A self-powered tire revolution counter includes a motion sensitive power generation mechanism, a power conditioner, a pulse detector, a microcontroller, and, optionally, a radio frequency (RF) transmitting device. In one exemplary embodiment, the power generation mechanism corresponds to a piezoelectric patch that, during movement, provides both operating electrical power and pulsed signals indicative of tire rotation. The power conditioner receives a generator signal from the power generation mechanism and produces a conditioned output voltage that can be used to power associated electronic devices, including the microcontroller. The pulse detector receives the generator signal and produces a detection signal whenever the generator signal meets a predetermined condition. The microcontroller is programmed to determine current and lifetime-accumulated values of selected pulse indications in the detection signal that meet predetermined criteria. Data corresponding to tire environment related parameters such as temperature, pressure, tire deflection, and/or vehicle speed may be stored in the microcontroller at times during tire rotation as power is supplied from the power generation mechanism through the power conditioner. Additional data may be supplied to the microcontroller directly from an external source and read from the microcontroller either by direct electrical contact or via selective RF transmission.

The incorporation of electronic devices with pneumatic tire structures yields many practical advantages. Tire electronics may include sensors and other components for obtaining information regarding various physical parameters of a tire, such as temperature, pressure, number of tire revolutions, vehicle speed, etc. Such performance information may become useful in tire monitoring and warning systems, and may even potentially be employed with feedback systems to regulate proper tire pressure levels.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,984 (Frey et al.) discloses a tire monitoring system and method that is capable of determining such information as tire deflection, tire speed, and number of tire revolutions. Another example of a tire electronics system can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,484 (Snyder), which concerns an abnormal tire condition warning system.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,486 (Wing et al.) also relates to tire electronics, and more particularly discloses an exemplary revolution counter for use in conjunction with automotive and truck tires.
Yet another potential capability offered by electronics systems integrated with tire structures corresponds to asset tracking and performance characterization for commercial vehicular applications. Commercial truck fleets, aviation crafts and earthmover/mining vehicles are all viable industries that could utilize the benefits of tire electronic systems and related information transmission. Tire sensors can determine the distance each tire in a vehicle has traveled and thus aid in maintenance planning for such commercial systems. Vehicle location and performance can be optimized for more expensive applications such as those concerning earth-mining equipment. Entire fleets of vehicles could be tracked using RF tag transmission, exemplary aspects of which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,447 (Ghaem et al.).
Such integrated tire electronics systems have conventionally been powered by a variety of techniques and different power generation systems. Examples of mechanical features for generating energy from tire movement are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,061,200 (Thompson) and 3,760,351 (Thomas). Such examples provide bulky complex systems that are generally not preferred for incorporation with modern tire applications. Yet another option for powering tire electronics systems is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,484 (Snyder), which concerns a piezoelectric reed power supply symmetrically configured about a radiating centerline of a tire.
Another typical solution for powering tire electronics systems corresponds to the use of a non-rechargeable battery, which inherently provides an inconvenience to the tire user since proper electronics system operation is dependent on periodic battery replacement. Conventional batteries also often contain heavy metals that are not environmentally friendly and which present disposal concerns, especially when employed in large quantities. Still further, batteries tend to deplete their energy storage quite rapidly when powering electronic applications characterized by complex levels of functionality. Battery storage depletion is especially prevalent in electronic systems that transmit information over a relatively far distance such as from truck wheel locations to a receiver in the truck cabin. Even when batteries are used in electronics systems that transmit from wheel locations to a closer receiver location, information is then typically relayed via hard-wire transmission medium from the RF receiver location to the vehicle cab thus requiring the installation of additional and often-expensive communications hardware in a vehicle.
Yet another known method for deriving power for tire monitoring systems relates to scavenging RF beam power with an interrogation antenna in close proximity to a tire and integrated electronic features. Energy that is radiated from the antenna is scavenged to power the electronics, which must often be very specialized ultra-low-power electronics limited to within a few microwatts. Interrogation antennas employed in conjunction with beam-powered electronics must typically be placed in relatively close proximity (within about two feet) to each wheel well due to limited transmission ranges. This typically requires multiple interrogation antennas per vehicle, thus adding to potential equipment costs. Each antenna is also quite susceptible to damage from road hazards, and thus for many reasons may not be the most desirable solution for powering certain tire electronic applications.
In accordance with the present subject matter, it is appreciated that certain advantages of piezoelectric materials have long been recognized. However, such technology is constantly improving, thus potentially affording applications that utilize piezoelectric materials with improved operating capabilities. Examples of relatively new advances in piezoelectric technology are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,869,189 (Hagood, I V et al.) and 6,048,622 (Hagood, I V et al.), directed to composites for structural control. The presently disclosed technology concerns further advances in piezoelectric technology such that a piezoelectric power generating device can be integrated with a tire or wheel assembly for purposes of energy harvesting as well as tire rotation signal generation.
Currently pending and co-owned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/143,535 and 10/345,040 disclose aspects of generating and harvesting electric power from a rotating tire's mechanical energy using piezoelectric materials. The present invention concerns further applications offered by the integration of such piezoelectric structures in a tire or wheel assembly. More particularly, such piezoelectric structures can be combined with additional features to provide a self-powered tire revolution counter in accordance with aspects of the present invention.
Known existing means for counting tire revolutions involve attaching a mechanical counter to a wheel hub. Since a mechanical counter is not integral to the tire, maintaining an accurate lifetime revolution count requires accurate record keeping. Considering that some tires are often moved to different wheel positions or even different vehicles, and/or can be recapped several times, record keeping is an inconvenient, error-prone, and unreliable process.
The disclosures of all of the foregoing United States patents and patent applications are hereby fully incorporated into this application for all purposes by reference thereto. While various tire electronics systems and power generation systems therefor have been developed, no design has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desired characteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the subject technology.

Integrated self-powered tire revolution counter


A laser capture microdissection lift-off substrate comprising a transparent thermoplastic film is incorporated into substrate which may take the form of a cap or other structure associated with an analysis vessel or which may be used with a holder or other element of a LCM tissue sample transfer apparatus. The thermoplastic lift-off substrate film is held in a fixed position on the substrate which may be relative to a feature of a biological analysis vessel. The film may be affixed to a substrate which is a structure which goes into the vessel such that the sample is held in a fixed position relative to an observation port on the vessel.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to laser capture microdissection. More particularly, the present invention relates to consumables for laser capture microdissection and to liquid reagent vessels for holding transfer films used in laser capture microdissection.
2. The Prior Art
Diseases such as cancer have long been identified by examining tissue biopsies to identify unusual cells. The problem has been that there has been no satisfactory prior-art method to extract the cells of interest from the surrounding tissue. Currently, investigators must attempt to manually extract, or microdissect, cells of interest either by attempting to mechanically isolate them with a manual tool or through a convoluted process of isolating and culturing the cells. Most investigators consider both approaches to be tedious, time-consuming, and inefficient.
A new technique has been developed which can extract a small cluster of cells from a tissue sample in a matter of seconds. The technique is called laser capture microdissection (LCM). Laser capture microdissection is a one-step technique which integrates a standard laboratory microscope with a low-energy laser and a transparent ethylene vinyl acetate polymer thermoplastic film such as is used for the plastic seal in food product packaging.
In laser capture microdissection, the operator looks through a microscope at a tissue biopsy section mounted on a standard glass histopathology slide, which typically contains groups of different types of cells. A thermoplastic film is placed over and in contact with the tissue biopsy section. Upon identifying a group of cells of interest within the tissue section, the operator centers them in a target area of the microscope field and then generates a pulse from a laser such as a carbon dioxide laser having an intensity of about 50 mW and a pulse duration of between about 50 to about 500 mS. The laser pulse causes localized heating of the plastic film as it passes through it, imparting to it an adhesive property. The cells then stick to the localized adhesive area of the plastic tape directly above them, whereupon the cells are immediately extracted and ready for analysis. Because of the small diameter of the laser beam, extremely small cell clusters may be microdissected from a tissue section.
By taking only these target cells directly from the tissue sample, scientists can immediately analyze the gene and enzyme activity of the target cells using other research tools. Such procedures as polymerase chain reaction amplification of DNA and RNA, and enzyme recovery from the tissue sample have been demonstrated. No limitations have been reported in the ability to amplify DNA or RNA from tumor cells extracted with laser capture microdissection.
Laser capture microdissection has successfully extracted cells in all tissues in which it has been tested. These include kidney glomeruli, in situ breast carcinoma, atypical ductal hyperplasia of the breast, prostatic interepithielial neoplasia, and lymphoid follicles. The direct access to cells provided by laser capture microdissection will likely lead to a revolution in the understanding of the molecular basis of cancer and other diseases, helping to lay the groundwork for earlier and more precise disease detection.
Another likely role for the technique is in recording the patterns of gene expression in various cell types, an emerging issue in medical research. For instance, the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Genome Anatomy Project (CGAP) is attempting to define the patterns of gene expression in normal, precancerous, and malignant cells. In projects such as CGAP, laser capture microdissection is a valuable tool for procuring pure cell samples from tissue samples.
Laser capture microdissection, like all emerging techniques, still has room for improvement. With further refinement of the plastic film and activation by a more tightly focussed laser beam, the technique of extraction of single cells can easily be foreseen.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a liquid reagent biological analysis vessel which will facilitate laser capture microdissection analysis.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a liquid reagent biological analysis vessel for use with laser capture microdissection analysis which allows greater automation of the analysis process.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid reagent biological analysis vessel for use with laser capture microdissection analysis which is less susceptible to DNA contamination than is presently encountered.

Laser capture microdissection analysis vessel


New fused thiophene compounds are provided and methods of using those compounds for a variety of therapeutic indications. Compounds of the invention are particularly useful for treatment of neuropathic pain.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to compounds useful in the normalization of a pathologically hyper-excited sensory nerve function in a conscious mammal, particularly a conscious human. In particular, the invention relates to new compounds particularly fused thiophene compounds, methods of synthesis for those compounds, and methods of using those compounds for reducing or eliminating hyper-excited sensory symptoms, such as neuropathic pain.
2. Background
Neuropathic pain is a persistent, chronic pain, generally described as a burning, shooting or lancinating sensation without obvious cause. These symptoms are often associated with damage to the nerves or nerve fibers. Sollevi (U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,318) has described the development of the hyper-excited sensory nerve function that would give rise to neuropathic pain. Generally, this involves some form of trauma, such as infection or mechanical lesion, inflicting damage upon the sensory nervous system.
The sensory nervous system mediates information from peripheral tissues and organs to the brain (CNS). The sensors in these peripheral tissues or organs are sensitive for such qualities as touch, increased or reduced temperature, vibration, pressure, smell, taste, balance, painful stimuli, vision, and hearing, and as such, is important to the subject's physiological control in relation to the surrounding environment. A disturbance of the nerves ability to transmit these sensory signals may lead to reduced sensory perception (hypoestesia) or to hyper-excitation in which there is increased sensory perception (the neuropathic condition). This neuropathic condition may be associated with decreased thresholds for touch and temperature (hyperesthesia), discomfort in the perception of touch or temperature (dysesthesia), discomfort or pain with touch, pressure, and/or thermal stimulation (allodynia), hypersensitivity to pain stimuli (hyperalgesia), balance disturbance, auditory disturbance (tinnitus), or ganglionic dysfunction. The neuropathic condition is generally considered chronic when persistant for 3 months or more.
In recent years, certain treatments for neuropathic pain have been proposed. One such approach has been a certain intrathecal (i.t.) administration of adenosine. When administered via a chronically implanted catheter into the cerebrospinal fluid of mice, Holmgren and coworkers (Naunyn-Schmied. Arch. Pharmacol. 334: 290–293 (1989)) reported a latency to the reflexive paw withdrawal provoked by a hot plate.
In humans with peripheral neuropathic pain, the slow intravenous infusion of adenosine (50–70 micrograms/kg/min) has been reported to alleviate spontaneous pain, relieve tactile allodynia, abolish thermal allodynia, and markedly attenuate hyperalgesia due to pinprick and pressure-induced allodynia. Although the duration of infusion was approximately 40–60 minutes, the effects were reported to last several hours (Sollevi et al, Pain 61: 155–158 (1995); Belfrage et al, Anesth Analg 81: 713–717 (1995); Sollevi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,691,318). In a later study, systemic adenosine administration was shown to reduce the area of dynamic tactile allodynia without significant improvement in spontaneous pain or tactile pain threshold. In some cases, the effect lasted several months (Sjölund et al, Eur. J. Pain 5: 199–207 (2001). Intravenous infusion of adenosine has been shown to reduce secondary hyperalgesia due to cutaneous inflammatory pain in humans (Sjolund et al, Anesth. Analg. 88: 605–610 (1999).
Experimental data indicates that these effects of adenosine are mediated at the spinal level (Salter and Henry, Neuroscience 22: 631–650 (1987)). In a spinal nerve ligation model in rats, intrathecal adenosine produced a dose-dependent reduction in tactile allodynia lasting more than 24 hours (Lavand'homme and Eisenach, Pain 80: 31–36 (1999). These effects were additive with intrathecal morphine and with the α2-adrenergic receptor agonist, clonidine (Gomes et al, Anesthesiology 91: 1072–1079 (1999)). Moreover, the effectiveness of intrathecal adenosine is reversed by the intrathecal administration of the adenosine A1 receptor antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-diproyplxanthine, but not the adenosine A2-preferential receptor antagonist 3,7-dimethyl-8-propargylxanthine, suggesting the involvement of the adenosine A1 receptor in the mediation of neuropathic pain by adenosine (Gomes et al, Anesthesiology 91: 1072–1079 (1999)). Following intrathecal administration of 500–1000 micrograms of adenosine to humans with chronic neuropathic pain, both spontaneous and evoked pain was reduced in parallel with increased tactile pain thresholds in the allodynic areas and reduced areas of tactile hyperalgesia (Belfrage et al, Anesth. Analg. 89: 136–142 (1999)).
Attempts to modulate the metabolism of adenosine, thereby increasing the endogenous levels have also been examined. In rodents, the use of adenosine deaminase inhibitors to prevent the rapid deamination of adenosine to inosine was shown to greatly enhance the effectiveness of spinal morphine in reducing allodynia. A similar effect was observed with the intrathecal administration of nucleoside transport inhibitors which slow or prevent the cellular uptake of circulating adenosine. Adenosine kinase inhibitors, which prevent the phosphorylation of adenosine to adenosine monophosphate have also been reported as effective (Lynch et al, Eur. J. Pharmacol. 364: 141–146 (1999); Kowaluk et al, J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 295: 1165–1174 (2000); Suzuki et al, Br. J. Pharmacol. 132: 1615–1623 (2001); Zhu et al, Brain Res. 905: 104–110 (2001)). All of these approaches act by increasing the concentration of adenosine available to the adenosine A1 receptor.
Investigations of other modulation of adeonsine receptors have been reported in Bruns et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 38: 939–949 (1990); Bruns et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 38: 950–958 (1990); Bruns et al., Mol. Pharmacol. 38: 939–949, 950–958 (1990), Leung et al, Naunyn-Schmied. Arch. Pharmacol. 352: 206–212 (1995); Baraldi, U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,432; Baraldi et al, Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 10: 1953–1957 (2000); van der Klein et al, J. Med. Chem. 42: 3629–3635 (1999); Kourounakis et al, Drug Dev. Res. 49: 227–237 (2000); and Tranberg et al, J. Med. Chem. 45: 382–389 (2002)).

Pharmaceutically active compounds and methods of use

King Pharmaceuticals Research & Development, Inc.


In order to configure the bending of a plate in an intermediate space between two blade rings, arranged along an axis of a compressor and having blades extending along a radius in a simpler and more effective manner, the novel concept provides a bending device which can be positioned in the intermediate space and has, according to the invention, a fixing element for the bending device, a hydraulic system and a punch which can be actuated by the hydraulic system. Accordingly, a method for bending a plate in the intermediate space provides for a bending device to be positioned in the intermediate space, for the bending device to be fixed in the intermediate space, and for a punch of the bending device to be hydraulically actuated for bending the plate, the punch being moved toward the plate to be bent, and the plate being bent under the effect of the punch.

In a turbine or a compressor, a flow of working medium is admitted to a flow duct formed between a casing and an impeller or rotor. In this case, the flow duct extends along an axis of the compressor or turbine. Blades which are subjected to the flow of the working medium extend along a radius in the flow duct. These blades may be guide blades fastened to the casing or moving blades fastened to the impeller or rotor. The guide blades serve to influence the flow of the working medium. The moving blades are subjected to the flow of the working medium.
In the case of a compressor, the moving blades are set in rotary motion by the impeller and in this way compress the flow of the working medium.
In the case of a turbine, the flowing working medium delivers its kinetic energy to the moving blades, which in this way set the rotor in a rotary motion. The rotary motion of the rotor may be used, for example, for driving a generator and for generating electricity in the process.
A number of blades normally form a blade ring in which the number of blades are placed next to one another in a ring shape along the circumference of the flow duct and are fastened to the casing in the case of guide blades or to the rotor or impeller in the case of moving blades. An expedient number of such blade rings depending on the application are arranged one behind the other in a stepped manner along the axis of a compressor or a turbine. Here, the design and orientation of a blade of a blade ring expediently varies from step to step in accordance with the pressure and temperature ratios of the flow of the working medium along the flow duct. Between a first and a second blade ring arranged along the axis there is an intermediate space in which the medium flows freely.
In the intermediate space, a blade is fastened with its root to the impeller or casing. The fastening can be locked by a plate being bent over in the intermediate space, for example into a gap made at the casing or impeller. This is the case in particular in a compressor. For fitting or removal during production or inspection, such a locking plate has hitherto been bent over manually. To this end, a bending tool in the form of a bar or a suitable lever is positioned at the plate to be bent in an intermediate space between two blade rings arranged along an axis of the compressor and having blades extending along a radius. The plate is then bent over manually by striking the bending tool with a hammer.
This bending operation has to be carried out individually for each locking plate. Of course, on account of the manual activity, defined and reproducible bending-over at a series of plates cannot be ensured. There is also the fact that the manual activity leads to a comparatively long fitting time. The lever forces to be applied are partly so high that, if the lever slips off, there is a comparatively high risk of injury to the fitter and/or a blade of the compressor may be damaged. The impeller or the wheel disk provided for accommodating the blades may also be damaged. In addition, cracks may be initiated in the plate due to undefined, manual bending-over, which cracks may possibly impair the service life and reliable functioning of said plate.
The situation is similar with a bending operation on a plate in an intermediate space in a turbine.
It would be desirable to avoid these disadvantages and improve the bending operation.

Bending device and method for bending a plate


A short disturb test algorithm for built-in self-test is provided. The short disturb test (108) initially writes a background pattern to all cells in a memory array (24). After verifying the background pattern was written, the opposite of the background pattern is written to a single row of the memory array for a fixed time. After that fixed time has elapsed, the original background pattern is written to the row. The memory array is then refreshed and the next row is written to. After all rows have been written to, the memory array (24) is checked for failures.

In conventional testing of memory device, an external tester supplies control signals such as column address (CAS), row address (RAS), write enable (WE), address signals, and data to the device under test. Outputs from the device under test are sampled by the tester to determine whether the device passes or fails. As memory device density increases, testing time also increases. This increased testing time increases the manufacturing cost of integrated circuit memory devices.
In order to decrease the time it takes to test high density memory devices, parallel read and write schemes have been implemented. One drawback of implemented parallel read and write schemes is that an external tester is required. Also, parallel leads required to test the memory devices in parallel occasionally fail due to cross talk among the leads.
To avoid the drawbacks of parallel read and write schemes, built-in self-test arrangements have been used. The built-in self-test arrangement includes a read only memory that stores test algorithm instructions. The read only memory eliminates the need for external testers as well as parallel leads. One type of test that may be performed by a built-in self-test arrangement is the disturb test. In this disturb test, data is written to read from one or more target cell or cells. If a disturb defect exists, voltage will drain from one cell, disturbing or changing the contents in another cell. Under current testing schemes, as the size of memories increase the time to perform a disturb test increases, as does the external equipment needed to perform the test. Therefore, it is desirable to decrease the length of time required to perform a disturb test on a memory device.

Short disturb test algorithm for built-in self-test


A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes an acquisition unit which acquires first data in which a tissue of interest has higher signal intensity than a background and second data in which the tissue of interest has lower signal intensity than the background, with regard to images of the same region of the same subject, and a generation unit which generates, on the basis of the first data and the second data, third data in which the contrast of the tissue of interest to the background is higher than those in the first and second data.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus which obtains information for medical diagnoses on the basis of a magnetic resonance signal emitted from a subject.
2. Description of the Related Art
MR angiography (MRA) is a magnetic resonance imaging method intended for arteries and veins. MRA includes a time of flight (TOF) method using a gradient echo (GRE) method, and a black-blood (BB) method using a fast spin echo (FSE) method for visualizing a blood vessel at low signal intensity. Recently, a susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) method which applies the susceptibility effect of veins has been devised (refer to the specification of U.S. Pat. No. 6,501,272).
A non-contrast TOF method is a typical example of a white-blood method. The non-contrast TOF method utilizes an in-flow effect, so that an artery with a high flow velocity close to an inflow part of a slab is visualized at high signal intensity. In this non-contrast TOF method, it is difficult to visualize turbulent parts, and peripheral blood vessels such as perforating branches are not easily visualized. In other words, arteries are principally visualized in the non-contrast TOF method.
Furthermore, when an image is taken with a T1W-based sequence using a paramagnetic contrast medium, blood vessels are visualized at high signal intensity, which means a WB method. In addition, an MRA method in which blood vessels show higher signal intensity than background tissues is widely referred to as the WB method here.
In the BB method, blood vessels show lower signal intensity than peripheral tissues. In the BB method, low blood flows are also visualized, and blood vessel walls are correctly visualized. It is also possible in the BB method to visualize the turbulent parts which are difficult to visualize in the TOF method. The FSE method was initially used in a sequence of the BB method, but is not used very widely due to the problem of image processing, or other problems. In the BB method, while both arteries and veins show low signal intensity, the arteries can be highlighted by setting an echo time (TE) slightly shorter. In addition, when an image is taken with a T2*W based sequence using the paramagnetic contrast medium, blood vessels are visualized at low signal intensity, which means the BB method.
In the BB method, peripheral tissues also show low signal intensity, and it is therefore difficult to separately visualize the blood vessels alone. For example, it is difficult to exclude air by minimum intensity projection (mimIP) in the BB method. The visualization of blood vessels in the WB method can be relatively easily carried out by, for example, maximum intensity projection (MIP).
The above-mentioned conventional MRA has advantages and disadvantages in both the WB method and the BB method, and these methods are suitably used in accordance with purposes. However, it has been difficult in both the WB method and the BB method to clearly visualize various structures of blood vessels.
On the other hand, methods for collecting magnetic resonance signals include a method in which a spin is dephased and a method in which a spin is rephased. These two collection methods are selectively used in accordance with purposes. Thus, information for medical diagnoses can be obtained on the basis of the magnetic resonance signals collected in one of these methods.
Another technique has been known in which information obtained on the basis of magnetic resonance signals collected in one of the methods is subjected to different processing to obtain useful information. For example, as an imaging method more sensitive to a change in the magnetic susceptibility owing to T2* enhancement, there has been proposed a technique which carries out phase emphasizing processing for an absolute value image reconstructed on the basis of magnetic resonance signals collected by rephase (refer to Magn. Reson. Med. 52:612-618, 2004).
However, there is a limit to information that can be obtained from the magnetic resonance signals collected by dephase or rephase, therefore it has been impossible to obtain information necessary to satisfactorily visualize, for example, blood vessels.

MRI apparatus acquires first and second MR data and generates therefrom third image data having higher contrast between blood and background tissues


A capacitor including a first active layer capacitively coupled to a second active layer, the second active layer being capacitively coupled to a third layer, the third layer being capacitively coupled to a fourth layer, wherein an anode of the capacitor is connected to one of the first and second active layers, and a cathode of the capacitor is connected to the other one of the first and second active layers, and wherein the third layer is left floating. The fourth layer may be connected to a supply voltage, such as but not limited to, ground.

In standard, single poly CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) processes, gate capacitors are capacitive elements with large capacitances. These capacitors possess the desired gate capacitance, but also have parasitic capacitances, which are associated with diode elements, such as wells and diffusions.
An example of a MOS capacitor 10 is shown in FIG. 1. The MOS capacitor 10 includes a conductive layer 11 disposed on a gate oxide 12 disposed over a semiconductor substrate having two n+ diffusions 14 contacting an N-well 16 that overlies a P-substrate 18. The anode of MOS capacitor 10 is the gate terminal, i.e., the terminal connected to the conductive layer overlaid on the gate oxide 12. The two n+ diffusions 14 form the cathode (source-drain).
When a positive voltage is applied to the anode, an accumulation layer forms at the gate oxide—semiconductor junction, and the capacitance is the gate capacitance. It is also possible to achieve the same capacitance by making the two diffusions p+, and having a separate n+ contact to the well (not shown), making it an accumulation capacitor. Both types of capacitors exhibit essentially the same capacitance once the Vg (gate potential, or anode/cathode potential) is above the threshold voltage for the capacitor. The MOS capacitor 10 also exhibits a parasitic capacitance at its cathode, which is caused by a parasitic diode capacitor 20 formed between the N-well 16 and substrate 18. The parasitic diode capacitor 20 is determined by the area and space-charge layer thickness of the diode, and may be 20% of the gate capacitance.
Such MOS capacitors are utilized in a variety of analog circuits, such as charge pumps. A four phase Dickson-type charge pump is shown in FIG. 2, while a single pump stage is shown in FIG. 3. U.S. patent application 2002/0145464, entitled "Charge Pump Stage with Body Effect Minimization", which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference, provides an explanation how the charge pump and the single stage operates. A brief explanation is now provided in the following paragraphs, with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.
A charge pump typically comprises cascaded stages that progressively boost the voltage to higher levels. The charge pump functions by progressively storing more charge on a capacitor which is part of a capacitor-diode combination, with several such stages being placed together in a network to obtain the desired increase in voltage. The diode functions to prevent discharge of the capacitor prior to placing the additional charge thereon.
The charge pump circuit of FIG. 2 includes a plurality of charge transfer transistors (reference letters m(i)) connected in series. In FIG. 2, four such charge transfer transistors are shown, labeled m1, m2, m3 and m4. The charge transfer transistors may use, but are not limited to, CMOS technology, being either n-channel or p-channel (NMOS or PMOS) field effect transistors (FETs). NMOS is generally used to pump positive voltages (this is the case illustrated in FIG. 2), whereas PMOS is generally used to pump negative voltages. The MOSFETs have a control electrode (e.g., gate), a first electrode (e.g., drain) and a second electrode (e.g., source), connected to nodes, as described hereinbelow. (Since MOSFETs are typically symmetrical components, the true designation of "source" and "drain" is only possible once a voltage is impressed on the terminals of the transistors. The designations of source and drain throughout the specification should be interpreted, therefore, in the broadest sense.) Preferably, the bulks of the charge transfer transistors mi are coupled to a reference line (not shown for the sake of simplicity) for receiving a reference voltage, generally ground in the case of NMOS.
The source of charge transfer transistor m1 is connected to node n0, which is connected to Vdd. The gate of charge transfer transistor m1 is connected to node g1, and the drain is connected to node n1. The source of charge transfer transistor m2 is connected to node n1, the gate is connected to node g2, and the drain is connected to node n2. The source of charge transfer transistor m3 is connected to node n2, the gate to node g3, and the drain to node n3. Likewise, the source of charge transfer transistor m4 is connected to node n3, the gate to node g4, and the drain to node n4.
Two-phase, non-overlapping pulse trains PH1 and PH2 are provided, such as from a pulse generator (not shown). By non-overlapping it is meant that 0-to-1 and 1-to-0 voltage transitions of one pulse never overlap with the transitions of the other pulse. The PH1 and PH2 phases inject energy into the pump through large capacitors C1, C2, C3 and C4 into nodes n1, n2, n3 and n4, respectively. The charge is transferred along the pump through charge transfer transistors m(i) connecting node n(i) to node n(i+1).
Similarly, two-phase, non-overlapping pulse trains PH1A and PH2A are also provided. The PH1A and PH2A phases inject energy into the pump through small capacitors C1A, C2A, C3A and C4A into nodes g1, g2, g3 and g4, respectively. Capacitors C1A, C2A, C3A and C4A preferably have a much smaller capacitance than large capacitors C1, C2, C3 and C4.
A plurality of auxiliary transistors ti (i.e., t1, t2, t3 and t4) may be provided. Each auxiliary transistor t(i) has its drain connected to the gate node g(i) of each charge transfer transistor m(i) (i.e., m1, m2, m3 and m4, respectively). The source of each auxiliary transistor t(i) is connected to the source of each charge transfer transistor m(i) (i.e., node n(i−1)). The gate of each auxiliary transistor t(i) is connected to the drain of each charge transfer transistor m(i) (i.e., node n(i)). The bulk of each auxiliary transistor t(i) is connected to the bulk of each charge transfer transistor m(i), which is generally grounded. The auxiliary transistors t(i) and the PH1A and PH2A phases control the gate voltage of the charge transfer transistors m(i).
The operation of the first stage of the pump is now explained, with all subsequent stages operating in the same manner. The operation commences with the PH1 phase starting to rise. Initially, charge transfer transistors m1 and m2 are non-conducting (i.e., turned off), since the PH1A and PH2A phases are in their low phase. The PH1 phase then fully rises and injects energy into node n1, raising (or "pushing") node n1 to a voltage boosted above Vdd, such as 2Vdd. The rise of node n1 forces node g1 to Vdd through auxiliary transistor t1. Since the source of charge transfer transistor m1 is connected to Vdd at node n0, the gate-source voltage bias Vgs of charge transfer transistor m1 is zero, assuring that transistor m1 is turned off.
After a short time, typically in the order of several nanoseconds, the PH1A phase rises, which makes charge transfer transistor m2 conduct (i.e., turns on). During this time, node n1 is at a higher voltage than node n2. Since, as just mentioned, charge transfer transistor m2 is conducting, charge is transferred from node n1 to node n2. During the next phase, the PH2 phase rises and the PH1 phase drops. This causes node n1 to drop and node n2 to rise, thereby causing charge to be transferred from node n2 to node n3. In this manner charge is transferred along the pump. Each of the g(i) nodes is raised by Vdd with respect to the n(i) nodes when charge transfer is taking place. In the latter stages of the pump, the source and drain nodes (i.e., nodes n3 and n4) are raised well above the bulk, which is usually grounded.
Accordingly, in the charge pump, energy is injected through the large capacitors C1-C4 by the oscillation of the clock signals PH1 and PH2. Referring again to FIG. 1, the cathode of the MOS capacitor 10 may be connected to one of the clocks, while the anode may be connected to the pump's interior nodes n1-n4. The oscillation of the cathode leaks current to GND through the parasitic capacitor 20. As the pump capacitors C1-C4 are very large, the parasitic currents associated with the parasitic capacitors may be a significant portion of the pump's power consumption and may range from 20-50% of the total power.

MOS capacitor with reduced parasitic capacitance


An apparatus for detangling a plurality of conventional garment hangers located on a common supporting rail, comprising a generally cylindrical elongated rigid barrel having a plurality of spaced elongated bristles fixedly attached to the barrel projecting radially from the surface of the barrel, the bristles being spaced substantially around the circumference of the barrel; and, a motor for rotating the barrel about its axis. Hangers presented to the apparatus, such as by a conveyor, are supported by the barrel. The bristles turn in the direction of the hanger hook curve and any crossed hangers are automatically combed apart and separated. The hangers are moved from the front end toward and off the rear end of the barrel during rotation.

The garment cleaning and sortation industry processes thousands of garments in a day at a given location, using large conveyors to transport cleaned garments on conventional wire hangers. Frequently, these hangers are moving in close proximity to each other without any mechanical separation means employed. With many hangers being moved along a conveyor, the hangers have a propensity for getting crossed, making separation problematic. This is especially troublesome where large sortation apparatus is used where the garments are individually identified and sorted. If the hangers are crossed, the apparatus must be stopped to uncross and separate the hangers manually, otherwise, two garments may be identified as one or the apparatus may malfunction. It would be desirable to have a means for automatically separating crossed hangers that can be integrated with a sortation apparatus. It would also be desirable for such a detangling means to be usable with conventional hanger support rails or conveyors.

Apparatus for separating crossed garment hangers


Embodiments relate to vector processor predication in an active memory device. An aspect includes a system for vector processor predication in an active memory device. The system includes memory in the active memory device and a processing element in the active memory device. The processing element is configured to perform a method including decoding an instruction with a plurality of sub-instructions to execute in parallel. One or more mask bits are accessed from a vector mask register in the processing element. The one or more mask bits are applied by the processing element to predicate operation of a unit in the processing element associated with at least one of the sub-instructions.

The present invention relates generally to computer memory, and more particularly to predication in a vector processor.
Computer systems often require a considerable amount of high speed memory, such as random access memory (RAM), to hold information, such as data and programs, when a computer is powered and operational. Memory system demands have continued to grow as computer systems have increased performance and complexity.
Communication from a main processor to locations on memory devices can involve relatively long data access times and latency. The time it takes for the main processor to access memory can be, for example, several hundred cycles, including time to realize the data is not in cache (for memory reads), time to traverse from a processor core of the main processor to I/O, across a module or other packaging, arbitration time to establish a channel to memory in a multi-processor/shared memory system, and time to get the data into or out of a memory cell.
A vector processor may support multiple memory accesses in parallel. Supporting parallel memory accesses to multiple memory locations can increase bandwidth but also increases power consumption. The increased bandwidth may come at a cost of reduced efficiency, particularly where data accessed at one or more of the memory locations is not used in further processing.

This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION


A system and method for ensuring reliable network communication for a multi-node server is disclosed. The multi-node server includes a first node having a port operable to transmit data packets. A first internal switch has a downstream port coupled to the port of the first node, an interconnection port, and uplink ports coupled to the network. The uplink ports routes data packets from the first node to the network. A second internal switch has a downstream port, an interconnection port coupled to the interconnection port of the first internal switch, and an uplink port coupled to the network. On failure of network communication at the uplink ports of the first internal switch, data packets from the first node are routed through the interconnection ports and through the uplink port of the second internal switch to the network.

The emergence of the cloud for computing applications has increased the demand for off-site installations, known as data centers, that store data and run applications accessed by remotely connected computer device users. A typical data center has physical chassis structures with attendant power and communication connections. Each rack may hold multiple network devices such as servers for computing, storage, or controls as well as appropriate network and management switches.
A computing server will typically include several processors or nodes. Each processor must communicate with the other processors on the server to effectively complete computing tasks. Thus, computing tasks are often divided between the cores on a server, and data may be exchanged between the cores and a larger network via uplink ports in internal switches. These internal switches allow other devices in a network to communicate with the nodes in the server. Communication between the network and nodes in the server occurs based on different uplink ports being connected to each of the nodes on the server via the internal switches. One problem with this configuration is that when the uplink communication between the nodes and the network fails, communication cannot be achieved, and thus server operations are impeded.
Each server node within the micro-server communicates to devices outside the micro server via a fixed uplink port of each of the built-in switches. Currently, the uplink ports accessed by the nodes of a server are managed by the built-in internal switches. As a result, when the uplink port is out of order, the associated server node cannot communicate with the network.
To increase the robustness of network communication of micro server nodes, current methods rely on activating the internal switches to provide an alternate path when either an uplink port fails, or an internal or external network connection fails. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art network system 10 including a micro-server 12. The server 12 includes multiple server nodes such as the nodes 20 and 22. The server 12 also includes multiple internal built-in switches such as built-in switches 30 and 32. Each of the built-in switches include respective up link ports 42, 44, 46, and 48 that allow communication to a network 50. Each of the built-in switches 30 and 32 include respective downstream ports 52, 54, 56, and 58 that are connected to ports on the nodes 20 and 22.
In this example, the node 20 includes a port 62 that is linked to the downstream port 52 of the switch 30, and a port 64 that is linked to the downstream port 56 of the switch 32. The node 22 includes a port 66 that is linked to the downstream port 54 of the switch 30, and a port 68 that is linked to the downstream port 58 of the switch 32. The node 20 may communicate with the network 50 through the switch 30 and corresponding uplink port 52. Similarly, the node 22 may communicate with the network 50 through the switch 32 and the corresponding uplink port 58.
In the case of failure of either the uplink ports 42 and 44, or uplink ports 46 and 48, the associated server nodes 20 or 22 detect the loss of incoming and outgoing packets from the network 50. The associated server nodes 20 and 22 then invoke an uplink port backup mechanism by transmitting and receiving packets from alternative uplink ports of another built-in switch. For example, if the uplink ports 42 and 44 fail, the server node 20 will detect the loss of packets and switch the packet communication to port 64. The packets are thus sent through a link to the downstream port 56 to the switch 32, and through the uplink port 56 to the network 50.
However, two issues are raised in the current implementation of a node changing the internal switch when the uplink ports fail. The first issue is significant packet loss due to the long invocation time for the uplink backup. The server node is not directly connected to the corresponding uplink port. As a result, it takes time to detect the failure of the uplink port, thus resulting in a potentially large amount of packet loss before the uplink port backup mechanism is invoked. Further time is required for the node to switch ports to send packets to the other backup switch. Thus, in the example preceding paragraph, since the node 20 is not directly connected to the failed uplink ports 42 and 44, packets are lost between the time that packet loss is detected. Packets are further lost in the time the backup mechanism takes to switch the packet communication to a new downstream port connected to the switch 32 and corresponding new uplink port 56.
The second issue is degradation of computing power utilization of the nodes involved in the uplink port backup mechanism. The current uplink port backup mechanism is a software based routing routine that includes a software task that must frequently detect for packet losses. Such a mechanism must be run on all of the server nodes, resulting in low computing power utilization of the server node because the node must devote computing resources to the software task.
Thus, there is a need for a mechanism to insure network to node communication in the event that one network connection is broken. There is another need for a mechanism to ensure minimal packet loss when a connection between a node and a network uplink is broken. There is another need for a backup mechanism that does not require server computing power utilization.

Micro server built-in switch uplink port backup mechanism


An apparatus for performing a wellbore operation includes a drill string having a rigid tubular section formed of a plurality of jointed tubulars and a plurality of valves positioned along the rigid tubular section. Each valve may have a radial valve controlling flow through a wall of the rigid tubular section and a signal relay device configured to convey information-encoded signals. Wellbore operations may be performed by transmitting signals using the signal relay devices.

1. Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates generally to oilfield systems for managing wellbore pressure.
2. Background of the Art
To obtain hydrocarbons such as oil and gas, boreholes or wellbores are drilled by rotating a drill bit attached to the bottom of a drilling assembly (also referred to herein as a "Bottom Hole Assembly" or ("BHA"). The drilling assembly is attached to the bottom of a tubing, which is usually either a jointed rigid pipe or a relatively flexible spoolable tubing commonly referred to in the art as "coiled tubing." The string comprising the tubing and the drilling assembly is usually referred to as the "drill string." During drilling, wellbore pressure management may be used to control events such as pressure spikes and other undesirable conditions.
In aspects, the present disclosure provides enhanced methods and systems for managing wellbore pressure.

Continuous circulation and communication drilling system


A system and method that enables a plurality of lay users to collaborate on automating computer tasks is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system automatically performs these tasks, rather than just documenting how to perform them. The system allows a database of solutions to be built for every important computer task. A key characteristic of this system is that users contribute to this database by simply performing the task. The system records the graphical user interface (GUI) actions as the user performs the task. It aggregates GUI traces from multiple users into a canonical sequence of GUI actions parameterized by user-environment that will successfully accomplish the task on a variety of different configurations. A classifier is used to predict which steps are likely to be misinterpreted and requests human intervention to properly perform them. This process can be done iteratively until the translation is believed to be correct.

As computers have gotten faster, less expensive, and more functional, they have also gotten much more complicated, leading to a situation in which the productivity bottleneck is no longer the computer, but the users themselves and their ability to effectively use the computer system. Non-expert users regularly encounter tasks that they do not know how to perform, such as configuring their home router, removing a virus, or even just emailing a photo.
Many users do not have access to free or inexpensive technical support, and hence their first, and often only, resort is to perform a web search. Such web searches, however, often lead to a disparate set of user forums written in ambiguous language. They rarely make clear which user configurations are covered by a particular solution; descriptions of different problems overlap; and many documents contain conjectured solutions that may not work. The net result is that users spend an unacceptable amount of time manually working through large collections of documents trying solutions that often fail to help them perform their task. The situation is particularly difficult for non-expert users who often struggle even with well-written documentation.
The main limitation of existing on-line technical help is that it only documents how a task was performed, often only for one particular system configuration. A typical user would prefer a system that automatically performs the task for him, taking into account his machine configuration and global preferences, and asking the user only for information which cannot be automatically accessed from his computer, such as his password or which photo he would like to e-mail.
Some automation tools exist for particularly arduous tasks. One such example is the Mail Merge wizard in Microsoft Word. Today, however, these automation scripts have to be meticulously programmed by experts, limiting their applicability to only those tasks most in need of automation. For example, Microsoft has recently started a team to automate the solution documents on their knowledge-base web site. This website is currently known as the Microsoft Fix It Solution Center. Each of the automated scripts found on this website is a program handwritten by an expert. As a result, in 6 months of their work, they have automated only about 150 of the hundreds of thousands of knowledgebase articles. It is obvious that expert-based automation is slow and expensive, and hence, unlikely to cover the majority of problems that users encounter.
It would be beneficial if there existed automated tools that performed computer-based tasks on behalf of the user. Additionally, it would be advantageous if this tool were crowd-sourced, thereby allowing the number of tasks that can be performed to grow quickly. It would be further advantageous if the tool could verify the crowd-sourced solutions to verify their correctness, and to minimize the steps required.

Translating text to, merging, and optimizing graphical user interface tasks


This invention provides submicron oil-in-water emulsions useful as a vaccine adjuvant for enhancing the immunogenicity of antigens. The present invention also provides vaccine compositions containing an antigen combined with such emulsions intrinsically or extrinsically. Methods of preparing the emulsions and vaccines are also provided by the present invention.

Bacterial, viral, parasitic and mycoplasma infections are wide spread in the veterinary animals such as cattle, swine and companion animal. Diseases caused by these infectious agents are often resistant to antimicrobial pharmaceutical therapy, leaving no effective means of treatment. Consequently, a vaccinology approach is increasingly used to control the infectious disease in the veterinary animals. A whole infectious pathogen can be made suitable for use in a vaccine formulation after chemical inactivation or appropriate genetic manipulation. Alternatively, a protein subunit of the pathogen can be expressed in a recombinant expression system and purified for use in a vaccine formulation.
Adjuvant generally refers to any material that increases the humoral and/or cellular immune response to an antigen. The traditional vaccines are composed of crude preparation of killed pathogenic microorganisms, and the impurities associated with the cultures of pathological microorganisms could act as adjuvant to enhance the immune response. However, when homogeneous preparations of pathological microorganisms or purified protein subunits are used as antigens for vaccination, the immunity invoked by such antigens is poor and the addition of certain exogenous materials as adjvuant therefore becomes necessary. Further, synthetic and subunit vaccines are expensive to produce. Therefore, with the aid of adjuvant, a smaller dose of antigen may be required to stimulate the immune response, thereby saving the production cost of vaccines.
Adjuvants are known to act in a number of different ways to enhance the immune response. Many adjuvants modify the cytokine network associated with immune response. These immunomodulatory adjuvants can exert their effect even when they are not together with antigens. In general the immunomodulatory adjuvants cause a general up-regulation of certain cytokines and a concomitant down regulation of others leading to a cellular Th1and/or a humoral Th2 response.
Some adjuvants have the ability to preserve the conformational integrity of an antigen so that the antigens can be efficiently presented to appropriate immune effector cells. As a result of this preservation of antigen conformation by the adjuvant formulation, the vaccine would have an increased shelf-life such as that shown for immune stimulating complexes (ISCOMs). Ozel M.,et.al.; Quarternary Structure of the Immunestimmulating Complex (Iscom), J. of Ultrastruc. and Molec. Struc. Res. 102, 240 –248 (1989).
Some adjuvants have the property of retaining the antigen as a depot at the site of injection. As a result of this depot effect the antigen is not quickly lost by liver clearance. Aluminum salts and the water-in-oil emulsions act through this depot effect for a shorter duration. For example, one can obtain a long-term depot by using Freund's complete adjuvant (FCA) which is an water-in-oil emulsion. FCA typically remains at the injection site until biodegradation permits removal of the antigen by antigen-presenting cells.
Based on their physical nature, adjuvants can be grouped under two very broad categories, namely particulate adjvuants and non-particulate adjvuants. Particulate adjuvants exist as microparticles. The immunogen is either able to incorporate or associate with the microparticles. Aluminum salts, water-in-oil emulsions, oil-in-water emulsions, immune stimulating complexes, liposomes, and nano- and microparticles are examples of particulate adjuvants. The non-particulate adjuvants are generally immunomodulators and they are generally used in conjunction with particulate adjuvants. Muramyl dipeptide (an adjuvant-active component of a peptidoglycan extracted from Mycobacteria), non-ionic block copolymers, Saponins (a complex mixture of triterpenoids extracted from the bark of the Quillaja saponaria tree), Lipid A (a disaccharide of glucosamine with two phosphate groups and five or six fatty acid chains generally C12 to C16 in length), cytokines, carbohydrate polymers, derivatized polysaccharides, and bacterial toxins such as cholera toxin and E. coli labile toxin (LT) are examples of non-particulate adjuvants.
Some of the best-known adjuvants are combination of non-particulate immunomodulators and particulate materials which could impart depot effect to the adjuvant formulation. For example, FCA combines the immunomodualtory properties of Mycobacterium tuberculosis components along with the short-term depot effect of oil emulsions.
Oil emulsions have been used as vaccine adjuvant for a long time. Le Moignic and Pinoy found in 1916 that a suspension of killed Salmonella typhimurium in mineral oil increased the immune response. Subsequently in 1925, Ramon described starch oil as one of the substances augmenting the antitoxic response to diptheria toxoid. However, the oil emulsions did not become popular until 1937 when Freund came out with his adjuvant formulation now known as Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA). FCA is a water-in-oil emulsion composed of mineral (paraffin) oil mixed with killed Mycobateria and Arlacel A. Arlacel A is principally mannide monooleate and is used as an emulsifying agent. Although FCA is excellent in inducing an antibody response, it causes severe pain, abscess formation, fever and granulomatous inflammation. To avoid these undesirable side reactions, Incomplete Freund's Adjuvant (IFA) was developed. IFA is similar to FCA in its composition except for the absence of mycobacterial components. IFA acts through depot formulation at the site of injection and slow release of the antigen with stimulation of antibody-producing cells.
Another approach to improve FCA was based on the notion that replacing the mineral oil with a biocompatible oil would help eliminate the reactions associated with FCA at the injection site. It was also believed that the emulsion should be oil-in-water rather than water-in-oil, because the latter produces a long-lasting depot at the injection site. Hilleman et al. described an oil-based adjuvant "Adjuvant 65", consisting of 86% peanut oil, 10% Arlacel A as emulsifier and 4% aluminum monostearate as stabilizer. Hilleman, 1966, Prog. Med. Virol. 8: 131–182; Hilleman and Beale, 1983, in New Approaches to Vaccine Development (Eds. Bell, R. and Torrigiani, G.), Schwabe, Basel. In humans, Adjuvant 65 was safe and potent but exhibited less adjuvanticity than IFA. Nevertheless, the use of Adjvuant 65 was discontinued due to reactogenicity for man with certain lots of vaccine and reduction in adjuvanticity when a purified or synthetic emulsifier was used in place of Arlacel A. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,718,904 and 5,690,942 teach that the mineral oil in the oil-in-water emulsion can be replaced with metabolizable oil for the purpose of improving the safety profile.
Besides the adjuvanticity and safety, the physical appearance of an emulsion is also an important commercial consideration. Physical appearance depends on the stability of the emulsion. Creaming, sedimentation and coalescence are indicators of the emulsion instability. Creaming occurs when oil and aqueous phases of the emulsion have different specific gravity. Creaming also occurs when the initial droplet size of the emulsion is large and the emulsion droplets are not having any Brownian motion. When the droplet size is large, there is a tendency for the interfacial rupture and the droplets coalesce into large particles. The stability of the emulsion is determined by a number of factors such as the nature and amount of emulsifier used, the size of the droplet size in the emulsion, and the difference in the density between the oil and water phase.
Emulsifiers promote stabilization of dispersed droplet by reducing the interfacial free energy and creating physical or electrostatic barriers to droplet coalescence. Nonionic as well as ionic detergents have been used as emulsifiers. Nonionic emulsifiers orient at the interface and produce relatively bulky structures, which leads to steric avoidance of the dispersed droplets. Anionic or cationic emulsifiers induce formation of an electrical double layer by attracting counter ions; the double layer repulsive forces cause droplets to repel one another when they approach.
Besides using the emulsifiers, the stability of the emulsion can also be achieved through reducing the droplet size of the emulsion by mechanical means. Typically propeller mixers, turbine rotors, colloid mills, homogenizers, and sonicators have been used to manufacture emulsions. Microfluidization is another way to increase the homogeneity of the droplet size in the emulsion. Microfluidization can produce an elegant, physically stable emulsion with consistent particle size in the submicron range. Besides increasing the stability of the emulsion, the process of microfluidization allows terminal filtration which is a preferred way of ensuring the sterility of the final product. Moreover, submicron oil particles can pass from injection sites into the lymphatics and then to lymph nodes of the drainage chain, blood and spleen. This reduces the likelihood of establishing an oily depot at the injection site which may produce local inflammation and significant injection site reaction.
Microfluidizers are now commercially available. Emulsion formation occurs in a microfluidizer as two fluidized streams interact at high velocities within an interaction chamber. The microfluidizer is air or nitrogen driven and can operate at internal pressures in the excess of 20,000 psi. U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,154 teaches the use of microfluidizer for obtaining emulsions essentially free of any emulsifying agents.
A number of submicron oil-in-water adjuvant formulations have been described in the literature. U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,369 teaches a submicron oil-in-water emulsion adjuvant formulation known as Syntax Adjuvant Formulation (SAF). SAF contains squalene or squalane as the oil component, an emulsion-forming amount of Pluronic L121 (polyoxy-proplyene-polyoxyethylene) block polymer and an immunopotentiating amount of muramyldipeptide. Squalene is a linear hydrocarbon precursor of cholesterol found in many tissues, notably in the livers of sharks and other fishes. Squalane is prepared by hydrogenation of squalene and is fully saturated. Both squalene and squalane can be metabolized and have a good record of toxicological studies. Squalene or squalane emulsions have been used in human cancer vaccines with mild side effects and a desirable efficacy. See, e.g., Anthony C. Allison, 1999, Squalene and Squalane emulsions as adjuvants, Methods 19:87 –93.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,884 and International Patent Publication WO 90/14837 teach that the polyoxy-proplyene-polyoxyethylene block copolymers are not essential for the formation of submicron oil-in-water emulsion. Moreover, these references teach the use of non-toxic, metabolizable oil and expressly exclude the use of mineral oil and toxic petroleum distillate oils in their emulsion formulations.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,961,970 teaches yet another submicron oil-in-water emulsion to be used as a vaccine adjuvant. In the emulsion described in this patent, the hydrophobic component is selected from the group consisting of a medium chain triglyceride oil, a vegetable oil and a mixture thereof. The surfactant included in this emulsion can be a natural biologically compatible surfactant such as phospholipid (e.g., lecithin) or a pharmaceutically acceptable non-natural surfactant such as TWEEN-80. This patent also teaches incorporating the antigen into the emulsion at the time the emulsion is formed, in contrast to mixing the antigen with the emulsion after the emulsion has been independently and extrinsically formed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,269 teaches that an adjuvant formulation containing lecithin in combination with mineral oil causes a decrease in irritation within the host animal and simultaneously induces increased systemic immunity. The adjuvant formulation resulting from U.S. Pat. No. 5,084,269 is commercially used in veterinary vaccines under the trade name AMPHIGEN®. The AMPHIGEN® formulation is made up of micelles—oil droplets surrounded by lecithin. These micelles allow more whole cell antigens to attach than traditional oil-based adjuvants. Moreover, the AMPHIGEN® based vaccine formulations contain a low oil content of 2.5 to 5% mineral oil, compared to other vaccine formulations containing oil adjuvants, which typically contain from 10% to 20% oil. Its low oil content makes this adjuvant-based vaccine formulation less irritating to tissues at the injection site, resulting in fewer lesions and less trim at slaughter. In addition, the lecithin coating surrounding the oil droplets further reduces injection site reactions resulting in a vaccine that is both safe and efficacious.
The AMPHIGEN® formulation is used as an adjuvant in a number of veterinary vaccines and there is need to maintain the physical appearance of the vaccine product during short and long storage periods as well as at the time of reconstitution. In addition, a lyophilized antigen is mixed with the pre-made adjuvant formulation just before the injection. This practice does not always ensure that there is a uniform distribution of the antigen within the oil-in-water emulsion and the appearance of the emulsion may not be desirable. Moreover, upon standing, the homogenized emulsion can show phase separation. Therefore, there exists a need for a stable adjuvant formulation which does not show phase separation upon long shelf-life. One way to prevent the phase separation is to reduce the droplet size and increase the particle homogeneity of the emulsion. While the process of microfluidization of metabolizable oil-based emulsion formulations has been documented, microfluidization of oil-in-water emulsions such as the AMPHIGEN® formulation has not yet been carried out.
In the present invention, microfluidization has been used to bring the size of lecithin-surrounded mineral oil droplets to submicron size. Unexpectedly, it has been discovered by the present inventors that microfluidization of vaccine formulations adjuvanted with an oil-in-water emulsion comprised of a mixture of lecithin and oil not only improves the physical appearance of the formulations, but also enhances the immunizing effects of the formulations. Microfluidized formulations are also characterized by an improved safety profile.

Microfluidized oil-in-water emulsions and vaccine compositions


It is an object to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device including a thin film transistor whose electric characteristics are stable. An insulating layer which covers an oxide semiconductor layer of the thin film transistor contains a boron element or an aluminum element. The insulating layer containing a boron element or an aluminum element is formed by a sputtering method using a silicon target or a silicon oxide target containing a boron element or an aluminum element. Alternatively, an insulating layer containing an antimony (Sb) element or a phosphorus (P) element instead of a boron element covers the oxide semiconductor layer of the thin film transistor.

In recent years, a technique for forming a thin film transistor (TFT) by using a semiconductor thin film (having a thickness of approximately several nanometers to several hundred nanometers) formed over a substrate having an insulating surface has attracted attention. Thin film transistors are applied to a wide range of electronic devices such as ICs or electro-optical devices, and prompt development of thin film transistors that are to be used as switching elements in image display devices, in particular, is being pushed. Various metal oxides are used for a variety of applications.
Some metal oxides have semiconductor characteristics. Examples of such metal oxides having semiconductor characteristics include tungsten oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, and zinc oxide. Thin film transistors in which channel formation regions are formed of such metal oxides having semiconductor characteristics are known (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Semiconductor device with oxide semiconductor layer

Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.


A continuously variable valve lift apparatus may include a control shaft, a camshaft in which a cam is formed thereto, an eccentric member connected to the control shaft, a follower slidably contacting the cam, a follower arm that is extended from a follower ring mounted around the eccentric member, a variable ring slidably mounted on the eccentric member and a variable arm extended from the variable ring, an output ring slidably mounted on the control shaft and an output arm extended from the output ring, wherein an output cam is integrally formed to the output arm and an end portion of the output cam is pivotally coupled to one end portion of the output arm, a first link pivotally connecting the follower arm and the variable arm, and a second link pivotally connecting the variable arm and the output arm.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a continuously variable valve lift apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a continuously variable valve lift apparatus for varying the lift amount of a valve corresponding to driving conditions of an engine.
2. Description of Related Art
An internal combustion engine generates power by burning fuel in a combustion chamber in an air media that is drawn into the chamber. Intake valves are operated by a camshaft in order to intake the air, and the air is drawn into the combustion chamber while the intake valves are open. In addition, exhaust valves are operated by the camshaft, and a combustion gas is exhausted from the combustion chamber while the exhaust valves are open.
An optimal operation of the intake valves and the exhaust valves depends on a rotation speed of the engine. That is, an optimal lift or optimal opening/closing timing of the valves depends on the rotation speed of the engine. For example, research has been undertaken for a variable valve lift (VVL) apparatus that enables different lifts depending on engine speed, and for a variable valve timing (VVT) apparatus that opens/closes the valves with different timing depending on the engine speed.
For such a VVL apparatus, it is recommended that power loss in driving the valves using torque of the camshaft is minimized. In addition, it is recommended that the VVL apparatus is symmetrically designed such that it may be symmetrically installed in both banks in a V-engine.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Continuously variable valve lift apparatus


Deployed, air dropped buoys are presented which can be used as calibrated targets for imaging lidar systems. In this way, oceanographic optical measurements can be made to determine in advance how an imaging lidar system will perform at the time of its deployment. This calibrated optical buoy is deployable from an airborne platform. The target is illuminated by an imaging lidar system and the target reflection is compared with the backscattering from the ocean volume illuminated. At the same time, measurements of light intensity are carried out to provide a direct measurement of the attenuation in the ocean. These data are taken at all depths and the results telemetered to the airborne lidar platform. In addition, a simplified embodiment is presented which uses the imaging lidar system to obtain both backscatter and attenuation. This simplified embodiment requires no telemetry.

This invention relates generally to a sensor system for remote detection and imaging of objects submerged underwater and a deployable air dropped buoy for calibrating the sensor system. More particularly, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for calibrating an imaging light detection and ranging (lidar) system using a deployable optical buoy; and oceanographic measurements obtainable therefrom.
It is desirable in a number of military and civilian applications to search a volume within a backscattering medium for the presence of certain targets. For instance, moored or bottom mines deployed in ocean shipping lanes are a hazard to navigating ships used both for military and for commercial purposes. For other civilian applications such as law enforcement on the ocean, it is desirable to detect the presence of submerged fishing nets or drug-carrying containers used in smuggling contraband. In or near harbors and beaches, it is also desirable to detect submerged obstructions, cables, pipelines, barrels, oil drums, etc. In strictly military applications, anti-submarine warfare demands an effective means of detecting and locating submarines.
Presently, cumbersome and time consuming wire line devices must be used for detecting underwater targets from remote airborne locations. These devices are lowered into the water and of course, are easily subject to damage and loss. Also, wire line devices make target searching relatively slow and can only detect targets without providing visual imaging.
An improved and novel system for remote detection and imaging of objects underwater (or objects obscured by other backscattering media which is at least partially transmitting to light such as ice, snow, fog, dust and smoke) from an airborne platform has been described in U.S. Patent Nos. 4,862,257 and 5,013,917, both of which are assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference. The imaging lidar system of U.S. Pat. No. 4,862,257 utilizes a laser to generate short pulses of light with pulse widths on the order of nanoseconds. The laser light is expanded by optics and projected down toward the surface of the water and to an object or target. U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,917 relates to an imaging lidar system intended for night vision.
Imaging lidar systems of the type described hereinabove are also disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,964,721 and 4,967,270, both of which are incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,721 relates to an imaging lidar system which controls camera gating based on input from the aircraft on-board altimeter and uses a computer to thereby adjust total time delay so as to automatically track changing platform altitude. U.S. Pat. No. 4,967,270 relates to a lidar system employing a plurality of gated cameras which are individually triggered after preselected time delays to obtain multiple subimages laterally across a target image. These multiple subimages are then put together in a mosaic in a computer to provide a complete image of a target plane preferably using only a single light pulse.
U.S. Ser. No. 565,631 filed Aug. 10, 1990 which is also assigned to the assignee hereof and fully incorporated herein by reference, relates to an airborne imaging lidar system which employs a plurality of pulsed laser transmitters. a plurality of gated and intensified array camera receivers, an optical scanner for increased field of regard, and a computer for system control, automatic target detection and display generation. U.S. Ser. No. 565,631 provides a means for rapidly searching a large volume of the backscattering medium (e.g., water) for specified targets and improves upon prior art devices in performance as a result of having more energy in each laser pulse (due to simultaneous operation of multiple lasers) and a more sensitive detection system using multiple cameras. The several cameras may be utilized to image different range gates on a single laser pulse or several cameras can be gated on at the same time to provide independent pictures which can then be averaged to reduce the noise level and improve sensitivity. Both of these improvements result in higher signal-to-noise ratio and thus higher probability of detection or greater range of depth capability.
Still other imaging lidar systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,029,009 and 5,034,810, both of which are assigned to the assignee hereof and incorporated herein by reference.
While the imaging lidar systems described above are well suited for their intended purposes and are successfully utilized to detect various underwater and drifting obstructions, there is a need to obtain accurate calibration of the imaging lidar system, particularly when used from an airborne platform to view images below the water (typically ocean) surface. It will be appreciated that the variablities in sunlight, water properties, pollutants, and other factors significantly alter the optical properties of selected volumes of water. This variation in optical properties is also present with changes in depth. Presently, often inaccurate measurements and estimates of the optical properties of a given volume of water must be made when using an imaging lidar system. This may lead to undesirably inaccurate and inefficient imaging, target detection and target identification since the lidar settings may not be optimum for the water conditions actually present.

Optical buoys for oceanographic measurements by imaging lidar


Systems, method and devices utilized in wireless communication may include creating, scheduling and/or using a transmission having at least one quasi-ABS which includes at least one macro set corresponding to a designated sector of a plurality of sectors in a macro node. Such subframes may be formed and partitioned to provide for a partition which may be used by a range expansion resource, such as a pico node or user entity.

1. Field
Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to improving resource usage in communication networks using interference cancelation.
2. Background
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like. These wireless networks may be multiple-access networks capable of supporting multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. One example of such a network is the Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN). The UTRAN is the radio access network (RAN) defined as a part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a third generation (3G) mobile phone technology supported by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Examples of multiple-access network formats include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, and Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks.
A wireless communication network may include a number of base stations or node Bs that can support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs). A UE may communicate with a base station via downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.
A base station may transmit data and control information on the downlink to a UE and/or may receive data and control information on the uplink from the UE. On the downlink, a transmission from the base station may encounter interference due to transmissions from neighbor base stations or from other wireless radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, a transmission from the UE may encounter interference from uplink transmissions of other UEs communicating with the neighbor base stations or from other wireless RF transmitters. This interference may degrade performance on both the downlink and uplink.
Some wireless network use a diverse set of base stations, such as higher powered macro cells, and lower powered pico nodes, femto nodes, and relays, to improve the spectral efficiency of the system per unit area. Because these wireless networks use such different base stations and nodes for their spectral coverage, they are often referred to as heterogeneous networks. The higher-powered macro cells are able to offload service of UEs to the lower-powered nodes in order to increase the service capacity and quality. Because the higher power signals from the macro cells may cause interference with the lower power signals from the pico or femto nodes, resource partitioning mechanisms are used to reduce the potential interference. Increased load handling efficiency may be realized by providing service schemes at the edges of the coverage areas of the lower-powered nodes. Within these areas, referred to as the cell range expansion, resource partitioning methods between macro and pico/femto nodes are utilized. However, such partitioning schemas give rise to inefficiencies. For example, when a network is adjusted for greater pico cell range expansion, macro nodes are configured to relinquish resources. Conversely, if no partitioning is implemented, UEs in the pico cell range expansion region will be in outage. To prevent such outage, these UEs connect to the macro node, which results in a disproportionate number of UEs connecting to a macro node instead of a pico/femto node due to the higher power signal of the macro node. These cases each hinder throughput capabilities because of a lack of balance of resources, e.g. when excessive UEs are connected to a pico/femto node, the pico/femto node is forced to maintain the burden for scheduling for each of the UEs. Conversely, when UEs are more directed toward the macro node, the distributed capabilities of the pico/femto nodes are underutilized.
As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, the possibilities of interference and congested networks grows with more UEs accessing the long-range wireless communication networks and more short-range wireless systems being deployed in communities. Research and development continue to advance the UMTS technologies not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications.

Method and apparatus for improving resource usage in communication networks using interference cancelation


A programmable memory built-in self-test circuit and a clock switching circuit thereof are provided. The memory built-in self-test circuit is able to provide more self-test functions preset by a user, simplify the redundant circuit in the prior art and reduce chip area and lower the cost by means of an instruction decoder and a built-in self-test controller. The present invention also provides some peripheral control circuits of a memory. The control circuits occupies less area and enables the memory to be tested more flexibly. The present invention further provides a clock switching circuit enabling a chip to be correctly tested under different clock speeds, which benefits to advance the testability and the analyzability of the memory embedded in a chip and thereby increase fault coverage.

1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a built-in self-test circuit (BIST circuit), and more particularly, to a memory built-in self-test (MBIST) circuit and its address counter and clock switching circuit.
2. Description of Related Art
Along with the advance of semiconductor industry, the semiconductor process has stepped in very deep sub-micro (VDSM) technique level, where a more complicate and more precision chip design is required. Most products require embedded memories to handle complex and various operations, which accordingly needs tremendous test patterns for memory testing. Considering the above-mentioned need, in particular, the connection difficulty between a great lot of input/output ports of the memories and the external circuit out of the chip, a new technique, named as memory built-in self-test circuit, was provided. By using MBIST technique, a circuit purposely built in a memory chip is utilized to perform reading/writing tests in a specific duration on the internal memory circuits so as to judge the quality of the memory chip.
In a conventional MBIST circuit, several algorithms are usually supported, such as checkerboard algorithm, march C+ algorithm and march C− algorithm The checkerboard algorithm is to write alternately logic level values '1' and '0' into adjacent bits on the physical cell positions of a memory under test, followed by reading the hexadecimal values, for example 55 or AA etc. for testing. While with a march C+ algorithm or a march C− algorithm, the reading/writing tests are performed in an increasing transition order of addresses or a decreasing transition order of addresses on the memory bits repeatedly, until the predetermined test iterations are satisfied. A conventional MBIST is usually generated by electronic design automation (EDA) software, which has a fixed format and cannot be changed to suit the specific demand of user. For example, in the applications to test some application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), the conventional MBIST is unable to provide an appropriate test pattern so as to lower the test fault coverage. Furthermore, when a user needs some specific test patterns for a diagnosis purpose, the EDA software fails to accomplish the goal as well. Although a MBIST able to accept a programming done by user is available today, but the area occupied by the above-mentioned built-in self-test circuit is still not compact sufficiently to satisfy the modern semiconductor industry for less circuit area and cheaper cost.
Additionally, in a conventional MBIST capable of supporting both schemes of generating memory addresses by column scanning and row scanning, two sets of counters are needed. FIG. 1 is a diagram of a conventional address counter, wherein the address counter includes a column scan counter 120, a row scan counter 110, an address register 130 and a multiplexer 140. The column scan counter 120 is used as an address counter during performing a column scan test, while the row scan counter 110 is used during performing a row scan test. When column scan is enabled (i.e., row scan is disabled), the multiplexer 140 selects a column scan address line 102 sent to the address register 130. In contrast, when row scan is enabled (i.e., column scan is disabled), the multiplexer 140 selects a row scan address line 101 sent to the address register 130. Once the memory under test has a large size, the corresponding bit number of address increases accordingly, which results in a large portion of the chip area occupied by the column scan counter 120 and the row scan counter 110. The production cost increases as well.
Another difficulty a conventional MBIST encounters rests in that the available clock frequency provided by a modern auto-testing equipment (ATE) is far lower than the clock frequency of a MBIST circuit, so that a clock hazard may occur during clock switching between a self-test mode and an external test mode with the ATE. The clock hazard may cause unexpected event during the subsequent test operations, which leads to faulty operation or no operation and increases the test difficulty.

Programmable memory built-in self-test circuit and clock switching circuit thereof


In a method of monitoring for a misfire event in an internal combustion engine signals representative of engine speed are monitored for successive engine revolutions subsequent to each firing event. The monitored signals are stored (e.g., in a buffer) and processed to detect changes in the monitored speed signals. Changes in monitored speed signals that are indicative of an actual misfire event are detected and a misfire count is changed in response thereto.

1. Technical Field
Example embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and apparatus for misfire detection for an internal combustion engine.
2. Related Art
Misfire detection is part of the requirements for any modern internal combustion engine, particularly for use in the automotive sector. The aim of misfire detection is to identify a misfire on any cylinder, including identification of the misfiring cylinder in a multi-cylinder engine.
There are various reasons for wishing to detect misfires, including a desire to identify misfires to avoid potential catalyst damage, and also to detect a potential deterioration in emissions performance of the internal combustion engine. An engine management system can be configured to set a fault status and, for example, to illuminate a malfunction indicator lamp in response to a certain rate of misfires (for example, a misfire per 1000 engine revolutions).
It is desirable to correctly identify all actual misfires as misfires if possible. It is also desirable to avoid identifying other events which do not actually represent misfires (due, for example, to engine operating conditions) as misfires in order to avoid an erroneous indication of a fault condition.
Indeed, different operating phases for an internal combustion engine can lead to noisy situations where the detection of a misfire compared to normal changes in the operating state of the internal combustion engine can be very difficult to detect.
The difficulty of detection arises at least in part due to the momentum of the moving parts within the engine, whereby a single misfire event may result in a very gradual decay in the speed of the engine. Such a gradual change in the speed as a result of a misfire may be barely discernable from a situation where there is a reduction in speed due, for example, to an additional load being placed on the engine.
Accordingly, example embodiment(s) of the present invention seeks to provide for improved misfire detection in an internal combustion engine, for example, in operating states of the internal combustion engine that place particular demands on misfire detection.

Method and apparatus for misfire detection using engine cycles at least subsequent to actual misfire event


A system is provided, which includes a rotatable gantry for receiving an object to be scanned. The system includes an x-ray source for projecting x-rays of two different energy levels towards the object and also a power supply, which energizes the x-ray source to two different voltage levels at a predetermined rate for generating x-rays at two different energy levels. The power supply in the system includes a fixed voltage source to input a voltage to a switching module with number of identical switching stages. Each stage in the switching module consists of a first switch, which charges a capacitor in a conducting state and output a first voltage, a second switch, which connects the fixed voltage source and the capacitor in series to output a second voltage in a conducting state and a diode which blocks a reverse current from the capacitor to the power supply.

The invention relates generally to a fast switching circuit and more specifically to a fast switching circuit between two voltage levels within a dual energy x-ray system.
An x-ray baggage scanner may be used to detect the presence of an explosive device in baggage. The scanner issues an alarm if it detects the explosive device. Every false alarm requires a suspect bag to be searched by a security guard. Consequently, it is important to develop scanners that keep the number of false alarms as low as possible. This ensures low operating costs and maximum baggage throughput. One type of technique used in the x-ray baggage scanner is a technique called material decomposition. Material decomposition allows the effective atomic number of material to be measured when the baggage is scanned by the baggage scanner. An explosive material is generally characterized by a relatively high atomic number and is therefore easy to detect by material decomposition.
Material decomposition involves measuring an x-ray absorption characteristic of a material for two different energy levels of x-rays. Alternating beam type is one type of scanner, which generates two different energy levels of x-rays. However, the two energy levels generated by this scanner are not much different from each other. Thus, accurate analysis of the atomic number of the object being scanned is not possible. Dual detector type is another type of scanner, which generates two different energy levels. However, this scanner also doesn't produce two significantly different energy levels and further needs two detector arrays rather than a single detector array.
Two different energy levels of x-rays can also be generated by applying two different voltage levels to the x-ray source. In this case, a power supply supplies two different voltages changing rapidly between two different high voltage levels to the x-ray source. However, the power supplies currently used for the x-ray source have a slow time response due to a cable capacitance of a cable between the power supply and the x-ray source. Therefore, it would be desirable to design a fast switching circuit that would address the foregoing issues.
These and other advantages and features will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention that is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Fast switching circuit for x-ray imaging applications