A method of determining a requirements characterization profile for an entity is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of receiving classification parameters defining a requirement for an entity and selecting, in dependence on the classification parameters, a set of entities from a database of previously assessed entities. The method further comprises retrieving from the database characterization parameters of the selected set of entities, and constructing, in dependence on the characterization parameters, a requirements characterization profile for the entity. An apparatus is provided that comprised means for performing such a method.

A common problem in many fields is that a requirements request—an order for a part, a request for tenders, even a job description—is often not fit for purpose. The request may be unhelpfully generic, resulting in many clearly unsuitable matches needing to be filtered out. In some cases, the request may be little more than a "wish list", specifying features which may have little bearing on what is actually required to fulfil the requirement. For example, features may be described as "essential" which in reality are not, resulting in potentially suitable matches being needlessly rejected. In other situations the request may fail to list (or give insufficient weighting to) important features, resulting in matches that later prove to be unsuitable.
These problems clearly result in inefficiencies, but in certain circumstances could also result in more serious consequences. For example, a request for a replacement machine part based on incomplete or inappropriate data which may result in an unsuitable part being used, and the part potentially failing catastrophically. Such a situation could arise, for example, when parts exactly matching the original are no longer manufactured and it may not be known precisely which features of the original part are essential and which could be approximated or ignored, without compromising performance or safety (but potentially resulting in a cost saving).
As a further example, in the field of human resources, a common complaint is that the hiring process is often imprecise and arbitrary. Typically, a manager (such as a line manager or human resources manager) decides themselves what features of a candidate are considered to be relevant for a particular job vacancy, draws up a corresponding job description comprising a list of required skills, experience and qualifications, and assesses candidates accordingly for the presence of those required skills, experience and qualifications. In some cases, a job specification would also list desirable competencies of a candidate. Invariably, however, the existence of a very wide range of possible requirements means that these lists of requirements are often poor tools for determining candidate suitability. This is perhaps unsurprising, given that those drawing up the hiring specification are usually unlikely to have exhaustive knowledge of all of the required skills, experience, qualifications and competencies deemed necessary. A poor job description is therefore often the weak link in the hiring process—and this may be true even if the subsequent assessment is entirely valid; the wrong competencies may be being assessed. The result may be the placing of candidates in unsuitable jobs, as well as jobs being filled by unsuitable (or at least non-optimal) candidates.
Generally, these situations may arise because of lack of knowledge and/or experience of the individual (perhaps a non-specialist in the area) tasked with drawing up the requirements request. Alternatively, there may simply be a lack of relevant information on which to base the requirements request.
The present invention aims to address at least some of these problems.


Dielectrophoresis is used to attract particles to an electrode edge then to controllably allow the transport of particles along that edge under a fluid flow to a particular region. The particles may be bacteria which may be maintained in this process in a live state through capture, transport and release.

The present invention relates to the manipulation and analysis of particles and, in particular, to a method suitable for manipulating and analyzing live bacterial cells.
The ability to manipulate and analyze nanoscale particles is potentially valuable in the assembly of nanoscale structures, for example, nanorods or nanotubes, into more complex structures. Such techniques could also prove useful in manipulating and analyzing single biological cells such as bacteria.
The manipulation of electrically polarizable particles within a poorly polarizable material (or poorly polarizable particles within a polarizable medium) can be accomplished by placing the particles in a spatially inhomogeneous electric field. In the case of polarizable particles, the field will induce equal and opposite charges on the particle. Unequal field strength will exist on each side of the particle because of the field inhomogeneity, producing a net dielectrophoretic force that pulls the particle toward the greater field concentration.
Such techniques have been used to trap particles and cells at electrodes by drawing the particles and cells to the electrode, or to hold cells within a cage formed of symmetrically balanced electrodes that repel the cell.
While such techniques allow the capture of extremely small particles in a liquid, the ability to precisely control the movement of constrained particles or cells is relatively limited.

Apparatus for transport and analysis of particles using dielectrophoresis


An electrosurgical apparatus and method for performing thermal treatment in the gastrointestinal tract, e.g. to ablate duodenal mucosal tissue. The apparatus comprises an instrument having a flexible cable and an applicator suitable for use with a gastroscope, which can be deployed within a patient to delivery energy in a targeted or otherwise controllable manner. The applicator can deliver microwave energy by radiation. The direct and depth-limited nature of microwave energy can be make it more effective than treatments that rely on thermal conduction. The applicator may include a radially extendable portion arranged to move an microwave energy delivery structure into contact with duodenal mucosal tissue at the treatment region. The applicator may comprise any of a balloon, bipolar radiator, movable paddle, and rotatable roller element.

There is a lot of interest in the potential treatment of Type 2 (T2) diabetes. This is a rapidly increasing problem in most developed countries because of obesity and a more sedentary lifestyle. It is also contributing to significant healthcare spend. Nearly 20% of the NHS budget is spent on diabetes and its co-morbidities.
At present, diabetes is typically only identified and managed. Other than major reconstructive gastrointestinal surgery, there is no treatment.
However, more recent research in this field has investigated resurfacing the duodenum by applying thermal energy to the wall of the duodenum. The thermal energy is applied by delivering hot water to a balloon inserted to an appropriate location in the gastrointestinal tract. The thermal energy acts to ablate the duodenum's mucosa. Early results indicate triggering regrowth of the mucosa in this way can change the way the body responds to sugar in a manner that can restore metabolic health, and, in particular, reverse a resistance to insulin [1]. This technology represents a possible treatment for T2 diabetes.


The present invention relates to particle agglomeration of aluminum powder using a lubricating binder. The resulting powder has improved flowability and can be shaped easily. The aluminum particles are admixed with a lubricant, e.g. polyethylene, and are held together by the lubricant. To agglomerate the aluminum powder, the lubricant is melted and is then solidified to form solid bridges between the aluminum powder particles. The lubricant may be burned out cleanly at temperatures lower than 450.degree. C.

Powder metallurgy (P/M) is a well-established process for the fabrication of near-net- shape components. In press and sinter applications for example, the powder is compacted in a die to form a green compact. The compact is then ejected from the die and sintered to create metallurgical bonds between the particles. For the compaction of the powder, a lubricant is generally required to improve the compressibility of metal powders and also to reduce the powder/die wall friction in order to facilitate part ejection and minimize die wear.
Processing of powders strongly depends on powder flowability. Powder flowability is defined as the time required for a specific quantity of powder to flow through an orifice or a die cavity. Flowability of a powder is important in high-volume manufacturing, which depends on rapid, uniform, consistent filling of die cavity. Poor flow characteristics cause slow and nonuniform press feeding and difficulty in ensuring a fill of the die cavity. Free-flowing powder refers to powders that readily flow in the die cavity [ASM Handbook, vol. 7: Powder Metallurgy].
It is well known that aluminum powders do not have good flowability, partly because of their low density. This is particularly critical when small particles, especially particles smaller than 50 .mu.m, are used. Flowability of the powder may be improved by using spherical powders. However, the flowability of spherical powder is in some case not sufficient for effective processing of the powder.
Particle agglomeration, also known as granulation and particle size enlargement, has been used for a long time to improve the flowability of powders. It is used for example in the fertilizer, pharmaceutical, food and mining industries. Different methods exist to form particle agglomerates. Some of them use a binder to agglomerate the particles.
The properties of aluminum P/M materials are highly sensitive to the presence of non- metallic additives in the starting powder. For that reason, the choice of an adequate binder that does not affect the properties of the final product is critical for aluminum P/M applications. The binder should burn out cleanly at temperature typically lower than 450.degree. C. to avoid the reaction of the decomposition products or residual products with the aluminum matrix. In addition, the binder content should be kept as low as possible to minimize the deleterious effect of the binder on the final properties of the material. On the other hand, the binder content must be sufficient to allow the formation of particle agglomerates. If the binder content is not sufficient, it is difficult to form agglomerates and the mechanical properties of the agglomerates are not sufficient for handling and shipping.
For the compaction of powder by P/M techniques, a lubricant is also generally required to ease the compaction of the powder and the ejection of the fabricated parts. The requirements for the lubricant are similar to those for the binder. The lubricant should not affect the final properties of the material.
Synthetic amide waxes, like ethylene-bis-stearamide wax, are frequently used as lubricants for aluminum press and sinter applications. A recent work of the instant inventors revealed that polyethylene wax may also be used for the compaction of aluminum powder compacts. As it is the case for the binder, the amount of lubricant should be minimized to optimize the properties of the final component. On the other hand, the lubricant should be sufficient to provide adequate lubrication during compaction and ejection.

Lubricated aluminum powder agglomerates having improved flowability


A four wheel drive assembly 10 including a torque transfer assembly 60 which operates under the control of the controller 62 and which receives and selectively transfers a certain desired amount of torque to a front axles 14, 15 and to the rear axles 14 17. The amount of transferred torque varies depending upon the occurrence of a sensed slip condition the use of a pre-emptive slip control mode of operation in which the controller 62 determines that it is likely that a slip may occur. Particularly, controller 62 is allowed to enter the preemptive mode of operation only after an actual slip has occurred and the controller 62 exits this preemptive mode of operation upon the occurrence of a certain event or condition or upon the passage of a certain amount of time.

1) Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a vehicular four wheel drive assembly and to a method for utilizing the same, and more particularly to a vehicular four wheel drive assembly having at least two modes of operation, the first operational mode being effective to sense slip and to selectively transfer torque to at least one axle in response to the sensed slip and the second operational mode also being effective to transfer torque to the at least one axle in response to the occurrence of a certain condition which may increase the likelihood of slip, the second operational mode occurring only after slip has actually occurred or has been detected.
2) Background of the Invention
A four wheel drive assembly typically includes a torque transfer assembly which receives torque from a rotating crankshaft and which transfers at least a portion of the received torque to a first and/or a second driveshaft which are respectively coupled to the front and rear axles. More particularly, the four wheel drive assembly includes a controller which is typically operated under stored program control and one or more sensors which are physically and communicatively coupled to the controller. The controller is operatively coupled to the torque transfer assembly and, upon the occurrence of one or more sensed events or conditions, causes the torque transfer assembly to transfer torque to the front and/or rear axle.
Particularly, should one of the axles (or the wheels which are mounted upon the one axle) rotate at a speed which is greater than the speed of a second of the axles or the wheels which are mounted upon the second axle (i.e., often referred to as a slip condition), by a certain threshold amount, the controller causes the torque transfer assembly to increase the amount of torque being transferred to one of the moving axles or wheels, such as and without limitation the slower moving axle, and reduce the amount of torque being transferred to the other moving axle or wheels, thereby slowing the speed of the other (e.g., the faster) moving axle and wheels.
A second operating strategy (e.g., a "preemptive" strategy) causes such torque reallocation to occur when certain conditions or events are sensed, in the absence of actual slip. For example, whenever the difference in axle or wheel speeds exceed a certain value and the accelerator member and/or the throttle plate are positioned in a certain manner, torque allocation is achieved. In this manner, the likelihood of the occurrence of slip is reduced.
While the second operating strategy does desirably decrease the likelihood of slip from occuring, it suffers from some drawbacks. For example and without limitation, the second strategy is employed whenever the vehicle is activated or "running" and the provided torque allocation is dependent only upon vehicular speed and the position of one or more certain components. As such, this strategy is often utilized even when there is very little likelihood of the occurrence of slip, such as when the vehicle is driven upon a surface which maintains a relatively large frictional contact with the wheels of the vehicle (e.g., surfaces having a relatively high coefficient of friction or "μ"). The unnecessary employment of the "torque allocation" strategy unnecessarily increases the amount of fuel used by the vehicle and undesirably increases the amount of noise and vibration which is communicated into the vehicle. It is therefore desirable to employ a preemptive slip operating strategy only when it is relatively likely that slip may occur (e.g., only when the vehicle is being driven upon a surface having a relatively low coefficient of friction).

Four wheel drive assembly and a method for utilizing the same


A method for fabricating a thermally enhanced semiconductor device. A support plate having at least one opening is mounted on a heat sink. At least one chip is mounted on the heat sink and received in the opening. An insulating layer is formed over the chip and the support plate and filled in the opening. A plurality of vias are formed in the insulating layer to expose electrode pads on the chip. A conductive layer is deposited on the insulating layer and the exposed electrode pads. A resist layer is formed on the conductive layer and patterned to expose a predetermine part on the conductive layer. Then, a patterned circuit layer is deposited on the exposed part of the conductive layer by electroplating. The patterned resist layer and the conductive layer underneath the patterned resist layer are removed. A plurality of conductive elements are formed on the circuit layer.

The evolution of the packaging technology has developed various types of semiconductor packages. For example, BGA (ball grid array) package employs advanced packaging technology to mount a semiconductor chip on a front side of a substrate and use the self-alignment technique to form an array of solder balls on a back side of the substrate. This allows a unit area on the substrate or chip carrier to accommodate more solder balls or input/output (I/O) connections to be suitable for the chip that is highly integrated, and the solder balls or I/O connections are used to bond and electrically connect the semiconductor package to an external device such as printed circuit board (PCB).
However, the above semiconductor package may cause significant problems during practical operation. Since there are a plurality of electronic elements and electronic circuits densely disposed on the chip, a huge amount of heat would be generated by these electronic elements and circuits; if the heat cannot be efficiently dissipated, the performance and lifetime of the chip may be damaged by overheat. Further, the semiconductor package lacks a shielding mechanism and thus is easily subject to external electromagnetic interference and noises.
In order to solve the above problems, a cavity-down BGA (CDBGA) package is provided as shown in FIG. 1, which is characterized in a cavity formed in a substrate to allow a semiconductor chip to be received in the cavity and attached to the substrate in a face-down manner. This CDBGA package 10 comprises a substrate 11, a heat sink 12, at least one semiconductor chip 13, a plurality of bonding wires 14, an encapsulation body 15, and a plurality of solder balls 16.
The substrate 11 has a front side 11a and a back side 11b and is formed with an cavity 111. The heat sink 12 is made of a good thermally conductive material such as copper and is attached to the front side 11a of the substrate 11 to seal one end opening of the cavity 111. The chip 13 has an active surface 13a and an inactive surface 13b. The chip 13 is received in the cavity 111 in a face-down manner that the inactive surface 13b is attached to the heat sink 12. A wire-bonding process is performed to form the plurality of bonding wires 14 that electrically connect the active surface 13a of the chip 13 to the substrate 11. Then a molding process is carried out to form the encapsulation body 15 that completely encapsulates the chip 13 and the bonding wires 14. Finally a ball-implanting process is performed to implant the plurality of solder balls 16 on the back side 11b of the substrate 11, such that the CDBGA package 10 is fabricated.
The heat sink in the above CDBGA package may desirably provide the heat-dissipating and shielding effects. However, the solder balls for connecting the package to the external PCB must be made with a height larger than a height of wire loops of the bonding wires protruding on the back side of the substrate; this arrangement restricts the routability on the substrate and set a limitation on the size of the solder balls. Moreover, the bonding wires bonded to the chip are densely arranged and easily subject to short circuit if adjacent bonding wires accidentally come into contact with each other, thereby making the wire-bonding process difficult to implement. During the molding process, the chip-bonded and wire-bonded substrate is placed in an encapsulation mold, an epoxy resin is injected into a cavity of the mold to form the encapsulation body encapsulating the chip and bonding wires that are received in the cavity. However in the practical operation, the substrate may not be tightly clamped by the mold due to the mismatch between clamping positions on the substrate and size of the cavity of the mold. When the epoxy resin is injected into the cavity, it would flash over unintended area on the substrate that is not tightly clamped; the resin flash degrades the appearance of the fabricated package and also adversely affects the quality of electrical connection of the package. Further, the injected resin is a fluid that generates mold flow impact on the bonding wires formed on the substrate. If the flow speed of the resin is unduly high, the mold flow impact would be great to shift the bonding wires and cause undesirable contact or short circuit between adjacent bonding wires, thereby severely damaging the quality and reliability of the fabricated package.
In addition, for general fabrication of semiconductor devices, chip carriers such as substrates or lead frames suitable for semiconductor devices are fabricated by a chip-carrier manufacturer. Then, these fabricated chip carriers are transferred to a packaging manufacturer and subject to chip-bonding, wire-bonding, molding and ball-implanting processes to form the semiconductor devices with desirable functionality that are requested by clients. Such fabrication processes involve different manufacturers, not only making the fabrication processes complex but also making the semiconductor devices difficult to change the design thereof.
Therefore, the problem to be solved herein is to provide a semiconductor device, which can be fabricated by simple processes and reduced cost and also can eliminate the above drawbacks of heat dissipation, electromagnetic interference and resin flash.

Method for fabricating thermally enhanced semiconductor device

Phoenix Precision Technology Corporation


The invention discloses an integrated circuit anti-interference outline structure for applications of integrated circuits capable of shielding the integrated circuit from invasions of external electromagnetic waves and leaks of internal electromagnetic waves, wherein the integrated circuit anti-interference outline structure surrounds a periphery of a partial circuit within the integrated circuit and comprises a plurality of PNP structures. At a surface of the integrated circuits are two metal strips for producing a parasitic capacitance at poly layers in order to control noises within acceptable ranges. On a P-substrate therein is disposed with a deep N-well layer for connecting to an N-terminal of an N-well layer, so as to produce a positive voltage zone having a large area, and thus having noise currents overflow from a ground terminal as well as preventing the integrated circuit from invasions and leaks of electromagnetic waves.

(a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an integrated circuit anti-interference outline structure, and more particularly, to an anti-interference outline suitable for disposing within an integrated circuit; wherein two metal strips provided at the surface of the integrated circuit are applied with a positive voltage and connected to GND, respectively, so as to generate a significant parasitic capacitance at poly layers thereof in between, and to further control noises thereof within acceptable ranges; and a P-type substrate therein is provided with a deep N-well for connecting with an N-terminal of an N-well layer, so as to produce a positive voltage zone having a large area such that noises are disallowed to pass through and are instead overflowed through a ground terminal having a lower voltage, thereby shielding the integrated circuit from invasions and leaks of electromagnetic waves.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Accompanied with advancement of technology, products that we use become better in quality and precision, and therefore it is essential that the integrated circuits contained therein have more exact designs. However, in the internal design of an integrated circuit, the structure therein is made up of electronic circuit layouts, and some noises that interfere with one another are inevitably produced. The phenomenon occurs even more frequently in an integrated circuit for that the integrated circuit is consisted of a great quantity of circuits, and hence it is important to minimize the interference signals. In a prior art, housing shielding and aperture shielding are generally used in combination for screening external noise interferences. However, such method is incapable of entirely eliminating external noise interferences, and only succeeds in isolating external noises but fails to isolate noise interferences at the interior thereof. Also, the internal structure of a prior integrated circuit lacks countermeasures and designs for resolving the aforesaid difficulty; and as closer the circuits in the integrated circuit get with one another, the more likely the noises generated will stray along the circuits, thus seriously affecting stability and quality of the integrated circuit.
In the view of the above shortcomings, the inventor has a patent application Ser. No. 10/189,495, "Domestic Priority Data as Claimed by Applicant", wherein an integrated circuit anti-interference outline structure is provided for solving external and internal noise interferences, and two metal strips and PNP structures of varied amounts are employed to produce parasitic capacitance for isolating external noises, thereby forcing the internal noise currents to overflow through a ground terminal using a positive voltage zone produced, as well as preventing invasions of external noises and interferences of internal noises.

Integrated circuit anti-interference outline structure


A projector/projection type switchable display apparatus includes: a main body unit having an image producing unit forming and emitting an image; and a cover unit that is rotatably connected to the main body unit. The cover unit includes an aspherical mirror enlarging and reflecting the image emitted from the main body unit; and a screen on which the image enlarged and reflected by the aspherical mirror is displayed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a display apparatus, and more particularly, to a projector/projection type switchable display apparatus which can be made in a small size for portability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, in a projector type display apparatus, an illuminating light is emitted onto a micro display panel such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, and is enlarged and reflected onto an external screen to realize a large image. In terms of large displays for home theater systems, projector type display devices provide good value considering their size. However, images of projector type display devices can be viewed only in the dark, and a light path in front of the screen needs to be clear so that the images are not blocked.
Projection type display devices, such as projection televisions, have a similar structure to projector type display devices. The difference between these devices is that the path of light emitted from a light source in a projection television is bent by a mirror to project an image on a screen. Projection type display devices need a space behind the screen to display images, but images can be viewed even when the surroundings are not dark, and space in front of the screen is not wasted.
Recently, display devices in which a mirror is detachably installed to bend the path of the light for use as projector or projection type devices have been developed.
The projector/projection type display devices have been large screen display devices used for home theater equipment or office devices. However, with the recent development of mobile multimedia broadcasting, like digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB), a small-sized portable projector/projection type switchable display device is required. For example, when a mobile display apparatus combined with a cell phone or a PDA can display an image in a projector type display, it is possible for many people to watch broadcasting programs in a small area. Also, if a user wants to watch the broadcasting alone, the broadcasting can be watched through a screen of the cell phone in a projection mode.

Projector/projection type switchable display apparatus


Resonators 4 and 5 are able to oscillate horizontally and vertically to substrate 1. Resonator 4 is primarily composed of a supporting portion in stationary contact with substrate 1, a movable portion including a contact surface making contact with resonator 5 and a contact surface making contact with electrode 7, and a crossing portion that couples the supporting portion and movable portion. Electrode 6 is disposed in the direction in which resonator 5 is spaced apart from resonator 4. Electrode 7 is disposed in the direction in which resonator 4 is spaced apart from resonator 5. Electrode 9 is disposed in a position that causes resonator 5 to generate electrostatic force in a direction different from the direction of both forces of attraction acting between resonators 4 and 5 and between resonator 5 and electrode 6.

One of well-known conventional techniques is described in "Introduction to Microelectromechanical Microwave Systems", P122, Artech House Publishers.
The details will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a switch having a membrane structure composed of membranes. When breaking a signal, as shown in FIG. 2, static electricity is applied to bring a membrane into contact with an electrode, while being not applied in passing a signal.
However, in the conventional device, since a switch is short-circuited to attenuate signals, a reflected wave is generated on the short-circuited surface, whereby excessive power is sent back to an amplifier disposed before the switch and destroys the amplifier. Further, there is another problem that since a membrane and electrode are electrically coupled when not spaced adequately, a passage loss occurs when the switch is ON. Furthermore, when a distance between the membrane and electrode is large, required electrostatic force becomes too large, and an applied voltage becomes too high, resulting in another problem.

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


RF coil apparatus is provided for use in an MR imaging system, wherein the B.sub.0 field is oriented in a specified direction. The apparatus comprises a coil structure positioned in selected relationship with the B.sub.0 field, the coil structure comprising a pair of elongated coil members in spaced-apart parallel relationship, and a selected number of lateral coil members positioned along the elongated coil members in spaced-apart parallel relationship with one another. A number of first capacitive elements, each of a first capacitance, are selectively positioned along the elongated coil members, and a second capacitive element is included in each of the lateral coil members, each of the second capacitive elements being of a second capacitance. A first coupling network operates the coil structure to selectively transmit and receive a first RF field component directed along a first axis which is orthogonal to the B.sub.0 field direction, the first RF field having a frequency determined by a specified relationship between the first and second capacitances. In like manner, a second coupling network operates the coil structure to selectively transmit and receive a second RF field component directed along a second axis which is orthogonal to both the B.sub.0 field direction and the first axis, the second RF field component having a frequency likewise determined by the relationship between the first and second capacitances, the first and second capacitances being respectively selected so that the frequencies thereof are equal.

The invention disclosed and claimed herein generally pertains to an RF coil arrangement for use with a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging system in the direction of the B.sub.0 field. More particularly, the invention pertains to an RF coil arrangement of the above type which generates I and Q quadrature components to produce a circular polarized RF field within the imaging space. Even more particularly, the invention pertains to an RF coil arrangement which is particularly useful in connection with an MR system of the above type for applications such as spine imaging.
As is well known, in a bore-type full body MR imaging system, a patient is placed within the bore of a cylindrical main magnet. The static or main B.sub.0 magnetic field is oriented along the bore axis, and therefore is oriented in a direction extending between the patient's head and feet (hereinafter Superior-Inferior or SI direction). However, in recent years innovators in the MR field have developed and introduced interventional or open magnet MR imaging systems. In such systems the DC or main B.sub.0 field is produced by two spaced-apart magnet components. The imaging space, that is, the space in which a patient or other object resides during the imaging procedure, is located between the main magnet components.
In a number of such systems, known as side-entry systems, a patient enters the imaging space by passing between the main magnet components, and then proceeds to sit, lie or stand therebetween. Thus, the main B.sub.0 field has a lateral orientation, that is, is oriented from side to side (hereinafter Left-Right or LR direction) with respect to a patient. Moreover, in such arrangements it may be very useful to position the two main magnet components fairly close together. This may be done where the spacing between the two components only needs to accommodate the dimension of a patient taken along the LR or AP direction, and not along a patient's SI direction.
While it is anticipated that open magnets of the above type will provide significant advantages over cylindrical full-body magnets, certain challenges are presented thereby, for applications such as large field-of-view (FOV) spine imaging. In spine imaging, it has been common practice to provide two RF quadrature components, that is, components having a 90.degree. phase difference between them, to generate a circular polarized RF field. This has been done to achieve acceptable SNR or sensitivity in spine imaging. In the past, a butterfly-loop combination coil has typically been employed to generate the RF components. Such combination may comprise separate single loop and butterfly coils, or alternatively may comprise a single resonating coil structure. The single loop produces an RF component orthogonal to the plane of the coil (vertical mode) and the butterfly coil produces an RF component which is parallel to the coil plane (horizontal mode). As is well known, the plane of the circular polarized field generated by the two RF components must be orthogonal to the direction of the B.sub.0 field.
A disadvantage of butterfly-loop coils of the prior art is that such coils tend to generate RF fields having bright spots at different locations in the circular polarized plane. This is especially bothersome when B.sub.0 is LR and bright spots favor certain vertebrae over others. Bright spots are locations at which RF field intensity is significantly greater than at adjacent surrounding locations. Accordingly, bright spots introduce nonuniformities or inhomogenities into the RF field, between different positions lying in a plane orthogonal to the main B.sub.0 field. In previous spine imaging procedures, carried out in association with a bore-type MR imaging arrangement or the like, the RF bright spots generally were not a serious problem. This is because a patient's spine in such imaging arrangement would be directed along the B.sub.0 field and would not be affected by RF inhomogenities between different points along a line perpendicular to the B.sub.0 field. In fact, it could be advantageous to align the spine with an RF field bright spot, which likewise extended along the B.sub.0 field. Now, however, in the open magnet systems described above, spine imaging must be carried out wherein the B.sub.0 field is oriented LR with respect to the patient. Thus, the spine lies in the plane of the circular polarized RF field, and acquired spine images could be significantly affected by the bright spots, if a prior art butterfly-loop coil were to be employed to generate the RF field. For example, one or two vertebrae of the spine could coincide with an RF bright spot, while the remaining vertebrae were at very different RF intensities. Accordingly, it is necessary to provide an alternative RF coil structure which can generate a circular polarized RF field, from which the bright spot inhomogenities of the prior art are eliminated.

RF coil apparatus for MR system with lateral B.sub.0 field


Improved razors and razor blades and processes for producing razor blades or similar cutting tools with sharp and durable cutting edges, by hard-carbon coating of blades with amorphous diamond, preferably using a filtered cathodic arc plasma source. A coating of amorphous diamond having at least 40 percent sp3 carbon bonding, a hardness of at least 45 gigapascals and a modulus of at least 400 gigapascals is applied to the sharpened edge of a substrate. The substrate may be mechanically honed, and there is no interlayer between the substrate and the amorphous diamond coating. The coating imparts stiffness and rigidity to a thin blade while maintaining a high aspect ratio.

A razor blade typically is formed of suitable substrate material such as metal or ceramic, and an edge is formed with wedge-shape configuration with an ultimate edge or tip that has a radius of less than about 1,000 angstroms, the wedge shaped surfaces having an included angle of less than 30.degree.. As shaving action is severe and blade edge damage frequently results and to enhance shavability, the use of one or more layers of supplemental coating material has been proposed for shave facilitation, and/or to increase the hardness and/or corrosion resistance of the shaving edge.
A number of such coating materials have been proposed, such as polymeric materials and metals, as well as other materials including diamond-like carbon (DLC) material. Each such layer or layers of supplemental material must have adhesion compatibility so that each layer remains firmly adhered to the substrate throughout the useful life of the razor blade, and desirably provide characteristics such as improved shavability, improved hardness and/or corrosion resistance while not adversely affecting the geometry and cutting effectiveness of the shaving edge.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,032,243 of Bache et al. describes blade substrate materials sharpened by ion bombardment from ion sources having the axes of their beams directed at the edges of the razor blades. U.S. Pat. No. 5,232,568 of Parent et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,295,305 of Hahn et al. show blades which have an interlayer interposed between the substrate and the diamond-like coating, wherein the interlayer is deposited on the substrate and then the diamond-like coating is deposited on the interlayer.
The prior solutions are not entirely successful, and it would be desirable simply to use mechanical honing processes to form the sharpened substrate (rather than the ion beam formation shown in Bache et al.) followed by a direct deposition of amorphous diamond coating on the substrate (without the intervening step of depositing an interlayer). It would be desirable, therefore, to be able to start with a thin blade substrate produced by mechanical honing and to impart both rigidity and hardness to the substrate by depositing an amorphous diamond coating directly on the substrate.


The present invention relates to a fusion protein having enhanced in vivo activity of erythropoietin wherein a carboxy terminal peptide fragment of thrombopoietin is fused with the carboxy terminal of human erythropoietin. This fusion protein has highly enhanced in vivo half-life due to increased carbohydrate content without loss of the inherent activity of erythropoietin, and does not cause any antigenicity when applied to the human body.

EPO, a glycoprotein having the molecular weight of 30,000 to 34,000, is a factor that stimulates production and differentiation of red blood cells. This protein acts by binding to receptors on erythrocyte precursor cells to result in increase of calcium ion concentration in a cell, increase of DNA biosynthesis, and stimulation for the formation of hemoglobin and the like. This EPO can be used for the treatment of anemia from renal failure, anemia of a premature baby, anemia from hypothyroidism, anemia from malnutrition, etc. The clinical use of recombinant human EPO is on the increase. However, such use may cause some inconvenience and high costs because it should be administered on the average three times a week due to its short half-life. Thus, if the in vivo activity of EPO is maintained for a long time, the administration frequency of EPO may be greatly decreased.
Efficacy of EPO is proportional to in vivo half-life thereof. It is known that in vivo half-life of EPO is correlated to the content of sialic acid that is located at the terminal of carbohydrate chains of EPO. Therefore, efficacy of EPO is highly dependent on the presence of carbohydrate chains. Since the forms of carbohydrates appear differently depending on the kind of cells where EPO is expressed, the same glycoproteins may have different carbohydrate structure if they are expressed in different cells. Although it has been recently demonstrated that some bacteria can attach the carbohydrate chains, typical bacteria, for example E. coli, are known not to do. Proteins expressed in E. coli do not contain the carbohydrate chains, and thus, E. coli-derived EPO, which does not contain the carbohydrate chains, exhibits positive in vitro activity but no in vivo activity. It is because deglycosylated EPO is rapidly eliminated from the human body and has extremely short half-life. In conclusion, the carbohydrate chains play a very important role in the activity of EPO.
Many studies have been made to enhance the activity of EPO. The main approach is substitutions of some amino acids of EPO by mutagenesis on the EPO gene. For example, PCT/US94/09257, filed by Amgen and titled "Erythropoietin analogs," discloses a method to increase in vivo half-life of EPO by increasing the carbohydrate contents through mutagenesis. Also, an attempt to increase in vivo half-life of EPO was made by formation of EPO dimer. See, A. J. Sytkowski et al., J.B.C. vol. 274, No. 35, pp24773–24778. Besides, another known method is to enhance in vivo activity of EPO by fusing new amino acids, peptides, or protein fragments with EPO molecule in the genetic engineering manner and increasing the carbohydrate content, i.e., sialic acid content of EPO. However, all amino acids, peptides, or heterogeneous protein fragments may not be used for this purpose. In most cases, such modifications may result in decrease or loss of inherent activity of protein and may cause a problem of antigenicity when used in vivo.
Although it is not related to EPO, fusion proteins or chimeric proteins have been studied, for example, for follicle stimulating hormone that is a kind of sex hormone. See, Furuhashi et al., 1995, Mol. Endocrinol. However, the methods have not been applied to the industry since protein modifications using a genetic engineering method have many risks. That is, in most cases, the target protein may not be readily obtained without professional skills, and on the contrary, the inherent activity of protein may be decreased or lost by the addition or substitution of new amino acids.

Fusion protein having enhanced in vivo activity of erythropoietin


The invention relates to a method for preparing methyl 2-diphenylmethylsulfinylacetate (MDMSA) comprising the steps of: (i) conversion of benzhydrol into methyldiphenylmethylthioacetate (MDMTA); and (ii) conversion of methyldiphenylmethylthioacetate (MDMTA) into methyl-2-diphenylmethylsulfinylacetate by oxidation, according to the following sequence: benzhydrol→MDMTA→MDMSA.

MDMSA is disclosed as an intermediate compound in the synthesis of modafinil also known as 2-[(diphenylmethyl)sulfinyl]acetamide. Modafinil which is a synthetic acetamide with wake-promoting activity, is useful in the treatment of narcolepsy, among other disorders.
The inventors have now discovered a novel route for synthesizing MDMSA which is applicable at the industrial scale.
Advantageously, the MDMSA can be obtained in two or three steps, each being characterized by high yields.
In an advantageous embodiment, these steps may be carried out in the same reactor and the same solvent, without isolating the intermediate compounds.
The aim of the present invention is to provide an economical and efficient method for preparing MDMSA.

Method for preparing methyl 2-diphenylmethylsulfinylacetate


A confectionary product comprising a center including a water soluble portion. A first coating that comprises a blend of xylitol/mannitol that substantially encloses the center and a second coating that consists essentially of one polyol that substantially encloses the first coating.

The present invention relates generally to confectionary products. More specifically the present invention relates to confectionary products that have an outer coating and syrups for creating such outer coatings.
It is of course known to provide a variety of types of confectionary products for consumers. One such confectionary product is chewing gum. Chewing gum generally consists of a water insoluble portion and a water soluble portion including sweeteners.
In a similar vein it is known to provide a variety of different types of chewing gum. For example, it is also known in creating chewing gum, and other confectionary products, to coat the chewing gum with an outer or overcoating. The overcoating can provide an initial sweetness or other desirable oleptic property to the consumer. Further, the overcoating can provide a crunching sensation when chewed by the consumer. The overcoating provides, preferably, a smooth outer appearance to the consumer. A number of such chewing gum products are known.
Initially in creating overcoated chewing gums, sugar syrups were used to create the overcoating. The sugar syrup creates a product having a smooth appearance. When chewed by the consumer the sugar coating provides a crunching sensation to the consumer. Additionally such a coating provides an initial burst of sweetness.
In recent years, efforts have been devoted to replacing sugar and sugar syrups in chewing gum with other carbohydrates and non-carbohydrates. This has entailed not only replacing the sugar sweetener within the chewing gum but the coating layers for coating the chewing gums and other confectionary products. To this end xylitol has been used as an overcoating.
Although xylitol syrups can be used to coat chewing gum they do not provide the same characteristics as sugar syrups. For example, when overcoating of xylitol it is difficult to provide the same appearance as sugar; the overcoating of xylitol is often not as smooth. In fact, xylitol syrup overcoatings become brittle and chip or break, e.g. at the corners of rectangular shaped chewing gum.
Further, xylitol syrups do not immediately crystallize when coated onto the chewing gum. Therefore, the coating process can be more time consuming and accordingly more expensive than the use of sugar syrup coatings. This is especially true if an effort is made to match the appearance of sugar coated products. Still further, a xylitol coating may not provide the crunch that a sugar syrup coating does. "Crunchiness" of the coating is one of the desirable characteristics consumers look to in coated chewing gum products.
One effort to improve upon xylitol coatings is set forth in European Patent Application 95400199.6. Layers or coatings on chewing gum are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,270,061; 5,376,389; 5,248,508; and 5,409,715 as well as WO 95-07622 and WO 95-07625.
With respect to European application 95400199.6 this application discloses a process wherein a syrup comprising a blend of mannitol and xylitol is used to coat the chewing gum. This mixture has been founded to provide an improved appearance on coated chewing gum as compared to xylitol. Further, as compared to xylitol this mixture is easier to coat on to chewing gum at a lower cost.
However, the inventors of the present invention have surprisingly found that the mannitol/xylitol syrup blends, although they provide the necessary "crunchiness" as well as a smooth appearance, are very hygroscopic. Indeed, such blends are much more hygroscopic than the pure xylitol syrups they replace. This results in a product having a decreased shelf life and/or increased packaging costs. It has been found that if not protected from high humidity, xylitol/mannitol coated chewing gum pellets suffer a loss of crunch and hardness, and develop a degraded appearance. In fact when exposed to high humidity the coating can even dissolve and run off the pellet.
There is therefore a need for an improved overcoating.

Coated confectionary products and methods of manufacturing same


An image forming apparatus 10 includes: a body frame 11 including an image forming section 60; and an image reading section 40, as an upper member openably mounted on top of the body frame, that is provided with a document stage on which a document is loaded and that reads an image of the document. The image forming apparatus further includes: first holding member 6 placing the image reading section 40 over the image forming section and holding it in a closed state; and second holding member 1 holding the image reading section rotatably relative to the image forming section and having a guide shaft and guide slots that are in a disengaged state when the image reading section is in the closed state and that engage with each other so as to function as a hinge when the image reading section is rotated from the closed state to the open state, relative to the image forming section.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an image reading section that reads a document image and an image forming section that records that document image on a sheet of paper.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally known is an image forming apparatus that reads an image of a document loaded on a platen or delivered through a paper conveying section, and records that image onto a sheet of paper or communicates it in the form of an image signal. One example of such an image forming apparatus is shown in FIG. 4. As shown in this figure, an image forming apparatus 10A includes: a body frame 11; a paper feeding section 50, an image forming section 60, and a fixing section 70 that are provided inside the body frame 11; an image reading section 40, a platen 12 formed of transparent glass, and a document conveying section 20 that are provided on top of the body frame 11. Inside the body frame 11, in an upper portion thereof, is provided a controller 13 that controls document conveyance operation, reading operation, image forming operation, and other operation, and in a middle portion thereof, is provided a paper ejecting section 80 equipped with an ejected paper tray 82.
The document conveying section 20 is openably mounted on the body frame 11 with a hinge section 20a provided on the far side of the plane of the figure. The document conveying section 20 includes: a document loading tray 21; a document feeding section 30; a document conveying path 27; and a document cover 29.
In the document loading tray 21, a pair of document guides 22 are so provided as to be slidable in the direction orthogonal to the document conveyance direction of the document loading tray 21; thus, a loaded document can be held in place corresponding to the size thereof on the tray without being displaced laterally. The ejected document tray 29a is formed integrally with the document cover 29 as part of the top face thereof. Thus, the document loading tray 21 forms the upstream-side end of the document conveying path 27, and the ejected document tray 29a forms the downstream-side end of the document conveying path 27. On the ejected document tray 29a, there are provided document displacement prevention members 28 composed of, for example, one 28a for A3 size, one 28b for A4 size, and one 28c for A5 size.
In the document feeding section 30, there are provided in order from the upstream side of the document conveyance direction along the document conveying path 27 a first document feeding roller 31, a second document feeding roller 32, a separation roller 33, a pair of first document conveying rollers, a pair of registration rollers 35, a pair of second document conveying rollers 36, a document guide 37, a pair of third document conveying rollers 38, and a pair of ejecting rollers 39. A document reading position 12a is set at a position facing the document guide 37 on the top face of the platen 12.
The first feeding roller 31 is so provided as to be movable up and down by unillustrated driving member such as a solenoid. When no document C is on the document loading tray 21, the feeding roller 31 is moved upward by the driving section based on a signal that is sent from a loaded document detecting member 21a, such as an optical reflection type sensor, provided on the document loading tray 21, to the controller 13. When a document C is loaded, the first feeding roller 31 is moved downward by the driving section and by its own weight so as to come into contact with the document C.
According to a stationary document reading method, a document (not illustrated) is loaded on a stationary document reading position 12b that is set on the top face of the platen 12, and is pressed by the document cover 29; thus, the document on the side having contact with the platen 12 is read by the image reading section 40.
The image reading section 40 includes: an exposure lamp 41; a reflecting plate 42; a first mirror 43; a second mirror 44; a third mirror 45; a collecting lens 46; and an image sensor 47 (e.g., line-type CCD). The exposure lamp 41 and the first mirror 43 are mounted on a carriage 48 and are made movable in the left/right directions in the figure.
The paper feeding section 50 includes a paper feeding cassette 51 and a paper feeding roller 52 provided in a lowest portion of the body frame 11. The paper feeding cassette 51 is for accommodating sheets of paper P. The sheets of paper P are fed out one after another into the conveying path 55 by the feeding roller 52 and are conveyed to the image forming section 60 by the pair of conveying rollers 53 and the pair of registration rollers 54.
The image forming section 60 includes: a photoconductive drum 61; an electrostatic charger 62 arranged near it; an optical scanning unit 63; a developing unit 64; a transfer roller 65; and a cleaner 66. The photoconductive drum 61 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 4, so that first its surface is electrically charged uniformly by the electrostatic charger 62. Next, based on an electrical signal of the image that is read at the image reading section 40 and is sent through the controller 13, a laser beam is emitted from the optical scanning unit 63 onto the surface of the photoconductive drum 61, and consequently, on the paper P, a latent image is formed. The latent image is then supplied with toner and is developed as a toner image by the developing unit 64.
The sheet of paper P having the toner image transferred thereon is conveyed to the fixing section 70 composed of a heating roller 71 and a pressing roller 72, and the toner image is so heated and pressed as to be fixed onto the sheet of paper P there. Thereafter, the sheet of paper P is ejected by a pair of ejecting rollers 81 to the paper ejecting section 80 equipped with the ejected paper tray 82 with the surface of the paper having the image formed thereon facing that tray.
In the conventional image forming apparatus including the image reading section and the image forming section as described above, the image reading section needs to be mounted in a precise position relative to the image forming section fixedly housed inside the body frame. To increase the ease of maintenance of such apparatuses, there have been proposed some in which the image reading section is made openable with respect to the image forming section. For example, as disclosed in a patent publication (JP-B-3578109), by rotatably coupling together upper and lower units via a hinge member, it is possible to obtain an openable structure.
With this structure, for example, the image reading section disposed on the upper side is openable with respect to the image forming section disposed on the lower side, and this facilitates maintenance, replacement, and other work related to components inside the body frame and the apparatus itself.
However, if the rotatable part, namely the image reading section, is large and heavy, it cannot easily be placed at a precise position via the hinge member. Moreover, another problem will arise that the repeated opening and closing of the image reading section result in a change in the relative positional relationship with the image forming section.
Accordingly, there is a demand for a coupling structure in which upper and lower members are rotatably coupled with each other, and by which the upper, rotatable member is easily positioned even though it is heavy, and repeated opening and closing of the upper member does not lead to any change in the coupled posture or in the positions of the upper and lower members relative to each other.


An in-cell touch display panel includes an active device array substrate, an opposite substrate and a display medium layer. The active device array substrate includes a substrate, a plurality of active devices, a plurality of pixel electrodes, a plurality of common electrodes, a plurality of data signal lines and a plurality of switches. The pixel electrodes are respectively electrically connected to the corresponding active devices. The common electrodes are arranged into a plurality of common electrode series, wherein every two or more common electrode series are connected to each other to form a first touch electrode. The data signal lines are respectively coupled to the pixel electrodes through the corresponding active devices. Every two or more of the data signal lines are electrically connected to one of the switches, wherein the pixel electrodes and the data signal lines coupled to a same switch together form a second touch electrode.

1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a display panel, and more particularly, to an in-cell touch display panel.
2. Description of Related Art
A touch panel can be roughly divided into an on-cell touch display panel, an integrated touch display panel and an in-cell touch display panel according to the disposing layout of the touch panel and the display panel. For the on-cell touch display panel, the touch components are usually fabricated on a substrate to form a touch panel, followed by adhering the touch panel onto the outer surface of the display panel. For the integrated touch display panel, the touch components are integrated onto the display panel. For the in-cell touch display panel, the touch components are directly integrated inside the display panel. Compared to the on-cell touch display panel, the integrated touch display panel and the in-cell touch display panel are quite suitable for thinning and lightening a display.
Regardless the on-cell touch display panel, the integrated touch display panel or the in-cell touch display panel, in order to form a touch display panel, it must additionally conduct several photomask processes under the original touch panel architecture to finish the fabrication of the touch components, i.e., a touch display panel requires considerable processes to be finished.


A gas turbine engine E includes a compressor wheel 9 and a turbine wheel 10 fixed to a rotary shaft 8, a can-type combustor 18 disposed on an extension of the axis L of the rotary shaft 8, and an circular plate-type heat exchanger 12 disposed to surround a radially outer portion of the can-type combustor 18. The compressor wheel 9, the turbine wheel 10, the can-type combustor 18 and the plate-type heat exchanger 12 are disposed coaxially with the axis L of the rotary shaft 8. Therefore, the flows of compressed air and combustion gas are symmetrized with respect to the axis L, and the distribution of temperature within a casing is also symmetrized with respect to the axis L. Thus, the flows of compressed air and combustion gas within the gas turbine engine E can be axially symmetrized, and the generation of a thermal distortion can be prevented.

The present invention relates to a gas turbine engine in which air compressed in a compressor wheel driven by a turbine wheel and then heated in a heat exchanger is mixed with fuel; the resulting air-fuel mixture is burnt in a combustor, and a generated combustion gas is utilized for the driving of the turbine wheel and the heat exchange in the heat exchanger.


A serial peripheral interface (SPI) device includes a serial clock (SCK) pad receiving a serial clock, first and second Schmitt triggers directly electrically connected to the SCK pad to selectively respectively generate first and second clocks in response to rising and falling edges of the serial clock, first and second flip flops clocked by the first and second clocks to output bits of data to a data node, a multiplexer having an input coupled to the data node and an output coupled to driving circuitry, and driving circuitry transmitting data via a master-in-slave-out (MISO) pad.

Synchronous serial communication is utilized in many electronic devices. One such synchronous serial communications standard is known as the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI). A conceptual version of architecture for implementing the SPI is shown in FIG. 1. Here, it can be seen that SPI utilizes a master unit 2 and a slave unit 8.
The master unit 2 includes a clock generator 3 that generates a serial clock SCK signal that is used to synchronize data transfers between the master 2 and slave 8, and is sent to the slave 8 by the SCK pad 4. The master 2 also includes digital logic 6 (including, for example, a shift register) which, during each clock cycle, sends a bit of data to the slave 8 by outputting the data bit to the master-out-slave-in (MOSI) pad 7, and receives a bit of data from the slave via the master-in-slave-out (MISO) pad 5.
The slave unit 8 receives the SCK signal via its own SCK pad 9, which is sampled by a flip flop FF to produce a SCK_Sample signal and used to clock digital logic 11 (including, for example, a shift register). During each clock cycle, the digital logic 11 receives a bit of input data from the master 2 via the MOSI pad 10, and outputs a bit of output data (generated by processing the input data) to the master 2 via the MISO pad 6.
The "loop" delay of the slave 8 is the sum of the delay in the path between the SCK pad 9 and the MISO pad 6, and defines the delay between receipt of a pulse of the serial clock SCK signal via the SCK pad 9 and the output of a next output data bit via the MISO pad 6. In order to enable full duplex SPI communication, the loop delay of the slave 8 should be such that the delay between the receipt of the pulse of the SCK signal and the output of a next data bit via the MISO pad 6 is less than one half the period of the SCK signal minus the setup time required (after transmission of a bit of output data) to ready the next bit of output data for the next pulse of the SCK signal. Mathematically, this means that it is desired for the following condition to be met:Tpadins+Tpadouts<Tsck/2−Tsetwhere Tpadins is the delay between the receipt of a pulse of the SCK signal and output of the SCK_Sample signal, Tpadouts is the delay between the SCK_Sample signal and completion of the output of the data bit by the digital logic 11 via the MISO pad 6, Tsck is the period of the SCK signal, and Tset is the setup time as defined above. Note that Tset can also be defined as the delay between the output of the current data bit by the digital logic 11 via the MISO pad 6 and the transition of the SCK signal to logic low.
A prior art slave 12 implementation is shown in FIG. 2. Here, the slave 12 receives at the input/output IO RING of the slave the SCK signal via its SCK pad 13. The SCK signal is used by a Schmitt trigger 14 to produce a ZOUTSCK signal, which is then level shifted to a lower voltage domain by a level shifter 15, and this level shifted version of the ZOUTSCK signal is labeled as a clock CLK signal and is passed to the core (controller). The CLK signal is inverted by an inverter 16, and a multiplexer 18 receives as input the CLK signal as well as the inverted version of the CLK signal. A clock phase signal (CPHA) and a clock polarity signal (CPOL) signal (which were used to define the format of the SCLK signal) are received by logic 17, which based thereupon generates a control signal EDGE for the multiplexer 18. Based on the EDGE signal, the multiplexer either outputs the CLK signal or the inverse of the CLK signal to the clock input of the flip flop 90. The data input of the flip flop 90 receives an input data bit (either from the master via the MOSI pad 24 or from the controller of the slave), and when clocked by output from the multiplexer 18, the flip flop 90 passes an output data bit at its Q output to generate a DATA_in signal which is input to digital logic 20 (which may be selectively enabled by the enable signal EN0) within the IO RING. The digital logic 20 may include, for example, a multiplexer, and upon receiving the DATA_in signal, provides a data bit output to the level shifter 21, which shifts the voltage of that data bit to a higher voltage domain. Driving circuitry 22 transmits the data bit from the level shifter 21 to the master via the MISO pad 23.
The loop delay of this prior art slave 12 implementation can be calculated as follows:Tloop=Tschmittrx+TlsHtoL+Tclk_Rc+Tinv+Tmux+Tff+Tdl+TlsLtoH+Tdriwhere Tschmittrx is the delay between receipt of the SCK signal at the SCK pad and the output of the ZOUTSCK signal by the Schmitt trigger 14, TlsHtoL is the delay for the level shifter 15 to produce the CLK signal from the ZOUTSCK signal, Tclk_Rc is the resistive/capacitive RC delay of the line carrying the CLK signal from the level shifter 15 to the inverter 16 and multiplexer 18, Tinv is the delay between the inverter receiving the CLK signal and outputting the inverted version of the CLK signal, Tmux is the signal propagation delay through the multiplexer 90, Tff is the delay between when the flip flop 90 is clocked and when the DATA_in signal is output by the flip flop 90, Tdl is the propagation delay through the digital logic 20, TlsLtoH is the delay for the level shifter to shift the output of the digital logic 20 to the higher voltage domain, and Tdri is the sum of the propagation delay through the driving circuitry 22 as well as any pre-driving circuitry therein.
Unfortunately, this design is unable to meet the loop delay requirement expressed above for maximum SPI communication speed (e.g., high frequency full duplex communication mode), particularly when thick oxide devices are employed within the slave and when those devices are underdriven.
Therefore, further development of SPI systems are needed so as to permit the maximum SPI communication speed permitted by the SPI standard.

Serial data interface with reduced loop delay


Low ohm RuO.sub.2 -based resistors are positively adjusted to 0 HTCR, without increasing resistance, using modified zeolite components of FCC catalyst. The non-metallic 0.2-8.0 wt % additions do not adversely affect past rheology or the physical properties of the resistors.

The term resistor is used for devices made from materials which control electrical conductivity. In industrial and consumer applications, it is desirable that this control be invariant with respect to temperature, i.e. the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) be as close to zero as possible.
Currently, thick film 100-1M .OMEGA.[ ] resistors meet specified TCR values of less than .+-.100 ppm/.degree.C., but 1-10 .OMEGA./[ ] resistors have unacceptably large negative TCR values.


Systems and methods for synchronizing a power line communication system including a power line and one or more devices communicatively coupled to the power line. A mains frequency of the power line is estimated at the devices, and corresponding local frequencies of the devices are adjusted based on the corresponding estimated mains frequency. Data signals are transmitted from or received by the devices based on the adjusted local frequencies.

Clock synchronization is an important aspect of communication systems. Conventional communication systems include one or more devices, such as modems, which are communicatively coupled via a network. The devices may have local clocks which may not be perfectly synchronized with one another or with the network. The variation in frequency due to lack of perfect synchronization may lead to communication errors and reduce accuracy and reliability of communication. For example, quality of communication, measured in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) may deteriorate. Existing solutions for improving synchronization in communication systems can involve synchronization signals received from external sources, such as global positioning systems (GPS). Known approaches can also involve the use of a network clock coupled to a network, such as, a fiber optic network, a cellular phone network, or a broadcast network. However, the known approaches for improving synchronization in communication systems suffer from several drawbacks, such as, high complexity in implementation, restricted availability of required resources, and often, prohibitively high costs.
A specific type of communication system known in the art is a power line communication (PLC) system. Typically, the devices in PLC systems are PLC modems. The PLC modems are communicatively coupled to a power distribution system or network. Each PLC modem has a local oscillator, which drives the local clock of the PLC modem. Variations may arise in frequencies of local oscillators in different PLC modems. For example, two local oscillators may differ in frequency to the order of +/−20 ppm. In order to provide a reliable communication, the frequencies of the receiver and the transmitter of a PLC modem need to be synchronized to one another. PLC systems possess several attractive features, such as, ease of availability and low cost. However, exposure to noise and interference from the various devices connected to the PLC system can pose severe problems to synchronization, particularly when it comes to receiver synchronization.
Accordingly, there is a need for improving synchronization in PLC systems. More specifically, there exists a need for low cost and efficient techniques for various aspects related to synchronizing devices, such as PLC modems, in PLC systems.

Power line communication system synchronization


Perfectly resynchronized windowed clock signals are constructed starting from a main clock signal of the same frequency of that of the active phases of the constructed windowed clock signal, advantageously without requiring a main clock of a higher frequency.

In processing systems that utilize a plurality of identical pipelines substantially operating in parallel according to a so-called systolic scheme, and to process in parallel data belonging to blocks of data fed in series to the various pipelines, it might be useful or necessary to use a particular timing or clock signals characterized by having active periods alternating with inactive periods. This is commonly defined as windowed clocks, whereby the active period may have a duration different from the period of inactivity. Such requirements occur, for example, in the so-called motion estimators. A motion estimator is a digital processor that calculates an estimate of the motion in a video frame (VF) using a reference frame (RF). Each of the blocks (VF) into which the video frame is normally divided and which for example may be of 16.times.16 pixels (pels), is compared to a correspondent block or with equivalent blocks of the reference frame RF that are within the search area defined by the position of the particular block of the video frame VF. For example, if the dimensions of the search area are 46.times.46 pels, there will be 31.times.31 blocks that the motion estimator will have to compare with the block of the video frame VF. The motion estimator will find the block in the search area that is more similar to the block of the video frame VF and will make available the data that define its position in the search area.
In practice, the motion estimation processor is a machine that must compare many blocks with each other and this means that it would be advantageous to use many processing pipelines (PEs) functioning in parallel. A controller would then coordinate the functions of the different pipelines.
FIG. 1 shows a simplified functional scheme of a motion estimation processor. The systolic array (LINEAR ARRAY OF PE) represents a linear structure of identical processing elements, (PEs), functioning in parallel. The flow of data through the array needs to be controlled by a controller (CONTROLLER). Each PE works in parallel to all the other PEs of the array and the current video block is fed along the array according to a local communication control. The absolute values of the differences between the VF and RF blocks, calculated by the PEs, are stored as distortions in a dedicated accumulator (ACCUMULATOR). The comparators (COMPARATOR) receive representative data of the various distortions in sequence and retain (select) the data relative to the minimum distortion detected. The primary function of the CONTROLLER is that of producing a windowed clock having active phases or periods alternating with inactive phases or periods, for coordinating the functions of the plurality of processing pipelines (PEs) that make up the linear array.
FIG. 2 shows the way a typical windowed clock signal is produced. If f is the clock frequency during active phases, a typical way of producing the windowed clock signal is to start from a clock signal (2f) having twice that frequency. The 2f frequency can be divided by two through a common digital divider thus obtaining an f frequency signal, and by a larger multiple of two (in the example by 16), thus obtaining an f/16 frequency signal. These two derived clock signals of fractional frequency in respect to the frequency 2f of the starting signal, obtained by digital frequency division, are supplied to an AND gate to produce the required windowed clock signal that represents the logic product of the two derived clocks, as diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. 2.
The delay introduced by the combinatory logic AND circuit can be, as it is well known, eliminated by using a D-latch circuit, to which the 2f frequency signal may be fed as the sampling clock signal. The disadvantage of this method is represented by requiring a 2f frequency primary signal that is twice the clock frequency actually required during the active phases of the windowed clock signal to be produced. For example in a typical application of a motion estimate system, the requisite of having a windowed clock signal with a frequency, during the active phases, of 72 MHz would require the availability of a master clock signal with twice that frequency, that is of 144 MHz. Clearly, this aspect may be extremely burdensome because it may impose severe constraints to the hardware architecture and to the components used.


A nut feed system and method of feeding nuts through a nut feed passage which avoids contact between the feed pawl and the nut bore. The end face of the nut includes a nut feed groove extending perpendicular to the nut bore and the free end of the feed pawl is received in the groove to drive the nuts through a nut feed passage without contacting the bore. The disclosed embodiment of the nut includes a counterbore through the end face and radial channel-shaped feed grooves and the feed pawl includes a cylindrical center portion and radial portions received in the counterbore and feed grooves.

Nuts are typically fed through a nut feed passage by reciprocating a nut feed pawl having a finger received in the nut bore. The nut feed pawl is typically pivotally mounted on a feed mechanism, wherein the nut feed pawl is biased by a spring, pneumatic or hydraulic pressure or a positive linkage to reciprocate through the nut feed passage. The nut bore may be threaded or unthreaded to receive a thread forming or thread rolling male fastener, such as a bolt or screw. Nuts are fed through a nut feed passage for various purposes including, but not limited to, secondary operations, such as interconnecting the nuts in a strip, and installation. However, the nut feed pawl may deform or damage the nut bore during feeding of the nuts through a nut feed passage making it difficult or impossible to thread a male fastener into the nut bore. For example, the nuts may be jammed or cocked in the nut feed passage and the force of the finger of the nut feed pawl in the thread cylinder may be sufficient to damage a threaded nut bore or an unthreaded nut bore.
This is a particular problem with self-attaching nuts, including pierce, clinch and weld nuts, wherein the nut is permanently attached to a metal panel because the entire nut and panel assembly may have to be scrapped if the nut bore cylinder is damaged. In many applications, such as automotive applications, several self-attaching nuts are simultaneously attached to a panel, such as a bracket, frame or vehicle body component and the male fasteners are typically threaded into the nuts with a torque wrench. Thus, if the thread cylinder (threaded or unthreaded) of one of the nuts is damaged or distorted, a male fastener may crossthread in the nut bore or it may not be possible to thread the male fastener into the nut bore, requiring scrapping or retrofitting the entire assembly. As used herein, the term "nut" includes any female fastener having a threaded or unthreaded bore. Thus, there has been a long felt need for a method of feeding nuts through a feed passage using a feed pawl which does not engage the nut bore, eliminating damage or distortion of the nut bore.
Various attempts have been made by the Applicant and others to eliminate damage to the nut bore or thread cylinder through feeding of nuts through a nut feed passage, including providing notches in the side faces of the nut and feeding the nuts with two feed pawls or ratchets on opposed sides of the nuts which feed the nuts to a fastener installation head or for secondary operations, such as interconnecting the nuts in a strip, as disclosed for example in PCT Application WO 03/016727 A2 filed Jul. 31, 2002 and assigned to the assignee of this application. However, such methods of feeding nuts require additional space, particularly for fastener installation heads where additional space is not available and such methods are not always reliable because the use of two feed pawls or ratchets must be balanced to avoid cocking of the nuts during feeding. Further, such methods require complex feed mechanisms and substantial modification of the fastener and the feed mechanism. It would thus be desirable to feed nuts through a feed passage without contacting the nut bore, but with minimal modification of the feed pawl and the nut. The method of feeding nuts, nut feed pawl and nut configuration of this invention solves the problem of nut bore distortion or damage during feeding with minimal modification of the feed pawl and nut.


An insect trap includes a substantially cylindrical, hollow base component having an open top in communication with an interior chamber and a chemical attractant device received therein. Superimposed on the open top is a mesh screen that is precoated with an insect eradicating substance. A plurality of legs extend from the bottom surface of the base component for supporting the base component a predetermined distance above a supporting surface. In addition, the interior chamber may be selectively enclosed with a transparent, semi-spherical lid member whenever the device is not in use. The chemical attractant is released to the surrounding environment to attract insects to the insecticide coated mesh screen where they are eradicated.

The present invention relates to a new and improved insect trap to attract and kill pests such as mosquitoes and flies. More specifically, the device comprises a cylindrical, hollow housing having a chemical insect attractant received therein. A screen overlays the open top of the housing just above the chemical attractant and is coated with an insecticide. The attractant lures insects to the housing whereby the insect is killed upon contacting the screen.


The present invention provides a multiple-wheel input device comprising a positioning plate, two light-penetrating type encode wheels, a circuit board, and two hollow rollers. The light-penetrating type encode wheel is connected pivotally to both sides of the positioning plate. A gap hole is disposed at the central part of the bottom edge of the positioning plate. Two inclined surfaces are formed at the top edge of the gap hole. An arched board is installed at each side of the gap hole. A fixing bar is installed adjoining to each side of the bottom edge of the gap hole to join the circuit board. A light-emitting device is installed at the central part of the circuit board. A light-receiving device is installed at each side of the light-emitting device. The hollow roller is connected pivotally to the circumference of one side of each encode wheel and outside the two arched boards. When the roller is turned, the encode wheel is jointly turned synchronously. The light emitted from the light-emitting device is reflected by the inclined surface, penetrates the transparent portion of the encode wheel, and is received by the corresponding light-receiving device. The light variation signals are converted to the current variation signals of the light-receiving device. The movements in the X-Y coordinates of the input device (mouse) can thus be known according to the output signals of the encode wheel.

The present invention relates to a multiple-wheel input device, especially to a mouse that can greatly reduce the production cost, be easily assembled, and enhance the accuracy.
The conventional mouse has a tracking ball installed pivotally on the bottom surface of the bottom seat thereof. Its internal circuit unit senses the movement signals in the X-Y coordinates via the rolling of the tracking ball. However, it can not discriminate the movement signals in the Z-axis.
The mouse having the Z-axis movement sensing function has a supporting plate installed above the bottom lid thereof. A shaft set having a roller and an encode wheel in series is assembled on the supporting plate. The top edge of the roller is exposed out of the surface of the top lid of the mouse. An infrared transceiver is installed beside the encode wheel of the mouse. The rotation of the encode wheel is thus controlled via the roller, and the infrared transceiver transfers the signals to acquire the Z-axis input function. However, there is no second X-Y coordinates input device such that the control is not flexible.
The multiple-axis mouse has a mouse driving mechanism and a circuit board installed on the bottom seat thereof. A circuit control unit is installed on the circuit board. Two sets of coordinates input devices are connected pivotally to the circuit board. One set of encode wheels (including an X-axis encode wheel and a Y-axis encode wheel) is installed in each set of coordinates input devices. Part of each encode wheel is exposed out of the corresponding groove of the top lid. An emitting device and a receiving device are installed outside each encode wheel. The emitting device and the receiving device are connected to the circuit control unit. The circuit control unit will control the variation of the second X-Y coordinates according to the received signals of each receiving device and its internal program when each set of encode wheel is under operation. However, the production cost is high, and the assembly is not convenient.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a multiple-wheel input device wherein an encode wheel is connected pivotally to both sides of a positioning plate. A gap hole is disposed at the central part of the bottom edge of the positioning plate. Two inclined surfaces are formed at the top edge of the gap hole. An arched board is installed at each side of the gap hole. A fixing bar is installed adjoining to each side of the bottom edge of the gap hole to join a circuit board. A light-emitting device is installed at the central part of the circuit board. A light-receiving device is installed at each side of the light-emitting device. A hollow roller is connected pivotally to the circumference of one side of each encode wheel and outside the two arched boards. When the roller is turned, the encode wheel is jointly turned synchronously. The light emitted from the light-emitting device is reflected by the inclined surface, penetrates the transparent portion of the encode wheel, and is received by the corresponding light-receiving device. The light variation signals are converted to the current variation signals of the light-receiving device. The movements in the X-Y coordinates of the input device (mouse) can thus be known according to the output signals of the encode wheel.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a modified multiple-axis mouse wherein an extended board is installed extending from one side of the positioning plate. The extended board laps a micro-movement switch at the bottom seat of the mouse. When the extended board is pressed downwards via the roller, the micro-movement switch will act to control the activation of the coordinate axis.
The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawings, in which:

7F, No. 142-1, Lane 108, Sec. 1, Kuang Fu Rd., E. Dist.


A semiconductor die having: a logic unit having a plurality of inputs/outputs; a plurality of pads whereby electrical connections can be made to the die; and a multiplexer arranged between the inputs/outputs and the pads, the multiplexer being operable in a first mode in which it maps a first number of the inputs/outputs to a first number of the pads with a first mean spacing between those pads, and a second mode in which it maps a second number of the inputs/outputs to a first number of the pads with a second mean spacing between those pads, wherein the first number is larger than the second number and the first spacing is smaller than the second spacing.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an integrated circuit package. The package comprises a semiconductor die 1 on which is defined an electronic circuit. The die has a series of conductive pads 2 around its periphery. Numerous ones of the pads are attached to conductive traces 3 which extend from the die into a packaging matrix 4. The packaging matrix is formed of a non-conductive material, conventionally a polymer material. FIG. 2 is a simplified cross-section through the package on line A-A in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows that the conductive traces extend out of the plane of FIG. 1 so that they emerge at package connection pins 5. The package illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a QFN (quad flat no leads) package.
Some dies can be packaged in different ways for different applications. For example, a simple application that requires only some of the die's capabilities might only need to connect to 16 of the die's pads. Since that application only requires 16 pins, for that application the die can be packaged in a package whose dimensions are relatively small. Having a small package has the advantage that the device will take up less room on a circuit board. In contrast, in a more complex application it might be desired to connect to 64 of the die's pads. That would call for 64 pins, and hence a package that is large enough to accommodate 64 pins. The cost of preparing to manufacture a die is high, so it is advantageous to be able to use the same die for both these applications. Since the die will be the same in each type of packaging, it follows that the margin between the die and the periphery of the package will be smaller in the small package than in the large package. This is illustrated in FIG. 3.
FIG. 3 shows cross sections through the packaging of a common die 10 in a small package 11 and a large package 12.
FIG. 3 shows some of the traces emanating from the dies 10. In the larger package 12 many pads on the die are used. Because the margin between the die and the edge of the package is extensive, all the traces can extend at a substantial angle to the side of the die from which they emanate. In the smaller package 11 two possibilities are illustrated. On one side, at 13, the traces emanate from pads that are well spaced apart on the die. These traces all extend at substantial angles to the side of the die from which they emanate. On the other side, at 14, the traces emanate from pads that are close together on the die. Some of these traces also extend at substantial angles to the side of the die from which they emanate. However, due to the narrow margin in the smaller-sized package some of these traces must extend at lesser angles to the side of the die in order to maintain an adequate spacing between the points at which the traces terminate in the lead-out plane. For example, trace 15 extends at an angle of less than 45° to the relevant side of the die, as indicated at 16.
In chip packaging it is generally desirable for the angle at which the leads extend from the die to be as high as possible, preferably greater than 45°. Otherwise the electrical connection between the lead and its pad on the die can be unreliable or difficult to manufacture. One way to rectify the situation shown at 14 in FIG. 3 would be to physically relocate the relevant pads on the die. The die could be designed so that the pads that are to be used with the smaller chip package are separated from each other by pads that provide input/output functions that are only used in the larger-packaged device. The problem with this is that the pads that are to be used in the smaller-packaged device might provide some collective function: for example there might be four pads that together provide a UART interface. If those four pads are interspersed among other pads then when they emerge as pins in the larger-packaged device they might be spaced apart from each other even though they are to be used together. That makes it complicated to define a circuit board to which the larger package is to be connected. Of course, the leads could be re-mapped inside the package in order to rearrange them, but it is desirable to keep any rearrangement to a minimum. Indeed, it is desirable for each pin to directly overlie the end of its corresponding lead in the lead-out layer. Another option is to use different dies for the smaller and larger packages, but that would increase cost.
It is known for a die to have a multiplexer inboard of its pads in order to allow a group of input/output lines to be shifted as a block to a different set of pads. This can allow a device to adapt its pinouts to mimic another device, or to comply with a particular type of circuit board layout.
There is a need for a better way to allow a single die to be packaged in different forms.

QUALCOMM TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL, LTD.


The invention is a base unit that may be used in combination with beverage container holders. The base unit is connected to the beverage container holder by a press or friction fit, or by an adhesive, so that different theme beverage container holders may be used with the same base. The base may include electronic circuitry to control such functions as sound, light and motion which may be actuated by a ON-OFF switch, or a switch that actuates when the base and beverage container holder are placed on, or lifted from a surface.

Beverage holders are made to hold and insulate can and bottle beverages so as to help the beverage stay cold longer, and to insulate a hand holding the beverage container from the cold and damp sides of the container. The container holder may be made of plastic, foam material, or rubber. The holder is usually in the shape of a cylinder into which the beverage container is inserted.
Many beverage holders are given away as novelty advertisement items and have logos and other drawings and advertisements on them.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,183, includes an insulated beverage holder in which message display lamps are embedded in the holder.
Other designs for containers may include circuitry to play music such as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,539.
Of the various designs for novelty containers and container holders described in the prior art, the novelty or advertisement part is on, or in the container holder, and is not adaptable for use with other containers or container holders.

Interchangeable base for beverage container holder


A gene delivery system is made of enzymatically degradable polymeric cation and nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) nanospheres optionally with a linking moiety or a targeting ligand attached to the surface. The delivery system can be made by a simple method of coacervation. Targeting ligands can be attached to the nanosphere directly or via a linking moiety. The linkage design allows the attachment of any molecule onto the nanosphere surface including antibodies, cell adhesion molecules, hormones and other cell-specific ligands.

A variety of techniques have been used to introduce foreign genes into cells. Physical methods include co-precipitation with calcium phosphate, electroporation, and particle bombardment. While these direct transfer techniques are adequate in vitro, they are impractical in vivo. Promising in vivo gene therapy relies on a carrier such as viral vectors or liposomes for delivery. There are still lingering safety concerns for viral vectors. Another limitation is the size of the DNA sequences, usually limited to 7-8 kb, that can be incorporated into the viral vector. Liposomes, on the other hand, have low loading level in general. In both cases, there is the issue of cell or tissue specificity for these gene delivery systems.
Controlled drug delivery has significantly improved the success of many drug therapies (Langer, R., 1990, New methods of drug delivery, Science, 249:1527-33; Poznansky, et al., 1984, Biological approaches to the controlled delivery of drugs: a critical review, Pharmacol Rev., 36:277-336). A major goal of drug delivery is to localize the drug to the target site. These targeted delivery systems often take the form of injectables composed of liposomes (Gregoriadis, G., 1988, Liposomes as Drug Carriers, New York: Wiley; Litzinger, et al., 1992, Phosphatidylethanolamine liposomes: drug delivery, gene transfer and immunodiagnostic applications, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1113:201-27) and microspheres made of proteins (Cummings, et al., 1991, Covalent coupling of doxorubicin in protein microspheres is a major determinant of tumor drug deposition, Biochem. Pharm., 41:1849-54; Verrijik, et al., 1991, Polymer-coated albumin microspheres as carriers for intravascular tumor targeting of cisplatin, Cancer Chemother. and Pharm., 29:117-21; Tabata, et al., 1988, Potentiation of antitumor activity of macrophages by recombinant interferon alpha A/D contained in gelatin microspheres, Jpn. J. Cancer Res., 79:636-646), polysaccharides (Rongved, et al., 1991, Crossed-linked, degradable starch microspheres as carriers of paramagnetic resonance imaging: synthesis, degradation, and relaxation properties, Carbohydrate Res., 145:83-92; Carter, et al., 1991, The combination of degradable starch microspheres and angiotensin II in the manipulation of drug delivery in an animal model of colorectal metastasis, British J. Cancer, 65:37-9), and synthetic polymers (Davis, et al., 1984, Microspheres and Drug Therapy, Amsterdam; Eldridge, et al., 1991, Biodegradable microspheres as a vaccine delivery system, Molec. Immunology, 28:287-94; Pappo, et al., 1991, Monoclonal antibody-directed targeting of fluorescent polystyrene microspheres to Peyer's patch M cells, Immunology, 73:277-80). Polymeric systems share some of the advantages of liposomal systems such as altered pharmacokinetics and biodistribution. While liposomes might have better prospects of biocompatibility and potential for fusion with cells, polymeric microspheres have more controllable release kinetics, better stability in storage, and higher drug-loading levels for some classes of compounds.
There is a need in the art for a DNA delivery system which can provide controlled release, is simple to make, is stable, is cost effective, has a high DNA loading level, and is relatively non-immunogenic.