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1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to a guide device for a trapezoidal window which is movably supported for opening on a body part of a motor vehicle. More particularly, the invention is directed to a guide device wherein an engagement means of the window is movably supported on a side guide rail of the window, the side guide rail being pivotally supported in a pivot bearing so as to pivot on the body part to the outside in a closed position of the window relative to a path of motion of the engagement means. When the window is opened, the side guide rail is matched to the respective position of the engagement means which moves away from the pivot bearing. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, movable or lowerable vehicle windows are opened by movably guiding the respective window on two opposing parallel sides on parallel guides of the vehicle body. For example, when a window such as a rear window that is tapered upward and thus formed to be trapezoidal, its two oblique sides cannot be guided by parallel guides on the sides of the window. Rather, there must be parallel guides within the areas of the trapezoidal sides of the window which then run through a transparent window area, and thus, adversely affect the optical appearance. The area of the trapezoidal sides of the window which is colored for example black toward the respective guide does optically cover the guide, but reduces the size of the transparent area of the rear window. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to devise a guide device for a window of a motor vehicle which provides additional guidance in the displacement for opening and closing the window, even for a window having opposing sides which are not parallel, for example trapezoidal windows. The object is achieved in accordance to the present invention by providing a guide device wherein an engagement means of the window is movably supported on one side guide rail for the window, the guide rail being pivotally supported in a pivot bearing for pivoting on the body part of the motor vehicle such that it is pivoted to the outside in a closed position of the window relative to the path of motion of the engagement means of the opening window, and when the window is opened, the guide rail is matched by pivoting to the respective position of the engagement means which is moving away from the pivot bearing. Thus, the guide rail moves essentially only then into the transparent region of the window and into the window opening within the window frame when the window is being opened. With the window opened the guide rail is almost in parallel to the direction of lengthwise displacement of the window. Windows are defined as motor vehicle parts which can be opened by displacement, such as side and rear windows, and also encompasses sliding window for roofs. Instead of designations such as top edge and bottom edge which are dependent on the installation position of the window or the cover, designations such as the front edge and rear edge or the like are pertinent. Feasibly, there are two pivoting guide rails, especially in a symmetrical arrangement on the opposing sides of the window. But also only one pivoting guide rail can be combined with another guide, for example a parallel guide, in an asymmetrical shape of a window having one straight side, i.e. a side parallel to the displacement direction, and one trapezoidal side. In addition, the guide rail on its end opposite the pivot bearing is guided on the body part. In this way the guide rail has high stability. Supporting the guide rail only in the pivot bearing with the corresponding dimensioning can be sufficient, but higher stability for the window guide can be made available by bilateral support. In a preferred embodiment, the guide rail is pre-loaded into its outer pivot position by a force applying means, such as a spring, when opening the window the engagement means pivoting the guide rail against the force of the tensioning means. The force applied makes the guidance by the guide rail free of play. At the same time higher guidance stiffness is achieved. An alternative to pivoting the guide rail by the moving engagement means, there can be a pivoting drive which moves the guide rail into its pivot position which is matched to the position of the engagement means. The pivoting means is controlled via a control means which undertakes the pivoting motion depending on the respective position of the engagement means, for example, via an electric motor. Preferably, there is a parallel guide means for the window essentially hidden in the body part; it is connected to the lower edge of the window which can be lowered into the body part. In doing so a drive means can be coupled to the window and the latter moved to open and close via the parallel guide means. One such parallel guide means contains two parallel guide ways on which slide elements mounted on the lower edge of the window are movably guided. Feasibly, the guide ways each have an initial section bent toward the window. Thus the window when opening is initially raised from the window seal and when closing is pressed again into the seal. In a comparable manner, the pivoting guide rail can have an initial section which is bent toward the window so that the upper edge of the window can also be raised from the seal when opening from the inside. As previously mentioned, the window can be the window pane of a motor vehicle such as a lowerable rear window as well as the cover of a sliding roof of a motor vehicle. In the following, one embodiment of the invention is detailed with reference to the drawings.

Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when stomach acid enters the esophagus. This reflux of acid into the esophagus occurs naturally in healthy individuals, but also may become a pathological condition in others. Effects from gastroesophageal reflux range from mild to severe. Mild effects include heartburn, a burning sensation experienced behind the breastbone. More severe effects include a variety of complications, such as esophageal erosion, esophageal ulcers, esophageal stricture, abnormal epithelium (e.g., Barrett's esophagus), and/or pulmonary aspiration. These various clinical conditions and changes in tissue structure that result from reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus are referred to generally as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Many mechanisms contribute to prevent gastroesophageal reflux in healthy individuals. One such mechanism is the functioning of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES). With reference to FIG. 1, the LES 2 is a ring of smooth muscle and increased annular thickness existing in approximately the last four centimeters of the esophagus. In its resting state, the LES creates a region of high pressure (approximately 15-30 mm Hg above intragastric pressure) at the opening of the esophagus 3 into the stomach 7. This pressure essentially closes the esophagus 3 so that contents of the stomach cannot pass back into the esophagus 3. The LES 2 opens in response to swallowing and peristaltic motion in the esophagus, allowing food to pass into the stomach. After opening, however, a properly functioning LES 2 should return to the resting, or closed state. Transient relaxations of the LES 2 do occur in healthy individuals, typically resulting in occasional bouts of heartburn. The physical interaction occurring between the gastric fundus 5 and the esophagus 3 also prevents gastroesophageal reflux. The gastric fundus 5 is a lobe of the stomach situated at the top of the stomach 7 distal to the esophagus 3. In asymptomatic individuals, the fundus 5 presses against the opening of the esophagus 3 when the stomach 7 is full of food and/or gas. This effectively closes off the esophageal opening to the stomach 7 and helps to prevent acid reflux back into the esophagus 3. More specifically, as the food bolus is immersed in gastric acid, it releases gas which causes the fundus 5 of the stomach 7 to expand and thereby exert pressure on the distal esophagus 3 causing it to collapse. The collapse of the esophagus lumen reduces the space for the stomach acid to splash past the closed esophagus lumen and thereby protect the proximal esophagus from its destructive contact. In individuals with GERD, the LES 2 functions abnormally, either due to an increase in transient LES relaxations, decreased muscle tone of the LES 2 during resting, or an inability of the esophageal tissue to resist injury or repair itself after injury. These conditions often are exacerbated by overeating, intake of caffeine, chocolate or fatty foods, smoking, and/or hiatal hernia. Avoiding these exacerbating mechanisms helps curb the negative side effects associated with GERD, but does not change the underlying disease mechanism. A surgical procedure, known generally as fundoplication, has been developed to prevent acid reflux in patients whose normal LES functioning has been impaired, either as a result of GERD or other adverse effects. This procedure involves bringing the fundus wall 6 into closer proximity of the esophageal wall 4 to help close off the esophageal opening into the stomach 7, as shown in FIG. 2. Traditionally, this procedure has been performed as an open surgery, but also has been performed laparoscopically. As with any surgery, the attendant risks are great. Due to relatively large incisions necessary in the performance of open surgery, relatively large amount of blood is lost, the risk of infection increases, and the potential for post-operative hernias is high. Further, the relatively large incisions necessary in the performance of open surgery require extended recovery times for the incision to heal. A laparoscopic procedure may involve performing laparotomies for trocar ports (penetrations of the abdominal wall), percutaneous endoscopic gastronomies (incisions through the skin into the stomach), and the installation of ports through which, for example, a stapler, an endoscope, and an esophageal manipulator (invagination device) are inserted. Under view of the endoscope, the esophageal manipulator is used to pull the interior of the esophagus 3 into the stomach 7. When the esophagus is in position, with the fundus 5 of the stomach plicated, the stapler is moved into position around the lower end of the esophagus and the plicated fundus is stapled to the esophagus 3. The process may be repeated at different axial and rotary positions until the desired fundoplication is achieved. This procedure is still relatively invasive requiring incisions through the stomach, which has a risk of infection. The location of the incision in the abdominal wall presents a risk of other negative effects, such as sepsis, which can be caused by leakage of septic fluid contained in the stomach.

1. Field Of The Invention This invention relates to integrated circuits and, more particularly to an architecture and device for testing mixed analog and digital VLSI circuits. 2. Description Of The Related Art The advent of Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) chips has enabled system designers to put an entire printed circuit board, and increasingly more electronic circuitry, into one chip. This type of customization began with digital circuits only. Today, however, analog circuits also are offered by ASIC vendors as part of their ASIC libraries. This move to combine analog and digital technology reflects the pressure to integrate electronic functions into real-world applications, such as automobiles, telephones, and other consumer products which typically are analog-based. Previously, such applications were handled by discrete analog circuits which received signals from sensors and then communicated an output signal to separate digital circuitry through analog/digital converters for further processing. For digital circuitry to interface effectively with analog circuitry in present-day applications, the digital and analog circuits must be merged on a single silicon chip. However, combining analog and digital circuitry on a single silicon chip raises unique problems, especially when the circuits are to be tested. For example, the testing philosophies of analog and digital circuits are entirely different. Analog circuits produce continuous signals having various magnitudes, and they are tested not only by sensing the existence of a signal, but its magnitude, as well. On the other hand, digital circuits produce signals which are binary, and they are tested by testing the binary response of a circuit when a given combination of binary signals are applied to the inputs of the circuit. With digital circuits, the exact magnitude of each signal is relatively unimportant, as long as it is within a given set of lower and upper limits. Nonetheless, both testing philosophies must be accommodated when digital and analog circuits are combined on one chip. Testing is further complicated by the fact that gate-to-pin ratios increase as technology advances. Since it is not feasible or practical to bring all of the circuit nodes which should be tested out to the package pins, problems of controllability and observability arise. "Controllability" in this context refers to the ability to apply a test stimulus to a circuit node. "Observability" refers to the ability to observe the circuit's response to a test condition. Since some outputs may not change states in response to a test stimulus, it is desirable to access some intermediate node in the circuit which indicates some kind of response when a test input signal is applied. If this is not possible, the chips may be untestable or, at least, are very difficult to test. The use of analog circuitry in the chip also raises issues of completeness in testing. Since analog signals are continuous and are typically tested by sensing a signal level within the circuit, an analog circuit may have innumerable parameters to be tested. Testing of all parameters either is not possible or is excessive in terms of additional pin requirements and testing time. Consequently, certain parameters, of necessity, are not tested. Another problem with testing mixed analog/digital circuitry arises from circuit interactions. For example, an operational amplifier (op amp) is an unconnected circuit with no feedback or gainsetting (feedforward) resistors when purchased as a standard product. In an ASIC chip, however, an op amp is not an unconnected circuit. It is surrounded by feedback and gainsetting resistors, or switches and capacitors, thus complicating the testing of certain parameters. Testing of the analog circuit also may be interfered with by switching transients caused by digital signals. These switching transients induce interference in the analog circuit. Because of the foregoing considerations, testing methods frequently are implemented in an ad hoc fashion by specialists. Consequently, the testing techniques employed cannot be followed by non-specialists, cannot be automated, may not provide good testability, and do not lend themselves to fault-grading.

Recent advances in micro electromechanical system (“MEMS”) technology has resulted in the successful commercialization of high-performance sensors and actuators in a variety of applications, including motion sensing, wireless communication, energy harvesting, and healthcare. Micro assembly processes are generally employed for producing complex micro sensors and actuators. However, micro assembly processes have notable limitations. For example, the throughput of micro assembly processes is lower than that of batch fabrication approaches. Additionally, the alignment accuracy of micro assembly processes is inferior for the production of high performance capacitive sensors and actuators. Further, it is preferable that objects to be aligned have alignment marks and are observable under a microscope during assembly. However, in many cases, alignment marks cannot be patterned onto the objects because of the microfabrication processed used. Additionally, objects to be aligned are commonly covered by other objects during microfabrication causing the objects to be unobservable during assembly. Jigs are used to align objects that are difficult to see under a microscope. However, the jigs must be accurately aligned with the objects and using conventional alignment tools it can be difficult to achieve high alignment accuracy. Further, the micro assembled devices can have large variances in nominal capacitances across devices, as well as poor uniformity in capacitance values between electrodes in a single device, because of the low reliability of the fabrication processes of the individual components. For example, the inaccurate alignment and low capacitance uniformity negatively impacts the functionality of micro-shell rate-integrating gyroscopes. Micro shell rate-integrating gyroscopes comprise a micro scale shell resonator anchored on a substrate having multiple electrodes for capacitively actuating and sensing the vibrating pattern of the shell resonator. Ideally high-performance micro-shell rate-integrating gyroscopes have (1) perfect leveling of the micro-shell resonator to the substrate; (2) small controllable gaps, for example less than 5 μm, between the micro-shell resonator and the electrodes of the substrate; (3) large controllable gap sizes in other regions, excluding that between the micro-shell resonator and the electrodes of the substrate; and (4) uniform gaps between the micro-shell resonator and all surrounding electrodes. Contemporary microfabrication processes are generally unable to produce device having all of these properties. Thus, there is a continued need for micro assembly processes allowing for the creation of high-performance micro-shell rate-integrating gyroscopes having these features. This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Most silicone coated release liners, which are used with labels and business forms, have a super-calendered kraft base paper. These super-calendered sheets are very dense and prevent the silicone from soaking into the fibers before curing. The densified kraft or coated base papers curl drastically with small changes in temperature or humidity. This causes problems not only in manufacturing, but also when run through laser printers or the like at customer's installations. The calendering process also leaves a very smooth surface so that sometimes frictionizing coatings need to be applied to the liner opposite the silicone coating to aid in printer feeding when forms or labels utilizing the release liner are fed through non-impact printers, such as laser printers. The frictionizing coatings can rub off, contaminating printer parts. While bond papers or non-densified kraft papers are known to have a more open construction more like the face sheets of the labels or business forms formed thereby, which results in less curling, it has been extremely difficult to apply a thin, smooth, continuous layer of silicone to the surface of such papers. Therefore these papers either have not been used or if used have less desirable properties than conventional release liners. One proposal for remedying this problem (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,138) has been to use a hot melt material having wax like properties that penetrates the porous paper substrate to provide a barrier coat so that the silicone can be provided thereover, but this increases the cost of production because it requires another step, and another coating material. According to the present invention a release liner, a business form or label construction utilizing a release liner, and a method of producing business forms or labels using a laser printer or the like, are provided which overcome the problems set forth above. One of the key features of the present invention is to use a substrate of carbonizing bond paper for the release liner, onto which a radiation curable silicone release material is coated. Carbonizing bond paper is the paper that is a carrier for carbon in the manufacture of carbon paper. A typical range of properties of carbonizing bond paper is conventionally recognized as follows: ______________________________________ 16 lb. 20 lb. ______________________________________ Basis Weight (17 .times. 22 - 500) 15.2-16.8 19.0-21.0 (g/m.sup.2) 57.2-63.2 71.4-79.1 Caliper (mils) 2.4-2.8 3.2-3.6 Porosity, Sheffield units 5-45 5-45 (2 1/4" orifice) Opacity, Bausch Lomb (%) 80-89 85-93 Smoothness, Sheffield - FS 110-160 110-160 WS 60-110 60-110 Brightness - FS 75-85 75-85 WS 75-85 75-85 Ink Penetration (Hercules) - FS 10-25 10-25 Wax Pick - FS 12-18 12-18 Ash (%) 15-18 15-32 ______________________________________ FS Felt Side WS Wire Side Carbonizing bond, the base paper, usually is coated paper, ranging in weight from 12 lb. to 20 lb. (17.times.22-500). The pigments used in the base paper coating and/or on the coating serve to increase the opacity of the sheet, which minimizes the show-through of the carbon ink applied on the back of the paper. The coating tends to cover up any pinholes in the base paper so that the carbon ink does not strike through to the front of the paper, and it increases the release and receptivity of the carbon ink. Carbonizing bond paper is distinct from conventional bond paper in that it provides more hold-out, which allows a conventional coater to apply a thin, smooth, continuous layer of silicone release material directly to a face of the carbonizing bond paper. However it does not have the same lack of permeability as super-calendered kraft base paper. Also, carbonizing bond paper has faces which are lo relatively rough, much rougher than the very smooth surfaces of calendered papers, so that there is no necessity for providing a frictionizing coating to facilitate printer feeding. The carbonizing bond paper utilized as the release liner according to the present invention preferably is lightweight, e.g. having a weight between about 35-80 grams per square meter (gsm), preferably about 45-60 gsm. According to one aspect of the present invention a release liner for business form and label constructions having pressure sensitive adhesive is provided. The release liner comprises a substrate of carbonizing bond paper having a weight of between about 35-80 gsm (preferably about 45-60 gsm), and having first and second faces. The radiation curable silicone release material is coated directly on the first face of the substrate. That is no barrier coat is necessary, the carbonizing bond having sufficient porosity to allow some penetration of the silicone, but insufficient porosity (such as standard bond, newspaper, or like uncalendered papers have) to allow deep penetration. Therefore a thin, smooth, continuous layer of silicone release material may be coated directly on the first face. The silicone release material preferably comprises a polymer blend having a coating weight of between about 0.8-2.3 gsm (e.g. between 1.2-1.9 gsm) applied to the first face, and the second face is bare (that is uncoated, no frictionizing coating being necessary to provide printer feeding). The coating may be a substantially continuous coating (that is over substantially the entire area to which it is applied), or it may be pattern coated. One exemplary pattern is a plurality of parallel spaced strips, which are easy to apply with conventional coaters, although spots, dots, diamond-shape, or other patterns also may be provided as long as they allow sufficient release of pressure sensitive adhesive which will contact the silicone release material. The silicone polymer blend may comprise 30-99% base silicone polymer, 0-40% tight release additive, 0-50% easy release additive, 0-69% substantially inert ingredients, and about 1-5% photoinitiator. While both tight and easy release additives may be used, preferably only one or the other is used. For example the silicone polymer blend may comprise or consist essentially of about 85-98% base silicone polymer, about 1-10% tight or easy release additive, and about 1-5% photoinitiator; or the silicone polymer blend may consist essentially of about 95-99% base silicone polymer and 1-5% photoinitiator. A business form or label construction (typically for use in a non-impact printer, such as a laser printer, which generates heat as part of the curing process) also is provided according to the invention. The business form or label comprises a paper face sheet (e.g. conventional bond paper) typically having a weight of between about 65-99 gsm (e.g. about 75-85 gsm) and first and second faces. In one aspect of the invention a pressure sensitive adhesive is applied to the silicone coating on the release liner. The adhesive then transfers to the second face of the face sheet when the face sheet is pressed into engagement with the adhesive layer. The adhesive transfers to the face sheet since it has greater affinity for the face sheet than the silicone coating. In another aspect of the invention a pressure sensitive adhesive coating is applied to the second face of the face sheet, e.g. a hot melt permanent or removable adhesive. The release liner comprises a substrate of carbonizing bond paper having first and second faces and a cured radiation curable silicone polymer blend coated directly on the first face of the substrate, the silicone polymer blend of the release liner engaging the pressure sensitive adhesive. The details of the carbonizing bond and the silicone material may be as set forth above. The invention also contemplates a method of producing business forms or labels using a laser printer. The method comprises the steps of: Providing a business form or label in sheet form comprising: a paper face sheet having a weight of between about 65-99 grams per square meter, and first and second faces; a permanent or removable hot melt pressure sensitive adhesive coating said second face of said face sheet; and a release liner comprising a substrate of carbonizing bond paper having a weight between grams 35-80 grams per square meter, and having first and second faces; and a cured UV curable silicone polymer blend coated directly on said first face of said substrate or on the first face of the release liner; said silicone polymer blend of said release liner engaging said pressure sensitive adhesive. And, passing the sheet through the laser printer to print indicia on the paper face sheet first face, substantially without curl of the business form or label. The providing step may be further practiced by providing the particular silicone polymer blend as set forth above. The release liner, and the business form or label and method utilizing the release liner, according to the present invention will thus be seen to have most of the advantages of the prior art with few of the drawbacks. The release liner according to the present invention is relatively inexpensive, does not require a barrier coat before application of the silicone release material, yet the silicone release material may be readily applied in a thin, smooth continuous layer using conventional equipment, and the release liner face opposite the silicone release material has no need for a frictionizing coating. The release liner is easy to manufacture, not being nearly as susceptible to small changes in temperature or humidity as conventional super-calendered kraft papers coated with silicone which are used as release liners, and when used in laser or like printers have much less a tendency to curl than conventional super-calendered kraft paper release liners. It is the primary object of the present invention to provide an advantageous release liner, and products and methods utilizing the same. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.

The present invention relates to bubble memories, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for dealing with defective data storage loops in such memories. Presently, the most popular architecture for a bubble memory includes a plurality of minor loops for storing bubbles representative of data therein. The bubbles are written into these minor loops and read therefrom in response to control signals applied to the memory. However, due to a variety of reasons a small number of the loops, such as five or ten percent, typically are defective. These defects may be due to flaws in the garnet film in which the bubbles are formed. They may also be due to permalloy defects arising from dust which enters the memory during the photolithographic stage of its fabrication. Defective data storage loops may also result from shorts between adjacent permalloy propagation elements which define the loops. A permalloy short creates a barrier to bubble propagation and renders a loop containing the short inoperable. Permalloy shorts occur randomly and are more of a problem when fabrication tolerances approach the resolution limit of the photolithography. Thus, in order to construct high yield bubble memory chips, it is necessary to provide extra data storage loops on the chip. Then, during final chip testing, the defective loops are determined, and this information is subsequently used to control which loops are actually used to store bubbles. In one prior art solution to the problem, defective loops have been identified to the user by stamping a defective loop map on each of the packages. The user has then encoded this information into a read only memory (ROM). The ROM was then used in conjunction with other control logic to mask out the defective loops during write or read operations. U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,012 discloses a data relocation technique for overcoming the problem of defective minor loops in a bubble memory chip. It provides for coding the information to be stored in the memory by inserting zeros in the data stream so as to avoid the storage of meaningful bits into defective minor loops. A ROM on the chip is used to store positions of the defective minor loops. U.S. Pat. No. 3,909,810 discloses a redundancy bubble memory system designed to operate with a plurality of data chips having a major-minor loop configuration where in some of the minor loops are defective. A plurality of data chips are interconnected to form a shift register and the data chips communicate with a flag chip of similar organization. Data is detected from the flag chip concurrently with the data chips to prevent any faulty loops on the data chips from being read and used for data storage. U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,251 discloses another scheme for dealing with defective minor loops in a bubble memory chip. The first page written into the minor loops, where a page is defined as a common bit position in each of the plurality of minor loops, presents a series of magnetic domains and voids. The domains represent the operable minor loops and the voids represent the defective minor loops. The second page in the minor loops is a series of magnetic domains and voids separated into bytes of information which are representative of the loop numbers of defective minor loops on the chip. The third page in the minor loops is a repetition of the first page of data. Collectively, the three pages comprise the on-chip firmware which provides redundancy information. A microprocessor accesses and compares the redundancy patterns stored in the first three pages of the minor loops before it will read or write from the magnetic memory device. More recently, some bubble memories have included a single extra loop on the chip for storing error map information therein. The user is thus able to read the error map from the memory during system initialization and to store the map in a random access memory (RAM). The RAM is then used in conjunction with control logic to mask out the defective loops during a write or read operation. Published German application No. 2804695 filed by Texas Instruments, Inc. is believed to be representative of this last mentioned approach. For a further discussion of the ROM and RAM approaches to error map storage see pages 35-36 of the book entitled Magnetic-Bubble Memory Technology by Hsu Chang, copyright 1978 and published by Marcel Dekker Inc. All of the foregoing approaches have certain deficiencies. For example, with the ROM approach, each memory system requires unique parts. That is, the ROM in one memory system cannot be used as the ROM in another memory system because the bubble memory chips en each memory system have different defective minor loops. Furthermore, when a bubble memory chip in a memory system goes completely bad, due to aging for example, the replacement of the bubble memory chip also neccessitates the replacement of the ROM. Some of the foregoing approaches require too much redundancy information programming or too much additional circuitry. One problem with the prior art bubble memory chips that provide an on chip error map storage loop is that they include no redundant error map loops. That is, they include only a single error map loop. Therefore, if that loop is defective, due to any of the above described processing problems, the entire chip must be discarded. Thus, the production yield of those bubble memory chips is undesirably low. This last mentioned problem has been overcome by my co-pending U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 3,651 filed Jan. 15, 1979 and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,228,522 and owned by the assignee of the present application. That application discloses a bubble memory including a plurality of minor loops for storing bubbles representative of information data therein, and a pair of minor loops for storing bubbles representative of an error map therein. The error map is selectively written into and read from only one loop of the pair. The other error map loop is redundant. Thus, if one of the error map loops is defective the entire chip need not be discarded since the other non-defective error map loop can then be utilized. Heretofore the best approach for dealing with defective minor loops in a bubble memory chip has been to store the error map in an on chip error map loop. However, such an approach is not without its own shortcomings. One of its main disadvantages is that because the stream of bubbles representing the error map are moving in the on chip error map storage loop during rotations of the drive field there is a potential for data scrambling or data loss. To explain more fully, the error map is typically a stream of bubbles with interspersed no-bubble positions therebetween. The presence or absence of a buble in a given position is thus indicative of whether a particular loop is good or bad. This stream is stored in the error map storage loop and is frequently shorter than the length of that loop. During rotations of the magnetic drive field the error map stream rotates about the error map loop. If the starting and stopping of the rotation of the drive field is not done in precise alignment with reference to the 360.degree. field of rotation, it is possible for magnetic bubbles in the error map to jump between adjacent permalloy propagation elements or collapse after the drive field has stopped rotating. When this happens the logic circuit associated with the bubble memory no longer knows where the error map starts and stops and therefore it cannot read the same. Therefore the logic circuit can no longer distinguish between good and defective minor loops and as a result the information stored in such minor loops is permanently lost. Another problem with the on-chip error map loop approach is that a significannt amount of time is required to read the error map loop. Generally a leader in the form of a predetermined stream of bubble and no-bubble bit positions must be formed at the beginning of the error map. The leader is a code which tells the logic circuit that the error map follows. In order to read the leader and the error map from the storage loop a control conductor must be pulsed once for each bit position in the leader and the error map, one pulse for every revolution of the drive field. Thereafter the leader and the error map must be propagated to the detector and the logic circuit must search for and read the leader before the error map can be read. Thus, storage of the error map in a loop necessitates both serial access and a relatively large number of control conductor pulses. Parallel access to the error map would be preferable from a systems standpoint since it would take less time to access the error map and a single control conductor pulse could be utilized, resulting in less power consumption.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a circuit to reduce ripple current in a first winding by employing a second steering winding magnetically coupled to that first winding. 2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an idealized winding 10 which comprises N.sub.1 turns, an inductance L.sub.c produced by those turns and a leakage inductance of L.sub.L1. The inductance L.sub.L1 is that produced by flux leakage associated with winding 10 and the inductance L.sub.c is the magnetizing inductance produced by the turns N.sub.1 wound on a ferromagnetic core. Leakage inductance L.sub.L1 changes as winding 10 becomes magnetically coupled to other windings. The circuit of FIG. 1 shows winding 10 connected in series with a total inductance L.sub.1 comprising L.sub.ext1 plus L.sub.L1, where L.sub.ext1 is the inductance of an external inductor 12. A voltage V.sub.1 is shown connected across the total inductance L.sub.1 and the N.sub.1 turns of winding 10. A voltage V.sub.L1 appears across L.sub.1 and a voltage V.sub.Lc appears across L.sub.c. The change in current through winding 10 at any given time, di.sub.1 /dt, is referred to as the ripple current. The ripple current di.sub.1 /dt is defined in accordance with Farraday's Law as being equal to the voltage V.sub.1 divided by the total inductance L.sub.1 plus L.sub.c. The ripple current is also equal to V.sub.L1 /L.sub.1 and to (V.sub.1 -V.sub.Lc)/L.sub.1). In many applications, the existence of a ripple current is undesirable and various prior art methods have been employed to reduce ripple current to zero. One such scheme is shown in FIG. 2 which comprises the utilization of a second steering winding 20 of N.sub.2 turns connected in series with a total inductance L.sub.2 across a second voltage V.sub.2. The total inductance L.sub.2 of FIG. 2 comprises the leakage inductance L.sub.L2 of winding 20 and the inductance L.sub.ext2 of any externally connected inductor 22. In FIG. 2 the inductance L.sub.c again represents that produced by the turns N.sub.1 of winding 10 as seen across that first winding 10. According to conventional teachings, the ripple current di.sub.1 /dt found in winding 10 can be reduced to zero if the voltage V.sub.L1 across L.sub.1 can be reduced to zero. Since voltage source V.sub.1 is applied across the series combination of L.sub.1 and L.sub.c, if the coupling of windings 10 and 20 can be made to induce a voltage V.sub.1 across inductance L.sub.c alone, the resultant voltage across L.sub.1 will be zero and the ripple current di.sub.1 /dt will be zero. The prior art achieves this result by choosing the ratio of N.sub.1 to N.sub.2 and the value of L.sub.2 to satisfy the following equation: EQU L.sub.2 =(N.sub.2 /N.sub.1).sup.2 (L.sub.c) ((aN.sub.1 /N.sub.2)-1)(1. When this relationship is achieved, the voltage across L.sub.1 is zero so that the ripple current di.sub.1 /dt is also reduced to zero. When the relationship is not maintained, ripple current di.sub.1 /dt results. If both windings 10 and 20 are excited by the same source, "a" equals 1 and, according to equation (1), either L.sub.2 must be zero or N.sub.1 /N.sub.2 must be greater than 1. As a practical matter, L.sub.2 can never be zero; therefore, N.sub.1 /N.sub.2 must be greater than 1. For a limited range of L.sub.2 and L.sub.c, the ratio N.sub.1 /N.sub.2 can be adjusted to meet the requirements of equation (1). To maximize the opportunities for the adjustment of the ratio N.sub.1 /N.sub.2 to meet equation (1), the geometry of winding 20 may be adjusted to affect the leakage inductance L.sub.L2 or additional external inductance may be added L.sub.ext2 to influence the final value of L.sub.2. Adjustment of the turns ratio may be impractical if there are only a few turns. Although the value of L.sub.1 in such a prior art circuit is theoretically irrelevant to the reduction of the ripple current di.sub.1 /dt, L.sub.1 is conventionally set as close to zero as possible to minimize ac flux core loss due to changing current in the winding of L.sub.1. This prior art technique is particularly effective in environments where the ratio between N.sub.1 and N.sub.2 can be varied sufficiently to permit L.sub.2 to fall within an achievable range. However, the prior art represented by FIG. 2 cannot be utilized when the winding with N.sub.1 turns is magnetically coupled with a third winding with N.sub.3 turns as shown in FIG. 3 to form a transformer 30 having a turns ratio N.sub.1 to N.sub.3. If the technique of FIG. 2 is applied to the circuit of FIG. 3, the additional turns N.sub.2 of winding 20 materially alters the effective operation of transformer 30. Specifically, the technique of FIG. 2 requires the ratio of N.sub.1 /N.sub.2 to be greater than 1, thereby causing the winding 20 to affect the overall operation of transformer 30. It should be noted that in FIG. 3, capacitor 32 is connected in series with winding 20 and any external additional inductance L.sub.ext2. Capacitor 32 in combination with first voltage source V.sub.1 replaces second voltage source V.sub.2. The technique of replacing second voltage source V.sub.2 using a capacitor 32 is known in the prior art.

1. Field of the Invention: This invention relates to a top-loading drum-type washing machine with a housing lid, a detergent container lid and a drum lid, and, more specifically, to such a washing machine which includes a positioning apparatus which puts the drum in the loading position, and in which the housing lid is connected with the positioning apparatus so that the washing drum is automatically put in the loading position when the housing lid is opened. 2. Description of the Prior Art: German Laid Open Patent Appln. No. 26 31 750 describes a top-loading drum-type washing machine of the type described above, in which three different lids must be opened to gain access to the interior of the drum. Because such an opening procedure is a nuisance and a waste of time, there remains a need for any such washing machine which is easier and more convenient to use.

Medical treatment of several illnesses requires continuous drug infusion into various body compartments, such as subcutaneous and intra-venous injections. Diabetes mellitus patients, for example, require the administration of varying amounts of insulin throughout the day to control their blood glucose levels. In recent years, ambulatory portable insulin infusion pumps have emerged as a superior alternative to multiple daily syringe injections of insulin. These pumps, which deliver insulin at a continuous basal rate as well as in bolus volumes, were developed to liberate patients from repeated self-administered injections, and allow them to maintain a near-normal daily routine. Both basal and bolus volumes must be delivered in precise doses, according to individual prescription, since an overdose or under-dose of insulin could be fatal. The 1st generation of portable infusion pumps disclosed “pager-like” devices with a reservoir contained within the device's housing. In such 1st generation devices, a long tube delivers insulin from the pump attached to a patient's belt to a remote insertion site. Both basal and bolus volume deliveries in these “pager-like” devices are controlled via a set of buttons provided on the device. Such devices are disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,771,694, 4,657,486 and 4,498,843. These devices represent a significant improvement over multiple daily injections, but nevertheless, they all suffer from several major drawbacks, among which are the large size and weight of the device. These uncomfortable bulky devices are rejected by the majority of diabetic insulin users, since they disturb regular activities, such as sleeping and swimming. In addition, the delivery tube excludes some optional remote insertion sites, like buttocks, arms and legs. To avoid the consequences of long delivery tube, a 2nd generation of pumps was proposed. As described in the prior art, the 2nd generation systems include a remote controlled skin adherable device with a housing having a bottom surface adapted for contact with the patient's skin, a reservoir disposed within the housing, and an injection needle adapted for communication with the reservoir. These skin adherable devices should be discarded every 2-3 days to avoid irritation and infection. This paradigm was described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,957,895, 6,589,229, 6,740,059, 6,723,072 and 6,485,461. However, these 2nd generation devices also have limitations: they are bulky and expensive. The high selling price is due to the high production and accessory costs. Moreover, such systems are expensive for users since they must be discarded every 2-3 days, including the relatively expensive components, such as the driving mechanism and other electronics. Another major drawback of these 2nd generation skin adherable devices concerns the remote controlled drug administration. The users are totally dependent on the remote control and cannot initiate a bolus delivery if the remote control is not at hand, lost or has malfunctioned (practically, the patient cannot eat). In some 2nd generation devices, a manual bolus button is disclosed, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 6,740,059, assigned to Insulet Corporation. When pressed, the spring loaded button moves a release finger away from a bolus delivery tube, thus enabling the delivery of a fixed amount of fluid from a bolus volume accumulator to the exit port of the device. This system has several drawbacks: 1. Unsafe: a life-threatening, unwanted bolus can be delivered by unintentional pressing of the button. 2. Not tailored to patient needs: a one size accumulator allows one bolus dose per button press. Thus, for example, if the accumulator volume is 0.2 units of insulin, a toddler that needs an average bolus dose of 1 unit has to press the button 5 times; however an adult that requires an average bolus dose of 6 units has to press the button 30 times. If, for example, the accumulator volume is 1 unit, the same adult needs 6 button presses but it limits most kids from using manual bolus delivery. 3. Prolonged manual bolus administration: the user has to wait for the accumulator to be refilled before the next consecutive bolus. For example, if 10 presses are required and the filling time is 0.5 minutes, the bolus administration time is 5 minutes. 4. Enlargement of the device's overall size: the employment of two reservoirs, one for basal delivery and one for bolus delivery, as well as two separate tubes and additional mechanical components (e.g. spring) requires enlargement of the device's overall size. A mechanical bolus button, suffering from the same abovementioned drawbacks, was also disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0162518, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,702,779 assigned to Becton, Dickinson and Company. A 3rd generation skin adherable device was devised to avoid the cost issues of the 2nd generation and to extend patient customization. An example of such a device was described in co-owned/co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/397,115 and International Patent Application No. PCT/IL06/001276, disclosers of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. This 3rd generation device contains a remote control unit and a skin adherable dispensing patch unit (also referred to as “dispensing unit” or “dispensing patch”) that is comprised of two parts: Reusable part—including the driving mechanism, fluid dispensing mechanism, electronics and other relatively expensive components. Disposable part—including inexpensive, disposable components such as reservoir, tube and batteries, and an outlet port. This 3rd generation device/system provides a cost-effective skin adherable infusion device/system and allows diverse usage such as various reservoir sizes, various needle and cannula types, etc. This 3rd generation skin adherable device, similarly to 2nd generation devices, can also be remotely controlled. However, it is desirable that manual initiation of fluid delivery will be possible when the remote control unit is not at hand (or not included), for at least one of basal and bolus drug delivery.

The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an electrochemical system for providing hydrogen. Hydrogen is widely used in a variety of applications, including as a fuel for combustion, a chemical reactant, and in situations where a reducing environment is needed such as for various types of material surface treatments. Hydrogen is produced on an industrial scale by the reformation of natural gas, and the traditional approach for commercial users of hydrogen such as described above whose hydrogen needs do not justify large-scale industrial hydrogen production has been simply to maintain a hydrogen storage system on-site to provide fresh hydrogen for processes such as metal heat treatments. However, effective storage of pure hydrogen can be costly and complex, requiring high pressures and/or low temperatures. On-site hydrogen production through the use of PEM electrolysis cell stacks that separate water into hydrogen and oxygen gas provides an alternative to purchase and storage of hydrogen from commercial producers. However, the electricity costs associated with producing hydrogen through PEM electrolysis can be significant. Additionally, such on-site PEM electrolysis systems must either be sized to handle peak load demands (often necessitating that the system must be over-sized compared to typical demand loads) or a hydrogen storage system is needed to have extra hydrogen available for peak load situations, both of which can significantly drive up the cost and difficulty of providing hydrogen. Accordingly, while existing hydrogen systems are suitable for their intended purposes, the need for improvement remains.

Fungal infections are common to a large number of animal species. Common agents of fungal infections include various species of the genii Candida and Aspergillus, and types thereof, as well as others. While external fungus infections can be relatively minor, systemic fungal infections can give rise to serious medical consequences. The incidence of fungal infections has undergone a significant increase, particularly in humans. This increase is, at least in part, attributable to an ever increasing number of patients having impaired immune systems, both as a result of medical therapy for other conditions, and as a result of diseases such as AIDS which compromise the immune system. Fungal disease, particularly when systemic, can be life threatening to patients having an impaired immune system. A number of prior art pharmaceutical agents have been developed for the treatment of fungal diseases. These materials include compounds such as amphotericin B (AMB), triazoles and flucytosin. AMB is the drug of choice for many systemic fungal infections due to its broad range of activity; however, it is harmful to the kidneys and must be administered intravenously. Many of the triazoles exhibit broad ranging activity and can be administered orally; however, many strains of fungi have become resistant to these materials. Consequently, there is a need for a new group of agents which are effective in eliminating fungus disease, but are of low toxicity to patients. Ideally, these materials should be simple to prepare, stable, and easy to administer. As will be described in further detail hereinbelow, the present invention is directed to a highly effective agent for controlling fungus disease. The material of the present invention is derived from natural carbohydrate materials and is inherently low in toxicity. The material is specifically prepared from complex carbohydrates such as chitin or chitosan. These materials are widely distributed in nature, and are found, for example, in the shells of arthropods, and in the cell walls of fungi. These and other advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the discussion, description and examples which follow.

Various technical and economic factors have led to a desire to increase communication throughput within a given frequency bandwidth. Several techniques have been developed. One approach, for example, utilizes higher order signal modulation formats such as 8 Phase Shift Keying (8PSK) and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) to obtain greater bandwidth efficiency. Such modulation formats maximize the data transmitted in a given bandwidth, resulting in increased bandwidth efficiency. These modulation formats are often characterized by the number of bits per Hertz, e.g., Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) has ½ bit/Hz. Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) has 1 bit/Hz, and 8PSK has 1.5 bits/Hz, and 16 QAM has 2 bits/Hz. For example, for a given bandwidth 16 QAM can communicate 4 times more bits than BPSK. One limitation of higher order modulation is increased stringency on transmitter linearity resulting in transmitter power backoff requirements that reduce signal power for receiver detection and prompt the development of linearizers to allow operation closer to transmitter saturated output levels. Other techniques for maximizing bandwidth efficiency and increasing communication throughput focus on maintaining isolation of independent data, for example, by polarization, geographic location, or frequency sub-band. Polarization techniques utilize orthogonally polarized antennas. Each orthogonal polarization communicates independent data streams to double the throughput. Sufficient isolation afforded by orthogonal polarization allows communication without cochannel interference but imposes stringent antenna design requirements to achieve and maintain orthogonal polarizations. According to geographic or spatial techniques, coverage areas served by antennas are broken into spatially isolated regions. Different spatially isolated antenna regions may re-use the same bandwidth to communicate independent data streams, thus, increasing communication throughput. In this case, stringent requirements on antenna sidelobe levels are necessary to avoid mutual interference. One frequency-based technique is frequency division multiple access, or FDMA. Each individual user in a FDMA scheme is assigned one or more subbands, but sufficient frequency separation between adjacent subbands is required to avoid mutual interference. All of these isolation-based techniques increase data throughput, but impose stringent isolation requirements that are achieved by passive design techniques so that communication to individual users is not degraded, for example, due to co-channel interference (CCI) or other interference. Other techniques for maximizing bandwidth efficiency and increasing communication throughput use adaptive subtraction to allow two users to superimpose data streams onto the same bandwidth resulting in a composite signal. Upon reception of the composite signal containing both data streams, each user adaptively subtracts a time delayed adjusted replica of their respectively transmitted signal to receive the other user's data stream. In this way, the communication throughput is doubled. Commercial embodiments of this technique exist including, for example, AST's DOUBLETALK and ViaSat's PCMA (Paired Carrier Multiple Access). Such techniques allow reuse of the same frequency bandwidth, but are limited in that they require that uplink signals originate and terminate at the same users' locations so that an adaptively subtracted time delay of one user's signal can be used to obtain the other user's signal. Further, the composite signal cannot be broadcast to multiple receiving sites because signal replicas must be available at all users' sites to perform the required adaptive subtraction. (See FIG. 8). Yet other techniques for maximizing bandwidth efficiency and increasing communication throughput utilize signal separation to separate data streams whose spectral content (or bandwidth) partially or completely overlap (e.g., blind signal separation). These blind signal separation techniques separate superimposed signals based on, for example, spectral differences or statistical independence between data streams. Blind signal separation techniques have been applied to a variety of problems, including communications, geophysical exploration, image processing and biological applications. Examples of signal separation techniques include maximum likelihood techniques, maximum a priori techniques, and higher order statistical approaches. Such signal separation techniques can be very useful, but are most effective only when the signals or streams to be separated exhibit the statistical independence and/or spectral differences that a selected signal separation technique is configured to detect.

Vehicle passenger compartments can include a variety of different interior structures, such as center consoles that are generally located between forward passenger and driver seats of the vehicle. A typical center console is assembled from numerous console components, which may be molded or otherwise individually formed. The console components can be secured together using a heat-stake process and threaded fasteners.

In the related art, as an offset sheet-fed printing ink, an ultraviolet curable ink which is hardened by irradiating an ultraviolet ray is used. Further, recently, when printing is performed on a material which is hardly dried such as metal or plastic, other than paper, an ultraviolet curable ink is used to quickly dry the ink and increase productivity per hour. In order to harden the ultraviolet curable ink, generally, an ultraviolet ray irradiating device which irradiates an ultraviolet ray is used. As the ultraviolet ray irradiating device, a lamp type irradiating device using a high pressure mercury lamp or a mercury xenon lamp as a light source has been known in the related art. For example, in Patent Document 1, a configuration in which light is irradiated on a workpiece conveyed by a conveyer belt by a lamp type irradiating device to harden the ultraviolet curable ink on a surface of the workpiece is disclosed. Recently, due to demands for reducing power consumption, increasing a life span, and compacting a device size, an ultraviolet ray irradiating device which uses an LED as a light source, instead of a discharge lamp of the related art, has been developed. The ultraviolet ray irradiating device using the LED as a light source, for example, is disclosed in Patent Document 2 and a plurality of substrates on which a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) is mounted is arranged to have a straight line shape to obtain a linear ultraviolet ray.

The present invention relates to a socket for a surface mount DIP, also referred to as a small-outline package or SO-package. Dual-in-line packages, or DIPs, are a standard means for packaging circuit elements such as integrated circuit chips. Each Dip consists of a main plastic body having two rows of leads extending downward therefrom for reception in plated through holes or miniature spring sockets in a printed circuit board (PCB). In order to reduce the possibility of damaging the leads and further to facilitate replacement of the DIP, sockets which are mounted to the board and receive the DIPs therein have been developed. A low profile DIP socket having good contact properties and constant insertion force is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,060,296. Some applications require that DIPs be temperature cycled or "burned-in" before end use, to reduce the possibility of failure. For this purpose, sockets comprising housings of temperature resistant material and having contacts offering low insertion force which engage the DIP leads without imposing stress thereon during burn-in have been developed. One such socket is marketed by AMP Incorporated as the DIPLOMATE HT (high temperature). Recently, small outline packages have been developed. These are DIPs having opposed rows of leads formed with laterally projecting feet for soldering to surface pads on a PCB. As with standard DIPs, some applications such as "burning-in" require sockets from which the SO-package can be readily removed. Sockets for standard DIPs have contacts for receiving downward projecting leads and are quite unsuitable for engaging laterally projecting feet.

Tetrabromobisphenol-A (hereinafter "TBBP-A") is 4,4'-isopropylidenebis(2,6-dibromophenol). It is a widely used commercial fire retardant. There have been numerous publications on how it can be made. Hennis, U.S. Pat. No. 3,234,289, describes a process in which bisphenol-A (i.e. 4,4'-isopropylidenebisphenol) is placed in a water-alcohol mixture and liquid bromine is added at 22.degree.-28.degree. C. followed by reflux. Majewski et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,363,007, discloses a process for brominating bisphenol-A in a mixture of water and an alkyl ether of a lower glycol. Asadorian et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,546,302, discloses a bromination process conducted in a two-phase solvent having an aqueous phase and an organic phase. Montanari et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,423, discloses the bromination of isopropylidenebisphenol with liquid bromine and gaseous chlorine in a methanol solvent. Janzon et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,929,907, discloses the bromination of bisphenols in the presence of aqueous hydrogen peroxide. Brackenridge, U.S. Pat. No. 4,013,728, teaches a process for brominating bisphenol-A in aqueous acetic acid followed by a heating step. Jenkner, U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,894, discloses bromination of bisphenol-A in acetic acid with recycle of the mother liquor and addition of alkaline or alkaline earth metal acetate. Production of TBBP-A by dissolving bisphenol-A in methanol and adding liquid bromine is an effective way to make TBBP-A but the product contains various impurities which detract from its commercial value. These impurities include brominated phenols and hydrolyzable impurities. A need exists for a process that would lower the amount of these impurities.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to sound recording for motion pictures, and more particularly to apparatus and a method for reducing noise during the playback of optical sound tracks. 2. Description of the Prior Art Variable area motion picture sound tracks are made by recording a negative sound track on special high-contrast recording film, which is then used to make a contact print of the motion picture print to be released. The amount of open area in the finished print sound track is kept as small as possible, but the open area must still be large enough to record the full range of the sound track. Thus, when the maximum sound volume being recorded is at a low level, the open sound track area is small, but the open area increases as the maximum sound level increases to accommodate the increased level. A primary source of noise in optical sound tracks is dirt and other debris in this open area. As the open areas of the sound track increase, more noise is generated as a result of the dirt and debris. This problem is particularly severe when optical sound tract negatives are played. With negatives, the open area on the sound track is greatest when the sound signals are at a minimum; since low level signals are not nearly as effective as high level signals in masking noise, the greater area available for noise and debris can be compounded by the low signal level to product unacceptably noisy sound. In some cases it would be desirable to playback a negative directly, but because of the noise problem an expensive positive print must be made from the negative and the print played back. Even then, the imprint of dirt and debris on the negative may be transferred onto the positive. Additional noise in playing back an optical sound track originates as quantum noise from the photocell which is used to detect light transmitted through the film. This noise increases in intensity with the amount of light striking the photocell. Since a greater amount of light strikes the photocell during the low signal portions of a sound track negative, this type of noise is then an additional limitation on the ability to directly play back a sound track negative.

This invention relates to road use charging apparatus, that is apparatus to enable charges to be made for the use and general movement of vehicles on roads. Increasing consideration is being given to the possibility of charging vehicle users for the use of vehicles on certain roads or at certain times. A number of proposals for such road charging systems have been made. These include systems requiring the provision of sensors and transducers along the road system whereby charges can be determined for road use by individual vehicles. Some systems involve the use of a meter within the vehicle which is controlled and activated by the transducers located along the road way. Other systems require a transponder mounted in the vehicle whereby a central control system can monitor vehicle movements and charge appropriately. There are two problems related to the introduction of a road use charging system of the kinds mentioned above. Firstly, the expense of installing the necessary, infrastructure for a fully automated system in a large city for example would be very high. Secondly, there is perceived to be substantial public resistance to the imposition of a fully automated system which could have the effect of providing a record of individual vehicle movements throughout a city. Also, an automated system could give rise to substantial mistrust of the charging process. Simpler systems have been proposed which could avoid the need for the substantial capital expenditure on infrastructure, but there remain problems of reliability and flexibility of such simple systems as well as satisfactorily control and enforcement.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,650,291 ('291) incorporated herein by reference describes the isolation of a tumor-associated antigen, CA215, which is present on an ovarian tumor cell line, and is also displayed on many tumors in humans. Monoclonal antibodies were prepared to this antigen, including the monoclonal antibody RP215. The hybridoma cell line that produces this antibody was deposited at the American Type Culture Collection under the terms of the Budapest Treaty on 5 Apr. 1989 as ATCC HB10095. The current address of ATCC is P.O. Box 1549, Manassas, Va. 20108. The '291 patent describes CA215 as having a minimum molecular weight of 60 kD on SDS gels when identified with RP215. However, aggregates with molecular weights ranging from 100 kD to 2,000 kD were also shown to be present. CA215 was purified by immunoaffinity chromatographic procedures and could be purified either from an extract of cultured ovarian tumor cells (OC-3-VGH) or from the shed culture medium of these cells. The CA215 antigen is characterized as a “membrane associated” soluble antigen which can be detected by RP215 in sera of patients with ovarian or cervical cancer. The antigen could not be detected in any normal tissue. This antigen and the monoclonal antibody that recognizes it were also described in an article by Lee, C. Y. G., et al., Cancer Immunol. Immunother. (1992) 35:19-26. CA215 was denominated Cox-1 in that article In a later paper, authored by the same group, Lee, G., et al., J. Clin. Ligand Assay (2006) 29:47-51, it was reported that treatment with periodate at neutral pH virtually eliminated the immunoreactivity of CA215 in a sandwich assay employing RP215. This led the authors to the conclusion that the epitope of CA215 reactive with RP215 may comprise carbohydrate. It appears that the epitope of CA215 recognized by RP215 is present on approximately 60% of all cancers. Further information on its distribution is found in Lee, G., et al., J. Clin. Ligand Assay (2006) supra. The '291 patent further describes a method to determine the location of tumors bearing the antigen CA215 by utilizing the antibodies immunoreactive against it to label cells that produce this antigen. Labeling the monoclonal antibodies with various radioisotopes was described as well as conjugating toxins to these antibodies and administration of the antibodies or immunotoxins for therapeutic use. The present invention further refines the work described in these publications by demonstrating that the carbohydrate portion of the epitope is located at the variable region of immunoglobulin heavy chain-like molecules, thus making possible compositions which comprise only the relevant portions of CA215 for inclusion in vaccines or for generating and purifying antibodies useful in imaging of targeted cancer cells. This work also demonstrates that there are two forms of CA215—one membrane-bound and another that is secreted.

1. Field The present disclosure generally relates to airfoils, such as a wing box for an aircraft, and deals more particularly with an airfoil construction having a composite outer skin bonded to wing spars. 2. Background Aircraft wings and/or control surfaces may employ a framework of spars, ribs and stringers that are covered with an outer skin. The spars may carry a majority of the wing load while the ribs both stiffen the wing and provide an airfoil shape for the wing skin. In the case of metal wing constructions, metal structures may be attached to the metal spars using fastener joints. However, the use of fastener joints may present difficulties in composite spar wing and control surface designs, in part because composites may have a lower bearing capacity than metals. Accordingly, composite wing constructions using fasteners may require reinforcements to increase their fastener bearing capacity in joint areas. The need to add reinforcements in the wing may reduce airfoil performance, add undesired weight to the aircraft and/or increase manufacturing costs. Accordingly, there is a need for bonded joining of a composite wing and/or control surface structure and related fabrication method that may reduce or eliminate the need for fasteners in joints between a wing spar and a connected structures skin. There is also a need for an airfoil design such as a wing box that simplifies fabrication of wing components and allows pre-cured composite wing skins to be attached to pre-cured composite spars using adhesive bonding techniques in a secondary bonding operation.

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for storing and transporting fibrous material, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for storing and transporting comminuted tobacco. Still more particularly, the invention relates to storage of tobacco shreds and/or otherwise configurated tobacco particles, and to pneumatic transfer of metered or randomly selected quantities of such particles from the locus of storage to two or more consuming stations, e.g., to the hoppers of several discrete cigarette rod making machines. It is already known to accumulate a supply of tobacco particles in a storage reservoir and to transfer particles of tobacco from the reservoir to one or more consuming machines by way of discrete pneumatic conveyors in the form of pipes. A drawback of presently known apparatus of the just outlined character is that the pipes are likely to be clogged by accumulations of interlaced tobacco shreds and also that the consistency of the supply of tobacco particles in the reservoir is not uniform. This presents problems in connection with metering of the quantities of tobacco particles which are to be delivered to selected consuming machines. Moreover, the quality of products which are turned out by several machines is not uniform.

This invention relates to a contacting structure with respect to a spherical bump represented by a BGA type package. As shown in FIGS. 1(A), 1(B) and 1(C), the BGA type IC package has a plurality of spherical bumps 2 disposed on a lower surface of an IC package body 1. Each of the spherical bumps 2 exhibits either a semi-spherical shape as shown in FIG. 1(A) or a spherical shape as shown in FIG. 1(B). The spherical bumps are made of a metal having a low melting point such as a soldering material or the like. According to a method often employed, the spherical bumps are loaded directly on a wiring board and a lower dead point portion (i.e. bottom-most portion) of each spherical bump is welded to a wiring pattern. Since the BGA type IC package is mounted by welding the lower dead point portions of the spherical bumps to a wiring pattern or the like as previously described, it is required that a socket for use of aging tests be such as to not subject the lower dead point portions of the spherical bumps to damage. To fulfill this requirement, Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application Hei 6-203926 proposes a contacting structure in which contact pins, which are disposed on a socket body, are each provided with a resilient support element and a distal end portion at a distal end of the resilient support element such that the contacting portion is placed opposite a lower spherical surface of the spherical bump. The contacting portion is provided with an escape portion in non-contact relation with the lower-most point portion of the spherical bump. Further, the contact pin includes a contacting end which is to be contacted with an external area of the lower-most dead point of the spherical bump around the escape portion. In the above conventional device, since the contact pin can provide an electrical contact either at a plurality of points or in an annular fashion about the lower dead point portion of the spherical bump around the escape portion while effectively preventing an occurrence of damage to the lower dead point portion by the escape portion on the distal end of the resilient support element providing a non-contacting state with the lower dead point portion of the spherical bump, the problem of damaging the lower-most point of the spherical bump can be solved effectively. However, the conventional device has such shortcomings that, since the spherical bump is softened because the aging test is usually carried out at a comparatively high temperature or because the aging test is sometimes carried out for a long time, the contacting end of the contact pin, which contacts the spherical bump under pressure, tends to overly pierce into the bump, thereby to leave a grave piecing trace in the bump. As a consequence, merchandise value is badly jeopardized. The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above problems. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a contacting structure with respect to a spherical bump, in which an occurrence of damage to a spherical bump can be minimized while ensuring a reliable electrical contact between an IC package and a contact pin of a socket. To achieve the above object, from one aspect of the present invention, there is essentially provided a contacting structure with respect to a spherical bump in which the spherical bump is to be contacted with a contact pin, the contact pin includes a contacting portion supported by a resilient support element, and the contacting portion is arranged in opposite relation to that part of a spherical surface of the spherical bump other than a lower-most point portion. The contacting portion has a projection capable of biting (or pressing) into the spherical surface of the spherical bump, and also has a pressure receiving surface for setting a biting amount of the projection (i.e. an amount by which the projection can press into the spherical surface). From another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided contacting structure with respect to a spherical bump in which the spherical bump is to be contacted with a contact pin, the contact pin includes a plurality of contacting portions supported by a resilient support element, and the contacting portions are arranged in opposite relation to that part of a spherical surface of the spherical bump other than a lower-most point portion. The contacting portions each have a projection capable of biting (or pressing) into the spherical surface of the spherical bump, and also has a pressure receiving surface for setting a biting amount of the projection. The above and other objects and attendant advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the following description and claims in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which constitute part of this disclosure.

Tool turrets have previously been proposed including tool turrets which would carry both OD and ID turning tools. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,539 it was suggested to have a single slide carrying two separate turrets, one having OD tools and the other having ID tools, and since they were on the same slide, the two turrets could be used only alternatively. Also, the use of tools in one turret often meant that the tools in the other turret might interfere with other parts of the machine tool. U.S. Pat. No. 946,924 suggested the use of a single turret which could hold both OD turning tools and ID turning tools at different longitudinal dimensions along the single turret. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 29,694 suggested the use of a compound slide mounting a single turret which had two levels along the axis of the turret, with the first level carrying OD turning tools and the second level carrying ID turning tools. Only a single tool at a single level could be used at one time, and again it was often difficult to avoid having a tool at one level interfere with use of a tool at the other level. U.S. Pat. No. 3,835,516 had a single turret mounted on a compound slide, and on the periphery of the turret there were mounting surfaces which would accommodate either OD or ID turning tools. Another tool turret proposal was one which was generally a flat disc with OD turning tools mounted generally radially thereon and alternating with these OD tool mounts were ID tool mounting surfaces, with all tool mounting surfaces being uniformly spaced. A somewhat similar tool turret mechanism again was a generally disc-shaped turret with generally radially disposed OD tool mounting surfaces. At one section of the periphery, ID tool mounting surfaces alternated with the OD tool mounting surfaces and at another section of the periphery the OD tool mounting surfaces were adjacent to each other and at a slightly closer spacing than the OD tool mounting spaces in the first-mentioned section.

The inventive concepts relate to semiconductor devices and, more particularly, to semiconductor devices having a source/drain region that include a strain-inducing layer, and to methods of fabricating such semiconductor devices. There is a continued demand for semiconductor devices that operate at increased speed. Strain transistors that apply a strain to a channel region have been proposed to increase the speed of semiconductor devices. However, as semiconductor devices are reduced in size in order to provide increased integration density, it may become more difficult to form strain-inducing layers in semiconductor transistors that are capable of applying a sufficient strain to the channel region.

1. Technical Field The disclosure relates to imaging technology and, particularly, to a zoom lens and an image capturing module with reduced overall length and high resolution. 2. Description of Related Art To optimize image quality of an image capturing module used in an internet protocol (IP) camera, manufacturers tend to employ imaging lenses with high resolution and minimized overall length (the distance between the object-side surface of the imaging lens and the image plane of the image capturing module) to fill user demand for compact devices. There are factors that affect both the resolution and the overall length of the imaging lens, such as the number and positions of lenses employed, the optical power distribution of the employed lenses, and the shape of each employed lens. To achieve a smaller IP camera, the number of lenses can be reduced to decrease the overall length of the imaging lens, but resolution will suffer. To achieve better image capturing ability, generally, increasing the number of the lenses which have high resolution, but also increases the overall length of the image capturing modules. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a zoom lens and an image capturing module, which can overcome or at least alleviate the described limitations.

In the manufacture of paper products, particularly tissue sheets, it is generally desirable to provide a final product with as much bulk as possible without compromising other product attributes. Many papermaking machines utilize a process known as “wet-pressing.” Fundamentally, in “wet-pressing,” a large amount of water is removed from the newly-formed web of paper by mechanically pressing water out of the web, while the web is supported on a papermaking felt, in a pressure nip. The pressure nip is formed between the pressure roll and a Yankee dryer surface as the web is transferred from a papermaking felt to the Yankee dryer. The web may then be creped to soften it and provide stretch to the resulting tissue sheet. A disadvantage of the pressing step is that the pressing step may densify the web, thereby decreasing the bulk and absorbency of the tissue sheet. The subsequent creping step may only partially restore the desired sheet properties. This wet-pressing step, while an effective dewatering means, may compress the web and causes a marked reduction in web thickness and hence bulk. Papermaking felts may be used to remove the water expelled from the web during the wet-pressing operation. One improvement to conventional felts is the application of a pattern to the felt. The pattern is imprinted into the tissue sheet, thereby producing a corresponding high density pattern in the paper. Generally, in the past, the corresponding high density pattern occurs in the X-Y direction, i.e., within the plane of the paper, in almost all cases, the tensile strength of the paper increases with its density. One manner in which to apply a pattern layer to a papermaking felt is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,693,187 issued to Ampulski et al. The pattern layer is created by applying a liquid precursor, typically a curable resin, to the felt. Prior to curing, this liquid precursor permeates the felt. The desired portion of the resin is cured, typically through a patterned mask, to form a solid pattern layer. Any excess liquid resin is removed. Such permeation of the liquid precursor into the felt joins the patterned layer to the felt upon curing. However, this approach, without more, does not control where the liquid precursor, and hence ultimately after curing, the patterned layer permeates the felt. If too much of the liquid which forms the patterned layer permeates the felt and later cures, the felt becomes impermeable. An impermeable felt is undesirable because it does not allow for water removal from the wet web which is in contact with the felt. Other patterned papermaking felts are generally made with various hardnesses of yarns woven into the felt material as generally disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,437 to Curran et. al. The hard yarns in the felt, when pressed against the web during drying, provide for varying densities in the resulting paper produced. The approach disclosed in Curran et. al. is limited by the indirect contact of the yarns with the sheet and the patterns that can be woven using the yarns. Hence, the felts generally disclosed in Curran et al. have only limited ability to influence sheet bulk and are unable to impart aesthetically pleasing patterns to the sheet.

The present invention relates to wireless communication systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for performing a handover between a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and a second generation (2G)/third generation (3G) radio access network. The advances made in wireless communication technology have resulted in the development of numerous mobile communication standards. These standards are broadly categorized into second generation (2G), third generation (3G) and the future, fourth generation (4G) technologies. Examples of 2G/3G technologies include Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and the like. The UMTS standard evolved to LTE technology under the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). LTE technology offers a wireless broadband system with higher data rates, lower latency, and higher spectrum efficiency. It is expected that LTE networks will be deployed in densely populated geographical areas, in the initial phases. Thus, mobile terminals may have to perform handover between the LTE networks and the 2G/3G networks so that users can seamlessly move across geographical areas covered by different networks without an interruption in communication. Certain mobile terminals available today are capable of operating in LTE as well as 2G/3G networks. These mobile terminals employ multiple protocol stacks for wireless communication. Due to the employment of multiple protocol stacks, these mobile terminals can perform a handover between the LTE network and the 2G/3G network. However, the presence of the multiple protocol stacks increases the architectural complexity of the mobile terminals. While the handover is being performed, some of the IP packets generated by the applications running on these mobile terminals may not reach their destination. These IP packets are either lost during their transmission over the wireless connection or are not transmitted by the mobile terminals due to the absence of a free channel. Further, after the handover is complete, some of these IP packets belonging to delay sensitive applications may not be retransmitted by the mobile terminals as it may be too late to transmit those packets.

In conventional Kraft digesters, black liquor is used only in a limited amount, for example, in amounts substantially less than 50% of the total liquid content in the impregnation zone of the digester. The remainder of the externally added liquid usually consists of white liquor. It has now been found that this large addition of white liquor at such an early stage in the cooking process may have an adverse effect on the tear resistance of the fully cooked fibers. Thus, there is a need for a method of digesting pulp which utilizes substantially less amounts of white liquor. U.S. Pat. No. 3,303,088 (Gessner) discloses a method for continuously cooking cellulose-containing fiber material in a single-vessel system in which: (1) chips are fed in at a first end of the digester, PA1 (2) white liquor is added at a position at the first end, PA1 (3) the chips are impregnated in a concurrent impregnation zone, PA1 (4) the chips are cooked in a cooking zone downstream of the impregnation zone, PA1 (5) hot black liquor is extracted from at least one screen section, PA1 (6) black liquor is added to the impregnation zone, and PA1 (7) cooked pulp is discharged at the other end of the digester. PA1 feeding chips into an inlet of a digester; PA1 supplying black liquor to an impregnation zone of the digester in an amount such that the black liquor makes up greater than 40% by volume of the total volume of liquid present in said impregnation zone; PA1 extracting liquor from a screen girdle downstream of where said black liquor is added to the digester, in the direction the wood chips flow through the digester, in an amount greater than 50% by volume of the total volume of liquor present at the location of the screen girdle; PA1 maintaining a liquor:wood ratio in the impregnation zone of greater than 3:1; and PA1 discharging cooked pulp from the digester. PA1 an interior chamber defined by a walled structure; PA1 a chip inlet to the interior chamber for supplying chips to the interior chamber; PA1 an impregnation zone in the interior chamber which is connected to the chip inlet, for impregnating the chips; PA1 at least one screen girdle connected to the impregnation zone for extracting liquor from the impregnation zone, the screen girdle being constructed and arranged to extract an amount of liquor exceeding 50% by volume of the total volume of liquor present at the location of the screen girdle; PA1 a cooking zone in the interior chamber for cooking the impregnated chips; PA1 a black liquor recirculation loop constructed and arranged for recirculating the extracted black liquor to the impregnation zone such that black liquor present in the impregnation zone exceeds 40% by volume of the total volume of liquid present in the impregnation zone, the black liquor recirculation loop comprising an extraction screen in the interior chamber, which is connected to the cooking zone, for extracting black liquor from the cooking zone, and means for supplying the extracted black liquor to a location in the impregnation zone such that there is a dwell time of at least 20 minutes for the chips to move from the location the extracted black liquor is supplied to the impregnation zone to the extraction screen; and PA1 at least one cooking liquor recirculation loop comprising a digester screen downstream of the impregnation zone and upstream of the cooking zone for extracting cooking liquor from the digester, a heater connected to the disgester screen for heating cooking liquor extracted by the digester screen, and means for supplying the heated cooking liquor to the digester at a location downstream of said impregnation zone and within 5 meters upstream of the digester screen. This patent also discloses that the extracted liquor from the first screen section, which is arranged downstream of the position of the addition of the black liquor, is returned to the digester by first being conveyed to a container in which white liquor and the extracted impregnation and cooking liquids are mixed. Due to this recirculation, a high content of volatile sulphur and terpene compounds in the impregnation and cooking liquid can build up. Furthermore, the method disclosed in Gessner does not permit sufficiently rapid heating of the cooking liquid to achieve optimal process conditions. It is also evident that the method of Gessner does not include process parameters which are necessary to achieve optimal conditions, such as, the correct liquor-to-wood ratio for obtaining the desire movement of the chip column in the digester.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display unit which is suitably applied to an organic electro luminescence display or liquid crystal display for example, and also relates to a method of manufacturing the same. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, development of next-generation displays is active due to an increasing demand for space-saving, high luminance, low power consumption and so on. In such situation, the organic electro luminescence display (organic EL display) using an organic light emitting element attracts attention as those satisfying such demands. In the organic electro luminescence display, wide viewing angle is available due to its light-emitting feature. What is more, since no backlight is necessary, it is possible to realize power saving and high responsiveness and further to reduce thickness in dimension. In addition, the organic electro luminescence display attracts more attention due to its flexibility when using a plastic plate as a substrate to utilize the flexible nature inherent to organic luminescent materials. As for a drive system of the organic electro luminescence display, the active matrix system, in which a thin film transistor (TFT) is used as its drive element, recognizes advantages in response time and resolution compared with the passive matrix system of related art, thereby considered to be much suitable for the organic electro luminescence display having features as mentioned above. As for the thin film transistor used in the active matrix organic electro luminescence display, at least a switching transistor for controlling the tone of a pixel and a drive transistor for controlling light emission of the organic light emitting element are necessary. A capacitor is connected to a gate electrode of the drive transistor to hold an electric charge in accordance with a display signal. Due to its enlarged display size and advanced fineness, such active matrix organic light emitting element suffers from disadvantages of longer and finer gate wiring, source signal line and current supply line. However, the resistance of wiring increases in proportion to the length and in inverse proportion to the cross-section area. Such increase in resistance results in a distortion of signal waveform and transmission delay of signals, thereby leading to unevenness and degradation of image quality. In order to lower the wiring resistance, usage of a low resistance material such as aluminum (Al) may be useful. However, such low resistance material as aluminum (Al) does not have enough thermal resistance. Since it is inevitable in the manufacturing process of a thin film transistor, which includes a gate insulating film for example, to raise the temperature of a substrate to 300° C. or more, independent usage of aluminum (Al) may cause a hillock due to the thermal stress, thereby deterioration of insulation quality is observed in interlayer insulating films. For example, disclosure by Japanese Patent Publication No. 2003-45966 shows that a scanning line 3a and a main portion 61a of a data line 6a are made of a low resistance metal such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy. Here, at the wiring intersection, a relay portion 62a of the data line 6a, which is made of a refractory metal, is disposed under the scanning line 3a and a capacitance line 3b. Such divided wiring enables to suppress the generation of hillock at the intersection even when the relay portion is exposed to high temperature in the manufacturing process of a thin film transistor.

An archive system that is one of the storage systems generally includes: a host computer on which applications to perform various operations run; and an archive apparatus coupled to the host computer and configured to read and write data in accordance with an instruction from the host computer. The archive apparatus includes a computer (information processor) called an archive node and a storage apparatus configured to read and write data in accordance with an instruction from the archive node. The archive apparatus provides the host computer with a storage area as a data storing area for each application. Upon receipt of an instruction to read and write data from the host computer, the archive node instructs the storage apparatus to read and write data associated with the instruction. The storage apparatus manages a logical storage area provided by a physical disk while dividing the logical storage area into multiple unit logical storage areas. The storage apparatus provides the archive node with the unit logical storage areas as logical volumes. The logical volume is composed of multiple segments. Data reading and writing in accordance with an instruction from the host computer is enabled by allocating a storage area of a predetermined size on the physical disk to each of the segments. As to such an archive system, Patent Document 1 discloses a distributed archive technique of allowing a host computer to access archive data even when a failure occurs in some of the multiple archive nodes. Specifically, in the distributed archive technique, the archive apparatus forms clusters by using the multiple archive nodes, and writes the archive data into two or more archive nodes according to redundancy specified by the host computer. A predetermined retention period is set for each of the data (archive data) stored in the archive system. In the case of deleting the stored archive data, upon receipt of a data delete instruction from the host computer, the archive node executes the data delete process when detecting that the retention period set for the archive data has expired, and rejects the data delete instruction when detecting that the retention period for the delete target data has not yet expired. The retention period of the data stored in such an archive system can usually be extended but cannot be shortened. However, Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of providing a configuration of allowing deletion of the archive data of which the retention period set has not yet expired or shortening of the data retention period only when a request is received from an authorized archive system manager. Such an archive data delete process based on a special authority given to the archive manager will be hereinafter referred to as a “privileged delete” (hereinafter abbreviated as “PD”). Upon receipt of a PD instruction from the archive system manager, the archive node executes the PD process according to the instruction and records a history of the PD process in an audit log stored in a memory.

Conventional drive oil hydraulic circuitry of an oil hydraulic motor, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, is known. In other words, more specifically, an operation valve 2 connects a delivery path 1a of an oil hydraulic pump 1 to a first main circuit 3 and a second main circuit 4, or the operation valve 2 disconnects the delivery path 1a from the first and second main circuits 3, 4. The first and second main circuits 3, 4 are respectively connected to a first port 6.sub.1 and a second port 6.sub.2 of an oil hydraulic motor 5. A counterbalance valve 7 is arranged between the first and second main circuits 3, 4. When the operation valve 2 is moved to a neutral position "N", because of non-return valves 8 placed in the first and second main circuits 3, 4, the side of the oil hydraulic motor 5 is disconnected from the counterbalance valve 7. Thus, the oil hydraulic motor 5 is not caused to rotate by an external force. When the operation valve 2 is moved to either a first position "I" or a second position "II", the counterbalance valve 7 is switched over to either the first position "I" or the second position "II", this switching being caused by highly pressurized oil in either the first main circuit 3 or the second main circuit 4. The counterbalance valve 7 for use in such oil hydraulic circuitry is switched over to the first and second positions by highly pressurized oil in the first and second main circuits 3, 4. The counterbalance valve 7 returns to the neutral position "N" when the highly pressurized oil runs out. When the oil hydraulic motor 5 is not driven by the first main circuit 3 or the second main circuit 4, it can be caused to rotate by an external load, thereby acting as a pump. For this reason, if the counterbalance valve 7 is in the neutral position "N" when the oil hydraulic motor 5 is first rotated by an external load while the operation valve 2 is in the neutral position, either the first main circuit 3 or the second main circuit 4 becomes a high pressure circuit, thereby causing a great shock. To moderate such a shock during cessation, the speed for the counterbalance valve 7 to return to the neutral position "N" from the first position and the second position is rendered slow. The counterbalance valve 7 throttles the pressurized oil in the first and second positions, thus causing it to flow to the tank 9. For example, throttles 11, 11 are arranged in circuits 10, 10 which connect the first and second main circuits 3, 4 to the counterbalance valve 7. The speed for the counterbalance valve 7 to return to the neutral position "N" from the first and second positions is made slow by increasing the throttle amounts of these throttles 11, 11. In such an arrangement, however, the time required for the counterbalance 7 to return to the neutral position "N" is delayed. This causes cavitation and the oil hydraulic motor to stop for long periods. An object of the present invention is therefore to provide a counterbalance valve in which an oil hydraulic motor can slow down without shock, while cavitation is prevented, thus coming to rest in a short period time.

Currently, an Intermediate System to Intermediate System (ISIS) routing protocol adopted in the relevant art is a dynamic, link state-based Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP). After the ISIS routing protocol establishes a neighbour by an interactive negotiation of a HELLO message, each Intermediate System (IS) generates an LSP for describing link state information of the IS, and sends the corresponding LSP to a network. In addition, each IS stores LSPs sent by other ISs on a network topology so as to form a Link State Database (LSDB). The ISIS routing protocol uses the LSDB to compute an optimum route to a destination address via a Shortest Path First (SPF) algorithm. In an integrated ISIS routing protocol, each LSP mainly includes a great amount of Internet Protocol (IP) reachability information, namely, IP prefix routing information. The IP reachability information mainly comes from two aspects as follows: 1. An IP prefix, configured on a three-layer routing interface self-configured by each IS, is notified in the corresponding LSP as the IP reachability information to represent that the IS may reach an routing network segment of the IP. 2. After each IS has been configured with route leaking or redistribution, an IP prefix in a three-layer routing table is notified in the corresponding LSP to represent that the IS may reach an IP routing network segment via a route in other layer of the IS or other routing protocols, wherein the three-layer routing table is self-generated by the ISIS routing protocol, or is generated by a routing protocol which is configured and correspondingly redistributed. Each IS needs to notify link state information which may be divided into multiple types and is filled in the corresponding LSP in a Type Length Value (TLV) form. The corresponding LSP notified by each IS has a plurality of fragments, 256 at most. Each fragment corresponds to a number (0-255). Each fragment has a maximum length, defaulting to 1492 bytes. Under normal conditions, an LSP generated by an IS starts to be generated from an LSP of which a fragment is numbered as 0, when the LSP of which the fragment is numbered as 0 is filled to a maximum length, if there is still link state information which needs to be filled in the LSP to be notified, i.e., a fragment numbered as 1 is generated, and operations are carried out in the same manner until all pieces of link state information required to be notified are notified in the LSP. Consequently, the length of only the last LSP fragment among the LSP fragments may not reach the maximum length due to the completion of the link state information required to be notified, and the lengths of the other LSP fragments may reach the maximum length (1492). Thus, in a large-scale network, a huge number of LSDBs are required to be notified. Particularly, a great amount of IP reachability information is required to be notified in the network usually, and therefore the IP reachability information occupies a majority of LSP fragments to be notified usually. When the occupied LSP length varies due to additions, deletions and changes (including: a metric change, a type change and an attribute change) of the IP reachability information required to be notified in the LSP, LSP regeneration of an LSP fragment and subsequent fragments is caused, thereby causing layout reorganisation of these LSPs. However, the layout reorganisation brings negative effects, namely, when a remote IS computes the IP reachability information notified by a current IS, certain pieces of IP reachability information have moved from a fragment to another fragment, and when these LSPs flood in the network, the remote IS firstly receives an LSP of which the IP reachability information is moved away, thereby deleting an IP route. When another LSP fragment is received after a period of time, the IP route may be recovered by re-notifying the IP reachability information in the LSP fragment, thereby causing route missing within this period of time, and traffic reaching the IP prefix is forced to be interrupted. With the gradual enlargement of a network scale, the link state information required to be notified by each IS may be increased to a great extent accordingly, and therefore the LSPs required to be generated are increased day by day. However, oscillation, frequent increasing, deletions and changes (including: the metric change, the type change and the attribute change) of certain pieces of link state information (for example, IP reachability information) are caused due to certain reasons (for example, certain links are frequently up and down due to physical faults, routing of a redistribution protocol greatly oscillates, and the system-id of the ISIS protocol is repeatedly configured), and therefore many LSPs are continuously reorganised and updated. Thus, Central Processing Unit (CPU) resources of a local IS are greatly consumed. In addition, the efficiency of generating the LSPs by the ISs is reduced to a great extent accordingly. Before certain LSPs have time to respond to the previous change, a new turn of reorganisation and update starts, thereby increasing flooding loads of the LSPs on the network, and causing frequent oscillation of all IS routes in the network topology.

The containers for the powder are used, for example, to feed metered quantities of fine-grained powder for plasma coating processes, or a plasma coating installation. It is important in this process to avoid powder agglomerations and deposits since, otherwise, transport of the powder can come to a standstill. The published international patent application PCT/EP2012/054340 discloses an apparatus and a method for conveying powder. A container is provided for the powder, wherein the powder defines a surface in the container. A suction means has formed a suction opening for sucking up the powder from the surface. A motion means serves to generate a relative movement between the suction opening and the surface of the powder. Sucking up the powder takes place during the relative movement, wherein a speed of the relative movement can be altered in such a way that a constant mass flow of the powder occurs from the container to the substrate. German disclosure document DE 10 2010 014 552 A1 discloses a method for plasma coating of a substrate surface with a coating fluid. A plasma beam of a low temperature plasma is directed at a substrate surface. The coating fluid consists of a carrier fluid and a fine-grained powder. The coating fluid is homogenized in an homogenization container and passed on to the plasma by means of a pump and metering system. European patent application EP 2 282 184 A1 discloses a container for monitoring a fill level of the goods to be removed from the container. The container is suitable for storing powder. There is at least one radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip attached in the container, for example to the bottom of the container. An optical sensor is used in connection with the RFID chip to determine the fill level. The option for material characterization using the RFID chip is not disclosed. U.S. patent pre-grant publication no. 2006/0132351 A1 discloses a container for monitoring a fill level of a powdered material in which at least one RFID chip is attached. Different containers can be differentiated between on the basis of a set of parameters with identification numbers which the RFID chip carries. Sets of parameters for material characterization, at least those concerning the material identification and quality, are described but these are not put on the RFID chip but are determined instead through measurement together with the RFID chip. A key which allows activation for use of the container is not disclosed. International patent application WO 2005/002992 A1 discloses a container which is suitable for storing powder and which is provided with at least one RFID chip. The RFID chip is already provided by the manufacturer of a set of parameters for identification of the container and/or its contents. Furthermore, the RFID chip is attached in a separate pocket outside on the container. A key which allows activation for use of the container is not disclosed. There is an apparatus disclosed in the German patent application DE 10 2007 013 093 A1 for use of powder with a container for storing powder. An arrangement of an RFID chip which carries a parameter set for material characterization is not mentioned. Also the Japanese patent application JP 2001 130 743 does not disclose arrangement of a RFID chip in the container. It simply discloses sucking up of the powder out of the container. Sucking up of the powder takes place exclusively from the surface of the powder contained in the container. In order to achieve a constant mass flow of powder from the container to the surface of a substrate it is absolutely essential that certain quality criteria of the powder are met. The quality criteria of the powder are not only responsible for transport of the powder from the container to the substrate but also influence the quality of the coating applied to a surface of the substrate. Transport of the powder and the quality of the coating depend on the mass, the size of the powder particles and possibly contamination of the container.

One method of making metal tubes, especially high alloy tubes, is to centrifugally cast a cylindrical muff, and then reduce the muff in diameter and wall thickness to form a tube. Since considerable impurities or defects are trapped in the metal of the muff near both the inner and outer surfaces during the centrifugal casting, both the inner and outer surfaces are machined to remove these defects prior to the reducing action. Some of these impurities or defects run fairly deep into the wall thickness, and thus much machining is necessary to remove the defective material. One band of impurities or defects generally starts at the outer surface of the muff, about midway along its length, and progressively goes deeper, extending towards the non-pouring end of the muff or casting.

Adenosine is a naturally occurring nucleoside, which exerts its biological effects by interacting with a family of adenosine receptors known as A1, A2A, A2B, and A3, all of which modulate important physiological processes. For example, A2A adenosine receptors modulate coronary vasodilation, A2B receptors have been implicated in mast cell activation, asthma, vasodilation, regulation of cell growth, intestinal function, and modulation of neurosecretion (See Adenosine A2B Receptors as Therapeutic Targets, Drug Dev Res 45:198; Feoktistov et al., Trends Pharmacol Sci 19:148-153), and A3 adenosine receptors modulate cell proliferation processes. The A1 adenosine receptor mediates two distinct physiological responses. Inhibition of the cardiostimulatory effects of catecholamine is mediated via the inhibition of adenylate cyclase, whereas the direct effects to slow the heart rate (HR) and to prolong impulse propagation through the AV node are due in great part to activation of IKAdo. (B. Lerman and L. Belardinelli Circulation, Vol. 83 (1991), P 1499-1509 and J. C. Shryock and L. Belardinelli, Am. J. Cardiology, Vol. 79 (1997) P 2-10). Stimulation of the A1 adenosine receptor shortens the duration and decreases the amplitude of the action potential of AV nodal cells, and hence prolongs the refractory period of the AV nodal cell. Thus, stimulation of A1 receptors provides a method of treating supraventricular tachycardias, including termination of nodal re-entrant tachycardias, and control of ventricular rate during atrial fibrillation and flutter. Accordingly, A1 adenosine agonists are useful in the treatment of acute and chronic disorders of heart rhythm, especially those diseases characterized by rapid heart rate, in which the rate is driven by abnormalities in the sinoatrial, atria, and AV nodal tissues. Such disorders include, but are not limited to, atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia and atrial flutter. Exposure to A1 agonists causes a reduction in the heart rate and a regularization of the abnormal rhythm, thereby improving cardiovascular function. A1 agonists, through their ability to inhibit the effects of catecholamines, decrease cellular cAMP, and thus have beneficial effects in the failing heart where increased sympathetic tone increases cellular cAMP levels. The latter condition has been shown to be associated with increased likelihood of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. See, for example, B. Lerman and L. Belardinelli Circulation, Vol. 83 (1991), P 1499-1509 and J. C. Shryock and L. Belardinelli, Am. J. Cardiology, Vol. 79 (1997) P 2-10. A1 agonists, as a result of their inhibitory action on cyclic AMP generation, have antilipolytic effects in adipocytes that lead to a decreased release of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) (E. A. van Schaick et al J. Pharmacokinetics and Biopharmaceutics, Vol. 25 (1997) p 673-694 and P. Strong Clinical Science Vol. 84 (1993) p. 663-669). Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is characterized by an insulin resistance that results in hyperglycemia. Factors contributing to the observed hyperglycemia are a lack of normal glucose uptake and activation of skeletal muscle glycogen synthase (GS). Elevated levels of NEFA have been shown to inhibit insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and glycogen synthesis (D. Thiebaud et al Metab. Clin. Exp. Vol. 31 (1982) p 1128-1136 and G. Boden et al J. Clin. Invest. Vol. 93 (1994) p 2438-2446). The hypothesis of a glucose fatty acid cycle was proposed by P. J. Randle as early as 1963 (P. J. Randle et al Lancet (1963) p. 785-789). A tenet of this hypothesis would be that limiting the supply of fatty acids to the peripheral tissues should promote carbohydrate utilization (P. Strong et al Clinical Science Vol. 84 (1993) p. 663-669). The benefit of an A1 agonist in central nervous disorders has been reviewed (L. J. S. Knutsen and T. F. Murray in Purinergic Approaches in Experimental Therapeutics, Eds. K. A. Jacobson and M. F. Jarvis (1997) Wiley-Liss, N.Y., P 423-470). Briefly, based on experimental models of epilepsy, a mixed A2A: A1 agonist, metrifudil, has been shown to be a potent anticonvulsant against seizures induced by the inverse benzodiazepine agonist methyl 6,7-dimethoxy-4-ethyl-beta-carboline-3-carboxylate (DMCM, H. Klitgaard Eur. J. Pharmacol. (1993) Vol. 224 p. 221-228). In other studies using CGS 21680, an A2A agonist, it was concluded that the anticonvulsant activity was attributed to activation of the A1 receptor (G. Zhang et al. Eur. J. Pharmacol. Vol. 255 (1994) p. 239-243). Furthermore, A1 adenosine selective agonists have been shown to have anticonvulsant activity in the DMCM model (L. J. S. Knutsen In Adenosine and Adenne Nucleotides: From Molecular Biology to Integrative Physiology; eds. L. Belardinelli and A. Pelleg, Kluwer: Boston, 1995, pp 479-487). A second area where an A1 adenosine agonist has a benefit is in animal models of forebrain ishemia as demonstrated by Knutsen et al (J. Med. Chem. Vol. 42 (1999) p. 3463-3477). The benefit in neuroprotection is believed to be in part due to the inhibition of the release of excitatory amino acids (ibid). Adenosine itself has proven effective in treating disease states related to the A1 adenosine receptor, for example in terminating paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia. However, these effects are short-lived because adenosine's half-life is less than 10 sec. Additionally, as adenosine acts indiscriminately on the A2A, A2B, and the A3 adenosine receptor subtypes, it also provides direct effects on sympathetic tone, coronary vasodilatation, systemic vasodilatation and mast cell degranulation. A class of compounds that are potent A1 adenosine receptor agonists, full or partial, has been reported (see U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/194,335, filed Jul. 17, 2002, the complete disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference). One compound disclosed in this patent application, identified as (4S,5S,2R,3R)-5-[(2-fluorophenylthio)methyl]-2-{6-[(2-hydroxy-cyclopentyl)amino]-purin-9-yl}oxolane-3,4-diol, has been shown to be a highly selective partial A1-adenosine receptor agonist. Given the heightened interest in this and similar compounds, in particular the diastereoisomers of (4S,5S,2R,3R)-5-[(2-fluorophenylthio)methyl]-2-{6-[(2-hydroxy-cyclopentyl)amino]-purin-9-yl}oxolane-3,4-diol, it has become desirable to find a new method of synthesis that provides a convenient method for making large quantities of such compounds in good yield and high purity, avoiding the use of chromatography and other labor-intensive separation steps.

The present invention relates to a stereoscopic endoscope which allows an observer to view a three-dimensional image of an object under test. A stereoscopic endoscope is used to observe an object or cavity internal to a machine or the human body. Examples of rigid type stereoscopic endoscopes are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,629 and Japanese Laid Open Publication Hei. 6-194581. In these examples, the stereoscopic endoscopes have an insertion portion which includes an objective lens for forming an image of the object and a relay lens for transmitting the light to an exit pupil of the insertion portion. The stereoscopic endoscopes also include an observing -portion, which includes an-optical device for splitting the light at the exit pupil and directing the split light beams to a left and right optical imaging system, through which an observer-would view a three-dimensional image of the object. However, if the optical device for splitting the light beam is not positioned correctly, the three-dimensional effect of the image may be reduced, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the endoscope. Further, even if the optical device for splitting the light beam is positioned correctly for an object located near to the insertion portion of the endoscope, the three-dimensional effect of an image of an object located far away from the insertion point of the endoscope may be reduced. This also reduces the effectiveness of the endoscope. In conventional stereoscopic endoscopes, the three-dimensional image is viewed directly, using eyepiece lenses, or indirectly using an imaging device such as a CCD, and a video processor. Use of an imaging device allows the images to be viewed by many people, through the use of a monitor and special viewing glasses. However, this requires extra hardware and elaborate image processing. In a direct viewing endoscope, the image may be viewed easily and quickly through the eyepiece lenses, but by only one person at a time. Thus, extra time will be required if many people are to view the image. Further, in a conventional stereoscopic endoscope that employs the imaging devices, one imaging device is used with each optical system, thereby increasing the cost of manufacturing the cost of the endosocope. In conventional stereoscopic endoscopes the optical device for splitting the light beam uses a series of reflective surfaces in order to properly split the light beam. Therefore, the positional relationship between the various reflective surfaces must be set precisely. Further, in order properly position all of the reflective surfaces, the size of the endoscope must be made large, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the endoscope. Furthermore, the number of parts required to manufacture the endoscope is increased. In a conventional stereoscopic endoscope, light is provided to illuminate the object by using a separate light source and an optical guide. The optical guide is housed in the insertion portion of the stereoscopic endoscope, and is parallel to the optical axis of optical system used for viewing the image. This results in the diameter of the insertion portion being large, and therefore the insertion portion cannot be as easily inserted into the cavity. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved stereoscopic endoscope in which the position of a device for splitting the light beam, can be positioned at the standard correct position quickly and accurately. It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved stereoscopic endoscope in which the three-dimensional effect of the image viewed using the endosocope can be changed quickly and easily. It is a further object of the present invention to improve the utility of a stereoscopic endoscope in which the image of the object can be viewed by many people or by a single person, quickly. It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved stereoscopic endoscope in which a single imaging device is used, thereby reducing the size of the endoscope and the number of parts required to manufacture the endosocope. It is still another object of the present invention to provide an adapter for use with a stereoscopic endoscope which allows a wide range of insertion portions of monocular endoscopes to be used with an observing portion of the stereoscopic endoscope. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an improved stereoscopic endoscope which can illuminate the object to be viewed without increasing the diameter of the insertion portion of the stereoscopic endoscope. According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic endoscope which includes: a primary optical system for transmitting light, reflected by an object located near a first end of the primary optical system, to a second end of the primary optical system; a device for dividing the light transmitted to the second end of the primary optical system into two light beams, and a pair of secondary optical systems. Each of the secondary optical systems has an imaging device which outputs an image signal. Each of the secondary optical systems receives one of the light beams and forms an image of the object on its corresponding imaging device. The stereoscopic endoscope also includes a device for adjusting a position of the light dividing device relative to an optical axis and exit pupil of the primary optical system, and a device for detecting a position of the light dividing device in accordance with each of the output image signals. In a preferred embodiment, the detecting device detects the position of the light dividing device in accordance with a distribution of a brightness of each image formed on each of the imaging devices, by an object having uniform brightness. Further, the stereoscopic endoscope calculates an amount and direction of movement required to move the adjusting device to a standard correct position, in accordance with the distribution of brightness of the images formed on each of the imaging devices. Therefore, the stereoscopic endoscope can automatically position the light dividing device at the standard correct position, quickly and accurately. This ensures that an image having the proper three-dimensional effect can be observed by the user. Still preferably, the stereoscopic endoscope also includes a device for processing the image signals to produce left and right images, and a device for calculating the amount and direction of movement required to position the light dividing device at the standard correct position. In a preferred embodiment, the processing device and the calculating device are located in a common housing, which is separate from the housing of the stereoscopic endoscope. In another preferred embodiment, the processing device and the calculating device are located in separate housings. Therefore, during normal use of the stereoscopic endoscope, only the processing device needs to be attached to the stereoscopic endoscope, thereby reducing the size of the stereoscopic endoscope system. In yet another preferred embodiment, the calculating device is provided inside the stereoscopic endoscope housing, and the processing means is provided in a separate housing. This reduces the overall size required for the stereoscopic endoscope system. Optionally, the primary optical system is provided by a monocular endoscope, which is attached to an adapter. The adapter is then attached to an observing portion of the stereoscopic endoscope which includes the light dividing device and the pair of secondary optical systems. This permits automatic positioning of the light dividing device relative to an exit pupil of any monocular endoscope. The position of the adapter relative to the light dividing device may be adjusted by varying a position of adjustment screws used to secure the adapter to the observing portion. Furthermore, by including motors, the adjustment of the position of the screws can be done automatically. In another preferred embodiment, the stereoscopic endoscope includes an indicator for indicating the calculated amount and direction of movement required to position the light dividing device at the standard correct position. The adjustment of the position of the light dividing device can then be done manually using the indicated information. In yet another preferred embodiment, a single imaging device replaces the imaging device used in each of the secondary systems. This reduces the overall cost of manufacturing the stereoscopic endoscope. In order to further reduce the cost of manufacture, the size of the imaging device can be reduced, and the formation of the images by the two secondary optical systems on the imaging device are alternated. The viewing of the three-dimensional image of the object may be achieved by using a monitor to alternately display the left and right images, and special glasses to alternately transmit the left and right images to the corresponding eye of the observer. In a preferred embodiment, the light dividing device is a mirror block having two reflective surfaces which are perpendicular to each other, and arranged at a 45xc2x0 angle to an optical axis of the primary optical system. Further, the adjusting device may include: a frame for holding the mirror block; a first screw fitted into the holding frame; a first gear which meshes with the first screw, the first gear rotating about an axis; a second screw fitted into a mounting member attached to the observing portion and having a nut through which the first screw is threaded; and a second gear which meshes with the second screw, the first gear rotating about another axis. The holding frame is moved in a first plane in response to a rotation of the first gear, and is moved in a second plane in response to a rotation of the second gear, with the first plane being perpendicular to the second plane. In an alternative embodiment, the mirror block is replaced with a pair of mirrors attached to separate supports. The pair of mirrors are arranged in a similar position relative to the primary optical axis, as the reflective surfaces of the mirror block. This reduces the need for a mirror block and results in reduction in the weight of the stereoscopic endoscope. According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic endoscope having an optical system for transmitting a luminous flux, reflected by an object located near a first end of the optical system, to a second of the optical system. The stereoscopic endoscope forms a first image of the object in accordance with a first area of the luminous flux, and forms a second image of the object in accordance with a second area of the luminous flux. The second area of the luminous flux does not overlap the first area of the luminous flux. The stereoscopic endoscope also includes a device for adjusting a distance between an optical axis of the first area of the luminous flux and an optical axis of the second area of the luminous flux, such that a size of the first area of the luminous flux remains equal to a size of the second area of the luminous flux. In a preferred embodiment, the stereoscopic endoscope includes a device for guiding the first area of the luminous flux to a first device for forming a first image, and a device for guiding the second area of the luminous flux to a second device for forming the second image Preferably, the adjusting device includes a screw and a gear which rotates about an axis and meshes with a center of the screw. The two guiding devices are attached to separate supports, with one support threaded onto the screw on one side of the center of the screw, and the other support threaded onto the screw on the other side of the center of the screw. By rotating the gear, the supports move towards or away from each other along an axis of the screw. Therefore, the distance between the central axis of the two portions of the luminous flux which form the first and second images, can be adjusted. Thus, the three-dimensional effect of the observed image can be adjusted, by rotating the gear. In a preferred embodiment the guiding devices are mirrored surfaces for reflecting the first area of the luminous flux to the first image forming device, and for reflecting the second area of the luminous flux to the second image forming device. In another preferred embodiment, each of the first and second image forming devices includes an imaging lens for forming the respective image and an eyepiece lens for viewing the image. In yet another preferred embodiment, each of the first and second image forming devices includes an imaging lens for forming the respective image and an imaging device for detecting the image and for outputting an image signal. The imaging device can include a CCD. Optionally, each of the secondary optical systems may also have an eyepiece lens to allow simultaneous direct viewing of the image, and indirect viewing using the imaging devices. Further optionally, the primary optical system is provided by an insertion portion of a monocular endoscope which is attached using an adapter to an observing portion of the stereoscopic endoscope. Therefore, the range of endoscopes which may be used with the apparatus having the present invention is increased. Alternatively, each guiding device and corresponding image forming device is replaced with a separator lens and an imaging device. Each separator lens receives one of the respective portions of the luminous flux and forms an image, which is detected by the corresponding imaging device. The imaging devices output image signals, which can be processed to produce a three-dimensional image. Therefore, in this case, the adjusting device changes the distance between the optical axes of the separator lenses. Optionally, an optical fiber bundle may be used to transfer the luminous flux from the separator lens to the corresponding imaging device. This increases the flexibility of positioning the imaging devices. Alternatively, the imaging device is replaced with an imaging lens and an eyepiece lens for direct viewing of the three-dimensional image by an observer. In another alternative embodiment, the stereoscopic endoscope has a single imaging device and each of separator lenses forms one of the images on the single imaging device. By employing one imaging device, the cost of manufacturing the stereoscopic endoscope can be decreased. According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic endoscope which includes: a primary optical system for transmitting light, reflected by an object located near a first end of the primary optical system, to a second end of the primary optical system; a plurality of secondary optical systems, each of the secondary optical systems receiving a separate portion of the light and forming an image of the object; and a plurality of devices for guiding a separate portion of the light transmitted to the second end of the primary optical system, to each of the secondary optical systems. The stereoscopic endoscope also includes a device for selecting a predetermined number of the images for viewing the object. Therefore, by selecting images which are formed by secondary optical systems which are closer together or further apart, the three-dimensional effect of the observed image can be varied. In a preferred embodiment, each of the plurality of guiding devices and corresponding plurality of secondary optical systems is replaced with a separator lens, and an imaging device. Each separator receives one of the portions of transmitted light and forms an image of the object on the corresponding imaging device. The imaging devices output image signals corresponding to the images formed by the separator lenses. In another preferred embodiment, each of the guiding devices includes a separator lens for receiving the separate portions of the light. Further, each of the secondary optical systems includes an imaging lens, an imaging device, and an optical fiber bundle for guiding the received portions of the light from the separator lens to the imaging lens. The imaging lens forms an image on the imaging device, which outputs the image signal. Alternatively, some of the imaging devices are replaced with eyepiece lenses to allow direct viewing of the three-dimensional image of the object. Therefore, simultaneous direct viewing using the eyepiece lenses and indirect viewing using the imaging devices is possible. optionally, some of the secondary optical systems are provided with an eyepiece lens, a half mirror and an imaging device. This also allows direct viewing with the eyepiece lens as well as more choices for indirectly viewing the image using the imaging devices. Preferably, at least three secondary optical systems, and three guiding devices are provided. In another preferred embodiment, one imaging device is provided and two secondary optical systems are provided to form two images on two areas of the single imaging device. optionally, each of the secondary optical systems is provided with a liquid crystal shutter, which allows or prohibits the formation of the image by the secondary optical system. Therefore, when the image is being formed by one of the secondary optical systems on the single imaging device, the liquid crystal shutter of the other secondary optical system prohibits the formation of the other image by the other secondary optical system. In this case, the first area and second area of the single imaging device can overlap, and therefore, the size of the single imaging device can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of manufacturing the stereoscopic endoscope. According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic endoscope which includes: a primary optical system for transmitting light, reflected by an object located near a first end of the primary optical system, to a second end of the primary optical system. The prism for dividing the light transmitted to the second end of the primary optical system into two light beams, with the two light beams not being parallel to each other; and a pair of secondary optical systems which receive one of the light beams and forming an image of the object. Therefore, the size of the stereoscopic endoscope can be reduced since extra space is not required to have parallel secondary optical systems. In a preferred embodiment, the primary optical system is housed within an insertion portion of the stereoscopic endoscope, and the secondary optical systems are housed within an observing portion of the endoscope. The insertion portion is attached to the observing portion using a cylindrical adapter. This allows the insertion portion of monocular endoscopes to be used with the observing portion of the stereoscopic endoscope. In another preferred embodiment, each of the secondary optical systems includes an imaging lens for forming an image of the object in accordance with the refracted light beam, and an imaging device for detecting the images formed by the imaging lens, with the imaging devices outputting image signals. Alternatively, the stereoscopic endoscope is provided with a single imaging device. The images formed by the imaging lenses of the secondary optical systems is formed on different areas of the single imaging device. Optionally, each of the secondary optical systems is provided with a liquid crystal shutter, which allows or prohibits the formation of the image by the secondary optical system. Therefore, when the image is being formed by one of the secondary optical systems on the single imaging device, the liquid crystal shutter of the other secondary optical system prohibits the formation of the other image by the other secondary optical system In this case, the first area and second area of the single imaging device can overlap, and therefore, the size of the single imaging device can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of manufacturing the stereoscopic endoscope. In yet another preferred embodiment, each of the secondary optical systems includes a prism for refracting the received light beams, such that the refracted light beams are parallel to an optical axis of the primary optical system, an imaging lens for forming an image of the object in accordance with the refracted light beam, and an eyepiece lens for viewing the image formed by the imaging lens. This permits direct viewing of the three-dimensional image. Alternatively, a single deflecting prism is provided for refracting the received light beams. This reduces the number of parts required to manufacture the stereoscopic endoscope. Further, a single roof prism may replace the prism used for dividing the light. This results in a less complex prism being used in the manufacturing of the stereoscopic endoscope. According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of adjusting a position of a light dividing mechanism of a stereoscopic endoscope to a predetermined position. Light from an object having a uniform brightness is transmitted by a primary optical system of the stereoscopic endoscope to the light dividing mechanism, which divides the light into two light beams, with each light-beam being incident on an imaging device. The method includes the steps of: detecting a brightness pattern of an image formed on each of the imaging devices; determining a direction and amount of movement required to position the light dividing mechanism at the predetermined position, in response to the detected brightness pattern of each of the images; and adjusting the position of the light dividing mechanism in accordance with the direction and movement amount determined in the determining step. In a preferred embodiment, the determining step includes the steps of calculating a direction of movement of the light dividing mechanism, and comparing a position of the light dividing mechanism with the predetermined position. Further, the adjusting step includes the step of driving the light dividing mechanism by a fixed amount. Furthermore, the detecting step, the determining step and the adjusting step are repeated until the determining step determines that the position of the light dividing mechanism is at the predetermined position. Since the calculating step only determines a direction of movement, the number of bits required for the calculation is low. Alternatively, the calculating step also calculates the amount of movement required to move the light dividing mechanism to the predetermined position In this case, the driving step drives the light dividing mechanism directly to the predetermined position, after the first calculation. Therefore, the light dividing mechanism can be quickly and accurately placed at the predetermined position. According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an adapter for enabling a monocular endoscope to be used with a stereoscopic observing portion. The observing portion includes a device for dividing light transmitted by the monocular endoscope, into two light beams, by a pair of optical systems. Each of the optical systems receives one of the light beams and forms an image of the object. The adapter includes a device for connecting the observing portion of the stereoscopic endoscope to the monocular endoscope. Thus, the range of insertion portions that can be used with the observing portion of the stereoscopic endoscope is increased. In a preferred embodiment, the connecting device includes a plurality of screws and nuts for attaching the adapter to the observing portion. Therefore, the adapter can be easily attached to the observing portion of the stereoscopic endoscope. In another preferred embodiment, the connecting device includes a device for adjusting a positional relationship of the observing portion and the monocular endoscope. This allows for accurate positioning of the monocular endoscope in relation to the light dividing device of the observing portion. Therefore, the three-dimensional effect of the image can be changed by using the adjusting device. In the preferred embodiment, the adjusting device includes a first set of screws oriented along a first direction, and a second set of screws oriented along a second direction. The second direction may be perpendicular to the first direction. Further, the first set of screws adjusts a position of the adapter relative to the observing portion along the first direction. The second set of screws adjusts a position of the adapter relative to the observing portion along the second direction. Therefore, accurate two dimensional adjustment of the position of the monocular endoscope relative to the observing portion can be achieved. Optionally, each screw is rotated by a motor. This allows automatic adjustment of the position of the monocular endoscope relative to the observing portion. According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic endoscope which has a primary optical system for transmitting light, reflected by an object located near a first end of the primary optical system, along a first optical path to an exit pupil located at a second end of the primary optical system. The stereoscopic endoscope is also provided with a device for dividing the light transmitted to the second end of the primary optical system into two light beams, and a pair of secondary optical systems. Each of the secondary optical systems receives one of the light beams and forms an image of the object. The stereoscopic endoscope further provides a device for emitting light through a second optical path of the primary optical system which is parallel to the first optical path. The emitted light is incident on the object and does not interfere with the first optical path. Therefore, the stereoscopic endoscope provides the light required for viewing the object, and an auxiliary light source is not need. According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic endoscope having a primary optical system for transmitting light, reflected by an object located near a first end of the primary optical system, to a second end of the primary optical system. The stereoscopic endoscope also includes a device for dividing the light transmitted through the primary optical system into two light beams, and a pair of secondary optical systems. Each of the secondary optical systems receives one of the light beams and forms an image of the object. Further, each of the secondary optical systems includes an eyepiece lens for viewing the image and an imaging device for detecting the images formed by the secondary optical system. A half mirror is provided in each secondary optical system for reflecting half of the received light to one of the eyepiece lens and the imaging device, and for transmitting the other half of the received light to other of the-eyepiece lens and the imaging device. Therefore, the three-dimensional image can be viewed directly using the eyepiece lenses or indirectly using the imaging devices. This increases the facility of the viewing of the three-dimensional image observed using the stereoscopic endoscope. In a preferred embodiment, the light dividing device includes two mirrors arranged perpendicular to each other, with each of the mirrors arranged at a 45 angle to an optical axis of the primary optical system. Further, stereoscopic endoscope also includes a device for adjusting a distance between each of the two mirrors. Therefore, by adjusting the distance between the two mirrors, the three-dimensional effect of the image can be changed. In another preferred embodiment, the dividing device includes a half mirror for dividing the light into the two light beams. This reduces the number of parts required to manufacture the endoscope. According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a stereoscopic endoscope having a primary optical system for transmitting a luminous flux, reflected by an object located near a first end of the optical system, to a second end of the optical system. The stereoscopic endoscope also includes a device for forming a first image of the object in accordance with a first area of the luminous flux, and another device for forming a second image of the object in accordance with a second area of the luminous flux. The second area of the luminous flux does not overlap the first area of the luminous flux. A single imaging device detects the first image and the second image and outputs an image signal. By using only one imaging device, the cost of manufacturing the stereoscopic endoscope can be decreased. In a preferred embodiment, the first image is formed on a first portion of the imaging device, and the second image is formed on a second portion of the imaging device, which is separate from the first portion. Therefore, by processing the image signal, the left and right images can be obtained. In another preferred embodiment, each image forming device is provided with a liquid crystal shutter, which controls a timing of the image formation by alternately prohibiting and allowing transmission of light through the image forming device. Further, the first and second images are alternately formed on overlapping portions of the imaging device. Therefore, the size of the imaging device can be reduced, and the cost of manufacturing the stereoscopic endoscope can also be reduced.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wardrobe for holding clothes and. more particularly, to a combination wardrobe provided with a replaceable door structure. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventional wardrobes are commonly made of wooden material. There are portable wardrobes comprised of a metal wardrobe frame and a covering of plastic sheet material covering the metal wardrobe frame. These portable wardrobes commonly use a zipper fastener for operation by hand to close/open the front door. However, because the two opposite door panels of the covering of plastic sheet material have a respective bottom side coupled to the zip fastener, the front door is not fully opened when unfastened the zipper fastener. In order to eliminate this problem, a sliding door structure may be used. However, a sliding door structure for wardrobe is expensive to manufacture. Furthermore, when installed in a wardrobe, the sliding door is not detachable for a replacement. The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is one object of the present invention to provide a combination wardrobe, which is equipped with a detachable door structure so that the user can change the design of the door panels easily as desired. It is another object of the present invention to provide a combination wardrobe, which is equipped with a detachable door structure that can easily be controlled to fully open the front opening of the wardrobe body. To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, the combination wardrobe comprises a wardrobe body having a front opening, and a double-panel door structure controlled to close/open the front opening of the wardrobe body. The double-panel door structure comprises a hanging rod transversely suspended from the wardrobe frame of the wardrobe body above the front opening, two flexible door panels respectively hung on the hanging rod by top loops thereof and horizontally moved relative to each other to close/open the front opening, each flexible door panel having a plurality of weights arranged alone the respective bottom side for keeping the respective flexible door panel in shape when extended out to close the front opening of the wardrobe body, and hook and loop materials adapted to secure one lateral side of each door panel to the wardrobe body.

With the increased popularity of smart telephones, tablets, and other mobile devices, there has been a similar increase in the amount of data handled by the networks of mobile operators. To reduce the strain on network infrastructure and to reduce network transfer costs, mobile operators are shifting from offering simple unlimited mobile data plans to offering capped and metered plans. Some of these capped and metered plans are complex, with allotted data caps varying based on network type, time of day, etc. Further, the fees for exceeding the allotted data caps may be significant and may also vary based on network type, time of day, etc. The existing systems generally lack mechanisms to help the user understand and manage data consumption in view of the data usage plans. As a result, with the existing systems, users can unknowingly exceed the allotted data caps and experience bandwidth throttling (e.g., a reduction or limit placed upon the rate of consumption) and/or be presented with a much larger than normal monthly bill, resulting in “bill shock.” Throttling and bill shock can impact the user experience, leading to dissatisfied customers, increased customer service calls, and negative impressions of the mobile operators.

In the case of large parking lots such as a hypermarket and a department store, a size of a parking lot is not only very large but vehicles may also be parked on a plurality of floors. Therefore, a user needs to be well-informed of a number corresponding to an area in which a vehicle is parked or a moving route from a point where his and her vehicle is parked. If a user is not well-informed of a number corresponding to the area in which his/her vehicle is parked or is miss-informed of the moving route, the problem in that the user needs to find a location where his/her vehicle is parked or needs to find his/her vehicle at a location different from a floor where his/her vehicle is parked is often caused. Therefore, various methods for more easily and quickly providing a location where a user's vehicle is parked have been researched and developed. As a representative example, there is a method for receiving, by a user terminal, a global positioning system (GPS) signal and providing a path on which a vehicle is parked on the basis of the received GPS signal. However, the existing method for providing location information often has a problem in that intensity of the GPS signal is weak or the GPS signal may not be received, when a vehicle is parked underground. Therefore, a user terminal 100 has a problem in that a route guidance service about a location where a user's vehicle is parked may be provided inaccurately or the route guidance service may not be provided. The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure. The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with regard to the present disclosure.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide elongated, inflatable pneumatic structures such as life rafts, boats, or toboggans, the structures having no frames of rigid material and usually having relatively soft, rounded top and bottom faces. Such devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,191,374 to Dixon of Feb. 20, 1940; U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,182 to Solipasso of Mar. 11, 1969, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,694,836 to Serra of Oct. 3, 1972. It has been found that inflatable mattress type devices are not practical for ice rescue craft in northern climates, for the reason that the rubber bottoms are rounded and do not spread the weight sufficiently. They tend to tear and deflate on sharp ice, tin cans, broken bottles and the like and the soft rubber tops permit prone adults to roll off especially if the device is yieldably supported in water. Another line of buoyant floats or boats proposes to enclose an inflatable loop body in a frame of rigid material, the craft being wide enough to accomodate a sitting person. While probably stable in water, these boats occupy too much storage space, and present a soft, bottom face to ice and snow which precludes its rapid advance. In U.S. Pat. No. 1,884,705 to Hoffman of Oct. 25, 1932, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,927,124 to Jones of Sept. 19, 1933 the inflatable boat, or float, has a soft fabric bottom which might tear on sharp ice or on broken bottles, tin cans, etc. caught in ice. Life saving apparatus of the non-inflatable type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,138 to Walters of Aug. 4, 1936, the bouyant member having rope handles therearound but being triangular in cross section with one side down and the other two sides being inclined and incapable of supporting a prone adult. A parallelogram, and square, shaped body is also disclosed in this patent. Similarly a buoyant cruise board of rigid material is taught in U.S. Pat. Des. No. 157,564, Byerly of Mar. 7, 1950, the board tapering in depth and width from front to rear. An elongated buoyant ice rescue craft, about 12 feet long, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,532,066 to Clemans of Oct. 6, 1970, the top deck being cross-slatted, exposing the foam material at the ends and there being no provision for housing of the recovery lines or for compact storage of the craft.

Generation of a process flow diagram can be a tedious task for a user. Users typically have to select particular process flow components, define every connection, decision, etc. This can be problematic from not only a time efficiency standpoint but also hinder productivity of a user. Moreover, many process flow diagrams are created for particular business purposes including compliance with policy and regulations. This can present additional challenges for a user when working with applications/services that are not tailored to contemplate such concerns. As such, examples of the present application are directed to the general technical environment related to management of automated generation of a process flow diagram from received input, among other examples.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to a lens system. More specifically the invention relates to a projection lens system for semiconductor lithography with at least one exchangeable optical element, in particular the final optical element in the beam direction in the form of an end plate. 2. Description of the Related Art In the case of lens systems in semiconductor lithography, it is necessary, from time to time, to make subsequent corrections in order to eliminate aberrations or to increase the imaging accuracy. For this reason, it is possible for individual optical elements, e.g. the end plate, to be designed in an exchangeable manner, in order that, for example, lens-system aberrations may be optimized. The same also applies in the case of an optical element being damaged or subjected to wear. This applies, in particular, to the end plate in a projection lens system. In the case of such an exchange, however, the intention is to achieve reproducibility in order that new errors do not slip in. For this purpose, U.S. Pat. No. 5,973,863 has already disclosed the practice of connecting the end plate of a lens system in semiconductor lithography in an exchangeable manner to the mount in order for it to be possible to correct spherical aberrations or other aberrations of the projection system. A screw-connection between the plate and the mount is proposed for this purpose. In order to achieve exchangeability of an optical element in a lens system, it is already generally known, in principle, to provide a method of connection other than an adhesive connection between the optical element and its mount. For this purpose you are referred, for example, to the earlier application 199 29 403.8, in which an end element is connected to the adjacent optical element by wringing.

A system for monitoring the pressures of the tires of a motor vehicle comprises a pressure and/or temperature sensor mounted in each wheel of the vehicle, and a central processor unit that collects the data coming from each sensor by means of wireless links. Such a system makes it possible, in particular, to inform the driver of the vehicle whenever the pressure of a tire is abnormally low. In practice, each sensor comprises a pressure and/or temperature probe, as well as a radio signal transmitter and a power supply battery. Pressure and temperature data is thus transmitted by each sensor and is collected by said central processor unit. For that purpose, each sensor is provided with means for determining whether or not the wheel in which it is mounted is rotating. Those means may comprise an electronic accelerometer, of the micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) component type, that regularly evaluates the direction of gravity relative to a reference frame that is specific to it, thereby making it possible to determine that the wheel is rotating when the direction of gravity varies relative to the reference frame of the sensor, and that it is not rotating if said direction is constant. Thus, in general, each sensor transmits pressure and/or temperature data while the wheel in which it is mounted is rotating, and does not transmit any such data whenever it evaluates that the wheel is stationary. That makes it possible to limit the electricity consumption of the sensor significantly throughout its life. When a sensor is transmitting signals, said signals comprise firstly digital data transmission signals for transmitting digital data such as measured pressure and measured temperature, and secondly a “location” signal that is used by the central processor unit to identify the wheel in which the sensor transmitting that digital data is mounted. For example, the location signal is made up of a series of pulses transmitted at predetermined regular intervals. In practical terms, the central processor unit identifies the wheels on the basis of their speeds of rotation that differ significantly from one wheel to another, to a small but real extent. These differences in speed are due, in particular, to the difference in the state of the road surface between a left wheel and a right wheel, to a wheel alignment or “tracking” defect, and to other parameters of that type that inevitably give rise to differences in speed of rotation of the wheels. In practice, on the basis of the location signal, the central processor unit establishes an accurate estimate of the speed of rotation of the wheel carrying the sensor that generated the signal. The estimate is then compared with measurements of speeds of each wheel that are established and updated in parallel by an independent system such as an anti-lock braking system (ABS) with which the vehicle is equipped. Finally, the central processor unit determines that the wheel from which the location signal is coming is the wheel that has the speed measured by the independent system that is the closest to the speed estimated accurately on the basis of the location signal. Accurate estimation of the speed of the wheel on the basis of the location signal is, for example, achieved as described in Patent Application FR 2 833 523, i.e. with an algorithm that identifies a periodicity for the envelope curve of the location signal received by the central processor unit: the period of said envelope curve corresponds to the frequency of rotation of the wheel. Another solution for accurately estimating the speed of the wheel on the basis of the location signal is given in Patent Application FR 2 844 748, that solution being based on the phase shift of that signal. In practice, it appears that the sensors must transmit signals having relatively high power in order to obtain information transmission that is sufficiently reliable, which significantly limits the lives of the batteries equipping such sensors. One of the solutions that makes it possible to increase the lives of the sensors consists in adding an additional antenna connected to the central processor unit by positioning it in such a manner as to improve the wireless transmission conditions. That makes it possible to reduce the emission power of the signals generated by the sensors, and thereby to increase the lives of the primary or secondary batteries of such sensors. Unfortunately, adding an additional antenna gives rise to extra equipment cost and extra integration cost, which costs are prohibitive to implementing a pressure monitoring system.

1. Field of the Invention This invention generally relates to control rod assemblies for nuclear reactors and, more particularly, to the operative connections between control rods and control rod drive mechanisms. 2. Description of the Prior Art One of the most serious accidents that can occur to a nuclear power plant is a loss of the flow of coolant followed by the failure of the control system to accomplish a rapid shutdown of the reactor. A loss of coolant flow can occur from either the rupture of piping or the stoppage of one or more of the coolant circulating pumps. This type of accident is especially serious because the heat generated in the reactor cannot be carried off. If the reactor continues to generate heat, then tremendous pressures are built up in the coolant system. In addition, this heat generation, if it is not terminated by a scram, could melt down the majority of the core of the reactor. In the reactors using liquid sodium for primary coolant, there is a special problem caused by a partial or total loss of sodium flow if reactor scram does not follow promptly. In the present design of liquid metal fast breeder reactors there is a gain in reactivity called a positive sodium void coefficient that occurs when sodium flow is interrupted. The sodium temperature may increase to its boiling point, whereupon "voids" of sodium vapor are formed, resulting in increased reactivity, power, more boiling, and the possibility of serious consequences. This gain in reactivity occurs because although the neutron absorption effect of sodium is small, it is not zero. Any loss of sodium from the core causes a shift in the neutron absorption spectrum and increases the number of neutrons. This shift, in turn, increases the probability of neutron capture by the fissionable atoms in the fuel. Many organizations, government agencies, and corporations have studied the problem of minimizing the probability of the loss of low accident. A considerable design effort has been expended over a priod of many years in order to provide maximum assurance to both the public and the various reactor licensing agencies that this accident can be avoided. Heretofore, the most reliable and simplest system that has been proposed contemplates hydraulically supporting a plurality of tantalum absorber balls in a column above the reactor core by the flow of primary coolant. In the event coolant flow is reduced, these balls which have a large neutron absorption coefficient fall into the high flux region of the core and quickly shut down the reactor. Although the use of hydraulically supported, absorber balls provides a self-actuated and reliable reactor shut-down system, there are many inherent limitations with this system. For example, the absorber balls are hydraulically supported by the flow of primary coolant in a position substantially above the high flux region of the core. In this position the balls cannot be maneuvered to regulate the amount of neutron flux during normal operations. Secondly, the absorber balls are only controlled by the flow of primary coolant through the column. Therefore, the balls add reactivity to the system whenever the main coolant pumps are started and primary coolant flow is commenced. Further, the hydraulically supported absorber balls only shut down the reactor when the flow of primary coolant decreases. The balls cannot be commanded to scram a reactor by either the reactor operator or one of the other reactor safety systems. Finally, considerable testing will be necessary to demonstrate the exact response of the tantalum balls under actual reactor conditions of flow and wear.

Automated welding techniques using robotic welders and large positioners have greatly increased the quality of industrial welding. Greater reliability can be provided using automated welding techniques. In addition, the welds can be completed rapidly, without the use of highly paid and highly skilled welders. In addition, the use of positioners to position a piece for welding has also provided for high quality welds. Welds that are performed when the piece is disposed in a horizontal position allow the weld to properly flow into an opening and properly fill the space in the opening. Large positioners are capable of rotating large pieces into positions, so that horizontal, high quality welds can be performed.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an air-fuel ratio feedback control system in an internal combustion engine having air-fuel ratio sensors upstream and downstream of a three-way reducing and oxidizing catalyst converter in an exhaust gas passage. 2. Description of the Related Art Among known air-fuel ratio feedback control systems using air-fuel ratio sensors (O.sub.2 sensors), there exists a single O.sub.2 sensor system, i.e., having only one O.sub.2 sensor. Note, in this system the O.sub.2 sensor is disposed either upstream or downstream of the catalyst converter. In a single O.sub.2 sensor system having an O.sub.2 sensor upstream of the catalyst converter, the O.sub.2 sensor is disposed in the exhaust gas passage near to a combustion chamber, i.e., near the concentration portion of an exhaust manifold. In this system, however, the output characteristics of the O.sub.2 sensor are directly affected by a non-uniformity or non-equilibrium state of the exhaust gas. For example, when the air-fuel ratio actually indicates a rich state, but oxygen is still present, the output characteristics of the O.sub.2 sensor fluctuate. Also, in an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders, the output characteristics of the O.sub.2 sensor are also directly affected by differences in individual cylinders, and accordingly, it is impossible to detect the mean air-fuel ratio for the entire engine, and thus the accuracy of the control of the air-fuel ratio is low. On the other hand, in a single O.sub.2 sensor system having an O.sub.2 sensor downstream of the catalyst converter, the non-uniformity or non-equilibrium state of the detected exhaust gas has little or no effect, and thus the mean air-fuel ratio for the engine can be detected. In this system, however, due to the capacity of the catalyst converter, the response characteristics of the O.sub.2 sensor are lowered, and as a result, the efficiency of the catalyst converter cannot be properly exhibited, and thus the HC, CO and NO.sub.x emissions are increased. To solve the above problems, the following method, for example, is known. Namely, the actual air-fuel ratio is adjusted by a self-oscillating term, and a mean value thereof, i.e., a coarse-adjusting term, is controlled in accordance with the output of the O.sub.2 sensor disposed downstream of the catalyst converter. Nevertheless, this method cannot eliminate the increase of HC, CO and NO.sub.x emissions occurring when the actual air-fuel ratio deviates from the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, because the integral speed for the coarse-adjusting term is set at a small value, and it takes a long time to correct the air-fuel ratio so that the efficiency of the catalyst converter is properly exhibited. To solve the above problem, the present inventor has already suggested a method of using a proportional O.sub.2 storage term and an integral O.sub.2 storage term, to forcibly shift the coarse-adjusting term when the output of the O.sub.2 sensor disposed downstream of the catalyst converter is outside a pre-determined region, or when the actual air-fuel ratio has become rich after the completion of the warming-up of the catalyst converter. The above method, however, cannot eliminate the increase of HC, CO and NO.sub.x emissions, when the catalyst converter is cold because the functioning of the O.sub.2 sensor is delayed, even if it is equipped with a heater, and the start of the air-fuel ratio feedback control is also delayed because the O.sub.2 sensor is located at a position where the exhaust gas temperature is low.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention applies to the field of wireless communications systems using antenna arrays and, in particular, to estimating the power of a signal received on a spatial channel. 2. Description of the Prior Art Adaptive antenna arrays and SDMA (Spatial Division Multiple Access) enable a wireless system to use strategies to reduce interference and enhance system capacity. These strategies include 1) increasing the signal to interference ratio on the uplink (user terminal to base station) by adjusting received signal samples based on the location of a remote terminal and the RF environment, 2) concentrating signal power to the intended user terminal (beam-forming), and 3) placing nulls to user terminals using similar or the same frequency resources, such as terminals using the same channel on the downlink (base station to user terminal), among others. With these strategies, adaptive arrays can greatly enhance the capacity of a wireless system. Using various SDMA strategies a base station may be able to communicate with more than one user terminal on the same conventional communications channel. These user terminals sharing a conventional channel are here referred to as “co-spatial” user terminals. The number of user terminals with which a base station can successfully communicate using a single communications channel may vary. Using the SDMA strategies, the conventional channel may be divided into multiple spatial channels to be used by as many remote terminals. It may be desirable to determine the power of the signals on each spatial channel. That is, it may be desirable to determine how much each signal on each spatial channel is contributing to the received signal. It may also be desirable to estimate the power of signals received from co-channel interferers, that is, terminals communicating with other base stations, or in other cells, reusing the same communications channel. These may be done by estimating the spatial signature of a remote terminal whose power level is to be determined, and calculating the norm, i.e. magnitude, of the spatial signature. The problem with this method is that the spatial signature estimate may be very noisy. For example, if the signal on a spatial channel from a remote terminal is somewhat strong relative to the signal from the remote terminal whose power level is being estimated, the spatial signature will be of poor quality. Given a poor spatial signature, taking the norm of this signature will result in a poor estimate of the power contribution. One way to improve the power estimation is by having better spatial signature estimates. This may include using a joint maximum likelihood signature estimation. This strategy involves finding spatial signatures by minimizing a function of the received signal and two reference signals. The problem with this method is that a minimization needs to be performed, which is a complex and resource-consuming task. Furthermore, the two reference signals need to be available for calculation simultaneously, further consuming memory resources.

Soil pollution is becoming a significant problem in this country. In numerous locations around the country, hazardous wastes, such as MTBE's, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), poisons and other chemicals have been inadvertently released, thereby contaminating the surrounding soil. Such soil contamination can be caused, for example, by leaking underground storage tank sites (LUST sites). The hazardous waste may leak through the soil, eventually contaminating water supplies. Cleaning up contaminated soil is both difficult and costly. Typically, the owner of a site containing contaminated soil is responsible for this soil. However, because there is no cost effective manner of cleaning the soil, the owners of contaminated soil typically pay to have the soil removed and stored at a remote location. One such location is the Kettleman Hazardous Waste Landfill, located near Fresno, Calif. The cost for removing and storing contaminated soil is typically about $65/cubic yard. It would therefore be desirable to have a cost efficient method and apparatus for cleaning contaminated soil. It would further be desirable if this method and apparatus were portable, such that contaminated soil could be de-contaminated on-site, without requiring that the contaminated soil be transported a significant distance. In addition, it would be desirable to have a vapor generator capable of efficiently generating high-temperature water vapor for a multitude of uses including, but not limited to: de-contamination, in-situ heating of oil reserves to facilitate pumping, food preparation, cleaning and disinfecting, snow and ice removal, desalinization of sea water, generation of electricity, drying and curing, space heating and humidification, and the conversion of organic waste to other products.

In recent years, when a guide bar for supporting a guide needle for feeding thread in a warp knitting machine is concerned, with further complication and size increase of pattern constitution of lace fabric for clothing, a number of so-to-speak pattern guide bars for leading patterning yarns that form pattern structure is increased, in relation to ground guide bars for leading ground yarns that form ground fabric among knitting yarns to be led. Currently, there has emerged a warp knitting machine referred to as Multibar Raschel having substantially eighty sheets of pattern guide bars. Under the situation, there is no bounds in insatiable intention for high grade formation of lace pattern and even in the current state, the market is in pursuit of bringing forth gorgeous lace of wide width lace having a dense and complicated pattern constitution which is equivalent to that of slender width lace by further increasing the number of pattern guide bars. However, as is well known, a pattern guide bar is constructed by constituting a nesting structure (fan shape arrangement, which is referred to as nesting or nest) around a knitting needle row of guide needles (refer to FIG. 20). In FIG. 20, numeral 501 designates a support member fixed to a machine frame 502. Notations 514a, 514b, 514c, 514d, 514e and 514f designate thread feed guides of one unit of nesting, that is, thread feed guides of a nest constituted by taking a set of guides in which thread guide holes of distal ends of guide needles are aligned in one row. Notation N designates the knitting needle row. Because of the above-described structure, although a number of nests (units) of pattern guide bars can further be increased when enlargement of a motional range of the knitting needles and occupied areas of the guide bars as well as lowering of a rotational number are not considered, the volume of a warp knitting machine is restricted in view of a size of a building and with regard to rotational number, conceivably, the number is not significantly lowered but is increased in view of economic performance. Attempts have been made to increase the number of guide bars without increasing a nest angle .theta. between a face of a thread feed guide (guide needle and its support portion) for attaching to a frontmost guide bar in one unit of a conventional nest, and a face of the thread feed guide for attaching to a rearmost guide bar. No increase of nest angle .theta. means no significant change of a height of a warp knitting machine and a width thereof in the front and rear direction. For example, JP-B-47018061 (Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 47-18061) discloses a guide structure in a warp knitting machine having a constitution in which bar-like members each in correspondence with a guide bar for attaching a thread feed guide of guide needles and the like are held in plural ranks successive in the up and down direction and slidably in the width direction of the warp knitting machine in respect of a lead hanger attached to a plurality of hangers in a fan shape constituting a support member by which a number of the bar-like members for attaching the thread feed guide is increased without increasing a necessary space in respect of a reed oscillating direction (front and rear direction of warp knitting machine). However, in this case, driving means for causing displacement of the bar-like member comprises pattern wheels, chain links and so on installed at a side portion of the warp knitting machine similar to those in the conventional case of driving reed and accordingly, a comparatively large installation space is needed. Further, JP-A-06049754 (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-49754) discloses a constitution for driving a guide bar (thread leading reed) for attaching a thread feed guide in which pattern wheels, chain links and the like are not installed at a side portion of a warp knitting machine as in the conventional case but a linear motor is installed at one end of the guide bar to be able to drive directly. In this case, not only the driving means is invariably installed at the side portion of the warp knitting machine but there poses a problem similar to that of the conventional nesting structure by the fan shape arrangement of guide bar. Further, in the case of a guide driving device disclosed in PCT WO 95/19362, a thread feed guide is movably installed to a holding member having a guide path and the thread feed guide is moved by driving means of a linear motor or the like. However, a total nest number is not increased more than that of a conventional Multibar Raschel machine of a guide bar directly driving type. Accordingly, in one repeat width of a pattern, a number of guides capable of intersecting at a time of shogging motion of a thread feed guide for pattern cannot be increased. Hence, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a guide drive device which is capable of increasing a number of guide attaching members such as guide bars or the like and the nest number within a conventional installation space, and which needs no large space at a side portion of a warp knitting machine by installing a drive source thereof (displacement causing means) by effectively utilizing a space above fan shape arrangement. Meanwhile, even when guide attaching members such as guide bars or the like are arranged in plural ranks, if each one guide attaching member is driven by one guide path, in order to further increase a number of guide attaching members, guide paths must be added in the longitudinal direction of the thread feed guide, with thread lead holes at distal ends of the thread feed guides as start points. Therefore, an extremely long thread feed guide needs to be used and there is a limitation in further increasing the nest number. Hence, it is a second object of the present invention to provide a guide drive device in a novel warp knitting machine having patterning function comparable to or surpassing a drive device of a thread feed guide for patterning in a Multibar Raschel machine having one hundred sheets or more of pattern reeds which has not been realized yet.

1. Field of the Invention This invention concerns a roller mounted seat supported by a dual track bench that is used by a patient to transfer into or out of a shower or bathtub area. 2. Description of the Prior Art A typical prior art bench is illustrated in FIG. 1. It includes a flat, water impervious seat, two pairs of legs which straddle the edge of the bathtub, and a back. There are several drawbacks to the prior art device illustrated in FIG. 1. In general it is difficult for some patients to slide across the seat due to the friction of the seat itself and the weakness of the patient. In order to keep water from running off the seat and out of the tub it is frequently necessary to make the inside leg slightly shorter than the outside legs. The resulting incline can be hazardous to patients with limited muscular abilities. It is not possible to draw a shower curtain across the bench when in use because the seat interferes with the normal path of the curtain. It should also be mentioned that it is difficult for a patient using a solid seat to clean himself from underneath. Moreover, many male patients experience difficulty with the prior art design because it is anatomically unsuited for the genital region. Finally, the prior art design is generally uncomfortable because of the hard unyielding nature of the material used. Also of possible relevance is the Shower Trolley which comprises a wheeled seat supported by a rigid bench for use in a tub or shower stall. The shower trolley is available through Sonneville Associates, 8604 Oakwood Drive, Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014.

Fire control mechanisms used in semiautomatic handguns oftentimes utilize striker-type firing pins. In handguns that employ a striker-type firing pin, the trigger is connected to a trigger bar. Movement of the trigger causes movement of the trigger bar, which, in certain embodiments, causes a sear to rotate about a pivot point. The sear is typically an elongated element that is rotatable about a pivot point located substantially at one end thereof. Upon rotation of the sear, a spring is compressed, and an upper portion of the sear is displaced relative to the firing pin. When the sear is displaced a sufficient distance to clear a depending leg of the firing pin, the firing pin is urged forward by a firing pin spring and strikes the rear of an ammunition cartridge, thereby discharging the firearm. Striker assemblies are well known in the art. Typically, a striker assembly contains several small and intricate parts. Assembly can often be difficult and costly. For these reasons, known striker assemblies have several disadvantages. The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a striker assembly with a unique design that is easy to assemble with a lower part count.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a jaceket for containing therein a floppy disk. 2. Related Art Statement The conventional jacket for floppy disks is generally manufactured by bonding a non-woven cloth to a sheet mainly composed of a hard polyvinylchloride followed by cutting and folding operations. The heat distortion temperature thereof is 60.degree. to 70.degree. C., at most, since it is mainly composed of a polyvinylchloride. For this reason, if the non-woven cloth is laminated at a high temperature, the sheet is deformed or the pattern of the non-woven cloth is transferred onto the surface opposed to the laminated interface, leading to considerable reduction in commercial value. In addition, loss in laminating step is significant, since the employable temperature range for the lamination with the non-woven cloth is narrow. Furthermore, toxic gases are generated by the heating at the hot-lamination or folding step to cause environmental pollution problems. Setting aside the disadvantages described above, since the floppy disks are carried under various conditions, there is an increasing demand for a floppy disk jacket having a resistance to higher temperature. Moreover, a multi-ply material having a thin colored resin ply and a light impermeable ply could not be manufactured from a polyvinylchloride resin through an extrusion process due to the problem of thermal stability of the polyvinylchloride resin. Accordingly, a floppy disk jacket made of a polyvinylchloride resin having a colored layer could not be produced.

Various types of damper devices have been developed over the years to control the flow of fluid through ducts in HVAC systems. The damper devices are used to control the flow of air through the systems' air ducts and range from a simple hand-turnable damper vane often found in residential buildings to motor driven mechanical damper assemblies more commonly used in commercial and industrial structures. Another type of damper device employs an inflatable bladder or bellows to control fluid flow through a duct, and details of particularly useful bladder-type flow control devices and associated systems can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,545,524 and 4,702,412. One advantage of the bladder-type flow control devices shown in these patents is that they could be easily retrofitted into existing ducts with minimal difficulty. Another prior art type of damper device is a mechanical damper assembly comprising a short piece of duct in which a damper vane is provided with a shaft that is pivotally mounted for rotation in the short piece of duct. The damper vane is rotated between open and closed positions by a motor mounted to and outside the duct piece and connected to the damper vane shaft. The aforesaid type of mechanical damper assembly is somewhat difficult to install in an existing duct. Installation requires the duct piece of the damper assembly to be spliced into the existing duct. This involves cutting out a length of the existing duct and usually dismantling of the existing duct to enable such cutting and/or assembly of the duct piece between adjacent sections of the existing duct. This dismantling, cutting and reassembling of the ductwork is time consuming and therefore an expensive operation when performed by paid installers. The damper vanes in prior art mechanical damper assemblies heretofore have been driven by both electric and fluid motors. A drawback of electric damper motors is that often their life cycle is comparatively short and limited, thereby making motor replacement a relatively frequent and expensive maintenance operation. Another problem is that, in systems employing a considerable number of electric motor driven dampers, relatively complicated wiring schemes and transformers are often involved, all adding to the cost and complexity of the overall system. Fluid motors eliminate the electrical wiring problems and often have comparatively longer life cycles, but they too have had drawbacks associated therewith. Even with so-called frictionless diaphragm-type fluid motors, the actuator rods thereof are engaged by bearings, seals and wipers that still hinder free linear movement of the rods. Also, to reduce friction, the rods are made of hardened steel as opposed to less expensive materials. These fluid motors may require pressurization of both sides of the diaphragm as well, thereby creating a need to seal all access openings in the motor and further hindering the motion transfer.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heat transfer image-receiving sheet. More particularly, the present invention relates to a heat transfer image-receiving sheet which is highly releasable from a heat transfer sheet without being thermally fused therewith when an image is formed and on which a deeply-dyed image can be formed. 2. Background Art Heretofore, a variety of heat transfer printing methods have been known. One of them is a method in which a sublimable dye is thermally transferred from a heat transfer sheet in which the sublimable dye is supported as a recording agent on a substrate sheet such as a polyester film to an image-receiving sheet capable of being dyed with the sublimable dye, prepared, for example, by providing a dye-receiving layer on paper or a plastic film, thereby producing various full-colored images on the image-receiving sheet. In the above printing method, the thermal head of a printer is employed as a heat application means, and a large number of dots in three or four colors, the amount of heat applied thereto being properly controlled, are transferred to the image-receiving sheet in an extremely short heat application time. A full-colored original image can thus be successfully reproduced by the multicolored dots on the image-receiving sheet. The above-obtained image is very sharp and excellent in transparency because a dye is used as the recording agent. The printing method of this type can thus produce an image excellent in the reproduction of half-tones and also in gradation, comparable to an image obtainable by conventional offset printing or gravure printing. Moreover, the quality of the image is as high as that of a full-colored photograph. Upon effectively conducting the above heat transfer printing, not only the structure of the heat transfer sheet but also that of the image-receiving sheet on which an image is formed is important. Conventionally-known image-receiving sheets are those disclosed, for instance, in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications Nos. 169370/1982, 207250/1982 and 25793/1985, in which image-receiving sheets are prepared by providing a dye-receiving layer, using a resin selected from polyester resins, vinyl resins such as polyvinyl chloride resin, polycarbonate resins, polyvinyl butyral resins, acrylic resins, cellulose resins, olefin resins, polystyrene resins and the like. In the case where the above-described heat transfer image-receiving sheets have an image-receiving surface which is poor in release properties, they are thermally fused with a heat transfer sheet due to heat which is applied by a thermal head when an image is formed. A loud noise is therefore made when the image-receiving sheet is separated from the heat transfer sheet. Moreover, troubles called abnormal transfer printing are caused; for instance, the dye layer of the heat transfer sheet is entirely transferred to the image-receiving sheet, and the dye-receiving layer of the image-receiving sheet is separated from the substrate A method in which various releasing agents are incorporated into the dye-receiving layer, and a method in which a releasing layer Is separately provided on the dye-receiving layer have been conventionally known as the methods for solving the above-described problems in the release properties. Among various releasing agents, silicone compounds such as silicones and silicone resins are effective for imparting release properties, and modified silicones which can be cured are particularly effective. Among curing-type silicones, addition-polymerizable silicones, condensation-polymerizable silicones and active-energy-ray-curing silicones are presently known well. These silicones are added as silicone oils, and cured by the application of heat or active energy rays. Release properties can thus be obtained. However, these cured silicones have, depending upon the type thereof, a problem in mar resistance, that is, during the transportation of a heat transfer image-receiving sheet having a dye-receiving layer into which any of the above silicones is incorporated, the dye-receiving layer is rubbed with the back surface of another piece of the heat transfer image-receiving sheet and marred, so that the image-receiving sheet cannot fully exhibit release properties when heat transfer printing is conducted; and a problem of heavy separation, that is, it becomes heavy to separate the image-receiving sheet from a heat transfer sheet when an image is formed. Further, a cured product which is obtained by the reaction between an amino-modified silicone and an epoxy-modified silicone has also been known well. However, the separation of an image-receiving sheet comprising such a cured product from a heat transfer sheet is heavier then that of an image-receiving sheet comprising a cured product of an addition-polymerizable silicone, a condensation-polymerizable silicone or an active-energy-ray-curing silicone. In addition, it takes time to cure amino- and epoxy-modified silicones. In order to obtain satisfactory release properties by the use of a curing-type modified silicone oil selected from the above-described addition-polymerizable silicones, condensation-polymerizable silicones, active-energy-ray-curing silicones, and amino- and epoxy-modified silicones, it is effective to add a large amount of the silicone oil to a dye-receiving layer, or to provide a thick releasing layer. However, in either of these cases, the dyeability of a dye used is impaired, and, as a result, an image having a high density cannot be obtained. Further, even if the amount of the silicone oil used is made large, or even if the releasing layer is made thick, the above-described mar resistance or anti-heavy separation properties cannot be improved depending upon the type of the resin used for forming the dye-receiving layer. In order to improve the mar resistance, it is preferable to obtain release properties by reacting a silicone oil having active hydrogen such as a hydroxyl-modified silicone, a carboxyl-modified silicone or an amino-modified silicone with a curing agent such as an isocyanate compound or an organometallic compound, thereby curing the silicone. However, In the above reaction, it is necessary to conduct baking at a high temperature for many hours, and also to conduct aging for a long time after the step of drying. The above reaction thus requires many hours, so that it is disadvantageous from the viewpoint of productivity. On the other hand, when baking is conducted at a low temperature for a short time, there may be a case where release properties cannot be fully obtained even if aging is conducted thereafter. Further, if the amount of the curing agent or that of a catalyst is increased to such an extent that release properties can be fully obtained, the pot life of a coating liquid becomes extremely short. The coating liquid is therefore gelled before it is coated, or the coatability thereof becomes worse. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the aforementioned problems, thereby providing a heat transfer image-receiving sheet which is highly releasable from a heat transfer sheet and on which a high-density image can be recorded.

Recently, there has been an increased growth in the use and marketing of food pouches, also referred to as stand-up pouches, especially for use with baby food. The food pouches are easy to use for the parents and the children can suck the food out of the pouch. The use of the food pouch eliminates the need for a glass baby food jar, and the need to spoon feed the food to the infant or toddler, thereby reducing the mess that is often accompanied when one is feeding a child. However, the food pouches themselves can create mess. Invariably, the flow of food through the opening of the pouch is not controlled. Therefore, when the child squeezes the food pouch, the food squirts from the top opening and can soil the child's clothing or chair. Thus, there is a need in the art to retain the convenience of the food pouch but reduce or prevent the accompanying mess that the use of the pouch produces.

With respect to conventional driving circuits for power semiconductor elements, in the case where the circuit is used with a self-turn-off power semiconductor element such as an IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) made of Si (Silicon), or the like, when a voltage change dv/dt occurs between collector-emitter terminals of the power semiconductor element in OFF state, the gate voltage increases due to the parasitic capacitance associated with the gate of the power semiconductor element. Thus, there is a problem that, if the gate voltage exceeds a specified threshold voltage, the power semiconductor element in OFF state is falsely turned ON to cause an arm short-circuit in a power converter such as an inverter or the like, resulting in breakage of the power semiconductor element. In order to avoid this problem, there is a method in which a negative bias voltage is applied between the gate-emitter terminals when the power semiconductor element is in OFF state. However, with respect to the power converters such as an inverter and the like, driving power of the power semiconductor element is supplied from a power supply for the main circuit in many cases. Thus, there is a possibility that a voltage change occurs between the gate-emitter terminals before the negative bias voltage to be applied to the power semiconductor element is established, so that the gate voltage increases to cause the false operation. Meanwhile, in the case where a MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect-Transistor) is used as the power semiconductor element, if a voltage change occurs between the drain-source terminals before the negative bias voltage to be applied to the power semiconductor element is established, there is a possibility that the gate voltage increases to cause the false operation. In Patent Document 1, a circuit (driving circuit) for driving a semiconductor element having a low threshold voltage is described. In the driving circuit of Patent Document 1, a normally-on-type FET (Field-Effect-Transistor) 132 is connected between the gate terminal and the source terminal 144 of a switching element 130 so as to short-circuit between the gate-source terminals when the power supply of a driving-pulse generation circuit 118 becomes in OFF state.

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an imprint apparatus, and an article manufacturing method. Description of the Related Art There are imprint techniques that mold an imprint material on a substrate to form a pattern on the substrate. One example of such imprint techniques includes a photo-curing method. An imprint apparatus using the method brings a mold into contact with an imprint material on a substrate so as to fill the imprint material into the mold. The imprint material is cured by irradiation of light, and then the mold is released from the cured imprint material to thereby form a pattern on a substrate. Here, if foreign matters are deposited on a substrate or a mold, defects may occur on the pattern or may cause damage to the mold. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-56854 discloses an imprint apparatus that reduces foreign matters within the imprint region by surrounding (sealing) the imprint region with a gas curtain. However, the imprint apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2014-56854 may be disadvantageous for accurately supplying the imprint material to the imprint region if a gas stream caused by the gas curtain occurs beneath the imprint material supplying device.

As semiconductor devices have gotten ever smaller, competing performance requirements of these devices forces semiconductor manufactures to be conflicted. On the one hand, the market demands that the semiconductor devices, such as those used in mobile communications, have increasingly faster operating speeds. On the other, however, that same market demands that these faster operating speeds be achieved with reduced power consumption. These competing design requirements have forced the industry to try to strike a balance between faster operating speeds and reduced power consumption. In many high performance electronics devices, the printed circuit board (PCB) typically has a microchip tied into a memory chip, and when the input/output (I/O) of the memory is required to switch faster, it requires more current from the power distribution network. The faster the device switches the more current it pulls from the power distribution network, which results in noise. Moreover, increase in noise has also arisen due to layer reductions made in the package in which the microchip is encased, thereby causing routing congestion in the package. Routing congestion can cause cross-talk issues due to capacitance and inductance coupling, which adds to the noise issues within the system. Because crosstalk can generate significant unwanted noise in nearby lines, causing problems of skew, delay, logic faults, and radiated emission, the crosstalk phenomena is drawing more attention than. If this noise remains unmanaged, it can affect the I/O and functionality of the device. For example, noise can cause the devices to lose data, produce high electromagnetic interference, blow transistors, or cause complete device failure. Manufactures have managed to lower current noise level at the PCB and the high current noise within the microchip.

1. Field of the Invention The apparatus of the present invention relates to air conditioner maintenance. 2. General Background of the Invention Air conditioner condensate piping periodically have tendency to malfunction due to water flow restriction caused mostly by dirt sediment and algae buildup. The preventative maintenance is to keep air filters clean and if accumulation are present, add household Clorox or equivalent to piping. The remedy or procedure, to eliminate the restriction would be to pressure the piping and blow out the matter causing the flow restriction. To gain access to the internal area of the piping system for repair, it is usually necessary to cut the piping, insert an air hose connected to a pressure content. Then, after clearing the restriction, the piping must be repaired. This procedure takes time, labor and is undesirable. To incorporate chemical as a preventive means, an access to the inner area of the piping must also be achieved. This usually consists of cutting the existing piping system or installing at original installation a tee fitting with a short nipple riser and a cover (cap). This procedure will then allow chemical maintenance, but will not allow a means to blow down in event of a restrictive inner buildup.

Semiconductor memory devices are important components in presently available industrial and consumer electronics products. For example, computers, mobile phones, and other portable electronics all rely on some form of memory for storing data. While many memory devices are typically available as commodity, or discrete memory devices, the need for higher levels of integration and higher input/output (I/O) bandwidth has led to the development of embedded memory, which can be integrated with systems, such as microcontrollers and other processing circuits. Most consumer electronics employ, non-volatile devices, such as flash memory devices, for storage of data. Demand for flash memory devices has continued to grow significantly because these devices are well suited in various applications that require large amounts of non-volatile storage, while occupying a small physical area. For example, flash is widely found in various consumer devices, such as digital cameras, cell phones, universal serial bus (USB) flash drives and portable music players, to store data used by these devices. Also, flash devices are used as solid state drives (SSDs) for hard disk drive (HDD) replacement. Such portable devices are preferably minimized in form factor size and weight. Unfortunately, multimedia and SSD applications require large amounts of memory which can increase the form factor size and weight of their products. Therefore, consumer product manufacturers compromise by limiting the amount of physical memory included in the product to keep its size and weight acceptable to consumers. Furthermore, while flash memory has a higher density per unit area than DRAM or SRAM, its performance is limited due to its relatively low I/O bandwidth that negatively impacts its read and write throughput. In order to meet the ever-increasing demand for and ubiquitous nature of applications of memory devices, it is desirable to have high-performance memory devices, i.e., devices having higher I/O bandwidth, higher read & write throughput, and increased flexibility of operations.

The present invention relates to a frame for supporting the screen of a screen printing machine and in particular relates to reinforcement for such a frame to prestress and/or camber the frame. Screen printing machines utilize a tensioned screen of fabric or mesh mounted on a supporting frame. A squeegee forces ink or other fluid media through the screen over an area whose shape is defined by a stencil. The squeegee is moved under pressure across the screen to deflect the screen downwardly toward the substrate to provide for transfer of the fluid medium onto the substrate. The screen of a screen printing machine is typically secured to a rectangular frame having coupled members which retain the edges of the tensioned screen. Prior art frames include frames known as xe2x80x9cstretch and gluexe2x80x9d frames in which a screen is adhered to a supporting frame while in a tensioned condition. Also known in the art are frames known as xe2x80x9croller framesxe2x80x9d in which rollers are coupled together and rotatably supported by connecting members. Each of the rollers retains an edge of the screen for tensioning of the screen through rotation of the rollers. A locking mechanism secures the rollers to the connecting members to maintain the desired tension in a print screen. A typical roller of a roller frame includes a hollow cylindrical tube made of aluminum and having a longitudinally extending channel in which an edge of the screen is retained. For larger frames, the coupled members of the frame can become long enough that the members become subject to undesirable transverse and torsional deflections. Such deflections may include inwardly directed deflections resulting from loads applied to the frame by the tensioned screen as well as sagging resulting from gravity forces acting on the frame. Undesirable vibration of the frame and the supported tensioned screen may result from forces applied to the screen by the squeegee. Vibration may also result from vertical reciprocation of the printing frame in certain printing machines. Such vibrations may require significant delay between print cycles to provide time for the vibrations to subside. Tension forces applied to the frame by the screen may also cause downward and inward bending of the frame members resulting in an out of plane warping of the frame. As a result of the warping, the print area of the screen in reduced. Furthermore, such warping may also lead to undesirable inconsistencies during printing. Reinforced structures for resisting deflections of frame members of screen printing machines are known in the art. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,255,600 and 5,097,761 to Hamu show large and rugged truss-like structures for resisting transverse deflections of a roller frame. The disclosed structures are passive structures whose elements, apart from gravity effects, are not stressed in the absence of external loading. The truss-like structures of Hamu, when located inwardly of the rollers as shown in FIG. 1 of the ""600 patent, encroach upon the printing area. The structures of Hamu provide rugged support at the expense of added weight as well as adding to shipping, handling and fabrication costs. U.S. Pat. No. 4,345,390 to Newman, which is incorporated herein by reference, shows a roller frame having screen retaining rollers coupled together by corner members and inwardly disposed roller support members adjacent the rollers. The disclosed support members resemble I-beam and box beam sections having a curved flange portion referred to a xe2x80x9climit stopxe2x80x9d and an opposite member which are connected by one or two webs, respectively. The curved flange portion provides a support surface which confronts the roller to resist inward deflections of the screen supporting roller. The disclosed support members, however, are passive structures whose elements, as described above, are not stressed in the absence of external forces. Therefore, in order to provide for increases in bending resistance utilizing the passive structures of the ""390 patent, a deeper section is required for a given material. Use of thinner walls and deeper sections allows for increasing stiffness while limiting increased weight. However, the use of thinner walls results in increased stresses imposed on the support member for a given loading. Additionally, increasing the depth of the section results in encroachment of the support member towards or into the print area of the screen. U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,293 to Newman, which is also incorporated herein by reference, discloses a roller frame in which the rollers supporting the screen are coupled together by corner members. The roller frame includes tensioning members extending between the corner members to camber the rollers. The tensioning members are located at a distance from the rollers toward the print area of the frame and therefore can only provide for one direction of cambering. Also, the roller is unsupported between the ends and therefore, with the exception of torsional restraint applied at the ends, remains unrestrained against transverse and torsional deflections. What is needed is a frame for supporting the screen of a screen printing machine having coupled frame members in which the stiffness of the frame members against transverse and torsional deflections are increased effectively without undesirable increases in weight or encroachment on the print area of a supported screen. The present invention provides such benefits through the incorporation of reinforcement in intimate proximity to the frame member for prestressing and/or cambering of the frame member. According to the present invention, there is provided a frame for supporting the screen of a screen printing machine. The frame includes elongated frame members coupled together each providing support for an edge of the screen. The frame further includes a reinforcing member supported by the frame to extend in intimate proximity along at least a portion of at least one of the frame members and provide a prestress and/or camber of the frame member. According to one embodiment of the invention the reinforcing member includes a cable extending within the interior of a frame member and having a tensioner attached adjacent to one end of the cable for tensioning the cable between bearing surfaces of the frame. The bearing surfaces may be defined by corner members coupling the frame members or alternatively by the frame member itself. According to another embodiment of the invention the reinforcing member includes an elongated secondary member affixed to the frame member. The secondary member applies prestress to the frame member resulting from affixation of the secondary member while the members while an applied condition imposed differential strains on confronting surfaces of the frame member and the secondary member. The differential strains create a prestress and/or camber following affixation and removal of the imposed conditions. Differential strains may be imposed through applied loading to create transverse deflection of the frame member and the secondary member. Differential strains may also be imposed by loading to create axial compression of the frame member.

The invention relates to a particularly advantageous process for preparing 2-methylpropane-1,3-diol from 2-methylenepropane-1,3-diol diacetate.

The expression of genes during the development of a pluripotent or progenitor cell into a differentiated, mature cell can provide a context for the study of tumorigenic cells whose origin is derived from such progenitor cells. In certain hematopoietic or epithelial tumors, malignant gene expression correlates substantially with the expression observed during normal development of the tissue from which the tumor originates, Gordon et al., J. Cell Biol. 108: 1187 (1989); Godal et al., Adv. Cancer Res. 36: 211 (1982). In fact, many biological activities of progenitor cells, including cellular migration and tissue remodeling, resemble pathological activities of cancer cells, such as metastases and tumor invasion. Neuroblastoma, a tumor of the adrenal gland which afflicts persons during early childhood, is another system in which tumor biology correlates with that of normal differentiation and morphogenesis of its progenitor cells (neuroblast). Neuroblastoma is an embryonal tumor that exhibits both undifferentiated and differentiated histopathology. The development of neuroblastoma tumors mimics stages identifiable during histogenesis of its tissue of origin, the adrenal medulla. Cooper et al., Cell Growth and Diff. 1: 149 (1989). During the development of human adrenal medulla neuroblast into mature chromaffin cells, four individual genes are expressed in a sequential pattern. Once a neuroblast is induced to differentiate along a neuroendocrine pathway, the progressive stages of chromaffin maturation are marked by a temporal expression of genes denoted TH, CGA, pG2 and B2M (Cooper, supra. at page 153). Cooper identified that the pattern of gene expression of these four markers in neuroblastoma cells mimics that of normal adrenal neuroblast arrested during three different stages of development. One of these marker genes, pG2, was identified first in pheochromocytoma, a tumor of the adult adrenal medulla (Helman et al., PNAS USA 84: 2336 (1987)). Helman reported that pG2 also is highly expressed normal human adrenal cells. Helman isolated a full-length cDNA from a human adrenal cDNA library, and identified a corresponding pG2 protein containing 286 amino acids, having a predicted molecular weight of 30,600 daltons (Helman et al., Nucleic Acids Res. 18(3): 685 (1990)). A gene having developmentally-regulated expression, paralleling that of pG2, would be useful for detecting pheochromocytoma or neuroblastoma by genetic methods, especially since pG2 expression is restricted to the adrenal gland in non-malignant tissues.

For some IR sensor applications, may be necessary to meet two critical performance requirements with the same system design configuration: very fast cooldown time (seconds to reach Sensor operating temperature) and long system operational run times (enabling the system to operate for thousands of hours without maintenance or service). Also, in some cases, the ability to abort a mission and re-use the device at a later date can be a desirable feature and adds operational flexibility. The requirements for achieving very quick cooldown time to operating temperature and maintaining long operational run times are challenging to realize for applications where weight, size and power are a premium. Applications such as a seeker on a missile or a surveillance sensor, are preferably small, lightweight, portable and adaptable. So there is generally a trade-off between quick cooldown time and operational run time because of size and weight constrains. Cryocoolers designed for applications requiring very fast turn on times are generally based on the Joule Thomson (J-T) effect because of the very high rates of cooling achievable with this cooling cycle. As a result applications requiring rapid IR sensor activation typically use J-T cooling approaches because fast cooldown times are crucial to the program. However, some variations of J-T type coolers suffer from relatively short run times because of the size, weight and power penalty associated with running these coolers for long periods of time. J-T cryostats can be made very small, lightweight and compact but lack operational run time. Although longer operational times can be realized by supplying a J-T cooler with large reservoir volumes of very high pressure gasses or very large compressors to supply very high pressure gasses, such solutions add to the size, weight and power to the device.

The invention relates to a tool device in which a profile tool is detachably secured to a toolholder. Such a tool device, with stops on the toolholder and tool for positioning the cutting profile of the tool relative to the holder, is the subject of EP A-0 132350. The profile tool shown there is annular in construction and comprises teeth at its outer circumference. The toolholder comprises an annular body on which the profile tool is seated and is locked through an annular bush, by means of a nut. In the course of this, the inner edge of the profile tool comes to bear against an annular shoulder of the bush. In order to ensure a precisely centric arrangement of the profile tool on the toolholder, there must be a relatively tight fit between the inner edge of the profile tool and the annular shoulder of the bush, but this is not guaranteed in the case in question because the profile tool in the clamped state is deformed in the shape of the rim of a plate. In order to ensure accurate positioning of the profile tool in the circumferential direction, the bush has a bore which runs substantially parallel to its axis and extends into the annular body, which bore intersects the inner edge of the profile tool which has a recess at this inner edge. The profile tool is arranged so that this recess is in alignment with the bore in which a pin is then inserted. If the recess at the inner edge of the profile tool is not precisely in alignment with the bore, there is the danger of the recess being deformed when the pin is inserted so that a satisfactory positioning of the profile tool in the circumferential direction is no longer guaranteed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple means for ensuring a reproducible alignment of a profile tool on a toolholder.

As an auxiliary storage medium replacing an HDD (Hard Disc Drive) of a portable PC (Personal Computer), a flash memory being a nonvolatile PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory) to which data can be electrically written many times and data stored therein can be electrically deleted at a time has been used, since it is small and light, and enables high speed processing and low power consumption. There is also used a memory card which is a removable flash memory. The memory card is installed to a data recording apparatus for recording data, to which picture data and music data is recorded. Picture data and music data recorded in the memory card can be reproduced by means of a PC, a digital camera, or a music playback apparatus, etc. Next, the configuration of the flash memory will be explained with reference to FIG. 1. The flash memory is composed of a plurality of blocks, each having data of a predetermined amount and being a unit in deleting data. Also, each block is composed of a plurality of pages, each having data of a predetermined amount and being a unit in writing and reading out data. Each page has a data area of e.g. 512 Bytes to which data is to be written, and an extra area of e.g. 16 Bytes to which parity data, etc. is to be written. The flash memory has important information such as information for initiating the data recording apparatus, information for managing the data recording apparatus, etc., which will be referred to as management information, stored in the data area thereof, besides picture data and music data recorded by the data recording apparatus. The management information is read out and stored to a RAM (Random Access Memory) of the data recording apparatus, and is managed, when using the flash memory. Stored management information is updated under the control of a CPU of the data recording apparatus, if necessary, in accordance with change of stored data when picture data and music data is written, and updated management information is rewritten to the data area of the flash memory. Next, the operation of updating management information stored in a flash memory will be explained with reference to FIG. 2. It is assumed that the management information is written in a predetermined block of a flash memory. Firstly, in step S21, a CPU retrieves a predetermined block of the flash memory to determine whether there is a vacant page in the block or not. Then, in case there is a vacant page, the process proceeds to step S22, while in case there is no vacant page, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S22, the CPU reserves the vacant page in the block, in which also management information just before updating is written, as a new page for writing the updated management information. In case the page in which the management information just before updating is written is the last page of the block, the updated management information is written to the leading page of the next block. In step S23, since there is no vacant page in all blocks of the flash memory, the CPU deletes all the management information before updating written in the leading block so as to prepare a block for writing the updated management information. Then, the CPU reserves the leading page of the block whose management information before updating is deleted as a new page for writing the updated management information. In step S24, the CPU writes the updated management information to the new page reserved in step S22 or step S23. When step S24 ends, the processing of updating the management information is terminated. When updating the management information under the steps shown in the flow chart of FIG. 2, the management information in the block of the flash memory is updated as shown in FIG. 3. When blocks to which the management information is written are 100a and 100b, firstly, the management information is written to the block 100a from a page number 0 to a page number n. Then, the management information is written to the block 100b from a page number 0. Thus, in the block of the flash memory, the management information is updated for each block sequentially. When updating the management information of the flash memory, in case updating processing is unsuccessfully performed, the CPU updates the management information again using the management information just before updating. In writing data to a page of the flash memory, when there is raised an error, the error affects all data in a block to which the page belongs. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when there is raised an error in a bit of a page of a block, there are also raised errors in similar bits of all the other pages of the block, which damages all data in the block. In updating the management information of the flash memory shown in the flow chart, since the management information is written to a vacant page which is next to a page of the block in which the management information before updating is written, when there is raised an error due to unsuccessful updating processing, all the management information in the block including the page with the error is damaged. Thus, the management information just before updating, which is necessary in case updating processing is unsuccessfully performed, is also damaged. So, the CPU cannot update the management information again since the management information just before updating cannot be used. Furthermore, each of memory cells of a conventional flash memory can store information of only 1 bit, while, so as to cut costs and enlarge the capacity, there is also used a flash memory each of whose memory cells can store information of 2 bits and 4 bits. In this case, area of damaged data spreads over a wide range of bits, which cannot be coped with by error correction codes.

WO 2007/131201 and WO 2008/154259 disclose compounds with activity as hedgehog signalling pathway modulators, including 2-Methyl-4′-trifluoromethoxy-biphenyl-3-carboxylic acid [6-(cis-2,6-dimethyl-morpholin-4-yl)-pyridin-3-yl]-amide. Topical pharmaceutical compositions are not specifically disclosed. The disclosures of the publications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) is a post-proline/alanine cleaving serine protease found in various tissues of the body including kidney, liver, and intestine. DPP-IV is thought to regulate the activity of multiple physiogically important peptides, including, but not limited to, GLP1, GIP, GLP2, GRP, vasoactive intestinal peptide, peptide histidine methionine, PYY, substance P, beta-casomorphine, NPY, PACAP38, prolactin, chorionic gonadotropin, aprotinin, corticotropin-like intermediate lobe peptide, pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating peptide, (Tyr)melanostatin, LD78beta(3-70), RANTES, eotaxin procolipase, enterostatin, vasostatin 1, endomorphin, morphiceptin, stromal cell derived factor, macrophage-derived chemokine, granulocyte chemotactic protein-2, and GHRH/GRF. As examples of the therapeutic value of DPP-IV, DPP-IV is believed to be involved in a variety of metabolic, gastrointestinal, viral, and inflammatory diseases, including, but not limited to, diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, dermatological or mucous membrane disorders, psoriasis, intestinal distress, constipation, autoimmune disorders such as encephalomyelitis, complement mediated disorders such as glomerulonepritis, lipodystrophy, and tissue damage, psychosomatic, depressive, and neuropsychiatric disease such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, schizophrenia, epilepsy, spasm, and chronic pain, HIV infection, allergies, inflammation, arthritis, transplant rejection, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, tumors, and stress-induced abortions, for example cytokine-mediated murine abortions. For example, DPP-IV, also known as CD26, mediates T-cell activation and HIV infection (Ohtsuki et al., 2000). T-cells expressing DPP-IV/CD26 are preferentially infected and depleted in HIV-infected individuals (Ohtsuki et al., 2000). DPP-IV inhibitors have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in animal models of arthritis (Tanaka et al, 1997). Additionally, DPP-IV inhibition has been shown to prolong cardiac transplant survival (Korom et al., 1997). In vitro studies suggest that DPP-IV/CD26 expression correlate with tumor progression of malignant melanomas of the skin (Van den Oord, 1998). Furthermore, DPP-IV is thought to regulate metabolism by cleaving the penultimate proline/alanine at the amino-terminus of polypeptides (Mentlein, 1999), such as glucagon-like peptides (GLP) and neuropeptide Y (NPY). More specifically, GLPs help metabolize glucose and, thus, regulation of GLPs likely should be beneficial in the treatment of metabolic disorders such as diabetes. Diabetes, for example type 2 (also called noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or maturity-onset) diabetes, results in elevated blood sugar levels due to absolute or relative insufficiencies of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the more common form of diabetes, accounting for 90% of cases, or about 16 million Americans. Most type 2 diabetics produce variable, sometimes normal, amounts of insulin, but they have abnormalities in liver and muscle cells that resist its actions. Insulin attaches to the receptors of cells, but glucose does not get inside, a condition known as insulin resistance. Many type 2 diabetics seem to be incapable of secreting enough insulin to overcome insulin resistance. GLP-1 enhances insulin secretion. Thus, regulation of GLP-1 correlates to a regulation of insulin secretion. Moreover, GLP-1 decreases hepatic glucose production, gastric emptying, and food intake (Deacon et al., 1995). Further, GLP-2 maintains the integrity of the intestinal mucosal epithelium via effects on gastric motility, nutrient absorption, crypt cell proliferation and apoptosis, and intestinal permeability (Drucker, 2001). DPP-IV inhibitors preserve GLP-1 function for a longer time (Balka, 1999). Thus, DPP-IV inhibitors may promote satiety, weight loss, and the antidiabetic effects of GLP-1 (Deacon et al., 1995; Holst and Deacon, 1998). For example, inhibition of DPP-IV with the known compound NVP-DPP728 increases plasma GLP-1 (2-36 amide) concentrations and improves oral glucose tolerance in obese Zucker rats. See, Diabetologia 42: 1324–1331. Both subcutaneously and intravenously administered GLP-1 is rapidly degraded from the NH2-terminus in type II diabetic patients and in healthy subjects. See, Diabetes 44:1126, 1995. Moreover, DPP-IV inhibitors preserve GLP-2 for longer periods of time and, thus, may be useful for treating intestinal insufficiencies and mucous membrane disorders (Hartmann B et al., 2000). While DPP-IV is the predominate protease regulating GLP turnover, similar substrate or inhibitor specificity may be observed for related proteases. Related serine proteases include, but are not limited to, dipeptidyl peptidase-II (DPP-II), dipeptidyl peptidase IV beta, dipeptidyl peptidase 8, dipeptidyl peptidase 9, aminopeptidase P, fibroblast activating protein alpha (seprase), prolyl tripeptidyl peptidase, prolyl oligopeptidase (endoproteinase Pro-C), attractin (soluble dipeptidyl-aminopeptidase), acylaminoacyl-peptidase (N-acylpeptide hydrolase; fMet aminopeptidase) and lysosomal Pro-X carboxypeptidase (angiotensinase C, prolyl carboxypeptidase). Proline-cleaving metallopeptidases that may share similar substrate or inhibitor specificity to DPP-IV include membrane Pro-X carboxypeptidase (carboxypeptidase P), angiotensin-converting enzyme [Peptidyl-dipeptidase A multipeptidase], collagenase 1 (interstitial collagenase; matrix metalloproteinase 1; MMP-1; Mcol-A), ADAM 10 (alpha-secretase, myelin-associated disintegrin metalloproteinase), neprilysin (atriopeptidase; CALLA; CD10; endopeptidase 24.11; enkephalinase), Macrophage elastase [metalloelastase; matrix metalloproteinase 12; MMP-12], Matrilysin (matrix metalloproteinase 7; MMP-7), and neurolysin (endopeptidase 24.16; microsomal endopeptidase; mitochondrial oligopeptidase). Furthermore, beyond mammalian serine peptidases and proline-cleaving metallopeptidases, other non-mammalian proteases may share similar substrate or inhibitor specificity to DPP-IV. Non-limiting examples of such non-mammalian serine proteases include prolyl aminopeptidase (prolyl iminopeptidase), IgA1-specific serine type prolyl endopeptidase (IgA protease, Neisseria, Haemophilus), dipeptidyl aminopeptidase A (STE13) (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), dipeptidyl aminopeptidase B (fungus), prolyl oligopeptidase homologue (Pyrococcus sp.), oligopeptidase B (Escherichia coli alkaline proteinase II; protease II), dipeptidyl aminopeptidase B1 (Pseudomonas sp.), dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (bacteria), dipeptidyl aminopeptidase (Aureobacterium), dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (insect), dipeptidyl-peptidase V, allergen Tri t4 (Trichophyton tonsurans), secreted alanyl DPP (Aspergillus oryzae), peptidase II-mes (Prosopis velutina), and bamboo serine proteinase (Pleloblastus hindsii). Non-limiting examples of such non-mammalian proline-cleaving metallopeptidases include penicillolysin (fungal acid metalloendopeptidase), proline-specific peptidyl-dipeptidase (Streptomyces), coccolysin (gelatinase, Enterococcus faecalis), aminopeptidase Ey, (hen egg yolk) (apdE g.p.; Gallus gallus domesticus), gametolysin (Chlamydomonas cell wall degrading protease), and snake venom proline-cleaving metalloproteases as well. for further reference. Dipeptidyl peptidase II (DPP II) is a serine protease localized to lysosomes in cells and believed to be involved in lysosomal degradation and protein turnover. The order of expression of DPP-II is kidney>>testis>or=heart>brain>or=lung>spleen>skeletal muscle>or=liver (Araki H et al., J Biochem (Tokyo) 2001, 129:279–88). This expression suggests possible utility in kidney or lysosomal-related disorders. Substrate specificity studies indicated that purified DPP-II hydrolyzes specifically alanine or proline residues at acidic pH (4.5–5.5). DPP-II has significant sequence homology and substrate specificity to quiescent cell proline dipeptidase and prolyl carboxypeptidase, suggesting possible overlapping functions between these proteases (Araki H et al., J Biochem (Tokyo) 2001, 129:279–88). The present invention includes novel DPP-II and/or DPP-IV inhibitors, as well as methods of their therapeutic use and methods of their production. While not being limited thereby, the compounds of the present invention are believed useful for the treatment of a variety of metabolic, gastrointestinal, viral, and inflammatory diseases, including, but not limited to, diabetes, obesity, hyperlipidemia, dermatological or mucous membrane disorders, psoriasis, intestinal distress, constipation, autoimmune disorders such as encephalomyelitis, complement mediated disorders such as glomerulonepritis, lipodystrophy, and tissue damage, psychosomatic, depressive, and neuropsychiatric disease such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, schizophrenia, epilepsy, spasm, and chronic pain, HIV infection, allergies, inflammation, arthritis, transplant rejection, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, tumors, and stress-induced abortions, for example cytokine-mediated murine abortions.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to magnetostrictive displacement or distance measuring transducers, and more particularly to magnetostrictive transducers having modular construction including for displacement or distance measuring and adapted for easy configuration of assembly of field equipment after manufacture or assembly from stocked modules. This construction also facilitates modular construction of an explosion-proof field device. 2. Description of the Art Magnetostrictive transducers having elongated waveguides that carry torsional strain waves induced in the waveguide when current pulses are applied along the waveguide through a magnetic field are well known in the art. A typical linear distance measuring device using a movable magnet that interacts with the waveguide when current pulses are provided along the waveguide is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,555. Devices of the prior art of the sort shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,898,555 also have the sensor element embedded into the protective housing which also houses the electronics to at least generate the pulse and provide certain mounting means associated with the device for the customer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,160 teaches a modular design in which the sensor and electronic assembly can be removed from the application package. In the application package is the outer housing which is used by the customer for mounting an attachment of the sensor and electronics assembly with the end device whose position is to be measured. Sensor designs of the past have required delicate handling until the fabrication of the total unit, including the outer housing and electronics, has been completed. Prior art also utilizes difficult to produce and expensive methods to suspend the waveguide and to prevent the reflection of the desired sonic strain wave. Prior high performance waveguide suspension systems utilize thin elastomer spacer discs which are individually positioned along the entire length of the waveguide. Installation of the discs is a time consuming, usually manual, operation. The best performing damping devices in use utilize molded rubber elements with a central hole. These are difficult to mold and time consuming to apply. The prior art has deficiencies in that the electronics are included within the waveguide suspension device and an expensive means for waveguide suspension is utilized. The prior art also has deficiencies by not having modular construction and pre-assembled sensor elements. Further if different sizes are needed, the unit must be removed. But in the prior art, the sensor and the electronic package were not removable and interchangeable because of the application electronics being attached. It is an object of the present invention to provide for an easy configuration or assembly of field equipment after manufacture or assembly from stocked modules, including modular construction of an explosion proof sensor. It is a further object of the present invention to remotely locate the sensor from the electronics.

The invention relates to a process for coating a substrate with electrically conductive materials, preferably aluminum, including a direct current source which is connected to an electrode disposed in a coating chamber which can be evacuated. The electrode is electrically connected to the target to be sputtered and the sputtered particles of which are deposited on the substrate, for example, a part made of a plastic material, and in this process, a process gas can be introduced into the coating chamber. The invention also comprises a device for the working of this process. In known processes an aluminum layer is-directly sputtered onto the plastic substrate, e.g. polycarbonate, without an intermediate or adhesive layer. This process has the disadvantage of limiting adhesive strength of the aluminum to a great extent. It turned out that when the coated substrates were further processed the layer peeled off.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a novel and very advantageous process for the rational synthesis of serinol on an industrial scale, as well as of serinol derivatives substituted at the nitrogen atom obtained from the process. 2. Description of the Prior Art Serinol (1,3-dihydroxy-isopropylamine), may be synthesized by the reduction of the oxime of 1,3-dihydroxyacetone. As a result of isomerization, however, a mixture of serinol and 2,3-dihydroxy-propylamine results which is extremely difficult to separate. Serinol is therefore generally synthesized from nitromethane. For this purpose, nitromethane is reacted in an alkaline solution with formaldehyde to form 2-nitro-1,3-propanediol which is then catalytically reduced to serinol. However, undesirable side reactions may also occur in this process. In this connection, reference is made to Schmidt et al, Ber. dtch. chem. Ges., 52, 389, Langenbeck et al, Naturwissenschaften 42, (1955), 389-90; Schipper et al, J. Org. Chem. 26 (1961), 4145-8; Pfeiffer, German Auslegeschrift No. 2,742,981 (Schering A. G.). This method requires handling the highly explosive nitromethane and the even more dangerous 2-nitro-1,3-propanediol or its sodium salt. Accidents with nitroalkanes have led to such restrictive Government regulations that aliphatic nitro compounds may now be used only in highly safeguarded, far-removed plants, whose equipment and operation is profitable only for large scale products. As a result, it is difficult to buy serinol in sufficient amounts or to have it synthesized from nitromethane since no one was willing or permitted to take such high risks.

1. Field of the Invention The invention relates to the fabrication of integrated circuits and to a process for depositing dielectric layers on a substrate and the structures formed by the dielectric layers. 2. Description of the Related Art One of the primary steps in the fabrication of modern semiconductor devices is the formation of metal and dielectric layers on a substrate by chemical reaction of gases. Such deposition processes are referred to as chemical vapor deposition or CVD. Conventional CVD processes supply reactive gases to the substrate surface where heat-induced or energy-enhanced chemical reactions take place to produce a desired layer. Semiconductor device geometries have dramatically decreased in size since such devices were first introduced several decades ago. Since then, integrated circuits have generally followed the two year/half-size rule (often called Moore's Law), which means that the number of devices that will fit on a chip doubles every two years. Today's fabrication plants are routinely producing devices having 0.35 μm and even 0.18 μm feature sizes, and tomorrow's plants soon will be producing devices having even smaller geometries. To further reduce the size of devices on integrated circuits, it has become necessary to use conductive materials having low resistivity and to use insulators having low dielectric constants (dielectric constants of less than 4.0) to reduce the capacitive coupling between adjacent metal lines. One such low k material comprises silicon, oxygen, and carbon, and may be deposited as a dielectric material in fabricating damascene features. One conductive material having a low resistivity is copper and its alloys, which have become the materials of choice for sub-quarter-micron interconnect technology because copper has a lower resistivity than aluminum, (1.7 μΩ-cm compared to 3.1 μΩ-cm for aluminum), a higher current and higher carrying capacity. These characteristics are important for supporting the higher current densities experienced at high levels of integration and increased device speed. Further, copper has a good thermal conductivity and is available in a highly pure state. One difficulty in using copper in semiconductor devices is that copper is difficult to etch and achieve a precise pattern. Etching with copper using traditional deposition/etch processes for forming interconnects has been less than satisfactory. Therefore, new methods of manufacturing interconnects having copper containing materials and low k dielectric materials are being developed. One method for forming vertical and horizontal interconnects is by a damascene or dual damascene method. In the damascene method, one or more dielectric materials, such as the low k dielectric materials, are deposited and pattern etched to form the vertical interconnects, i.e., vias, and horizontal interconnects, i.e., lines. Conductive materials, such as copper and barrier layer materials used to prevent diffusion of copper into the surrounding low k dielectric are then inlaid into the etched pattern. Any excess copper and barrier layer materials external to the etched pattern, such as on the field of the substrate, are then removed. However, low k dielectric materials are often porous and susceptible to interlayer diffusion of conductive materials, such as copper, which can result in the formation of short-circuits and device failure. A dielectric barrier layer material is used in copper damascene structures to reduce or to prevent interlayer diffusion. However, traditional dielectric barrier layer materials, such as silicon nitride, often have high dielectric constants of 7 or greater. The combination of such a high k dielectric material with surrounding low k dielectric materials results in dielectric stacks having a higher than desired dielectric constant. Additionally, low k materials are susceptible to surface defects or feature deformation during polishing and removal of conductive materials under conventional polishing processes. One solution to limiting or reducing surface defects and deformation is to deposit a hardmask over the exposed low k materials prior to patterning and etching feature definitions in the low k materials. The hardmask is resistive to damage and deformation and protects the underlying low k materials during subsequent material deposition and planarization or material removal processes, such as chemical mechanical polishing techniques or etching techniques, to reduce defect formation and feature deformation. One difficulty when using hardmasks is that conventional hardmask materials do not have sufficient resistivity to polishing, which may result in premature removal of the hardmask and expose the underlying material to the process. The exposed underlying material, such as the low k dielectric material, may be damaged and result in surface defects and feature deformation. Additionally, conventional hardmask materials often have high dielectric constants of 7 or greater, which can produce dielectric stacks having a higher than desired dielectric constant. Current hardmask materials have not satisfactorily produced both low k material and sufficient polishing resistivity to be used in damascene fabrication. Therefore, there remains a need for an improved process for depositing dielectric materials with reduced or low dielectric constants as barrier layers or hardmasks with a satisfactory polishing resistivity for damascene applications.

The present invention generally relates to a new method for preparing high molecular weight, easily processed, fully-cyclized polyimides containing controlled amounts of aliphatic groups making polyimides. Polyimides are useful in a variety of applications. Polyimides may be used in flexible printed circuit boards for electronic devices. Other applications include, adhesives, matrix resins for composites, as well as films and coatings. Typically, polyimides are made by the condensation of a diamine and a dianhydride. This reaction initially results in the formation of a prepolymer, polyamic acid, followed by heating the polyamic acid to form the polyimide. However, the use of aliphatic diamines poses difficulties in generating high molecular weight polyimides because of complexation (salt formation) after reaction with conventional dianhydrides. Typically, salt complexes are formed and gelation of the reaction mixture is often observed. Further, it is difficult to control the amount of aliphatic units in the polyimide when the poly amic acid route is utilized. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for making a polyimide where the polyimide contains a controlled amount of aliphatic units. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method that reduces the formation of salt-like complexes and gelation that is associated with the polyamic acid route. The invention also includes the polyimide material made by the process of the present invention. Accordingly, it has been found that a high molecular weight polyimide that is fully cyclized and contains a controlled amount of aliphatic units can be prepared by converting the dianhydride to an ester acid and reacting the ester acid with a controlled amount of an aliphatic diamine. The invention includes reacting a diamine with an ester acid of a dianhydride to form a polyimide. A wide range of dianhydrides could be used in this invention. For example, the dianhydride may be pyromellitic dianhydride, bisphenol A dianhydride, or combinations thereof. The diamine may include aliphatic diamines, aromatic diamines, and combinations thereof. For example, the diamine may be dodecyldiamine, oxydianiline, diaminophenylindane, hexamethylene diamine, cyclohexyl diamine, and combinations thereof. Preferably, the ester acid is formed by reacting the dianhydride with an alcohol to form the ester acid. Still further, the present invention includes a method for making a polyimide comprising the steps of converting a dianhydride to an ester acid and reacting a predetermined amount of an aliphatic diamine with the ester acid. The step of reacting a predetermined amount of an aliphatic diamine with the ester acid may include reacting a predetermined amount of a second diamine with the ester acid. The second diamine is preferably aromatic. In this way, a blend is produced where the resulting polyimide includes controlled amounts of aliphatic and aromatic monomers.

To further protect military personnel during combat, military vehicles can be provided with layers of armor. In some vehicles, the armor may be provided on the vehicle in the factory during manufacture of the vehicle. However, it has become increasingly common for armor to be applied to existing vehicles in the field. The military started adding armor to various vehicles such as, for example, its High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, or “HMMWV” or “Humvee,” well before Operation Iraqi Freedom, but attacks from small arms, rocket-propelled grenades and “improvised explosive devices,” or IEDs in military parlance, prompted the military to increase protection for vehicles already in the field. The “up-armored” HMMWV can weigh thousands of pounds more than the standard HMMWV and includes several hundred pound steel-plated doors. Such heavy armored doors make opening and closing the doors increasingly difficult for personnel. In co-pending and commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/194,895 and 12/194,966, there is provided a mechanism for assisting in moving heavy armored doors on military vehicles. Such a mechanism can be retrofitted to existing vehicles that are up-armored in the field. To promote safety with such motorized door assist systems, sensors can be desirably applied to ensure the door stops when an object or body part is in the way of door closing. There is a need for such a sensor system that can be applied to vehicle doors, and retrofitted to vehicles that are up-armored in the field. In particular, as many military vehicle were not designed in order to have sensor parts attached thereto, there is a need for a sensor system that can be retrofitted to parts of vehicle doors that have manufacturing variability, e.g., slightly misaligned parts from one door to the next in the same type of vehicle. Misalignments in welded door parts, albeit small and inconsequential to the structure and strength of the door, can present problems for parts designed to be attached to these welded parts as the variations can cause fit problems.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a graphite heat dissipation apparatus, and in particular to a clamping frame for clamping a graphite heat dissipation fin module. 2. Description of Related Art Please refer to FIG. 1 which illustrates a graphite heat dissipation apparatus 2 in prior art. As shown in FIG. 1, the graphite heat dissipation apparatus 2 draws heat away from an electronic device 6 such as processor or chipset which generates heat by a graphite heat dissipation fin module 4. The electronic device 6 is installed on the surface of a chassis 8 such as a printed circuit board. The graphite heat dissipation fin module 4 is attached to the top of the electronic device 6 to carry heat away from the electronic device 6. The graphite heat dissipation apparatus 2 is usually apparent at personal computers or servers and a much more advanced cooling method. Furthermore, the graphite heat dissipation apparatus 2 also includes a metallic frame 10 and a metallic enclosure 12. The graphite heat dissipation fin module 4 includes a graphite substrate 402 and a plurality of graphite fins 404 extending from its surface. And, the graphite heat dissipation fin module 4 is soft so that it is prone to be damaged. Further referring to FIG. 1, the he graphite heat dissipation fin module 4 is positioned at the metallic frame 10, and the metallic frame 10 has a central hole 1002. The electronic device 6 protrudes through the central hole 1002 so the electronic device 6 is attached to the bottom surface of the graphite substrate 402 of the graphite heat dissipation fin module 4. Furthermore, the metallic enclosure 12 is used to cover the graphite heat dissipation fin module 4 which is placed at the metallic frame 10 so that the graphite heat dissipation fin module 4 is protected and prevented from being damaged due to inadvertent collision. However, the graphite heat dissipation apparatus 2 can prevent the graphite heat dissipation fin module 4 from being damaged, but the metallic frame 10 and the metallic enclosure 12 do not aid in dissipating heat. Then, dissipation efficiency is significantly decreased. Cost is higher and product is not so competitive as others in the market because too much material and many components are utilized in the metallic frame 10 and the metallic enclosure 12. Thus, there is a need for a graphite heat dissipation apparatus and a clamping frame for clamping a graphite heat dissipation fin module to improve disadvantages in prior art.

The present invention relates to active health promoting ingredients from red grape cells (RGC), more particularly, to therapeutic formulations thereof. Modern scientific thought is that chronic heart disease (CHD) and strokes are symptoms of a common illness related to a lack of cardiovascular (CV) health. Worldwide CV diseases account for half of all deaths in middle age (and considerable additional disability) and one third of all deaths in old age. Most of these deaths involve ischemic heart disease (IHD) or stroke (Lewington, 2003, Eur. Heart J. 24:1703-1704). It also incurs a substantial burden on health budgets primarily due to the high cost of hospitalization and ambulatory medical management. Although heart attacks are considered to be the major cause of death in men, recent studies have clearly shown that heart attack will strike one out of three women as well. The process of coronary atherosclerosis development, leading to acute coronary syndromes, is comprised of four subsequent patho-physiological stages: endothelial dysfunction, plaque formation, plaque development and plaque rupture and thrombosis. Endothelial dysfunction is the disruption of the functional integrity of the vascular endothelium as a result of exposure to cardiovascular risk factors (such as elevated LDL levels, smoking, hypertension etc.). Dysfunctional endothelium devoid of its protective properties allows the action of atherogenetic factors on the vessel wall and promotes inflammation within the wall, thus leading to increased monocyte activation, adhesion and migration, increased endothelial permeability and reduced vasodilation, thereby mediating accumulation of macrophages and lipoproteins within the wall. Atherosclerotic plaques are formed when macrophages ingest chemically modified (usually oxidized) LDL molecules to form foam cells, which together with the T-cells and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) create fatty streaks, the early form of the atherosclerotic plaque. Inflammatory mediators and other molecules promote further development of the plaque into a fibro-fatty atheroma, which later becomes covered with a fibrous cap with a dense extracellular matrix. This cap stabilizes the plaque from rupture by making it larger. Secretion of molecules (e.g. inflammatory molecules) by the foam cells leads to digestion of the cap matrix molecules, ultimately leading to plaque rupture, formation of a thrombus (clot) and arterial occlusion. This typically leads to a heart attack or a stroke. Until a few years ago, most physicians considered atherosclerosis as a plumbing problem, caused by a halting of arterial blood flow by a plaque which had reached a particular size. It was claimed that the shortage of oxygenated blood to indispensable tissues, such as the cardiac muscle or brain tissue, especially at critical moments of greater need, was responsible for the induced heart or brain stroke. However, recent studies have clearly shown that in fact only about 15% of heart attacks happen this way. Pathological and other studies have demonstrated that events, which follow inflammatory processes leading to breakage of the plaque fibrous cap and resulting in blood clotting, are responsible for most heart attacks and brain strokes [Libby, 2002, Nature 420:868-874; Libby, 2004, Sci. Am. Special edition 14:50-59]. Since inflammatory processes are involved in all steps of atherogenesis, from endothelial dysfunction to plaque rupture, interference with these inflammatory mechanisms may help to prevent or fight atherosclerosis. This new view of atherosclerosis explains the limited success and unwanted side effects of some of the medical treatments of atherosclerosis, developed during the last twenty years. For example, balloon angioplasty and stents may mediate rupturing of the residual plaques, thus eliciting strong inflammatory response. The present strategy of medically treating atherosclerosis emphasizes prevention of plaque creation and development of drugs that may cope with the processes leading to inflammation and clot formation. Such current in-use drugs include statins (inhibition of LDL biosynthesis); beta-blockers (reduce hypertension or pulse rate); aspirin (helps in prevention of inflammation or blood clotting); and anti-oxidants (prevention of LDL modification). A strict correlation between reduction of deaths from heart diseases and increased wine consumption was reported twenty five years ago. Substantial studies clearly demonstrated the positive effect, unrelated to alcohol, of moderate red-wine consumption on coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality, known as the “French Paradox” [Renaud and de Lorgeril, 1992, Lancet 339:1523-1526; Criqui and Ringel, 1994, Lancet 344:1719-1723]. Moreover, it was suggested that polyphenols, which are present at higher concentration in red rather than white wine, act as antioxidants that protect blood low-density lipoproteins (LDL) from oxidation, a modification that is known to be a key risk factor in the development of CHD. Recent results have demonstrated the participation of several proteins in the inflammatory processes which leads to CHD, whose levels may be regulated by constituents present in red wine: Endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoactive peptide (Kinlay et al. 2001, Curr. Opin. Lipidol. 12:383-389); endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), NO producer in endothelial cells (Leikert et al. 2002, Circulation 106:1614-1617); the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) which is active in VSMC (Iijima et al. 2002, Circulation 105:2404-2410) and the inflammatory marker C-reactive Protein (CRP; Aikawa & Libby, 2004, Can. J. Cardiol. 20:631-634). Use of red wine as a source of these regulatory constituents is limited due to its high alcoholic content. Likewise, use of grapes or grape juice as a source of these active agents is limited due to their high sugar content. In addition, it has been shown that the therapeutic effect of wine and wine grapes is dependant on species, location, year (annual climate), processing etc. and therefore reliance on red wine or edible grapes as a source for consumption of these regulatory compounds does not lead to a homogeneous or consistent supply of material. Furthermore, grapes are typically contaminated by residual fungicides, pathogens, pesticides and pollutants. A major problem associated with the potential benefit of polyphenols present in red wines and grape seed extracts lies in their bioavailability to target tissues and cells (Manach and Donovan, 2004, Free Rad. Res. 38:771-785; Williamson & Manach, 2005, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 81:243S-255S). Due to marked differences in their bioavailability while passing through the intestines, no obvious correlation can be drawn between the abundance of a certain polyphenol in a given food and its concentration as an active compound in vivo. The absorbance of flavonoids in the small intestines, for example, ranges from 0-60% of the dose, and elimination half-lives range from 2-48 hours [Manach and Donovan, 2004, supra]. Most polyphenols undergo extensive metabolism in the intestine, and are present in serum and urine predominantly as glucuronides, methyl or sulfate conjugates. The mucous layer in the mouth is the potential site that provides improved absorption rates for the beneficial polyphenols. The bioavailability of trans-Resveratrol was reported to be increased if, instead of being immediately swallowed, the polyphenols were retained in the mouth for one minute before swallowing; considerable amounts of trans-Resveratrol were then measured in the plasma just two minutes after administration (Asensi et al, 2002, Free Radic Biol Med. 33:387-398). In addition, recent epidemiologic evidence supports the view that dietary flavonoids exert protective effects in oral diseases, including cancer (Browning et al, 2005, J Pharm Pharmacol. 57:1037-42) if activated by the saliva. PCT patent application publication WO 00/35298 and PCT patent application publication WO 01/21156 teach chewing gum containing medicament active agents, including nutritional supplements such as grape seed extracts and polyphenols. Fruit cell culture preparations (e.g., extracts), or fruit cell line culture extracts are not disclosed. European patent application EP 1327441 teaches a chewing gum composition useful for reducing nicotine exposure in a subject. The agent that eliminates nicotine is an extract of a mixture of different plants, fruit and the polyphenols quercitin or catechin. Grape skin extracts are mentioned as natural pigments to color the chewing gum and not as active agents. As mentioned herein above, both grape skin and grape seed extracts provide non-defined, non-consistent and non-homogenous active agents. Unlike skin or seed extracts, fruit cell culture, and more particularly fruit cell line culture, produces highly defined phytochemicals without many of the associated interfering compounds such as sugars and pectins, in a tightly controlled environment that can be manipulated to influence the types and amounts of active compounds. There is thus a widely recognized need for, and it would be highly advantageous to have a fruit cell, and more particularly a grape cell line extract, rich in active agents formulated to enhance bioavailability for the treatment of inflammatory disorders.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device and a driving circuit of the display device. More specifically, the present invention relates to an active matrix display device having a thin film transistor (TFT) that is formed on an insulator and to a driving circuit of the active matrix display device. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, semiconductor manufacture technologies have advanced and become capable of handling even more minute devices. Accordingly, LSI thus reduced in size is applied to small equipment such as portable information terminals and is required to cut power consumption. The current mainstream LSI is a low power voltage drive LSI that can be driven at about 3.3 V. On the other hand, LCDs (liquid crystal displays), which have lately been in increasingly greater demand as display units for portable information terminals and as computer monitors, drive their liquid crystals often with a signal having a voltage amplitude of 10 V to 20 V, and a driving circuit for driving them has at least a circuit portion driven at an accordingly high power voltage. When a controller LSI driven at a low power voltage around 3.3 V is connected to a liquid crystal driving circuit driven at a high power voltage, a level shifter that changes the amplitude of signal voltage is therefore indispensable. Demands for reduced drive voltage is strong not only in LCDs but also in EL (electroluminescence: here including both singlet excitation light emission and triplet excitation light emission) displays, which have been developed recently. FIG. 6 shows an example of a circuit diagram of a source signal line driving circuit in a display device. This source signal line driving circuit has level shifters 601 to 604, an input signal buffer 605, shift registers 606, NAND circuits 607, buffers 608, first latch circuits 609, and second latch circuits 610. The driving circuit is connected to a pixel 611. The buffers 608 may be omitted or arranged so as to suit the logic of a signal. A start pulse, a clock signal, a digital video signal and the like are inputted to the display device from the external. These signals are supplied from the controller LSI described above (not shown) and, therefore, generally have a low voltage amplitude around 3.3 V when supplied. In the driving circuit shown in FIG. 6, signals inputted from the external controller LSI, such as a clock signal, a start pulse, and a digital video signal, are subjected to voltage amplitude conversion (level conversion) in the level shifters 601 to 604 immediately after they are inputted. The input signal buffer 605 is placed near a point where the clock signal is inputted in order to prevent dulled waveform due to a large load on a clock signal line. Another measure to prevent dulled clock signal is to subject the clock signal to a level conversion in level shifters (denoted by 701 in FIG. 7) that are placed immediately before the shift registers of the respective stages. The operation of the driving circuit will be described. Since the circuit structures shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 are identical with each other except the clock signal level conversion measures, the description on the operation will be given referring only to FIG. 6. The shift registers 606 output pulses in response to a clock signal and a start pulse and pulses of adjacent two stages are inputted to the NAND circuit 607. The NAND circuit 607 outputs a pulse obtained by logical addition of the inputted two signals and the pulse serves as a first latch pulse. The first latch pulse passes through the buffers 608 and is inputted to the latch circuit 609. In accordance with an input-timing of the first latch pulse, a latch operation of a digital video signal that has been subjected to level conversion by the level shifter 603 is carried out. After the latch operation is completed for the first stage through the last stage, a second latch pulse is inputted to an input terminal 7 during a retrace period and the digital video signals equivalent of one horizontal period which have been held in the first latch circuits 609 are all sent to the second latch circuits 610 at once. Then the signals are written in the pixel 611 and other pixels on the same row where a gate signal line (gate line) is selected, whereby an image is displayed. FIG. 3A shows an example in which conventional level shifters are used for the level shifters 601 to 604 in FIG. 6 and for level shifters 701 to 704 in FIG. 7. In FIG. 3A, ‘In’ denotes an input signal and ‘Out’ denotes an output signal. ‘Inb’ denotes an inversion signal of the input signal and the inversion signal is generated from the In signal by an inverter or the like. In the thus structured level shifters, when the voltage amplitude of the input signals (In and Inb) is as small as 3.3 V, normal level conversion may be inhibited by the influence of the threshold of TFTs constituting the level shifters. Then level shifters structured as shown in FIG. 3B are employed. The level shifters in FIG. 3B use a differential amplifier for level conversion, so that level conversion is performed on input signals without fail even when the input signals have a small voltage amplitude. Therefore they are very effective in reducing the drive voltage of the circuit. However, the level shifters utilizing a differential amplifier need a constant current source 301 (Sup.) as shown in FIG. 3B so that a constant current is kept supplied during the circuit is in operation. These level shifters thus consume larger power than conventional level shifters and are disadvantageous as components mounted to mobile equipment etc. Another drawback of them is that they require a large-sized buffer to be arranged downstream. In various mobile equipment, whose popularity has surged lately, the need for smaller-sized and lighter-weight equipment has never been more pressing and to let power consumption and circuit area increase by employing a device capable of lowering drive voltage is putting the cart before the horse.

1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to isomerization of homoadamantane. More particularly, this invention relates to a process for preparing tricyclo[5.3.1.0.sup.3,8 ]undecane (II) (hereinafter referred to as "4-homoisotwistane") by isomerizing homoadamantane (I) as shown by the following reaction scheme: ##SPC1## As is seen from formula (II), 4-homoisotwistane (II) is a tricyclic saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon having a cagelike molecular structure. It can be transformed to 1-methyladamantane, a known useful compound as described in U.S. Ser. Nos. 485,068 and 485,069, both filed July 2, 1974 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,100 and 3,894,101 respectively. In view of its molecular structure, 4-homoisotwistane will be useful as an antiviral agent, a modifier moiety for various pharmaceutical compounds, an additive for lubricating oils, a high-pressure lubricant, a rust-preventive agent, an oiling agent for fibers and the like, in the same manner as known adamantane compounds. See the section entitled "Adamantane" in the Supplement Volume of Kirk-Othmer's "Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology". 2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART Several processes for the synthesis of 4-homoisotwistane (II) are known in the art. For example, the synthesis of this compound is disclosed by Krantz et al, Chem. Commun., 1287 (1971) and J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 95, 5662 (1973), Majerski et al, Tetrahedron Lett., 4915 (1973), and Schleyer et al, Chemistry Lett., 1189 (1973). We previously found that 4-homoisotwistane (II) can be synthesized by isomerizing, in the presence of an acid catalyst, 5,6-exo-tetramethyleneorbornane (III) of the following formula: ##SPC2## And 5,6-trimethylenebicyclo[2.2.2]octane (IV) of the following formula: ##SPC3## (see Chemistry Lett., 1185, (1973) and Japanese Patent Applications No. 77621 (U.S. Ser. No. 485 068 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,894,100) and No. 77622/73 (U.S. Ser. No. 485 067)).

The invention relates to a process for producing microorganisms, Burkholderia cepacia (ex Pseudomonas cepacia), CIP I-2502, to the inoculum produced, and to its application in a process for degrading the alcohols produced, for example during degradation of ethers known as ether fuels when they are contained in aqueous effluents. The ethers are as follows: ethyl tert-butyl ether, hereinafter termed ETBE, methyl tert-butyl ether, hereinafter termed MTBE, and tert-amyl methyl ether, hereinafter termed TAME. The alcohols produced during their degradation are tert-butanol, hereinafter termed TBA or tert-amyl alcohol, hereinafter termed TAA. Its particular industrial application is to water treatment. The prior art is illustrated by the document: xe2x80x9cTransformation of carbon tetrachloride by Pseudomonas sp; strain KC under denitrification conditionsxe2x80x9d, Appl. Environ. Microbiol., vol 56, No. 11, Nov, 1990 (1990-11), p. 3240-3246, and by European patent EP-A-0 237 002 and French patents FR-A-2 735 497 and FR-A-2 766 478. TBA and TAA are degradation products of the ethers MTBE and ETBE and of TAME respectively. Such ethers are currently used or can be used as additives to gasoline for which they increase the octane number. They are widely used since, for example, MTBE is added to gasoline in an amount of 10% to 15% (v/v). For this reason, the presence of such ethers in aquifers is being noted increasingly frequently (Andrews C., 1998, xe2x80x9cMTBExe2x80x94A Long Term Threat to Ground Water qualityxe2x80x9d, Ground Water, 36: 705-706)). Partial biodegradation of such ether fuels in aquifers due, for example, to limited available oxygen, can thus result in an accumulation of TBA and TAA as secondary contaminants. Further, TBA and TAA can themselves be used as additives to gasoline to increase their octane number and in that case, their use may involve dispersing them in the environment as primary contaminants. The presence of TBA or TAA in aquifer water for supplying drinking water or in residual water arriving at purification stations necessitates the use of specialised microorganisms which can degrade such alcohols, which latter are relatively resistant to biodegradation because of their branched structure. According to United States patent U.S. Pat. No. 4,855,051, bacteria isolated from the earth, B. coagulans ATCC 53595, A. globiformis ATCC 53596 and P. stutzeri ATCC 53602, can degrade TBA added to a minimum mineral medium. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,811,010, bacterial consortia are also capable of degrading TBA but the microorganisms constituting it have not yet been characterized. Further, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,814,514, different bacteria which are capable of growing on propane are capable of degrading TBA. The Applicant has isolated an anerobic bacteria, Burkholderia cepacia CIP I-2052, for its ability to use TBA as a source of carbon and energy by degrading it to carbon dioxide (mineralisation). This bacteria was deposited by the Applicant as deposit number 1-2052 on Jul. 20, 1998 at the Institut Pasteur collection (CNCM [Collection Nationale de Cultures de Microorganisms, National Collection for Microorganism Cultures], 25 rue du Docteur-Roux, F-75724, Paris). This bacterium, according to the Applicant""s French patent application FR-A-2 766 478, can be used in mixed culture with bacteria that are capable of using ETBE as a carbon and energy source by degrading it to the TBA stage which then accumulates in the culture medium; for this reason, addition of an inoculum of Burkholderia cepacia CIP I-2052 with the ability of acting on the TBA produced, can produce total degradation of ETBE in effluents. In general, the incubation period for these microorganisms on the substrate is long; for example 400 h are required to degrade about 700 mg/l of TBA, and on the industrial scale, it turns out to be vital that a sufficient quantity of biomass is produced. The aim of the present invention is to describe a modification to the Burkholderia cepacia CIP I-2052 bacteria culture which can very easily improve its growth in the presence of TBA or TAA provided as the only source of carbon and energy by adding a cobalt salt, used alone or as a mixture, to the culture medium. More precisely, the invention concerns a process for producing a Burkholderia cepacia CIP 1-2052 bacterium in which said bacterium is cultured in the presence of air or oxygen and in the presence of a medium containing at least one source of nitrogen, tert-butanol (TBA) and/or tert-amyl alcohol (TAA), and an inoculum is recovered, characterized in that said medium contains at least one cobalt salt. The cobalt is preferably used in its divalent form. In one embodiment of the process, the cobalt salt can be selected from the group formed by the chloride ion, the sulphate ion, the nitrate ion or a mixture thereof. It has been observed that hexahydrated cobalt chloride has a large effect on the biomass produced by the bacteria. In a further embodiment of the invention, the bacterium Burkholderia cepacia CIP I-2052 can be seeded onto a saline vitamin-containing culture medium to which cobalt chloride has been added, used alone or as a mixture with other oligo-elements, in a final concentration in the medium of 0.01 to 4 mg/l, advantageously 0.03 to 2 mg/l and preferably 0.05 to 0.1 mg/l. Under these conditions, the carbon-containing substrates of Burkholderia cepacia CIP I-2052, i.e., TBA or TAA, can be added in to a concentration in the range 0.001 to 10 g/l of medium, preferably in the range 0.2 to 5 g/l. Under these conditions, an inoculum with a higher cell density than that previously observed is produced wherein the final biomass concentration is, for example, of the order of 0.6 g dry weight/l of culture for an initial TBA concentration of 1 g/l. The inoculum thus prepared can be used alone to treat effluents containing TBA or TAA or it could also be used in a mixed culture with bacteria degrading ETBE or MTBE to TBA or TAME to TAA. This inoculum produced in large quantities by the process of the invention can also be used directly to purify aqueous effluents containing TBA or TAA or the mixture of TBA and TAA. More precisely, the invention concerns a process for degrading TBA and/or TAA contained in aqueous effluents, in which an inoculum produced by the process for producing a Burkholderia cepacia CIP I-2052 bacterium is employed under aerobic conditions. According to the Applicant""s French patent application FR-98/16520, the TBA can originate from degradation of MTBE or ETBE contained in aqueous effluents under aerobic conditions, by at least one bacterium which can be Gordona terrae CIP I-1889 or Rhodococcus equi CIP-2053. Gordona terrae CIP I-1889 was deposited under the terms of the Budapest Treaty by the Applicant as IFP-2001 on Jun. 25, 1997 and Rhodococcus equi CIP-2053 was deposited under the terms of the Budapest Treaty by the Applicant as IFP-2005 on Jul. 20, 1998. Both deposits were made at the Institut Pasteur collection (CNCM [Collection Nationale de Cultures Microorganisms, National Collection for Microorganism Cultures], 25 rue du Docteur-Roux, F-75724, Paris). These same bacteria can also degrade TAME or TAA under aerobic conditions.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a scanning drive circuit and a display device including the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a scanning drive circuit in which a ratio between a display time period and a non-display time period in each of display elements composing a display device can be readily adjusted, and a display device including the same. 2. Description of the Related Art In addition to a liquid crystal display device composed of voltage-driven liquid crystal cells, a display device including a light emitting portion (for example, an organic electro-luminescence light emitting portion) which emits a light by causing a current to flow through the light emitting portion, and a drive circuit for driving the same are known as a display device including display elements two-dimensionally disposed in a matrix. A luminance of a display element including a light emitting portion which emits a light by causing a current to flow through the light emitting portion is controlled in accordance with a value of the current caused to flow through the light emitting portion. A simple matrix system and an active matrix system are well known as a drive system in the display device as well including such a display element (for example, the organic electro-luminescence display device) similarly to the case of the liquid crystal display device. Although the active matrix system has a disadvantage that a configuration is complicated as compared with the simple matrix system, the active matrix system has various advantages that a high luminance can be obtained for an image, and so forth. Various drive circuits each including a transistor and a capacitor portion are well known as a circuit for driving a light emitting portion in accordance with the active matrix system. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-31630 discloses a display device using a display element including an organic electro-luminescence light emitting portion and a drive circuit for driving the same, and a method of driving the display device. The drive circuit is a drive circuit including six transistors and one capacitor portion (hereinafter referred to as a 6Tr/1C drive circuit). FIG. 19 shows an equivalent circuit diagram of a drive circuit (6Tr/1C drive circuit) composing a display element belonging to an m-th row and an n-th column in a display device having display elements two-dimensionally disposed in a matrix. It should be noted that a description will now be given on the assumption that the display elements are scanned in a line sequential manner every row. The 6Tr/1C drive circuit includes a write transistor TRW, a drive transistor TRD, and a capacitor portion C1. Also, the 6Tr/1C drive circuit includes a first transistor TR1, a second transistor TR2, a third transistor TR3, and a fourth transistor TR4. In the write transistor TRW, one source/drain region is connected to a data line DTLn, and a gate electrode is connected to a scanning line SCLm. In the drive transistor TRD, one source/drain region is connected to the other source/drain region of the write transistor TRW to compose a first node ND1. One terminal of the capacitor portion C1 is connected to a power supply line PS1. In the capacitor portion C1, a predetermined reference voltage (a voltage VCC, in the example of the related art shown in FIG. 19, which will be described later) is applied to one terminal, and the other terminal and a gate electrode of the drive transistor TRD are connected to each other to compose a second node ND2. The scanning line SCLm is connected to a scanning circuit (not shown), and a data line DTLn is connected to a signal outputting circuit 100. In the first transistor TR1, one source/drain region is connected to the second node ND2, and the other source/drain region is connected to the other source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD. The first transistor TR1 composes a switch circuit portion connected between the second node ND2 and the other source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD. In second transistor TR2, one source/drain region is connected to a power source line PS3 to which a predetermined initialization voltage VIni (for example, 4 V) in accordance with which a potential at the second node ND2 is initialized is applied, and the other source/drain region is connected to the second node ND2. The second transistor TR2 composes a switch circuit portion connected between the second node ND2 and the power supply line PS3 to which the predetermined initialization voltage VIni is applied. In the third transistor TR3, one source/drain region is connected to the power supply line PS1 to which a predetermined drive voltage VCC (for example, 10 V) is applied, and the other source/drain region is connected to the first node ND1. The third transistor TR3 composes a switch circuit portion connected between the first node ND1 and the power supply line PS1 to which the predetermined drive voltage VCC is applied. In the fourth transistor TR4, one source/drain region is connected to the other source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD, and the other source/drain region is connected to one terminal of a light emitting portion ELP (more specifically, an anode electrode of the light emitting portion ELP). The fourth transistor TR4 composes a switch circuit portion connected between the other source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD, and the one terminal of the light emitting portion ELP. Each of the gate electrode of the write transistor TRW, and the gate electrode of the first transistor TR1 is connected to the scanning line SCLm. The gate electrode of the second transistor TR2 is connected to an initialization control line AZm. A scanning signal supplied to a scanning line SCLm−1 (not shown) which is scanned right before the scanning line SCLm is supplied to the initialization control line AZm as well. Each of the gate electrode of the third transistor TR3, and the gate electrode of the fourth transistor TR4 is connected to a display control line CLm through which a display state/non-display state of the display element is controlled. For example, each of the write transistor TRW, the drive transistor TRD, the first transistor TR1, the second transistor TR2, the third transistor TR3, and the fourth transistor TR4 is composed of a p-channel Thin Film Transistor (TFT). Also, the light emitting portion ELP is provided on an interlayer insulating layer or the like which is formed so as to cover the drive circuit. In the light emitting portion ELP, the anode electrode is connected to the other source/drain region of the fourth transistor TR4, and a cathode electrode is connected to the power supply line PS2. A voltage Vcat (for example, 10 V) is applied to the cathode electrode of the light emitting portion ELP. In FIG. 19, reference symbol CEL designates a parasitic capacitance parasitized on the light emitting portion ELP. When transistors are composed of TFTs, it may be impossible that threshold voltages thereof disperse to a certain extent. When amounts of currents caused to flow through the light emitting portions ELP, respectively, disperse along with a dispersion of the threshold voltages of the drive transistors TRD, uniformity of the luminances in the display device becomes worse. For this reason, it is necessary that even when the threshold voltages of the drive transistors TRD disperse, the amounts of currents caused to flow through the light emitting portions ELP, respectively, are prevented from being influenced by this dispersion. As will be described later, the light emitting portions ELP are driven so as not to be influenced by the dispersion of the threshold voltages of the drive transistors TRD. A method of driving the display element belonging to the m-th row and the n-th column in the display device in which the display elements are two-dimensionally disposed in a matrix of N×M will be described hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 20A to 20D. FIG. 20A shows a schematic timing chart of the signals on the initialization control line AZm, the scanning line SCLm, and the display control line CLm, respectively. FIGS. 20B, 20C and 20D respectively schematically show an ON/OFF state and the like of each of the write transistor TRW, the drive transistor TRD, the first transistor TR1, the second transistor TR2, the third transistor TR3, and the fourth transistor TR4 in the 6TR/1C drive circuit. For the sake of convenience of the description, a time period for which the initialization control line AZm is scanned is called an (m−1)-th horizontal scanning time period, and a time period for which the scanning line SCLm is scanned is called an m-th horizontal scanning time period. As shown in FIG. 20A, an initializing process is carried out for the (m−1)-th horizontal scanning time period. The initializing process will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 20B. For the (m−1)-th horizontal scanning time period, a potential of the initialization control line AZm changes from a high level to a low level, and a potential of the display control line CLm changes from the low level to the high level. It is noted that a potential of the scanning line SCLm is held at the high level. Therefore, for the (m−1)-th horizontal scanning time period, the write transistor TRW, the first transistor TR1, the third transistor TR3, and the fourth transistor TR4 are each in an OFF state. On the other hand, the second transistor TR2 is held in an ON state. The predetermined initialization voltage VIni in accordance with which the potential at the second node ND2 is initialized is applied to the second node ND2 through the second transistor TR2 held in the ON state. As a result, the potential at the second node ND2 is initialized. Next, as shown in FIG. 20A, for the m-th horizontal scanning time period, a video signal Vsig is written to the display element concerned. At this time, processing for canceling the threshold voltage Vth of the drive transistor TRD is executed together with the write operation. Specifically, the second node ND2 and the other source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD are electrically connected to each other, so that the video signal Vsig is applied from the data line DTLn to the first node ND1 through the write transistor TRW which is held in the ON state in accordance with a signal from the scanning line SCLm. As a result, the potential at the second node ND2 changes toward a potential obtained by subtracting the threshold voltage Vth of the drive transistor TRD from the video signal Vsig. A detailed description will be given with reference to FIGS. 20A and 20C. For the m-th horizontal scanning time period, the potential of the initialization control line AZm changes from the low level to the high level, and the potential of the scanning line SCLm changes from the high level to the low level. It is noted that the potential of the display control line CLm is held at the high level. Therefore, for the m-th horizontal scanning time period, the write transistor TRW and the first transistor TR1 are each held in the ON state. On the other hand, the second transistor TR2, the third transistor TR3, and the fourth transistor TR4 are each held in the OFF state. The second node ND2, and the other source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD are electrically connected to each other through the first transistor TR1 held in the ON state. Thus, the video signal Vsig is applied from the data line DTLn to the first node ND1 through the write transistor TRW which is held in the ON state in accordance with the signal from the scanning line SCLm. As a result, the potential at the second node ND2 changes toward the potential obtained by subtracting the threshold voltage Vth of the drive transistor TRD from the video signal Vsig. That is to say, if the potential at the second node ND2 is initialized in the initializing process described above so that the drive transistor TRD is turned ON at commencement of the m-th horizontal scanning time period, the potential at the second node ND2 changes toward the potential of the video signal Vsig applied to the first node ND1. However, when a difference in potential between the gate electrode and one source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD reaches the threshold voltage Vth of the drive transistor TRD, the drive transistor TRD is turned OFF. For the OFF state, the potential at the second node ND2 is approximately expressed by (Vsig−Vth). Next, the current is caused to flow through the light emitting portion ELP via the drive transistor TRD, thereby driving the light emitting portion ELP. A detailed description will now be given with reference to FIGS. 20A and 20D. The potential at the scanning line SCLm changes from the low level to the high level at the termination of the m-th horizontal scanning time period. In addition, the potential of the display control line CLm changes from the high level to the low level. It should be noted that the potential of the initialization control line AZm is held at the high level. The third transistor TR3 and the fourth transistor TR4 are each held in the ON state. On the other hand, the write transistor TRW, the first transistor TR1, and the second transistor TR2 are each held in the OFF state. The drive voltage VCC is applied to one source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD through the third transistor TR3 held in the ON state. In addition, the other source/drain region of the drive transistor TRD and one terminal of the light emitting portion ELP are electrically connected to each other through the fourth transistor TR4 held in the ON state. The current caused to flow through the light emitting portion ELP is a drain current Ids which is caused to flow from the source region to the drain region of the drive transistor TRD. Thus, when the drive transistor TRD ideally operates in a saturated region, the drain current Ids can be expressed by Expression (1):Ids=k·μ·(Vgs−Vth)2  (1) where μ is an effective mobility, Vth is a threshold voltage, Vgs is a voltage developed across the source region and the gate electrode of the drive transistor TRD, and k is a constant. Here, the constant k is given by Expression (2):k=(1/2)·(W/L)·Cox  (2) where L is a channel length, W is a channel width, and Cox=(relative permeability of gate insulating layer)×(permittivity of vacuum)/(thickness of gate insulating layer). Thus, as shown in FIG. 20D, the drain current Ids is caused to flow through the light emitting portion ELP, so that the light emitting portion ELP emits a light with a luminance corresponding to the drain current Ids. Also, the voltage Vgs is given by Expression (3):Vgs≈VCC−(Vsig−Vth)  (3) Therefore, Expression (1) can be transformed into Expression (4): I ds = k · μ · { V CC - ( V sig - V th ) - V th } 2 = k · μ · ( V CC - V sig ) 2 ( 4 ) As apparent from Expression (4), the threshold voltage Vth of the drive transistor TRD has no relation to the value of the drain current Ids. In other words, the drain current Ids corresponding to the video signal Vsig can be caused to flow through the light emitting portion ELP without being influenced by the value of the threshold voltage Vth of the drive transistor TRD. According to the driving method described above, the dispersion of the threshold voltages Vth of the drive transistors TRD is prevented from exerting an influence on any of the luminances of the display elements.

1. Field Disclosed herein is a process for producing a solution of a gas in a liquid in which the gas is soluble, the solution having a predetermined concentration up to saturation, and to apparatus therefor. 2. Description of Related Art Dissolution of a gas in a liquid is generally called absorption and may take place in several known and common ways. The absorption can be performed in a tower, a so-called absorption tower, in which the gas flows in counterflow relation to a circulating liquid. It can also be performed by means of a liquid jet pump, the absorption taking place in the minute droplets formed in the jet of liquid. Several other techniques can also be employed, mostly in counterflow, so that the largest possible contact surface between gas and liquid is provided for the absorption. Common to the known methods to accomplish absorption and to the existing absorption apparatus is their requirement for more or less continuous manual monitoring. These methods also require a system of components which may be large or complicated. This is undesirable if the process is to form part of a complex process, having regard to its effectiveness, space requirements, safety aspects, operational requirements and economy. It is often necessary to be able to perform the absorption within a wide interval of flow rates and to be able to select the concentration of the solution that is produced. It may also be necessary that the gas be almost completely absorbed by the liquid, so that there will be no need to take care of the sometimes poisonous or environmentally dangerous gas. Moreover, small dimensions may be called for to save space or in view of the materials used.

It has been known in practice, especially in the area of pressed bales of textile fibers, that the pressed bales are transported by means of handcarts and are brought from the baling press to a storage facility and are stacked there in rows next to each other and one on top of another in a plurality of layers. A forklift truck is shown for this in DE-A-40 29 759. This technique is labor-intensive and error-prone if different pressed bales, which must be handled and stored separately, are produced in a pressing unit. It has also been known that the pressed bales can be transported with a crane and a grab hanging on cables. The grab can grasp a single bale only and only from the top. In addition, the crane must have been absolutely stopped for this. The conveying capacity is appreciably limited by this. High-shelf storage areas, in which the pressed bales are placed one by one into shelf compartments, have also been known in practice. The storage technique is very expensive, because it requires large space and great construction and control efforts.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a strobe light control circuit for a camera, and more particularly to an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) for a strobe light. 2. Description of the Background Art Insulated gate bipolar transistors (hereinafter referred to as “IGBT”) in 8-pin IC packages, for example, are widely employed as semiconductor elements for controlling strobe lights of cameras. FIG. 4 is a top view showing the configuration of a conventional IGBT device for controlling a strobe light. A common IGBT device in TSSOP-8 package is illustrated here as an example. A semiconductor chip (IGBT chip) 10 has a gate electrode 11 and an emitter electrode 12 formed on its upper surface and a collector electrode (not shown) formed on its lower surface. The IGBT chip 10 is mounted on a lead frame 13 and bonded thereto by solder or the like such that the collector electrode formed on its lower surface is electrically connected to the lead frame 13. That is, the lead frame 13 functions as an external connection terminal (collector terminal) for the collector electrode of the IGBT chip 10. A gate terminal 14 is an external connection terminal for the gate electrode 11 and is connected to the gate electrode 11 via a wire 14a made of metal. An emitter terminal 15 is an external connection terminal for the emitter electrode 12 and is connected to the emitter electrode 12 via wires 15a made of metal. The above-described components are enclosed in a package 16 made of resin indicated by broken lines in FIG. 4 to constitute one IGBT device. In FIG. 4, the numbers 1 through 8 indicate the pin numbers of the IGBT device. FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing an exemplary strobe light control circuit to which the conventional IGBT device shown in FIG. 4 is adopted. In the drawing, nodes that correspond to the components shown in FIG. 4 are designated by the same reference characters for ease of description. As shown in FIG. 5, a light emitter 20, an electrolytic capacitor 21, a switch 22 and a voltage source 23 are connected between the lead frame 13 as the collector terminal of the IGBT device and the emitter terminal 15. A drive circuit 24 for generating a voltage signal for driving the IGBT device is connected between the gate terminal 14 and emitter terminal 15. Resistances R14a and R15a are wiring resistances provided for the wires 14a and 15a, respectively. Hereinafter, the operation of the conventional strobe light control circuit will be described. First, the switch 22 is turned on to cause the voltage source 23 to apply a predetermined value of voltage across the electrolytic capacitor 21. Therefore, a necessary amount of charges for the light emitter 20 to emit light is stored in the electrolytic capacitor 21. At this time, the IGBT chip 10 is in the OFF state. Once a sufficient amount of charges is stored in the electrolytic capacitor 21, the drive circuit 24 applies a voltage pulse (voltage signal) having a predetermined amplitude on the basis of the voltage at the emitter terminal 15 to the gate terminal 14. This brings the IGBT chip 10 into the ON state. Then, the charges stored in the electrolytic capacitor 21 flow into the light emitter 20 (i.e., a large currently flows), allowing the light emitter 20 to emit light brightly for illuminating a subject. As described, when the IGBT chip 10 is turned on and a large amount of charges, i.e., current flows into the IGBT chip 10, a large current also flows through the wires 15a as a matter of course. This causes a voltage drop at the wires 15a due to the wiring resistance R15a. Thus, during the voltage drop, the voltage inputted to the gate terminal 14 from the drive circuit 24 is reduced by this voltage drop. Accordingly, although the drive circuit 24 applies a voltage signal having a sufficient amplitude for driving the IGBT chip 10 between the gate terminal 14 and emitter terminal 15, a phenomenon occurs that a voltage having an amplitude smaller than that of the above-described voltage applied between the gate terminal 14 and emitter terminal 15 is applied between the gate electrode 11 and emitter electrode 12. As a result, light emission failure of the strobe light and a malfunction due to noise easily occur. As a resolution to such drawbacks, a method has conventionally been employed in which the amplitude of a voltage signal generated by the drive circuit 24 is increased in advance taking the voltage drop due to the resistance R15a into consideration, thereby providing a margin for a driving voltage (threshold voltage) for the IGBT chip 10. The configuration of the above-described conventional IGBT device for controlling a strobe light is already in common use, and the above description is based on the inventor's knowledge. He has not found any published document that specifically discloses the configuration. On the other hand, there is a technique to be used for an inverter circuit for preventing an adverse influence from being exerted upon an overcurrent protection circuit due to wiring inductance in an IGBT module including the overcurrent protection circuit (e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-162631 (hereinafter referred to as document 1); pp. 2-3, FIGS. 1 and 2). The overcurrent protection circuit is connected to an emitter electrode inside the IGBT module. Potential variations at the emitter electrode due to load current variations (di/dt) in an inverter circuit and wiring inductance of the IGBT module cause the overcurrent protection circuit to malfunction. The document 1 describes providing the IGBT module with an auxiliary emitter terminal that connects the emitter electrode to a ground terminal of a gate drive circuit, thereby preventing a malfunction of the overcurrent protection circuit due to potential variations at the emitter electrode. In digital camera equipment, for example, there is a trend toward lower supply voltage for internal circuits of such equipment with lower power consumption in recent years. For instance, a value of supply voltage for internal circuits in conventional digital cameras has mainly been 5.0V, which, however, is being changed to 3.3V recently. A decrease in supply voltage for a circuit naturally imposes a limit on increasing an output voltage from the drive circuit 24. It is thus becoming difficult to implement the method of increasing a margin for a voltage signal. Therefore, a drive voltage for an IGBT chip for controlling a strobe light, which has mainly been 4.0V is required to be reduced to about 2.5V. This allows a large margin for a drive voltage for an IGBT chip even with a low supply voltage. However, merely decreasing a drive voltage for the IGBT chip disadvantageously degrades the IGBT chip itself in noise immunity.

The current preferred treatment for Type II, non-insulin dependent diabetes as well as obesity is diet and exercise, with a view toward weight reduction and improved insulin sensitivity. Patient compliance, however, is usually poor. There are no currently approved medications that adequately treat either Type II diabetes or obesity. The invention described herein is directed toward an effective and timely treatment for these serious diseases. One therapeutic opportunity that has been recently recognized involves the relationship between adrenergic receptor stimulation, anti-hyperglycemic effects, and metabolic events such as increased basil metabolic rate. Compounds that act as .beta..sub.3 adrenergic receptor agonists have been shown to exhibit a marked effect on lipolysis, thermogenesis, and serum glucose levels in animal models of Type II (non-insulin dependent) diabetes. The .beta..sub.3 receptor, which is found in several types of human tissue including human fat tissue, has roughly 50% homology to the .beta..sub.1 and .beta..sub.2 receptor subtypes yet is considerably less abundant. The importance of the .beta..sub.3 receptor is a relatively recent discovery since the amino-acid sequence of the human receptor was only elucidated in the late 1980's. A large number of publications have appeared in recent years reporting success in discovery of agents that stimulate the .beta..sub.3 receptor. Despite these recent developments there remains a need to develop a selective .beta..sub.3 receptor agonist which has minimal agonist activity against the .beta..sub.1 and .beta..sub.2 receptors. The present invention provides methods of treating Type II diabetes, treating obesity, and stimulating the .beta..sub.3 receptor. In addition, the present invention also provides novel compounds that are selective .beta..sub.3 receptor agonists and as such are useful for treating Type II diabetes, obesity, and stimulating the .beta..sub.3 receptor. U.S. Pat. No. 4,503,067 discloses carbazolyl-(4)-oxypropanolamine compounds, some of which are within the scope of formula I, as .beta.-adrenoceptor antagonists and vasodilators.

This invention relates to compounds which inhibit leukocyte adhesion and, in particular, leukocyte adhesion mediated by VLA-4. The following publications, patents and patent applications are cited in this application as superscript numbers: 1Hemler and Takada, European Patent Application Publication No. 330,506, published Aug. 30, 1989 2Elices, et al., Cell, 60:577-584 (1990) 3Springer, Nature, 346:425-434 (1990) 4Osborn, Cell, 62:3-6 (1990) 5Vedder, et al., Surgery, 106:509 (1989) 6Pretolani, et al., J. Exp. Med., 180:795 (1994) 7Abraham, et al., J. Clin. Invest., 93:776 (1994) 8Mulligan, et al., J. Immunology, 150:2407 (1993) 9Cybulsky, et al., Science, 251:788 (1991) 10Li, et al., Arterioscler. Thromb., 13:197 (1993) 11Sasseville, et al., Am. J. Path., 144:27 (1994) 12Yang, et al., Proc. Nat. Acad. Science (USA), 90:10494 (1993) 13Burkly, et al., Diabetes, 43:529 (1994) 14Baron, et al., J. Clin. Invest., 93:1700 (1994) 15Hamann, et al., J. Immunology, 152:3238 (1994) 16Yednock, et al., Nature, 356:63 (1992) 17Baron, et al., J. Exp. Med., 177:57 (1993) 18van Dinther-Janssen, et al., J. Immunology, 147:4207 (1991) 19van Dinther-Janssen, et al., Annals. Rheumatic Dis., 52:672 (1993) 20Elices, et al., J. Clin. Invest., 93:405 (1994) 21Postigo, et al., J. Clin. Invest., 89:1445 (1991) 22Paul, et al., Transpl. Proceed., 25:813 (1993) 23Okarhara, et al., Can. Res., 54:3233 (1994) 24Paavonen, et al., Int. J. Can., 58:298 (1994) 25Schadendorf, et al., J. Path., 170:429 (1993) 26Bao, et al., Diff., 52:239 (1993) 27Lauri, et al., British J. Cancer, 68:862 (1993) 28Kawaguchi, et al., Japanese J. Cancer Res., 83:1304 (1992) 29Kogan, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,332, issued Apr. 23, 1996 30International Patent Appl. Publication No. WO 96/01644 All of the above publications, patents and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in its entirety. State of the Art VLA-4 (also referred to as xcex14xcex21 integrin and CD49d/CD29), first identified by Hemler and Takada1 is a member of the xcex21 integrin family of cell surface receptors, each of which comprises two subunits, an a chain and a xcex2 chain. VLA4 contains an xcex14 chain and a xcex21 chain. There are at least nine xcex21 integrins, all sharing the same xcex21 chain and each having a distinct xcex1 chain. These nine receptors all bind a different complement of the various cell matrix molecules, such as fibronectin, laminin, and collagen. VLA-4, for example, binds to fibronectin. VLA-4 also binds non-matrix molecules that are expressed by endothelial and other cells. These non-matrix molecules include VCAM-1, which is expressed on cytokine-activated human umbilical vein endothelial cells in culture. Distinct epitopes of VLA-4 are responsible for the fibronectin and VCAM-1 binding activities and each activity has been shown to be inhibited independently.2 Intercellular adhesion mediated by VLA-4 and other cell surface receptors is associated with a number of inflammatory responses. At the site of an injury or other inflammatory stimulus, activated vascular endothelial cells express molecules that are adhesive for leukocytes. The mechanics of leukocyte adhesion to endothelial cells involves, in part, the recognition and binding of cell surface receptors on leukocytes to the corresponding cell surface molecules on endothelial cells. Once bound, the leukocytes migrate across the blood vessel wall to enter the injured site and release chemical mediators to combat infection. For reviews of adhesion receptors of the immune system, see, for example, Springer3 and Osborn4. Inflammatory brain disorders, such as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), multiple sclerosis (MS) and meningitis, are examples of central nervous system disorders in which the endothelium/leukocyte adhesion mechanism results in destruction to otherwise healthy brain tissue. Large numbers of leukocytes migrate across the blood brain barrier (BBB) in subjects with these inflammatory diseases. The leukocytes release toxic mediators that cause extensive tissue damage resulting in impaired nerve conduction and paralysis. In other organ systems, tissue damage also occurs via an adhesion mechanism resulting in migration or activation of leukocytes. For example, it has been shown that the initial insult following myocardial ischemia to heart tissue can be further complicated by leukocyte entry to the injured tissue causing still further insult (Vedder et al.5). Other inflammatory conditions mediated by an adhesion mechanism include, by way of example, asthma6-8, Alzheimer""s disease, atherosclerosis9-10, AIDS dementia11, diabetes12-14 (including acute juvenile onset diabetes), inflammatory bowel disease15 (including ulcerative colitis and Crohn""s disease), multiple sclerosis16-17, rheumatoid arthritis18-21, tissue transplantation22, tumor metastasis23-28, meningitis, encephalitis, stroke, and other cerebral traumas, nephritis, retinitis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, myocardial ischemia and acute leukocyte-mediated lung injury such as that which occurs in adult respiratory distress syndrome. In view of the above, assays for determining the VLA-4 level in a biological sample containing VLA-4 would be useful, for example, to diagnosis VLA-4 mediated conditions. Additionally, despite these advances in the understanding of leukocyte adhesion, the art has only recently addressed the use of inhibitors of adhesion in the treatment of inflammatory brain diseases and other inflammatory conditions29,30. The present invention addresses these and other needs. This invention provides compounds which bind to VLA-4. Such compounds can be used, for example, to assay for the presence of VLA-4 in a sample and in pharmaceutical compositions to inhibit cellular adhesion mediated by VLA-4, for example, binding of VCAM-1 to VLA-4. The compounds of this invention have a binding affinity to VLA-4 as expressed by an IC50 of about 15 xcexcM or less (as measured using the procedures described in Example A below) which compounds are defined by formula I: wherein ring A is a multicyclic bridged cycloalkyl, multicyclic bridged cycloalkenyl or multicyclic bridged heterocyclic group provided the multicyclic bridged heterocyclic group does not contain a lactam and further wherein said multicyclic bridged cycloalkyl, multicyclic bridged cycloalkenyl or multicyclic bridged heterocyclic group is optionally substituted, on any ring atom capable of substitution, with 1-3 substituents selected from the group consisting of alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonyl-amino, acyloxy, amino, amidino, alkyl amidino, thioamidino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, aryloxyaryl, substituted aryloxyaryl, cyano, halogen, hydroxyl, nitro, oxo, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where each R is independently hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94N[S(O)2xe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2]2 and xe2x80x94N[S(O)2xe2x80x94NRxe2x80x2]2 where each Rxe2x80x2 is independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono- and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and substituted alkyl groups having amino groups blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or alkyl/substituted alkyl groups substituted with xe2x80x94SO2-alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heterocyclic and xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl; R1 is selected from the group consisting of: (a) xe2x80x94(CH2)xxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94R5 where R5 is selected from the group consisting of xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94Zxe2x80x94NR6R6xe2x80x2 and xe2x80x94Oxe2x80x94Zxe2x80x94R7 wherein R6 and R6xe2x80x2 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, and where R6 and R6xe2x80x2 are joined to form a heterocycle or a substituted heterocycle, R7 is selected from the group consisting of heterocycle and substituted heterocycle, and Z is selected from the group consisting of xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94 and xe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94, Ar is aryl, heteroaryl, substituted aryl or substituted heteroaryl, x is an integer of from 1 to 4; (b) Ar1xe2x80x94Ar2xe2x80x94C1-10alkyl-, Ar1xe2x80x94Ar2xe2x80x94C2-10alkenyl- and Ar1xe2x80x94Ar2xe2x80x94C2-10alkynyl-, wherein Ar1 and Ar2 are independently aryl or heteroaryl each of which is optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Rb; alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl are optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Ra; (c) xe2x80x94(CH2)xxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94R8, wherein R8 is heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic; Ar is aryl, heteroaryl, substituted aryl or substituted heteroaryl, x is an integer of from 1 to 4; (d) xe2x80x94(CH2)xxe2x80x94Arxe2x80x94R9, wherein R9 is xe2x80x94C1-10alkyl, xe2x80x94C2-10alkenyl or xe2x80x94C2-10alkynyl, wherein alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl are optionally substituted with one to four substituents selected from Ra; Ar is aryl, heteroaryl, substituted aryl or substituted heteroaryl, x is an integer of from 1 to 4; (e) xe2x80x94(CH2)xxe2x80x94Cy, wherein Cy is optionally substituted with 1 to 4 substitutents selected from R2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-10 alkyl, C2-10 alkenyl, C2-10 alkynyl, aryl, aryl C1-10alkyl, heteroaryl, and heteroaryl C1-10 alkyl, wherein alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl are optionally substituted with one to four substituents selected from Ra, and aryl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Rb; R3 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-10 alkyl optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Ra and Cy optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Rb; Ra is selected from the group consisting of Cy, xe2x80x94ORd, xe2x80x94NO2, halogen xe2x80x94S(O)mRd, xe2x80x94SRd, xe2x80x94S(O)2ORd, xe2x80x94S(O)mNRdRe, xe2x80x94NRdRe, xe2x80x94O(CRfRg)nNRdRe, xe2x80x94C(O)Rd, xe2x80x94CO2Rd, xe2x80x94CO2(CRfRg)nCONRdRe, xe2x80x94OC(O)Rd, xe2x80x94CN, xe2x80x94C(O)NRdRe, xe2x80x94NrdC(O)Re, xe2x80x94OC(O)NRdRe, xe2x80x94NRdC(O)ORe, xe2x80x94NRdC(O)NRdRe, xe2x80x94CRd(Nxe2x80x94ORe), CF3, and xe2x80x94OCF3; wherein Cy is optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Rc; Rb is selected from the group consisting of Ra, C1-10 alkyl, C2-10 alkenyl, C2-10 alkynyl, aryl C1-10 alkyl, heteroaryl, C1-10alkyl, wherein alkyl, alkenyl, aryl, heteroaryl are optionally substituted with a group independently selected from Rc; Rc is selected from the group consisting of halogen, amino, carboxy, C1-4 alkyl, C1-4 alkoxy, aryl, aryl C1-4-alkyl, hydroxy, CF3, and aryloxy; Rd and Re are independently selected from hydrogen, C1-10 alkyl, C2-10 alkenyl, C2-10 alkynyl, Cy and Cyxe2x80x94C1-10alkyl, wherein alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and Cy are optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Rc; or Rd and Re together with the atoms to which they are attached form a heterocyclic ring of 5 to 7 members containing 0-2 additional heteroatoms independently selected from oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen; Rf and Rg are independently selected from hydrogen, C1-10 alkyl, Cy and Cyxe2x80x94C1-10 alkyl; or Rf and Rg together with the carbon to which they are attached form a ring of 5 to 7 members containing 0-2 heteroatoms independently selected from oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen; Rh is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1-10 alkyl, C2-10 alkenyl, C2-10 alkynyl, cyano, aryl, aryl C1-10 alkyl, heteroaryl, heteroaryl C1-10 alkyl, or xe2x80x94SO2Ri; wherein alkyl, alkenyl, and alkynyl are optionally substituted with one to four substitutents independently selected from Ra; and aryl and heteroaryl are each optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Rb; Ri is selected from the group consisting of C1-10 alkyl, C2-10 alkenyl, C2-10 alkynyl, and aryl; wherein alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl and aryl are each optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Rc; Cy is cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, or heteroaryl; X1 is selected from the group consisting of xe2x80x94C(O)ORd, xe2x80x94P(O)(ORd)(ORe), xe2x80x94P(O)(Rd)(ORe), xe2x80x94S(O)mORd, xe2x80x94C(O)NRdRh, and -5-tetrazolyl; m is an integer from 1 to 2; n is an integer from 1 to 10; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. Preferred compounds of this invention are represented by formula II: xe2x80x83wherein R1, R2 and R3 are as defined herein; Y is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, Rd, Cy, xe2x80x94ORd, xe2x80x94NO2, halogen, xe2x80x94S(O)mRd, xe2x80x94SRd, xe2x80x94S(O)2ORd, xe2x80x94S(O)mNRdRe, xe2x80x94NRdRe, xe2x80x94O(CRfRg)nNRdRe, xe2x80x94C(O)Rd, xe2x80x94CH(OH)Rd, xe2x80x94CO2Rd, xe2x80x94CO2(CRfRg)nCONRdRe, xe2x80x94OC(O)Rd, xe2x80x94CN, xe2x80x94C(O)NRdRe, xe2x80x94NRdC(O)Re, xe2x80x94OC(O)NRdRe, xe2x80x94NRdC(O)ORe, xe2x80x94NRdC(O)NRdRe, xe2x80x94CRd(Nxe2x80x94ORe), CF3, and xe2x80x94OCF3; wherein Cy is optionally substituted with one to four substituents independently selected from Rc; where Cy, Rc, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg, Rh, m and n are as defined herein; R4 is selected from the group consisting of alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonyl-amino, acyloxy, amino, amidino, alkyl amidino, thioamidino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, aryloxyaryl, substituted aryloxyaryl, cyano, halogen, hydroxyl, nitro, oxo, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where each R is independently hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94N[S(O)2xe2x80x94Rxe2x80x2]2 and xe2x80x94N[S(O)2xe2x80x94NRxe2x80x2]2 where each Rxe2x80x2 is independently selected from the group consisting of alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono- and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsynmmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and substituted alkyl groups having amino groups blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or alkyl/substituted alkyl groups substituted with xe2x80x94SO2-alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heterocyclic and xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl; or Rb where Rb is as defined herein; X2 is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, alkenoxy, substituted alkenoxy, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, cycloalkenoxy, substituted cycloalkenoxy, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy and xe2x80x94NRxe2x80x3Rxe2x80x3 where each Rxe2x80x3 is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic; or Rd where Rd is as defined herein; v is an integer ranging from 0 to 3; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. In formula I and II above, when X1 is xe2x80x94CO2Rd and Rd is other than hydrogen or X2 is other than xe2x80x94OH, or pharmaceutical salts thereof, Rd and X2 are preferably a substituent which will convert (e.g., hydrolyze, metabolize, etc.) in vivo to a compound where Rd is hydrogen or X2 is xe2x80x94OH, or salts thereof. Accordingly, suitable X2 groups are any art recognized pharmaceutically acceptable groups which will hydrolyze or otherwise convert in vivo to a hydroxyl group or a salt thereof including, by way of example, esters (X2 is alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, alkenoxy, substituted alkenoxy, cycloalkenoxy, substituted cycloalkenoxy, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclooxy, substituted heterocyclooxy, and the like). In the compounds of formula I, ring A is preferably a multicyclic bridged cycloalkyl, multicyclic bridged cycloalkenyl or multicyclic bridged heterocyclic group having a steric volume which is approximately equal to that of adamantane or adamantanecarboxylic acid methyl ester (without considering any additional substituents present on the ring), i.e., xc2x1 about 20%, preferably xc2x110% of the steric volume of adamantane or adamantanecarboxylic acid methyl ester. Numerous ways exist for estimating steric volume. Comparison of Corey-Pauling-Kolton (CPK) space filling models can be utilized to determine steric volume (described, for example, in A. Leo et al., J. Med. Chem. 1976, 19, 611-615). A more accurate value can be calculated from the crystal structure (described, for example, in R S Bohacek and W C Guida, J. Mol. Graph. 1989, 7, 113-117) and compared to that known for adamantane (described, for example, in J. P. Amoureux and M. Foulon, Acta Cryst. 1987, B43, 470-479) or adamantanecarboxylic acid (described, for example, in P. Harvey et al., Can. J. Chem. 1990, 68, 1163-1169). Molecular modeling programs can also be utilized to calculate and compare steric volumes (described, for example, in B. B. Masek et al., J. Med. Chem. 1993, 36, 1230-1238 and those cited in reference 1 of this publication). Additionally, numerous physicochemical and theoretical parameters have been described and shown to be accurate predictors of overall steric volume. Molar refractivity (MR) is one such parameter. MR has been studied extensively and is regarded as a good predictor of steric volume since it is directly proportional to molecular weight. Molar refractivity is described, for example, in C. Hansch et al., Exploring QSAR, Fundimentals and Applications in Chemistry and Biology, S. Heller, Editor, American Chemical Society, p. 78-85, 1995, and can be calculated using PC Models Program, Version 4.6.1, available from Daylight Chemical Information Systems, 419 Palace Ave., Santa Fe, N. Mex. 87501 USA, or using the tables found in C. Hansch et al. on pages 81-84. In this regard, ring A has a molar refractivity (MR) ranging from about 2.86 to about 6.68, preferably from about 3.34 to about 6.2. Preferred ring A groups include, by way of illustration, adamantyl, quinuclidine and the like. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, R1 is selected from all possible isomers arising by substitution with the following groups: 3-[(CH3)2NC(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(CH3)2NC(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(CH3)2NS(O)2O-]benzyl, 4-[(piperidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(piperidin-4xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(1xe2x80x2-methylpiperidin-4xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-hydroxypiperidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-formyloxypiperidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-ethoxycarbonylpiperidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-carboxylpiperidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(3xe2x80x2-hydroxymethylpiperidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-hydroxymethylpiperidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-phenyl-1xe2x80x2-Boc-piperidin-4xe2x80x2-yl)-C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-piperidon-1-xe2x80x2-yl ethylene ketal)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(piperazin-4xe2x80x2-yl)-C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(1xe2x80x2-Boc-piperazin-4xe2x80x2-yl)-C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-methylpiperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-methylhomopiperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-phenylpiperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-(pyridin-2-yl)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-(4-trifluoromethylpyridin-2-yl)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-(pyrimidin-2-yl)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-acetylpiperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-(phenylC(O)-)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-(pyridin-4-ylC(O)-)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-(phenylNHC(O)-)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-(phenylNHC(S)-)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-methanesulfonylpiperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl-C(O)O-)benzyl, 4-[(4xe2x80x2-trifluoromethanesulfonylpiperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl-C(O)O-)benzyl, 4-[(morpholin-4xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 3-nitro-4-[(morpholin-4xe2x80x2-yl)-C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(thiomorpholin-4xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(thiomorpholin-4xe2x80x2-yl sulfone)-C(O)O-]benzyl, (alternative nomenclature 4-[(1,1-dioxothiomorpholin-4-yl)-C(O)O-]benzyl), 4-[(pyrrolidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(2xe2x80x2-methylpyrrolidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(2xe2x80x2-(methoxycarbonyl)pyrrolidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(2xe2x80x2-(hydroxymethyl)pyrrolidin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(2xe2x80x2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethyl)(CH3)NC(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(2xe2x80x2-(N-methyl-N-toluene-4-sulfonylamino)ethyl)(CH3)Nxe2x80x94C(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(2xe2x80x2-(morpholin-4xe2x80x2-yl)ethyl)(CH3)NC(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(2xe2x80x2-(hydroxy)ethyl)(CH3)NC(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[bis(2xe2x80x2-(hydroxy)ethyl)NC(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(2xe2x80x2-(formyloxy)ethyl)(CH3)NC(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[(CH3OC(O)CH2)HNC(O)O-]benzyl, 4-[2xe2x80x2-(phenylNHC(O)O-)ethyl-]HNC(O)O-]benzyl, 3-chloro-4-[(CH3)2NC(O)O-]benzyl, 3-chloro-4-[(4xe2x80x2-methylpiperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 3-chloro-4-[(4xe2x80x2-(pyridin-2-yl)piperazin-1xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, 3-chloro-4-[(thiomorpholin-4xe2x80x2-yl)C(O)O-]benzyl, and 3-fluoro-4-[(CH3)2NC(O)O-]benzyl. In this embodiment, Ar is preferably aryl or substituted aryl and, even more preferably, is phenyl or substituted phenyl. Preferably, x is 1. In another preferred embodiment, R1 corresponds to the R6 group, (including the preferred embodiments) found in International Patent Application Publication No. WO 98/53817 which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In this embodiment, R1 is preferably xe2x80x94CH2xe2x80x94Ar2xe2x80x94Ar1. Preferably, R2 is hydrogen. Preferably, R1 and R2 are derived from L-amino acids or other similarly configured starting materials. Alternatively, racemic mixtures can be used. R3 is preferably hydrogen. R4 is preferably hydrogen. When R4 is other than hydrogen, v is preferably 1 or 2. Preferably, in the compounds of formula I above, X1 is xe2x80x94C(O)2Rd. In the compounds of formula II, X2 is preferably hydroxyl or alkoxy. In the compound of formula II, Y is preferably hydrogen, xe2x80x94C(O)ORd, xe2x80x94S(O)mRd, xe2x80x94C(O)NRdRh, xe2x80x94NRdC(O)ORe, xe2x80x94C(O)Rd or xe2x80x94CH(OH)Rd. When Y is xe2x80x94C(O)ORd, R9 is preferably hydrogen or alkyl. This invention also provides methods for binding VLA-4 in a biological sample which method comprises contacting the biological sample with a compound of formula I or II above under conditions wherein said compound binds to VLA-4. Certain of the compounds of formula I and II above are also useful in reducing VLA-4 mediated inflammation in vivo. This invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and a therapeutically effective amount of one or more of the compounds of formula I or II above. The pharmaceutical compositions may be used to treat VLA-4 mediated disease conditions. Such disease conditions include, by way of example, asthma, Alzheimer""s disease, atherosclerosis, AIDS dementia, diabetes (including acute juvenile onset diabetes), inflammatory bowel disease (including ulcerative colitis and Crohn""s disease), multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, tissue transplantation, tumor metastasis, meningitis, encephalitis, stroke, and other cerebral traumas, nephritis, retinitis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, myocardial ischemia and acute leukocyte-mediated lung injury such as that which occurs in adult respiratory distress syndrome. Other disease conditions include, but are not limited to, inflammatory conditions such as erythema nodosum, allergic conjunctivitis, optic neuritis, uveitis, allergic rhinitis, Ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, vasculitis, Reiter""s syndrome, systemic lupus erythematosus, progressive systemic sclerosis, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, Wegner""s granulomatosis, aortitis, sarcoidosis, lymphocytopenia, temporal arteritis, pericarditis, myocarditis, congestive heart failure, polyarteritis nodosa, hypersensitivity syndromes, allergy, hypereosinophilic syndromes, Churg-Strauss syndrome, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, chronic active hepatitis, interstitial cystitis, autoimmune endocrine failure, primary biliary cirrhosis, autoimmune aplastic anemia, chronic persistent hepatitis and thyroiditis. Accordingly, this invention also provides methods for the treatment of an inflammatory disease in a patient mediated by VLA-4 which methods comprise administering to the patient the pharmaceutical compositions described above. Preferred compounds of this invention include those set forth in Table I below: Accordingly, this invention is also directed to each of the following compounds: N-(adamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L-4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine tert-butyl ester, N-(adamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L-4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine tert-butyl ester, N-[3-(N-benzyl-N-methylaminocarbonyl)adamant-1-ylcarbonyl]-L-4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine tert-butyl ester, N-(adamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L-4-(1,1-dioxothiomorpholin-4-ylcarbonyloxy)phenylalanine, N-[3-(N-benzyl-N-methylaminocarbonyl)adamant-1-ylcarbonyl]-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine ethyl ester, N-(3-carboxyadamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine tert-butyl ester, N-(3-carboxyadamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L-4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-tert-butoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-isopropoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-[3-(N-methylaminocarbonyl)adamant-1-ylcarbonyl]-L-4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-[3-(aminocarbonyl)adamant-1-ylcarbonyl]-L-4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methylcarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methoxycarbonylaminoadamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methylcarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine methyl ester, N-[3-(1-hydroxyethyl)adamant-1-ylcarbonyl]-L4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(piperazin-1-ylcarbonyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-ylcarbonyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L-4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-ylcarbonyloxy)phenylalanine isopropyl ester, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L-4-(piperazin-1-ylcarbonyloxy)phenylalanine isopropyl ester, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L-4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-ylcarbonyloxy)phenylalanine tert-butyl ester, N-(quinuclidin-2-ylcarbonyl)-L-4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(1-methyl-2-pyridone-3-yl)phenylalanine benzyl ester, N-(3-methoxycarbonyladamant-1-ylcarbonyl)-L4-(1-methyl-2-pyridone-3-yl)phenylalanine, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. As above, this invention relates to compounds which inhibit leukocyte adhesion and, in particular, leukocyte adhesion mediated by VLA-4. However, prior to describing this invention in further detail, the following terms will first be defined. Definitions As used herein, xe2x80x9calkylxe2x80x9d refers to alkyl groups preferably having from 1 to 10 carbon atoms and more preferably 1 to 6 carbon atoms. This term is exemplified by groups such as methyl, t-butyl, n-heptyl, octyl and the like. xe2x80x9cSubstituted alkylxe2x80x9d refers to an alkyl group, preferably of from 1 to 10 carbon atoms, having from 1 to 5 substituents selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonylamino, acyloxy, amino, amidino, alkyl amidino,thioamidino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, aryloxyaryl, substituted aryloxyaryl, cyano, halogen, hydroxyl, nitro, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono-and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and substituted alkyl groups having amino groups blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or alkyl/substituted alkyl groups substituted with xe2x80x94SO2-alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heterocyclic and xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl. xe2x80x9cAlkoxyxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x9calkyl-Oxe2x80x94xe2x80x9d which includes, by way of example, methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, iso-propoxy, n-butoxy, tert-butoxy, sec-butoxy, n-pentoxy, n-hexoxy, 1,2-dimethylbutoxy, and the like. xe2x80x9cSubstituted alkoxyxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x9csubstituted alkyl-Oxe2x80x94xe2x80x9d. xe2x80x9cAlkenoxyxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x9calkenyl-Oxe2x80x94xe2x80x9d. xe2x80x9cSubstituted alkenoxyxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x9csubstituted alkenyl-Oxe2x80x94xe2x80x9d. xe2x80x9cAcylxe2x80x9d refers to the groups Hxe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94, alkyl-C(O)xe2x80x94, substituted alkyl-C(O)xe2x80x94, alkenyl-C(O)xe2x80x94, substituted alkenyl-C(O)xe2x80x94, alkynyl-C(O)xe2x80x94, substituted alkynyl-C(O)xe2x80x94 cycloalkyl-C(O)xe2x80x94, substituted cycloalkyl-C(O)xe2x80x94, aryl-C(O)xe2x80x94, substituted aryl-C(O)xe2x80x94, heteroaryl-C(O)xe2x80x94, substituted heteroaryl-C(O), heterocyclic-C(O)xe2x80x94, and substituted heterocyclic-C(O)xe2x80x94 wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cAcylaminoxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94C(O)NRR where each R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, aryl, substituted aryl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic and where each R is joined to form together with the nitrogen atom a heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic ring wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cThiocarbonylaminoxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94C(S)NRR where each R is independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, aryl, substituted aryl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic and where each R is joined to form, together with the nitrogen atom a heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic ring wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cAcyloxyxe2x80x9d refers to the groups alkyl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, substituted alkyl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, alkenyl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, substituted alkenyl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, alkynyl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, substituted alkynyl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, aryl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, substituted aryl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, cycloalkyl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, substituted cycloalkyl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, heteroaryl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, substituted heteroaryl-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, heterocyclic-C(O)Oxe2x80x94, and substituted heterocyclic-C(O)Oxe2x80x94 wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cAlkenylxe2x80x9d refers to alkenyl group preferably having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and more preferably 2 to 6 carbon atoms and having at least 1 and preferably from 1-2 sites of alkenyl unsaturation. xe2x80x9cSubstituted alkenylxe2x80x9d refers to alkenyl groups having from 1 to 5 substituents selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonylamino, acyloxy, amino, amidino, alkylamidino, thioamidino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, aryloxyaryl, substituted aryloxyaryl, halogen, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono-and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and substituted alkenyl groups having amino groups blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or alkenyl/substituted alkenyl groups substituted with xe2x80x94SO2-alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heterocyclic and xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl. xe2x80x9cAlkynylxe2x80x9d refers to alkynyl group preferably having from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and more preferably 3 to 6 carbon atoms and having at least 1 and preferably from 1-2 sites of alkynyl unsaturation. xe2x80x9cSubstituted alkynylxe2x80x9d refers to alkynyl groups having from 1 to 5 substituents selected from the group consisting of alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonylamino, acyloxy, amino, amidino, alkylamidino, thioamidino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, aryloxyaryl, substituted aryloxyaryl, halogen, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono-and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and substituted alkynyl groups having amino groups blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or alkynyl/substituted alkynyl groups substituted with xe2x80x94SO2-alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heterocyclic and xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl. xe2x80x9cAmidinoxe2x80x9d refers to the group H2NC(xe2x95x90NH)xe2x80x94 and the term xe2x80x9calkylamidinoxe2x80x9d refers to compounds having 1 to 3 alkyl groups (e.g., alkylHNC(xe2x95x90NH)xe2x80x94). xe2x80x9cThioamidinoxe2x80x9d refers to the group RSC(xe2x95x90NH)xe2x80x94 where R is hydrogen or alkyl. xe2x80x9cAminoacylxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94NRC(O)alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)substituted alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)heterocyclic, and xe2x80x94NRC(O)substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl and wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cAminocarbonyloxyxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-substituted alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-heterocyclic, and xe2x80x94NRC(O)O-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl and wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cOxycarbonylaminoxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94OC(O)NH2, xe2x80x94OC(O)NRR, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-alkenyl, xe2x80x94OC (O)NR-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-alkynyl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-substituted alkynyl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-aryl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-heterocyclic, and xe2x80x94OC(O)NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen, alkyl or where each R is joined to form, together with the nitrogen atom a heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic ring and wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cOxythiocarbonylaminoxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94OC(S)NH2, xe2x80x94OC(S)NRR, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-alkenyl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-alkynyl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-substituted alkynyl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-aryl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-heterocyclic, and xe2x80x94OC(S)NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen, alkyl or where each R is joined to form together with the nitrogen atom a heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic ring and wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cAminocarbonylaminoxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94NRC(O)NRR, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-substituted alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-heteroaryl, and xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-heterocyclic, and xe2x80x94NRC(O)NR-substituted heterocyclic where each R is independently hydrogen, alkyl or where each R is joined to form together with the nitrogen atom a heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic ring as well as where one of the amino groups is blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like and wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cAminothiocarbonylaminoxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94NRC(S)NRR, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-substituted alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-heteroaryl, and xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-heterocyclic, and xe2x80x94NRC(S)NR-substituted heterocyclic where each R is independently hydrogen, alkyl or where each R is joined to form together with the nitrogen atom a heterocyclic or substituted heterocyclic ring as well as where one of the amino groups is blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like and wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cArylxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cArxe2x80x9d refers to an unsaturated aromatic carbocyclic group of from 6 to 14 carbon atoms having a single ring (e.g., phenyl) or multiple condensed rings (e.g., naphthyl or anthryl) which condensed rings may or may not be aromatic (e.g., 2-benzoxazolinone, 2H-1,4-benzoxazin-3(4H)-one-7yl, and the like). Preferred aryls include phenyl and naphthyl. Substituted aryl refers to aryl groups which are substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonylamino, acyloxy, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, amidino, alkylamidino, thioamidino, amino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonyloxy, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, carboxylamido, cyano, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, halo, nitro, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94S(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono-and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and amino groups on the substituted aryl blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or substituted with xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl. xe2x80x9cAryloxyxe2x80x9d refers to the group aryl-Oxe2x80x94 which includes, by way of example, phenoxy, naphthoxy, and the like. xe2x80x9cSubstituted aryloxyxe2x80x9d refers to substituted aryl-Oxe2x80x94 groups. xe2x80x9cAryloxyarylxe2x80x9d refers to the group -aryl-O-aryl. xe2x80x9cSubstituted aryloxyarylxe2x80x9d refers to aryloxyaryl groups substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents on either or both aryl rings selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonylamino, acyloxy, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, amidino, alkylamidino, thioamidino, amino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonyloxy, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, carboxylamido, cyano, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, halo, nitro, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94S(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono-and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and amino groups on the substituted aryl blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or substituted with xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl. xe2x80x9cCycloalkylxe2x80x9d refers to cyclic alkyl groups of from 3 to 8 carbon atoms having a single cyclic ring including, by way of example, cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclooctyl and the like. xe2x80x9cMulticyclic bridged cycloalkylxe2x80x9d refers to cycloalkyl groups having two or more rings and one or more carbon bridging atoms. Examples of multicyclic bridged cycloalkyl groups include adamantyl and the like. xe2x80x9cCycloalkenylxe2x80x9d refers to cyclic alkenyl groups of from 3 to 8 carbon atoms having single or multiple unsaturation but which are not aromatic. xe2x80x9cMulticyclic bridged cycloalkenylxe2x80x9d refers to cycloalkenyl groups having two or more rings and one or more carbon bridging atoms. xe2x80x9cSubstituted cycloalkylxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9csubstituted cycloalkenylxe2x80x9d refer to a cycloalkyl and cycloalkenyl groups, preferably of from 3 to 8 carbon atoms, having from 1 to 5 substituents selected from the group consisting of oxo (xe2x95x90O), thioxo (xe2x95x90S), alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonylamino, acyloxy, amino, amidino, alkylamidino, thioamidino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, aryloxyaryl, substituted aryloxyaryl, halogen, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono-and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and substituted alkynyl groups having amino groups blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or alkynyl/substituted alkynyl groups substituted with xe2x80x94SO2-alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heterocyclic and xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl. xe2x80x9cCycloalkoxyxe2x80x9d refers to xe2x80x94O-cycloalkyl groups. xe2x80x9cSubstituted cycloalkoxyxe2x80x9d refers to xe2x80x94O-substituted cycloalkyl groups. xe2x80x9cCycloalkenoxyxe2x80x9d refers to xe2x80x94O-cycloalkenyl groups. xe2x80x9cSubstituted cycloalkenoxyxe2x80x9d refers to xe2x80x94O-substituted cycloalkenyl groups. xe2x80x9cGuanidinoxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRR, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-substituted alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-heterocyclic, and xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NR-substituted heterocyclic where each R is independently hydrogen and alkyl as well as where one of the amino groups is blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like and wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cGuanidinosulfonexe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-substituted alkynyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-heteroaryl, and xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-heterocyclic, and xe2x80x94NRC(xe2x95x90NR)NRSO2-substituted heterocyclic where each R is independently hydrogen and alkyl and wherein alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic are as defined herein. xe2x80x9cHaloxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9chalogenxe2x80x9d refers to fluoro, chloro, bromo and iodo and preferably is either chloro or bromo. xe2x80x9cHeteroarylxe2x80x9d refers to an aromatic carbocyclic group of from 2 to 10 carbon atoms and 1 to 4 heteroatoms selected from oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur within the ring. Such heteroaryl groups can have a single ring (e.g., pyridyl or furyl) or multiple condensed rings (e.g., indolizinyl or benzothienyl). Preferred heteroaryls include pyridyl, pyrrolyl, indolyl and furyl. xe2x80x9cSubstituted heteroarylxe2x80x9d refers to heteroaryl groups which are substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonylamino, acyloxy, alkyl, substituted alkyl, alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, alkenyl, substituted alkenyl, alkynyl, substituted alkynyl, amidino, alkylamidino, thioamidino, amino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonyloxy, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, carboxylamido, cyano, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, halo, nitro, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94S(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94S(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94S(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono- and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and amino groups on the substituted aryl blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or substituted with xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl. xe2x80x9cHeteroaryloxyxe2x80x9d refers to the xe2x80x94O-heteroaryl and xe2x80x9csubstituted heteroaryloxyxe2x80x9d refers to the xe2x80x94O-substituted heteroaryl. xe2x80x9cHeterocyclexe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cheterocyclicxe2x80x9d refers to a saturated or unsaturated group having a single ring or multiple condensed rings, from 1 to 10 carbon atoms and from 1 to 4 hetero atoms selected from nitrogen, sulfur or oxygen within the ring wherein, in fused ring systems, one or more of the rings can be aryl or heteroaryl. xe2x80x9cMulticyclic bridged hetereocyclicxe2x80x9d refers to hetereocyclic groups having two or more rings and one or more bridging atoms. Examples of multicyclic bridged cycloalkyl groups include quinuclidinyl and the like. xe2x80x9cSubstituted heterocyclicxe2x80x9d refers to heterocycle groups which are substituted with from 1 to 3 substituents selected from the group consisting of oxo (xe2x95x90O), thioxo (xe2x95x90S), alkoxy, substituted alkoxy, acyl, acylamino, thiocarbonylamino, acyloxy, amino, amidino, alkylamidino, thioamidino, aminoacyl, aminocarbonylamino, aminothiocarbonylamino, aminocarbonyloxy, aryl, substituted aryl, aryloxy, substituted aryloxy, aryloxyaryl, substituted aryloxyaryl, halogen, hydroxyl, cyano, nitro, carboxyl, carboxylalkyl, carboxyl-substituted alkyl, carboxyl-cycloalkyl, carboxyl-substituted cycloalkyl, carboxylaryl, carboxyl-substituted aryl, carboxylheteroaryl, carboxyl-substituted heteroaryl, carboxylheterocyclic, carboxyl-substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, guanidino, guanidinosulfone, thiol, thioalkyl, substituted thioalkyl, thioaryl, substituted thioaryl, thiocycloalkyl, substituted thiocycloalkyl, thioheteroaryl, substituted thioheteroaryl, thioheterocyclic, substituted thioheterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, cycloalkoxy, substituted cycloalkoxy, heteroaryloxy, substituted heteroaryloxy, heterocyclyloxy, substituted heterocyclyloxy, oxycarbonylamino, oxythiocarbonylamino, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94OSO2xe2x80x94NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2-substituted heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94NRS(O)2xe2x80x94NR-substituted heterocyclic where R is hydrogen or alkyl, mono- and di-alkylamino, mono-and di-(substituted alkyl)amino, mono- and di-arylamino, mono- and di-substituted arylamino, mono- and di-heteroarylamino, mono- and di-substituted heteroarylamino, mono- and di-heterocyclic amino, mono- and di-substituted heterocyclic amino, unsymmetric di-substituted amines having different substituents selected from alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl, heterocyclic and substituted heterocyclic and substituted alkynyl groups having amino groups blocked by conventional blocking groups such as Boc, Cbz, formyl, and the like or alkynyl/substituted alkynyl groups substituted with xe2x80x94SO2-alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted alkenyl, xe2x80x94SO2-cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted cycloalkyl, xe2x80x94SO2-aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted aryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heteroaryl, xe2x80x94SO2-heterocyclic, xe2x80x94SO2-substituted heterocyclic and xe2x80x94SO2NRR where R is hydrogen or alkyl. Examples of heterocycles and heteroaryls include, but are not limited to, azetidine, pyrrole, imidazole, pyrazole, pyridine, pyrazine, pyrimidine, pyridazine, indolizine, isoindole, indole, dihydroindole, indazole, purine, quinolizine, isoquinoline, quinoline, phthalazine, naphthylpyridine, quinoxaline, quinazoline, cinnoline, pteridine, carbazole, carboline, phenanthridine, acridine, phenanthroline, isothiazole, phenazine, isoxazole, phenoxazine, phenothiazine, imidazolidine, imidazoline, piperidine, piperazine, indoline, phthalimide, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline, 4,5,6,7-tetrahydrobenzo[b]thiophene, thiazole, thiazolidine, thiophene, benzo[b]thiophene, morpholino, thiomorpholino, piperidinyl, pyrrolidine, tetrahydrofuranyl, and the like. xe2x80x9cHeterocyclyloxyxe2x80x9d refers to the xe2x80x94O-heterocyclic and xe2x80x9csubstituted heterocyclyloxyxe2x80x9d refers to the xe2x80x94O-substituted heterocyclic. xe2x80x9cLactamxe2x80x9d refers to a ring containing the group xe2x80x94C(O)xe2x80x94NRxe2x80x94 as part of the ring, where R is alkyl, substituted alkyl, aryl, substituted aryl, cycloalkyl, substituted cycloalkyl, heterocyclic, substituted heterocyclic, heteroaryl, substituted heteroaryl and xe2x80x94C(O)OR. xe2x80x9cThiolxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94SH. xe2x80x9cThioalkylxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94S-alkyl xe2x80x9cSubstituted thioalkylxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94S-substituted alkyl. xe2x80x9cThiocycloalkylxe2x80x9d refers to the groups xe2x80x94S-cycloalkyl. xe2x80x9cSubstituted thiocycloalkylxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94S-substituted cycloalkyl. xe2x80x9cThioarylxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94S-aryl and xe2x80x9csubstituted thioarylxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94S-substituted aryl. xe2x80x9cThioheteroarylxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94S-heteroaryl and xe2x80x9csubstituted thioheteroarylxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94S-substituted heteroaryl. xe2x80x9cThioheterocyclicxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94S-heterocyclic and xe2x80x9csubstituted thioheterocyclicxe2x80x9d refers to the group xe2x80x94S-substituted heterocyclic. xe2x80x9cPharmaceutically acceptable saltxe2x80x9d refers to pharmaceutically acceptable salts of a compound of Formula I which salts are derived from a variety of organic and inorganic counter ions well known in the art and include, by way of example only, sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, ammonium, tetraalkylammonium, and the like; and when the molecule contains a basic functionality, salts of organic or inorganic acids, such as hydrochloride, hydrobromide, tartrate, mesylate, acetate, maleate, oxalate and the like. Compound Preparation The compounds of this invention can be prepared from readily available starting materials using the following general methods and procedures. It will be appreciated that where typical or preferred process conditions (i.e., reaction temperatures, times, mole ratios of reactants, solvents, pressures, etc.) are given, other process conditions can also be used unless otherwise stated. Optimum reaction conditions may vary with the particular reactants or solvent used, but such conditions can be determined by one skilled in the art by routine optimization procedures. Additionally, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, conventional protecting groups may be necessary to prevent certain functional groups from undergoing undesired reactions. Suitable protecting groups for various functional groups as well as suitable conditions for protecting and deprotecting particular functional groups are well known in the art. For example, numerous protecting groups are described in T. W. Greene and G. M. Wuts, Protecting Groups in Organic Synthesis, Second Edition, Wiley, N.Y., 1991, and references cited therein. Furthermore, the compounds of this invention will typically contain one or more chiral centers. Accordingly, if desired, such compounds can be prepared or isolated as pure stereoisomers, i.e., as individual enantiomers or diastereomers, or as stereoisomer-enriched mixtures. All such stereoisomers (and enriched mixtures) are included within the scope of this invention, unless otherwise indicated. Pure stereoisomers (or enriched mixtures) may be prepared using, for example, optically active starting materials or stereoselective reagents well-known in the art. Alternatively, racemic mixtures of such compounds can be separated using, for example, chiral column chromatography, chiral resolving agents and the like. In a preferred method of synthesis, the compounds of formula I are prepared by coupling a multicyclic bridged ring carboxylic acid derivative of formula III: where ring A is as defined herein, with an amino acid derivative of formula IV: where R1, R2, R3 and X2 are as defined herein, under conventional amino acid coupling conditions. In some case, conventional protecting groups may be required to prevent undesired side reactions, such as where X2 is hydroxyl. In such cases, esters, i.e., where X2 is alkoxy, will typically be employed. This coupling reaction is typically conducted using well-known coupling reagents such as carbodiimides, BOP reagent (benzotriazol-1-yloxy-tris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphonate) and the like. Suitable carbodiimides include, by way of example, dicyclohexyl-carbodiimide (DCC), 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethylcarbodiimide (EDC) and the like. If desired, polymer supported forms of carbodiimide coupling reagents may also be used including, for example, those described in Tetrahedron Letters, 34(48), 7685 (1993). Additionally, well-known coupling promoters, such as N-hydroxysuccinimide, 1-hydroxybenzotriazole and the like, may be used to facilitate the coupling reaction. This coupling reaction is typically conducted by contacting intermediate III with about 1 to about 2 equivalents of the coupling reagent and at least one equivalent, preferably about 1 to about 1.2 equivalents, of amino acid derivative IV in an inert diluent, such as dichloromethane, chloroform, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, N,N-dimethylformamide and the like. Generally, this reaction is conducted at a temperature ranging from about 0xc2x0 C. to about 37xc2x0 C. for about 12 to about 24 hours. Upon completion of the reaction, the compound of formula IA is recovered by conventional methods including neutralization, extraction, precipitation, chromatography, filtration, and the like. Alternatively, the intermediate III can be converted into an acid halide and the acid halide coupled with amino acid derivative IV to provide compounds of formula I. The acid halide of III can be prepared by contacting III with an inorganic acid halide, such as thionyl chloride, phosphorous trichloride, phosphorous tribromide or phosphorous pentachloride, or preferably, with oxalyl chloride under conventional conditions. Generally, this reaction is conducted using about 1 to 5 molar equivalents of the inorganic acid halide or oxalyl chloride, either neat or in an inert solvent, such as dichloromethane or carbon tetrachloride, at temperature in the range of about 0xc2x0 C. to about 80xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 48 hours. A catalyst, such as N,N-dimethylformamide, may also be used in this reaction. The acid halide of intermediate III is then contacted with at least one equivalent, preferably about 1.1 to about 1.5 equivalents, of amino acid derivative IV in an inert diluent, such as dichloromethane, at a temperature ranging from about xe2x88x9270xc2x0 C. to about 40xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 24 hours. Preferably, this reaction is conducted in the presence of a suitable base to scavenge the acid generated during the reaction. Suitable bases include, by way of example, tertiary amines, such as triethylamine, diisopropylethylamine, N-methylmorpholine and the like. Alternatively, the reaction can be conducted under Schotten-Baumann-type conditions using aqueous alkali, such as sodium hydroxide and the like. Upon completion of the reaction, the compound of formula I is recovered by conventional methods including neutralization, extraction, precipitation, chromatography, filtration, and the like. The multicyclic bridged ring compounds of formula III employed in the above described coupling reaction are either commercially available or can be prepared from commercially available starting materials using conventional procedures and reagents. Preferred multicyclic bridged ring compounds for use in this reaction include 1-adamantanecarboxylic acid derivatives and 2-quinuclidinecarboxylic acid derivatives. The amino acid derivatives of formula IV employed in the above reactions are either known compounds or compounds that can be prepared from known compounds by conventional synthetic procedures. For example, amino acid derivatives of formula IV can be prepared by C-alkylating commercially available diethyl 2-acetamidomalonate (Aldrich, Milwaukee, Wis., USA) with an alkyl or substituted alkyl halide. This reaction is typically conducted by treating the diethyl 2-acetamidomalonate with at least one equivalent of sodium ethoxide and at least one equivalent of an alkyl or substituted alkyl halide in refluxing ethanol for about 6 to about 12 hours. The resulting C-alkylated malonate is then deacetylated, hydrolyzed and decarboxylated by heating in aqueous hydrochloric acid at reflux for about 6 to about 12 hours to provide the amino acid, typically as the hydrochloride salt. Examples of amino acid derivatives of formula IV suitable for use in the above reactions include, but are not limited to, L-tyrosine methyl ester, L-3,5-diiodotyrosine methyl ester, L-3-iodotyrosine methyl ester, xcex2-(4-hydroxy-naphth-1-yl)-L-alanine methyl ester, xcex2-(6-hydroxy-naphth-2-yl)-L-alanine methyl ester, L-4-(N,N-dimethylcarbamyloxy)phenylalanine ethyl ester and the like. If desired, of course, other esters or amides of the above-described compounds may also be employed. For ease of synthesis, the compounds of formula I are typically prepared as an ester, i.e., where X2 is an alkoxy or substituted alkoxy group and the like. If desired, the ester group can be hydrolysed using conventional conditions and reagents to provide the corresponding carboxylic acid. Typically, this reaction is conducted by treating the ester with at least one equivalent of an alkali metal hydroxide, such as lithium, sodium or potassium hydroxide, in an inert diluent, such as methanol or mixtures of methanol and water, at a temperature ranging about 0xc2x0 C. to about 24xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 12 hours. Alternatively, benzyl esters may be removed by hydrogenolysis using a palladium catalyst, such as palladium on carbon. The resulting carboxylic acids may be coupled, if desired, to amines such as xcex2-alanine ethyl ester, hydroxyamines such as hydroxylamine and N-hydroxysuccinimide, alkoxyamines and substituted alkoxyamines such as O-methylhydroxylamine and O-benzylhydroxylamine, and the like, using conventional coupling reagents and conditions as described above. In another preferred method of synthesis, the multicyclic bridged ring carboxylic acid of formula III is coupled to a polymer-bound amino acid derivative of formula V: where R1, R2 and R3 are as defined herein, and {circle around (p)} represents a polymer or resin. Polymer-bound amino acids are commercially available or can be prepared by conventional procedures. Using the coupling procedures described above, compounds of formula I can be coupled to polymer-bound amino acid derivative V and then cleaved from the polymer to provide compounds of formula I. Methods for preparing, coupling and cleaving polymer-bound amino acids are well known. Such methods are described for example, in International Publication Number WO 98/53814, published Dec. 3, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, other functional groups present on any of the substituents of the compounds of formula I or II, in addition to the carbamate-type functionality, can be readily modified or derivatized either before or after the above-described synthetic reactions using well-known synthetic procedures. For example, a nitro group present on a substituent of a compound of formula I or an intermediate thereof may be readily reduced by hydrogenation in the presence of a palladium catalyst, such as palladium on carbon, to provide the corresponding amino group. This reaction is typically conducted at a temperature of from about 20xc2x0 C. to about 50xc2x0 C. for about 6 to about 24 hours in an inert diluent, such as methanol. Compounds having a nitro group on the R3 and/or R3xe2x80x2 substituent can be prepared, for example, by using a 4-nitrophenylalanine derivative and the like in the above-described coupling reactions. Similarly, a pyridyl group can be hydrogenated in the presence of a platinum catalyst, such as platinum oxide, in an acidic diluent to provide the corresponding piperidinyl analogue. Generally, this reaction is conducted by treating the pyridine compound with hydrogen at a pressure ranging from about 20 psi to about 60 psi, preferably about 40 psi, in the presence of the catalyst at a temperature of about 20xc2x0 C. to about 50xc2x0 C. for about 2 to about 24 hours in an acidic diluent, such as a mixture of methanol and aqueous hydrochloric acid. Additionally, when the R1 substituent of a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof contains a primary or secondary amino group, such amino groups can be further derivatized either before or after the above coupling reactions to provide, by way of example, amides, sulfonamides, ureas, thioureas, carbamates, secondary or tertiary amines and the like. Compounds having a primary amino group on the R1 substituent may be prepared, for example, by reduction of the corresponding nitro compound as described above. By way of illustration, a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof having a substituent containing a primary or secondary amino group, such as where R1 is a (4-aminophenyl)methyl group, can be readily N-acylated using conventional acylating reagents and conditions to provide the corresponding amide. This acylation reaction is typically conducted by treating the amino compound with at least one equivalent, preferably about 1.1 to about 1.2 equivalents, of a carboxylic acid in the presence of a coupling reagent such as a carbodiimide, BOP reagent (benzotriazol-1-yloxy-tris(dimethylamino)phosphonium hexafluorophosphonate) and the like, in an inert diluent, such as dichloromethane, chloroform, acetonitrile, tetrahydrofuran, N,N-dimethylformamide and the like, at a temperature ranging from about 0xc2x0 C. to about 37xc2x0 C. for about 4 to about 24 hours. Preferably, a promoter, such as N-hydroxysuccinimide, 1-hydroxy-benzotriazole and the like, is used to facilitate the acylation reaction. Examples of carboxylic acids suitable for use in this reaction include, but are not limited to, N-tert-butyloxycarbonylglycine, N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-L-phenylalanine, N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-L-aspartic acid benzyl ester, benzoic acid, N-tert-butyloxycarbonylisonipecotic acid, N-methylisonipecotic acid, N-tert-butyloxycarbonylnipecotic acid, N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-L-tetrahydroisoquinoline-3-carboxylic acid, N-(toluene-4-sulfonyl)-L-proline and the like. Alternatively, a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof containing a primary or secondary amino group can be N-acylated using an acyl halide or a carboxylic acid anhydride to form the corresponding amide. This reaction is typically conducted by contacting the amino compound with at least one equivalent, preferably about 1.1 to about 1.2 equivalents, of the acyl halide or carboxylic acid anhydride in an inert diluent, such as dichloromethane, at a temperature ranging from about of about xe2x88x9270xc2x0 C. to about 40xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 24 hours. If desired, an acylation catalyst such as 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)pyridine may be used to promote the acylation reaction. The acylation reaction is preferably conducted in the presence of a suitable base to scavenge the acid generated during the reaction. Suitable bases include, by way of example, tertiary amines, such as triethylamine, diisopropylethylamine, N-methylmorpholine and the like. Alternatively, the reaction can be conducted under Schotten-Baumann-type conditions using aqueous alkali, such as sodium hydroxide and the like. Examples of acyl halides and carboxylic acid anhydrides suitable for use in this reaction include, but are not limited to, 2-methylpropionyl chloride, trimethylacetyl chloride, phenylacetyl chloride, benzoyl chloride, 2-bromobenzoyl chloride, 2-methylbenzoyl chloride, 2-trifluoro-methylbenzoyl chloride, isonicotinoyl chloride, nicotinoyl chloride, picolinoyl chloride, acetic anhydride, succinic anhydride, and the like. Carbamyl chlorides, such as N,N-dimethylcarbamyl chloride, N,N-diethylcarbamyl chloride and the like, can also be used in this reaction to provide ureas. Similarly, dicarbonates, such as di-tert-butyl dicarbonate, may be employed to provide carbamates. In a similar manner, a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof containing a primary or secondary amino group may be N-sulfonated to form a sulfonamide using a sulfonyl halide or a sulfonic acid anhydride. Sulfonyl halides and sulfonic acid anhydrides suitable for use in this reaction include, but are not limited to, methanesulfonyl chloride, chloromethanesulfonyl chloride, p-toluenesulfonyl chloride, trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride, and the like. Similarly, sulfamoyl chlorides, such as dimethylsulfamoyl chloride, can be used to provide sulfamides (e.g., greater than Nxe2x80x94SO2xe2x80x94N less than ). Additionally, a primary and secondary amino group present on a substituent of a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof can be reacted with an isocyanate or a thioisocyanate to give a urea or thiourea, respectively. This reaction is typically conducted by contacting the amino compound with at least one equivalent, preferably about 1.1 to about 1.2 equivalents, of the isocyanate or thioisocyanate in an inert diluent, such as toluene and the like, at a temperature ranging from about 24xc2x0 C. to about 37xc2x0 C. for about 12 to about 24 hours. The isocyanates and thioisocyanates used in this reaction are commercially available or can be prepared from commercially available compounds using well-known synthetic procedures. For example, isocyanates and thioisocyanates are readily prepared by reacting the appropriate amine with phosgene or thiophosgene. Examples of isocyanates and thioisocyanates suitable for use in this reaction include, but are not limited to, ethyl isocyanate, n-propyl isocyanate, 4-cyanophenyl isocyanate, 3-methoxyphenyl isocyanate, 2-phenylethyl isocyanate, methyl thioisocyanate, ethyl thioisocyanate, 2-phenylethyl thioisocyanate, 3-phenylpropyl thioisocyanate, 3-(N,N-diethylamino)propyl thioisocyanate, phenyl thioisocyanate, benzyl thioisocyanate, 3-pyridyl thioisocyanate, fluorescein isothiocyanate (isomer I) and the like. Furthermore, when a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof contains a primary or secondary amino group, the amino group can be reductively alkylated using aldehydes or ketones to form a secondary or tertiary amino group. This reaction is typically conducted by contacting the amino compound with at least one equivalent, preferably about 1.1 to about 1.5 equivalents, of an aldehyde or ketone and at least one equivalent based on the amino compound of a metal hydride reducing agent, such as sodium cyanoborohydride, in an inert diluent, such as methanol, tetrahydrofuran, mixtures thereof and the like, at a temperature ranging from about 0xc2x0 C. to about 50xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 72 hours. Aldehydes and ketones suitable for use in this reaction include, by way of example, benzaldehyde, 4-chlorobenzaldehyde, valeraldehyde and the like. In a similar manner, when a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof has a substituent containing a hydroxyl group, the hydroxyl group can be further modified or derivatized either before or after the above coupling reactions to provide, by way of example, ethers, carbamates and the like. Compounds having a hydroxyl group on the R1 substituent, for example, can be prepared using an amino acid derivative derived from tyrosine and the like in the above-described reactions. By way of example, a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof having a substituent containing a hydroxyl group, such as where R1 is a (4-hydroxyphenyl)methyl group, can be readily O-alkylated to form ethers. This O-alkylation reaction is typically conducted by contacting the hydroxy compound with a suitable alkali or alkaline earth metal base, such as potassium carbonate, in an inert diluent, such as acetone, 2-butanone and the like, to form the alkali or alkaline earth metal salt of the hydroxyl group. This salt is generally not isolated, but is reacted in situ with at least one equivalent of an alkyl or substituted alkyl halide or sulfonate, such as an alkyl chloride, bromide, iodide, mesylate or tosylate, to afford the ether. Generally, this reaction is conducted at a temperature ranging from about 60xc2x0 C. to about 150xc2x0 C. for about 24 to about 72 hours. Preferably, a catalytic amount of sodium or potassium iodide is added to the reaction mixture when an alkyl chloride or bromide is employed in the reaction. Examples of alkyl or substituted alkyl halides and sulfonates suitable for use in this reaction include, but are not limited to, tert-butyl bromoacetate, N-tert-butyl chloroacetamide, 1-bromoethylbenzene, ethyl xcex1-bromophenylacetate, 2-(N-ethyl-N-phenylamino)ethyl chloride, 2-(N,N-ethylamino)ethyl chloride, 2-(N,N-diisopropylamino)ethyl chloride, 2-(N,N-dibenzylamino)ethyl chloride, 3-(N,N-ethylamino)propyl chloride, 3-(N-benzyl-N-methylamino)propyl chloride, N-(2-chloroethyl)morpholine, 2-(hexamethyleneimino)ethyl chloride, 3-(N-methylpiperazine)propyl chloride, 1-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-(3-chloropropyl)piperazine, 2-(4-hydroxy-4-phenylpiperidine)ethyl chloride, N-tert-butyloxycarbonyl-3-piperidinemethyl tosylate, and the like. Alternatively, a hydroxyl group present on a substituent of a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof can be O-alkylating using the Mitsunobu reaction. In this reaction, an alcohol, such as 3-(N,N-dimethylamino)-1-propanol and the like, is reacted with about 1.0 to about 1.3 equivalents of triphenylphosphine and about 1.0 to about 1.3 equivalents of diethyl azodicarboxylate in an inert diluent, such as tetrahydrofuran, at a temperature ranging from about xe2x88x9210xc2x0 C. to about 5xc2x0 C. for about 0.25 to about 1 hour. About 1.0 to about 1.3 equivalents of a hydroxy compound, such as N-tert-butyltyrosine methyl ester, is then added and the reaction mixture is stirred at a temperature of about 0xc2x0 C. to about 30xc2x0 C. for about 2 to about 48 hours to provide the O-alkylated product. In a similar manner, a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof containing an aryl hydroxy group can be reacted with an aryl iodide to provide a diaryl ether. Generally, this reaction is conducted by forming the alkali metal salt of the hydroxyl group using a suitable base, such as sodium hydride, in an inert diluent such as xylenes at a temperature of about xe2x88x9225xc2x0 C. to about 10xc2x0 C. The salt is then treated with about 1.1 to about 1.5 equivalents of cuprous bromide dimethyl sulfide complex at a temperature ranging from about 10xc2x0 C. to about 30xc2x0 C. for about 0.5 to about 2.0 hours, followed by about 1.1 to about 1.5 equivalents of an aryl iodide, such as sodium 2-iodobenzoate and the like. The reaction is then heated to about 70xc2x0 C. to about 150xc2x0 C. for about 2 to about 24 hours to provide the diaryl ether. Additionally, a hydroxy-containing compound can also be readily derivatized to form a carbamate. In one method for preparing such carbamates, a hydroxy compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof is contacted with about 1.0 to about 1.2 equivalents of 4-nitrophenyl chloroformate in an inert diluent, such as dichloromethane, at a temperature ranging from about xe2x88x9225xc2x0 C. to about 0xc2x0 C. for about 0.5 to about 2.0 hours. Treatment of the resulting carbonate with an excess, preferably about 2 to about 5 equivalents, of a trialkylamine, such as triethylamine, for about 0.5 to 2 hours, followed by about 1.0 to about 1.5 equivalents of a primary or secondary amine provides the carbamate. Examples of amines suitable for using in this reaction include, but are not limited to, piperazine, 1-methylpiperazine, 1-acetylpiperazine, morpholine, thiomorpholine, pyrrolidine, piperidine and the like. Alternatively, in another method for preparing carbamates, a hydroxy-containing compound is contacted with about 1.0 to about 1.5 equivalents of a carbamyl chloride in an inert diluent, such as dichloromethane, at a temperature ranging from about 25xc2x0 C. to about 70xc2x0 C. for about 2 to about 72 hours. Typically, this reaction is conducted in the presence of a suitable base to scavenge the acid generated during the reaction. Suitable bases include, by way of example, tertiary amines, such as triethylamine, diisopropylethylamine, N-methylmorpholine and the like. Additionally, at least one equivalent (based on the hydroxy compound) of 4-(N,N-dimethylamino)pyridine is preferably added to the reaction mixture to facilitate the reaction. Examples of carbamyl chlorides suitable for use in this reaction include, by way of example, dimethylcarbamyl chloride, diethylcarbamyl chloride and the like. Likewise, when a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof contains a primary or secondary hydroxyl group, such hydroxyl groups can be readily converted into a leaving group and displaced to form, for example, amines, sulfides and fluorides. Generally, when a chiral compound is employed in these reactions, the stereochemistry at the carbon atom attached to the derivatized hydroxyl group is typically inverted. These reactions are typically conducted by first converting the hydroxyl group into a leaving group, such as a tosylate, by treatment of the hydroxy compound with at least one equivalent of a sulfonyl halide, such as p-toluenesulfonyl chloride and the like, in pyridine. This reaction is generally conducted at a temperature of from about 0xc2x0 C. to about 70xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 48 hours. The resulting tosylate can then be readily displaced with sodium azide, for example, by contacting the tosylate with at least one equivalent of sodium azide in an inert diluent, such as a mixture of N,N-dimethylformamide and water, at a temperature ranging from about 0xc2x0 C. to about 37xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 12 hours to provide the corresponding azido compound. The azido group can then be reduced by, for example, hydrogenation using a palladium on carbon catalyst to provide the amino (xe2x80x94NH2) compound. Similarly, a tosylate group can be readily displaced by a thiol to form a sulfide. This reaction is typically conducted by contacting the tosylate with at least one equivalent of a thiol, such as thiophenol, in the presence of a suitable base, such as 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene (DBU), in an inert diluent, such as N,N-dimethylformamide, at a temperature of from about 0xc2x0 C. to about 37xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 12 hours to provide the sulfide. Additionally, treatment of a tosylate with morpholinosulfur trifluoride in an inert diluent, such as dichloromethane, at a temperature ranging from about 0xc2x0 C. to about 37xc2x0 C. for about 12 to about 24 hours affords the corresponding fluoro compound. Furthermore, a compound of formula I or II or an intermediate thereof having a substituent containing an iodoaryl group, for example, when R1 is a (4-iodophenyl)methyl group, can be readily converted either before or after the above coupling reactions into a biaryl compound. Typically, this reaction is conducted by treating the iodoaryl compound with about 1.1 to about 2 equivalents of an arylzinc iodide, such as 2-(methoxycarbonyl)phenylzinc iodide, in the presence of a palladium catalyst, such as palladium tetra(triphenylphosphine), in an inert diluent, such as tetrahydrofuran, at a temperature ranging from about 24xc2x0 C. to about 30xc2x0 C. until reaction completion. This reaction is further described, for example, in Rieke, J. Org. Chem. 1991, 56, 1445. Additional methods for preparing biaryl derivatives are disclosed in International Publication Number WO 98/53817, published Dec. 3, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. In some cases, the compounds of formula I or II or intermediates thereof may contain substituents having one or more sulfur atoms. When present, such sulfur atoms can be oxidized either before or after the above coupling reactions to provide a sulfoxide or sulfone compound using conventional reagents and reaction conditions. Suitable reagents for oxidizing a sulfide compound to a sulfoxide include, by way of example, hydrogen peroxide, 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (MCPBA), sodium periodate and the like. The oxidation reaction is typically conducted by contacting the sulfide compound with about 0.95 to about 1.1 equivalents of the oxidizing reagent in an inert diluent, such as dichloromethane, at a temperature ranging from about xe2x88x9250xc2x0 C. to about 75xc2x0 C. for about 1 to about 24 hours. The resulting sulfoxide can then be further oxidized to the corresponding sulfone by contacting the sulfoxide with at least one additional equivalent of an oxidizing reagent, such as hydrogen peroxide, MCPBA, potassium permanganate and the like. Alternatively, the sulfone can be prepared directly by contacting the sulfide with at least two equivalents, and preferably an excess, of the oxidizing reagent. Such reactions are described further in March, xe2x80x9cAdvanced Organic Chemistryxe2x80x9d, 4th Ed., pp. 1201-1202, Wiley Publisher, 1992. Other procedures and reaction conditions for preparing the compounds of this invention are described in the examples set forth below. Pharmaceutical Formulations When employed as pharmaceuticals, the compounds of this invention are usually administered in the form of pharmaceutical compositions. These compounds can be administered by a variety of routes including oral, rectal, transdermal, subcutaneous, intravenous, intramuscular, and intranasal. These compounds are effective as both injectable and oral compositions. Such compositions are prepared in a manner well known in the pharmaceutical art and comprise at least one active compound. This invention also includes pharmaceutical compositions which contain, as the active ingredient, one or more of the compounds of formula I or II above associated with pharmaceutically acceptable carriers. In making the compositions of this invention, the active ingredient is usually mixed with an excipient, diluted by an excipient or enclosed within such a carrier which can be in the form of a capsule, sachet, paper or other container. When the excipient serves as a diluent, it can be a solid, semi-solid, or liquid material, which acts as a vehicle, carrier or medium for the active ingredient. Thus, the compositions can be in the form of tablets, pills, powders, lozenges, sachets, cachets, elixirs, suspensions, emulsions, solutions, syrups, aerosols (as a solid or in a liquid medium), ointments containing, for example, up to 10% by weight of the active compound, soft and hard gelatin capsules, suppositories, sterile injectable solutions, and sterile packaged powders. In preparing a formulation, it may be necessary to mill the active compound to provide the appropriate particle size prior to combining with the other ingredients. If the active compound is substantially insoluble, it ordinarily is milled to a particle size of less than 200 mesh. If the active compound is substantially water soluble, the particle size is normally adjusted by milling to provide a substantially uniform distribution in the formulation, e.g. about 40 mesh. Some examples of suitable excipients include lactose, dextrose, sucrose, sorbitol, mannitol, starches, gum acacia, calcium phosphate, alginates, tragacanth, gelatin, calcium silicate, microcrystalline cellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone, cellulose, water, syrup, and methyl cellulose. The formulations can additionally include: lubricating agents such as talc, magnesium stearate, and mineral oil; wetting agents; emulsifying and suspending agents; preserving agents such as methyl- and propylhydroxy-benzoates; sweetening agents; and flavoring agents. The compositions of the invention can be formulated so as to provide quick, sustained or delayed release of the active ingredient after administration to the patient by employing procedures known in the art. The compositions are preferably formulated in a unit dosage form, each dosage containing from about 5 to about 100 mg, more usually about 10 to about 30 mg, of the active ingredient. The term xe2x80x9cunit dosage formsxe2x80x9d refers to physically discrete units suitable as unitary dosages for human subjects and other mammals, each unit containing a predetermined quantity of active material calculated to produce the desired therapeutic effect, in association with a suitable pharmaceutical excipient. The active compound is effective over a wide dosage range and is generally administered in a pharmaceutically effective amount. It, will be understood, however, that the amount of the compound actually administered will be determined by a physician, in the light of the relevant circumstances, including the condition to be treated, the chosen route of administration, the actual compound administered, the age, weight, and response of the individual patient, the severity of the patient""s symptoms, and the like. For preparing solid compositions such as tablets, the principal active ingredient is mixed with a pharmaceutical excipient to form a solid preformulation composition containing a homogeneous mixture of a compound of the present invention. When referring to these preformulation compositions as homogeneous, it is meant that the active ingredient is dispersed evenly throughout the composition so that the composition may be readily subdivided into equally effective unit dosage forms such as tablets, pills and capsules. This solid preformulation is then subdivided into unit dosage forms of the type described above containing from, for example, 0.1 to about 500 mg of the active ingredient of the present invention. The tablets or pills of the present invention may be coated or otherwise compounded to provide a dosage form affording the advantage of prolonged action. For example, the tablet or pill can comprise an inner dosage and an outer dosage component, the latter being in the form of an envelope over the former. The two components can be separated by an enteric layer which serves to resist disintegration in the stomach and permit the inner component to pass intact into the duodenum or to be delayed in release. A variety of materials can be used for such enteric layers or coatings, such materials including a number of polymeric acids and mixtures of polymeric acids with such materials as shellac, cetyl alcohol, and cellulose acetate. The liquid forms in which the novel compositions of the present invention may be incorporated for administration orally or by injection include aqueous solutions suitably flavored syrups, aqueous or oil suspensions, and flavored emulsions with edible oils such as cottonseed oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, or peanut oil, as well as elixirs and similar pharmaceutical vehicles. Compositions for inhalation or insufflation include solutions and suspensions in pharmaceutically acceptable, aqueous or organic solvents, or mixtures thereof, and powders. The liquid or solid compositions may contain suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients as described supra. Preferably the compositions are administered by the oral or nasal respiratory route for local or systemic effect. Compositions in preferably pharmaceutically acceptable solvents may be nebulized by use of inert gases. Nebulized solutions may be breathed directly from the nebulizing device or the nebulizing device may be attached to a face masks tent, or intermittent positive pressure breathing machine. Solution, suspension, or powder compositions may be administered, preferably orally or nasally, from devices which deliver the formulation in an appropriate manner. The following formulation examples illustrate the pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention. Hard gelatin capsules containing the following ingredients are prepared: The above ingredients are mixed and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 340 mg quantities. A tablet formula is prepared using the ingredients below: The components are blended and compressed to form tablets, each weighing 240 mg. A dry powder inhaler formulation is prepared containing the following components: The active mixture is mixed with the lactose and the mixture is added to a dry powder inhaling appliance. Tablets, each containing 30 mg of active ingredient, are prepared as follows: The active ingredient, starch and cellulose are passed through a No. 20 mesh U.S. sieve and mixed thoroughly. The solution of polyvinyl-pyrrolidone is mixed with the resultant powders, which are then passed through a 16 mesh U.S. sieve. The granules so produced are dried at 50xc2x0 to 60xc2x0 C. and passed through a 16 mesh U.S. sieve. The sodium carboxymethyl starch, magnesium stearate, and talc, previously passed through a No. 30 mesh U.S. sieve, are then added to the granules which, after mixing, are compressed on a tablet machine to yield tablets each weighing 150 mg. Capsules, each containing 40 mg of medicament are made as follows: The active ingredient, cellulose, starch, an magnesium stearate are blended, passed through a No. 20 mesh U.S. sieve, and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 150 mg quantities. Suppositories, each containing 25 mg of active ingredient are made as follows: The active ingredient is passed through a No. 60 mesh U.S. sieve and suspended in the saturated fatty acid glycerides previously melted using the minimum heat necessary. The mixture is then poured into a suppository mold of nominal 2.0 g capacity and allowed to cool. Suspensions, each containing 50 mg of medicament per 5.0 ml dose are made as follows: The medicament, sucrose and xanthan gum are blended, passed through a No. 10 mesh U.S. sieve, and then mixed with a previously made solution of the microcrystalline cellulose and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose in water. The sodium benzoate, flavor, and color are diluted with some of the water and added with stirring. Sufficient water is then added to produce the required volume. The active ingredient, cellulose, starch, and magnesium stearate are blended, passed through a No. 20 mesh U.S. sieve, and filled into hard gelatin capsules in 560 mg quantities. An intravenous formulation may be prepared as follows: A topical formulation may be prepared as follows: The white soft paraffin is heated until molten. The liquid paraffin and emulsifying wax are incorporated and stirred until dissolved. The active ingredient is added and stirring is continued until dispersed. The mixture is then cooled until solid. Another preferred formulation employed in the methods of the present invention employs transdermal delivery devices (xe2x80x9cpatchesxe2x80x9d). Such transdermal patches may be used to provide continuous or discontinuous infusion of the compounds of the present invention in controlled amounts. The construction and use of transdermal patches for the delivery of pharmaceutical agents is well known in the art. See. e.g., U.S. Pat. No 5,023,252, issued Jun. 11, 1991, herein incorporated by reference. Such patches may be constructed for continuous, pulsatile, or on demand delivery of pharmaceutical agents. Direct or indirect placement techniques may be used when it is desirable or necessary to introduce the pharmaceutical composition to the brain. Direct techniques usually involve placement of a drug delivery catheter into the host""s ventricular system to bypass the blood-brain barrier. One such implantable delivery system used for the transport of biological factors to specific anatomical regions of the body is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,011,472 which is herein incorporated by reference. Indirect techniques, which are generally preferred, usually involve formulating the compositions to provide for drug latentiation by the conversion of hydrophilic drugs into lipid-soluble drugs. Latentiation is generally achieved through blocking of the hydroxy, carbonyl, sulfate, and primary amine groups present on the drug to render the drug more lipid soluble and amenable to transportation across the blood-brain barrier. Alternatively, the delivery of hydrophilic drugs may be enhanced by intra-arterial infusion of hypertonic solutions which can transiently open the blood-brain barrier. Utility The compounds of this invention can be employed to bind VLA-4 (xcex14xcex21 integrin) in biological samples and, accordingly have utility in, for example, assaying such samples for VLA-4. In such assays, the compounds can be bound to a solid support and the VLA-4 sample added thereto. The amount of VLA-4 in the sample can be determined by conventional methods such as use of a sandwich ELISA assay. Alternatively, labeled VLA-4 can be used in a competitive assay to measure for the presence of VLA-4 in the sample. Other suitable assays are well known in the art. In addition, certain of the compounds of this invention inhibit, in vivo, adhesion of leukocytes to endothelial cells mediated by VLA-4 and, accordingly, can be used in the treatment of diseases mediated by VLA-4. Such diseases include inflammatory diseases in mammalian patients such as asthma, Alzheimer""s disease, atherosclerosis, AIDS dementia, diabetes (including acute juvenile onset diabetes), inflammatory bowel disease (including ulcerative colitis and Crohn""s disease), multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, tissue transplantation, tumor metastasis, meningitis, encephalitis, stroke, and other cerebral traumas, nephritis, retinitis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, myocardial ischemia and acute leukocyte-mediated lung injury such as that which occurs in adult respiratory distress syndrome. The biological activity of the compounds identified above may be assayed in a variety of systems. For example, a compound can be immobilized on a solid surface and adhesion of cells expressing VLA-4 can be measured. Using such formats, large numbers of compounds can be screened. Cells suitable for this assay include any leukocytes known to express VLA-4 such as T cells, B cells, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils. A number of leukocyte cell lines can also be used, examples include Jurkat and U937. The test compounds can also be tested for the ability to competitively inhibit binding between VLA-4 and VCAM-1, or between VLA-4 and a labeled compound known to bind VLA-4 such as a compound of this invention or antibodies to VLA-4. In these assays, the VCAM-1 can be immobilized on a solid surface. VCAM-1 may also be expressed as a recombinant fusion protein having an Ig tail (e.g., IgG) so that binding to VLA-4 may be detected in an immunoassay. Alternatively, VCAM-1 expressing cells, such as activated endothelial cells or VCAM-1 transfected fibroblasts can be used. For assays to measure the ability to block adhesion to brain endothelial cells, the assays described in International Patent Application Publication No. WO 91/05038 are particularly preferred. This application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Many assay formats employ labelled assay components. The labelling systems can be in a variety of forms. The label may be coupled directly or indirectly to the desired component of the assay according to methods well known in the art. A wide variety of labels may be used. The component may be labelled by any one of several methods. The most common method of detection is the use of autoradiography with 3H, 125I, 35S, 14C, or 32P labelled compounds or the like. Non-radioactive labels include ligands which bind to labelled antibodies, fluorophores, chemiluminescent agents, enzymes and antibodies which can serve as specific binding pair members for a labelled ligand. The choice of label depends on sensitivity required, ease of conjugation with the compound, stability requirements, and available instrumentation. Appropriate in vivo models for demonstrating efficacy in treating inflammatory responses include EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis) in mice, rats, guinea pigs or primates, as well as other inflammatory models dependent upon xcex14 integrins. Compounds having the desired biological activity may be modified as necessary to provide desired properties such as improved pharmacological properties (e.g., in vivo stability, bio-availability), or the ability to be detected in diagnostic applications. For instance, inclusion of one or more D-amino acids in the sulfonamides of this invention typically increases in vivo stability. Stability can be assayed in a variety of ways such as by measuring the half-life of the proteins during incubation with peptidases or human plasma or serum. A number of such protein stability assays have been described (see, e.g., Verhoef et al., Eur. J. Drug Metab. Pharmacokinet., 1990, 15(2:83-93). For diagnostic purposes, a wide variety of labels may be linked to the compounds, which may provide, directly or indirectly, a detectable signal. Thus, the compounds of the subject invention may be modified in a variety of ways for a variety of end purposes while still retaining biological activity. In addition, various reactive sites may be introduced at the terminus for linking to particles, solid substrates, macromolecules, or the like. Labeled compounds can be used in a variety of in vivo or in vitro applications. A wide variety of labels may be employed, such as radionuclides (e.g., gamma-emitting radioisotopes such as technetium-99 or indium-111), fluorescers (e.g., fluorescein), enzymes, enzyme substrates, enzyme cofactors, enzyme inhibitors, chemiluminescent compounds, bioluminescent compounds, and the like. Those of ordinary skill in the art will know of other suitable labels for binding to the complexes, or will be able to ascertain such using routine experimentation. The binding of these labels is achieved using standard techniques common to those of ordinary skill in the art. In vitro uses include diagnostic applications such as monitoring inflammatory responses by detecting the presence of leukocytes expressing VLA-4. The compounds of this invention can also be used for isolating or labeling such cells. In addition, as mentioned above, the compounds of the invention can be used to assay for potential inhibitors of VLA-4/VCAM-1 interactions. For in vivo diagnostic imaging to identify, e.g., sites of inflammation, radioisotopes are typically used in accordance with well known techniques. The radioisotopes may be bound to the peptide either directly or indirectly using intermediate functional groups. For instance, chelating agents such as diethylenetriaminepentacetic acid (DTPA) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and similar molecules have been used to bind proteins to metallic ion radioisotopes. The complexes can also be labeled with a paramagnetic isotope for purposes of in vivo diagnosis, as in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or electron spin resonance (ESR), both of which are well known. In general, any conventional method for visualizing diagnostic imaging can be used. Usually gamma- and positron-emitting radioisotopes are used for camera imaging and paramagnetic isotopes are used for MRI. Thus, the compounds can be used to monitor the course of amelioration of an inflammatory response in an individual. By measuring the increase or decrease in lymphocytes expressing VLA-4 it is possible to determine whether a particular therapeutic regimen aimed at ameliorating the disease is effective. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention can be used to block or inhibit cellular adhesion associated with a number of diseases and disorders. For instance, a number of inflammatory disorders are associated with integrins or leukocytes. Treatable disorders include, e.g., transplantation rejection (e.g., allograft rejection), Alzheimer""s disease, atherosclerosis, AIDS dementia, diabetes (including acute juvenile onset diabetes), retinitis, cancer metastases, rheumatoid arthritis, acute leukocyte-mediated lung injury (e.g., adult respiratory distress syndrome), asthma, nephritis, and acute and chronic inflammation, including atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, myocardial ischemia, and inflammatory bowel disease (including Crohn""s disease and ulcerative colitis). In preferred embodiments the pharmaceutical compositions are used to treat inflammatory brain disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS), viral meningitis and encephalitis. Inflammatory bowel disease is a collective term for two similar diseases referred to as Crohn""s disease and ulcerative colitis. Crohn""s disease is an idiopathic, chronic ulceroconstrictive inflammatory disease characterized by sharply delimited and typically transmural involvement of all layers of the bowel wall by a granulomatous inflammatory reaction. Any segment of the gastrointestinal tract, from the mouth to the anus, may be involved, although the disease most commonly affects the terminal ileum and/or colon. Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory response limited largely to the colonic mucosa and submucosa. Lymphocytes and macrophages are numerous in lesions of inflammatory bowel disease and may contribute to inflammatory injury. Asthma is a disease characterized by increased responsiveness of the tracheobronchial tree to various stimuli potentiating paroxysmal constriction of the bronchial airways. The stimuli cause release of various mediators of inflammation from IgE-coated mast cells including histamine, eosinophilic and neutrophilic chemotactic factors, leukotrines, prostaglandin and platelet activating factor. Release of these factors recruits basophils, eosinophils and neutrophils, which cause inflammatory injury. Atherosclerosis is a disease of arteries (e.g., coronary, carotid, aorta and iliac). The basic lesion, the atheroma, consists of a raised focal plaque within the intima, having a core of lipid and a covering fibrous cap. Atheromas compromise arterial blood flow and weaken affected arteries. Myocardial and cerebral infarcts are a major consequence of this disease. Macrophages and leukocytes are recruited to atheromas and contribute to inflammatory injury. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disease that primarily causes impairment and destruction of joints. Rheumatoid arthritis usually first affects the small joints of the hands and feet but then may involve the wrists, elbows, ankles and knees. The arthritis results from interaction of synovial cells with leukocytes that infiltrate from the circulation into the synovial lining of the joints. See e.g., Paul, Immunology (3d ed., Raven Press, 1993). Another indication for the compounds of this invention is in treatment of organ or graft rejection mediated by VLA-4. Over recent years there has been a considerable improvement in the efficiency of surgical techniques for transplanting tissues and organs such as skin, kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas and bone marrow. Perhaps the principal outstanding problem is the lack of satisfactory agents for inducing immunotolerance in the recipient to the transplanted allograft or organ. When allogeneic cells or organs are transplanted into a host (i.e., the donor and donee are different individuals from the same species), the host immune system is likely to mount an immune response to foreign antigens in the transplant (host-versus-graft disease) leading to destruction of the transplanted tissue. CD8+ cells, CD4 cells and monocytes are all involved in the rejection of transplant tissues. Compounds of this invention which bind to alpha-4 integrin are useful, inter alia, to block alloantigen-induced immune responses in the donee thereby preventing such cells from participating in the destruction of the transplanted tissue or organ. See, e.g., Paul et al., Transplant International 9, 420-425 (1996); Georczynski et al., Immunology 87, 573-580 (1996); Georcyznski et al., Transplant. Immunol. 3, 55-61 (1995); Yang et al., Transplantation 60, 71-76 (1995); Anderson et al., APMIS 102, 23-27 (1994). A related use for compounds of this invention which bind to VLA-4 is in modulating the immune response involved in xe2x80x9cgraft versus hostxe2x80x9d disease (GVHD). See e.g., Schlegel et al., J. Immunol. 155, 3856-3865 (1995). GVHD is a potentially fatal disease that occurs when immunologically competent cells are transferred to an allogeneic recipient. In this situation, the donor""s immunocompetent cells may attack tissues in the recipient. Tissues of the skin, gut epithelia and liver are frequent targets and may be destroyed during the course of GVHD. The disease presents an especially severe problem when immune tissue is being transplanted, such as in bone marrow transplantation; but less severe GVHD has also been reported in other cases as well, including heart and liver transplants. The therapeutic agents of the present invention are used, inter alia, to block activation of the donor T-cells thereby interfering with their ability to lyse target cells in the host. A further use of the compounds of this invention is inhibiting tumor metastasis. Several tumor cells have been reported to express VLA-4 and compounds which bind VLA-4 block adhesion of such cells to endothelial cells. Steinback et al., Urol. Res. 23, 175-83 (1995); Orosz et al., Int. J. Cancer 60, 867-71 (1995); Freedman et al., Leuk. Lymphoma 13, 47-52 (1994); Okahara et al., Cancer Res. 54, 3233-6 (1994). A further use of the compounds of this invention is in treating multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a progressive neurological autoimmune disease that affects an estimated 250,000 to 350,000 people in the United States. Multiple sclerosis is thought to be the result of a specific autoimmune reaction in which certain leukocytes attack and initiate the destruction of myelin, the insulating sheath covering nerve fibers. In an animal model for multiple sclerosis, murine monoclonal antibodies directed against VLA-4 have been shown to block the adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium, and thus prevent inflammation of the central nervous system and subsequent paralysis in the animals16. Pharmaceutical compositions of the invention are suitable for use in a variety of drug delivery systems. Suitable formulations for use in the present invention are found in Remington""s Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mace Publishing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., 17th ed. (1985). In order to enhance serum half-life, the compounds may be encapsulated, introduced into the lumen of liposomes, prepared as a colloid, or other conventional techniques may be employed which provide an extended serum half-life of the compounds. A variety of methods are available for preparing liposomes, as described in, e.g., Szoka, et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,235,871, 4,501,728 and 4,837,028 each of which is incorporated herein by reference. The amount administered to the patient will vary depending upon what is being administered, the purpose of the administration, such as prophylaxis or therapy, the state of the patient, the manner of administration, and the like. In therapeutic applications, compositions are administered to a patient already suffering from a disease in an amount sufficient to cure or at least partially arrest the symptoms of the disease and its complications. An amount adequate to accomplish this is defined as xe2x80x9ctherapeutically effective dose.xe2x80x9d Amounts effective for this use will depend on the disease condition being treated as well as by the judgment of the attending clinician depending upon factors such as the severity of the inflammation, the age, weight and general condition of the patient, and the like. The compositions administered to a patient are in the form of pharmaceutical compositions described above. These compositions may be sterilized by conventional sterilization techniques, or may be sterile filtered. The resulting aqueous solutions may be packaged for use as is, or lyophilized, the lyophilized preparation being combined with a sterile aqueous carrier prior to administration. The pH of the compound preparations typically will be between 3 and 11, more preferably from 5 to 9 and most preferably from 7 to 8. It will be understood that use of certain of the foregoing excipients, carriers, or stabilizers will result in the formation of pharmaceutical salts. The therapeutic dosage of the compounds of the present invention will vary according to, for example, the particular use for which the treatment is made, the manner of administration of the compound, the health and condition of the patient, and the judgment of the prescribing physician. For example, for intravenous administration, the dose will typically be in the range of about 20 xcexcg to about 500 xcexcg per kilogram body weight, preferably about 100 xcexcg to about 300 xcexcg per kilogram body weight. Suitable dosage ranges for intranasal administration are generally about 0.1 pg to 1 mg per kilogram body weight. Effective doses can be extrapolated from dose-response curves derived from in vitro or animal model test systems. Compounds of this invention are also capable of binding or antagonizing the actions of xcex16xcex21, xcex19xcex21, xcex14xcex27, xcex1dxcex22, xcex1excex27 integrins (although xcex14xcex21 and xcex19xcex21 are preferred in this invention). Accordingly, compounds of this invention are also useful for preventing or reversing the symptoms, disorders or diseases induced by the binding of these integrins to their respective ligands. For example, International Publication Number WO 98/53817, published Dec. 3, 1998 (the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety) and references cited therein describe disorders mediated by xcex14xcex27. This reference also describes an assay for determining antagonism of xcex14xcex27 dependent binding to VCAM-Ig fusion protein. Additionally, compounds that bind xcex1dxcex22 and xcex1excex27 integrins are particularly useful for the treatment of asthma and related lung diseases. See, for example, M. H. Grayson et al., J. Exp. Med. 1998, 188(11) 2187-2191. Compounds that bind xcex1excex27 integrin are also useful for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (see, for example, M. Pang et al., Arthritis Rheum. 1998, 41(8), 1456-1463); Crohn""s disease, ulcerative colitis and infammatory bowel disease (IBD) (see, for example, D. Elewaut et al., Scand J. Gastroenterol 1998, 33(7) 743-748); Sjogren""s syndrome (see, for example, U. Kroneld et al., Scand J. Gastroenterol 1998, 27(3), 215-218); and rheumatoid arthritis (see, for example, Scand J. Gastroenterol 1996, 44(3), 293-298). And compounds that bind xcex16xcex21 may be useful in preventing fertilization (see, for example, H. Chen et al., Chem. Biol. 1999, 6, 1-10). The following synthetic and biological examples are offered to illustrate this invention and are not to be construed in any way as limiting the scope of this invention. Unless otherwise stated, all temperatures are in degrees Celsius.

In the prior art, elastic circular knitted fabrics comprising elastic yarn are commonly used in clothing that fits directly onto the body, including shorts and inner wear such as girdles and brassieres, or undershirts and sports wear such as swimming wear, and a variety of such products are being marketed. Elastic circular knitted fabrics comprising elastic yarn are also widely used not only in body-fitting clothing but also in casual wear including T-shirts, parkas and bottoms. Circular knitted fabrics, because of their structure, generally stretch readily in the weft direction but only stretch very minimally in the warp direction compared to the weft direction, and have therefore been unsatisfactory in terms of compressed feeling and slipping during movement, when such are worn as products. In addition, in such knitted fabrics that have different degrees of extensibility in the warp direction and weft direction, it is necessary to cut the fabric while matching the direction in which stress is to be applied when wearing the clothing, and the direction of easy stretching of the fabric, and this has placed a major restriction on the method of use of such fabrics. Therefore, in order to achieve a suitable balance of extensibility in the both the warp and weft directions, for circular knitted fabrics with a double needle bed, there have been proposed circular knitted fabrics having warp elongation, by feeding a covering yarn or core yarn with elastic yarn as the core onto one needle bed, when knitting with each of the needles is independently carried out in each needle bed, but in such cases linkage of the elastic yarn in the warp direction, which governs the extensibility and recoverability in the warp direction, is intermittent, and as a result the movement-following property, resulting from the recoverability when the fabric is used in clothing, has been insufficient (see Patent Document 1 below). In addition, there have been proposed circular knitted fabrics with excellent soft stretch properties in both the warp and weft directions, by using a specific copolymer elastic yarn and specifying the stitch length of the nonelastic fiber, but since the abrasion resistance is reduced with such specific copolymer elastic yarns, they have been poorly practical for clothing (see Patent Document 2 below). In recent years, for clothing that closely fits the body, there has been a demand for clothing that not only expands and contracts to match movement of the body but also has a stretching function that supports movement of the body, and with clothing that does not fit directly onto the body, there has been a demand for clothing that reduces the stress produced when the clothing is worn, such as compressed feeling or clothing slippage, in the course of movement or routine operations. With the knitted fabrics of the prior art described above, however, it has been difficult to obtain clothing that stretches to the same extent in both the warp and weft directions and that has excellent elongation recovery, resulting in a satisfactory movement-following property and no disadvantages in terms of practical performance including abrasion resistance.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to terminal regulation management devices, and more particularly, to a terminal regulation management device for regulating incoming/outgoing calls of radio terminals. 2. Description of the Related Art W-CDMA (Wideband-Code Division Multiple Access) is a communication scheme using a wider frequency band than the existing CDMA and has the advantages of faster data transfer rate and higher communication quality. In W-CDMA network systems, if the communication traffic of a certain base station increases because of an event (e.g., a fireworks festival, concert, sport event or the like), call congestion or communication degradation possibly occurs, making communications unavailable. For example, if the number of channels simultaneously transmitted and received by a base station increases, the level of interference power interfering with the individual radio communication channels in the frequency band rises, making it impossible to maintain the communication quality. Thus, before the communication quality becomes uncontrollable, incoming/outgoing calls of mobile units existing in the radio communication area are regulated. When the incoming/outgoing call regulation is initiated, the base station sends the mobile units the information that the incoming/outgoing calls are being regulated, and the incoming/outgoing calls of the mobile units are rejected by the base station. Usually, the incoming/outgoing call regulation is applied equally to all mobile units, but there has been proposed a technique of preferentially connecting previously registered mobile units during congestion (see, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 05-316039). A technique is also known in which those mobile units of which the count of outgoing calls to an identical number per unit time is large are preferentially connected (see, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-23648). Further, the outgoing call regulation explained below is actually performed. Individual mobile units are automatically grouped at the time of purchase, and during congestion, the number of groups whose outgoing calls are permitted is restricted in accordance with the degree of congestion and the regulated groups are changed at fixed intervals of time (see, e.g., “Material for the investigation commission on the use of information communication systems in times of disaster” (online), Tohoku Bureau of Telecommunications, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (searched on May 10, 2006, Internet URL: http://www.ttb.go.jp/saigai/houkoku/index.html)). However, the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 05-316039 is associated with the problem that when an event such as a fireworks festival is held, even those users whose zone of daily life is near the site of the event are subject to the incoming/outgoing call regulation unless they register their mobile units in advance. With the technique disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-23648, the mobile units of users whose daily life zone differs from the area where they are requesting outgoing call are preferentially treated in accordance with the outgoing call count per unit time, whereas the mobile units of users who live in that area are subject to the incoming/outgoing call regulation. According to the technique described in the “Material for the investigation commission on the use of information communication systems in times of disaster” (online) by Tohoku Bureau of Telecommunications, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the incoming/outgoing call regulation is enforced equally on the basis of the groups into which the individual mobile units are placed at the time of contract, without regard to the frequency of use in the daily life zone. A problem therefore arises in that communication is not necessarily secured for the mobile units of those users whose daily life zone overlaps with the call regulation area.

The invention relates to a device for measuring local absorption differences in a cross-section of an object. The device comprises at least one detector which has a gas-filled chamber. In the chamber are arranged, at a comparatively small distance from each other, a high voltage electrode and a signal electrode. A high voltage source is connected to the high voltage electrode and a signal measuring circuit is connected to the signal electrode. A device of this kind, in the form of an X-ray scanner comprising a series of detectors which can be read separately is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,503. In an apparatus of this kind, movement of the detectors with respect to the object to be examined causes vibrations which result in microphonic interference signals in the detector signal to be measured. Because of the construction of the detector elements--a high voltage electrode and an adjacent signal electrode which are mounted at a short distance from each other--each measuring chamber constitutes a capacitor whose capacitance is modulated by vibrations of the electrodes. This modulation causes an interference signal in the measuring signal. It has been found that this capacitance modulation is not adequately mitigated even by specially mounting the various electrodes.

1. Field of the Invention This invention is directed to systems, devices and methods for modifying the process of producing dried biosolids pellets or granules, or manure or animal residual pellets or granules, or other organic materials, such as food or pharmaceutical fermentation residuals, formed into pellets or granules into beneficiated inorganically-augmented bioorganic fertilizer. The present invention describes a method to beneficiate heat-dried biosolids or sludge pellets or granules as presently manufactured by municipalities or companies from dewatered municipal wastewater biosolids or sludges to produce a fertilizer containing sufficient organic and inorganic plant nutrients to be valuable and saleable into the commercial agricultural industry. 2. Description of the Background The disposal of sludges discharged from large-scale wastewater treatment plants is a serious and growing problem. In 1990, the United States Environmental Protection Agency indicated that a family of four discharged 300 to 400 gallons of wastewater per day. From this wastewater, publicly owned treatment works generated approximately 7.7 million dry metric tons of sludge annually or about 64 dry pounds of sludge for every individual in the United States. By the year 2000, these figures had doubled. The definitions of “sewage sludge” and “sludge” under by Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 257.2, hereby incorporated by reference, is as follows: “Sewage sludge means solid, semi-solid, or liquid residue generated during the treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment works. Sewage sludge includes, but is not limited to, domestic septage; scum or solid removed in primary, secondary or advanced wastewater treatment processes; and a material derived from sewage sludge. Sewage sludge does not include ash generated during the firing of sewage sludge in a sewage sludge incinerator or grit and screenings generated during preliminary treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment works. Sludge means solid, semi-solid or liquid waste generated from municipal, commercial, or industrial wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant, or air pollution control facility or any other such waste having similar characteristics and effect.” There are several types of sludges that can be produced by sewage and/or wastewater treatment. These include primary sludge, waste activated sludge, pasteurized sludge, heat-treated sludge, and aerobically or anaerobically digested sludge, and combinations of all. These sludges may be from municipal and/or industrial sources. Most commonly, sludges are dewatered to the best extent possible by chemical and mechanical means. The water content of sewage sludges is still very high. Typical sludges coming out of a gravity clarifier may have a dry solids content of 2% or less. After anaerobic digestion, the solids content can be about 10%. Cationic water-soluble polymers have been found useful for causing further separation between the solids and the water that is chemically and physically bound. Filtration or centrifugation of cationic polymer treated sludge typically yields a paste-like sludge cake containing about 20% solids. Drying of sewage sludge has been practiced for many years in both the United States and Europe. Sludge drying in the United States prior to about 1965 was undertaken to reduce transportation costs and in pursuit of various disposal options. In some plants, the sludge was dried in powder form and the fine particles were consumed in the combustion chamber of an incinerator or boiler. In the late 1960's two municipalities, Houston and Milwaukee, began to market a pelletized or granulated dried sludge for use as a soil amendment and/or fertilizer. Several more plants for manufacture of dried pelletized sludge were built in the 1980's and 1990's; especially after ocean dumping of sludge by coastal cities was eliminated. Drying and conversion to a pelletized fertilizer was the best option for these metropolitan areas where landfills and land for disposal were limited. However, the investment required for a sludge drying facility is large. A typical unit costs about $150 million for equipment alone. The most common type of sludge dried and pelletized is anaerobically digested municipal sewage. Anaerobic digestions, as the name suggests, involves treatment by facultative bacteria under anaerobic conditions to decompose the organic matter in the sludge. After a prescribed time and temperature, a sludge relatively free of putrifiable organic matter and pathogens is obtained. Municipal anaerobically digested sewage sludge is therefore preferred for agricultural purposes. However, dry sewage sludge has several disadvantages for agricultural use. It has low fertilization value, typically having nitrogen content of only about 2-5%. Freight and application costs per unit of nitrogen are high. It often has a disagreeable odor, particularly when moist. It has low density and when blended with other commercial fertilizer materials, it may segregate into piles or may not spread on the field uniformly with other more dense ingredients. Bacterial action may continue and under storage conditions sludge temperature may rise to the point of autoignition. Hence, except for special markets that value its organic content for soil amendment or filler in blended fertilizer, there is little demand for the product. In most cases municipalities must pay freight charges, or may offer other incentives for commercial growers to use the material. However, this is frequently still more economical than alternative disposal schemes. The market value for fertilizers is principally based on their nitrogen content. A need exists for a practical and economic method for increasing the nitrogen content of sewage sludge to a level approaching that of commercial mineral fertilizers, i.e., 10-20%. Freight costs and the cost of application per unit of nitrogen would then be much lower. Overall value and demand would increase. Moreover, sludge has an advantage in that its nitrogen is of the slow release type. The nitrogen is part of organic molecules and hence is available to growing plants only when the molecule is broken down. This is very desirable since it provides nitrogen to the plant all through its growing cycle. Manufactured slow release nitrogen fertilizers have a price nearly 10 times that of ordinary mineral nitrogen fertilizers. Conceivably, municipalities would enjoy a credit rather than an expense in disposing of their dried sludge product if the total nitrogen content can be increased and the tendency for autoignition reduced or eliminated. Prior attempts have been made to reach some of these objectives. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,942,970, 3,655,395, 3,939,280, 4,304,588, and 4,519,831 describe processes for converting sewage sludge to fertilizer. In each of these processes a urea-formaldehyde condensation product is formed in situ with the sludge. However, the processes require the handling of formaldehyde, a highly toxic lachrymator and cancer suspect agent. French Patent No. 2,757,504 describes the blending of mineral fertilizers with organic sludge. The mixture is heated to a temperature between 200° C. and 380° C. Japanese Patent No. 58032638 describes a process where sludge is treated with sulfuric and nitric acids or sulfuric and phosphoric acids and ammonia under elevated pressure of about 3 atmospheres. These prior art processes require costly process equipment and/or special conditions not readily incorporated in existing sewage treatment facilities. The simplest method of increasing the nitrogen in sludge would be to add commercial nitrogen fertilizer materials to the wet sludge prior to drying and pelletizing. There are only a few high-nitrogen fertilizer materials that are economic for use in agriculture: ammonia (82 wt. % N), urea (37 wt. % N), and ammonium nitrate (35 wt. % N). Ammonia has high volatility and is subject to strict regulation of discharges to the atmosphere. Urea is a solid that adsorbs moisture quite readily and makes the sludge more difficult to dry. It is also highly susceptible to breakdown to ammonia by the microbes and enzymes in sludge, resulting in nitrogen loss and an odor problem. Ammonium nitrate is a strong oxidizer and creates a potential explosion problem. All of these fertilizers have high nitrogen content: but are unsuitable for combining with sludge. Another possible candidate that has been unsuccessfully tested by the industry as an additive to sludge is ammonium sulfate. Although ammonium sulfate has lower nitrogen content (21 wt % N) than the materials discussed above, it has a price per unit of nitrogen comparable to that of the other commercial fertilizers. It is also relatively inert to the microbes and enzymes in sludge. It has been found in full-scale plant trials that a problem occurs during the drying of a mixture of ammonium sulfate and sludge. Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 503, Appendix B specifies that the temperature of the sewage sludge particles must exceed 80° C. (176° F.) or the wet bulb temperature of the gas in contact with the sewage sludge must leave the dryer at a temperature exceeding 80° C. (176° F.). However, when drying a mixture of ammonium sulfate and sludge, a sudden release of ammonia vapors occurs at about 60° C. (140° F.) overwhelming the air pollution control system. Several attempts at addition of ammonium sulfate to sewage sludge in several different plants over several years have foundered on this problem. The discharge of ammonia to the atmosphere is environmentally intolerable. Consequently, ammonium sulfate addition to sewage sludge has not been successful to date. European Patent No. 0143392 B1 describes a process in which an undigested liquid sludge is mixed with salts such as ammonium sulfate at a concentration of 17-47 wt. % at a pH of 2-6 for a period of 3 to 12 hours followed by disposal. Japanese Patent No. 9110570 A2 describes the treatment of sewage sludge with an acidic solution followed by drying to reduce ammonia evolution and to retain the effective nitrogen. Therein is described the use of dilute (0.3 Normal) aqueous solutions of HCl, H2SO4, and wood vinegar as ammonia binders (“Granulation of Compost From Sewage Sludge. V. Reduction of Ammonia Emission From Drying Process”, Hokkaidoritsu Kogyo Shikenjo Hokoku, 287, 85-89 (1988)). None of these references disclose the use of acids with ammonium sulfate additions and neither reference discusses the issue of corrosion of steel process equipment under acid conditions. Over the past thirty years alkaline stabilization of sludges has been a standard and successful method of making sludges into beneficially useful materials that can be used principally as soil-conditioning materials. Because these sludges have high calcium carbonate equivalencies, they have been produced and marketed as AG-lime materials, usually as a replacement for calcium carbonate in farm soil management strategies. Because of this usage the value of these materials has been restricted to only a few dollars per ton of product, they are economically and geographically restricted because of transportation costs to areas close to the source of their treatment. Many of these alkaline-stabilized sludges contain up to 65% water. Thus, there is a long standing need for practical means of increasing the economic value of sewage sludge through increasing its nitrogen content, and increasing its ability to be spread as well as a need to treat these materials such that they are converted into commodity fertilizers with physical and chemical and nutrient properties such that they can command significant value in the national and international commodity fertilizer marketplace. The present invention meets those needs.

1. Field of Invention The present invention relates to a navigation apparatus capable of searching for an optimum route along which to drive a vehicle, and also to a navigation system including such a navigation apparatus. 2. Description of Related Art A navigation apparatus is known which displays a route from a start point to a destination point and provides navigation information along the route making it possible for a user to easily navigate a vehicle. In such a navigation apparatus, the current position of the vehicle is detected by using a GPS, or the like, and the detected current position is displayed together with a road map on a display. A route from a starting point to a destination is searched for, and navigation information resulting from the search is provided. The route search is performed, for example, by means of the Dijkstra method or a similar method. That is, in the navigation apparatus, the costs (scores) for routes from the start point to an arbitrary point are calculated on the basis of current road traffic information (at a time when searching is performed) and also on the basis of a distance from the current position to the arbitrary point. The distance from the current position to the arbitrary point is determined by using map data stored in the navigation apparatus or supplied from an external data storage device. After the calculation of the costs is completed for all possible routes to the destination, the route having the minimum cost is selected as an optimum route from the current position to the destination. The above-described navigation apparatus is capable of acquiring road traffic information indicating the current status in terms of congestion and/or traffic restriction information, searching for a shortest route, and calculating a predicted time needed to reach a destination. A navigation apparatus has been proposed that is capable of searching for road traffic information associated with a particular date/time at which to start driving a vehicle. The road traffic information is predicted using statistically predicted traffic information determined from past road traffic information indicating the congestion status or the like (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2002-148067). This makes it possible to determine, in a more reliable fashion, a shortest route and a predicted time needed to reach a destination on a particular date/time at which to start driving.

In recent years, China has severe public security situation, natural disasters and accidents occur frequently, public health events and social security events happen constantly, and there are still threats to national security. The Chinese government attaches great importance to disposal of emergency events, and especially after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, the State Council has put forward higher requirements for emergency disposal. In order to improve the emergency communication disposal ability for emergency events, the current situation of the communication industry is combed in the paper, and from the perspective of emergency complying with the current industry, an emergency communication satellite terminal management system is established for exploration around the construction of informationized emergency command platform in the communication industry, so as to improve the command and dispatch ability of emergency satellite communication of our country in an all-round way. During the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan”, the country attaches great importance to the development of emergency communication industry. The State Council issues the Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Emergency Industry, and clearly puts forward the focus on the development of emergency communications, emergency command and other emergency products and services, leading the direction of the development of the emergency communication industry and proposing new requirements. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology attaches great importance to the construction of the national emergency communication system, organizes the preparation and revision of the National Communication Support Emergency Plan, successively implements the “Twelfth Five-Year” development plan for the national emergency communication, makes the development of the emergency communication industry as an important task, and makes great efforts to perfect and optimize the established emergency platform to further improve emergency communication disposal capability and emergency communication support capability of emergency events. As an important part of the national public security emergency system and national defense mobilization system, during the “Twelfth Five-Year Plan”, the national emergency communication system has gradually equipped every province, every city and baseline telecom operators with handheld and fixed maritime satellite phones, portable satellite terminals, vehicular satellite communication terminals and other satellite terminal communication equipment, and has preliminarily covered the counties and towns in remote areas of disaster-prone areas. However, at present, the communication industry has not established a set of satellite management system for the unified and effective management of emergency satellite terminals in provinces and cities, which causes the satellite terminals to lack supervision, and causes emergency satellite phones to slowly and ineffectively schedule emergency resources and assign tasks in case of emergencies. Under the new situation, the General Office of the State Council issues the Thirteenth Five-Year Plan for the Construction of National Emergency System for Emergency Events, and puts the improvement of emergency communication support capacity in a more prominent position. When the ground communication network is interrupted in large areas due to emergency events, or when mobile phones, fixed phones and other communications are unable to communicate, satellite phones are particularly important as a safe and reliable means of communication. Satellite phones, as an important means of emergency communication, will be more widely used in emergency agencies, rescue teams and grass-roots emergency organizations. Therefore, the establishment of an “emergency communication satellite terminal management system” can effectively integrate existing satellite communication resources, strengthen monitoring and supervision of various satellite terminals, and effectively enhance the government's emergency communication support capacity and service capacity.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hand-held power tool which performs a predetermined operation on a workpiece by linearly driving a tool bit. 2. Description of the Related Art In order to control a motor within a hand-held power tool between an energized state and a de-energized state, both a slide type operating member and a trigger type operating member are known. An example of the slide type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese non-examined laid-open Patent Publication No. H08-216061, and an example of the trigger type is disclosed, for example, in Japanese non-examined laid-open Patent Publication No. 2005-219195. The slide type is applied to a hammer in which a tool bit performs only striking movement. The slide member operated by a user and an electrical switch are typically disposed in a connecting part between a power tool body and a handgrip. In the slide type, after the slide member is slid to a position in which the electrical switch is placed in an on position, the slide member is retained in that position to which it is slid even if it is released. Therefore, ease of operation can be enhanced in holding the handgrip and operating the power tool to perform a predetermined operation. The trigger type is applied to a hammer drill in which a tool bit performs striking movement and rotation. In such a hammer drill, both a trigger and an electrical switch are disposed in a grip part of a handgrip. The electrical switch is placed on an on position when the trigger is depressed, and it is automatically returned to the off position when the trigger is released. In a construction using the trigger type, a vibration-proof structure using an elastic element is provided in a connecting part which connects the handgrip and the power tool body, so that vibration of the handgrip can be reduced and thus load on the user can be alleviated. With a construction in which the slide type is applied as a manner of operating the electrical switch, as described above, ease of operation can be enhanced, but the handgrip does not have a vibration-proof structure so that a load on the user is increased. On the other hand, with a construction of the trigger type, the handgrip can have a vibration-proof structure, but the user has to maintain the depressing operation of the trigger, so that ease of operation is decreased.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control apparatus for a continuously variable V-belt transmission and more particularly to the control apparatus capable of selecting either a coast down operation or a deceleration with engine brake applied by detecting an intention of a vehicle operator. 2. Discussion of Prior Art A V-belt type continuously variable transmission used for an automobile power transmission apparatus includes a primary shaft connected with a crankshaft of an engine, a primary pulley provided on the primary shaft and whose width of a groove of the pulley is variable, a secondary shaft as an output shaft, a secondary pulley provided on the secondary shaft and a drive belt looped over these two pulleys. Engine speed is continuously changed by changing a ratio of winding diameters of the drive belt on the respective pulleys and is transmitted to the secondary shaft. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Toku-Kai-Hei 9-166216 discloses a control apparatus for controlling a ratio of winding diameters of a drive belt to pulleys, namely a speed ratio. The control apparatus inputs signals indicative of accelerator pedal opening angles, primary pulley speeds, secondary pulley speeds, vehicle speeds, engine speeds and the like and performs a control of speed ratio based on these input signals. In the control apparatus, when an operator takes his or her foot from an accelerator pedal during operating a vehicle, the speed ratio is controlled so as to be shifted up in order to improve fuel economy and to enhance driveability. Accordingly, when the accelerator pedal is released, the speed ratio is stuck to an over-drive position and the vehicle travels by inertia with an engine brake applied. On the other hand, when the vehicle driver releases the accelerator pedal, he or she sometimes intends to decelerate the vehicle while engine brake is exerted. For example, when the vehicle travels on winding roads, since moderate engine brakes are obtained by easing his or her foot off the accelerator pedal, the frequency of depressing a brake pedal for deceleration decreases and as a result the a burden of the operator can be substantially reduced. However, when the operator takes his or her foot from the accelerator pedal, the prior control apparatus fixes the speed ratio to an overdrive position and the vehicle runs by inertia irrespective of an intention of the operator. As a result, the operator must depress the brake pedal for deceleration after taking the foot from the accelerator pedal.

A radio frequency (RF) signal includes useful information that is modulated onto a carrier signal. An RF receiver retrieves the useful information from the RF signal. RF receivers are used in a wide variety of applications such as television transmission, cellular telephones, pagers, global positioning systems (GPS), cable modems, cordless phones, satellite radios, and the like. As used herein, an RF signal means an electromagnetic signal having a frequency in a spectrum from about 3 kilohertz (kHz) to hundreds of gigahertz (GHz), regardless of the medium through which such signal is conveyed. Thus an RF signal may be transmitted through air, free space, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, etc. In many broadcast RF transmission systems, the frequency spectrum is relatively wide and is divided into separate channels that include different information. A television receiver receives the wide spectrum RF signal, mixes a desired channel to a convenient intermediate frequency (IF) to make it easier to filter, and then converts it to baseband where the information may be processed further. For example, a television receiver may translate a channel in the frequency spectrum of 48 megahertz (MHz) to 870 MHz to an intermediate frequency of 44 MHz. Often, the RF signal power level in a particular channel is low, and needs to be amplified before being mixed or otherwise processed in the receiver. Thus receivers such as television receivers commonly use a technique known as automatic gain control (AGC). AGC systems use a feedback control loop to adjust the gain of an amplifier based on the input signal power level, so the output signal power level is relatively constant. In order to make a proper gain adjustment, the AGC loop needs a power detector capable of accurately measuring the signal power. The use of the same reference symbols in different drawings indicates similar or identical items.

1. Field This application relates generally to wireless communication and more specifically, but not exclusively, to improving communication performance. 2. Introduction Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) to multiple users. As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data services rapidly grows, there lies a challenge to implement efficient and robust communication systems with enhanced performance. To supplement conventional mobile phone network base stations, small-coverage base stations may be deployed (e.g., installed in a user's home) to provide more robust indoor wireless coverage to mobile units. Such small-coverage base stations are generally known as access point base stations, Home NodeBs, or femto cells. Typically, such small-coverage base stations are connected to the Internet and the mobile operator's network via a DSL router or a cable modem. Since radio frequency (“RF”) coverage of small-coverage base stations may not be optimized by the mobile operator and deployment of such base stations may be ad-hoc, RF interference issues may arise. Moreover, soft handover may not be supported for small-coverage base stations. Thus, there is a need for improved interference management for wireless networks.

A keying device of this kind is disclosed, for example, in European Patent EP-A-0 065 585. In this arrangement, the spacing bush constitutes a friction element adapted to rotate with the shaft and the rotor of the motor. In order for this to occur, the bush is clamp fitted on the shaft and the sleeve connected to the rotor. However, the spacing bush must still be able to slide axially on the shaft to enable keying and adjustment of the axial clearance during assembly of the motor. The need to permit axial sliding of the spacing bush may lead to a mounting which is inadequately clamped to provide sufficient connection in rotation and in translation between the spacing bush, on the one hand, and the shaft and rotor of the motor, on the other hand. Conversely, clamped mounting of the bush to ensure connection in rotation may make axial sliding difficult. To provide efficient connection between the spacing bush and the rotor, as well as with the shaft, use of a filling material, which can be hardened, disposed between the bush and the rotor has been proposed (see German patent No. DE-A-1 538 921). However, supplying the correct quantity of material to be inserted is difficult, since the axial clearance to be taken up is not known exactly, so that the effectiveness of the connection which is made with the material which can subsequently be hardened is not always optimal. The primary object of the invention is to provide a device for axially keying the rotor of a rotating machine of the kind defined previously, which responds better than those currently available to the various requirements in practice and which, in particular, enables better use of the material bonding the shaft, the sleeve of the insulating disc and the spacing bush.

1. Field of the Invention This invention generally relates to a process for the partial reconstruction of the refractory lining in the upper zone of the wall area of a ladle for casting and treating steel or similar metallurgical vessels, as well as a device for the performance of the process. The invention also generally relates to a process for the manufacture of a monolithic refractory lining of the wall and bottom of the ladle, as well as a device for the performance of the process. 2. Background Information Similar refractory linings of the prior art for metallurgical vessels generally include a permanent lining and a working lining. Fireclays or insulating bricks are conventionally used to construct the permanent lining, and are applied on the inside of the steel shell of the vessel. The working lining is applied on top of the permanent lining, and as it subsequently comes into contact with the molten steel, it is worn away by erosion, in particular as a result of the movement of the metal bath, and by chemical attack (erosion) which is caused in particular by the slags which float on top of the molten metal. The working lining can be constructed using refractory bricks or it can be installed in the form of a castable refractory mix which solidifies to form a monolithic layer. Combinations of these two types of linings are also possible. In terms of the return on investment, taking into consideration both the cost of materials and useful life of the lining, as well as the time and human resources required to install the lining, a monolithic lining frequently turns out to be more economical than a lining which consists of refractory bricks. Changes in modern methods of manufacturing steel have placed particularly stringent requirements on the refractory lining of casting and treatment ladles. In particular, after the transition to continuous casting, the higher tapping temperatures and the longer hold times of the molten steel in the ladle result in increased wear to the refractory lining. Since, as a rule, the amount of wear differs in different areas of the wall and bottom of the ladle, the lining is frequently divided into zones which have different thicknesses of the working lining and/or various grades of refractory materials which have different strengths or characteristics (wear resistances.) After the ladle has been filled with molten steel and emptied numerous times, the working lining is either completely removed and replaced when the ladle has reached the end of its useful life or, in the event of premature wear, it is repaired only in the damaged zones. If, in the upper portion of the ladle approximately 1 m from the upper edge, the working lining is exposed to chemically corrosive slags, the lining in this slag zone must typically be removed and replaced, or at least repaired, several times during the life of the ladle. The bottom frequently exhibits signs of wear sooner than the wall, in particular in the impact area of the casting stream and in the vicinity of the gas purging sets. In that case, the bottom lining must typically be removed and replaced several times during the life of the ladle. In accordance with a known lining method, the working lining of a steel casting ladle is constructed using refractory castables. For the wall lining, this method requires a template which matches the internal contour of the finished, cast working lining. The castable refractory mix is poured into the space between the permanent lining and the template. For a complete relining, a template is used which extends from the bottom to the upper edge of the ladle. To facilitate installation, the template can be divided in the middle. Mixers, pumps and internal vibrators are generally used to perform the casting process. The casting should be performed continuously, over a period of about three hours for example, to prevent any hardening in the surface area. The vibrators are used to prevent the formation of cavities and voids and to achieve good densification. When the mix has set, e.g. after about 24 hours, the template can be removed. When a monolithic lining of the entire ladle wall is installed, one disadvantage is that if premature wear occurs in the area exposed to the slag, interim repairs to this area are so difficult that this area must continue to be lined with refractory bricks, as described in Stahl u. Eisen Special, Oct. 1992, pp. 117-120, which is incorporated by reference herein. When the wall and bottom are lined with a monolithic lining, and if premature wear occurs on the bottom, it has been found to be disadvantageous that, when the damaged portion of the bottom lining is removed, damage generally occurs to the rest of the bottom lining. Generally, the lower portion of the otherwise intact wall lining is damaged during the removal of the bottom lining, because the lining of the wall and of the bottom is a monolith. Consequently, that can mean that it is necessary to remove a major part of the wall lining prematurely.

1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to reaction mixtures and processes which employ an .omega.-phase catalyst for carrying out displacement reactions at a substantially enhanced rate. 2. Description of the Prior Art The use of phase transfer catalysts to bring together two mutually insoluble reagents in sufficient concentration to attain conveniently rapid reaction rates has been described in the literature. C. Starks and C. Liotta, Phase Transfer Catalysis (1978); W. Weber and G. Gokel, Phase Transfer Catalysts in Organic Synthesis (1980); E. Dehmlow and S. Dehmlow, Phase Transfer Catalysis (1983); and H. A. Zahalka and Y. Sasson, J. Chem. Soc. Commun. (1984), p. 1652. Generally a phase transfer catalyst functions as a vehicle for transferring the anion of a metal salt from the aqueous or solid phase into the organic phase wherein reaction can occur with an organic reactant dissolved therein. Accordingly, it has been assumed that the rate of reaction is proportional to the concentration of catalyst in the organic phase. In this medium, it is known that water influences the course of the reaction; often its role is found to be disadvantageous. Even in those instances where water may be considered helpful, its role is not well understood or defined. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide reaction mixtures, and processes using such mixtures, for carrying out phase transfer catalyzed chemical reactions at a substantially enhanced rate. Another object of the invention is to provide such reaction mixtures in which an .omega.-phase catalyst enables displacement and addition reactions to proceed at a substantially enhanced rate. A further object herein is to provide a process in which the reaction product can be easily recovered. A feature of the present invention is the formation of an .omega.-phase catalyst in undiluted form by retention of substantially all of a phase transfer catalyst material present in the system in a polar liquid which itself is adsorbed on an inorganic salt. These and other objects and features of the invention will be made apparent from the following more particular description of the invention.

1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to aquariums, specifically to a novel manifestation of a picture background aquarium which can be displayed on a vertical or horizontal surface. This invention also relates to terrariums, specifically to a novel manifestation of a picture background terrarium which can be displayed on a vertical or horizontal surface. 2. Cross Reference to Related Applications I have on file at the U. S. Patent Office the following Disclosure Document outlining a prototype of this invention: #229900, dated June 23, 1989 titled `Micro Aquarium/Greenhouse`. 3. Description of Prior Art Picture/wallmount aquariums are a unique derivation of the very old basic aquarium concept, whereby one can add a special dimension to the versatility and purpose of an aquarium. By integrating the functional requirements of a terrarium into a picture/wallmount aquarium, one arrives at this invention which is a combination picture/wallmount aquarium and terrarium, ideally suited for either an aquarium of terrarium function. To the best of my knowledge, there is no existing prior art regarding a picture/wallmount terrarium, or a combination picture/wallmount aquarium and terrarium. There are however, a number of patented prior art examples of picture/wallmount aquariums which date back to 1892. Since the first picture/wallmount aquarium in 1892, approximately fourteen inventors have brought related interpretations and derivations of a picture/wallmount aquarium into this world. These picture/wallmount aquariums range from handcrafted and very ornate, to handcrafted and complex, all the way to possibly mass producible, but relatively complex and expensive. These limitations unfortunately restricted the number of people who could benefit from these past inventions. All these picture/wallmount aquariums appear to be relatively difficult and awkward to wallmount, requiring a strong supportive reinforced surface/a number of nails or screws for securing the unit to a wall. In addition to these disadvantages inherent in all past patented and known prior art inventions of the picture/wallmount aquarium nature, they also suffered from the following disadvantages: (a) Limitations of their design precluded their practical use on both vertical and horizontal surfaces. (b) They were not mass producible by inexpensive methods, thus their benefits could not be realized by the mass public. (c) They were relatively cumbersome to transport, relocate and clean. (d) It is evident that they could not be displayed on a common wall surface without having a number of attach points, or at least one structural reinforcing support member behind the wall surface for attachment to. These mounting requirements eliminated many possible desired mounting locations, resulting in a decreased versatility of the invention. (e) In the picture/wallmount aquariums capable of displaying a background scene, changing of these scenes was a relatively complex task. (f) For the picture/wallmount aquariums capable of displaying a background scene, the availability of appropriate, correctly sized, ready to install background scenery was limited. (g) They could not be easily sidemounted in combination with side surfaces abutted, thus limiting the possibility of many decorative or scientific uses. (h) None of the picture/wallmount aquariums were of a sufficient design, or of a construction of adequate materials to normally withstand a matter of course fall, or tip over event. Most accidents of these natures would most likely result in the loss of the aquariums structural integrity, and cause a release of the aquariums contents into the accident area. All these complexities and shortcomings possibly explain why all the past interpretations of the best contemplated embodiment of a picture/wallmount aquarium were never a success in the marketplace. It is clearly evident that the mass public never has had the opportunity to reap the benefits of a practical, low cost, picture/wallmount aquarium or terrarium.

Fin field-effect transistors (FinFET) are promising devices in small-scale integrated circuits, such as 22 nm technology and below, for their high drive currents and low chip-area usage. To further improve the drive currents of FinFETs, semiconductor materials having high electron mobility and hole mobility may be used in FinFET structures. Germanium is a commonly known semiconductor material. The electron mobility and hole mobility of germanium are greater than that of silicon, hence making germanium an excellent material in the formation of integrated circuits. However, in the past, silicon gained more popularity since its oxide (silicon oxide) is readily usable in the gate dielectric of metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) transistors. The gate dielectrics of the MOS transistors can be conveniently formed by thermal oxidation of silicon substrates. The oxide of germanium, on the other hand, is soluble in water, and hence is not suitable for the formation of gate dielectrics. With the use of high-k dielectric materials in the gate dielectrics of MOS transistors, the convenience provided by the silicon oxide is no longer a big advantage, and hence germanium is reexamined for the use in integrated circuits. Recent studies of germanium focusing on germanium nano-wires, which are used in FinFETs, have been reported. A challenge faced by the semiconductor industry is that it is difficult to form germanium films with high germanium concentrations or pure germanium films. Particularly, it is difficult to form high-concentration germanium films with low defect densities and great thicknesses, which germanium films are required for forming FinFETs. Previous research has revealed that when a silicon germanium film is epitaxially grown from a blanket silicon wafer, the critical thickness of the silicon germanium film reduces with the increase in the percentage of germanium in the silicon germanium film, wherein the critical thickness is the maximum thickness the silicon germanium film can reach without causing excess defects. For example, when formed on blanket silicon wafers, the critical thickness of a silicon germanium film having a 20% germanium percentage may be about 10 nm to about 20 nm, which thickness is still not adequate for forming FinFETs. To make things worse, when the germanium percentage increases to 40, 60, and 80%, the critical thicknesses are reduced to about 6-8 nm, 4-5 nm, and 2-3 nm, respectively. Accordingly, it is not feasible to form germanium films on blanket silicon wafers for the purpose of forming FinFETs.