A register assembly with adjustable faceplate connectors can be used to cover air duct openings that supply a flow of heated or cooled air to a room of a structure, and can also be used to cover air duct openings that receive return air from the room. The register assembly includes a faceplate that has removably attachable connectors that adapt the faceplate to be removably attached to a plurality of damper assemblies of different sizes. The plurality of connectors are adjustably connected to the faceplate to adapt the faceplate to each different size of damper assembly.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a register assembly that can be used to cover duct openings that supply a flow of heated or cooled air to a room of a structure, and can also be used to cover duct openings that receive return air from the room. In particular, the register assembly is comprised of a framed faceplate, a plurality of damper assemblies of different sizes, and a plurality of connectors that are adjustably connected to the faceplate to adapt the faceplate to each different size of damper assembly.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Very often in the heating and cooling systems of structures, and in particular residential structures, the network of air ducts that supply heated or cooled air to the different structures are constructed in various different sizes. This at times will result in the duct openings that supply air through openings cut in the floors and walls of the structure to be of different sizes. This does not often occur in individual home constructions, but it can be found that homes constructed in different years or by different construction contractors will have air duct openings that are of different sizes. For example, air duct openings of 2.25″×10″, 2.25″×12″, 3″×10″, 4″×10″, 4″×12″, and 4″×14″ are common.
The existence of air duct openings of different sizes makes choosing a register assembly for an existing home, or supplying register assemblies for a home under construction difficult. Not only must a desirable design for the register faceplate be chosen, but care must be taken to ensure that the register assembly is properly sized to fit the particular duct opening of the home. This requires that the air duct openings be carefully measured, and the properly dimensioned register assembly be obtained to fit each air duct opening.

Register assembly with adjustable faceplate connectors


The present invention provides methods for cleaning a Protein A chromatography column employing a media comprising a Protein A ligand derived from the C domain of Staphylococcus aureus, such that the column can be cleaned using both acidic and alkaline solutions.

The instant application contains a Sequence Listing which has been submitted electronically in ASCII format and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Said ASCII copy, created on Jun. 3, 2014, is named P13-136PCT_SL.txt and is 6,289 bytes in size.
Conventional processes for protein purification typically involve cell culture methods, e.g., using either mammalian or bacterial cell lines recombinantly engineered to produce the protein of interest followed by: (a) a clarification step for the removal of cells and cellular debris, e.g., using differential centrifugation and/or filtration; and (b) one or more downstream chromatography steps to separate the protein of interest from various impurities in the clarified cell culture feed.
In case of monoclonal antibodies and other Fc-containing proteins, the industry standard for purification typically involves a multi-step process. One of the important steps is a purification step which employs an affinity ligand called Protein A, which binds the Fc-region of antibodies. Typically, a large percentage of impurities are removed in this step. Although, Protein A affinity chromatography is a very effective step during the purification of antibodies, one disadvantage of using Protein A is that it is very expensive compared to ion exchange resins. Further packing and unpacking of the affinity chromatography columns is also very labor intensive and entails significant buffer cost. Therefore, it is desirable to be able to clean, re-use and sanitize the Protein A column for several cycles.
Currently, chromatography columns employing most commercially available Protein A media are cleaned using either alkaline conditions or acidic conditions. For example, chromatography columns employing MabSelect Sure® (GE), KanCap A (Kaneka) and ToyoPearl® AF-rProtein A 650F (Tosoh) media are cleaned using an alkaline solution, such as sodium hydroxide, whereas, chromatography columns employing ProSep® Ultra Plus media (EMD Millipore Corporation) use an acidic solution for cleaning.

Methods of cleaning a protein A based affinity chromatography column


A method for depositing a metal-based coating on a particulate substrate, including: i) preparing a mixture comprising the particulate substrate, a powder comprising a coating metal oxide of one or more of Ti, Al, Zn, Sn, In, Sb, Ag, Co, V, Ni, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Pt, Pd, Ta, Zr, Nb, Rh, Ru, Mo, Os, Re and W, a reducing agent powder of Al metal or Al alloy, and a powder of aluminium chloride; and ii) mixing and heating the mixture to form a coating on the particulate substrate, to produce a coated substrate product.

Coated flakes and powders are used in applications such as for corrosion protection, paint, cosmetics, architectural and decorative use, and functional materials and catalysis. Processes to form coatings on large area substrates include physical vapour deposition (PVD), chemical vapour deposition (CVD), electroplating and powder immersion reaction assisted coating (PIRAC).
For powders or flakes, PVD and CVD are usually expensive, and they tend to be practical only for up-market applications in metallic paints and cosmetics. This expense of preparation limits wide use of these materials.
Electroplating has limitations on the type of materials that can be used and is only suitable for a limited number of metals. Usually, electroplating is inadequate for coatings based on alloys, and has significant environmental disadvantages.
PIRAC is usually used to metallise ceramic substrates; description of PIRAC can be found in the literature (e.g. (i) Gutmanas and Gotman, Materials Science and Engineering, A/57 (1992) 233-241 and (ii) Xiaowei Yin et al., Materials Science and Engineering A 396 (2005) 107-114). Per this method, a ceramic substrate is immersed in a metallic powder and heated at temperatures above 800° C. to cause the substrate surface to react with the powder forming an intermediate compound on the substrate surface. For example, Si3N4 flakes are immersed in a titanium powder bed and heated at temperatures above 850° C. to form a coating of Ti5Si3 and titanium nitride.
For supported catalysts, a comprehensive review of CVD techniques for production of coatings on solid support as applied to supported catalysis can be found in Sep et al., Chem. Rev. 2002 vol 102, 3085-128. Per Sep et al., CVD processes using organometallic precursors are most popular and there are several commercial processes for depositing metals such as Ni, C, Mo, and W starting from carbonyls. Wet chemistry is also used to produce supported catalysts based on metal oxides and this is usually done by depositing a coating on the substrate from a liquid solution followed by calcination at high temperatures. Wet chemistry is limited in its ability to control the phase and the composition of the materials obtained and is usually driven by equilibrium dynamics.
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing metallic-coated particles based on Ti, Al, Zn, Sn, In, Sb, Ag, Co, V, Ni, Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Pt, Pd, Ta, Zr, Nb, Rh, Ru, Mo, Os, Re and W, with the ability to include additives such as C, O2, N2, B and/or Si, which may for example be useful as pigments or supported catalysts.

Thermochemical synthesis of metallic pigments


A cushioned saddle is provided. The saddle is defined with a crotch portion and a buttocks portion. The saddle comprises a pad, a base disposed beneath the pad, at least one cushion, a first fastening device and a second fastening device. The cushion is disposed between the base and the pad, with a contour substantially the same as that of the pad at the buttocks portion and adapted to space the base and the pad apart from each other. The first fastening device is adapted to fasten the cushion and the base together. The second fastening device is adapted to fasten the cushion and the pad together. The pad and the base are cushioned by the cushion disposed therebetween.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a saddle, and more particularly, relates to a cushioning saddle of a bicycle.
2. Descriptions of the Related Art
Bicycle riding has become a popular pastime, as well as a mode of transportation due to its energy and financial advantages. Because bicycles do not need fossil fuels, consumers are able to save money as well as the environment because of its lack of exhaust emission. Accordingly, the performance of various elements of the bicycle has continuously been improved to enhance the riding experience.
When riding on a bumpy road, a rider may experience considerable discomfort due to the bouncy motion over an extended period of riding. Among various elements of the bicycle, the saddle is the one that supports the rider's weight most directly, and the impact force arising from the bumpy motions is transferred to the rider mostly via the saddle. Hence, the saddle plays a very important role in keeping the rider comfortable.
Conventional saddles dispose two metal spring coils between the saddle and the bicycle frame to absorb the impact force. However, because the metal spring coils cannot provide a damping effect, they are unable to absorb energy generated from the impact. Furthermore, the resilience property thereof is not so delicate, and so an unpleasant noise occurs when they are extended and compressed. Additionally, the metal spring coils are heavy, making the overall weight of the bicycle heavier.
In view of this, it is highly desirable in the art to provide a high-performance saddle that has a satisfactory shock-absorbing capability and delivers a comfortable riding experience.

Saddle having a cushion sandwiched between a pad and a base

International Bicycle Products Corporation


A lock control for a data processing system providing lock control for each data processing unit in the data processing system. The lock control is carried out based on a state of a lock variable, by a lock request control unit of a cache unit connected to the data processing unit. On receipt of a lock request or unlock request, the lock request control unit indexes a lock address register holding an address of the lock variable and refers to a state of a lock stored in a corresponding lock status register. Various kinds of states are defined as a state of a lock variable to indicate that each lock request control unit is in a lock or unlock state. A symbol ULE indicates the state that no acquisition of a lock in all lock request control units is confirmed. Thus, an acquisition of a lock corresponding to a particular lock request control unit can be done with high speed, without confirming states of lock request control units other than the particular lock request control unit.

The present invention relates to a lock control for a data processing system, more particularly to a lock control in a data processing system with a plurality of data processing units sharing a main storage.
In a data processing system, a plurality of data processing units often share a main storage. For the above constitution, sometimes, the predetermined data processing unit has to access exclusively the data stored in a shared region, for a predetermined period of time. When a certain data processing unit operates to add "one" to the data stored in a certain shared region, for example, an access to this data from other data processing units must be inhibited, during a processing period that the data of the shared region is read out to add "one" and then the data is written to the shared region again. Without such control, an update result of data is not secured.
To secure this exclusive access, a lock variable is used. When accessing the shared region, the lock variable has to be checked to confirm that it is not in a lock state. If the lock variable is in an unlock state, it is changed to be the lock state to access to a corresponding shared region. After an exclusive processing is completed, the lock variable is restored to the unlock state. The control explained as above is called a lock control.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,352, for example, disclosed a data processing system including a plurality of storage control units, which perform a lock control to access a main storage from a plurality of processing units. In this prior art disclosed by the U.S. Patent, states of the lock variable are expressed using two ways: one is that a lock is acquired, and the other is that the lock is not acquired. The former is called a lock state, the latter is called an unlock state. Therefore, in a certain storage control unit, if a request for acquisition of the lock is received, i.e. a lock request, and if a request for releasing the lock is received, i.e. an unlock request, checking a lock variable state or updating states of the lock variable in other storage control units is caused. For example, when a lock request is issued from a certain data processing unit and a lock variable held in a storage control unit connected thereto indicates an unlock state, the lock variable state in the other storage control units have to be indexed. Then, if indexing the lock variable states reveals that they are in a lock state, the lock request is returned as failed, and the data processing unit has to issue the lock request, again. These operations are called a spin lock.
As described above, in the prior art, at the time when the data processing unit issues a new lock request, if a lock variable in this storage control unit indicates an unlock state, a lock variable in other storage units must be accessed to acquire a lock. For this reason, a drawback, in the prior art is that a long period of time is required for acquiring the lock; this causes bus traffic to increase due to unnecessary bus access.

Lock control for a shared main storage data processing system


A compression packing for sealing near valve stems, pump shafts and similar machine elements. The compression packing includes tracer particles that retain information about the fabrication of the packing which can be used to trace the origin thereof.

Mechanical equipment used in the handling of liquids or gases may be subject to leakage problems, for example, near valve stems and pump shafts. The successful use of such equipment to contain and handle fluids requires adequate control of this leakage, and several sealing methods and devices have been used to achieve such leakage control.
Compression packing is one of the most common sealing elements for leakage control used in the refining, chemical, pharmaceutical, marine, pulp and paper industries and other industry segments. Compression packing involves the insertion of packing elements made from soft, pliant materials into the space (i.e., the stuffing box) to seal between a rotating or reciprocating member of a pump or valve and the body of the pump or valve. When bolt stress is transmitted to the compression packing, the materials compress axially and expand radially inside the stuffing box, creating a seal.
Compression packing represents a compromise between leakage control and packing friction. A compression packing that has a sealing surface with a high coefficient of friction will increase the power required to actuate the equipment and halt the equipment actuation in extreme cases. This problem is present in all types of equipment that use compression packings but is critical in control valves, where a quick response time is required.
Because compression packings are used in many different types of equipment under a broad range of conditions, they come in a wide variety of constructions, configurations, materials, dimensions, shapes, and sizes. The following is a description of the most common packing constructions and their characteristics.
A square braid packing is formed by weaving strands of yarns, ribbons, and other various materials, either alone or in combination, over and under other strands running in the same direction. Such processing can yield packings either in a square or a rectangular cross-section. The square braid packings, which are usually soft and pliable and capable of carrying a large percentage of lubricant, are typically used for high-speed rotary service at relatively low pressure. Additionally, the softness of a square braid packing allows for its use on older or worn equipment.
Square braid packings commonly come in nominal sizes of up to 6 mm (¼ inch). A 2-track square braid, in which eight yarns are woven around 4 corner strands into a 2-track plait, may form rougher packings in larger dimensions.
An interbraid packing, also called a cross-braid or diagonal braid packing, is made by weaving yarns, ribbons, and other forms of materials, either alone or in combination, in a crisscross manner from the surface diagonally through the body of the packing. Each strand is strongly locked by other strands, thereby providing an integral structure that resists unraveling. The weaving pattern of such interbraiding evenly distributes the strands throughout the packing and yields a dense, flexible structure that exhibit improved lubricant retention.
For interbraid packings, if a larger cross-section is needed, a 3- or 4-track diagonal braid may be used. The construction of a 3-track braid, which commonly comes in nominal sizes of between 5 and 12 mm ( 3/16 and ½ inch), involves the use of braiding machines having between 12 to 20 carriers. For 4-track braids, which typically come in dimensions from 10 to 80 mm (⅜ to 3 inches), a braiding machine having 24, 32, or more carriers is used.
Braid-over-braid packings are concentric or round braids that include a thin tubular jacket made from yarns, ribbons, and other forms of materials, which is braided around a core material. This type of construction can yield round, square, or rectangular cross-sections.
Like diagonal braid packings, the braid-over-braid packing construction also provides a fine and dense surface structure but is not as abrasion resistant. Several layers of braid-over-braid construction may be braided over a core to increase the packing size or density. Depending on the size of the packing machines, 16, 48, or more carriers may be used. Additionally, core materials can include either parallel or twisted yarns, both of which provide elasticity and flexibility. Cores made from extruded rubber or elastomers may also be used.
The braid-over-braid packings can have rectangular or round cross-sections, in addition to square shapes, depending on the shape of the packing. Large endless concentric packing rings can be produced with special braiding machines where the top of the machine can be split.
Another type of packing construction, known as braid-over-core, involves the braiding of one or more jackets of yarns, ribbons, or other forms of various materials over a core, which may be twisted, knitted, wrapped or extruded. This type of construction can be used to make packings of a variety of densities and cross-sections.
In addition to each packing construction, a combination of two or more packing constructions may be used, known as a combination packing set. Combination packing sets are commonly intended to prevent packing extrusion and consist of adding anti-extrusion rings to both ends of a packing set. These rings resist higher pressures than the packing material between them, thereby preventing extrusion of the packing through the clearances in the stuffing box. One typical combination packing set involving anti-extrusion rings includes carbon filament end rings with flexible graphite rings. End rings made of metal discs or machined plastics, or other similar materials, may also be used.
Die-formed packing comes in a pre-compressed ring form. This type of construction involves the compression of packing materials within a tooling die of a specified size. In this manner, packing materials can be supplied with a specific density and size.
Besides these above packings, there are other types of packing constructions, such as extruded packings, laminated packings, wrapped, rolled and folded packings, molded packings, machined packing rings and flexible graphite tape.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates emissions and air quality in the United States. When the EPA conducted investigations on the sources of fugitive emissions it was determined that the largest source of such emissions was process equipment used in refineries and chemical plants. According to Elliott MacKay, J. (2004), in "Detection Of Fugitive Emissions From Valve Stems—DC Resistance Response And Gas Adsorption Over Tin Dioxide Mixed With Alumina", University of British Columbia, it is estimated that valves account for 60% to 85% of such fugitive emissions.
To ensure that such refineries and chemical plants are following the Clean Air Act (CAA) Regulations, the EPA conducts plant audits, and if the plant is found to be exceeding mandated emission limits, the EPA enters into a legally binding consent decree with the offending party. These consent decrees are made publicly available by the EPA on its website. Under a consent decree, the refineries and chemical plants are still allowed to operate, but leak levels are closely monitored and expected to be lowered, and usually certified low emissions technology packings and valves are required. According to Paeffgen N. (2014), Elise, in "EPA To Review Consent Decrees To Ensure Compliance", Alston & Bird LLP, as of 2011, 90 percent of the petroleum refining sector was subject to an EPA consent decree.
For a packing to be considered "Certified low Emissions technology", as defined by the EPA in the Enhanced Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) Program Part G—Equipment Upgrades, Replacement and Improvement, the packing manufacturer must issue a written guarantee that the packing will not leak more than 100 parts per million (ppm) when sealing pressurized volatile organic compounds (VOC), such as methane, for a total of five years. Usually, the guarantee is also backed up by an equivalent document showing that the packing was tested according to generally accepted good engineering practices and standards.
The most common standard used to test packings for low emissions is from the American Petroleum Institute, ("API") 622: Type Testing of Process Valve Packing for Fugitive Emissions, Third Edition. Testing on this standard qualifies the packing, and the test takes place on a standardized test rig and not in an actual valve. During the test, the packing is subject to 1,510 mechanical cycles and 5 thermal cycles, which is considered a good representation of an isolation valve lifecycle. The test rig is pressurized with 40 bar of methane, which is a type of VOC. Leakage cannot exceed 100 ppm at any moment and no retorques are allowed, which matches the LDAR required performance, as mentioned above.
Another standard that is used by the industry is from the International Organization for Standardization, ("ISO") 15848-1 Industrial valves—Measurement, test and qualification procedures for fugitive emissions. This standard qualifies the valve design and has different procedures to account for isolation and control valves. Since it addresses control valves, which are much more frequently actuated, it allows for much more extensive testing, in the most extreme class the test is composed of 100,000 mechanical cycles and 4 thermal cycles. It does not specify a standardized test rig and instead, the test is carried out on an off the shelf valve. The test result should not be interpreted exclusively as a packing evaluation but as a valve evaluation.
Even though some packing manufacturers do offer low emissions technology warranties, identifying the compression packing after it has been used in the field and confirming it was a certified product compatible with fugitive emissions service is an open problem to this day. Packings are usually subjected to high compression, friction wear and contact with process fluid during operation, and end up with a significantly different structure, appearance, and composition. The most commonly used method in the industry to identify compression packing is through tags and labels. However, such external identifications can be moved, misplaced or accidentally destroyed, and when that happens, the information intended to enable identification of the compression packing being used is lost.
The low emissions rates mandated by the EPA and the previously mentioned fugitive emissions standards usually require a high packing installation stress. This is to ensure a low emission service even after system relaxation takes place during the equipment lifecycle. This high installation stress typically causes standard packings to extrude between the valve stem and the stuffing box. For soft packings, this can only be solved using anti-extrusion rings, which represents added cost and complexity.
Flexible graphite packings are the most common solution for low emissions, as they offer good sealability allied with low surface friction. Even with those positive properties, manufacturing can be challenging as flexible graphite tapes are very fragile and are not able to withstand the forces involved during the braiding process. Pure flexible graphite packings are therefore made with alternative processes, such as graphite molding, but packings made by those processes are not able to achieve the performance class required by fugitive emissions standard such as API 622.
For flexible graphite tape to resist the braiding process, reinforcements are used to increase its mechanical resistance. The most commonly used reinforcements are cotton, acrylic, fiberglass, and metal. Cotton and acrylic reinforcements are not suitable for low emissions technology, as they cannot withstand the temperatures of this type of application. Fiberglass reinforcement can resist high temperatures but is not able to achieve the performance required by the fugitive emissions standards. Metallic reinforcement is a significant improvement to the previous alternatives and is what is currently used by the state-of-the-art solutions for low-emission technology. This reinforcement has two main downsides, it further increases the friction generated by contact with the packing and can scratch the surface of the valve stem and create leak paths.
Metallic reinforced flexible graphite packings are a good fit for some applications, particularly very high temperature ones, but alone they are not able to achieve the performance required by the fugitive emissions standards. To achieve such low emissions levels, blocking agents are added as coatings to the packing. The most commonly used agent is polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), which not only helps with lowering the emissions but also acts as a lubricant, thus reducing friction. This still does not solve the problem of metallic reinforcement scratching the surface of the valve stem.
The above-mentioned blocking agents, however, are not fire or high-temperature resistant, and thus many standards and end-users strictly limit the amount of PTFE that may be added as a coating. For example, the American Society of Testing Materials ("ASTM") F2191 limits the PTFE coating to less than 5% in volume. API 622, specifically includes weight loss and fluorine content tests to be included in its final report for this reason. Controlling the PTFE content and keeping it to a minimum is important, because, all the lost mass due to its degradation under temperature is translated into system stress loss, and thus, potential leakage.
Hydrocarbon processing in refineries and petrochemicals requires packing to be fire-resistant. Standard API 607: Fire Test for Quarter-turn Valves and Valves Equipped with Nonmetallic Seats, Seventh Edition specifies fire type-testing requirements and a fire type-test method for confirming the pressure-containing capability of a packing sealed valve under pressure during and after the fire test. To be used in refineries and petrochemicals the packings must have this approval guaranteeing the ability of the packing to seal during a fire. Typically, flexible graphite packings are capable of attaining fire safety approval.
The use of these graphitic packing materials further requires special attention to the possibility of galvanic corrosion, an electrochemical reaction occurring between a metal and graphite or other carbon material, or between two different metals, that are submerged in an electrolyte. Under these conditions, corrosion of the material closer to the anodic end of the galvanic series may occur. The potential voltage difference among the materials will determine how fast corrosion will occur, with a larger difference yielding a faster corrosion rate.
Galvanic corrosion is associated with the use of compression packing when a carbon or graphite-based sealing element is used in equipment such as a valve having a metallic stem or shaft. Since steel is more anodic than graphite, when the valve is exposed to an electrolyte, such as in a hydrostatic test, the stem can face galvanic corrosion, facilitating the creation of leak paths.


A busway fitting wherein the switch and/or fuse are disposed in a horizontal orientation. As the switch assembly and/or fuse are disposed in a horizontal orientation, the buses coupled to the switch assembly and/or fuse also extend horizontally. As such, the buses coupled to the switch assembly and/or fuse occupy a reduced amount of space. In this configuration, the transition buses may extend in a generally horizontal direction and, as such, the size of the busway fitting may be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a busway fitting and, more specifically, to a busway fitting having switch assemblies mounted perpendicular to the primary axis of the busway.
2. Background Information
A busway may be used to distribute power over an extended length, such as, but not limited to, through multiple floors of a building. The busway, typically, includes multiple busway sections each having a plurality of conductive members, or buses, disposed in an extruded housing. The housing, typically an aluminum extrusion, acts to support the bus members and to dissipate heat over most of the busway length. That is, the extruded housing is used to protect and support the bus members as the busway extends between floors. At selected locations, for example, on each floor, there is a busway fitting and a meter stack coupled to the power distribution system for that floor. The busway fitting is a housing structured to enclose the busway and any buses extending to the meter stack. The meter stack is, typically, disposed immediately to the side of the busway with a plurality of generally horizontal stabs extending toward the busway. A horizontal meter stack bus for each bus member in the busway extends between, and is in electrical communication with, the busway and the meter stack. Typically, the busway fitting also encloses a switch assembly that is disposed between the busway and the meter stack buses. Additionally, a fuse is often disposed between the switch and the meter stack. The switch assembly may be manually opened or closed to control the supply of electricity to the meter stack. Upon an over-current condition, the fuse will break the circuit between the meter stack and the busway.
In the prior art, the switch and fuse were mounted with their axis being generally parallel to the primary axis of the busway. That is, each switch and fuse had a line terminal and load terminal and these terminals extended in a direction parallel to the busway primary axis. Thus, in a typical busway fitting where the busway primary axis extended in a vertical direction, each meter stack bus was required to have one or more transition buses structured to join the vertical busway with the horizontal meter stack stabs. Typically, the transition buses included a right angle bend. This configuration is not optimal as the transition buses require extra space, extra parts, and labor related to their installation and maintenance.
There is, therefore, a need for a busway fitting wherein the switch and/or fuse extend in a horizontal orientation.
There is a further need for a busway fitting wherein the buses coupled to a switch and/or fuse occupy a reduced amount of space.

Busway fitting with switch mounted perpendicular to primary axis


Methods and systems for processing data for medical imaging are disclosed. The method includes obtaining a set of continuous bed motion (CBM) data from a first imaging modality. The set of CBM data includes a plurality of gating signals. A CBM normalization matrix is calculated. The CBM normalization matrix calculation includes the plurality of gating signals. An image is reconstructed from the CBM data and the CBM normalization matrix. The first imaging modality can be a PET imaging device.

Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning employs a gamma-emitting radiopharmaceutical ingested by a patient or injected into a patient. Multiple gamma ray images are taken in multiple directions to generate a 3-dimensional PET image and/or multiple slices of a PET image. PET scanning generally provides useful information regarding the functional condition of the body tissues and systems such as the cardiovascular system, respiratory system, and/or other systems. PET scanning is useful for indicating the presence of soft tissue tumors or decreased blood flow to certain organs or areas of the body. During operating, image quality of a PET scan can be affected by motion during imaging, for example, respiratory and/or cardiovascular motion. Imaging artifacts may be generated during acquisition because of body motion. PET scans can require a relatively long duration data acquisition period, on the order of several minutes (e.g., about 30 minutes per image) for a typical clinically sufficient image. Typically, a large number of PET data acquisitions (e.g., frames) are acquired at multiple bed positions during the imaging period. Consequently, patient movement is a problem in PET scanning.
PET scanning has a limited field of view (FOV) and cannot capture whole body images. In conventional systems, in order to perform whole body imaging, multiple PET images are captured at multiple positions with respect to a patient (e.g., beds). The multiple images are obtained by a "step and shoot" method. FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a step and shoot PET scan. In the step and shoot method, the PET scanner 100 is positioned at multiple, discrete bed locations and an image is obtained at each bed. The counts of each line of response (LOR) 104a, 104b in the obtained sinogram are an integration of signals over a single crystal pair 106a, 106b. Different LORs 104a, 104b see the same gating windows. The multiple images are stitched together to form a single, whole body image. A gating profile may be used to reduce image blur because of movement.
Recent systems have employed a continuous bed motion (CBM) method to obtain whole body images. FIG. 1 further illustrates one embodiment of a CBM PET scan. In CBM systems, the PET scanner 100 is moved from a start position, for example, at the head of a patient, to an end position, for example, the feet of a patient, at a constant rate. PET data is collected continuously from the start position to the end position. CBM data acquisition is more natural for patient whole body scan and provides more flexibility in data processing. However, CBM data acquisition complicates normalization for cardiac/respiratory gating protocols, which are commonly used to reduce motion artifacts in PET scans. In CBM scanning, counts are established for virtual LORs 110a, 110b. The count for each virtual LOR is an integration of multiple real LORs 104a, 104b. Each virtual LOR 110a, 110b receives contributions from different gating windows, complicating normalization.
If gating effects are not accounted for properly, image non-uniformity and wrong quantification will occur. For step and shoot scans, counts acquired on LORs can be regarded as integrations of counts on the same crystal pair over time. Gating windows will act on LORs of all sinogram planes simultaneously. In CBM scans, data corresponding to virtual LORs 110a, 110b of a sinogram chunk are integrations of counts acquired by spatially distant detector pairs. Different virtual LORs 110a, 110b in a sinogram chunk will have contributions from counts detected in different sets of gating windows. Simple scaling methods, as used in step and shoot scans, do not properly account for gating effects on reconstructions of CBM sinograms.

Method to compensate gating effects on image uniformity and quantification for PET scan with continuous bed motion


An analog input stage has m differential input channels, wherein m>1. The analog input stage is configured to select one of the m differential input channels and provide an output signal. The analog input stage has n identical selection units each having m differential channel inputs and one differential output, wherein n is at least 2m−1. Each selection unit is operable to be coupled to any of the differential input channels through respective differential multiplexer units, wherein the multiplexor units are driven to select one of the differential input channels and couple the selected differential channel input through a butterfly switch unit with the differential output of the selection unit. The differential output signals of the n selection units are combined whereby unwanted crosstalk from channels other than a selected channel are removed by cancellation.

Microcontrollers with integrated ADCs or stand-alone ADCs may comprise a plurality of analog input channels. These individual channels are generally connected to a multiplexer circuit which then couples a selected channel with the ADC proper. A channel is usually selected through a control or configuration register that provides for a plurality of selection bits, for example in a bit field, corresponding to the number of channels. A user can program such a register to select a respective channel by means of the multiplexor circuit or to automatically scan through a selected set of channels.
Crosstalk is a problem in any multiplexor circuit. For many fundamental reasons, if 1 of N inputs is selected and routed to a single output, all of the unselected inputs will still be present at the output to a measurable degree. In the case of an input multiplexor for an ADC converter, the baseline crosstalk is generally around −66 dB for an 80 MHz −1 dBFS input sinusoid, due to capacitive leakage of unselected inputs across the multiplexor (switch) element. This has not been improved by conventional circuit design techniques. Therefore, a need for an improved multiplexer input stage exists.

Sampling input stage with multiple channels


A dynamic RAM structure comprises a trench formed on a p-type Si substrate, a capacitor oxide film formed in such a manner as to cover an inner wall of the trench, a polysilicon film being a capacitor storage node electrode for burying the trench covered with the capacitor oxide film, an epitaxial Si layer formed on the Si substrate including an upper portion of the polysilicon film, a source/drain layer of a MOS transistor formed in the epitaxial Si layer, and a surface strap diffusion layer formed in the epitaxial Si layer in such a manner as to come in contact with the source/drain layer.

The present invention relates to a dynamic RAM structure in which a memory cell comprises one MOS transistor and one capacitor and the manufacturing method thereof.
Recently, an integration of the dynamic RAM (DRAM) is rapidly advanced. In order that the DRAM may have a further higher integration, such various cells as a so-called stack-type cell in which the capacitors are stacked on the transistor, a so-called trench-type cell in which a trench is formed in a silicon substrate in such a manner that an inner wall of the trench is used as the capacitor and the like are proposed as a memory cell structure. More specifically, in case of the trench-type cell, the deeper a depth of the trench becomes, the more a storage capacitance (Cs) can be increased. Accordingly, the trench-type cell is considered as such a memory cell structure that a large storage capacitance can be realized even if the memory cell has less area.
Furthermore, in the trench-type cell, as means for electrically connecting one electrode of the capacitor in the trench to a source/drain diffusion layer of a selecting MOS transistor, there are a surface strap scheme in which a surface strap is disposed on a substrate surface for connecting, and a buried strap scheme (BS scheme) in which a side-wall contact is formed on a side wall of the upper portion of the trench. Instead of the surface strap scheme, the trench-type cell of the BS scheme is applied to the DRAM of 256M-bit generation. The surface strap (SS) scheme needs an additional cell area to connect one electrode of the capacitor to a source/drain diffusion layer of the MOS transistor. Therefore buried strap scheme (BS scheme) is better than SS scheme in the cell area scaling point of view.
However, in the trench-type cell of the BS scheme, it is not easy to control the depth of the side-wall contact along the upper portion of the trench, and it is difficult to reduce a distance between a gate conductor (GC) of the MOS transistor and a deep trench (DT). The depth from the side-wall contact is not so large, around 0.1 .mu.m. However, the depth from the Si surface is large, around 0.20 .mu.m. In the case of alignment error between DT and GC, this deeper diffusion layer works as a source/drain diffusion layer with a deeper Xj (Junction depth). Therefore, there is such a problem that it is difficult to reduce the cell area for a next generation.
For example, such a typical trench-type cell that a trench capacitor's storage node electrode is to the source/drain of the MOS transistor by using the BS scheme is disclosed in Technical Digest Paper, pp. 627 to 630, IEDM, 1993. Although this design of the cell is very excellent in 0.25 .mu.m-rule generation, since a side-wall diffusion area is formed on the side-wall of the upper portion of the trench at a depth of approximately 0.2 .mu.m from the Si surface, it is difficult to reduce the distance between the gate conductor (GC) of the MOS transistor and a deep trench capacitor. That is, when the side-wall diffusion area approaches the gate conductor of the MOS transistor, the side-wall diffusion area becomes the source/drain itself of the MOS transistor, whereby shapes of the source and drain become asymmetrical. Accordingly there is such a problem that a punch-through occurs. Moreover, this asymmetrical shape is not preferable for further scaling of the gate length of the MOS transistor. Furthermore, such a BS scheme is needed to precisely control the depth of the buried strap and a surface condition (cleanness) in a side-wall area. So as to take a stable contact, it is necessary to clean the side-wall area. Moreover, since the side-wall area is required to be deeper, it is necessary to form a deeper Shallow Trench Isolation (STI) in order to cut the diffusion area off from the side-wall. However, since in order that the deeper STI is formed, it is necessary to bury a deeper STI area with high aspect ratio by using an SiO.sub.2 film, it is difficult to manufacture the dynamic RAM structure.
In "Symposium on VLSI Technology Digest of Technical Paper, p. p. 137 to 138, 1995", such a technique is disclosed wherein an SEG (selective-epitaxial growth) technique is used so as to form an SEG layer on an active area and a storage node of a trench capacitor thereby one part of the SEG layer is used as a strap electrode.
However, in the technique, a field isolation layer is formed prior to forming the SEG layer. The field isolation layer is formed before forming the SEG layer, so that a polysilicon layer grows on the field isolation layer during the SEG. An Si layer having less crystallizability results in one part of the channel along the field isolation layer in a longitudinal direction of the channel of the MOS transistor and the channel region. There is the problem that a leakage current is increased between the source and the drain of the MOS transistor through these polysilicon layers.

Dynamic ram structure having a trench capacitor


A method and system are provided for an unmanned sprinkler system for suppressing fires that includes one or more hoses, one or more pipes, and a plurality of piercing nozzles arrayed and extending downward along each of the one or more pipes. Each of the piercing nozzles comprise a plurality of water flow openings for providing a sprinkler effect that suppresses or extinguishes fires.

Extinguishing fires in structures is a very challenging and dangerous task. Buildings of different sizes, designs, construction methods/materials, occupancy classifications, and fuel loads make the task that much more difficult. No two fires or buildings are exactly the same, and the firefighting tactics and tools used to extinguish fires are forever evolving.
One of the biggest challenges is locating a fire in hard to access parts of a structure. Areas such as attics, crawl spaces, basements, void spaces above ceilings, and knee walls are difficult places to find and extinguish fires. A delay in finding a fire allows fire growth and spread, increases danger, and increases risk to firefighters. Hidden fire also causes further property damage until it can be located and extinguished. Applying water to a fire or cooling an atmosphere is the primary and best method of fire control and extinguishment. Cooling a smoke-filled superheated environment helps to prevent catastrophic fire events such as backdrafts and flashovers. Compartment fires can quickly reach over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit if not vented or cooled. Fires in confined spaces are especially at risk of intense heat buildup, and these areas must be cooled.
Operating on a roof is a significant part of firefighting and it is also a high-risk activity. Firefighters can fall from the roof and fire conditions inside can cause roof collapse. A tactic used by firefighters to reduce fire spread and decrease the interior temperature is to cut a ventilation hole in the roof. That is an effective tactic but it does not mitigate the incident or control the fire. Extinguishment and cooling with water is the best method to control fire. An effective fire protection system that has saved property for many years is the fire sprinkler system. Many attics and void spaces are not protected by sprinklers and rely on firefighters finding the fire, exposing it, and attempting to extinguish it. This is time consuming, dangerous, and often ineffective despite the best efforts of firefighters.
Fire appliances are typically capable of maximum water flow and are mounted to a fire apparatus, ladder trucks, and on the ground as master stream unmanned devices. Despite the many tools available to firefighters, few can penetrate building materials and cool or extinguish fire as an autonomous fire appliance in hard to access areas.
Handheld piercing nozzles have been used in the past by firefighters as a way of piercing building materials but require a firefighter's constant handling, which puts the firefighter at an increased risk. There is a need for a system that avoids these dangers while also being portable and offering rapid water flow like a master stream device.


An information processing system for management of various pieces of information, the information processing system includes: a plurality of display record media, each having a unique identifier; an information selection section that selects information to be displayed; an information rewrite section that rewritably writes the information; a manipulation detection section that detects a selective manipulation of a user on the display record medium; a history storage section that records a history of the information and a history of the manipulations in association with a unique identifier of the display record medium, respectively; a manipulation history determination section for a user to determine any manipulation history out of a list of the histories of the manipulations; and an information search section that searches for at least one of a history of the information, a history of other manipulations and a unique identifier of the display record medium.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing method, and an information processing program used for management of various pieces of information and in particular to those of which the user makes the most for an interview and a business talk as face-to-face communications.
2. Related Art
Hitherto, document use methods in a meeting (interview, business talk) generally have been roughly classified into a method of searching for and referencing the documents used in past meetings, a method of creating and referencing a new document in a meeting, and a method of newly searching for and referencing relevant documents. Widely available document search systems at present include a hierarchical management system (electronic folder system), intra-document full-text search system, a document image search system, etc., for example.
As this kind of technology, for example, JP-A-11-250053 specifically describes the following: To efficiently associate a manipulation history concerning a document and work with each other and display the manipulation history in an ease-of-use manner, JP-A-11-250053 describes an information processing system wherein if a history search section searches the manipulation histories stored in a history storage section for the manipulation history concerning the user corresponding to an entered display command and the found manipulation histories are listed through a history display section, when any of the listed manipulation histories is selected, a work search processing section searches work stored in a work storage section for the work containing the manipulation history with the document concerning the selected manipulation history as the manipulation target and lists the work through the history display section.
JP-A-2002-32397 describes the following: To enable the user to search if the user cannot recollect a document title of a descriptive search expression, a search apparatus includes a first storage section for storing data as a manipulation target as manipulation target data, an acquisition section for acquiring time series image data photographing the apparatus for manipulating the manipulation target data and the periphery of the apparatus, the extraction section for extracting image data of a scene to make it possible to determine the environment in manipulating the manipulation target data as environment information, the selection section for selecting the environment information at the searching time, and the search section for searching the manipulation target data stored in the first storage section for the manipulation target data associated with the environment information selected in the selection section.
Further, JP-A-2004-30623 describes the following: To easily search for any desired part in video information and audio information recorded during working, a work situation management apparatus includes a storage section for storing information representing the time lapse of work and determines the time zone to be given a keyword in the time required for the work based on the information representing the time lapse of the work, determines keyword candidates relative to the determined time zone, selects one from among the keyword candidates, and determines that the selected keyword candidate is the keyword corresponding to the time zone.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Information processing system, information processing method and information processing program


A method and device are disclosed for controlling a polyphase motor having a plurality of windings. The device includes a memory device having stored therein data representing a predetermined driving profile, and driver circuit for driving the windings of the polyphase motor based upon the data provided by the memory unit. A feedback control loop is included having an input connected to a selected winding of the polyphase motor and providing an address signal to the memory device that is based upon a current level of the selected winding at around the time the back electromotive force (bemf) signal corresponding thereto crosses a zero reference, for controlling current provided to the windings by the driver circuit so that, for each winding, the current provided thereto is substantially in phase with a back electromotive force (emf) signal corresponding to the winding.

1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to optimizing motor torque, and particularly to a control system and method for controlling a polyphase motor that provides substantially ripple free torque.
2. Background of the Invention
Electronically switched DC motors are used in many control and regulation applications. Switched DC motors are also used in mass memory drive systems for rotating media, such as hard disks, floppy disks, optical disks, and CD-ROMs, as well as for linear media, such as tape streamers and the like. Commonly these motors are polyphase motors in a xe2x80x9cstarxe2x80x9d configuration. It is quite common for such a motor to have three phase windings connected in a star configuration and defining six different switching phases and P number of poles.
These brushless motors are commonly driven using an integrated circuit whose output stage is represented by a polyphase full-wave bridge circuit. In the case of a three-phase motor the bridge circuit may employ six bipolar (BJT) or field effect transistors (MOS) power transistors. The motor current is linearly controlled through a transconductance loop.
As known in the art, the drive signals applied to the coils of the motor may take on different waveforms, depending upon the system and the desired operation. Two common types of driving signals are linear and digital driving signals. Linear driving signals tend to have waveforms that are fairly continuous in nature, such as a direct current (DC) signal. Digital driving signals tend to have waveforms that are switched on and off over time, such as a digital pulse train. Pulse width modulation (PWM) is one example of a scheme to drive an electric motor using a digital pulse train. For instance, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,130 issued Nov. 20, 1990 discloses a particular system that uses PWM driving circuits for driving the coils of a motor.
A typical objective in either a linear or a digital motor control system is to establish and maintain the operation of the motor as required for the application. For example, in a disc drive, the rotational speed of a motor may be held substantially constant, for a given load, by applying drive signals that supply a constant current to the coils so as to maintain a somewhat constant torque.
In order to cause the desired torque in the motor, brushless motors typically require a motor controller capable of selectively connecting and disconnecting (i.e., commutating), each of the motor""s coils to and from the driving signals at particular times. Calculating the proper commutation time usually requires determining, or monitoring, the location of the motor""s rotor with regard to the coils. This may be accomplished, for example, by including sensors that relate such information to the motor controller circuit, or by evaluating a bemf signal generated in one or more of the coils within the motor. For sensorless motors, the bemf signal may be fed-back to the motor controller to determine the commutation time along with the difference (i.e., error) between the actual and desired rotational speeds. Such techniques are known to those skilled in the art, and include for instance, the methods and apparatuses disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,317,243 issued May 31, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,988 issued Apr. 26, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,772 issued Jun. 29, 1993, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,881 issued Jun. 22, 1993, each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Typically, to drive the motor in a given direction, the motor is driven with a current in the direction that provides for a positive total torque. It is known in the art that to achieve maximum efficiency the commutation should be performed when the Bemf on two phases is equal.
Unfortunately, a torque ripple may be introduced into the motor during commutation. Torque ripple can produce jitter in the motor and possibly an accompanying, acoustical noise. Torque ripple can typically be found in both linear and PWM systems because of the torque fluctuations occurring during commutation of phases due to the abrupt decay of the current in one coil and the relatively slower rise of the same in the next energized coil. The effects of torque ripple, such as introducing jitter in the system, are well known to those skilled in the art. For instance, commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,191,269 issued Mar. 2, 1993, addresses such problems in a linear system by disclosing circuitry that reduces torque ripple in a linearly driven motor.
It is therefore the goal of many systems to maximize the torque, while minimizing the torque ripple. In theory, it is possible to design an optimal sinusoidal (linear) or pseudo-sinusoidal (digital) driving circuit wherein each of the back electromotive force (bemf) phase signals is in phase with its respective driving signal""s current. Assuming that the bemf signals are sinusoidal or nearly sinusoidal signals, the power flow (energy) in such a system would theoretically be a constant, in accordance with the following equation:
xe2x80x83sin2(xcfx89t)+sin2(xcfx89t+120xc2x0)+sin2(xcfx89t+240xc2x0)=1.5
Thus, in principle such a system would yield zero torque ripple.
In practice, however, it is often very difficult to design such a digital system that controls the motor so that each bemf signal for a motor winding is in phase with the corresponding driving signal""s current. Based upon the foregoing, there is a need for a motor controller for driving a polyphase motor so as to yield a substantially optimal torque.
The present invention overcomes the shortcomings in prior systems and thereby satisfies a significant need for a controller for a polyphase motor that substantially optimizes motor torque. The controller includes a memory device having stored therein data representing a predetermined drive signal profile for driving the windings of the motor. A driver circuit applies drive signals to the motor windings based upon the data provided by the memory device. A feedback control loop provides an address to the memory device that is responsive to a voltage level in one of the motor windings during the time the bemf signal thereof is at approximately a zero reference, thereby being representative of the phase difference between the current signal of the winding and the bemf signal thereof. The resulting drive signal applied to the motor is such that the current provided to each winding is substantially in phase with the back electromotive force (bemf) signal corresponding to the winding. This results in the motor having a more optimal torque. Assuming that the bemf signals are sinusoidal or nearly sinusoidal, causing the current and bemf signal for each winding to be substantially in phase with each other results in the torque of the motor being substantially constant and ripple free.
The operation of the controller includes reading stored data representing the drive signal profile based in part upon the voltage level in one of the windings when the corresponding bemf signal is at a zero voltage. Drive signals are generated based upon the data read and applied to the windings of the polyphase motor so that the current applied to each winding is substantially in phase with the corresponding bemf signal.

System and method for optimizing torque in a polyphase disk drive motor


Transfer of genetic and other materials to cells is conducted in a hands-free, automated and continuous process that includes flowing the cells between electroporation electrodes to facilitate delivery of a payload into the cells, while acoustophoretically focusing the cells. Also described is a control method for the acoustophoretic focusing of cells that includes detecting locations of cells flowing through a channel, such as with an image analytics system, and modulating a drive signal to an acoustic transducer to change the locations of the cells flowing in the channel. Finally, an electroporation driver module is described that uses a digital to analog converter for generating an electroporation waveform and an amplifier for amplifying the electroporation waveform for application to electroporation electrodes.

Many applications in biology, medicine, pharmaceutical research and other areas use techniques in which "cargo," such as genetic materials, is introduced or delivered into cells. The term "transformation" is often used when working with bacteria or non-animal eukaryotic cells, including plant cells. "Transfection" almost always refers to work on eukaryotic cells, while "transduction" typically applies to virus-mediated gene transfer into eukaryotic cells. Cargoes of interest include not only DNA, siRNA, mRNA, RNP complexes, but also small molecules or proteins such as antibodies.
Existing delivery techniques employ a range of different modalities. Viral vectors can be used to deliver genes into cells. There are also mechanical methods such as microprecipitation, microinjection, liposomes, particle bombardment, sonoporation, laser-induced poration, bead transfection, gene guns, and magnetotransfection. Another technique relies on passing cells through narrow constrictions that cause cellular deformation.
Another common delivery technique is electroporation. Transient pores or "holes" are opened in the cell membrane to enable the transfer of the cargo into the cells. The creation of these holes allows the cargo's uptake, and thus altering, such as genetically modifying, the cells. Parameters considered when developing electroporation procedures include cell properties (cell size, shape, membrane structure, surface charge, for example), the cell environment, and attributes of the applied electric field, (e.g., pulse intensity, number of pulses, pulse duration, pulse shape and/or frequency). It is generally believed that membrane permeabilization during electroporation occurs after the applied electric field induces a threshold value in the transmembrane potential or "electroporation threshold" and that, at a given applied electric field, there is a threshold for the number of pulses and pulse length, needed for successful electroporation. The Schwan equation and related derivations are often used to estimate a cell's transmembrane potential that develops in response to relevant experimental parameters including applied field, cell size, conductivities of media, cellular cytosol, and cell membrane, and membrane thickness ("Analytical Description of Transmembrane Voltage Induced by Electric Fields on Spheroidal Cells", Biophysical Journal, Volume 79 August 2000 670-679).
Existing electroporation methods run the gamut. Examples include flow electroporation in which the cells are flowed through a region within the electroporation field, pulse-controlled electroporation and microfluidic devices with varying geometries (see L. Chang, L. Li, J. Shi, Y. Sheng, W. Lu, D. Gallego-Perez, L. J. Lee, Micro-/Nano-scale Electroporation, Lab Chip. (2016) 4047-4062, doi:10.1039/C6LC00840B and T. Geng, C. Lu, Microfluidic electroporation for cellular analysis and delivery, Lab Chip. 13 (2013) 3803-21. doi:10.1039/c31c50566a.), comb electroporation (see A. Adamo, A. Arione, A. Sharei, K. F. Jensen. Flow-through comb electroporation device for delivery of macromolecules, Anal. Chem. 85 (2013) 1637-1641. doi:10.1021/ac302887a.), DEP-assisted electroporation (see L. Chang, D. Gallego-Perez, X. Zhao, P. Bertani, Z. Yang, C.-L. Chiang, V. Malkoc, J. Shi, C. K. Sen, L. Odonnell, J. Yu, W. Lu, L. J. Lee, Dielectrophoresis-assisted 3D nanoelectroporation for non-viral cell transfection in adoptive immunotherapy, Lab Chip. 15 (2015) 3147-3153. doi:10.1039/c51c00553a.), and electroporation in a hydrodynamically focused stream (T. Zhu, C. Luo, J. Huang, C. Xiong, Q. Ouyang, J. Fang, Electroporation based on hydrodynamic focusing of microfluidics with low de voltage, Biomed. Microdevices. 12 (2010) 35-40. doi:10.1007/s10544-009-9355-z.). Vortex-assisted electroporation that takes advantage of inertial focusing (J. Wang, Y. Zhan, V. M. Ugaz, C. Lu, Vortex-assisted DNA delivery, Lab Chip. 10 (2010) 2057. doi:10.1039/c004472e; H. Yun, S. C. Hur, Sequential multi-molecule delivery using vortex-assisted electroporation, Lab Chip. 13 (2013) 2764. doi:10.1039/c31c50196e; D. A. L. Vickers, M. Ouyang, C. H. Choi, S. C. Hur, Direct drug cocktail analyses using microscale vortex-assisted electroporation, Anal. Chem. 86 (2014) 10099-10105. doi:10.1021/ac501479g.) has been demonstrated.

Method and apparatus for electroporation of acoustically-aligned cells

The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.


A corner shelf assembly adapted to be mounted to vertical walls meeting at a corner. The corner shelf assembly comprises a left support member, a right support member and a base plate. The left support member has a left vertical arm and at least one left base arm intersecting at an angle. The left vertical arm has at least one opening, and the left base arm has a left base arm edge including a left tongue extending from the left base arm edge. The right support member is orientated perpendicular to the left support member. The right support member has a right vertical arm and at least one right base arm intersecting at an angle. The right vertical arm has at least one tab capable of entering the opening in the left support member for releasably interlocking the right support member to the left support member. The right base arm has a right base arm edge including a right tongue extending from the right base arm edge. The base plate is releasably connected to the left base arm and to the right base arm. The base plate has a left opening capable of accepting the left tongue and a right opening capable of accepting the right tongue.

A wall shelving device is generally a rigid structure comprising support members and a shelf member connected together for mounting to a vertical wall or other vertical surface. The shelf member of the shelving device provides a horizontal surface used to hold, store and/or display objects. Often the shelving device has an ornamental appearance to provide decoration.
Typically, wall shelving devices are manufactured by permanently connecting the supporting members to the shelf member. Thus, the shelving device sold to consumers is ready to mount to a wall. One problem with producing wall shelving devices with their components permanently connected is their size. The permanently assembled shelving devices occupy a large amount of retail space when being displayed for sale. Additionally, the permanently connected shelving devices require a large amount of shipping space when being delivered. Furthermore, the permanently connected shelving devices require special protective packaging when being shipped to protect them from damage. Moreover, the permanently connected shelving devices require additional labor costs to attach the components of the shelving device together.
The permanently connected shelving devices also cause problems for consumers. One problem for consumers is the permanently connected shelving devices' size. Some consumers may wish to hang a shelve only during certain seasons, such as Christmas. Thus, the shelving device requires considerable storage space for the rest of the year. Additionally, the permanently connected shelving devices require a large amount of shipping space when the consumers take them home from a store. Furthermore, the bulky, permanently connected devices are subject to damage by careless consumers.
Some shelving devices are sold as assemblies requiring the consumer to connect the support members and shelf member after purchase. Typically, these shelving device assemblies include screw type connectors or adhesives. The consumer after purchasing the shelving device assembly must either screw or glue the support members and shelf member together. One problem with this connecting process is that it is often frustrating and time consuming for the typical purchaser.
Conventional wall shelving devices may be categorized into two different applications: 1) for mounting on a flat wall surface or 2) mounting in a corner wall surface. In the flat wall mounting shelving device, the support members typically orientated such that they provide a surface that aligns with the flat surface of the wall.
In the corner mounting shelving device, the support members are typically orientated perpendicular to each other such that the support members align with two wall surfaces that intersect at approximately 90.degree.. One problem with the typical flat wall mounting shelving device is that it cannot be mounted in the corner wall surface; likewise, the corner mounting shelving device cannot be mounted on the flat wall surface.
Thus, the need has arisen for a new shelving device which will be small size, easy to ship, easy to protect from damage, easy to assemble and disassemble, and capable of being mounted on a flat wall surface or a corner wall surface.


The present invention is related to a demountable tire rim assembly having a spare inner wheel which permits running during the run flat condition. The demountable tire rim includes two complementary annular parts provided with reciprocal threaded coupling members on the perimeter of the annular parts which include threaded and non-threaded sectors which are structurally arranged to secure the annular parts together.

1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a tire rim assembly which allows a vehicle to run with a flat tire. More particularly, the present invention relates to a demountable tire rim assembly with a spare inner wheel and having two annular parts which support the spare inner wheel and permit engagement of the spare inner wheel with the ground during the run flat condition.
2. Description of Prior Art
Within the prior art, there is U.S. Pat. No. 2,105,317 which discloses an aircraft wheel made of two pieces. However, this tire rim is not used in automobiles and in addition, it is not prepared to mount a spare inner wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,037,815 shows a wheel in which the tire rim has a thread to vary the tread. This wheel is intended to be used in tractors and lacks a spare inner wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,657 is a modular wheel consisting of two main pieces and a third piece to ensure the tire grip. These pieces are joined by means of bolts but they lack other coupling means. Such a structure is not adapted for the assembly of a spare inner wheel.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,450 discloses a set of safety tire rim and demountable wheel. Both parts of the tire rim are joined by means of bolts and lack other coupling means. There is an insert to run with the flat tire which is simply added but does not determine the tire rim structure.
None of these prior art tire rim assemblies are prepared to have a spare wheel and at the same time, be demountable with a threaded or bayonet type coupling means.

Demountable tire rim with a spare inner wheel and tire for said tire rim


A cable construction comprising at least one package (3) of fibre ribbons, which package consists of at least one fibre ribbon (4) comprising several parallel optical fibres (5) and a covering (6) joining them together, and at least one reinforcing member (7a) extending in the longitudinal direction of the cable. The package (3) of fibre ribbons is arranged in a cavity (2) with an elongated cross-section in the vertical direction such that the natural bending plane (A) of the fibre ribbon package (3) is substantially perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal plane (B) of the cavity. The reinforcing member (7a) is arranged in the cable construction in such a way that the bending plane (D) of the whole cable defined thereby also is substantially perpendicular with respect to the longitudinal plane (B) of the cavity.

It is known to use in a cable optical fibre ribbons, comprising typically 4 to 12 parallel optical fibres and a covering manufactured of plastic material joining them together.
In a known cable construction, fibre ribbons are normally packaged tightly inside a plastic tube and the plastic tube is surrounded by a protective structure comprising reinforcing members extending in the longitudinal direction of the cable, which members are placed at regular intervals in the peripheral direction of the cable.
Another known cable construction is a so-called V-groove cable, in which fibre ribbons are placed in spirally or oscillatingly winding grooves positioned in a common centre element.
A drawback of these known cable constructions is that, due to the complicated structures thereof, the production costs are high. In the abovementioned constructions, it is, furthermore, not possible to provide in a simple manner a proper play for the fibres against changing dimensions caused by mechanical forces directed to protective sheath or by thermal effects.

Cable construction containing optical fibers and reinforcement means


A photoreceptor composed of: (a) a substrate; (b) a blocking layer including a fluoroelastomer; (c) a charge generating layer including a binder material and a phthalocyanine; and (d) a charge transport layer.

One configuration of a conventional layered organic photoreceptor includes in the following order: a substrate, a blocking layer, an optional adhesive layer, a charge generating layer, and a charge transport layer. Of all the layers in a typical photoreceptor, the most poorly understood may be the blocking layer (also referred to in some situations as an undercoat layer). The blocking layer must effectively block hole injection or else poor charge acceptance and high dark decay will result However, the blocking layer must allow the passage of electrons or else high charge buildup at the blocking layer will occur after light discharge. High charge/electric field buildup results in printout defect (dark spots) in the background areas under Discharge Area Development (DAD) scheme. Conventional materials for the blocking layer include gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, phenolic binder-titanium dioxide, polyvinylchloride-polyacrylonitrile emulsion, zirconium/siliane/partly hydrolyzed polyvinyl butyral, and nylon-terpolymer.
A gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane blocking layer has certain disadvantages: a thin layer may be difficult to coat uniformly which can cause print defects in areas unwetted by the barrier film, a thin layer also is susceptible to dielectric breakdown in bias charging roll development systems; uncured gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane can interact with the charge generating layer which could reduce photoreceptor sensitivity; low viscosity gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane solutions generally cannot be used to make thick coatings, but higher solids coating solutions suffer from shelf life stability issues; and because of its high crosslink density, a gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane blocking layer is susceptible to cracking. Thus, there is a need, which the present invention addresses, for new blocking layers that minimize or avoid the problems described above for a gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane blocking layer.
Conventional imaging members are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,266,431; 5,338,587; and 5,654,118.

Photoreceptor having a fluoroelastomer blocking layer


A facsimile apparatus has an AC power source and a standby power source which are selectively changed. The number of times of changing the power sources is minimized to limit deterioration of the AC power source. When the frequency of use of the facsimile apparatus is high, the AC power source is maintained in the on state.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to facsimile apparatuses and, more particularly, to a facsimile apparatus having an energy saving function in a standby state.
2. Description of the Related Art
A kind of facsimile apparatus is known which is in an energy saving state when on standby, and which performs various operations by setting an AC power source in an input-enabled state when each operation is selected. A method for changing such a facsimile apparatus between a standby state and an operating state has been proposed in which oscillation of a switching power source is stopped when the apparatus is in the standby state and is started to output a DC voltage on the secondary side when an operation is selected, and in which, when the operation is finished, oscillation of the switching power source is immediately stopped and the apparatus is again set the standby state.
In some case, however, the next operation is performed successively after the completion of the preceding operation. If oscillation of the switching power source is immediately stopped in such a case, the number of stops and starts of oscillation of the switching power source is increased, so that the life of the switching power source is shortened.

Facsimile apparatus having two states of operation which are controlled in response to discriminating an operational condition


A demultiplexing apparatus, a multiplexing apparatus, and a multi-channel transmission and reception method using the same are provided. The demultiplexing apparatus includes a broadcasting data reception unit for separating a broadcasting data stream into N input packets, an output packet generation unit for generating (N+1) output packets by connecting a pre-header, including a field for multi-channel transmission, with each of the N input packets, and a packet distribution unit for distributing the (N+1) output packets over at least two channels. The multiplexing apparatus includes a packet restoration unit for detecting first field information for restoration and second field information for synchronization from each of pre-headers included in (N+1) output packets received through at least two channels and generating N restoration packets using the first field information and an output synchronization unit for performing output timing synchronization between the N restoration packets using the second field information.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a demultiplexing apparatus, a multiplexing apparatus, and a multi-channel transmission and reception method using the same and, more particularly, to a demultiplexing apparatus, a multiplexing apparatus, and a multi-channel transmission and reception method using the same, which transmit and receive a large amount of multimedia data through multiple channels.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, in digital broadcasting, one broadcasting program includes one Moving Pictures Exports Group-2 (MPEG-2) Transport Stream (TS). A TS is a data stream transmitted within one physical channel, and a physical channel capacity means the channel capacity of a Radio Frequency (RF) signal in which a broadcasting signal is transmitted in a transmission system. In Korean and North American broadcasting transmission systems, a physical broadcasting channel has a frequency band of 6 MHz. Terrestrial wave broadcasting has a frequency band of 19.4 Mbps, and cable broadcasting has a maximum channel capacity of 38.8 Mbps.
In High Definition Television (HDTV) service provided in digital broadcasting so far, the amount of data corresponding to one program has not exceeded one physical channel capacity provided by a corresponding transmission system. Recently, in Ultra-High Definition Television (UHDTV) service corresponding to 4 times or 16 times existing HDTV resolution, the amount of data included in one program is significantly increased, thus exceeding one physical channel capacity.
As described above, if the amount of data of an MPEG-2 TS forming one program exceeds a physical channel capacity, multiple channels must be used to send the data. In other words, there is a need for technology in which the transmission side separates one TS into multiple channels and sends the separated streams through the multiple channels and the reception side receives the streams transmitted through the separated multiple channels and configures the received streams into one TS.

Demultiplexing apparatus, multiplexing apparatus, and multi-channel transmission and reception method using the same

ELECTRONICS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH INSTITUTE


A disk drive is disclosed comprising a disk surface having a plurality of concentric, radially spaced tracks, wherein each track comprises a plurality of data sectors and a plurality of servo sectors. At least two different index marks are distributed around the circumference of the disk surface. A servo sector counter is initialized relative to which index mark is detected, wherein the servo sector counter identifies a circumferential location of the servo sectors.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disk drives. In particular, the present invention relates to a disk that employs multiple index marks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As shown in FIG. 1, a conventional disk drive employs at least one disk 2 having a plurality of concentric, radially spaced tracks 4. Each track 4 comprises a number of data sectors interrupted by a number of embedded servo sectors 6 used to position a head over a target track and maintain the head over a centerline of the target track during read/write operations. Typically, both sides of the disk 2 are used to record information wherein a respective head is actuated radially over each disk surface. When the disk drive is powered on or a head switch occurs, the embedded servo sectors 6 are located and then used to servo the respective head over the disk 2.
Each servo sector 6 comprises a servo address mark (SAM) 8, a preamble 10, a sync mark 12, an index mark 14, servo data 16, and servo bursts 18. The SAM 8 comprises a predetermined sequence of bits (e.g., a plurality of "0" bits), which can be detected asynchronously during a power on or head switch event. Once the SAM 8 is detected in one of the servo sectors 6, the location of the remaining servo sectors 6 can be determined and suitable timing circuitry is configured to enable demodulation circuitry at the appropriate time (synchronous with the occurrence of each servo sector). The demodulation circuitry processes the preamble 10 to synchronize timing and gain control circuitry, and the sync mark 12 identifies the beginning of the servo data 16. The servo data 14 comprises information about the track, such as a track ID used during seek operations. Each servo burst 18 following the servo data comprises a "burst" of magnetic transitions, which are typically integrated to generate a servo burst signal. The servo burst signals are evaluated relative to one another to generate a position error signal (PES) used to maintain the head over a centerline of the track (tracking) during read/write operations.
Before performing a write operation to a particular track, it is important to accurately locate the target data sector to prevent inadvertently overwriting data in another data sector. To this end, prior art disk drives have employed a disk format wherein each data sector comprises a sector ID used to identify the sector. However, recording a sector ID in each data sector reduces the overall storage capacity due to format inefficiencies. More recent disk drives achieve improvement in format efficiency through an "ID-Less" disk format wherein the location of each data sector is derived from the servo sectors 6. One technique for identifying the data sectors in a track is to consider one of the servo sectors 6 as an INDEX servo sector as shown in FIG. 1. The INDEX servo sector records a valid index mark value (e.g., a "1" bit) in the index field 14, and the remaining servo sectors 6 record a non-index mark value (e.g., a "0" bit) in the index field 14. Once the INDEX servo sector is located, the remaining servo sectors 6 are referenced incrementally (e.g., using a servo sector counter). The data sectors are then identified using suitable timing circuitry after the occurrence of each servo sector 6. However, if the servo system loses synchronization after initially detecting the INDEX servo sector, the error condition is not detected until the INDEX servo sector is detected again. In addition, when the disk drive switches heads in order to access a different disk surface, it may require up to an entire revolution of latency to detect the INDEX servo sector. Still further, if a single bit is used to identify the INDEX servo sector, it may require several additional revolutions to ensure that the INDEX servo sector is not falsely detected due to noise.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,044 discloses a method for reducing the rotational latency after a head switch by adjusting the servo sector counter to account for the skew between the servo sectors on each disk surface. However, this technique also encodes a servo sector number into each servo sector to increase reliability in the event that the servo sector counter is adjusted by the wrong amount. Recording a servo sector number into each servo sector is undesirable because it reduces the format efficiency similar to recording a sector ID in each data sector.
There is, therefore, a need to increase servo synchronization robustness as well as reduce the rotational latency during a head switch in a disk drive employing ID-Less data sectors without reducing the format efficiency of the embedded servo sectors.

Disk drive employing multiple index marks


The present invention provides a method and apparatus for hierarchical process control. The method includes accessing at least one first metric indicative of processing performed on a wafer by a plurality of tool groups. The method also includes providing at least one tool group parameter to each of the plurality of tool groups based on the at least one first metric and accessing a plurality of second metrics. Each second metric is associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of tool groups and is indicative of processing performed on the wafer by the plurality of tools in the corresponding tool group. The method further includes providing at least one tool parameter to at least one tool in each of the plurality of tool groups based on the second metric associated with the tool group and the at least one tool group parameter provided to the tool group.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of semiconductor device manufacturing and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for hierarchical process control.
2. Description of the Related Art
To fabricate a semiconductor device, a wafer is typically processed through numerous processing tools in a predetermined sequence. The processing tools may include photolithography steppers, etch tools, deposition tools, polishing tools, rapid thermal anneal tools, ion implantation tools, and the like. Each processing tool modifies the wafer according to a particular operating recipe. For example, a photolithography stepper may be used to form a patterned layer of photoresist above the wafer. Features in the patterned layer of photoresist correspond to a plurality of features, e.g. gate electrode structures, which will ultimately be formed above the surface of the wafer. The tool sequence, as well as the recipes used by the tools, must be carefully controlled so that the features formed on the wafer meet appropriate design and performance criteria. Thus, advanced process control (APC) systems are often used to coordinate operation of the processing tools.
Individual tools may be controlled using feedback and/or feed forward techniques. For example, tool sensors may be used to sense conditions or process parameters in the tool. A controller may then determine one or more inputs so that the conditions and/or process parameters of the tool remain within a selected tolerance of one or more target values associated with the conditions and/or process parameters. The determined inputs are then fed back or fed forward to the appropriate tool, which may use the determined inputs to process one or more wafers. For another example, a metrology tool may be used to measure one or more parameters of a wafer processed in a tool. The measured parameters may be compared to target values of the measured parameters and the comparison may be used to adjust an operating recipe of the tool.
Controlling tools using conventional feedback and/or feed forward techniques may become cumbersome as the number of tools in a production line and/or fabrication facility increase. Moreover, conventional feedback and/or feed forward techniques may not adequately account for errors or deviations from desired targets caused by the interaction of processes performed by different tools. These types of errors and/or deviations from desired target values may increase significantly as the number of tools in the production line and/or fabrication facility increases.
The present invention is directed to addressing the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above.

Method and apparatus for hierarchical process control


Low-power and low-noise CDS (correlated double sampling) comparators for use with a CIS (CMOS image sensor) device are provided. A CDS comparator is constructed using one of various low-power inverters that provide decreased instantaneous transition currents at a logic threshold voltage. The use of such low-power inverters in CDS comparators enables a significant reduction in power consumption and noise in the CIS device, or other devices that implement such CDS comparators and/or inverters.

Typically, CIS devices are mounted in mobile phone cameras, digital cameras, etc, and include an array of active pixel sensors and driving circuitry for electronically capturing images, converting the images into electrical signals, and transmitting the electrical signals to a display driver. Typically, the driving circuitry comprises a ramp comparison type column ADC circuit structure. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a CIS device (10) having a well-known architecture comprising a pixel array (11), a ramp signal generator (12), a plurality of comparators (13), a counter (14) and a plurality of latches (15).
As is known in the art, the pixel array (11) captures an image. The comparators (13), which are employed in CDS circuits, receive analog signals output from the pixel array (11) and compare the analog signals to a ramp signal VRAMP (which is incremented with a predetermined slope) output from the ramp signal generator (12) to digitize the analog signals. The comparators (13) output digital values having a logic high state or a logic low state at timings that are different from each other. When the comparators (13) output digital values at timings that are different from each other, the counter (14) outputs counter values corresponding to timings at which the digital values are varied. The latches (15) store and output digital signals (D1, D2, . . . , DN), which are proportional to the analog signals output from the pixel array (11). The output digital signals (D1, D2, . . . , DN) are processed and input to a predetermined display device to display the photographed image.
In the conventional CIS device (10) of FIG. 1, a ramp comparison type column ADC employs as many comparators as there are columns in the pixel array (11). For example, in the CIS pixel array (11) having 380,000 pixels, the total number of effective columns amounts to about 640. To compare the ramp signal VRAMP with the analog signals output from the pixel array (11) and generate digital signals, the comparators (13) use a conventional inverter circuit (30), such as depicted in FIG. 14, consisting of one PMOSFET (p-type metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) (M1) and one NMOSFET (n-type metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor) (M2), connected in series between VDD and VSS source voltages.
With the conventional inverter (30) architecture, an instantaneous transition current (a peak current) is generated at an input voltage VIN between a first logic state "0" and a second logic state "1", that is, a logic threshold voltage (for example, ½ of VDD), which disadvantageously results in a significant consumption of power. Indeed, assuming a light signal of the same high intensity is applied to all 380,000 pixels in the pixel array (11) of the CIS device (10) of FIG. 1 and signal conversions are simultaneously performed in all of about 640 columns, the instantaneous current at the logic threshold voltage would reach several hundreds mA. The generation of such a large current results in a large power consumption and the current spike influences power supply lines connected to the entire circuit producing noise components in output images or other circuit elements, thereby causing erroneous operation.

Low-power and low-noise comparator having inverter with decreased peak current