A method of automatically producing a plurality of prefilled, sterile delivery devices with a desired quantity of fluid. The sterile delivery devices each include a hollow barrel with a dispensing nozzle at one end and an open opposite end. A piston plunger is positioned within the open end and is slidable in sealing engagement with the barrel to retain a fluid therein. A tip is secured to the dispensing nozzle. A plurality of the sterile delivery devices are automatically fed along a predetermined path. Tips are then removed from the dispensing nozzles of the sterile delivery devices. The hollow barrels of the sterile delivery devices are then filled through the dispensing nozzles with a desired is quantity of fluid. The dispensing nozzles of the sterile delivery devices are then closed and sealed after the filling step to provide sealed sterile delivery devices with sterile fluid contents.

The present invention relates to filling sterile delivery devices, such as syringes, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for automatically producing a plurality of prebilled, sterile delivery devices.
In the pharmaceutical industry, most hospitals have pharmaceutical compounding facilities. The pharmacists or technicians that work in the compounding facilities are often required to undertake manually intensive processes for filling plastic syringes with medicaments. Such medicaments are typically supplied to the pharmacists in one of two forms.
In the first form, the pharmacist receives 10 to 100 vials of dry, powdered medicament. Each vial includes a bottom having a periphery and a wall extending generally upwardly from the periphery. The container bottom and container wall define an interior container portion which receives the powdered medicament. The container wall extends upwardly to form a shoulder and a neck portion. The neck portion has an opening which receives a vial septum for sealing the opening and providing access to the interior container portion by piercing the vial septum with a needle, in a manner well understood by those of ordinary skill in the art.
It is the technician's responsibility to reconstitute the powdered medicament in the vial and transfer the reconstituted medicament to a sterile IV bag or bottle from which the reconstituted medicament can be dispensed, such as with a syringe or IV drip application. The technician places as many as 10 to 100 vials containing the powdered medicament into a laminar flow hood. A peristaltic pump with one set of transfer tubing and a container of sterile liquid, such as water, are placed under the laminar flow hood. The pump is used to transfer the sterile liquid from the container into the vials for the purpose of reconstituting the powdered medicament. The technician connects one end of the transfer tubing set between the pump and the container of sterile liquid. For instance, where the container of sterile fluid is an IV bag, the spike end of the transfer tubing is connected to the IV bag. The other end of the transfer tubing set extends between the pump and a Luer lock connector to which is attached a transfer needle.
To reconstitute the dry, powdered medicament within the vial, the technician pierces the vial septum of the vial with the transfer needle and then manually actuates the pump to begin transferring the sterile liquid from the sterile liquid container to the vial. When the pump is actuated, it automatically dispenses a preprogrammed amount of sterile liquid into the vial. Once the predetermined amount of sterile liquid is transferred to the vial, the pump automatically ceases operation. At this point, the technician removes the needle from the vial septum and inserts it into another vial septum of a vial having dry, powdered medicament therein and actuates the pump. The vial which has been filled with the predetermined amount of sterile liquid is then shaken to thoroughly mix the powdered medicament and the sterile liquid. This process is carried out for each of the 100 vials until they all have been reconstituted.
Once the powdered medicament in the vials has been reconstituted, it is then necessary to transfer the reconstituted powdered medicament to an IV bag or vacuum bottle for dispensing the reconstituted medicament to a syringe. First the pharmacy compounding technician must place the vials and an empty IV bag or vacuum bottle under the laminar hood for the transfer process. One end of transfer tubing is then connected between the pump and the empty IV bag or vacuum bottle by using the spike end of the transfer tubing to access the empty IV bag or vacuum bottle. The other end of transfer tubing is connected to the pump and at its distal end includes a Luer lock connector to which the technician attaches a transfer needle.
The technician then transfers the reconstituted powdered medicament within each vial to the sterile IV bag or vacuum bottle. This process is accomplished by having the technician hold an inverted vial in one hand while the other hand pierces the vial septum with the transfer needle. The technician then turns on the pump to extract the reconstituted powdered medicament from the vial. As the reconstituted powdered medicament is being transferred from the vial, the technician must be careful to draw all of the reconstituted powder medicament and therefore must locate the tip of the transfer needle just on the other side of the vial septum. Once the entirety of the reconstituted powder medicament is withdrawn from the vial, the technician must turn the pump off manually. This process is repeated for all 100 vials until all of the reconstituted powdered medicament has been transferred to one or more empty IV bags or vacuum bottles. The reconstituted powdered medicament is then transferred from the IV bags or bottles to sterile delivery devices as described below.
In the second form, the pharmacist receives 10 to 100 vials or containers of hydrated medicament which must be transferred to the sterile delivery devices. Thus, in the second form the step of reconstituting the dry, powdered medicament is avoided, but the hydrated medicament is then transferred to the sterile delivery devices using a two-step procedure. The use of the term "sterile delivery device" refers to any mechanical element used for delivering a sterile parenteral medicament. A typical sterile delivery device is a syringe. Syringes are provided in many different sizes, shapes and forms. Typically, the syringe includes a hollow barrel with a dispensing nozzle at one end and an open opposite end. A piston plunger is positioned within the open end and is slidable in sealing engagement with the barrel to retain a fluid therein. A hypodermic needle or other transfer device is secured to the dispensing nozzle in any of a number of ways, such as with a Luer lock.
The first step of the procedure is identical to that described above in connection with transferring the reconstituted powdered medicament within each vial to the sterile IV bag or vacuum bottle. The second step requires the technician to transfer the hydrated medicament in the large container (i.e. IV bag or vacuum bottle) to individual syringes which are then stored in an appropriate medium, such as a freezer, until it is time to administer the medicament. The technician can use a variety of methods to transfer the fluid from the container to the sterile delivery device. One method simply requires the pharmacist to place a tube between the container and the dispensing nozzle of the sterile delivery device, and then by pulling on the plunger the hydrated medicament is withdrawn from the container, through the tube and into the sterile delivery device.
Another method involves the use of a peristaltic pump and transfer device. In this method, the container of hydrated medicament is connected to the suction side of the pump using one end of the transfer tubing set. A transfer device is connected to the discharge side of the pump using the other end of the transfer tubing set. The transfer device may be in the form of a simple block having appropriate conduits such that the tubing leading from the discharge side of the pump feeds the hydrated medicament from the pump through the block to a female Luer lock connector. In use, the technician inverts a sterile delivery device with the male Luer lock dispensing nozzle receiving the female Luer lock connector from the transfer device in a sealed manner. The technician then actuates the pump which then transfers the fluid from the container to the sterile delivery device causing the plunger of the sterile delivery device to move upward until the pump automatically shuts off when a predetermined amount of the hydrated medicament has been transferred to the sterile delivery device. This process is repeated until the hydrated medicament is exhausted from the bag or until a desired number of sterile delivery devices have been filled.
As is apparent from the foregoing description, the process of filling the sterile delivery devices is labor intensive. This is even more apparent where the technician must hydrate one hundred vials of dry, powdered medicament and then transfer the hydrated medicament to sterile delivery devices.
Attempts have been made to improve upon the foregoing manual methods by providing prebilled sterile delivery devices. However, previous methods of filling sterile delivery devices involved filling the sterile delivery devices from the end of the sterile delivery device which receives the piston plunger. This method exposes the hydrated medicament to the atmosphere. Thus, risking the entry of microbial contaminants into the hydrated medicament. To minimize this risk, these previous methods of prefilling sterile delivery devices require that extensive steps be taken to ensure the transfer of the hydrated medicament in a sterile manner.
The present invention overcomes many of the disadvantages inherent in the above-described methods of prefilling sterile delivery devices by providing an apparatus which can automatically fill sterile delivery devices in a sterile manner without the necessity of requiring extensive steps be taken to prevent entrance of microbial contaminants into the hydrated medicament. The present invention fills the sterile delivery devices through the dispensing nozzle to minimize the risk of the hydrated medicament being exposed to atmosphere. Moreover, the present invention provides an automated method and apparatus for prefilling the sterile delivery devices which results in considerable savings in time and money as compared to the conventional methods of filling sterile delivery devices.

Method and apparatus for automatically producing a plurality of sterile liquid filled delivery devices


A method for forming a bit-line contact plug includes providing a substrate including a transistor which includes a gate structure and a source/drain at both sides of the gate structure; forming a conductive layer, a bit-line contact material layer and a hard mask layer; performing an etching process using the conductive layer as an etching stop layer to etch the bit-line contact material layer and the hard mask layer and forming the bit-line contact plug on the source/drain. A transistor structure includes a gate structure and a source/drain at both sides of the gate structure, a conductive layer covering part of the gate structure and connected to the source/drain, and a bit-line contact plug disposed on the conductive layer and directly connected to the conductive layer.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for forming a bit-line contact plug, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a method for forming a bit-line contact plug by directly etching the bit-line contact material layer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the semiconductor process, the single transistor with the constructed gate, source and drain usually requires contact plugs to form the electrical connections between the elements. It is known in the conventional method that a borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) layer is first formed on the transistor then the positions of the contact plugs are defined by a photoresist layer. A conductive material is filled in the contact holes after the BPSG layer is etched away, to complete the fabrication of the bit-line contact plugs.
However, with the trend of narrower line widths, the inevitable alignment error while defining the contact plug positions causes misaligned contact holes, the failure of elements, and damage in the insulation of the gate structure. Therefore, a novel method is needed to form bit-line contact plugs for patterns with narrower line widths.

Method for forming bit-line contact plug and transistor structure


A switch assembly has an actuator assembly which is operable to actuate switches between first and second conditions. A pushbutton is movable from an initial position through an intermediate position to a fully actuated position to affect operation of the actuator assembly to actuate the switches from the first condition to the second condition. As the pushbutton moves to the fully actuated position, a holding coil is energized to hold the actuator assembly in the actuated condition to maintain the switches in the second condition upon a releasing of the pushbutton. A control circuit is activated by optical sensors to prevent energization of the holding coil until the pushbutton has been moved from the initial position to the fully actuated position. The control circuit maintains the holding coil energized until the pushbutton has been released for movement back to its initial position and then operated for a second time to its fully actuated position. Therefore, partial actuation or teasing of the pushbutton does not cause the holding coil to become energized or de-energized. A remote switch is actuatable to effect de-energization of the holding coil.

The present invention relates to a switch assembly for use in electrical circuitry.
Switch assemblies are commonly used in aircraft to control electrical circuitry. An operator of the aircraft may inadvertently tease, i.e., partially actuate, the switch assembly without intending to have the switch assembly initiate a control function. Thus, the operator may repeatedly depress a pushbutton for a switch assembly through a short distance toward a fully actuated position without intending to actuate the switch assembly and initiate a control function. Once the operator has manually depressed the pushbutton to the fully actuated position with the intent to initiate a control function, he may again inadvertently tease the switch assembly by only partially releasing the switch assembly and repeatedly moving it back to its fully actuated position. Since the operator intends for the switch assembly to initiate a control function only when the switch assembly is fully actuated, it is important that the inadvertent teasing of the switch assembly by the operator does not result in the initiation of a control function.
When a switch assembly is in an actuated condition, it may be advantageous to be able to change the switch status from the actuated condition to an unactuated condition from a remote location. Thus, when a switch has been actuated to an on condition, it may be desirable to change the switch status to the off condition from a remote location. This will enable an operator remotely to remove the power from a holding coil and be certain that the switch assembly is in the off condition.


A WDDM includes a base substrate; a first mirror on the base substrate; a second mirror on said base substrate; a third mirror on the base substrate; a first optical splitter on the base substrate, wherein the first mirror is configured to reflect a first light beam to the first optical splitter, wherein the first optical splitter is configured to split the first light beam into a second light beam exiting from a first light exit surface of the first optical splitter and a third light beam reflecting to the second mirror; and a second optical splitter on the base substrate, wherein the second mirror is configured to reflect the third light beam to the second optical splitter, wherein the second optical splitter is configured to split the third light beam into a fourth light beam exiting from a second light exit surface of the second optical splitter and a fifth light beam reflecting to the third mirror.

Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to a wavelength-division multiplexer and de-multiplexer, and more particularly to a wavelength-division multiplexer and de-multiplexer with reduced deformation due to temperature changes.
Brief Description of the Related Art
Wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) technique is widely used in fiber-optic systems for increasing the system's bandwidth. Conventional WDM modules include thin-film filters (TFF) or optical combiner, arrayed-waveguide gratings (AWG) and/or fiber-bragg gratings (FBG). The thin-film filter or optical combiner is advantageous due to its flat passband, low crosstalk and low temperature-dependence.
The thin-film filter or splitter employed for a WDM module or wavelength-division de-multiplexing (WDDM) module includes multiple layers of dielectric films. These layers of dielectric films form a multi-cavity Fabry-Perot interferometer. In such an interferometer, a center wavelength of its passband is dependent on the angle of incidence as indicated below:
  w  =            w      0                          1        -                                            (                              1                                  n                  e                                            )                        2                                          sin            2                              θ
where w is the center wavelength of the filter or splitter with an external incident angle of θ; w0 is the center wavelength of the filter or splitter with normal incidence; and ne is an effective refractive index of a cavity spacer of the filter or splitter. From the above equation, the filter or splitter may have a passband with a shorted wavelength due to an increased angle of incidence on the filter or splitter. This filter or splitter has the above property so as to be tuned to meet wavelengths required by ITU (International Telecommunication Union).
FIG. 1 illustrates light paths of a conventional 8-channel WDDM module. Referring to FIG. 1, the WDM module 1 includes multiple filters or splitters 10 each configured to split a multiplexed light beam into an output light beam to pass through said each of the filters or splitters 10 to form a channel coupled with a fiber and another multiplexed light beam to be reflected from said each of the filters or splitters 10 to another one of the filters or splitters 10. The WDM module 1 includes another filter or splitter 11 configured to process a multiplexed light beam into an output light beam to pass through the filter or splitter 11 to form a channel coupled with a fiber. Thereby, the WDDM module may de-multiplex an input light beam at its input into the output light beams with different wavelengths λ1-λ8 respectively at its respective outputs coupled externally to the respective fibers.
Alternatively, the same configuration can be used for a WDM module by reversing the light propagation directions. FIG. 2 illustrates light paths of a conventional 8-channel WDM module. Referring to FIG. 2, each of the filters 10 acting as optical combiners may receive an input light beam, i.e. a channel of the WDM module, from one of the fibers to pass through said each of the filters or combiners 10 to be combined with a multiplexed light beam from another one of the filters or combiners 10 into another multiplexed light beam to propagate to the other one of the filters or combiners 10. The filter 11 may receive an input light beam, i.e. a channel of the WDM module, from one of the fibers to pass through the filter 11 into a multiplexed light beam to propagate to one of the filters or combiners 10. Thereby, the WDM module may multiplex the input light beams with different wavelengths λ1-λ8 at its inputs coupled externally to the respective fibers into an output light beam at its output.

Wavelength-division multiplexer (WDM) and de-multiplexer (WDDM)


A method of applying a coating solution to a surface of a substrate to form a film of desired thickness thereon. The substrate is spun at low speed with a predetermined supplying rotational frequency, and the coating solution is supplied to a region centrally of the substrate. The substrate is decelerated to a predetermined standby rotational frequency lower than the supplying rotational frequency before the coating solution spreads over an entire surface of the substrate. Then, the substrate is accelerated to a target rotational frequency higher than the supplying rotational frequency before the coating solution spreads over the entire surface of the substrate. Subsequently, the substrate is spun at high speed with a predetermined film-forming rotational frequency, thereby coating the surface of the substrate with a film of desired thickness. The supply of the coating solution is continued at least during the deceleration to the standby rotational frequency.

(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for applying a coating solution such as photoresist, SOG (Spin On Glass, also called a silica coating material) or polyimide resin to substrates such as semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for photomasks, glass substrates for liquid crystal displays or glass substrates for optical disks (hereinafter referred to simply as substrates) to form a film of the coating solution on the surface of each substrate. More particularly, the invention relates to a technique of supplying a coating solution to a substrate spun at a predetermined low rotational frequency, and thereafter spinning the substrate at a predetermined high rotational frequency to form a film of the coating solution in a desired thickness.
(2) Description of the Related Art
A conventional coating solution applying method of the type noted above will be described, based on the apparatus shown in FIG. 1.
This figure shows a principal portion of a substrate spin coating apparatus. The apparatus includes a suction type spin chuck 10 for suction-supporting and spinning a substrate or wafer W in a substantially horizontal posture, and a coating solution supply nozzle 30 disposed substantially over the center of spin for supplying a photoresist solution R, which is a coating solution, to a surface of wafer W.
The apparatus with this construction controls rotational frequency as shown in the time chart of FIG. 2, to form a photoresist film in a desired thickness on the surface of wafer W.
First, the spin chuck 10 is driven by a motor, not shown, to spin the wafer W at a predetermined low rotational frequency R1 (e.g. 900 rpm). At a point of time at which the spin stabilizes, photoresist solution R begins to be delivered at a substantially constant flow rate from the supply nozzle 30 (referenced t.sub.S in FIG. 2). Photoresist solution R continues to be supplied to a region around the spin center of wafer W. The supply of photoresist solution R is stopped at a point of time (t.sub.E in FIG. 2) which is a predetermined time after the photoresist supply starting point t.sub.S. Then, the rotational frequency of the spin chuck 10 is increased from rotational frequency R1 to rotational frequency R2 (e.g. 3,000 rpm). This higher rotational frequency R2 is maintained for a predetermined time. Consequently, a superfluous part of photoresist solution R supplied to the surface of wafer W is dispelled, thereby forming a photoresist film in a desired thickness on the surface of wafer W.
In the conventional method described above, a photoresist film is formed as a result of a behavior of photoresist solution R as schematically shown in FIGS. 3A through 3F. In these figures, wafer W is shown in circles and photoresist solution R in hatched regions, for simplicity of illustration. The varied rotational frequencies of wafer W are schematically indicated by different sizes of arrows in the figures.
Immediately after commencement of photoresist supply to the surface of wafer W spinning at the slow, supplying rotational frequency R1, as shown in FIG. 3A, photoresist solution R is present around the spin center of wafer W in the form of a drop Ra circular in plan view (which is hereinafter referred to as core Ra). As photoresist solution R continues to be supplied, the centrifugal force generated by the spin spreads the core Ra concentrically toward the edge of wafer W while allowing the core Ra substantially to retain the circular shape.
The core Ra retains the circular shape for a while (e.g. for several seconds), and thereafter undergoes conspicuous changes in shape. Specifically, as seen in FIG. 3A, photoresist solution R begins to flow in a plurality of rivulets (hereinafter referred to as fingers Rb) extending radially from the edge of circular core Ra toward the edge of wafer W. These numerous fingers Rb, by the centrifugal force, continue to grow toward the edge of wafer W with an increase in the diameter of core Ra as shown in FIG. 3B. The fingers Rb have a larger turning radius, and are therefore subjected to a greater centrifugal force, than the core Ra. Consequently, the fingers Rb grow toward the edge of wafer W faster than the enlargement of core Ra.
As photoresist solution R continues to be supplied to the wafer W spinning at the same supplying rotational frequency R1, leading ends of fingers Rb reach the edge of wafer W as shown in FIG. 3C. With the fingers Rb having reached the edge of wafer W, the photoresist solution R flows from the core Ra through the fingers Rb to the edge of wafer W to be scattered away (in scattering photoresist solution Rc). As the diameter of the core Ra increases further, the fingers Rb become broader as shown in two-dot-and-dash lines in FIG. 3C and FIG. 3D. As a result, regions between the fingers Rb not covered by photoresist solution R gradually diminish, until finally the entire surface of wafer W is covered by photoresist solution R (core Ra and fingers Rb) (FIG. 3E). Timing is determined beforehand for stopping the delivery of photoresist solution R through the supply nozzle 30 at this point of time (reference t.sub.E in FIG. 2).
After the entire surface of wafer W is covered with photoresist solution R as above, the rotational frequency of wafer W is increased from the supplying rotational frequency R1 to the faster, film-forming rotational frequency R2. A superfluous part of photoresist solution R covering the surface of wafer W is dispelled (as excess photoresist solution Rd), thereby forming a photoresist film R' in a desired thickness on the surface of wafer W (FIG. 3F).
The conventional method described above has the following drawback.
When the numerous fingers Rb reach the edge of wafer W, as shown in FIG. 3C, a large part of photoresist solution R subsequently supplied becomes scattering photoresist solution Rc flowing from the core Ra through the fingers Rb to be cast off to the ambient environment. A large quantity of photoresist solution R must therefore be supplied before the entire surface of wafer W is covered by the photoresist solution R, leading to an excessive consumption of photoresist solution R.
That is, the photoresist film of desired thickness is obtained with a very low efficiency of using photoresist solution R. A coating solution such as photoresist solution is far more expensive than a treating solution such as a developer or a rinse. Thus, a reduction in the quantity of unused, scattering coating solution is an important consideration in achieving low manufacturing costs of semiconductor devices and the like.

Coating solution applying method and apparatus


A sulfonated organic porous material in which at least 0.5 mg-equivalent/g (on a dry basis) of sulfonic acid groups has been introduced can be obtained by causing a gaseous substance containing sulfuric anhydride to come in contact with an organic porous material having mesopores existing on the walls of interconnected macropores and having a median radius of 0.01–100 μm and a total pore volume of 1–50 ml/g. This preparation method can ensure the introduction of a large amount of sulfonic acid groups into an organic porous material in a short period of time.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preparing a sulfonated organic porous material comprising an organic porous material with a specific structure with homogeneously introduced sulfonic acid groups.
2. Description of Background Art
As a porous material having a continuous pore structure comprising mesopores existing on the walls of interconnected macropores, an inorganic porous material formed from silica and the like are known (Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,875). Development of application of the inorganic porous material as a filler for chromatography has actively been undertaken. However, since this inorganic porous material is hydrophilic, complicated and expensive procedures such as a hydrophobicizing treatment of the surface and the like are required to use it as an adsorbent. In addition, when retained in water for a long period of time, the inorganic porous material releases in water silicate ion produced by hydrolysis of silica. Therefore, it is impossible to use the inorganic porous material as an ion-exchanging material for producing purified water and high purity water. On the other hand, if used as a filler for chromatography, the inorganic porous material has been reported to exhibit remarkably improved performance over conventional particulate fillers. However, since mesopores cannot be greater than 50 μm in size due to the manufacturing method restraints, there has been a restriction imposed on a process in which a material is processed at a large flow rate under a low pressure.
As organic porous materials having continuous pores, porous materials possessing a particle aggregation-type structure have been disclosed in F. Svec, Science, 273, 205–211(1996) (Non-patent Document 1) and other publications. The porous material obtained by this method has a small pore volume and an insufficient mesopore size due to the particle aggregation-type structure. For these reasons, a limitation is imposed on application of the pore material in a process with a large flow rate under a low pressure. In addition, since conventional organic porous materials and porous ion-exchanging materials, made by introducing ion exchange groups into conventional organic porous materials, have many internal structural defects and possess low strength and poor durability against swelling and shrinkage, these organic porous materials exhibit only insufficient separating performance when used as a filler for chromatography. Therefore, development of an organic porous material having a large pore volume and high physical strength, containing pores with a large and uniform pore diameter, being free from internal structural defects such as macrovoids, and having a continuous pore structure has been strongly desired.
Furthermore, manufacture processes of conventional organic porous materials had drawbacks such as significant unevenness in the quality of manufactured products in each production lot and difficulty in reproducing the manufacturing process. Therefore, development of an organic porous material having a large pore volume and high physical strength, containing pores with a large and uniform pore diameter, being free from internal structural defects such as macrovoids, and having a continuous pore structure, as well as development of a manufacturing process that can produce such an organic porous material, has been strongly desired.
On the other hand, as the method for sulfonating organic high molecular weight compounds, a method of sulfonating using fuming sulfuric acid, chlorosulfuric acid, or concentrated sulfuric acid in a liquid phase has been commonly used. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4-49562 (Patent Document 2) discloses a method of introducing ion exchange groups. This method converts chloromethyl groups and quaternary ammonium groups introduced into an organic porous material having a continuous porous structure into sulfonic acid groups by a functional group conversion reaction. A drawback of this method is that a long time is required for the sulfonation reaction, since the sulfonation agent takes a considerably long period time to infiltrate the porous structure.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 3-269160 (Patent Document 3) discloses a method of continuously sulfonating polyolefin nonwoven fabrics by a treatment with sulfuric anhydride gas. A sheet-like material can be sulfonated in a comparatively short period of time using this method. However, sulfonated materials are limited to a sheet, fabrics, nonwoven fabrics, and the like. There are no descriptions relating to sulfonation of an organic porous material having a continuous pore structure comprising mesopores existing on the walls of interconnected macropores. Since only the surface of polyolefin nonwoven fabric is sulfonated using the above sulfonation method, only a vary small amount of sulfonic acid groups can be introduced.    Patent Document 1: U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,875 (Summary, claim 1, and Example 7)    Nonpatent Document 1: F. Svec, Science, 1996, vol. 273, 205–211    Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication No. 4-49562 (Example 5)    Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 3-269160 (claim 1, page 5, left lower column)
A subject to be solved in the present invention is to provide a method for preparing a sulfonated organic porous material capable of homogeneously introducing a large amount of sulfonic acid groups into an organic porous material with a specific structure in a short period of time.

Method for preparing sulfonated organic porous material


The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method that detect watermarks incorporated within analog and/or digital signals associated with multimedia presentations. The disclosed system can include a component that receives analog and/or digital signals, ascertains the existence of a watermark associated with the received signals, and extracts metadata encapsulated within the watermark, wherein the metadata can both include information regarding the broadcast multimedia presentations as well as information unrelated to the broadcast multimedia. Extracted metadata or more particularly, attributes contained within the metadata can be utilized to establish online social networks based at least on the associated attributes.

Advancements in networking and computing technologies have transformed many aspects of everyday life and in particular have transformed computers from being low performance/high cost devices capable of performing elementary word processing and simplistic/basic mathematical computations and manipulations to high-performance/low-cost machines capable of a myriad of disparate and highly complex functions and utilities. For instance, computers have become household staples rather than luxuries, educational tools, and/or entertainment centers, and can provide individuals and corporations tools to manage and forecast finances, control operations such as heating, cooling, lighting and security, and store records, and images in a permanent and reliable medium. As further illustration, at the consumer level computing devices can be employed to aid users in paying bills, tracking expenses, communicating nearly instantaneously with friends and/or family across vast distances by way of e-mail and/or instant messaging, obtaining information from networked the repositories, and numerous other functions/activities.
As computing and network technologies have evolved and have become more robust, secure and reliable, more consumers, wholesalers, retailers, entrepreneurs, educational institutions, and the like have and are shifting business paradigms and are employing the Internet to perform business rather than utilizing traditional means. For example, today consumers can access their bank accounts on-line (e.g., via the Internet) and can perform an ever growing number of banking transactions such as balance inquiries, fund transfers, bill payments, and the like.
Enterprises and individuals are increasingly becoming interested in utilizing miniaturized handheld devices for various useful purposes, such as, watching and listening to multimedia clips and presentations, receiving and transmitting telephone conversations, text messages, and the like. Most modern handheld devices typically are equipped with multiple sensors and/or input and output instrumentalities (e.g., microphones, wireless transmitters, global positioning systems (GPS) engines, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), cameras, speakers, etc.).
Today, many people persist their favorite multimedia content (e.g., audio clips, albums, movies, and the like) to their PCs, hand-held devices, and the like, so that they can repeatedly listen or watch this stored content. Additionally, people often record without immediately watching or listening to the recorded content (e.g., recording television shows the future viewing). Nevertheless, as of yet there has not been a mechanism that assesses individual's collective partialities to particular multimedia clips and thereafter uses these perceived preferences to facilitate social interaction between those individuals with similar affinities.


A method for measuring focal spot shape of a radiation beam from a radiation source includes collimating the radiation beam using a collimator having a well-defined edge, measuring an intensity profile of the collimated radiation beam, determining a function of the measured intensity profile, and determining a metric of the of the focal spot using the determined function of the measured intensity profile.

This invention relates generally to x-ray source measurement methods and apparatus, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for measuring a focal spot profile of an X-ray source.
The X-ray source focal spot is an important physical parameter of a CT imaging system, x-ray imaging system, mammography system, radiation therapy system, or x-ray inspection system that influences the image resolution, slice sensitivity profile, dose profile, and many other image quality characteristics. The X-ray source is regularly replaced in imaging systems installed in a clinical setting, thus, it would be useful to measure the focal spot size and shape when the X-ray source is installed on the imaging system.
Additionally, the size and shape of the focal spot can vary over time, and changes in the focal spot size can be an indication of imminent tube failure. The ability to measure the focal spot size directly on the imaging system could therefore be used as a predictor of tube failure, enabling maintenance to be scheduled to minimize customer impact.
Additionally, X-ray sources may eventually have the capability to adjust their focal spot sizes in order to improve image quality or X-ray source reliability. However, to take advantage of this capability, focal spot size must be measured directly on the imaging system, without any additional equipment.
At least some methods for measuring focal spot size and shape are known, such as the pin-hole method (point spread function) or the slit method (line spread function). However, these methods require additional hardware (such as a pin-hole or a slit) not generally available on imaging systems.

Method and apparatus for measuring effective focal spot parameters of an X-ray source


Circuitry is provided which increases the efficiency of electrostatic discharge (ESD) power supply clamping circuitry to sink larger currents during an ESD event on a power supply node. Voltage clamp circuits capable of providing ESD protection to a supply node are described. The voltage clamp circuits include a discharge transistor which is controlled by a control circuit during an ESD event. The control circuit operates in response to a voltage provided on the protected supply node. One embodiment provides a P-channel MOS transistor and a control circuit which drives the gate of the transistor. Another embodiment provides an N-channel MOS transistor and a control circuit which drives the gate of the transistor.

Integrated circuits (ICs) are typically manufactured with external connections for receiving either power supply, control or communication connections with external devices or systems. The trend in fabricating ICs is to increase the density of internal components, such as transistors and interconnects. In addition, the power supply potential used to operate the integrated circuits continues to decrease.
As integrated circuit devices increase in density and operating supply voltages decrease, the integrated circuits become more sensitive to the effects of electrostatic discharge. Electrostatic discharge (ESD) refers to the phenomenon of electrical discharge of high current for a short time duration resulting from a build up of static charge on a particular integrated circuit package, or on a nearby human handling that particular IC package. ESD is a serious problem for semiconductor devices since it has the potential to destroy an entire IC. Because ESD events occur often across the silicon circuits attached to IC package terminals, circuit designers have concentrated their efforts on developing adequate protection mechanisms for these sensitive circuits.
One solution is the use of a grounded gate transistor as a simple ESD protection circuit. The transistor is configured as a diode and has a drain junction breakdown voltage lower than the gate dielectric breakdown voltage. While this circuit provides some protection from ESD events, it cannot pass the large currents inherent to some ESD events. An ESD protection circuit should be able to protect an IC against any conceivable static discharge by non-destructively passing large currents through a low impedance path in a short time.
One difficulty in designing ESD protection circuits is the demanding performance requirements that must be met. For example, one of the primary industry standards for measuring ESD robustness (MIL-STD-883C method 3015.7 Notice S (1989), and its follow-on Human Body Model (HBM) standard No. 5.1 (1993) from the EOS/ESD Association) requires ESD testing on a large number of pin and power supply combinations. In the past, ESD protection circuits have had difficulty meeting these stringent requirements while maintaining adequate noise immunity.
Integrated circuits have come under pressure in HBM tests because of repeated stressing of the power supply rails, leading to wear out of various breakdown points, such as an upper voltage supply, Vcc, line. A reliable power supply clamp is needed to reduce the susceptibility of the Vcc bus to failure mechanisms related to ESD testing. Further, ESD protection of input and output pins becomes simpler with a reliable power supply clamp because ESD current can be routed to one supply or another.
A p-channel field effect transistor (PFET) power supply clamp is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/823,109, filed Mar. 24, 1997 entitled "MOSFET-based Power Supply Clamps for Electrostatic Discharge Protection of Integrated Circuits." This clamp circuit uses a PFET to provide a discharge path through the transistor for the electrostatic voltage. A gate of the transistor is pulled close to ground during an ESD event. A threshold drop, therefore, is experienced across the transistor. Thus, the transistor does not dissipate the maximum possible current from the supply node.
For the reasons stated above, there is a need in the art for a circuit which increases the area efficiency of ESD power supply clamping circuitry to sink larger currents during an ESD event.

Power supply clamp circuitry for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection


The present invention relates to a method for preparing an anhydrosugar alcohol using hydrol (namely, a crystalline mother liquor remaining after obtaining crystalline glucose from a crude glucose liquor). More particularly, the present invention relates to a method for preparing an anhydrosugar alcohol in a method for performing a dehydration reaction on the hydrogenated sugar so as to convert the hydrogenated sugar to an anhydrosugar alcohol, wherein the method for preparing an anhydrosugar alcohol is configured to use, as at least a portion of the hydrogenated sugar, the product obtained from the hydrogenation of the hydrol which is a by-product or waste generated during the production of glucose, thus relatively lowering the cost for a material as compared with a case of using a high purity raw material (for example, high purity sorbitol), to thus improve economical advantages, and further reduce the amount of waste and cost for disposal of the waste during the production of glucose.

Hydrogenated sugar (also referred to as "sugar alcohol") means a compound obtained by adding hydrogen to the reductive end group in sugar, and generally has a chemical formula of HOCH2(CHOH)nCH2OH wherein n is an integer of 2 to 5. According to the carbon number, hydrogenated sugar is classified into tetritol, pentitol, hexitol and heptitol (4, 5, 6 and 7 carbons, respectively). Among them, hexitol having 6 carbons includes sorbitol, mannitol, iditol, galactitol, etc. and in particular, sorbitol and mannitol are very useful materials.
Anhydrosugar alcohol has a diol form with two hydroxyl groups in the molecule, and can be produced by using hexitol derived from starch (for example, Korean Patent No. 10-1079518 and Korean Laid-open Patent Publication No. 10-2012-0066904). Because anhydrosugar alcohol is an environmentally friendly material derived from recyclable natural resources, it has received much interest for a long time and researches on its production continue to proceed. Among such anhydrosugar alcohols, isosorbide produced from sorbitol has the widest industrial applicability at present.
Anhydrosugar alcohol can be used in various fields including treatment of heart and blood vessel diseases, medicaments such as patch adhesive, mouthwash, etc., solvents for compositions in the cosmetics industry, emulsifiers in the food industry, etc. In addition, it can increase the glass transition temperature of polymer materials like polyester, PET, polycarbonate, polyurethane, epoxy resin, etc., and improve the strength of such materials. Furthermore, because anhydrosugar alcohol is an environmentally friendly material derived from natural resources, it is very useful in the plastics industry such as bioplastics and the like. It is also known that anhydrosugar alcohol can be used as an adhesive, environmentally friendly plasticizer, biodegradable polymer, and environmentally friendly solvent for water-soluble lacquer.
As such, anhydrosugar alcohol is receiving much interest because of its wide applicability, and the level of practical industrial application thereof is increasing. However, the conventional methods of producing anhydrosugar alcohol have limitations of high cost for the catalyst and raw material used in the dehydration reaction, low conversion rate, and low yields of distillation and purification, etc. Therefore, it is required to develop a technology which can produce anhydrosugar alcohol by a method with improved economic feasibility.

Method for preparing an anhydrosugar alcohol using hydrol


A screw radial connector for electric wires includes a case, a connecting base, a press member and a bolt. The case is capable of providing coaxial cable connector. The connecting base, being integrally attached to a lateral side of the case has a top with a lock hole extending downward from the top to communicate with a receiving part. A stop part is disposed at an inner side of a lateral wall of the receiving part extending inward and upward and a lead rod is opposite to the stop part and passes through the bottom and the top of the connecting base. The press member is a hollow box with an open side with a top groove at an upper side thereof and an inner chamber under the upper side communicating with the top groove.

Due to the coaxial cable hub having voltage, in order to prevent signal from being interfered and the operators from getting electric shock, usually the grounding is provided, that is, the grounding wires is associated with the coaxial cable hub.
There are patents related to the way for joining the grounding wires to the coaxial cable hub such as Taiwanese Patent Application No. 88221149. In fact, the device to join the grounding wire has to consider convenience during assembling and firmness during being pressed. Further, it is more important thing has to be considered is that part therein being prevented from loosening and getting lost.
The U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/915,395, which was filed by the present applicant, discloses a connecting base being attached to the casing with a press member inside being pressed by a bolt while the bolt is fastened to tightly contact the grounding wire for improving conventional connecting way of the grounding wires.

Screw radial connector for electric wires


Biomarkers for sepsis and resulting mortality can be detected by assaying blood samples. Changes in the concentration of the biomarkers can be used to indicate sepsis, risk of sepsis, progression of sepsis, remission from sepsis, and risk of mortality. Changes can be evaluated relative to data sets, natural or synthetic or semisynthetic control samples, or patient samples collected at different time points. Some biomarkers' concentrations are elevated during disease and some are depressed. These are termed informative biomarkers. Some biomarkers are diagnostic in combination with others. Individual biomarkers may be weighted when used in combinations. Biomarkers can be assessed in individual, isolated or assays, in parallel assays, or in single-pot assays.

Sepsis is the name given to infection when symptoms of inflammatory response are present. Of patients hospitalized in an intensive care unit (ICU) who have an infection, 82% have sepsis. Sepsis is defined as an infection-induced syndrome involving two or more of the following features of systemic inflammation: fever or hypothermia, leukocytosis or leukopenia, tachycardia, and tachypnea or a supranormal minute ventilation. Sepsis may be defined by the presence of any of the following ICD-9-CM codes: 038 (septicemia), 020.0 (septicemic), 790.7 (bacteremia), 117.9 (disseminated fungal infection), 112.5 (disseminated Candida infection), and 112.81 (disseminated fungal endocarditis).
Sepsis is diagnosed either by clinical criteria or by culture of microorganisms from the blood of patients suspected of having sepsis plus the presence of features of systemic inflammation. Culturing some microorganisms can be tedious and time-consuming, and may provide a high rate of false negatives. Bloodstream infection is diagnosed by identification of microorganisms in blood specimens from a patient suspected of having sepsis after 24 to 72 hours of laboratory culture. Currently, gram-positive bacteria account for 52% of cases of sepsis, gram-negative bacteria account for 38%, polymicrobial infections for 5%, anaerobes for 1%, and fungi for 5%. For each class of infection listed, there are several different types of microorganisms that can cause sepsis. The high rate of false negative microbiologic cultures leads frequently today to empiric treatment for sepsis in the absence of definitive diagnosis. Infection at many different sites can result in sepsis. The most common sites of infection in patients with sepsis are lung, gut, urinary tract, and primary blood stream site of infection. Since sepsis can be caused by many infection with microorganisms at many different sites, sepsis is a very heterogeneous disease. The heterogeneity of sepsis increases the difficulty in devising a diagnostic test
The number of patients with sepsis per year is increasing at 13.7% per year, and was 659,935 in 2000. The incidence of sepsis in the United States in 2000 was 240.4 cases per 100,000 population. Sepsis accounted for 1.3% of all hospitalizations in the U.S. from 1979 to 2000. During this period, there were 750 million hospitalizations in the U.S. and 10.5 million reported cases of sepsis.
Sepsis is the leading cause of death in critically ill patients, the second leading cause of death among patients in non-coronary intensive care units (ICUs), and the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States. Overall mortality rates for sepsis are 18%. In-hospital deaths related to sepsis were 120,491 (43.9 per 100,000 population) in 2000.
Care of patients with sepsis is expensive and accounts for $17 billion annually in the United States alone. Sepsis is often lethal, killing 20 to 50 percent of severely affected patients. Furthermore, sepsis substantially reduces the quality of life of those who survive: only 56% of patients surviving sepsis are discharged home; 32% are discharged to other health care facilities (i.e., rehabilitation centers or other long-term care facilities), accruing additional costs of care.
Cost of care, morbidity and mortality related to sepsis are largely associated with delayed diagnosis and specific treatment of sepsis and the causal infection. Early diagnosis of sepsis is expected to result in decreased morbidity, mortality and cost of care. The average length of hospital stay in patients with sepsis is twelve days.
Severe sepsis is defined as sepsis associated with acute organ dysfunction. The proportion of patients with sepsis who had any organ failure is 34%, resulting in the identification of 256,033 cases of severe sepsis in 2000. Organ failure had a cumulative effect on mortality: approximately 15% of patients without organ failure died, whereas 70% of patients with 3 or more failing organs (classified as having severe sepsis and septic shock) died. Risk of death from sepsis increases with increasing severity of sepsis. Currently determination of the severity of sepsis and determination of whether, in a patient with sepsis, the sepsis is increasing or decreasing in severity, is based upon clinical events such as failing organs. Determination that, in a patient with sepsis, the sepsis is increasing in severity, may allow more intensive therapy to be given which may increase the likelihood of the patient surviving. The availability of a diagnostic test that would allow monitoring of patients with sepsis to determine whether the sepsis is increasing or decreasing in severity may allow early detection of deterioration and earlier intensification of therapy and less risk of death or disability.
Sepsis results either from community-acquired infections or hospital-acquired infections. Sepsis occurs in 1.3% of all U.S. hospitalizations. Hospital-acquired infections are a major source of sepsis, accounting for 65% of sepsis patients who are admitted to an intensive care unit. Sepsis is a major cause of admission to a hospital intensive care unit. 23-30% of patients admitted to an intensive care unit for longer than 24 hours will develop sepsis. Sepsis is a common complication of prolonged stay in an ICU. 8% of patients who remain in an ICU for longer than 24 hours will develop sepsis.
There is a need for screening diagnostic tests for sepsis and for tests to monitor sepsis severity with relatively few false negatives and high sensitivity and specificity.


A crane design which permits limited rotation in the plane of loading of the upperworks of a pedestal crane independently of the central support thereof, and independently of the thrust and radial bearings about an extension of such central support. Means for centering the vertical loading vector and horizontal overturning moments by restricting the possible displacements thereof are disclosed, as are methods for accomplishing the same.

This invention relates to a novel type of crane useful in many different environments but having particular usefullness in offshore applications. It overcomes problems which have long vexed the operators of offshore production facilities and marine drilling rigs of all types.
Offshore platforms need cranes to rapidly and safely load and off-load various material and personnel from floating vessels in the open sea to and from the fixed structures. The primary loads imposed upon such cranes are essentially of two types, a vertical load and an overturning moment. The vertical load in turn may be considered to consist primarily of two components, the dead weight of the crane structure itself and the actual load being lifted under dynamic conditions. It is to be realized that such conditions can be extremely dynamic, as, for example, when a vessel suddenly drops from the top of a wave to the bottom of a trough without adequate slack in the lines to compensate for such a rapid displacement. The dynamic loading of such cranes under such conditions can be, and often is, quite severe. The overturning moment is essentially the product of the dynamic load and the distance from the load to the centerline of rotation of the crane. This overturning moment is often applied impulsively.
Dockside cranes have long encountered similar conditions. The engineers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries attempted to resolve these problems by separating a pair of bearings or pivot points as widely as possible from each other. Perhaps because of the long-standing tradition with masts and riggings of sailing vessels, these early engineers separated these bearings vertically and resolved the overturning moment by a permanently mounted foundation fixed to the earth.
It eventually was realized that the utilization of these early cranes and derricks could be increased were they movable from place to place. The desire for such mobility presented two primary requirements which may be fairly said to have led directly to the configuration of the modern construction cranes which have been adapted for use in the off-shore petroleum industry.
The first requirement for mobility was that such cranes could no longer be permanently attached to a foundation fixed to the earth. This in turn directly led to the use of counterweights to create an approximately equal but opposite overturning moment or couple to that created by the load, thus essentially reducing the loading on such mobile cranes to a vertical load on the wheels or tracks--in essence a balancing operation. It was soon realized that the actual weight or mass of the counterweight could be significantly reduced by causing it to rotate with the crane, thereby keeping it in the most advantageous position with respect to the load. It was also soon realized that the weight of the crane boom itself and any portion off the crane structure on the load side of the centerline of rotation significantly reduced the lifting capability of such cranes, thus spurring considerable effort to develop light weight and highly stressed boom structures, often of exotic materials.
The second requirement for mobility was a limitation on height to clear overhead obstructions, which precluded the use of a pair of vertically separated bearing assemblies. It then became necessary to resist the overturning moment by horizontally spaced bearings situated close together. Because such cranes typically must be capable of revolving 360.degree., such bearing arrangements typically took the form of a circle. The two methods in use today for this purpose are known as Hook Rollers and Ball Rings, with the latter sometimes being referred to also as Slewing Rings.
When offshore oil exploration beyond the sight of land was first accomplished around 1947, the only cranes available were construction cranes which had evolved as outlined above. These cranes had many shortcomings when removed from their intended application and transferred to offshore platforms to transfer material and personnel from floating vessels in the open sea. The balancing condition--or, more precisely, the impending loss of balance--could no longer satisfactorily be used to warn of impending overload situations when loading from a heaving vessel, a condition which frequently resulted in cranes being toppled into the ocean.
Mere removal of the undercarriage and permanent attachment of the rotating superstructure to the platform were only marginal improvements at best since impending unbalance could no longer be used as a `safety valve` when loading such cranes offshore. Designers necessarily had to strengthen such designs considerably in order for such cranes to have any chance at all of performing their intended functions, and the resulting cranes were extremely heavy, expensive and still unsatisfactory in operations.
A very few designers decided to design cranes specifically for the offshore industry and to be affixed permanently to offshore platforms. Since such cranes had no need for mobility, low height was no longer a requirement, and vertically separated bearing assemblies could again be employed. The affixable, pedestal-type crane with center post (or `king` post) removed both the requirement for counterweights and the impetus for light weight, exotic boom structures since such cranes were intended only for fixed mounting.
The pedestal-type, center post, affixable crane was a considerable improvement over the "ball ring" or "slewing ring" cranes, which generally require removal of the entire crane rotating structure from the slew ring and platform in order for the bearing to be replaced. Addtionally, such designs generally combined the bearing function and structural function into a single mechanical assembly--functions which have incompatible if not mutually exclusive characteristics in that bearings need very hard materials which are inherently brittle while structural members need ductile characteristics in order to withstand the repeated shock loadings to which offshore cranes are subjected. The king post design, on the other hand, allows replacement of the swing bearings without the use of another crane, and thus was seen as a significant advance in the state of the art.
Despite its many advantages, and despite the greater design freedom permitted by separation of the bearing and structural functions, the bearings of the king post designs continued to pose problems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,230, for which applicant was a co-inventor, discloses a plurality of roller assemblies attached to the rotating superstructure of the crane and disposed about the king post. Each such roller assembly comprises a pair of small diameter, horizontal rollers pivotable about an apex displaced from the central post in order to permit the roller assemblies to adapt to irregularities in the central or king post. However, this reference does not contemplate nor teach a unitary structure or method for permitting ease of access to such bearings for inspection or removal. While this design and similar designs are in frequent use, they surfer from a number or disadvantages. Unless such rollers are of extremely small diameter in comparison to the center post, they will require a good bit of space, and if they are comparatively small, the rollers will frequently slide on the king post rather than rotate about their axles. This condition becomes even more pronounced when any grease or oil accumulates on either the rollers or their track around the post, which in turn may cause `flat spots` to wear on the rollers or cause the rollers to cut a groove in the post. The latter problem is frequently evident when the rollers are made of a material harder than that of the king post. Such a groove can lead to structural failure in the king post without warning, with the crane assembly falling from its mounting. Also, replacement of the rollers and/or roller assemblies is normally quite difficult because of the extremely tight space containing the same.
Attempts to overcome these problems directly led to a third generation of modern crane design. These designs generally affixed a removable wear strip to the center post and a mating ring to the rotating superstructure which slides on the stationary wear strip as the superstructure revolves about the king post. This concept is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,600 to applicant and another. While overcoming the problems of the multiple roller design and experiencing considerable commercial success, such designs are not themselves without disadvantages. The wear strips must of necessity be installed on the center posts before the superstructures are mounted, and the clearances therebetween must necessarily be quite small. Since such superstructures may be quite large and heavy objects, it is not always easy to maneuver them into place with the degree of precision required, particularly if the lifting crane is on a vessel. These factors result all too often in damage to or even destruction of the wear strips during installation of the superstructure over the king post. Additionally, such wear strips are quite difficult to install properly. Ordinarily the wear strips will not fit absolutely tightly around the center post, which can result in a bulge or wave in the strips as the crane is revolved. This in turn leads to premature failure of the wear strip fasteners, thus allowing the strips to slide about and be destroyed in short order.
Still another disadvantage off such a bearing design arises from the inevitable misalignment between the axis of rotation of the superstructure under load and the vertical axis of the center post. Although quite small, this angular misalignment causes the lower edge of the mating ring affixed to the rotating superstructure to tend to cut the stationary wear strip. While such bearings may be replaced with considerably less difficulty than those of previous designs, it is nevertheless a not insignificant inconvenience and expense to have to replace such bearings prematurely.
Attempts to overcome these disadvantageous features in turn led to the fourth generation of modern pedestal-type cranes as exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,354,606 to applicant and another. This design utilizes removeable semicircular shoes mounted within the rotating superstructure to which the wear strips are then affixed. Since the wear strips need not be affixed prior to mounting the superstructure, and since the superstructure need only be centered about the center post as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,600 and not elevated as required by the '600 design, the damage or destruction to the wear strip during installation is eliminated. However, this design is also subject to angular misalignment between center post and superstructure, which causes extremely high point or line loading of the wear strips. This tendency toward point loading is exacerbated by the necessary difference between the inside diameter of the shoes with wear strips attached and the outside diameter of the center post, resulting in only a very small portion or the wear strips actually being in contact with the pedestal when under load, which in turn results in a relatively low load carrying capability for the shoes.
Owing to the "point" or "line" nature of the loading, the load carrying capability cannot be increased simply by the expedient of enlarging the bearing surface area: only a small fraction of the existing bearing surface area is actually utilizeable, and increasing the surface area of such bearings would only increase the amount of unused bearing area, and would not increase the load carrying capability at all. To increase the actual load carrying capability of such cranes, their designers greatly increased the separation between the upper and lower horizontal bearings. This in turn results in cranes which are `over tall` in relation to their moment-resisting ability and which are somewhat overweight when compared to similar capacity cranes of other designs. Heretofore, these height and weight penalties were not critical, but with growing concern about helicopter safety--and increasing regulations limiting approach angles to helipads--the allowable heights of platform equipment such as cranes are becoming more limited. Additionally, the increased quality controls placed on the industry have combined with the increasing price of steel to cause the costs of fabricated steel weldments such as center posts and rotating superstructures to increase radically in recent years.
Thus for safety reasons the industry is in urgent need of an improved crane design which can transmit larger actual bearing loads with a significantly reduced overall height and which can operate in the offshore environment without potentially catastrophic defects building up latently. In addition there is a pressing economical need for an improved design that will reduce the initial capital cost required and which can extend the intervals between bearing replacements with their associated high downtime costs.


A conveyor having a conveyor belt with article-supporting rollers selectively rotated to direct conveyed articles toward one side of the conveyor or the other. The belt rollers are arranged in longitudinal columns and can rotate on axes parallel to the direction of belt travel. Salient portions of the belt rollers protrude through the thickness of the belt. An array of powered rollers, each powered roller underlying a column of belt rollers, is selectively moved into and out of contact with the belt rollers to cause them to rotate to direct articles conveyed atop the belt rollers toward or off one side of the conveyor when the conveyor belt is stopped.

The invention relates to power-driven conveyors generally and, more particularly, to conveyors transferring articles off the sides of modular plastic conveyor belts with article-supporting rollers rotated by contact with powered rollers.
Many conveying applications require that articles be moved laterally across a conveying surface transverse to the general conveying direction. Singulators and laners are examples of two kinds of conveyors in which articles are moved laterally across the conveyor into specific locations. Other conveying applications require that articles be transferred off the side of a conveyor to another conveyor or to a staging area. A sorter is one example of this kind of transfer conveyor. Because conveyor belts are less noisy and easier to maintain than powered roller conveyors, belts are used as the article-conveying medium in many of these applications. Conveyed articles are moved laterally by, for example, external pusher bars or internal shoes programmed to translate across the conveying surface and push the conveyed articles. Sweeper rails extending obliquely across the conveying surface are also used to sweep articles toward one side of the conveyor belt as it advances. But these schemes require contact between a pushing surface and the sides of the conveyed articles, which can be scuffed, scratched, or otherwise marred by the pushing surface.
Thus, there is a need for a belt conveyor that can translate articles laterally across a conveying surface.


In certain embodiments compositions are provided that comprise a pentapeptide comprising the formula: C1-X2-X3-X4-C5 where C1 and C5 are independently selected cysteines or cysteine analogues, or other amino acids with sidechains suitable for cyclization, where the cysteines or cysteine analogs are attached to each other by a linkage that does not comprise X2, X3, and X4; where X2, X3, and X4 are independently selected amino acids; and the peptide, when administered to a cell alters APP signaling and/or switches APP processing from aberrant to normal. The compositions mitigate amyloid plaque formation.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by extracellular deposits of A peptide in senile plaques, intraneuronal neurofibrillary tangles, synapse loss, and cognitive decline (Hansen and Terry (1997) Neurobiol. Aging, 18: S71-73). It is widely believed that the accumulation of Aβ, a small peptide with a high propensity to form oligomers and aggregates, is central to the pathogenesis of AD. Aβ derives from the proteolytic cleavage of the transmembrane protein, APP (Koo (2002) Traffic 3(11): 763-770). Although a considerable amount is known about interacting proteins and processing events for APP, the physiological role(s) of APP and its related family members, APLP1 and APLP2 (amyloid precursor-like proteins 1 and 2), is still poorly understood (Koo (2002) Traffic 3(11): 763-770; Williamson et al. (1996) J. Biol. Chem., 271: 31215-31221). APP has been proposed to function in cell adhesion and motility, as well as synaptic transmission and plasticity (for a review, see Turner et al. (2003) Prog. Neurobiol. 70: 1-32).
The cloning and characterization of APP revealed that it possesses many features reminiscent of a membrane-anchored receptor. However, to date, no clear candidate has emerged as the major ligand triggering APP-mediated signal transduction at least in part because the signal transduction mediated by APP has remained incompletely understood.

Netrin loop peptide mimetics and uses thereof


An invention relates to an extract of Chlorella sorokiniana, which contains myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and stearic acid. Also related is use of this extract to treat diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidaemia.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) belong to a family of nuclear receptors that control many cellular and metabolic processes. Three mammalian PPARs have been identified, i.e., PPARα, PPARδ, and PPARγ. See Lee C. H. et al., Endocrinology 2003, 144: 2201-7. Upon activation, PPARs trigger a cascade of transcriptional events leading to altered lipid and glucose metabolism. See, e.g., Willson T. M. et al., J Med Chem 2000, 43, 527-50; and Moraes L. A. et al., Pharmacol Ther. 2006, 110, 371-85.
Given their roles in lipid and glucose metabolism, PPARs are promising therapeutic targets of diseases, such as type II diabetes, obesity, hepatitis C, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease, inflammatory disease, and cancer. For example, glitazones, PPARγ agonists, have been used to treat type II diabetes. As another example, fibrates, PPARα agonists, are effective medications that lower blood triglyceride levels. However, most PPAR therapeutics have limited efficacy or significant side effects.
There is still a need to develop more effective drugs for controlling lipid and glucose metabolism via modulation of PPAR activity.


A ferrule block comprises a ferrule block body which is attached to an optical device module, which houses in its package an optical device for sending or receiving a light signal, to optically couple to an optical fiber communicating between the optical device module and an external optical communication system and a shell made of an insulating material which is provided at the tip of the ferrule block body, wherein a flange which hits against the tip of the ferrule block body is provided on the outer periphery of the shell.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a ferrule block which is attached to an optical device module to optically couple to an optical fiber serving as a transmission line, and to an optical module using the same.
2. The Related Art of the Invention
A ferrule block is attached to an optical device module, which houses in its package an optical device for sending or receiving a light signal, to optically couple to an optical fiber serving as a transmission line, and is also referred to as a capillary block or a receptacle.
FIG. 1 shows a ferrule block 131 as an example of such a ferrule block. The ferrule block 131 primarily includes a substantially cylindrical ferrule block body 132 made of metal and a substantially cylindrical shell 133 made of metal which is provided at one end of the ferrule block body 132 so as to partly project therefrom.
At one end of the ferrule block body 132, one end of the shell 133 is press fitted and fixed. At the other end of the ferrule block body 132, a ferrule (capillary) 135 holding an optical fiber 134 in its center is fixed.
The ferrule block 131 is, in use, attached to a metal casing 136 of an electronic device so that the ferrule block body 132 is housed within the casing 136 and the one end of the shell 133 projects outside the casing 136. In FIG. 1, the left side of the casing 136 shows an inside of the casing 136 and the right side of the casing 136 shows an outside of the casing 136, wherein the other end of the optical fiber 134 is optically coupled to an optical device (not shown).
In this state, an optical connector not shown, which includes an optical fiber serving as a transmission line and a ferrule holding the optical fiber, is further connected to the one end of the shell 133. This allows the optical device, the optical fiber 134, and the optical fiber of the optical connector to be optically coupled.
Since the shell 133 is metallic, it is inexpensive and can be press fitted into the ferrule block body 132 even if a tolerance between an inside diameter of the ferrule block body 132 and an outside diameter of the shell 133 is loose.
Meanwhile, there is an earlier art relating to the invention disclosed in the present application (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 9-304652 (FIG. 1)).
However, since the shell 133 is metallic and moreover the shell 133 projects outside the casing 136, the ferrule block 131, when incorporated in an electronic device which operates under low-frequency signals, does not present any problems, but when incorporated in an electronic device which operates under high-frequency signals, the ferrule block 131 has a problem that the shell 133 functions as an antenna and tends to pick up an electromagnetic noise e1 from the outside during the operation of the electronic device. The ferrule block 131 also has a problem that it is easy to emit an electromagnetic noise e2 to the outside.
In particular, a recent optical transceiver has a very fast transmission speed of 10 Gbps or more. Accordingly, incorporating the ferrule block 131 into such a transceiver will significantly increase the influence of the electromagnetic noises e1 and e2.

Ferrule block and optical module using the same


A display for merchandising products is disclosed. The display includes a base panel, two side panels coupled to the base panel, and a top panel coupled to the two side panels. A plurality of display panels are disposed between the two side panels. The display panels are configured to receive products. The display panels have surface treatments. At least two display panels have different surface treatments and the different surface treatments are configured to be associated with different product lines.

The invention relates to displays for merchandising goods. More specifically, the invention relates to displays for merchandising goods utilizing display panels that may quickly and easily be removed from the display in order to reconfigure the merchandised goods. The invention also relates to displays for merchandising goods utilizing contrasting surface treatments to distinguish the merchandised goods.
It is known to provide a display for merchandising goods to consumers. Such displays are used to increase sales, aid consumers in the process of identifying and selecting goods, aid stores in organizing goods, and provide a receptacle for storing inventory. However, current displays tend not to be well suited for use in a dynamic market place. Many conventional displays do not permit easy changes of displays and the associated goods. Further, many conventional displays are also not suited to properly distinguish various types of goods for consumers. Current displays tend not to allow consumers to visually differentiate among various goods of differing quality, style, and price.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a display in which the merchandised products may quickly, easily, and efficiently be reconfigured or changed on the display, thereby allowing for a quicker response time to changing consumer demands. Also, there is a need to provide a display where the consumer may more readily visually identify and differentiate the merchandised goods based on quality, style, price and other differentiating characteristics.
The teachings herein below extend to those embodiments which fall within the scope of the appended claims, regardless of whether they accomplish one or more of the above-mentioned needs.
An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a display for merchandising products. The display includes a base panel, two side panels coupled to the base panel, a top panel coupled to the two side panels, and a plurality of display panels disposed between the two side panels. The display panels are configured to receive products. The display panels have surface treatments. At least two display panels have different surface treatments and the different surface treatments are configured to be associated with different product lines.
Another exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a display panel for mounting and displaying merchandised products on a display. The display panel includes a panel body configured to be removably coupled to the display and at least one retainer slidably coupled to the panel body. The retainer is configured to be coupled to the merchandised product.
Yet another exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a display for merchandising products. The display includes a base panel, two side panels coupled to the base panel, and a top panel coupled to the two side panels. A plurality of display panels are disposed between the two side panels. The display panels have surface treatments, at least two display panels have different surface treatments. The display panels include a panel body, the panel body configured to be removably coupled to the display and at least one retainer slidably coupled to the panel body. The retainer is configured to be coupled to the merchandised product.


A hydromassaging bathtub is formed by molding an outer shell having an outer finished surface with an acrylic component therein and a plurality of air jets forming through holes, and an inner reinforcing support shell having channels molded in at least some of the inner side walls thereof. The inner shell has floor supports molded in a bottom wall thereof. The outer shell is bonded in the inner shell with the channels sealingly bonded about the plurality of air jet forming through holes. The method comprises stacking the similar shells together for shipping to an assembling and distribution site and for storage whereby to provide several commercial advantages in the manufacture and distribution of the bathtubs.

It is known to fabricate bathtubs and the like by thermoforming rigid thermoplastic shells and bonding the shells together such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,718. As described in that patent, it is desirable to eliminate methods using spraying techniques which are essentially manual in the formation of bathtubs and wherein a curing period is desirable. With such spraying methods, volatile organic compounds are emitted and this is of course hazardous to the health of people in the immediate environment of the manufacturing process. That patent is primarily concerned with the reduction in the wall thickness of a thermoformed vessel by the use of a reinforced cradle. They attempt to eliminate volatile organic compound emissions and provide easy recycling without sacrificing rigidity of the bathtubs. As described, it is also desirable to reduce flammability in the manufacturing process and smoke emissions which are hazardous. This patent is primarily concerned with the support formed of a glass fiber reinforced thermoplastic shell having a specific flexural modulus. The fibers are also short glass fibers which are hazardous during the shell fabrication process and disposal. When fabricating bathtubs with glass fiber coatings, it is necessary to test each bathtub for air and water leakages for the reason that there are often air pin holes in fiberglass coatings and this can be problematic during use. Also, by making bathtubs using thermoformed shells, the total weight of the bathtub is reduced as compared with conventional methods using fiberglass. This also results in a reduction in transportation cost as well as providing easier handling of the material due to its lighter weight. Also, the new process of manufacturing poses a reduced fire hazard and accidents to the workforce as there is less manipulation and mechanization. There is also acetone released in the fiberglass coating manufacturing process and this is hazardous to human health.

Bathtub formed of interconnected shells and method of delivering bathtubs


A sensor package apparatus includes a lead frame substrate that supports one or more electrical components, which are connected to and located on the lead frame substrate. A plurality of wire bonds are also provided, which electrically connect the electrical components to the lead frame substrate, wherein the lead frame substrate is encapsulated by a thermoset plastic to protect the plurality of wire bonds and at least one electrical component, thereby providing a sensor package apparatus comprising the lead frame substrate, the electrical component(s), and the wire bonds, while eliminating a need for a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) or a ceramic substrate in place of the lead frame substrate as a part of the sensor package apparatus. A conductive epoxy can also be provided for maintaining a connection of the electrical component(s) to the lead frame substrate. The electrical components can constitute, for example, an IC chip and/or a sensing element (e.g., a magnetoresistive component) or sense die.

Turbochargers are utilized in engines for improving the output power of the engine by increasing the airflow charge to the cylinders to support an increased fuel charge. Turbochargers are well known devices for pressurizing intake air entering the combustion chambers of an internal combustion engine to thereby increase the efficiency and power output of the engine. In general, pressurizing the intake air increases the quantity of air entering the engine cylinders during the intake stroke, and this allows more fuel to be utilized in establishing a desired air-to-fuel ratio. Increased available engine output torque and power is thereby realized.
In a turbocharged engine, the exhaust manifold of the engine is fluidly coupled to a turbine component of the turbocharger via an exhaust conduit, and the exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust conduit causes a turbine wheel within the turbine to rotate at a rate determined by the pressure and flow rate of exhaust gas. A compressor wheel within a compressor component of the turbocharger is mechanically coupled to the turbine wheel, and is therefore rotatably driven by the turbine wheel. An inlet of the compressor receives fresh ambient air, and an outlet of the compressor is fluidly coupled to the intake manifold of the engine via an intake conduit. The rotatably driven action of the compressor wheel increases the amount of intake air supplied to the intake conduit, thereby resulting in an increased, or so-called "boost", pressure therein.
With the development of increasingly sophisticated turbocharger and related automotive components, a need has arisen for extremely small package designs for turbocharger speed sensors utilized, for example, in diesel and gasoline engines. Current turbocharger speed sensors are used chiefly in laboratory settings or in a very limited basis at the center of a turbocharger housing. Locating the speed sensor instead on the compressor housing of the turbocharger takes advantage of cooler temperatures for sensor operations. The compressor housing location means that the sensor detects the speed of the compressor wheel as it spins at high RPM in the turbocharger. Such an arrangement also means that a hole or sensor bore through the compressor housing is required for the sensor face to be in close proximity to the fins of the compressor wheel.
Because the compressor wheel and compressor housing have been machined to close precision and the compressor wheel has been properly balanced, the added sensor bore and sensor must provide for a minimal operational impact. To prevent as little disruption as possible to the compressor wheel spinning at high RPM and to the airflow in the compressor housing, the speed sensor package should be configured in as compact and small an arrangement as possible. A small speed sensor package is also desirable for mounting or installation of the sensor on smaller sized turbochargers.
The cooler temperatures of approximately 190° C. on the compressor side of the turbocharger allow all of the integrated circuits (IC's) and signal conditioning electronics to be packaged together and over-molded with a thermoplastic into a single package with an integral connector. Such a configuration eliminates the need for a pigtail or wire harness version of the sensor to remotely locate associated electrical components. A single integrated package can therefore reduce the number of components needed along with the associated material costs and manufacturing processes that would otherwise be required in a pigtail version. An integral connector version can thus allow for an enhanced sealing capability by eliminating multiple interconnects that would be necessary in a pigtail version.
In prior art sensor packages, the sense die is typically encapsulated in a thermoset package with external leads. The resulting IC package is then placed on a substrate such as a PCB or ceramic, along with other electronics. The substrate is then attached to a plastic carrier of some sort, encapsulated with thermoset for protection and then over-molded again with a thermoplastic to provide the final sensor package with integral connectors. A need exists for a sensor package and apparatus, which would allow for a much smaller sensor package than that afforded by conventional sensor packaging techniques and devices. It is believed that the sensor packaging methodology and devices described herein address this continuing need.

Chip on lead frame for small package speed sensor