A water blocking configuration for a low temperature, dry loose tube fiber optic cable includes one or more flexible buffer tubes each having a passage sized to contain one or more optical fibers. A single yarn is disposed in the passage of each buffer tube, and the yarn has a denier of not more than 1500. The yarn is coated with particles of a water absorbent material having a size distribution of between zero and not more than 160 microns. A dry loose tube fiber optic cable having the disclosed configuration meets the Telcordia GR 20 (Issue 2) industry standard with respect to water penetration, change of fiber attenuation, and fiber tensile strength at a low temperature of −60 degrees C.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to fiber optic cable constructions, and particularly to a dry, water blocking loose tube cable suitable for use at low temperatures.
2. Discussion of the Known Art
The infiltration of water inside a fiber optic cable can degrade the performance of the cable significantly, especially in environments where temperatures are at or below freezing. Passage of water internally over the length of the cable may also have adverse effects on cable end connectors and/or associated terminal equipment.
In the presence of moisture, glass fibers contained inside a fiber optic cable will tend to fracture even when stressed below their theoretical maximum tensile limit, due to surface flaws whose effects are aggravated by the moisture. Long lengths of glass fibers in the cable may therefore break after undergoing a strain of only about 0.5 percent elongation.
In view of the above, fiber optic cables have been constructed in ways that reduce or block the passage of water inside the cable, and minimize any stress transferred to internal fibers during cable installation and use. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,592 (Mar. 20, 1990) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,003 (May 13, 1997), which are incorporated by reference. Both patents disclose cable arrangements in which tapes or yarns containing or coated with a super absorbent composition, are disposed in proximity to optical fibers inside the cable. The tape or yarn swells upon contact with water, and, thus, physically reduces or blocks continued passage of the water interiorly of the cable. Other water blocking means include the use of petroleum based or jelly-like filling materials, sometimes called "filling" compounds. These materials must be removed with a cleaning agent or solvent when a cable is opened at one end to carry out a splicing operation, however. The use of such solvents has a drawback in that color dyes or other indicia provided on the individual fibers for identification may also be removed. Accordingly, an all dry, water blocking cable configuration that allows splicing without requiring special cleaning agents to dissolve greasy filling compounds inside the cable, is most desirable.
The mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,003 is directed to a so-called loose tube fiber optic cable, wherein one or more flexible buffer tubes inside the cable each contain a set of optical fibers that extend through a passage of each tube. In a loose tube fiber optic cable, a strong but flexible central rod acts to resist tensile loads applied to the cable, i.e., the rod acts as a strength member. At the same time, the rod serves as an organizer about which the individual fiber-containing buffer tubes are helically wound. The rod is formed typically of, e.g., glass reinforced polyester (GRP) and is sheathed with a layer of polyethylene (PE). The use of glass for the central rod prevents the cable from behaving as an electrical conductor, and, therefore, minimizes the susceptibility of the cable to lightening or other unintentional contact with a potentially damaging electrical source.
In the cable of the '003 U.S. patent, a number of strands or filaments of an absorbent fiber yarn are disposed in the passage of each buffer tube. Also, dry strips impregnated with a water absorbent composition (e.g., DryBlock® available from OFS Fitel USA) are arranged to fill voids that would otherwise form inside the cable, outside of the buffer tube walls. A cable similar to that disclosed in the '003 U.S. patent is available from OFS under the trademark "Fortex DT".
The dry loose tube fiber optic cable configuration described above requires that a water absorbent member (e.g., a coated yarn) be disposed in the passage of each buffer tube during cable production. Therefore, the member must not only be physically compatible with the buffer tube, but should not affect the transmission characteristics of the optical fibers inside the tube significantly either before or after the member swells to block water movement through the tube passage.
Dry, water absorbent materials used in fiber optic cables are typically particulate in nature. If such particles are coated on a yarn, and the coated yarn is then placed in the passage of a buffer tube, the particles will likely come into direct contact with the fibers in the same passage. It has been found that such contact induces macrobending loses at very low temperatures, resulting in unacceptable increases in fiber attenuation.
Fiber optic cables are manufactured to meet various industry standards one of which is Telcordia® GR 20, Issue 2 (1998)("the Telcordia standard"). This standard, which is incorporated by reference, requires a cable to maintain prescribed performance parameters over a temperature range of from −40 to +70 degrees C. As far as is known, a dry, loose tube fiber optic cable that can maintain the prescribed parameters with respect to water penetration, fiber attenuation, and tensile strength, when cycled to a temperature as low as −60 degrees C., has not been commercially produced. Nevertheless, there is a significant market for such a cable in regions where fiber optic cables are deployed at temperatures as low as −60 degrees C.

Low temperature dry loose tube fiber optic cable


A hydraulic system for an agricultural working machine composed of a carrier vehicle and at least one adapting device has one or more hydraulically driven consumer included in each of the carrier vehicle and the at least one adapting device, and a common hydraulic pressure line, wherein the consumers are connected to the common hydraulic pressure line, and a constant hydraulic pressure is applied to the common hydraulic pressure line.

The present invention relates to a hydraulic system for a self-propelled harvesting machine.
Publication DE 43 11 191 makes known a tractor with a tractor hydraulic system based on load sensing, with which the consumers on the tractor are supplied hydraulically. With these hydraulic systems, the pressure at the consumer is communicated to the hydraulic pump of the hydraulic system. The hydraulic pump changes its pump capacity depending on the pressure at the consumer in order to provide only what is required. In contrast, the combine-mounted device to be connected to the tractor has a constant-pressure system which requires a constant pressure to operate the hydraulic functions of the combine-mounted device.
The disadvantage of this known combination of tractor and combine-mounted device is that an interface is required between the hydraulic system of the tractor and the hydraulic system of the combine-mounted device, which transmits the pressure at the hydraulic function of the combine-mounted device to the hydraulic pump, so that it also functions with an optimal operating pressure when a combine-mounted device is attached.

Hydraulic system for a self-propelled harvesting machine

CLAAS Selbstfahrende Ernstemaschinen GmbH


The present invention intends to provide a novel printed wiring board manufacturing method by which printed wiring boards can be manufactured with efficiency. A method of manufacturing a printed wiring board (FIG. 1B) according to the present invention includes a step for preparing two sets of copper clad laminates (FIG. 2A), a step for bonding the copper clad laminates (FIG. 2B), steps for forming lands on both surfaces of a bonded laminate (FIGS. 2C to 2E), steps for forming respective resin layers on both surfaces of the bonded laminate and forming via hole openings to form respective via holes (FIGS. 2F to 2L), a step for forming a resin layer and forming a via hole opening to form a via hole (FIG. 2M), a step for separating the bonded laminate from each other (FIG. 2N) and steps for forming via hole openings from the bonded surface of the separated laminate to form via holes (FIGS. 2O to 2T). Via holes (33-1, 33-2) formed on the resin layer and a via hole (42) formed on the laminate are opened in the opposite directions.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to printed wiring board manufacturing methods, and particularly to a printed wiring board manufacturing method by which printed wiring boards can be manufactured efficiently.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-323613 has disclosed a multilayer printed wiring board manufacturing method capable of manufacturing thin multilayer printed wiring boards for use with semiconductor devices. According to this multilayer printed wiring board manufacturing method, copper plate are used as support plates, via holes, conductor wirings and insulating layers are sequentially formed in the direction from a semiconductor device mounting layer with a semiconductor device mounting surface to an external connection terminal attachment layer with an external connection terminal attachment surface and a thin multilayer printed wiring layer can be manufactured by removing the copper plates.
[Patent Document 1]: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-323613 "SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE MULTILAYER SUBSTRATE AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF" (published on Nov. 24, 2000)

Printed wiring board manufacturing method


A multifunctional detabber apparatus and method for producing bottles having a bottom surface with a hook projection integrally molded with and extending from the bottom surface in a deployed position. The bottom surface also includes at least one locking channel in order to receive and releasably secure the hook projection in a non-deployed position. The multifunctional detabber apparatus includes at least a grabber, a trimmer, and a hook closer. The grabber includes first and second jaws which surround the bottle and prevent movement. The trimmer includes first and second strikers for creating an outer periphery of the hook projection and an opening in the hook projection. The hook closer includes a mandrel that extends to bend and secure the hook projection in the locking channel in the bottom surface of the bottle.

When bottles, vessels, or like articles are manufactured, the bottles may need to undergo a number or series of process steps, such as molding, trimming, finishing, packaging, and the like to obtain the desired bottle design. The process steps may require a number of highly specialized types of equipment to perform individualized tasks. In other words, multiple single, specialized devices are required for each function leading to high capital expenditures and high operating costs.
With the introduction of bottles designed with a hook or hanger provided on the base of the bottle such that the bottle is able to be suspended or hung by its base, even more manufacturing steps may be required. Depending on the placement, type, and configuration of the hook, the hook may often be obtrusive or in the way. In particular, an extended hook on the bottom surface of the bottle can prevent the bottle from sitting upright on its base. Thus, bottles have been designed with an integrated hook, which is collapsible such that the hook can lie flush with the bottom of the bottle. This structure requires even further specialized equipment to provide a hook bending or closing function such that the hook is folded flush with the bottom of the bottle.
There remains a need, therefore, for a multifunctional machine, which is able to perform a number of different functions automatically, including forming an integrated hook and closing the hook against the bottom of the bottle in a fast, precise, and consistent manner.

Multifunctional detabber apparatus and method


A composition is provided that inhibits DNA replication in activated cell-free extracts of Xenopus eggs, which is prepared by a process comprising subjecting homogenates of Xenopus ovaries to a series of chromatographic separations so as to isolate a purified fraction comprising a protein having a molecular weight of about 245 kDa.

Chromosomal DNA replication is one of the most fundamental biological processes in all metazoan organisms. Typically, every chromosome is faithfully replicated once and only once during each cell division cycle. Rather astonishingly, the mechanism of chromosomal DNA replication in metazoa remains largely unknown 40 years after the discovery of the structure of DNA. For example, it is not known how metazoan cells "decide" whether and when to begin replicating their DNA in preparation for cell division.
Inquiries into the mechanisms of chromosomal DNA replication are significant to most health-related research. Efforts to understand the mechanics of eukaryotic DNA replication and cell division during mitosis and meiosis are important to the development of new methods of detection and treatment of diseases characterized by rapid cell proliferation, such as cancer. In cancer, there is "accumulating evidence that derangements in the cell cycle machinery may contribute to the uncontrolled cell growth characteristic of a tumor" (Marx, Science, 263, 319-321 (1994)).
Chromosomal origins of DNA replication in higher eukaryotes differ significantly from the those of E. coli (ori C) and the tumor virus, SV40 (ori sequence). Chromosomal DNA replication events in Xenopus (frog) cell-free egg extracts and embryos provide a model system for characterization of chromosomal DNA replication in metazoan organisms, such as humans. Xenopus nuclei replicate only in S phase. Studies of DNA replication in cell-free extracts of Xenopus embryos and eggs have indicated the presence of positive initiation factors in Xenopus embryos and activated eggs that "turn on" DNA replication (R. M. Benbow et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 72, 2437-2441 (1975); J. J. Blow et al., Nature, 332, 546-548 (1988); J. J. Blow, J. Cell Biol., 122, 993-1002 (1993)). These initiation factors, which have yet to be purified and characterized, are prevented from entering the G.sub.2 nucleus by the nuclear membrane.
Oocytes of Xenopus laevis, as well as many other animal species, are arrested at the G.sub.2 /prophase of the first meiotic division for a prolonged time. Full-grown stage VI oocytes or cell-free extracts of oocytes do not support replication of either nuclei or purified double-stranded DNA molecules (C. C. Ford et al., Dev. Biol, 43, 189-199 (1975); L. S. Cox et al., J. Cell Sci., 97, 177-184 (1990)). Maturation of oocytes to eggs results in appearance of the capacity to replicate double-stranded DNA templates.
Although the molecular events that occur during oocyte maturation have been extensively studied (see, for example, L. D. Smith in The Biochemistry of Animal Development; R. Weber, Ed.; Vol. 3, pp. 1-46 (1975)), it is still not clear how the change in DNA replication capacity (absent in oocytes, copious in eggs) is regulated. It is known that changes in nuclear activity are induced by certain cytoplasmic factors (C. F. Graham et al., Dev. Biol., 14, 349-381 (1966); J. B. Gurdon, J. Embryol. Exp. Morph., 20, 401-414 (1968); R. M. Benbow et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 72, 2437-2441 (1975)). It has been suggested that the inability of oocytes to support DNA replication is either due to the absence of positive initiation factors in oocytes (which are present in eggs), or to the presence of one or more inhibitors of DNA polymerases or other replication enzymes (J. B. Gurdon, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci., 58, 545-552 (1967); J. B. Gurdon et al., Exp. Cell Res., 55, 253-256 (1969); R. M. Benbow et al., Proc. NatI. Acad. Sci. USA, 72, 2437-2441 (1975)).
Neither of these explanations is adequate. If oocytes were lacking positive initiators found in eggs, then combining oocyte extracts with cell-free egg extracts would stimulate DNA replication. Instead, DNA replication in egg extracts is decreased or even abolished when oocyte extracts are added thereto (J. Zhao et al., Biochemistry, 32, 10622-10628 (1993); R. M. Benbow et al., Adv. Appl. Biotechnol., 7, 69-86 (1990)). Nor do the presence in oocytes of polymerase inhibitors or inhibitors of other catalytic enzymes (A. M. Fox et al., Dev. Biol., 80, 79-95 (1980); C. Smith et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 741, 109-115 (1983)) explain the failure of oocytes to support DNA replication, because inhibitors of this type have also been reported in Xenopus eggs (C. Smith et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 741, 109-115 (1983)). To further confound explanations for the general inability of oocytes to support DNA replication and the observed inhibitory effect exerted by oocyte extracts on DNA replication in egg extracts, complementary strand DNA synthesis is observed on single-stranded DNA templates microinjected into Xenopus oocyte nuclei (C. C. Ford et al., Dev. Biol., 43, 189-199 (1975); R. Cortese et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 77, 4147-4151 (1980)), suggesting that in oocytes the enzymatic steps in chain elongation and termination are otherwise operative.
Some other factor, then, possibly one that exerts a direct negative effect on the control of DNA replication, must be involved in the failure of oocytes to support DNA replication. Isolation, identification and characterization of this factor is needed to advance our knowledge of cell-cycle control of eukaryotic DNA replication and our understanding and treatment of diseases characterized by malfunctions in the cell-cycle control mechanism, such as cancer. Potentially, this factor could be one that exercises a negative gateway control over the entire series of events that constitutes DNA replication in eukaryotes.

Inhibitor of chromosomal DNA replication in xenopus: the turhuter protein

Iowa State University Research Foundationv


An electromagnetic sub-stage and an electromagnetic monolithic stage coupled such that one follows the other having a single reference surface positioned therebetween. A sub-stage having linear motors for movement in the X-Y direction is mounted by a U bracket to a monolithic stage. The monolithic stage is suspended by flat electromagnetic coils providing precise motion of the body of the monolithic stage in X, Y, Z, and rotation about the Z axis or .theta.. Follow control means links or tracks the movement of the monolithic stage to the sub-stage such that the monolithic stage positioning coils are centered in their respective magnetic structure. Adjustable mechanical stops attached the monolithic stage in combination with air bearings riding on the reference surface limit travel of the monolithic stage in the focus or Z direction. The single reference surface extends over the entire range of motion of the monolithic stage. This improves position accuracy, and cleaning and servicing of the apparatus. The modular nature of the monolithic stage permits easy removal for inspection and repair.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to semiconductor manufacturing and more particularly to an electromagnetic wafer stage for aligning and positioning a wafer in a microlithography system.
2. Description of Related Art
In the modern manufacture of semiconductor wafers using microlithography, it is necessary to accurately position and align semiconductor wafers on which circuit patterns are formed. As the feature size of the elements reproduced on a semiconductor wafer become ever smaller, the demands on the mechanical positioning and aligning of the wafer increase. A wafer stage used in aligning and positioning a wafer is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,858 entitled "Microlithographic Apparatus" issuing Aug. 28, 1990 to Daniel N. Galburt, the same inventor as the present invention. Therein disclosed is an electromagnetic alignment apparatus including a monolithic stage, a sub-stage and an isolated reference structure. Force actuators are interposed between the monolithic stage and the sub-stage for suspending and positioning the monolithic stage. Means for controlling a position of the sub-stage to follow the approximate position of the monolithic stage is also disclosed.
While the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,858 has accomplished its intended purpose, there is an ever increasing need to provide a wafer stage with better performance and more accurate and repeatable positioning. This is especially true in view of the ever decreasing feature sizes placed on the semiconductor wafers.


A patient support apparatus—such as a bed, chair, cot, stretcher, or the like—includes a frame, support surface, movable component, an actuator, and a controller. The actuator includes a motor, an encoder, a spindle, an extendable arm, multiple power switches, and a position switch. The controller estimates a position of the extendable arm based on motor encoder signals and updates the position estimate when the arm triggers the position switch. The power switches cut power to the motor without intervention by the controller when the extendable arm triggers either of the power switches. In some embodiments, the motor is a brushless DC motor. In still other embodiments, multiple position switches are adapted to be open in different ranges of position, and the controller determines which range the extendable arm is located in based on the state of the position switches.

The present disclosure relates to patient support apparatuses, such as chairs, beds, stretchers, operating tables, and the like, and more particularly to patient support apparatuses utilizing position feedback to control one or more actuators.
Patient support apparatuses often utilize one or more electric actuators to move one or more components of the patient support apparatus. For example, beds and stretchers often include one or more actuators for tilting the Fowler section of the bed or stretcher, and one or more actuators for tilting the entire patient support deck in order to move the patient support apparatus to a Trendelenburg position or a reverse Trendelenburg position. Such actuators typically include one or more encoders inside of them that output analog signals indicative of a movement of the motor inside of the actuator. These analog encoder signals, however, only provide an indication of changes in position, not an indication of an absolute position. Further, these encoder signals are generated from movement of the motor, not movement of the actuator arm, and therefore may not be truly indicative of the position of the actuator, due to slippage, noise, or other factors, that introduce discrepancies between the motor movement signals and the actual arm movement. As a result, estimates of the position of the actuator arm may not be accurate, thereby rendering accurate control of the actuator difficult.

Patient support apparatus with actuator feedback


A communication controller for a communication system associated with a plurality of communication modes is connected to a database storing the communication mode associated state of each terminal, and the communication controller recognizes the communication mode associated states of a connection source and a connection destination by referring to the database, and if multiple communication modes are common to both terminals, notifies the multiple communication modes common to both terminals to the portable telephone terminal of connection source, before connecting to the portable telephone terminal of connection destination, upon receiving a connection request from the connection source to the connection destination. Even if the user of a connection source terminal does not recognize or register in advance the communication mode associated state of a connection destination terminal, the terminals can be connected in a desired communication mode without causing any wasteful traffic.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a communication system, a communication controller and a communication control method associated with a plurality of communication modes, and more particularly to a communication system, a communication controller and a communication control method for portable telephones associated with a voice service mode and a television telephone mode.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A communication system associated with a plurality of communication modes is well known. For example, a portable telephone communication system of the third generation is associated with a voice service mode using a voice channel, a television telephone mode using the voice channel and a video channel, and a data communication mode using a data channel, and further a television conference mode using the voice channel and the video channel to enable three or more terminals to be connected at the same time. In the future, it is expected that the communication modes are diversified because the kind of channel, the number of use channels, and connection forms are increased.
By the way, if the communication modes are diversified, it is necessary to take into consideration a difference in the communication mode associated state between terminals. For example, the methods have been offered in which when a portable telephone terminal having a television telephone function calls a portable telephone terminal without television telephone function in the television telephone mode, a switching center automatically switches to the voice service mode, and the originating portable telephone set automatically recalls in the voice service mode upon a communication disconnect of the called portable telephone terminal.
However, with the above methods, since the called portable telephone terminal is once connected and the communication mode is switched in response thereto, there is a problem that a wasteful traffic occurs. Also, according to the above methods, even though both terminals can deal with the television telephone mode, when the originating portable telephone terminal calls in the voice service mode, the called portable telephone terminal is directly connected in the voice service mode, resulting in a problem that the opportunity of using the television telephone function is reduced.
Thus, a communication controller that optimizes the connection in accordance with connection destination information registered by the user of connection source has been offered (e.g., refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-298744). If such communication controller is employed, there is less connection error between terminals caused by a difference in the communication mode, making it possible to suppress wasteful traffic.

Communication system, communication controller and communication control method


An electrochemical apparatus and method for cooling the same. The apparatus comprises a stack of at least two compact cells. The cells have a maximum thermal pathway of about 4 centimeters. The cell includes a solid electrode layer disposed between an oxygen electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer. A separator layer contacts the surface of opposing electrodes of adjacent cells. The cell defines internal passages, for providing reactant gases to the electrodes, and a rim portion of the cell is adapted to radiate heat generated within the cell to outside the cell. At least one layer of the cell is adapted to conduct the cell heat to the rim for transfer by radiative cooling. The method of cooling the above apparatus includes feeding oxygen-bearing gas to the oxygen electrode at a low flow rate, conducting the heat produced within the cell to the cell rim, and radiating the heat from the cell rim.

The present invention relates to fuel cells. In particular, the present invention relates to solid oxide fuel cells. More particularly, the present invention relates to solid oxide fuel cell stacks cooled substantially by conductive/radiative mechanisms.
Fuel cells offer many advantages over conventional power generation systems. It is generally known that such devices are capable of delivering high quality electric power with greater efficiency and lower emissions when compared to comparably sized gas or diesel fed generators. Further, such systems are generally modular and can fulfill a wide range of energy needs including remote site power generation, light utility, and transportation applications as well as commercial cogeneration and residential applications.
Solid oxide fuel cells are well known devices that are capable of producing electric power at higher efficiency, however, there are a number of major hurdles including issues of operation, scale, and cost. These three factors tend to be highly correlated. Answers to materials and operational problems tend to result in difficult issues of scale and cost.
The present invention is directed generally to an electrochemical apparatus for oxidation or consumption of a fuel, and the generation of electricity, such as, a solid electrolyte fuel cell, and more particularly to fuel cells constructed of stacked plate components. Although particular embodiments are applicable to conventional co-fired solid electrolyte fuel cell apparatus, the present invention is particularly useful when utilizing non-co-fired solid oxide electrolyte fuel cells, preferably non-cofired and planar, that contain a stack of multiple assemblies or cells. Each assembly, or cell, comprises a solid electrolyte disposed between a cathode and an anode, being bounded by separators which contact the surface of the electrode opposite the electrolyte. A fuel manifold and generally two air manifolds pass gas through or over assembly elements, with gaskets sealing the anode adjacent to the air manifolds and a gasket sealing the cathode adjacent to the fuel manifold to minimize fuel and air mixing within the cell.
The fuel cell operates by the introduction of air to the cathode and the ionization of oxygen at the cathode/electrolyte surface. The oxygen ions move across the gas non-permeable electrolyte to the anode interface, where they react with the fuel flowing into the anode at the anode/electrolyte interface, releasing heat and supplying their electrons to the anode. The electrons pass through the anode and separator into the next adjacent cathode.
A key requirement in all fuel cell systems is the need for heat removal from the stack or bundle. The heat released by fuel oxidation is always significantly greater than the electric power which may be extracted from the fuel cell stack. Known fuel cell systems prefer to operate at nearly isothermal conditions in order to minimize internal thermal stresses and to achieve a good balance between stack life and performance. The typical operating temperature for a solid oxide fuel cell is about 600xc2x0 C. to 1,000xc2x0 C.
In known solid oxide fuel cell devices, the dominant cooling mechanism for heat removal from the fuel cell stack or bundle is convective heat transfer using air as the cooling fluid. In this scheme, cold air is forced through the system using a blower or compressor. The air is partially heated in a heat exchanger by hot air and/or exhaust. The preheated air (at a temperature below stack operating temperature) is then introduced to the fuel cell stack or bundle. The air flows through the stack, interacting chemically to provide oxygen to the electrochemical reaction while adsorbing heat from the internal stack surfaces. The oxygen-depleted hot air is then released from the stack and redirected through the heat exchanger outside of the stack to preheat new incoming air.
There are several issues that must be considered in this scheme. First, to minimize the thermal stress to the stack, the incoming air is preheated to a temperature not too far below the desired operating temperature. However, preheating the air limits its ability to adsorb more heat from the stack (essentially, the heat capacity and change in temperature dictate the amount of heat that can be removed). To compensate, considerably more air must be driven through the stack than is required for satisfactory electrochemical operation.
The amount of air necessary for completing the chemical reaction is called the stoichiometric ratio, or stoic. Typical planar fuel cells require 6-10 stoics of air to maintain thermal control.
The size and weight of the required heat exchanger for air preheating is proportional to this quantity of air, and further depends upon its heat duty, stream flow rates, temperature approach, and allowable pressure drops. Preheating air to the temperatures required for solid oxide fuel cells in particular requires heat exchangers made of expensive high-temperature materials. To accommodate the bulk and cost of the heat exchanger, known solid oxide fuel cell systems are generally limited to producing at least 10 kW of power. These systems are thus impracticable for smaller, lower cost applications. Additionally, these systems, because of their size and cost, are impractical for portable or mobile applications where weight and size are critical issue.
Matsumura U.S. Pat. No. 5,426,002 and Elangovan 5,480,738 describe examples of fuel cells that use conductive cooling to control the temperature in a fuel cell.
Hsu U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,622, also describes a conductive method of controlling fuel cell temperature. Hsu, however, uses a working fluid instead of the oxidant air to conduct heat from the fuel cell. While using the working fluid reduces the amount of air used, the working fluid is disadvantageous because it adds expense and requires additional components for providing it to the heat exchanger.
Thus, it is desirable to utilize a thermal control mechanism that requires less air to control fuel cell temperature. It is further desirable to reduce the size and expense of the heat exchanging equipment and thus reduce the size of the balance of systems to provide for smaller fuel cell systems, such as for residential or portable use.
We have found that an electrochemical apparatus employing relatively small sized solid oxide fuel cells using conduction and radiation heat rejection as the primary thermal control mode for the stack presents significant improvements over other known methods. These include a significant reduction in the air flow required to cool the stack, leading to more compact stacks and smaller, lighter, and less expensive balance-of-system equipment.
According to the present invention, the major mechanism of heat removal is shifted from on-cell convective cooling to conduction within the stack plus radiation from the outer surface of the stack. The thermal enclosure (surfaces surrounding the stack) is then cooled by conventional methods including heat exchange with incoming air, fuel, or auxiliary air. By shifting the stack cooling mechanism, several benefits can be realized. First, the need for excess air is dramatically reduced. The typical air flow rate is very low, being about 1 to about 3 times stoichiometric (depending on system design parameters). This greatly reduces the size, weight, and complexity of the air heat exchanger. Further, the air is typically preheated close to the stack temperature, which minimizes the thermal stresses and temperature gradients in the stack. The improved cooling method provides a number of characteristics that present unique opportunities for the solid oxide fuel cell industry.
The present invention therefore provides an electrochemical apparatus comprising: a stack of least two compact fuel cells, wherein the cell maximum thermal pathway is up to about four centimeters. The cell has a solid electrolyte layer disposed between an oxygen electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer. A separator layer contacts the surface of opposing electrodes of adjacent cells opposite the electrolyte. The cell defines internal feed passages for providing reacting gases to the electrodes and has a rim portion adapted to radiate cell heat outside the cell. At least one layer of the cell is adapted to conduct cell heat to the cell rim for transfer by radiative cooling. In one embodiment, the separator is adapted for and capable of efficient heat conduction from the interior of the cell to its rim.
The present invention further provides an electrochemical apparatus comprising: a stack of at least two compact cells; wherein the cell maximum thermal pathway is up to about four centimeters; wherein the cell has a solid electrolyte layer disposed between an oxygen electrode layer and a fuel electrode layer, and a separator layer contacting the surface of opposing electrodes of adjacent cells opposite the electrolyte. The cell defines an internal feed passage for providing one reactant gas to one of said electrodes, and the other electrode is adapted to permit a second reactant gas to flow into the other electrode. The cell has a rim portion adapted to radiate cell heat outside the cell, and at least one layer of the cell is adapted to conduct cell heat to the cell rim for transfer by radiative cooling. The cell preferably has a symmetrical planar cross-sectional shape. The second reactant gas may flow into the other electrode by gas diffusion.
The present invention further provides a method for cooling an electrochemical apparatus wherein the apparatus comprises a stack of at least two solid oxide fuel cells, wherein each cell has a solid electrolyte disposed between an oxygen electrode and a fuel electrode, a separator contacting the electrodes of adjacent cells, wherein the cell defines internal feed passages for providing an oxygen-bearing gas and a fuel gas, the method comprising: feeding the oxygen-bearing gas to the oxygen electrode at a low flow rate; reacting the fuel gas at the fuel electrode, conducting the heat produced within the cell to a cell rim, and radiating the heat from the cell rim.

Apparatus and method for cooling high-temperature fuel cell stacks


A dual-modulus prescaler (100) has improved performance for high-speed operation. A timing signal is developed from a flip flop circuit (106) two and one-half clock cycles before the last stage of the prescaler is clocked. The timing signal is used to produce a selector signal to gate a multiplexer (112). Because of the early generation of the timing signal, the multiplexer selection process is removed from the critical path. The remaining delay through the multiplexer is minimal to minimize the critical path of the prescaler.

Prescaler circuits for use in high speed dividers, frequency synthesizers and the like are well known in the art. A dual modulus prescaler is a counter whose division ratio or modulus can be switched from one value to another by an external control signal. Commonly known implementations of prescalers utilize a counter circuit consisting of series-coupled flip flop circuits which are used to obtain a fractional output signal from a clock signal. Thus, a prescaler can divide by a first factor when the external control signal has a first state or by a second factor when the external control signal has a second state.
Current and future telecommunication devices require very high speed prescaler circuits. For example, cellular radiotelephones that operated in the 800-900 MHz band are being joined in the market by Personal Communication Systems (PCS) and satellite radiotelephones operating at 1800-2000 MHz. A prescaler for use in such radiotelephones must operate at these high frequencies under worst case conditions.
In addition, modern telecommunication devices have placed additional operational requirements on the performance of prescalers in these devices. Portable radiotelephones require very low power dissipation to enhance portability and long-term use between battery recharge. Thus, prescalers used in portable devices must have very low power dissipation. In addition, to reduce power dissipation even more, supply voltage levels for electronic circuits in portable devices are being lowered. Typical values for future operating voltages are 2.0 volts with 1.7 volts as a worst case value. A suitable prescaler must operate at very high frequencies and at very low voltage while dissipating little power.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a prescaler circuit providing high speed operation at low power levels and a low operating voltage.


Hat, helmet, and other headgear apparatus includes dry electrophysiological electrodes and, optionally, other physiological and/or environmental sensors to measure signals such as ECG from the head of a subject. Methods of use of such apparatus to provide fitness, health, or other measured or derived, estimated, or predicted metrics are also disclosed.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to monitoring apparatuses worn by subject and methods of using the apparatuses to physiological signals from the subject. The present invention further relates to physiologic monitoring systems that monitor physiological signals and process the signals in order to provide various forms of feedback to the user or another person. The present invention further relates to the monitoring and processing of physiological signals from a subject to provide measurements, metrics, information, data, messages, or warnings to the user based on the monitored physiological signals and related to the subject's overall health, physical performance, concentration or alertness state, and the like.
2. Technical Background
Presently, there no commercially or otherwise available systems for accurately, consistently, efficaciously and conveniently monitoring many physiological signals from a subject while the subject is performing physical activity, particularly robust physical activity including strenuous exercise. In order to obtain physiological signals under harsh or strenuous physical conditions, systems either require a large degree of preparation, attachment, and securing of sensors to the subject's body, or they suffer from disjointed, inaccurate, or noisy signals being obtained, and thus requiring large degrees of signal processing. In the growing market of physical activity for health, sport, competition, training, and the like, there are no products that are able to accurately obtain strong, clear physiological signals and provide a large series of data and information based on those signals, while still providing the convenience of a simple wearable that can be donned and doffed as easily as a piece of clothing or a fashion accessory.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide systems, devices and methods for acquiring signals from the human body, particularly from a subject's head, using external or surface sensors requiring little or no preparation, such as abrading the skin, surgical implantation or attachment, adhesives or electrolytic fluids or gels applied directly to the skin to aid in signal conduction, or the like. It is a further object of the present invention to allow for such easy signal acquisition of any and all biopotential physiological signals, including, but not limited to electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyogram (EMG), electrooculogram (EOG), electroencephalogram (EEG), partial pressure of oxygen and or carbon dioxide, blood oxygenation, blood pressure, body conductance, body resistance, galvanic skin response, body potential sensors, temperature (both body and ambient), and the like, as well as environmental signals relating to the conditions surrounding the subject's body including motion signals (e.g., from accelerometers, gyroscopes). It is especially an object of the present invention to provide apparatus which can cleanly acquire both EOG and ECG signals from the head of the subject and to use these signals in both a user interface navigation and also in deriving fitness metrics and reporting those metrics to the subject or others.
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide the systems, devices and methods in a portable manner. Portability refers to the preferred ability for the subject to easily carry or wear the systems or devices, or for such to be readily attached to the subject, his or her clothing or other accessories, or otherwise easily donned and worn/transported/used during strenuous physical activity. Portability also further requires the systems and devices of the present invention to preferably include a contained power system, data storage and processing components, and the ability to transmit or otherwise telemeter signals from the systems or devices to separate electronic components, potentially over great distances, such as to remotely located servers or devices.
It is still further an object of the present invention to provide the systems, devices and methods in a manner that requires reduced or eliminated power recharging requirements, through the provision of energy harvesting components and steps which can generate part or all of the needed operational power from environmental or bodily energy sources.

Head-mounted physiological signal monitoring system, devices and methods


D-propoxyphene can be prepared by reacting d-oxyphene and propionic anhydride. Preferably, an excess of propionic anhydride is used. The reaction easily proceeds at temperatures of 70.degree. to 80.degree. C. and produces yields exceeding 95 percent of theory. The free base d-propoxyphene can easily be converted in high yields to its hydrochloride or napsylate salts, both analgesics.

Of the many phenylpropylamines which show analgesic activity, the two most important are methadone and propoxyphene. The optically active alpha-dextro stereoisomer of propoxyphene is the only stereoisomer of propoxyphene which possesses analgesic properties. It is commonly used in its hydrochloride salt form which is a bitter, white crystalline powder freely soluble in water and soluble in alcohol. Its chemical name is .alpha.-d-1,2-diphenyl-2-propionoxy-3-methyl-4-dimethylaminobutane hydrochloride and is sold under several different trademarks including, for example, DARVON, DOLENE, and SK-65. The napsylate salt, i.e., the naphthalene sulfonate, is also used in many drug forms. It has previously been made from the hydrochloride salt.
Preparation of d-propoxyphene hydrochloride was first described by A. Pohland and H. R. Sullivan at J. Am. Chem. Soc., Volume 75, pp. 4458(1953). Therein, the authors disclosed a synthesis involving several stages, (1) preparation of an aminoketone called .beta.-dimethylaminobutrophenone by addition of the secondary amine to phenylpropenyl ketone; (2) a Grignard reaction of the amino ketone with benzylmagnesium chloride to yield the amino, hydrochloride-carbinols described as .alpha.-(75%) and .beta.-(15%) 4-dimethylamino-1,2-diphenyl-3-methyl-2-butanol hydrochloride (sometimes hereinafter referred to as d-oxyphene hydrochloride); and (3) acylation of the .alpha.-amino carbinol hydrochloride by addition of an equal weight of propionic anhydride and five times that weight of pyridine and heating to reflux for several hours. Note the following reaction formula: ##STR1##
After cooling to recover the crude product, it was purified by two recrystallizations from methanol-ethyl acetate solution resulting in a yield of 70%.
Although this work confirmed that the .alpha. and not the .beta.-diastereoisomers of propoxyphene gave rise to analgesic activity, it was still necessary to determine which of the optical forms of the .alpha.-diastereoisomer, i.e. .alpha.-d(+) or .alpha.-l(-), was responsible for the analgesic activity. Accordingly, Pohland and Sullivan reported in the J. Am. Chem. Soc., Volume 77, pp. 3400 (1955) their work on resolution of .alpha.-dl-4-dimethylamino-1,2-diphenyl-3-methyl-2-butanol by fractional crystallization of its d-camphorsulfonic acid salt. From the respective .alpha.-d and .alpha.-l carbinol d-camphorsulfonic salts the optically active hydrochloride salts were prepared. The .alpha.-d-hydrochloride was acylated using propionic anhydride and triethylamine, while the .alpha.-l hydrochloride was acylated using propionic anhydride and pyridine. It was therein found that only the .alpha.-d stereoisomer gave the analgesic response. However, final purification of the hydrochloride salt required additional HCl and three recrystallizations and with yields of less than about 70%.
In 1963, Pohland, Peters and Sullivan reported in the J. Org. Chem., Vol. 28, pp. 2483, an alternative synthetic route for .alpha.-d-propoxyphene hydrochloride. Working backwards from the desired optically active isomer of propoxyphene by its hydrolysis and dehydration to stilbene, followed by ozonization of the stilbene, the authors discovered good yield of (-)-.beta.-dimethylamino-.alpha.-methylpropiophenone. This optically active amino ketone was found to be surprisingly stable in salt form thus permitting its use as a starting material for a stereo selective synthesis of .alpha.-d-propoxyphene. Racemic .beta.-dimethylamino-.alpha.-methylpropiophenone was resolved by crystallization of the dibenzoyl tartrate salts from acetone solution. The use of dibenzoyl-(-)-tartaric acid yielded the insoluble salt having (-)-.beta.-dimethylamino-.alpha.-methylpropiophenone, while the use of the (+) tartaric acid yielded the salt having the (+) amino ketone isomer.
It is of interest that according to this reported synthesis, it was the (-) isomer of .beta.-dimethylamino-.alpha.-methylpropiophenone, which when liberated from its (-) tartrate salt by Grignard reaction with benzylmagnesium chloride provided good yields of the (+) or (d) isomer .alpha.-1,2-diphenyl-3-methyl-4-dimethylamino-2-butanol which of course is the carbinol precursor for .alpha.-d-propoxyphene. The reported yields were 69%. The acylation was accomplished as had been previously reported, i.e., by means of propionic anhydride in either triethylamine or pyridine.
In 1978, Hungarian Pat. No. 14,441 disclosed a synthesis of .alpha.-d-propoxyphene employing the above-described method except that (1) the (+) tartaric acid was employed in the resolution of the racemic .beta.-dimethylamino-.alpha.-methylpropiophenone and (2) the acylation was accomplished by reacting triethylamine in chloroform, propionyl chloride and the carbinol rather than propionyl anhydride and the carbinol hydrochloride. Still the product was precipitated in ether and required an amine catalyst.
Most recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,625 disclosed a synthetic method involving acylation of the carbinol (d-oxyphene) with propionyl chloride and thionyl chloride in dichloromethane. The yield of d-propoxyphene hydrochloride was improved to at least 76%, but use of the toxic additive thionyl chloride was required to get to that level. In addition, methylene chloride or another chlorinated solvent was required. Chlorinated impurities resulted and caused difficulties in purification.
However, a method that provides even higher yields of d-propoxyphene and its salts and doesn't require toxic and/or hazardous additives and solvents has long been highly desired. It is an object of the present invention to provide a means of producing d-propoxyphene in high yields without the need for amines or chlorinated solvents. It is a further object to provide methods of producing the hydrochloride and napsylate salts of d-propoxyphene in higher yields than previously obtainable.

Mallinckrodt Specialty Chemicals Company


A method of processing a motion blurred image from an imaging device to recover a latent sharp image. The method includes capturing a motion blurred image signal through the imaging device, computing a second signal as a two-dimensional wavelet transform of the motion blurred image signal, and using the second signal to perform a first autocorrelation analysis to estimate the blur kernel. After estimating the blur kernel, a local autocorrelation analysis yields a blur kernel length and direction at each pixel location of the motion blurred image. In addition, the second signal is denoised and the discrete wavelet transform coefficients reconstructed from the blur kernel length and direction. Performing an inverse discrete wavelet transform of the discrete wavelet transform coefficients recovers the latent sharp image.

Image blur in digital imaging generally is caused by a pixel recording light from multiple locations of a scene. Illustrated in FIG. 1 are three common types of blur: defocus, camera shake and object motion. Defocus blur occurs when light rays originating from the same point on a scene do not converge on the image plane (i.e. the sensor plane), with wider lens apertures resulting in more defocus blur. Camera motion during the exposure produces global motion blur where the same point of the scene is observed by multiple moving pixel sensors. Object motion causes each pixel to observe light from multiple points on the scene, and produces spatially-variant motion blur. Assuming Lambertian surfaces, blur is typically represented by the implied blur kernel that acts on the unobserved, sharp, in-focus image. A blurred image can be mathematically described as the convolution of the in-focus version of the image with a blur kernel.
Blur is a part of everyday photography. Long exposure is needed to overcome poor lighting conditions, but it increases the risk of camera shake and object motion blurs that severely deteriorate the sharpness of the image. Automatic or manual focus is also a challenge when the scene covers a wide range of depths or is rapidly changing (e.g. sports photography), often causing unwanted defocus blur. On the other hand, professional photographers use well-controlled blur to enhance the aesthetics of a photograph. Thus, the ability to manipulate blur in postprocessing would offer greater flexibility in consumer and professional photography.
Blur is also important for computer vision such as bar code scanners (1D and 2D) and other machine vision implementations. Blur may vary across the spatial location (e.g. a scene with multiple moving objects or multiple depths) or be global (e.g. camera shake). The blur resulting from camera shake or object motion can provide valuable information regarding the temporal state of the camera and the scene. The defocus blur kernel varies with the object distance/depth, which can be useful for three-dimensional scene retrieval from a single camera. Blur also interferes with recognition tasks, as feature extraction from a blurry image is a real challenge.
Recent advancements on blind and non-blind deblurring have enabled the handling of complex uniform blur kernels. By comparison, progress in blind and non-blind deblurring for spatially varying blur kernels has been slow, since there is limited data availability to support localized blur kernels. For this reason, it is more common to address this problem using multiple input images and additional hardware. Approaches to computational solutions include supervised or unsupervised foreground/background segmentation, statistical modeling, and partial differential equation (PDE) methods. In particular, sparsifying transforms have played key roles in the detection of blur kernels—gradient operator, shock filter, and wavelet transforms have been used for this purpose. However, existing works have shortcomings, such as problems with ringing artifacts in deblurring or the inability to handle spatially varying blur. It is also common for deblurring algorithms to require multiple iterations, which is highly undesirable for many real-time applications.
Accordingly, to detect motion blur and reconstruct a sharp image, it is desirable to have a method for estimating a blur kernel from a captured blurry image. It is desirable that the method provide for fast, accurate recreation of the latent sharp image from the captured blurry image. Additionally, it is desirable to have a method for analyzing a blurry image which can reconstruct the latent sharp image regardless of how the blur was created, and which can process both global and spatially variant blurs.
The drawings are not intended to be limiting in any way, and it is contemplated that various embodiments of the invention may be carried out in a variety of other ways, including those not necessarily depicted in the drawings. The accompanying drawings incorporated in and forming a part of the specification illustrate several aspects of embodiments of the present invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention; it being understood, however, that this invention is not limited to the precise arrangements shown.

Method of analyzing motion blur using double discrete wavelet transform


A control system and a method for predicting a location of dynamic objects, for example, of pedestrians, which are able to be detected by the sensors of a vehicle. The control system includes a multitude of sensors and a processing system, which is configured to combine with a first program the objects that are detected by the multitude of sensors to form an object list, each entry of the object list encompassing the location, a speed and an open route for each of the objects, and the object list including a time stamp; and to determine with a second program for at least a portion of the dynamic objects an additional object list from a predefined number of object lists, the additional object list including a time stamp for a future point in time and encompassing at least the location of the dynamic objects.

The detection of the dynamic surroundings of a vehicle is a task that is presently able to be achieved in many situations only with very high computing power. For vehicles that offer a high degree of driver support or for vehicles driving in an at least partially automated manner, for example, the prediction of a location of dynamic objects is important, in particular, in order to avoid and/or to prevent collisions.


The invention relates to the field of composite brake disks formed from fibrous structures. A brake disk according to the invention comprises an annular fibrous structure having two opposing generally planar faces and a binding matrix permeating the annular fibrous structure. Two outer portions are adjacent the planar faces, and an inner portion is disposed between the two outer portions. The two outer portions have lesser tensile strength parallel to the planar faces and greater resistance to wear than the inner portion.

The invention relates to the field of friction and braking materials. More particularly, the invention relates to the field of friction materials comprising a fibrous structure permeated with a binding matrix.
Needling processes for forming fibrous preform structures for use in composite structures have been known for many years. U.S. Pat. No. 3,772,115 to Carlson et al. describes a process whereby several fibrous layers may be needled together simultaneously or in a series of needling steps. The Carlson et al. needling process involves repeatedly driving a multitude of barbed needles into the fibrous layers. The barbed needles displace fiber within the layers which causes the layers to adhere into a coherent structure. The structure may be incrementally formed by adding layers in a series of needling steps if the final structure is too thick to allow the needles to pass all the way through. The fibrous layers comprise carbon or graphite fabric, or precursors thereof. A fibrous preform structure formed according to the process may be further processed into a carbon/carbon composite structure by deposition of a carbon matrix within the fibrous preform structure that binds the fibers together. The Carlson et al. process may be used to form various composite structures, including carbon/carbon brake disks.
A similar process is disclosed in Great Britain Patent Specification 1,549,687, published Aug. 1, 1979. This also discloses a process for forming a carbon/carbon composite material. The fibrous layers may be comprised of oxidized polyacrylonitrile cloth which are needled together in a series of needling steps. In one example, the process was used to form a carbon brake disk.
A more recent process is disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 4,790,052 to Pierre Olry. The goal is to produce a fibrous preform structure having a high degree of uniformity. This purportedly is accomplished by needling superposed layers together with a "uniform density" of needling throughout the thickness of the article. The initial depth of penetration is determined as a function of the number of layers to be traversed by the needles, for example about twenty layers. The Olry et al. process attempts to keep this depth constant throughout formation of the fibrous preform structure by lowering the fibrous structure away from the needles a distance equal to the thickness of a needled layer each time a new layer is added.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,123, issued Sep. 11, 1990 and PCT Publication WO 92/04492, published Mar. 19, 1992, both to Lawton et al., describe a process whereby a brake disk is formed by needling together sectors of an annulus. The fibrous structure is lowered the thickness of a needled layer each time a new layer is added. U.S. Pat. No. 5,338,320, issued as a continuation in part from the '123 patent on Feb. 14, 1995, to Smith et al. describes a process wherein outer layers of a preform are "enriched" with staple fiber in a needling process. Enriching the outer layers in the Smith et al. process apparently increases mechanical strength in the outer layers and improves wear characteristics of a resulting disk brake.
In the fibrous preform art, the displaced fibers generated by the needling process are referred to as "Z-fibers" since they are generally perpendicular to the layers comprising a fibrous preform structure. The Z-fiber distribution throughout a brake disk can have a profound effect on disk wear life and on performance of the brake disk in slowing or stopping an aircraft. A brake disk having improved resistance to wear while maintaining strength and rejected takeoff performance is generally desired.

Brake disk having a functional gradient Z-fiber distribution


A data accessing method and system. The method includes receiving by a computing system from a first user, a first user profile comprising user preference data associated with the first user. The computing system receives and stores Webcast data associated with a Webcast that has been broadcasted for an entity. The Webcast data comprises audio/video data. The computing system receives from the first user, a first request for access to the first Webcast data. The computing system associates the user preference data with a first set of specified portions of the audio/video data. The computing system retrieves a first portion of audio/video data of the first set of specified portions of the audio/video data. The computing system presents the first portion of audio/video data to the first user.

Accessing specific data from a data stream typically comprises a complicated and inefficient process with little flexibility. A user wishing to request access to only specified data portions of a data stream may be limited to predetermined data portions of the data steam. The predetermined data portions from the data stream may not comprise data portions of interest to the user. Accordingly, there exists a need in the art to overcome at least some of the deficiencies and limitations described herein above.

Dynamic webcast content viewer method and system

International Business Machines Corporation


A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes providing resin on at least a partial area on a first semiconductor package and coupling a second semiconductor package to the first semiconductor package electrically while the resin maintains its fluidity.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing an electronic device, and especially relates to methods that are preferably applied to a stack structure of semiconductor packages.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional semiconductor package, space-saving has been attempted by stacking semiconductor packages through solder balls. In this method, resin is filled between the stacked semiconductor packages.
In a conventional semiconductor package, however, resin is filled into the entire gap between semiconductor packages stacked through solder balls. Thus, when the resin filled between the semiconductor packages is cured, water contained in the resin is not sufficiently removed such that some water remains in the resin filled between the semiconductor packages. This causes a problem that, when a reflow process is implemented during a secondary mounting of the stacked semiconductor packages, water contained in the resin filled between the semiconductor packages evaporates and expands such that the separation between the semiconductor packages occurs.
Furthermore, in a conventional semiconductor package, resin is filled between semiconductor packages after the semiconductor packages have been fixed to each other through solder balls. It is therefore difficult to fill resin into only a particular position between semiconductor packages if the gap between the semiconductor packages is narrow. This causes problems that the resin gets in contact with solder balls so as to cause thermal damage to the resin and the resin can not be disposed in consideration of stress applied to the semiconductor packages.
Meanwhile, if semiconductor packages are secured to each other with resin before the semiconductor packages are fixed to each other through the solder balls, the semiconductor packages get stuck when the solder balls are reflowed. As a result, there has been a problem that self-alignment of the semiconductor packages by the surface tension of the solder balls when melted is prevented such that the placement accuracy of the semiconductor packages is degraded.
In view of the above problems, the present invention is intended to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing an electronic device that can easily adjust the placement position of resin between semiconductor packages without degrading the placement accuracy of semiconductor packages.

Method of manufacturing semiconductor device and method of manufacturing electronics device


The invention provides compounds of formula (I):

Drug resistance is a major impediment in cancer chemotherapy. Patients may acquire resistance during multiple cycles of therapy. Alternatively, patients may not respond at the onset of therapy (inherent resistance). Resistance to virtually all approved cancer cytotoxic chemotherapy has been reported including antimitic agents (paclitaxel and docetaxel, vinblastine, vincristine or vinorelbine), topoisomerase inhibitors (etoposide, teniposide, topotecan, camptothecin, doxorubicin and duanorubicin), antimetabolities (methotrexate, 5-flurouracil, gemcitabine), alkylating agents (melphalan, chlorambucil), and other DNA damaging agents (cisplatin and its analogs). (Goldstein, L. J., Ozols, R. F. Anticancer Drug Resistance, p. 294. Boston: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1994.) The mechanisms mediating resistance are highly diverse. Finding and developing chemical compounds having novel structures for use in tumor therapy and which overcome resistance is important.
Hemiasterlins are natural products derived from sponges that induce microtubule depolymerization, G2/M cell cycle arrest, and ultimately cell death.
Finding and developing chemical compounds having novel structures for use in tumor therapy and which overcome resistance is important. (Anderson, H. J., Coleman, J. E., Andersen, R. J., Roberge, M. Cytotoxic peptides hemiasterlin, hemiasterlin A and hemiasterlin B induce mitotic arrest and abnormal spindle formation, Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 39: 223-226, 1997. Talpir, R., Benayahu, Y., Kashman, Y., Pannell, L., Schleyer, M. Hemiasterlin and geodiamolide TA: two new cytotoxic peptides from the marine sponge hemiasterellaminor (kirkpatrick), Tetrahedron Letters 35: 4453-4456, 1994). Hemiasterlins in cancer therapy have been reported (WO 99/32509, WO 96/33211 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,153,590). Further, Hemiasterlin may be obtained from marine sponges (U.S. Pat. No. 5,661,175 (1997) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,153,590 (2000)) or synthesized (Andersen, R. J., Coleman, J. E. Tetrahedron Letters 38: 317-320, 1997). Synthetic analogs of hemiasterlin have also been prepared (WO 99/32509), and Hemiasterlin and the synthetic analogs thereof are reported to have cytotoxic and anti-mitotic activities.
The mechanisms that may mediate resistance to known antimitotic agents include drug efflux pumps (MDR1 and possibly MXR), tubulin mutations, alternative isotypes expression of tubulin isomers, alteration in the expression or function of genes that mediate apoptosis (e.g. p53 and bcl-2), and overexpression of growth factors such as HER-2. (Rowinsky, E. K., Tolcher, A. W. Antimicrotubule agents. In: J. Devita, V. T., Hellman, S., Rosenberg, S. A. (ed.) Cancer Principles and Practice, 6th edition edition, pp. 431-452. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2001) Resistance mediated by the multidrug drug resistance gene, MDR-1, has been intensively studied, mainly because it is frequently encountered in experimental models. (Greenberger, L. M., Cohen, D., and Horwitz, S. B. In vitro models of multiple drug resistance. In: a. R. F. O. L. J. Goldstein (ed.) Anticancer Drug Resistance, pp. 69-106. Norwell, Mass.: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1994) MDR-1 is implicated in resistance to anti-microtubule agents since: 1) selection of tissue culture cells for resistance to vinca alkaloids or taxanes leads to marked overexpression of MDR-1, 2) cells that overexpress MDR-1 have low drug accumulation of taxanes or vinca alkaloids, 3) transfection of cells with MDR-1 induces resistance to these agents, 4) photoaffinity probes for vinca alkaloids or taxanes bind to the MDR-1 gene product, P-glycoprotein, 5) transgenic mice devoid of MDR gene family members have altered pharmacokinetic profiles for taxanes and 5) agents that inhibit P-glycoprotein resensitize resistant cells to taxanes or vinca alkaloids. The clinical relevance of MDR-1 overexpression is not clear in most solid tumor types and its association with lack of patient response or poor prognosis is controversial. (Bradshaw, D. M., Arceci, R. J. Clinical relevance of transmembrane drug efflux as a mechanism of multidrug resistance, J. Clin. Oncol. 16: 3674-3690, 1998) Nevertheless, overexpression of MDR1 has been clearly associated with response to chemotherapy and prognosis in leukemias. Low level resistance to vinca alkaloids (but not taxanes) has also been found in cells transfected with another efflux pump, MRP. (Breuninger, L. M., Paul, S., Gaughan, K., Miki, T., Chan, A., Aaronson, S. A., Kruh, G. D. Expression of multidrug resistance-associated protein in NIH/3T3 cells confers multidrug resistance associated with increased drug efflux and altered intracellular drug distribution., Cancer Res. 55: 5342-5347, 1995; Zaman, G. J. R., Flens, M. J., van Leusden, M. R., de Haas, M., Mulder, H. S., Lankelma, J., Pinedo, H. M., Scheper, R. J., Baas, F., Broxterman, H. J., and Borst, P. The human multidrug resistance-associated protein MRP is a plasma membrane drug-efflux pump, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 91: 8822-8826,1994.) Tubulin mutations have been found in cells selected for resistance to agents that polymerize microtubules, paclitaxel or epothilones. (Giannakakou, P., Gussio, R., Nogales, E., Downing, K. H., Zaharevitz, D., Bolbuck, B., Poy, G., Sackett, D., Nicolauo, K. C., Fojo, T. A common pharmacophore for epithilone and taxanes: molecular basis for drug resistance conferred by tubulin mutations in human cancer cells, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 97: 2904-2909, 2000; Giannakakou, P., Sackett, D. L., Kang, Y.-K., Zhan, A., Buters, J. T., M., Fojo, T., Poruchynsky, M. S. Paclitaxel-resistant human ovarian cancer cells have mutant b-tubulins that exhibit impaired paclitaxel-driven polymerization, J. Biol. Chem. 272: 17118-17125, 1997.) For paclitaxel resistance of this type, selection must be done with paclitaxel in the presence of an MDR-1 inhibitor to avoid the preferential overexpression of MDR1. Based on crystallographic data and molecular modeling of tubulin, the mutations occur in regions of tubulin thought to interact with taxanes. (Giannakakou, P., Gussio, R., Nogales, E., Downing, K. H., Zaharevitz, D., Bolbuck, B., Poy, G., Sackett, D., Nicolauo, K. C., Fojo, T. A common pharmacophore for epithilone and taxanes: molecular basis for drug resistance conferred by tubulin mutations in human cancer cells, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 97: 2904-2909, 2000.) While clinical significance is still being evaluated, one report found that 33% of patients with non-small cell carcinomas had tumors with tubulin mutations and such mutations are correlated with poor response to paclitaxel therapy. (Monzo, M., Rosell, R., Sanchez, J. J., Lee, J. S., O'Brate, A., Gonzalez-Larriba, J. L., Alberola, V., Lorenzo, J. C., Nunez, L., Ro, J. Y., Martin, C. Paclitaxel resistance in son-small cell lung cancer associated with beta-tubulin gene mutations, J. Clin. Oncol. 17: 1786-179, 1999.) Differential expression of tubulin isoforms has been found in some cell lines selected for paclitaxel or vinca alkaloid resistance. (Burkart, C. A., Kavallaris, M., Horwitz, S. B. The role of b-tubulin isotypes in resistance to antimitotic drugs, Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1471: 01-09, 2001.) The clinical association with isotype alterations has not been fully studied, but alterations in isotype expression in patients resistant to paclitaxel have been found. (Kavallaris, M., Kuo, D. Y-.S., Burkhart, C. A., Regf, D. L., Norris, M. D., Haber, M., Horwitz, S. B. Taxol-resistant epithelial ovarian tumors are associated with altered expression of specific b-tubulin isotypes, J. Clin. Invest. 100: 1282-1293,1997.)
There is still a need for novel compounds which have chemical structures other than paclitaxel, which further have anticancer activity and in particular which have antimicrotubule activity against resistant cell lines and are useful for the treatment of cancer.

Abstract: wherein E, A, B′, R6, R7, R8, and R9 are defined in the specification which compounds exhibit anticancer activity and are useful for treating cancer.


A voltage control circuit is proposed, having an input for supplying a voltage control signal and having an output for production of a supply voltage. The voltage control circuit contains a control loop with a DC/DC converter arranged between a first node and a second node. The first node is designed to emit the difference between signals which are applied on the input side. The second feed node is designed to emit the sum of the applied signals. The first and the second feed nodes provide two point modulation with the DC/DC converter within the control loop of the voltage control circuit. In this case, a signal which is applied on the input side is split into a radio frequency component and a low frequency component. The processing of the low frequency component in the DC/DC converter reduces the requirements for the switching frequencies for the DC/DC converter, increases the efficiency of the voltage control circuit, and reduces the power losses.

Mobile communication appliances are increasingly making use of radio-frequency transmission architectures which apply the amplitude variation that is required for modulation of the payload data to the radio-frequency output signal at the output stage of the transmission path. The expression amplitude variation is used in this context not only for high-speed amplitude modulation with respect to the modulation type used for the payload data but also for the relatively slow variation of an output level setting.
Frequently, phase modulation is first of all carried out in transmission paths as a function of the modulation type used and of the data to be transmitted on the transmission signal, with the amplitude of a phase-modulated transmission signal then being varied. The amplitude modulation for the transmission of the payload data is in this case at a considerably higher frequency than the comparatively slow adjustment of the output level.
Transmitters which operate on this principle are referred to, inter alia, as EER transmitters (short for "Envelope Elimination and Restoration"), polar-loop transmitters or polar transmitters. One amplitude modulation option that is frequently used in this case is power adjustment of an amplifier stage by the application of a supply voltage to the amplifier stage. This is frequently done using a so-called series regulator, which essentially varies the supply voltage to the amplifier stage via a controlled transistor with the aid of the amplitude modulation signal.
However, this principle has the disadvantage that a relatively large amount of power is consumed uselessly via the series regulator. Even when the amplifier stage is being operated at the maximum output power, that is to say with the minimum voltage drop across the series regulator, a not inconsiderable amount of heat is produced, depending on the amplitude modulation. Since the amplitude modulation and, in particular, its signal statistics are in fact governed by the mobile communication standard being used, the power losses represent an upper limit on the efficiency of the transmitter.
In order to keep the power losses resulting from the voltage drop in the supply voltage across the voltage regulator as small as possible the input of the voltage regulator is not connected directly to the supply voltage Vbat as described in one embodiment that is known to the inventor, but a voltage regulator 19c is connected between the supply voltage and the input of the voltage regulator 15a. The regulator 19c is used to convert the supply voltage Vbat to a different value, and is also referred to in the following text as a DC/DC converter. In consequence, the series regulator can also be readjusted, thus reducing the voltage drop across the series regulator 15a. If the radio-frequency output power via the radio-frequency amplifier 11 is decreased, as is achieved by reducing the voltage V2 at the supply input to the radio-frequency amplifier, the efficiency of the overall arrangement thus does not decrease so severely. For this purpose, the power level information which is derived from the maximum desired power emitted at the output of the output amplifier 11 is applied to the first control input 131 a of the voltage converter 19c. The series regulator arrangement 15a is also supplied with the radio-frequency amplitude modulation signal at its control input 132a.
In general, the series regulator 15a has to have a considerably wider signal bandwidth for application of the modulation to the supply voltage to the radio-frequency amplifier 11 than is required just for pure power control of the output power of the radio-frequency amplifier 11. It is expedient to choose the bandwidth for the amplitude modulation signal, that is to say in particular the bandwidth of the series regulator 15a, to be greater by a factor of about 10 than the channel bandwidth of the amplitude modulation being used, in order to reduce distortion.
A further known circuit for supplying voltage to the radio-frequency amplifier 11 is shown in FIG. 9. In the case of this amplifier, the power level information and the amplitude information are contained in the control signal at the input 13 in a DC/DC converter 19b. The so-called amplitude modulation word AW is supplied to the control input, in response to which the converter adjusts its output voltage V2 appropriately. Particularly in the case of clocked DC/DC converters, there are accordingly two mutually contradictory requirements. High efficiency should be achieved on the one hand, with a wide control bandwidth on the other hand. These two requirements are virtually impossible to combine in all relevant mobile radio systems. The signal bandwidth for the amplitude modulation should, as already mentioned, be ten times the modulation bandwidth of the switching elements which are processing the amplitude modulation signal. For a clocked DC/DC converter, this would result in the clock frequency having to be one hundred times as great as the modulation bandwidth. A converter such as this would have to produce spectral components in the modulation sidebands of the radio-frequency spectrum in its output signal, thus necessitating analog post-filtering. This filtering would have to have a high level of stop-band attenuation, which could be achieved only with major difficulty within the DC/DC converter or the voltage converter, owing to the high switching currents that occur.

Voltage control circuit and method for supplying an electrical component with a supply voltage


A method and system for managing message-presentation in a subscriber station. A message and a time-based schedule for the presentation of the message are sent over a communications network to the subscriber station. As a response to this, the subscriber station may responsively present the message according to the time-based schedule. Further, a schedule-change order may be sent to the subscriber station to change the time-based message-presentation schedule. Such a change may, for instance, substitute a substitute-schedule for the original schedule, alter a schedule for presentation, or delete a schedule.

Recent advances in telecommunications technology have allowed a wide array of special telecommunication services to be made available to subscribers. Through the advent and acceptance of wireless communications (such as cellular telephony for instance) and Internet communications, it is now commonplace for a person to receive messages at virtually any location and any time of day. Though these messages are often sent by the subscriber's established personal or business concerns, they may also be sent by others—including those who wish to advertise products, services, or political or social opinions.
Moreover, senders may wish to access a subscriber's microbrowser application, which is in some sense a scaled-down version of a conventional web browser, to convey a greater range of content and options to a subscriber. The microbrowser typically employs a wireless markup language (WML), such as HDML (handheld device markup language) or WAP (wireless access protocol). In WML, information is conveyed to a microbrowser in the form of decks of "cards" from a WML server on a network, and individual cards are presented to a user. Often, a WML digest will be sent to the user containing decks of cards and/or images for presentation to a user. These cards are defined by a underlying code and are somewhat analogous to HTML pages now commonplace on the World Wide Web. However, each card is greatly scaled down and specialized to facilitate presentation to a user via a small display screen.
Furthermore, many senders may wish to send a variety of messages to a subscriber, and as a result, users may tend to be overwhelmed with incoming and outgoing messages of all sorts, such as short message service (SMS) messages, e-mail messages, voice mail messages, and the like. Senders trying to distinguish themselves may wish to present messages to a subscriber at certain times or on certain days.

Method and system for management of messages


This invention relates to the field of signal transit time sensors, in particular sensors based on ultrasonic transit times. Existing electronic control circuits for such transit time sensors for measurements on medical liquids, in particular blood, are extremely complex or their time resolution is limited. However, the present invention makes use of a simple measurement technique which cannot be used directly at first for the time resolution to be achieved. In this method, an ordinary sampling method is used to detect the received signal (12). An oscillator-like received signal (12) generated by an emitted step-like signal is first sampled during a half-period (14, 15) and is checked with the help of a selection criterion. Only when the result of this check is positive is at least one interpolated or extrapolated contact point (20, 21) of the received signal (12) with a resting level (11) determined in a received signal-time diagram with the help of which the signal transit time or the change in signal transit time is determined.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of signal transit time sensors, in particular sensors based on ultrasonic transit times.
The rate of propagation of a signal within a medium depends on the composition of the medium. In this way, by measuring the rate of propagation, it is possible to draw a conclusion regarding the medium itself. The corresponding measurement methods are often based on the propagation of ultrasonic waves. The measurement object, which in the case of the fluid to be tested may be in the form of a fluid-carrying line, for example, is arranged inside a measurement zone, which separates an ultrasonic transmitter from an ultrasonic receiver. If the length of the measurement zone is known, then it is possible with the help of the signal transit time to determine the rate of propagation from the transmitter to the receiver. If only a relative change is of interest, then it is possible to deduce directly the relative change in the rate of propagation from the relative change in the signal transit time as long as the measurement zone does not change in an unknown manner.
The measurement zone may be divided into different regions. If a medium flows through a line, the measurement zone is composed of a first region, comprising the walls of the line, and a second region, through which the actual measurement medium passes. Then if the composition of the medium changes, the resulting change in the signal transit time can in general be attributed solely to the change in the signal transit time in the second region, because the signal transit time in the first region does not change given a suitable choice of walls. If the signal transit time in the first region is known through a knowledge of the material of which the wall is made and the dimensions thereof, it is also easy to determine the absolute signal transit time in the second region.
In a hemodialysis treatment, blood is removed continuously from a patient in an extracorporeal blood circulation, purified by a hemodialyzer and returned to the patient. As an artificial kidney treatment, simultaneous removal of the liquid that has not been separated is not necessary. In this case, a given quantity of liquid is usually withdrawn from the patient during the treatment. However, if the liquid is withdrawn too rapidly, there may be unwanted side effects such as hypotension or an excessive drop in blood pressure.
The reduction in blood volume caused by the removal of liquid leads to an increase in blood density, i.e., a decrease in the blood-water content, which is in general also manifested in an increase in hematocrit; therefore, monitoring of the extracorporeal blood with the help of an ultrasonic transit time sensor was proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,341. In German patent application DE 100 51 943 A1 the influence of blood density variations on pulse wave transit time measurements is treated, where in one embodiment ultrasonic transit time measurements are employed to determine the blood density.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ultrasonic transit time measurements have been proposed in German patent application DE 198 09 945 A1 also for monitoring the composition of the dialysis liquid. The attenuation of ultrasonic signals is, as described for example in European patent application EP 0 899 564 A2, evaluated for the recognition of air bubbles during the infusion of liquids into a patient.
For control and analysis of such sensors, certain electronic circuits are used to ensure the required accuracy. An example of such a circuit is given in German Patent DE 34 20 794 C2.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,542,761 discloses a multifunctional ultrasonic transit time sensor for performing measurements on extracorporeal blood; with this sensor, an inexpensive disposable part may be used for the line that carries blood through the measurement zone.
In the field of sensors on natural gas pipelines European patent EP 0 902 883 B1 describes a method in which the zero crossings of a received sound signal are determined for propagation time measurements of a sound signal.

Acoustic method for measuring a signal propagation time in a medical liquid and device for using this method


The present is directed towards an imprint lithography system including, inter alia, a docking plate; a motion stage having a range of motion associated therewith, the range of motion having a periphery spaced-apart from the docking plate a first distance; and a body, having first and second opposed sides spaced-apart a second distance, selectively coupled between the docking plate and the motion stage, the first distance being greater than the second distance to minimize a probability of a collision between the docking plate, the motion stage and the body while transferring the body between the docking plate and the motion stage.

The field of the invention relates generally to nano-fabrication of structures. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a system to transfer a body between a motion stage and a docking system.
Nano-fabrication involves the fabrication of very small structures, e.g., having features on the order of nano-meters or smaller. One area in which nano-fabrication has had a sizeable impact is in the processing of integrated circuits. As the semiconductor processing industry continues to strive for larger production yields while increasing the circuits per unit area formed on a substrate, nano-fabrication becomes increasingly important. Nano-fabrication provides greater process control while allowing increased reduction of the minimum feature dimension of the structures formed. Other areas of development in which nano-fabrication has been employed include biotechnology, optical technology., mechanical systems and the like.
An exemplary nano-fabrication technique is commonly referred to as imprint lithography. Exemplary imprint lithography processes are described in detail in numerous publications, such as U.S. published patent application 2004/0065976 filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/264,960, entitled, "Method and a Mold to Arrange Features on a Substrate to Replicate Features having Minimal Dimensional Variability"; U.S. published patent application 2004/0065252 filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/264,926, entitled "Method of Forming a Layer on a Substrate to Facilitate Fabrication of Metrology Standards"; and U.S. published patent application 2004/0046271 filed as U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/235,314, (U.S. Pat. No. 6,936,194) entitled "Functional Patterning Material for Imprint Lithography Processes," all of which are assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
The fundamental imprint lithography technique disclosed in each of the aforementioned United States published patent applications includes formation of a relief pattern in a polymerizable layer and transferring a pattern corresponding to the relief pattern into an underlying substrate. The substrate may be positioned upon a motion stage to obtain a desired position to facilitate patterning thereof. To that end, a template is employed spaced-apart from the substrate with a formable liquid present between the template and the substrate. The liquid is solidified to form a solidified layer that has a pattern recorded therein that is conforming to a shape of the surface of the template in contact with the liquid. The template is then separated from the solidified layer such that the template and the substrate are spaced-apart. The substrate and the solidified layer are then subjected to processes to transfer, into the substrate, a relief image that corresponds to the pattern in the solidified layer.
Imprint lithography systems often use an imprint head with the template, which can be installed and removed from the imprint head. This allows the imprint lithography system to be used to imprint different patterns. In this manner, the imprint lithography system may be used to fabricate various types of circuits or other devices, or imprint various structures on a substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,805,054 to Meissl et al., which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, describes a template transfer system having a template positioned thereupon, wherein relative movement is created between the motion stage and the imprint head to place the template transfer system and the imprint head in superimposition to transfer the template to the imprint head.
To that end, it may be desired to provide an improved system of storing the template.

System to transfer a template transfer body between a motion stage and a docking plate