An electrical connector (1) includes an insulative housing (10) and a plurality of stamped contacts (12) resided therewithin. The conductive contact includes a central spring beam (122), a side spring beam (124) located at one side of the central spring beam, and a contact portion (121) formed between the central spring beam and the side spring beam for electrically mating with a mating component. The central spring beam extends inwardly of the contact portion and towards an end portion of the side spring beam. Such a configuration of the central spring beam will ensure that the conductive contact has a predetermined robustness thereof while possessing the required spring properties for the stamped contact.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the art of electrical connectors, and more particularly to a stamped contact for use in an electrical connector.
2. General Background
Electrical connectors are used for forming electrical connections between spaced contact pads on adjacent parallel circuit members, such as an IC package and a substrate. The electrical connector typically includes an insulative housing and a plurality of conductive contacts resided within the insulative housing. The conductive contacts extend towards top and bottom sides of the insulative housing in order to establish the electrical connection between the aligned pairs of contact pads through the electrical connector sandwiched between the two parallel members. Making good and reliable electrical connections between the pads of the two members typically requires the conductive contact to have a robust capability so as to withstand a normal force resulted from compression actions of the two parallel member, in addition to having a good current through capability for the conductive contact. Failure of a single conductive contact to make a reliable connection renders the entire frame useless. Further, the electrical connector should occupy a minimum width between the two spaced members, requiring that the individual conductive contacts in the electrical connector to have a limited height while possessing the required spring properties for establishing reliable electrical connections between the contact pads.
In addition, the conductive contacts should be loosely or floatably confined within the electrical connector in order to ensure coplanarity of the conductive contacts with respect to the respective circuit members, such as the IC package and/or the substrate if, in some instances, the circuit member may be deformed due to temperature influences. The floating requirement of the conductive contacts also helps the conductive contacts in forming the reliable electrical connections between the spaced circuit members. Therefore, there is a need to provide a new electrical connector to resolve at least one of the above-mentioned problems.

Contact for an interposer-type connector array


The present disclosure provides a substrate structure for a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) device. The substrate structure includes a cap and a micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) substrate. The cap has a cavity, and the MEMS substrate is disposed on the cap. The MEMS substrate has a plurality of through holes exposing the cavity, and an aspect ratio of the through hole is greater than 30.

Manufacturing of an integrated circuit (IC) has been largely driven by the need to increase the density of the integrated circuit formed in a semiconductor device. This is typically accomplished by implementing more aggressive design rules to allow larger density of IC device to be formed. Nonetheless, the increased density of the IC devices, such as transistors, has also increased the complexity of processing semiconductor devices with the decreased feature sizes.
Micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) is a technology generally referred to as miniaturized mechanical and electro-mechanical elements (i.e., devices and structures) that are made using the techniques of micro-fabrication. MEMS structures are recently developed in the field of integrated circuit technology in which MEMS devices are formed on a substrate to feature mechanical and electrical features. The MEMS devices include such as sensors, valves, gears, actuators, mirrors, heaters, printer nozzles and so on. Generally, a MEMS structure includes a substrate structure with MEMS devices and a cap structure, and the MEMS devices are positioned therebetween. In the manufacturing process of MEMS structure, further improvements are constantly necessary to satisfy the performance requirement in the scaling down process.

Substrate structure, semiconductor structure and method for fabricating the same

TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING CO., LTD.


A method includes receiving an authentication request for a remote session between a managed device and a client device, the authentication request comprising an identifier of a user of the client device and a one-time remote service credential (RSC) passcode. The method also includes providing the user identifier and the one-time RSC passcode to an identity provider and receiving, from the identity provider, a user token for the user of the client device. The method further includes authenticating the user token using a service provider, receiving a set of attributes of the user of the client device responsive to successful authentication of the user token and providing an authentication response to the managed device, the authentication response comprising the set of attributes of the user of the client device which are used to establish the remote session between the managed device and the client device.

Various entities may offer servicing or other support for products used by customers, including computing and storage devices. In some cases, such entities provide for remote management of products used by customers. Such products may be referred to as managed devices. Customer support personnel of a servicing entity may establish connect-in remote sessions for servicing of the managed devices. The remote sessions are typically secured by static service accounts established by the customers for servicing of managed devices by the customer support personnel of the servicing entity.

Remote service credentials for establishing remote sessions with managed devices


A method is described for the preparation of electrophotographic toner particles which includes the use of SOLSPERSE.RTM.. The method involves dissolving in ethyl acetate a hyperdispersant selected from SOLSPERSE.RTM. 24000 and SOLSPERSE.RTM. 20000, thereby forming a solution; mixing the solution with a polymer material to form an organic phase; dispersing the organic phase in an aqueous phase containing a particulate stabilizer and homogenizing the resultant dispersion; evaporating the solvent; and washing and drying the resultant product.

Electrostatic toner polymer particles are commonly prepared by a process frequently referred to as "limited coalescence". In this process, polymer particles having a narrow size distribution are obtained by forming a solution of a polymer in a solvent that is immiscible with water, dispersing the solution so formed in an aqueous medium containing a solid colloidal stabilizer and removing the solvent by evaporation. The resultant particles are then isolated, washed and dried.
In the practice of this technique, toner particles are prepared from any type of polymer that is soluble in a solvent that is immiscible with water. Thus, the size and size distribution of the resulting particles can be predetermined and controlled by the relative quantities of the particular polymer employed, the solvent, the quantity and size of the water insoluble solid particulate suspension stabilizer, typically silica or latex, and the size to which the solvent-polymer droplets are reduced by agitation.
Limited coalescence techniques of this type have been describe in numerous patents pertaining to the preparation of electrostatic toner particles because such techniques typically result in the formation of toner particles having a substantially uniform size distribution. Representative limited coalescence process employed in toner preparation are described in Nair et al. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,833,060 and 4,965,131.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,151 to Santilli is representative of the prior art in this field and describes the use of carnauba wax to achieve similar toner morphology. The '151 method comprises the steps of dissolving carnauba wax in ethyl acetate heated to a temperature of at least 75.degree. C. and cooling the solution, so resulting in the precipitation of the wax in the form of very fine needles a few microns in length; recovering the wax needles and mixing therewith a polymer material, a solvent and optionally, a pigment and a charge control agent to form an organic phase; dispersing the organic phase in an aqueous phase comprising a particulate stabilizer; homogenizing the mixture; evaporating the solvent; and washing and drying the resultant product.
However, this technique requires the use of elevated temperature (at least 75.degree. C.) to dissolve the wax in the solvent and then cooling the solution to precipitate the wax. The wax does not stay in solution of ethyl acetate at ambient temperature (less than 50.degree. C.) which makes it very difficult to scale up production when using this methodology.
The shape of the toner particles has a bearing upon the electrostatic toner transfer and cleaning properties. Thus, for example, the transfer and cleaning efficiency of toner particles have been found to improve as the sphericity of the particles are reduced. Thus far, workers in the art have long sought to modify the shape of the evaporative limited coalescence type toners independently of pigment, binder, or charge agent choice in order to enhance the cleaning and transfer properties of the toner.
No prior art was found which suggested using SOLSPERSE.RTM. 24000 or 20000 dispersant in the manner of the present invention. The following documents disclose various toner preparations in which the use of a SOLSPERSE.RTM. 24000 dispersant is either claimed or disclosed: U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,863 to Hsieh et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,367 to Lofftus et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,454 to Imai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,219 to Agata et al. and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,298,355 and 5,298,356 to Tyagi et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,629,367 to Lofftus et al. describes a means to produce a dry pigment concentrate from a wet milled pigment utilizing SOLSPERSE.RTM. 24000, and subsequently, making electrophotographic toners by the conventional process of extrusion and classification of the toner. Limitations to the above conventional methodology include difficulty in attaining desired small particle size as well as narrow particle size distribution through a grinding process. Also, Lofftus teaches morphology and narrow particle size distribution of the dispersed pigment rather than controlled shape (sphericity) of the toner particles.

Toner particles of controlled shape and method of preparation


In a synchronous multi-port bank memory, registers/buffers receive a read/write signal and an address signal from each of external ports, receive and send a data signal to and from each of the external ports, and receive and send a port block signal. An access conflict management circuit receives the address signals from the registers and buffers and generates the port block signal when an access conflict to the bank occurs. A switching network receives the read/write signal and the address signal from the registers/buffers and generates a bank selection signal when no port block signal is received, so as to activate the selected bank. Thus, memory access cycle time is shortened. A synchronous 1-port bank memory is also constructed similarly.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a memory having a synchronous bank memory architecture.
2. Description of Prior Art
Synchronous multi-port memories can process read/write instructions in parallel. A multi-port memory has problems on area efficiency and arbitration for access conflicts. A multi-port bank memory has many 1-port memories with 1-port memory cells, referred to as banks, connected to the ports. Because 1-port cells are used, an area occupied by the memory can be decreased if compared with a conventional memory with N-port cells. Two architectures, that is, crossbar memory architecture and hierarchical memory architecture (HMA), are developed for a multi-port bank memory. In the crossbar multi-port memory, crossbar switches are provided between banks and ports. An HMA multi-port memory has a transition circuit between a port and N ports provided in each bank, row and column selectors for accessing one of the banks arranged in a matrix, and a central conflict management circuit is operated in parallel to the row and column selectors (for example, refer to H. J. Mattausch, Koji Kishi and Takayuki Gyohten, "Area-efficient multi-port SRAMs for on-chip data-storage with high random-access bandwidth and large storage capacity," IEICE Transactions on Electronics, Vol. E84-C, No. 3, p. 410, 2001, and H. J. Mattausch, "Hierarchical architecture for area-efficient integrated N-port memories with latency-free multi-gigabit per second access bandwidth," IEE Electronics Letters, Vol. 35, No. 17, pp. 1441–1443, 1999).
In a synchronous multi-port bank memory, in order to minimize access time, bit lines are precharged to a suitable voltage, and a sense amplifier is used conventionally. Memory access and the precharging of the bit lines are performed at different clock phases. For example, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the memory access is performed while clock signal ck="1", and the precharging is performed while clock ck="0". Therefore, a clock cycle time for the memory access (or memory access cycle time) consists of a sum of the precharging time and the memory access time, so that the clock cycle time becomes longer than the actual access time. However, in principle, it is desirable that the memory access cycle time is shortened to the memory access time.

Memory with synchronous bank architecture

Semiconductor Technology Academic Research Center


In one embodiment, a networking system includes a physical switch and a scalable and distributed virtual control plane. The switch is adapted to receive a first packet, classify the first packet to produce a packet classification, generate a second packet based on the first packet, and forward the second packet. The scalable and distributed virtual control plane has a physical host server adapted to host a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), each VM providing a control plane for a particular protocol, and a network connecting the switch to the server. In addition, the plurality of VMs are adapted to receive the second packet, retrieve information about the first packet, handle processing of the first packet using the information to obtain forwarding information, encapsulate the first packet into a third packet including the forwarding information, and forward the third packet according to the forwarding information.

The present invention relates to data center infrastructure, and more particularly, this invention relates to a scalable distributed control plane for network switching systems.
As the size of a physical networking system increases (e.g., number of ports, an aggregation of multiple ports, multiple physical networking systems used to simulate a larger physical networking system, number of network control protocols, etc.), the requirements and demands made on a control plane for the network (which contains processors, buses, I/O, and other associated resources across many different physical entities) also increase. However, typically a control plane may have limited physical capabilities and is limited to a single switching component in the network. Therefore, each control plane would be incapable of scaling to the degree necessary to handle all demands made thereof when the size of a physical networking system increases to a certain degree.
Therefore, there is a need for improved control plane capabilities, particularly capabilities for scaling up to handle additional control packet processing capabilities that are required in a fast and large networking system.

Scalable distributed control plane for network switching systems

Lenovo Enterprise Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd.


A method and an apparatus of memory access request priority queue arbitration comprises sorting the requests into plurality of different priority levels firstly. The priority queues of different priority levels are arranged respectively according to the following steps: counting the cycles and latencies of each access request; counting the total cycles; comparing the latencies of each access request and total cycles respectively, if the total cycles is larger than the latency of a request, then arranging one more the same request in the priority queue, else executing the priority queue in order.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a method and an apparatus of priority arbitration, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus of arranging priority queue for an arbiter within a memory access interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the requirement of consumer media electronic products increases, in order to enhance the product competition, the concept of SoC (System On Chip) has become a trend. Due to the device integrated, the chip with SoC concept has less power consumption, greater heat dissipation, and better signal transmission quality. Moreover, the concept of SoC puts more and more devices into one single chip, so each device in this chip has to be integrated or reduced its size in order to meet the requirement of SoC. With the integration of devices, the use of devices and substrates can be reduced. Due to the size reduction of devices, the volume of chip is reduced, and also the package is reduced, so the cost of the chip designed with the concept of SoC can be reduced. One of the most widely used consumer media electronic products is multi-media player.
In order to process different types of video and audio signals, a well-known multi-media player comprises many microprocessors with different functions, for example, a video decoder unit is necessary to process video signals; a digital signal processor (DSP) is necessary to process audio signals. Additionally, amounts of memory modules are needed for a well-known multi-media player to handle large data transportation and storage of firmware.
A memory interface exists between microprocessor and its corresponding memory modules for establishing contact in the access. To make requests accessing efficient, the memory interface comprises an arbiter, determining which one of the access requests asked by the microprocessor has the priority and deciding which one of the access requests can use the bus bandwidth. Before arbitrating the priority of bus bandwidth, a standard of bus bandwidth sequence which is called priority queue must be setup. It decides which one of the access requests has the priority to use bus bandwidth based on priority queue when a plurality of access requests are asking at the same time.
A well-known arrangement of queue is shown in FIG. 1 with a concept of first in first out (FIFO). The first asked access request has the highest priority, which is arranged in forefront (front in queue) position and must be executed firstly. After finishing executing the forefront access request, the other access requests are pushed forward and a new access request is added into the last position (rear in queue) of the queue.
Because of the trend of the concept of SoC (System On Chip) and reduction of memory space in systems, an invention of sharing memory address and data buses is provided earlier, where some parts of system with same functions are integrated or shared. All microprocessors have to access shared memory and data buses via a shard memory interface in the system. Therefore a better method of arranging priority queue and an efficient arbitrative apparatus is necessary to decide the request priority of a system with amounts of access requests. Consequently, system performance is increased.

Method and apparatus of arranging priority queue and arbitrating for memory access requests


A flipper structure including a web portion and a shoe portion. There is an opening between the web and the shoe so that the two portions are connected at only two points on their sides. The flipper structure allows a wearer to swing the web portion during swimming or diving by manipulating an area of his foot near his ankle instead of using only his toes. This allows the wearer to swim or dive for a prolonged time and to avoid possible cramps and injury.

The present invention relates to an improved flipper structure, and more particularly to a flipper structure which allows a wearer to control the flipper by manipulating his or her ankle instead of toes, so that the wearer may swim or dive in an effort-saving manner and any possible athletic injury can be minimized.
Generally, a flipper includes a shoe portion and a web portion. The shoe portion receives a wearer's one foot therein. The web portion can be swung upward and downward by the wearer's foot to increase the thrust of leg movements in swimming. Usually, a swimmer or diver wearing flippers shall exert force on the web portions to swing the same by moving his or her feet.
Please refer to FIG. 1 which illustrates a flipper with conventional structure. The shoe portion 1 and the web portion 2 are integrally formed with a front end of the shoe portion 1 completely connected to the web portion. As shown in FIG. 2, a point A on a wearer's foot 6 in the shoe portion 1 to exert force on the web portion 2 is generally close to and contacts with a joint between the shoe portion 1 and the web portion 2. That is, an area on each flipper to there a force is applied to swing the web portion almost concentrates at the front end of the shoe portion 1, also a place at where the wearer's toes 61 locate. In other words, a main area on the wearer's foot from where force is exerted on the flipper to swing the web portion is the toes at front end of the foot. Any reaction of the web portion 2 also acts on the toes. Since the toe joints are very weak areas on the foot and tend to become tightened and curled when the wearer tries to exert force from these areas and when these areas are subjected to force from the swung web portion 2, as shown in FIG. 3. This condition will not only cause sore and ache toes 61 but also ache and cramped calves. The swing of the web portion 2 with toes 61 also consumes more energy and prevents the swimmer or diver from swimming or diving for a prolonged time. It is therefore desirable to improve the conventional flipper structure.


A method and system are provided for serving multimedia messages to a cellular wireless communications device through an alternative route. According to an embodiment, the wireless device is locally coupled with a computer such as a PC. When a message notification arrives at the wireless device through a cellular air interface, the wireless device passes an indication of the notification to the local computer. The local computer then requests the message from a message server and the message delivered through a high-bandwidth wired pathway. Finally, the message is rendered for output at a terminal.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electronic communication and more particularly to electronic messaging.
2. Description of Related Art
In certain wireless messaging systems, when a data message is to be sent to a wireless communication device (WCD), a network entity will send to the WCD a message-notification that carries a message key indicative of the data message. When the WCD receives the message-notification, the WCD then sends a data request (e.g., an HTTP GET request) to a message server, seeking to retrieve the data message indicated by the message key. The message server then responsively delivers the data message to the WCD.
In wireless communications systems, particularly cellular radiocommunication systems (such as CDMA, GSM or other such systems), the air interface over which these communications occur has limited bandwidth. Consequently, it is desirable to conserve use of the air interface.

Method and system for wireline response to wireless message notification


The present invention relates to a high impact resistant polymeric composition comprising a polyester and a thermally stable modified selectively hydrogenated block copolymer wherein at least one acid compound or a derivative thereof is grafted to the block copolymer. Poly(alkylene terephthalates) are preferred thermoplastic polyesters. The block copolymer will comprise at least one polymeric block of a monoalkenyl arene and at least one polymeric block of at least one conjugated diolefin.

1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to a polymeric composition. More particularly, this invention relates to a thermoplastic polyester resin composition.
2. Prior Art
The use of thermoplastic polyesters such as the poly(alkylene terephthalates) in various applications is, of course, well known in the prior art. Such polymers are particularly useful in the preparation of molded structures. In general, the molded structures may be prepared via injection molding, compression molding, transfer molding and the like. Depending upon the particular end use, the thermoplastic polyester may be combined with other polymers, oils, fillers, reinforcing agents, antioxidants, stabilizers, fire retardants, antiblocking agents and the like.
In general, products fashioned with thermoplastic polyester resins exhibit good rigidity, heat resistance and electrical characteristics. The molded products do not, however, generally exhibit good impact resistance. As a result, polymeric compositions comprising a thermoplastic polyester as the sole polymeric component frequently cannot effectively be used in the preparation of many molded products. Moreover, the poor impact strength has, to some extent at least, restricted the use of such polymer compositions in other end use applications.
Heretofore, several techniques have been proposed for improving the impact resistance of shaped articles fashioned from a thermoplastic polyester. In general, these methods involve the incorporation of an elastomeric polymer into a polymeric composition comprising the thermoplastic polyester. In this regard, block copolymers comprising at least one monoalkenyl aromatic hydrocarbon polymer block and at least one conjugated diolefin polymer block are known to improve the impact strength of thermoplastic polyester resin composition products. Frequently, the conjugated diolefin block will be selectively hydrogenated so as to improve weatherability and heat resistance. The elastomeric block copolymer may be incorporated so as to form an interlocking network as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,605. The block copolymer may also, in effect, simply be admixed with the thermoplastic polyester as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,735. The block copolymer may further be modified by grafting an unsaturated carboxylic acid or a derivative thereof onto the block copolymer before physically admixing the same with the polyester as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,970 and International Kokai Application No. WO83/00492. The thermoplastic polyester resin compositions obtained via physical admixture of the components are, however, frequently, not stable and phase separation often occurs between the polyester and the block copolymer. Moreover, while the improvement in impact resistance realized with any of these systems may occasionally be significant, the improvement is more generally marginal and less significant. There is, of course, no known way to control these systems so as to insure a significant improvement in the impact resistance of the polyester composition.
It is, of course, known in the prior art that polymer compositions comprising an impact modifier will consist of at least two distinct phases-a first phase comprising the principle polymer and a second phase comprising the impact modifier. Heretofore, it has been believed that the interfacial adhesion between these two phases as well as the phase size of the second, impact modifier, phase were the principle variables affecting the extent of impact modification in such compositions. With any given polymer systems, there is, of course, little control over the interfacial adhesion between these phases although the amount of modifier actually used as well as the number of functional groups contained therein can be varied with some degree of accuracy. Similarly, there is little control over phase size of the second, impact modifier, phase although certain polymer properties believed to affect phase size such as molecular weight as well as the method used to prepare the polymeric blend can be varied with some degree of accuracy.
While, as indicated supra, the incorporation of an elastomeric block copolymer or a modified derivative thereof into a thermoplastic polyester resin composition frequently leads to the production of a product having improved impact strength, the extent of impact resistance improvement is, at best, difficult to control and, as a result, the amount of block copolymer, impact modifier, actually used or required to realize significant improvement is frequently relatively excessive. The improved impact resistance is, then, frequently obtained at the expense of other desirable properties characteristic of thermoplastic polyester resin products. Moreover, the selectively hydrogenated block copolymers are relatively expensive. As a result, even when the selectively hydrogenated block copolymers are used as a modifier in a thermoplastic polyester resin composition, they frequently are not used at a high enough concentration to yield a maximum impact strength. The need, then, for an improved impact modifiers which will be effective at lower concentrations, not subject to phase separation and affort better control over the extent of the impact improvement realized in thermoplastic polyester resin compositions is believed to be readily apparent.

High impact resistanct blends of thermoplastic polyesters and modified block copolymers


A method and system for the extracorporeal treatment of blood to remove fluid from the fluid overloaded patient is disclosed that non-invasively measures osmotic pressure across a filter membrane of a blood filter. The filter is permeable to water and electrolytes, but not to blood protein. The osmotic pressure indicates the protein concentration in the blood. Osmotic pressure is used to detect when hypotension is about to occur in a patient, as a result of excessive blood volume reduction during treatment of the blood. Using the osmotic pressure measurement as a feedback signal, the rate of fluid extraction is automatically controlled to achieve the desired clinical outcome and avoid precipitating a hypotensive crisis in the patient.

Renal replacement therapy (RRT) has evolved from the long, slow hemodialysis treatment regime of the 1960's to a diverse set of therapy options, the vast majority of which employ high permeability membrane devices and ultrafiltration control systems.
Biologic kidneys remove metabolic waste products, other toxins, and excess water. They also maintain electrolyte balance and produce several hormones for a human or other mammalian body. An artificial kidney, also called a hemodialyzer or dialyzer, and attendant equipment and supplies are designed to replace the blood-cleansing functions of the biologic kidney. At the center of artificial kidney design is a semipermeable filter membrane that allows passage of water, electrolytes, and solute toxins to be removed from the blood. The membrane retains in the blood, the plasma proteins and other formed elements of the blood.
Over the last 15 years, the intended use of the RRT equipment the system has evolved into a subset of treatment alternatives that are tailored to individual patient needs. They include ultrafiltration, hemodialysis, hemofiltration, and hemodiafiltration, all of which are delivered in a renal care environment, as well as hemoconcentration, which is typically delivered in open heart surgery. Renal replacement therapies may be performed either intermittently or continuously, in the acute or chronic renal setting, depending on the individual patient's needs.
Ultrafiltration involves the removal of excess fluid from the patient's blood by employing a pressure gradient across a semipermeable membrane of a high permeability dialyzer. For example, removal of excess fluid occurs in hemoconcentration at the conclusion of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery. Hemodialysis involves the removal of toxins from the patient's blood by employing diffusive transport through the semipermeable membrane, and requires an electrolyte solution (dialysate) flowing on the opposite side of the membrane to create a concentration gradient. A goal of dialysis is the removal of waste, toxic substances, and/or excess water from the patients' blood. Dialysis patients require removal of excess water from their blood because they lack the ability to rid their bodies of fluid through the normal urinary function.
One of the potential risks to health associated with RRT is hypotension, which is abnormal decrease in the patient's blood pressure. An abnormally high or uncontrolled ultrafiltration rate may result in hypovolemic shock, hypotension, or both. If too much water is removed from the patient's blood, such as might occur if the ultrafiltration rate is too high or uncontrolled, the patient could suffer hypotension and/or go into hypovolemic shock. Accordingly, RRT treatments must be controlled to prevent hypotension.
Alternatively, a patient may experience fluid overload in his blood, as a result of fluid infusion therapy or hyperalimentation therapy. Certain kinds of RRT machine failures may result in fluid gain rather than fluid loss. Specifically, inverse ultrafiltration may result in unintended weight gain of a patient and is potentially hazardous. Uncontrolled infusion of fluid by whatever mechanism into the patient could result in fluid overload, with the most serious acute complication being pulmonary edema. These risks are similar in all acute and chronic renal replacement therapies (ultrafiltration, hemodialysis, hemofiltration, hemodiafiltration, hemoconcentration). Monitoring patients to detect excessive fluid loss is needed to avoid hypotension.
Rapid reduction in plasma or blood volume due to dialysis-associated ultrafiltration may cause a patient to exhibit one or more of the following symptoms: hypovolemia-hypotension, diaphoresis, cramps, nausea, or vomiting. During dialysis, plasma volume would theoretically remain constant if the plasma refilling rate equaled the UF (ultrafiltration) rate. However, refilling of the plasma is often not completed during a dialysis session. The delay in refilling the plasma can lead to insufficient blood volume in a patient.
There appears to be a "critical" blood volume value below which patients begin to have problems associated with hypovolemia (abnormally decreased blood volume). Fluid replenishing rate is the rate at which the fluid (water and electrolytes) can be recruited from tissue into the blood stream across permeable walls of capillaries. This way blood volume is maintained relatively constant. Most of patients can recruit fluid at the rate of 500 to 1000 mL/hour. When patients are ultrafiltered at a faster rate, they begin to experience symptomatic hypotension.
Hypotension is the manifestation of hypovolemia or a severe fluid misbalance. Symptomatically, hypotension may be experienced by the patient as light-headedness. To monitor patients for hypotension, non-invasive blood pressure monitors (NIBP) are commonly used during RRT. When detected early, hypotension resulting from the excessive loss of fluid is easily reversed by giving the patient intravenous fluids. Following administering fluids the RRT operator can adjust the ultrafiltration rate to make the RRT treatment less aggressive.
Ultrafiltration controllers were developed specifically to reduce the occurrence of hypotension in dialysis patients. Ultrafiltration controllers can be based on approximation from the known trans-membrane pressure (TMP), volume based or gravity based. Roller pumps and weight scales are used in the latter to meter fluids. Ultrafiltration controllers ensure the rate of fluid removal from a patient's blood is close to the fluid removal setting that was selected by the operator. However, these controllers do not always protect the patient from hypotension. For example, the operator may set the fluid removal rate too high. If the operator setting is higher than the patient's fluid replenishing rate, the operator should reduce the rate setting when the signs of hypotension manifest. If the excessive rate is not reduced, the patient may still suffer from hypotension, even while the controller operates properly.
Attempts were made during the last two decades to develop monitors that could be used for feedback control of dialysis machine parameters, such as dialysate concentration, temperature, and ultrafiltration rate and ultrafiltrate volume. Blood volume feedback signals have been proposed that are based on optical measurements of hematocrit, blood viscosity and blood conductivity. Real time control devices have been proposed that adjust the ultrafiltration rate to maintain the blood volume constant, and thereby balance the fluid removal and fluid recruitment rates. None of these proposed designs led to significant commercialization owing to the high cost of sensors, high noise to signal ratio or lack of economic incentive for manufacturers. In addition, these proposed systems required monitoring of patients by highly trained personnel.
Controllers that protect patients from hypotension are especially needed for patients suffering from fluid overload due to chronic congestive heart failure (CHF). In CHF patients, fluid overload typically is not accompanied by renal failure. In these patients mechanical solute removal is not required. Only fluid (plasma water) removal is needed. Ideal Renal Replacement Therapy (RRT) for these patients is Slow Continuous Ultrafiltration (SCUF) also known as "Ultrafiltration without Dialysis".
SCUF must be controlled to avoid inducing hypotension in the patient. Due to their poor heart condition, CHF patients are especially vulnerable to hypotension from excessively fast fluid removal. The clinical treatment objective for these patients can be formulated as: Fluid removal at the maximum rate obtainable without the risk of hypotension. This maximum rate is equivalent to fluid removal at the maximum rate at which the vascular volume can be refilled from tissue. This maximum rate for CHF patients is typically in the 100 to 1,000 mL/hour range. The rate can vary with the patient's condition and is almost impossible to predict. The rate can also change over the course of treatment, especially if the objective of treatment is to remove 2 to 10 liters of fluid.
Hypotension in CHF patients often results from a decrease of the cardiac output of the patient. Cardiac output is the volume of blood that is ejected per minute from the heart with each heart contraction. The heart pumps approximately 4-8 L/min in the normal patient. Cardiac output decreases because a heart failure patient in the heart has a reduced filling pressure. Filling pressure is the blood pressure in the right atrium of the heart. This pressure is approximately equal to the patient's venous pressure measured elsewhere in a great vein and corrected for gravity. In a fluid overloaded CHF patient Central Venous Pressure (CVP) is typically between 10 and 20 mmHg. If this pressure drops by 5 to 10 mmHg, the patient is likely to become hypotensive within minutes.
The danger of hypotension in dialysis has been recognized. U.S. Pat. No. 5,346,472 describes a control system to prevent hypotension that automatically adjusts the sodium concentration added to the dialysate by infusing a hypertonic or isotonic saline solution in response to operator input or patient's request based on symptoms. European patent EU 0311709 to Levin and Zasuwa describes automatic ultrafiltration feedback based on arterial blood pressure and heart rate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,710,164 describes an automatic ultrafiltration feedback device based on arterial blood pressure and heart rate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,804 describes an extracorporeal circulation system with a blood oxygenator that manipulates the withdrawal of blood to maintain CVP constant. U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,938 describes an automatic dialysis machine that controls ultrafiltration rate based on weight loss or the calculated blood volume change.
Other devices have been proposed that use arterial pressure as a feedback to the ultrafiltration controller to avoid hypotension. Automatic Non-Invasive Blood Pressure (NIBP) monitor feedback was used as a control system input. NIBP measures systolic and diastolic arterial blood pressure by periodically inflating a blood pressure cuff around the patient's arm or leg. Acoustic or oscillatory methods detect the pressure level at which blood vessels collapse. This level approximates systemic arterial blood pressure. Closed loop dialysis or fluid removal devices designed around this principle have several inherent deficiencies, including:                a) NIBP is inaccurate. Errors of up to 20 mmHg can be expected in the system. To avoid system oscillations and false alarms, the feedback would have to be slow and heavily filtered.        b) NIBP is not continuous, but is rather based on periodic pressure measurements. If the blood pressure cuff were inflated more frequently, less than every 15 minutes a patient would experience significant discomfort. Also, blood vessels change their elasticity from the frequent compressions of the blood cuff. This change in elasticity can add to the inaccuracy of cuff pressure measurements.        c) The arterial pressure in CHF patient does not drop immediately following the reduction of cardiac output. It may take considerable time for a CHF patient to exhaust their cardiac reserve. By that time, the hypotension would have already occurred and its reversal would require medical intervention. Accordingly, hypotension may occur before NIBP detects it.        d) In a CHF patient, arterial blood pressure is maintained by the body to protect the brain. Neurohormonal signals are sent in response to baroreceptors that cause vasoconstriction of blood vessels to legs, intestine and kidneys. By sacrificing other body organs, arterial blood pressure to the brain can be kept constant at the expense of reduced blood flow to organs while the cardiac output is reduced dramatically. Altogether, hypotension in a CHF patient can create a dangerous situation when the arterial blood pressure is apparently normal, while the overall condition of the patient is worsening. By the time the NIBP measurement has detected hypotension, serious medical intervention may be needed.
It is desired to have a feedback based control system that will continuously and automatically manipulate the ultrafiltration rate to achieve optimal ultrafiltration. In such a system, fluid is removed rapidly and without the risk of hypotension.

Controller for ultrafiltration blood circuit which prevents hypotension by monitoring osmotic pressure in blood


A divider kit for constructing and installing a divider system on a storage rack system of the type having a pair of parallel header elements at a top of a storage volume with a front-to-back depth and a side-to-side length to be divided by the assembled kit comprises components for constructing a plurality of main beams dimensioned to extend between and be supported upon the header elements in a spaced apart relationship and a pair of rails for mounting in a spaced relationship along the side-to-side length upon the main beams. The kit further comprises at least one u-shaped divider with two legs mountable upon the rails and depending therefrom to divide the storage volume into at least two sub-volumes. A variety of differently-sized divider systems may be assembled from the components.

Rack type storage systems are prevalent in warehouses as well as in "big box" retail stores to store and display products. In a warehouse environment the racks are typically used to store large containers in which a plurality of products, packaged or unpackaged, have been delivered to the facility, while in retail stores the racks are used both for the storage of bulk packed containers as well as for the display of individual packages, maintaining a "warehouse look" for the retail shelves. Such rack storage systems are economical to build and install, and provide wide expanses of open shelving space, allowing packaging containers of numerous sizes to be easily accommodated in a variety of arrangements.
Typically, store inventory placed before the shopping public is laid out through a "planogram" system, in which the layout of the shelving and the proposed arrangement of goods on the shelves is depicted graphically to allow a decision to be made for purposes of best presenting the products and to assist store personnel in setting up the shelving in accordance with the designed arrangement. A very feature of storage rack shelving that allows accommodation of large quantities of various products—the absence of means for dividing the shelf expanses into sub-units—can make it difficult or organize and segregate the products stored on the shelves and thus hinders execution of planogrammed product placement and display, in which each item has a particular location and amount of shelf space for its placement. Store personnel are often left to their own devices in deciding precisely where to load product on the racks, and products can be intermingled. Likewise in a warehouse environment, rather than stacking products in an orderly fashion, a particular product can be spread across a relatively wide expanse of shelving, limiting availability for other products and making inventorying of product more difficult. In a retail environment, whether planogrammed or not, a lack of means for dividing the shelving into segments can also inhibit effective restocking, and can make it more difficult for a customer to locate and retrieve a particular product.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a divider system in the form of a kit that can be installed on rack type storage systems to sub-divide rack shelving into discrete sub-units in accordance with the desires of the user,
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide such a kit that can be used in connection with rack systems of varying dimensions.
Yet a further purpose of the present invention is to provide such a kit that is of economical construction, that is easy to install, which provides flexibility in assembly are arrangement, and which can be boxed and stored in a relatively small volume.


A display rack for displaying boxes, especially boxes containing a plurality of smaller product packages (such as mint packages), comprising a base and a stand having a plurality of openings. Swing arms with lock slots are adapted to extend from two opposing sides of the openings and engage with the product boxes being displayed. The swing arms are moveable inward and outward within a slot in the rack and are such that the arms may be either perpendicular to the vertical axis of the rack, when the arms are adjacent to the back of the rack, or tilted downward when the swing arms are distanced from the back of the rack. Consequently, the engaged product boxes may be located in a level position at the back of the rack (a position which is especially useful for loading, transport and storage) or they may be tipped in a downward position at the front of the rack to prominently display the product. The boxes are uniquely designed to include slots which accommodate the ends of the swing arms and thus hold the boxes in place in the rack and also allow for easy replacement of the boxes in the rack. In addition, a lock tab on the swing arms is engageable with openings in the boxes to removably lock the swing arms and the boxes together.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to racks used for displaying boxes of goods, especially boxes which contain a plurality of smaller product packages.
2. Description of Related Art
It is commonly known that there is a need to properly display retail goods for sale. This need encompasses the desire of the retailer to display goods in an efficient and economical manner which is clean, neat and highly visible to potential consumers. One type of display rack which is commonly used involves downwardly-inclined trays which provide a gravity feed so that the product slides to the front, and most visible, portion of the display. This type of rack is especially useful in the situation where either small goods or small boxes of goods are being displayed. The ability to display goods is, however, tempered by the reality of space limitations in retail outlets and the difficulties in loading racks with product. In addition, it is important that the manufacture and loading of the display rack be as efficient and economical as possible. With regard to loading, it is important that the display be capable of quick, simple loading. Consequently, it would be advantageous to provide a display rack which would display goods in a clean, neat and visible manner, yet would not require an unwieldy amount of retail space and would be simple to manufacture and load.
A number of existing patents disclose various forms of display racks. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,785,944, issued to March, discloses a collapsible display rack having downwardly-extending shelves. U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,699, issued to Trevaskis, discloses a display stand for selling boxed merchandise in which the trays are movable from a horizontal to a downward position. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,284,257, issued to Schum, discloses a modular self-service merchandise display rack having a plurality of downwardly-inclined shelf-like tiers. While all of the known display racks provide various features, none provide the combination of factors which include ease of loading and manufacture, economization of retail space and neat presentation of the goods which are in relatively small packages. Consequently, it would be advantageous to describe a display rack which provides the combination of desireable factors set forth above.


The present invention provides a conditionally replicating viral vector, methods of making, modifying, propagating and selectively packaging, and using such a vector, isolated molecules of specified nucleotide and amino acid sequences relevant to such vectors, a pharmaceutical composition and a host cell comprising such a vector, the use of such a host cell to screen drugs. The methods include the prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of viral infection, in particular HIV infection, and, thus, are also directed to viral vaccines and the treatment of cancer, in particular cancer of viral etiology. Other methods include the use of such conditionally replicating viral vectors in gene therapy and other applications.

The present invention relates to a conditionally replicating viral vector, methods of making, modifying, propagating and selectively packaging such a vector, isolated molecules of specified nucleotide and amino acid sequences relevant to such vectors, a pharmaceutical composition and a host cell comprising such a vector, and methods of using such a vector and a host cell.
The discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as the cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) has fostered a plethora of research into the underlying mechanisms of the viral infectious cycle and viral pathogenesis. Studies on these mechanisms have provided researchers with an ever-increasing number of targets for the development of antiviral agents effective not only against HIV, but against other viruses as well. These antiviral agents, particularly those directed against HIV, can be categorized into groups depending on their mode of action. Such groups include inhibitors of reverse transcriptase, competitors of viral entry into cells, vaccines, and protease inhibitors, as well as a more recent group referred to herein as xe2x80x9cgenetic antiviral agents.xe2x80x9d
Generally, each type of antiviral agent has its own associated benefits and limitations, and must be assessed in terms of the exigencies of the particular treatment situation. Antiviral agents, such as zidovudine (3xe2x80x2-azido-3xe2x80x2-deoxythymidine, also known as AZT), protease inhibitors and the like, can be delivered into the cells of a patient""s body with relative ease and have been studied extensively. Targeting one specific factor in the viral infectious cycle, such agents have proven relatively ineffective against HIV. This is primarily due to the fact that strains of HIV change rapidly and become resistant to agents having a singular locus of effect (Richman, AIDS Res. and Hum. Retrovir., 8, 1065-1071 (1992)). Accordingly, the problems of genetic variation and rapid mutation in HIV genomes compel consideration of new antiviral strategies to treat HIV infections. Along these lines, genetic antiviral agents are attractive, since they work at many different levels intracellularly.
Genetic antiviral agents differ from other therapeutic agents in that they are transferred as molecular elements into a target cell, wherein they protect the cell from viral infection (Baltimore, Nature, 325, 395-396 (1988); and Dropulic"" et al., Hum. Gene Ther., 5, 927-939 (1994)). Genetic antiviral agents can be any genetic sequence and include, but are not limited to, antisense molecules, RNA decoys, transdominant mutants, interferons, toxins, immunogens, and ribozymes. In particular, ribozymes are genetic antiviral agents that cleave target RNAs, including HIV RNA, in a sequence-specific fashion. The specificity of ribozyme-mediated cleavage of target RNA suggests the possible use of ribozymes as therapeutic inhibitors of viral replication, including HIV replication. Different types of ribozymes, such as the hammerhead and hairpin ribozymes, have been used in anti-HIV strategies (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,144,019, 5,180,818 and 5,272,262, and PCT patent application nos. WO 94/01549 and WO 93/23569). Both of the hammerhead and hairpin ribozymes can be engineered to cleave any target RNA that contains a GUC sequence (Haseloff et al., Nature, 334, 585-591 (1988); Uhlenbeck, Nature, 334, 585 (1987); Hampel et al., Nuc. Acids Res., 18, 299-304 (1990); and Symons, Ann. Rev. Biochem., 61, 641-671 (1992)). Generally speaking, hammerhead ribozymes have two types of functional domains, a conserved catalytic domain flanked by two hybridization domains. The hybridization domains bind to sequences surrounding the GUC sequence and the catalytic domain cleaves the RNA target 3xe2x80x2 to the GUC sequence (Uhlenbeck (1987), supra; Haseloff et al. (1988), supra; and Symons (1992), supra).
A number of studies have confirmed that ribozymes can be at least partially effective at inhibiting the propagation of HIV in tissue culture cells (see, e.g., Sarver et al., Science, 247, 1222-1225 (1990); Sarver et al., NIH Res., 5, 63-67 (1993a); Dropulic"" et al., J. Virol., 66, 1432-1441 (1992); Dropulic"" et al., Methods: Comp. Meth. Enzymol., 5, 43-49 (1993); Ojwang et al., PNAS, 89, 10802-10806 (1992); Yu et al., PNAS, 90, 6340-6344 (1993); and Weerasinghe et al., J. Virol., 65, 5531-5534 (1991)). In particular, Sarver et al. ((1990), supra) have demonstrated that hammerhead ribozymes designed to cleave within the transcribed region of the HIV gag gene, i.e., anti-gag ribozymes, could specifically cleave HIV gag RNAs in -vitro. Furthermore, when cell lines expressing anti-gag ribozymes were challenged with HIV-1, a 50- to 100-fold inhibition of HIV replication was observed. Similarly, Weerasinghe et al. ((1991), supra) have shown that retroviral vectors encoding ribozymes designed to cleave within the US sequence of HIV-1 RNA confer HIV resistance to transduced cells upon subsequent challenge with HIV. Although different clones of transduced cells demonstrated different levels of resistance to challenge as determined by the promoter system used to drive ribozyme expression, most of the ribozyme-expressing cell lines succumbed to HIV expression after a limited time in culture.
Transduction of tissue culture cells with a provirus into the nef gene (which is not essential for viral replication in tissue culture) of which was introduced a ribozyme, the hybridization domains of which were specific for the U5 region of HIV, has been shown to inhibit viral replication within the transduced cells 100-fold as compared to cells transduced with wild-type proviruses (see, e.g., Dropulic"" et al. (1992) and (1993), supra). Similarly, hairpin ribozymes have been shown to inhibit HIV replication in T-cells transduced with vectors containing U5 hairpin ribozymes and challenged with HIV (Ojwang et al. (1992), supra). Other studies have shown that vectors containing ribozymes expressed from a tRNA promoter also inhibit a variety of HIV strains (Yu et al. (1993), supra).
Delivery of ribozymes or other genetic antiviral agents to the cellular targets of HIV infection (e.g., CD4+ T-cells and monocytic macrophages) has been a major hurdle for effective genetic therapeutic treatment of AIDS. Current approaches for targeting cells of the hematopoietic system (i.e., the primary targets for HIV infection) call for introduction of therapeutic genes into precursor multipotent stem cells, which, upon differentiation, give rise to mature T-cells, or, alternatively, into the mature CD4+ T lymphocytes, themselves. The targeting of stem cells is problematic, however, since the cells are difficult to culture and transduce in vitro. The targeting of circulating T lymphocytes is also problematic, since these cells are so widely disseminated that it is difficult to reach all target cells using current vector delivery systems. Moreover, macrophages need to be considered as a cellular target, since they are the major reservoir for viral spread to other organs. However, since macrophages are terminally differentiated and, therefore, do not undergo cellular division, they are not readily transduced with commonly used vectors.
Accordingly, the predominant current approach to HIV treatment makes use of replication-defective viral vectors and packaging (i.e., xe2x80x9chelperxe2x80x9d) cell lines (see, e.g., Buchschacher, JAMA, 269(22), 2880-2886 (1993); Anderson, Science, 256, 808-813 (1992); Miller, Nature, 357, 455-460 (1992); Mulligan, Science, 260, 926-931 (1993); Friedmann, Science, 244, 1275-1281 (1989); and Cournoyer et al., Ann. Rev. Immunol., 11, 297-329 (1993)) to introduce into cells susceptible to viral infection (such as HIV infection) a foreign gene that specifically interferes with viral replication, or that causes the death of an infected cell (reviewed by Buchschacher (1993), supra). Such replication-defective viral vectors contain, in addition to the foreign gene of interest, the cis-acting sequences necessary for viral replication but not sequences that encode essential viral proteins. Consequently, such a vector is unable to complete the viral replicative cycle, and a helper cell line, which contains and constitutively expresses viral genes within its genome, is employed to propagate it. Following introduction of a replication-defective viral vector into a helper cell line, proteins required for viral particle formation are provided to the vector in trans, and vector viral particles capable of infecting target cells and expressing therein the gene, which interferes with viral replication or causes a virally infected cell to die, are produced.
Such replication-defective retroviral vectors include adenoviruses and adeno-associated viruses, as well as those retroviral vectors employed in clinical trials of HIV gene therapy, and, in particular, the mouse amphotropic retroviral vector known as the Moloney murine leukemia virus (MuLV). These defective viral vectors have been used to transduce CD4+ cells with genetic antiviral agents, such as anti-HIV ribozymes, with varying degrees of success (Sarver et al. (1990), supra; Weerasinghe et al. (1991), supra; Dropulic"" et al. (1993), supra; Ojwang et al. (1992), supra; and Yu et al. (1993), supra) However, these vectors are intrinsically limited for HIV gene therapy applications. For example, a high transduction frequency is especially important in the treatment of HIV, where the vector has to transduce either rare CD34+ progenitor hematopoietic stem cells or widely disseminated target CD4+ T-cells, most of which, during the clinical xe2x80x9clatentxe2x80x9d stage of disease, are already infected with HIV. MuLV vectors, however, are difficult to obtain in high titer and, therefore, result in poor transduction. Furthermore, long-term expression of transduced DNA has not been obtained in CD34+ progenitor stem cells, in particular after differentiation to mature T lymphocytes. In addition, the use of defective viral vectors requires ex vivo gene transfer strategies (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,399,346), which can be expensive and beyond the cost of the general population.
These shortcomings associated with the use of currently available vectors for genetic therapeutic treatment of AIDS have led researchers to seek out new viral vectors. One-such vector is HIV, itself. HIV vectors have been employed for infectivity studies (Page et al., J. Virol., 64, 5270-5276 (1990)) and for the introduction of genes (such as suicide genes) into CD4+ cells, particularly CD4+ HIV-infected cells (see, e.g., Buchschacher et al., Hum. Gener. Ther., 3, 391-397 (1992); Richardson et al., J. Virol., 67, 3997-4005 (1993); Carroll et al., J. Virol, 68, 6047-6051 (1994); and Parolin et al., J. Virol., 68, 3888-3895 (1994)). The strategy of these studies is to use HIV vectors to introduce genes into the CD4+ T-cells and monocytic cells.
To date, however, these vectors are extremely complex. Moreover, use of these vectors is accompanied by a risk of generating wild-type HIV via intracellular recombination. Cotransfection/coinfection of defective vector sequences and helper virus has been observed to result in recombination between homologous regions of the viral genomes (Inoue et al., PNAS, 88, 2278-282 (1991)). Observed complementation in vitro indicates that a similar replication-defective HIV vector could recombine in vivo, thus exacerbating an already existing HIV infection. The fact that retroviruses package two RNA genomes into one virion has led researchers to suggest that retroviruses carry two viral RNAs to circumvent any genetic defects caused by complementation and/or recombination (Inoue et al. (1991), supra).
In addition to the risk of intracellular recombination, thereby resulting in wild-type HIV, HIV vectors have an associated risk of mutation in vivo, which increases the pathogenicity of the viral vector. This has lead Sarver et al. (AIDS Res. and Hum. Retrovir., 9, 483-487 (1993b)) to speculate regarding the development of second-generation recombinant HIV vectors, which are replication-competent, yet nonpathogenic. Such vectors, in comparison with the predominantly used nonreplicating vectors (i.e., replication-deficient vectors) continue to replicate in a patient, thus providing constant competition with wild-type HIV. So far, however, such vectors are not available.
Ideally, the best opportunity to treat an infected individual occurs at the time of inoculation, before the virus even infects the host. However, this is difficult to accomplish inasmuch as many individuals do not realize they have become infected with HIV until the clinical latent phase of disease. Based on this, the stage at which antiviral intervention is most sorely needed is during clinical latency. Therapy at this stage requires that the challenge presented by the large number of already infected CD4+ lymphocytes, which harbor viral genomes, be confronted. This is no trivial challenge, as evidenced by the fact that, to date, HIV remains incurable and is only poorly treatable by currently available therapies. An effective vaccine is not forthcoming, and, although inhibitors of reverse transcriptase and protease have been shown to prevent HIV replication in tissue culture, the development of viral resistance in vivo has led to treatment failure. Thus, HIV gene therapy may have little benefit for the vast majority of HIV-infected individuals, predicted to reach more than 40 million by the year 2000.
In view of the above, it is also becoming increasingly important to develop long-term and persistent immunological responses to certain pathogens, especially viruses, particularly in the context of AIDS and cancer, for example. Live-attenuated (LA) vaccines, using replication-competent, but nonpathogenic viruses have been considered (Daniel et al., Science, 258, 1938-1941 (1992); and Desrosiers, AIDS Res. and Human Retrovir., 10, 331-332 (1994)). However, such nonpathogenic viruses, which differ from the corresponding wild-type viruses by a deletion in one or more genes, either (i) cannot elicit a protective immune response because the antigen does not persist (because the LA-virus does not efficiently replicate); or (ii) the LA-virus replicates but has other pathogenic potential, as witnessed by the ability of the LA-virus to cause disease in young animal models (Baba et al., Science, 267, 1823-1825 (1995)).
For the aforementioned reasons, there remains a need for alternative prophylactic and therapeutic treatment modalities of viral infection, particularly in the context of AIDS and cancer. The present invention provides such alternative methods by providing a conditionally replicating vector. The invention also provides additional methods in which such a vector can be employed. These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, as well as additional inventive features, will be apparent from the description of the invention set forth herein.
The present invention provides a conditionally replicating viral vector, which is characterized by a capacity to replicate only in a host cell that is permissive for replication of the vector.
In one embodiment, the conditionally replicating viral vector comprises at least one nucleic acid sequence, the presence, transcription or translation of which confers to the vector in a replication-permissive host cell a selective advantage over a wild-type strain of virus corresponding to the virus from which the vector was derived.
In another embodiment of the conditionally replicating viral vector, the vector, which preferably is a retrovirus, comprises at least one nucleic acid sequence, the presence, transcription or translation of which confers to a host cell, which is infected with the vector, a selective advantage over a cell infected with a wild-type strain of virus corresponding to the virus from which the vector was derived.
Also provided by the present invention is a pharmaceutical composition comprising a conditionally replicating viral vector and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Further provided is a host cell comprising a conditionally replicating viral vector. A vector, wherein said vector, if DNA, comprises a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14 in which at least one N is mutated, 15, and 16 and wherein said vector, if RNA, comprises a nucleotide sequence encoded by a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOS: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, in which at least one N is mutated, 15, and 16 and 18 is also provided as are isolated and purified nucleic acid molecules as set forth herein. Similarly provided are a method of engendering a vector with a ribozyme, a method of modifying a vector, and a method of propagating and selectively packaging a conditionally replicating vector without using a packaging cell line.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of therapeutically and prophylactically treating a host cell for a viral infection is provided. Such methods can additionally comprise the use of a helper-expression vector, a cytotoxic drug, proteins/factors, or a protease/reverse transcriptase inhibitor as appropriate. The method can be used, for example, to inhibit replication of a virus, treat cancer, in vivo gene transfer, or to express a gene of interest in a host cell.
In still yet another embodiment, a method of using a host cell comprising a conditionally replicating vector to detect interaction between a drug/factor and a protein is provided. Such a method enables protein characterization and screening of drugs/factors for activity with respect to a given protein.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine


A method and an apparatus for mitigating aliasing when imaging moving fluid or tissue using velocity Doppler shift data. To eliminate the effects of slight aliasing in the velocity mode, symmetrical (or non-directional) velocity/color maps are used to map positive and negative velocity data of the same magnitude to the same color and same display intensity. If the pulse repetition frequency is adjusted so that only subtle aliasing is present, an optimal frame averaging of the data can be achieved by removing the sign of the velocity data either before or during frame averaging.

Conventional ultrasound scanners create two-dimensional B-mode images of tissue in which the brightness of a pixel is based on the intensity of the echo return. In color flow imaging, the flow of blood or movement of tissue can be imaged. Measurement of blood flow in the heart and vessels using the Doppler effect is well known. The frequency shift of backscattered ultrasound waves may be used to measure the velocity of the backscatterers from tissue or blood. The change or shift in backscattered frequency increases when blood flows toward the transducer and decreases when blood flows away from the transducer. The Doppler shift may be displayed using different colors to represent speed and direction of flow. The color flow mode displays hundreds of adjacent sample volumes simultaneously, all color-coded to represent each sample volume's velocity. The color flow image may be superimposed on the B-mode image.
The present invention is incorporated in an ultrasound imaging system consisting of four main subsystems: a beamformer 2 (see FIG. 1), processor subsystem 4, a scan converter/display controller 6 and a master controller 8. System control is centered in master controller 8, which accepts operator inputs through an operator interface (not shown) and in turn controls the various subsystems. The master controller also generates the system timing and control signals which are distributed via a system control bus 10 and a scan control bus (not shown).
The main data path begins with the digitized RF inputs to the beamformer from the transducer. The beamformer outputs two summed digital baseband receive beams. The baseband data is input to B-mode processor 4A and color flow processor 4B, where it is processed according to the acquisition mode and output as processed acoustic vector (beam) data to the scan converter/ display processor 6. The scan converter/display processor 6 accepts the processed acoustic data and outputs the video display signals for the image in a raster scan format to a color monitor 12. The scan converter/display controller 6, in cooperation with master controller 8, also formats multiple images for display, display annotation, graphics overlays and replay of cine loops and recorded timeline data.
The B-mode processor 4A converts the baseband data from the beamformer into a log-compressed version of the signal envelope. The B function images the time-varying amplitude of the envelope of the signal as a grey scale using an 8-bit output for each pixel. The envelope of a baseband signal is the magnitude of the vector which the baseband data represent.
The frequency of sound waves reflecting from the inside of blood vessels, heart cavities, etc. is shifted in proportion to the velocity of the blood cells: positively shifted for cells moving towards the transducer and negatively for those moving away. The color flow (CF) processor 4B is used to provide a real-time two-dimensional image of blood velocity in the imaging plane. The blood velocity is calculated by measuring the phase shift from firing to firing at a specific range gate. Instead of measuring the Doppler spectrum at one range gate in the image, mean blood velocity from multiple vector positions and multiple range gates along each vector are calculated, and a two-dimensional image is made from this information. The structure and operation of a color flow processor are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,524,629, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein.
The color flow processor produces velocity (8 bits), variance (turbulence) (4 bits) and power (8 bits) signals. The operator selects whether the velocity and variance or the power are output to the scan converter. The output signal is input to a chrominance control look-up table which resides in the video processor 22. Each address in the look-up table stores 24 bits. For each pixel in the image to be produced, 8 bits control the intensity of red, 8 bits control the intensity of green and 8 bits control the intensity of blue. These bit patterns are preselected such that as the flow velocity changes in direction or magnitude, the color of the pixel at each location is changed. For example, flow toward the transducer is indicated as red and flow away from the transducer is indicated as blue. The faster the flow, the brighter the color.
The acoustic line memories 14A and 14B of the scan converter/display controller 6 respectively accept processed digital data from processors 4A and 4B and perform the coordinate transformation of the color flow and B-mode data from polar coordinate (R-.theta.) sector format or Cartesian coordinate linear array to appropriately scaled Cartesian coordinate display pixel data stored in X-Y display memory 18. In the B-mode, intensity data is stored X-Y display memory 18, each address storing three 8-bit pixels. Alternatively, in the color flow mode, data is stored in memory as follows: intensity data (8 bits), velocity or power data (8 bits) and variance (turbulence) data (4 bits).
A multiplicity of successive frames of color flow or B-mode data are stored in a cine memory 24 on a first-in, first out basis. The cine memory is like a circular image buffer that runs in the background, continually capturing image data that is displayed in real time to the user. When the user freezes the system, the user has the capability to view image data previously captured in cine memory. The graphics data for producing graphics overlays on the displayed image is generated and stored in the timeline/graphics processor and display memory 20. The video processor 22 multiplexes between the graphics data, image data, and timeline data to generate the final video output in a raster scan format on video monitor 12. Additionally it provides for various greyscale and color maps as well as combining the greyscale and color images.
A conventional ultrasound imaging system collects B-mode or color flow mode images in cine memory 24 on a continuous basis. The cine memory 24 provides resident digital image storage for single image review and multiple image loop review and various control functions. The region of interest displayed during single-image cine replay is that used during the image's acquisition. The cine memory also acts as a buffer for transfer of images to digital archival devices via the master controller 8.
In conventional diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems, the velocity color flow mode suffers from inherent limitations due to the nature of a sampled data system and the velocity estimator. In particular, the velocity mode suffers from aliasing where flow velocities exceeding PRF/2 are wrapped into and cannot be distinguished from other velocities. In addition, the wide variety of flow states in the human body which must be simultaneously imaged, such as slow-moving weak flow in the kidney and high-velocity strong flow in the aorta, prevent the system designer from optimizing the system a priori, and require the development of user optimization and/or adaptive optimization tools.
Two-dimensional ultrasound images are often hard to interpret due to the inability of the observer to visualize the two-dimensional representation of the anatomy being scanned. However, if the ultrasound probe is swept over an area of interest and two-dimensional images are accumulated to form a three-dimensional volume, the anatomy becomes much easier to visualize for both the trained and untrained observer. In particular, three-dimensional ultrasound imaging of moving fluid or tissue would be advantageous.
However, in three-dimensional renderings of velocity data, the projection algorithm is extremely sensitive to aliasing between two-dimensional frames. This is especially true when a maximum pixel projection algorithm is used because aliased data in one frame will often have a higher absolute velocity than the data in an adjacent frame without aliasing. Three-dimensional renderings accentuate the effect of aliasing. Furthermore, pulsatility in vessels from the cardiac cycle creates multiple images or dropouts in large vessels which provide inaccurate three-dimensional renderings.
In a conventional ultrasound imaging system, wall filters and compression curves are applied to the beamformed color flow data, positive and negative velocities are estimated, post-processing such as frame averaging and thresholding are applied, and then the data is displayed using a non-symmetric color map whereby positive and negative flow states are represented by different colors and/or intensities. Aliasing in the velocity data shows up as rapid color transitions across the aliasing boundary which do not represent true flow states and may be extraneous information and a distraction to the user.
Furthermore, in a conventional ultrasound imaging system, frame averaging of velocity data must consider the sign and magnitude of the data to determine whether the flow has aliased, and then adjust for the aliasing in the algorithm. Frame averaging across the alias boundary is difficult and an algorithm which must handle aliasing will have sub-optimal performance on non-aliased data.

Method and apparatus for mapping color flow velocity data into display intensities


An apparatus for shaping plastics material pre-forms into containers includes a blow molding station on a movable conveying device. The station has a blow mold forming a cavity in which the pre-forms are expandable by a gaseous medium. A stressing device acts upon the pre-forms with the gaseous medium to expand them. A clean room surrounds the blow molding station at least in part. A stretching unit stretches the pre-forms along their longitudinal direction and includes a stretch bar movable with respect to the plastics material pre-forms. The stretch bar is insertable into the pre-forms. The station has a receiving space with a wall for receiving the stretch bar, which is movable relative to the receiving space and which surrounds the stretch bar at least in part. A flexible sealing device, which separates a sterile room area from a non-sterile room area, is arranged inside the receiving space.

Apparatuses and methods of shaping plastics material pre-forms into plastics material containers have long been known from the prior art. An apparatus of this type for the shaping of plastics material pre-forms into plastics material containers, also referred to below as a stretch blow moulding machine, usually has a plurality of blow moulding stations in which the pre-forms are blow moulded into plastic bottles by the application of an internal pressure. These finished blow moulded plastics material containers are soiled after this process and have to be cleaned in a complicated manner afterwards in order to observe hygiene standards.
An important component of such a stretch blow moulding machine or of such a stretch blow moulding station respectively is the stretching unit. This supports and guides the stretch bar. The stretch bar moves into the plastics material pre-form and stretches it out as far as the base of the mould. The blow moulding pressure eventually shapes the bottle and the stretching unit moves back out of the finished bottle again.
It is known from the prior art for the stretching unit to be connected and guided on a linear guide by way of a moment slide or stretch slide. This is important since the stretch bar usually has to be guided centrally in a very precise manner over a very long stroke which amounts to up to 450 mm. The stretch slide in this case is driven in its known design by a linear motor. The latter is mounted centrally with respect to the stretching axis and moves in and out at very high speed.
It is also known for the stretch bars to be moved by way of a guide cam.
In the prior art the mechanism in a non-clean room is without any protection from contamination. This means that the ready shaped bottle is contaminated and so has to be cleaned hygienically in a separate module, such as a rinser.
A sterile blow moulding machine is known from WO 2010/020529 A2. The subject matter of this publication is hereby also made the subject of the present application by reference in its entirety.
At present no stretch blow moulding machines are known which produce plastic bottles which are blown aseptically. The mechanism and the "non-clean course" of the stretching process are similar in all the current machines on the market.
Therefore, it may be desirable to provide a stretch blow moulding machine which, in particular, also has a hygienically designed stretching unit.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Apparatus and method of shaping plastics material pre-forms into plastics material containers with stretch bar movement sealed off by rolling diaphragm


A high-voltage accumulator has a high-voltage accumulator housing in which multiple electric storage cells are arranged. A wall of the high-voltage accumulator housing is equipped with at least one aeration/ventilation device which is gas-permeable at least from the interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing to the exterior of the high-voltage accumulator housing such that gas can leak out of the interior of the high-voltage accumulator in the event of an overpressure in the interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing. The aeration/ventilation device is equipped with a device, by which a substance that accumulates on the aeration/ventilation device and partly or completely blocks same can be removed.

The present invention relates to a vehicle with a high-voltage accumulator.
Electric vehicles or hybrid vehicles are equipped with a high-voltage accumulator which stores electrical energy to drive an electric machine which generates propulsion of a vehicle. Such a high-voltage accumulator has a high-voltage accumulator housing in which a plurality of storage cells which are connected electrically to one another are arranged. In order to make possible pressure equalization between the interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing and the surroundings in the event of fluctuations of the ambient air pressure and/or a cell short-circuit and associated destruction of one or more storage cells and resulting outgassing of storage cells, high-voltage accumulator housings usually have at least one aeration/ventilation device. An exchange of gas between the interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing and the surroundings, as well as the escaping of condensate out of the interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing into the surroundings, are possible via the aeration/ventilation device. However, on the other hand, the aeration/ventilation opening prevents the ingress of water or moisture into the interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing.
For satisfactory functioning of the aeration/ventilation device it is necessary to ensure that it always has sufficient gas permeability.
The object of the invention is to provide a high-voltage accumulator, or a vehicle with such a high-voltage accumulator, whose aeration/ventilation device has increased functional reliability.
The starting point of the invention is a vehicle with a high-voltage accumulator which has a high-voltage accumulator housing in which a plurality of electric storage cells are arranged. At least one aeration/ventilation device is provided in a wall of the high-voltage accumulator housing. The term "wall" is to be understood in an extremely broad fashion. In this context, it can be an upper or lower wall or a side wall of the high-voltage accumulator housing for example. The aeration/ventilation device is gas-permeable (at least semi-permeable) at least from an interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing to an outer side or to the surroundings of the high-voltage accumulator housing, and therefore permits gas to escape from the interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing to the outside or into the surroundings, and pressure equalization to take place, in the event of an overpressure in the interior of the high-voltage accumulator housing.
The core of the invention consists in the fact that a device, by means of which a substance which accumulates on the aeration/ventilation device and partially or entirely blocks said device can be removed, is provided on the aeration/ventilation device. By removing the respective substance by way of the device it is possible to ensure sufficient gas permeability of the aeration/ventilation device.
Depending on the vehicle concept, it may in fact be necessary to arrange the aeration/ventilation device in a region of the vehicle in which snow or ice and/or ambient dirt can collect at cold ambient temperatures. In some vehicle concepts, the aeration/ventilation device must be arranged, for example, in the vicinity of a wheelhouse or in the underfloor region of the vehicle where snow or ice and/or ambient dirt can accumulate under ambient conditions in the winter.

Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft


An information processing apparatus includes a processor and a memory unit connected to the processor. The memory unit stores a setting value and an web application. The web application causes the processor to change the setting value according to a request message from a client. The web application causes the processor to update the setting value stored in the memory unit with a setting value contained in a query string if the request message indicates a request for changing the setting value and the request message is transmitted from the client by a user with administrator privilege, and the web application causes the processor to insert a cookie having the setting value contained in the query string to a response header if the request message is transmitted from the client by a user without administrator privilege.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information processing apparatus with an web server function capable of being controlled by a remote web client.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an image forming system, a terminal device is connected to an image forming apparatus via a network and can obtain and set-up information on operation of the image forming apparatus. In the image forming system, the image forming apparatus causes the terminal device to display a "my page" to indicate the information. In a "my page" of a user, items selected by the user are placed at the respective positions specified by the user. The items are transmitted as cookies to the image forming apparatus.
Further, it is known that in such image forming apparatus, an HTML file is dynamically generated based on an HTML template file by replacing an identifier in the HTML template file with data corresponding to the identifier.
Furthermore, it is known that a user can change his/her "my page" browsed to refer to various information in an image forming apparatus by using a terminal device connected to the image forming apparatus via a network. Item IDs are displayed in a "my page" for each of users. The item IDs have been stored either in the image forming apparatus or as a cookie in the terminal device. The image forming apparatus generates a "my page" file by replacing the item ID with data corresponding to the item ID and transmits the "my page" to the terminal device. In addition, in the terminal device, setting information is input on a setting page, the terminal device transmits the setting information to the image forming apparatus, and the image forming apparatus receives the setting information and updates setting information in itself with the received setting information.
Furthermore, it is known that in terms of a general web browser on a computer connected to a digital multi function peripheral, operation status of the digital multi function peripheral can be watched and the digital multi function peripheral can be controlled.
Such digital multi function peripheral has an HTTP server and a CGI script started on the HTTP server, always updates an HTML file that indicates operation status without a request from a client, and transmits the HTML file to the client as a response to a request from the client, and consequently in the client the operation status can be watched on real time basis.
Further, the digital multi function peripheral starts a CGI script according to a request from the client, and in terms of the CGI script, reads out an access log file and performs a statistical process, generates an HTML file that indicates the result of the process and transmits the HTML file to the client via the HTTP server.
Furthermore, the digital multi function peripheral starts a CGI script according to a request from the client, and controls operation of itself in terms of the CGI script.


A filling apparatus for viscous foods comprising a vertical tubular filling nozzle having a flow inlet formed in a tubular wall close to the lower end thereof and a piston-incorporating metering cylinder in communication with the flow inlet, and a plunger accommodated in the filling nozzle so as to open or close the flow inlet. The plunger has an air discharge annular opening defined by a lower-end peripheral portion thereof for blowing off adhering food and a recess formed inside the air discharge opening and providing an air reservoir for preventing adhesion of the food.

The present invention relates to a filling apparatus for thick or viscous foods containing a solid ingredient, such as curry roux containing vegetables and meat.
Examined Japanese Patent Publication No. 2600/1977 discloses an apparatus of the type mentioned already known, which comprises a vertical tubular filling nozzle having a flow inlet formed in its tubular wall close to the lower end thereof and a piston-incorporating metering cylinder in communication with the flow inlet, and a plunger accommodated in the filling nozzle so as to open or close the flow inlet. The plunger has a multiplicity of air discharge openings formed in its lower end face and positioned dispersely over the entire area of the end face for blowing off adhered food.
With the conventional apparatus described, food adheres to the lower end face of the plunger over the entire area thereof. Although portions of the adhering food close to the respective air discharge openings are blown off with the air forced out from the openings, the other portion of the food remote from the openings will not always be blown off. Notwithstanding that a large quantity of food is unlikely to adhere to the lower end face of the plunger, the food will then remain unremoved although in a small amount. Since the amount of remaining food is likely to vary from one filling cycle to another, it is difficult to fill the food in a specified amount accurately.


A vacuum cleaner includes a cleaner body and a dust container separably mounted on the cleaner body. The dust container includes a dust collection body including an opening, a wall, and a dust separation part. A cover covers the opening of the dust collection body. An air guide is disposed at the dust collection body, the air guide having an opening provides an inflow hole through which air separated from dust in the dust separation part is introduced, and a filter accommodated in the air guide filters the air separated from the dust. When the cover uncovers the opening of the dust collection body, the filter is visible through the opening of the air guide.

In general, vacuum cleaners are devices that suction air containing dust by using a vacuum pressure generated by a suction motor mounted in a main body to filter the dust within the main body.
Such a vacuum cleaner may be mainly classified into a canister type vacuum cleaner in which a suction nozzle is provided separately with respect to a main body and connected to the main body by using a connection tube, and an upright type vacuum cleaner in which a suction nozzle is coupled to a main body.
A vacuum cleaner disclosed in Korean Patent Registration No. 1038827 includes a cleaner body, a dust separation device separably mounted on the cleaner body and a dust collection device mounted independently separably with respect to the dust separation device on the cleaner body. The dust separation device includes a cyclone unit and a filter unit.
In that vacuum cleaner, since the dust collection device and the dust separation device are independently provided, and the dust separation device is constituted by the cyclone unit and the filter unit, a user has to manage each of the devices separately, and thereby inconveniences the user.
Also, since the dust collection device and the dust separation device are independently mounted, a passage for allowing the dust collection device to communicate with the dust separation device may increase in length to cause a passage loss as dust piles up in the passage.
In addition, since the filter unit is covered by a cover member disposed on the cleaner body, and a filter is covered by first and second cases constituting the filter unit, it may be difficult to be confirmed by the user as to whether the filter is blocked requiring cleaning or replacement.


A slider body of a magnetic head slider has a leading end located upstream of an air flow generated between the slider body and a magnetic recording medium, a trailing end located downstream of the air flow, and a floating surface opposed to the magnetic recording medium. At least two rails for generating a floating force are provided on the floating surface of the slider body. A magnetic head for reading/writing data is provided at the trailing end of the slider body. A groove formed between the rails is changed in width from the leading end toward the trailing end, thereby generating an attractive force between the floating surface and the magnetic recording medium. Each of the rails has a tapering portion increased in thickness from the leading end toward the trailing end. The tapering portion terminates at a position where each rail is decreased in width from the leading end toward the trailing end. This magnetic head slider is improved in that its floating characteristics are less influenced by working variations of the tapering portion.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a negative pressure type of magnetic head slider for use in a magnetic storage device such as a magnetic disk drive.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a recent magnetic head slider for a magnetic disk drive, a reduction in floating amount of the slider has been advanced in order to increase a recording density. Further, the slider is required to have a superior floating stability because a large acceleration by high-speed access is applied in an access direction. Further, a rotary positioner is widely used in response to size reduction of the magnetic disk drive and simplification of mechanisms, requiring a magnetic head slider with reduced variations in floating amount due to a change in yaw angle.
A known negative pressure type of magnetic head slider superior in floating stability includes a slider body having a leading end located upstream of an air flow generated between the slider body and a magnetic recording medium, a trailing end located downstream of the air flow, and a floating surface opposed to the magnetic recording medium; at least two rails provided on the floating surface of the slider body, for generating a floating force; and a magnetic head provided at the trailing end of the slider body, for reading/writing data. In this magnetic head slider, a groove formed between the rails is changed in width from the leading end toward the trailing end, thereby generating an attractive force (negative force) between the floating surface and the magnetic recording medium. One of the features of such a conventional magnetic head slider is that the width of each rail is narrowed on the side of the leading end. Another feature is, for example, that a taper is formed at a portion of each rail on the side of the leading end. The presence of the taper can suppress floating fluctuations when dust or the like is deposited on the rails.
The formation of the taper on each rail is performed usually by machining. Accordingly, variations in tapering, e.g., variations in length of the taper, have a large influence upon the floating characteristics of the magnetic head slider. Thus, in the conventional magnetic head slider, high-precision working is required to form the taper, causing a hindrance to cost reduction.

Magnetic head slider with rail leading portions increasing in thickness over rail portions which widen and narrow