This invention relates to .alpha. and .beta.-L-pyranosyl nucleosides of Formula (I), wherein the nucleoside substitution on the pyranosyl carbohydrate molecule comprises a substituted or unsubstituted purine (adenine or guanine) or pyrimidine (cytosine, uracil, thymine and hypoxanthine) base. Also provided are methods to make the .alpha. and .beta.-L-pyranosyl nucleosides and methods of using such to treat cancer in a mammal.

Perigaud, C. et al., Nucleosides and Nucleotides, 11 (2-4), 903-945, (1992) provide a useful overview of the current state of the art relating to the use of nucleosides and/or nucleotides as chemotherapeutic agents (including use as anticancer, antiviral and antibacterial agents). As described in this review article, the term "nucleoside(s)" relates to naturally-occurring nucleosides which are distinguished depending on the base, for example, adenine and guanine (A and G, respectively) have a purine base, whereas cytosine, uracil, thymine and hypoxanthine (C, U, T, and H, respectively) have a pyrimidine base.
Nagasawa, N., et al., J. Org. Chem., 32, 251-252, (1967) describe the production of certain D-ribopyranosyl nucleosides (particularly 9-(2'-Deoxy-.beta.-D-ribopyranosyl)adenosine. Fucik, V., et al., Nucleic Acids Research, Vol. 1, No. 4, (1974), 639-644, describe structural effects of chemical modification upon the affinity of purine nucleosides to cytidine-transport system in Bacillus subtilis using a series of modified derivatives including certain ribopyranosyl nucleosides.
As is well known, sugars found in natural nucleic acids are D-ribose and D-deoxyribose in almost all cases. Much research has been done to investigate the chemical and biological activities of the D-isomers of ribonucleotides and ribonucleosides, however, far less work has been done with the L-isomers. This is primarily due to the fact that the synthesis of the L-isomers is much more difficult, often involving the optical resolution of the D, L-isomers of nucleosides with the aid of microorganisms and enzymes. (See generally, Asai, M., et al., Chem. Pharm. Bull., 15(12), 1863-1870, (1967)). The known activity of D-nucleoside compounds, and the successful commercialization of many of such D-sugar nucleosides (see Perigaud, C., et al., supra, for a discussion of D-nucleoside analogs which have gained commercial acceptance) lead in part to the present work relating to the L-isomers of certain nucleoside analogs.
Perhaps the best known commercial nucleobase analog is 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) the structure of which is shown below: ##STR1## 5-FU is an antimetabolite compound commercially available from Roche and is one of the most commonly used drugs for treating certain types of cancer. The high acceptance of this drug is due in part to its extreme cytotoxic effects. However, this highly toxic compound has a narrow margin of safety and it has many side effects including, for example, GI side effects like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, alopecia, etc. Additionally, 5-FU is primarily used as an intravenous formulation. Therefore, there is a need for a nucleoside analog which is perhaps as cytotoxic as 5-FU or which is less cytotoxic but more specific than 5-FU, and which preferably can be administered orally.
5-FU is currently dosed at short intervals due to the damage it does to normal cells. The patient is taken off chemotherapy for a time to allow recovery from the cytotoxic effects of the treatment. It is contemplated that if a drug is developed that is less cytotoxic to healthy cells it would no longer be necessary to treat the patient in periodic intervals, which may be associated with the development of multiple drug resistance often exhibited in treated cancer cells. Specifically, as a tumor is being killed the cells that are most resistant to the drug die slower and, therefore, when the treatment is stopped (often because of the toxicity to normal cells), the more resistant tumor cells are left to multiply.
A significant commercial nucleoside analog is azidothymidine (AZT), commercially available as Retrovir from Burroughs Wellcome. AZT, a .beta.-D-deoxy-ribofuranosyl derivative of the formula : ##STR2## is useful as an antiviral agent, particularly against the virus responsible for the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
This compound, like 5-FU, is associated with a number of undesirable side effects including hematologic toxicity such as granulocytopenia and/or severe anemia.
Without intending to be limited, applicants believe that the L-nucleoside compounds, as claimed in the present invention, may be beneficial over compounds such as 5-FU and AZT since it is believed that L-nucleosides (as claimed) exhibit selective permeability to compromised cells. By compromised cells we mean cells such as cancer cells or other infected cells whether the infection is bacterial, fungal, viral or parasitic. It is believed that the L-nucleosides of the present invention may be transported into or permeate these compromised cells, whereas in normal cells the L-nucleosides would not permeate. (See, for example, Lin, T. S., et al., Abstract entitled "Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of 2', 3'-Dideoxy-L-Pyrimidine Nucleosides as Potential Antiviral Agents against HIV and HBV", published J. Med. Chem., (1994), 37, 798-803; and Spadari, S., et al., J. Med. Chem., (1992), 35 4214-4220.) Therefore, to the extent these L-nucleosides are selective for compromised cells, they are less harmful to normal cells than compounds like 5-FU.
In addition to this concept of selective permeability, in viral-infected cells where therapeutic compounds often have an inhibitory mechanism related to the RNA of the cell, it is contemplated that the enzymes of such viral-infected cells may be less specific than in a normal cell and, therefore, if you can permeate the cell with an L-nucleoside, a more primitive enzyme (such as an organic phosphorylases, kinase or thymidylate synthase) may recognize the compound in such a way as to cause inhibition.
The present invention, therefore, relates to a novel group of such L-pyranosyl nucleosides which have interesting activity as anticancer, antiviral, antiparasitic, antifungal and/or antimicrobial agents. These compounds are generally water soluble, which suggests that oral deliver may be achieved. This would be specifically advantageous versus anticancer compounds such as 5-FU. And the activity of these compounds may be more selective for compromised cells as compared to normal cells, suggesting that compounds of this invention will cause fewer side effects than similar compounds such as 5-FU.


A method of forming a wafer level packaged circuit device includes forming a device wafer, the device wafer including a first group of one or more material layers left remaining in a first region of a substrate of the device wafer; and forming a cap wafer configured to be attached to the device wafer, the cap wafer including a second group of one or more material layers left remaining in a second region of a substrate of the cap wafer; wherein a combined thickness of the first and second groups of one or more material layers defines an integrated bond gap control structure upon bonding of the device wafer and the cap wafer.

The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor device manufacturing and, more particularly, to bond gap control structures (BGCS) for wafer level packaged optical microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices.
Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) are integrated micro devices or systems combining electrical and mechanical components. MEMS devices may be fabricated using, for example, standard integrated circuit batch processing techniques. Exemplary applications for MEMS devices include sensing, controlling, and actuating on the micro scale. Such MEMS devices may function individually or in arrays to generate effects on a macro scale.
Many MEMS devices require a vacuum environment in order to attain maximum performance. The vacuum package also provides protection and an optimal operating environment for the MEMS device. Specific examples of these MEMS devices include infrared MEMS such as bolometers, and certain inertial MEMS such as gyros and accelerometers. Previously, MEMS devices have been individually packaged in vacuum compatible packages after fabrication and dicing of the MEMS device. Often, however, the cost of packaging MEMS devices in traditional metal or ceramic packages may be on the order of about 10 to 100 times the device fabrication cost. This especially true if a vacuum is required in the package. These high packaging costs therefore make it difficult to develop commercially viable vacuum packaged MEMS devices. In addition, MEMS devices are fragile especially after dicing. Care must be taken in handling these devices, and traditional integrated circuit fabrication machinery cannot adequately handle and protect MEMS devices. Thus, special handling techniques have also been developed to protect the MEMS devices until vacuum packaging has been completed. These special handling procedures also add additional cost to the production of MEMS devices.
Wafer Level Packaging (WLP) was developed to address the high cost of packaging of MEMS by eliminating the traditional packages. In the WLP process, two semiconductor wafers may be bonded together using a joining material to yield bonded wafers. For example, a device wafer may be bonded to a lid wafer using an adhesive or solder to form a packaged MEMS device. Certain applications may require that the joining material form a substantially uniform bond line. In certain situations, substrates (such as silicon wafers) may be bonded together using a joining material. After bonding, the joining material forms a bond line in between the substrates. However, the uniformity of the bond line may be affected by the flatness of the substrates and the uniformity of the bond force used to bond the wafers. The uniformity of the bond line may be controlled by placing spacers at certain intervals across the surface of one or both substrates. However, adding the spacers usually requires adding process steps to the fabrication process.

Integrated bondline spacers for wafer level packaged circuit devices


DNA encoding human VR1 receptor has been cloned and characterized. The recombinant protein is capable of forming biologically active protein. The cDNA's have been expressed in recombinant host cells that produce active recombinant protein. The recombinant protein is also purified from the recombinant host cells. In addition, the recombinant host cells are utilized to establish a method for identifying modulators of the receptor activity, and receptor modulators are identified.

Noxious chemical, thermal and mechanical stimuli excite peripheral nerve endings of small diameter sensory neurons (nociceptors) in sensory ganglia (eg., dorsal root, nodose and trigeminal ganglia) and initiate signals that are perceived as pain. These neurons are crucial for the detection of harmful or potentially harmful stimuli (heat) and tissue damage (H+ (local tissue acidosis), and/or stretch) which arise from changes in the extracellular space during inflammatory or ischaemic conditions (Wall and Melzack, 1994). The vanilloid capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide), the main pungent ingredient in "hot" capsicum peppers, is a very selective activator of thinly or unmyelinated nociceptive afferents (Szolcsanyi, 1993; Szolcsanyi, 1996). Electrophysiological studies have shown that vanilloids excite small sensory neurons by activating a plasma membrane channel that is non-selectively permeable to cations (Bevan and Szolcsanyi, 1990; Oh et al., 1996; Wood et al., 1988). The ultra potent tricyclic diterpene resiniferatoxin from Euphorbia plants (RTX; (Szolcsanyi et al., 1991)) binds with nanomolar affinity at the capsaicin binding site and has revealed a very localized distribution of capsaicin receptors to rat somatic and visceral primary sensory neurons (Szallasi, 1995).
The vanilloid receptor VR1 (Caterina et al., 1997) is thought to be a heat-sensing receptor whose threshold is decreased in the presence of protons or capsaicin (Tominaga et al., 1998). Capsaicin and protons interact at specific membrane recognition sites (vanilloid receptors) expressed almost exclusively by primary sensory neurons involved in nociception and neurogenic inflammation (Bevan and Szolcsanyi, 1990). The vanilloid ("capsaicin") receptor VR1 is activated by capsaicin and RTX, and activation of VR1 is blocked by the antagonists capsazepine (CPZ; (Bevan et al., 1992)) and ruthenium red (RR; (Caterina et al., 1997; Wood et al., 1988)).
Hydropathicity analysis of the amino acid sequence of VR1 reveals 6 potential membrane spanning regions (S1–S6) and a putative pore-loop region between S5 and S6. A large intracellular domain contains 3 ankyrin repeat domains. (Caterina et al., 1997). This channel has significant structural similarities with the putative "store-operated" TRP calcium channel family. VR1 is a ligand-gated non-selective cation channel that shows pronounced outward rectification (Caterina et al., 1997). Importantly, VR1 is highly permeable to Ca2+, an ion known to be very important in regulating cell function ((Blackstone and Sheng, 1999; Gupta and Pushkala, 1999; van Haasteren et al., 1999)).
Searching genomic databases has revealed VRL-1, a subunit structurally related to VR1. Rat and human VRL-1 (AF129113 and AF129112, respectively) are ˜49% identical and 66% similar to rat VR1 (AF029310)) (Caterina et al., 1999). Human VRL protein (AF103906) cloned by Wood and collegues (unpublished) is 99% identical to VRL-1 (AF129112). Recently, a patent application by Partiseti and Renard was published that described hVRCC (human vanilloid receptor like cation channel) which is nearly identical to AF129112 (the only difference is the deletion of Q418). We will refer to these sequences as VR2. Overall, the predicted structure of VR1 and VR2 is characteristic of a family of ion channels defined by the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels originally cloned from Drosophila melanogaster, a Ca-permeable channel that plays a role in phototransduction (Lu and Wong, 1987; Minke and Selinger, 1996). This receptor appears to also be involved in the sensation of pain-producing heat (Caterina et al., 1999). Expression of VR2 in oocytes and HEK cells usually conferred a sensitivity of the cells to noxious temperatures (>53 deg C.), that was not sensitive to CPZ but was nearly completely blocked at 10 μM ruthenium red. Activation of VR2 induces a non-selective cation current with high permeability to Ca2+. Interestingly, the threshold for heat sensitivity decreased with repeated application of noxious stimuli, but not subthreshold temperatures (Caterina et al., 1999).
The rat SIC (stretch-inhibitable channel; Genbank AB015231), encoded by 529 amino acids, is thought to form an ion channel inhibited by stretch (Suzuki et al., 1999). The first 379 amino acids homologous to rat VR1 SIC lacks the large N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the VR family but contains a sequence homologous to the A exon prior to the putative TM1. The last 163 amino acids, beginning in the middle of putative TM6 of rat SIC are similar to the corresponding amino acid sequence of the human VR3 A+B− of the present invention.
The present invention describes the cloning and function of a novel vanilloid receptor family member, VR3. This gene appears to be alternatively spliced to create at least 3 isoforms.


A gasket is provided for use between an engine block and a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine. The engine block has a combustion chamber fitted with a liner. A liner seal is compressed between an end of the liner and the cylinder head. The pressure of combustion tends to flex the cylinder head away from the engine block at a location away from the bolts which secure the head to the block, forming a gap. The gasket has an opening adapted to register with the combustion chamber. A thickened ring portion on the gasket surrounds the opening and serves as a load limiter for the seal, takes up the gap between the head and block caused by flexing, and provides a path for unloading combustion forces to limit movement of the liner.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to gaskets for use in internal combustion engines, and more particularly to a gasket for an internal combustion engine having replaceable cylinder liners (for example, heavy-duty diesel engines).
2. Related Art
The pressures in the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine have a tendency to flex the cylinder head upwardly, except at the location where the cylinder head is bolted to the engine block. Typically, the bolts are spaced away from the combustion chambers of the engine. As a result, the pressures of combustion flex the cylinder head away from the engine block in a region between the bolts and the combustion chamber, producing a gap. In an engine having combustion chamber liners sealed to the cylinder head, as combustion forces unload, there is, because of this gap, a tendency for the forces to drive through the seal and the liner, rather than into the block through the tightly clamped, bolted region. This results in liner movement and wear of the seal.
A gasket constructed according to the invention includes a gasket plate adapted to be installed between an engine block having a combustion chamber fitted with a liner and a liner seal, and a cylinder head which is bolted to the block at locations spaced from the combustion chamber. The plate has bolt holes for the bolts and an opening surrounding the combustion chamber. An annular thickened portion of the plate is provided immediately adjacent the opening. The thickened portion takes up the gap that forms between the head and block when combustion pressures flex the portion of the cylinder head inwardly of the bolts away from the block. The thickened portion further serves to limit the load on the liner seal and provides a direct unloading path from the head to the block for transmitting the unloading forces as the head portion recovers following flexing.
In one embodiment of the present invention the thickened portion is spaced laterally outwardly of the liner seal and may be provided by an incompressible metal or sintered metal ring which overlies an edge of the gasket around the opening. The effect of this enlarged or thickened portion of the gasket is to serve as a load limiter to limit the load on the liner seal, to take up the gap, and to provide a path for unloading forces generated in the combustion chamber to the engine block. The result is significantly less liner movement and reduced wear on the seal.
In another embodiment of the invention, the gasket comprises a metal carrier plate sandwiched between parallel metal cover plates formed with embossments or sealing beads. The plates of the gasket cooperate to form a seal between the liner and the cylinder head. The carrier plate has an enlarged or thickened portion radially outwardly of the combustion chamber. The enlarged or thickened portion of the carrier plate, in cooperation with the cover plates, has the same general function as the enlarged or thickened portion previously referred to, that is to serve as a load limiter, to take up the gap that may form between the engine block and the cylinder head, and to provide a path for unloading forces generated in the combustion chamber to the engine block. Another thickened portion of the carrier overlies the liner and cooperates with the outer layers to form a seal for the liner.
In addition to the above objects and advantages, the gasket has the further advantages of being of relatively simple construction, rugged and durable in use, being inexpensively manufactured and easily installed.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent when considering the following description and accompanying drawings.

Gasket with dynamic joint motion control


The present invention relates to a compound according to formula (A) wherein n is 1 or 2; R1 and R2 are independently hydrogen, C1-4 alkyl, C1-4 haloalkyl, C1-4 alkoxy, CD3 or halogen; R3 is hydrogen, C(═O)OR7 or C1-4 alkyl optionally substituted with hydroxy or NR8R9; R4 is hydrogen or oxo; R5 and R6 are independently hydrogen, hydroxy, NR8R9, C(═O)R7, C(═O)OR7, C(═O)NR8R9, C1-4 alkyl, wherein said C1-4 alkyl is optionally substituted with hydroxy, NR8R9 or a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring, wherein said 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring is optionally substituted with C1-4 alkyl or C(═O)R7; or R5 and R6, together with the carbon atom to which they are attached, form ═CH2 or a 5- or 6-membered heterocycloalkyl, wherein said heterocycloalkyl is optionally substituted with C1-4 alkyl; R7 is hydrogen or C1-4 alkyl; R8 and R9 are independently hydrogen or C1-4 alkyl, or R8 and R9, together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, form a 5- or 6-membered heterocyclic ring, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof. The invention relates further to intermediates for the preparation of said compounds, to said compounds for use in therapy, to pharmaceutical compositions comprising said compounds, to methods of treating or ameliorating pruritic dermal diseases or conditions with said compounds, and to the use of said compounds in the manufacture of medicaments.

Pruritus is a common symptom of skin diseases as well as a sign of an underlying systemic pathology. Pruritus is an unpleasant sensation in the skin that provokes a desire to scracth and may be acute (of short duration) such as the reaction to an insect bite or chronic (lasting for more than 6 weeks) such as in many inflammatory skin diseases. It is well known that patients with inflammatory skin diseases perceive pruritus as seriously compromising their quality of life.
Pruritus is mediated via free nerve endings of non-myelinated C-type nerve fibres in epidermis. These have been found to express neuropeptides, and the epidermal keratinocytes produce neuropeptides, receptors for neuropeptides, nerve growth factor, vanilloid receptors proteinase-activated receptor type 2 (PAR2) and voltage-gated ATP channels (M W Greaves, Curr. Allergy Asthma Rep. 10, 2010, pp. 236-242). Neuropeptides suchs as Substance P have been shown to increase the production and release of nerve growth factor from cultured keratinocytes, suggesting that interactions between the immune system and the nervous system are important in the development of inflammation including pruritus. Inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, psoriasis and urticaria are associated with increased production of cytokines, neurotrophins and neuropeptides that may exacerbate the pruritus (U. Raap et al., Curr. Opin. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 11, 2011, pp. 420-427). While neuropeptides such as Substance P are not considered crucial for the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, they do play an important role in the development and severity of the condition, for instance by provoking the itch-scratch cycle where scratching exacerbates the inflammatory symptoms of atopic dermatitis (J. Salomon and E. Baran, JEADV 22, 2008, pp. 223-228). Furthermore, an increase of dermal nerves and upregulation of receptors for neuropeptides, e.g. the neurokinin 1 receptor has been found in skin from psoriasis patients with pruritus as opposed to skin from psoriasis patients without pruritus (S-E. Chang et al., Br. J. Dermatol. 156, 2007, pp. 1272-1277).
It has also been found that other cell types resident in skin release mediators of pruritus. Thus, mast cells contain large amounts of histamine that are released on activation of the cells and induce pruritus by targeting histamine H1 receptors on nerve endings. Eosinophils which infiltrate inflamed skin in atopic dermatitis, urticaria and contact dermatitis produce and release neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor.
Current therapeutic treatments of pruritus include both topical and systemic medicaments. Topical treatments include emollients and barrier creams that are believed to act by improving the barrier function of the skin, corticosteroids that do not appear to be antipruritic in themselves but act by relieving the attendant skin inflammation. This may also be the case for calcineurin inhibitors such as tacrolimus which has been shown to reduce pruritus in atopic dermatitis patients. Histamine H1 antagonists have also shown effect against pruritus in atopic dermatitis patients, but exhibits systemic side effects in the form of drowsiness in a significant number of patients. Local anesthetics such as lidocain have been found to exhibit anti-pruritic properties (Patel and Yosipovitch, Expert. Opin. Pharmacother. 11(10), 2010, 1673-1682).
Systemic therapy of pruritus include oral antihistamines, antidepressants, neuroleptics and immunosuppressants such as cyclosporin. A neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, aprepitant, which has been developed as an oral antiemetic drug for use to counteract the nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy or post surgery, has been found to relieve pruritus in patients suffering from Sézary syndrome by oral administration (Duval and Dubertret, New Engl. J. Med. 361, 2009, pp. 1415-1416) and in patients with atopic diathesis, prurigo nodularis and systemic pruritus (S. Stander et al., Plos One, 2010, p. 5).
WO01/25219 discloses piperazine derivatives which are antagonists of tachykinins, including substance P and other neurokinins.
WO02/32867 discloses piperidine derivatives which are antagonists of tachykinins, including substance P and other neurokinins
WO02/081457 discloses 1,4-diazepane-1-carboxylic acid derivatives process for their preparation and their use as tachykinin antagonists
WO2009002770 discloses 6.5 pyrrolopiperidine tachykinin receptor antagonists.
As many of the antipruritic treatments available at present have side-effects that may limit their use, and as many dermal conditions are preferentially treated with topical medications, especially when the conditions is of mild to moderate severity, there is a continued need to develop neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) antagonists which are effective in the treatment of itch on topical application, but which have reduced systemic effects on the central nervous system.

Substituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]piperazines and pyrrolo[1,2-a][1,4]diazepines as neurokinin 1 receptor antagonists


A thermostatic regulator (30) for a single handle mixer valve (12) has a sensor (32) mounted in a mixed water chamber (34) for sensing the temperature of the outlet water. The sensor is connected to a valve (20) that is mounted in the cold water supply line (18) to restrict the availability of cold water when the water in the hot water line (16) is down below a set temperature.

Many faucets have devices that control the temperature of the mixed output flow from hot and cold water supplies. One reason for thermostatic control is to eliminate constant readjustment of the valve when the temperature of the hot water supply fluctuates. The temperature of the hot water supply may vary substantially. The initial temperature of the hot water supply within the supply conduits may be cool after long periods of faucet inactivity particularly if the hot water tank is far from the faucet and the pipeline leading from the hot water tank to the faucet is long. Furthermore, if the hot water heater is being taxed to capacity and cannot keep up and the hot water tank is running out of hot water, the hot water supply may substantially cool down over a relatively short period of time.
Most known thermostatic faucet mixing valves work by changing the flow rates of both the hot and cold water simultaneously in opposite directions so as to keep the temperature of the mixed outlet water approximately constant within certain limits. The impetus of providing simultaneously lowering and increasing flow rates of the respective hot and cold water supplies and vice versa is to provide for a near constant flow rate during the thermostatic adjustments.
Many of these types of thermostatic mixing valves use the thermostatic element to determine a relatively narrow range of temperature allowed for the mixed outlet water and incorporate the thermostatic device into the mixing control. To adjust the temperature of the outflow, one adjusts the specialized mixing mechanism that incorporates the thermostatic element. Total flow rate then needs to be controlled by another mechanism. The inclusion of two separate mechanisms, one for controlling total flow rate and the other for controlling mix that incorporates the thermostatic element, adds needless expense and complexity to thermostatic faucets that lower their commercial desirability.
Another disadvantage of these known thermostatic devices becomes apparent when the hot water supply is received from an instantaneous hot water heater. Known instantaneous water heaters have a safety device that interrupts the heating in case the flow of water running through them becomes less than a certain predetermined limit. Known thermostatic control devices are able to reduce the flow rate from the hot water supply to below this limit, thus causing the water heater to shut off.
One known thermostatic device disclosed in German Patent 2,917,233 includes a thermostatic regulator that reduces the flow of the hot water supply when the temperature of the mixed water output exceeds a set value. In this case, due to the action of the thermostatic regulator, the flow of the cold and hot water supply is not simultaneously and oppositely controlled. Instead, while the hot water supply flow is controllably adjusted, the cold water flow remains relatively constant. However, when the hot water is supplied from an instant water heater, the same above mentioned disadvantage occurs.
What is needed is a thermostatic device that allows a standard mixing valve to function in both the flow rate and mixing mode while still providing a thermostatic control. Furthermore what is needed is a thermostatic device that does not cause deactivation of an instant water heater due to the thermostatic regulation on the water supplies such that the thermostatic faucet mixing valve is compatible with instant water heaters.


Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) for a computer program can be verified to be correct. The verification includes receiving updated source code for an application, receiving an application programming interface (API) corresponding to the application, scanning the updated source code, determining if the API has changed from a previous version of the API and determining if a change in the API is an intended change based on a comparison of the API with a predetermined benchmark.

Source code may represent the fundamental component of a program, an application, etc. An application programming interface (API) is an interface that provides information as to how to interact with a particular software application. For example, the API may define data formats for the software application, the types of calls that can be made to the software application, etc. When the source code of an application is changed, it may result in a change to the API used to interact with the application. However, in other cases, the source code changes would have no effect on the API.


Embodiments of the present invention provide systems, apparatus, and methods for powering electronic devices with low voltage batteries. Embodiments include a circuit including a transistor having a base, an emitter, and a collector; a microcontroller having an output port, a system power terminal, and an input port; a first signal generated from the output port of the microcontroller and coupled to an enable pin of a DC-DC booster; and a second signal generated from the output port of the microcontroller and coupled to the base of the transistor, wherein the second signal is an inverted version of the first signal. The emitter of the transistor is coupled to ground and the collector of the transistor is coupled to the enable pin of the DC-DC booster. Numerous additional aspects are disclosed.

Optimizing the power consumption of electronic devices that run on battery power in order to maximize both stand-by and run time while providing stable, reliable operating performance is a complex problem. Electronic devices can be powered by many different batteries based on different chemistries that generate different voltages. Typically, the circuitry used to control consumption of the battery power is primarily designed to insure that the correct voltage and power are supplied to the powered devices (e.g., a microprocessor). Reducing stand-by power drain is typically a secondary consideration but in low power electronics that desirably only call for low power batteries, stand-by power drain can be a significant problem. Thus, what is needed are improved systems, apparatus, and methods for eliminating external power drain from batteries while in stand-by mode.

Systems, apparatus, and methods for powering electronic devices with low voltage batteries


The present invention discloses a power transistor disposed on a substrate. The power device includes a core cell area comprising a plurality of power transistor cells each having drain and a source. Each of the power transistor cells further having a polycrystalline silicon gate formed on the substrate as part of a polycrystalline silicon gate layer overlaying the substrate. The polycrystalline silicon gate layer includes a plurality of polycrystalline gate-layer-extension extending to gate contact areas for forming gate contacts with a contact metal disposed thereon. The power transistor further includes a plurality of contact-metal-resistant pad each includes a thick oxide pad disposed below the gate contact areas underneath the polycrystalline gate layer extension whereby the contact-metal resistant pads resists the contact metal from penetrating therethrough and short to the substrate disposed thereunder.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the structure and fabrication process of semiconductor power transistors. More particularly, this invention relates to a novel and improved polysilicon-oxide layer structure in the termination area of a power to eliminate defects in the oxide layer whereby the reliability difficulties and product yield problems caused by oxide layer defects may be resolved.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Device performance and production yield in manufacturing the power MOSFET devices are adversely affected by the inherent vulnerable spots typically occurred near the bottom edges of a thick oxide layer where the thick oxide layer disposed immediately adjacent to a thinner gate oxide. The inherent vulnerability at these thick-thin oxide layer intersection points is caused by a stress induced from thermal expansion differences during the temperature cycles occurred in manufacturing the MOSFET device. Subsequently, small cracks or layer peeling-off at these vulnerable spots are subject to further damages when exposed to etchants in patterning the gates. Furthermore, processing residual are likely to be trapped in the cracks or holes formed in the vulnerable spots thus contaminating the MOSFET device and causes a performance degradation.
Referring to FIG. 1A for a typical cross sectional view of a power MOSFET device. This conventional N-channel MOSFET device 10 is supported on a n.sup.+ substrate 15 with a n.sup.- doped epitaxial drain region 20 formed thereon. A plurality of p-body regions 25 and n.sup.+ source regions 30 are formed on top of the drain region 20 as shown. The MOSFET device 10 is divided into an active area 40 which includes a core cell area 42 and a gate contact area 44. The MOSFET device 10 further includes a field oxide area 50. A plurality of cells which include the p-body 25, the source regions 30, and a polysilicon gate 35 are formed in the core cell area 42 padded by a thin oxide layer 36. As shown in FIG. 1, the source electrode (S) 60 is formed in the core cell area 42 and the gate runner (G) 76 and the gate contacts 70 are formed in the gate contact areas 44 in the active area 40 near the field oxide areas 50. The field plate (FP) 80 and the equal ring (EQR) 90 are formed in the filed oxide area 50 where the field oxide layer 52 is not removed in the manufacturing process. FIG. 1B is an exploded cross sectional view of the portion near the thick oxide layer 52 in the termination area 50. Particularly, there are inherent weak points 99 around the intersection between the thick oxide layer 52 and the gate oxide layer 36. Due to the structure damage, a drain to source leakage current occurs as that shown in FIG. 1C. Fig. Due to this structural damage, an undesirable leakage current, i.e., I.sub.DS, as that shown FIG. 1C, is experienced before a P-N junction avalanche breakdown occurs.
There are several reasons that damages are likely to occur near the weak points 99 where the thick oxide layer 52 joins the thinner gate oxide layer 36. An etch step is first applied for patterning the thick oxide layer i.e., the initial oxide layer 52 to remove the initial oxide layer 52 from the active area. Then a thinner gate oxide layer 36 is formed. The gate oxide layer 36 and initial oxide layer 52 have different thermal expansion coefficients because of the differences in thickness. Inherent vulnerable spots 99 are formed near the areas where the initial oxide layer 52 joins the thinner oxide layer. As the MOSFET transistor is subject to up-and-down temperature cycles, a stress is experienced in these vulnerable spots due to differences in thermal expansions in these thermal cycles. Micro-cracks or surface damages are likely to occur in these areas. After the formation of the thin gate oxide, polysilicon gates may be patterned by dry etch. Further damages to the edge surface near the bottom of the thick oxide layer may be induced when exposure to plasma etchants. The damaged surface with cracks and holes may then become traps for different kinds of processing residuals. The damaged areas thus become depository sites for contaminants. For those reasons, poor layer integrity of the thick oxide layer 52 has often occurred and the deposited contaminants also cause an undesirable drain to source leakage current.
Conventional manufacture method does not provide a layer structural feature or method to overcome this difficulty. Typical layer structure near a terminal area is shown in FIG. 2 as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,593,302 by Lidow et al. entitled "Process for Manufacture of High Power MOSFET with Lateral Distributed High Carrier Density Beneath the Gate Oxide" (issued on Jun. 3, 1986). FIG. 2 shows that a thick oxide layer 131 with a polysilicon layer 132b formed thereon near a termination area. The same difficulties as described above would also occur for the same reasons near the bottom portions of the thick oxide layer 131 in this patented layer structure by Lidow et al. Weak points susceptible to layer surface damages due to stress caused by different thermal expansions between thick and thin oxide layers and exposure to plasma etchant for gate formation are existing difficulties not properly addressed by those of ordinary skill in the art of power MOSFET device manufacture.
Therefore, a need still exists in the art of power device fabrication, particularly for semiconductor power device design and fabrication, to provide an improved gate structure and fabrication process that would resolve these difficulties.

Edge wrap-around protective extension for covering and protecting edges of thick oxide layer


A message to be signed and a base name point derived from a direct anonymous attestation (DAA) credential may be provided to a device. A signed version of the message and a public key value associated with the base name point may be received in response. Thereafter, the DAA credential may be determined to be valid based on the signed version of the message.

Direct anonymous attestation (DAA) refers to an anonymous (or pseudonymous) authentication scheme intended to enable authentication of an entity without revealing the identity of the entity being authenticated. A typical DAA scheme involves a DAA issuer, a DAA signer (i.e., the entity to be authenticated), and a DAA verifier. An issuer determines that a signer is trusted and, responsive to such verification determination, issues a DAA group membership credential, or DAA credential, to the signer. This negotiation between the issuer and the signer through which the issuer verifies the validity of the signer may be referred to as a DAA join process.
After the signer has been issued a DAA credential, the signer proves its membership in a group of trusted computing platforms to the verifier by signing a message with a DAA signature that is based on the DAA credential issued to the signer and that enables the verifier to verify the validity of the DAR credential without the identity of the signer being revealed. This negotiation between the signer and the verifier through which the verifier verifies the validity of the signer's DAA credential may be referred to as a DAA sign process.
In the typical DAA scheme, the signer splits the task of computing a DAA signature between (i) a principal signer that stores a secret signing key and that has relatively limited computational and storage capabilities but relatively high security assurances and (ii) a secondary signer that has relatively greater computational and storage capabilities. Splitting the signing role between the secure but computationally limited primary signer and the less secure but computationally more powerful secondary signer reduces the burden imposed on the computationally constrained primary signer by offloading some of the processing load to the computationally more powerful secondary signer while also enabling the signer to produce relatively strong and private DAA signatures. When signing a message with a DAA signature, the principal signer signs the message using the secret signing key that it holds, while the secondary signer's contribution is to anonymize the DAA signature. The secondary signer generally is prevented from learning the secret signing key of the principal signer and, consequently, unable to produce a valid DAA signature without collaborating with the primary signer.
As part of the typical DAA join process, the primary signer may execute a series of specialized commands to prove to the secondary signer that the DAA credential issued by the issuer is valid and to provide the secondary signer with a randomizable DAA public key that the secondary signer then can use as part of its role in contributing to the DAA signature. Typically, such specialized commands may be unique to this aspect of the DAA join process and not otherwise performed by the primary signer. Consequently, the need to be able to execute such specialized commands for proving the validity of the DAA credential and generating the randomizable DAA public key may lead to increased computational cost and complexity for the resource constrained primary signer.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP


An aspect provides a method, including: gathering, with an information handling device, client system identification data of a client system; providing, with the information handling device, the client system with at least one cryptographic key; transmitting, with the information handling device, the client system identification data and a request for security policy override to a third party; receiving, with the information handling device, encrypted approval data from the third party; and transmitting, with the information handling device, encrypted approval data to the client system. Other aspects are described and claimed.

Configuration of security settings throughout an enterprise environment has been a more common customer requirement, e.g., with the adoption of later WINDOWS operating systems. After enterprise computing systems (e.g., desktop computers) have been deployed in an enterprise environment to their user community, the enterprise administrators may want to deploy new software or features which might require modifications to the security settings on each individual computer system. Enterprise administrators also may have a requirement to modify other computer security settings.
In order to modify these settings without manually touching each of these computers, the administrator would prefer to utilize a software distribution and management system to schedule the implementation of these security settings. In most cases, each of the target computers would require a supervisor or administrator password to be installed on each of these systems. The administrator would thus in turn need to know this password in order to apply these security settings. If these computers do not have a supervisor or administrator password, it must be set in order to apply these security settings. A problem is that this password cannot be set in an operational environment (e.g., WINDOWS operating environment) without exposing the computer systems to denial-of-service attacks by a malicious individual.


A maritime navigation light apparatus comprising a pole element, a base, and a light assembly with one or more light emitting elements is presented. The pole element may comprise a hollow core and may be permanently or temporarily coupled to the base and/or to the light assembly. The light emitting elements may be housed on a circuit board and encased in an impact resistant encasement and electrically connected to electrical wires. The electrical wires may be inserted through the hollow core or the pole element and may also comprise electrical plug members which may terminate on the exterior or interior of the apparatus.

The use of lights in boats is a necessary requirement when operating a watercraft at night or in low visibility conditions. While the boat is operating on the water, the lights convey the orientation and position of the boat in the water to other watercraft. These lights are commonly known as "running lights" and typically comprise a red light and green light positioned along the bow of the boat and a white light in a raised position along the stern of the boat.
The running light positioned along the stern of the boat is a sometimes referred to as a "pole light". A pole light consists of a pole or rod with the light located on the upper end of the pole. The lower end of the pole light is then mounted onto the hull so that the light extends upwards away from the hull.
Due to the raised nature of the pole light positioned on the hull of the stern, this pole light is subject to frequent impacts and insults which often result in damage or breakage of the pole light. While broken pole lights are time consuming and costly to fix, failure to maintain an operable pole light while operating a boat at night can result in dangerous conditions and even fines by waterway authorities.
One type of pole light is a detachable from the hull of the boat. A permanent base is mounted to the hull of the boat and the pole and light configuration is inserted into the permanent base. This type of pole light allows for removal of the pole light when not in use to prevent damage. However, upon reattaching the pole light to the hull, the pole light is once again subject to frequent impacts and insults which often result in damage or breakage of the pole light.
Another type of pole light comprises a flexible pole that is configured to bend or flex to resist impacts and insults which often result in damage or breakage of the pole light. Due to the flexible nature of the pole, these flexible pole lights suffer from reduced strength and are even more prone to damage as they lose or gain flexibility due to exposure to the elements over time.
Therefore, a need exists for novel marine navigation light apparatuses and methods. There is a further need for a navigation light that is able to withstand frequent impacts and insults without resulting in damage or breakage of the navigation light. Finally, there exists a need for a navigation light that is able to be easily and conveniently to set up and use on a plurality of boats and watercraft while meeting or exceeding common rules a regulations regarding pole lights.

Marine navigation light apparatuses and methods of making the same


A holder which cleanly holds an article such as a semiconductor wafer and which is high in rigidity, light in weight, high in dimensional stability and excellent in dust resistance. The wafer holder includes a vacuum holding surface formed with a plurality of concentric or helical annular projections and annular vacuum holding grooves which are arranged at a given pitch. A plurality of vacuum holes for vacuum holding purposes are formed in the respective annular grooves so as to be arranged radially and each of the vacuum holes is subjected to pressure reduction by a vacuum source through the interior of the holder, thereby correcting the flatness of a wafer to conform with the upper surfaces of the annular projections. At least the portions of the holder which contact with the wafer (preferably the holder on the whole) are made of a sintered ceramic containing covalent bond-type conductive material such as a TiC-containing sintered Al.sub.2 O.sub.3 so that the contact portions exhibit conductivity and also less pores are present in the surface, thereby practically preventing the occurrence and deposition of fine particles.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a holding apparatus well suited for use in the transfer or vacuum holding of a thin sheet-type substrate such as a semiconductor substrate (wafer) or a glass plate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the manufacturing process of semiconductor integrated circuits, various holding apparatus are used for the purpose of transferring or firmly holding in position a wafer. For instance, in an exposure apparatus performing an important role during the lithographic operation, a substrate vacuum chuck (wafer holder) is used for the purpose of firmly holding a thin sheet-type wafer within a given plane.
Generally, conventional holding apparatus of the above type includes transfer system components or a holder made of a metal or alumina ceramic (sintered Al.sub.2 O.sub.3). Also, Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 2-186656 proposes the use of a covalent bonding material such as diamond or sapphire for the portions which contact with a wafer so as to prevent the occurrence of fine particles due to abrasive wear.
Then, the holding apparatus of the type used in the manufacturing process of semiconductor integrated circuits, for example, must satisfy the following characteristic properties (a) to (e).
(a) Can prevent the deposition of fine particles (foreign particles) and the occurrence of chemical contamination of an article to be held: If foreign particles deposit on the wafer and the wafer supporting portions of the holding apparatus, this causes not only the breaking of connections and short-circuits in the transferred circuit pattern but also deterioration in the flatness of the wafer and hence deterioration in the resolution due to the deposited fine particles in cases where the holding apparatus is a wafer holder.
(b) Is high in hardness: In order to prevent any abrasive wear at the portions which contact with an article to be held, the contacting portions should preferably be high in hardness.
(c) Is high in rigidity/specific gravity value: In order to hold flat a thin-sheet wafer or to accurately transfer such wafer to a given position, the wafer supporting portions must be high in rigidity. In such case, the wafer supporting portions must be not only high in rigidity but also low in specific gravity in order to make the apparatus small in size and light in weight.
(d) Is low in coefficient of thermal expansion: In the case of the wafer holder of an exposure apparatus, for example, the exposure results in the accummulation of heat. Thus, if the holder is high in coefficient of thermal expansion, this causes an increase in the dimensional variation by exposure of the wafer held by vacuum on the holder. As a result, in order to suppress any dimensional error threatening to occur during the transfer of circuitry, the coefficient of thermal expansion should preferably be as low as possible.
(e) The working is easy: It is desirable that the grindability is so excellent as to produce a smooth surface and that the fine working required for vacuum holding is effected easily.
However, these characteristic properties are not satisfied as yet by the previously mentioned conventional holding apparatus.
To begin with, the holding apparatus of the type using the metal material for the wafer holding portions is not capable of avoiding the metal contamination of a wafer. Also, the metal material is not satisfactory in terms of wear resistance (hardness) and it is also disadvantageous from the standpoint of the rigidity/specific gravity value and the coefficient of thermal expansion.
On the other hand, while the holding apparatus of the type using the alumina ceramic is advantageous in that the rigidity/specific gravity value is high as compared with the metal material thereby ensuring reduction in the size and weight of the apparatus and also the coefficient of thermal expansion is considerably low as compared with the metal material, there are disadvantages that fine particles tend to easily deposit in the large number of pores present in the surface of the sintered alumina ceramic and that the alumina ceramic is an insulator thus causing the deposition of dust due to the generation of static electricity.
Also, with the apparatus proposed in the previously mentioned Japanese Laid-Open Patent No. 2-186656, while it is excellent from the standpoint of wear resistance, in the case of sapphire, for example, the deposition problem of fine particles due to static electricity remains unsolved since sapphire is an insulator. In addition, where the wafer holder, etc., are made of diamond or sapphire, three different methods including a method of using a single crystal material, a method of using a sintered powder and a method of using a surface coating are conceivable and they have the following deficiencies. Firstly, where the single crystal material is used, a large blank material of diamond is not available in the existing situation and a raw material of sapphire is not only expensive but also hard to work it. Further, where the sintered material is used, diamond and sapphire are materials which are hard to sinter. Even if the sintering is possible, it is considered that a great number of large pores are caused and moreover the use of cobalt (Co) or the like as a binder gives rise to a problem of metal contamination. Further, the method of using the coating has the danger of causing the separation of a coating film due to the difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the coating film and its base material.
As described hereinabove, there has been known in the prior art no holding apparatus which satisfies the required characteristic properties, i.e., the insurance of the desired mechanical strength, the reduction in weight and the dimensional stability and which prevents the contamination of an article to be held such as a wafer due to the deposition of fine particles or the like.

Holding apparatus for holding an article such as a semiconductor wafer


A power combining array and method of increasing performance in a power combining array includes a waveguide enclosure having a plurality of slotline modules disposed therein. The slotline modules include input and output antennas that have varying physical characteristics to overcome differences in field intensity across the slotline module configuration and to account for phase changes. The varying physical characteristics include differences in longitudinal position, thickness, dielectric constant, and circuit element configurations. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.

Transmission line-to-waveguide transitions are used extensively in microwave communications systems such as radar and satellite systems. The systems may include a waveguide antenna for phased array applications or a conventional waveguide of arbitrary cross-section. In these systems the microwave signal may be bi-directionally coupled between a waveguide and a transmission line with minimal power (insertion) loss and maximum signal clarity.
One example of a known waveguide-based spatially combined amplifier is shown in FIG. 1(a). Microwave power is incident from the waveguide structure on the left. This energy illuminates a two-dimensional array of several slotline modules, with each slotline module forming a column of the array. Each slotline module consists of a dielectric card, upon which at least two circuit elements are mounted. The input energy is coupled to these circuit elements through an antenna which tapers to a slotline transmission line. Structures transform the microwave energy from the slotline mode to a microstrip mode, with the microstrip conductor printed on the side of the card opposite to the slotline. Energy on the microstrip is coupled to the input of the circuit elements. The outputs of the circuit elements are coupled to the waveguide in a similar manner.
Another known waveguide-based spatially combined amplifier is shown in FIG. 1(b). In FIG. 1(b), microwave power is incident from the coaxial waveguide structure on the left. This energy illuminates a two-dimensional annular array of several slotline modules, with each slotline module forming a radial column of the array. Each slotline module consists of a dielectric card, upon which at least two circuit elements are mounted. The input energy is coupled to these circuit elements through an antenna which tapers to a slotline transmission line. Structures transform the microwave energy from the slotline mode to a microstrip mode, with the microstrip conductor printed on the side of the card opposite to the slotline. Energy on the microstrip is coupled to the input of the circuit elements. The outputs of the circuit elements are coupled to the output coaxial waveguide in a similar manner.
The use of the word slotline is intended to include any and all of the family of balanced microwave transmission line structures where the signal power is concentrated in a gap between two substantially symmetric conductors printed on one or both sides of a dielectric substrate. Common terms for these transmission line structures include slotline, finline, antipodal finline, unilateral finline, bilateral finline, and insulated finline. The use of the term "slotline" in this application is therefore intended to be consistent with standard terminology widely known in the art.
In existing rectangular waveguide spatial power combiner configurations such as that of FIG. 1(a), the field intensity in the rectangular waveguide follows a sinusoidal distribution, with the result that the slotline modules in the center of the structure receive more power than the slotline modules along the edge. Similarly, the outputs of the central modules couple to the waveguide more effectively than the edge modules. This imbalance in the signal amplitude reduces the power-combining efficiency of the entire array.

Method and apparatus for increasing performance in a waveguide-based spatial power combiner


For providing a broadcast receiving apparatus and a method for staring thereof, suppressing electric power consumption therein, under waiting condition, irrespective of mounting a constituent part requiring a long time for starting up, according to the present invention, within a broadcast receiving apparatus, detection is made, always, upon an approach of a human being, by means of a human sensor 40 and a sub-CPU 60, under the condition that a power plug 75 is inserted into a commercial electric power source, so as to control supply of electric power form a main electric power source unit to each of portions of that apparatus. Thus, prior to startup of that apparatus through a main switch 22 and a remote controller 30, a constituent portion (i.e., a video processing portion 200), being made up with a CPU and/or a digital LSI, installing OS therein and talking time for startup thereof, is started up, in advance, so as to bring it into awaiting condition; thereby shortening or reducing the waiting time after the startup of the apparatus with suppressing the electric power consumption under the waiting condition thereof.

(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving a television broadcasting signal and a radio broadcasting signal, and it relates, in particular, to a broadcast receiving apparatus for receiving the broadcasting signal(s) and a method for starting thereof, with treating a predetermined process upon the broadcasting signal waves, which are received by means of a signal processing device, including a CPU in a portion thereof.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In television broadcasting, in recent years, there are provided services of various kinds of methods, such as, terrestrial digital broadcasting, digital cable broadcasting, etc., in addition to the conventional analog broadcasting of NTSC method. Also, accompanying with this, for the broadcast receiving apparatus, further, it is also required to receive the digital broadcasting, in addition to the conventional analog broadcasting, and for that reasons, proposal is made on a broadcast receiving apparatus executing various kinds of processes therein, including, such as, tuning, waveform processing, etc., for example, with using a CPU installing OS therein and/or a digital LSI, and/or it is in practical use thereof.
As an example of this, by Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-191937 (2005), for example, is already known a receiving apparatus for enabling to receive multi-method broadcastings therewith, comprising a first CPU for controlling the tuning and demodulation of analog broadcasting signal, the video signal processing, and output of the video signal, a second CPU for controlling the tuning and demodulation of digital broadcasting signal, the video signal processing, and output of the video signal, and a switch for changing over the outputs of video signals, i.e., between the analog broadcasting signal and the digital broadcasting signal.

Broadcast receiving apparatus and starting method thereof


A method for generating split screen is disclosed. The method includes displaying a picture on a touch screen; touching the touch screen to circle a first area of the picture and to move along a first direction after circling the first area; and displaying and zooming out the picture in a first display block of the touch screen, and displaying and zooming in the first area in a second display block indicated by the first direction.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for generating split screen, and more particularly, to a method for generating split screen according to a touch gesture.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As related technology keeps improving, navigation techniques are widely used in many fields, such that many kinds of navigation devices become more popular, such as vehicle navigation devices or portable navigation devices (PND). Current portable navigation devices mostly are operated according to touch inputs. When a user is going to plan a trip, the user may move his finger to touch and select each destination of the trip on a navigation map displayed by a navigation device, and the navigation device then plans a route according to each destination of the trip selected by the user.
However, when the user selects each destination of the trip on the navigation map displayed by the navigation device of the prior art, the user must operate the navigation device to perform operations of zoom-in, zoom-out and scroll up/down/left/right to the navigation map very often for selecting and storing each of the destinations one by one. The above method for selecting the destinations is inconvenient to the user, and is also time consuming for planning a trip.

Method for generating split screen according to a touch gesture


The invention relates to a mould for injection moulding machines, consisting of at least two halves of a mould, each half in turn consisting of a retaining plate and at least one mould insert fitted therein and centered relative to the retaining plate, and the front side of the mould insert is in alignment with the parting surface. The task involved is to ensure that the mould inserts can nevertheless be rapidly and easily replaced. The device is designed in such a way that the mould insert is held firmly without play, in the axial direction, i.e. transverse to the parting surface, between a thrust block acting on the back of the mould insert and at least one stop in the vicinity of the front side of the mould insert, and the thrust block can be steplessly adjusted in an axial direction relative to the retaining plate. In this way, mould inserts of any desired axial dimension can be used.

In the closed state the front surfaces of the two halves of the mould are in contact with each other along the parting plane, or along the parting surface if the shape of the object to be produced precludes the use of a flat plane. Each half of the mould consists of a retaining plate which is attached to the injection moulding machine, as well as a mould insert which is let into the very robustly designed retaining plate; and the front surface of the insert, which must align with the parting surface, contains in negative form part of the contour of the object to be produced. The quality and dimensional accuracy of the objects to be produced are determined to a decisive extent by the parallel alignment of the two opposed mould inserts. This alignment can be achieved only by carrying out exact adjustment relative to the respective associated retaining plate which in turn is connected in a defined manner with the injection moulding machine.
In the past, this necessarily exact locating of the mould insert in the retaining plate was achieved by ensuring that the complete outer contour of the mould insert corresponded exactly with the associated bearing surfaces in the cavity on the retaining plate. Usually, the mould insert was manufactured as a turned part whose outer diameter corresponded exactly to the inner diameter of the likewise cylindrically configured cavity, and its axial length corresponded exactly to the depth of the cavity provided in the retaining plate.
Tolerances of 1/100 mm and even tighter have to be met by such moulds and, in addition, allowance must be made for the thermal expansion of the individual parts when the mould is used as an injection moulding tool. As a result, it was common for a large number of the moulds to be rejected as unacceptable right at the manufacturing stage.
When a mould insert is manufactured, first its rear bearing surface and its peripheral surface are manufactured to the correct size. Once they have been finish-machined, these surfaces are used as reference surfaces when the insert is clamped in another machine tool on which the negative shapes on the front side of the mould insert are machined out. However, if there is a slight deviation in dimensions during the machining, or if the dimensionally accurate contour is merely offset from the desired location, this can no longer be compensated for by reworking the rear surface or the peripheral surfaces of the mould insert, because the latter would then no longer fit tightly and without play in the associated retaining plate.
Furthermore, replacing such mould inserts in the retaining plate is a very time-consuming task, because in part this can only be done after the retaining plate has been removed from the injection moulding machine; and, because of the very small amount of play which is present following the build-up of dirt, etc., particularly after long periods of use, coupled with the need to handle the mould carefully, it sometimes takes a very long time to remove the mould insert and to fit it into the retaining plate. On the other hand, however, because of the high capital investment involved, an injection moulding machine can only be economically used if the downtimes, which are generated by among other things the replacement of the tools, can be kept to a minimum.
In addition, if any heat distortion occurs, it is no longer possible to correct the position of the mould insert in the retaining plate.
Another disadvantage of these moulds was that the retaining plates always had to be designed to accept the maximum possible axial dimension of the parts to be manufactured. Even when short parts were produced, it was still necessary to use a mould insert with the maximum elongation matching the cavity of the retaining plate. Not only did this result in high material costs for the mould insert, but also the absolute thermal distortion was increased due to the long axial dimension.


When a new MFP is connected in a state where a plurality of MFPs are connected to a network, each of a plurality of MFPs obtains an IP address of MPF from the new MFP, and if user data including the obtained IP address is stored, then transmits to the new MFP the registered user information associated with the obtained IP address by the user data. On the other hand, if user data including the obtained IP address is not stored in HDD, the new MFP is requested to transmit registered user information. Upon reception of the registered user information, the new MFP displays a confirmation window to ask the user for permission to write that registered user information into HDD. Upon reception of the request, the new MFP transmits registered user information. This facilitates the setting for newly connecting an apparatus to the network.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system and an image processing apparatus, and more particularly to an image processing system in which a plurality of image processing apparatuses connected to a network are used by a plurality of users, and an image processing apparatus included in the image processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, image processing apparatuses such as scanners, printers, and facsimiles are generally connected to a network. In order to use an image processing apparatus in this manner, a variety of settings for connecting to a network are required, and the operation is cumbersome. For example, in the case where an apparatus that has already been installed is to be replaced by a new apparatus, the new apparatus has to be set similarly to the installed apparatus. Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-224368 discloses an image forming apparatus including a communication control portion communicating with a host apparatus via a telephone line to allow remote control from the host apparatus, a FAX control portion for facsimile transmission and reception, a data storage portion storing user setting information including a variety of information for use in facsimile transmission using the FAX control portion, and a main control portion transmitting the user setting information stored in the data storage portion to the host apparatus through the communication control portion for backup.
However, the image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2000-224368 transmits the user setting information to the host apparatus for backup, so that a user has to give an instruction of a backup operation. In addition, in order to download the user setting information backed up in the host apparatus, the user has to instruct the image forming apparatus of an operation for downloading. Thus, the operation is cumbersome.

Image processing system including plurality of image processing apparatuses used by plurality of users, image processing apparatus included in the image processing system

Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.


The invention concerns a generally parallelepiped corrugated box for packaging and transporting objects, the box comprising a lid formed by a lateral can-band carton including a front wall, a rear wall, and side walls and a top, and a tray forming a base including a central panel comprising four main sides each respectively provided with a first flap. The front and rear flaps are U-shaped and define each with the top a central recess enabling an object in the box to be gripped manually by a user from the side and/or from above. One or several partly precut portions and/or one or several bonding points enable the walls of the lid to be detached from the first flaps of the tray by manual separation resulting from a force applied perpendicularly to the walls.

Devices are already known that allow direct access to products inside packages arranged on a pallet.
Such devices are not satisfactory. In practice, they normally require a part of the walls to be torn to make the products accessible. Furthermore, in the case of open-work trays, the latter do not have any great solidity, so that it is not possible to have heavy products stored on pallets and/or on a large number of levels.
The present invention aims to overcome these drawbacks.

Corrugated cardboard box with open-work flaps and set of blanks for obtaining same


An method and apparatus for an adjustable sling for treatment of urinary stress incontinence. The present system includes apparatus and methods for postoperative adjustment of sling tension using adjustable elements in the sling assembly. The present system also provides a number of demonstrative embodiments for an adjustable sling where positioning of the bladder is controlled using the adjustable sling and where coaptation of the urethra is controlled by postoperative inflation of one or more balloons mounted in a sling cup.

Urinary stress incontinence arises when an increase in abdominal pressure, such as from laughing, coughing, lifting, or exercise, results in urinary leakage. Normally, the urethra, which is the urinary lumen which passes urine from the bladder, will not leak with ordinary increases in abdominal pressure, also referred to as stress. However there are two conditions, referred to as type II and type III that commonly lead to incontinence.
Type II incontinence, also referred to as hypermobility, occurs when the support structures of the pelvic floor have been weakened, for instance from childbirth. This allows the bladder to descend below its normal location in the abdominal cavity and the bladder neck, where it joins the urethra, to funnel open under increased abdominal pressure.
Type II incontinence has most often been treated by a class of surgical procedures called suspensions of which there are many variations. Variations such as the Marshal-Marchetti-Krantz or the Burch procedures are quite invasive, requiring an abdominal incision. Other variations, generally called needle suspensions and including the Stamey and Raz procedures, are less invasive and may be done on an outpatient basis. Generally these procedures place sutures into tissue on either side of the urethra near the bladder neck and then lift or suspend the urethra and bladder from a higher anchoring point such the pubic bone, coopers ligament or the rectus abdominis muscle. This support compensates for weakness of the pelvic floor.
Unfortunately it has been found that these procedures, especially the needle suspensions, often fail over time because the sutures pull through the tissue on either side of the bladder neck or the tissue continues to sag between these points. Another concern is that if the bladder neck is lifted too high the patient may be put into urinary obstruction. Still another concern is that too much elevation may induce urge incontinence where the patient feels a need to urinate even when the bladder is not full. These later conditions may not be detected until after the surgery and the patient is up and around. In order to address some of these problems U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,938,760 and 4,969,892 propose a mechanism for allowing postoperative adjustment to the degree of suspension.
The other common cause of stress incontinence, type III also called intrinsic sphincter deficiency, occurs when the urinary sphincter which controls flow of urine from the bladder is dysfunctional. This may be caused by trauma, urethral scarring or any of a number of neurological conditions. For type III incontinence the most common treatment has been a class of surgical procedures called slings.
Generally a sling or strap of material is placed between the urethra and vagina and the ends are attached to the same selection of higher anchoring points as for a suspension procedure. Pressure of the sling on the underside of the urethra causes closing or coaptation of the urethra to compensate for the dysfunctional sphincter. Another way to achieve coaptation would be to provide an expandable element or elements such as balloons on the sling underneath or alongside the urethra. The sling may be made from artificial material such as polypropylene mesh, autologous tissue harvested from the patient such as rectus fascia, or cadaveric fascia latta.
While originally intended to provide coaptation for treating type III incontinence it has been recognized that slings also provide the support function sought by suspension procedures. While slings are somewhat more invasive than needle suspensions, they provide more reliable support since the sling is a continuous piece of material that goes underneath the urethra rather than being attached to fallible tissue alongside. At the same time it has also been recognized that mast stress incontinent patients do not have pure type II or type III but rather some of both. Often treating one of these conditions will unmask the presence of the other.
For these reasons surgeons are more and more turning to slings to treat both types of stress incontinence. Nevertheless slings are still prone to some of the same problems as suspensions. Often it is not possible to tell if there has been enough coaptation or suspension to provide continence without urinary obstruction before the patient has recovered. Another problematic disorder which may result from the foregoing procedures is called "postsurgical urgency," which is caused by improperly applied pressure to the periurethral tissues in which innervation is very dense causing hyperactivity of the bladder and urethra. This disorder causes the patient to feel an urgency to void when their bladder does not require voiding. Amelioration of the foregoing problems generally entails a second open surgical procedure to reduce the pressure on the bladder neck and proximal urethra. Thus, there is a need in the art for an improved sling for the treatment of urinary stress incontinence.

Method and apparatus for adjustable sling for treatment of urinary stress incontinence

Abstract: Methods and apparatus are provided for adjusting the adjustable sling after surgical implantation. In one embodiment a self sealing septum is located near the skin for convenient filling using a syringe. Multiple port embodiments are also discussed.


Methods and systems for determining a plurality of sequences of nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) molecules in a sequencing-by-synthesis process are provided. In one embodiment, the method comprises obtaining images of fluorescent signals obtained in a plurality of synthesis cycles. The images of fluorescent signals are associated with a plurality of different fluorescence channels. The method further comprises preprocessing the images of fluorescent signals to obtain processed images. Based on a set of the processed images, the method further comprises detecting center positions of clusters of the fluorescent signals using a trained convolutional neural network (CNN) and extracting, based on the center positions of the clusters of fluorescent signals, features from the set of the processed images to generate feature embedding vectors. The method further comprises determining, in parallel, the plurality of sequences of DNA molecules using the extracted features based on a trained attention-based neural network.

Sequencing-by-synthesis is a method used to identify sequences of segments (also referred to as strands) of nucleic acid (e.g., DNA) molecules. Sanger sequencing is a first-generation sequencing technique that uses the sequencing-by-synthesis method. Historically, Sanger sequencing has a high degree of accuracy but is low in sequencing throughput. Second-generation sequencing techniques (also referred to as next generation sequencing or NGS techniques) massively increase the throughput of the synthesizing process by parallelizing many reactions similar to those in Sanger sequencing. Third-generation sequencing techniques allow direct sequencing of single nucleic acid molecules. In any of the sequencing technology generations, basecalling is an essential process by which an order of the nucleotide bases in a template strand is inferred during or after a sequencing readout.

Deep learning based methods and systems for nucleic acid sequencing


A class of wheat SBEII genes, called SBEII-1, can be used to influence properties of starch produced by a plant, including the gelatinization temperature of the starch. Such a starch is useful, for example, in certain industrial applications for the preparation or processing of foodstuffs such as bakery products.

The majority of developments in cereal science in the recent past have concentrated primarily on the functionality of the gluten protein sub-units and their role in bakery systems. This has been greatly facilitated by the abundance of natural variation between cultivators for the gluten protein sub-unit components.
In contrast, although flour from commercially grown wheat varieties contains approximately 75–85% starch, the role of starch from a breeding perspective has been overlooked; this is largely due to the difficulty of measuring differences in starch structure. Of the limited amount of work that has been carried out however, there appears to be a lack of natural variation between different wheat cultivars. With the advent of recombinant DNA and gene transfer technologies it is now possible to create new variation in planta, therefore directly modifying starch composition in wheat becomes a realistic target.
Starch is the major form of carbon reserve in plants, constituting 50% or more of the dry weight of many storage organs, e.g. tubers, seeds of cereals. Starch is used in numerous food and industrial applications. In many cases, however, it is necessary to modify the native starches, via chemical or physical means, in order to produce distinct properties to suit particular applications. It would be highly desirable to be able to produce starches with the required properties directly in the plant, thereby removing the need for additional modification. To achieve this via genetic engineering requires knowledge of the metabolic pathway of starch biosynthesis. This includes characterization of genes and encoded gene products which catalyse the synthesis of starch. Knowledge about the regulation of starch biosynthesis raises the possibility of "re-programming" biosynthetic pathways to create starches with novel properties that could have new commercial applications.
The most significant property of starch derives from the ability of the native granular form to lose its order and to swell and absorb water upon suitable treatment, thereby conferring viscosity and texture, in a process known as gelatinisation. Gelatinisation has been defined (W A Atwell et al, 1988) as ". . . the collapse (disruption) of molecular orders within the starch granule manifested in irreversible changes in properties such as granular swelling, native crystallite melting, loss of birefringence, and starch solubilisation. The point of initial gelatinisation and the range over which it occurs is governed by starch concentration, method of observation, granule type, and heterogeneities within the granule population under observation".
14 molecules of water per molecule of anhydrous glucose, i.e. a minimum of 75% water, are necessary for full starch gelatinisation (Donovan, 1979). Starch gelatinisation is usually caused by heat, but can be caused by physical damage and some chaotropic agents, mainly dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), urea, calcium chloride, strong base and acid.
The various events taking place during gelatinisation can be followed by various methods, including birefringence, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), 13C NMR. Swelling can be monitored by various methods, particularly rheology.
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is a destructive method which records an endothermic event on heating of granules, generally thought to measure the temperature and the endothermic energy (delta H) required for the melting of the native crystallites. Starch gelatinisation temperature is independent of water content above 75% water (described as excess water), but increases when water is limited (Donovan, 1979).
The rate and extent of starch granule swelling upon heating dictate the type of viscosity development of aqueous starch suspensions on heating. Swelling behaviour is therefore of utmost technological importance. Viscosity increase on heating can be conveniently measured by a Brabender amylograph (Brabender is a Trade Mark) (Kennedy and Cabalda, 1991) or using a Rapid Visco analyser (Rapid Visco is a Trade-Mark from Newport Scientific, Australia). FIG. 1 is a typical viscoamylgraph profile for wheat starch, produced in this way, showing changes in starch during and after cooking. As starch granules swell on uptake of water, in, a process known as pasting, their phase volume increases, causing an increase in viscosity. The onset of pasting is indicated at A in FIG. 1. Peak viscosity, indicated at B in FIG. 1, is achieved when maximum phase volume is reached. Shear will then disrupt/cause fragmentation of the swollen granules, causing the viscosity to decrease. Complete dispersion is indicated at C in FIG. 1. This has been confirmed by an oscillatory rheology study of starch pastes at various stages of the viscosity profile (Svegmark and Hermansson, 1990). The viscosity onset temperature and peak viscosity are indicative of the initiation and extent of swelling, respectively. On cooling, leached amylose forms a network in a process involving reassociation of molecules, or retrogradation, causing an increase in viscosity as indicated at D in FIG. 1. Retrogradation (or set-back) viscosity is therefore indicative of the amount of amylose leached out of the granules.
The properties of wheat starch are useful in a large number of applications and also non-food (paper, textiles, adhesives etc.) applications. However, for many applications, properties are not optimum and various chemical and physical modifications well known in the art are undertaken in order to improve useful properties. Two types of property manipulation which would be of use are: the controlled alteration of gelatinisation and pasting temperatures; and starches which suffer less granular fragmentation during pasting than conventional starches.
Currently the only ways of manipulating the gelatinisation and pasting temperatures of starch are by the inclusion of additives such as sugars, polyhydroxy compounds of salts or by extensive physical or chemical pre-treatments. The reduction of granule fragmentation during pasting can be achieved either by extensive physical pre-treatments or by chemical cross-linking. Such processes are inconvenient and inefficient. It is therefore desirable to obtain plants which produce starch which intrinsically possesses such advantageous properties.
Starch consists of two main glucose polysaccharides: amylose and amylopectin. Amylose is a generally linear polymer comprising α-1,4 linked glucose units, while amylopectin is a highly branched polymer consisting of an α-1,4 linked glucan backbone with α-1,6 linked glucan branches. In wheat endosperm amylopectin constitutes approximately 70% of the total starch content, with the balance being amylose. Amylopectin is synthesised through the concerted action of several enzymes, including soluble starch synthase(s) (SSS), starch branching enzyme(s) (SBE), starch de-branching enzyme(s) (DBE). The physical properties of starch are strongly affected by the relative abundance of amylose and amylopectin, therefore SSSs, SBEs and DBEs play a key role in determining both starch quantity and quality. As such, one approach to manipulating starch structure would be to modify the expression of the enzymes involved in starch biosynthesis in the endosperm using a transgenic approach.
SBE catalyses the formation of the α-1,6 linkages, creating branch points in the growing starch molecule, via hydrolysis of an α-1,4 linkage followed by reattachment of the released α-1,4-glucan chain to the same or another glucosyl chain. This reaction also provides a new non-reducing end for further elongation of the original α-1,4-glucan chain.
Multiple isoforms of starch branching enzyme have been described, biochemically, from a number of species including maize (Boyer and Preiss, 1978), rice (Nakamura et al., 1992), pea (Smith, 1988), potato (Khoshnoodi et al., 1993) and wheat (Morell et al., 1997). More recently, genomic and cDNA sequences for SBE have been characterised from several species including maize (Baba et al., 1991; Fisher et al., 1993; Gao et al. 1997) pea (Burton et al., 1995), potato (Kossmann et al., 1991), rice (Nakamura and Yamanouchi, 1992; Mizuno et al., 1993), Arabidopsis (Fisher et al., 1996), cassava (Salehuzzaman et al., 1992), and wheat (Rapellin et al., 1997, Nair et al., 1997, Rahman et al., 1997). Sequence alignment of these SBEs revealed a high degree of sequence conservation at the amino acid level and that the SBEs may be grouped into two distinct families, generally known as SBEI and SBEII. Further, analysis indicates that within a species there is generally of the order of 50% homology between the two families, SBEI and SBEII, while there is often greater homology within the two families between species.
Maize is unusual in that the maize SBEII family is thought to comprise two different members, known as SBEIIa and SBEIIb. There has been controversy over whether the SBEIIa and IIb enzymes are in fact a) encoded by genes at two different loci, and b) whether the genes represent different alleles at a single locus. Fisher et al (1996) and Gao et al (1997) have provided evidence that SBEIIa and SBEIIb are encoded by independent genes. However, there is no conclusive evidence that both isoforms exist together in any one maize genotype. The DNA clones for the two published gene sequences were purified from different genotypes of maize and it is thus possible that they represent different alleles of a single locus. In summary, in maze, three distinct SBE genes have been characterised to date (Baba et al., 1991; Fisher et al., 1993; Gao et al., 1997). SBEI is distinct from SBEIIa and SBEIIb in amino acid composition, substrate specificity, kinetic properties, and immunological reactivities, whereas SBEIIa and SBEIIb are similar in these respects (Guan and Preiss, 1993; Preiss 1991; Takeda et al., 1993). At the amino acid level the sequence exhibits approximately 50% homology with the SBEIIa and SBEIIb sequences, whereas SBEIIa and SBEIIb exhibit approximately 80% homology to each other.
Prior to the present invention, maize was unique in having SBEIIa- and SBEIIb-type enzymes. Although Arabidopsis has two SBEII family members, the subdivision in Arabidopsis does not appear to conform to that seen in maize: the Arabidopsis sub-family members do not obviously fall into the IIa and IIb categories as do the maize sequences. Both of the Arabidopsis SBEII genes have similar levels of homology to both the maize SBEII genes, SBEIIa and SBEIIb, but the similarities are not sufficient to be able to place the Arabidopsis genes into the same SBEIIa and SBEIIb categories as for maize. Indeed, the data, if anything, suggests that the Arabidopsis SBEII genes do nor fall into the maize IIa and IIb categories. For barley, two forms of SBEII had been partly characterised. Although these have been called SBEIIa and SBEIIb, only a very limited amount of sequence information had been published (Sun et al, 1995) and it was not possible to infer or conclude that these forms correspond to the IIa and IIb categories of maize. In fact, based on the available barley sequence information both of the barley SBEII sequences (SBEIIa and SBEIIb) would appear to show greater homology to maize SBEIIa than to maize SBEIIb.
For all other plant species for which SBEII sequences have been identified and published, including potato, pea, rice, cassava, wheat and barley, no subdivision of the SBEII family comparable to the SBEIIa and SBEIIb division of maize has been made.
Studies of purified SBEI and SBEII demonstrate that these isoforms differ in their specificity for a substrate with respect to both chain length and degree of branching. In maize, SBEI and SBEII show distinct branching activities in vitro, with SBEI showing a higher rate of branching of an amylose substrate when compared to SBEII whereas both SBEIIa and IIb show higher rates of branching than SBEI when acting upon an amylopectin substrate (Guan and Preiss, 1993). Furthermore, maize SBEI preferentially transfers longer glucan chains (average chain length=24) than SBEII (average chain length=21(IIa) and 22(IIb)) (Takeda et al., 1993). A similar observation has been reported for SBEI and SBEII isoforms from wheat and pea (Morell et al., 1997; Smith, 1988). Mutational studies in maize, rice and pea demonstrate that high amylose mutants in each case are deficient in the branching enzyme activity analogous to maize SBEII (Martin and Smith, 1995; Morell et al., 1995). However, the linkage between the biochemical observations and the genetic evidence suggesting the differences in the roles remains unclear.
The present invention is based on the unexpected discovery of a novel class of SBEII genes in wheat, referred to herein as SBEII-1. The novel SBEII-1 gene sequence has strong homology with the maize SBEIIb gene. The wheat SBEII-1 genes are thought to be functionally equivalent to the maize SBEIIb gene, and on this basis it is believed that manipulation of the wheat SBEII-1 gene is likely to influence starch properties including starch gelatinisation temperature, in a manner analogous to manipulation of the maize SBEIIb gene as described in WO 97/22703.
In summary, although two different SBEII gene sequences are known from maize, Arabidopsis and barley, as discussed above, prior to the present invention there was no reason to expect that wheat would show a similar sub-division of SBEII genes as is seen for maize. The two Arabidopsis SBEII genes show a different sub-division, and prior to the present invention there was insufficient evidence to determine whether the two barley SBEII sequences belonged to the maize-type sub-division. That is, prior to the present invention there was no reason to expect that wheat would have two similar SBEII members comparable to those of maize. Subsequent to the present invention Sun et al (1998) have presented data which indicates that the barley sequences do indeed sub-divide in a similar manner to the maize SBEIIa and IIb sequences and the wheat SBEII-2 and SBEII-1 sequences discussed in this document.
The present inventors have used the high degree of sequence conservation between several SBE gene sequences to design oligonucleotide primers to motifs which are specific to either SBEI or SBEII families and have used these primers to amplify cDNA sequences from developing endosperm of wheat.
When this work was started, a single partial length wheat SBE cDNA clone had been reported (Mousley, 1994). Multiple sequence alignment of this wheat SBE sequence with other published SBE sequences from a number of plant species revealed a number of motifs which were highly conserved. Oligonucleotide primers designed to be complementary to these motifs were used to clone 3′ partial length cDNA clones of wheat SBEII. Alignment of the cDNA clone sequences indicated that the clones could be divided into two classes, which the inventors have designated SBEII-1 and SBEII-2, which showed greater than 90% similarity to members within a class but only 60% similarity between classes. Significantly, comparison between representative sequences from each class with previously identified wheat SBEII clones, pWBE6 (Mousley, 1994) and SBEII (Nair et al., 1997), showed that each appear to be homologues of the SBEII-2 class. The cloning of a wheat SBEII-1 cDNA is novel.

Isoforms of starch branching enzyme II (SBE-IIA and SBE-IIB) from wheat