The lifetime of optical components used in deep-UV (DUV) excimer laser systems, including systems in a MOPA configuration, can be increased by reducing the intensity of pulses incident upon these components. In one approach, an output pulse can be “stretched” in order to reduce the peak power of the pulse. A pulse stretching component can be used, which can be mounted outside the laser enclosure with a horizontal beam path in order to provide a delay line with a minimum impact on the laser system footprint. The horizontal beam path also can minimize the number of optical components in the arm containing the high power beam. A beamsplitting prism can be used with the delay line to avoid the rapid degradation of coatings otherwise exposed to intense UV beams. The prism can expand the beam in the delay line in order to minimize beam intensity and losses due to reflection.

Semiconductor manufacturers are currently using deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography tools based on KrF-excimer laser systems, operating at wavelengths around 248 nm, as well as ArF-excimer laser systems, which operate at around 193 nm. Vacuum UV (VUV) tools are based on F2-laser systems operating at around 157 nm. These relatively short wavelengths are advantageous for photolithography applications because the critical dimension, which represents the smallest resolvable feature size that can be produced photolithographically, is proportional to the wavelength used to produce that feature. The use of smaller wavelengths can provide for the manufacture of smaller and faster microprocessors, as well as larger capacity DRAMs, in a smaller package. In addition to having smaller wavelengths, such lasers have a relatively high photon energy (i.e., 7.9 eV) which is readily absorbed by high band gap materials such as quartz, synthetic quartz (SiO2), Teflon (PTFE), and silicone, among others. This absorption leads to excimer and molecular fluorine lasers having even greater potential in a wide variety of materials processing applications. Excimer and molecular fluorine lasers having higher energy, stability, and efficiency are being developed as lithographic exposure tools for producing very small structures as chip manufacturing proceeds into the 0.18 micron regime and beyond. The desire for such submicron features comes with a price, however, as there is a need for improved processing equipment capable of consistently and reliably generating such features. Further, as excimer laser systems are the next generation to be used for micro-lithography applications, the demand of semiconductor manufacturers for powers of 40 W or more to support throughput requirements leads to further complexity and expense.
In laser systems used for photolithography applications, for example, it would be desirable to move toward higher repetition rates, increased energy stability and dose control, increased system uptime, narrower output emission bandwidths, improved wavelength and bandwidth accuracy, and improved compatibility with stepper/scanner imaging systems. It also would be desirable to provide lithography light sources that deliver high spectral purity and extreme power, but that also deliver a low cost chip production. Requirements of semiconductor manufacturers for higher power and tighter bandwidth can place excessive, and often competing, demands on current single-chamber-based light sources. Many of these obstacles are overcome by taking advantage of a dual-gas-discharge-chamber technology referred to herein as MOPA (Master Oscillator—Power Amplifier) technology. MOPA technology can be used to separate the bandwidth and power generators of a laser system, as well as to control each gas discharge chamber separately, such that both the required bandwidth and pulse energy parameters can be optimized. Using a master oscillator (MO), for example, an extremely tight spectrum can be generated for high-numerical-aperture lenses at low pulse energy. A power amplifier (PA), for example, can be used to intensify the light, in order to deliver the power levels necessary for the high throughput desired by the chip manufacturers. The MOPA concept can be used with any appropriate laser, such as KrF, ArF, and F2-based lasers.
Components of a MOPA laser system can include those discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,577,663, hereby incorporated herein by reference, which discloses a molecular fluorine (F2) laser system including a seed oscillator (or master oscillator) and power amplifier. The seed oscillator comprises a laser tube including multiple electrodes therein, which are connected to a discharge circuit. Seed radiation can alternatively be provided by an excimer lamp maintained at low pressure. The laser tube is part of an optical resonator for generating a laser beam including a first line of multiple characteristic emission lines around 157 nm. The laser tube can be filled with a gas mixture including molecular fluorine and a buffer gas. The gas mixture can be at a pressure below that which results in the generation of a laser emission, including the first line around 157 nm having a natural line width of less than 0.5 pm, without an additional line-narrowing optical component for narrowing the first line. The power amplifier increases the power of the beam emitted by the seed oscillator to a desired power for applications processing. A power amplifier (PA) typically includes a discharge chamber filled with a laser gas, such as a gas including molecular fluorine, and a buffer gas. Electrodes positioned in the discharge chamber are connected to a discharge circuit, such as an electrical delay circuit, for energizing the molecular fluorine in the chamber. The discharge of the PA can be timed to be at, or near, a maximum in discharge current when a pulse from the master oscillator (MO) reaches the amplifier discharge chamber. Various line-narrowing optics can be used, such as may include one or more tuned or tuneable etalons.
A major limitation to deep-UV (DUV) excimer laser systems is the lifetime of the optical components used therein. Especially at the level of output power on the order of tens of Watts, fast decay of optical components increases downtime as well as operational costs for applications such as microlithography. While implementation of the MOPA concept can increase the output power of the laser system, one of fundamental limitations of existing MOPA systems is this relatively short optics lifetime. For example, one of the principal factors limiting the optics lifetime in a MOPA system is the fast degradation of the output window of the amplifier discharge chamber, as this optical component is typically at the point where the power is at the highest level.

Master-oscillator power-amplifier (MOPA) excimer or molecular fluorine laser system with long optics lifetime


A method is described for the reproducible quantification of biomarker expression, including biomarker expression in a tissue sample. Methods and systems are described whereby reproducible scores for biomarker expression are obtained independent of instrument, its location, or operator.

The present invention relates to the field of automated biomarker expression analysis in tissue samples using algorithms to enhance operator-independent analysis and assay result reproducibility for greater predictive value in diagnostic assays.
To date, biomarker assessment on tissue sections relies on traditional cytochemical and immunohistochemical (IHC) techniques which were largely developed before large scale and high throughput assays were available. A significant drawback to traditional methods is the subjective nature of the test, and lack of standardization. Although IHC tests have shown clinical utility (e.g., Her2/HercepTest), the value of these tests have recently been shown to be compromised by the site at which the test is performed. Two recent studies examining the reproducibility of Her2 testing has shown that there may be as much as 20% error between local and central lab testing (Perez et al. J. Clinic. One. (2006) 24:3032-8; Paik S et al. Benefit from adjuvant trastuzumab may not be confined to patients with IHC 3+ and/or FISH positive tumors: Central testing results from NSABP B-31 (2007) 25:511-22).
Tissue microarray technology offers the opportunity for high throughput analysis of tissue samples (Konen, J. et al., Nat. Med. 4:844-7 (1998); Kallioniemi, O. P. et al., Hum. Mol. Genet. 10:657-62 (2001); Rimm, D. L. et al., Cancer J. 7:24-31 (2001)). For example, the ability to rapidly perform large scale studies using tissue microarrays can provide critical information for identifying and validating drug targets and prognostic markers (e.g. estrogen receptor (ER) and HER2/neu), as well as candidate therapeutics.
The present invention provides for the first time fully automated standardization of in situ biomarker quantification that minimizes lab-to-lab, machine-to-machine, operator-to-operator, and day-to-day staining variations.

Reproducible quantification of biomarker expression


Provided are a method and apparatus for identifying a fingerprint logo and an electronic device. The method for identifying the fingerprint logo includes: acquiring, before an optical sensor captures a fingerprint image, first optical signals captured by the optical sensor in at least one first region respectively, where the first optical signals captured in the at least one first region form a first image, and the at least one first region corresponds to a partial region of a photosensitive surface of the optical sensor; and identifying whether there is a fingerprint logo for guiding a user to perform pressing in the first image according to the first optical signals captured in the at least one first region.

With rapid development of an electronic device industry, especially high-speed development of mobile communication devices (such as mobile phones), biometric identification technology has received more and more attention from people, and practical usage of more convenient under-screen biometric identification technology has become a popular requirement, for example, under-screen optical fingerprint identification technology under a screen of a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display.
In the under-screen optical fingerprint identification technology, a part to be pressed is prompted on a display screen, and mainly includes two patterns: one is a fingerprint logo prompting a user to perform pressing, and the other is a pattern of a captured fingerprint image. If an optical fingerprint image contains logo information, false rejection rate (FRR) of fingerprint identification will be greatly affected. At current stage, by performing a fixed delay on a host end, a fingerprint image capturing command is issued only after the logo is completely eliminated. However, since the above method is a fixed delay method, a time point of logo elimination cannot be accurately known, so user experience is reduced.

Method and apparatus for identifying fingerprint logo and electronic device


A mask assembly including a first mask and a second mask is provided. The first mask includes a plurality of first main features parallel to each other, a plurality of first sub-resolution assistant features (SRAFs) and a plurality of second SRAFs. The second SRAFs are separately disposed at one side of the first main features. The first SRAFs are separately disposed between the first main features and the second SRAFs. An extension direction of the first main features is parallel to an extension direction of the second SRAFs. The second mask includes a plurality of second main features parallel to each other. When the first mask and the second mask are placed at a predetermined position above a negative-type development photoresist layer for performing exposure respectively, the second main features intersect with the first main features and the second main features overlap with the first SRAFs.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a mask, and in particular, a mask assembly for Double Exposure (DE).
Description of Related Art
The photolithography process is a key process in the whole semiconductor manufacturing process. How to further reduce the critical dimension is a challenge that all researchers and developers will constantly encounter. In the challenge of pattern shrinkage, various methods have been proposed one after another, e.g., Double Exposure (DE), Litho-Etch Litho-Etch (LELE), Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography (EUVL), Self-Alignment Double Patterning (SADP), Negative-Tone Development (NTD), and Directed Self-Assembly (DSA). Currently, the light source power necessary for Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography has not yet been advanced enough for mass production, and the materials necessary for Directed Self-Assembly are still at the stage of development. Therefore, current semiconductor manufacturing processes mostly rely on the technology of Multi Pattering to reduce the critical dimension. For example, process technology combining Double Exposure and Negative-Tone Development effectively reduces the dimension of a contact hole.
In addition to pattern shrinkage, enhancement of the process window is another key factor in the photolithography process for determining whether mass production can be introduced. Generally speaking, an excellent mask feature design has a definite contribution to the enhancement of the process window. Based on the above, in the process technology combining Double Exposure and Negative-Tone Development, how to enhance the process window through adequate mask feature designs is currently one of the issues that researchers and developers seek to resolve.

Mask assembly and photolithography process using the same


The drive axles of a motor vehicle differential assembly are secured within the central bores provided in the side gears of the differential assembly by a spherical retention means which preferably is a metal ball that is securely held within a spherically-hollowed region created through the communication of a spherical bore provided in the splined end portions of the drive axles and a spherically-walled end portion of an elongated cavity provided in the splined central bores of the side gears. The spherically-walled end portion communicates with a cylindrically-walled region of the elongated cavity that facilitates insertion of the retention means into the elongated cavity.

Motor vehicle differential assemblies have been in common use for many years to allow one motor vehicle wheel on an axle to rotate at a different rate than the other motor vehicle wheel, such as would occur when a motor vehicle is turning, or two tires having different diameters are being used on the same axle.
A typical motor vehicle differential assembly includes a pair of meshing spider and side gears enclosed in a differential case. The case is usually a one-piece unit, having a ring gear bolted to the case. The case is usually made of cast iron. The spider gears, typically made of hardened steel, are held in place by a steel shaft, known as a pinion shaft, which passes through the differential case and the center of the spider gears. The spider gears, also commonly made of hardened steel, mesh with the side gears. When the ring gear and the differential case turn, the spider and side gears also turn. Power flow is through the case, into the spider gears, and on into the side gears. The side gears are splined to a pair of drive axles and transfer power to the drive axles which in turn transfer power to wheels which drive the vehicle.
Known prior art means for keeping the drive axles firmly engaged within the side gears include C-locks which are received by a circumferential groove provided in the end of the drive axle and which project radially beyond the periphery of the drive axle to contact a nearby face of the side gear. The C-lock has been known to work satisfactorily as long as the arrangement of the spider gears and the side gears provides a wide enough space between the side gear face and the pinion shaft to achieve adequate button thickness on the end of the drive axle where the groove for the C-lock is provided. Where the spider gear and side gear arrangement does not yield enough space to realize appropriate button thickness, alternate means of retaining the drive axles are required.
Another known retention means makes use of a cam plug and a set of balls mounted within an axially disposed recess at the end of the drive axle. Rotation of the pinion gear shaft moves the cam plugs further into the recess and the balls outwardly into locking engagement with an annular recess within the side gears. The pinion shaft is then secured against rotation by a pin or screw which extends therethrough.
The present invention achieves the same results as the above described known retention means using the cam plug and balls; but, with a greatly simplified design that is envisioned to provide a stronger link between the side gears and the drive shafts.


The invention provides a method and circuit for forming an electrotherapy current waveform. A charge storage device located externally of a patient's body is charged, and is discharged through the patient's body through at least two discharge electrodes connected by electrical circuitry to opposite poles of the charge storage device. A continuous discharge of the charge storage device through the electrodes is controlled so as to produce at least one phase of a current waveform that includes a ripple. The ripple has a height less than one-third of the height of the peak current of the phase, and the difference between the peak current of the phase and the lowest current of the phase is less than one third of the peak current of the phase. The current waveform has a sensing pulse portion that is integral with the therapeutic discharge portion of the current waveform.

This invention relates to electrotherapy circuits and more particularly relates to external defibrillators that apply defibrillation shocks to a patient's heart through electrodes placed externally on the patient's body or externally on the patient's heart during surgery.
Normally, electrochemical activity within a human heart causes the organ's muscle fibers to contract and relax in a synchronized manner. This synchronized action of the heart's musculature results in the effective pumping of blood from the ventricles to the body's vital organs. In the case of ventricular fibrillation (VF), however, abnormal electrical activity within the heart causes the individual muscle fibers to contract in an unsynchronized and chaotic way. As a result of this loss of synchronization, the heart loses its ability to effectively pump blood.
Defibrillators produce a large current pulse that disrupts the chaotic electrical activity of the heart associated with ventricular fibrillation and provide the heart's electrochemical system with the opportunity to re-synchronize itself. Once organized electrical activity is restored, synchronized muscle contractions usually follow, leading to the restoration of effective cardiac pumping.
The current required for effective defibrillation is dependent upon the particular shape of the current waveform, including its amplitude, duration, shape (i.e., sine, damped sine, square, exponential decay), and whether the current waveform has a single polarity (monophasic) or has both positive and negative polarity (biphasic). It has been suggested that large defibrillation currents may cause damage to cardiac tissue, however.
It is known to construct an external defibrillator that can sense patient impedance and can set the durations of the first and second phases of a biphasic waveform as a function of the patient impedance. An example of such a defibrillator is described in PCT Patent Publication No. WO 95/05215. Fain et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,230,336 discloses a method of setting pulse widths of monophasic and biphasic defibrillation waveforms based on measured patient impedance. Kerber et al., "Advance Prediction of Transthoracic Impedance in Human Defibrillation and Cardioversion: Importance of Impedance in Determining the Success of Low-Energy Shocks," 1984, discloses a method of selecting the energy of defibrillation shocks based on patient impedance measured using a high-frequency signal.
It is also known to construct a defibrillator with a safety resistor in the defibrillation path (PCT Patent Publication No. WO 95/05215). Before application of a defibrillation waveform to a patient, a test pulse is passed through the safety resistor while a current sensor monitors the current. If the sensed current is less than a safety threshold representative of a short circuit, the safety resistor is removed and the defibrillation waveform is applied to the patient.
It is known, in an implantable defibrillator, to use a biphasic waveform having a first phase consisting of multiple truncated decaying exponentials that form a sawtooth approximation of a rectilinear shape (Kroll, U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,429). This is accomplished by charging a set of energy storage capacitors and then successively allowing individual capacitors to discharge during the first phase, thereby creating the sawtooth pattern in the output current of the circuit. A more recent patent, Kroll, U.S. Pat. No. 5,514,160, describes a biphasic waveform, in an implantable defibrillator, having a rectilinear-shaped first phase created by placing a MOSFET current limiter in the defibrillation path. This patent states that the grossly non-linear current limiter looks like a small and declining resistance to the capacitor. Also, Schuder et al., "Transthoracic Ventricular Defibrillation in the 100 kg Calf with Symmetrical One-Cycle Bidirectional Rectangular Wave Stimuli" describes the use of biphasic waveforms having rectilinear first and second phases to reverse ventricular fibrillation in calves. Stroetmann et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,403, discloses a waveform having a sawtooth ripple that is formed by periodically interrupting a non-continuous discharge of a charging circuit.

Method and apparatus for producing electrotherapy current waveform with ripple


A telecommunications apparatus for transporting ATM cells having either of isochronous units of payload data and asynchronous units of payload data, between receiving and transmitting ports includes a buffer for asynchronously queuing units of payload data received from the receiving ports and for subsequently transmitting the queued units of payload data in a time division multiplex data stream toward the transmitting ports. A timeslot interchanger is used to reorder a time defined sequence of isochronous units of payload data from the first data stream into a second time defined sequence of isochronous units of payload data in a second TDM data stream. An outgoing TDM data stream is assembled by transferring the first data stream into the outgoing data stream while substituting each payload occurrence of isochronous units from the second TDM data stream, into corresponding TDM locations in the outgoing data stream. The outgoing data stream is transmitted toward the transmitting ports whereby telephone calls are connected via the isochronous units of payload data. Delay typically inherent in telephone conversations connected via prior ATM facilities and the consequent severe echo often experience by users is substantially reduced.

The field of telecommunications has long been operated on the basis of circuit switching principles to provide voice communications. The typical telecommunications digital network for voice communications, provides a continuous bit rate service that is concatenated as n.times.64 Kb/s channels. Telephone station sets as well as other terminal apparatus are connected at network ports or end points via telephone lines. The network ports usually include codec equipped line interface circuits for converting analog signals, received from the telephone line, to digital signals for transmission through the telecommunications digital network and for converting digital signals, received from the telecommunications digital network, to analog signals, for reception via the telephone line. Voice signals, are usually digitally encoded into pulse code modulated (PCM) signals, in accordance with a standard, either A law or .mu. law. Any communication with any one of the ports is conducted by means of digital signals within assigned timeslots interleaved in transmit and receive frames in a periodic frame format. These may be referred to as a pair of transmit and receive time division multiplexed (TDM) channels. The transmit and receive channel pair are usually simply referred to as a channel. The channels are time division multiplexed with other channels in the periodically occurring frames, which themselves may be time division multiplexed with other periodically occurring frames, for the transport of information signals, such as PCM signals, between synchronous signal sources and destinations. In this example the telecommunications digital network is based on a synchronous time multiplex (STM) hierarchy which establishes a common operating frequency and phase structure between the end points or ports. This is commonly referred to as circuit switching. Information is exchanged between telephone call specified end points by the use of the TDM channels inherent to one or more circuit switches within the STM network. These circuit switches typically include both space and time switching elements in any of various combinations. More than one channel may be assigned to a communication circuit but this is only required for a special service which requires some multiple of the 64 Kb/s bandwidth. The primary characteristic of circuit switching is that once one or more channels are assigned to a given communication circuit, to provide a service, the channel assignment is reserved for the exclusive use of that service continuously throughout the duration of the service provision. In circuit switching a typical voice telephone call is allocated one path or channel for the duration of the call, however synchronous signal sources are not limited to voice band signals and may include a wide range of synchronous sources, for example from voice through to video. Two examples of TDM switches, commercially supplied by the assignee for use in telephone exchanges, are known by the trademarks DMS 10 and DMS 100.
Some time ago, packet switching was introduced for improving the efficient transport of data signals. In contrast to the steady repetitive nature of PCM signals, data signals for the most part are of a bursty or asynchronous nature. Thus to accommodate the efficient transmission of data signals they are arranged into packets of any convenient length along with a header which specifies a destination. After a packet has been assembled, a high speed transmission path is allocated, only for a time sufficient to transport the packet of data toward its destination. During the transmission, the packet is in sole possession of the transmission path. After the packet is transported the transmission path is available for the transport of another packet, possibly from a different source. The event of the transmission of a at least one packet of data from a point of origin to a point of destination is termed a data call, however the number of data packets transmitted in a data call is generally unlimited. During any one data call, call management is rationalized by assigning a virtual channel to the call. The virtual channel is always maintained for the length of the data call, although the actual allocation of the transmission path occurs only after a packet of data is ready for transmission and only for the time actually used for its transmission. The virtual channel has various benefits associated with call management and billing, and provides a vehicle for defining the bandwidth and grade of service assigned to the call. Some or many packets may eventually be transported as determined by the occurrences of data at the source, however as if to mimic synchronous switching, any one data call is associated with its virtual channel throughout the duration of the data call. The time during which the transmission path is actually occupied is a function of size of a packet divided by the bandwidth of the transmission path. Although digitized voice can be transported in this manner, the wide variances of delay caused by the operating characteristics of a practical packet network has demonstrated that packet switching is not a practical alternative to circuit switching for providing voice telephone services. Intolerable, interrupted, delayed and out of sequenced reception of voice signal transmissions are common occurrences from time to time in a typical packet system, particularly during higher traffic periods. An example of a packet switch, commercially supplied by the assignee for use in data exchanges, is known by the trademark SL 10.
The evolution of packet systems toward functionality as broad band carriers of information of synchronous origin is exemplified in a paper by A Thomas et al, titled Asynchronous Time-Division Techniques: An Experimental Packet Network Integrating Video communication, which was published at the 1984 International Switching Symposium, May 7-11 in Florence Italy. Another example was published in a 1987 IEEE paper by Jean-Pierre Coudreuse and Michel Serval, titled Prelude: An Asynchronous Time-division Switched Network.
More recently, a broadband communications standard for supporting a variety of both synchronous and asynchronous communication requirements has been widely adapted, and is now referred to as the asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) of telecommunications. The recommended standards are defined by the ATM Forum and are available from several publishers including Prentice Hall of Englwood Cliffs, N.J. 07632, under the title ATM User-Network Interface Specification Version 3.0 (ISBN 0-13-225863-3). Currently networks operable in the ATM standard are becoming available for the transport of asynchronous (bursty) signals, as well as synchronous (periodic) signals. One commercially available product is sold by the assignee with the trademark Magellan. Networks operable in the ATM standard are usually termed ATM systems or ATM networks.
The operation of ATM systems resembles some aspects of packet switching but conforms to a more rigid specification for transmission and switching. An ATM system performs transfers of information in fixed sized units, referred to in ATM jargon as cells. Each cell is like a container or a packet of a predetermined fixed size, which includes a group of 48 octets or bytes available for transporting information of user origin toward a destination. This information is often referred to as being bearer information and an octet or byte of bearer information is often referred to as a bearer octet. As the group of 48 octets are available for bearer information they are often referred to as an information field or payload portion of the cell. Each payload portion is preceded by a header field of 5 octets, which includes information pertaining to transmission and switching management of the cell. The 5 octet header field is often referred to as overhead. Regardless of whether the information signal source is bursty or periodic the standard cell format is used to transfer the bearer information in ATM.
Transmission and switching of cells within ATM networks is independent of the application bit rate, and hence ATM supports applications with a diversity of source rates, including isochronous and asynchronous sources.
The ATM protocol architecture specifies a cell transfer technique that is common to all services, and an adaptation process by which user generated information is written into and read from the fixed cell format. This is often referred to as being mapped to and from the fixed cell format. Adaptation processes are service specific, as packetization of higher layer information, passed to and from the ATM cell layer, may represent either continuous bit rate (isochronous) information or variable bit rate (bursty) information. These require different techniques to reconstruct the information for exchange between end points or ports. Connections are established either with fixed bandwidth, or with variable bandwidth that is assigned or statistically shared amongst a number of connections. For a isochronous connection, the information is transported as a short, asynchronous burst (cell) with an effective 8 KHz repetition rate that has the transport bandwidth reserved for the duration of the connection. Any bandwidth, remaining on the loop may be statistically shared by data or messaging connections.
An ATM switching facility must at least provide for:
header address translation to determine a route through a switching element; PA1 cell transport between an input port and one or more output ports; and PA1 output scheduling for both isochronous and asynchronous connections, wherein an isochronous connection is given priority to minimize transport delays. PA1 a multiplexer for receiving data packets at any of a plurality of input ports and multiplexing data packets into a common incoming data stream; a controller being responsive to information contained in headers of data packets in the common incoming data stream, for generating queue control information, for generating outgoing headers for data packets destined for any of a plurality of outport ports, and for abstracting timeslot switching information; a queuing buffer for receiving the common incoming data stream and being responsive to the queue control information for queuing the payload bytes of each data packet and for subsequently selecting and transferring queued payload bytes of each data packet into an outgoing data stream; a timeslot switch including means being responsive to the timeslot switching information for abstracting a payload of synchronous data bytes from the outgoing data stream, for reordering a sequence of the abstracted data bytes, and for reinserting the synchronous data bytes into the outgoing data stream; and a distributor for directing the outgoing headers along with the respective packet payloads to those of the plurality of output ports to which the payloads are destined. PA1 a multiplexer for receiving data packets at any of a plurality of input ports and multiplexing data packets into a common incoming data stream; a controller being responsive to information contained in headers of data packets in the common incoming data stream, for generating queue control information, for generating outgoing headers for data packets destined for any of a plurality of outport ports, and for abstracting timeslot switching information; a queuing buffer for receiving the common incoming data stream and being responsive to the queue control information for queuing the payload bytes of each data packet and for subsequently selecting and transferring queued payload bytes of each data packet into an outgoing data stream; a timeslot switch including means being responsive to the timeslot switching information for abstracting a plurality of payloads of synchronous data bytes from the outgoing data stream, for reordering a sequence of the abstracted data bytes, and for inserting the synchronous data bytes as a delayed plurality of payloads into the outgoing data stream; and a distributor for directing the outgoing headers along with the respective packet payloads to those of the plurality of output ports to which the payloads are destined. PA1 multiplexing the data packets received at the input ports into a common incoming data stream; PA1 in response to information contained in headers of data packets in the common incoming data stream, generating queue information, and an outgoing headers stream, and in response to a synchronous data indication within the information contained in the headers in the common incoming data stream, generating timeslot switching information; PA1 receiving and buffering the common incoming data stream, and in response to the queue information, selecting data packet payloads from the buffered data stream and transferring the data packet payloads in the order of selection into an outgoing data stream; PA1 in response to the timeslot switching information, reordering the bytes of a payload of synchronous data in the outgoing data stream, whereby timeslot switching is effected within the payload; and PA1 assembling fixed length outgoing data packets from the outgoing headers stream and the outgoing data stream, and directing the outgoing data packets to those of the plurality of output data ports to which the packets are destined.
In an ATM switching facility, an incoming cell's header is examined by the switching element in order that it is able to direct the cell to the destined output port or output ports. Since the arrival rate of cells is not deterministic (as in the STM), there are occurrences of two or more cells arriving coincidentally and destined for the same output port. Such occurrence would result in an internal collision and cell losses unless cell buffers are used within the switching element. The cell buffers queue the cells from a multiplicity of sources for subsequent orderly transport to their destination ports. Any given cell will appear to transit the switching element with a varying delay determined by the number of arrivals that preceded the given cell's arrival. The delay through the switch is statistical rather than deterministic. Consequently, in order to minimize delay in telephone conversations, the isochronous voice traffic is typically put into a different queue from the asynchronous data traffic, that is voice queue with a higher transport priority than a data queue.
By contrast, in STM the incoming information always arrives at exactly the same point in time relative to a periodic frame that carries multiple channels. Hence, a synchronous timeslot interchanger uses a deterministic means to transfer data from a fixed incoming time location to another fixed outgoing time location, by assigning a fixed delay to an incoming channel such that the information will be synchronously transferred at the correct time, into an outgoing channel.
In general, most telecommunications switches include a central switching facility that is used to interconnect peripheral equipment. The peripheral equipment provides physical access via telephone lines to telephone sets and any other forms of terminal equipment. The term telephone line is intended herein to be taken as any means by which a terminal equipment is connected to a communications network and includes but is not limited to, radio links, fibre optic lines, coaxial cables, twisted copper pairs and pole mounted open conductors. Interconnect loops provide either non-blocking or blocking access between the peripheral equipment and the central switching facility. Traditionally, the interconnect loop is a digital synchronous TDM loop connected between the switching facility and the peripheral equipment wherein a channel conveys bearer information exchanged during a call or session. These digital TDM loops typically provide frames of 24 or 32 channels, or multiples thereof, within a 125 microsecond frame period. The aggregation of the total number of channels available on all loops represents the switching capacity of the switching facility. The contents of any incoming channel may be switched to any outgoing channel with a granularity of a single octet. The single bearer octet has no routing information associated with it. In STM, the octet's position within the TDM frame inherently identifies its source and its destination. This is sometimes referred to as DS0 switching. In DS0 switching, a byte or octet is switched from its timeslot in an incoming frame to a predetermined timeslot in an outgoing frame.
If the STM interconnect loop is replaced with an ATM interconnect loop the user generated information no longer has a predetermined fixed timing reference. Furthermore, the granularity of switching of bearer information is broader and includes all 48 bytes of cell. The user generated information requires an address to be transported with it in order for the ATM switch to establish the intended connection. One or more digital voice channels may be contained within the information field of an ATM cell. An ATM switching facility used for switching digital voice channels must re-establish a 125 microsecond periodic frame structure in order to exchange octet connections between the ATM switching facility and STM peripheral equipment.
One method for transmitting a telephone conversation in the ATM is to map encoded voice sample octet occurrences as they occur at the standard 125 microsecond rate into the payload portion of a cell until the cell is full. The cell is then transferred to its header defined destination where the octets are retrieved at the 125 microsecond rate. The functions of mapping to and from the cell each cause a one way transport delay of (48.times.125 .mu.s)=6 milliseconds. This is in contrast to delays of less than 2 milliseconds at most in an STM system, however this is of little consequence in typical two party conversations, providing that telephone set hybrid circuits function optimally. This much longer delay, introduced by the ATM switch, makes echo of a given energy much more noticeable than it would be using an STM switch. In the case of three or more party conference calls, and particularly if one or more of the hybrid circuit operations is less than ideal, the delay results in an obnoxious echo. Present echo canceller technology does not seem to offer a practical solution for a satisfactory eradicating the echo in multiparty conference calls.
A simple solution to the problem of undue delay is to commit a whole cell to the transport of only one bearer octet of not more than a few samples. This means that the first octet or only a few of the octets at the beginning of the payload portion of each cell are used. As the cell is not held until all 48 octets are mapped before transport, cells are transported more frequently and the delay is reduced to an extent that the echo is more tolerable. This is an effective but inefficient solution which wastes large amounts of bandwidth, in the form of partially filled cells. Furthermore such an ATM system when primarily used for voice telephony is not a practical alternative to an STM system.
A less attractive solution involves the loading of one or two whole STM frame occurrences into a cell for transport, every 125 .mu.s or 250 .mu.s, thereby avoiding undue delay. However this requires that the source peripheral equipment and the destination peripheral equipment be interfaced with the ATM facility via respective STM facilities, which themselves perform switching functions similar to central office functions. This is an expensive alternative which in a high traffic voice environment is tantamount to relegating the ATM facility to tandem switching.
Neither of these solutions provides an efficient interface between the ATM and the STM and hence the ATM has tended to be limited in its applications to data and high bandwidth services, where if there is any voice traffic, it is insignificant.
In a typical TDM telephone switching facility, the core of the switching system consists of a call controller connected intimately with time and space switching elements of a switching matrix. Lines and trunks are coupled in groups to the switching matrix, while signalling and supervision concerned with the setting up and tearing down of telephone calls is collected and distributed via group controllers. More particularly each of the group controllers is subservient to the call controller and waits at the call controller's discretion, as it were, to communicate therewith. The primary function of the call controller is that of directing the functions of the space and time switching elements of the STM switching matrix and diagnosing any malfunctions therein. Consequently, the physical structure and operating instructions which characterize the call controller, are optimized in relation to the specific structure of the switching matrix. The advances in the technology of computers and processors are usually time consuming and even prohibitively difficult to adapt into the call controllers of existing switching systems. Any changes in the call controller can have far reaching and often unpredicted deleterious effects because of the intimate relationship between the call controller and the STM switching matrix.


A remote control game system comprises two or more game sets, each game set having one or more remote control vehicles and an associated control console. Each of the remote control vehicles comprises: a vehicle body; one or more offensive components mounted with the vehicle body; each of the offensive components operable to communicate at least one offensive signal; one or more sensors mounted with the vehicle body, each of the sensors operable to detect the offensive signal, and in response, to generate a hit signal; and one or more drive components. The drive components are (a) responsive to commands from the control console, to move the vehicle body and operate the offensive components, and (b) responsive to the hit signal to degrade operation of one or both of the vehicle body and offensive components.

Remote control devices provide enjoyment to their users by responding to user commands. Directing complex actions is more interesting than directing simple ones. In certain prior art remote control devices, such as BattleBots©, vehicle damages are apparent when physical collisions occur; and then the damaged vehicle must be repaired. Video games, on the other hand, simulate destruction of vehicles and objects; however video games do not utilize remote control devices.

Remote control game system with selective component disablement


An electronic apparatus includes an outer case, and a piezoelectric element mounted to an inner surface of the outer case and configured to impart vibration to the outer case due to deformation in correspondence with an applied voltage and to generate a voltage corresponding to deformation due to a shock imparted to the outer case. An induction element applies an increased voltage to the piezoelectric element, a first switch performs control as to whether or not to supply an electric current from a power source to the induction element, a second switch effects connection or disconnection between the induction element and the piezoelectric element, and a shock detection unit to detects a shock imparted to the outer case based on the voltage generated in the piezoelectric element.

Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic apparatus and a shock detection method.
Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there have been available electronic apparatuses configured to generate an alarm sound when a predetermined time is attained in time measurement. One of such electronic apparatuses is equipped with a mechanism allowing the user to stop the alarm sound generated by imparting a shock to the electronic apparatus.
For example, JP-A-63-79091 discloses an alarm electronic timepiece having a first piezoelectric element firmly attached to a part of a timepiece case member for generating an alarm sound, a second piezoelectric element for detecting a shock applied to a timepiece case, a detection circuit configured to detect a voltage signal generated by the second piezoelectric element, a level discrimination circuit configured to output solely an output signal of not less than a fixed level of output signals of the detection circuit, and a timepiece circuit for performing time measurement or the like. The electronic timepiece is equipped with a switch device for the electronic timepiece which, even when an alarm signal for generating an alarm sound is being applied to the first piezoelectric element due to the timepiece circuit, operates the detection circuit and the timepiece circuit by the voltage signal of the second piezoelectric element generated by an impact force applied to the timepiece case.
Further, the switch device of the electronic timepiece disclosed in JP-A-63-79091 is formed as follows: for the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element, there is provided a common electrode extending over substantially the entire area of a first surface of the same piezoelectric material; two independent electrodes are provided on a second surface thereof; the first surface is press-fitted to the timepiece case; one electrode provided on the second surface is formed as the electrode of the first piezoelectric element; and the other electrode is formed as the electrode of the second piezoelectric element.
However, the switch device for the electronic timepiece disclosed in JP-A-63-79091 is equipped with a second piezoelectric element for detecting a shock independently of the first piezoelectric element for generating an alarm sound, resulting in an increase in the number of components. To achieve a reduction in the apparatus size, a piezoelectric element of a small size is used as each piezoelectric element, whereby the maximum volume of the alarm sound that can be generated is reduced, and the signal value of the shock detected is reduced, so that the detection of the shock is rather difficult. Further, when a common electrode for the first piezoelectric element and the second piezoelectric element is provided so as to extend over substantially the entire area of a first surface of the same piezoelectric material, a step-up coil may be connected in parallel with the first piezoelectric element in order to apply a large voltage to the first piezoelectric element for generating an alarm sound. The step-up coil exhibits high impedance with respect to a high frequency signal, and low impedance with respect to a low frequency signal. Thus, with respect to a signal corresponding to a shock of lower frequency than the alarm sound, it is substantially brought into conduction, so that it is difficult to detect such a shock.

Electronic apparatus and shock detection method


A self-erecting crane including a mast mounted on a rotating platform and supporting a boom is configurable between a transport configuration and a working configuration. The mast supports a hitch element suitable for being coupled on a fifth wheel provided on a rear platform of a tractor truck, the hitch element being located in a front hitch area of the mast which is dimensioned to come above the rear platform. The self-erecting crane also includes a mooring system located on the front hitch area and a removable ballasting element. In the transport configuration, the removable ballasting element is configured to be temporarily moored on the mast by the mooring system so that the removable ballasting element is located under the mast in the front hitch area. In the working configuration, the removable ballasting element is mounted on the rotating platform.

In a known manner, such a self-erecting crane, once in the transport configuration, is transported by road, by means of a tractor truck, generally a trailer truck or a semi-trailer truck. Also, the self-erecting crane is conventionally mounted on one or several wheel-carrying axle(s).
In a first embodiment, the axle(s) can be disassembled and are fastened to the rotating platform, in general one at the front and one at the rear, and they are thus disassembled when the crane is in the working configuration.
In a second embodiment, the axle(s) is/are permanently fastened to a chassis on which the rotating platform is mounted, and thus the axle(s) participates/participate in the stability of the crane in the working configuration. In this second embodiment, the rotating platform is therefore mounted on a chassis supporting at least one set of crane wheels, generally with single axle or double axles, and it is conventional that this chassis is equipped with a wedging system comprising one or several wedging means, generally in the form of a hydraulic cylinder, suitable for bearing on the ground and thus for taking off the set of crane wheels to stabilize the crane in the working configuration.
Two transport methods can thus be considered:                a transport on a fifth wheel, wherein the crane supports a hitch element provided with a hitch shaft suitable for being coupled on a fifth wheel of a tractor truck (of the semi-trailer type), this fifth wheel being provided on a rear platform of the tractor truck, which rear platform resting on at least one set of rear wheels of the tractor truck, and thus the front of the crane rests on the rear platform of the tractor truck, while the rear of the crane rests on the set of crane wheel s which is mounted under the rotating platform;        a transport on a drawbar, wherein the crane supports a towing drawbar (or tow bar) suitable for being coupled to a towing element of a tow truck (of the trailer type), and thus the crane is towed by the tow truck and rests on the set of crane wheels which is mounted under the rotating platform.
In the working configuration, it is necessary and conventional to have ballasts on the rotating platform, in order to stabilize the crane and provide a load capacity essential for the load lifting operations which are provided by the crane. However, in the transport configuration, these ballasts are located on the rotating platform, therefore at the rear of the convoy (whether in the transport on a fifth wheel or in the transport on a drawbar) and therefore above the set of crane wheel, this which limits the admissible mass thereof and unloads the front of the crane, a phenomenon which can deteriorate the behavior of the convoy on the road.

Self-erecting crane comprising a removable ballasting element for a transport on a fifth wheel


An integrated circuit includes a functional block having a plurality of standard cells. The plurality of standard cells includes a plurality of functional standard cells and a filler standard cell. Each functional standard cell of the plurality of functional standard cells has a rectangular boundary. The filler standard cell has a rectangular boundary adjacent to at least one of the functional standard cells. The filler standard cell is selectable between a first state and a second state. The filler standard cell is non-functional in the first state. The filler standard cell has functional test structures coupled to a first metal layer in the second state. This allows for test structures helpful in analyzing functionality of circuit features such as transistors without requiring additional space on the integrated circuit.

1. Field
This disclosure relates generally to forming an integrated circuit and more specifically, to forming filler standard cells in an integrated circuit.
2. Related Art
As customers demand more functionality on integrated circuits, the complexity of the integrated circuit increases. In addition, the time to market for these complex integrated circuits is decreasing. In the past, semiconductor manufacturers would manufacture test wafers having test devices to determine and fix problems, such as yield, before production wafers were manufactured. However, shorter time to market cycles do not allow for such testing. Instead, semiconductor manufacturers place test devices in the streets, which are the spaces between die, on the production wafers themselves, greatly limiting the number of structures available for characterization.

Integrated circuit having a filler standard cell


A chamber filter press for dewatering waste water or product sludges, comprises a press frame with a number of filter plates movably attached at the head bracket and a crosshead that is hydraulically movable for closing the filter plate bundle. The hydraulic cylinder is supported by a replaceable receptacle device in the form of a flange pipe on the end stand of the press frame. Both flanges of the tubular receptacle device are annular flanges, with dimensions matching the flange of the hydraulic cylinder and they have identical through-bores. The flanges are permitted to pass through the hydraulic cylinder and the end stand has on the attachment side a through-hole for the hydraulic cylinder. The receptacle opening has on the opposite side an installation opening through which the back end of the hydraulic cylinder passes.

Such chamber filter presses consist of a press frame with two stands and a head bracket and a number of filter plates attached movably at the head bracket. A hydraulically operated crosshead presses the plate bundle together during operation.
Applications exist where the filter press must be operated with a small number of plates in the first removal phase and later must be refitted with additional plates. It is not very logical to construct such a long hydraulic cylinder that it closes each plate bundle used during operation. The piston rod of such a hydraulic cylinder certainly would not be sufficiently buckle-proof.
A remedy to this, that was already suggested, consisted of attaching an extension to the piston rod that is removed again when the plate number is increased. But this does not solve the problem of buckle resistance.
Another suggestion to remedy this problem is to set the hydraulic cylinder onto a tubular receptacle device that is attached removably to the end stand. But this receptacle device also is not the best solution. The reason for this is that it is only possible to set the hydraulic cylinder into a receptacle device that has at least the same length, or to attach it without a receptacle device directly to the end stand. There are no intermediate solutions. The task of finding a remedy for this is solved according to the invention in that both flanges of the tubular receptacle device are annular flanges-with dimensions matching the flange of the hydraulic cylinder and identical through-bores-that permit the passing through of the hydraulic cylinder, and that the end stand has on the attachment side a through-hole for the hydraulic cylinder and on the opposite side an installation opening or through-hole for the hydraulic cylinder.


Provided is directed to a NAND flash memory device and a method of programming the same, which can improve integration of the device by removing a common source line connecting with a source line coupled to a plurality of cell blocks, control a voltage applied to a source line by each cell block, and rise a precharge level in a channel area by applying a pumping voltage to the source line relatively having low capacitance instead of a bitline having a large capacitance, and as a result of those, the NAND flash memory device can reduce disturbance, use a lower voltage than a power supply voltage on the bitline, which leads to reduce a current consumption.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a NAND flash memory device and a method of programming the same, and more particularly to, a NAND flash memory device and a method of programming the same which can prevent a program disturbance of a NAND flash memory device by changing a common source line of the device.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In a NAND flash memory device, 0V is applied to a bitline in order to program '0', and Vcc is applied to a bitline in order to program '1'. During programming '1', a channel of a corresponding cell without programming is precharged to Vcc-Vth at first, and then can reduce a voltage difference between a gate and the channel by voltage rising according to an operation of self boosting. As a result, a cell is protected from being programmed. However, under 1.8V for a power supply voltage, a precharged voltage is lower. It makes the voltage difference between gate and channel more larger, which causes a problem that a cell gets a more program disturbance.

NAND flash memory device and method of programming the same


The present invention encompasses methods for treating an infection and/or treating or reducing inflammation through the administration of a therapeutically effective amount of a peptide to a subject in need thereof. In some aspects, the peptide is a Helicobacter pylori-derived peptide, such as an HPA3NT3 peptide and the infection is a bacterial infection.

Antimicrobial peptides have recently emerged as potentially potent treatments for several medical conditions. In particular, it has been know that endogenous antimicrobial peptides (i.e., endogenously produced by a particular organism, such as human), such as defensins and cathelicidins may be induced by infection, inflammation, and other injury to function in both adaptive and innate immune responses. For example, these endogenous antimicrobial peptides possess bactericidal properties with respect to both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, given the continued prevalence of infectious diseases and other medical conditions, these endogenous antimicrobial peptides are not completely sufficient for meeting treatment and preventative needs associated with challenges facing modern medicine.
The continued proliferation of antibiotic-resistant infectious agents (e.g., bacterial, fungi, protozoa, viruses, etc.) has driven research in new directions, including the development of exogenous antimicrobial peptides. These antimicrobial peptides may be derived from a variety of organisms, including bacteria, insects, viruses, animals, and plants. Current research efforts have focused on using some of these exogenous antimicrobial peptides in the development of treatment regimens or preventative measures to address some of the ongoing needs in the medical field. The present invention provides methods of using certain antimicrobial peptides in treating infections and reducing and/or treating inflammation.

Methods of use for an antimicrobial peptide

The Board of Trustees of the University of Arkansas


A device for the transport and deposit of sheets in a stacking region is provided. The device includes pneumatic guiding elements below the conveying path and extending across the entire width. A chain-conveyor system and a pneumatic conveyor system following the chain-conveyor system are provided. The devices also provides for selectable paths to plural delivery positions.

Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a device for the transport and deposit of sheets in a stacking region of a rotary press with pneumatic sheet-guiding elements disposed below a sheet-conveying path, said sheet-guiding elements extending across the entire width of each sheet and with a chain-conveyor system, said chain-conveyor system accepting the sheets consecutively from a last sheet-conducting cylinder of the sheet-fed rotary printing press, transporting them along a conveying distance in a main conveying direction directed towards a stack apparatus and releasing them on a stack base in the stack apparatus in order to form a stack.
Such an apparatus is already known from DE 36 29 720 A1, wherein blast-air-activated sheet-guide bars are disposed in the sheet-conveying direction, outer sheet-guide bars each being limited by a suction tube. Starting from the central sheet-guide bar, which distributes blast air on either side, there is formed between the individual sheet-guide bars and the outside-disposed suction tubes a tangentially directed flow field, which stretches the sheets being transported, starting from the centre, transversely with respect to the sheet-conveying direction. Such an arrangement may lead to the setting-off of ink on the upper sections of the sheet-guide bars, particularly in the case of the delivery of face-and-back-printed copies. Furthermore, this solution from the prior art has the disadvantage that gripper bars, carried by revolving gripper chains, are guided over the delivery stack, with the result that, for example, the removal of an inspection sheet represents something of a risk of injury for the printer.
Known from DE 38 41 909 C2 is a process and a device for the floatation-guiding of sheets or web-form material over a conveying distance, particularly a curved conveying distance along one chain side of a chain-conveyor system. Disposed underneath an initially concavely curved and thereafter convexly curved conveying path is a multiplicity of nozzle boxes, separated from each other by suction shafts. Since the partial vacuum acting in the suction shafts replaces the air cushions produced by the open jets escaping from the nozzle boxes, there results a wave-shaped guiding of the material that is to be transported. Provided on the side of the sheets facing away from the nozzle boxes is a plurality of open-jet nozzles, which act from said side on the sheets to be transported. Additionally formed on the conveying chain are blades on which is formed a flow shadow before the sheets enter a duct, formed by a partition wall, with narrowing cross section. Also in this known device, the chain-conveyor system extends over the stack and there are no special measures for the smear-free deposition of the sheets on the stack.
The outlined solutions from the prior art have the common disadvantages that revolving chain systems extend over the stacking region of the sheets, that said chain systems considerably restrict the inspectability of said stacking region and the accessibility thereof and that the removal of an inspection sheet harbours a risk of injury owing to the revolving chain systems.

Device for the transport and deposit of sheets in a stacking region of a rotary press


Disclosed are a ceramics sheet which has an area of 400 cm.sup.2 or more, thickness of 0.4 mm or less, maximum waviness height of 100 .mu.m or less, and warp of 0.1% or less and in which frequency of generated cracking and breakage is 10% or less when a load-applying test and a deflection-loading test each described in the text are carried out in succession, and a flat and large ceramics sheet having an area of 600 cm.sup.2 or more and thickness of 1 mm or less. Further, disclosed is a method for producing a ceramics sheet having the characteristics described above and characterized in that in calcining a ceramics green sheet to produce a ceramics sheet, the green sheet described above is interposed between porous sheets which have bulk density corresponding to 30 to 85% of the theoretical density and in which the shrinkage rate caused by heating up to the calcining temperature of the above green sheet is 5% or less on condition that the periphery of the green sheet does not protrude from the porous sheets, and calcined.

Ceramics are widely employed in many fields because of excellent electric and magnetic characteristics and biological compatibility as well as mechanical properties such as a heat resistance and an abrasion resistance properties thereof. Among them, a ceramics substrate comprising primarily zirconia has excellent oxygen ion conductivity and heat and corrosion resistance properties and therefore can be effectively applied as a sensor part, an electrolyte film for a fuel cell or a setter for calcination. In order to use ceramics for these applications, they are preferably close ceramics sheets, and therefore fine powders of so-called submicron which are easy to sinter are usually used as a raw material powder. However, the use of fine powders makes it difficult to decompose and remove a binder component and is liable to cause waviness and warp particularly in large and thin sheet moldings because of a large shrinkage generated in sintering process.
A method generally carried out for producing a ceramics sheet is a method in which a slurry comprising a ceramics raw material powder such as alumina, an organic binder and a solvent is molded into a sheet by a doctor blade method, a calendar method or an extrusion method; the resultant sheet is dried to evaporate the solvent and a green sheet is obtained; thereafter the green sheet is arranged to a suitable size by cutting or punching, placed on a setter and calcined to decompose and remove the organic binder; and then, the ceramics powder is sintered.
In general, when a green sheet is treated with heat to prepare a ceramics sheet, it is very difficult to secure an overall and even heat-atmospheric condition (temperature distribution, kinds and concentration of atmospheric gas, flow of atmospheric gas, and the like), and unevenness of the thermal condition is therefore generated at various parts of a sheet, so that warp and waviness are liable to generate. In other words, the presence of a slight difference of degreasing conditions at the respective parts of the sheet prevents the binder from being uniformly removed and generates waviness. A sheet shrinks as it is sintered in calcining, and generating a slight heat atmospheric difference at the respective parts of the sheet results in uneven shrinkage to cause waviness and cracking. In particular, a thin ceramics sheet having thickness of 1 mm or less is light in its own weight, and therefore the sheet itself is easier to be lifted than a conventional thick sheet and more liable to cause waviness. Further, when the respective parts of a sheet moves from the end part to the central part as shrinkage proceeds, the presence of a slight irregularity on a setter or causing abrasion prevents the shrinkage and is easy to cause waviness and cracking.
In the calcination of a sheet having a size of up to a level of 20 square cm (400 cm.sup.2) after sintering, a relatively thin setter with a high density and a high strength can be used. However, in a sheet which is larger than that, a porous thick setter has to be used so that it is not bent even at high temperature, and since the setter becomes insulating and very large in heat capacity, large difference in the temperature is generated between the end and the center of the setter in elevating and lowering the temperature to result in thermal unevenness. Further, when a large sheet is calcined in an electric furnace of a system in which heating is carried out by a heater from the side face and the ceiling or the hearth, the sheet is too large for the furnace, and therefore some part of the sheet is close to the furnace and another part is far there-from, which causes thermal unevenness at the respective parts even in one sheet. Or, a large gas furnace has room in a size of a soaking area in an empty furnace, but the use of a large setter makes it impossible to secure a sufficient path for gas (flame) and is therefore still liable to cause thermal unevenness. These thermal unevenness and prevention of shrinkage are more marked in a sheet having a larger size after sintering and come out notably when the sheet is as large as, for example, exceeding 400 cm.sup.2. In particular, the above descrived tendency becomes marked when the sheet is as large as exceeding 600 cm.sup.2, which causes waviness and warp. Such tendency comes out even to a relatively small-sized sheet having a size of less than 400 cm.sup.2.
Warp and waviness are generated in no small quantities in the thus obtained ceramics sheet even if one green sheet is placed on a setter of one layer and calcined, and larger warp and waviness are generated if, for the purpose of raising the productivity, plural green sheets are superposed one over another on a setter of one layer, and calcined. In particular, such a tendency is marked in the calcination of a green sheet produced using a ceramics powder raw material of submicron. Warp and waviness generated on the ceramics sheet after calcination bring about a locally concentrated stress when a load and a bending force are applied on the said sheet, which causes cracking and breakage. Such a warp and waviness can be reformed by a method in which a sheet is calcined again with a load applied on the sheet. However, cracking and breakage are often generated on the sheet during this reforming process and they can be a large cause of reduction in a yield. And further, it is not preferred from the viewpoint of energy saving that calcination is carried out twice or more.
Accordingly, a method disclosed in, for example, JP-A-6-9268 is proposed as a technique for improving such difficulty. In this method, a ceramics green sheet is calcined with a load applied on the sheet. Employing such a method suppresses warp and waviness at the calcining stage as much as possible and can provide a ceramics sheet having excellent surface flatness. However, the characteristics described above are effectively revealed only when relatively small ceramics sheets are placed on a setter of one layer one by one and calcined. Then, when thin ceramics sheets having a size exceeding 225 cm.sup.2 are calcined for example, plural plates for applying a load are arranged and placed, traces are easy to be marked on the green sheets at the joints of the plates, and therefore it is difficult to suppress waviness and warp sufficiently.
On the other hand, ceramics sheets used for the applications described above have been provided in the form of small sheets having a size falling in a level of 400 cm.sup.2 at the most because of the foregoing reasons, and as the applications thereof are diversified, ceramics sheets which are as thin as 1 mm or less, preferably 0.4 mm or less and as large as 400 cm.sup.2 or more, preferably 600 cm.sup.2 or more are required. However, the existing state is that as described above, it is very difficult to control warp and waviness generated in calcination to lower levels, and the sheets satisfying the requirements of consumers in terms of surface flatness, withstand-load strength and bending characteristic have not yet been obtained.
Also in a sheet having as relatively small size as less than 400 cm.sup.2, slight waviness and warp generated by the causes described above may be a significant cause for deterioration of quality in some cases depending on the applications thereof.

Ceramics sheet and production method for same


A method of making glass-silicate tiles includes pouring an input raw material containing glass granulate into a heat-proof mold, wetting the input raw material and making an initial blank thereby, heat treating of the blank by gradual heating and by gradual cooling by stages with holding period between the stages wherein a first heating stage is performed predominantly by heating a bottom side of the blank with higher speed of heating of a lowering layer than of an upper layer of the blank to accelerate gases to release the blank through the upper layer up to reach of the temperature of beginning of glass granulate sintering (T.sub.f) in the lower layer, and the temperature not exceeding a glass granulate transformation temperature (T.sub.g) in the upper layer, a first holding period at these condition to expel generated gases, and heating the upper layer with higher speed than the lower layer until a Littleton temperature is reached in the lower layer.

The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for making glass silicate tiles.
One of such methods is disclosed in patent application PV-2751-93 of Czech Republic. In this reference flat glass silicate tiles are produced from sand and glass wastes by heating a work piece located in a refractory mode to a temperature which is equal to an average value between the temperature of the beginning of sintering and the Littleton temperature. Thereafter the workpiece is subjected to a thermal shock, and successive cooling in several stages. The process is performed in a multi-chamber furnace with electrical heating, and the temperature in the successive chambers is maintained in accordance with the properties of the glass granulate used in the workpiece.
This method has the disadvantages that the heating of the workpiece is performed from the surface, and during the process of thermal shock gas inclusions remain in the lower layers. They reduce strength of the tiles on the one hand, and can migrate to the surface on the other hand and distort the decorative layer by forming crates on its surface. It is therefore believed that it is advisable to improve the above mentioned existing method.


An adaptive method and apparatus for forecasting and controlling neurological abnormalities in humans such as seizures or other brain disturbances. The system is based on a multi-level control strategy. Using as inputs one or more types of physiological measures such as brain electrical, chemical or magnetic activity, heart rate, pupil dilation, eye movement, temperature, chemical concentration of certain substances, a feature set is selected off-line from a pre-programed feature library contained in a high level controller within a supervisory control architecture. This high level controller stores the feature library within a notebook or external PC. The supervisory control also contains a knowledge base that is continuously updated at discrete steps with the feedback information coming from an implantable device where the selected feature set (feature vector) is implemented. This high level controller also establishes the initial system settings (off-line) and subsequent settings (on-line) or tunings through an outer control loop by an intelligent procedure that incorporates knowledge as it arises. The subsequent adaptive settings for the system are determined in conjunction with a low-level controller that resides within the implantable device. The device has the capabilities of forecasting brain disturbances, controlling the disturbances, or both. Forecasting is achieved by indicating the probability of an oncoming seizure within one or more time frames, which is accomplished through an inner-loop control law and a feedback necessary to prevent or control the neurological event by either electrical, chemical, cognitive, sensory, and/or magnetic stimulation.

The present invention is in the field of prediction and control of neurological disturbances, particularly in the area of electrographic and clinical seizure onset prediction based on implantable devices with the major goal of alerting and/or avoiding seizures.
Approximately 1% of the world's population has epilepsy, one third of whom have seizures not controlled by medications. Some patients, whose seizures reliably begin in one discrete region, usually in the mesial (middle) temporal lobe, may be cured by epilepsy surgery. This requires removing large volumes of brain tissue, because of the lack of a reliable method to pinpoint the location of seizure onset and the pathways through which seizures spread. The 25% of refractory patients in whom surgery is not an option must resort to inadequate treatment with high doses of intoxicating medications and experimental therapies, because of poorly localized seizure onsets, multiple brain regions independently giving rise to seizures, or because their seizures originate from vital areas of the brain that cannot be removed. For these and all other epileptic patients, the utilization of a predicting device would be of invaluable help. It could prevent accidents and allow these patients to do some activities that otherwise would be risky.
Individuals with epilepsy suffer considerable disability from seizures and resulting injuries, impairment of productivity, job loss, social isolation associated with having seizures, disabling side effects from medications and other therapies. One of the most disabling aspects of epilepsy is that seizures appear to be unpredictable. However, in this invention a seizure prediction system is disclosed. Seizure prediction is a highly complex problem that involves detecting invisible and unknown patterns, as opposed to detecting visible and known patterns involved in seizure detection. To tackle such an ambitious goal, some research groups have begun developing advanced signal processing and artificial intelligence techniques. The first natural question to ask is in what ways the preictal (i.e., the period preceding the time that a seizure takes place) intracranial EEGs (IEEGs) are different from all other IEEGs segments not immediately leading to seizures. When visual pattern recognition is insufficient, quantitative EEG analysis may help extract relevant characteristic measures called features, which can then be used to make statistical inferences or to serve as inputs in automated pattern recognition systems.
Typically, the study of an event involves the goals of diagnosing (detecting) or prognosticating (predicting) such event for corrective or preventive purposes, respectively. Particularly, in the case of brain disturbances such as epileptic seizures, these two major goals have driven the efforts in the field. On one hand, there are several groups developing seizure detection methods to implement corrective techniques to stop seizures, and on the other, there are some groups investigating seizure prediction methods to provide preventive ways to avoid seizures. Among the groups claiming seizure prediction, three categories of prediction can be distinguished, clinical onset (CO) prediction, electrographic onset (EO) prediction studies, and EO prediction systems. All these categories in conjunction with seizure detection compose most of the active research in this field.
Related art approaches have focused on nonlinear methods such as studying the behavior of the principal Lyapunov exponent (PLE) in seizure EEGs, computing a correlation dimension or nonlinear chaotic analysis or determining one major feature extracted from the ictal characteristics of an electroencephalogram (EEG) or electrocorticogram (ECoG).

Adaptive method and apparatus for forecasting and controlling neurological disturbances under a multi-level control

The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania


A wall anchor device includes an anchor sleeve having an outer peripheral lip, one or more peripheral flanges extended outwardly from the middle portion for engaging with a wall member. The anchor sleeve includes a middle portion having one or more arms. A threaded member is engageable into the anchor sleeve and includes a thread shank for threading with the anchor sleeve. A drill element is secured to the threaded member, to drill the anchor sleeve into the wall. The anchor sleeve includes a projecting device for ensuring the threaded member to be engaged with the inner end portion of the anchor sleeve. A positioning device may position the anchor sleeve and the threaded member to the work piece and the wall member.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wall anchor device, and more particularly to a self-drilling wall anchor device having an expandable and threaded structure for solidly engaging or securing to wall members or the like and for ensuring the operation of the self-drilling wall anchor device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various kinds of typical wall anchor devices have been developed, and comprise a threaded fastener threaded in an expandable outer casing, to expand the outer casing and thus to engage and secure the wall anchor devices to wall members or the like.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,166 to Harker discloses one of the typical wall anchor devices comprising a threaded bolt threaded in an expansible body element, to expand the expansible body element and thus to engage and secure the wall anchor devices to wall members or the like.
The expansible body element includes a number of connecting bands bowed slightly outwardly in the provision of angularly inclined legs. However, similarly, the angularly inclined legs of the expansible body element include a planar outer surface and may only be bent, but may not be forced to engage into the wall members, such that the typical expansible body element may not be solidly secured or anchored in blind holes of wall members.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,454 to Smith discloses another typical wall anchor device which comprises a threaded bolt threaded in an expansible screw anchor to expand the expansible screw anchor and thus to engage and secure the wall anchor devices to wall members or the like. However, similarly, the expansible screw anchor includes a planar outer surface and may only be bent, but may not be forced to engage into the wall members, such that the typical expansible screw anchor also may not be solidly secured or anchored in blind holes of wall members.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,918 to Adams discloses a further typical wall anchor device which comprises an insert having a drilling blade for drilling into wall members or the like, and a threaded bolt threaded into the insert to expand or bend the blade laterally or outwardly, and thus to engage and secure the wall anchor devices to wall members or the like. However, the insert of the typical anchor device includes a planar outer surface and may not be expanded and thus may not be solidly secured or anchored in blind holes of wall members.
In addition, in the typical wall anchor devices, the typical expansible sleeves or body elements are normally made of plastic materials which may be slightly expanded due to a hot weather or in a humid environment and may be shrunk due to a cold weather such that the inner threaded bolt may not suitably engage with the expansible sleeves or body elements in the hot weather and may be tightly engage with the expansible sleeves or body elements in the cold weather and such that the expansible sleeves or body elements may not be suitably expanded or twisted or deformed by the inner threaded bolt.
Furthermore, the inner threaded bolts and the expansible sleeves or body elements of the typical wall anchor devices have no locating or positioning device or structure provided thereon such that the expansible sleeves or body elements may not be timely expanded or twisted or deformed by the inner threaded bolt according to different thickness of the work pieces.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional wall anchor devices.


A wireless electronic tracking system employs transmitters attached to moveable target items that send continuous analog radio frequency (RF) digitally-coded signals at prime number differentiated time intervals to a base receiver. The coded signals carry transmitter and base unit identifiers, low battery and attachment status information. The base unit periodically scans using an omnidirectional antenna to determine distance and azimuth for multiple active transmitters, alerting an operator to any status alerts, such as ‘out of range’ status determined by signal strength. The operator can switch to a higher gain, directional antenna to search for an errant target transmitter, or simply to check on the whereabouts of any given target item. Because the movable target items need only transmit, the transmitters can be physically diminutive and unobtrusive to the target wearer, making the system practical for tracking people (e.g. geriatric or juvenile, for assistance or to deter leaving group members behind), animals (e.g. pets, livestock) and even inventory (e.g. especially expensive items that shouldn't move from a given spot in a retail setting).

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to wireless monitoring systems and particularly to such systems adapted to monitor the location of movable items such as people, animals or merchandise. More particularly, this invention relates to a wireless transmitter attached to each item and a base station monitoring multiple items, providing out of range alarms and doubling as a finding device.
2. Description of Related Art
Geriatric patients often move about freely within the boundaries of a resident hospital, but some could endanger themselves and become lost and unable to find their way home if they wander outside the grounds. Likewise, pets straying too far from a home location sometimes get lost or stolen. Expensive retail merchandise susceptible to shoplifting can be spirited away and if small enough hidden in the thief's pocket or packages, thereby deterring thorough investigation based on suspicion alone. Horror stories abound of children or scuba divers on tours being left behind because an improper head count overlooked their absence.
Numerous prior art devices and systems provide means for monitoring the location and status of movable items, but most are too expensive and complex for practical use in many of the above circumstances. Systems designed for patients potentially needing immediate medical attention provide a base station and portable transceivers which trigger an alarm, either manually by a distressed patient or automatically by a sensor monitoring body functions such as breathing or pulse. The base unit then alerts help on the premises or contacts emergency response services such as police or paramedics to come to the patient's assistance. Such systems typically involve patient signaling options and transceiver functions in the patient-worn device and in the base unit, making them complex and expensive and reducing the applications in which they are practical.
Other less expensive perimeter monitoring systems rely on passive unit-carried devices which set off an alarm as the unit passes a perimeter sensor, like retail shoplifting detection systems, but which provide no distance and direction capabilities for finding missing units. A simple system which detects unit movement beyond a given perimeter or distance could find wide uses in diverse markets.

Wireless item location monitoring system and method


A process for preparing the compound of formula II by reacting the compound of formula I with an enzyme that can hydrolyze the ester bond:

Chemical processes for hydrolysis of esters to alcohols are well-known. Typically, a base such as an alkali hydroxide or carbonate is used to cleave the ester linkage and produce the corresponding alcohol. These reactions require a highly alkaline pH, typically a pH of 11 or more, and relatively high temperatures, such as 45-50° C. or more.
A phenoxy-alkynyl acetate may be deacetylated with potassium carbonate at pH 11 and 45° C. However, the base hydrolysis reaction is fast and non-specific. If the reaction is not stopped in time, there is a risk that undesired impurities may form, leading to additional purification steps. Controlling the hydrolysis reaction creates a burden on the process control and personnel.
Enzymatic deacetylation can overcome many disadvantages of the base hydrolysis methods. Enzymatic processes are very specific, often providing a higher yield and purity than chemical processes. Additionally, enzymes usually function well near 37° C. and near neutral pH, so deacetylation may be performed at moderate temperatures and pH.

Enzymatic process for deacetylation of a phenoxy-alkynyl acetate to the corresponding alcohol

Abstract: where * indicates a chiral center, R1 and R2 each independently represent H, C1-C6alkyl, —CN or —CCH, and R3 and R4 each independently represent H or C1-C6alkyl.