A device for providing a resting place for toddlers, partly on top of, partly in front of a seat in an object of public transportation. It comprises a suitcase, comprising of a trunk box and a reversible suitcase lid. The suitcase lid is in first position closed and suitable for transportation, while the suitcase lid in another, ready-to-use position, is upside down as compared with the first position and secured over, and to, the trunk box by means of an arranged attachment mechanism. The side of the lid which is facing upwards in the ready-to-use position, is substantially planar and thereby adapted to act as part of a bed base.

The hereby disclosure concerns a device for establishing a place of rest for small children on board different means of public transport, like airplanes, train and bus. According to another aspect, a method for usage of the device is also disclosed.
Airplane travel is becoming more and more normal for many people. Many people travel with small children, and this can sometimes be troublesome. Children below the age of 2 are treated as infants in accordance with international air travel regulations, and should be seated on an adults lap during takeoff and landing. From the age of 2 years and upwards, they must be seated in their own seat. However, it is difficult to obtain a good place of rest for these children on long-haul flights. Some foreign airlines offer so-called "sky-cots" for long-haul flights, but these are difficult to obtain. There is also a hammock style infant bed, the FlyeBaby, which can be used for the purpose. But, both of these solutions become pretty much useless when the child grows older than 9-12 months. This is not adequate. What many people then do when they are traveling far, is that they buy a separate seat for their children below the age of 2, so that their child can lay down and sleep in this seat when they are airborne. Since the seatback does not allow much recline in most airplanes, they end up sleeping on the seat cushion, which is not very big or comfortable. Another option that is possible, is to bring the car seat for your child, and use this in the plane. This is no optimal solution, as car seats are large and cumbersome to bring through security etc. Some choose to lay the baby on the floor in front of the aircraft seat when the baby needs its sleep, but it is usually cold drafts and dirty down there, so it's rather not a good solution. And one has no good supervision of the child either.
Portable resting devices are known from a number of publications, such as CN 2013 203 82295, BE 373863, US 2012/0222831 and GB 2 197 207. None of these are however adapted, or suitable, for use on public transport, such as aircraft, with the very limited space there is available, while several of these admittedly in the deflated state has the shape of a suitcase which is convenient to bring along when traveling.

Method and device for establishing a place of rest for small children


The fixator is an apparatus for repairing fractures of the distal radius and wrist. Distal, pivot, distraction, and radial members provide an anatomically contoured, radiolucent apparatus that permits the wrist to move through a substantially normal range of motion. A means for distraction of the bones by the fixator is also provided. The fixator may be affixed to the lower arm and hand by spaced-apart elongate distal mounting pins with lower ends adapted or mounting in the metacarpal bone and by spaced-apart elongate radial mounting pins with lower ends adapted for mounting in the radius.

The first external fixator was developed for reducing and maintaining patellar fractures. Since that time, various fixators have been invented for splinting various bone fractures. Most of these fixators have common features. In particular, they rely on transcutancous pins or screws secured in the bone on either side of the fracture site. An external apparatus is attached to the pins to allow their relative positions to be adjusted, thus enabling a surgeon to reestablish alignment of the bone pieces at a fracture site. Once the bone is properly set, the articulations in the fixator may be locked into place to maintain the chosen alignment.
Principal variations among the many fixator designs include the number of degrees of freedom permitted the wrist and the relative independence of each articulation, both mechanical and geometric. The first external fixator, for instance, was adjustable only in length and squeezed the fracture together by gripping opposed ends of the patella. Fixators designed to repair central fractures of the long bones typically have relatively few articulations or degrees of freedom. In contrast, fixators adapted to treat fractures of bones in joint regions must permit articulation through many more degrees of freedom. Where there is insufficient room to place pins in the bone fragment between the fracture and the joint, bone alignment must be established using pins placed in a bone on the side of the joint opposite the fracture. Such treatment of fractures near joints such as the wrist, which can rotate, flex and abduct, requires that a fixator permit some movement through the range of motion of the joint in a manner allowing a surgeon to establish proper fracture alignment by using forces transmitted through the joint.
Modem fixators permit articulation by various methods. Probably the most common articulation is provided by a ball joint. A ball joint provides one rotational and two pivotal degrees of freedom. A single setscrew or other locking mechanism can fix all three degrees of freedom simultaneously. The disadvantage of this method of articulation is that it is not possible to loosen the joint to permit motion in only one of the possible degrees of freedom. Thus, a surgeon cannot loosen the ball joint slightly to pivot it a small amount in one direction without the possibility of introducing changes affecting the other pivot and rotation settings.
In order to overcome this limitation, some fixators eliminate ball joints and rely instead on a combination of independent articulations to provide the necessary freedom of movement. The benefit of such a system is that each degree of freedom is mechanically independent of every other degree of freedom. A surgeon may thus adjust the position of a single articulation in the fixator without affecting the settings of other articulations.
Most fixators also include some type of extensible/contractible articulation to permit the longitudinal spacing between the pins on opposite sides of the fracture to be controlled. This type of translational freedom can be used to accommodate individuals of varying size, as well as to distract the fracture, if necessary.
The wrist joint permits the hand to move in three degrees of freedom relative to the forearm. First, the hand can move in supination and pronation, i.e., the rotation about the longitudinal axis of the forearm. Second, the hand can move in adduction and abduction, i.e., lateral flexion, or pivoting about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the palm. The last type of mobility of the hand is dorsal-palmar flexion, which is the pivotal motion about an axis in the plane of the palm and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the forearm.
Dynamic fixators allow for some movement while affixed to a joint region, such as a lower arm, wrist and hand, yet maintain sufficient alignment of the fracture while it heals. Such prescribed movement can reduce and assist in recovery from stiffness associated with immobilization of the fracture.
Fixators have typically been designed from a purely functional viewpoint. Fixator design and construction has generally been bulky and unsightly, and generally increase the effective dimensions of the wearer's hand, wrist and arm to an awkward degree. Further, these fixators have typically been far more robustly designed than is necessary. The size and weight of these fixators thus add an undesirably bulky and clumsy addition to the wearer's arm and hand.
One of the more common fractures requiring a fixator for proper treatment is a fracture of the distal radius, or Colles fracture. This type of fracture usually results from a fall upon an outstretched hand. The fracture line is usually quite close to the distal head of the radius and sometimes the head is comminuted. Because of the lack of space and the number of tendons and nerves in the area, it is difficult to mount pins in the radius on the distal side of the fracture. Therefore, such fractures are typically reduced using a pair of pins set in the index, or second metacarpal and a pair of pins set in the radius on the proximal side of the fracture. In order to avoid damage to tendons and nerves, the radial pins are usually set in the third quarter of the radius, i.e., the proximal half of the distal half of the radius. With the pins are set on opposite sides of the wrist joint, the fixator must be sufficiently articulate to reduce the fracture using forces transmitted through the wrist joint.

Apparatus for dynamic external fixation of distal radius and wrist fractures


An interposer for a packaged semiconductor device is formed by applying an encapsulant to (e.g., by overmolding or applying lamination of tapes to) a perforated metal foil having vertical metal tabs that form the vertical metal vias in the interposer. A solid metal foil can be stamped using a micro-stamping tool to form the perforated foil and vertical tabs. Bump pads and/or re-distribution layer (RDL) traces are formed (e.g., using wafer fabrication processes or by applying flexible tape RDL layers) on the top and back sides of the foil to complete the manufacturing process. Such interposers can be cheaper to manufacture than conventional interposers having silicon or glass substrates with through-silicon vias (TSVs) formed using wafer fabrication processes.

The present invention relates generally to packaged semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to interposers for such devices.
An interposer is a component used in packaged semiconductor devices to route signals between ball grid arrays (BGAs) having different pitches.
FIG. 1 is a simplified, cross-sectional, side view of a conventional 2.5D (i.e., "2.5-dimensional") packaged semiconductor device 100 mounted on a circuit board 126. The packaged device 100 has two adjacent integrated circuit (IC) dies 102 mounted on and electrically interconnected with an interposer 110 via corresponding micro-bump ball grid arrays (BGAs) 104. The interposer 110 is, in turn, mounted onto and electrically interconnected with a system-in-package (SiP) substrate 122 via a corresponding flip-chip bump BGA 120. Similarly, the SiP substrate 122 is, in turn, mounted on and electrically interconnected with the circuit board 126 by way of a corresponding package bump BGA 124.
As represented in FIG. 1, the pitch of the micro-bump BGAs 104 between the dies 102 and the interposer 110 is smaller than the pitch of the flip-chip bump array 120 between the interposer 110 and the SiP substrate 122. To provide the signal fan-out associated with those two different pitches, the interposer 110 has a silicon or glass substrate 114 containing metal through-silicon vias (TSVs) 118 that provide electrical interconnections between metal features formed in top-side metal layers 112 on the top side of the substrate 114 and back-side metal layers 116 on the back side of the substrate 114. The metal features formed in the top-side and back-side metal layers 112 and 116 include bump pads (not explicitly shown) for the solder bumps of the BGAs 104 and 120 as well as re-distribution layer (RDL) traces (not explicitly shown) on either or both of the substrate sides that route signals horizontally to provide the signal fan-out.
Conventional 2.5D interposers, such as the interposer 110 of FIG. 1, having a glass or silicon substrate, are manufactured using a relatively expensive, wafer fabrication process involving masking, exposure, etching, and metallization steps to form the TSVs within the substrate. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have a less expensive interconnect structure.


Validating the error map of a CMM using a calibrated probe including a stylus, the probe capable of rotation about at least one axis, includes placing a calibration artifact on a table of the CMM, the table having an upper surface in an XY plane; positioning a Z-ram of the CMM in a first calibration position and a second calibration position with respect to the artifact such that the stylus contacts the artifact; calculating a measured value representing the measured length between the first and second calibration positions; calculating a nominal value based on the length of the stylus of the probe; comparing the nominal value to the measured value; and updating the error map of the CMM if the measured value differs from the nominal value by more than a predetermined value. The probe and/or the stylus moves relative to the Z-ram such that the calibration artifact remains stationary while the Z-ram is positioned in the first calibration position and the second calibration position.

As shown in FIG. 1, a Coordinate Measuring Machine, or CMM, comprises a measuring apparatus 2, a controller 10, and a computer 12. The measuring apparatus 2 includes a table 4 that generally extends in an XY plane, a bridge 6 spanning the table in the X direction and a carriage 8 supported on the bridge 6. The carriage 8 supports a Z-ram 9, which can move vertically, or in the Z direction. At the end of the Z-ram 9 is an articulating probe 15, such as the type disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,213,344; 5,665,896 and 4,888,877.
As is well known, the computer 12 and controller 10 cooperate to drive motors that move the carriage 8, bridge 6 and Z-ram 9 for the purpose of measuring work pieces situated on the table 4. Part of the articulating probe 15, generally a stylus, contacts the work piece and includes switches or sensors that trigger the computer 12 to take a measurement.
The foregoing describes a direct-control CMM, meaning that the CMM can be controlled directly from the computer 12, but direct-controls are but one type of CMM available on the market. Other CMMs are manually controlled or are otherwise not directly controlled by the computer 12. As is well known, manual CMMs have different configurations because of the lack of drive motors.
CMMs are calibrated in the factory using well-known techniques to generate an error map that compensates for errors, including errors introduced during the manufacturing of the CMM. CMM manufacturers typically check, or validate, the quality of the error map itself as part of the process to ensure optimum performance of the CMM. To validate an error map a technician places an artifact, such as a standard ball bar 100 of known length, on the table 4 and brings the probe, whether articulating or not, into contact with the balls on the end of the ball bar as shown in FIG. 2. The spheres may be contacted in more than one position in order to determine the center of this sphere. The measured length of the ball bar is calculated to be the distance between the measured centers of the balls. This can be compared to the known length of the ball bar to validate the error map of the CMM. Generally, the ball bar is measured in several different orientations and locations in the CMM's measuring volume.
One of ways to validate an error map is to validate the squareness error between two of the CMM's axes. In a typical process for validating a squareness error map, a technician typically places an artifact, such as the ball bar 100, on the table 4 of the CMM in two different orientations at two different times. In one orientation, a radial orientation, shown schematically in FIG. 3, the ball bar 100 is oriented to form a 45° angle with the X-axis, while in another orientation, a tangential orientation, the ball bar 100 is oriented at 135 degrees with respect to the x-axis. (Incidentally, while FIG. 3 does not indicate the precise location of the ball bar 100 on the table 4, a technician of ordinary skill knows where to position the ball bar on the table to correctly validate squareness error.)
The squareness error is ten approximated by the following equation:S=(LRAD−LTAN)/LNOM,
Where LRAD is the length of the ball bar in the radial position, LTAN is the length of the ball bar in the tangential direction and LNOM is the known length of the ball bar. If the squareness error is larger than a specified quantity, then the technician knows that the CMM's error map needs correcting.
However, the process of moving ball bars or other calibration artifacts around in the measuring envelope of the CMM is time consuming, and therefore costly.

Validating the error map of CMM using calibrated probe


A method for adjusting a fuel composition to increase liquid fuel heat tolerance is described that includes directly injecting a first fuel (such as liquid propane) to the engine via a fuel rail when a fuel temperature falls below a threshold; and in response to a fuel temperature greater than a threshold, directly injecting a liquid mixture of the first fuel and a second fuel (such as gasoline) via the fuel rail. For example, gasoline may be added in sufficient amounts to the liquid propane to ensure the mixture remains a liquid during engine operations. In this way, the amount of gasoline introduced into the propane may be based on an extent of the fuel temperature above the threshold which further acts to extend the operating range of the first fuel.

Liquified Petroleum Gas (colloquially referred to as Propane) may be compressed to a transportable liquid when used as a fuel within engine systems. However, to ensure that the propane remains a liquid during engine operations, additional measures may also be included that increase the complexity and cost therein. For example, to inject a liquid fuel via port fuel injection, the fuel rail may be cooled by returning the engine-heated fuel within the fuel rail to the fuel storage tank. However, such recirculation may result in storage tank heating as the returning hot liquid continually mixes with the cooler liquid remaining in the storage tank, which therefore limits the applicability of the liquid injection propane fuel system when operated in hot environments. Alternatively, to inject a fuel via direct fuel injection, intricate devices may be included within the fuel system whose function is to cool and pressurize the propane fuel while keeping it in the liquid phase and below the critical point.
Another approach may mix two fuels having different chemical compositions to enhance the thermal response of the fuel mixture. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,861,696 discloses a multi-fuel supply and co-injection system that mixes various combinations of fuels (both liquid and gaseous) together under the control of a microprocessor in a manner that enhances the utilization of the thermal content of the fuels based on the combustion efficiency and power output within the engine. However, the disclosed system also includes components, such as a fuel circulation pump, an accumulator, and a positive displacement pump for increasing the pressure of the gaseous propane in order to keep it a liquid within the engine system. Such components may degrade during operation, and thus temperature and/or pressure control of the fuel may correspondingly degrade, resulting in potential fueling errors.
The inventors have recognized the above issues, and others, with such approaches and herein disclose various embodiments, several of which include a method for adjusting a fuel composition to increase the liquid fuel heat tolerance of a first fuel (e.g., herein LPG) by introducing a second fuel (e.g., herein gasoline) to the first fuel in response to elevated fuel temperatures. For example, mixing the two fuels allows the fuel mixture to remain in the liquid phase and thereby prevents the first fuel from becoming a supercritical fluid during engine operation, which presents problems for engine pump and injector performance. Herein, one approach is described wherein the method includes directly injecting liquid propane to the engine via a fuel rail when a fuel temperature falls below a threshold; and in response to a fuel temperature greater than a threshold, directly injecting a liquid mixture of propane and gasoline via the fuel rail. The method further allows for the composition of the liquid mixture to be controlled by metering the amount of gasoline added to the liquid propane to ensure the mixture remains a liquid during engine operations. In this way, the technical result is achieved that the operating range of the first liquid fuel may be extended which may allow for fuel cooling to be reduced (or substantially eliminated in some instances) and the fuel pressurization to be reduced.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.

Methods for adjusting fuel composition to increase liquid fuel heat tolerance


A vapor generation apparatus which includes a furnace, having a tube wall and at least one vertical buckstay member disposed proximate to the outer face of the spiral tube wall. The apparatus includes a stirrup for transmitting forces between the spiral tube wall and the vertical buckstay member. The stirrup includes a U-shaped plate and a cylindrical member, apparatus for mounting the cylindrical member on the vertical buckstay member including first and second lugs fixed to the vertical buckstay member in spaced relationship. The cylindrical member is fixed between the first and second lugs in spaced relation to the vertical buckstay member. The apparatus also includes apparatus for mounting the U-shaped plate on the tube wall.

The invention relates to vapor generation apparatus and particularly to apparatus for connecting the buckstay structure to the tube wall. While the invention has particular application to spiral tube wall furnace constructions it will be understood that it also has application to vertical tube furnace apparatus.
Vapor generation apparatus such as large utility boilers that are disposed in a frame that is provided to withstand the internal furnace gas pressure. As the furnace approaches operating temperature, the furnace walls expand vertically and horizontally. Additionally, the pressure excursions within the furnace, either an increase or a decrease in pressure within the furnace, cause a resultant additional flexing of the tube walls either inwardly or outwardly in a horizontal direction.
It is customary in the art to locate buckstays in the form of I-beams adjacent opposite walls of the furnace so that the buckstays can be attached to the furnace wall to maintain the adjacent wall in a flat condition. Typically both vertical and horizontal structural members are used that are respectively known as vertical and horizontal buckstays.
Since the furnace walls change in temperature from ambient to temperatures in the order of 400 degrees Centigrade, while the buckstays are at ambient temperature essentially at all times, it is essential that provision be made to permit appropriate expansion. This is accomplished by carrying the buckstays on the wall in a manner which permits the vertical expansion of the walls. The opposing buckstays are tied to each other through connections which are at the boiler wall temperature.
Typically, the horizontal buckstays are disposed in bands around the perimeter of the furnace tube walls at vertically spaced intervals (often between 15 and 40 feet) throughout the height of the furnace wall. Horizontally, the buckstays on opposite walls of the furnace are interconnected through buckstay ties so that the reaction of one buckstay is resisted by the reactions of the buckstay on the opposing wall so it can counteract the pressure forces acting on the furnace walls. It has been customary to provide vertical support members to interconnect adjacent buckstays with a connection that permits a sliding action that permits relative movement between the furnace tube wall with which a buckstay cooperates and the buckstays themselves. As the furnace expands in a vertical direction the effect on the various levels of buckstays will be different.
Because of the temperature differential between the furnace wall and the buckstays it is preferred to locate the buckstays a short distance from the furnace wall with insulation therebetween. Apparatus referred to as stirrups are used to make this connection between the furnace wall and the buckstay. The stirrup is a device known in the art which allows gas pressure loading to be transmitted from the furnace tube walls to the buckstay system while allowing unrestricted thermal expansion of the boiler tube wall envelope. Known stirrup constructions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,860, and 4,059,075. These stirrups may be connected to the furnace wall and operate to support the buckstay as well as to prevent relative inward or outward movement between the buckstay and the wall.
The prior art designs are not wholly satisfactory because they will not transmit loading due to negative furnace gas pressure loading. In addition, the conventional design must be attached to a flat surface. Still another disadvantage of most designs is that there is insufficient contact area for connection to the buckstay for bearing requirements. Still another disadvantage of the present design is that it attaches to the boiler support plates and this causes an undesirable additional loading on the boiler support plates.
The principle of the spiral wall helical wall furnace is to increase the mass flow per tube by reducing the number of tubes needed to envelope the furnace without increasing the spacing between the tubes. This is done by arranging the tubes at an angle and spiralling them around the furnace.
It is customary in spiral tube wall furnaces to provide the spiral tube construction in only the lower elevational portion of the furnace. The walls are of plate and tube construction meaning that the a plurality of spirals of tubes are substantially coplanar and adjacent axial sections are joined by an intermediate fin. Typically the spiral tube is disposed at angle with respect to a horizontal plane and the angle is typically between 7 and 30 degrees. Without additional structure to support the tubing, the entire weight of the wall would be supported by welds intermediate the respective fins and tubes.
To avoid placing the weight on the welds between respective fins and axial sections of tubing it is customary to provide support plates that span a plurality of tubes to avoid the loading on the fins and tubes that may even flatten the normally round tubes.
It is desirable to connect the tube walls to the buckstays with stirrups. The stirrup allows relative motion between the tube wall the buckstay system.


A method for treating allergic rhinitis in a patient is disclosed which comprises applying an anti-allergic rhinitis effective amount of a steroid in ointment or creme carrier to the lining of the vestibules of the patient.

Seasonal allergic rhinitis is a problem that many people deal with every year. Common characteristics of this disease are a runny nose, constant sneezing, watery eyes, and general discomfort. Irritation causes itchiness within the nose which is followed by the symptoms mentioned above. Nasal spray and oral medications are presently the most commonly used in medication preventative and ameliorative care, but they are not always effective in treating allergic rhinitis in patients. Oral medication is not effective for all allergy sufferers, may make the patient drowsy and requires substantial delay before taking effect. Nasal sprays deliver the medication deeply into the nasal cavity, for example, into the atrium and nasal concha. However, if the patient has excessive nasal drip, the medication may not be absorbed at its target but will flow out of the nostril with the nasal fluid.

Method of treating allergic rhinitis by delivering medication via the nasal vestibules


The present invention provides a method of forming a TFT and a reflective electrode having recesses or projections with reduced manufacturing cost and a reduced number of manufacturing steps, and provides a liquid crystal display device to which the method is applied. A photosensitive film 8 is formed on a metal film 7. Then, remaining portions 81, 82 and 83 are formed from the photosensitive film 8. Then, the metal film 7 is etched by using the remaining portions 81, 82 and 83 as masks. And then, a photosensitive film 9 and a reflective electrode film 10 are formed without removing the remaining portions 81, 82 and 83.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of forming a thin film transistor (TFT) and a reflective electrode having recesses or projections in a predetermined area and also to a liquid crystal display device to which the method is applied.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, a liquid crystal display device provided with TFTs has been widespread rapidly. When the liquid crystal display device is constructed as a reflective type or a transflective type, not only a TFT but also a reflective electrode for reflecting an outer light are provided in each pixel area. In the liquid crystal display device provided with the reflective electrode, the reflective electrode is often provided with recesses or projections in order to improve a quality of the image to be displayed.
For example, In the case where the TFT provided in each pixel area has the top gate structure, the gate electrode is formed by performing a lithographic step before forming the reflective electrode. Next, a photosensitive film is formed and is patterned into a shape having a number of recesses or projections and then a reflective electrode is formed thereon. A lithographic step comprises a plurality of steps including an exposure step, a development step and others. Therefore, in the case where, after forming the gate electrode by performing the lithographic step, the photosensitive film is formed and then patterned into the shape with a number of recesses or projections, there arises a problem that the number of manufacturing steps and the manufacturing costs increase.

Method of forming a reflective electrode and a liquid crystal display device


The present invention is directed to the provision of a method for efficiently producing a feedstock gas for use in the synthesis of liquid fuels including methanol by gasification of harbaceous plant or woody biomass feedstocks. Specifically, the present invention relates to a method for gasifying biomass to produce a feedstock gas for use in the production of liquid fuels including methanol, characterized by comprising the step of bringing a biomass-containing organic feedstock into fluid contact with a gasification accelerator comprising a clay having a catalytic function and/or a heating medium function in a gasification reaction zone under a raised temperature condition in the presence of a gasifying agent to convert the organic feedstock to gas useful for the production of a liquid fuel.

In these days, the development of techniques for natural energy and the widespread use of these techniques are urgently needed for preventing global warming and for avoiding the depletion of limited fossil fuel resources. Among various types of natural energy, biomass energy is often regarded as the most promising natural energy from the viewpoint of its abundance and storability. Direct combustion of woody biomass which has hitherto been adopted, however, suffers from limited amount of resource and low efficiency, and, further, only electric power can be supplied by the direct combustion of woody biomass. On the other hand, in the production of ethanol by fermentation, only a limited part of biomass, for example, sugar such as sugarcane juice or molasses and starchy materials such as corn and potatoes can be used as the feedstock. The development of techniques, which can utilize the whole of biomass including cellulose and hemicellulose occupying a major part of photosynthetic products and can produce liquid fuels for engine or transportation applications, such as methanol, is of great significance. At the present time, however, such techniques are not in a practical stage for technical and economical reasons.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 138580/1995 describes an example of conventional techniques for gasifying organic matter such as biomass to obtain gas for use in the synthesis of methanol. This method includes partial oxidation of organic matter with air or oxygen and steam. In this case, the molar ratio of feed steam to carbon contained in the organic matter is regulated to 1 to 10, and the combustion or gasification temperature is regulated to 700 to 900° C. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 111254/1997 proposes a method wherein tar and soot, contained in gas produced by the above method, are decomposed in a gas decomposition furnace, into which a nickel-containing alloy or a nickel catalyst has been packed, provided on the downstream side of the gasification furnace.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 41767/1995 proposes a method wherein biomass is decomposed within a vertical retort at 600 to 1200° C., generally 800 to 1100° C., in the presence of water.
According to the present inventor's finding, the above-described conventional methods respectively have the following problems to be solved.
(1) The Method in which Biomass is Partially Oxidized with Air or Oxygen and Steam
In this method, tar is produced as a by-product at a reaction temperature of 700° C. or below. On the other hand, when the reaction temperature is 900° C. or above, soot is produced. The tar and soot reach the interior of the gasification furnace and heat recovery equipment and gas scrubbing equipment provided on the downstream side of the gasification furnace, and further reach even a shift reactor, CO2 removing equipment, and methanol synthesizing equipment, resulting in blocking or lowered reaction yield. An attempt to maintain the temperature of the gasification furnace at 700° C. or above for avoiding this unfavorable phenomenon requires the combustion of a given part of the biomass. Consequently, the yield of the contemplated gas is lowered. Further, in this case, air or oxygen should be introduced into the gasification furnace for the combustion purposes. The use of air, however, results in dilution of the gas for methanol synthesis with nitrogen, and the use of oxygen requires the provision of a troublesome process for purifying pure oxygen from air. Therefore, this method is also disadvantageous in production cost.
(2) The Method in which a Gas Decomposition Furnace is Provided Downstream of the Gasification Furnace
It is considered that, in the course of travel of the decomposition product from the gasification furnace to the gas decomposition furnace, a polymerization or condensation reaction of the decomposition product proceeds. Further, this method is also disadvantageous in thermal efficiency, because, when the gas produced in the gasification furnace is led to the gas decomposition furnace, heating should be newly carried out. Furthermore, since the catalyst used in the gas decomposition furnace is severely deteriorated, frequent replacement of the catalyst is necessary.
(3) Decomposition in the Presence of Water
In this method, treatment at a high temperature of about 1000° C. is necessary. Further, this method is considered unsuitable for continuous treatment. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 41767/1995, there is no description on the composition of the produced gas. However, for some composition, the degree of reliance on composition adjustment in steam reforming, which is carried out on the downstream side, is so large that the yield of methanol is inevitably lowered.


The present invention relates to gravity based dispensers for washing machines that incorporate at least one storage reservoir and at least one dispersement chamber, wherein the dispersement chamber is adjusted by a user to regulate the amount of a liquid or granular material that is dispensed by the device. The device is controllable to allow a predetermined amount of the stored material to be dispensed into the dispersement chamber. The material is then flushed or dispersed from the chamber by the introduction of a fluid that is under pressure into the dispersement chamber.

Prior art devices exist that attempt to introduce cleaning agents into washing machines in many different ways. U.S. Pat. No. 4,700,554 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,494, each require the user to physically place agents in reservoirs each time a wash load is introduced.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,757 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,259, each teach methods for introducing only granular chemicals. U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,676 teaches a method for introducing only fluid.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,618 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,390,385 each teach a method to introduce the required agents, but they require the use of pumps and sophisticated electronic components.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,404 teaches a gravity feed fluid dispensing system which includes a bottle that is engageable with a dispenser assembly. The dispenser assembly includes a diluting chamber which receives diluting fluid. When the bottle is engaged with the dispenser assembly, a valve is actuated in the mouth of the bottle which opens to allow the fluid in the bottle to gravity feed into the dispenser assembly and into the diluting chamber at a predetermined steady rate. A diluting valve controls the flow of diluting fluid to the diluting chamber by means of a switch that shifts the diluting valve to the open position in response to the bottle being engaged with the dispenser assembly. Thus, the invention of the '404 patent can only allow a steady, predetermined flow of liquid to be constantly dispensed and mixed with diluting fluid, and the dispensing continues until the bottle is empty.
The present invention teaches a simple, versatile, low cost method of dispensing cleaning agents into a washing machine in a simple manner that no prior art has so fully accomplished. The present invention eliminates the need to manually put cleaning agents into the wash before each cycle by supplying a ready reserve of agents that are automatically dispensed, thus reducing the workload of the user. The present invention allows the introduction of either fluid or granular materials in a simple and efficient manner.


An imaging apparatus is disclosed that displays an image acquired from an examination object. The apparatus includes an acquisition unit that determines image acquisition parameters and acquires the signal values of the examination object; a conversion unit that uses a transfer function to convert the acquired signal values into brightness values that are displayed in the image; a unit for extracting the image acquisition parameters; and a storage unit that has data records in which at least one transfer function is stored in relation to the image acquisition parameters. The conversion unit compares the image acquisition parameters with the image acquisition parameters stored in the storage unit and selects the transfer function as a function of the comparison.

The known art discloses magnetic resonance installations or MR tomographs in which various contrasts of the examined tissue can be achieved by selecting the image acquisition parameters. For the purpose of display in the MR image, the magnetic resonance signals are detected by coils and displayed on the display screen in a fashion converted into gray scale values.
The purpose of converting the signal values into gray scale values or brightness values is served by a transfer function, also called a filter, that defines conversion of the MR signals into image brightness values. It is mostly linear transfer functions or filters that have been used to date in order to convert the signal values into brightness values. However, a linear transfer function is not the best choice for each diagnostic problem, since other transfer functions possibly enable a better contrast in the acquired image, it being possible thereby, for example, to improve tumor detection and the delimitation of the tumor from the healthy tissue.


It is hereby disclosed a method of controlling an injection apparatus of an internal combustion engine including setting a minimum value (QMIN) of a fuel quantity that can be injected into the internal combustion engine by the injection apparatus with one injection; preventing the injection apparatus from performing post-injections of fuel quantities having a smaller value than the minimum value (QMIN).

An internal combustion engine, such as a diesel engine, may be equipped with an injection apparatus designed for injecting metered quantities of fuel inside the engine cylinders.
The injection apparatus may comprise one or more fuel injectors, each of which may be associated with a corresponding cylinder and may be controlled by an engine control unit (ECU).
Diesel engines may include various after-treatment devices (e.g. diesel particulate filters "DPF") designed to trap or eliminate part of the pollutants contained in the exhaust gas from the engine. These after-treatment devices may become progressively clogged by such pollutants, and may need to be periodically regenerated in order to restore their original efficiency.
The regeneration can be accomplished in various ways, including by heating the after-treatment device to very high temperatures, thereby effectively burning away the pollutants (e.g. the particulate matter) that have been accumulated within.
There are many considerations and challenges with performing this regeneration. To reach the high temperatures needed for regeneration, additional fuel is needed, which can be costly. Additionally, depending on the type of fuel delivery system and specifications of injectors, the amount of additional fuel needed for regeneration may small or difficult to accurately meter or deliver to the cylinder. This could lead to either under-delivery of fuel, whereby the after-treatment device may not appropriately regenerate, or over-delivery of fuel, whereby the after-treatment device may become overheated. A system which can resolve some of these considerations and challenges is desired.

Method of controlling an injection apparatus of an internal combustion engine


High molecular weight surface proteins of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae which exhibit immunogenic properties and genes encoding the same are described. Specifically, genes coding for two immunodominant high molecular weight proteins, HMW1 and HMW2, have been cloned, expressed and sequenced, while genes coding for high molecular proteins HMW3 and HMW4 have also been cloned, expressed and sequenced.

Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae are non-encapsulated organisms that are defined by their lack of reactivity with antisera against known H. influenzae capsular antigens.
These organisms commonly inhabit the upper respiratory tract of humans and are frequently responsible for a variety of common mucosal surface infections, such as otitis media, sinusitis, conjunctivitis, chronic bronchitis and pneumonia. Otitis media remains an important health problem for children and most children have had at least one episode of otitis by their third birthday and approximately one-third of children have had three or more episodes. Non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae generally accounts for about 20 to 25% of acute otitis media and for a larger percentage of cases of chronic otitis media with effusion.
A critical first step in the pathogenesis of these infections is colonization of the respiratory tract mucosa. Bacterial surface molecules which mediate adherence, therefore, are of particular interest as possible vaccine candidates.
Since the non-typeable organisms do not have a polysaccharide capsule, they are not controlled by the present Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines, which are directed towards Hib bacterial capsular polysaccharides. The non-typeable strains, however, do produce surface antigens that can elicit bactericidal antibodies. Two of the major outer membrane proteins, P2 and P6, have been identified as targets of human serum bactericidal activity. However, it has been shown that the P2 protein sequence is variable, in particular in the non-typeable Haemophilus strains. Thus, a P2-based vaccine would not protect against all strains of the organism.
There have previously been identified by Barenkamp et al (Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J., 9:333-339, 1990) a group of high-molecular-weight (HMW) proteins of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae that appeared to be major targets of antibodies present in human convalescent sera. Examination of a series of middle ear isolates revealed the presence of one or two such proteins in most strains. However, prior to the present invention, the structures of these proteins and their encoding nucleic acid sequences were unknown as were pure isolates of such proteins. In addition, the identification of surface accessible epitopes of such proteins was unknown.

High molecular weight surface proteins of non-typeable haemophilus


In one embodiment, backbone service instance identifiers (I-SIDs) of backbone frames are modified based on flow identification of frames encapsulated therein to induce entropy into the headers of the backbone frames. Backbone packet switching devices use the modified service instance identifier to load balance the corresponding frame through the backbone network. At an exit point of the backbone network, the original backbone service instance identifier (I-SID) associated with a frame encapsulated in a backbone frame is recovered from the modified service instance identifier, with this recovery typically including determining the flow identification of the frame encapsulated in the backbone frame.

The communications industry is rapidly changing to adjust to emerging technologies and ever increasing customer demand. This customer demand for new applications and increased performance of existing applications is driving communications network and system providers to employ networks and systems having greater speed and capacity (e.g., greater bandwidth). In trying to achieve these goals, a common approach taken by many communications providers is to use packet switching technology.
In a Provider Backbone Bridging architecture, customer networks (e.g., using 802.1q bridging) are aggregated into Provider Bridged networks (e.g., using 802.1ad). These, in turn, are aggregated into Provider Backbone Bridging networks which use the 802.1 ah frame format. The frame format employs a MAC tunneling encapsulation scheme for tunneling customer Ethernet frames within provider Ethernet frames across the Provider Backbone Bridging network. A VLAN ID is used to segregate the backbone into broadcast domains or topologies, and a 24-bit service identifier (I-SID) is defined and used to associate a given customer MAC frame with a provider service instance.

Modifying backbone service instance identifiers based on an identified flow of associated frames


An investment method includes establishing an arrangement between an investor and a derivative counterparty in association with at least one portfolio having a plurality of investments. The method further includes setting at least one value for the portfolio including at least a minimum protection value; setting one or more interim settlement periods based on a maturity date of the arrangement including the portfolio; setting a cap level for the portfolio based on at least the minimum protection value of the portfolio; and, resetting at least one of the values or characteristics of the portfolio in association with performance of the portfolio during at least one of the interim settlement periods.

At various times in certain financial environments, interest rates may be at levels that do not produce sufficient or desirable yield for investors holding investments affected by interest rate levels. Alternative options for investments, such as holding equity related investments, for example, may not be viable or attractive for investors because the risks associated with such equity related investments may not be acceptable in view of the investment objectives of the investor. In addition, tax considerations for investments closely connected with interest rate levels may be implicated by existing policies, regulations, rules and/or laws that address taxation of income, for example, derived from such investments.
In financial environments where returns on investments affected by interest rates may be relatively low, investors may seek an alternative form of principal-protected investment that provides the opportunity for adequate yield while maintaining a risk profile that is acceptable to the investor. One example of an alternative strategy may involve an equity-linked note (among other types of investment instruments that may be characterized as contingent payment debt instruments for purposes of applicable policies, rules, regulations, and/or laws governing tax treatment of such investment instruments) that is structured to pay the note holder appreciation associated with an equity market or index (e.g., S&P 500) with which the note is connected or linked. One disadvantage of the equity-linked instrument is that the note holder is generally required to accrue taxable income (e.g., original issue discount or "OID") during the life of the note based on an assumed yield, even though the holder may not receive any coupon payment on the note prior to maturity of the instrument. Another disadvantage is that equity-linked notes are usually connected to an index or a fixed portfolio; this link does not offer the opportunity for enhanced returns that can be derived from a more dynamically or actively managed portfolio. Still another disadvantage is that an equity-linked note is typically structured to settle on a specific maturity date on which the holder receives a coupon in one lump sum that may be considered ordinary income to the holder (i.e., versus more desirable long-term capital gains treatment for the income, for example). In addition, the option to defer the coupon income received on the maturity date of the note may not be available.
Another conventional investment strategy involves maintaining a portfolio of investments such as large capitalization stocks, for example, and also employing one or more derivative arrangements (e.g., options) to hedge risk on the portfolio. In one example scenario, an investor (1) establishes a portfolio with an account manager for active management of various stock investments for the investor; and (2) purchases a put option associated with the S&P 500 index. In this arrangement, the investor is provided with the benefits of active management of the stock portfolio by the account manager, and the put option on the S&P 500 index is employed to hedge quote-on-quote market risk. A primary disadvantage to this investment strategy, however, is that there may be a relatively large and undesirable disparity between performance of the stock portfolio under active management by the account manager and performance of the hedge arrangement associated with the put option. From the perspective of the financial objectives of the investor, this strategy may introduce an unacceptable degree of risk of loss of principal assets.
It can be seen, therefore, that many conventional investment strategies and financial products do not provide the potential for adequate yield on investments in conjunction with minimizing risk to principal assets.

Investment strategies utilizing principal protection of investments


A system, computer-implemented method, and article for controlling a user interface of a portable welding system are described. An input signal receiver, operable on a processor, is configured to receive one or more input signals from one or more input devices. A display controller, operable on the processor, is configured to receive, input information based upon the one or more input signals. A display device is configured to display a user interface provided by the display controller, the user interface including a first portion including an adjustable value and a second portion including a non-adjustable value. The display controller is configured to highlight changes to the non-adjustable value based upon changes made using the one or more input devices to the adjustable value.

Portable welding systems are known, and often incorporate a welding power supply and related mechanisms (e.g., wire feeder, wire spool) in a portable case. Such portable welding systems find use in applications where it is not practical or convenient to send a work-piece to a shop for repair or fabrication. Examples of applications for such portable welding systems include petroleum and chemical fabrication, shipboard installation and repair, and the like. As such, known portable welding systems may be relatively light weight to enable a user to lift and carry the system to the work site. Because of the portability and flexibility of these welding systems they have found wide-spread use and popularity.
One issue with portable welders is that existing user interfaces can be unintuitive, especially to novice users, which may lead to decreased safety during operation. Unintuitive user interfaces may also lead to errors when entering settings into a portable welder. Further, existing user interfaces may offer limited functionality to users.

Techniques for controlling a portable welding system


A hosiery donning device, in particular for compression hosiery, has a support, a front end portion of which is inserted into the hosiery to be donned; the support defines a downwardly-facing cavity so that a foot can be inserted into the sock or stocking by making the support slide over the upper surface and instep of the foot; a handle is joined to the rear of the support, it is fixed and faces upwards in relation to the support; the cavity is defined by a saddle-shaped portion, on which at least a portion of the hosiery is gathered; the saddle-shaped portion accompanies a portion of the hosiery over the heel of the foot, when the handle is tilted forwards while the saddle-shaped portion remains in contact with the instep of the foot.

As is known, people who find it particularly difficult to bend down or move their legs, generally need the assistance of other people to put their socks or stockings on. Said need is particularly apparent in case of compression hosiery, in which a relatively strong force must be applied to stretch the elastic fabric outwards in order to insert the toes, make the sock or stocking slide over the leg and, above all, to pull the elastic fabric over the heel of the foot.
In an attempt to reduce or eliminate these difficulties, the known surgical products consist of a support over which the sock or stocking is placed and rolled-up before inserting the foot into said sock or stocking. Said support is maneuvered manually by means of a handle, which consists of an arm coupled via an articulated joint to a lower portion of the support. The support has a concave upper surface and is made to pass under the foot and past the heel by pulling the handle upwards, while the foot gradually enters the sock or stocking, passing over the support.
The solutions of the type described above fall short of being satisfactory, as it is difficult to pull and manoeuvre the handle to move the support past the heel towards the calf.

Hosiery donning device, in particular for compression hosiery


The present invention relates to a method for making an ablation transducer having a plurality of helical elements that can be operated out of phase to orient the acoustical energy beam forward or backward in the longitudinal direction. The transducers includes a cylindrical inner electrode, a cylindrical piezoelectric material disposed over the inner electrode, and a cylindrical outer electrode disposed over the cylindrical piezoelectric material. Spiral grooves are cut through at least the outer electrode separating the transducer into a plurality of functionally discrete helical transducer segments. The helical transducer segments can be operated independent from one another. An array of intertwined helical transducers arranged linearly along a helical axis are also contemplated.

Many local energy delivery devices and methods have been developed for treating the various abnormal tissue conditions in the body, and particularly for treating abnormal tissue along body space walls that define various body spaces in the body. For example, various devices have been disclosed with the primary purpose of treating or recanalizing atherosclerotic vessels with localized energy delivery. Several prior devices and methods combine energy delivery assemblies in combination with cardiovascular stent devices in order to locally deliver energy to tissue in order to maintain patency in diseased lumens such as blood vessels. Endometriosis, another abnormal wall tissue condition that is associated with the endometrial cavity and is characterized by dangerously proliferative uterine wall tissue along the surface of the endometrial cavity, has also been treated by local energy delivery devices and methods. Several other devices and methods have also been disclosed which use catheter-based heat sources for the intended purpose of inducing thrombosis and controlling hemorrhaging within certain body lumens such as vessels. Detailed examples of local energy delivery devices and related procedures such as those of the types described above are disclosed in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,962 to Hershenson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,676,258 to InoKuchi et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,311 to Ruiz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,620 to Strul et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,933 to Eggers et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,694 to Kasprzyk et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,540 to Lee; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,430 to Spears et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,321 to Lee; U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,380 to Chin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,730 to Edwards; U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,672 to Edwards et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,562,720 to Stern et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,528 to Auth et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,205 to Taylor et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,368 to Hussein et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,736 to Behl; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,178,618 to Kandarpa.
Other prior devices and methods electrically couple fluid to an ablation element during local energy delivery for treatment of abnormal tissues. Some such devices couple the fluid to the ablation element for the primary purpose of controlling the temperature of the element during the energy delivery. Other such devices couple the fluid more directly to the tissue-device interface either as another temperature control mechanism or in certain other known applications as a carrier or medium for the localized energy delivery. Detailed examples of ablation devices that use fluid to assist in electrically coupling electrodes to tissue are disclosed in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. 5,348,554 to Imran et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,811 to Imran et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,730 to Edwards; U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,161 to Imran et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,672 to Edwards et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,241 to Edwards; U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,788 to Baker et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,658,278 to Imran et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,267 to Panescu et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,927 to Imran et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,722,403 to McGee et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,846; and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 97/32525 to Pomeranz et al.; and PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 98/02201 to Pomeranz et al. Atrial Fibrillation.
Cardiac arrhythmias, and atrial fibrillation in particular, persist as common and dangerous medical aliments associated with abnormal cardiac chamber wall tissue, and are often observed in elderly patients. In patients with cardiac arrhythmia, abnormal regions of cardiac tissue do not follow the synchronous beating cycle associated with normally conductive tissue in patients with sinus rhythm. Instead, the abnormal regions of cardiac tissue aberrantly conduct to adjacent tissue, thereby disrupting the cardiac cycle into an asynchronous cardiac rhythm. Such abnormal conduction is known to occur at various regions of the heart, such as, for example, in the region of the sino-atrial (SA) node, along the conduction pathways of the atrioventricular (AV) node and the Bundle of His, or in the cardiac muscle tissue forming the walls of the ventricular and atrial cardiac chambers.
Cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial arrhythmia, may be of a multiwavelet reentrant type, characterized by multiple asynchronous loops of electrical impulses that are scattered about the atrial chamber and are often self-propagating. In the alternative or in addition to the multiwavelet reentrant type, cardiac arrhythmias may also have a focal origin, such as when an isolated region of tissue in an atrium fires autonomously in a rapid, repetitive fashion. Cardiac arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation, may be generally detected using the global technique of an electrocardiogram (EKG). More sensitive procedures of mapping the specific conduction along the cardiac chambers have also been disclosed, such as, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,649 to Walinsky et al. and in PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 96/32897 to Desai.
A host of clinical conditions can result from the irregular cardiac function and resulting hemodynamic abnormalities associated with atrial fibrillation, including stroke, heart failure, and other thromboembolic events. In fact, atrial fibrillation is believed to be a significant cause of cerebral stroke, wherein the abnormal hemodynamics in the left atrium caused by the fibrillatory wall motion precipitate the formation of thrombus within the atrial chamber. A thromboembolism is ultimately dislodged into the left ventricle that thereafter pumps the embolism into the cerebral circulation where a stroke results. Accordingly, numerous procedures for treating atrial arrhythmias have been developed, including pharmacological, surgical, and catheter ablation procedures.
Several pharmacological approaches intended to remedy or otherwise treat atrial arrhythmias have been disclosed, such as, for example, those approaches disclosed in the following references: U.S. Pat. No. 4,673,563 to Berne et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,569,801 to Molloy et al.; and "Current Management of Arrhythmias" (1991) by Hindricks, et al. Such pharmacological solutions, however, are not generally believed to be entirely effective in many cases, and are even believed in some cases to result in proarrhythmia and long term inefficacy.
Several surgical approaches have also been developed with the intention of treating atrial fibrillation. One particular example is known as the "maze procedure," as is disclosed by Cox, J. L. et al. in "The surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. I. Summary" Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 101(3), pp. 402-405 (1991); and also by Cox, J. L. in "The surgical treatment of atrial fibrillation. IV. Surgical Technique", Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery 101(4), pp. 584-592 (1991). In general, the "maze" procedure is designed to relieve atrial arrhythmia by restoring effective atrial systole and sinus node control through a prescribed pattern of incisions about the tissue wall. In the early clinical experiences reported, the "maze" procedure included surgical incisions in both the right and the left atrial chambers. However, more recent reports predict that the surgical "maze" procedure may be substantially efficacious when performed only in the left atrium. See Sueda et al., "Simple Left Atrial Procedure for Chronic Atrial Fibrillation Associated With Mitral Valve Disease" (1996).
The "maze procedure" as performed in the left atrium generally includes forming vertical incisions from the two superior pulmonary veins and terminating in the region of the mitral valve annulus, traversing the region of the inferior pulmonary veins en route. An additional horizontal line also connects the superior ends of the two vertical incisions. Thus, the atrial wall region bordered by the pulmonary vein ostia is isolated from the other atrial tissue. In this process, the mechanical sectioning of atrial tissue eliminates the arrhythmogenic conduction from the boxed region of the pulmonary veins to the rest of the atrium by creating conduction blocks within the aberrant electrical conduction pathways. Other variations or modifications of this specific pattern just described have also been disclosed, all sharing the primary purpose of isolating known or suspected regions of arrhythmogenic origin or propagation along the atrial wall.
While the "maze" procedure and its variations as reported by Dr. Cox and others have met some success in treating patients with atrial arrhythmia, its highly invasive methodology is believed to be prohibitive in most cases. However, these procedures have provided a guiding principle that electrically isolating faulty cardiac tissue may successfully prevent atrial arrhythmia, and particularly atrial fibrillation caused by arrhythmogenic conduction arising from the region of the pulmonary veins.
Less invasive catheter-based approaches to treat atrial fibrillation have been disclosed which implement cardiac tissue ablation for terminating arrhythmogenic conduction in the atria. Examples of such catheter-based devices and treatment methods have generally targeted atrial segmentation with ablation catheter devices and methods adapted to form linear or curvilinear lesions in the wall tissue that defines the atrial chambers. Some specifically disclosed approaches provide specific ablation elements that are linear over a defined length intended to engage the tissue for creating the linear lesion. Other disclosed approaches provide shaped or steerable guiding sheaths, or sheaths within sheaths, for the intended purpose of directing tip ablation catheters toward the posterior left atrial wall such that sequential ablations along the predetermined path of tissue may create the desired lesion. In addition, various energy delivery modalities have been disclosed for forming atrial wall lesions, and include use of microwave, laser, ultrasound, thermal conduction, and more commonly, radiofrequency energies to create conduction blocks along the cardiac tissue wall.
Detailed examples of ablation device assemblies and methods for creating lesions along an atrial wall are disclosed in the following U.S. Patent references: U.S. Pat. No. 4,898,591 to Jang et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,393 to Isner et al.; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,427,119; 5,487,385 to Avitall; U.S. Pat. No. 5,497,119 to Swartz et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,193 to Fleischman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,549,661 to Kordis et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,810 to Swanson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,564,440 to Swartz et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,609 to Swanson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,766 to Swartz et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,609 to Swanson; U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,854 to Munsif; U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,723 to Avitall; U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,438 to Avitall. Other examples of such ablation devices and methods are disclosed in the following PCT Patent Application Publication Nos.: WO 93/20767 to Stern et al.; WO 94/21165 to Kordis et al.; WO 96/10961 to Fleischman et al.; WO 96/26675 to Klein et al.; and WO 97/37607 to Schaer. Additional examples of such ablation devices and methods are disclosed in the following published articles: "Physics and Engineering of Transcatheter Tissue Ablation". Avitall et al., Journal of American College of Cardiology, Volume 22, No. 3:921-932 (1993); and "Right and Left Atrial Radiofrequency Catheter Therapy of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation," Haissaguerre, et al., Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology 7(12), pp. 1132-1144 (1996).
In addition to those known assemblies summarized above, additional tissue ablation device assemblies have been recently developed for the specific purpose of ensuring firm contact and consistent positioning of a linear ablation element along a length of tissue by anchoring the element at least at one predetermined location along that length, such as in order to form a "maze"-type lesion pattern in the left atrium. One example of such assemblies is that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,983, issued Oct. 26, 1999, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The assembly includes an anchor at each of two ends of a linear ablation element in order to secure those ends to each of two predetermined locations along a left atrial wall, such as at two adjacent pulmonary veins, so that tissue may be ablated along the length of tissue extending there between.
In addition to attempting atrial wall segmentation with long linear lesions for treating atrial arrhythmia, other ablation device and method have also been disclosed which are intended to use expandable members such as balloons to ablate cardiac tissue. Some such devices have been disclosed primarily for use in ablating tissue wall regions along the cardiac chambers. Other devices and methods have been disclosed for treating abnormal conduction of the left-sided accessory pathways, and in particular associated with "Wolff-Parkinson-White" syndrome—various such disclosures use a balloon for ablating from within a region of an associated coronary sinus adjacent to the desired cardiac tissue to ablate. Further more detailed examples of devices and methods such as of the types just described are variously disclosed in the following published references: Fram et al., in "Feasibility of RF Powered Thermal Balloon Ablation of Atrioventricular Bypass Tracts via the Coronary Sinus: In vivo Canine Studies," PACE, Vol. 18, p 1518-1530 (1995); "Long-term effects of percutaneous laser balloon ablation from the canine coronary sinus", Schuger CD et al., Circulation (1992) 86:947-954; and "Percutaneous laser balloon coagulation of accessory pathways", McMath L P et al., Diagn Ther Cardiovasc Interven 1991; 1425:165-171.
Arrhythmias Originating from Foci in Pulmonary Veins
Various modes of atrial fibrillation have also been observed to be focal in nature, caused by the rapid and repetitive firing of an isolated center within cardiac muscle tissue associated with the atrium. Such foci may act as either a trigger of atrial fibrillatory paroxysmal or may even sustain the fibrillation. Various disclosures have suggested that focal atrial arrhythmia often originates from at least one tissue region along one or more of the pulmonary veins of the left atrium, and even more particularly in the superior pulmonary veins.
Less-invasive percutaneous catheter ablation techniques have been disclosed which use end-electrode catheter designs with the intention of ablating and thereby treating focal arrhythmias in the pulmonary veins. These ablation procedures are typically characterized by the incremental application of electrical energy to the tissue to form focal lesions designed to terminate the inappropriate arrhythmogenic conduction.
One example of a focal ablation method intended to treat focal arrhythmia originating from a pulmonary vein is disclosed by Haissaguerre, et al. in "Right and Left Atrial Radiofrequency Catheter Therapy of Paroxysmal Atrial Fibrillation" in Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology 7(12), pp. 1132-1144 (1996). Haissaguerre, et al. discloses radiofrequency catheter ablation of drug-refractory paroxysmal atrial fibrillation using linear atrial lesions complemented by focal ablation targeted at arrhythmogenic foci in a screened patient population. The site of the arrhythmogenic foci were generally located just inside the superior pulmonary vein, and the focal ablations were generally performed using a standard 4 mm tip single ablation electrode.
Another focal ablation method of treating atrial arrhythmias is disclosed in Jais et al., "A focal source of atrial fibrillation treated by discrete radiofrequency ablation," Circulation 95:572-576 (1997). Jais et al. discloses treating patients with paroxysmal arrhythmias originating from a focal source by ablating that source. At the site of arrhythmogenic tissue, in both right and left atria, several pulses of a discrete source of radiofrequency energy were applied in order to eliminate the fibrillatory process.
Other assemblies and methods have been disclosed addressing focal sources of arrhythmia in pulmonary veins by ablating circumferential regions of tissue either along the pulmonary vein, at the ostium of the vein along the atrial wall, or encircling the ostium and along the atrial wall. More detailed examples of device assemblies and methods for treating focal arrhythmia as just described are disclosed in PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 99/02096 to Diederich et al., and also in the following pending U.S. patent and patent applications: U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,740, issued on Feb. 15, 2000 to Michael D. Lesh et al., for "Circumferential Ablation Device Assembly"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,457, issued on Jan. 11, 2000 to Michael D. Lesh, for "Device and Method for Forming a Circumferential Conduction Block in a Pulmonary Vein"; U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,101 issued on Sep. 12, 2000 to Chris J. Diederich et al., for "Circumferential Ablation Device Assembly"; and U.S. Ser. No. 09/260,316 for "Device and Method for Forming a Circumferential Conduction Block in a Pulmonary Vein" to Michael D. Lesh.
Another specific device assembly and method which is intended to treat focal atrial fibrillation by ablating a circumferential region of tissue between two seals in order to form a conduction block to isolate an arrhythmogenic focus within a pulmonary vein is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,660 and a related PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO 99/00064.

Method for making a spiral array ultrasound transducer


A printer that enables a determination whether a failure has occurred in a device during initialization or a radio wave condition is bad. Receive electric field strength during a time period from a time at which a turn-off message is outputted to a time at which turn-on message is outputted and receive electric field strength after the turn-on message is outputted are measured. The measurements are compared with each other and information indicating the condition of each of a plurality of channels is printed out according to the results of the comparison. A user can reference the printed information to determine whether a failure has occurred in a device or the radio wave condition is bad.

When a data is communicated wirelessly, the communication must typically be performed with a high receive electric field strength in order to prevent errors in the data. The same holds true for wireless data communication between a computer and a printer.
In Japanese Patent Laid-Open publication No. 7-50630, a technology is described in which a plurality of antennas are provided, the receive electric field strengths of the antennas are measured, and the antenna that provides the highest receive electric field strength measurement is used to perform wireless data communication between a computer and a printer.
According to the prior art described in that publication, if a connection error occurs after communication is established, the error state is reported or printed out by another communication means.
However, if there is radio interference or a radio wave from a device with which communication is to be performed is weak, an average user cannot readily know that radio wave condition during initialization (after a printer is purchased or a network is created, for example). Consequently, the user cannot determine whether a failure has occurred in the device or the condition of the radio wave is bad.
For example, when wireless data communication is performed between a computer and a printer by using a wireless LAN conforming to the well-known Bluetooth® or IEEE 802.11b standard, the 2.4 GHz band is used, which overlaps bands used by other devices such as a microwave oven and mobile device identification. Therefore, there is a problem that an average user cannot readily know the radio wave condition and therefore cannot determine whether a failure has occurred in the device or the conditions of the radio wave are bad.
The present invention has been achieved in order to solve the problem with the prior art and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer, a printer diagnostic method, and a printer diagnostic program that enable the determination whether a failure has occurred in a device or a radio wave condition is bad during initialization of the printer.

Printing device, diagnosing method for printing device, and diagnosing program for printing device


An intravascular medical catheter and method of manufacturing a medical catheter are provided herein. The medical catheter includes a guidewire shaft, a sleeve, and a balloon. The sleeve is attached to the guidewire shaft while a distal tail of the balloon is thermally bonded to the sleeve. Because of the sleeve, the distal tail of the balloon can be thermally bonded even if the guidewire shaft is made of a material which is thermally incompatible with the balloon. Thus, for example, a medical catheter can be made with an HDPE guidewire shaft and a balloon made of PEBA, PET, Polyurethane, or Nylon. The resulting medical catheter has a catheter tip which is durable, flexible, and has a relatively low profile for good tracking in the body vessel and good lesion crossing.

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (hereinafter "angioplasty") is a procedure used to treat a stenosis within a body vessel of a human being. A medical catheter having an inflatable balloon attached to a catheter shaft and a guidewire shaft is commonly used during the angioplasty procedure. First, the guidewire shaft and balloon are advanced over a guidewire which is positioned within the body vessel until the balloon is adjacent to the stenosis. Subsequently, the balloon is inflated. This causes the site of the stenosis to compress into the arterial wall and the body vessel to dilate.
In recent years, there has been a continuing effort to improve the performance characteristics of medical catheters. Unfortunately, the design of most existing medical catheters has always involved trading off various performance characteristics. For example, many physicians prefer the guidewire movement/tracking of a guidewire shaft made of high density polyethylene ("HDPE") instead of a guidewire shaft made of Polyether Block Amide ("PEBA"), Polyethylene Terephthalate ("PET"), or Nylon. However, a balloon made of HDPE, in many instances, may not have satisfactory inflation or pressure characteristics. In fact, for some applications, balloons made of PEBA, PET, or Nylon provide superior inflation and pressure characteristics. Because PEBA, PET, and Nylon can not be thermally bonded to HDPE, it is often necessary to use an adhesive to bond a PEBA, PET, or Nylon balloon to a HDPE guidewire shaft. Unfortunately, the adhesive bond at the catheter tip has a relatively large profile, and is relatively stiff. As a result thereof the medical catheter is relatively difficult to maneuver because the catheter tip does not track well in the body vessel.
One attempt to solve this problem involves utilizing the same or thermally compatible materials for the guidewire shaft and the balloon, so that the balloon can be thermally bonded to the guidewire shaft. The thermal bonding results in a high strength, durable, flexible, transitionless, and low profile catheter tip. For example, Guidant, located in Temecula, California, manufactures a medical catheter having a balloon and guidewire shaft which are made of nylon. However, this device is not entirely satisfactory because physicians typically prefer a guidewire shaft made of HDPE.
Another attempt to solve this problem involves the co-extrusion of the guidewire shaft with an inner tube made of HDPE and an outer shell made of nylon. Subsequently, a nylon balloon can be thermally bonded to the nylon outer shell. Unfortunately, the co-extruded guidewire shaft can be more difficult to manufacture and delamination of the co-extruded guidewire shaft may occur.
In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved medical catheter which utilizes a guidewire shaft made of HDPE regardless of the material utilized for the inflatable balloon. Another object of the present invention is to provide a medical catheter having good guidewire movement and tracking, as well as a catheter tip having a low profile, and good strength, flexibility and durability characteristics. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a medical catheter having a distal tail which is thermally bonded and transitionless.


The invention relates to a method and to a corresponding device for detecting spectral reflectance, an illuminating device arranged in a stationary fashion being used to apply to measuring fields moving relative to the measuring system radiation which differs in strength as a function of the relative speed, and the radiation reflected by the measuring fields being further processed after photoelectric conversion to derive measured variables. It is the object of the present invention to develop such a method as well as a corresponding device so that the optical reflectance-measuring system can be optimally adapted to different relative speeds given a prescribed measuring field size. This is achieved according to the invention, by controlling the light source of the illuminating device as a function of the relative speed between the measuring field and measuring system so that the spectral intensity distribution of the light source of the illuminating device is detected for the respective relative speed between the measuring fields and measuring system, and by taking into account the respectively present spectral intensity distribution of the light source of the illuminating device in processing the radiation reflected by the measuring fields to obtain measured values.

In printing machines, particularly in sheet-fed offset printing machines, it is necessary, for purposes of quality control, to detect actual reflectance values by means of measuring devices preferably located inside the machine, and to derive therefrom quality data, or manipulate variables for process control. Particular use is made of densitometers/spectral densitometers, color-measuring instruments and so-called "spectrophotometers". With these "spectrophotometers", it is advantageous that the light, of a measuring point can be analyzed spectrally by means of these measuring instruments, and can be analyzed with respect to various criteria by further digital processing. Thus, for example, it is possible by means of digital weighting, to use the spectral reflectance of a measuring point to derive both the color density values which have long been used in printing technology, and colorimetric parameters in accordance with the spectral distribution curves of the CIE standard observer. The measured reflectance values described above (densitometric, colorimetric, and spectral) can be obtained both on measuring fields, which have been specially configured and expressly printed in the same forms, and at measuring points which can be arbitrarily selected on the subject (the actual image). The latter has the advantage that there is no need for additional space on the printing carrier and that, furthermore, the quality and process control data are derived directly from the actual printed product.
In the case of measuring devices which are used, in particular, to obtain spectral reflectance data directly inside the running machine, it is necessary to adapt the sensor sensitivity, the illuminance, and the measuring field size to one another. Specifically, in the case of rapidly running printing machines, for a given measuring field size (millimeter range) and a maximum achievable illuminance, only certain specific measuring times are available within which the sensor system, specifically of a spectral reflectance measuring instrument, has to convert the received light quantity. This means that the measuring spot geometry is a function of the aperture restrictor geometry, the relative speed between the printing carrier and the measuring field, the measuring instrument, and the integration time of the sensor(s). The effects of a change in the relative speed of the printing carrier and therefore the measuring field relative to the measuring instrument (printing speed) can be minimized within given limits by varying the integration time of the sensor system. However, this does not cover the entire range of print speed. In order to utilize fully the dynamic range of the sensor system, and thus to also achieve the selected accuracy, it is further necessary to change the illuminance. In the case of high print speeds, more light will have to be applied to a measuring field of prescribed size than in the case of lower print speeds.
EF 0 373 283 B1 discloses a measuring device for inspecting the quality of a printing carrier, where a neutral density filter, with a continuously changing optical density of transmission, is moved in the illuminating-beam path of the measuring field illumination as a function of the printing speed. The movement is accomplished by a remotely controlled drive, which obtains its signals from the controller. The controller is connected to a sensor system which detects the speed of the printing machine. As a result, this measuring device can be used to always scan measuring fields of given size in the optimum region of sensor sensitivity where the illuminating device has a constant control and the print speed varies. However, having a moveable neutral density filter with a controller is disadvantageous because of additional moving parts, sensitivity to mechanical disturbing influences, and exposure to possible contamination.
For the purpose of adapting a plurality of illuminating sources to the same color temperature, it is known from Wo 95/00335 A1 that it is possible to calibrate measurements to a calibration standard (white standard). In this process, the color temperature of the illuminating device of the respective measuring device, or a measure, reproducing the color temperature of the spectral energy distribution of the illuminating device is processed with the aid of the measured photometric variables. This procedure and devices are likewise used inside a printing press where the printing carrier has a relative speed with respect to the measuring device.
An illuminating device for a color measuring instrument in which additional measuring transducers are provided for detecting the radiation produced by a halogen lamp is known from DE 40 13 422 A1. The signals from the transducers are used to achieve a desired color temperature of the illuminating radiation by varying the lamp voltage.

Method and device for detecting spectral reflectance


A method of forming an electrolyte solution involves combining ammonium tetrafluoroborate and a quaternary ammonium halide in a liquid solvent to form a quaternary ammonium tetrafluoroborate and an ammonium halide. The ammonium halide precipitate is removed from the solvent to form an electrolyte solution. The reactants can be added step-wise to the solvent, and the method can include using a stoichiometric excess of the ammonium tetrafluoroborate to form a substantially halide ion-free electrolyte solution.

The present disclosure relates generally to methods for forming electrolyte compositions, and more particularly to the synthesis of an electrolyte solution for use in ultracapacitors.
Energy storage devices such as ultracapacitors may be used in many applications where a discrete power pulse is required. Such applications range from cell phones to hybrid vehicles. An important characteristic of an ultracapacitor is the energy density that it can provide. The energy density of the device, which can comprise two or more carbon-based electrodes separated by a porous separator and/or an organic electrolyte, is largely determined by the properties of the electrolyte. A typical electrolyte utilized in commercial ultracapacitors comprises tetraethyl ammonium tetrafluoroborate (TEA-TFB) salt dissolved in a solvent such as acetonitrile. This electrolyte system has a number of beneficial properties, including salt solubility and ion conductivity.
One factor that is important in the development of electrolyte solutions is cost. Due to its relatively expensive synthesis and purification, commercially-available TEA-TFB is expensive. An example synthesis of TEA-TFB is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,696. The example process involves reacting tetraalkyl ammonium halides with metal tetrafluoroborates in an aqueous medium followed by membrane dialysis to remove metal halides. Another synthesis approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,641,807, which discloses combining a metal halide and a tetraalkyl halide in acetonitrile followed by filtering of the metal halide. The product of this process typically includes a high concentration of halide ions, such as chloride ions (e.g., 0.71 wt. % or 7100 ppm) as well as associated metal ions. Such a concentration of halide ions is understood to be detrimental to ultracapacitor performance.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a simple and economical synthesis process to produce high purity TEA-TFB salt and electrolyte solutions comprising TEA-TFB salt.

Electrolyte synthesis for ultracapacitors


Methods and apparatus are described for the processing (for example washing, incubation, etc.) of particles in which the particles suspended in a first fluid are introduced under laminar flow conditions into at least one first microchamber or first region of the same, in which a second fluid is introduced under laminar flow conditions into at least one second region of the microchamber or of a second microchamber, in such a way as not to mix with the first fluid, and in which at least one field of force acting on the particles is activated in the microchamber(s), to provoke a shift of the particles alone in a predetermined direction and to transfer the same in suspension into the second fluid; an apparatus is preferably used including at least three microchambers n microchambers arranged in sequence with each other in one direction and each connected with the microchamber immediately before it and after it with two orifices offset from each other in a direction perpendicular to the direction of sequence of the microchambers.

Technical Field
The present invention concerns methods and miniaturised apparatus for the processing/manipulation of particles. The invention is applied principally in the implementation of biological protocols on cell samples in reduced volumes, as is often required by a miniaturised analysis approach.
State of the Art
In biology, the centrifuge is one of the instruments most used for the processing of cell samples, in particular with reference to certain stages of the process such as washing the cells. This is necessary for example when starting from a culture, for which it is desirable to remove the culture medium and re-suspend the cells in a saline solution, or when, after an incubation phase with antibodies and/or other reagents, one wants to wash away the excess antibodies and re-suspend the cells in a saline buffer, etc. The potential advantage that can be achieved with the reduction of the volumes involved has led to the miniaturisation of these stages of the process, which has stimulated the development of various methods of processing/manipulation.
In Seger et al. Cell immersion and cell dipping in microfluidic devices, LabChip, 2004, 4, 148-151, pressure-controlled liquid flows are used to exchange cells from one suspension buffer to another (washing), or to immerse cells originally present in a first buffer in a second buffer for a controlled time (incubation or reagent-sampling). The disadvantage of this approach is that it is necessary to maintain a controlled flow of the various liquids involved. This implies a greater consumption of reagents and a greater complexity of the system, linked with the necessity of producing pressure to flush (move) the liquids.
A similar approach is used by EVOTEC to submit single cells trapped in dielectrophoresis cages to particular reagents, but here too it is necessary to have controlled flows of reagents.
The patent application PCT/WO 00/69565 a G. Medoro describes an apparatus and a method for the manipulation and identification of particles making use of closed cages with dielectrophoretic potential. The method described teaches how to control the position of each particle independently of all the others in a two-dimensional space. The force used to trap the particles in suspension is negative dielectrophoresis. The individual control of the manipulating operations is achieved by the programming of memory elements and circuits associated with each element of an array of electrodes and sensors integrated in the same substratum.
The U.S. Pat. No. 6,294,063 Becker et al. describes a method and apparatus for the manipulation of packages of solid, liquid or gaseous biological material by means of a distribution of programmable forces.
In the application for an Italian patent BO2005A000481, Medoro et al., some methods are given for manipulating particles with arrays of electrodes, and some methods and apparatus for identifying them, which are however similar to those of the already mentioned patent PCT/WO 00/69565.
Although it does not allow a precise control of the position of the particles, it is also possible to use Travelling Wave dielectrophoresis to shift the particles.
In other cases electrodes are not necessary to manipulate particles situated inside the microchambers.
Then there are many known methods of generating optical traps (optical traps, optical tweezers), which are based on the differences of the refraction index of the particles with respect to the suspension medium (for example A. Ashkin et al, Optical trapping and manipulation of single living cells using infrared laser beams, Nature, 330(6150) (1987) 769.)
In this case the particles are typically trapped in optical intensity maximums, generated for example by focussing a laser beam through the lens of a microscope. The manipulation of a multiplicity of particles may be obtained with various optical methods in the prior art, based on similar principles, for example using arrays of VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser), or using holographic optical traps.
Other techniques are known, which combine the projection of images with luminous intensity gradients, the use of an electric field in the liquid and a device with a photosensitive substratum, to create so-called Opto-Electronic cages (for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,707B1 assigned to Seul et Al., or Pei Yu Chiou et al, "Massively parallel manipulation of single cells and microparticles using optical images", Nature Vol 436, 21 Jul. 2005, pp 370-372). In practice a dielectrophoretic field is realised, controlled non by the shape of the electrodes but by the image projected on the photosensitive substratum. In this way it is therefore possible to manipulate the particles present in the liquid.
Lastly other techniques are known for moving particles. In S. Gaugiran, et al., "Optical manipulation of microparticles and cells on silicon nitride waveguides," Opt. Express 13, 6956-6963 (2005), some particles (artificial or biological such as yeasts and cells) are pushed along wave guides be the radiation pressure of the evanescent field of a laser which is spread inside the guide itself.
The international patent application in the name of the same Applicant, filed on 22 Mar. 2006 and concerning a method and an apparatus for making the characterisation and/or the count of particles of any type, for example biological particles such as cells or their parts, in which the control of the position of each particle present in a sample is used in order to shift those particles in a deterministic or statistical way, to detect their presence and/or characterise the type with optical integrated and/or impedenziometric sensors. In particular non uniform fields of force are used, variable times and optical or impedenziometric sensors located under or close to an array of electrodes, integrated with them in a single chip. The fields of force may have positive or negative dielectrophoresis, electrophoresis or electro-hydrodynamic movements, characterised by a set of stable points of equilibrium.
However, among the methods reported in the above-mentioned inventions concerning micromanipulators of cells/particles based on dielectrophoresis or other optical or opto-electronic techniques, although a flow is not necessary, no method is contemplated for allowing those typical operations such as washing and/or incubation of the cells or particles, as is necessary in many biological protocols.

Method and apparatus for the processing and/or analysis and/or selection of particles, in particular, biological particles