The invention provides a novel composition and methods of its preparation and uses. The composition comprises as main components serum and a gelling agent and is useful in various medical applications. The composition may be used to coat a medical device, as a biological glue, or as dressings, membranes, scaffolding or hydrogel useful in bioengineering applications. One or more therapeutic products may be added to the composition and the composition is also a vehicle for delivery of therapeutic products.

Human and veterinarian medical and surgical procedures often require the use of various materials and substrates that can be used as implants, scaffolding for tissue growth or repair, wound closures, adhesives or glues, or as delivery mechanisms to deliver genes or drugs to a specific site for localised therapy. The materials should be biologically inert, so as not to react with surrounding tissue. It is also important that the materials are sufficiently strong to perform the required function in the patient's body, while at the same time being relatively flexible.
While the materials or substrates that are to be used as surgical implants or delivery devices are specifically designed for each particular use, such materials tend to have common disadvantages or drawbacks. Materials used for wound closures, stents, or as devices to deliver therapeutic compounds or genes tend to be synthesised from synthetic polymers. Such polymers often are not biodegradable, necessitating either a second procedure to remove the implanted material, or that the material be left permanently in place. Furthermore, due to their synthetic nature, such materials are not fully compatible with the body. That is, there is a risk that the patient may develop an inflammatory or immunological reaction to the implanted material.
As a result, biodegradable polymers have been developed for surgical use and implantation. These include polylactic acid (Kulkarni et al, 1966), polyanhydrides and polyorthoesters (Domb et al, 1989), polyamino acids (Miyake et al, 1974), and polyesters of alpha-hydroxy acids (Holland et al, 1986). U.S. Pat. No. 4,957,774 discloses the cross-linking of hyaluronic acid to produce a biodegradable, swellable plastic polymer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,337 discloses a biodegradable, glycolide-rich polymer for use as a wound fastener.
Recent attempts to produce synthetic polymers for use in surgical implants have involved polymers that are more inert and therefore are more capable of interfacing with living tissue in a non-reactive manner. U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,938 discloses the preparation of a synthetic, amphipathic polymer incorporating a therapeutically active peptide that is released upon breakdown of the polymer. The hydrophilic portion of the polymer may not be fully biodegradable. U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,203 discloses the preparation of a synthetic, degradable, water-soluble, thermoplastic block copolymer containing polyglycolic acid and polyethylene glycol. This polymer can be formed into a hydrogel for use as implant material. U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,430 discloses the preparation of a semi-synthetic polymer by cross-linking collagen, a biological polymer, to synthetic hydrophilic polymers such as polyethylene glycol. Semi-synthetic polymers are also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,775, which describes the covalent attachment of biological polymers such as polysaccharides to polyethylene glycol polymers.
These synthetic or semi-synthetic polymers are partially or fully biodegradable, which allows for at least limited dissolution of the implanted material. However, the degradation products may be toxic to surrounding tissue at higher concentrations, and rapid breakdown can lead to harmful localised levels of degradation product. As well, inflammation and cytotoxicity are not fully eliminated with the use of these polymers. Furthermore, the preparation of these polymers requires the use of organic solvents for polymerisation. These solvents are expensive and can be toxic, mutagenic or carcinogenic to tissue at the implant site, as well having a potentially denaturing effect on proteins or drug compounds that may also be delivered to the implant site. Additionally, this requirement for organic solvents to facilitate polymerisation means that these polymers cannot polymerise in vivo.
In order to avoid the problems encountered with synthetic or semi-synthetic polymers, materials derived from biological substances have also been described. EPA 0068149 discloses a web-like material prepared from fibrin and fibrinogen that can be used as a wound covering, bone filler or as a delivery system for therapeutically active compounds. This polymer, while being fully biologically-derived, has the disadvantage of being too rigid, even when in contact with water or biological fluids. This rigidity significantly limits the applications for which this material can be used. German Patent No. 3,214,337 describes a multi-layered sheet material that is composed of glycoprotein layers containing alternatively thrombin or fibrinogen. This separate layering of the thrombin and fibrinogen results in a weaker material, as a cross-linked fibrin web is not generated. EPA 0485210 discloses a collagen membrane that contains fibrin. However, animal-derived collagen can elicit a strong inflammatory response from some patients. Currently, transgenic or recombinant human collagens are extremely expensive to produce.
Surgical techniques often involve the use of adhesives to join severed tissue or bone and to adhere tissue grafts at a surgical site. Conventional techniques involve the use of synthetic glues such as cyanoacrylates. However, these glues are not readily biodegraded, and tend to form an inflexible and relatively weak bond. U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,192 describes fibrin-based materials that are used to form stronger bonds when used as bioglues, and are more readily biodegraded. Fibrin has been shown to support keratinocyte and fibroblast growth at the implant site. However, as with the cyanoacrylates, the fibrin-based materials are not stretchable when polymerised. This lack of elasticity leads to a high rupture-rate for seals formed with these materials, especially when the bonds formed are subject to deformation stress. Other adhesives that use the plasma protein serum albumin together with a multifunctional aldehyde have been developed. These adhesives provide a strong bond, but carry the risk of infection due to the biological source of the blood protein. As well, many of the adhesives currently in use as bioglues tend to cause inflammation at the surgical site due to the high concentration of cross-linking agents they contain.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,498,259 discloses a method of fusing bone by chemically removing a thin layer of the mineral matrix from the surfaces of bone to be joined and then painting the joint with a fluorescent dye and heating the dye using electromagnetic radiation to seal the joint. This process is not suitable for clinical use as it is not performed in an in vivo setting. As well, the strength of the bond is not sufficient for clinical applications.
Various materials are also used in surgical techniques to fill bone cavities, or to replace some or all of an existing bone. One current technique involves the use of polypropylene fumarate ("PPF") as a cross-linked bone replacement matrix. PPF cross-links at low temperatures, possesses high mechanical strength and biodegrades into non-toxic degradation products, making it a suitable material for bone replacement, scaffolding and cement. However, formulations of PPF that incorporate toxic monomers in the PPF polymer, such as a vinyl monomer or N-vinyl pyrrolidine, can result in delivery of toxic impurities to the surgical site if the matrix is not completely polymerised, as well the release of toxic degradation products upon biodegradation.
Another use of material in medical procedures is as a delivery system for therapeutic products such as DNA, drugs or cells. Material containing the therapeutic product is often coated on surgical implants. Fibrin glue has been used to deliver cultured cells and exogenous growth factors (Currie et al). Fibrin glue may not be ideal for the prevention of restenosis, or renarrowing of blood vessels after surgery, as the presence of residual thrombin in the fibrin glue may induce thrombosis, which may lead to vascular obstruction at the implant site. U.S. Pat. No. 5,83,651 describes the use of fibrin glue coated on stent implants as a method of delivering therapeutic virus.
Various mechanical devices have also been used to deliver therapeutic products to a particular site in the body. Stents that release naked DNA that encodes therapeutic gene products have been used, but this method results in a low rate of transduction of surrounding cells with the therapeutic DNA, as well as transient expression of the therapeutic gene (Klugherz et al). Another approach involves the use of balloon catheters that contain micro-encapsulated spheres of the therapeutic product, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,129,705 and 6,159,946. This approach has the disadvantage of the balloon catheter causing occlusion of blood flow for considerable lengths of time, creating risk to the patient. U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,013 discloses the use of micropourous metal microneedles that have been coated directly with the therapeutic product to deliver the product into the wall of a blood vessel. The efficacy and safety of the system is yet to be proved comprehensively.
In summary, there is a general need for a material that can be used for various medical and surgical applications that is preferably biodegradable, biologically inert, biocompatible and immunocompatible, and has significantly reduced toxicity. Such a material should ideally be able to rapidly polymerise in situ, be capable of connecting and stabilising tissue in a moist environment and be able to retain strength and flexibility when used as an adhesive or when implanted in a patient. It is also important that the material does not impede proper regeneration of tissue at the implant site.

Composition derived from biological materials and method of use and preparation


By selectively associating output signal lines with logic circuit input signal lines, it is possible to produce a combination logic circuit and latch string in which no pair of adjacent latches is connected to the same cone of logic in the logic circuit. This provides greatly improved capabilities for delay or AC circuit test with respect to the independence of test pairs of excitation data. The objective may also be achieved in whole or in part through the use of dummy latch elements which do not feed any logic circuit input signal lines.

The present invention is generally directed to the testing of complex logic circuits using randomly generated signal patterns. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a method for distributing the output signal lines from a shift register latch string amongst the inputs to a logic circuit so as to improve test coverage and flexibility. Even more particularly, the invention is directed to level sensitive scan design (LSSD) methodologies for test circuit design.
As integrated circuit chip devices have become more densely packed with electronic components and more complex, the need for testing such circuits has grown significantly. This is especially true of digital logic circuits. In order to provide a mechanism for testing complex circuitry of this type, a number of built-in self test (BIST) methodologies have been employed including level sensitive scan design techniques. In the LSSD methodology, a long string of shift register latches is employed in a dual function role which does not detract from normal circuit operation. In particular, the shift register latch string provides both normal input during circuit operation and also provides a mechanism for providing test input signals to the circuit for diagnostic purposes. These tests may be employed immediately subsequent to chip manufacture or may in fact be employed in the field to diagnose error conditions. Depending on the source of input signals to the shift register latch scan string, either normal operations or test operations may be carried out.
Because of the usually large number of input signal lines and the combinatorially large number of possible inputs to these signal lines, random test pattern generation is generally employed to insure complete and uniform coverage of all important test conditions that could arise. The present invention is particularly directed to so-called AC or delay testing of the logic circuit. In this particular form of test, it is important to provide two distinct sets of signal values to the logic circuit at closely spaced time intervals so as to best ascertain whether or not a fault condition exists. With current approaches to this problem, where one test pattern follows closely after another, the test pairs are very highly correlated and thus are limited in the number of different pairs of test patterns which can be applied.
One of the concepts that is important to grasp for an understanding of the present invention, is the notion of a "cone of logic". In any given logic circuit, there are input and output signal lines. Not every input line can generally influence every output signal line. Conversely, each output signal line is generally influencable only by a subset of input signal lines. Thus, each output signal line is associated with a cone of logic representing signal paths through which input signals influence the output signal. Furthermore, it is seen that an input signal line can in fact influence the output at more than one output signal line. Thus, one can associate with each output signal line a subset of input signal lines passing through and defining the cone of logic. Concomitantly, one can associate with each input signal line a subset of output signal lines which can be influenced by the input signal present on any selected input signal line.

Delay test coverage enhancement for logic circuitry employing level sensitive scan design

International Business Machines Corporation


A filter assembly comprising a housing with a threaded open end, a filter element, and a cover assembly. The filter element includes a media ring and a pair of end caps, one of which includes outwardly-projecting fingers. The cover assembly includes a cover member, and a sleeve with recesses in an outer surface. A collar member surrounds the sleeve and is freely rotationally supported by the cover member. The collar member includes i) a threaded portion on an outer surface for screwing the cover member onto the housing, and ii) recesses in an inner surface. The collar member is rotatable relative to the sleeve such that the recesses in the collar member and in the sleeve can be aligned, and the fingers can be inserted therebetween, to rotationally lock the collar member relative to the sleeve and to retain the element with the cover.

Certain filter assemblies include a filter element located in a housing, where a cover encloses the open end of the housing and provides access to the element for replacement when the element becomes used, worn or spent. The cover has threads on an outer surface thereof which engage cooperating threads on the housing to enable the cover to be easily screwed onto and off of the housing.
One known type of filter element for such a filter housing comprises a sheet of filter material folded to form a plurality of parallel pleats or folds. The side edges of the sheet are brought together so that the sheet has a cylindrical configuration, with the pleats of the sheet extending in the axial or longitudinal direction. The side edges of the sheet are then joined together such as with adhesive, stitching or other means, to retain the filter material in the cylindrical form. The media can be imparted with resin, and/or an outer or inner mesh sheet, weave, mesh or cage can be provided for strength, if necessary or desirable.
Non-pleated media is also known, although pleated media has certain advantages over non-pleated media in some applications, as the pleats provide a large surface area in contact with the fluid to be filtered, which increases the dirt holding capacity and minimizes the pressure loss of the filter element.
The filter media can be coreless, i.e., self-supporting, and received over a cylindrical perforated support tube integral with the filter housing when the element is located in the housing; or can include a cylindrical perforated core integral with the element. End caps are sealingly bonded on either end of the filter element with appropriate adhesive or potting compound being applied between the end caps and the media. One or both of the end caps can have a central opening such that fluid can pass from an inlet, through the media, to an outlet, with particulate and other contaminants being removed by the media. Fluid (air, fuel, oil, hydraulic fluid, etc.) to be filtered typically passes radially inward through the filter media and then outward through the opening in the end cap; however it is also known to have the fluid pass in the opposite manner, that is, through the opening in the end cap, and then radially outward through the media.
One disadvantage with replaceable elements is that when the cover is removed, the element can be saturated with liquid, which can get on the user's hands and clothes as the user attempts to grasp an end cap of the element to remove the element from the housing. Also, it can just be difficult to get one's fingers between the end cap and the housing to grasp the filter element. One solution has been to temporarily connect the element to the cover, such that the user only has to grasp the cover to remove the element from the housing. The element can then be easily removed from the cover when appropriate, and a fresh element attached thereto.
An example of such a solution is shown and described in Popoff, U.S. Pat. No. 6,171,491, which is owned by the assignee of the present invention. In the Popoff design, a pair of lateral projections are provided on an end cap of the filter element, which are received in T-shaped recesses along the inside of the cover. The recesses are formed in an annular sleeve projecting downwardly from the cover, and have both a longitudinally (axially) extending portion and an arcuately (laterally) extending portion. When the cover is screwed off of the housing, the projections enter one of the arcuate portions of the recesses, which thereby retains the element to the cover when the cover is removed. The element can then be easily removed from the cover simply by rotating the element until the projections become aligned with the longitudinal portion, and pulling the element away from the cover (or simply letting the element drop from the cover). An alternative design is also shown in the Popoff patent, where resilient fingers are provided around the end cap, and have tapered, outwardly-extending locking portions which are received in openings spaced around the cover. The fingers retain the element to the cover when the cover is removed from the housing, and the element can be removed from the cover by simply pressing inward on flats of the fingers to disengage the fingers from the cover.
The Popoff designs have received widespread acceptance in the market place as simple techniques for retaining a filter element to a cover when the cover is removed from the housing. Nevertheless, one drawback of such designs is that the cover can be replaced on the housing without an element present. In other words, there is nothing to prevent the user from simply removing the spent element, and then reattaching the cover on the housing without including a fresh element. When the fluid system is thereafter operated, non-filtered fluid can pass through the housing and potentially cause issues with downstream components in the system.
The Popoff designs address this issue by incorporating a valve assembly in a standpipe in the housing, and a projection on the end cap of the element and/or cover to prevent the assembly from being used without an element. The projection must fit within the valve assembly and open a flow path through the filter assembly in order for the filter assembly to be operable. Unfortunately not all filter applications can have such a valve assembly incorporated into the housing. Also, such a valve assembly has a number of parts, which can increase the cost of the assembly.
Alternatively, Oelschlaegel, U.S. Pat. No. 6,146,527, shows a spin-on filter cartridge with a replaceable element which prevents the housing from being attached to a filter head without an element being present. In the Oelschlaegel design, a mounting hub is freely rotatable with respect to a housing, and is rotationally locked with respect thereto, when a series of drive pins on the end cap of the filter element are inserted through openings in the hub and received in corresponding slots in the inside surface of the housing end. While this design prevents the use of the assembly without an element being present, the element is not retained on a cover, and must be directly handled when it is desired to remove the element form the housing.
As such, applicants believe there is a demand in the industry for a filter assembly including a replaceable element and a cover which can temporarily retain the element, whereby the cover and element have cooperating structure to prevent the cover from being attached to the housing without an element present, and which is simple and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.


It is an object of the invention to improve a conventional soil percolation technique to thereby provide a method of enriching and isolating decomposing bacteria decomposing an organochlorine agricultural chemical PCNB which is difficult to decompose, in a short time period, and to provide decomposing bacteria for efficiently processing PCNB. To practice the method, an enrichment soil layer 2 is formed by mixing a soil containing an organochlorine agricultural chemical PCNB with a fragmented porous material having an infinite number of micropores and at the same time a greater adsorptivity for adsorbing PCNB than the soil, and an inorganic salt medium 3 containing a carbon and nitrogen source, the carbon and nitrogen source being formed by only PCNB, is circulated through the enrichment soil layer 2, thereby enriching the aerobic bacteria Burkholderia cepacia in the fragmented porous material.

This invention relates to a technique of enriching decomposing bacteria which can be used to treat soil polluted by organochlorine compounds, such as agricultural chemicals, particularly to prevent contamination of river water and groundwater caused by agricultural chemicals in soil, and a technique of isolating the decomposing bacteria by utilizing the enriching technique, and more particularly to techniques of these kinds for enriching and isolating decomposing bacteria for decomposing organochlorine agricultural chemicals difficult to decompose.
To maintain today""s agricultural production, agricultural chemicals cannot be dispensed with, and to conserve flora in golf courses or the like as well, agricultural chemicals are used in large quantities. On the other hand, there is a concern that agricultural chemicals work as contaminants to have undesirable effects on the environment, especially to be a pollution source of river water and groundwater. An organochlorine agricultural chemical pentachloronitrobenzene (xe2x80x9cPCNBxe2x80x9d) used for killing bacteria causing soil disease is pointed out to be one of contaminants causing such a pollution. PCNB is an organochlorine compound very difficult to decompose, and as matters stand, a method of efficiently disposing PCNB remaining in soil and the like has not been proposed.
To restore soil contaminated by organochlorine compounds, such as agricultural chemicals, with decomposing bacteria has been considered to be a useful technique. This technique makes use of decomposing bacteria, among microbes inhabiting in soil in enormous numbers, which are capable of decomposing organic compounds serving as functional skeletons in agricultural chemicals and the like, thereby rendering the organic compounds harmless or eliminating the same from the environment. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate contaminants, such as agricultural chemicals or the like, from the environment by collecting bacteria which are capable of decomposing organochlorine compounds and exploiting such capabilities of the decomposing bacteria.
The method of selective enrichment/isolation of a specific kind of bacteria from various soil-inhabiting bacteria includes a soil percolation technique in which a column or the like is filled with soil containing inhabiting decomposing bacteria to form an enrichment soil layer, and an inorganic salt medium, which contains only organochlorine compounds, such as agricultural chemicals, as solo carbon and nitrogen sources, is continuously circulated through the enrichment soil layer, whereby a specific kind of decomposing bacteria, that is, decomposing bacteria which is capable of using the carbon or nitrogen source contained in the inorganic salt medium for assimilation or co-metabolism is selectively enriched for isolation. Actually, however, the above conventional soil percolation technique generally takes a long time period of one half to one year to enrich and isolate decomposing bacteria, and depending on the kind of an organic compound, there are cases where no suitable decomposing bacteria can be enriched by the method. The fact that such a long time period is required is a large impediment encountered in putting to practical use the river water or groundwater pollution control technique using decomposing bacteria.
The present invention has been made under these circumstances, and an object thereof is to improve the conventional soil percolation technique to thereby provide a method of enriching and isolating decomposing bacteria capable of decomposing an organochlorine agricultural chemical PCNB which is difficult to decompose, in a short time period, and to provide decomposing bacteria for efficiently disposing of PCNB.
To attain the object, the present inventors have improved the conventional soil percolation technique in the following respects, and thereby established the technique which is capable of largely enhancing the speeds of enrichment and isolation of decomposing bacteria. The gist of the improvement is that a porous material having an infinite number of micropores is fragmented to pieces of approximately several mm to ten and several mm in size such that the porous material can be handled with ease and at the same time has a large effective surface area, and then the fragmented porous material is mixed into an enrichment soil layer as an artificial microhabitat. According to this technique, decomposing bacteria can be effectively enriched and isolated over a time period of approximately three weeks to three months, although the required time period is slightly different depending on the kind of a contaminant and the kind of bacteria decomposing the contaminant. The inventors have already filed a patent application concerning the technique (Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 9-30176).
According to the present invention, by using the improved soil percolation technique, a specific kind of decomposing bacteria were selectively enriched and isolated by continuously circulating an inorganic salt medium containing an organochlorine agricultural chemical PCNB as only sources of carbon and nitrogen to the enrichment soil layer. As a result, aerobic bacteria could be obtained in a very short time period which effectively carries out complete decomposition of PCNB. Out of the enriched and isolated decomposing bacteria, three strains which have a high PCNB-decomposing activity were examined for identification, and it was found that the three strains belong to aerobic bacteria named Burkholderia cepacia. As far as the inventors know, decomposing bacteria for decomposing PCNB are mostly anaerobic bacteria, and Burkholderia cepacia obtained by the improved soil percolation technique (Burkholderia cepacia KTYY97, National Institute of Bioscience and Human Technology Agency of Industrial Science and Technology, 1-3, Higashi 1-chrome, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-8566, Japan, Receipt No. FERM BP-6721, Received May 18, 1998, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cthe present decomposing bacteriaxe2x80x9d) provides possibility of quite novel uses since this bacteria are aerobic and completely decomposes or degrades PCNB.
It is found that if a loopfulxe2x80x94using an inoculating needlexe2x80x94of the present decomposing bacteria is added to 30 ml of an inorganic salt medium containing PCNB in a concentration of 3 to 4 mg/liter, it is possible to completely decompose PCNB in approximately five days such that all chlorine atoms bonded to each PCNB molecule are removed from the molecule. Further, the study of the present inventors revealed that the present decomposing bacteria are capable of decomposing even an organochlorine agricultural chemical CNP which has been conventionally considered to be very difficult to decompose. Aerobic bacteria, such as the present decomposing bacteria, are less restricted in the manner of handling the same, unlike anaerobic bacteria, and hence only by applying the present decomposing bacteria to a soil contaminated by PCNB, it is possible to effectively decompose the PCNB, which makes it possible to prevent river water and groundwater pollution.
The present decomposing bacteria can be enriched and isolated by the improved soil percolation technique proposed by the present inventors. This method comprises mixing a soil containing an organochlorine agricultural chemical PCNB with a fragmented porous material having an infinite number of micropores and at the same time a greater adsorptivity for adsorbing PCNB than the soil to form an enrichment soil layer, and circulating through the enrichment soil layer an inorganic salt medium containing a carbon and nitrogen source, the carbon and nitrogen source being formed by only PCNB, thereby enriching the decomposing bacteria in the fragmented porous material.
The soil containing the organochlorine agricultural chemical PCNB is preferably a soil continuously using PCNB as an agricultural chemical. The present decomposing bacteria are hardly populated in ordinary soils, and on the other hand, is relatively thickly populated in a soil using PCNB. Therefore, by making use of such a soil, the present decomposing bacteria can be efficiently enriched.
It is preferred that the fragmented porous material used for the enrichment is formed by fragmenting a porous material having an infinite number of micropores, such as charcoal, to pieces of several to ten and several mm in size, and the fragmented porous material is mixed as an artificial microhabitat into the enrichment soil layer. Further, to carry out speedy enrichment of the present decomposing bacteria, it is preferable to use charcoal of broad-leaved tree which is baked at a low or medium temperature of approximately 400 to 700xc2x0 C., with a volume ratio of micropores with a diameter of approximately 5 to 20 xcexcm to a total of micropores being 10% or more, the inside of micropores being slightly alkaline with pH of approximately 7 to 8, and further with a specific surface area of the material being approximately 80 to 120 m2/g. The results of experiments of enrichment made by using various artificial microhabitats different in micropore distribution, pH within micropores, and specific surface area showed that the artificial microhabitat satisfying the above conditions makes it possible to enrich the present decomposing bacteria at a highest speed and with a highest efficiency. Presumably, this is because the artificial microhabitat satisfying the above conditions is readily inhabited by the present decomposing bacteria and a manner of adsorption of PCNB in the micropores permits the present decomposing bacteria to use PCNB efficiently.
The method of isolating the present decomposing bacteria is carried out by using the above enriching method, and comprises mixing a fragmented porous material having the present decomposing bacteria enriched therein into a new fragmented porous material to form an enrichment layer consisting of the fragmented porous materials only, and circulating through the enrichment layer an inorganic salt medium containing a carbon and nitrogen source, the carbon source and the nitrogen source being formed by only PCNB, thereby effecting enrichment of the present decomposing bacteria in the new fragmented porous material as well to increase a degree of enrichment of the present decomposing bacteria, for isolation thereof. To carry out this isolating operation at a high speed and with efficiency, it is preferred that the artificial microhabitat satisfying the above conditions be used as the new fragmented porous material and the isolating operation be repeatedly carried out.
Further, the fragmented porous material having the present decomposing bacteria enriched therein by the enriching and isolating methods according to the invention can be used as an organochlorine agricultural chemical-decomposing bacteria holdback carrier. Thus, the capability of taking out the present decomposing bacteria in the form of a microhabitat which can be easily handled, i.e. as a carrier holding the present decomposing bacteria facilitates application of the holdback carrier holding the present decomposing bacteria to a soil contaminated by PCNB, e.g. mixing the same into a target soil where PCNB should be disposed of, and makes it possible to decompose PCNB in the soil without providing a special facility.

Method for enriching and isolating bacteria which aerobically degrades PCNB

National Institute for Agro-Environmental Science Independent Administrative Institute


In order to supply a multiple number of inks at a desired geometry, a filling frame has filling ports of substantially vertical passage holes. A stamp piece has a continuous porous structure and is placed on a base plate with the filling framed laid thereover. Each ink is supplied from a corresponding filling port to a separated area and is impregnated into a stamp piece in substantially the same geometry as that of separated area so that each will not mix with the other. Thus, inks are filled keeping the separation, into the stamp piece having a continuous porous structure laid below the filling frame.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of producing an impregnation stamp which can be used for repeated stamping of the impression and an impregnation stamp produced by the method.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, ink impregnation into an impregnation stamp has been mainly performed by dipping it in ink or by adding ink dropwise from the rearside of the stamp piece whilst heating as required so that the ink will impregnate into the stamping material having a continuous porous structure. However, when these methods are used to impregnate ink into an impregnation stamp, one stamp piece can be filled up with only one kind of ink, thus making it impossible to produce a multi-colored stamp or a stamp with a stamp piece filled up with multiple types of inks having different functions.
In order to solve such drawbacks, there has been a stamp which enables a single stamping action to form a multi-color impression by combining a plurality of stamp pieces in a single holder, each having a different kind of ink impregnated therein.
Nevertheless, a device of this type leaves traces of the seams between the stamp pieces, from its structure, giving rise to a feeling of raggedness. Further, if the boundaries between the stamp pieces are located across a continuous pattern, the traces of the seams will appear in the impression.

Method of producing an impregnation stamp and an impregnation stamp produced thereby


A cyclic carbonyl monomer has the formula (7):

The present invention relates to cyclic carbonyl monomers functionalized with carbohydrate moieties, ring opening polymers derived therefrom, and methods of preparation of the monomers and the polymers.
Biocompatible and biodegradable polymers that assemble into well-defined nanostructures such as micelles are of increasing interest as a means for drug transport and release. Moreover, polymers bearing pendant carbohydrates, specifically sugars, are particularly useful for applications that require the targeting of carbohydrate-binding proteins known as lectins. Protein-carbohydrate interactions mediate a number of biological processes, including cell growth, inflammation, infections and adhesion, via multivalent interactions. The enhancement in binding as a consequence of polyvalent interactions is known as the glycoside cluster effect. Carbohydrate-bearing polymers provide a platform for presenting multiple copies of a saccharide simultaneously, thus enhancing their affinity and selectivity for lectins.
A number of carbohydrate-bearing polymers have been developed including dendrimers, linear polymers, and micelles. Expanding the number of monomers useful in forming carbohydrate-bearing polymers is an ongoing need, directed toward achieving polymers having a wide range of tailorable solution, physical and mechanical properties.

Cyclic carbonyl monomers functionalized with carbohydrates, polymers derived therefrom, and methods of preparation thereof

Abstract: wherein at least one W′ or Wa group comprises a protected glycoside; each Z independently represents O, S, NH or NW″; n is an integer from 0 to 6 wherein when n is 0, carbons labeled 4 and 6 are linked together by a single bond; each W′ and Wa group independently represents a hydrogen, a halide, an alkyl group comprising 1 to 20 carbons, an ester group comprising 1 to 20 carbons, an amide group, an aryl group comprising 1 to 20 carbons, an alkoxy group comprising 1 to 20 carbons, or a foregoing W′ or Wa group substituted with a protected glycoside; and each W″ group independently represents an alkyl group comprising 1 to 20 carbons, an aryl group comprising 1 to 20 carbons, or a foregoing W″ group substituted with a protected glycoside.

International Business Machines Corporation


A vacuum fluorescent display includes a display portion, filament cathode, grid, and a pair of filament support members. The display portion is arranged on a substrate and has an anode coated with a phosphor material in accordance with a pattern to be displayed. The filament cathode is applied above the anode of the display portion to be separate from the anode. The grid is arranged between the anode of the display portion and the filament cathode, and cooperates with the corresponding anode to display a predetermined pattern. The pair of filament support members are connected to an outside and extend the filament cathode. Part of the filament support members is clamped between a front glass plate and glass spacer and is extracted to outside.

The present invention relates to a vacuum fluorescent display in which cathodes, grids, and anodes coated with phosphors are accommodated in a vacuum-evacuated envelope.
FIG. 6 shows a conventional flat type vacuum fluorescent display. Referring to FIG. 6, a vacuum fluorescent display 100 includes a substrate 111, an at least partly transparent front glass plate 112, and a glass spacer 113 arranged between the substrate 111 and front glass plate 112. The substrate 111, front glass plate 112, and glass spacer 113 are adhered to each other through frit glass portions 114 and 115 to form an envelope 101. In the envelope 101, wiring lines (not shown) are printed on the substrate 111, a plurality of anodes are arranged on the wiring lines through an insulating layer (not shown), and phosphors are attached to the anodes. The plurality of anodes form display portions 121 that can display a predetermined pattern. The plurality of anodes are disposed in, e.g., a matrix, and are indicated as display portions 121 formed of a large number of dots in FIG. 6. Strip-like or rectangular grids 122 are arranged above the display portions 121. For example, the grids 122 are formed of a plurality of segment grids 122a vertically provided substantially parallel to each other to cover the display portions 121, and support members 122b for the segment grids 122a. A plurality of cathodes 123 are arranged above the grids 122. For example, at least a plurality of filament cathodes 123 disposed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the grids 122 are accommodated.
The filament cathodes 123 are extended by a pair of filament supports 124 and 125, and led outside the envelope 101 through lead pins 126 and 127 as part of the filament supports 124 and 125, to supply power from the outside.
In this example, bases 124a and 125a of the filament supports 124 and 125 are disposed near the two ends in the longitudinal direction on the substrate 111 toward the substrate 111. The filament cathodes 123 are built by extending portions 124b and 125b vertically provided to the bases 124a and 125a. The lead pins 126 and 127 are led outside the envelope 101 through the gap between the substrate 111 and glass spacer 113.
The display portions 121 and grids 122 are connected to part of the wiring pattern printed in advance on the surface of the substrate 111. Pads 129 formed at one end in the short-side direction of the substrate 111 are connected to the other end of the wiring pattern. The pads 129 are connected to lead pins 128 led outside the envelope 101 through the gap between the substrate 111 and glass spacer 113. External power and signals necessary for operating the vacuum fluorescent display 100 are input to the display portions 121 and grids 122 through the lead pins 128 and pads 129.
In the vacuum fluorescent display 100, electrons extracted from the cathodes 123 pass through the grids 122, are accelerated by the anodes, and bombard on the phosphors applied to the anodes of the display portions 121. The bombardment on the phosphors causes light emission. This structure is described well in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 05-275033 and 08-017367.
In the conventional vacuum fluorescent display 100 described above, as the bases 124a and 125a of the filament supports 124 and 125 are arranged on the substrate 111, regions to arrange the filament supports 124 and 125 must be reserved on the substrate 111, and be spared from that region on the substrate 111 where the display portions 121 are to be arranged. In other words, that region on the substrate 111 where the display portions 121 can be arranged is limited to a region obtained by excluding from the substrate 111 the regions to dispose the filament supports 124 and 125. It is difficult to further enlarge the display region of the vacuum fluorescent display 100.


An adaptable, low-power drive circuit for transistor switches requiring control input current is disclosed. In one embodiment of the invention, a current source output replaces the prior art voltage drive circuits and associated external current-limiting resistor. The current-source drive circuit provides both a high impedance as well as variability. The high impedance of the current-source drive circuit enables a reduction in the value of the resistance-bypass capacitor employed in the prior art. The variability in the output current provided by the current-source circuit allows the drive circuits to optimize the control current flowing into the switch device as the characteristics of the switch device change with operating temperature. The drive circuit is capable of providing as output either a desired current, at a high output impedance, or a desired voltage, at a low output impedance, employing a shared amplifier and output transistor. The drive circuit also derives current from the much lower output voltage of the buck conversion system that the invention is used in. This minimizes the static power dissipated in driving the switch, and also minimizes the energy expenditure incurred in increasing the output current to modulate the power switch resistance that increases with increasing temperature.

PN (p-type abutting n-type) semiconductor junctions are ubiquitous in the industry and play a principal role in electronic devices such as Diodes, Silicon-Controlled Rectifiers, Thyristors, Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs), Junction Field Effect Transistors (JFETs), and in optoelectronic devices such as Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and Vertical Cavity Surface-Emitting Lasers (VCSELs). Electronic circuits that activate ('drive') the PN junctions are also common in the art and vary from resistor-divider circuits employed for BJT-based circuits to current-pulse circuits employed where only a transient activation of the junction is required. PN junctions display a 'rectifying' property, conducting electric current in one direction and blocking it in the opposite direction. In transistors, the PN junction labeled the 'base' in BJTs or the 'gate' in JFETs functions as the control location that regulates current flow through the device.
Activating the PN junction that functions as the control input for BJT's or JFETs often requires the flow of static current through the junction. For example, a BJT device employed to regulate the current flow through an electronic circuit will allow a current to pass through it that is a multiple of the device current gain, β and the current flowing into the base PN junction. Another example is that of an 'enhancement-mode', normally-off JFET device wherein a conduction channel is formed by the injection of a current into it's gate PN junction.
Other types of transistor devices exist wherein a static current flow into the control-input is not required for the operation of the devices. Examples of such devices are MOSFET and 'depletion-mode' JFET devices. Static current flow into the control input of a transistor device is, in some applications, an undesirable characteristic of the circuit and an unwanted expenditure of energy. Nevertheless, the principal characteristics of devices requiring control-input current, such as current-gain, low output resistance, speed of operation, simplicity and low-cost nature of manufacture etc., may prove to be attractive enough for their use despite the burden of the control-input current. It is desired in such cases that the energy expended due to the control-input current (in PN junction base or gate drive) be minimized in order to improve overall operational efficiencies and to minimize cost. Alternately, it may be desired that a facility to vary the control-input current is made available, that incurs minimal additional energy expenditure, and that does not depend upon external components.
In certain applications, minimizing the energy loss due to the gate drive current is critical to the quality of the solution. An example is the use of enhancement-mode or depletion-mode JFET switches in DC-to-DC conversion applications, a technology currently in the commercialization phase [1]. Of specific relevance is a class of converters called 'buck' DC-to-DC converters. These converters transform an input voltage into a lower output voltage through the use of switches that convey the input voltage, pulse-width modulated, into an energy-storing output filter. Common examples of the use of such converters are microprocessor power supplies. Maintaining high efficiencies in power supply voltage conversion is critical in such applications due to the costs associated with managing thermal dissipation within the system. The use of enhancement-mode JFET switches in buck conversion results in additional energy expense (as compared with MOSFET switches) due to the static drive current requirement. Certain JFET devices [1] may require as much as 40 mA of gate drive to cause the ON resistance of the device to reduce to 4.5 milliohms with the device conducting 10 A of current. With the control input driver circuit operating from a 5V supply, the static power consumption is 200 milliwatts, while the power consumption in the device channel due to current flow is 450 milliwatts. Assuming a 1V output from the buck converter, and a 20% 5V input duty cycle (or an 80% duty cycle for a switch device on the ground-side of the converter) in a 5V to 1V conversion, this drive power into the switch device alone is seen to contribute to a reduction in efficiency of 1.6%. In systems requiring extremely high conversion efficiency, such as battery operated computing devices, or thermally constrained systems, this loss in efficiency makes the JFET-based solution unattractive.
FIG. 1 illustrates the prior art interconnection of a driver circuit and the control input of a PN-junction gated device such as a BJT or a power-JFET. The interconnection of interest is the signal labeled 'drive' emanating from the driver circuits through the parallel combination of the resistance R and the capacitance C into the control input of the switch device labeled LS (for low-side). In this prior art drive circuit, resistance R limits the current flow into device LS and capacitance C enables faster turn-on and turn-off as well as in maintaining the device LS in it's 'off' state. For example, when the driver circuits determine that device LS is to be turned off, signal drive is brought down to ground from its high value (typically the value of power input VDRV). This negative transition in voltage couples through capacitance C into the input capacitance of device LS and produces a negative bias at this input node. But the presence of resistance R complicates matters in this prior art implementation by decaying this negative charge deposited at the input node of LS back into the signal drive, which is now at the ground potential. This decay is detrimental in systems employing JFETs because such JFETs may need a constant negative bias at their control gate to maintain the device in its 'off' or non-conducting state. This places a lower limit on the operating frequency of the switching conversion system. But because systems may desire to reduce the operating frequency to reduce C·V2·f losses in conditions of lower power consumption, this constraint is undesirable. Also, devices R and C are external components, and because of their large values, may not allow integration into the driver.
The invention specifies an innovative circuit architecture that successfully addresses the problems discussed above.

Method and apparatus for driving low input impedance power transistor switches


A system and process for tuning the PER of an electronic system during and/or after its manufacture includes fixtures that allow for the axial rotation of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber relative to the optical system after the optical fiber has been installed in the system. The degradation in the PER ratio of the optical system results from mechanical stresses placed on the fiber during the manufacture of the systems. For example, in the case of optical pump manufacturing, the semiconductor laser is installed on a submount. The PM fiber enters a package through a fiber feedthrough in a ferrule and then is secured down onto the submount, such that the endface of the pigtail is held in proximity to the exit facet of the semiconductor laser. In such systems, highly robust fixturing processes are used, typically such as solder bonding, in which the fiber is metallized and solder bonded either directly or indirectly to the submount. Further, solder is typically applied to seal the ferrule around the fiber since these packages must be hermetically sealed to provide for the long-term stable operation. The solder bonding processes can create asymmetries in the residual stress fields applied around the circumference of the fiber after the solder has cooled. These asymmetric stress fields lead to distortions in the stress-induced birefringent medium of the fiber. This results in coupling between the two polarization modes of the PM fiber, and consequently the degradation of the PER of the system from that expected from the separate components, for which the present invention can compensate.

Polarization control is required in many different types of fiber optic applications. The typical modality for obtaining this control is polarization-preserving or polarization-maintaining optical fiber. Standard single-mode optical fiber supports two orthogonal eigenmodes or polarizations. In nominally circular fibers, the polarization modes are degenerate with an identical propagation constant and group phase velocity.
Polarization-maintaining (PM) fiber is sometimes referred to as high birefringence single-mode fiber. PM fiber utilizes a stress-induced birefringence mechanism to achieve high levels of birefringence such that polarized light travels at different speeds along the orthogonal polarized axes of the fiber. Typically, these fibers embed a stress-applying region in the cladding area of the fiber. When placed symmetrically about the core, it gives a fiber cross-section two distinct axes of symmetry. These cross-sections range from elliptical to rectangular. This results in the propagation speed to be polarization dependent for light polarized along the two orthogonal symmetry axes. As a result, light propagating and polarized along one axis of symmetry does not efficiently couple into the orthogonal polarization.
One technique for quantifying the extent to which PM fiber maintains polarization is the polarization extinction ratio (PER). This ratio quantifies the degree to which light is polarized along one axis. Thus, it represents to what extent the PM fiber is maintaining polarization. Typically, there is little or no cross-coupling of optical power between the polarization modes.
In a number of different applications, controlling how light is launched into PM fiber or how light is emitted from PM fiber is useful. Semiconductor laser devices often have high polarization anisotropy. Thus, they generate light in typically one polarization depending on how the epitaxial tensile or compressive layer stresses are crafted. It is often desirable to launch this single polarization light into PM fiber and have its single polarization state maintained. Contrastingly, single mode polarized light from a PM fiber may be coupled into a polarization anisotropic device, such as a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA). In this case, it is necessary to emit light with a polarization state aligned to the preferred polarization axis of the SOA. As a result, in these two different general applications, it can be necessary to rotationally adjust the PM fiber relative to the semiconductor optical device.
One specific example where polarization control is required is in the pump lasers used to optically pump gain fiber such as regular fiber in Raman pumping schemes or erbium-doped fiber. Polarization control is required for two different reasons.
The first is related to the fact that many times these pumps are temporally power stabilized using fiber Bragg gratings. The gratings create an external cavity that feeds-back light into the semiconductor gain medium. These semiconductor gain mediums have high polarization anisotropy. Polarization stability is thus required between the semiconductor gain medium and the fiber Bragg grating to ensure that the level of feedback seen by the pump laser is constant.
Polarization stability is also required between the pump laser chip, with or without Bragg grating stabilization, and the gain fiber in the Raman pumping scheme. Polarization isotropic fiber amplifiers are typically preferred. Raman amplification depends on whether the polarization of pump light is the same as the optical signal to be amplified, however. Thus, most Raman systems require unpolarized pump light. This is typically produced using the light from two semiconductor lasers with balanced orthogonal polarizations. PM fiber is typically deployed between the combiner and the separate pump lasers.

System and process for post alignment polarization extinction ratio compensation in semiconductor laser system


Sticking of a substrate occurs in a reaction chamber for processing the substrate placed on a surface of a substrate-supporting device provided with lift pins for moving the substrate up and down with respect to the surface of the substrate-supporting device. A method of detecting the occurrence of the sticking of the substrate includes: monitoring a vibration propagating in or through the reaction chamber by a sensor, which vibration is indicative of or specific to sticking of the substrate on the surface of the substrate-supporting device when being moved up from the surface of the substrate-supporting device with the lift pins; and initiating a pre-designated sequence if the vibration is detected while processing the substrate in the reaction chamber.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method of detecting the occurrence of sticking of a substrate to a supporting surface, particularly to a susceptor surface during a semiconductor-manufacturing process.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are cases where the substrate is charged with electricity and sticks to the electrode while film is being formed on the substrate. If the substrate gets stuck, operating the lift pins to lift the substrate for transfer may cause the stuck substrate to rebound, resulting in displacement or cracking of the substrate.
If the substrate is transferred in this condition, various problems may occur such as the substrate not transferred to the accurate position, being dropped during transfer, or damaging the end effector of the robot due to contact between the substrate and end effector.

Method of detecting occurrence of sticking of substrate


A composition includes a cross-linkable epoxy resin, a polystyrene-polybutadiene-polymethylmethacrylate tri-block copolymer, and a filler material. The polystyrene-polybutadiene-polymethylmethacrylate tri-block copolymer has a concentration ratio of from about 1:1:1 to about 1:1:1.5.

Fusion bonded epoxy (FBE) powders and liquid resins are commonly used for corrosion protection of steel pipelines and metals used in the oil, gas, and construction industries. These coatings can be applied to a variety of parts for corrosion protection. Example applications include valves, pumps, tapping saddles, manifolds, pipe hangers, ladders, rebar, mesh, cable and wire rope, I-beams, column coils, anchor plates, chairs, and the like.
The FBE coating should have excellent physical properties to minimize damage during transit, installation, and operation. Damage to the coating can lead to higher potential corrosion of the metallic surface that the coating is protecting and can ultimately lead to a decrease in service life. Because cinders and grit can penetrate into the coating during transportation, the coating should have superior penetration and abrasion resistance. Additionally, the coating should have high impact resistance from back fill or handling equipment during installation. The coated substrate is often bent during installation, for example to fit into the contour of the land, and should be flexible enough to prevent damage to the coating. Occasionally, pipes are put into the ground by direct drilling and should therefore have superior abrasion resistance. In operation, the coating can be exposed to water and other chemicals and should therefore be resistant to these chemicals as well as have good cathodic disbandment.
There have been several attempts to make FBE coatings more resistant to mechanical damage. Typically, the thickness of the overall coating is increased to provide added impact and abrasion absorption. However, as the thickness of the coating increases, the flexibility of the coating decreases. Another conventional approach to increasing the damage resistance of coatings is to increase the filler loading. However, similar to the problem with thicker coatings, higher filler loadings can dramatically decrease the flexibility of the FBE coating. As previously mentioned, the flexibility of the coating is very important during installation, and the coating must be tolerant to bending. The damage resistant coatings currently available require a compromise between toughness and flexibility.


A rotatably supporting device for correcting balance of a rotating body includes a journal supporting part having a mandrel that rotatably supports the rotating body in a floating state about a vertical axis, a thrust supporting part that is provided at a lower end portion of the mandrel and supports a bottom part of the rotating body in the floating state, a first fluid supply passage that supplies a fluid for floating between the mandrel and a rotation support hole of the rotating body, an annular groove provided in the thrust supporting part so as to face the bottom part of the rotating body, and a second fluid supply passage that communicates with the annular groove to supply a fluid thereto for floating the rotating body. A rotatably supporting device for correcting balance of a rotating body includes a journal supporting part having a mandrel that rotatably supports the rotating body in a floating state about a vertical axis, a thrust supporting part that is provided at a lower end portion of the mandrel and supports a bottom part of the rotating body in the floating state, and a fluid supply passage that supplies a fluid for floating between the mandrel and a rotation support hole of the rotating body, in which a space part is formed in at least either one of the mandrel and the rotation support hole for widening a space other than at a supporting portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rotatably supporting device adapted for use in correcting a balance of a rotating body, which can precisely correct a balance of a heavy rotating body by rotatably supporting in a floating state by a fluid.
2. Description of Related Art
In a rotating body, for example, an impeller of a turbine, an impeller of a compressor, a fly wheel, a wheel of a vehicle or the like, in order to remove any unbalance due to a tolerance during its manufacturing or assembling or the like, a balance-correction operation is conducted by singly rotating the rotating body to measure an unbalance amount and to correct the measured amount of unbalance.
With regard to the balance correcting method of the rotating body mentioned above, patent document 1 (Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 4-40650) proposes a balance testing machine serving as a balance correcting device which can perform a balance correction by rotating a rotating body without using an auxiliary shaft and an auxiliary spindle at a time of the balance correction even if the rotating body is not provided with a specific support part.
In the balance testing machine 1, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a vibration bridge 4 is supported on a device stand 2 via a support spring 3, and a support journal 5 serving as a mandrel for rotation support is fixed to the vibration bridge 4 in a vertical direction.
A fluid supply hole 6 having a closed upper end portion is formed in a center portion of the support journal 5, a plurality of radial outflow holes 7 are provided to lie in upper and lower flat planes in a radial direction so as to be communicated with the fluid supply hole 6, and a compressible fluid such as an air or the like is supplied thereto so as to flow out thereof.
Further, a plate 8 is integrally provided perpendicularly to a lower end portion of the support journal 5, a plurality of auxiliary holes 9 are formed in the plate 8 so as to open on an upper surface, and are communicated by an internal annular flow path 10, and the compressive fluid such as the air or the like is supplied so as to flow out of the above-mentioned holes.
In the balance testing machine 1, a rotating body 11 is mounted onto the support journal 5 by inserting a hole 12 of the rotating body 11 to the support journal 5 and the compressive fluid such as the air or the like is flown from the outflow hole 7 and the auxiliary hole 9, thereby supporting the rotating body 11 on the balance testing machine 1 in a floating state and rotating the rotating body about the support journal 5 fixed in this state so that any unbalance force transmitted to the vibration bridge 4 is measured and the balance test is performed.
In this balance testing machine, in order to stably rotate the rotating body 11 about the support journal 5, it is necessary that a gap (a floating amount) between the plate 8 and the rotating body 11 is larger than a gap between the support journal 5 and the hole 12 in the rotating body 11. If the relation is reversed, the rotating body 11 rotates on the basis of a bottom surface 13 thereof, and it is impossible to perform a necessary measurement of unbalance amount.
Accordingly, viewing a pressure distribution of the compressive fluid such as the air or the like generating the floating force and acting on a portion between the bottom surface 13 of the rotating body 11 and the plate 8, first for simplifying, as shown in a graph in the middle of FIG. 2 showing a case where the outflow of the fluid from the auxiliary hole 9 is not generated, when the floating amount of the rotating body 11 is small, an area B by the gap between the plate 8 and the bottom surface 13 of the rotating body 11 is smaller in comparison with an area A by the gap between the support journal 5 and the hole 12, an inlet portion to the area B from the area A forms a nozzle, and a negative pressure portion 14 is generated by the occurrence of rapid expansion of the compressible fluid.
Accordingly, it becomes impossible to sufficiently float the rotating body 11 due to suction by the negative pressure portion 14. Hence, if the air supply pressure is raised, as shown in a graph in the bottom of FIG. 2, the negative pressure portion 14 rapidly disappears from a state shown by a broken line to a state shown by a solid line at the moment when the area A becomes smaller than the area B, and as a result, a sudden increase in the floating force occurs while causing the rotating body 11 to bound upward.
Further, in a case where the air or the like is allowed to flow out of the auxiliary hole 9 on the plate 8, as shown by a single-dot chain line in the graph in the bottom of FIG. 2, the floating force can be increased by increasing a pressure between the plate 8 and the bottom surface 13 of the rotating body 11, however, the air flowing out of the auxiliary hole 9 tends to flow toward an outer periphery of the plate 8 having a small resistance, and the above-mentioned negative pressure portion 14 is generated in the outer peripheral side of the auxiliary hole 9, so that in a heavy or a large size rotating body 11, there occurs a problem such that it is impossible to acquire a gap by a sufficient amount of floating force.
On the other hand, there can be considered an adoption of a non-compressive fluid such as a liquid, for example, a lubricating oil or the like is used instead of the compressive fluid of the gas such as the air or the like so as to prevent the nozzle effect from being generated, whereby the support of the weight of the rotating body 11 is made easy. Nevertheless, since a viscosity and a surface tension of the non-compressive fluid of the liquid are larger in comparison with the compressive fluid of the gas such as the air or the like, a rotational resistance caused by filling in a narrow gap between the support journal 5 and the hole 12 of the rotating body 11 becomes large, and a great rotating force is necessary for obtaining a necessary balance correction rotating speed. For example, in the configuration as shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B and 2, the fluid force for rotationally driving must become excessively large and accordingly, a problem is encountered in which the rotating body 11 tends to be eccentric with respect to the support journal 5.

Rotatably supporting device for correcting balance of rotating body

Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co., Ltd.


Intumescing materials for the fighting of fire or the prevention of damage resulting from fires are, as a rule, packaged in cartouches, from which they are removed for processing at building sites or the like. Their processing ability is limited because they harden to a rubberlike state with time. However, according to the invention, their spreading ability is maintained when a specific amount of a cellulose is added to the material.

It is already known to use intumescing materials in cable channels as a fire-protecting material, via spreadable and/or sprayable application, which at a temperature significantly exceeding the room temperature foams up to a deformation-resistant, fire-retardant foam corpus heat-insulating the inside of the channel. Such a material is available, for example, under the Trade Name "Pyro-Safe", and is easily processed and does not develop when being processed or during a fire, poisonous gases. At a specific excess temperature quickly reached in the case of a fire, it forms a foam corpus all over, the thickness of which exceeds many times the original layer thickness of the application, and achieves in this manner through the volume increase caused by the intumescence during a breakdown connected with a temperature increase, for example a fire, temporarily, a blocking action in the flow path in the vicinity of the sealing point.
The intumescing material is usually filled into cartouches and is traded and processed in this form. It has been proven that such a material, which consists of fungicides, dispersing and wetting agents, softeners, antifreezing compounds, fillers, colorants, foaming agents causing the intumescence, waterproofing materials determining the blocking action of the intumescing material and binding agents, is able to be processed only for a limited time period and thereafter hardens to a rubberlike state while eliminating water. It can then in most cases be no longer removed from the cartouches and can also no longer be safely processed.
The basic purpose of the invention is to overcome this deficiency and to provide a material of the above mentioned type which can be processed unlimitedly, even when it is stored in cartouches, and has a long storage time.

Fire-retardant material and a method for the manufacture of such a material


A payment terminal such as a payment reader may receive and form electrical connections with an electronic transaction card such as an EMV chip card. The payment terminal may provide power to the electronic transaction card and engage in communications with the electronic transaction card. Based on information received from the electronic transaction card, the payment terminal may predict the locations of data objects that must be accessed in order to process transactions. The data objects may be accessed based on the predictions and the transaction may be processed.

Electronic transaction processing systems may utilize a payment terminal. The payment terminal can include a payment reader with corresponding circuits that are used to process payment transactions and interact with payment devices such as a payment card having a magnetic strip that is swiped in a magnetic reader of the payment reader, a payment device having a Europay/Mastercard/Visa (EMV) chip that is inserted into a corresponding EMV slot of the payment reader, and near field communication (NFC) enabled devices such as a smart phone or EMV card that is tapped at the payment reader and transmits payment information over a secure wireless connection
Electronic devices such as electronic cards may store information that may be used for communications and processing of transactions. For example, EMV cards may have an EMV chip located on the EMV card. The EMV chip may interface with a device such as the payment terminal or a portion thereof, which may provide a power source for the EMV chip, e.g., by connecting power and ground pins of the EMV chip to a power source and ground of the payment terminal. Once the EMV chip is connected to a power source, it may communicate with the payment reader or terminal via one or more data lines. In this manner, the EMV chip may exchange information as required to complete a transaction such as a payment transaction.
The EMV chip and payment reader or terminal may perform certain initialization steps after power is applied to the EMV chip. Once those initialization steps are complete, transactions may be performed and information such as encrypted payment information may be exchanged. In the case of payment transactions, these steps of initialization and transaction processing may take a number of seconds to complete. During this time, the EMV chip and the payment reader or terminal must remain connected in order to maintain the power and communications connections with the EMV chip. This creates delays in transaction processing time and is inconvenient for customers and merchants.

Predictive data object acquisition and processing


An apparatus for data input. The apparatus comprises a sensing circuit for a plurality of keys, outputting an interruption signal and a corresponding group of data bits when one of the keys is pressed, a shift register circuit receiving a strobe signal, a clock signal and the group of data bits in parallel from the sensing circuit when the strobe signal is asserted, and serially outputting the group of data bits in synchronization with the clock signal, and a microcontroller receiving the interruption signal, outputting the strobe signal and clock signal when the interruption signal is asserted, and serially receiving the group of data bits from the shift register circuit to identify the key being pressed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for data input and particularly to a keypad or keyboard circuit, and key detection method thereof which achieves low power and system resource consumption.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, there are two configurations of connection of the keypad or keyboard to the host.
One is to connect each of the keys to one of the GPIO (General Purpose Input and Output) pins of a controller in the host. The controller of the host is the only device to detect and identify the keys. This configuration is characterized by its simplicity. However, the controller must have enough GPIO pins to afford such connections and the required number of GPIO pins is equal to the number of keys. Since the GPIO pin number is limited and it is impossible to dedicate all of GPIO pins to the connections of the keypad or keyboard, this configuration only applies to a keypad or keyboard with a small number of keys. Moreover, the controller may not have a pin for interruption, which results in a need for periodical monitoring of the keys and may exhaust the controller resource.
As for the other configuration, it occupies fewer GPIO pins by disposing the key switches on intersections of lines arranged in a matrix and connecting the row and column lines, rather than each of the keys, to the controller. However, the controller must still monitor the keys by scanning the matrix. The monitoring of keys in a matrix is more complicated than that of keys being directly connected. This also exhausts the resource and raises the power consumption of the controller. Moreover, for a keypad or keyboard with a small number of keys, the required number of GPIO pins is not significantly reduced. Thus, this configuration generally applies to a keypad or keyboard with a large number of keys.
Neither of the two previously described configurations can perfectly apply to a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). The number of keys in the PDA individually depends on its functional features and size requirement. Connecting each of the keys individually to the controller occupies too many GPIO pins and frustrates system designers. Connecting a key matrix to the controller does not significantly lower the burden on the controller and can even raise power consumption. High power consumption is critically disadvantageous to a battery powered PDA.

Apparatus for data input and key detection method thereof


The present invention covers new quinoline compounds of general formula (I), in which A, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, and Q are as defined herein, methods of preparing said compounds, intermediate compounds useful for preparing said compounds, pharmaceutical compositions and combinations comprising said compounds and the use of said compounds for manufacturing pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment, control and/or prevention of diseases, in particular of helminth infections, as a sole agent or in combination with other active ingredients.

The occurrence of resistances against all commercial anthelmintics seems to be a growing problem in the area of veterinary medicine. The extensive utilisation of anthelmintics to manage the control of nematodes resulted in significant selection of highly resistant worm populations. Therefore, the spread of resistance against all anthelmintic drug classes threatens effective worm control in cattle, goats, sheep and horses. Furthermore, successful prevention of heartworm disease in dogs, which currently solely relies on the utilisation of macrocyclic lactones, is in danger as loss of efficacy for multiple macrocyclic lactones has been described for some regions of the United States of America—especially in those areas where the heartworm challenge for infection is high. Finally, experimental infection studies with Dirofilaria immitis larvae from suspected field loss of efficacy cases in the Lower Mississippi Delta provided in vivo confirmation of the existence of macrocyclic lactone resistance.
Although resistance of human helminths against anthelmintics seems currently to be rare, the spread of anthelmintic resistance in the veterinary field as mentioned before needs to be considered in the treatment of human helminthosis as well. Persistent underdosed treatments against filariosis may lead to highly resistant genotypes and resistances have already been described for certain anthelmintics (e.g. praziquantel, benzimidazole and niclosamide).
Therefore, resistance-breaking anthelmintics with new molecular modes of action are urgently required. It is an object of the present invention to provide compounds which can be used as anthelmintics in the medical, especially veterinary, field with a satisfactory or improved anthelmintic activity against a broad spectrum of helminths, particularly at relatively low dosages, for the control, treatment and/or prevention of infections with helminths in animals and humans, preferably without any adverse toxic effects to the treated organism.
Certain quinoline carboxamides are described in JP2008-214323A as agents suitable for treatment and/or prevention of skin diseases, like acne vulgaris, dermatitis or the like.
The WO2017103851 discloses quinoline-3-carboxamides as H-PGDS inhibitors, useful for treating atherosclerosis, psoriasis, sinusitis, and duchenne muscular dystrophy.
WO2018087036 discloses quinoline-3-carboxamides as anthelmintics in the medical especially veterinary field.
However, the state of the art does not describe the new quinoline derivatives of general formula (I) of the present invention as described and defined herein.
It has now been found, and this constitutes the basis of the present invention, that the compounds of the present invention have surprising and advantageous properties.
In particular, the compounds of the present invention have surprisingly been found to effectively interact with Slo-1 calcium-gated potassium channels of nematodes. This interaction is characterized by achieving paralysis/inhibition in particular of gastro-intestinal nematodes, of free-living nematodes, and of filariae, for which data are given in the biological experimental section. Therefore the compounds of the present invention may be used as anthelmintics for the control, treatment and/or prevention of gastro-intestinal and extra-intestinal helminth infections, in particular gastro-intestinal and extra-intestinal infections with nematodes, including filariae.


A method of fabricating a nitride substrate including preparing a growth substrate and disposing a sacrificial layer on the growth substrate. The sacrificial layer includes a nitride horizontal etching layer including an indium-based nitride and an upper nitride sacrificial layer formed on the nitride horizontal etching layer. The method of fabricating the nitride substrate also includes horizontally etching the nitride horizontal etching layer, forming at least one etching hole at least partially through the upper nitride sacrificial layer such that the at least one etching hole expands in the nitride horizontal etching layer in a horizontal direction during horizontal etching of the nitride horizontal etching layer, forming a nitride epitaxial layer on the upper nitride sacrificial layer by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) and separating the nitride epitaxial layer from the growth substrate at the nitride horizontal etching layer.

1. Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a method of fabricating a nitride substrate. More particularly, exemplary embodiments relate to a method of fabricating a nitride substrate having high quality and low density of defects such as dislocations.
2. Discussion of the Background
Among III-V based compound semiconductors, nitride semiconductors (i.e., aluminum-based nitride, gallium-based nitride, and indium-based nitride semiconductors) have excellent electromagnetic characteristics. Thus, nitride semiconductors have been recently been utilized in light emitting diodes, photo-detectors, and high-speed electronic devices. In particular, gallium nitride (GaN) is commonly used to manufacture semiconductor devices because gallium nitride has an energy band-gap of 3.4 eV and has direct transition type characteristics.
In fabrication of a gallium nitride semiconductor, a homogeneous substrate along with the gallium nitride semiconductor may be used as a growth substrate. However, gallium nitride has a melting point of over 2,000° C. and a very high nitrification vapor pressure. Thus, it is difficult to fabricate an ingot of gallium nitride and a gallium nitride substrate. To make the fabrication of gallium nitride easier, a heterogeneous substrate (i.e., sapphire (Al2O3) substrate, a silicon carbide (SiC) substrate, and a silicon (Si) substrate) is used as a growth substrate instead of a homogeneous substrate. However, the gallium nitride semiconductor fabricated using the heterogeneous substrate typically has a high defect density due to a difference in the lattice parameter and the coefficient of thermal expansion between the heterogeneous substrate and the gallium nitride semiconductor. Such a high defect density can cause deterioration in the operational characteristics of the gallium nitride semiconductor.
A gallium nitride substrate is generally fabricated by growing a single nitride crystal layer to hundreds of micrometers on a heterogeneous substrate, such as a sapphire substrate or a silicon carbide substrate, through metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) or hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE), followed by separating the heterogeneous substrate from the single crystal layer through laser lift-off (LLO).
However, MOCVD allows growth of a gallium nitride epitaxial layer at a rate of several hundred micrometers per hour at most. Thus, it is very difficult to grow a gallium nitride substrate having a thickness of hundreds of micrometers. Also, the effectiveness of MOCVD is low due to high costs of metal organic sources and equipment operation. In contrast, HVPE allows growth of a gallium nitride epitaxial layer at a rate of 100 μm/hour or more. Thus, it is possible to fabricate a gallium nitride substrate having a thickness of hundreds of micrometers within a relatively short period of time. In addition, since HVPE employs gallium and ammonia gas as Ga and N sources, HVPE is more economical than MOCVD.
As briefly described above, sapphire used for growth of the gallium nitride epitaxial layer causes generation of stress and strain from an interface between a sapphire substrate and the gallium nitride epitaxial layer due to a significant difference in the lattice parameter (about 16%) and the coefficient of thermal expansion (about 35%) between the sapphire substrate and the gallium nitride epitaxial layer. Such stress and strain may cause lattice defects, bowing and cracking of the gallium nitride epitaxial layer, and deterioration in the quality of the manufactured gallium nitride substrate. In particular, when the gallium nitride epitaxial layer is grown using HVPE, the grown gallium nitride epitaxial layer typically has a relatively high defect density and may suffers from frequent bowing and cracking due to a very high growth rate. In addition, when the gallium nitride epitaxial layer is grown to a thickness of 10 μm or more on the sapphire substrate, thicker gallium nitride epitaxial layer may reduce a radius of curvature, thereby causing a higher degree of bowing. As a result, stress is further increased, thereby causing a higher density of cracks. Furthermore, when temperature is lowered after growth of the gallium nitride epitaxial layer, local cracking at a high stress region of the epitaxial layer can be propagated to the entirety of the epitaxial layer, and a gallium nitride substrate made from the gallium nitride epitaxial layer having cracks cannot be used as a growth substrate for a gallium nitride semiconductor.
Moreover, when a laser is employed to separate the heterogeneous substrate, such as a sapphire substrate from the gallium nitride epitaxial layer, the substrate is gradually separated from a partial portion of the interface between the substrate the gallium nitride epitaxial layer to the entirety thereof since a laser beam has a much smaller cross-sectional area than the overall area of the interface. As a result, stress and strain are first released at a portion of the interface, thereby causing cracking of the gallium nitride epitaxial layer or fracture of the entire substrate.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.

Method of fabricating a nitride substrate


A system and method for generating access authorization in a secure manner. After establishing data communications, a product and product center exchange unique information for the independent generation of a valid access authorization by both the product and product center. The access authorization then allows a computer system associated with the product center to access the product for testing, diagnostics, etc. An added security feature invalidates the access authorization after a predetermined time period.

In the data storage and server industry, an effort is being made by manufacturers to offer more reliable data storage and server products. Such efforts include the provision of 24×7×365 support services aimed to minimize any customer down time that may result from error(s), including but not limited to a product system, product component, or product software errors, or, minimize any repair action that results from the error. One system feature, referred to as "Call Home", is a fault reporting and remote dial-out diagnostic service feature that has been available in many server products (e.g., entry, midrange, high-end, mainframe, etc.) and data storage products. Such Call Home feature is preferably built into the server and/or data storage product and devised to automatically contact a remote customer repair facility in the event that some error has occurred. One particular product that is provided with the Call Home feature is an automated storage library, such as the IBM 3584 Ultra Scalable Tape Library which is a system designed for cost-effectively handling a wide range of data storage services including backup, archive, and disaster recovery data storage needs.
FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary automated storage library 100 having the built in Call Home feature. As shown in FIG. 1, the automated storage library 100 includes one or more storage drives 106, storage bins 109, and, a robotic picker including gripper mechanisms 108 for moving removable media (e.g., tape) between the storage drives 106 and storage bins 109. The Call Home feature is provided to automatically contact a remote customer repair facility in the event that some error has occurred. Any communication between a host system 102 and the automated storage library 100 may occur over a communications network 104, such as a POTS, Internet, or the like. For example, the Call Home feature may automatically contact a repair facility through a dial-up MODEM 112 over communications link 115, the Internet, or some other communication mechanism. Generally, a Call Home record is generated that includes detailed information about the error and any related information, such as diagnostic logs, etc. In some instances, however, more information is required by the repair center because it may not be practical to anticipate every piece of information that may be needed in the Call Home record. For example, product center personnel may wish to inspect certain areas of product memory that were not reported in the Call Home record. In such cases, the repair center may use another feature such as Call In, which is a feature that permits repair personnel to contact the storage product from a remote location. As with Call Home, this communication may be established with a dial-up MODEM, the Internet, or some other communication media/mechanism. The Call In feature further allows for the diagnosis of problems without actually going to the customer site. This can save a great deal of time because a visit to the customer site does not have to be scheduled and there is no travel time associated with such activity.
While a beneficial support feature, the Call In function has a drawback in the area of logon security and, particularly, the use of fixed passwords. With the current call in function, unauthorized access to a customer machine is possible which could lead to a number of undesirable consequences including intentional or unintentional disruption of customer services. For example, a repair person of a prior art repair center that had performed a diagnostic/support service and had access to the customer's fixed password in the performance of the service, may be enabled to subsequently gain unauthorized access to that customer's system. Related art methods have not adequately addressed the issue of logon security where there is a need to authorize limited repair center access to a customer machine. Thus, for example, a password that is initially shared between the access grantor and the access requester is more easily detected by unauthorized surveillance and therefore remains a logon security risk. The prior art simply has a need for a more secure logon, i.e., access method that is dynamic and unpredictable.

Automatic password configuration during error reporting


An improved drawer dividing device comprising a plurality of strips of resilient material fixedly joined at a plurality of locations to form a collapsible grating which can be expanded, as required, to provide a desired number of individually separate storage spaces, yet which is adjustable in size to occupy only the amount of space required for storing the desired number of articles.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to dividers for dresser drawers and the like and is particularly directed to improved drawer dividers which require minimal storage space, when not in use, and which are readily expandable to separate, retain and organize small articles in all or a desired portion of a drawer.
2. Prior Art
Storage space in dresser drawers and the like is always limited. Furthermore, it is often necessary or desirable to store a plurality of small articles, such as socks, in a given drawer. Unfortunately, when this is done, it is extremely difficult to separate the articles into any semblance of order. Many people simply throw all of their socks into a sock draw loosely. However, this is very unsightly and makes it virtually impossible to find a matching pair among the seemingly endless variety of individual socks. Other people wrap mating socks together into a ball and toss the balls into the sock drawer. This facilitates finding appropriate pairs of socks. However, the sock "balls" tend to roll about, as the drawer is opened and closed, which makes it difficult to keep similarly colored sock balls located in a group and hence to maintain organization within the drawer. At the same time, it may be necessary or desirable to keep other small items in the same drawer. Thus, it may be desirable to keep handkerchiefs or jewelry items, such as tie tacks, cuff links, etc. in the sock drawer. However, when the drawer is opened and closed, the movement causes the items to move about and become intermingled, so that the drawer looks messy and it is difficult to locate desired items within the drawer.
In order to overcome this problem, numerous prior art devices have been proposed. Thus, it has been proposed to provide sock drawers having longitudinal and vertical separating boards permanently installed to provide a plurality of cubicles, each sized to accommodate a single sock ball. Unfortunately, this precludes use of the drawer for virtually any other purpose. Alternatively, it has been proposed to provide one or more boards which can be inserted into pairs of slots formed on opposite sides of the drawer to divide the drawer into two or more areas extending the width of the drawer. Unfortunately, the number of such boards and slots is usually extremely limited, so that the number of separate areas which can be created is equally limited. Furthermore, such boards and slots make no provision for lateral separation. Still others have proposed rectangular grates formed to accommodate a given number of sock balls, for example, a dozen. However, such grates occupy the same amount of drawer space, regardless of whether one, two four or a full dozen pairs of socks are stored therein. Thus, unless the grate is substantially full, a considerable amount of drawer space is occupied, unnecessarily, by the grate itself. Thus, none of the prior art drawer dividing means have been entirely satisfactory.


A plurality of Hall ICs 34A, 34B are disposed around a magnetic rod 32 that is movable along a central axis. The Hall ICs are disposed in different positions in terms of both a straight line distance coordinate in the direction of the central axis and a rotational angle coordinate around the central axis. The amount of displacement of the magnetic rod 32 is calculated based on the average of output signals from the Hall ICs. Errors in the output signals due to a shift and tilt of the magnetic rod are detected and calibration of the measurement method is carried out.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a displacement sensor that comprises magnetic sensing devices such as Hall ICs, and a magnetic member that generates a magnetic field and is movable relative to the magnetic sensing devices, the displacement sensor outputting electrical signals from the magnetic sensing devices having a level corresponding to the amount of displacement of the magnetic member.
2. Description of the Related Art
A displacement sensor disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2000-258109 has a rod-shaped magnetic member (e.g. a magnet) joined to a mover, and two magnetic sensing devices are disposed in positions differing by 180° on the same circumference centered on a central axis of the magnetic member. Output signals from the two magnetic sensing devices are averaged, whereby errors in the output signals from the two magnetic sensing devices due to misalignment of the rod-shaped magnet in the radial direction cancel each other out, and hence the accuracy of position detection is improved.
With such a displacement sensor, it is generally desired to expand the range of amounts of displacement that can be detected (the detection range).
Moreover, the installation position of the magnetic member may be slightly misaligned from the proper position. This misalignment comprises two components, a shift in the central axis of the magnetic member in the radial direction from the proper position of the axis, and a tilt of the central axis of the magnetic member from the proper direction of the axis; in general, such a shift and tilt are present compounded together. Errors occur in the output signals from the magnetic sensing devices due to this shift and tilt. It is desirable for errors due to such misalignment to be detected when the displacement sensor is shipped out from the factory, during use or the like, and for the displacement sensor to be calibrated based on this. However, with the prior art described above, the errors in the output signals from the magnetic sensing devices cannot be detected in the case that a shift and tilt of the magnetic member are compounded together.