An image forming apparatus comprises: an image transfer carrying means 18 having flexibility and having an endless sleeve-like shape; a plurality of image forming means 7 which are arranged along the image transfer carrying means 18 such that respective image carriers 17 thereof are in contact with the image transfer carrying means 18, each image forming means 7 comprising a latent image forming means 6 for forming a latent image on the image carrier and a developing means for developing the latent image formed on the image carrier; and transfer bias applying means 16 which are disposed on the back of the image transfer carrying means at positions where the respective image carriers are in contact with the image transfer carrying means for applying transfer bias. The image transfer carrying means 18 is laid around at least two rollers with certain tension and is positioned to be in contact with the image carriers 17 to have predetermined nip width therebetween and each transfer bias applying means abuts the image transfer carrying means 18 to have a contact area narrower than the nip width for applying transfer bias. At gradually increasing spaces at the entrance end and the exit end of each nip portion of the image transfer carrying means, even with high transfer bias voltage, the discharge phenomenon and an undesired phenomenon of toner image scattering from predetermined positions are prevented, thus preventing the deterioration of image quality.

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus including an image transfer carrying means having an endless sleeve-like shape and having flexibility, a plurality of image forming means which are arranged along the image transfer carrying means such that respective image carriers thereof are in contact with the image transfer carrying means, each image forming means comprising a latent image forming means for forming a latent image on the image carrier and a developing means for developing the latent image formed on the image carrier, and transfer bias applying means which are disposed on the back of the image transfer carrying means at positions where the respective image carriers are in contact with the image transfer carrying means for applying transfer bias, whereby toner images developed by the image forming means are sequentially transferred to the image transfer carrying means such that the toner images are superposed on each other.
Tandem-type image forming apparatuses are categorized into two types as:
an apparatus employing a paper delivery method which comprises a plurality of image forming stations arranged in an array, in which a receiving medium is electrostatically attracted to a delivery belt and is fed to be brought in contact with the respective stations in order and electrostatic transferring force is applied between each station and the receiving medium, thereby superposing toner images of plural colors while directly transferring the toner images to the receiving medium; and
an apparatus employing an intermediate transfer method which comprises a plurality of image forming stations arranged in an array, in which an intermediate transfer belt made of a dielectric substance is fed to be brought in contact with the respective stations and electrostatic transferring force is applied between each station and the intermediate transfer belt so as to transfer primarily toner images of the respective stations one by one to superpose the toner images on the intermediate transfer belt and the superposed toner images are transferred secondarily from the intermediate transfer belt to a receiving medium at once.
In the aforementioned paper delivery method, it is required to provide a means (roller or brush) for attracting the receiving medium to the delivery belt and high voltage power supply. In the intermediate transfer method, however, such a means and high voltage power supply are not required. Further, in the paper delivery method, it is required to strictly control the transfer bias to be applied to respective image transfer portions according to the size, the thickness, and the kind of the receiving medium. In the intermediate transfer method, the primary transfer of toner images is conducted to the intermediate transfer belt of which resistance, thickness, and surface roughness are constant regardless of the aforementioned factors of the receiving medium. The control of the transfer condition including the transfer voltage or transfer current and contact pressure must be conducted only for the secondary transfer of the toner images to the receiving medium. Therefore, the intermediate transfer method has a lot of advantages.
On the other hand, the apparatus can also be categorized according to the arrangement of the respective image forming stations. There are a method of arranging the stations horizontally and a method of arranging the stations vertically. The former has a disadvantage of requiring a larger area for placing, while the latter has a disadvantage of making the apparatus too tall to be put on a desk.
Therefore, a method of arranging the respective image forming stations obliquely is conventionally known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H11-95520 and Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication No. H8-305115. The former has exposure devices corresponding to the image forming stations, respectively, and the latter has an exposure device common to the respective image forming stations.
In an image forming apparatus employing an image transfer carrying means composed of a carrying belt or an intermediate transfer belt which is in contact with a plurality of image carriers to sequentially receive toner images from the image carriers to form a multiple-color image thereon and carries the multiple-color image, however, there are frequently differences between the condition of transferring a first toner image from the first image carrier and the condition of transferring a second toner image from the second image carrier onto the first toner image, . . . and the condition of transferring a n-th toner image from the n-th image carrier onto the n-1-th toner image. The condition may be changed because the condition is affected by attributes of the toner image(s) previously transferred. In particular, the contact pressure and contact form between each image carrier and the image transfer carrying means, the form of applying transfer bias for transferring each toner image and the like are important requirements for determining the condition for sequentially transferring the toner images by contacts of the plurality of image carriers such that the toner images are superposed on each other.
FIG. 1 is an illustration for explaining the phenomenon of image deterioration due to the transfer bias at a nip. Typically, a conductive roller 16 made of an elastic material such as rubber is pressed against an image transfer carrying means 18 with a contact pressure ƒ as shown in FIG. 1 so as to form a nip between an image transfer carrying means and an image carrier carrying a toner image formed thereon. Therefore, the transfer nip is formed between the image transfer carrying means 18 and the image carrier 17 and a transfer bias is applied to the nip, thereby transferring the toner image T from the image carrier 17 to the image transfer carrying means 18. During this, the transfer current flowing from the elastic conductive roller 16 through the image transfer carrying means 18 is substantially constant over the entire area of the nip because the lengths of current paths from the contact between the elastic conductive roller 16 and the image transfer carrying means 18 to the image carrier 17 are all constant.
However, since there are gradually increasing spaces at the entrance end and the exit end of the nip of the image transfer carrying means 18, the discharge phenomenon occurs at the spaces with higher voltage of the transfer bias applied from the conductive roller 16, causing undesirable phenomena such as toner T scattering from predetermined positions and thus leading to image deterioration.


A method of minimizing a seam effect of a deposited TEOS oxide film during a trench filling process performed on a semiconductor substrate in a semiconductor substrate plasma processing apparatus comprises supporting a semiconductor substrate on a pedestal in a vacuum chamber thereof. Process gas including TEOS, an oxidant, and argon is flowed through a face plate of a showerhead assembly into a processing region of the vacuum chamber. RF energy energizes the process gas into a plasma wherein TEOS oxide film is deposited on the semiconductor substrate so as to fill at least one trench thereof. The argon is supplied in an amount sufficient to increase the electron density of the plasma such that the deposition rate of the TEOS oxide film towards the center of the semiconductor substrate is increased and the seam effect of the deposited TEOS oxide film in the at least one trench is reduced.

TEOS (tri-ethoxy-organo-silicate) is a silicon-containing compound that is a liquid at room temperature. TEOS is used in many applications to deposit dielectric film on a substrate, e.g., in place of silane. TEOS is used in applications where conformality is required as silicon dioxide (or "TEOS oxide") films deposited by TEOS chemical vapor deposition processes have good conformality. TEOS oxide is often deposited by a plasma enhanced deposition chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process.
TEOS-based PECVD processes typically involve exposing a substrate to a process gas including TEOS and an oxidant such as oxygen or ozone. TEOS oxide deposition during trench filling processes of semiconductor substrate processing may result in the formation of uneven deposition and step coverage which may lead to voids and/or seams forming in the deposited film due to overhang of deposited material which was deposited on a side wall of the trench (i.e. the seam effect). Thus, it would be desirable to have high deposition rate, high purity, processes for depositing TEOS oxide films wherein defects such as the seam effect are minimized.

Method and apparatus to minimize seam effect during TEOS oxide film deposition


Apparatus for restraining a necktie; the necktie has a front portion, a rear portion and a label attached to a back side of the front portion of the necktie. The apparatus includes a material having upper, middle and lower button holes that connect with upper, middle and lower buttons on the shirt. A first tab and a second tab are attached to the material and form a first loop and a second loop with the material such that said rear portion of said necktie is inserted through the first loop or the second loop. The first tab is positioned below the upper button hole and above the middle button hole and the second tab is positioned below the middle button hole and above the lower button hole on the apparatus. A tied necktie secured to the collar of the shirt is attached to the apparatus by connecting a first button on the shirt to a first button hole on the material. The rear portion of the necktie is inserted through the first or second tab on the material. The apparatus and connected rear portion of the necktie are inserted through a label on a backside of the front portion the necktie. Then, the middle and lower button holes are connected to the middle and lower buttons on the users shirt.

The rear portion of a necktie is typically restrained by a label attached to the back side of the front portion of the tie. To further secure the tie to the users shirt, tie tacks, pins and tie clasp are used to further hold the tie in place. Although these conventional methods of securing neckties are effective, they do not address or solve the difficulties associated with securing the rear portion of a necktie so that the user has an overall neat appearance and unnecessary movement of the necktie is avoided.
Various necktie restraints are currently in use, but they do not involve an apparatus with button holes and tabs attached to the material such that the necktie is secured by the button holes, buttons on the users shirt, tabs on the apparatus and the label on the necktie.


A welding and network information system and methodology is provided in accordance with the present invention. The system includes a welder operatively coupled to a server and a network interface to enable a network architecture, the network architecture serving a network that communicates with at least one remote system, wherein the remote system includes at least one remote interface to communicate with the network architecture and provide welding information to a user, wherein the remote system accesses at least one HTTP socket to establish web communications with the welder and loads at least one application from the welder, wherein the remote system accesses at least one Welding Application socket via the at least one application to exchange information between the welder and the remote system, the at least one application includes at least one welding information broker to determine whether the welding information in a local database is to be updated, the user receives the welding information via the remote interface and the local database or the remote interface and the network. The present invention enables automated order and fulfillment of items such as replacement parts and/or welding programs and procedures.

The present invention relates generally to computer and welding systems, and more particularly to a system and method providing local and/or remote technical information transfers to welders via a weld object that provides links to the most recent welding operating, training, troubleshooting and servicing information, wherein users may determine/select replacement components from the information and automatically initiate orders associated with a replacement part selection.
Welding systems reside at the core of the modem industrial age. From massive automobile assembly operations to automated manufacturing environments, these systems facilitate joining in ever more complicated manufacturing operations. One such example of a welding system includes an electric arc welding system. This may involve movement of a consumable electrode, for example, toward a work piece while current is passed through the electrode and across an arc developed between the electrode and the work piece. The electrode may be a non-consumable or consumable type, wherein portions of the electrode may be melted and deposited on the work piece. Often, hundreds or perhaps thousands of welders are employed to drive multiple aspects of an assembly process, wherein sophisticated controllers enable individual welders to operate within relevant portions of the process. For example, some of these aspects relate to control of power and waveforms supplied to the electrode, movements or travel of a welding tip during welding, electrode travel to other welding points, gas control to protect a molten weld pool from oxidation at elevated temperatures and provide ionized plasma for an arc, and other aspects such as arc stability to control the quality of the weld. These systems are often deployed over great distances in larger manufacturing environments and many times are spread across multiple manufacturing centers. Given the nature and requirements of modem and more complex manufacturing operations however, welding systems designers, architects and suppliers face increasing challenges in regard to upgrading, maintaining, controlling, servicing and supplying various welding locations. Unfortunately, many conventional welding systems operate in individually controlled and somewhat isolated manufacturing locations in regard to the overall joining, fabrication and/or other production process. Thus, controlling, maintaining, servicing and supplying multiple and isolated locations in large centers, and/or across the globe, has become more challenging, time consuming and expensive.
One such challenge relates to providing relevant and/or current technical information to welding system operators. This information can be in a variety of forms such as service manuals, training and operating manuals, troubleshooting manuals, schematics, and/or any information relating to operating and servicing the welding system. The information is often stored in document or manual form and generally remains unchanged after initial shipment and installment of the welding system. If a problem occurs with the welder, or if routine maintenance is to be performed, and/or if a new/current operator needs more specific information to perform new or different welding tasks, this information generally has to be retrieved manually by the operator from a file cabinet or other filing location that may not even be located on the production floor. Valuable time is then generally expended searching for the necessary documents. The time expended may include searching through documents of unrelated welding systems that service other portions of the production process. Even after a manual or document location is found, there is substantially no assurance that the retrieved document provides the latest or most recent information for a particular welding system. For example, the welding system may have undergone several upgrades (e.g., application software enhancements, welding program changes, weld controller firmware changes, hardware component changes) before an operator needs to perform a service procedure such as troubleshoot and replace a faulty welding component. If an older manual is retrieved that does not reflect the current state of the welding system, however, faulty diagnosis may occur. Consequently, this may lead to expensive troubleshooting costs and other costs relating to purchasing incorrect components that may not in fact be defective. Thus, extra welding system downtime may occur because of incorrect diagnosis and selection of non-defective replacement parts.
Once a component has been determined for replacement by a weld system operator or technician, another costly and time-consuming procedure generally follows. This involves ordering and purchasing the suspected defective component or part. The operator generally has to look-up the part in a manual, find the related part number, determine who supplies the part, and look the part up in a supplier""s catalog. When the supplier has been determined, a phone call or FAX is placed to determine availability and price information, and then a purchase order is generated and transmitted to the supplier to fulfill the order. Assuming that the part has been entered correctly by the purchaser and processed correctly by the supplier, the part may then arrive at the welder wherein a replacement can then occur. Unfortunately, the above process involves many time-consuming and manual stepsxe2x80x94sometimes involving error. Thus, much time can be expended receiving inadequate or incorrect replacement parts. If many welders are serviced by many different operators in this manner, as is often the case in larger welding environments, these problems become magnified.
Due to the problems described above and other problems associated with conventional welding systems, there is an unsolved need for an improved welding architecture to facilitate remote information transfers and parts distribution to multiple welding systems that may be distributed across large areas or regions.
The following presents a simplified summary of the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the present invention. This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of the invention nor delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.
The present invention relates to a system and method to provide an automated transfer of relevant and up-to-date information relating to welding systems and to enable automatic replacement part or weld program order generation from the information. This is achieved without requiring an operator to perform exhaustive searches for the information and/or to manually perform conventional steps relating to replacement component purchases and acquisitions. An operator may retrieve and utilize the information via a network architecture/interface to operate and maintain the welding system, for example, wherein the information may be associated with troubleshooting, servicing, maintaining, and operating the welding system. Upon obtaining the relevant information, the operator or user may learn new or current operating procedures and/or determine replacement components indicated by the retrieved information for components that are defective and/or need replacement in the routine course of maintaining the welding system. Additionally, the user can automatically order new welder programs or procedures that control the welding system and process. An automated order generation system then enables the operator to initiate replacement component and/or welder program/procedure purchases based on selections provided in the retrieved information. In this manner, the operator can retrieve information associated with the welding system without having to perform searches or physically locate a particular item that may or may not contain the most recent welding system information. If a component or program needs replacement, a component/program purchase can automatically be triggered by selecting the desired component or program within the retrieved information. Thus, errors associated with outdated documentation and manually driven purchasing systems are mitigated.
In accordance with the present invention, a welding information broker is employed to determine the current state of the welding system. The broker solicits individual welding components over an internal welding system bus with the current state of one or more of the components that contribute to the architecture of a particular welding system. This may also include receiving version information relating to the availability of the information residing in the welding system. The welding information broker is then linked to a remote network server with an object list or table of all documentation relating to the particular welding system as defined by the weld broker. A local data store is examined according to the list to determine if the documentation is up to date and available locally at the welding system. An interface such as a browser may then be utilized to view the documentation from the local data store. If the documentation is not available locally, a download may be automatically initiated to transfer the most recent documentation to the local data store. Alternatively, the documentation may be examined by the weld system operator or user at the remote location. In such a case, a document pointer may be stored to point to the remote location.
In the course of utilizing the documentation, the welding system operator may learn new welding procedures, perform routine maintenance, and/or troubleshoot the welding system via schematic documentation, for example. If a part or component is determined for replacement, and/or if a new welder program/procedure is desired, the welding system operator may initiate a purchase of the part or program by selecting (e.g., mouse click) the part within the documentation. This is achieved by linking the welding broker to a remote inventory and distribution system and updating the broker with purchasing information relating to the welding system, the selected part and associated part suppliers. Based on the purchasing information associated with the welding system, a purchase order may be automatically generated and transmitted to the supplier, wherein the order may then be automatically fulfilled without utilizing conventional manual ordering processes (e.g., typing orders, phoning suppliers, looking up parts in catalogs). Automated ordering of welder programs or procedures may be similarly initiated.
The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative aspects of the invention. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the invention may be employed and the present invention is intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

System and method providing automated welding information exchange and replacement part order generation


A device for performing a multiplex lateral flow immunoassay is provided in which a liquid sample, such as a biological sample, is simultaneously tested for the presence of multiple analytes of interest. Methods that employ the device in the simultaneous detection of multiple analytes of interest within a liquid test sample are also provided.

Lateral flow immunoassays, also called lateral flow tests, dipsticks or simply strip tests, are simple one- or two-step assays for the qualitative determination of analytes directly in liquid samples. Specific lines, or zones, are "striped" onto, or applied to, a test membrane that contains capture reagents designed to react with and bind to predefined analytes of interest that may be present in a liquid test sample. When a liquid sample is applied to one end of the test membrane, the sample is drawn by capillary action along the longitudinal axis of the membrane strip. Analytes of interest present in the sample interact with the capture reagents, producing measurable and detectable changes along the striped analyte assay test zones. The benefits of lateral flow tests include: (a) they have a user-friendly format; (b) a very short time is required to obtain the test result; (c) they have long-term stability over a wide range of climates; and (d) they are relatively inexpensive to make. These features make strip tests ideal for applications such as home testing, rapid point-of-care testing, and testing in the field for various environmental and agricultural analytes. In addition, they provide reliable testing that might not otherwise be available in developing countries.
A rapid lateral flow test generally consists of a system of overlapping porous materials containing the dried components needed to perform the test. These membranes are assembled in small strips, which can be placed into a plastic housing for ease in handling. Lateral flow tests can be used to detect any ligand that can be bound to a visually detectable capture reagent attached to a solid support, both qualitatively and, in many cases, semi-quantitatively. Some of the more common lateral flow tests currently on the market are those for pregnancy, strep throat and Chlamydia infection. For these conditions a quantitative assay is not necessary.
A typical prior art lateral flow assay format is shown in FIG. 1. The sample to be tested, such as a biological sample, is loaded onto sample application pad 10. In the case of whole blood or capillary blood samples, separation of blood cells and plasma takes place on sample pad 10. The sample application pad 10 is typically adhered to a rigid or semi-rigid backing card 11. For example, the sample pad 10 may be laminated to a mylar support film which functions as the backing card 11. The liquid fraction of the sample then moves through a conjugate release pad 12 onto which a conjugate has been dried. The conjugate consists of detection molecules specifically directed against the analyte of interest and indicator particles, such as colloidal gold or gold sol. Upon contact with the liquid sample, the conjugate redissolves and specifically binds to any analyte present in the sample to form an analyte-conjugate complex. In certain formats a liquid conjugate, such as a liquid gold conjugate, is employed and the conjugate pad is omitted (see U.S. Pat. No. 8,399,261).
The analyte-conjugate complex flows through a capillary membrane 14, such as a nitrocellulose membrane (also referred to as the analytical membrane), on which test and control reagents have been immobilized. More specifically, membrane 14 is provided with two capture lines, or regions, arranged sequentially and positioned perpendicularly to the flow direction theta (Θ), each containing bound reagents. Test line 16 contains analyte-specific molecules which are able to bind to and immobilize the analyte-conjugate complex, resulting in a visible colored line. Control line 18 does not contain analyte-specific molecules but is able to fix non-bound conjugate-containing particles. The formation of a colored line at control line 18 indicates that the test sample has flowed past test line 16. The color intensity observed at test line 16 is directly proportional to the analyte concentration in the sample and therefore enables semi-quantitative interpretation of the test result. If the analyte of interest is present at a level above the detection limit, test line 16 and control line 18 both become clearly visible. If the analyte is present at a level below the detection limit, only control line 18 becomes visible during the test
The last component of the rapid test device is an absorbent pad 20 (also known as a wicking or sink pad) which collects the fluid flowing through the test system and prevents any backflow of fluid. Absorbent pad 20 allows the use of samples whose volume exceeds the wicking capacity of nitrocellulose membrane 14.
Traditional lateral flow immunoassays are designed to detect and measure a single analyte per test device and therefore detection of multiple analytes in a single sample can only be performed sequentially. While such tests are well-established and validated techniques, they can be time-consuming, sample-depleting and costly when employed to measure numerous analytes per sample. Bead-based immunoassays utilize the same principle as strip tests but employ uniquely identifiable beads. These beads enable simultaneous detection of multiple analytes in a single well or reaction but generally require the use of expensive equipment to read the results and are thus not suitable for point-of-care or field use. In alternative methods, reagents that are specific for multiple different analytes are positioned at specific locations in an array (for example in pre-designated wells of a 96-well plate) and portions of a test sample are added to each of the wells. Again, these methods are less effective for point-of-care or field use than conventional dipstick tests.
Other multiplexed lateral flow assay systems align multiple lateral flow assays, or test strips, into a single large cassette. A liquid test sample is applied at a specific location and then divided and directed into multiple separate channels, with each channel containing agents for detecting a specific analyte. For example, US 2013/0280698 discloses a multi-strip assay cartridge in which multiple lateral flow assay strips are located within a single housing. A liquid test sample is introduced into a diversion dam via an inlet in the housing and subsequently split between multiple flow channels, each flow channel being connected to a separate assay chamber that contains components necessary for detection of a single analyte. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 8,715,590 discloses a cross-flow analyte assay array in which one or more test samples are introduced through at least one test sample input application port and distributed through multiple fluid flow manifolds to multiple fluid flow channels positioned in parallel rows that are located perpendicular or transverse to the longitudinal direction of fluid flow. Such devices are more complex, and therefore more expensive, to produce than standard dipstick tests.
Other descriptions of lateral flow assay devices may be found in, e.g., Sajid M. et al. Journal of Saudi Chemical Society (2015) v. 19 pp. 689-705 and references cited therein; "Design Considerations for Lateral Flow Test Strips" pp. 1-32, presentation by Michael A. Mansfield, 24 Jun. 2015; "Rapid Lateral Flow Test Strips, Considerations for Product Development" pp. 1-39, copyright 2002, 2008 by Millipore Corporation, Billerica, Mass., available at the website millipore.com/diagnostics. See also U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,313,734, 4,376,110, 4,435,504, 4,703,017, 4,855,240, 4,954,452, 5,028,535, 5,075,078, 8,580,572, 8,846,319, 8,945,838, 9,034,656, and U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2015/086974, 2014/0093865, 2013/0017561, 2013/0022969, 2013/0280698, 2012/0040336, 2012/0015350 and 2010/0159599. See also, e.g., PCT Publication Nos. WO2014/184151 and WO2011/051562.
There thus remains a need in the art for a multiplexed lateral flow assay system with high specificity and sensitivity that is relatively inexpensive to produce and that is both easy to use and stable under a variety of environmental conditions.
All of the subject matter discussed in the Background section is not necessarily prior art and should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its discussion in the Background section. Along these lines, any recognition of problems in the prior art discussed in the Background section or associated with such subject matter should not be treated as prior art unless expressly stated to be prior art. Instead, the discussion of any subject matter in the Background section should be treated as part of the inventor's approach to the particular problem, which in and of itself may also be inventive.

Multiplexed lateral flow assay systems and methods for their use


One example method of operation may include identifying a code segment accessed during a code access event, scanning code of the code segment to identify a degree of sensitivity of the code, appending a code access annotation to the code segment based on detected actions performed to the code during the code access event, and updating a code log to identify the code access annotation.

Conventionally, software development utilizes an access portal to reach the code source whether it resides on an internal enterprise platform in a remote cloud location, such as GITHUB′ or other third party cloud development sources. A username and/or password is not a viable solution to managing an entire team of developers and their respective access rights. Developers know all the vulnerabilities and can equally be a threat as well as a valuable asset to the team of developers and the code development project.
On the other hand, the strict restrictions which prevent access to various lower level employees or other contractors which are not part of the elite circle of senior developers, only limits the growth potential of a development team since many developers may be performing both less important and more important development tasks. In such circumstances, the developer may require access to the portions of code which are deemed sensitive and which the developer may not currently have access to at a particular time.
One common concern is how to provide a fundamental level of code access without permitting any unnecessary rights or privileges to the code development personnel. For example, when a low-level developer needs to execute code to perform fundamental functions, however, the additional privileges, such as viewing, copying, changing, saving, etc., are all not necessary functions for that particular user profile, then the ideal scenario would include access to perform tests and related operations without any additional privileges.

Documenting and annotating code activities


In an arrangement for transmitting traffic in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cells in downstream and upstream frames between an out station and a base station, upstream traffic cells are queued in each outstation in sequential order for subsequent transmission in upstream frames to the base station. Each outstation sends requests for allocation of timeslots to the base station, each said allocation request being transmitted to the base station in a respective time slot of a said upstream frame. The base station includes means for performing a periodic ranging measurement with each outstation whereby to determine a corresponding timing offset between the base station and that outstation and for communicating that timing offset to the outstation. Each outstation controls the timing of its cell allocation requests such that the cell allocation requests received by the base station in each upstream frame are each in a respective predetermined time slot of that frame. This avoids the need for a preamble sequence to be provided with each request.

Distribution networks, for example cable television distribution networks, are well known. In such networks, analog television signals are carried to customer terminals (television receivers) from a central station or head end via a branched coaxial cable which includes bridger amplifiers, line extenders, and customer taps. Each television signal occupies a typically 6 to 8 MHz channel at a frequency from about 50 MHz to about 750 MHz or more. The upper frequency is limited by the bandwidth of the bridger amplifiers and line extenders and the attenuation of the coaxial cable, which as is well known increases with increasing frequency. Various ways have been proposed for communicating additional signals via a cable television distribution network, typically involving the supply of such signals via optical fibres to appropriate points in the coaxial cable system with delivery of the signals to the customer premises via the coaxial cable, referred to as the drop cable, positioned between the customer tap to the customer premises. There is also a need to accommodate signals in the upstream direction from the customer premises to the central station, so that the network can then serve for communicating arbitrary types of signals in both direction. Such signals can include for example television program selection and control signals, metering signals, voice signals, and data signals.
In the downstream direction from the central station to the terminals, the cable distribution network constitutes a point to multipoint network, on which signal transmission is relatively easy to provide. In the upstream direction from the terminals to the central station, this network is a multipoint-to-point network, on which signal transmission is much more difficult to provide. One reason for the difficulty is the problem of contention among different terminals simultaneously wishing to transmit signals to the central station. Various collision detection schemes have been proposed generally for multipoint-to-point communications networks; these are not particularly suited to the cable distribution network, especially in view of the large number of terminals which may exist in such a network.
In addition, there can be a wide variation in the bandwidth which is required by each terminal, at any particular time, for transmitting signals in the upstream direction. For example, these signals can be isochronous (constant bit rate) signals, such as voice, metering, and video signals, and/or asynchronous (variable bit rate) signals, such as computer data signals, keyboard operations, and television push-button control signals. Providing for efficient transmission of these different types of signals from a large number of terminals is difficult.
In the past, systems of this type have generally employed a conventional TDMA protocol for the upstream transmission. In such an arrangement, a station wishing to transmit is allocated a time slot by the central station and occupies this time slot throughout the length of the transmission. This arrangement is however less than ideal as some of the terminals will have more data to transmit than can be easily accommodated in a single time slot wherein other terminals may have so little data that the occupied time slot is underused.
The data that is to be transmitted from customer terminal is generally of an asynchronous nature and it has been suggested that an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) protocol would be more effective in terms of efficiency of use of the available bandwidth. The introduction of ATM techniques to this particular application has however been limited by the lack of an efficient marshalling scheme. In particular, a customer terminal transmitting ATM cells will in general be allocated different time slots in each frame and will thus need to send a transmission request to the central station for every cell that is to be transmitted. The present techniques that are available for sending such requests consume a significant proportion of the available upstream bandwidth thus reducing the bandwidth available for carrying traffic and limiting the operational efficiency of the system.

Communications in a distribution network


The present invention provides a tillage point having a ground engaging structure configured to adjust with respect to the ground so that the tillage point can flexibly adapt to various field conditions. The ground engaging structure can comprise wings for increasing soil fracture below the ground surface and/or a cover board for moving soil along the ground surface. The ground engaging structure can variably adjust using an actuator, such as a hydraulic cylinder, connected to linkage which can move the ground engaging structure through multiple angles about a pivot point during tillage operations. In addition, a controller can adjust the actuator to maintain an angle of the ground engaging structure according to a location on a prescription map.

A wide range of agricultural implements have been developed and are presently in use for tilling, cultivating, harvesting and so forth. Tillage implements, for example, are commonly towed behind tractors and may cover wide swaths of ground which may include various types of residue. Such residue may include materials left in the field after the crop has been harvested. These residues typically include stalks and stubble, leaves and seed pods. Good management of field residues can increase efficiency of irrigation and control of erosion in the field.
Accordingly, tillers may include ground engaging tools, such as shanks and tillage points, configured to condition the soil for improved moisture distribution while reducing soil compaction from such sources as machine traffic, grazing cattle, and standing water. The points are typically replaceable, and various types of points may be mounted on the shanks, depending upon the field conditions and the desired results of the tilling operation. However, adjusting tillage points to accommodate changing requirements of the field or desired results of the tilling operation can be time consuming and burdensome. Therefore, a need exists for an improved system which enables tilling while better accommodating such changing requirements.

Tillage point having variable ground engaging structure


This invention provides a method for manipulating the contents of eggs. An opening is made in the egg shell, without breaking the underlying egg shell membrane, and an aqueous liquid is deposited over the opening such that the opening is completely covered. The underlying egg shell membrane is then cut away. The introduction of air bubbles into the interior of the egg upon cutting of the underlying egg shell membrane is prevented by the drawing of the aqueous liquid into the opening. A desired solution may be microinjected through the opening and the opening sealed.

a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manipulating eggs, particularly fertilized eggs.
b) Description of related art
The hard egg shell and large yolky egg of the avian embryo pose a significant obstacle to manipulating the embryo. When laid, the avian embryo consists of a blastoderm containing 30,000-60,000 cells on top of the yolk and encased in a hard calcified egg shell. Immediately below the shell is the egg shell membrane which surrounds the egg white, the egg yolk and the developing embryo. Many procedures, including transgenic modification of the avian genome, require access to the interior of the egg. For example, to modify the genetic material of a chicken, a small volume of liquid containing retroviral transducing particles or transfected donor cells must be injected into the subgerminal cavity of the recipient embryo. In addition, it may be desirable to expose the developing embryo to antigens, viruses, vaccines, or growth factors.
To provide access to the interior of the egg and the embryo, typically a hole or "window" is made in the egg shell. Petitte et al. (Development 108:185-89 (1990)) and Bosselman et al. (Science 243:533-35 (1989); U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,215) use a grinding tool, such as a Dremel, to grind a 5-8 mm hole in the egg shell. The underlying egg shell membrane is then cut away with a scalpel and 2-10 microliters of experimental solution is microinjected into the embryo. The hole is then sealed in one of several ways. Usually, the hole is covered with fresh egg shell membrane from a donor egg, with the membrane applied in the same orientation as in the egg, i.e, albumen-side down. When the membrane dries, it is permanently sealed with plastic model cement or a gas permeable surgical membrane. See also Carsience et al. (Development 117:669-75 (1993)), and Fraser et al. (Int. J. Dev. Biol. .37:381-85 (1993)).
Other similar methods have been used to access the developing embryo. Thoraval et al. (Transgenic Res. 4:369-76 (1995)) remove a triangular piece of shell, inject 10 ul of experimental solution through the opening into the embryo, then seal the egg by replacing the shell piece and covering it with adhesive tape. Marzullo (Nature 225:72-3 (1970)) cuts a hole in the shell, covers it with a glass cover slip, and seals it with paraffin wax.
The hatch rate of viable chicks following egg manipulations is an important concern, for often the objective of the egg manipulation process is the production of a genetically altered chick. For example, transgenic avians may be produced by injecting retroviral transducing particles or transfected donor cells into the embryo, and allowing the embryo to develop normally to hatching. As noted below, it is well known in the field that less than 10% of fertilized eggs hatch following manipulations that require opening of the shell. By contrast, greater than 90% of unmanipulated eggs will hatch if the eggs are from flocks that are at peak production. Work in several laboratories indicates that it is the opening procedure that decreases hatchability, not the injections.
Marzullo (1970) first reported the high mortality associated with opening the egg, noting that only 7% of embryos of windowed and injected eggs reached day 15 of incubation. Thoraval et al. (1995; Poultry Sci. 73:1897-1905 (1994)) also found that 2.3-7.3% of opened and injected eggs hatched; uninjected, windowed eggs had a similar hatching rate, suggesting that the opening procedure caused the low hatching rate. Petitte et al. (1990) reported that 4 out of 53, or 7.6%, of windowed and injected eggs hatched; hatchability was the same without injection, indicating that the windowing procedure per se was responsible for the low hatch rate. Although Bosselman et al. (1989) reported a hatch rate of 38% using essentially the same method as Petitte et al., consistently obtaining hatch rates over 10% continues to be problematic.
Surrogate shell methods have been developed to provide access to embryos and to improve hatch rates. Developing embryos, with or without genetic manipulation, are collected at various ages and transferred to "ex ovo" containers. Generally, 2 or 3 transfers are required as the embryo develops, and the last transfer consists of placing the embryo in a fresh donor egg shell with a large hole cut in the blunt end. Using these methods, Perry (Nature 331:70-73 (1988); U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,780) and Ono et al.(Dev. Biol. 161:126-30 (1994)) observed hatch rates greater than 25% for chicken and quail embryos, respectively. Unfortunately, this method is labor intensive and may prove rate-limiting if very large numbers of injections are necessary to produce viable transgenic chicks.
The surrogate shell method has also been combined with standard egg-opening methods. After windowing and injecting as described by Petitte et al. (1990), eggs are incubated for 3 days in standard incubators and the embryo is transferred to a surrogate shell which is sealed with gas permeable film as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,780. This approach yields hatch rates of greater than 25%; however it is also labor intensive.
It would be desirable to provide an improved method for increasing the hatchability of eggs subjected to manipulation.

The University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc.


Methods for affecting body composition include the use of amylin or amylin agonist(s). Total body weight may be reduced, maintained or even increased; however, the body fat is reduced or body fat gain is prevented, while lean body mass is maintained or increased.

It is estimated that about 64% of Americans are overweight or obese (roughly about 97 million adults) and it is generally believed that these numbers are increasing. Being obese or overweight may substantially increase the risk of morbidity from hypertension; dyslipidemia; type 2 diabetes; coronary heart disease; stroke; gallbladder disease; osteoarthritis; sleep apnea and respiratory problems; and endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancers. Higher body weights are also associated with increases in all-cause mortality. Furthermore, being obese or overweight may cause a person to have negative self-image about him or her self.
In humans, patients who are overweight or obese are considered those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of equal or greater than 25. BMI is a common measure expressing the relationship (or ratio) of weight-to-height. It is a mathematical formula in which a person's body weight in kilograms is divided by the square of his or her height in meters (i.e., wt/(ht)2). Individuals with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight, while individuals with a BMI of 30 or more are considered obese.
According to the NIH Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults, all adults (aged 18 years or older) who have a BMI of 25 or more are considered at risk for premature death and disability as a consequence of overweight and obesity. These health risks increase even more as the severity of an individual's obesity increases.
For these reasons, there is an enormous interest in treating obesity. Existing therapies include standard diets and exercise, very low calorie diets, behavioral therapy, pharmacotherapy involving appetite suppressants, thermogenic drugs, food absorption inhibitors, mechanical devices such as jaw wiring, waist cords and balloons, and surgery, such as gastric bypass. Jung and Chong, Clinical Endocrinology, 35:11-20 (1991); Bray, Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 55:538S-544S (1992).
In general, however, while loss of fat is desired, loss of lean body mass (protein) is not. Lean body mass is highly active metabolically and physiologically and the size is generally genetically defined and maintained. Lean body mass contains all the body protein. There is no real protein store as every protein molecule has a role in maintaining homeostasis. It is believed that loss of body protein is deleterious to the health of an individual. The majority of the protein in the lean body mass is in the skeletal muscle mass. Lean body mass is 50-60% muscle mass by weight, the rest is bone and tendon. Protein makes up the critical cell structure in muscle, viscera, red cells and connective tissue. Enzymes, which direct metabolism, and antibodies, which maintain immune function, are also proteins. Thus, it is desirable to prevent or minimize loss of lean body mass even while reducing body fat.
Caloric restriction, regardless of its form, can cause catabolism of body protein and produce negative nitrogen balance. Protein-supplemented diets, therefore, have gained popularity as a means of lessening nitrogen loss during caloric restriction. Protein-sparing modified fasting has been reported to be effective in weight reduction in adolescents. Lee et al. Clin. Pediatr., 31:234-236 (April 1992). However, these diets may produce only modest nitrogen sparing. A need exists for effective ways of promoting fat loss yet preserving lean body mass or minimizing its loss.
What are described herein are novel methods for modifying body composition.


Hydrogel compositions, and corresponding methods of making, are provided. The hydrogels do not freeze, or only partially freeze, over a wide range of temperatures below the freezing temperature of water. Concurrently, these hydrogels also retain their room temperature mechanical properties (e.g., strength, modulus, elasticity) over a wide range of temperatures, including temperatures below the freezing temperature of water. The hydrogels are synthesized by adding a suitable amount of a salt together with previously cross-linked polymer gel. Hydration of the gel with aqueous solutions containing the prescribed salts not only depresses the hydrogel freezing point but protects the structure. For example, the salts do not allow the hydrogel to completely freeze, thus protecting the hydrogel from brittle failure. Whether the hydrogels partially freeze or remain non-frozen when chilled below the freezing temperature of water is determined by concentration of salt within the hydrogel.

Hydrogel materials are composed of three-dimensional, cross-linked networks of hydrophilic polymer chains dispersed in water. The water is retained within void spaces of the network due to surface tension effects. As a result, while the volume of water within a hydrogel is significantly greater than the volume of the polymer, the cross-linked polymer network inhibits flow of the hydrogel and the hydrogel exhibits solid-like behavior.
Hydrogels are traditionally studied for biomedical applications such as scaffolds in tissue engineering (Lee and Mooney, D. J., "Hydrogels for tissue engineering," Chem. Rev. 101, 1869-1879 (2001)), carriers for drug delivery (Langer, "Drug delivery and targeting," Nature, 392, 5-10 (1998), and valves in microfluidic devices (Beebe, et al., "Functional hydrogel structures for autonomous flow control inside microfluidic channels," Nature, 404, 588-590 (2000)). Notably, hydrogels can mimic the elastic behavior of natural soft tissue due to their high water content and solid character. Furthermore, hydrogels are generally biocompatible and demonstrate good permeability to oxygen and other water-soluble compounds.
Notably, however, mechanical properties of hydrogels are relatively poor. In one aspect, hydrogels exhibit low mechanical strength due to the random alignment of polymer chains within the three-dimensional polymer network and the high water content. Furthermore, hydrogels tend to exhibit brittle (i.e., catastrophic) fracture, with little to no plastic deformation. These poor mechanical properties limit the scope of hydrogels for use in the above-referenced applications (Calvert, "Hydrogels for Soft Machines," Adv. Mater. 21, 743-756 (2009)).
The mechanical properties of hydrogels are further degraded when their temperature falls below the freezing temperature of water. For example, under these conditions, the water inside the hydrogel polymer network solidifies and the hydrogel ceases to exhibit appreciable elastic behavior. Thus, at temperatures below the freezing point of water, hydrogels exhibit mechanical properties similar to ice.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need for hydrogels possessing improved mechanical properties, particularly at temperatures below the freezing point of water.

Hydrogels with improved mechanical properties below water freezing temperature

President and Fellows of Harvard College


A system and method for using Extensible Markup Language (XML) as a scripting language to drive testing of a software program. XML is used to define a markup language in a script that provides commands that are interpreted by a test control processor. The test control processor includes an XML processor for processing the script. Using the script, the test control processor submits instructions to a software program and extracts the behavior of the software program. The software program behavior is tested by submitting multiple sets of instructions and comparing the results. Information regarding the software program behavior and test results is written to an output log file by the test control processor.

Generally, the speed of execution of interactive programs is largely limited by the rate at which a user inputs data and commands, and not by the execution of the commands by the system on which the software is running. At the user level, macro commands and scripts may be used to increase the speed of execution of tasks that involve many commands.
For large or frequently used command sequences, scripts may be used in conjunction with a scripting engine that interprets the script and controls the execution of a program. For example, a web browser may have a scripting engine using JAVASCRIPT or VBSCRIPT (JAVASCRIPT is a registered trademark of Sun Microsystems Inc. Palo Alto, Calif.). Scripting engines are usually associated with a particular language that is a programming language or a subset of a programming language.
One area in which scripts are particularly useful is in the testing of software programs. Thorough testing of a software program typically requires the repeated application of large sets of commands.
Although a script and scripting engine based upon a particular programming language may mesh well with a program that is written in the same programming language, the content of the script may be difficult to associate with the commands that a user would input to the program, such as menu selections made from a graphical user interface. In this case, the script writing requires a level of familiarity with the code underlying the graphical user interface. The user interface of a software application is usually tailored towards natural language. Commands such as "cut" and "paste" are descriptive of their actions even though the executable source code is not.
A markup language such as Extensible Markup Language (XML) is not a programming language per se, but combines text and information concerning the text in a document that may be used by another program. Markup languages are less abstract and bear a closer resemblance to natural language than programming languages, and thus have the potential to be more user friendly.

System and method for software testing with extensible markup language and extensible stylesheet language


Water-proofed natural pulp or organic synthetic fibers are with polyester-type fibers having a low melting point, and subjected to a paper fabrication process. The fabricated product is dried with hot air at a temperature higher than the melting point of the polyester-type fibers, thereby melt-bonding only intersections of the fibers without completely fusing the polyester-type fibers. The pressure of the hot air contributes to the formation of a predetermined shape. Thus, a water-proof diaphragm for a loudspeaker, having a large thickness, a low density, a high internal loss and a high stiffness, is obtained. By incorporating the thus formed diaphragm, a high-performance loudspeaker having a low distortion and a broad reproducing range is obtained.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a loud speaker to be used for various acoustic apparatuses, and a method for producing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a half cross-sectional view showing a configuration for a typical loud speaker 20. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing details of the loud speaker 20. The same constituent elements are indicated by the same reference numerals in FIGS. 1 and 2.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the loud speaker 20 includes a lower plate 3 integral with a center pole 2, a magnet ring 4 provided on a bottom portion of the lower plate 3 so as to surround the center pole 2, and an upper plate 5 provided on an upper face of the magnet ring 4. The lower plate 3, the magnet ring 4, and the upper plate 5 are coupled to one another to constitute a magnet circuit 1.
On an upper face of the upper plate 5, an inner periphery of the frame 6 is coupled. A gasket 7 and an outer periphery of a diaphragm 8 are attached to an outer periphery of the frame 6 using an adhesive. A voice coil 9 is coupled to an inner periphery of the diaphragm 8.
A middle portion of the voice coil 9 is supported by an inner periphery of the damper 10, an outer periphery of the damper 10 being supported by the frame 6. A lower portion of the voice coil 9 is inserted into a magnetic gap 11 formed between the center pole 2 of the lower frame 3 and the upper frame 5 (which are included in the magnetic circuit 1) without being eccentric. Moreover, a dust cap 12 for preventing dust from entering the magnetic circuit 1 is provided on the upper side of a central portion of the diaphragm 8.
It is preferable that the material constituting the diaphragm 8 has such properties as high elasticity, low density, and high internal loss for the following reasons.
The high-frequency range resonance frequency of the diaphragm 8 increases as a specific elasticity E/.rho.(where E represents the elasticity modulus and .rho. represents the density) of the material constituting the diaphragm 8 increases, that is, as the elasticity modulus E increases and as the density .rho. decrease. Such a loud speaker is capable of reproducing sounds in a higher frequency range and therefore realizing a broader reproduction range.
Moreover, the diaphragm 8 achieves a flatter frequency characteristic curve and a lower distortion rate as the internal loss of its material increases.
In view of the above, a principal material used for the diaphragm 8 of the conventional loud speaker 20 is paper which is composed mainly of natural pulp such as wood pulp. This is because paper has an appropriate elasticity modulus and internal loss as well as low density, and therefore provides advantages that a diaphragm composed of a synthetic resin or a complex thereof cannot attain.
On the other hand, the voice coil 9 is required to withstand a large input signal applied thereto. In order for a loud speaker to have good resistance for such a large input, the voice coil 9 is required to have an increased inflammability and heat resistance for the following reasons.
When an input signal is applied to the voice coil 9, an electric current flows in a coil (not shown in FIG. 1 or 2) of the voice coil 9 so as to generate Joule's heat. The Joule's heat increases as the level of the input signal increases, thereby drastically raising the temperature of the voice coil 9. As a result, a bobbin (not shown in FIG. 1 or 2) around which the coil is wound may be burnt, or varnish which is used to couple the coil to the bobbin may deteriorate through softening, causing the coil to fall off the bobbin.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary configuration for a conventional voice coil 9 designed so as to overcome the above-mentioned problem. The voice coil 9 includes a bobbin 13 composed of a strip of a metal foil, e.g., aluminum, bent into a cylindrical shape. Kraft paper 14 is wound, for reinforcement and insulation, around an outer periphery of the voice coil 9 where a coil 15 is not wound. The bobbin 13 is obtained by winding the voice coil 9 on a portion of the bobbin 13 where the kraft paper 14 is not wound. In this configuration, the coil 15 is directly wound on the metal foil constituting the bobbin 13, so that the metal foil functions to radiate the heat generated in the coil 15, thereby preventing elevation of temperature.
Recently, there has been a trend for using metals such as aluminum or organic foams for the material of the diaphragm 8, instead of the above-mentioned paper. However, organic foams have low elasticity and cannot attain sufficient characteristics. On the other hand, a metal diaphragm has only a small internal loss and the weight thereof is large. Therefore, these substitute materials for paper are not optimum materials for diaphragms of loud speakers for use in acoustic apparatuses.
There have been developed diaphragms for loud speakers made of materials consisting of inorganic fibers and/or organic synthetic fibers mixed with paper so as to improve the elasticity of the paper. However, the expected effect of improving the elasticity has not been attained.
Furthermore, paper diaphragms tend to absorb, and therefore are generally susceptible to, moisture. For example, paper diaphragms are not appropriate for such applications as loud speakers to be attached on the doors of automobiles, which require a particularly good water-proofness. In order to solve this problem, diaphragms for loud speakers requiring a high degree of water-proofness have typically been produced by adhering water repellent on pulp fibers during fabrication, or impregnating the fabricated paper diaphragm with a synthetic resin solution so as to provide the paper with water-proof properties.
Very recently, however, the loud speakers to be attached on the doors of automobiles have particularly been required to be sufficiently resistant against surfactants included in detergents for washing automobiles, e.g., car shampoos. The above-mentioned method of adhering water repellent on pulp fibers or impregnating the fabricated paper diaphragm with a synthetic resin solution cannot attain sufficient resistance against such surfactants.
One solution to this problem has been proposed, according to which a water-proof synthetic resin film is laminated onto a surface of a paper diaphragm after the fabrication thereof. However, this creates a new problem of the need for specific jigs and equipment for attaching the synthetic resin film onto the paper diaphragm.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems, Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-40718 describes a diaphragm produced by using a material including a principal material of short fibers, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, and polyacrylonitrile, or synthetic pulp obtained by fibrillating these fibers, and a subordinate material of fibers such as inorganic fibers, organic synthetic fibers, or natural fibers mixed in the principal material, subjecting the material to a paper-fabrication process, and melting the resultant complex synthetic pulp so as to mold it into a desired shape. This diaphragm has excellent environmental characteristics such as water-proofness. However, the diaphragm also has the three following problems.
First, it is difficult to reduce the density of the obtained diaphragm because high-density inorganic fibers, e.g., carbon fibers, alumina fibers, and glass fibers, are mixed into the principal material in order to improve the elasticity of the molded product.
Second, the synthetic pulp used for the above-mentioned diaphragm has relatively short fiber lengths and therefore has low freeness. As a result, the fabrication process takes a long time.
Third, the synthetic pulp used for the above-mentioned diaphragm has a relatively high beating degree, and has relatively short fiber lengths, so that it is difficult to obtain a bulky product after a percolation process. Moreover, since the synthetic pulp is melted during the drying-molding process, the obtained molded product has a film-like shape, so that it is difficult to increase the thickness of the molded product and to adequately reduce the density and increase the internal loss thereof.
On the other hand, in the conventional voice coil 9 shown in FIG. 3, the metal foil used for the bobbin 13, which is incorporated with a view to improving the heat resistance of the voice coil 9, has a large weight, thereby deteriorating the performance of the loud speaker. Moreover, since metals are good electrical conductors, the use of a metal foil for the bobbin 13 may cause a short-circuiting of the coil 15.
Alternatively, a sheet composed of heat-resistant chemical fibers, such as paper composed of aromatic polyamide fibers, e.g., aramid paper or NOMEX paper (manufactured by Du Pont Ltd.) is occasionally used for the bobbin 13 of the voice coil 9. However, such paper slightly absorbs moisture. As a result, when the temperature of the voice coil 9 rapidly increases, the moisture absorbed in the paper is gasified so that swelling may occur in a portion of the bobbin 13 where the coil 15 is wound. Furthermore, it is difficult for the bobbin 13 as described above to be completely severed. Thus, a portion of one or more of the aromatic polyamide fibers may be left at the severed surface. These fibers may also remain in a plumous state on the surface of the sheet. In either case, such portions of the aromatic polyamide fibers can cause extraordinary noises during the operation of the loud speaker, thus deteriorating the quality of the loud speaker.
Furthermore, as described above in connection with the diaphragm 8, loud speakers to be attached on the doors of automobiles are required to be particularly water-proof, so that the voice coil 9 is also required to have an improved water-proofness as well as the diaphragm 8.

Loudspeaker and a method for producing the same

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.


Provided are complexes of the formula:

Organic electronic devices convert electrical energy into radiation, detect signals through electronic processes, convert radiation into electrical energy, or include one or more organic semiconductor layers. Most organic electronic devices include a conductive layer (such as a light-emitting or photoactive layer) positioned between two electrodes.
Thus, what is needed are new materials for organic electronic devices.

Abstract: Provided are complexes of the formula:

Abstract: wherein:                M is selected from Ti, Zr, Hf, Nb, Re, Sn, and Ge,        R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8 are each independently F, Cl, CF3, diarylamine, carbazolyl, alkoxy, cyano, alkyl or aryl; and        a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h are each 0, 1, 2, or 3;        provided that at least one of R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, and R8 is diarylamine or carbazolyl; or R1, R4, R5, and R7 are not all the same; or R2, R3, R6, and R8 are not all the same.


An optical waveguide including a first cladding layer; a core layer, including first and second core sections with cladding sections on sides thereof in the in-layer direction; and a second cladding layer. A refractive index distribution in the in-layer direction in the core layer, from the first core section to an adjacent cladding section, has a continuous change and a region with a first peak, a first dip, and a second peak in this order; the first peak at a position of the first core section, the second peak with a maximum value of refractive index smaller than of the first peak, at a position of the cladding section, and a portion, from the first cladding layer to the first core section, corresponded to a refractive index distribution in the layer-stacking direction, discontinuously changing at the boundary between the first cladding layer and first core section.

In recent optical communication technology for transferring data using optical carrier wave, optical waveguide has been disseminated as a means for guiding the optical carrier wave from one location to another location. The optical waveguide has a linear core section, and a cladding section provided so as to surround the core section.
A known optical waveguide is found, for example, in Patent Literature 1. Patent Literature 1 describes an optical waveguide having the refractive index of the core section concentrically distributed when viewed in the transverse cross section, which was established by allowing a refractive index adjusting agent to diffuse in a base polymer. It is also described that the refractive index of the cladding section, which surrounds the core section, is kept constant. The core section is composed of a material substantially transparent to light used as the optical carrier wave, whereas the cladding section is composed of a material having the refractive smaller than that of the core section.


A chair includes a base having a hub, radially extending legs connected to and supporting the hub, a vertically extendable gas spring rotatably supported on the hub, and a hub tube sleeve non-rotatably fixed to the hub. A seat includes a housing that engages and is supported on the gas spring for vertical height adjustment, and a sleeve retainer rotatably connected to the control housing and extending downwardly therefrom. The sleeve retainer non-rotatably but slidingly engages the hub tube sleeve. A footrest is supported by the sleeve retainer. The footrest is non-rotatably and slidably connected to the base via the sleeve retainer and the hub tube sleeve, so that the footrest moves vertically with the seat when the seat is vertically adjusted, but does not rotate with the seat when the seat is rotated. The footrest is adjustably supported on the sleeve retainer, so that it can be manually adjusted to change the distance from the footrest to the seat.

The present invention concerns chairs with footrests, and more particularly concerns a chair having a vertically adjustable seat and having a footrest.
Chairs are often provided with footrests to comfortably support the feet of seated users, especially in chairs having rotatable seats positioned too high for a seated user to comfortably rest their feet on a floor. Such chairs are commonly used in bars, at kitchen counters, and at raised countertops where a seated person conducts business with a standing person. Seated users using these chairs like the footrest to be at a selected distance from the seat, so that their feet are comfortably supported and so that they can push off of the footrests to rotate the seat. Unfortunately, when a seat is vertically adjusted, the distance from the seat to the footrest changes. Thus, the footrest must also be made adjustable. However, making both the seat and the footrest adjustable can be very expensive, and further many customers do not want to have to separately adjust a footrest after a seat is adjusted. Another problem occurs when gas springs are used to assist in vertical adjustment of a chair seat, since the presence of the gas spring affects the structure of the hub and a vertical portion of the chair base. Specifically, the gas spring takes up space and makes it very difficult to support the footrest for vertical movement without creating a massive structure that is aesthetically unacceptable and also costly to manufacture. Notably, considerable torsional pressure can be applied to the footrest by a seated user when the seated user pushes off of the footrest due to the distance from the footrest to the hub. As a result, the footrest and chair base must be strongly and durably built, so that it can withstand considerable stress without unacceptably wearing and/or deforming. However, the footrest and its supporting structure must also not be too heavy, or the chair becomes expensive, difficult to move, and unacceptable to users. Also, the problem of a separate second adjustment of the footrest after the seat is adjusted must preferably be resolved.
Accordingly, a chair having a footrest solving the aforementioned problems and having the aforementioned advantages is desired.


A preferred method for making a field emission device (100) includes the steps of: providing an insulative substrate (101) with a surface (1011); defining a plurality of recesses (1012) in a desired pattern in the substrate; forming a cathode layer (104) in the recesses; forming a plurality of electron emitters (106) on the cathode; and forming a grid (111) on the surface of the substrate, such that the grid is insulated from the cathode.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to field emission devices, and more particularly to triode field emission devices and methods for making the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Field emission is a phenomenon which occurs when an electric field proximate the surface of an emission material narrows the width of a potential barrier existing at the surface of the emission material. This allows a quantum tunneling effect to occur, whereby electrons cross through the potential barrier and are emitted from the emission material.
Field emission devices are used in a variety of applications, such as flat panel displays. A typical field emission device has a diode type structure made up of a cathode and an anode, or a triode type structure in which a grid is interposed between the cathode and the anode, such that the amount of electrons emitted from the cathode is controlled.
In a typical triode field emission device, an insulation layer is provided to support the grid and insulating the grid from the cathode. The insulation layer includes a plurality of uniform micro-holes which expose the cathode. Electrons emitted from electron emitters on the cathode can thus pass through the insulation layer. The micro-holes are difficult to make. Various methods for forming the insulation layer are usually complex, have relatively low precision, and/or are costly. For example, a printing process is a typical method for forming an insulation layer with micro-holes. The printing process has rather low precision.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,791 issued on Feb. 17, 2004 discloses a method for manufacturing a carbon nanotube field emission display. The method includes the steps of: providing a substrate; screen printing a first conducting layer on the substrate; sintering the first conducting layer; screen printing an isolation layer on the first conducting layer and a second conducting layer on the isolation layer; etching the second conducting layer and the isolation layer, whereby a cavity exposing the first conducting layer is formed; sintering the second conducting layer and the isolation layer; and forming a carbon nanotube layer on the first conducting layer in the cavity. In this carbon nanotube field emission display, the insulation layer is formed by a method includes the steps of screen printing an insulation layer, and etching a plurality of cavities through the insulation layer to expose the cathode. However, the screen printing process has relatively low precision. In addition, the two steps of screen printing and etching make the process relatively complex and costly.
What is needed, therefore, is a relatively simple method for making a quality field emission device.

Field emission device and method for making the same


A through-wafer via structure and method for forming the same. The through-wafer via structure includes a wafer having an opening and a top wafer surface. The top wafer surface defines a first reference direction perpendicular to the top wafer surface. The through-wafer via structure further includes a through-wafer via in the opening. The through-wafer via has a shape of a rectangular plate. A height of the through-wafer via in the first reference direction essentially equals a thickness of the wafer in the first reference direction. A length of the through-wafer via in a second reference direction is at least ten times greater than a width of the through-wafer via in a third reference direction. The first, second, and third reference directions are perpendicular to each other.

In a conventional semiconductor wafer, there is a need to form through-wafer vias that electrically connect from a top surface of the semiconductor wafer to a bottom surface of the semiconductor wafer (hence the name through-wafer vias). If through-wafer vias have high-aspect ratios (i.e., the heights of through-wafer vias are much greater than their widths), the through-wafer vias are very difficult to form. Therefore, there is a need for a method to form the through-wafer vias that is better than the method of the prior art.

International Business Machines Corporation


The area of the switching devices for programming metal-to-metal antifuses can be drastically reduced by employing bipolar devices or the bipolar effects of SCR type switches to pass large currents while utilizing the minimum amount of die area. The switching devices may be formed in both p-type and n-type substrates. In a first antifuse programming structure fabricated on a p-type substrate, an NPN bipolar transistor is used as a pullup device and an SCR is used as a pulldown device. In a second antifuse programming structure, SCR devices are used as both pullup and pulldown devices. In a third antifuse programming structure fabricated on a p-type substrate, an NPN bipolar transnsistor is used as a pullup device and a PNP bipolar transistor is used as a pulldown device. In a fourth antifuse programming structure fabricated on a p-type substrate, an NPN bipolar transistor is used as a pullup device and a N-channel MOS transistor is used as a pulldown device. In a fifth antifuse programming structure fabricated on a p-type substrate, a PNP bipolar transistor is used as a pullup device and an SCR is used as a pulldown device. In a sixth antifuse programming structure fabricated on a p-type substrate, an MOS transistor is used as a pullup device and an SCR is used as a pulldowu device. In a seventh antifuse programming structure fabricated on a n-ype substrate, an SCR is used as a pullup device and an N-channel MOS transistor is used as a pulldown device. In a eighth antifuse programming structure fabricated on a n-type substrate, an NPN bipolar transistor is used as a pullup device and a N-channel MOS transistor is used as a pulldown device.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to antifuses and to structures and methods for programming antifuses. More particularly, the present invention relates to programming of antifuses using silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) and bipolar transistor structures.
2. The Prior Art
Amorphous silicon is commonly employed as the antifuse material in antifuses. Antifuses employing amorphous silicon antifuse layers require high programming currents (on the order of 15 to 30 mA or more) to prevent the programmed antifuse from later switching back to its off state. Prior art integrated circuits employing amorphous silicon antifuses employ large-area MOS transistors on the integrated circuit die in order to supply the high programming currents necessary for use in programming such antifuses. In these prior art integrated circuits, a first MOS transistor is a pull-up transistor having a source/drain region connected to a first electrode of the antifuse so that a programming voltage can be placed on that electrode, and a second MOS transistor is a pull-down transistor having a source/drain region connected to a second electrode of the antifuse so that an intermediate or ground voltage can be placed on that electrode.
In integrated circuits such as field programmable gate array integrated circuits containing large numbers (thousands to hundreds of thousands) of antifuses, the die area cost of providing the number of necessary MOS programming transistors is significant. As such arrays increase in size and density, the additional area required to provide programming transistors also increases. Die size limitations due to defect density will serve to limit the size of arrays which can be economically manufactured.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide small-area switching devices for use in amorphous silicon antifuse arrays which are capable of supplying the current necessary to program amorphous silicon antifuses. An object of the present invention is to therefore provide small-area switching devices for use in amorphous silicon antifuse arrays which are capable of supplying the current necessary to program amorphous silicon antifuses.

Programming circuit for antifuses using bipolar and SCR devices


A device determines the specific gravity of a wellbore fluid flowing into a submersible pump. The specific gravity of the wellbore fluid is determined by measuring the pressure increase across at least two pump stages and then using fluid flow properties and known pump characteristics to back calculate the specific gravity of the wellbore fluid.

It is very beneficial to be able to independently control production from each one of multiple zones of a well. For example, when water begins to be produced from a particular zone, it may be desired to cease production from that zone, while still producing from other zones of the well. As another example, when gas begins to be produced from a particular zone, it may be desired to decrease production from that zone, while still producing from other zones of the well. As a further example, rates of production from various zones may be independently regulated to maximize overall production from a reservoir.
However, in order to accurately determine the particular zones to regulate production from, and the manner in which production from those zones should be regulated, a well operator needs to be able to determine what fluids, and what quantities of those fluids, are being produced from each zone. Prior methods of making these determinations have relied on use of wireline conveyed tools. However, use of these tools usually requires that the well be shut in and that an intervention be made into the well.
It would be far more convenient and useful to be able to continuously monitor what fluids, and what quantities of those fluids, are being produced from each zone of a well. It is accordingly one of the objects of the present invention to provide fluid property sensors for relatively permanent installation in a well, and methods of using and calibrating those sensors.
An electric submersible pumping system generally is formed as an electric submersible pump string having at least three main component sections. The sections comprise a three-phase motor, pump stages, and a motor protector generally located between the motor and the pump stages. In a typical arrangement, the motor is located below the pump stages within the wellbore. Historically, measurement of parameters within the well was constrained to sensors located below the motor. For example, certain existing electric submersible pump string sensor systems utilize a sensing unit connected at the bottom of the submersible motor.
Attempts have been made to collect data from locations along the electric submersible pump string on various parameters. For example, a complete transducer has been attached to the side of the pump string by clamps or gauge carriers. In other attempts, a pressure line has been routed from a location along the pump string to a pressure sensor in a unit mounted below the motor. Also, sensors have been attached to the outside of the pump string and coupled to a dedicated electrical or fiber optic line run from a surface location. However, none of these approaches has succeeded in providing a rugged system of sensors for integration into an electric submersible pump string, and therefore, they all fail to provide accurate, real time data to the operator at the surface.

System and method for sensing flow rate and specific gravity within a wellbore


The heald shaft (1) for weaving machines is divided into a machine-resident frame part (14) and a removable frame part (15). While the removable frame part (15) supports a heald mounting rail (30) that must be released from said frame part for a heald change, said removable frame part is associated with an additional heald mounting rail (33) that is releasably held on the lower shaft rod (16). The upper shaft rod (25), together with the two heald mounting rails (30, 33), forms a removable frame part (15). The lower shaft rod (16), together with the lateral supports (19, 20), forms a machine-resident frame part. Preferably, the lateral supports (19, 20) and the lower shaft rod (16) are rigidly connected to each other.

The invention relates to a heald (heddle) shaft for weaving machines.
Weaving machines comprise heald shafts, said shafts bearing healds. The healds are disposed to guide warp threads and to form sheds. As a rule, the healds are accommodated on two spaced apart, parallel heald mounting rails, which, in turn are held on shaft rods. The shaft rods are part of a rectangular frame that is referred to as the heald shaft. In order to form sheds, said heald shaft is moved rapidly up and down. The shaft rods that are horizontally arranged during use support the individual heald mounting rails and, as a rule, their ends are connected via lateral supports. The lateral supports may be removed for the installation and deinstallation of the healds. However, as a rule, this is done after the heald shaft has been taken out of the weaving machine. To do so, said heald shaft must be separated from a corresponding drive device and pulled out of its guides. However, this requires an appropriately releasable coupling between the heald shaft and the drive device. In addition, the guides must be set up so as to release the heald shaft as needed, so that said heald shaft may be pulled out.
Furthermore, for example from document DE 196 07 532 A1, a concept has been known, which allows the heald shaft to remain in the weaving machine when the healds are replaced. Only the heald mounting rails with the healds are removed. The heald mounting rails are releasably connected to the shaft rods. However, these connections are critical at higher operating speeds of the weaving machine. In addition, the transport of two heald mounting rails with healds mounted thereto represents somewhat of a problem due to the considerable flexibility of the heald mounting rails alone. In addition, the overall system consisting of two heald mounting rails with healds seated on them is unwieldy.
Considering this, it is the object of the invention to provide an improved heald shaft and an improved weaving machine.