The disclosures, including the claims, figures and/or drawings, of each and every patent, patent application, and publication cited herein are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed inventions, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
There are numerous steps in the development of any novel, desirable plant germplasm. Plant breeding begins with the analysis and definition of problems and weaknesses of the current germplasm, the establishment of program goals, and the definition of specific breeding objectives. The next step is selection of germplasm that possess the traits to meet the program goals. The goal is to combine in a single variety or hybrid an improved combination of desirable traits from the parental germplasm. These important traits may include higher yield, resistance to diseases and insects, better stalks and roots, tolerance to drought and heat, reduction of grain moisture at harvest as well as better agronomic quality. With mechanical harvesting of many crops, uniformity of plant characteristics such as germination and stand establishment, growth rate, maturity and plant and ear height is important.
Choice of breeding or selection methods depends on the mode of plant reproduction, the heritability of the trait(s) being improved, and the type of cultivar used commercially (e.g., F1 hybrid cultivar, pureline cultivar, etc.). For highly heritable traits, a choice of superior individual plants evaluated at a single location will be effective, whereas for traits with low heritability, selection should be based on mean values obtained from replicated evaluations of families of related plants. Popular selection methods commonly include pedigree selection, modified pedigree selection, mass selection, recurrent selection, and backcross breeding.
The complexity of inheritance influences choice of breeding method. Backcross breeding is used to transfer one or a few favorable genes for a heritable trait into a desirable cultivar. This approach has been used extensively for breeding disease-resistant cultivars; nevertheless, it is also suitable for the adjustment and selection of morphological characters, color characteristics and simply inherited quantitative characters such as earliness, plant height or seed size and shape. Various recurrent selection techniques are used to improve quantitatively inherited traits controlled by numerous genes. The use of recurrent selection in self-pollinating crops depends on the ease of pollination, the frequency of successful hybrids from each pollination, and the number of hybrid offspring from each successful cross.
Each breeding program should include a periodic, objective evaluation of the efficiency of the breeding procedure. Evaluation criteria vary depending on the goal and objectives, but should include gain from selection per year based on comparisons to an appropriate standard, overall value of the advanced breeding lines, and number of successful cultivars produced per unit of input (e.g., per year, per dollar expended, etc.).
Promising advanced breeding lines are thoroughly tested per se and in hybrid combination and compared to appropriate standards in environments representative of the commercial target area(s) for three or more years. The best lines are candidates for use as parents in new commercial cultivars; those still deficient in a few traits may be used as parents to produce new populations for further selection.
These processes, which lead to the final step of marketing and distribution, usually take from eight to twelve years from the time the first cross is made. Therefore, development of new cultivars is a time-consuming process that requires precise forward planning, efficient use of resources, and a focus on clear objectives.
A most difficult task is the identification of individuals that are genetically superior, because for most traits the true genotypic value is masked by other confounding plant traits or environmental factors. One method of identifying a superior plant is to observe its performance relative to other experimental plants and to a widely grown standard cultivar. If a single observation is inconclusive, replicated observations provide a better estimate of its genetic worth.
The goal of corn breeding is to develop new, unique and superior corn inbred lines and hybrids. The breeder initially selects and crosses two or more parental lines, followed by repeated self pollination or selfing and selection, producing many new genetic combinations. Another method used to develop new, unique and superior corn inbred lines and hybrids occurs when the breeder selects and crosses two or more parental lines, followed by haploid induction and chromosome doubling that results in the development of dihaploid inbred lines. The breeder can theoretically generate billions of different genetic combinations via crossing, selfing and mutations and the same is true for the utilization of the dihaploid breeding method.
Each year, the plant breeder selects the germplasm to advance to the next generation. This germplasm is grown under unique and different geographical, climatic and soil conditions, and further selections are then made, during and at the end of the growing season. The inbred lines which are developed are unpredictable. This unpredictability is because the breeder's selection occurs in unique environments, with no control at the DNA level (using conventional breeding procedures or dihaploid breeding procedures), and with millions of different possible genetic combinations being generated. A breeder of ordinary skill in the art cannot predict the final resulting lines he develops, except possibly in a very gross and general fashion. This unpredictability results in the expenditure of large research funds to develop a superior new corn inbred line.
The development of commercial corn hybrids requires the development of homozygous inbred lines, the crossing of these lines, and the evaluation of the crosses. Pedigree breeding and recurrent selection breeding methods are used to develop inbred lines from breeding populations. Breeding programs combine desirable traits from two or more inbred lines or various broad-based sources into breeding pools from which inbred lines are developed by selfing and selection of desired phenotypes or through the dihaploid breeding method followed by the selection of desired phenotypes. The new inbreds are crossed with other inbred lines and the hybrids from these crosses are evaluated to determine which have commercial potential.
Pedigree breeding is used commonly for the improvement of self-pollinating crops or inbred lines of cross-pollinating crops. Two parents which possess favorable, complementary traits are crossed to produce an F1. An F2 population is produced by selfing one or several F1s or by intercrossing two F1s (sib mating). Selection of the best individuals is usually begun in the F2 population; then, beginning in the F3, the best individuals in the best families are selected. Replicated testing of families, or hybrid combinations involving individuals of these families, often follows in the F4 generation to improve the effectiveness of selection for traits with low heritability. At an advanced stage of inbreeding (i.e., F6 and F7), the best lines or mixtures of phenotypically similar lines are tested for potential release as new cultivars. Similarly, the development of new inbred lines through the dihaploid system requires the selection of the best inbreds followed by four to five years of testing in hybrid combinations in replicated plots.
Mass and recurrent selections can be used to improve populations of either self- or cross-pollinating crops. A genetically variable population of heterozygous individuals is either identified or created by intercrossing several different parents. The best plants are selected based on individual superiority, outstanding progeny, or excellent combining ability. The selected plants are intercrossed to produce a new population in which further cycles of selection are continued.
Backcross breeding has been used to transfer genes for a simply inherited, highly heritable trait into a desirable cultivar or inbred line which is the recurrent parent. The source of the trait to be transferred is called the donor parent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., cultivar) and the desirable trait transferred from the donor parent. After the initial cross, individuals possessing the phenotype of the donor parent are selected and repeatedly crossed (backcrossed) to the recurrent parent. The resulting plant is expected to have the attributes of the recurrent parent (e.g., cultivar) and the desirable trait transferred from the donor parent.
Descriptions of other breeding methods that are commonly used for different traits and crops can be found in one of several reference books (e.g., R. W. Allard, 1960, Principles of Plant Breeding, John Wiley and Son; N. W. Simmonds, 1979, Principles of Crop Improvement, Longman Group Limited; W. R. Fehr, 1987, Principles of Crop Development, Macmillan Publishing Co.; N. F. Jensen, 1988, Plant Breeding Methodology, John Wiley & Sons).
Proper testing should detect any major faults and establish the level of superiority or improvement over current cultivars. In addition to showing superior performance, there must be a demand for a new cultivar that is compatible with industry standards or which creates a new market. The introduction of a new cultivar will incur additional costs to the seed producer, the grower, processor and consumer for special advertising and marketing, altered seed and commercial production practices, and new product utilization. The testing preceding release of a new cultivar should take into consideration research and development costs as well as technical superiority of the final cultivar. For seed-propagated cultivars, it must be feasible to produce seed easily and economically.
Once the inbreds that give the best hybrid performance have been identified, the hybrid seed can be reproduced indefinitely as long as the homogeneity of the inbred parent is maintained. A single-cross hybrid is produced when two inbred lines are crossed to produce the F1 progeny. A double-cross hybrid is produced from four inbred lines crossed in pairs (A×B and C×D) and then the two F1 hybrids are crossed again (A×B)×(C×D). Much of the hybrid vigor exhibited by F1 hybrids is lost in the next generation (F2). Consequently, seed from hybrid varieties is not used for planting stock.
Hybrid corn seed is typically produced by a male sterility system or by incorporating manual or mechanical detasseling. Alternate strips of two corn inbreds are planted in a field, and the pollen-bearing tassels are removed from one of the inbreds (female). Providing that there is sufficient isolation from sources of foreign corn pollen, the ears of the detasseled inbred will be fertilized only from the other inbred (male), and the resulting seed is therefore hybrid and will form hybrid plants.
The laborious, and occasionally unreliable, detasseling process can be avoided by using cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) inbreds. Plants of a CMS inbred are male sterile as a result of factors resulting from the cytoplasmic, as opposed to the nuclear, genome. Thus, this characteristic is inherited exclusively through the female parent in corn plants, since only the female provides cytoplasm to the fertilized seed. CMS plants are fertilized with pollen from another inbred that is not male-sterile. Pollen from the second inbred may or may not contribute genes that make the hybrid plants male-fertile. Seed from detasseled fertile corn and CMS produced seed of the same hybrid can be blended to insure that adequate pollen loads are available for fertilization when the hybrid plants are grown.
There are several methods of conferring genetic male sterility available, such as multiple mutant genes at separate locations within the genome that confer male sterility, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,654,465 and 4,727,219 to Brar et al. These and all patents referred to are incorporated by reference. In addition to these methods, Albertsen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,068, have developed a system of nuclear male sterility which includes: identifying a gene which is critical to male fertility, silencing this native gene which is critical to male fertility; removing the native promoter from the essential male fertility gene and replacing it with an inducible promoter; inserting this genetically engineered gene back into the plant; and thus creating a plant that is male sterile because the inducible promoter is not “on” resulting in the male fertility gene not being transcribed. Fertility is restored by inducing, or turning “on,” the promoter, which in turn allows the gene that confers male fertility to be transcribed.
There are many other methods of conferring genetic male sterility in the art, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. These methods use a variety of approaches such as delivering into the plant a gene encoding a cytotoxic substance associated with a male tissue specific promoter or an anti-sense system in which a gene critical to fertility is identified and an antisense to that gene is inserted in the plant (see, Fabinjanski, et al. EPO 89/0301053.8 publication number 329,308 and PCT application PCT/CA90/00037 published as WO 90/08828).
Another version useful in controlling male sterility makes use of gametocides. Gametocides are not a genetic system, but rather a topical application of chemicals. These chemicals affect cells that are critical to male fertility. The application of these chemicals affects fertility in the plants only for the growing season in which the gametocide is applied (see Carlson, G. R., U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,904). Application of the gametocide, timing of the application, and genotype often limit the usefulness of the approach.
Corn is an important and valuable field crop. Thus, a continuing goal of plant breeders is to develop stable, high yielding corn hybrids that are agronomically sound. The reasons for this goal are obviously to maximize the amount of ears or kernels produced on the land used and to supply food for both humans and animals. To accomplish this goal, the corn breeder must select and develop corn plants that have the traits that result in superior parental lines for producing hybrids.
The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification.


The present invention relates to video camera units and protective enclosures for video cameras, and in particular, to a video camera unit especially adapted for use in vehicles, for example, school buses. The invention also relates to a power circuit and controller circuit for portable video cameras for use in vehicles.
Video camera units have increasingly been used in vehicles, especially school buses, in order to provide surveillance of the students being transported in the school bus. By using a video camera unit in a school bus, unruly students can be supervised, and it has been found that the mere presences of a video camera unit, or even a non-functional empty enclosure or mock-up of such a unit, is effective in maintaining order on school bus vehicles.


This invention relates to a method for controlling wet-process flue gas desulfurization, and more particularly to a method for controlling wet-process flue gas desulfurization suitable for optimum operating control of a whole plant including a combustion unit such as a boiler, etc. and a desulfurization unit.


The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor structure, and particularly to a semiconductor structure including locally thinned semiconductor fins and a method for manufacturing the same.
Fin field effect transistors are widely employed in advanced semiconductor circuits for their superior performance over planar field effect transistors. Fin field effect transistors provide a high on-current per area and full depletion of a channel during operation. Typically, the width of the semiconductor fins employed for the field effect transistors is the minimum lithographically printable dimension, which is referred to as the critical dimension. Lithographic bias and etch bias that are introduced during lithographic patterning and pattern transfer can cause variations in the fin widths between semiconductor fins in a nested environment and semiconductor fins in an isolated environment. Thus, a method of selectively adjusting the widths of a group of semiconductor fins without affecting other semiconductor fins is desired.
Further, typical semiconductor processing flows provide semiconductor fins of identical height. This feature tends to quantize the on-current of fin field effect transistors. While the on-current of fin field effect transistors can be increased in multiples of the on-current of a fin field effect transistor employing a single fin, providing a fin field effect transistor having an on-current at a fractional multiple of the on-current of a fin field effect transistor employing a single fin is a challenge for conventional semiconductor processing sequences. Thus, a method is desired for providing field effect transistors having an on-current that is a non-integer multiple of the on-current of a fin field effect transistor employing a single fin.


Semiconductor and other types of electronic devices are often encapsulated wholly or partly in plastic resin to provide environmental protection and facilitate external connection to the devices. For convenience of explanation and not intended to be limiting, the present invention is described for semiconductor devices, but persons of skill in the art will understand that the present invention applies to any type of electronic device that is substantially in chip form. Accordingly, such other types of devices including the non-limiting examples given below, are intended to be included in the terms “device”, “electronic device”, “semiconductor device” and “integrated circuit” whether singular or plural, and the terms “device”, “die” and “chip” are intended to be substantially equivalent. Non-limiting examples of suitable devices are semiconductor integrated circuits, individual semiconductor devices, piezoelectric devices, magnetostrictive devices, solid state filters, magnetic tunneling structures, integrated passive devices such as capacitors, resistors and inductors, and combinations and arrays of any and all of these types of devices and elements. Further, the present invention does not depend upon the types of die or chips being used nor the materials of which they are constructed provided that such materials withstand the encapsulation process.
In certain types of electronic device packaging where connections to multiple devices included in the package are made after encapsulation, there is a problem referred to as warping that can occur during encapsulation. Warping is of particular concern in electronic assemblies that are in the form of a comparatively flat or planar panel whose device electrical connections are exposed on a principal surface. It is often desired to form an integrated electronic assembly by interconnecting the various devices in the panel using planar processing technology. If the panel has warped during encapsulation, the process of adding the interconnects becomes difficult, which can affect overall yield and cost. Thus, control or elimination of warping is important to achieving high manufacturing yields and low manufacturing costs in such encapsulated planar assemblies.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide packaging for electronic devices that avoids or mitigates the adverse effects of warping during encapsulation. It is further desirable that the packaging is suitable for use with arrays containing multiple devices and/or multiple types of devices and especially device arrays where it is desired that the primary faces of the devices are available for electrical connections thereto by planar processing or the like after the devices are fixed in the encapsulation. In addition, it is desirable that the methods, materials and structures employed be compatible with available manufacturing capabilities and materials and not require substantial modifications of manufacturing procedures or substantially increase manufacturing costs. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.


Communications systems or networks generally comprise channels for sending and receiving data, audio and/or video information. A number of wired communications systems or networks, such as cable, Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet systems, generally include stationary channels. A stationary channel is generally one in which the channel response and the noise statistics do not vary significantly or regularly (if at all) over time. Techniques are available for such systems and networks to reduce the adverse effects of random and/or systematic fluctuations in communications parameters. However, such techniques generally do not affect communications parameters that tend to fluctuate over time.
Certain communications systems or networks, such as powerline systems or networks, include cyclostationary channels. A cyclostationary channel is one in which the channel response, the noise statistics and/or channel attenuation vary periodically. Also, powerline channels, which use conventional AC power lines for communications, experience regular fluctuations in noise and signal attenuation. The period of the noise power function in a powerline channel is generally the inverse of twice its frequency. In a typical case, that period is ( 1/120 Hz), or 8.3 msec. Noise in a powerline channel may also be introduced by other sources. During “spikes” in the noise power in a powerline channel, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be reduced sufficiently to cause errors in the data. Particularly when the signal strength is low, a low SNR can cause significant reliability problems.
Referring now to FIG. 1, the powerline transmits a 60 Hz or 50 Hz sinusoidal power signal 10 supplying AC. The noise 20 in power lines may change within a period TAC or TAC/2, where TAC is the duration of one cycle of the AC power supply and/or voltage, typically 1/60 or 1/50 seconds (see, e.g., “Modeling of Cyclostationary and Frequency Dependent Power-Line Channels for Communications,” by Katayama et al.). As shown in FIG. 1, under common normal operating conditions, powerline channel noise 20 typically comprises a “zero power” component 30 (representative of the noise in the channel at the points where the AC power curve 10 crosses the zero power axis 15) and a burst noise component 40 (representative of the noise in the channel where the AC power curve 10 is at or near its maximum value[s]), although noise in cyclostationary channels may vary, depending upon operating conditions, equipment, power supply variations, etc. Thus, under normal operating conditions, cyclostationary channel noise 20 may be somewhat related to the absolute value of the AC power signal 10.
A typical packet 100 for burst mode transmission is shown in FIG. 2. The packet 100 typically comprises a preamble 110, a synchronization sequence (or “syncmark”) 120, and data 130. The synchronization sequence 120 is used during frame synchronization. Under burst noise, especially cyclostationary burst noise, there is a relatively high probability that bits in the synchronization sequence 120 may be corrupted. For 10 Kb/s DBPSK modulation (0.1 ms/bit), if the cyclostationary noise has a burst length of half of its cycle (i.e., half of TAC/2=4.15 ms for 60 Hz AC power), about 42 bits could be corrupted by cyclostationary burst noise. This implies that the synchronization sequence 120 should be longer, and perhaps significantly longer, than 42 bits.
In systems without burst noise, the preamble 110 is often a 010101 sequence, and it is often used in carrier recovery. Due to the long, cyclostationary burst noise on the powerline, it is possible that the entire preamble 110 can be corrupted by burst noise, which means a very long preamble (e.g., more than 4.2 ms, or 42 bits at a 10 Kb/s rate) is desirable in a 60 Hz powerline channel to improve the success rate in carrier recovery. However, it is naturally desirable to minimize the number of bits dedicated to non-data (e.g., control and/or identification) functions, particularly over a sometimes noisy and/or problematic medium such as power lines. In some applications (e.g., voice transmissions), one might wish to completely avoid transmitting information during periods of high noise, and thus, one might keep the packet length small to fit packets into the “low noise” periods on the power line.
A need therefore exists to improve communications in channels in which time-dependant fluctuations are a potential source of error or corruption, in order to reduce errors, reduce shutdowns, increase the success rate of such communications and/or increase communications uptime in networks that include such channels.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid droplet jetting apparatus which jets a liquid droplet and an ink-jet printer which jets an ink.
2. Description of the Related Art
An ink-jet head which includes a plurality of pressure chambers communicating with a plurality of nozzles respectively, and a common liquid chamber supplying an ink to these pressure chambers, and which jets a droplet of the ink from a nozzle has hitherto been known. Such an ink-jet head selectively applies a pressure to the ink in the pressure chambers, and jets a droplet of the ink on to a recording paper from a nozzle communicating with the pressure chamber which is selected. For example, a serial ink-jet head described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-291311 includes a plurality of pressure chamber rows (three pressure chamber rows), and each pressure chamber row includes a plurality of pressure chambers (ink cavities) arranged in a longitudinal direction (paper feeding direction) of the serial ink-jet head. Furthermore, a common liquid chamber (ink supply chamber) which supplies the ink to each of the pressure chambers is extended along the longitudinal direction of the serial ink-jet head, in an area on an outer side of the pressure chamber rows and an area on an inner side (between the adjacent pressure chamber rows) of the pressure chamber rows.
The common liquid chamber which is arranged at the inner side of the two adjacent pressure chamber rows supplies ink to each of the pressure chambers belonging to the two pressure chamber rows positioned at both sides thereof. Therefore, in a case in which it is necessary to jet the ink simultaneously from a multiple number of pressure chambers, since an amount of ink supplied to the pressure chambers from the common liquid chamber at the inner side is increased temporarily, there is a possibility that the sufficient amount of ink is not supplied to each pressure chamber. Therefore, in the ink-jet head described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H10-291311, an ink communicating channel which communicates the common liquid chamber at the inner side with the common liquid chamber at the outer side, is provided in a partition wall (a column) which partitions the pressure chambers belonging to the each pressure chamber row. Moreover, when the amount of ink which is supplied from the common liquid chamber at the inner side, to the pressure chamber is increased temporarily, the ink is replenished from the common liquid chamber at the outer side to the common liquid chamber at the inner side via the ink communicating channel. Therefore, an insufficiency of the ink in the common liquid chamber at the inner side is prevented to a possible extent.


Electronic ovens heat items within a chamber by exposing them to strong electromagnetic fields. In the case of typical microwave ovens, the electromagnetic fields are a result of microwave radiation from a magnetron, and most often take the form of waves with a frequency of either 2.45 GHz or 915 MHz. The wavelength of these forms of radiation are 12 cm and 32.8 cm respectively. While heating, the electromagnetic waves in the chamber of a magnetron-powered microwave oven may drift or hop in frequency for short periods of time, generally within a range of +/−5%. For purposes of this disclosure, the mean temporal wavelength of an electromagnetic wave is referred to as the “dominant wavelength” of the associated electromagnetic wave, and dimensions of an electronic oven that are given with respect to a frequency or wavelength of an electromagnetic wave refer to the frequency or wavelength of the dominant wavelength of that electromagnetic wave.
The waves within the microwave oven that are not absorbed by the heated item reflect within the chamber and cause standing waves. Standing waves are caused by the constructive and destructive interference of waves that are coherent but traveling in different directions. The combined effect of the reflected waves is the creation of local regions of high and low microwave field intensity, or antinodes and nodes. The waves may interfere destructively at the nodes to create spots where little or no energy is available for heating. The waves interfere constructively at the antinodes to create spots where peak energy is available. The wavelength of the radiation is appreciable compared to the length scales over which heat diffuses within an item during the time that it is being heated. As a result, electronic ovens tend to heat food unevenly compared to traditional methods.
Electronic ovens are also prone to heat food unevenly because of the mechanism by which they introduce heat to a specific volume of the item being heated. The electromagnetic waves in a microwave oven cause polarized molecules, such as water, to rotate back and forth, thereby delivering energy to the item in the form of kinetic energy. As such, water is heated quite effectively in a microwave, but items that do not include polarized molecules will not be as efficiently heated. This compounds the problem of uneven heating because different portions of a single item may be heated to high temperatures while other portions are not. For example, the interior of a jelly doughnut with its high sucrose and water content will get extremely hot while the exterior dough does not.
Traditional methods for dealing with uneven cooking in electronic ovens include moving the item that is being heated on a rotating tray and homogenizing the distribution of electromagnetic energy with a rotating stirrer. These approaches prevent an antinode of the electromagnetic waves from being applied to a specific spot on the item which would thereby prevent uneven heating. However, both approaches are essentially random in their treatment of the relative location of an antinode and the item itself. They also do not address the issue of specific items being heated unevenly in the microwave. In these approaches, the heat applied to the chamber is not adjusted based on the location, or specific internal characteristics, of the item being heated.


1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a low pressure dew and frost point indicator and more particularly to the cooling module of such an indicator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art known to the applicants is best represented by the prior Sheldon U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,874,220 and 3,886,784, Ford U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,374,658, 3,152,475 and 3,460,373 and Hankison U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,165.
In prior devices, there has been no positive and simple way of positioning the frost point indicating mirror correctly with respect to the cold air stream which is directed against it.
Prior mirrors have also been subject to temperature gradients and undesirable changes of temperature caused by contact with adjacent module components and/or subjection to atmospheric or high pressure gases entering from the surrounding area.
Ejectors of the type used in the prior art have not had the capability of being adjusted for optimum operation of the cold air generation system and then being pre-set in optimum setting.
In case a new reading is required, necessitating raising the temperature in the sampling chamber, the prior art has utilized purge or blow down valves to clear the sample chamber or has cut off air controlled by the input to the sample chamber with relatively large valves in order to allow the sample chamber to become warmer.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel surgical stapling instrument, particularly useful in intralumenal anastomosis and characterized in affording semi-disposable properties. This invention particularly relates to a surgical stapling instrument employed in placing two or more evenly spaced, laterally aligned rows of staples in an internal organ during a surgical procedure.
Such instruments generally comprise two elongate jaw members, respectively affording a staple holder and an aligned anvil for closing the staples. The staple holder is designed to afford at least two rows of spaced staples on either side of a longitudinal opening in the anvil member. A slider assembly including a knife is provided to move longitudinally along the jaw members to eject and close staples while severing the tissue by passage of the knife through the longitudinal opening in the anvil member.
It is noted at the outset that the prior art sometimes uses the term "pusher bar" to describe what is herein referred to as the "slider assembly." We further note that the term "pusher bar" is herein used to describe a component of the disclosed invention that is distinctive from the "slider assembly."
2. Description of Related Art
In earlier prior art instruments, the staple holders, associated anvil members, and slider and knife assemblies have typically been constructed of disposable plastic materials and low-cost metals. Frame members of the instruments have been made of more durable materials suitable for sterilizing so that the instruments could be available for repeated use. By way of example, one instrument of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,499,591, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
More recent prior art instruments have been designed to be wholly disposable. This eliminates the need for repeated sterilization and insures that the instrument is ready for use without concern for necessary preparatory steps. Inasmuch as the instrument is to be discarded after one surgical operation, its design typically employs readily available, low-cost materials of construction to achieve an economically attractive result.
In such stapling instruments, large forces are generated when the tissue is clamped between the jaws, the staples are made to pass through the tissue, and the staples are closed in contact with aligned depressions in the anvil. These forces are of such a magnitude as to typically cause vertical separation and lateral distortion of the jaws and thus affect correct staple closure. Such forces become a primary concern when lighter materials are used, as, for example, in the design of the disposable instrument.
Earlier prior art instruments were designed to provide that the knife blade was an integral part of the sterilizable instrument so that the knife blade was resused when the unit was reloaded with staples for future use. With time, the knife blade became dulled by the repeated stapling procedures so that cuts were no longer as clean as with an unused blade.
More recent prior art, providing fully disposable surgical staplers, as suggested by U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,695, does not provide for replacement of the staple holder. Accordingly, the instrument must be abandoned after one firing process even though the operative surgical procedure may call for more staples or for more than one stapling operation. The need for a second instrument in a single patient's operation leads to more expensive procedures.
Further, support shoes which are carried by the slider and knife assemblies to provide vertical and lateral support to the jaws regularly encounter friction forces that make pushing difficult and do not permit the smooth, sliding action helpful to successful stapling procedure.
Recent prior art instrument designs generally require the use of a knife blade because the support shoes are connected to a plate member which passes through the tissue and thus must follow behind the knife blade. The support shoes in these prior art instruments restrain the jaws from vertical separation and lateral distortion.
In the prior art, the slider assembly (sometimes referred to as the "pusher bar" in the prior art) is designed to provide a thumb tab projecting laterally outward from between the upper and lower frame members on only one side of the instrument so that the propulsion of the pusher bar is effected by one hand laterally displaced from the longitudinal movement of the pusher bar. This action may place disorienting strains on the normal movement of the slider assembly and the instrument and may also affect the placement of the staples in the tissue.
There remains a need for an improved surgical stapler instrument, employing economic materials of construction, which can provide for the affording of sufficient staples to complete a patient's surgical operation, for the minimization of forces tending to hinder proper operation of the instrument, and for more convenient manipulation during the surgical operation procedure. Additionally, there remains a need for making the inclusion of a knife unit optional, as a matter of economy where one is not needed.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD), and more particularly, to a response time accelerator system and method for driving a liquid crystal display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Current LCD technologies have problems associated with liquid crystal response time. Thus, because the response time of the liquid crystal forming pixels in an LCD panel is relatively slow, a user sees an after image, when a TV displays a large number of moving images.
Each liquid crystal cell within an LCD panel allows light to pass through or blocks the light when an applied bias voltage rotates a lattice. Usually, liquid crystals cannot respond in real-time to data changes since the time required to respond to the bias voltage is on the order of tens of milliseconds and bias voltage applied across the crystal varies from frame to frame (1/75 seconds at SXGA resolution). For example, if the bias voltage applied across the liquid crystal within an LCD panel is set to a gray level of 255 for 8-bit image data, the brightness level after the actual response of the liquid crystal is less than 255, which causes vertical stripe patterns to generate an after image. The liquid crystal response characteristics is aggravated as the frame period decreases due to increased resolution.
The most commonly used method for preventing liquid crystal panel after image retention due to a slow response is to appropriately preprocess image data prior to processing it in a source driver for driving a liquid crystal panel. To implement this technique, a response time accelerator (RTA) has been adopted. However, the RTA has many problems.
In order for the liquid crystal to keep up with current frame data, the RTA basically compares a previous frame data with the current frame data, interpolates the two frame data and finds a new current frame data with respect to which a response time can be accelerated according to the result of the comparison. The current data input to the RTA in real time is compared with the previous frame data stored in a memory such as SDRAM outside the RTA.
A method for accelerating a response time applied to a conventional RTA involves storing four to six most significant bits (MSB's) of RGB (Red, Green, Blue) data as frame data in an external memory such as SDRAM. However, when storing only the MSBs (e.g., n MSBs) in an external memory such as SDRAM as frame data, a pixel data truncation error (PDTE) occurs. If only the MSBs are used as previous frame data Pn−1, the number of gray level levels that can be compared between the previous frame data Pn−1 and current frame data Pn is (2n×2n) where n bits Pn−1[7:8−n] of previous frame data Pn−1 and n bits Pn[7:8−n] of current frame data Pn are used. This causes an error to occur. That is, a quantization error occurs because the number of gray levels available for comparison is reduced to (2n×2n) from “256×256”, which is the number of gray levels available when 8-bit data is entirely used for each frame data. Here, the term “quantization error” is given because the error occurs sporadically due to unused 8-n LSBs.
For example, assuming a value derived by shifting n bits Pn[7:8-n] of the current frame data Pn to the right by 8-n bit positions is K (e.g., Pn[3:0] if n=4), the quantization error occurs when outputting an overshoot value exceeding or an undershoot value below the current frame data to the panel at gray level K*2(8−N). Eventually, since the quantization error occurs periodically at gray level produced by multiplying 2(8−N) by the value derived by shifting current frame data for each gray level by 8-n bit positions, noise is generated at regular intervals in vertical stripes to be displayed on a liquid crystal panel. The above description, as previously mentioned, is under the assumption that the LCD uses 8-bit RGB data for each pixel making it possible to display 256 gray levels.
Here, the new current frame data found by interpolation of the previous frame data Pn−1 and the current frame data Pn is usually stored in a table memory within an RTA. The tabular values stored in the built-in table memory for interpolation, defining overshoot exceeding or undershoot below the current frame data, are experimentally determined based on the liquid crystal characteristics of a panel. For example, given the fact that the response time of liquid crystal in the panel is relatively slow, if the current frame data is greater than the previous frame data, the new current frame data is assigned a tabular value greater than actual data, which is then output to the panel. Similarly, if the current frame data is less than the previous frame data, the current frame data is assigned a tabular value less than the actual data, which is then output to the panel.
Another drawback of the method for accelerating a response time implemented using a conventional RTA is that it limits the amount of overshoot and undershoot for each output data to a gray level range from 0 to 255 since the number of bits of RGB image data is limited to 8. Therefore, if the current frame data Pn has an extremely large value (around a gray level of 255) or an extremely small value (around a gray level of 0), the output data does not have sufficient amount of overshoot or undershoot. For example, if the current frame data Pn has a maximum gray level of 255, it is impossible to give an overshoot greater than the current frame data Pn to the output data since the overshoot is limited to the maximum gray level of 255. Thus, if data output from the panel is at a gray level of 255, the liquid crystal panel will return a value less than 255 in response. Such an overshoot or undershoot limitation makes it difficult to improve a response time.


The UWB-RF channel has recently become available in the USA (e.g., in the frequency range 3.1 GHz-10.6 GHz allocated for indoor as well as outdoor use). European and Japanese authorities are preparing similar rules to enable commercial marketing and use of UWB-RF devices.
Short-range wireless technologies in the wireless local area network (WLAN) space as well as the wireless personal and body area network spaces (WPAN/WBAN) continue to proliferate rapidly. In particular, wireless links based on infrared (IR or Ir) light emission have experienced an enormous growth in the recent past owing to ease of use and low cost. The Infrared Data Association (IrDA) has projected a total shipment of 1.3 Billion units by the year 2003, with over 250 Million IrDA devices installed in mobile phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs). This high adoption rate reflects the presence of a large number of IrDA applications in the marketplace and a sizable investment by the industry and users alike. On the other hand, radio-based short-range wireless devices such as Bluetooth™ (Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc.) are also deployed at a rapid pace, thereby reducing the relative size of the IrDA-based market segment rather quickly. This will influence the IR-based industry which is looking for alternate ways to leverage their investments and continue their business.
Two dominant technologies in the short-range wireless space—Bluetooth and IrDA —were specifically designed for replacing short-range wired communication links. Bluetooth is based on an RF technology offering less than 1 Mb/s of user data rate and IrDA offers a number of data rates, e.g., SIR (115 Kb/s), FIR (4 Mb/s), and VFIR (16 Mb/s). IrDA uses optical-IR transmission which requires line of sight (LOS) between transmitter and receiver. IrDA and Bluetooth technologies are also used for consumer-based applications within the single office/home office (SOHO) environment. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses with respect to link range, data rates, required regulation and costs.
While some of these technologies' intended uses and applications overlap, each of the two systems offer all of the hardware and software layers that constitute a set of communication protocols. IrDA is an established and well proven point-to-point, narrow-angle, data-transmission standard that operates at bit rates between 9600 b/s and 16 Mb/s over distances of 0-1 m (mostly 20 cm). It has a wide range of supported hardware and software platforms and is well introduced in the market place. Though IrDA's benefits seem to abound, the technology has its disadvantages. For many applications, its limited range and pointing angle is rather inconvenient and its optical signals fail to penetrate walls or propagate around obstructions (IrDA was not designed to rely on diffused optical signal propagation). Additionally, IrDA devices must be nearly stationary to achieve synchronization with other IrDA devices (narrow optical beam). Where IrDA fails to be user friendly, radio-based systems offer advantages, such as non-line-of-sight (NLOS) transmission through walls and other obstructions. However, many RF-based systems, such as Bluetooth, are regulated differently in various countries worldwide and thus suffer non-trivial insertion into the markets.
The two main markets for short-range wireless devices are the portable and desktop computing and handheld markets. Due to architectural and range constraints, the level of adoption of IrDA in the desktop space has been relatively low. Current desktop designs in the marketplace are more appropriate for placing the desktop in a cabinet or on the floor. However, such a usage scenario is not favorable for point-and-shoot optical link applications as offered by IrDA.
The disadvantages of optical-IR communication links and the investments from the manufacturers and the user community in IrDA-based technology and applications could both be leveraged and maintained into the future by replacing or enhancing the optical transceiver of the IrDA system (i.e., part of the PHY layer) with a suitable radio-based transceiver.
Given the recent introduction of a license-free spectrum band between 3.1 GHz and 10.6 GHz (USA/FCC) for UWB radio devices, a new and inherently compatible radio technology has become available to design and implement such radio-based systems. As a result, the many applications and protocol stacks, including medium access control protocols, originally conceived for wireless optical links should be useable on the UWB radio channel.
It would be advantageous if the two types of communication systems could be brought together to make use of the wireless optical system and the radio channel. Owing to the different transmission media used (optical and radio frequency, respectively) as well as because of legacy considerations, these different wireless communication systems have traditionally also been designed with different medium access control (MAC) mechanisms; in addition, their positioning in the market place have been different in general, although their applications do overlap in certain areas (e.g., PDA data base synchronization with PC data base).


The present disclosure relates generally to product packages, and relates more particularly to packages that include a tamper-evidence feature.
When they purchase a product from a retailer, consumers like to know that the package containing the product has not previously been opened. This is particularly true with certain types of products such as foods or other products used in or on one's body. Accordingly, it is common for product packaging to include some kind of tamper-evidence device that is supposed to indicate in a readily visible manner whether or not the package has been opened. Various types of tamper-evidence devices have been developed, such as shrink bands, pressure sensitive adhesive tabs that tear through upon opening, laser scored areas that propagate a tear in the packaging material, and devices based on delamination of inks and coextruded films.
There remains a need for a tamper-evident package having the features of the package disclosed herein.


This invention relates generally to the formation of circuit boards or cards or the like, and more particularly to the formation of circuit boards or cards having 2 signal planes and one power plane (2S/1P) wherein the power plane is sandwiched between two layers of photopatternable dielectric material and on which layers of circuitry for the signal planes is disposed.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a grommet, and more particularly relates to a grommet that is mounted on a wire harness to be arranged in a motor vehicle and is attached to a burred through-hole in a vehicle body panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
A wire harness that extends from an outer compartment of a motor vehicle, such as an engine compartment, to an inner compartment, such as a driver's compartment, passes through a through hole in a vehicle body panel that partitions the outer and inner compartments. A grommet is mounted on the wire harness and is attached to the through-hole to effect waterproof, dustproof, and soundproof functions.
The prior art includes various kinds of grommets, including, a one-body grommet made of a rubber or an elastomer, and a two-body grommet that has a grommet main body made of a rubber or an elastomer and a resin inner incorporated with the grommet main body.
JP HEI 9 (1997)-27226 A and FIGS. 6A to 6B herein disclose a two-body grommet that is used when a through-hole in a vehicle body panel is a burred hole. With reference to FIG. 6A, a two-body grommet 100 includes a grommet main body 110 made of a rubber and a resin inner support 120. The grommet main body 110 includes a waterproof sealing portion 111 that contacts a vehicle body panel P. On the other hand, a flange 122 projects from an end of an inner side cylindrical portion 121 of the resin inner support 120 and is inserted into an annular recess 112 in the grommet main body 110. A latch pawl 123 is formed by turning the other end of the inner side cylindrical portion 121 outward. The latch pawl 123 contacts and latches with a burr B projecting from a peripheral edge around a through-hole H in the vehicle body panel P.
An O-ring-like portion 111b is provided on the distal end of the waterproof sealing portion 111 of the grommet main body 110 and has a ball shape in cross section. The ball-like ring portion 111b is pressed onto the vehicle body panel P to effect a waterproof action. JP HEI 9 (1997)-27226 also discloses an example with another O-ring-like waterproof sealing portion 115 inside the waterproof sealing portion 111 (see FIG. 6B) and an example in which a lip-like waterproof sealing portion 116 is provided outside the O-ring-like waterproof sealing portion 115 (see FIG. 6C). These two waterproof sealing portions 115 and 116 project from an outer peripheral wall at the same height from the annular recess 112 and are oblique to the wall.
As shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, the conventional grommet includes two waterproof sealing portions with equal projecting heights H1. One waterproof sealing portion can exert its waterproof function even if the other waterproof sealing portion bites foreign particles and curls up to lose its waterproof function.
As shown in FIG. 7A, a burred hole formed in the vehicle body panel P has a burr B that projects from an inner peripheral edge around the through-hole H in the vehicle body panel P. A height (a) of the burr B is likely to be random, as shown in FIGS. 7B, 7C, and 7D. On the other hand, a height H3 between the latch pawl 123 of the resin inner support 120 and a lip 111r on a distal end of the waterproof sealing portion 111 of the grommet main body 110 are constant.
Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7C, if the projecting height (a) of the burr B is formed into a designed height precisely, the lip 111r of the waterproof sealing portion 111 is pressed onto the vehicle body panel P by a given contact pressure. However, as shown in FIG. 7B, if the height (a) of the burr B is small, the lip 111r of the waterproof portion 111 lightly contacts the vehicle body panel P and is not pressed onto the panel P by the given contact pressure. This may cause a clearance between the lip 111r and the panel P. As shown in FIG. 7D, if the projecting height (a) of the burr B is great, a contact wall 111a of the waterproof sealing portion 111 contacts the vehicle body panel P and the lip 111r does not push the panel P. This will cause a clearance between the lip 111r and the panel P or this will exert less than the given contact pressure between the lip 111r and the panel P.
Accordingly, even if two waterproof sealing portions are provided on the grommet main body, as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C, they cannot reply to the random projecting heights of the burrs, since the projecting heights of the two waterproof sealing portions are same.
In view of the above problems, an object of the invention is to provide a grommet that can provide a high waterproof function at a burred through-hole in a vehicle body panel even if projecting heights of the burrs are random.


The exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) and other aminophospholipids (aminoPL) on the surface of activated or injured blood cells and endothelium is thought to play a key role in the initiation and regulation of blood coagulation. De novo surface exposure of aminophospholipids has also been implicated in the activation of both complement and coagulation systems after tissue injury, and in removal of injured or apoptotic cells by the reticuloendothelial system. Although migration of these phospholipids (PL) from inner-to-outer plasma membrane leaflets is known to be triggered by elevated intracellular [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]) and to be associated with vesicular blebbing of the cell surface, little is known about the cellular constituents that participate in this process.
As described in Ser. No. 08/790,186, cell surface PS has a role in coagulation, programmed cell death and clearance by the reticuloendothelial system. Ser. No. 08/790,186 also describes regulation of the transmembrane distribution of PS, the role of calcium in the collapse of phospholipid asymmetry, and the role PL translocation in Scott Syndrome.
Bassxc3xa9, et al. and Stout, et al. recently reported the purification and preliminary characterization of an integral RBC membrane protein that, when reconstituted in liposomes, mediates a Ca2+-dependent transbilayer movement of PL mimicking plasma membrane PL reorganization evoked upon elevation of [Ca2+]c (F. Bassxc3xa9, et al., J. Biol. Chem. 271:17205-17210, 1996; J. G. Stout, et al., J. Clin. Invest. 99:2232-2238, 1997). Evidence that a protein of similar function must also be present in platelets was recently reported by Comfurius, et al. (P. Comfurius, et al., Biochemistry 35:7631-7634, 1996).
Needed in the art is a method for modulating the activity of phospholipid scramblase within a cell, organ or tissue in which one wishes either to reduce the potential for thrombosis, clot formation, or cell clearance (by decreasing cellular PL scramblase expression or activity) or to promote hemostasis or cell clearance (by increasing cellular PL scramblase expression or activity).
The present invention relates to the creation and use of antithrombotic and thrombostatic reagents that rely on the properties of a protein preparation that mediates Ca2+-dependent transbilayer movement of membrane phospholipids.
In one embodiment, the present invention is a preparation of a plasma membrane phospholipid scramblase (xe2x80x9cPL scramblasexe2x80x9d). Preferably, the protein is approximately 35-37 kD as measured on a 12.5% SDS-polyacrylamide gel under reducing conditions. In a most preferred form of this invention, the preparation is a human or a mouse PL scramblase.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the PL scramblase comprises SEQ ID NO:2, representing human PL scramblase, possibly with conservative or functionally equivalent substitutions.
In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the PL scramblase, preferably comprising SEQ ID NO:2, has been modified by the action of mammalian cellular enzymes to covalently incorporate phosphorous at one or more Thr, Ser, or Tyr residues or a fatty acid, preferably palmitate, at a cysteine residue.
The present invention is also a preparation of a murine cell protein, wherein the protein is a plasma membrane phospholipid scramblase, preferably wherein the protein is approximately 35 kD as measured on a 12.5% SDS-polyacrylamide gel under reducing conditions.
In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the murine PL scramblase comprises SEQ ID NO:4, possibly with conservative or functionally equivalent substitutions.
In the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, the murine PL scramblase comprising SEQ ID NO:4 has been modified by the action of mammalian cellular enzymes to covalently incorporate phosphorous one or more Thr, Ser, or Tyr residues, and a fatty acid, preferably palmitate, at a cysteine residue.
The present invention is also a DNA sequence encoding the PL scramblase. Preferably, this DNA sequence comprises SEQ ID NO:1. Most preferably, this DNA sequence comprises residues 211-1164 of SEQ ID NO:1.
The present invention is also a DNA sequence encoding the murine PL scramblase. Preferably, this DNA sequence comprises SEQ ID NO:3. Most preferably, the DNA sequence comprises residues 192-1112 of SEQ ID NO:3.
In another embodiment, the present invention is a method of preventing the surface exposure of plasma membrane phospholipids and reducing the procoagulant properties of a cell by delivering to the cell a mutant phospholipid scramblase. This scramblase is preferably mutated at a site of post-translational modification, most preferably the site is selected from the group consisting of Asp273-Asp284, Thr161 and Cys297 of human PL scramblase SEQ ID NO:2 or the corresponding conserved residues in mouse or other mammalian PL scramblase.
In one embodiment, a gene construct encoding a mutant phospholipid scramblase is delivered to the cell. In an alternative embodiment, the mutant protein itself is delivered.
The present invention is also an inhibitor of the PL scramblase activity of PL scramblase. This inhibitor may be an antisense nucleotide derived from the DNA sequence of PL scramblase. In another embodiment, the inhibitor is a peptide sequence that is a competitive inhibitor of PL scramblase activity. In another embodiment, the inhibitor is an antibody, preferably a monoclonal antibody, raised against PL scramblase.
In another embodiment, the inhibitor works by modifying or inhibiting the post-translational modifications of the PL scramblase that are disclosed below in the Examples. For example, analysis of the primary PL scramblase sequence reveals a potential site of phosphorylation by protein kinase C or other cellular kinase (Thr161), a potential site for acylation by fatty acid (Cys297), and a potential binding site for Ca2+ ion provided by an EF-hand-like loop spanning residues Asp273-Asp284. These residues and motifs are conserved 25 in the mouse PL scramblase.
In one embodiment, the inhibitor is a compound that prevents thioacylation of the protein.
In another embodiment, a mutant phospholipid scramblase is provided in which cysteine residues, preferably Cys297 of SEQ ID NO:2 (or the equivalent residue in the conserved region of another PL scramblase), have been replaced by alanine or other non-conservative substitution.
The present invention is also a method for preventing the surface exposure of plasma membrane phosphatidylserine, phosphatidylethanolamine and cardiolipin on the surface of in vitro stored leukocytes, lymphocytes, platelets or red blood cells. This method comprises the steps of adding an inhibitor of PL scramblase activity to the stored blood cells.
The present invention is also a method for prolonging survival of transplanted organs comprising the step of adding an inhibitor of PL scramblase activity to an organ perfusate during in vitro organ storage. The present invention is also a method for prolonging the survival of transplanted cells, tissues, and organs by genetically engineering the cells to be transplanted so as to alter their expression of plasma membrane PL scramblase in order to reduce exposure of PS and other thrombogenic phospholipids at the plasma membrane surface, thereby reducing the risk of infarction due to fibrin clot formation.
The present invention is also a method for prolonging the in vivo survival of circulating blood cells (erythrocyte, platelets, lymphocyte, PMN""s, and monocytes) comprising the step of preventing surface exposure of plasma membrane phosphatidylserine on the surface of the cells by exposing the blood cells to an inhibitor of PL scramblase activity.
The present invention is also a method for preventing the procoagulant activities of erythrocytes in sickle cell disease comprising the step of inhibiting erythrocyte PL scramblase in a sickle cell patient.
The present invention is also a method for treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases comprising the step of treating a patient with an inhibitor of the PL scramblase activity of PL scramblase.
The present invention is also a method for diagnosing individuals with reduced or elevated capacity for platelet-promoted or erythrocyte-promoted fibrin clot activity comprising the step of quantifying the cellular expression of PL scramblase. This quantitation may take the form of immunoblotting using an antibody to PL scramblase, an ELISA assay using an antibody to PL scramblase, flow cytometric analysis of the binding of monoclonal antibody reactive against the predicted extracellular domain of PL scramblase (residues Ser310-Tryp318 of sequence disclosed in SEQ ID NO:2 or the equivalent residue in the conserved region of another PL scramblase) or using oligonucleotides derived from PL scramblase cDNA and the polymerase chain reaction. In one method of the present invention, the quantitation is performed by isolating PL scramblase from a patient blood sample, measuring the amount of PL scramblase isolated and comparing the measurement with a control sample. The measurement may be by isolating PL scramblase from a patient blood sample and measuring via densitometry the amount of PL scramblase protein electrophoresed in a stained electrophoretic gel.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a preparation of a PL scramblase.
It is another object of the present invention to genetically alter the level of expression of PL scramblase by delivery of cDNA representing sense or antisense nucleotide sequence ligated into a suitable mammalian expression vector.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an inhibitor of PL scramblase PL scramblase activity.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an antithrombotic agent.
It is another object of the present invention to create cells, tissue, and organs for transplantation that have increased potential for survival and reduced potential for causing fibrin clot formation and vascular thrombosis when grafted into a recipient host.
It is another object of the present invention to create an animal, preferably a mouse or pig, that has been genetically engineered so that the PL scramblase gene is not expressed.
Other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent after one of skill in the art reviews the specification, claims and drawings herein.


This invention relates to a valve mechanism for an internal combustion engine and, more particularly, to an improved cylinder head and valve actuating system for an overhead camshaft internal combustion engine.
It is well recognized that the performance of internal combustion engines can be improved through the use of overhead valves operated by overhead mounted camshafts. When an overhead camshaft arrangement is employed, the cylinder head assembly trends to become much more complicated than with a conventional pushrod operated engine. This is because the cylinder head must, in addition to supporting the valves and the valve springs, provide support for the camshaft and for the actuators for the valves. Frequently, the valves are directly operated and this means that an arrangement must be provided for slidably supporting the thimble tappets that operate the individual valves from the camshaft.
If all of these functions are performed primarily by the cylinder head, then the cylinder head casting becomes extremely complicated. In addition, since it is necessary to machine the bearings for the camshaft provided by the cylinder head, and the bores for slidably supporting the tappets, than machining operations also add significantly to the cost of the cylinder head. Furthermore, there is the problem of assembly of all of components into such a unitary cylinder head assembly, and the problems of accessibility the various fasteners for securing the cylinder head to the cylinder block and the bearing caps to the cylinder head for journaling the camshaft. Of course, the problems mentioned above are complicated when the engine employs twin overhead camshafts.
It has been proposed, therefore, to employ a construction wherein the main cylinder head member itself does not have to perform all of these functions. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,612,885, entitle Camshaft Bearing Arrangement For Overhead Cam Engine, issued Sep. 23, 1986, in the name of Masaaki Yoshikawa, and assigned to the assignee hereof, there is depicted a cylinder head arrangement wherein the main cylinder head assembly only supports the poppet valves for their movement and the return springs for the poppet valves. The camshafts and valve actuating tappets are supported in a separate cam carrier that is affixed to the cylinder head and thus can be machined and cast separately simplifying the aforenoted problems. However, with the arrangement shown in that Patent, the cam carrier forms the outer periphery of the cylinder head and the cam cover must sealingly engage it. In addition, the cam carrier must have a sealing arrangement around its outer periphery with the upper surface of the cylinder head to afford sealing. Hence, substantial addition machining operations are required.
It is, therefore, a principal object of this invention to provide an improved cylinder head assembly for an overhead camshaft internal combustion engine.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved cylinder head assembly for an overhead cam internal combustion engine wherein at least some of the valve actuating tappets and at least one of the camshafts are supported by a separate cam carrier member that is affixed to the cylinder head but in such a way that this cam carrier member need perform no sealing functions for the overall cylinder head assembly.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved and simplified cylinder head assembly for an internal combustion engine having an overhead camshaft wherein machining and assembly operations are considerably simplified.
In addition to the problems already noted, it is also desirable to ensure that the cam actuating tappets and camshafts are well lubricated. When a separate cam carrier member is provided, this can present additional difficulties in insuring that the camshafts are adequately lubricated as are the valve actuating tappets.
It is, therefore, a still further object of this invention to provide an improved cylinder head assembly including an improved arrangement for lubricating camshaft journals thereof.


Polyaspartic acid is a peptide chain in which amide linkages extend the chain. In the thermal polymerization of aspartic acid, the stereochemistry of the aspartic acid is racemized and the formation of both .alpha. and .beta. carboxylic acid groups have the ability to react to form such amide bonds. Such materials have been used for fertilizers and scale inhibition agents. They are particularly useful for the prevention of scale deposition in boiler water, reverse osmosis membranes, detergents and as inhibitors of dental tartar and plaque formation (tartar barrier agents). These materials are ready biodegradable. Methods for the preparation of polyaspartic acid have been developed (See U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,057,597 and 4,839,461 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/882,919, filed May 14, 1992, Louis L. Wood, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/926,242, filed Aug. 7, 1992, Louis L. Wood).
Biodegradability, calcium ion exchange ability and the disruption of calcium salt crystal structure are important properties of materials used in the prevention of scale deposition in boiler water, on reverse osmosis membranes, in detergent use and as inhibitors of dental tartar and plaque formation (tartar barrier agents). We searched for economically useful materials, having a greater retention on the object wherein inhibition of scale deposition is desired. Other desirable properties were greater stability to biodegradation in addition to intrinsic value for the prevention of scale deposition in boiler water, on reverse osmosis membranes, during detergent use and as inhibitors of dental tartar and plaque formation (tartar barrier agents). We have found that the addition of polycarboxylic acids in the thermal polymerization of maleic acid or aspartic acid produced novel and highly effective copolymers which possessed these properties.


Swimming boards and swimming aids are known, e.g. from DE-PS 593 763, DE 43 33 941 A1, DE-GM 1 770 532 as well as the prospectus of the company, Volley Sportartikel GmbH, Ispo 1989, pages 18 to 20. DE-PS 593 763 discloses an auxiliary device for teaching oneself to swim, wherein a shaped board comprises, at the rear end, a semicircular recess for supporting the chin of the swimmer as well as, on its top surface, at least two handles which are provided at arm's length distance in forward direction on the top surface of the board.
DE-GM 17 70 532 discloses a swimming board, which comprises a substantial body having at least two handles and a cutout for the head or chin of the swimmer. The swimming board is used as a simple aid for learning to swim, for lifesaving as well as an aid for rescuing shipwrecked persons.
DE 43 33 341 A1 discloses a swimming aid comprising buoyancy elements, which in numerous variants are connected to a carrier element. The swimming aid is fastened by a belt to the waist region of the swimmer.
Said previously known swimming boards, aids for learning to swim and rescue aids are usable only for their, in each case, very narrowly defined intended application.
Swimming systems are likewise known, particularly in the form of a two-part training aid for swimmers, which comprises a flat basic element and a resistance element insertable vertically into the latter.
The flat basic element is substantially rectangular with a trapezoidal moulding provided in the top region. The corners are in each case rounded-off. In the upper trapezoidal projection, an elongate rectangular slot is provided. In the lower region of the flat basic element, round openings are provided at a distance from the outside edge of the basic element. On the one hand, feet may be inserted through said round openings. On the other hand, however, the front portions of the hand may engage therein, with the balls of the thumbs being held firmly against the outside edge of the flat basic element. The flat resistance element has a middle region, which fits exactly into the elongate rectangular slot of the flat basic element. Outside of said middle region, the resistance element protrudes at the one side. In so doing, it forms a substantially rectangular region with rounded corners and two round openings arranged symmetrically relative to one another in the surface of said region. The other sub-region of the resistance element adjacent to the region engaging into the flat slot is provided in an inward direction with recesses, the dimensions of which are such that there is room inside for the ankles. The recess is delimited at the outer side of the resistance element by elongate end regions projecting in a hammer-like manner and describing a curve with a flat edge. The resistance element when inserted into the slot inside the basic element creates a water resistance, wherein said resistance element on account of the water flowing against it may execute a tilting motion inside the rectangular slot.
Such swimming systems, while being already somewhat more versatile than the swimming aids initially discussed at the start, are however still usable only in a very restricted and limited manner.
The object of the invention is to provide a swimming and/or gymnastics system according to the preamble of claim 1, which may be grasped and held fast very well by the hands, involves only a low expenditure of material and is usable in an extremely versatile manner for swimming exercises and gymnastics exercises in water but also on land.


1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method for extracting the LCR (inductance, capacitance, and resistance) values of connecting line(s) in semiconductor integrated circuit (hereinafter LSI) design processes and to an LCR extraction program for causing a computer to execute that method, and particularly to a method and program capable of extracting highly precise LCR values of connecting line(s), taking into consideration the fluctuations in pattern width associated with the finer miniaturization of layout patterns.
2. Description of the Related Art
LSI design processes are ordinarily performed on computer CAD. An LSI design process has a logic design process for connecting logic gates to design a logic circuit, a layout design process for laying out that logic circuit on an actual chip, a process for extracting LCR (inductance, capacitance, and resistance) values of laid out connecting lines and determining the delay time for signal paths from the extracted LCR and the AC characteristics of cells and macros, a logic simulation process for checking whether the logic circuit will operate normally using that delay time, and a physical verification process for checking that the layout data satisfies the design rule.
Based on t he layout design, layout data, including wiring pattern data for each layer on the chip, are produced. Based on these layout data, the connecting line LCR values are extracted. The LCR extraction process, delay time computation process, and logic simulation process are generally provided in one program module.
In the LCR extraction process described above, the connecting line resistance R, capacitance C, and inductance L are extracted, either by arithmetic computation or by referencing a parameter table, according to the width of the wiring, the distances to adjacent wiring, and the overlapping area contained in the layout data.
In conjunction with the finer miniaturization of patterns in recent years and due to the influence of manufacturing processes, the actually formed pattern width sometimes differs from the pattern width in the layout data. One manufacturing process thought to affect the pattern width is the connecting line etching process. In processes such as reactive ion etching (RIE), wherein a reaction gas is introduced in a high vacuum atmosphere, a plasma state is induced by applying a high frequency voltage, and a wiring layer of aluminum or the like is etched, a phenomenon is observed whereby the pattern width fluctuates, becoming thinner or thicker, in conjunction with finer pattern miniaturization.
In conjunction with this pattern width fluctuation phenomenon, with a conventional method for extracting LCR values from the layout data, problems are encountered in that accurate LCR values cannot be extracted, the precision of the signal propagation delay time on signal paths determined by the extracted LCR values is low, and suitable logic simulation cannot be effected.
Thereupon, an object of the present invention is to provide both a new method wherewith it is possible to extract LCR values of connecting lines and the like, taking pattern width fluctuation into consideration, and a computer program for implementing that method.
Another object of the present invention is to provide both a method wherewith accurate LCR value extraction can be performed, even when the LSI design rule has been made even finer, and a computer program for implementing that method.
In order to attain the objects noted above, in one aspect of the present invention, an LCR extraction method for extracting LCR values containing at least one of resistance, capacitance, and inductance, from layout data at least having wiring pattern data in a plurality of wiring layers, has the steps of:
generating the LCR values, for a wiring pattern being looked at, based on the layout data for the wiring pattern being looked at;
finding the pattern congestion level in an area where the wiring pattern being looked at exists, based on the layout data; and
correcting the LCR values when the pattern congestion level is higher (more congested) than a prescribed reference value, based on pattern fluctuation values depending on the pattern interval between the wiring pattern being looked at and an adjacent pattern.
Pattern width fluctuations occur in manufacturing processes in conjunction with the finer miniaturization of layout data, wherefore the precision of extracted LCR values can be enhanced by subjecting the LCR values found from layout data to corrections corresponding to those pattern width fluctuations. Accordingly, signal path propagation delay times can be found more accurately using those corrected LCR values, and suitable logic simulations can be performed.


The present application relates to devices for removing, capturing and rendering harmless bio-contaminants from air streams.
Filters have long been used to remove contaminants in air handling systems. There have also been attempts to use ultra violet or UV lamps to destroy bacteria on a variety of surfaces, including filter surfaces. There is a long felt but unmet need for an effective purification unit that combines the bacteria destroying affects of UV radiation with effective purification by filtering in a more efficient and effective manner and simultaneously killing bacteria in the air stream and on the filtering medium.
The present invention provides a unique, simple combination filter and ultra-violet lamp assembly that includes a high purification filter and high power UV radiation lamp in a single replaceable and disposable unit capable of being easily installed into an existing air handling system, designed into a new air handing unit or for use in a stand alone room air purifier. The invention includes a tubular filter medium, preferably a pleated HEPA or ULPA filter mounted by opposing supporting end plates with one plate adapted for mounting a UV lamp and fixture in air sealed relationship to the filter medium such that the lamp is inside and surrounded by the filter medium and the power connecting portion of the fixture is outside the supporting end plate. The other supporting end plate has an air ingress opening therethrough.
According to one embodiment, a self contained air purification unit is provided for replaceably mounting the filter and lamp assembly within an air handling system. The unit includes a housing having at least one removable wall for access to the filter and lamp assembly for installation and removal of the assembly. The housing is constructed to channel air flow through the housing for passage into the filter and lamp assembly and out through the filter medium. According to one aspect of the invention, a fan and motor assembly is mounted within the housing to draw air through the filter and in another the fan and motor assembly is mounted within the housing to push air through the filter.


Modern operating system kernels provide a mechanism called “asynchronous input/output (I/O)” where an execution thread submits an I/O request and then continues its execution while the I/O is performed in the background. Eventually the submitting thread (or perhaps another thread) checks or waits for the I/O to complete, and continues processing with the result of the operation. This mechanism avoids the inherent delays accompanying I/O requests that are serviced by long-latency devices, such as rotating disks and block storage devices. Typically such devices are mechanical in nature and must physically move to seek a track to read or write, which is orders of magnitude slower than the switching of electric current done by a processor in instruction-processing cycles.
If the storage system is simple (e.g., a block storage device) asynchronous I/O is simple to implement. However, if the storage system is complex (e.g., a file system), where a single I/O request from a thread translates to multiple interdependent requests to the device, implementation of asynchronous I/O becomes more difficult.
Currently, there are multiple ways to implement asynchronous I/O. One technique involves a state machine, where the kernel constructs a structure to track the state of the request, and submits the first of a series of I/O requests to the device. Each time a request completes, the kernel updates the structure and submits the next request. Eventually processing completes and the kernel signals the completion to the requesting thread. The drawback of this approach is that it is complicated to implement and hard to maintain.
Another technique involves passing the request to another thread, known as a helper thread. The requesting thread can then continue processing, while the helper thread processes the I/O request synchronously in the background. When the helper thread completes, it signals the requesting thread so that the requesting thread can then complete the I/O. While simple to implement, this approach incurs additional context switches, even in the case where the I/O could, in fact, be submitted immediately due to the needed data already being cached. These drawbacks reduce, and perhaps even nullify, the performance advantage gained by implementing asynchronous I/O in the first place.
Yet another technique involves running the process, submitting the first interdependent I/O in the series, and returning without waiting for the request to complete. When the I/O completes, the request is restarted from the beginning, so that the contents of the first I/O request are in the cache. Then, the thread proceeds to the second interdependent I/O in the series, submits the request, returns, and restarts from beginning when I/O completes, and so on. This approach avoids context switches, but is complex and requires extra work when restarting the process.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an abnormality determination apparatus for an internal combustion engine, and particularly to a technique of determining that a passage for allowing exhaust gas discharged from a cylinder to be returned to the cylinder has been clogged.
2. Description of the Background Art
An internal combustion engine provided with an EGR (Engine Gas Recirculation) system is known. With the EGR system, pumping loss and unburned gas can be reduced by means of an external EGR for allowing exhaust gas discharged from a cylinder to an exhaust passage to be recirculated to an intake passage.
The amount of exhaust gas recirculated by the EGR system from the exhaust passage to the intake passage is regulated by an EGR valve provided on an EGR gas passage. When the EGR valve opens, recirculation from the exhaust passage to the intake passage is performed. When the EGR valve closes, recirculation from the exhaust passage to the intake passage is stopped.
When exhaust gas is recirculated into the cylinder, the combustion temperature within the cylinder decreases. Consequently, knocking hardly occurs. Since knocking hardly occurs, the need to retard ignition timing decreases. Thus, with recirculation of exhaust gas into the cylinder, ignition timing is advanced.
At this time, for example, if a passage provided for any of a plurality of cylinders for allowing exhaust gas to be returned into the cylinder is clogged, the advancement of ignition timing could be accompanied by occurrence of knocking. If the ignition timing is retarded in order to reduce knocking, a combustion state could be degraded in cylinders to which exhaust gas is recirculated normally. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the cylinder for which the passage for allowing exhaust gas to be returned into the cylinder is clogged, and to take appropriate measures.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-25059 discloses, in paragraph 34 for example, that when an intake pressure sensor detects a decrease of the intake pressure below a target pressure, and a knock sensor detects occurrence of knocking at any particular cylinder, ignition timing of the particular cylinder is retarded by a spark plug without changing an opening position of an EGR valve.
However, the intake pressure may decrease and knocking may occur even if a passage for allowing exhaust gas to be returned into the cylinder is not clogged. Therefore, with the method described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2010-25059, there could be a case where clogging of a passage for allowing exhaust gas to be returned into a cylinder is erroneously detected.


1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a drive control technique for an optical modulator used in optical communication. In particular, the invention relates to a drive control apparatus and drive control method, which can stably control the drive of an optical modulator used in ultra high speed optical transmission and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in optical transmission systems, with the progress of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology and higher transmission speed per wavelength, systems enabling of large capacity optical transmission are being realized. Also, for the modulation code form for transmission used in such systems, in order to enlarge the transmission capacity and transmission distance, forms such as optical duo binary code and carrier suppressed RZ (CS-RZ) code have been proposed, instead of conventional NRZ (non return to zero) code or RZ (return to zero) code (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-119344). In particular, the CS-RZ code is said to be the most promising modulation code form for the next generation, since it enables enlargement of transmission distance and transmission capacity by a simple method.
Also, in optical modulation for ultra high speed transmission, in order to suppress wavelength fluctuations (chirping) during modulation, an external modulation method has been used, for allowing a semiconductor laser to continuously emit light, to switch the light on and off by an external modulator. For the external modulator, a Mach-Zehnder optical modulator (to be referred to as MZ modulator hereunder) is prevailing.
FIG. 31 shows an example of optical output characteristics of an MZ optical modulator with respect to a drive signal. In the conventional NRZ modulation method, on/off modulation of the optical output is performed by matching a high level and a low level of a drive signal, whose level fluctuates at a period T0, with an apex A of optical emission and an apex B of optical extinction in the optical output characteristics. In the following explanation, a difference of bias voltages corresponding to the apexes A and B of emission/extinction in the optical output characteristics which fluctuate periodically is represented by Vπ. According to this, an amplitude of the drive signal in the NRZ modulation method described above becomes Vπ.
For the MZ optical modulator as described above, the advantage is less chirping. However, there is a problem in that the optical output characteristics with respect to the drive signal drift timewise due to temperature change and a change with time, resulting in that interference between the codes occurs in the on/off level of the optical output. In order to solve this problem to stably control an operating point of the MZ optical modulator, a control at the operating point is necessary, such that, as shown in FIG. 31, in the case where a curve “a” showing the optical output characteristics with respect to the drive voltage moves to the left to become a curve “b”, a bias voltage by the drive signal is made lower according to the such a change, and in the case where the curve “a” moves to the right to become a curve “c”, the bias voltage is made higher according to such a change. In the conventional modulation method using the NRZ code or the RZ code, a compensation technique has been proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-251815, for superimposing a low frequency signal onto the drive signal to detect an fluctuation amount and a fluctuation direction of the operating point, and then controlling the bias voltage by feedback to hold the operating point normal.
Under the background as described above, also for the new modulation methods such as the optical duo binary modulation method and the CS-RZ modulation method and the like, an operating point control technique for the MZ optical modulator which can correspond to these modulation methods is required.
As an operating point control technique for an MZ optical modulator corresponding to the CS-RZ modulation method, there is the one disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-119344. In this conventional technique, as shown in FIG. 32, a transmission section of the CS-RZ modulation method comprises: a transmission light source 110 that generates continuous light; an MZ optical modulator 120 on a data modulation side, that is driven in accordance with a drive signal obtained by adjusting, by a drive circuit 121, a data signal corresponding to the NRZ modulation method so that the amplitude thereof becomes Vπ, and an MZ optical modulator 130 on a clock modulation side, that is driven in accordance with a drive signal obtained by adjusting, by a drive circuit 131, a clock signal having a frequency of ½ the bit rate of the data signal so that the amplitude thereof becomes 2Vπ.
In such a transmission section of the CS-RZ modulation method, by adjusting a crossing point in an output from the optical modulator 120 on the data modulation side, to an optical extinction phase of the optical modulator 130 on the clock modulation side, an optical signal having the same waveform as for when the RZ code is used is output as an optical output. Therefore, for the optical modulator 120 on the data modulation side, since the drive signal of the NRZ code form with amplitude Vπ is used in the same manner as for the aforementioned case shown in FIG. 31, the operating point can be optimized by applying the conventional operating point control method. On the other hand, for the optical modulator 130 on the clock modulation side, for example as shown in FIG. 33, since the waveform of the drive signal is a sine wave with amplitude 2Vπ, it becomes necessary to control the operating point so that the amplitude of the drive signal at the time of optical extinction becomes zero.
In addition, for the operating point control method of the MZ optical modulator corresponding to the optical duo binary modulation method, the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-162563 is known. In this conventional technique, for example as shown in FIG. 34, different to the case of the modulation method using the NRZ code or the RZ code, a drive signal corresponding to the optical duo binary code, being a differential code with amplitude 2Vπ, is supplied to an MZ optical modulator 210. This drive signal is superimposed with an operating point control signal of low frequency generated by an oscillator 212. A part of the optical output from the MZ optical modulator 210 is branched by an optical coupler 220, and then sent to a phase comparator 223 via an optical receiver 221 and an I/V converter 222. In the phase comparator 223, a phase comparison is performed on the superimposed component contained in the optical output, and the operating point control signal, to thereby detect the fluctuation amount and the fluctuation direction of the operating point. Then, the operating point is optimized by feeding back the result of the phase comparison to a control of a bias supply circuit 225. Furthermore, in the conventional technique described above, for example as shown in FIG. 35, a compensation method has also been proposed, for performing a control such that the frequency of the superimposed component contained in the optical output becomes a maximum, by utilizing the phenomenon where the frequency of the superimposed component becomes twice the frequency of the operating point control signal when the bias voltage coincides with the operating point, to hold the operating point normal.
Considering the control of the operating point of the MZ optical modulator on the clock modulation side in the CS-RZ modulation method by applying the conventional operating point control technique as described above, even if an operating point control signal with a low frequency is superimposed on the clock signal, since the waveform of the clock signal is a sine wave, the optical output from the optical modulator only becomes a “1” level (apex A of optical emission) temporally, and there is no point where a “1” level is continuous for the optical output, as in the case where an operating point control signal is superimposed on a rectangular wave data signal. Therefore, the superimposed component with a low frequency corresponding to the operating point control signal rarely appears in the optical output from the optical modulator. Consequently, in the conventional method of superimposing the operating point control signal, it is difficult to detect the fluctuation amount and the fluctuation direction of the operating point in the MZ optical modulator on the clock modulation side.
Also, in the method which controls the operating point by detecting that the frequency of the superimposed component contained in the output from the optical modulator becomes twice the frequency of the operating point control signal, in the MZ light modulator-on the clock modulation side, since the point where the optical output becomes a maximum is only temporary as described above, the detection signal becomes faint so that it is difficult to determine the frequency of the superimposed component. Moreover, in the conventional method, there is also a problem in that when the amplitude of the drive signal is shifted from 2Vπ, then in the optical output, two bias points exist which generate a superimposed component with twice the frequency of the operating point control signal, and in the case where the operating point is controlled based on either of the bias points as a reference, only output waveforms with deviated duty are obtained, so that normal modulation operation cannot be realized.
Furthermore, in the transmission section of the CS-RZ modulation method as shown in FIG. 32, in order to obtain a desired optical output, an adjustment or a control is required at several points such as the amplitude and the phase between the two drive signals of differential form corresponding to the clock signal, and the phases between the clock signal and the data signal. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in that when providing the additional configurations for the conventional drive control, this invites a higher cost and a larger size for the transmission section.