To determine the required torque angle of a bracket for the orthodontic treatment of teeth malposition the angle between the bracket plane and the axis-orbital plane is determined, for the respective tooth a guiding straight line or guiding plane is determined, the anatomy of the tooth on its front side is measured, and the torque angle of the bracket to be used is calculated in consideration of a predetermined angle of intersection between the guiding straight line or guide plane and the axis-orbital plane.

It is known that the masticatory apparatus is one of the most densely nervously supplied areas of the human body and is subject to a very finely regulated control. The nerve fibers in the dentinal tubes, which partially reach up to the border between the enamel and the dentine, sense any change in load within the tooth, see in this respect Ruzicka B, Stainer M, Niederwanger A and Kulmer S: "Anatomische und funktionelle Details der Schneidezähne natürlich gewachsener unbehandelter Jugendlicher und Messwerte der Seitenzähne im internationalen Vergleich", in "Stomatologie" May 1999: 96.3; pg. 45–53.
A naturally predetermined harmony exists between the parts in the stomatognathic system without which an undisturbed function would not be ensured. The musculature of the masticatory apparatus sensibly reacts to the load of the tooth, and by self-restriction (intra-dental proprioception) of the masticatory and biting forces it prevents the tooth from being damaged. Failures in the masticatory system lead to an increased activity of the masticatory muscles, which, if it lasts for a longer period of time, leads to a hypertrophy of the respective muscles and may even change the physiognomy of the face.
A balanced occlusion has the greatest muscular activity during pressing and grinding and delivers the highest mechanical loads for the entire masticatory apparatus. The mediotrusional contacts disturb mastication. Each additionally guiding tooth increases the muscular activity during pressing and grinding. A group guiding does obviously not change the interaction of the masticatory muscles during mastication, it does, however, change during pressing and grinding. In the case of a front-cuspid tooth guided occlusion and in a group guiding up to maximally the second premolar, only as much power is exerted during mastication as it is necessary for crushing the food. The occlusal concept of sequential guiding with front-cuspid tooth dominance therefore has the most favourable properties.
An orthodontic treatment of teeth malposition shall therefore not only be geared to aesthetic aspects, but must also take guiding of the teeth during mastication into consideration in order to avoid local load peaks leading to damage of the tooth. To reduce the loads in the masticatory apparatus, a proper occlusion with a front-cuspid tooth guiding is vitally important. The standard values of inclinations of the guide elements in the masticatory apparatus must, however, be individualized for any individual patient according to the skeletal proportions and functional parameters of the mandibular joints. However, practice has proven that the individual deviations from standard values in this respect are small. However, the dental anatomies are different from patient to patient, which is why the most different brackets are required if the guide surface angle (that is the angle between the guide elements or straight lines and the axis-orbital plane, AOP) is identical in case it is intended to correct teeth malpositions by means of these brackets.
A bracket usually has a slot of a rectangular cross section for accommodating an arch wire, which is pressed by a resilient ligature or spring onto the bottom of the slot. The angle (in technical language it is often referred to as "torque") defined between a plane determined by the bottom of the slot and a bottom plate of the bracket to be attached to the tooth determines the torque (thus "torque") by means of which the tooth shall be moved from a tilted malposition into a target position when using an arch wire of a rectangular or square cross section due to a positive fit between an initially twisted arch wire and the walls of the bracket slot. At the end of the treatment, this torque shall be zero, which is why the individual bracket must be chosen such that said torque angle fits to the respective tooth.
Guide elements on the teeth are such points which contact each other and slide on each other when closing the tooth rows and when moving them against each other. In the sequential guide, the guide elements successively supersede in their functions. The decrease in length and inclination of guide elements with respect to the AOP from the front over the cuspid tooth up to the premolar and molar range is characteristic for this concept, see Stainer M, Hilbe M, Leja W and Kulmer S in: "Neigung und Sequenz von Führungselementen in Gruppen geführten Okklusionen", in Dtsch Zahnärztl. Z. 1999: 54; 325–328. The AOP is a plane in which the axis of the mandibular joint and the lower edge of the left bony orbital arch are located. The functional principle of the side tooth guide is enabled by this feature of the guide elements: each side tooth discludes on the laterotrusional side all distally following teeth and all following teeth of the mediotrusional side. The lingual surfaces and edge beads of the front teeth and cuspid teeth of the maxilla as well as the mesial edge rails and buccal cusp flanks of the premolars and molars of the maxilla apply as guide elements, see the above-cited essay of Ruzicka and others, page 46, right column bottom.
Tests on a variety of patients of the most different geographical origin, whose dentitions were measured by a 3D digitizer, revealed that the measuring points and the guide elements on the teeth determined by these measuring points substantially correspond to each other.
The determination of the correct torque angle, i.e. the correct selection of the brackets, is one of the essential procedures in the course of an orthodontic treatment, which is shared by the orthodontist as the attending physician and the laboratory doing the preliminary work for the physician. The orthodontist makes an impression of the current dentition of the patient to be treated, and the laboratory determines on the basis of a cast made from the impression the brackets required for the orthodontic treatment, which the orthodontist then attaches at predetermined positions on the patient's teeth. Up to now, the palatal tooth shape was not taken into consideration, or only to a small extent, when selecting brackets to be attached at the labial side of the teeth. Success of treatment was therefore sometimes not optimal in terms of tooth guiding. The invention intends to find a remedy in this respect.

Method of determining the selection of brackets which are to be used in the orthodontic treatment of teeth malposition


A detachable superconducting lead includes a vacuum-sealed thermal transition through which a stabilized conductor passes. Two identical leads are attached and surrounded by a sealed Dewar and allowed to cool either naturally or by way of a cooling element. Detaching the leads requires the joint to be heated up by a heat transfer unit or by a heat gun after the Dewar is removed. Once warmed, the lead can be disassembled with tooling appropriate to the joint. In many instances, regular fasteners can be used. Removable Dewars may be constructed with insulation (including vacuum) using O-rings and flanges.

An important issue in large cryogenic power systems is that of maintenance, for example, the ability to easily access, maintain, and repair or interchange electric elements housed inside an evacuated Dewar. In order to achieve this, electronic elements must be removable. That is, one must be able to physically and electrically isolate an electrical element (including superconducting cables) and remove it from the system to maintain or repair the element without disrupting either the vacuum or the temperature control within the remainder of the system. This creates problems when superconducting busses are used to connect the various elements within the system. Superconducting cables currently in use and under development are not easily detachable. Disassembly can compromise the Dewar and vacuum spaces, increasing refrigeration loads (losses). FIG. 1 shows the current art 10, which is a completely sealed cryogenic container 28, 22, 28′ including welded sections, flanges or O-rings 11, 12. The cable 21 is continuous. In order to service the system, i.e., to assemble or replace a lead 21, the cryogenic spaces 23 need to be warmed, the cryogenic fluids or gases in the spaces 23 removed, and the vacuum system brought up to atmospheric pressure. Then, access to the leads 21 is accomplished by removing seals and, in some cases, un-welding some of the metallic vacuum spaces. Reassembly requires replacing the seals and in many cases re-welding the structure. This costs much time and labor.


A one-piece, protective bumper pad adapted for removable placement on a rail of a bed or the like is described. The bumper pad comprises: a generally flat, elongated body of a soft, flexible material, the body being generally rectangular in shape and having a length dimension which is approximately equal to the length of the rail and a width dimension which is approximately equal to the width of the rail; the body being pocket-shaped and capable of fitting over and substantially covering the rail, and comprising two elongated sides; the body further comprising a closed edge and an opposite, open edge, and two opposite, closed end edges, the two closed end edges of the body being shorter in length than the other two edges of the body; the two elongated sides of the body comprising a soft, flexible, cushioning core along the interior; the two elongated sides further comprising an outside and an inside, the outside comprising lock and loop fastener; and a plurality of means for removable attachment of the elongated body to the rail.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates to a one-piece bumper pad which fits bed rails of various lengths, more particularly a removable, washable, comfortable, easily installed bumper pad for covering a rail on a geriatric or hospital bed.
2. Background Information
With the post-war "Baby Boomers" approaching retirement age, the already high numbers of people over age 60 are expected to swell. While many retirees remain healthy, a certain percent unfortunately become infirm or encounter physical ailments which will cause them to become bedridden. With the high number of elderly people who are or will be spending various periods of time in hospitals, long term care facilities, nursing homes, retirement homes, and home care, additional special hospital/geriatric beds are or will soon be needed. Those beds, which are currently used in hospitals by patients of all ages, usually have bed rails for helping to prevent patients from falling or getting out of bed. Sometimes the hands of patients who are delirious or who have diminished mental capacity are tied with padded wrist bands to bed rails to prevent them from leaving the bed or pulling out their intravenous transfusion lines (IVs). For those patients who are confined to a bed in a sterile room for most of the day, small comforts are much appreciated.
The present invention is a removable, washable, one-piece bumper pad for cushioning patients of any age, but particularly bedridden geriatric patients, from the rails on these beds. Bed rails usually comprise metal bars. They are cold and hostile looking, particularly when viewed up close from a prone position. The bumper pads of the present invention are soft and padded to cushion the limbs of the patient in the bed against contact with the bed rails. Covering the bed rails should also reduce minor injuries which result from bumping or scaping the hands, arms or legs against the bed rails and possibly pulling out an IV or other tubes attached to the patient. This is particularly important for the delirious patient who is tied to and may be thrashing against the bed and rails. The present bumper pads also serve to protect the bed rails to some extent from the patients and visitors.
Bed rails can be short or long in length. Most hospital/geriatric beds have two short rails on opposite sides of the bed. These are between about 35 and 40 inches long and about 18 to 22 inches in height. When a person is lying in the bed, the rails are approximately at chest level. Some beds have four sets of short rails, two each on opposite sides of the bed. The set of rails at the lower end of the bed are to help discourage the patient from swinging his legs over the edge of the bed to get up. This helps to prevent falls. Some beds have two short rails on opposite sides of the bed which telescope into longer rails of between about 75 and 80 inches in length. These rails can be used in the short position or be pulled out into a longer position once the patient is in the bed. The present bumper pad can also fit a telescoping bed rail. The bumper pad of the present invention can be "closed" to cover short bed rails or it can be "opened" to fit longer bed rails. The present bumper pad can fit one short rail, or two short rails which are positioned end to end along one side of a bed, or various rail lengths in between.


One embodiment of the present invention includes techniques for pre-computing ambient shadowing parameters for a computer-generated scene. A processing unit retrieves a reference object associated with the computer-generated scene and comprising a plurality of vertices. For each vertex in the plurality of vertices, the processing unit computes a local ambient shadowing parameter, and stores the local ambient shadowing parameter in a memory. For each instance of the reference object included in the computer-generated scene, the processing unit computes a first global ambient shadowing parameter based on the position of the instance within the computer-generated scene, and stores the first global ambient shadowing parameter in the memory. One advantage of the disclosed embodiments is that ambient obscurance is applied to instance objects in a scene in real time while reducing memory space dedicated to storing the AO parameters.

Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to computer graphics and, more specifically, to an improved technique for pre-computing ambient obscurance.
Description of the Related Art
Rendering realistic scenes for computer-generated films and games typically involves computing accurate global illumination for each object in the scene. This computed global illumination information results in an accurate portrayal of lighting and shadow information resulting from objects blocking ambient light sources and casting shadows on each other. Computing a complete global illumination model may be computationally intensive. As such, real-time performance with a full global illumination model is difficult to achieve, particularly on gaming consoles. Accordingly, approximation models have been developed that approximate a full global illumination model with reasonable accuracy. Computing such approximation models is less computationally intensive than computing a full global illumination model.
One such approximation model is ambient obscurance (AO), which models a uniformly lit scene where occluding objects block a portion of the light from surrounding objects. In the AO model, this occluding characteristic diminishes as a function of the distance between the occluding object and the occluded object. AO parameters may be pre-computed or "baked" in advance and attached to the vertices of the various polygons that form the objects in the scene. During playback, such as during the play of a computer-generated game sequence, these baked, per-vertex AO parameters are retrieved by a graphics processing unit (GPU) during the scene rendering process. The AO parameters are used to rapidly compute lighting information for each polygon with real-time performance.
One drawback to the above approach is that the memory consumed for storing these AO increases with scene complexity. For example, if a scene file includes 3,000 objects with 10,000 vertices per object, then storing four AO parameters per vertex would increase the memory storage of the scene by 4×3,000×10,000=120 million parameters. Another drawback to the above approach is that when a pre-baked AO model is applied to a dynamic object, the lighting is static and does not update as the object moves over time. As a result, the light and shadow cast on the dynamic object looks incorrect as the object moves.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a more effective approach to pre-computing ambient obscurance parameters.

Technique for pre-computing ambient obscurance


Provided is an optical vortex laser oscillation device which is capable of an increased out and can generate an optical vortex even in a wide frequency range and if the optical vortex has a quantum number which is not an integer. A laser device according to one embodiment of the present application comprises: a laser light source for generating laser light; an optical vortex generation unit for generating an energized optical vortex on the basis of the laser light generated by the laser light source; and an optical resonance unit for resonating the energized optical vortex generated by the optical vortex generation unit and dividing the energized optical vortex into signal light and idler light. Therein, it is preferable that the optical resonance unit comprises a non-liner medium and a pair of resonator mirrors sandwiching the non-linear medium, and it is preferable that the non-linear medium includes at least one among KTiOPO4, periodically polarization-reversed LiNbO3, and periodically polarization-reversed LiTaO3.

An optical vortex is a light wave that is characterized by angular momentum (orbital angular momentum) originates from phase singular point and doughnut-type intensity distribution.
A representative example of an optical vortex may be Laguerre Gaussian Beam (for example, see non-patent literature described below). Laguerre Gaussian Beam is eigensolution of wave equation in cylindrical coordinate system and satisfies a periodic boundary condition in which phase rotates only integral multiplication of 2π in every one wavelength propagation around center of rotation. Thus, it is possible to express size of orbital angular momentum by using L (L=1, 2, 3, etc.) of quantum number. Wave front of an optical vortex has a helical shape. Orbital angular momentum operates on a direction given by vector difference between a normal direction thereof and a light propagation direction.
Furthermore, an optical vortex can be employed for light manipulation using radiation pressure of light, a high resolution microscope using phase singular point, optical vortex ablation processing positively using orbital angular momentum, and future industrial applications thereof are largely expected.
Exemplary methods for generating an optical vortex include: (1) a method using a bounce cavity (for example, non-patent literature 2 described below), (2) a method using a multi-mode area fiber amplifier (for example, non-patent literature 3 described below), (3) a method using a phase plate (for example, non-patent literature 4), and (4) a method using a space phase modulator (for example, non-patent literature 5).

Method for oscillating an optical vortex laser and optical vortex laser oscillation device

NATIONAL UNIVERSITY CORPORATION CHIBA UNIVERSITY


A semiconductor optical device, which includes a semiconductor substrate, an electro-absorption modulator, and at least one optical device is monolithically integrated on the semiconductor substrate. An insulative layer surrounds the electro-absorption modulator and the optical devices on the semiconductor substrate, at least two metallic pads, one of which being an electrode of the modulator, are formed at a distance from each other on the insulative layer. A plurality of metallic wires are adapted for electrically connecting the electro-absorption modulator to the metallic pads and adjusting a value of inductance of the electro-absorption modulator. The metallic wires are formed on the insulative layer. A dielectric layer formed under the insulative layer provides a minimizing of parasitic capacitance generated in the metallic pads and the metallic wires by being formed under the metallic pads and the metallic wires.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a semiconductor optical device. More particularly, the present invention relates to a semiconductor optical device in which a plurality of optical devices integrated on a semiconductor substrate are electrically connected to each other by wire bonding.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electro-absorption modulator laser (EML) is a type of semiconductor optical device in which a laser generates oscillating light of a predetermined wavelength onto a semiconductor substrate, and in which an electro-absorption modulator for modulating the light oscillated by the laser are monolithically integrated through a semiconductor manufacturing process.
Several documents, including U.S. Pat. No. 6,057,954, which is filed on Sep. 18, 1998 by Parayanthal et al. and is entitled "Asymmetric Inductive Peaking for Optoelectronic Devices", is hereby incorporated by reference as background material, and discloses in detail a semiconductor optical package structure in which the electro-absorption modulation laser and driving circuits for the electro-absorption modulation laser are electrically connected by wire bonding.
FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a conventional semiconductor optical package 100 including an electro-absorption modulation laser. The conventional semiconductor optical package comprises a semiconductor optical device 110, a submount 101 on an upper surface of which the semiconductor optical device 110 et al. are securely mounted, a driving circuit 106 that drives a semiconductor optical source (not shown), the driving circuit being positioned on one side of the submount 101, a signal line 103, an electrode 105 connected to a resistor 104, and respective first, second and third wires 120, 130, 140.
The semiconductor optical device 110 includes a semiconductor substrate 113, a semiconductor optical source (not shown) monolithically integrated on the semiconductor substrate 113, an optical modulator (not shown) and the like. The optical source for the semiconductor may include one of a distributed feedback semiconductor laser, etc.
The optical modulator may use an electro-absorption modulator for modulating an output of light generated by the semiconductor optical source or the like, and includes a first upper electrode 111 electrically connected to the signal line 103 and the resistor part 104. A common electrode 102 is formed between the semiconductor optical device 110 and the submount 101 to provide a common ground to the semiconductor optical source and the optical modulator, respectively.
A second upper electrode 112 is attached to an upper surface of the semiconductor optical source, and is electrically connected to the driving circuit 106 by the third wire 140.
The optical modulator may use an electro-absorption modulator for modulating light generated by the semiconductor optical source into an electrical signal or the like. A bandwidth characteristic of light that is modulated by the electro-absorption modulator significantly varies with capacitance, resistance and inductance of the electro-absorption modulator. Only when capacitance (<0.4 pf) and resistance of the electro-absorption modulator is negligibly small, does the bandwidth characteristic of light output from the semiconductor optical package not change considerably.
However, it is not possible to obtain the same values of capacitance (such as 4 pf) and a same amount of negligible resistance for every product in the manufacturing process of a semiconductor optical package including an electro-absorption modulation laser. As a result of this inability to produce products with nearly uniform a mounts of capacitance and resistance, optimal lengths of wires for connecting the electro-absorption modulation laser to the driving circuits thus vary according to the individual differences in capacitance, resistance of each product.
In an effort to circumvent the aforementioned problem, the conventional semiconductor optical package minimally maintains a length of the first wire (up to 0.3 mm; up to 0.5 nH) connecting the first upper electrode of the electro-absorption modulator to the signal line on the submount, and sets a relatively longer length of the second wire (1 to 2 mm) connecting the first upper electrode to a matching resistor on the submount. That is, the conventional semiconductor optical package can enhance a transmission characteristic of light and minimize loss by inducing an artificial peaking phenomenon in the electro-absorption modulator caused by using wires having specific lengths and/or inductances.
Consequently, the conventional semiconductor optical package improves the transmission characteristic of laser modulated light by increasing the length of the wire connecting the first upper electrode 111 to the matching resistor on the submount.
FIG. 2 shows an equivalent circuit illustrating inductance of the second wire 130 connected by wire bonding to the electro-absorption modulator of the semiconductor optical device 110 constituting the semiconductor optical package in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 3 to 6 are graphs showing bandwidth changes of light outputs according to inductance changes of the equivalent circuit in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2, "L1" and "L2" shown in the equivalent circuit of the semiconductor optical package refer to the first wire 120 and the second wire 130, respectively, and "Cmod" and "Rs" refer to values of capacitance and series resistance of the electro-absorption modulator, respectively. Also, "RL" refers to resistance of the resistor part, and "Vs" and "R1" designate a high frequency voltage supply source and resistance of an electrical signal generator (not shown), respectively.
Transmission and bandwidth characteristics of light modulated by the electro-absorption modulator vary according to the individual capacitances and resistances of a specific electro-absorption modulator, and according to lengths and conductive properties of the first and second wires 120, 130 connected to the electro-absorption modulator by wire bonding. If the electro-absorption modulator has small values of capacitance (<0.4 pf) and resistance, the bandwidth characteristic does not vary with the change in length of the second wire 130. In actual production of electro-absorption modulator products, however, each individual modulator has slight variations in values of capacitance and/or resistance that normally occur according to slight changes in production conditions. To give a more optimized example, a length of the first wire 120 connecting the first upper electrode 111 of the electro-absorption modulator to the signal line 103 is set as 0.3 mm or less (inductance: 0.5 nH or less), and length of the second wire is set as 1 to 2 mm relatively longer than that of the first wire 120. In other words, the transmission characteristic of a modulated optical signal is improved and potential return loss is minimized by generating an artificial peaking in the electro-absorption modulator. The artificial peaking can be defined as a phenomenon in which a frequency or eye pattern characteristic of transmitted light exceeds a specific upper limit, and such a peaking phenomenon occurs when a length of the second wire 130 is excessively lengthened during the wire bonding of the second wire 130.
FIG. 3 illustrates a bandwidth characteristic of light modulated by the electro-absorption modulator when values of capacitance and resistance of the electro-absorption modulator are 0.7 pf and 10 Ω, respectively. FIG. 4 illustrates a bandwidth characteristic of light modulated by the electro-absorption modulator when values of capacitance and resistance of the electro-absorption modulator are 0.4 pf and 10 Ω, respectively. FIG. 5 illustrates a bandwidth characteristic of light modulated by the electro-absorption modulator when values of capacitance and resistance of the electro-absorption modulator are 0.7 pf and 15 Ω, respectively. FIG. 6 illustrates a bandwidth characteristic of light modulated by the electro-absorption modulator when values of capacitance and resistance of the electro-absorption modulator are 0.4 pf and 15 Ω, respectively.
As length of the second wire 130 is increased, the size of the submount is larger, resulting in a problem of necessitating an increase in the size of the semiconductor optical package. Also, due to the fact that the respective electro-absorption modulators have slight variations in value of capacitance or resistance according to the production conditions in practical production of electro-absorption modulator products, it is difficult to adjust a length of the second wire according to properties of each actual individual product.

Semiconductor optical device and semiconductor optical package using the same

Maetan-Dong, Yeongtong-Gu, Suwon-Si, Gyeonggi-Do


An interface module is operable to download data from an electrical machine. The interface module includes a cable for transferring data, the cable having a first connector at a first end thereof, a circuit board having a programmable device electrically coupled in circuit to the cable, and a memory connected to the circuit board and configured to store data related to the operating characteristics of the electrical machine.

The invention relates to an apparatus and method for uploading and/or communicating information to an electronically commutated motor (ECM) or other programmable field devices.
ECMs are used in many applications. For example, an ECM can be used with a blower or fan for moving air in a heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system or a gas heating system (e.g., a gas water heater or a gas furnace). In such environments, the ECM can employ constant airflow algorithms to control the flow of air without the use of external sensors (e.g., without the use of airflow or pressure sensors). To employ the constant airflow algorithms, the motor controller typically includes information about the system the motor is attached to. Typically this information is programmed into the motor controller at the time of manufacturing.
One problem for servicing a system using an ECM motor that stores system information occurs when replacing the "characterized" or "smart" motor. As just discussed, the original motor may be preprogrammed for a specific system (e.g., a specific furnace/HVAC unit). Service technicians cannot feasibly carry pre-characterized motors for all situations. As a result, when the characterized motor fails, the service technician typically orders a new characterized motor from the manufacturer or distributor. Because this can take several days, a "standard" or "dumb" motor is often installed in the system to keep the system running, while the new characterized motor is delivered. A minimum of two service calls with two motor changes is often the result.
There are some proposed solutions to the problem of replacing a characterized motor. For example, the system control board could include information of the system for uploading to a configurable motor. However, this solution does not solve, among other issues, the problem of replacing ECMs currently installed and operating. In another proposed solution, the service technician could be outfitted with mobile programming capability. This option, which typically requires specialized hardware and/or software, is usually too expensive and complex for some service personnel.

Interface cord and system including an interface cord


A method to determine the presence or absence of Streptococcus Group A antigen in a sample, comprising the following steps: extracting the antigen from the sample in an assay chamber with two or less extraction reagents, wherein the two reagents may be added to the assay chamber in no particular sequence; introducing a lateral flow immunochromatographic assay device into the extraction reagents containing the extracted antigen without further addition of reagents or manipulation of the sample; forming an antigen-indicator labeling reagent complex; and determining the presence or absence of the antigen in the sample by the presence or absence of a signal formed by the binding of the antigen-indicator labeling reagent complex to an indicator capture reagent specific for said antigen-indicator labeling reagent complex.

This invention relates to immunological methods and devices for detecting analytes in biological samples.
Numerous approaches have been developed for detection of a given analyte in a biological sample. Typical of these methods are the so called "lateral flow" and "flow-through" devices and methods. The flow-through device generally uses a porous material with a reagent-containing matrix layered thereon or incorporated therein. Test sample is applied to and flows through the porous material, and analyte in the sample reacts with the reagent(s) to produce a detectable signal on the porous material. These devices are generally encased in a plastic housing or casing with calibrations to aid in the detection of the particular analyte.
Lateral flow assays also utilize a porous membrane for performing analyte detection. Instead of drawing the sample through the membrane perpendicularly, the sample is permitted to flow laterally from an application zone to a reaction zone on the membrane surface. The capture reagent is present in the reaction zone, and the captured analyte can be detected by a variety of protocols, including direct visualization of visible moieties associated with the captured analyte.
One-step lateral flow assays permit a user to add a sample to a sample application region and obtain a positive or negative signal signaling the presence or absence of the test analyte in the sample.
One-step lateral flow devices contain a sample application region to which the liquid sample is applied. The sample application region is in lateral flow contact with the porous carrier material of the analyte detection region. During lateral flow, the sample is brought into contact with a mobile indicator reagent in a discrete zone of the analyte detection region. The indicator reagent contains both a binding moiety which specifically binds to the target analyte and an indicator moiety, which is most often a chromophore label. Target analyte molecules moving in the lateral flow bind to the indicator reagent and are ultimately immobilized in the capture zone, usually by binding to a second reagent which binds specifically to the analyte or to the analyte-indicator reagent complex, giving rise to a positive test signal. Additional signals may include a negative reaction indicator, a test complete indicator, and a positive control indicator.
One-step immunochromatographic devices containing the indicator reagent in a discrete zone of the lateral flow porous material, e.g., at a discrete site on the test strip, have been described.
Lateral flow assays also utilize a porous membrane for performing analyte detection. Instead of drawing the sample through the membrane perpendicularly, however, the sample is permitted to flow laterally from an application zone to a reaction zone on the membrane surface. The capture reagent is present in the reaction zone, and the captured analyte can be detected by a variety of protocols, including direct visualization of visible moieties associated with the captured analyte.
For example, Hochstrasser, U.S. Pat. No. 4,059,407, discloses a dipstick device which can be immersed in a biological fluid to semi-quantitate analyte in the fluid. Semi-quantitation of the analyte is accomplished by using a series of reagent-containing pads wherein each pad in the series will produce a detectable color (i.e., a positive result) in the presence of an increasing amount of analyte.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,094,647, 4,235,601 and 4,361,537, Deutsch et al. describe immunoassays of certain liquid samples deposited on a chromatographic test strip device. The device comprises a material capable of transporting a solution by capillary action, i.e., wicking. Different areas or zones in the strip contain the reagents needed to produce a detectable signal as the analyte is transported to or through such zones. The device is suited for both chemical assays and binding assays which are typified by the binding reaction between an antigen and its complementary antibody.
Many variations on the Deutsch et al. device have also been disclosed. For example, Grubb et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,146 describes the use of a porous test strip material to which is covalently bound an antigen-specific antibody. In performance of an assay, the test strip is immersed in a solution suspected of containing an antigen, and capillary migration of the solution up the test strip is allowed to occur. As the antigen moves up the test strip it binds to the immobilized antigen-specific antibody. The presence of antigen is then determined by wetting the strip with a second antigen-specific antibody to which a fluorescent or enzyme label is covalently bound. Quantitative testing can be achieved by measuring the length of the strip that contains bound antigen.
In addition, European Publication No. 323,605 discloses an assay device using chromatographic material wherein the test sample can travel from one end to the other by capillary action. The chromatographic material contains an immobilized capture reagent capable of binding to the analyte. The application pad receives the test sample and contains a diffusive indicator reagent capable of migrating from the application pad to the chromatographic material. The indicator reagent is capable of binding to the analyte or the capture reagent. The binding of the indicator reagent results in a detectable signal.
Other disclosures of lateral flow assays have also appeared. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,711 describes a lateral flow assay wherein all components needed for the detection of an analyte are embedded in a single sheet. The lateral flow is referred to as chromatographic behavior. This patent discloses the use of enzyme antibody conjugates and substrates, each separately held in absorbent pads. European Patent Application 306,772 describes a lateral flow device which comprises a chromatographic medium wherein the zone for application of sample and the reaction zone with an immobilized reagent capable of binding the analyte or a label-specific binding material are separated. British Application No. 2,204,398 describes the use of a lateral flow device for testing hCG in urine samples, where sample applied to the device picks up labeled reagent and permeates into a detection zone. Labels include gold sols and colored particles.
For instance, European Publication No. 323,605 discloses an assay device using chromatographic material wherein the test sample can travel from one end to the other by capillary action. The chromatographic material contains an immobilized capture reagent capable of binding to the analyte. The application pad which receives the test sample also contains a diffusible indicator reagent capable of migrating from the application pad to the chromatographic material. The indicator reagent is capable of binding to the analyte. The binding of the indicator reagent-analyte complex results in a detectable signal at the capture situs.
PCT application No. WO 94/06013 also describes a lateral flow assay in which the indicator reagent has been placed in a separate labeling reagent region or pad (referred to as "the third liquid permeable material"). The sample is added to a separate sample application pad, passes through a second permeable material, and mobilizes the indicator reagent located in the third liquid permeable material. The sample then enters the wicking material containing the capture zone. Patent application WO 92/01226 describes a lateral flow device in which the labeled specific binding reagent is retained in the dry state either in a zone on the carrier material or in a separate porous body through which the sample passes en route to the porous carrier material of the test strip.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/444,238 and its corresponding PCT application 96/04748 also describe lateral flow assay devices in which the labeled reagent for the analyte is located in a discrete zone of the porous carrier material of the analyte detection region.
Procedures using chromogenic and fluorescent dyes as labels in biological assay procedures are also known. Typical assay protocols call for direct or indirect binding of a dye label to an analyte or analyte analog in a biological sample, where the presence or absence of the dye at a particular stage of the assay can be determined visually and related to the amount of analyte initially present in the sample. A wide variety of specific assay protocols exist.
A number of those assays utilize naturally colored or dyed particles as a label, where the particles are bound to an antibody or other specific binding substance. Suggested particles include dyed latex beads, dye imbibed liposomes, erythrocytes, metal sols, and the like. The colored particle in such complexes can serve as a visible marker, where separation, capture, or aggregation of the particles is mediated through binding of the antibody or other specific binding substance. The amount of label thus segregated in a particular assay step is related to the amount of analyte initially present in the sample.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,875 describes compositions comprising at least ten dye molecules or monomers covalently attached to an antibody through an isocyanate group on the dye. U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,017 describes a solid phase assay device which relies on specific binding of a ligand-label conjugate on a solid support, where the label is disclosed as a particle, such as a liposome, or polymer microcapsule.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,543,522 describes methods of detecting analytes using a solid phase lateral flow assay where the sample is applied to a lateral flow membrane having a pore size of 1-250 microns. PCT Publication WO 92/12428, which is related to the above patent, represents an improvement on that method and device wherein nonbibulous lateral flow is used to conduct visible moieties, especially labeled particles, e.g., dyed latex, red blood cells or liposomes capable of reacting with analyte or a competitor thereto into a capture zone for detection, using a bibulous support made nonbibulous by treatment with a blocking agent. The result is a one-step assay which can be conducted in a very short period of time (typically, within 60 seconds), and wherein the readout is usually available instantaneously upon the sample contacting a capture zone.
Immunoassays have been developed to detect the presence or absence of a variety of analytes including analytes useful in clinical diagnoses, including the diagnosis of Group A Streptococcus.
Group A Streptococcus is one of the most important causes of acute upper respiratory tract infection. Approximately 19% of all upper respiratory tract infections are caused by Group A Streptococci. (Lauer, B. A., et al., J. Clin. Microb., 17:338-340 (1983)). Early diagnosis and treatment of Group A Streptococcal pharyngitis has been shown to reduce the severity of symptoms and further complications such as rheumatic fever and glomerulonephritis. (Youmans, G. P., et al., in The Biologic and Clinical Basis of Infectious Diseases, at 177-183 (W.B. Saunders Co. 1980)). Conventional identification procedures for Group A Streptococcus from throat swabs involve the isolation and subsequent identification of viable pathogens by techniques that require 24 to 48 hours or longer. (Faklam, R. R. and Washington, J. A., Streptococcus and Related Catalase-Negative Gram-Positive Cocci, in Manual of Clinical Microbiology at 238-257 (Balows, A. et al., eds., 5th ed. 1991)). Immunoassays which detect Group A Streptococcal antigens can be performed in less than one hour.
Various immunoassays for the detection of Group A Streptococcus from throat swabs are commercially available. Immunoassays for Group A Streptococcus sold by Applied Biotech, Inc. and Abbott require the transfer/application of a solubilized sample to the immunoassay device and the addition of three reagents in a specific order. In the Abbott test, the throat swab sample is extracted in a mixture of 3 drops of 2.0 M sodium nitrite and 3 drops of 1.0 M acetic acid which are mixed just prior to the extraction procedure. The swab is introduced into this solution, and twirled to obtain mixing. The sample solution is then neutralized with 3 drops of a solution of 1.0 M Tris buffer prior to running the immunoassay. The immunoassay device contains a plastic housing with a sample well into which the extracted sample is poured.
Similarly, in the Applied Biotech test, sold under the trademark "SURESTEP", the throat swab sample is extracted in a mixture of 3 drops of 1.0 M sodium nitrite and 3 drops 1.25 M acetic acid which are mixed just prior to the extraction procedure. After the extraction procedure, the sample mixture is neutralized with 3 drops of a solution of 0.1 M Tris-0.7 M sodium hydroxide prior to running the immunoassay. The immunoassay device contains a plastic housing with a sample chamber into which the extracted sample is pipetted.
In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,645 describes a solid phase chromatographic immunoassay for detecting Group A streptococcus. The assay requires the use of three reagents which must be added in a specific order, i.e., 0.1 M HCl was added to 4M sodium nitrite to obtain nitrous acid. An aliquot of Group A streptococcus was added to the nitrous acid solution. 1 M Tris base was then added to the sample in order to neutralize the nitrous acid prior to running the immunoassay on a dilution series of samples. The end point of the test was 5×105 organisms/ml.
Such tests requiring the addition of more than two reagents introduce the possibility of user error in the sequence of addition of the reagents, necessitating performance of the test by a skilled worker in order to obtain reliable results.
Other tests which do not require transfer of a sample after extraction have complex housings with an area designed for in-the-device sample extractions. The housing of these tests contain an area designed to receive the swab, and requires use of specially designed swabs which fit precisely into the swab chamber area.
The Binax "NOW Strep A test consists of a complex folding booklet cardboard housing which contains an area on the inner right side into which the swab is inserted between layers of cardboard. 4 drops of 2 M sodium nitrite with TWEEN 20 detergent and 4 drops of 0.125 M acetic acid with TWEEN 20 detergent are then added to the swab area, and the swab is rotated. This requires use of a specially designed swab which will fit into the hole designed to receive the swab. The cardboard housing is then folded, bringing the immunoassay strip, housed in the left inner surface, into contact with the swab.
The Quidel "QUICKVUE" strep Test contains a complex plastic housing having a specially designed "in-line" swab chamber into which a specially designed swab is inserted. The "QUICKVUE" strep test contains an extraction solution bottle obtaining 0.6 ml of 4M sodium nitrite with 0.01% Thimerosal, and an internal crushable ampule of 0.65 ml 0.2M acetic acid. The ampule is crushed to mix the solutions just prior to sample extraction. The throat swab specimen is inserted to the swab chamber, and 8 drops of the freshly mixed solution are added to the swab chamber. As the liquid seeps through the swab, the liquid is carried by capillary action into the test strip. Use of a swab which does not precisely fit into the plastic chamber will result in liquid flow which is too rapid for efficient sample extraction.
These one-step assays are complex devices requiring a number of immunoassay reagents. Moreover, because the geometry of these devices for these one-step assays limits the amount of mixing of the sample with the extraction reagents and/or the time of exposure of the sample to the extraction reagents, these assays have limited sensitivity due to poor extraction of the analyte. Thus, there is a need for a one-step assay which permits thorough mixing of the sample with the extraction reagents, and exposure of the sample to the extraction reagents for a desired length of time. Simplifying the number of reagents added during the performance of the assay and eliminating the need to transfer the sample after extraction is also desirable in an assay for health and safety and regulatory purposes. When two reagents are added to the sample during performance of the assay, simplification can also be obtained if the reagents are not required to be added to the sample in a particular sequence.
Thus, there is still the need to develop an immunoassays for a Strep A antigen extracted or solubilized from samples, where 2 or less sample extraction reagents are added, in no particular sequence, during performance of the assay, and where the sample does not require transfer to the immunoassay devise after efficient sample extraction. There is also a need for a one-step assay utilizing devices which do not require complex plastic or cardboard housings or specially designed swabs to obtain sample extraction.
None of the references or products described herein is admitted to be prior art.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

Method of use of one step immunochromatographic device for


The present invention relates to a directly photoimageable polymer composition (DPPC) and methods for its use in forming microelectronic and optoelectronic devices. Such DPPC encompasses a polymer having at least one norbornene-type repeat unit having a pendant silyl containing radical and at least one norbornene-type repeat unit having an acrylate containing radical.

The microelectronic and optoelectronic industries have been successful in stretching the useful life of materials and methods needed for the manufacture of micro and optoelectronic devices. However, as the complexity and the desired performance of such devices increases, such mature materials and methods are becoming more and more problematic. Therefore new materials and methods are the subject of ongoing research to meet the needs of future generations of such devices as well as to improve the yield and reduce the cost of current and future devices.
Polymeric materials of various compositions have been the focus of much of the aforementioned ongoing research. However, while some such polymeric materials have been met with some successes, these materials are often limited by their physical characteristics and the processing methods they require for their use. For example, polyimide materials have been used as interlayer dielectric materials in microelectronic devices such as integrated circuits (IC's) due to their having a dielectric constant that is lower than that of silicon dioxide. Also, such polyimide materials can serve as a planarization layer for IC's as they are generally applied in a liquid form, allowed to level, and subsequently cured. However, polyimide materials readily absorb moisture even after curing and this absorption can result in device failure. In addition, polyimides are generally not easily patterned as is often required in the manufacture of IC's and other microelectronic devices.
For optoelectronic devices, polymeric materials have been investigated as a replacement for glass optical fibers used in the manufacture of optical waveguides. Such polymeric materials are believed to hold great promise for constructing cost effective, reliable, passive and active integrated components capable of performing the required functions for integrated optics, that is to say optical devices integrated with electronic devices. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,292,620, to Booth et al., waveguide structures having a predetermined geometry and a process for forming these structures using photolithographic techniques are disclosed. However, the materials disclosed in the '620 patent are acrylate type materials that have properties that are reported as making their processing difficult (see, U.S. patent application No. 20020164547 A1 to Ferm et. al.). In particular, it is disclosed that dissolved and gaseous oxygen present within or in the proximity of the photohardenable layer can quench polymerization and therefore its abundance must be carefully regulated, both within and at the immediate surface of the material. In addition, acrylate type materials, such as those of the '620 patent, are known to have relatively low glass transition temperatures which can be problematic where processing commonly used in the fabrication of microelectronic circuitry is required after waveguide fabrication.
Therefore it would be advantageous to provide polymeric materials that are useful for both microelectronic and optoelectronic devices, as well as appropriate methods for using such materials. In addition, it would be advantageous if such materials were in and of themselves photodefinable. That is to say, such materials could be patterned without the need of a distinct and separate patterning layer such as a photoresist material.

Directly photodefinable polymer compositions and methods thereof


A photoelectric conversion device includes a thin film transistor that is placed on a substrate, a photodiode that is connected to a drain electrode of the thin film transistor and includes an upper electrode, a lower electrode and a photoelectric conversion layer placed between the upper and lower electrodes, a first interlayer insulating film that covers at least the upper electrode, a second interlayer insulating film that is placed in an upper layer of the first interlayer insulating film and covers the thin film transistor and the photodiode, and a line that is connected to the upper electrode through a contact hole disposed in the first interlayer insulating film and the second interlayer insulating film.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device and a method of manufacturing the same. Particularly, the present invention relates to a photoelectric conversion device that uses a substrate on which light receiving pixels including photodiodes and thin film transistors are arranged in an array, and a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of Related Art
A photosensor, which is a photoelectric conversion device, is a flat panel that includes a TFT array substrate on which a photodiode that photoelectrically converts visible light into an electric charge and a thin film transistor (TFT) are arranged. The photosensor is widely used in application to a contact image sensor, an X-ray imaging display device or the like. Particularly, a flat panel X-ray imaging display device (which is referred to hereinafter as a flat panel detector (FPD)) in which a scintillator that converts an X-ray into visible light is placed on a TFT array substrate is a promising device for application to the medical industry or the like.
In the X-ray diagnostic imaging field, precision images (still images) or real-time image observation (moving images) are used where appropriate. When taking still images, an X-ray film is mainly used. On the other hand, when taking moving images, an image pickup tube (image intensifier) that combines a photo-multiplier tube and a CCD is used. While the X-ray film has a high spatial resolution, it has a low sensitivity and is capable of taking still images only. Further, the X-ray film requires a processing procedure after taking images and thus has a disadvantage of lack of immediacy. On the other hand, while the image pickup tube has a high sensitivity and is capable of taking moving images, it has a low spatial resolution. Further, the image pickup tube is a vacuum device and thus has a disadvantage of limits on upsizing.
There are two types of FPD: an indirect conversion type that converts an X-ray into light by a scintillator such as CsI and then converts the light into an electric charge by a photodiode, and a direct conversion type that converts an X-ray directly into an electric charge by an X-ray detector element such as Se. The indirect conversion type has a higher quantum efficiency and a better signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio), and is capable of visualization and imaging with a lower exposure dose compared to the direct conversion type. A structure and a manufacturing method related to an array substrate of the indirect conversion FPD have been disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications Nos. 2000-101920 and 2007-165865, for example.
In the array substrate of the FPD, formation of a photodiode that affects the sensitivity of a photosensor, noise and so on is critical. For example, a photodiode in which an electrode made of a transparent conductive film is placed on an amorphous silicon layer, which is a photoelectric conversion layer, placed on an electrode, is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-101920. Further, a photodiode in which an insulating film is placed on a semiconductor layer, which is a photoelectric conversion layer, and a metal electrode is directly connected to the semiconductor layer through an opening of the insulating film is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-165865.
When forming a photodiode, the photodiode is damaged on its end face due to etching or the like of an amorphous silicon layer, which is a photoelectric conversion layer. Therefore, it is preferred to repair the damage on the end face of the photodiode by performing, after forming the photodiode, processing equal to plasma processing using hydrogen gas (which is referred to hereinafter as H2 plasma processing) that is performed after back-channel etching of an inverse staggered amorphous TFT.
However, in the structure disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-101920, the electrode placed on the amorphous silicon layer is made of a transparent conductive film, and the transparent conductive film is reduced by damage recovery processing on the end face of the photodiode. Therefore, damage recovery by H2 plasma processing cannot be performed on the photodiode disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2000-101920. This causes an increase in leakage current of the photodiode. This is because a leakage path is created in the damaged part of the end face of the photodiode upon application of a reverse bias to the transparent conductive film when using the photodiode as a sensor.
On the other hand, in the photodiode disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-165865, no transparent conductive film is placed on the semiconductor layer, and therefore damage recovery by H2 plasma processing can be performed. However, in the structure disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-165865, if the insulating film of a coating type is formed by exposure, a leakage path is created on the end face of the photodiode by an impurity contained in the insulating film. On the other hand, if the insulating film is formed by deposition, not a coating type insulating film, damage is done to the semiconductor layer by dry etching upon making an opening in the insulating film. As a result, rectification at the p-i interface is degraded, which causes an increase in leakage current.
As described above, in the photosensor using the photodiode disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publications Nos. 2000-101920 and 2007-165865, the S/N ratio is deteriorated due to an increase in leakage current. It is thus impossible to obtain a suitable image with a small amount of incident light.
In view of the foregoing, it is desirable to provide a photoelectric conversion device that enables suppression of leakage current of a photodiode, and a method of manufacturing the same.

Photoelectric conversion device and method of manufacturing the same


Above-ground fungal and bacterial infections of plants are treated by applying to the plants an antibiotic-producing Bacillus sp. strain ATCC 55608, 55609, 53522 and/or zwittermicin-A antibiotic therefrom. The above-ground infections treated can be caused by Phytophthora infestans, Botrytis cinerea, Pseudomonas syringae, Alternaria solani, Plasmopara viticola, Uncinula necator, Puccinia recondita f.sp. Tritici, Staganospora nodorum, Monilinia fructicola or Erwinia herticola. The Bacillus sp. and/or antibiotic when applied can be in the form of a whole culture broth, an antibiotic-containing supernatant, a powder, granules, a concentrate, an aqueous suspension or a microencapsulated formulation.

Above-ground plant diseases are common in a wide variety of plants. These diseases are often caused by fungal or bacterial infections including infestations of Phytophthora infestans (late blight), Alternaria solani (early blight), Plasmopara viticola (downy mildew), Uncinula necator (powdery mildew), Puccinia recondita f.sp. tritici (leaf rust), Stagnospora nodorum (glume blotch), Pseudomonas syringae (bacterial speck), Botrytis cinerea (gray mold), Erwinia herbicola (bacterial blight) and Monilinia fructicola (brown rot). Phytophthora infestans (P. infestans) or "late blight" is best known as the fungus which caused the Irish potato famine. More than a century after it destroyed Ireland's potato crops, late blight is still a potentially devastating infestation affecting potato and tomato crops. The signs of a P. infestans infection include large, dark green, water-soaked spots on the plant's leaves and large, dark brown spots on the fruit or tuber. If left untreated, the leaves die and the potato or tomato rots.
Botrytis cinerea (B. cinerea), also known as gray-mold disease, is common on soft, ripe fruits (e.g., strawberries, raspberries); vegetables (e.g., lettuce, tomato, artichoke, asparagus); legumes (e.g., lima beans, kidney beans) and ornamental plants (e.g., african violet, begonia, carnation, rose, poinsettia). Signs associated with this fungal disease include a brown or gray dusty mold covering the fruit, stems or leaves.
To date, control of above-ground fungal or bacterial pathogens has been limited to treatment with synthetic chemical pesticides. Many chemical fungicides are classified as carcinogens by the EPA. Many of these chemicals are also toxic to wildlife and other non-target species. In addition, pathogens may often develop resistance to chemical pesticides. (See, e.g., Schwinn et al., p. 244, ADVANCES IN PLANT PATHOLOGY: PHYTOPHTHORA INFESTANS, THE CAUSE OF LATE BLIGHT OF POTATO (Academic Press, San Diego 1991)).
Biological control offers an attractive alternative or addition to present disease-control practices. It is safer for the environment and less expensive to produce. Biological control of above-ground diseases is, however, particularly challenging because the surface of a plant provides a difficult environment for the introduction, survival and multiplication of biological control agents such as bacteria. (See, e.g., Campbell, R., p.77, BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF MICROBIAL PLANT PATHOGENS (Cambridge Univ. Press, New York 1989)). Thus, few commercially viable biocontrol agents are currently available for the control of above-ground plant disease. Bacillus subtilis is used commercially as a seed treatment (Kodiak.TM.), however, Bacillus sp. are not employed for above-ground plant diseases.
Naturally-occurring fungicidal bacterial strains are relatively uncommon. Screening programs have identified certain Bacillus sp. (B. sp. includes B. subtilis, B. cereus, B. mycodies, B. anthracis and B. thuringiensis) strains which exhibit antifungal activity. (See, e.g., Stabb et al. (1990) Applied Environ. Microbiol. 60(12):4404-4412). These strains have been shown to produce zwittermicin-A and/or "antibiotic B," now known as kanosamine (Milner et al. (1996) Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 62:3061-3065), two antibiotic agents which are effective against the soil borne disease "damping-off" caused by Phytophthora medicaginis, Phytophthora nicotianae, Phytophthora aphanidermatum or Sclerotinia minor. (See, Stabb et al., supra).
Zwittermicin A is a water-soluble, acid-stable linear aminopolyol molecule. (See, He et al. (1994) Tetra. Lett. 35(16):2499-2502). U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,379 to Handelsman et al. describes how zwittermicin A-producing B. cereus can be used to control the below-ground seedling diseases "root rot" and "damping off" in alfalfa and soybean. When the seed is coated with zwittermicin-A produced by B. cereus ATCC 53522, the pathogenic activity of the root rot fungus is inhibited. Similarly, application of spore-based formulations of certain B. cereus strains to soybean seeds or the soil surrounding the seeds has been shown to improve soybean yield at field sites. (See, Osburne et al. (1995) Am. Phytophathol. Soc. 79(6): 551-556).
Smith et al. (1993) Plant Disease 77(2):139-142 report that the activity of the soil-borne fungus, Pythium aphandiermatum, that causes cottony cucumber leak can be suppressed using zwittermicin-producing B. cereus strain UW85. Liefert et al. (1995) J. Appl. Bacteriol. 78:97-108 report the production of anti-Botrytis and anti-Alternaria brassicicola antibiotics by two Bacillus strains, B. subtilis CL27 and B. pumilis CL45. The whole broth and cell-free filtrates were active against Botrytis and Alternaria in in vitro tests and were active against Botrytis in in vivo small plants tests on Astilbe. The authors identified three antibiotics produced by the B. subtilis strain CL27, two of which were thought to be peptides and one non-peptide. Unlike the bacterial strains of the present invention, the antibiotics produced by the B. pumilis strain CL45 demonstrated only in vitro activity, no in vivo activity was demonstrated.
A lipoprotein antibiotic having a molecular weight of approximately 63,500 daltons that demonstrates activity against gram-positive bacteria but not gram-negative bacteria is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,061,495. In addition, this antibiotic is active against wheat powdery mildew caused by Erysiphe graminis and Botrytis fabae. McKeen et al. (1986) Phytopathol. 76:136-139 report the use of B. subtilis and antibiotics produced by B. subtilis for control of peach brown rot.
However, there have been no other reports of antibiotic-producing Bacillus sp. strains effective against pathogens responsible for above-ground plant diseases. Thus, there remains a need for biocontrol agents which are effective against above-ground fungal and bacterial infections.

Methods for controlling above-ground plant diseases using antibiotic-producing bacillus sp. ATCC 55608 or 55609


A process and apparatus utilizing at least one conformable anode (40) in a plating process to apply a plating to an article (10). A wire or other material suitable for an anode is shaped to conform to the approximate shape of a region of the article to be coated. The anode is powered by an electrical power source (44), and the article serves as the cathode. The anode and article are both immersed in a plating bath (38). The article and anode are rotated relative to one another about a central axis (22) of the article. The relative movement between the anode and the article causes a uniform plating (46) to be applied to selected regions of the article that pass the anode. Another anode (50) can be arranged in fixed relation with the article to cause plating to a separate selected region of the article concurrently with the other anode.

1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to processes and apparatus for plating articles, such as, but not limited to, pistons for combustion engines.
2. Related Art
It is known to plate articles by immersing an article in a plating bath and establishing an anode/cathode arrangement whereby one or more surfaces of the article are plated with material from the bath solution. For example, some articles are plated with chrome using this general technique.
One of the challenges presented in plating articles having contoured surfaces and/or sharp corners is that the shape of the article can interfere with the uniform development of the coating, with some areas getting more coating than is otherwise desired and others getting less than what is otherwise desired.

Process and apparatus for plating articles


Apparatuses, computer readable media, methods, and systems are described for storing a first measurement of a virtualization platform, storing a second measurement of a measured virtual machine, generating a quote using a key, wherein the quote is based on the first measurement and the second measurement, and providing the quote for attesting to authenticity of the virtualization platform and of the measured virtual machine. In a further example, the quote may be generated based on a third measurement of a secure tunnel.

Cloud computing is becoming increasingly popular. In cloud computing, a cloud may be an aggregation of resources provisioned on demand. Cloud computing may involve cloud resources performing computations instead of, or in addition to, a user's computer. Cloud computing has been compared to a utility, where computing is the service being provided.
Cloud computing, however, may present issues with information security and integrity. Use of cloud computing requires trusting the computers that make up the cloud, the network with which the cloud is connected, the individuals and organizations that operate the cloud, and the physical environment in which cloud resources are placed. Trusting these computers in existing clouds, however, is not an acceptable risk for many. In view of such issues, improvements in cloud computing environments are needed.

Trusted hardware for attesting to authenticity in a cloud environment


A temperature-controlled flexible optical circuit includes a length of pre-fabricated optical fiber secured to a partially flexible heater circuit for heating and maintaining the optical fiber at a substantially constant temperature. Heater circuit may also comprise temperature sensors.

1. Field
The present invention relates generally to a flexible optical circuit for use in a fiber amplifier and, in particular, to a flexible circuit that is temperature-controlled.
2. Description of Related Art
An erbium-doped fiber amplifier (EDFA) is basically an optical repeater device that functions to boost the amplitude of optical signals traveling through a fiber optic communications system. In particular, the EDFA incorporates a variety of components including a laser diode, a multiplexer and an optical fiber which is doped with the rare earth element erbium. The laser diode emits light having an infrared wavelength of 980 nm or 1480 nm that is passed through the multiplexer into the erbium-doped optical fiber. The emitted light excites the erbium atoms in the optical fiber. Then when an input optical signal having a wavelength of between 1530 nm and 1620 nm passes through the multiplexer and enters the optical fiber it stimulates the excited erbium atoms to emit photons at the same wavelength as the input optical signal. This action amplifies the input optical signal to a higher power by effectively boosting the amplitude of the input optical signal. Examples of two traditional EDFAs 100 and 200 are briefly discussed below with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.
Referring to FIG. 1 (PRIOR ART), there is a block diagram illustrating the basic components of a traditional EDFA 100. The EDFA 100 includes a variety of components including a laser diode 102, a multiplexer 104 and a custom-designed bobbin 106 that holds a predetermined length of erbium-doped optical fiber 108. The optical fiber 108 which can be relatively long (e.g., ˜50 m) is wrapped around the bobbin 106 before being placed in a package 110. The package 110 contains the various components that make-up the EDFA 100 including the laser diode 102, the multiplexer 104 and the bobbin 106. In operation, the EDFA 100 receives an input optical signal that is coupled by the multiplexer 104 along with the light from the laser diode 102 into the erbium-doped optical fiber 108 which becomes excited by the light from the laser diode 102 and outputs an amplified optical signal.
Unfortunately, there are a number of disadvantages associated with using the bobbin 106 to hold the optical fiber 108. First, the bobbin 106 needs to be custom designed so it can fit within the package 110. Secondly, the bobbin 106 itself is bulky and restricts the overall outline of the package 110. Thirdly, the optical fiber 108 may be stressed if the optical fiber 108 is wrapped too tightly around the bobbin 106. As such, the custom-designed bobbin 106 delays and adds complexity to the design of the EDFA 100 and can also adversely affect the operability of the EDFA 100.
Referring to FIG. 2 (PRIOR ART), there is a block diagram illustrating the basic components of another traditional EDFA 200. The EDFA 200 includes a variety of components including a laser diode 202, a multiplexer 204 and a predetermined length of erbium-doped optical fiber 206 that is held together by a fastener 208 including, for example, wire, string, tape, or glue (shown and described below as three wires/strings 208). Prior to being inserted into the EDFA 200, the optical fiber 206 which can be relatively long (e.g., ˜50 m) is wrapped around a custom-designed fixture 210 (e.g., bobbin)(see exploded view). Once the desired length of optical fiber 206 is wrapped around the fixture 210, then the optical fiber 206 is removed from the fixture 210 and the loose coil of optical fiber 206 is contained by the wire/string 208 (see exploded view). The optical fiber 206 that is held together by the wire/string 208 is then placed in a package 212. The package 212 contains the various components that make-up the EDFA 200 including the laser diode 202, the multiplexer 204 and the optical fiber 206. In operation, the EDFA 200 receives an input optical signal that is coupled by the multiplexer 204 along with the light from the laser diode 202 into the erbium-doped optical fiber 206 which becomes excited by the light from the laser diode 202 and outputs an amplified optical signal.
Unfortunately, there are a number of disadvantages associated with using the fixture 210 to wrap the optical fiber 206 and for using the wire/string 208 to contain the optical fiber 206. First, the fixture 210 needs to be custom designed such that the coil of optical fiber 208 has the desired diameter so it can fit within the package 212. Secondly, the optical fiber 206 may be stressed if the optical fiber 206 is wrapped too tightly around the fixture 210 and also difficult to remove. Thirdly, the optical fiber 206 may be stressed if the wire/string 208 is wrapped too tightly around the optical fiber 206. As such, the custom-designed fixture 210 delays and adds complexity to the design of the EDFA 200 and the use of wire/string 208 to hold the loose coil of optical fiber 206 can adversely affect the operability of the EDFA 200. A new flexible optical circuit for use in EDFAs was first described in co-owned and co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/127,089, filed Feb. 26, 2001, and entitled Flexible Optical Circuit For Use In An Erbium-Doped Fiber Amplifier And Method For Fabricating The Flexible Optical Circuit, which is incorporated by reference herein.
It is known in the art that the gain of an optical amplifier is dependent upon the temperature of the optical fiber. As the temperature of the fiber fluctuates, so does the gain and noise figure. However, it is desired for amplifier gain and noise figure to be consistent and therefore predictable during operation. Thus, maintaining the temperature of the fiber at a constant level irrespective of ambient temperature is desirable.
Techniques for compensating for temperature variations in EDFAs have been used with varied results. One could alter the power of the "pump" laser source in response to temperature to modify the population inversion. This provides a flat gain curve over temperature and has the advantage of requiring no external components. However, this results in a change in total output power which is unacceptable in most designs. The input signal power could also be altered with respect to temperature to modify the population inversion by coupling to the EDFA a variable optical attenuator. The disadvantage of this technique is that total gain of the EDFA would have to be increased in order to compensate for loss resulting from the attenuator.
A variable gain equalizer, either temperature-dependent or manually controlled, may be used to vary gain as necessary. These devices are expensive, increasing the cost of the system, and their use also results in signal loss. Also, gain-flattening filters ("GFF"s) have been used to attempt to compensate for temperature-induced variation in gain, however, such filters are themselves temperature dependent making them inappropriate for temperature compensation of the overall gain.
A final technique of overcoming variation in gain due to temperature is heating the optical fiber inside the EDFA. However, current methods of maintaining constant temperature of an optical fiber used in erbium-doped fiber amplifiers are bulky, and increase thermal resistance and assembly time. For example, FIG. 3A (PRIOR ART) shows an optical circuit 300 employing a specially designed bobbin 301 to hold the optical fiber 304 in place similar to that used in the EDFA shown in FIG. 1. To manage temperature of the optical fiber 304, a heating element 307 is mechanically attached to the bobbin 301. FIG. 3B (PRIOR ART) shows the optical circuit 300 with specially designed bobbin 301. To manage temperature of the optical fiber 304, a heating coil 308 is wrapped around bobbin 301. In addition, to the lengthy time to produce such a temperature-controlled optical fiber for use in an EDFA, each time a new amplifier is designed, along with a new bobbin or spool, a new heating element or coil must also be developed increasing design time. Moreover, the heating element would increase system power consumption.
Thus, a new flexible optical circuit that allows for temperature control of the erbium-doped optical fiber is needed that is less bulky and reduces assembly time, making production more efficient.

Temperature-controlled flexible optical circuit for use in an erbium-doped fiber amplifier and method for fabricating the flexible optical circuit


A tube coupling is disclosed which electrically insulates the tube from the coupling. A metallic nut and body interact with a non-metallic coupling to constrict the non-metallic coupling about the tube end providing multiple seals and seats while avoiding metal-to-metal contact between the tube and either the nut or body. Multiple cooperating cam surfaces are provided on the body and non-metallic coupling to achieve a tube coupling stronger than, yet electrically insulated from, the tube.

The mechanism of corrosion has been determined to be electrochemical in nature. The corrosion of underground metal structure or even structure exposed to moisture in the atmosphere is the result of cathodic disbondment or ions flowing from the metal structure to the surrounding electrolyte. Corrosion is particularly hard on underground pipes or conduits, such as gas distribution systems. Corrosion is also particularly hard on fittings used in such systems. The extent of corrosion may vary widely throughout a distribution system and depends on many factors such as the chloride content or acidity of the soil or surrounding electrolyte.
Cathodic protection systems are employed to minimize corrosion. These systems are either galvanic or of the impressed current type. The former utilizes a natural current flow between metals of different types while the latter actually impresses a current through the electrolyte from an anode to the buried structure as a cathode. The anode then corrodes rather than the buried structure. One drawback of the latter system is that it must from time to time be tested. Testing takes place by measuring the potential from a reference cell to the structure with the system off.
It has been found that fittings for such systems won't corrode in typical fashion if one side is electrically insulated from the other. In other words, if the tube connected is electrically insulated from the fitting, the fitting is insulated from the cause of corrosion. An insulated fitting also makes cathodic protection for the system easier to apply, control and monitor.
While there are many plastic fittings or fittings using plastic parts, such as a typical garden hose connection, the really quality fittings more suitable for a gas distribution system are such as those used in process control piping. Such fittings are made of metal. Examples of such fittings are seen in prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,736,008 and 3,069,188 and are sold under the well known TYLOK.RTM. trademark by Tylok International Inc. of Euclid, Ohio. These fittings typically comprise a precision made body, a nut and two collets, the latter providing four axially spaced sealing points along the tube. The nut is spaced from the tube since the rear collet includes a sleeve telescoped between the nut and tube. The body includes different axially spaced cam or taper surfaces which actuate the collets. The fitting when properly installed is substantially stronger than the tube. Since the collets actually skive into the tube, the fitting is a good electrical conductor, and in some applications that electrical conductivity is desirable.
It would therefore be desirable to maintain the strength and integrity of the fitting using interchangeable parts, such as the nut and body, yet providing a fitting which electrically insulates the fitting from the tube.


A needle containing medical device having a retractable needle [90], the device comprising an outer body [93], an inner member [97] which can slide within the outer body, a releasable needle holder [91] in a front portion of the outer body, a needle attached to the needle holder, the inner member being provided with a series of spaced needle holder engaging means [108], and the needle holder being provided with a series of spaced inner member engaging means [108] thereby enabling the inner member to be attached to the needle holder at at least one of the series of engaging means.

With the ever-increasing awareness of needlestick injury and the risks associated with sharing needles, there have been many syringes introduced in the marketplace having some form of retractable needle. There are three basic types.
The first type can be seen as a "manual"-type syringe where, as the plunger is moved forwardly towards the end of the syringe barrel, it couples with a needle holder which contains the needle. The plunger can then be manually retracted which causes the needle to be retracted into the syringe body.
The second type can broadly be classified as "shoot back" syringes. In these syringes, some form of spring is provided. As the plunger is pushed forwardly towards the end of the syringe barrel, the needle holder is released and the spring causes the needle holder (containing the attached needle) to shoot back, either into the plunger body or into the syringe body. The spring may be mounted about the needle holder and under permanent compression until the needle holder is released. Alternatively, it is known to provide a spring that stretches as the plunger is pushed forwardly towards the front of the syringe barrel.
The third type can be broadly classified as "suck back" syringes. In these syringes, a reduced pressure (vacuum) is typically provided in the plunger and the front of the plunger is sealed by a piston. The piston is releasably mounted to the front of the plunger. The front of the syringe barrel has a releasable needle holder which contains the needle. As the plunger is pushed forwardly towards the end of the syringe barrel, the piston couples to the needle holder and at the same time, the piston is released from the front of the plunger and the needle holder is released from the front of the syringe barrel which causes the needle holder/piston to be sucked back into the plunger by the vacuum.
There are many variations to these three basic constructions. For instance, it is known to provide a "vacuum on demand" to the plunger which means that the syringe can be at atmospheric pressure until just before use at which stage a vacuum can be created in the plunger.
In each of the basic constructions, great care needs to be taken that the plunger (which may include a piston) properly couples to the needle holder such that the needle holder (containing the contaminated needle) can be properly retracted.
With a manual retraction, it is undesirable that a situation can occur where retraction of the plunger does not cause retraction of the needle holder.
With a shoot back mechanism, it is highly undesirable that the mechanism "triggers" either too soon or too late. If the mechanism triggers too soon, there may still be appreciable medicine in the syringe which will be lost if the needle shoots back prematurely. Alternatively, it is also highly undesirable if the mechanism does not trigger when the plunger is pushed fully forwardly, or where it is necessary to place undue force on the plunger (which can damage the shoot back mechanism).
With a "suck back" mechanism, it is also highly undesirable that the mechanism triggers too soon or too late. With this type of mechanism, because the plunger is under vacuum, if the piston on the front of the plunger releases too early, the piston can be retracted (sucked back) into the plunger body without properly attaching to the needle holder. Alternatively, it is equally undesirable that the needle holder is released too early.
However, it is found that the particular construction of the single use syringes is such that there is not much "leeway" in the triggering mechanism, and particularly if the syringes are the small 1 ml syringes. Thus, the possibility of the release mechanism triggering either too late or too soon is ever present.
One cause for the premature triggering of the release mechanism seems to be that the plunger needs to engage with the retraction device almost immediately upon the plunger being pushed into a forward part of the syringe. Thus, if the engagement does not occur immediately, there may be malfunctioning of the release mechanism.
Another possible cause for premature triggering or delayed triggering may be in the way that the needle holder (often also called a luer) is attached in a releasable manner to the front of the barrel. It is known to hold the needle holder in a releasable manner to the front of the barrel using some sort of functional engagement, and when the plunger is pushed towards the front of the barrel, the plunger engages in some manner with the needle holder to reduce to frictional engagement to such an extent that the needle holder can now be triggered to the retracted position. It is found that a frictional engagement of the needle holder to the barrel is not necessarily an entirely satisfactory arrangement.
Therefore, it is also known to provide some form of step or shoulder in the front of the barrel against which the needle holder can be held and it is then necessary to push the step or shoulder away to release the needle holder. It is also known to provide some form of "shatter plate" which is broken to release the needle holder, or some form of frangible portion. While some of these arrangements can provide a satisfactory temporary attachment of the needle holder in place, the manufacture of the step or shoulder in the front of the barrel can be quite difficult.
It would therefore be an advantage to modify the particular construction of single use syringes, including of the "suck back" type to improve the design by which the piston can be released from the front of the plunger and/or the design by which the needle holder can be released from the front of the syringe barrel.
It will be clearly understood that, if a prior art publication is referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that the publication forms part of the common general knowledge in the art in Australia or in any other country.

Needle containing medical device with variable locking to needle holder


There is provided a microstructure comprising a substrate, support members, a lever and an electrode formed on the lever is characterized in that said support members support said substrate and said beam and/or the electrode section with a void interposed therebetween and an electrode is formed on the lower surface of said beam. There are also provided a method of forming such a microstructure and an electrostatic actuator having a beam that is displaced by applying a voltage to the electrodes of the actuator.

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a microstructure to be prepared by means of micromechanical technologies and it also relates to a method of forming a microstrucuture by using a sacrificial layer.
2. Related Background Art
In recent years, studies have been made to produce minute machines comprising small one or more than one mechanisms by means of micromechanical technologies. In particular, such a microstructure realized by applying technologies developed for forming semiconductor integrated circuits (semiconductor photolithography process) can be used to produce a number of minute mechanical components on a common substrate on a highly reproducible basis. Thus, minute components can be prepared for minute machines at reduced cost and such minute components provide an enhanced responsiveness if compared with conventional mechanical structures.
Three typical methods are popularly known for manufacturing a microstructure on a substrate. Firstly, there is a method for producing a microstructure such as a wobble micromotor of polysilicon film (M. Mehregany et al., "Operation of microfabricated harmonic and ordinary side-drive motors", Proceedings IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems Workshop, 1990, pp. 1-8) or a linear microactuator (P. Cheung et al., "Modeling and position-detection of a polysilicon linear microactuator", Micromechanical Sensors, Actuators and Systems ASME 1991, DS C-Vol. 32, pp. 269-278), with which a sacrificial layer of silicon dioxide film and a thin silicon film of polysilicon, SOI (Si on Insulator) or SIMOX (Separation by ion implantation of oxygen) (B. Diem et al., "SOI (SIMOX) as a Substrate for Surface Micromachining of Single Crystalline Silicon and Actuators", The 7th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors and Actuators, transducers '93, Jun. 7-10, 1993, pp. 233-236) formed to produce a microstructure are patterned to show a desired profile and subsequently the silicon dioxide film is used as a sacrificial layer and removed with an aqueous solution of fluorine.
However, since this method involves the use of an aqueous solution of fluorine in order to etch out the silicon dioxide, a material that resists corrosion by fluoric acid has to be selected for the microstructure and hence such corrosive substances as aluminum cannot be used for the electrodes of the microstructure. Additionally, the polysilicon of the microstructure has to be controlled for its membrane stress in order to prevent it from warping. If an SOI substrate is used, the silicon dioxide supporting the microstructure can be etched back to consequently reduce the microstructure to show a beam-shaped profile and make it difficult to electrically connect the substrate and the structure when the silicon dioxide lying under the bulk Si thin film is removed.
Secondly, there is a known a method of forming a spatial light modulator comprising a micromirror of an aluminum (Al) thin film (L. J. Hornbeck, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-8812) by applying photoresist onto a substrate to form a sacrificial layer, forming thereon an Al thin film, patterning the Al film to a desired profile and thereafter removing the photoresist by dry etching using oxygen plasma to produce a microstructure comprising an Al thin film.
With this technique, it is possible to form a microstructure on a substrate selected from a variety of candidates because the sacrificial layer is made of photoresist, the use of which is not restricted by the surface coarseness of the substrate. Thus, the sacrificial layer can be removed by drying etching using the technology of reactive ion etching (RIE) and any possible sticking phenomenon that may appear between the microstructure and the substrate if a wet etching technique is used to remove the sacrificial layer can be successfully avoided. However, the process of forming the aluminum thin film for the structure has to be conducted at temperature that is low enough to prevent photoresist from being damaged by heat to impose rather rigorous restrictions on the selection of material for the microstructure. Additionally, since the microstructure is produced by means of a thin film forming technique such as vacuum deposition or sputtering, the membrane stress of the thin film has to be so controlled as to prevent the microstructure from being warped by the membrane stress.
Last but not least, there is known a method of forming the pattern of a microstructure on a bulk Si substrate, coupling part of the pattern to the glass substrate by anode coupling and etching the coupled Si substrate from the rear surface in such a way that only the microstructure is left on the glass substrate. A linear actuator made of bulk Si thin film formed from an Si substrate (Y. Gianchandani et al., "Micro-Size High Aspect Ratio Bulk Silicon Micromechanical Devices", Proceedings IEEE Micro Electro Mechanical Systems Workshop, 1992, pp. 208-213) and a cantilever for an AFM (Atomic Force Microscope) made of silicon nitride film (T. A. Albrecht et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,415) can be prepared with this technique.
Since this method does not involve the use of a sacrificial layer, a microstructure can be made of a material that may be corroded by fluoric acid. However, since it has to be coupled with glass by anode coupling, candidate materials are limited to electroconductive silicon that can be easily oxidized, metals such as Si, Al, Ti and Ni and silicon nitride or oxide that can be anode-coupled only in the form of a thin film formed on a Si substrate. Additionally, since the process of anode coupling has to be conducted at temperature higher than 300.degree. C., the glass to be coupled with a microstructure is required to show a thermal expansion coefficient substantially equal to that of the Si substrate. Thus, glass that can be used with this method is limited to Pyrex glass (e.g., #7740 Corning: tradename). Additionally, since a void has to be formed in advance on the coupling surface, electrodes cannot be arranged on the microstructure after the coupling operation. Moreover, since the substrate has to be made of glass containing mobile ions, circuits cannot be formed on the substrate to a high degree of integration. Finally, since the surface coarseness of the glass and the electroconductive material has to be held to less than 500 angstroms for coupling the glass and the electroconductive material by anode coupling, they cannot be coupled on stepped wires.

Microstructure and method of forming the same