1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to systems used for chemical sterilization of medical devices, and more particularly, to systems having multiple chambers used for chemical sterilization of medical devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Medical instruments have traditionally been sterilized using either heat, such as is provided by steam, or a chemical, in the gas or vapor state. Sterilization using hydrogen peroxide vapor has been shown to have some advantages over other chemical sterilization processes.
The combination of hydrogen peroxide with a plasma provides certain additional advantages, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,876, issued Feb. 17, 1987 to Jacobs et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,756,882, issued Jul. 12, 1988 also to Jacobs et al. discloses the use of hydrogen peroxide vapor, generated from an aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide, as a precursor of the reactive species generated by a plasma generator. The combination of hydrogen peroxide vapor diffusing into close proximity with the article to be sterilized and plasma acts to sterilize the articles and remove residual hydrogen peroxide. However, effective sterilization of articles having long narrow lumens are very difficult to achieve, since the methods are dependent upon diffusion of the sterilant vapor into close proximity with the article before sterilization can be achieved. Thus, these methods have been found to require high concentration of sterilant, extended exposure time and/or elevated temperatures when used on long, narrow lumens. For example, lumens longer than 27 cm and/or having an internal diameter of less than 0.3 cm have been particularly difficult to sterilize. The sterilization of articles containing long narrow lumens therefore presents a special challenge.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,951 to Cummings et al. discloses a two-chambered system which provides hydrogen peroxide in vapor form for use in sterilization processes. The sterilant is initially vaporized in one chamber and then applied to the object to be sanitized in another single sterilizing chamber, thereby producing a concentrated hydrogen peroxide vapor which is relatively more effective. The sterilization processes are designed for furnishing concentrated hydrogen peroxide vapor to interior surfaces of articles having a tortuous or a narrow path. However, the sterilization processes are ineffective at rapidly sterilizing lumened devices, since they depend on the diffusion of the hydrogen peroxide vapor into the lumen to effect sterilization.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,255 to Hatanaka et al. discloses a two-chambered sterilization and filling system consisting of a single sterilization chamber adjacent to a germ-free chamber utilized for drying and filling sterilized containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,688 to Schmidt et al. discloses a sterilization system consisting of a liquid hydrogen peroxide vaporization chamber and an enclosure for sterilization. The enclosure additionally may hold containers wherein the hydrogen peroxide sterilant vapor does not contact the interior of the containers. This system is designed for controlling the exposure to the hydrogen peroxide vapor. The system is not designed for sterilizing a lumen device.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,952,370 to Cummings et al. discloses a sterilization process wherein aqueous hydrogen peroxide vapor is first condensed on the article to be sterilized, and then a source of vacuum is applied to the sterilization chamber to evaporate the water and hydrogen peroxide from the article. This method is suitable to sterilize surfaces, however, it is ineffective at rapidly sterilizing lumened devices, since it too depends on the diffusion of the hydrogen peroxide vapor into the lumen to effect sterilization.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,414, entitled “Method for Vapor Sterilization of Articles Having Lumens,” and issued to Jacobs et al., discloses a process in which a vessel containing a small amount of a vaporizable liquid sterilant solution is attached to a lumen, and the sterilant vaporizes and flows directly into the lumen of the article as the pressure is reduced during the sterilization cycle. This system has the advantage that the water and hydrogen peroxide vapor are pulled through the lumen by the pressure differential that exists, increasing the sterilization rate for lumens, but it has the disadvantage that the vessel needs to be attached to each lumen to be sterilized.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,937,046, 5,118,471 and 5,227,132 to Anderson et al. each disclose a sterilization system which uses ethylene oxide gas for sanitation purposes. The gas is initially in a small first enclosure and thereafter slowly permeates into a second enclosure where the objects to be sterilized are located. A medium is then introduced into the second enclosure to flush out the sterilizing gas into a third enclosure containing the second enclosure. An exhaust system then exhausts the sterilant gas and air from the third enclosure. These systems also have the disadvantage of relying on the diffusion of the sterilant vapor to effect sterilization and hence are not suitable for rapidly sterilizing lumened devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,344 to Schmoegner discloses a chemical sterilizer system for sterilizing items by vaporizing a liquid chemical sterilant in a sterilizing chamber. Pre-evacuation of the sterilizer chamber enhances the sterilizing activity. Sterilant is injected into the sterilizer chamber from a second prefilled shot chamber. This system also relies upon diffusion of sterilant vapor to effect sterilization and is also not suitable for rapidly sterilizing lumened devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,275 to Faddis discloses a sterilization system for disinfecting instruments. The sterilization system contains a primary sterilization chamber and a secondary safety chamber. The secondary safety chamber provides for sensing and venting to a destruction chamber any sterilization agent that is released from the primary sterilization chamber. This system, as in other systems, also relies upon diffusion of sterilant vapor to effect sterilization and is also not suitable for rapidly sterilizing lumened devices.
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,492,672 and 5,556,607 to Childers et al, there is disclosed a process and apparatus respectively for sterilizing narrow lumens. This process and apparatus uses a multicomponent sterilant vapor and requires successive alternating periods of flow of sterilant vapor and discontinuance of such flow. A complex apparatus is used to accomplish the method. Additionally, the process and apparatus of '672 and '607 require maintaining the pressure in the sterilization chamber at a predetermined subatmospheric pressure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,527,508 to Childers et al., a method of enhancing the penetration of low vapor pressure chemical vapor sterilants into the apertures and openings of complex objects is disclosed. The method repeatedly introduces air or an inert gas into the closed sterilization chamber in an amount effective to raise the pressure to a subatmospheric pressure to drive the diffused sterilant vapor further into the article to achieve sterilization. The '508, '672 and '607 Childers inventions are similar in that all three require repeated pulsations of sterilant vapor flow and maintenance of the sterilization chamber pressure at a predetermined subatmospheric pressure.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,221 to Hillebrenner et al., a device and method for sterilizing and storing an endoscope or other lumened medical device is disclosed. The device includes a sealable cassette in which the endoscope or other medical device is placed. The cassette has an input port for receiving a sterilizing agent through a connector, an output port for expelling the sterilizing agent when a vacuum is applied thereto through a connector, and check valves in the input and output ports to open the ports when the connectors are coupled to the ports and to seal the ports when the connectors are removed from the ports such that after the endoscope has been sterilized, it remains sterilized within the cassette until the cassette is opened. The method of the '221 invention involves placing the medical device inside the cassette and coupling the device to either the input or output port of the cassette. The cassette is then placed in an outer oven-like container or warming chamber where the temperature is properly maintained. Connections are made to open the input and output ports on the cassette such that the sterilizing agent may be introduced through a first port to bathe the outside of the medical instrument or other object, such as an endoscope while one end of the hollow object, such as the endoscope, is coupled to the output port where a vacuum is supplied external to the cassette to pull the sterilization agent into the cassette and through the interior passageways of the endoscope. When the sterilization process is completed, the warming chamber is opened and the sterilizing cassette is simply removed from the chamber with the input and output ports being uncoupled from their respective sources. A tight seal is maintained and the object remains in the sterilized interior of the cassette until the cassette is opened or the device is to be used. Thus, the '221 invention is concerned with providing a means whereby a sterilized medical device can be retained within a cassette in which it was sterilized until ready for use, thus avoiding any contamination by exposure to the atmosphere or handling before use. Additionally, in some cases of the '221 invention, wherein the lumen of the device to be sterilized is connected to the output port, particularly wherein the devices have long, narrow lumens, the time to expel the sterilizing agent through the lumen and out of the cassette may be undesirably long. Also, in cases wherein the lumen device is very flexible, lumen collapse may occur, either slowing or preventing vapor exit or causing lumen damage.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,445,792 and 5,508,009 to Rickloff et al. each disclose a sterilization system essentially equivalent to the system disclosed in Hillebrenner '221.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,801 to Langford teaches a transportable cleaning/sterilizing apparatus and a method for inside-outside sterilization of medical/dental instruments. The apparatus avoids the use of heat, pressure, severe agitation, or corrosive chemicals which might damage delicate equipment. This invention uses ozone gas or solution as sterilant. It does not involve the use of sterilant vapor or vaporizing a sterilant solution into vapor, and is not suitable for operations under vacuum because flexible bags or containers are used.
In consideration of the foregoing, no simple, safe, effective method of sterilizing smaller lumens exists in the prior art. Thus, there remains a need for a simple and effective method of vapor sterilization of articles with both long, narrow lumens as well as shorter, wider lumens. Furthermore, there also remains a need for a simple and effective sterilization system with independently operable chambers.


Computer based document handling systems are generally divided into four broad categories: text editors and word processing systems; formatters; syntax directed editors; and specialized tools. Most systems have features from more than one of these four broad categories in addition to any image processing necessary for editing images. An image processor reads an image of a document using an image input unit, stores it in a memory in the form of image data, and subjects the stored image data to editing operations such as addition and deletion. As one of the editing operations, part of the read document is electronically cut and pasted to a predetermined place in another document. In such an electronic cutting and pasting operation, the document image to be cut and the destination document image are displayed either on a single display unit or on separate display units, and a cutting image portion in the document to be cut and a pasting place in the pasting (destination) document are similarly specified by a mouse, for example. In the related art image processor, the cutting image portion and the pasting place are specified by the operator by selecting appropriate positions while looking at the screen. For this reason, it is not possible to cut or paste figures precisely. Particularly, shifts in position are noticeable when the same patterns must be juxtaposed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,181 to Tsutsumi entitled “Image processor” and U.S. Pat. No. 5,202,670 to Oha entitled “Image Processing Apparatus” both discuss image processing generally.
For documents in which presentational considerations are important, the documents must be submitted to a formatter for preparation prior to presentation. Formatters are non-interactive tools that process a document to produce either a display independent or a device dependent layout specification. Documents are submitted to formatters in the form of descriptions on file and they carry out the processing and return the overall results after a certain period of time. High-level formatters work on the basis of a logical description of the document. The user is not required to specify the presentation details desired. The user deals with the logical organization of the document, i.e., the different types of elements that appear in the document, such as, for example, section, paragraph, heading, summary, etc. The formatter handles the layout presentation of these elements. Low-level formatters make it possible to include commands within the document description to enable changes in other characteristics of the document, such as, for example, font, spacing, margins and justification. U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,512 to Mantha et al. entitled “Method and apparatus for specifying layout processing of structured documents” is directed to high-level formatters. Mantha discloses a method and apparatus for specifying layout processing of logically structured documents in computer document handling systems. The Mantha method and apparatus allow the specification of the generic logical structure of the structured document in terms of relational attribute grammars.
Most interactive systems allow the user to see the layout of a document as it is being prepared. These interactive systems also separate the logical structure of the documents from the specification of the presentation details. Typically, interactive systems as well as high-level formatters, use a grammatical notation to describe the logical structure of documents. These logical structures are mostly hierarchical in nature and tree structures are used to represent them.
The need for document processing devices which can generate a layout structure of a document by applying a template (i.e., rules for layout) to a logical structure of the document are apparent with the wide use of microprocessors to process and properly render electronically created or digitally scanned documents, or images as more specifically referred to at times. In general, both of the logical development and the layout of an actual output document are important factors of the document. However, the layout is not necessarily important in the process of producing a document. For example, although the layout is necessary once the contents of a document are determined, in some cases the layout is not considered in the initial stage of document production where the logical development is not clear yet. Furthermore, different layouts may be required for one logical development in some cases; for instance, when the same document needs to be distributed to a plurality of persons or sections. Recognizing the above distinction, there have been proposed techniques of generating a layout representing such structures called “layout structure” from a structure called “logical structure” which represents the chapter construction of a document. The process of generating a layout structure from a logical structure is called a layout process, and is performed by a program (layout processing program) that is incorporated in document processing systems.
In order to generate various forms of layout structures from the same logical structure, the operation of a layout processing program needs to be modified. However, in general, a program itself cannot be modified properly by ordinary users because the modification needs expert knowledge. For this reason, there has been employed a technique of altering a program by using parameters such as “page size is A4” and “double column setting” for textual documents. However, according to this technique, the kinds of specifiable parameters are limited to ones that are preset in the program. Furthermore, to control the operation of a layout processing program having many functions it is necessary to specify a large number of parameters which precludes ordinary users from using such a program. To solve the above problems, there have been proposed techniques of controlling a layout processing program by using, rather than simple parameters, a data structure representing a layout template. One of those techniques is a “generic layout structure” prescribed in the international standards “ODA” (ISO8613, Information Processing-Text and Office Systems-Office Document Architecture (ODA) and Interchange Format (1989)). The ODA only sets forth data structures for representing document structures and guidelines for their use, and does not describe actual layout processes. However, it is apparent that the following functions are needed to perform layout operations according to the ODA. The layout process having the following functions is hereinafter referred to as “ODA layout process.”
(1) Layout processing function based on a layout template (generic layout structure)
(2) Layout process selecting function (top-down or bottom-up)
(3) Reuse of a layout result
(4) Category-based layout processing function
The functions (mechanisms) (1)-(4) are not necessarily effected individually, but could be combined when desired. Combining the functions can improve the efficiency of the layout process.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,523 issued to Hayashi entitled “Document processing device using partial layout templates” discloses partial layout templates that are prepared for respective partial logical structures of a hierarchical logical structure of a document. Each partial layout template expresses rules for producing a layout of the corresponding partial logical structure. A partial layout generator produces a partial layout structure by recursively calling itself or by calling a content layout system while referring to the partial layout template, and pours the generated partial layout structure into a lowest-rank frame. A layout of the entire logical structure is produced by sequentially performing the partial layout operations. Hayashi also only relates to a document processing device which can generate a layout structure of a single document by applying a template (i.e., rules for layout) to a logical structure of the single document.
With the growing interest in digital photography and the necessity to lay out and view several digital images as a document, a need still exists for a document/image structuring process which would allow a microprocessor to organize the layout of several images on a sheet-like medium. Needed is a technology that enables a user to gang scan (several images on the scanner platen at once) many images and automatically locate each image, crop them, and correct any rotation errors associated with each image. Resulting images can then be stored individually or as a structured image with a user-defined or simple row-column layout which can be created. A detailed description of Structured Images is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 5,485,568 issued to Venable et al. on Jan. 16, 1996, entitled “Structured Image (SI) format for describing complex color raster images.”
There is a need for technology that will automatically generate the digital equivalent of a photographers contact print sheet in which the segmented images will be scaled and distributed on a resulting page such that each image is scaled as large as possible wherein there is a minimum of white space remaining on the rendered page.
As a first constraint to adequately addressing such a need, all images must be scaled by the same amount, i.e., the relative size of each segmented image stays the same. A second constraint should be in forming the equivalent of a bounding box with minimum white space (space uncovered by an rectangle). Once a solution to the above constraints are found, many images may be scaled by the appropriate amount to make a bounding box the same size as the printable area of paper. It is a feature of the present invention to effectively address the constraints in order to accomplish the desired results described above.
Other advantages and salient features of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description which, taken in conjunction with the drawings, disclose the preferred embodiments of the invention.


In a batch type hot rolling line in which a steel piece is individually heated and rolled by a roughing mill and a finishing mill to make a steel sheet of a desired thickness, a line stop tends to occur because the rolled material does not successfully bite into a gap defined by the upper and lower rolls and faulty shapes of the leading and the trailing ends of the rolled material will considerably lower the product yield.
Therefore, an improved rolling method (endless rolling method) has been adopted in recent years in which the trailing end of a steel piece to be rolled is joined to the leading end of the succeeding steel piece to be rolled before the finish rolling and the resulting steel piece is continuously supplied to a hot rolling line.
In this respect, reference may be had to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-122,109 which describes a method wherein the trailing end of a preceding steel piece is butt-joined to the leading end of a succeeding steel piece over the entire area of the end plane thereof, before they are rolled. Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 4-89,120 describes a method in which the trailing end of a preceding steel piece is arranged against the leading end of a succeeding steel piece with a gap on the entry side of a hot finishing mill equipment and in this area an alternate magnetic field is applied to the steel pieces in their thickness direction to heat them and raise the temperatures thereof by induction heating and then both steel pieces are joined by pressing.
In such continuous hot rolling of steel pieces, a cutting step is added as a preparatory step for the joining process, in which defective portions at the leading and the trailing ends of the steel piece are cut by a crop shear, drum shear or the like. In the cutting step, however, there may be instances wherein the leading end and/or the trailing end of the steel piece tend to warp upward or downward. As a result, the steel pieces may be joined with an upward or downward displacement (hereinafter referred to as "displacement"), as they are pressed against each other.
In this respect, the reason why the end of the steel piece warps in the cutting step is that a moment is produced in the cut plane when the end of the steel piece is cut by a crop shear. Usually, the preceding steel piece and the succeeding steel piece are cut by the same cutting blade so that they warp in opposite directions. If the steel pieces are heated to raise their temperatures and pressed in such a condition, they tend to further warp upward and downward to substantially decrease the effective joint area. This tends to cause the demerit that the steel pieces are broken in the following finish rolling process at the joined portion. In particular, when a transverse-type induction heating is used as heating means and an alternate magnetic field is applied to the steel pieces in their thickness direction for heating them by induction heating, due to the requirement for the installation space of the heating coil, a clamp for sandwiching the steel pieces must be used at a location which is remote from the ends of the steel pieces. As a result, it has been considered that the influence of the warp in the pressing process of the steel pieces would be more significant by using a clamp having a pair of upper and lower jaw elements which extend toward the ends of the steel pieces.
Furthermore, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-185,111 describes a cutting device having a structure wherein two pairs of upper and lower drums are arranged along the transfer direction of the rolled material and respectively rotated in opposite directions from each other, and cutting blades are mounted on each pair of drums and oriented in opposite directions. Also, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56-27,719 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 56-119,311 each describes a cutting technique in which the shear members of a drum type shear are driven at different circumferential speeds to cut the crop end of the steel piece. Moreover, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-251,203 describes a cutting technique in which a flying shear for cutting the end of the steel piece in a parallel surface relation is applied when a plurality of elongate steel pieces for hot rolling are joined by laser welding and are continuously hot rolled. However, even when such device and/or techniques are applied to the cutting of the steel pieces, it is still impossible to reduce the warping of the steel piece which causes the displacement at the joined portion.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for reducing the displacement at the joined portion of the steel pieces even when a traverse-type high-frequency induction heating is used as heating method, thereby allowing a stable continuous hot rolling to be carried out without defective joining or breakage at the joined portion.


There are methods for manufacturing glass plates by employing down-draw process, as disclosed in Patent Literature 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication JP-A-2004-115357). In down-draw process, molten glass is first poured into a forming member, and then the molten glass is made to overflow from the top sections of the forming member. The molten glass that has overflowed then flows downward along the opposite side surfaces of the forming member, and the streams of molten glass merge at the lower end of the forming member, thus being made into a sheet-form glass (sheet glass). The sheet glass is then drawn downward by rollers and cut into predetermined lengths.


A mass spectrometer is an instrument used to measure the mass, or more specifically the mass to charge ratio, of ionized atoms or electrically charged particles. Mass spectrometers help determine the composition of an unknown sample by isolating ionized atoms based on their mass-to-charge ratio, measured in Atomic Mass Units per charge (AMU/q). Mass spectrometers find widespread application in the basic sciences, medicine, and space-based research. Two common space-related applications of mass spectrometry are the study of the composition of planetary atmospheres and the monitoring of air quality on manned space missions. Although mass spectrometry has been used in space-related applications for many years, usage in space presents unique design challenges, both in terms of detection sensitivity and logistical considerations such as weight and power requirements.
In early mass spectrometers, atoms or molecules were ionized by a hot filament and accelerated through the instrument under the influence of voltage gradients. The ions followed a semi-circular trajectory through the instrument, which utilized a strong magnetic field to selectively direct ions of a specific mass towards a detector. By controlling the strength of the magnetic field and the accelerating voltage, ions of different mass/charge ratios could be selectively guided towards the detector. These early mass spectrometers suffered from numerous deficiencies and drawbacks, most significantly the difficulty in achieving and maintaining a stable magnetic field.
Quadrupole mass spectrometers (QMS) eliminated the need for magnetic fields. Similar to its predecessor, a QMS employs a hot filament to ionize the atoms or molecules. Ionization results from the conversion of normally neutral atoms or molecules to electrically charged particles. The ions are accelerated through a mass filter having four parallel metal rods, referred to as the quadrupole. DC and RF (frequency Ω) voltages are applied to opposing pairs of these rods with opposite polarities to create an electric field inside the rod assembly. For a given DC and RF voltage, only ions of a certain mass-to-charge ratio will pass through the quadrupole filter, while all other ions are thrown out of their original path. The stability region is defined by ion trajectories that are periodic and bounded. A detector placed at the end of the rod assembly opposite the ionizer measures those ions that pass through the quadrupole filter. A mass spectrum is obtained at the detector by measuring the ions passing through the quadrupole filter as the voltages on the quadrupole rods are varied. The mass resolution of the QMS is the maximum atomic mass that can be distinguished. The maximum attainable resolution is determined by both the fidelity of the electronics and the overall tolerances of the instrument design. Generally, the voltages employed in QMS systems are of the order of a few thousand volts to obtain a mass resolution of a few hundred Daltons.
The quadrupole rods can be a circular or hyperbolic. Circular rods are easier to manufacture and consequently cheaper. However, the quadrupole electric field produced with circular rods is slightly distorted, which can reduce the maximum attainable mass resolution of the instrument. Consequently, in applications requiring high mass resolution, the more difficult and expensive to manufacture hyperbolic rods are employed as quadrupole rods.
To improve resolution, the electric field generated by the quadrupole rods can be perturbed by introducing an excitation RF signal at an auxiliary frequency (ω) different from the fundamental frequency (Ω). This perturbation causes the original stability region to break into smaller regions termed islands, including an ‘upper stability island.’ The result of this auxiliary frequency is the creation of bands of instability in the previously stable regions of the electric field. Charged particles having a mass within a certain range that previously passed through a stable region of the electric field may now be thrown off trajectory as they coincide with these islands of instability. In this way, the use of an auxiliary frequency to drive the quadrupole rods allows a QMS to operate with improved resolution. A QMS driven under an auxiliary frequency excitation is able to better differentiate between charged particles having close, yet different masses, or mass-to-charge ratios. The size and shape of the upper stability island is determined by the auxiliary frequency used and the amplitude of the excitation RF signal. To create an island of appropriate size, for example, the auxiliary frequency (ω) inserted into the QMS system needs to be near an integer multiple of the fundamental RF frequency (i.e., ω=0-0.1Ω, 0.9-1.1Ω, 1.9-2.1Ω, etc.). Employing an excitation RF signal in one of these auxiliary frequency ranges in conjunction with the DC voltage U and the RF voltage V allows for improved resolution and discrimination between ions with small differences in their mass-to-charge ratio. In general, the auxiliary signal amplitude required for appropriate island formation increases with auxiliary signal frequency.
Unfortunately, this use of auxiliary frequency excitation presents problems in constrained applications, such as space-based applications, where it is advantageous for the QMS to have increased sensitivity and enhanced resolution to better detect and differentiate between complex molecules with higher masses. Having to excite the quadrupoles with an excitation RF signal at an auxiliary frequency in order to create islands of stability/instability requires higher power and increased complexity of the voltage control system. Additionally, the excitation RF signal must be driven at an amplitude that corresponds to a few hundred volts (˜10% of the fundamental RF signal amplitude), to create islands of the appropriate size. However, in space-based applications, power and size is at a premium.
Other factors that affect the resolution and accuracy of the measurement made by the QMS are imperfections in the rods and limitations of the electronics. Furthermore, electronic component values drift with temperature and time, which can have the material effect of shifting the operating point of the quadrupole sufficiently to degrade the detected mass spectrum.
Thus there exists a need to enable a QMS to resolve species of heavy, complex molecules in a power efficient manner, but also to improve the tolerance of the instrument to variations in electronic component values.


Insect pests are a major factor in the loss of the world's agricultural crops. For example, armyworm feeding, black cutworm damage, or European corn borer damage can be economically devastating to agricultural producers. Insect pest-related crop loss from European corn borer attacks on field and sweet corn alone has reached about one billion dollars a year in damage and control expenses.
Traditionally, the primary method for impacting insect pest populations is the application of broad-spectrum chemical insecticides. However, consumers and government regulators alike are becoming increasingly concerned with the environmental hazards associated with the production and use of synthetic chemical pesticides. Because of such concerns, regulators have banned or limited the use of some of the more hazardous pesticides. Thus, there is substantial interest in developing alternative pesticides.
Biological control of insect pests of agricultural significance using a microbial agent, such as fungi, bacteria, or another species of insect affords an environmentally friendly and commercially attractive alternative to synthetic chemical pesticides. Generally speaking, the use of biopesticides presents a lower risk of pollution and environmental hazards, and biopesticides provide greater target specificity than is characteristic of traditional broad-spectrum chemical insecticides. In addition, biopesticides often cost less to produce and thus improve economic yield for a wide variety of crops.
Certain species of microorganisms of the genus Bacillus are known to possess pesticidal activity against a broad range of insect pests including Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, and others. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) and Bacillus papilliae are among the most successful biocontrol agents discovered to date. Insect pathogenicity has also been attributed to strains of B. larvae, B. lentimorbus, B. sphaericus (Harwook, ed., ((1989) Bacillus (Plenum Press), 306) and B. cereus (WO 96/10083). Pesticidal activity appears to be concentrated in parasporal crystalline protein inclusions, although pesticidal proteins have also been isolated from the vegetative growth stage of Bacillus. Several genes encoding these pesticidal proteins have been isolated and characterized (see, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,366,892 and 5,840,868).
Microbial insecticides, particularly those obtained from Bacillus strains, have played an important role in agriculture as alternatives to chemical pest control. Recently, agricultural scientists have developed crop plants with enhanced insect resistance by genetically engineering crop plants to produce pesticidal proteins from Bacillus. For example, corn and cotton plants have been genetically engineered to produce pesticidal proteins isolated from strains of Bt (see, e.g., Aronson (2002) Cell Mol. Life Sci. 59(3):417-425; Schnepf et al. (1998) Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 62(3):775-806). These genetically engineered crops are now widely used in American agriculture and have provided the farmer with an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional insect-control methods. In addition, potatoes genetically engineered to contain pesticidal Cry toxins have been sold to the American farmer. While they have proven to be very successful commercially, these genetically engineered, insect-resistant crop plants provide resistance to only a narrow range of the economically important insect pests.
Accordingly, there remains a need for new Bt toxins with a broader range of insecticidal activity against insect pests, e.g., toxins which are active against a greater variety of insects from the order Lepidoptera. In addition, there remains a need for biopesticides having activity against a variety of insect pests and for biopesticides which have improved insecticidal activity.


Document management systems allow users to create centralized repositories, or libraries, containing all of the data they generate, such as information stored in documents, spreadsheets, text files, electronic mail, multimedia, etc. Powerful search and retrieval tools make this information easily available for use and collaboration across the entire enterprise. In certain instances, a user may require that a certain document or other electronic file not be widely disseminated or that the document have restricted access.
The widespread dissemination of electronic documents across the world wide web and other wide area networks or metropolitan area networks has complicated not only the management and integration of access control systems but also the types of access that are to be granted to particular users. For example, users from different organizations that are collaborating on a particular project may desire access to each other's electronic documents, but the access control lists and associated processes and access privileges may be incompatible and prove difficult to harmonize.


1. Field of the Invention
One disclosed aspect of the embodiments relates to an image pickup apparatus and an image pickup system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, owing to further improvement in the performance of image pickup apparatuses, there has been studied a configuration including a charge holding unit within a pixel separately from a photoelectric conversion unit and a floating diffusion (hereinafter, FD). As for usage of the holding unit, the holding unit is provided to realize a global electronic shutter as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-216969.


Laboratory processes involving nucleic acid sequences are nowadays very common and often performed as a matter of routine. Such processes include inter alia hybridizing and enzymatic reactions.
A common type of such processes is amplification reactions, such as the polymerase chain reaction, or abbreviated PCR. As is well-known, the PCR technique provides for the highly specific amplification of unique DNA segments defined by two surrounding primer sequences. PCR thereby offers a convenient way of obtaining sufficient quantities of DNA for inter alia nucleotide sequencing purposes. One major application of PCR is for diagnostic purposes. For a description of PCR it may, for example, be referred to White, T. et al., Trends in Genetics, 5, 179 (1989).
Extensively used solid supports in the context of molecular-genetic reactions have so far been paramagnetic beads due to the large total area provided thereby and their simplified handling and processing. Thus, for example, such magnetic beads having streptavidin immobilized thereto are commercially available.
However, the simultaneous processing of large sets of samples through sequential reaction steps using e.g. magnetic beads as a solid phase is technically demanding and involves a substantial risk of contamination between reactions. This is, of course, particularly undesired in amplification contexts, such as PCR, where the multiplication of contaminating sequences may result.
DD-A-279 506 discloses the use of a multipronged device for DNA-sequencing on a solid phase by chemical degradation (Maxam-Gilbert method). The device has a set of rods, each with immobilization primers attached, which rods are designed to fit into a set of reaction vessels. The labelled DNA fragments to be sequenced are immobilized to the rods by dipping them into respective vessels containing the DNA fragments. The further processing of the immobilized DNA fragments is conducted by dipping the rods into vessels containing corresponding reagents and solution, and the contents of the respective vessels containing DNA fragments degraded by the respective base specific reagents are lyophilized and then subjected to gel electrophoresis.
It is readily seen that the use of a multipronged device as suggested by Rosentahl et al., supra, obviates several of the problems related to the use of separate solid phase elements, like paramagnetic beads or microtiter wells, for example. A problem of this "patrix-matrix" type approach, however, which is likely to have limited its application, has been to provide for sufficient binding capacities on the individual prongs.
It may be mentioned in this context that a similar "patrix-matrix" strategy, permitting sets of solid supports (patrices) to be coordinately moved between corresponding sets of reaction wells (matrices), has previously been applied in peptide synthesis. Also, a type of multipronged solid support permitting the simultaneous processing of multiple samples is commercially available for immunoassay applications.
Thus, while a nucleic acid sample procedure using a multipronged device as described above may simplify the procedure significantly and reduce the risk of mix-up and contamination to a substantial degree, there still remains, however, the relatively cumbersome step of releasing the reaction products from the solid support and transferring them to the analyzer apparatus in question.


This application claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-41679 filed Feb. 18, 2000, and Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-85972 filed Mar. 27, 2000.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope apparatus, and more particularly to an apparatus capable of changing field curvature characteristics when an object to be observed is optically enlarged among others.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In recent years, in an electronic endoscope apparatus or the like, a movable lens for variable-power has been disposed at an objective lens system at the tip end portion of a scope to optically enlarge an image of the object to be observed. This optically enlarged image is picked up by an imaging device such as CCD (Charge Coupled Device), and a video signal (image signal) outputted from this CCD is subjected to various image processing by a processor apparatus to thereby display an enlarged image for the object to be observed on a monitor.
FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B) show an example of an enlarged display image formed by the electronic endoscope apparatus, and FIG. 16(A) shows a display on the monitor, and FIG. 16(B) shows an actual cross section showing the displayed object to be observed. This FIG. 16(A) enlarges and displays a cave-in K1 of a diseased part within a circular mask M of a monitor 1, and a variable-power mechanism in the endoscope is adapted to allow a watched part to be observed by image enlargement by 70 to 100 times.
Object of the Invention
In an objective lens system of the endoscope, however, when a particularly uneven part is enlarged, astigmatism, curvature of field or the like may throw a peripheral part or a central part out-of-focus. For example, a case of FIGS. 16(A) and 16(B) will be explained. When the central part of an enlarged cave-in K1 is in focus, the periphery part goes out of focus, and when the peripheral part of the cave-in K1 is in focus, the central part goes out of focus, and the entire image may not uniformly in focus. In such a state, there is the inconvenience that particularly in a freeze-frame picture to be photographed for recording, any completely satisfactory image cannot be obtained.
Also, in the above-described enlarged image for the uneven part, it is comparatively difficult to accurately grasp what degree the depth of the recessed part, the height of the protruded part, or the like is, and if height (difference) information on this unevenness could be provided, it would be exceedingly useful to diagnose, and to deal with the watched part among others.
The present invention has been achieved in the light of the above described problems, and is aimed to provide an endoscope apparatus capable of obtaining an image by attaining excellent entire focus especially during enlargement correspondingly to a shape of unevenness or the like of the object to be observed through the use of field curvature characteristics of the lens, and of obtaining information on differences in height of the uneven shape.
In order to attain the above described object, there is, according to the present invention, provided an endoscope apparatus including: an objective lens group disposed at a tip end portion of the endoscope, capable of changing the field curvature characteristics (image surface curvature characteristics including astigmatism) by moving a movable lens; image surface curving means for operating so as to change the field curvature characteristics of this objective lens group; and driving means for driving the movable lens on the basis of the operation of the image surface curving means.
According to the present invention, there are provided two movable lenses (or lens groups) in, for example, an objective lens group, whereby the structure is arranged so as to enable both a variable-power operation and an field curvature (characteristic change) operation. Thus, when an image surface curving switch disposed in an operating unit or the like is operated, the movable lens can be driven by an actuator or the like to thereby change the field curvature characteristics. This field curvature can be caused to occur in an under direction or in an over direction with respect to a reference plane, and it becomes possible to attain focus in accordance with a shape of the recessed part by an operation in the Under direction, or in accordance with a shape of the protruded part by an operation in the Over direction.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an endoscope apparatus, including: an objective lens group, disposed at the tip end portion of the endoscope, capable of changing the field curvature characteristics by moving a movable lens; driving means for driving a movable lens for field curvature of this objective lens group; judging means for dividing an imaging area for the objective lens group into a plurality and judging whether or not the central part and the peripheral part are in focus within a predetermined range by comparing information from these divided areas; and a control circuit for executing various control on the basis of output from this judging means.
According to the another aspect of the present invention, it is compared, by comparing means, whether or not the central part and the peripheral part are in focus and this focusing or defocusing, that is, the focused state is supplied to the control circuit. This control circuit outputs, for example, a static image when the whole is in a focused state. That is, when a freeze switch is depressed, no static image is outputted if the central part and the peripheral part are not in focus, but the freeze-frame picture can be displayed on the monitor and recorded only when in focus. Also, this information on the focused state may be displayed on the monitor or the like, and be notified by another means.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an endoscope apparatus, including: an objective lens group, disposed at the tip end portion of the endoscope, capable of changing the field curvature characteristics by moving a movable lens; driving means for driving a movable lens for field curvature of this objective lens group; operating means for operating height (difference) information of the image central part to the peripheral part from an amount of field curvature changed by the objective lens group; and output means for outputting information on differences in height obtained by this operating means.
In the further aspect of the present invention, there can be provided display control means for displaying the information on differences in height obtained by the operating means on the monitor, and contour information can be displayed as the information on differences in height.
According to the another aspect of the present invention, focus is attained in accordance with the shape of the recessed part by an operation of the field curvature characteristics in the Under direction, or in accordance with the shape of the protruded part by the operation in the Over direction. An amount of field curvature when the protruded part or the recessed part is in focus can be grasped from a state of movement of the movable lens, and information on differences in height of the central part and the peripheral part of the protruded part or the recessed part can be operated from this amount of field curvature. This information on differences in height is caused to display on the monitor in, for example, the sectional shape and height difference value, or contour and height difference value by output means or the display control means and can be outputted to equipment such as a printer.
Even in this case, there is provided judging means for dividing an imaging area for the objective lens group into a plurality and judging whether or not the central part and the peripheral part are in focus within a predetermined range by comparing information from these divided areas, and when the central part and the peripheral part are in focus within a predetermined range on the basis of judgment by this judging means, the information on differences in height is preferably displayed, whereby it is possible to maintain accurate information on differences in height.


Glaucoma, which some estimate affects 2 million adults over 40, is an impairment of vision caused by too much fluid pressure within the eye.
Surgical treatment for glaucoma does not represent a long term cure. While it is effective, it is also expensive and traumatic, and some surgeons will use surgery only as a last resort.
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors, prescribed orally work well to treat this disease, but they carry a host of side effects, from nausea to kidney stones. The preferred method of treatment for the disease is instillation by drops to the eye; however, carbonic anhdrase inhibitors have not proven effective when given this way.
Glaucoma stems from an excess of fluid behind the cornea, the three-layered tissue that acts as a window to let light enter. Fluid carrying nutrients such as potassium and glucose constantly wash the inside of the cornea to keep it healthy, much as tears wash the outside of the cornea.
In some middle-aged adults, fluids build up faster than can be absorbed back into the blood, for one of two reasons: the ciliary body (a tiny tissue behind the iris) may excrete too much fluid, or the fluid may not drain off at the normal rate.
Either way, the excess fluid damages the optic nerve. At first, a glaucoma victim usually experiences a subtle loss of peripheral vision--objects will seem to disappear from certain spots to the side. But glaucoma often leads to middle-age blindness.
Unfortunately, the two approaches to general drug usage in treating glaucoma--topical (dropped into the eye) and oral--each have a peculiar set of side effects.
To make the long journey, oral drugs must be dosed in very high concentration. One class of drugs, called carbonic anhydrase inhibitors when taken orally slow the formation of fluid by inhibiting a chemical reaction at the ciliary body. Along with their well-tested effectiveness, comes nausea, tingling in fingers and toes and other side effects. Oral drugs generally do not, however, cause side effects in the eye.
Certain topical drugs, other than carbonic anhaydrase inhibitors, e.g., pilocarpine, while causing less systemic effects, can cause severe headaches and constrict the pupil, making the daytime appear dark.
Accordingly, there is a real and continuing need to develop an inhibitor drug that can be dropped into the eye instead of shallowed, thereby avoiding the present side effects.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to develop a highly effective topical carbonic anhydrase inhibitor drug (which previously is only effective orally) for treatment of glaucoma to reduce intraocular eye pressure, and at the same time, avoid the systemic side effects, commonly caused by oral drugs.
Another objective of the present invention is to develop a drug for topical treatment of glaucoma, which is not only effective, but which will also pass through the three layered cornea and still be effective enough to work on the ciliary body.
Another objective of the present invention is to develop a highly effective, topical drug treatment for glaucoma which is substantially non-harmful to the eye when topically applied.
An even further objective of the present invention is to develop an eye treating topical composition which is effective for glaucoma treatment.
A still further objective is to provide a convenient method of synthesis of certain new and novel compounds which are highly effective topical treatments for glaucoma.
A further specific objective of the present invention is to provide as a novel compound, N-methyl-2-acetylamino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-5-sulfonamide (methyl acetazolamide), which in pharmaceutically effective amounts is a highly effective topical composition for eye drop treatment of glaucoma.
The method and manner of achieving each of the above objectives, as well as others, will become apparent from the detailed description of the invention which follows hereinafter.


The prior art contains many teachings pertaining to toggle type closure fasteners. Some examples of prior United States patents of general interest in relation to this invention are the follwing, made of record herein under 37 C.F.R. 1.56:
U.S. Pat. No. 497,445 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 567,621 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 783,338 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,339,174 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,863,863 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 1,899,822 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,109,675 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,145,038 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,162,419 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,174,784 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,534,992 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,467 PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,301
A prime object of the invention is to improve on the known prior art through provision of a closure fastener which is non-handed in comparison to conventional casement and awning type window locks. The mechanism embodied in the invention includes a shallow lock case and filler element which can be flush mounted on one side of a casement window frame and the like so that no parts of the mechanism project into the window sight line when the lock is closed and no parts project into the room to cause interference with window hangings in any position of the mechanism. The entire mechanism is simple, extremely strong and durable and very compact.
Another important object of the invention is to provide an action which is very powerful for drawing a sash or other closure inwardly or forcing it outwardly to release a stuck sash. This action involves an over-dead-center mechanism which inhibits forced entry because of a tendency of the mechanism to tighten the locking action rather than release it in response to opening pressure on the closure or sash.
Another object and feature of the invention is the provision in the fastener or lock of an essentially straight line draw-in motion which is not critical in relation to alignment with the keeper or strike mounted on the sash.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear to those skilled in the art during the course of the following detailed description.


There are many situations in which it is desirable to transmit, via documents, highly confidential information, such as a PIN through the mail. When such information is printed, it is of course necessary that the information not be visible except when exposed by the user, and there must be some mechanism for identifying to the user if the information has been tampered with so that the PIN can be cancelled and a new PIN issued.
According to the present invention, a tamperproof label assembly for camouflaging or clearly evidently displaying confidential indicia is provided, as well as a method of producing label assemblies obscuring confidential information that is part of each label assembly, while allowing ready exposure of the confidential information in a tamperproof manner. The invention achieves its objectives by using conventional pseudo adhesion layers as part of the label so that once the label components have been separated, to expose the PIN, it is virtually impossible to lay the elements back together in the manner that they were originally provided. The desirable objectives are also facilitated, however, by forming slits and/or perforations in the face layer of the label assembly which cause the label assembly to come apart when the PIN is exposed, making it even more difficult to properly lay the various elements back together again without exposing the tampering, and this is even more particularly facilitated when readable indicia is printed on the top surface of the face ply and at least one slit or perforation extends through the readable indicia.
The invention also ensures confidentiality by providing security pantographs on the label face plies so that the underlying PIN cannot be read, the security pantographs typically provided by first printing in black or blue ink, and then printing with the other of those colors. Also, the slits form a triangularly shaped element in the face ply of a distinctly different color (e.g. red) from the security pantographs which allows ready access to the components for separating various plies and layers at the pseudo adhesion layers.
To facilitate easy production of the label assemblies according to the invention, each label assembly typically includes an image ply on which the PIN is generated. The image is formed on the impact ply by applying an uninked impact printing element (stylus) to the top surface of the face ply, while the security pantographs are applied to the face ply by non-impact printing (e.g. printing plates), so as not to form images on the underlying impact ply.
According to one aspect of the present invention a method of producing label assemblies is provided comprising the following steps: (a) Producing a web of label components having a face ply with a top surface, underlying pseudo adhesion layers, an underlying image ply, an underlying adhesive layer, and a bottom release paper carrier ply. (b) Acting on the web face ply to non-impact print a security pantograph thereon. (c) Acting on the web face ply with an impact element to generate a confidential information image on the image ply, which image is not visible from the face ply. And, (d) die cutting labels out of the web, and removing matrix material formed by die cutting so that the web then comprises the bottom release paper carrier ply with a plurality of spaced labels thereon, each having a confidential information image therein.
The method also preferably comprises the further steps of imaging readable indicia on the face ply (not overlying the confidential information image), and forming a plurality of slits and/or perforations in the face ply and one pseudo adhesion layer, including through the readable indicia, to facilitate the tamperproof functionality of the labels. The first security pantograph is typically printed in black or blue ink, and then the security pantograph is printed in the other of blue or black ink. A diagonal slit forms a generally triangularly shaped element in the face ply which preferably is printed with a distinctly different color, such as red, and which is readily (and easily discernible) removed to allow access to the face ply to separate the pseudo adhesion layers.
According to another aspect of the present invention a tamperproof label assembly is provided comprising the following elements: An image ply having top and bottom surfaces, the top surface for generating an image in the form of confidential indicia when impacted with an impact printer stylus. Permanent adhesive operatively associated with the bottom surface of the image ply. A face ply having top and bottom surfaces, and having a security pantograph imaged on the top surface thereof. And, pseudo adhesion layers disposed between the face ply bottom surface and the image ply top surface for releasably holding the face and image plies together, but when separated exposing the image ply top surface without damage thereto, and once separated not capable of re-adhesion in as effective a manner as prior to separation.
Confidential indicia is imaged on the top surface of the image ply. The assembly also typically comprises security slits and/or perforations formed on the face ply and one of the pseudo adhesion layers for effecting separation of the portions of the second face ply when pseudo adhesion layers are separated, precluding effective reattachment of the pseudo adhesion layers when separated due to that separation. The security slits may include a diagonal slit cooperating with a longitudinal slit and defining a triangularly shaped portion of the face ply, with the top surface of the triangularly shaped portion having printing thereon of distinctly different color (e.g. red) than the security pantograph. Readable indicia is typically imaged on the top surface of the face ply and at least one of the slits or perforations passes through the readable indicia causing the face ply to separate into different portions each containing only part of the readable indicia, when the pseudo adhesion layers are separated. The security slits and perforations may include a plurality of generally L-shaped slits, at least one longitudinal slit, and at least one longitudinal perforation.
Typically the label assembly also includes a liner ply between the bottom surface of the image and the permanent adhesive; a release sheet engaging the permanent adhesive; a permanent adhesive between the top surface of the image ply and one of the pseudo adhesion layers; and a permanent adhesive between the bottom surface of the face ply and one of the pseudo adhesion layers.
The invention also comprises a tamperproof label assembly comprising the following elements: An image ply having top and bottom surfaces, the top surface for generating an image in the form of confidential indicia when impacted with an impact printer stylus. A face ply having top and bottom surfaces, and having a security pantograph imaged on the top surface thereof. Pseudo adhesion layers disposed between the face ply bottom surface and the image ply top surface for releasably holding the face and image plies together, but when separated exposing the image ply top surface without damage thereto, and once separated not capable of re-adhesion in as effective a manner as prior to separation. And, security lines of weakness or parting formed in the face ply and one of the pseudo adhesion layers for effecting separation of portions of the face ply when the pseudo adhesion layers are separated, precluding effective reattachment of the pseudo adhesion layers once separated due to the separation.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide for the effective transmission of confidential information, yet allowing ready exposure of the confidential information but in a tamperproof manner, i.e. so that if the confidential information is once exposed that is thereafter ever apparent. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an exerciser, more particularly to a hand-held exerciser.
2. Description of the Related Art
Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional exerciser is shown to comprise a fixed body 1, a movable body 2, a coiled spring 3 and a spring adjustment device 4. The fixed body 1 has an elongated base plate (1a), an upright outer tube (1b) connected to the base plate (1a) at its lower end, and a fastening device (1c) which is mounted under the lower end of the outer tube (1b) in order to connect rotatably the outer tube (1b) to the fixed body 1. The lower side of the base plate (1a) defines substantially a planar, flat support surface in order to be disposed stably on the ground. The movable body 2 has a transverse press bar (2a) and an inner tube (2b) connected perpendicularly to the transverse bar (2a) at its upper end. The lower portion of the inner tube (2a) is received slidably in the outer tube (1b). The coiled spring 3 is disposed in the inner tube (2a). The spring adjustment device 4 has a threaded rod (4c) which has a head (4d) that engages a rotary knob (4a), and a nut member (4b) connected to its lower end. The spring force of the coiled spring 3 can be increased or decreased by means of rotating the rotary knob (4a) and thereby the threaded shaft (4c), causing the nut member (4b) to move relative to the threaded shaft (4c) and to compress or release the coiled spring 3.
In use, the user may place the base plate (1a) of the fixed body 1 on the ground and depress the movable body 2 downward against the spring force of the coiled spring 3 for exercising purposes. However, because the weight of the user's body facilitates the depression of the movable body 2 when the user normally bends his/her body to depress the movable body 2 downward by means of arms, the user cannot simply exercise his/her arms by means of the conventional exerciser.


With a diesel engine driving an automobile, it is usually necessary to heat up glow plugs to a high temperature of, for example, eight hundred degrees centigrade which is suitable for quickly starting the diesel engine, prior to performing the starting operation of the engine by means of a known starter motor. However, under certain environmental temperature conditions of a diesel engine, for example, under a condition where the diesel engine per se is sufficiently warmed up, it is possible to start the heating of the glow plugs at the same time as operating the starter motor which operation is performed by shifting a key switch to a starting position thereof.
A conventional control apparatus for glow plugs disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,675,033 belonging to Richard et al does not always take such environmental temperature condition of a diesel engine into consideration for achieving control of the heating of glow plugs.


The present invention relates to a certain heterocyclic pyrimidine and its use in processes and compositions for altering the flavors and aromas of various materials such as tobaccos, foodstuffs, and the like, as well as the novel pyrimidines and processes for producing them.
Because of the tremendous consumption of foods, tobaccos, and other materials, there has been an increasing interest in substances and methods for imparting flavors to such consumable materials. This interest has been stimulated not only because of the inadequate quantity of natural flavoring materials available, but perhaps even more importantly, because of the need for materials which can combine several nuances, will be more stable than natural materials, will blend better with other flavors or flavoring composition components, and will generally provide superior products.
Various pyrimidines containing 4-substituents have been shown in the art, but no flavoring, enhancing or other organoleptic properties have been shown or suggested. Thus, U.S. Pat. No. 3,272,811 shows a variety of pyrimidine.


Archery has become increasingly popular over the past few years as evidenced by various tournaments and competitions where archers shoot at targets either in an indoor or outdoor environment in order to determine their level of skill. Additionally, game hunting with bows and arrows is on the rise and, usually, the archer is in an elevated position in a tree stand where he can survey the ground area around him. As the hunter has few opportunities to shoot at game, it is important that he determine the distance to the game in a quick and efficient manner. This distance determination is important when a compound bow is being used as this type of bow is equipped with a string peep sight and sight pins which have been pre-set at known yardages, such as 20, 30 etc. yards in order for the archer to easily determine the distance to the game and thereby assist him in the aiming and shooting of the arrow. Therefore, any assistance that can be provided to determine which sight pin should be selected would increase his chance of success.
Heretofore, these distances were determined by the hunter in various ways. He could, at some point beforehand, pace off the radial distances from the tree in which the stand is located and then use landmarks or place markers to establish/designate distances therefrom. He could also rely on commercially available optical rangefinders, which are both cumbersome and costly, or he could just guess at the distance.
The present invention is directed to a simple hand held device which can be suspended from the hunter's hand, and by eyeing fixed and adjustable sight pins he can readily determine the distance to the target and select the proper bow sight pin accordingly.


The present disclosure is related to reel based closure devices for various articles, such as braces, medical devices, shoes, clothing, apparel, and the like. Such articles typically include some closure system, which allows the article to be placed about a body part and closed or tightened about the body part. The closure systems are typically used to maintain or secure the article about the body part. For example, shoes are typically placed over an individual's foot and a shoelace is tensioned and tied to close and secure the shoe about the foot. Conventional closure systems have been modified in an effort to increase the fit and/or comfort of the article about the body part. For example, shoe lacing configurations and/or patterns have been modified in an attempt to increase the fit and/or comfort of wearing shoes. Conventional closure systems have also been modified in an effort to decrease the time in which an article may be closed and secured about the body part. These modifications have resulted in the use of various pull cords, straps, and tensioning devices that enable the article to be quickly closed and secured to the foot.


Current color selection technologies mainly include two methods. Method 1, as illustrated in FIG. 1, is selecting a color by entering a value representing the color, i.e., a hexadecimal value corresponding to a legal color name. This method is not useful because most people do not know each color's value. If a user does not enter the precise value corresponding to the desired color, the obtained color can be different. Method 2, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is selecting a color from a color palette. This method can usually be found in mobile phone applications. However, due to limited screen sizes of mobile devices, a larger number of color options, and a large finger press area size, it can be difficult to accurately select a color of desire without multiple attempts. Thus, the second method can be inefficient and inaccurate due to its complicated operation requirement.


A virtual machine (VM) is a software implementation of a physical computer. Computer programs designed to execute on the physical machine execute in a similar way when executed on a VM. A VM provides a complete system platform to support a full operating system (OS). A physical machine can be shared between users by using different VMs, each running a different OS.
Modern processor architectures have enabled virtualization techniques that allow multiple operating systems and VMs to run on a single physical machine. These techniques use a hypervisor layer that runs directly on the physical hardware and mediates accesses to physical hardware by providing a virtual hardware layer to the operating systems running in each virtual machine. The hypervisor can operate on the physical machine in conjunction with a ‘native VM’. Alternatively, the hypervisor can operate within an operating system running on the physical machine, in conjunction with a ‘hosted VM’ operating at a higher software level.
Examples of VM technology are:                Linux Kernel-Based Virtual Machine (KVM) allows one or more Linux or Windows virtual machines to be run on top of an underlying Linux that runs KVM.        Xen allows a guest (virtualized) Linux to be run on top of Linux.        Parallels allows Linux and Windows on top of Mac OS X.        VMWare allows Linux and Windows systems on top of Mac OS X, Windows and Linux systems.
A user may want to migrate a workload operating on one physical machine (host A) to another physical machine (host B), for example, for machine maintenance or for performance optimisation. If the instruction set architecture is the same on both host A and host B, the VM needs to be shut down on host A, restarted on host B, and the workload migrated. However, if the ISA on each physical machine is different, a migration is problematic, because, for example, the format state of the VM on host A is inappropriate for the format state of the VM on host B.


This invention relates to a method for controlling the pressure output of an engine-driven pump system. Specifically, this invention relates to a method of controlling the discharge pressure of an engine-driven pump for use in a fire truck.
It is vital to control the discharge pressure of an engine-driven fire pump mounted on or in a fire truck. The pump must supply water at various rates and steady pressure so that firemen operating the hoses at a fire scene can control the reaction force generated by their hose nozzles. Fire pumps as used here are centrifugal pumps. These pumps add pressure to the incoming source of water. Therefore pressure changes in the supply are pressure changes in the discharge. This is problematic because even slight variations in pressure in the supply line leading to the intake of the pump are amplified by the pump on the discharge side, causing surges or oscillations in the water flow discharge at the nozzle and corresponding changes in the reaction forces. Such changes are extremely dangerous, as they can pull a nozzle out of the fireman's grip, or even throw him or her off a ladder or ledge.
The simplest prior art device for controlling the pressure output of the fire pump is a mechanical relief valve which opens to discharge excess water when the pressure is higher than the desired output pressure. A shortcoming of such a valve, however, is that, the relief valve only functions to dissipate excess pressure, and has no utility in situations where the pressure is too low, such as when the water source is being depleted or another hose is connected to the system. In addition, if the pump engine continues to operate at full speed after the relief valve is opened, water will be continuously recirculated in the system, resulting in needless waste and wear and tear on the pump and engine. Overheating of the pump and engine is also more likely.
Electronically operated pressure controlled systems have been developed. Two such systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,786,869 and 4,189,005 to McLoughlin, the subject matter of which is herein incorporated by reference. In these systems, the desired output pressure is dialed in or otherwise transmitted to a control box on the board of the fire truck, where it is compared to the actual output pressure as measured by a transducer. Any difference between the desired and actual output pressure is converted to an electrical signal which is fed to a DC motor which increases or decreases the rpm of the centrifugal pump as needed until the desired output pressure is reached. A shortcoming of this type of system is that, because the response time of the servo-mechanism controlling the engine is slow, much time can pass before the appropriate rpm and correct discharge pressure are reached. This is especially troublesome during transient events, such as overpressure spikes, where the system's response time is greater than the length of the event. Furthermore, no allowance is made for situations such as when the engine is already at idle and the incoming pressure suddenly increases, or is higher than desired, such as what can happen when the pump is connected to a hydrant. Recent engine technology has replaced the servo with direct commands to the engine computer or an electrical throttle control which can improve response times.
Another control system of interest is disclosed in German Patent No. 1,274,402 to Mueller and Company, which discloses an engine-driven pump which responds to an over pressure in the supply line by simultaneously opening a pressure relief valve and mechanically reducing the engine speed. The shortcoming of this purely mechanical system is that by its nature, in cases of over pressure, the relief valve will always be open to some extent, allowing some fluid to always bypass the relief valve, and the engine rpm will always be above its idle setting to a certain extent.
Another pressure control system of interest is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,051, which discloses an engine-driven pump which responds to an over pressure in the supply line and lowers the engine rpm and simultaneously controls a pressure relief valve which may be commanded to open and dump water for short durations to relieve over pressure spikes, or for longer duration to relieve excess water coming into the pump. The shortcomings of this system are that the change in engine speed and the relief valve may be operated at the same time resulting in a waste of water. In addition, operating the engine and relief valve simultaneously results in a needlessly complicated response system.
Accordingly, a need exists for a new and improved electronically operated fire pump discharge pressure control system for quickly and safely responding to drops or increases in the incoming pressure of a fire pump, which change the discharge pressure required, as well as changes in discharge pressure due to the opening or shutting off of various valves downstream of the pump.


1. Field
Example embodiments relate to methods of forming contact holes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Photolithography has been used for forming a pattern of a semiconductor device. However, it is difficult to form a pattern having a minute pitch below 40 nm due to limits in the resolution. Thus, a double patterning method was developed. However, the double patterning method may have too many steps and/or may be complicated.
Thus, a method of forming a minute pitch pattern, particularly, contact holes using a direct self assembly (DSA) has been developed. However, in the DSA method, a material for the DSA may be arranged in a hexagonal shape for a thermodynamic stability such that it may be difficult to form contact holes having a desired arrangement.


Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) is a term referring to various technologies designed to implement data transfer between computer devices. The SAS protocol is a serial successor to the parallel Small Computer System Interface. In the SAS protocol, all SAS devices are either an initiator device, a target device, or an expander device. Initiator devices are devices that begin an SAS data transfer, while target devices are the devices to which initiator devices transfer data. Together, initiator devices and target devices are known as end devices.
SAS expanders are devices that facilitate data transfer between multiple initiator devices and multiple target devices. The SAS protocol utilizes a point-to-point bus topology. Therefore, if an initiator device is required to connect to multiple target devices, a direct connection must be made between the initiator device and each individual target device in order to facilitate each individual data transfer between the initiator device and each individual target device. SAS expanders manage the connections and data transfer between multiple initiator devices and multiple target devices. SAS expanders may contain SAS devices.


The present invention relates to a spin exciting method, a magnetic resonance imaging method, and a magnetic resonance imaging system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a spin exciting method, a magnetic resonance imaging method, and a magnetic resonance imaging system for performing magnetic resonance imaging according to a fast spin echo (FSE) technique combined with an inversion recovery (IR) technique.
In a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system, a subject of imaging is carried into a bore of a magnet system, that is, an imaging space in which a static magnetic field is created. Magnetic field gradients and a radio-frequency magnetic field are applied to the subject in order to excite spins in the subject. Consequently, a magnetic resonance signal is induced, and an image is reconstructed based on the signal received.
A sequence of exciting spins so as to induce a magnetic resonance signal and receiving the signal is repeated at predetermined intervals of a repetition time TR. The TR is often set to a time long enough for the excited spins to recover to exhibit an original longitudinal magnetization. When an imaging time must be shortened, the TR is set to a short time and spins are forcibly recovered. The forcible recovery of spins is achieved with additional excitation. This technique is referred to as fast recovery.
Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 4-21488 describes that the fast recovery is combined with the IR. In short, as shown in FIG. 7, spins are turned 180xc2x0 with application of a 180xc2x0 pulse and thus brought to an inversion. Thereafter, when a predetermined inversion time TI has elapsed, a 90xc2x0 pulse is applied in order to turn the spins 90xc2x0. A free induction decay (FID) signal that is induced accordingly is then acquired.
Thereafter, when a half of an echo time TE has elapsed, a xe2x88x92180xc2x0 pulse is applied in order to reverse the spins. Thereafter, when a half of the TE has elapsed, a xe2x88x9290xc2x0 pulse is applied in order to turn the spins xe2x88x9290xc2x0 and a 180xc2x0 pulse is then applied in order to reverse the spins. Thus, the fast recovery of the spins is achieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,054,853 describes that the fast recovery is combined with the FSE. In short, as shown in FIG. 8, a 90xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to excite spins and turn them 90xc2x0 with respect to an x axis. Thereafter, when a half of an echo space esp has elapsed, a 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied in order to reverse the spins with respect to a y axis. Thereafter, when the esp has elapsed, the 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied in order to reverse the spins again with respect to the y axis. When the echo space esp has elapsed, the 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied in order to reverse the spins again with respect to the y axis. Consequently, a spin echo is acquired during the echo space esp between applications of the 180xc2x0 y pulse.
When a half of the echo space esp has elapsed since the last application of the 180xc2x0 y pulse, a xe2x88x9290xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to turn the spins xe2x88x9290xc2x0, and a 180xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to reverse the spins. Thus, the fast recovery of the spins is achieved.
According to the technology described in the Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 4-21488, the fast recovery employing the xe2x88x9290xc2x0 pulse and 180xc2x0 pulse is achieved through unselective excitation that is not intended to select a slice. This disables multiple slice imaging that interleaves pulse sequences like the foregoing one and involves a plurality of slices.
According to the related art described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6054853, the fast recovery employing the xe2x88x9290xc2x0 x pulse and 180xc2x0 is performed through selective excitation. However, a selected slice is not perfectly square. It is not easy to properly achieve the fast recovery using the two selective excitation pulses.
Moreover, the number of reversals of spins stemming from application of the 180xc2x0 y pulse is an odd value. If the degree of the reversal of spins stemming from application of the 180xc2x0 y pulse has an error, the spins are not restored to exactly face along the x-y plane. Therefore, the succeeding fast recovery is achieved imperfectly.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to realize a spin exciting method, a magnetic resonance imaging method, and a magnetic resonance imaging system for properly performing fast recovery during magnetic resonance imaging in which the fast spin echo technique combined with the inversion recovery technique is implemented.
(1) In one aspect of the present invention intended to solve the aforesaid problems, there is provided a spin exciting method for producing an image using a magnetic resonance signal induced by spins in a subject being imaged according to the fast spin echo technique combined with the inversion recovery. Specifically, a 180xc2x0 pulse is applied in order to excite spins. Thereafter, when a first time has elapsed, a first 90xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to excite the spins. Thereafter, when a second time has elapsed, a 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied in order to excite the spins. Thereafter, when a third time that is double the second time has elapsed, the 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied an odd number of times in order to sequentially excite the spins. Thereafter, when the second time has elapsed, a second 90xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to excite the spins.
(2) In another aspect of the present invention intended to solve the aforesaid problems, there is provided a magnetic resonance imaging method for producing an image using a magnetic resonance signal induced by spins in a subject being imaged according to the fast spin echo technique combined with the inversion recovery technique. Specifically, a 180xc2x0 pulse is applied in order to excite spins. Thereafter, when a first time has elapsed, a first 90xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to excite the spins. Thereafter, when a second time has elapsed, a 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied in order to excite the spins. Thereafter, when a third time that is double the second time has elapsed, the 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied an odd number of times in order to sequentially excite the spins. Thereafter, when the second time has elapsed, a second 90xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to excite the spins. A spin echo is read during the third time, and an image is produced based on the spin echo.
(3) In another aspect of the present invention intended to solve the aforesaid problems, there is provided a magnetic resonance imaging system for producing an image using a magnetic resonance signal induced by spins in a subject being imaged according to the fast spin echo technique combined with the inversion recovery technique. The magnetic resonance imaging system includes a spin exciting means, an echo reading means, and an image producing means. The spin exciting means excites spins with application of a 180xc2x0 pulse. Thereafter, when a first time has elapsed, the spin exciting means applies a first 90xc2x0 x pulse to excite the spins. Thereafter, when a second time has elapsed, the spin exciting means applies a 80xc2x0 y pulse to excite the spins. Thereafter, when a third time that is double the second time has elapsed, the spin exciting means applies the 180xc2x0 y pulse an odd number of times to excite the spins sequenlially. Thereafter, when the second time has elapsed, the spin exciting means applies a second 90xc2x0 x pulse to excite the spins. The echo reading means reads a spin echo during the third time. The image producing means produces an image according to the spin echo.
In the aspects of the present invention set forth in paragraphs (1) to (3), a 180xc2x0 pulse is applied in order to excite spins. Thereafter, when the first time has elapsed, a first 90xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to excite the spins. Thereafter, when the second time has elapsed, a 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied in order to excite the spins. Thereafter, when the third time that is double the second time has elapsed, the 180xc2x0 y pulse is applied an odd number of times in order to excite the spins. Thereafter, when the second time has elapsed, a second 90xc2x0 x pulse is applied in order to excite the spins. The spins are reversed an even number of times due to the applications of the 180xc2x0 y pulse, and therefore returned to exactly face along the xy plane. Consequently, the spins are accurately recovered with the subsequent application of the 90xc2x0 x pulse.
Moreover, the inversion recovery is performed with application of the 90xc2x0 x pulse alone. Therefore, imperfect fast recovery stemming from the employment of two selective excitation pulses as conventionally will not take place.
In order to successfully achieve fast recovery of spins whose relaxation time is relatively long, the second 90xc2x0 x pulse should preferably be a +90xc2x0 x pulse.
In order to achieve imaging while enhancing a magnetic resonance signal induced by spins whose relaxation time is relatively long, the first time should preferably be shorter than the polarity recovery time for spins that are used for imaging.
In order to successfully achieve fast recovery of spins whose relaxation time is relatively short, the second 90xc2x0 x pulse should preferably be a xe2x88x9290xc2x0 x pulse.
In order to achieve imaging while enhancing a magnetic resonance signal induced by spins whose relaxation time is relatively short, the first time should preferably be longer than the polarity recovery time for spins that are used for imaging.
In order to produce a tomographic image, excitation should preferably be selective excitation all the time.
In order to achieve multiple slice imaging, a series of excitations starting with excitation initiated with application of the 180xc2x0 pulse and ending with excitation initiated with application of the second 90xc2x0 x pulse should preferably be started at successive time instants within the first time with slices changed sequentially.
According to the present invention, there are provided a spin exciting method, a magnetic resonance imaging method, and a magnetic resonance imaging system for making it possible to properly achieve fast recovery during magnetic resonance imaging in which the fast spin echo technique combined with the inversion recovery technique is implemented.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments of the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.