording media having a multilayer recording structure is that second and subsequent magnetic layers have a progressively lower coercivity than the first magnetic layers, due primarily to the progressively decreasing substrate temperature during the sputtering process (Cord, et al., 1993). The coercivity differential in multilayer media makes saturation of the medium by the read/write head more difficult, causing poor overwrite performance.

Magnetic recording medium having a multilayer magnetic recording structure including a 10-30 angstrom CoCr interlayer


The present invention provides an apparatus for dissolving a gas in a liquid, the apparatus comprising (a) a closed vessel containing a liquid at a predetermined level, (b) a contactor module at least partially immersed in the liquid having (1) a gas supply channel to the bore side of the fibers, (2) a liquid supply channel to the shell side of the fibers, and (3) an exit port for transport of a gas-containing liquid, and (c) the remaining space in the closed vessel being occupied by a pressurized gas. The liquid prepared in the apparatus of the present invention containing a dissolved gas, is used to prepare beverages, such as coffee, tea, soda, chocolate and the like, whether hot or cold.

Many beverages require certain levels of gases to be dissolved in at least one of the constituent liquids prior to dispense in order to achieve the desired taste and or presentation effects in the final beverage. Examples of such beverages include carbonated juices, sodas, and the like where carbon dioxide is either pre-dissolved at elevated pressure in water which is added to a concentrate or is pre-dissolved at elevated pressure in the mixture of water plus concentrate. When dispensed correctly a substantial portion of the carbon dioxide remains in solution in the glass or cup, producing the familiar taste effect when the beverage is consumed. Other examples of beverages include chilled or hot coffees, and chocolates where either nitrogen or air gases are pre-dissolved at elevated pressure in water or in premixed water with concentrate. When these liquids are dispensed correctly, the pre-dissolved gases are substantially removed from solutions on passage of the liquid thru the dispense tap to form a large quantity of small bubbles which float and settle at the top of the beverage to produce an appealing presentation of the drink in the glass or cup.
Still further examples include beverages based on dairy products, which contain pre-dissolved nitrous oxide and water-based beverages containing pre dissolved oxygen.
The use of gas/liquid contactor modules containing non-flooding gas-permeable hollow fibers and associated control schemes for controlling dissolved gases in liquids have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,149 (herein incorporated by reference). Technology disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,149 has been commercialized in a range of Cellarstream® dispense systems which are manufactured and marketed by Headmaster, Ltd., Bramshill, United Kingdom and Permea a division of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. Allentown, Pa., U.S.A.
The amount of a gas which can be dissolved in a liquid at a selected temperature, is proportional to the applied absolute pressure of the gas.
Hitherto, beverage dispense systems utilizing the gas/liquid contactors have consisted of the two shell ports of the contactor module being connected respectively to a pressurized liquid source and to a dispense tap, whereas the contactor module gas port is connected to a pressurized gas source.
In order to maintain efficient operation of such systems, additional controls such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,149 are necessary to maintain the pressure of gas applied to the contactor fibers at substantially the same pressure as that of the liquid supply in the contactor module. These conventional systems have drawbacks for certain applications.
Where it is desired to dissolve a large amount of a weakly soluble gas, e.g., nitrogen, for a beverage such as a chilled draft coffee beverage, the contactor module must be built to operate safely at correspondingly high pressures on both the liquid and gas sides of the system. At a working temperature of 3° C. contactor modules rated for operation at a maximum pressure of 4 bar gauge will deliver a maximum level of dissolved nitrogen of approximately 110 ml per liter of water. This pre-dissolved gas level directly determines the size of "head" on the dispensed drink, and it is generally accepted that operation of contactor modules at high pressure to deliver high levels of dissolved gas will be desirable if that could be achieved economically.
Additional drawbacks of relatively high costs and complexity of installations present barriers to wide exploitation of such contactor module systems where compared to some retail outlets, a lower frequency of usage would be the norm, for example, in the domestic market sector.
The present invention provides a novel apparatus for utilizing hollow fiber gas/liquid contactor modules at much higher liquid and gas pressures than has hitherto been practical or economical. The apparatus of the present invention is thus able to deliver liquids containing significantly higher concentrations of dissolved gas than is possible with a conventional apparatus. A further advantage of the apparatus of the present invention arises from the elimination of the need for controls to balance liquid and gas pressures within the contactor module thus reducing both the costs and the complexity of most installations. A still further advantage arising from the present invention is that when the apparatus is used to dissolve a highly-soluble gas, such as carbon dioxide, the practical performance of the contactor module in typical dispense operation is significantly greater than that of the contactor module of comparable geometry operated in the conventional manner.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for utilizing the apparatus for applying gas/liquid contactor modules containing hollow fibers for dissolving gases in liquids prior to dispense of a liquid as a beverage.

Apparatus for the preparation of liquids for the dispense of beverages


Trace information representing a program object is automatically logged on a client computing system. It is uploaded to a service computing system where it is configured to be searchable on a property-by-property basis.

Computing systems are currently in wide use. Some computing systems run software programs or other components that perform various different types of operations.
Such computing systems or software applications (or programs) can have issues which hinder or degrade the operation of the computing system or software program. To address this, some computing systems provide the ability to generate and log traces and other messages or information on a client computing device. For instance, a trace listener can be set up on a client computing device to receive information from a trace source. The trace source may be an object or other item in a software program or component. The trace may indicate information such as the state of the object in the program flow, how the program flow progressed, and other information. The trace can be logged or stored on the client device. Similarly, error messages indicative of detected errors can also be logged along with a variety of other information.
When a user encounters an issue, the user often contacts a support engineer in order to address the issue. The support engineer may request the user to send the logged information (the stored traces, error messages, etc.) in an attempt to identify and address the issue. The engineer may also ask the user to attempt to reproduce the issue, in an attempt to address the issue. This is all quite time consuming and can be cumbersome and bothersome to the user.
The discussion above is merely provided for general background information and is not intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Object oriented data tracking on client and remote server


An apparatus comprising a weight system. The weight system is configured to be attached to a frame of a bicycle to increase the weight of the bicycle. The weight system is configured to be located in an area within a perimeter defined by a portion of the frame of the bicycle when attached to the frame.

1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to weight training devices and, in particular, to a training device for a bicycle. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for changing the weight of the bicycle through a weight system managing weight of a bicycle.
2. Background
Today, bicycles are used for many reasons. For example, bicycles are used as tools for competitive sports, exercise, and pleasure. As exercise tools, bicycles are used for cardiovascular conditioning, strength training, and weight loss of users.
Users train with bicycles by exerting force on pedals of the bicycles. For example, a user may apply an amount of force on the pedals for a period of time to move the bicycle a particular distance at a particular velocity. The amount of force required for pedaling the bicycle at the particular speed and velocity is determined by resistance. The resistance is based, in part, on how much the bicycle weighs.
Users use weights to enhance training. Some weights are specifically designed for particular types of training. For example, weights have been used to enhance aerobic training. Weights for aerobic training are typically hand held or attached to the body of the user.
Weights have also been used to enhance training on bicycles. For example, weights have been designed to fit in a water bottle bracket. As another example, weights have been designed for an area underneath a bicycle frame. In this example, the weights are attached to the bicycle frame in the area underneath the bicycle frame.
A user of a bicycle typically modifies the bicycle according to user preferences. For example, seat positioning, handle bar positioning, and braking is normally modified based on preferences of the user. Some changes may also be made to the bicycle for particular uses.
For example, users often add additional accessories to a bicycle. Added accessories typically include water bottles, lights and reflectors, baskets to carry items, signaling devices, repair toolkits, kickstands, and speed, distance, and time monitoring devices.
Users, however, are limited in the number of ways a bicycle can be modified for use as an exercise tool. Depending on the type of exercise planned for a bicycle, the amount of space taken up by some accessories may not leave enough space for other items that a person may wish to add to the bicycle. As a result, some items may not be able to be mounted to the proper location of the bicycle for use.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have an apparatus and system that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.


The present invention relates to [1] a detergent composition for endoscope washers, including a nonionic surfactant (A) represented by the following formula (1), a branched-chain fatty acid having not less than 6 and not more than 10 carbon atoms or a salt thereof (B), a defoaming agent (C) and water,R—O-[(EO)m/(PO)n]—H  (1)wherein R represents a branched-chain alkyl group having not less than 7 and not more than 9 carbon atoms; EO represents an ethanediyloxy group; PO represents a propanediyloxy group; m and n each represent an average molar number of addition of the ethanediyloxy or propanediyloxy group in which m is a number of not less than 1 and not more than 30, and n is a number of not less than 2 and not more than 50; and the mark “/” represents that EO and PO may be added either in a random form or in a block form, and an order of addition of EO and PO is optional; and [2] a method of washing an endoscope using an endoscope washer, including the step of washing the endoscope with a mixture including the detergent composition for endoscope washers as described in the above [1], and a protease. The present invention provides a detergent composition for endoscope washers which is less foamed even at a low temperature and is excellent in detergency and storage stability, and a method of washing an endoscope using an endoscope washer in which the above detergent composition is used.

In recent years, with the progress of advanced medical technology, medical examination and treatment of various regions of a human body such as upper and lower digestive organs, bronchial tubes, abdominal cavity, thoracic cavity, ureteropelvic junction and biliary tract can be made using a medical endoscope without excision. Since various stains such as blood, humor, gastric juice, saliva and cell pieces are adhered to the medical endoscope used for medical examination and treatment, the medical endoscope must be cleaned to surely remove the stains before subjected to subsequent medical examination and treatment in order to prevent infection via the endoscope.
As an apparatus for cleaning the endoscope, there is known an automatic endoscope washer. However, in order to ensure a washing operation of the endoscope washer, it has been always required to previously manually wash the endoscope before using the endoscope washer.
There are conventionally known various detergents for medical instruments such as endoscopes. Also, other detergents such as dishwashing detergents are technically applicable to detergents for endoscopes.
Patent Document 1 discloses an aqueous liquid detergent containing a polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene-based low-foaming nonionic surfactant, etc.
Patent Document 2 discloses a detergent composition for automatic dishwashing machines which contains a low-molecular chelate agent, an acrylic acid/maleic acid polymer, an alkaline agent, polypropylene glycol, a reducing sugar, a thickening agent and water.
Patent Document 3 discloses a detergent for automatic dishwashing machines which contains a low-foaming nonionic surfactant, a detergent builder and an aliphatic carboxylic acid having 6 to 10 carbon toms.
Patent Document 4 discloses a detergent composition for containers which contains an alkali metal hydroxide salt, an aliphatic carboxylic acid, a sequestering agent, a surfactant, a high-molecular polymer and water.
Patent Document 5 discloses a detergent composition for medical instruments using a combination of specific nonionic surfactants.
Patent Document 6 discloses a low-foaming alkaline detergent that contains an alkali salt, three kinds of nonionic surfactants containing an ethyleneoxide and propyleneoxide adduct of an aliphatic alcohol, an aliphatic carboxylic acid and water.
Patent Document 7 discloses a detergent for metals which contains a nonionic surfactant such as a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether, a specific nitrogen-containing organic compound, a carboxylic acid such as an aliphatic carboxylic acid and an alkanol amine compound.

Detergent compositions for endoscope washers


For the production of sintered lanthanum manganite bodies, such as tubes for solid oxide fuel cell air electrodes, there is used extrudable lanthanum manganite paste having a pH of not less than 8, of a dried unfired extruded lanthanum manganite body formed of material having a pH, measured by grinding the material and diluting with water, of at least 7.3. Providing alkalinity in such a paste or body reduces crack formation and increases productivity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to extrudable lanthanum manganite pastes, dried unfired extruded lanthanum manganite bodies, porous lanthanum manganite sintered bodies (e.g. tubes), and methods of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Lanthanum mangarite has recently become of increasing interest as a temperature resistant electrically conductive ceramic material. In the art, the term lanthanum manganite includes doped lanthanum mangarites. For this specification and claims we define lanthanum marganite as an oxide of perovskite crystal structure having the formula EQU La.sub.1-x A.sub.x Mn.sub.1-y B.sub.y O.sub.3 .+-..delta.
wherein
0.ltoreq.x.ltoreq.0.75 PA1 0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.0.5 PA1 0.ltoreq..delta..ltoreq.0.2
and A is one or more of alkaline earth metals (particularly Ca and Sr), Y and rare earth metals, and B is one or more of Cr, Ni, Co, Al and Zn. A lanthanum manganite sintered body is typically made by mixing starting components e.g. oxides, calcining the mixture to generate the lanthanum mianganite, grinding the calcined product to suitable powder size, shaping the powder and firing.
One use of lanthanum manganite sintered bodies is in solid oxide fuel cells ("SOFs"). SOFCs are promising power generation systems having high efficiency and cleanliness. SOFCs are composed of air electrodes, fuel electrodes, solid electrolytes and interconnectors. For the air electrodes, porous sintered lanthanum manganite having high electroconductivity is used. There are two types of lanthanum manganite air electrodes; one is a thin film electrode on a porous support tube made of, for example, calcia-stabilized zirconia, and the other is a porous lanthanun manganite tube electrode which itself is a support, The latter type is preferable because of simplicity of cell manufacturing process, which leads to low manufacturing cost. This type of air electrode is made by processes such as extrusion, slurry casting, injection molding and so on. Extrusion is especially convenient. After extrusion of a tube, an end closure of the tube may be added, if desired.
However, in a drying process after extrusion, air electrode tubes often microscopically crack and, after sintering, the tubes may be severely cracked reducing production yield. The reason why such cracks occur is not clear as yet.

Extrudable lanthanum manganite paste, extruded lanthanum manganite body and method of manufacturing porous sintered lanthanum manganite body


A topically applied aphrodisiac dispersed in a manually applied vehicle which substantially increases tissue sensation. The principal ingredient is benzalkonium chloride in a water soluble gel which includes sorbitol, glycerin, hydroxethylcellulose and propylene glycol.

This invention relates generally to the field of chemical aphrodisiacs and more particularly to a topical medicament which is applied to sensitive tissue areas to produce increased sensitivity to physical contact.
Internally taken aphrodisiacs are well-known in the art as is the resultant psychological effect of using the same. The use of such preparations, in many cases, is accompanied by some disadvantages, including time delay before taking effect, various side effects resulting from ingestion, and often, the lack of useful effect
The use of benzalkonium chloride as a virucidal agent in the treatment of AIDS and related disease is known, as is the use of this compound as a spermicidal agent when incorporated into a suppository. It is also known to use this composition in aqueous, Quaternary ammonium antiseptics, and disinfectants.

Topically applied personal lubricant containing benzalkonium chloride as the active ingredient